Free Triple Trouble by Julia DeVillers Page A

corner, I could see that Emma was walking with them toward the main office door. That’s where Counselor Case had her office.
    â€œHey, it’s Payton! And hi, English teacher lady!” Mason yelled. “Hey, Payton! Guess what? We were guinea pigs!”
    Mason crouched down on the floor and pretended to be a guinea pig.
    â€œAlthough we didn’t have conclusive results,” Jason said. “Right, Emma? Right, Emma?”
    Emma looked pained. “We were learning about probability,” she said. “So I had them do an experiment on the odds of one of them reading the other’s mind. Purely unscientific, of course.”
    â€œHow did it go?” Mrs. Burkle asked.
    â€œWheeet! Wheeet!” Mason did what I think was supposed to be a guinea pig noise imitation. “We beat the odds.”
    â€œWe had seventy-four percent accuracy!” Jason said.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” I asked.
    â€œNothing,” Emma grumbled. “It was just a game.”
    â€œIt means we have twin ESP!” Mason whooped and stood up. “E! S! P! E! S! P!” he chanted.
    â€œAnd it means I have a headache,” Emma groaned,putting her hand to her forehead. “Hi, Mrs. Burkle.”
    â€œBoys, would you chivalrously hold the door for us since our hands are full?” Mrs. Burkle asked. Jason pushed the door open, and we all walked in.
    I put the box down where Mrs. Burkle set hers just as Counselor Case came out.
    â€œHello, Bertha. Hey, gang. I thought I heard my sweet boys,” Counselor Case said. “They were sweet for you, Emma, weren’t they?”
    â€œI can answer that! I can read Emma’s mind,” Jason said. “She’s thinking no! Mason was not sweet, but Jason was.”
    â€œNuh-uh,” Mason said. “She’s thinking Mason is sweeeeet. And better-looking.”
    â€œYes, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Emma sighed. “You both do have ESP. I don’t need to do any further experiments.”
    â€œI knew it!” the boys said.
    â€œI think she was being sarcastic,” Counselor Case said.
    â€œThis sounds like a fascinating experiment,” Mrs. Burkle said. “It could make a good news story for VOGS as a follow-up story to our trip to the Multipalooza.”
    â€œThe twins and multiples festival?” Counselor Case asked.
    â€œYes, I’m proposing that VOGS travel to the festival next weekend to tape a feature,” Mrs. Burkle said.
    â€œI’d love to hear more about this,” Counselor Case said. “Is it for kids?”
    â€œYeah, they have a kids division,” I said. Then I caught Emma’s face. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that.
    â€œWonderful! Coach and I will have to bring the boys,” Counselor Case said.
    â€œFabulous, and we can feature Mason and Jason in the VOGS cast,” Mrs. Burkle said. “We can show older twins mentoring younger twins.”
    â€œPerhaps we can all caravan together,” Counselor Case said.
    â€œI want to ride in a car with Emma!” Jason said. “We can do spelling bee words the whole way.”
    â€œ I call sitting next to Emma,” Mason said. “Can I bring Mascot?”
    â€œI need to get out of here,” Emma whispered to me in a strangled voice.
    Emma was Mason’d and Jason’d out, that was for sure.
    â€œLook at the time!” Emma said. “Payton and I need to catch our late bus. So, bye, everyone!”
    â€œMaybe Emma can sit in between us on the ride,”Jason was saying. “If we take Dad’s car, it’s real squishy in the back. Emma can sit on the hump!”
    â€œFlee,” Emma said under her breath. And we fled.
    â€œSorry about that,” I said to Emma as we headed down the hallway.
    â€œOh, you know I like Mason and Jason,” Emma said. “In small doses. Chaperoned by their parents. Without a gecko. And if possible, fifty feet