Jade's face turned red. “I don't know.” Who cared if it was for Zander? Dressing up for whoever she wanted was her prerogative.
After Zander's text message last Thanksgiving, the two high school friends reconnected. Their phone conversations reminded Jade how sweet and attentive Zander was, qualities that she didn’t value in high school when she knew Zander had a crush on her. Things were different now.
Jade blushed as she remembered their phone conversation from the prior night.
“I dreamt about you last night,” Zander had said.
“Oh?” She smiled. She seemed to always be on his mind.
“You were a Hershey kiss wrapped in silver and looking delicious.”
“Did you unwrap me?” Jade asked, feeling butterflies in her stomach like she had said something dirty.
“Yes,” Zander replied, and by the tone of his voice, Jade could tell he was smiling, too.
“What did I taste like?”
There was a pause and then Zander admitted, “I was too scared to eat you.” Jade burst out laughing. He had added, “I woke up craving chocolate.” Jade had doubled over in a fit of giggles.
Zander was a pleasant distraction from the whispering shadows and floating black dots that hadn't stopped intruding in her life. She learned to block them by texting Zander. He was protection from the things that went bump in the night, like her personal knight in shining armor.
The more she focused on Zander, the easier it was to ignore the bad things. Perhaps it was a salve instead of a cure, like taking aspirin for a headache, but it was better than the life she was living before. She closed her mind to the monsters and opened her heart to Zander.
Jade was looking forward to tonight. Between Zander's summer internship and a job as a teaching assistant, they hadn't seen each other in person in two years.
“Zander is a good choice.” Jade's mother said, causing Jade's jaw to drop. “When does he graduate?” Jade's nostrils flared. She didn’t want or need her mother's approval.
“This spring, but don’t hold your breath. He may not even be there tonight.” Jade said it to manage her mother's expectations as well as her own.
Her mother crossed her arms and gave Jade a shrewd look. “Marcus mentioned that Zander is meeting him at the bar.”
“Marcus is home?” Jade turned to look at her mother, forgetting about her annoyance. She hadn’t seen Marcus since he went away for school over a year ago. She felt the hole he left behind. It had been a dark time for her, and she didn’t blame him for wanting a one-way ticket out of her life.
“Did I hear my name?” Marcus entered Jade's room, passing Jade's mother on her way out.
Jade launched herself into Marcus’s arms. “I’m so glad you are home.”
Marcus gave Jade a kiss on the cheek as he held her in his arms. “I’m sorry.” The words came out in a rush, like they were pressing on Marcus’s shoulders the whole year he was at school, waiting to be released.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” Jade said. “I don’t know how anyone could stand me. I was in a bad place when you left for school.”
Marcus wanted to say it was his fault, but how could he explain the black spots and shadows? Instead, he said, “You look nice.” He was relieved to see her looking like her old self. She was doing well without Marcus’s tainted presence.
Jade grinned, feeling appreciative, but uneasy. If everyone noticed that she put in effort, what did she usually look like?
Jade shook the negative thoughts from her head. Marcus’s appearance was a sign that it was going to be a good night. “Mom said Zander will be meeting you at the bar,” Jade said.
“Who's Zander?” Bobby forced his way into Jade's room with a football under his arm. “Go long, Marcus!” He tossed the ball over Marcus’s head, forcing him to jump on Jade's bed to catch it.
Bobby wasn’t going to jump into his cousin’s arms the way Jade did. He wouldn’t easily forget that Marcus had left them high and dry. The struggle to stay sane was real, but Bobby managed without Marcus. Self-medication made the year a blur.
Marcus had heard that Bobby seesawed between boundless energy and irritable fits these days. His year away had only seen Bobby grow moodier and more competitive. It was odd that his absence helped one cousin and not the other.
Marcus pushed Bobby’s mood swings aside. He focused on the main reason he’d come back to Woodpine. After months of being on and off again, Bobby finally stopped playing games with Vicki and ended their relationship.
