Like Candy

by Debra Doxer

  Glancing at Jonah, I saw that he still held the box in one hand and was doing something inside Parker’s open locker with his other. “Drew’s coming,” I whispered into the phone. “Hurry up.”

  He scowled at the locker. “There’s no room for it. She keeps everything she owns in here.”

  I watched him turning the box vertically and then leaning against it as he tried to cram it inside. I knew I should have been the one to do this; I would have dumped it in there and been gone by now. If Drew weren’t twenty feet away from discovering us, I’d laugh at Jonah’s predicament.

  “Just force it in there,” I snapped.

  He stilled before sending me a withering look down the length of the hallway. “Thanks, Seaborne. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  I snorted, biting my lip to keep from laughing. But the fact was, Drew was getting too close and I had no doubt he’d turn Jonah in if he saw him.

  “I’ll intercept him,” I said. Then I took a few steps back and started walking around the corner determinedly, like I actually had someplace to go.

  “Candy.” Drew’s voice rang out loudly in front of me.

  Pretending surprise, I glanced up.

  “What are you still doing here?” He stopped and grinned, looking pleased to see me.

  I had an excuse ready, just in case. “I was supposed to meet Lea after school, but I think she went home.” I knew she had gone straight home today like she did most days.

  “Did you text her?”

  I nodded. “I haven’t heard from her. She probably forgot.”

  “I’m glad I ran into you,” he said, placing a hand on my arm. “You disappeared at the party and we never got to talk.”

  “I know. That house was so crowded.” And I was avoiding you.

  “So, listen.” Drew shifted from one foot to the other. “I know it’s kind of late to be asking, but are you going to homecoming?”

  I was relieved to have a real excuse to give him. His expression was so earnest and at the same time nervous, I would have felt guilty lying. “No, actually. I’m not going. I have other plans.”

  “Oh.” His shoulders slumped slightly. Then he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure,” I replied, wary of what it might be.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  Damn. I should have seen that one coming. “Um, no . . .”

  “Then maybe we could do something another time?” He rushed the words out, his nervousness palpable.

  I tilted my head curiously at him; I couldn’t help it. Objectively speaking, Drew was a good-looking guy. Someone like him shouldn’t have any problem talking to girls. Maybe there was something about me that made him nervous?

  “Okay,” I replied hesitantly, not having the heart to say no.

  “Really? Great.” If he heard the hesitance in my voice, he showed no sign of it. “Were you headed out? I could walk with you.”

  I wasn’t, but it would take us in the opposite direction of Jonah, so I agreed. On the way, Drew started talking about himself, and he never really stopped. He explained that he ran track, which was where he was headed when he spotted me. He’d been running for years and had won a few state competitions. He was pretty darned good, according to himself.

  I nodded politely, unable to tell if he was so chatty due to nerves or if he naturally felt the need to fill every silence. When he finally told me good-bye in the parking lot so he could head down to the track field, I was relieved.

  Standing out in the school yard, I wondered if Jonah had finished the job successfully. Now that I had his number in my phone, I could text him and ask how it went, but I didn’t want to disturb him if he was still there trying to squeeze the box into her locker. I nearly laughed again, picturing it.

  Going back inside to find him wasn’t a great idea either since Drew could still see me from the field. I knew the football team was down there practicing too, but they were in the distance, too far away to tell if Jonah was out there or not.

  There was nothing left to do but walk home. If Jonah had done it, I’d hear the news eventually.

  Shivering at the nip in the air, I pulled on my gloves and started heading in the direction of home. I’d gone less than a block when I heard the sound of a motor slowing down behind me before a familiar Jeep came into view.

  “Can I give you a ride?” Jonah called through the open window.

  Just the sight of him made me smile. “I thought you had practice.”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m already late. What’s another ten minutes?”

  I accepted easily and once I was settled inside, I asked, “So?”

  “Mission accomplished.” He grinned, pulling back out into the road. “The way I had to cram that thing in there, it’s going to hit the floor the moment she opens her locker.”

  When I laughed, he glanced at me, watching me thoughtfully for a moment before looking at the road again. “Nice work back there diverting Drew. It didn’t hurt that he can barely keep his tongue in his mouth when you’re around.”

  At the tone of his voice, I turned curiously, but I could only see his smooth profile and the small scar that gave it extra character. There was no evidence of animosity or jealousy in his expression. Had I detected jealousy in his tone? I had to admit, the possibility of it made the afternoon sun look a little brighter.

  “I guess Drew likes me,” I said playfully.

  Jonah squinted at me. “Do you like him back?”

  I was surprised he’d asked me straight out like that. The answer was no, not that way, but I was enjoying how closely Jonah listened for my answer. “Well,” I said, hedging. “I don’t know. I haven’t spent any time with him.”

  “You said you weren’t interested in dating before, but I guess you changed your mind.”

  He’d heard everything Drew and I talked about because of the phone call we’d kept connected, and it really sounded like Jonah was jealous. I could have taken advantage of that, twisted the knife a little more by pretending, but after what he’d told me about his ex-girlfriend at the diner and how hurt he’d sounded, I didn’t have the heart to do it.

