I nodded, and continued in a whisper, afraid of the sentiment I was about to express. "Noah, I just don’t know how to do this. You're my first boyfriend, the first guy I've ever felt anything for. I'm no good at this relationship stuff. I thought that if I went out to that party, I'd forget everything, and be able to start over, but I was such a wreck." I tried to force my head down, but Noah wouldn’t allow me.
"Sadie, I love you. I want you to believe that‒do you?"
I nodded and smiled, in spite of my tears.
"Well, then you have to believe me: I asked my parents about the name in the picture‒don’t worry, I didn’t tell them about the journal. I told them you were doing your research project on the Salem Witch Trials and that you wanted to know more about the people involved. They want to meet you and talk to you about the picture. They wouldn’t say anything to me."
I looked at Noah and my heart filled with compassion. He may not have been the most beautiful and athletic guy around, but he was caring and intoxicating, and had inadvertently stolen my heart and refused to give it back. "Your parents want to meet me? I mean…I've never done that before, you know, meeting the parents. What if they don’t like me?" Then it dawned on me, "You were still worrying about the journal and my project, even after all the horrible things I said to you?" I looked at Noah with longing in my eyes. How could I have ever doubted him, let alone be angry with him?
"I was angry about the accusations, but I was never angry with you. I talk to my parents every day about you, and they want to meet the girl who has their goofy son so involved." He smirked, which made me smile.
"Okay," I agreed. "When do you want me to meet them?"
"How about tonight?" he suggested.
"Tonight!" I shouted and snuck a glance at myself in the mirror. "I look awful."
Noah laughed. "They'll love you, Sadie, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, we have to find out the truth about that picture." He had a point there.
Noah finally left, giving me enough time to shower and dress before I had to go over and meet his parents. I asked Lucy to stay so she and my mom could help me prepare. My mom was ecstatic at the thought of helping me get ready.
"What do you think his parents will be like?" Mom asked while she and Lucy were busy ransacking my closet.
I sat on the bed allowing them to take charge, content to comply with their suggestions and let them dress me.
"They're great," Lucy said. "My parents are good friends with them. They'll love Sadie, I just know it."
My mom and Lucy debated what I should wear, how I should wear my hair, and what I should say to Noah's parents when I met them. I laughed at them, but mostly at my mom who seemed just like a seventeen-year-old girl. I felt bad I wasn’t the preppy daughter she'd hoped for, but she could always borrow Lucy whenever she felt the need to get overexcited at girly things.
After what seemed like forever, they came out of my closet with a pair of gray dress pants and a charcoal top with silver flecks. My mom lets me borrow a pair of her knee-high black boots, which I felt strange wearing. It was a look I admit I wouldn't have selected for myself, but I did look good in it.
After I'd dressed, Mom left Lucy and me alone, so she could prepare dinner. After she'd left, Lucy grabbed my hand and pulled me over to my bed.
"Sadie, you look great!" she told me.
I looked down to check out my appearance. "Thanks," I replied with a slight smile.
"Oh, Sadie, I have to tell you something. I've been keeping a secret and I can’t hold it in anymore. You've been so honest with me about the journal and Noah, and I just have to tell you."
I was astonished‒Lucy had a secret? "What is it?" I asked.
"Do you know Noah’s friend, Alec?" she asked, through gritted teeth.
"Yes." I thought back to the day I'd first seen Alec as he ran through the parking lot with Noah. He was just as carefree as Noah, but not as cute, in my opinion.
"Well…I've sort of been seeing him." She bowed her head like she was embarrassed.
"You've been seeing him? For how long?" How could I not have known what my best friend was up to?
"Um…two years." She looked up at me with childlike eyes.
"Two years!" I shouted. "Does Noah know?"
"No!" she quickly replied. "And I don’t want him to know."
"Why?"