“You know Zander. He went to high school with you, and he's my roommate at school,” Marcus explained, hoping his impatience didn’t show.
“You traveled all the way from school to be with us on Thanksgiving, and you invited some random guy to come along?” Bobby complained.
“No use sugarcoating it, Bobby. I only came home for the food.” Marcus smiled like a Cheshire cat, which goaded Bobby even more.
Bobby chucked the ball at Marcus, causing him to grunt when it nailed him in the stomach. “I hope your friend Zander knows how to party,” Bobby spat.
“My room isn't a football field. Go find somewhere else to throw the ball.” Jade tossed a pillow at Bobby. He ducked and left the room. Marcus followed.
Jade didn't approve of the short-tempered person Bobby was becoming. She was worried about the shady crowd with bad habits and deep pockets that he spent time with. She would do her sisterly duty and keep an eye on him tonight, but he’d made it abundantly clear that he didn't want another mother.
Jade took a deep breath and took comfort in the fact that she had her cousin and her brother by her side for the first time in a year…just as long as it didn’t ruin her night with Zander.
“I'm not going to McCallister's,” Vicki grumbled. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest and her venomous stare was aimed at Zander.
“Don't come,” Zander said, pulling his shirt over his head. It was the third time he had changed it. “No one is forcing you.”
All Zander could think about was seeing Jade. After months of texts and late night calls, he wanted to cross that boundary from friend to something more. He didn’t have time for Vicki’s petty fights.
“Zander…” Rayley was trying to keep the peace between her brother and her best friend. “Be reasonable. We want to hang out with you.”
“It's the one holiday we share. It's tradition to be together, and last year you didn't even come home,” Vicki moaned.
“Law school keeps me busy,” Zander argued.
Vicki looked affronted. “Are you saying we're not busy? I work forty hours a week at Woodpine Music Center!”
Zander shoved his keys and his wallet in his pocket. He didn’t mean to insult Vicki, although he wasn’t sure why she was wasting her time at a local music store. She had more potential than that. “I know you are busy, but we always go where you want to go for Thanksgiving Eve. I told Marcus that I would meet him at McCallister's.”
“Isn’t Marcus your roommate at school? You see him all the time!” Vicki complained.
Rayley spoke up from Zander's bed. “Zander, you know why she doesn't want to go to McCallister's. Bobby Miller will be there.”
Vicki huffed, annoyed that her reason needed to be explained. It was a painful break up for her, and Zander would have known that if he’d been around. She had fallen hard for Bobby, even if he was messed up most of the time they were together. “I can't be near him. It's over between us.”
“Was there ever a relationship to begin with?” Zander asked. He was being facetious, but he truly didn’t know why Vicki was so bent out of shape over an old boyfriend. Vicki had a lot to offer the world, and he didn’t think she should be tied down.
Vicki stomped her foot. “What are you insinuating, Zander?”
Zander stopped fidgeting around the room and looked at Vicki. Her face was red in pain and anger. Zander was so busy worrying about himself that he didn't realize how deeply he was antagonizing Vicki.
> Vicki’s hands were balled in fists at her sides. “Bobby is a tortured soul. He struggles with demons, seeing monsters in shadows and hearing voices in his head. I was there for him, and when it no longer suited him, he tossed me aside. He broke my heart, and I can’t be in the same room as him.”
Zander’s ears perked up. “Voices?”
It had been three years since Zander thought about the night with Jade at Murphy’s Music Hall when they heard voices. Jade never mentioned shadows or voices on the phone. Was the fact that her brother also heard voices a coincidence?
Vicki rolled her eyes. “Yes, voices. Don’t make fun of something you don’t understand. Have fun without me!” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
“Come on, Vic!” Zander called. He looked out his bedroom door as he heard the front door to the house slam shut.
“You could have shown a little sympathy,” Rayley chastised. “You barely see her, and she looks up to you like an older brother.”
Zander closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. How was he supposed to explain the importance of tonight to Vicki? There had been a build up with Jade for months. He was about to live his fantasy, and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way. He would call Vicki tomorrow and apologize, but for now, he needed to be at McCallister's bar for Thanksgiving Eve, and he was running late.
