Double Dutch

Delia and her friend Charlene try to avoid the fearsome Tolliver Twins, Tabu and Titan. They’ve both heard they kill pets for fun and carry knives and sawed-off shotguns. Delia thinks they’re just stories, but Charlene believes the rumors.

Delia sort of believes the rumors about the weapons. Everybody tries to get out of the way as the twins pass. They walk by in black clothes with menacing clenched fists. The twins knock Delia and Charlene out of the way as they pass, cementing their authority. Delia can feel that Titan and Tabu are truly bad. Even the teachers are afraid of them, including Miss Benson, a first-year teacher.

Delia hurries to class, sitting in front while the Tollivers sit way in the back. Miss Benson is fresh out of college and looks more like a teenager, but Delia likes her energy. Miss Benson likes Delia and asks Delia about the Double Dutch team. Yolanda tells the class about the championships that they’ll all be competing in soon. Miss Benson promises to come to watch them compete one of these days. Yolanda tells everyone about the real silver necklace she got in Mexico, but the class all knows that Yolanda tells tall tales.