  “I haven’t changed my mind, but I felt bad. I didn’t want to turn him down twice in the same conversation. If he does actually ask me out, I’ll think of an excuse.”

  Jonah nodded before looking at me with obvious approval in his eyes.

  “What’s the story with you and Drew anyway?” I asked.

  “No story,” he replied offhandedly.

  “Come on. Neither of you likes the other very much.”

  He glanced at me. “Drew Hoyt doesn’t like me? I’m wounded.”

  I snorted out a laugh. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

  Still grinning, Jonah shrugged. “It’s really no big deal. He was in a few of my classes last year. Since I didn’t know anyone yet, I tried talking to him, but he shut me down. Ethan says he’s always been antisocial, keeps to his small group and that’s it. I was surprised to see him at Parker’s party talking to you. Personally, I don’t get a good vibe from the guy. I think he’s bad news.”

  “Drew? Bad news?” I laughed again. “I’ve known him since we were both in diapers.”

  “And you kept in touch while you were gone? Stayed close, hung out whenever you came to town?”

  I made a disgusted sound at his sarcasm. He knew I’d done none of those things. “So what if Drew’s antisocial. He’s harmless. There are plenty of people who think you’re antisocial.”

  Jonah glanced at me, a small smile playing on his lips. “No way. I’m so friendly, I should be a greeter at Walmart.”

  “Right. You wouldn’t last a day.” I laughed and rolled my eyes as he pulled into my driveway. Even though Jonah could be frustrating as hell and as hard to read as those tiny letters at the bottom of an eye chart, I was having fun, and I was disappointed the ride was over.

  “Thanks for your help.” He shifted in my direction to rest his
arm on the back of his seat. “If it wasn’t for you, I would have been busted.”

  “That’s what accomplices are for.” I grinned.

  “So we’re good now? No more scowling at me?”

  I huffed out a breath. “Only if you don’t give me a reason to scowl at you.”

  Then Jonah said something that I never expected to come out of his mouth. “Maybe I can give you a reason to smile instead.”

  Wow. I wondered if I’d heard him right, and I did a good job of hiding my surprise, responding with something casual like “That would be nice for a change” before I got out of his truck and went inside.

  Meanwhile, my system was going nuts because of a few sweet words spoken by a guy I didn’t think knew how to be sweet at all.

  ***

  Theo: Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.

  Crash!

  I was at the other end of the hallway when I heard it. Trying not to smile, I lifted my head just as Parker’s tilted down toward the floor. Her eyes were wide as she sputtered something too soft to hear over the buzzing of the gathering crowd.

  “What’s going on?” Lea asked beside me.

  “I don’t know.” But I did know. Everyone was staring at the lockbox on the floor.

  By the time we reached Parker, the principal had arrived and was asking students to move back.

  “Someone put it in there.” Parker defended herself as her eyes scanned the crowd. “I didn’t take it.”

  Several minutes later, the principal was holding the lockbox and leading a protesting Parker toward his office. The crowd scattered, off to spread the news that Parker was the thief.

  Lea look shocked. “I believe her. I mean, why would she steal it? She doesn’t need the money.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe she wanted the dance to be canceled since Jonah never asked her to go.” I didn’t want Lea letting Parker off the hook so easily.

  “But still. Taking their money is kind of extreme.”

  “Not for her,” I muttered.

  Appearing unconvinced, Lea left to go to class, and so did I, looking forward to informing Jonah that his plan had worked perfectly and I was sorry that he’d missed it.

  It was the last day before Thanksgiving vacation, which meant it was a half day of school with no lunch period. That was disappointing, because it would have been fun to hear what Parker had to say at lunch. It would also have been interesting to see Parker and Jonah sitting at the same table. Something told me that if we did have lunch today, Jonah wouldn’t have shied away.

  But Jonah never showed up to English, and as the day wore on, I learned he wasn’t in school at all, making me feel a little betrayed that he hadn’t told me he wouldn’t be here today. We were in this together, and he was a no-show for the big moment.

  I didn’t think he was out sick. He hadn’t seemed sick yesterday, unless something unexpected happened, maybe some kind of emergency. That thought had me staring at his number on my phone throughout the morning, tempted to text him, but stopping myself each time.

  When classes ended for the day, Parker was set free by the principal. She immediately found us in the hallway and insisted on her innocence. When no one else was around, she whispered that she thought Jonah had done it, which wasn’t very smart of her considering how Jonah got his hands on the box in the first place.

  “But I don’t understand,” I said to Parker. “Why would Jonah steal the box and put it in your locker?”

  “Because he’s an asshole. Isn’t that enough? And he’s a coward for not showing his face here today.”

  “But why would he set you up like that? Did you do something to him?” I asked innocently.

  Her lips pressed together. “Of course not.” Then she turned and sought out Ashley. The two of them huddled together whispering, probably wondering how their plan had backfired so badly.

  In the end, the cheerleaders were relieved to get their money back, and the dance was officially back on. Parker had been banned from attending, but because her parents were influential in town and all the money had been recovered, the principal hadn’t called the police. However, the rumor mill still annihilated Parker, and her wish for the day to end was obvious in her miserable expression.