McCallister's was the classic dive bar in town. The hole-in-the-wall structure sat on Washington Avenue in the shadow of Murphy's Music Hall and across the street from Lorenzo's Pizzeria. At McCallister's, the celebration of Thanksgiving Eve translated into under-aged kids mingling near gray-haired regular customers. Standing near the door meant battling the constant flow of people in and out of the establishment as well as the frigid breeze that ensued each time the door was opened.
By the time Jade, Marcus, and Bobby arrived at McCallister's, the bar was packed. Bobby led them into the heart of the bar and a blanket of body heat surrounded them.
Bobby puffed out his chest like he owned the place as he cupped his mouth and hollered, “Drinking time!” In his mind, he had hit his stride the last few years. As long as he felt a buzz or a high, he didn’t feel different from everyone else. He was numb to the anxiety that there were monsters in the shadows.
Bobby didn’t miss the bartender’s disapproving stare, but he wasn’t going to let it get in his way. He reached over the bar and grabbed the skinny barkeep in a headlock. “How's it going, Trip?”
Trip looked at his hand-me-down Nikes to hide his face. He may have been skinny, but the scars he bore showed that he was scrappy and not afraid of a fight. The problem was that he needed money for food and rent. He would dish out disapproving stares, but he couldn’t afford to engage in a brawl and get fired.
He was new to the Land of the Free and grateful for his job. Lorenzo had introduced him to the owner of McCallister’s a few months back. That’s how Rogues from Zone Wool on the Isle of the Lost got jobs in towns like Woodpine.
Trip and Bobby weren’t too far apart in age, but Trip’s life experience couldn’t have been more different. Trip patted Bobby on the arm that held his head. “Hey, Bobby. What can I get you?” Bobby released him.
Trip’s meager existence seemed grim compared to Bobby Miller’s party lifestyle, but pulling beers and mixing drinks for the locals was better than the life Trip had before. He massaged his wrists absentmindedly. It was a habit that subconsciously consumed him when he was irritated.
“We’ll take tequila.” Bobby pointed to his cousin, sister, and himself. “We have to start Thanksgiving Eve off right!”
People like Trip had their own secret communication network, and these days, the Millers came up often. Bobby was getting messy, and that was bad news for everyone. However, in Trip’s current situation, who was he to judge? He placed a round of tequila shots on the bar. Bobby downed his drink and flashed the bartender a toothy grin.
Jade sipped the tequila and worried about her brother. By sheer luck and the smallest amount of effort, he graduated from college last May, but he still hadn’t found a steady job. Somehow, he managed to fill his unemployed time, but she wasn’t sure if it was healthy or the best way to start a career.
Jade watched Bobby take another shot and head to a corner where a group of slick guys and waif-like girls stood. A few looked familiar from the nights Jade caught them waiting in their cars for Bobby to come out of the house for a raging party or a boozy bar hop. He rarely woke up the following day before noon.
As Jade brooded about Bobby, an eye floater circled the back wall of the bar. It threatened to unravel Jade and her carefully constructed body armor. Thinking about Zander's thoughtful texts and calming phone calls, she willed herself to hold it together.
Zander and Rayley were silent on the car ride to McCallister's. Rayley was mad at Zander for his flippant attitude toward Vicki, but she also knew how important this night was to him. The past year was busy for Zander, but he made time to speak to Rayley. She knew about the blossoming romance between Zander and Jade, and that the expectations for tonight were high.
Rayley had graduated from college last spring and started a new job in finance a few weeks ago. On her long commute into the city, Rayley wrote fantasy stories. Zander encouraged Rayley's corporate and recreational endeavors. Having her brother's support meant a lot, which was why she decided to put off tending to Vicki's wounds until tomorrow. Tonight, she forgave Zander for his selfish actions and hoped that joining him would calm his nerves.
