by Amber Garza
“It has nothing to do with that, Mom. I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”
“There’s no reason to worry about me, okay? I’m just fine. In fact, I’ve never been better.”
Chapter Eighteen
I wasn’t surprised when he showed up at my door on Saturday night. Mom was out and I’d been home alone watching TV and eating popcorn. He stood in the rain, his hair matted down to his head. Both hands were stuck in his jeans pockets, and he looked up at me sheepishly.
“You promised you wouldn’t hate me.”
“I don’t, Tanner.”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
My face flamed. “It’s just….I don’t know. If it had been anything else, but what you shared with me has just been difficult for me to process.”
He sluiced water from his face. It was coming down in sheets now. Our house didn’t have much of an awning and he was almost completely drenched.
“Can I come in please?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry.” I moved out of the doorway so he could pass.
When he got inside he shivered, rubbing his hands together.
“Can I get you something warm to drink? I think I have a couple packets of hot cocoa.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Okay, I’ll make some.” I started walking toward the kitchen.
“I’ll help.” He followed.
“It’s okay. You can sit down and get warm.”
“No way am I sitting alone in your family room with that creepy statue. I can’t believe your mom still has that in her house.”
If only he knew all the weird things going on lately.
I filled the teakettle with water and put in it on the stove. Then I reached into the cupboard and pulled out two mugs. On the counter, I found the box of hot cocoa mix. I was super grateful to find two bags inside.
“Here.” Tanner reached out his hand. I gave him the packets and he dumped the contents into the mugs.
“It’s because of what happened with you and Caleb, huh?” he asked, staring into one of the cups.
“How does everyone know about that? Was it in the school paper, or something?”
He shrugged. “You know how things spread in high school.”
The kettle whistled on the stove. I pulled it off the burner. “It’s not just Caleb.” I poured the boiling water into our mugs. Steam rose from them, warming my hand. “My mom was raped. I’m a product of that.”
Tanner’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m so sorry.”
I put the kettle down on a cool burner on the stove. Tanner faced me, grabbing both my hands. I didn’t stop him.
“Kenzie, please look at me.”
I did. His eyes pierced into mine.
“You know me. I could never hurt someone like that.”
I yanked my hands away. “Then why did you buy the drugs?”
He shook his head. “Because I was stupid. But I didn’t think it would knock her out. The dude said it would just loosen her up. I’m not gonna lie to you, Kenzie. I did hope she’d sleep with me that night. I’d been waiting so long.”
The words made my stomach hurt.
“But,” he continued. “I wanted her consent. When she passed out, I left her alone. I promise.”
I bit my lip.
“You believe me, don’t you?”
I stared into his eyes, and saw the genuineness there. This was Tanner, the boy I’d spent almost all my time with the last couple of months. He had become my best friend. At times, he was my only friend.
“Yes, I believe you.”
He exhaled, visibly relieved.
“I also know that you’d never do that again.” I grabbed my hot chocolate off the counter, and took a sip. “I’ve done horrible things before too, Tanner.”
Tanner nodded. “That’s why I was so excited when I went to youth camp. I was so happy to learn there was a God who would love me and show me grace even after all I’d done. He has changed me, Kenzie.”
“I know. He’s changed me too.” I held my cup between both hands, letting the heat seep into my palms. Rain pelted the side of the house, streaking the windows. “Wanna go sit down? See if there’s anything on TV?” I had no desire for him to leave me alone.
“Sure.” He picked his mug off the counter and followed me into the other room. We plunked down on the couch and I picked up the remote. “Have some popcorn.” I indicated the bowl on the coffee table.
“Wow. Somebody likes popcorn. Did you eat all that yourself?”
I looked into the bowl with only a few kernels left in it and laughed. “Sorry. I thought there was more left than that.”
“Where does all the food go?” he reached out and tickled my stomach.
I giggled. “Stop.”
The front door swung open. Cold hair rushed inside. My head snapped up. It was Mom and Drake. I felt Tanner stiffen beside me.
Oh, great.
“Are we interrupting something?” Mom wore a bemused smile on her face. She wore her leopard print heels again, only this time with a skin tight red dress. Where did she even find outfits like that? Drake wore his usual black suit and trench coat.
“No, nothing,” I mumbled.
“Nice to you see you again, Tanner,” Drake said.
Tanner didn’t respond.
Mom closed the door, locking in the heat. Then she held out her hand. “Here, Drake, let me take your coat.”
He shed his coat and then came to sit on the gold love seat facing us. I shivered at his proximity. Tanner was still stiff, frozen.
I bet he regretted coming here. Why had they come back so soon?
“Baby, can I get you a drink?” Mom hollered from the kitchen. “I have some red wine.”
Drake smiled in her direction. “That sounds splendid.”
Splendid? Who talked like that? I turned to Tanner and rolled my eyes but he didn’t crack a smile. He just continued glaring at Drake. Mom clanged around in the kitchen.
Tanner sat forward. “When are you planning to tell Ms. Smith that you’re a drug dealer?”
