He chuckled. "If I wanted to get in her pants, I wouldn't need to be Noah Snyder to do it. And since I don't even know her, I'm sure not going to try to freak her out by being that loser."
"Maybe you're just getting your kicks by impersonating Noah."
"Hey, if a Noah wannabe is hanging around town, it's not me," Jeffrey told her. "I wouldn't want him back in the picture any more than you would."
Roni couldn't argue with that logic. "Just forget I said anything."
"Consider it forgotten." Jeffrey eyed her. "Are you okay?"
She could lie, but she imagined he, of all people, would see right through it. "Not really." She looked around and back at him. "Do you have anything for me?"
He licked his lips and threw the question back at her. "Do you have anything for me?"
Roni pulled a crumpled twenty dollar bill from her pocket and quickly placed it in his large hand.
Jeffrey grinned, stuffed it in his pocket, and removed a small packet from another pocket. "Here you go."
She snatched it from him and put in her purse. "Thanks."
"No problem," he said. "There's always more where that came from. You know where to find me."
Roni wished that weren't the case as she stepped away from him, hoping no one saw their transaction taking place. Least of all, her boyfriend.
She went inside the school and made her way to the girls' bathroom on the first floor. Inside a stall, she sat on the toilet and took the packet of white powder from her bag. She tore off a couple of pieces of toilet tissue, and poured some of the cocaine onto it in a straight line. Then she snorted it up her nose and closed her eyes while it took effect in her system.
Roni relished the high even as she hated the addiction. Her thoughts turned to Noah Snyder...
* * *
She had just left Jeffrey in the bleachers with a new supply of cocaine to feed her habit, when at the bottom, Roni ran into Noah. Or was it an accident?
"Hey," he said.
"What's up?" she said to Amber's boyfriend.
Noah looked up at the bleachers where Jeffrey was still sitting, and back to her. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."
"And why is that?" Roni asked.
"He's bad news," Noah said bluntly.
"He's my friend," she told him.
Noah furrowed his brow. "He's a drug dealer."
Roni tried to sidestep that. "Look, whoever you've been talking to—"
"I've got eyes and ears," Noah said. "Find someone else to hang out with."
She glared at him. "Thanks, dad, but I don't need you telling me what to do."
"You're right, you don't," Noah said. "But since you're Amber's friend, I'd really hate to see you get busted when Jeffrey goes down."
She refused to let him bait her into admitting drug use. "I have nothing to hide and neither does Jeffrey. If I were you, I'd mind my own business. Otherwise, you might end up getting hurt."
Noah narrowed his eyes. "Is that a threat?"
Roni took a breath while choosing her words carefully. "Who's threatening who? Just leave me alone."
She walked away from him briskly, while wondering if he would become a problem and take away her source for drug dependency.
* * *
Roni rubbed her nose as her thoughts returned to the present and the cocaine had kicked in. She left the stall and ran cold water across her face, dried it, and then brushed her hair and put on some lip gloss.
Back in the hall, she felt like herself again, projecting confidence and attractiveness. And just in time, as she spotted her boyfriend approaching.
"Hey," Paul said. "I was looking for you."
"Here I am...all yours." Roni grinned as she gazed up at him, waiting for a kiss, which she received.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She nearly panicked, hoping he didn't see powder left on her nose or something.
"No reason." He smiled. "Lora said you went off somewhere, that's all."
"Just to the ladies' room," Roni said, holding his hand. "Maybe tonight we can hang out at your house and watch a DVD."
"That's cool."
She was happy to hear that. "I'll pick this time."
He nodded. "I'll walk you to class."
Roni smiled, wondering how long she could keep up appearances without ruining her life.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Paige sat in the bleachers and watched the swim team practice. She saw Drew moving with speed and grace, seemingly in his element as team captain. She looked at the other members of the team in and out of the water for the possibility that one might be the phony Noah. But none of them looked like the guy she saw and spoke to.
Maybe he isn't here today, she thought. Had he found ways to dodge her to keep from being exposed as a fraud?
She wasn't really sure what to think, other than the fact that the more people reacted to the mystery, the more it bothered her. Who was this guy? Could he be in cahoots with Drew or someone else on the swim team? Or was she going in the wrong direction in trying to find out why he was pretending to be a dead guy?
Paige waited until Drew filed out into the hall with the other swimmers. He spotted her and walked over with a smile.
"I saw you in the bleachers," he said.
"Yeah, thought I'd see how good you were."
"And did you?"
She chuckled. "You're pretty good."
He grinned. "Coach Nicholson thinks I could still be better."
"You mean like Noah Snyder?" Paige asked.
Drew frowned. "Is that what the fake Noah told you?"
"No. I've just heard that you guys were pretty competitive."
"Yeah, I guess we were," he said, running a hand through his wet hair.
"And that ended when Noah died?" she asked.
Drew sighed. "It never really ended. Noah is still considered great around here. It's hard to compete with that."
Paige gazed up at him thoughtfully. "Maybe if you or someone on the swim team orchestrated an impersonator, he could be brought down a peg or two."