"Alec, is…well, not my type. He's silly and immature, like Noah‒no offense." She quickly added, "But Alec's great. We both have these different reputations, but we enjoy spending time together. Eventually, we'll go public, but for right now we like things the way they are." She grinned at me, hoping I wasn't angry.
"Is that who you were texting the other night at dinner?" I knew the answer before she even nodded her head to say, yes.
"That’s great, Lucy! I mean, not the secrecy part, but I'm glad you have someone." I hugged her tightly. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one who lived a double life.
My eyes diverted to the clock‒I had to be at Noah’s in thirty minutes. Lucy offered to drive in front of me so that I could follow her to his house. I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror before I left, and followed Lucy to the other side of town, where I felt as if I'd entered a whole new realm.
Instead of historical buildings and ancient homes, I saw beautiful, newly built homes with white, picket fences. Noah sure looked out of place here, I thought.
Lucy stopped her car in front of a two-story, red brick home. Green shutters framed the large windows, decorated with beautiful drapes. I pulled up next to the mailbox‒-also red brick‒and parked my car.
As I stepped out, Lucy pulled up next to me. She rolled down her window, waved, and wished me luck. I walked up the short walk to the front porch where Noah greeted me with an eager grin.
“Wow, Sadie, you look great." He checked out my outfit.
"Thanks," I muttered. "Lucy and my mom did a good job."
He grabbed my hand and led me into his immaculate home. The first thing I noticed was the sparkly chandelier in the foyer. The walls had been painted with a rich, dark maroon. Straight ahead was the kitchen, and to my right were three small steps leading down to a small living room. There was a staircase to my left, leading up to the second story.
I heard voices coming from the living room. Noah held tightly onto my hand and led me down the few stairs into the sunken room to meet his parents. His mom had long, brassy, curly hair that reached half-way down her spine. His father had salt and pepper hair, and sparkling baby blue eyes behind a pair of round-framed glasses. He was also very tall and slender; I saw where Noah got his build from.
His mom grabbed me, pulling me tightly against her chest. "Welcome, Sadie, we've heard so much about you. It's so nice to finally put a face to all the stories we've heard about you." She held me at arm's length, examining my appearance. "Look at this gorgeous complexion. Is your hair color natural, or do you dye it?"
I smiled sheepishly, trying to hide my embarrassment, having never been referred to as gorgeous by anyone ever before. Was she looking at me? Was there something wrong with her eyesight?
There was a rumbling on the stairs. I followed Noah’s gaze to see two little boys quickly descending down the front staircase.
"Sadie, these are my little brothers." I smiled and waved hello to them; they looked like miniature Noah’s.
"Noah, is this your girlfriend?" One of his brothers asked as he reached out to shake my hand, and I couldn't help but giggle.
"I must be the topic of conversation around here a lot," I said, glancing at Noah.
He was glaring at his brothers, like an animal about to attack its prey.
"Yeah, Noah, is this your girlfriend? Do you love her?" the middle brother joked. He started making smooching noises against his hand in a perverse attempt to pretend like he was kissing a girl.
"Boys, go back upstairs and leave Noah and Sadie alone," his father commanded.
The boys grunted and complained, but they compli
ed with their father’s request.
"Cute," I said. I giggled at the boys' continued grumbling as they ascended back to their rooms.
"Yeah, something like that," Noah said with a groan.
"Well, let’s sit and talk," Noah's father said. "I believe there's something you need to ask us?"
Noah and I sat down, side by side on a small love seat. His parents eye us from the couch.
"I know Noah's informed you about my Language Arts project," I began. "I'm very interested in the Salem Witch Trials and all of the major people involved, and I discovered that involved one of your ancestors. I hope I'm not being too forward by asking, but any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated."
Noah's dad spoke first. "Yes, Sadie, unfortunately, our name is mentioned in the history books. My ancestors were part of the trials. The man from the picture you saw was asked to help the judges to determine who was a witch and deserving of persecution as a result, a fact we're not proud of.