Zander didn't notice the cold as he crossed the parking lot to the bar. His eyes were already scanning the people as he stepped inside and ripped off his coat. Fate had played a hand in getting Zander together with Jade during past Thanksgiving Eve's. Tonight, Zander wanted to do everything in his power to help fate along.
Zander sighed with relief as he spotted a blaze of golden hair that stood out against the crowd. All the nerves rolled off his shoulders as he headed toward Jade. He was about to spend the evening with his high school crush, the woman he couldn't get out of his head even as the miles and years stretched on.
He watched her for a moment. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared blankly at the drink in front of her. Zander couldn't wait to be with her. He wanted to kiss a smile onto her lips.
Jade felt a tap on her shoulder. A tingle of anticipation traveled the length of her body. She turned, and just as she was hoping, she found herself nose-to-nose with Zander.
Zander leaned in to whisper, “It looks like the stars have finally aligned.” She smiled at him, and Zander felt like moonbeams were shooting across the sky. For the first time in his life, he was with the girl of his dreams and saying the right thing at the right time.
Zander's breath tickled Jade’s ear, and she felt a lovely shiver down her spine. In that moment, she didn't fret about work or worry about her brother or even notice the hovering shadows in the room. Whether she needed her mother's approval or not, the clashing mother and daughter agreed on one thing. Jade was right where she was supposed to be: with Zander.
Marcus cut in to shake Zander's hand. “Zander! Glad you could make it. Let's bring you up to speed.” Marcus motioned for Trip the bartender, and Jade felt a wave of disappointment knowing she would have to share Zander.
Zander's mouth twisted as he gave Jade an apologetic look. He reached for her hand and dropped something in her palm before turning away. Jade looked down at a single Hershey kiss and smiled.
Zander turned his full attention to his roommate and said, “Marcus, Jade, you've met my sister, Rayley.”
Jade suddenly felt awkward. She edged closer to Marcus for support. She'd known Rayley for years, but had never really spoken to her. Jade gave her a shy wave hello. It was important to Jade that Zander's sister liked her.
“I finally get to spend time with the most creative writer in the universe, a title bestowed by your bewitched brother,” Marcus said.
Rayley beamed at him. “I don't deserve that title. It's just a ho
bby. How about aspiring most creative writer in the universe and master at beguiling unwitting brothers?” Rayley asked.
Marcus laughed, but looked over Rayley’s head. His heart sank as he realized Zander and Rayley didn’t come with their charming friend. Before Marcus could ask about Vicki, Bobby came barreling through the group of teenage girls next to them, leaving a wake of fallen chairs, coats, and bar customers. The girls shrieked, but Bobby ignored them.
“Marcus, it's time to turn this party up a notch,” Bobby said, slurring his words. He leaned against the bar to steady himself and dug his hand into his pocket.
“Hey, buddy, are you doing all right?” Marcus asked, his lips were in a straight line. Jade's stomach wrenched with apprehension as she wondered how much he’d had to drink before they left the house.
Bobby pulled his hand out of his pocket and opened his palm, revealing three white pills. Jade covered them with her own. “What are you doing with those?” she asked, suddenly understanding his behavior and feeling the embarrassment she thought he should have felt.
He pulled himself up to his full height. “Chill out, Jade. Who are you, Mom?”
His biting question silenced Jade, and he took advantage of her lapse in censure to scan the onlookers. His eyes landed on Rayley, and to Jade and Marcus's mortification, he said, “Hey, aren't you friends with that hot-tempered brunette, Vicki?”
Rayley scrunched her nose, preparing herself for whatever Bobby was about to say. “Yes.”
“Her body is smoking,” Bobby said. “And she's good in bed.”
Rayley’s gasp was heard over the crowd. Marcus grabbed his cousin. “Time for some fresh air.”
Marcus had one hand grasping the back of Bobby’s neck and the other pushing against his back. Bobby laughed and struggled against his cousin, enjoying the scene they were causing. The bitter cold nipped at his red cheeks as Marcus threw him out of the bar.
All Shadows Eve Page 7