Drew's brows touched. "Is that what you think?"
"Just saying..."
"Well whoever put that thought in your head is dead wrong, no pun intended," Drew said. "Everyone on the team practically worshipped Noah. We all took his death hard. No one wants to conspire to make it seem like he didn't really die. And, knowing Noah, if he were still alive, he'd be happy to reclaim his spot on the team."
Paige imagined that would be true, from what she'd learned about him. She wished she hadn't practically accused Drew of being behind the imposter Noah. "I'm sorry," she said.
"About what?"
"Getting on your case about Noah."
"It's cool," he said. "It's not like I haven't heard it all before, in one way or another."
He smiled and she smiled back.
"So have you seen the phony Noah again?" Drew asked curiously.
Paige sighed. "No."
He met her eyes. "That's a good thing, right?"
She wasn't so sure about that. "Depends..."
"On what?"
"On why I haven't seen him," she said. "Maybe he's laying low for a reason."
"What reason could that be?" Drew asked. "To play head games with you, before showing up again when you least expect it so he can tell you to stay away from me?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "Doesn't matter. He can't make me stop wanting to hang out with you."
Drew grinned. "That's good to know, because I want that too."
Paige smiled, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the other Noah. And she had an idea about putting a theory to the test.
"Do you want to go somewhere with me after school?" she asked him.
"Yeah—where do you want to go?"
She paused. "To visit Noah Snyder's mom—"
* * *
"You really think Noah may have a twin brother?" Drew asked in disbelief as he drove.
> Paige shrugged. "I think it's possible," she answered. "The guy who told me he was Noah looks very much like the real Noah, weird as that sounds."
"Yeah, it does sound weird," Drew agreed. "Noah never said he had a twin—or any siblings, for that matter."
"I know. Others have told me that. But it's the only thing that makes sense."
"Why would his twin suddenly show up in Dead Lake pretending to be Noah?" Drew asked.
"I have no idea," Paige admitted. "Maybe it was just a prank."
Drew snickered. "Yeah, but wouldn't that work better for someone who actually knew Noah in the flesh?"
"I suppose. But he came into my house like he knew the place. He was at Amber's party—"
"And you were apparently the only one who saw him," Drew reminded her. "If he looked just like Noah, don't you think someone would have recognized him—especially Amber?"
Paige sat silent as she contemplated that angle. Maybe I am grasping at straws, she thought.
"So maybe he only sort of looks like Noah Snyder," she suggested, "but not enough to be noticed by someone who knew the real Noah."
"That could be," Drew said. "Guess we'll find out if Noah has a brother—or maybe a cousin who has similar features."
"Or not," Paige said, wondering if they were going on a wild goose chase.
Drew turned onto Brighton Road. "How'd you find out where Noah's mom lives anyway?"
"It wasn't that difficult." She thought about her conversation with the fake Noah. "I looked online for the address of Helen Snyder, Noah's mother. It showed the address where I live and another. I figured that must be where she lives now."
"Makes sense," Drew said. "Let's just see if she can shed any light on this guy."
"Yeah," Paige uttered hopefully, knowing she was running out of options for discovering his true identity.
They pulled up to a one story brick house on the other side of town.
Paige briefly considered going it alone, but somehow felt more comfortable being accompanied by Drew since he knew Noah.
They walked up to the door and Paige rang the bell, while noting a brown Ford Fiesta in the driveway. She wondered if it belonged to the fake Noah.
She half expected him to open the door and probably be shocked to see her.
Instead, the door was opened by a small woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Are you Helen Snyder?" Paige asked politely. "Noah's mom?"
"Yes," she responded, meeting her eyes warily.
"I'm Paige and this is Drew."
"Hi," he said.
"I live in your old house," Paige told her.
"Oh," she said. "How can I help you?"
Paige wasn't quite sure how to put it, but she had to think of something that wouldn't put her off. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Noah."
His mother swallowed thickly. "What about him...?"
"Someone visited me at the house, claiming to be Noah—"
Helen seemed to let this sink in before saying, "Come inside."
Paige and Drew followed her into the living room.
"My son is dead," Helen said flatly.
"We know," Drew said. "I was on the swim team with Noah."
She flashed him a look of familiarity.
"Does Noah have a twin brother?" Paige asked. She glanced at a framed photo on the mantel with Noah and his mother. "Or any brother or male family member that looks like him?"
"Noah was an only child," she responded. "He looked like his father, who he hadn't seen in many years before dying."
Paige felt a little disappointed that her theory about a Noah family lookalike seemed to go up in flames. She now wondered if her eyes had been playing tricks on her about the resemblance.
"The guy who told me he was Noah said he used to live in my house," she stated, "and that you moved because you wanted to live in a smaller house." Paige sighed. "I've seen pictures of your son and well...he looked like the same person that I talked to face-to-face more than once. I guess I was mistaken—"
"Maybe you weren't..." Noah's mother said, glancing at her uneasily.