"I was angry when I went to Salem High as a kid, and my father pleaded with the school to take the picture out of the display case. They refused, stating it was public information. Fortunately, for Noah, he never sets foot inside the library, so he had no idea the document even existed. We've kept the information from him because we didn’t think it was necessary for him to know.
"From my knowledge, there's only one Bufford left in this town other than our family, but I wouldn’t recognize him if I saw him today. He owned half of this town for years, but disappeared after a few financial mishaps, and no one's heard from him since.
"The only information I have is that the man in the picture you discovered helped to persecute an evil woman. Other than that, my father wouldn't offer me any more information."
I snuck a sideways glance at Noah who was watching me as his dad spoke.
"Thank you," I told him. "That information's actually very helpful."
Noah thanked his parents for helping me, too, and then he grabbed me by my hands.
"I am going to show Sadie around," he announced as he led me out of the room. With a quick wave goodbye, I followed Noah, still firmly holding my hand in his own.
We walked out of the living room, his parents smiling and watching as we did. Noah showed me the kitchen which faced a massive backyard. He next took me up the stairs and into a large bonus room that contained an older model couch, and a big screen television set mounted on the wall. There was a pool table in the center of the room, and several Game Boy systems spread out on a large black bookshelf.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" he asked, motioning for us to sit down on the couch.
I nodded, followed him, and sat closely next to him on the couch.
"I can’t believe I almost lost you over something so stupid," I said. "Your heritage is none of my business and I should've never gotten angry with you over it." Tears threatened to develop in my eyes. "You never lost me. You will never lose me," he
said in stern voice.
I had to admit, there was something very seductive and appealing about him when he spoke to me in his angry voice.
He flipped through channels until he stopped on MTV. We watched music videos with screaming metal bands and colorful images, while I was wrapped securely in his arms, my head buried beneath his chin. He smelled like aftershave and honesty. The scent was alluring, and I breathed him in.
He traced the sleeve of my shirt with his finger. "I think my parents like you." He smirked and squeezed my hand.
"Really?" I asked, perking up. I lifted my head off of his shoulder to look at him.
"Yeah, well, who wouldn’t love you? You're irresistible." He smiled down at me.
I reached up, kissed his nose, put my fingers on his mouth, and traced the outline of his beautiful, pink lips. I stared at his features‒he was breathtaking, and he was mine.
"Did you get the information you needed to finish your project and help Elizabeth?" he asked, remembering one of the reasons he'd brought me to his parents’ house in the first place.
"Yes. I think I'm starting to figure things out," I replied, going over what I'd learned in my head.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"There she is," I heard someone say. "That’s the girl who got hammered at Melinda’s party. I heard Melinda say she threw up all over the walkway. It took hours to spray her vomit off the cement."
I walked quickly through the hallway as my peers pointed a hypocritical finger at me, like children watching a circus freak. I kept a stern face throughout, not giving them the pleasure of accessing the anger mounting inside me. I'd stupidly convinced myself they'd have all forgotten about my hideous behavior at the party, thinking that some other kid would've generated some sort of worse drama to drive their gossip, but as usual, I was wrong.
When I reached my locker, I tried not to look directly at Melinda who was leaning against my locker on one foot, with the other resting directly against the bottom of it. She smirked and shook her head as I tried to maneuver around her.
"Excuse me," I whispered, still holding my head down.
"I believe you mean to say, I am sorry," she hissed. She changed her posture, so she was standing with her hands on her hips.
My head shot up like a gun had just been fired. What was she thinking? I needed to be sorry! Well, I had only one thing to apologize for, and that was for leaving the contents of my stomach on her walkway. As for true apologizes, Melinda had some nerve asking one from me when she was the one walking around, telling the whole school about my mishap. I'm sure she wasn't also sharing information about the illegal alcohol consumption that took place at the party, or the pervert boys lurking in her living room. "Melinda, you're right: I'm sorry for being sick
on your walkway, but no one told me there was alcohol in the punch, and my stomach didn’t know how to handle the burning poison," I said as I tensed, waiting for her response.