I was surprised by Tanner’s boldness. It didn’t frazzle Drake a bit. He kept his face calm, and even kept smiling.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, young man. Maybe you have me confused with someone else. But if I were you I would think twice before making accusations against someone.”
“I know it was you. I’m not stupid.”
Mom breezed into the room, holding a glass of ruby red liquid. “Here you are.” She glanced down at us, pursing her lips. “They’re not bothering you, are they?”
Drake grinned. “Not at all, we’re just having a conversation.”
“Good.” Mom took the seat next to him, crossing her pale legs. “So, what are you kids up to tonight? Anything fun?” She cocked an eyebrow.
“Just hanging out,” I said.
“Surely, two young people like you aren’t planning on staying in on a Saturday night,” Drake said.
I shrugged. “Nothing else to do. Besides, who wants to go out in this rain?”
“Plenty of kids do. I’m sure there’s a party going on somewhere.” Drake gave me a pointed look that made me feel funny.
What was he getting at?
“Ooh, a party. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Tanner looked at my mom like she was batty. And I didn’t blame him. Since when did my mom encourage me to go to a party? She spent all last year trying to stop me. I was convinced my mom was going crazy.
“Excuse me a minute. I have to use the little girl’s room.” Mom jumped up and sashayed out of the room.
“Too bad you’re not at that big high school party tonight,” Drake said the minute my mom was out of earshot. “I know some of my friends are there, so I’ll bet it’s a wicked good time.” He cackled and it chilled me to the bone.
“What are you talking about?”
He turned to us, his face transforming before our eyes. Glancing over at Ta
nner, I could tell he saw it too. His eyes widened, his jaw slacked. Drake’s skin had turned reptilian and iridescent, and his eyes were glowing red.
I tried to scream but no sound came out.
“I know for a fact your old friend Haley is having a real good time. Too bad she won’t live to tell you about it.”
My stomach dropped.
“What? No. How do you know that?” Fear licked up my spine. My body felt like it was on fire. I grabbed Tanner’s arm. He was trembling.
The toilet flushed. Mom’s footsteps clicked on the linoleum. The scales vanished from Drake’s face, and the flesh returned. The whites of his eyes re-surfaced. The bathroom door clicked open.
I stood. “We have to go.”
Mom smiled. “Okay, you two have fun.”
I raced to the front door, and grabbed my tennis shoes. After tying them, Tanner and I bolted outside into the wet and cold.
“Yes, you two have fun,” Drake called out right before we closed the door. I shivered.
“Did you see that?” Tanner was still in shock.
I nodded. “Oh, believe me, I’ve seen weirder stuff than that.”
“Really?” Tanner had an awed look on his face. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”
At that moment I knew I could trust him with everything. However, there was no time. We had to get to Haley. Rain pelted me in the face, and dripped from my eyelashes. I blinked.
“Do you know who’s having a party tonight? We have to get to Haley.”
“You think what he said is true?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes demons lie. But I have to find out.”
“He’s a demon?” His face drained of all color.
I nodded. “I think so. You believe in them, right?”
“Of course, and if anyone is one it’s that dude.”
I smiled. The scent of wet asphalt filled my senses.
Tanner’s face grew serious. “Should we leave your mom alone with him?”
“We don’t have a choice. She’s chosen to be with him. I’ve warned her like a gazillion times but she doesn’t believe me. We’ll worry about her later. Do you know where Haley is?”
“I think Caleb’s having a party.”
“Great. Let’s go there.” I raced toward my car, rain dripping onto my face, arms and body.
Tanner grabbed my arm. “Are you going to be okay to go to his house?”
I nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m going to have to be. I don’t have a choice. My friend’s life is at stake.”
Cars lined the street outside Caleb’s house. Music blared. I was surprised that in a neighborhood that nice, no one complained. All the lights in Caleb’s house were on, emitting a soft yellow glow from every window. Tanner and I parked a few houses down and schlepped it in the wind and rain to get up to the front porch. By the time we got there, my shoes were covered in grass and mud and my legs were numb.
I froze when we got to the front door, a little scared about just walking in. Tanner reached out his hand and grabbed mine. I let him, grateful for the support. The door was unlocked so Tanner pushed it open.
Teeth chattering, I entered the warm house with Tanner by my side. I squeezed his hand tighter as we walked in.
The music was so loud I felt it reverberate through my body. Couples made out on the couch. Others danced in the center of the room, while a few guys seemed to be having a beer chugging contest in the kitchen. Still no sign of Haley or Ian.
A couple of girls noticed Tanner and gave him a flirty smile. Jealousy reared its ugly head. Couldn’t they see he was with someone? Come on, we were even holding hands.
Then I realized how silly I was feeling. I wasn’t together with Tanner. Other girls were free to flirt with him. Then again, these were not the girls he should be going out with anyway.
Satisfied that Haley wasn’t downstairs, we made our way upstairs. My stomach clenched on the way up. I honestly hoped we wouldn’t find her up there either. Who knew what she would be doing.
A couple of doors were closed but the one at the end of the hall was open. I prayed that if she was in any of them, it was that one. I certainly didn’t want to have to barge into one of those rooms.