"What do you mean?" Paige asked.
She sighed. "It's been little things: a glass moved from one spot to another, the shade opened when I knew it was closed, a draft in the air that seemed to come from nowhere..." Helen met her eyes. "I think Noah's still here—"
Paige looked at Drew, who cocked a brow, and then back at her. "Are you saying Noah's a ghost?"
"Call it whatever you like," Helen responded. "But yes, I think he's somehow unable to let go. If he's actually appeared to you, it could be because you live in the house where he lived before..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Or perhaps it's you who he's able to reach out to."
"Why me?" Paige found herself asking, even if in disbelief.
"I don't know," Helen said. "But I think you need to find out. Otherwise he might never be at peace. Perhaps you won't be either."
"Seriously?" Drew blurted out. "Ghosts aren't real."
"You don't know that," Helen snapped. "None of us can know until we're put in the position of being caught between worlds."
"This is crazy," Drew muttered, rolling his eyes.
"I haven't seen him for a while," Paige told her. "If Noah is a ghost, maybe he found what he's after and has gone..."
Helen held her hand, startling Paige as they gazed at each other. "Or maybe he's still here and waiting for the right time to finish what he started with you..."
* * *
Noah watched with surprise as Paige and Drew left his mother's house. He was uncomfortable at the prospect of them hanging out together, probably because he didn't want to see Paige become just another notch on Drew's belt. Or maybe it was due to the fact that Drew would stop at almost nothing to win.
Maybe both.
What Noah didn't quite get was why should he care? He was unable to be a factor in the real world, whether he wanted to be or not. His time had apparently come and gone.
Only he didn't see it that way. He was here now, whether anyone could see him or not.
But one person could. Paige was aware of his existence. She'd finally figured out she needed to go to his mother and seek some answers. He only wished she'd come alone.
His mother somehow sensed his presence, but didn't really believe it was possible. Until now.
He still needed her to move on with her life without him.
Noah gazed in the distance as the car Drew was driving sped off. Before Paige became too wrapped up in him, it was time to come clean with her and hope it could provide answers for both of them.
If not, Noah wondered if he could ever be at peace in a world in which he no longer belonged.
He peered up at the house he'd never gotten a chance to call home, wishing his mother only the best, while fearing that she would never be at peace until he was.
Noah disappeared without realizing it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Tell me you don't believe any of that ghost and haunted house stuff," Drew said, glancing over at Paige.
"Of course not," she said, as if she could say anything else as a rational human being.
"Good—you had me worried for a while there."
"I only told her what she seemed to want to hear," Paige defended herself.
"Maybe she went a little nuts after Noah died, and has had trouble coming to terms with it," Drew said.
"That still doesn't explain why I saw a guy claiming to be Noah, who looked the part—at least to me."
"Probably because the impersonator wanted to screw with you," Drew said. "It certainly doesn't mean that the real Noah has come back from the dead and is haunting your house."
"I agree," Paige told him.
"My guess is that he's just some local guy—if not a student at Dead Lake High," Drew said, "who wanted to spook you, knowing you lived in the house of a kid who committed suicide. Now that he's had his fun, it's over."
"I'm sure you're right," she said.
Or at least she wanted that to be the case. Believing in the supernatural was too creepy as an alternative. "Anyway, thanks for going over there with me."
"Anytime," Drew told her. "Though I doubt you'll want to see her again. Not when she thinks her dead son is moving objects around the house."
Paige chuckled, believing he expected her to in lightening the mood. "You're right, I won't." The whole thing still had her wondering if the guy was really a neighbor simply fooling around. Or was there more to the story, short of ghosts?
Paige shifted her thoughts in a different direction as she gazed at Drew's profile. "So, do you have a girlfriend or what?"
"More like what," he said with a laugh. "I was dating someone, but we broke up last month."
"Anyone I know?"
"Not sure," he said. "Her name is Linda Potts. Like me, she's a junior at Dead Lake High. We pretty much stay out of each other's way these days."
The name didn't ring any bells to Paige. She wondered if Linda was prettier than her.
"Did you break some poor dude's heart when you moved here?" Drew asked her.
She grinned. "I wish."
"So I take it you're single?"
"Yeah, I am," she admitted.
He pulled up in her driveway. "Do you want to go to the school dance with me next Friday? I know it's more than a week away, but—"
"Yes," Paige said eagerly. Then she remembered something. "Actually, I told my neighbor Bonnie and her friend Tabitha that I'd go with them."
"So tell them you're going with me instead. I'm sure they will understand."
He gave her a pleading look and Paige couldn't help but smile and agree with him. "Oaky, I'll tell them and go with you."
He beamed. "Cool."
"Do you want to come in for a little while?" she asked. "My mom's home, but she won't bother us."
"I'd love to," he said, "but I should get home. I have to cram for a social studies exam."
Paige hid her disappointment, even if she was happy to see that he took studying seriously. "Well, I'd better go inside." She went for the door and, at the last moment, turned around and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. "Bye," she said and got out before he could react.
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