Looking nonchalant, Melinda just stood there, eyeing me as I spoke. She brushed her golden blonde hair off of her shoulders and rolled her eyes, and I inhaled her perfume when she did, a mix of vanilla and lavender. How could someone so incredibly evil smell so deliciously sweet?
"Sadie, you are truly a loser." She laughed with a menacing growl. As she continued to speak, I had to ball up my fists and grind them into my hips to stop me from hitting her in the face. "Everyone can party except for you. That little present you left on my walkway was disgusting, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from someone like you. As for the guys, well they told me how you and your little buddies freaked out. Maybe if you'd have let them 'play' with you, you'd loosen up a bit and not be such a stiff nerd."
A small gathering had begun to form around us. When Melinda spoke, people listened, regardless if it was an empty threat or a campaign speech about some unnecessary school propaganda. More importantly, people watched in curiosity as me, a no one stood there, taking Melinda's wrath. As she spoke her devastatingly cruel words, I heard gasps from my peers. Though this wasn't the first time they'd been subjected to Melinda’s disturbing words, it was the first time anyone reacted the way I was.
My head began to spin. I tried to speak, but the words just couldn’t‒no, wouldn’t‒form. My soul seemed to float over top of my small frame, watching in curiosity at what my body might do. My mouth was wide open as I lobbed curses and equally cruel insults in her face, but Melinda never heard a word of it.
All she felt was the steam coming off of my fiery breath as it blew harshly into her face. Before I knew what I was doing, I drew my arm back, and my already balled up fist came crashing down against Melinda’s precious and perfectly constructed nose. The impact caused a blood curdling crack that nauseated me.
Her head jolted back and then rapidly forward again, like it was on a springboard after my fist made contact.
What now?
The astonished and pained look that spread across Melinda’s face painted a deceiving picture. She looked so innocent as her eyes swelled with
tears. Before I'd hit her, she looked like a conniving criminal, but now she resembled a small child. My hand ached, and as I brought it back down to my side, I was unable to look away from Melinda as she cupped her hands around her nose, which had begun to bleed. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried in an agonizing pain.
I wanted to apologize for my behavior, but before I could speak, her Melindanites were already at her side, crying along with their injured friend. An alarm must have been sounded, one I was not equipped to hear, telling her followers she was in pain. I stood in horror as they pushed past me and escorted their friend to the restroom. Questions circled around her as each one of her friends looked for the cause of the bleeding, never once even dreaming of asking her what she'd done to deserve such an attack.
The crowd that had gathered to watch the three-ring circus now dispersed, as they feared something far worse than Melinda, and that was the teachers. To be honest, I was stunned at my own behavior.
Would it be okay if I jump into the air and kicked my heels?
No, it was still too soon.
As I contemplated what my next move should be‒running out of the school and into the safety of my getaway car or announcing over the loudspeaker that I'd literally knocked Melinda down a peg‒I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Noah and Lucy. The look on their faces were priceless. Noah was laughing hysterically, throwing his head back, even as he tried to speak, while Lucy spoke to herself in a tone so quiet, I couldn't make out anything she was saying.
"Sadie, what did you just do?" Noah picked me up and swung me around as he continued to laugh.
"I don’t know," I said. "She just made me so angry…and I just…I didn’t know what I was doing." I was being honest. "It was like something had taken over, and I was having an out of body experience, or something, and before I knew what had happened, I hit her in the face."
"Well, that'll go down in history‒what'd she say to make you so angry?" Noah shot me a smug smile as he waited for my response.
I allowed myself to gain control before I spoke, and when I felt ready, I retold the events that led up to my out of body abusive experience.
Wicked Cries (The Wicked Cries Series Book 1) Page 21