  I was looking forward to going home and spending my first Thanksgiving holiday with my father in six years. He said he’d be waiting for me after school, and despite the crowds sure to be filling the grocery store, we would go together to buy everything for the dinner I had planned.

  It was a frigid day, and I was bundled up like a ski bunny for my walk home. Despite my ski gloves and all my other layers, my hands were as white as a sheet and nearly numb by the time I reached my house.

  When I walked up the driveway, I passed an unfamiliar blue truck. Just inside the doorway, a heavyset man was drilling something into the wall. Skirting past him, I found my father on the phone in the kitchen. When he saw me, he ended the call.

  “I’m having an alarm put in,” he said, answering my unasked question. “When he finishes, we can go to the store.”

  Pulling off my scarf and gloves, I asked why we needed an alarm.

  “For my peace of mind when I’m not here. We’ll think up a code and practice arming it. I want it on every night, especially when I’m away.” His gaze went to my hands that I’d automatically fisted by my sides. That’s what I did when my fingers felt like ice cubes.

  Slowly he stood and approached. When he reached for my right hand, I reluctantly let him take it.

  “Just like your mother,” he said softly, tracing over my white fingers before trying to gently rub them warm. “I want you to get tested for that gene.”

  Sighing, I shook my head.

  “Candy, this is important.”

  I looked up into his dark blue eyes, so similar to mine. “Just because I have this problem, doesn’t mean I’ll have all the same health issues as Mom. The doctors told us they’re not related.”

  My father was talking about the breast cancer gene. Since my mother and I both had CREST syndrome, he was afraid my chances for cancer were increased too.

  He released my hand. “They also told us you should get tested. If you’re positive, we can keep a closer eye on you and get you checked more regularly.”

  “And proactively cut off my breasts before I’m thirty. No thanks.”

  Closing his eyes, he took a breath, and I could feel him searching for patience. This was why I didn’t talk about my hands with him. First it made him unhappy, and then it led to this conversation.

  “Let’s not argue on Thanksgiving,” he said. “We’ll talk about it another time.” Then he stepped away to talk to the alarm guy.

  I shrugged off the tension in my muscles. This gene test was not something I wanted to deal with, and I would put him off for as long as I could.

  The alarm guy left an hour later, and my father immediately changed the default code that had been set up for testing the system. He didn’t use any birthdays or significant dates for the code. Instead, he chose a set of seven random numbers that meant nothing to me.

  “Don’t write it down,” he instructed. “We’ll spend the afternoon memorizing it.”

  “Great,” I mumbled, thinking this was extreme, but my father always went to extremes when he did things. I shouldn’t expect a house alarm to be any different, and I did appreciate the fact that he was trying to keep me safe when he wasn’t here. That stopped me from going over the edge when he spent the entire time in the grocery store quizzing me on the code.

  Thanksgiving Day was the best holiday I’d spent since we lost my mother. My father alternated between watching football and helping me in the kitchen. The house smelled amazing with the turkey roasting all afternoon. Using my mother’s recipe book, I made all her traditional dishes, even the squash casserole with fried onions on top, a side dish that neither my father nor I liked, but was part of our holiday tradition. Today, I wanted everything I remembered from the past.
/>   While I was cooking, he picked up the recipe book at one point and flipped through it, stopping to trace his finger over Mom’s initials written on the inside cover, DES for Diane Evans Seaborne.

  The book wasn’t completely filled. About a quarter of it at the end was blank pages. I thought about writing on them, adding to the recipes with some experiments of my own that had turned out well, but in the end I couldn’t. I didn’t want to alter something that in my mind was so inherently hers.

  “Not the squash, Candy,” my father said, eyeing the casserole dish. “I thought I’d finally suffered through my last helping of that.”

  I glanced at him to see if he was joking, and the smile teasing his lips told me he was, which meant I’d done the right thing by including it. “You’ll eat it and you’ll like it,” I said, just as Mom always did.

  He laughed quietly, his eyes glossing over before he turned and went back into the other room.

  We ate our Thanksgiving meal in companionable silence, but I didn’t mind the lack of conversation because my father looked happy. He even ate a few bites of the squash. In the corner of the kitchen, Pumpkin munched on his food and on the little pieces of stuffing I’d put out for him as a treat.

  For dessert, I’d made a trifle using whipped cream and chocolate pudding to go with the pumpkin pie we’d bought at the store. As we were finishing up, he mentioned that he had to leave early in the morning.

  “When does your friend arrive?”

  I shifted in my chair because my jeans were tightening around my expanding waist. “Around lunchtime. He’s taking the bus and then getting a cab here.”

  “I can take a cab to the airport and leave the car with you,” he said casually, as if it were something he did regularly.

  Surprised, I laid my fork down. I hadn’t asked to borrow his car because I didn’t know it would be sitting at the airport while he was flying somewhere. Besides, the neatness he maintained inside the house was only second to the immaculate condition in which he kept his car. It was a black Honda Accord, one of many Hondas in the neighborhood, but none were as pristine as his.