Desperate, hushed voices came from the open room. Tension and panic filled the air as we neared it. I could practically taste it, feel it. My pulse quickened. Tanner gave my hand a quick squeeze. I glanced up at him, terror stricken.
We stepped into the darkened room. A girl lay on the floor, her arms akimbo, her body askew. Two boys stood over her, whispering fiercely to each other.
“Haley?” I disengaged from Tanner and raced forward.
“What are you doing here?” Ian asked.
I ignored the question. “What’s wrong with her?”
Caleb laughed. “Nothing, she’s just drunk.”
Her face was pale. Too pale. I had a hard time breathing. “Haley, wake up.”
“She’s more than just drunk,” Tanner spat. “What is wrong with you guys? Someone call 911.”
“No, man she’ll be fine.” Caleb shifted from one foot to the other.
Panic washed over me. Why wasn’t she moving? “Haley!”
“I’ll call.” I heard Tanner dialing.
I thought of all the police shows I’d watched. Grabbing her limp wrist, I checked for a pulse. It was slow but it was there.
Please Jesus, don’t let her die. Save her. Save her.
Warmth covered me. He was with me, I could feel Him. In the midst of the craziness, I felt peace. Tanner was on the phone with the 911 operator telling them where we were.
“Dude, this is crazy,” Caleb said. “You can’t bring the cops here.”
Anger ignited in my gut. I spun around. “How dare you? My friend needs help and you’re worried about your precious party?” I turned to Ian. “And what about you? Don’t you care about her at all?”
Ian threw up his hands like he was involved in a stick up. “Hey, it’s not my fault the chick can’t handle her liquor. I’m outta here.” He left the room.
Frankly, it was lucky for him he had. I wanted to punch him in his smug little face. When I turned back to Haley a young man was kneeling beside her, holding her hand. I almost questioned him but something about his serene face stopped me, and made me feel calm.
“Man.” Caleb ran a hand over his hair, taking a ragged breath. “I’m gonna be in so much trouble. I can’t believe you guys did this.”
“We didn’t do this. You did.” Tanner put his cell back in his pocket, crouching down beside me.
“Who is he?” I whispered to Tanner.
“Who are you talking about?”
The young man smiled as he raised a finger to his lips. I recognized him even though I had never actually seen him before. But I recognized the kindness in his eyes, the glow of his skin and the light flowing from him.
I shook my head. “Nobody.”
I was so glad Tanner was with me. At that moment he was my knight in shining armor. Holding my friend’s hand, I lowered my head onto Tanner’s shoulder and waited for the ambulance.
Chapter Nineteen
“She’s okay,” I told Tanner over the phone the next morning. We had both slept in and missed church after our long, eventful night. Mom was working today so I had the house to myself. I was grateful I wasn’t going to have to see Drake today. “Her parents just called.”
“Thank God.”
“I know. It was alcohol poisoning, just like you thought. She could’ve died, Tanner.” My voice cracked.
“Alcohol poisoning is serious. I can’t believe those guys were just going to leave her there. I could kill them.”
“You and me both.” I stared out my bedroom window. The storm had broken and the sun peeked out of the clouds. “Thank you for being there. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Hey, I’d do anything for you. Don’t you know that by now?”
His words made my heart skip a beat, which bothered me. The more time Tanner and I
spent together, the closer I felt to him and the more distant I felt from Isaac. I was starting to think that what everyone said about long distance relationships was true. Maybe they didn’t last.
After hanging up with him, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. As I munched on a bag of Cheetohs, my cell trilled.
Isaac’s name appeared on the caller ID. Wiping the powdered cheese from my hands on the thigh of my pj’s, I answered.
“There you are. I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday.”
“Sorry. There was just a lot going on.” I leaned my back against the tile counter, and the cold seeped through my t-shirt.
“Good stuff, I hope.” He kept his tone light but I could tell he was irritated.
Gosh, it seemed like it was like that a lot lately. “Not really. You might want to sit down for this.” I took my own advice. Grabbing the bag of Cheetohs, I headed into the family room. After plopping down on the couch, I relayed all of the prior night’s events. Of course, I omitted the parts about holding Tanner’s hand and stuff like that. I stuck to the pertinent details.
“Kenzie, that’s awful. I wish I had been there for you.”
“I know. Me too. ”
“Well, at least you had Tanner so you weren’t completely alone.”
I winced at the sarcasm in his voice.
“Yeah, but of course it’s not the same as being with you,” I spoke in my sweetest voice, hoping he would believe me. And it was the truth, wasn’t it? I mean, sure I’d grown feelings for Tanner, but I still loved Isaac. He was the one I wanted, right? I thought it was the truth, but a part of me wondered if it was.
“Do you really think your mom’s boyfriend is a demon?”
“Either that or he’s possessed by one. I guess he could be under the influence of one like I was last summer. But he’s said some pretty odd things and he definitely turned his face into a reptilian one last night. Even Tanner saw it.”
“So, he believes then?”
“Oh yeah.” I dipped my hand into the bag of Cheetohs, then crunched down on one.
“Still, he’s a new Christian so you two have to tread carefully. I really think you need to enlist the help of a pastor on this.”
