Dead Is a Battlefield

by Marlene Perez

  “Looking forward to it,” Mom replied. Then she noticed me. “You’re still here?”

  I scowled at her. “Yes.”

  “Jessica was supposed to have a big date,” Mom confided to Poppy.

  “Mom!” I said. “You don’t have to tell the whole world I’ve been stood up.”

  Poppy smiled sympathetically. “My prom date vanished in the middle of prom,” she said. “But he couldn’t help it.”

  “Really?” Her words shouldn’t have made me feel better, but they did.

  “It’s okay,” she said kindly. She leaned in and said in a whisper, “Don’t let a guy ruin your day. Go out and have fun.”

  I smiled at her. “Maybe I will.”

  Mom interrupted. “Poppy is going to be working with me,” she said. “Kind of like a nanny slash personal assistant.”

  “You are?”

  “I needed something flexible and part-time, and you need help . . . I mean, your family needs help,” Poppy said. “It’s a win-win.”

  “I guess so,” I said.

  “I know so,” Mom said cheerfully.

  Poppy leaned in. “I thought you might have something better to do with your time.”

  My mouth dropped open. Did Poppy know I was a virago?

  She winked at me before she left.

  I paced in the hallway. What should I do? I’d never been stood up before.

  Finally, I decided. The festival was in the park. I could walk there. There was no way I was going to let Dominic Gray get the best of me.

  It was a beautiful autumn day and it was already in the eighties. Besides, I was so mad that I was hot and sweating, so I didn’t think I would have to worry about getting cold. I took a jacket, anyway.

  A few blocks from the festival, someone honked at me. I turned around and saw a car pulling over and an arm waving wildly.

  “Jessica, do you want a ride?” Connor was in the back seat of an older-model sedan. Noel was driving and Harmony Clare sat next to him.

  I hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. “I’m headed to the festival,” I said.

  “We’re going there, too,” Connor said. “C’mon, get in.”

  I hopped in. At least someone wanted my company. I expected Noel to clown around while driving, but he was a serious driver and kept his eyes firmly on the road.

  “I packed a picnic,” Connor finally said.

  I held up one of my mom’s Tupperware containers. “My mom made cookies.”

  “I love cookies,” he said.

  I sent a silent thank you to my mother.

  We hit traffic a few blocks from the park, then sat for many minutes before the cars started to creep along again.

  “Is all this just because of the festival?” I wondered aloud.

  My question was answered when an emergency vehicle raced by with its siren blaring. My tattoo started to tingle. There wasn’t much I could do from the car, but I did send a text to the rest of the viragos.

  Be there soon, was the terse reply from Flo.

  We finally pulled into a parking spot.

  When we reached the entrance, Connor insisted on buying my ticket, and then security checked my purse and patted us down.

  “What’s going on in there?” Connor asked one of the security people.

  “Something about a bunch of girls,” a tall, rake-thin guy in a Stones concert T and ragged jeans answered before the security person could speak.

  There was a sick feeling in my stomach. “‘A bunch of girls’?” I repeated.

  “Yeah, I think they drank the Kool-Aid,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?” Connor asked.

  “You know, they’re in a cult, or something,” the guy said. “They’re all dressed alike and everything.”

  Connor and I looked at each other and then I broke into a run.

  They were easy to spot—a bunch of my classmates, lying on the ground, wearing purple again. This time, their shirts were pale lavender.

  Connor came to a stop beside me. “Do you see Eva anywhere?” I asked.

  “Over there,” he said.

  Eva was one of the girls lying on the ground, her brown curls limp with sweat.

  “Eva, what’s wrong?” I asked.

  She sat up. “Jessica, what are you doing here?” She wore black kneepads and short shorts and clutched a large squirt gun.

  I didn’t remind her about my non-date with Dominic. “You scared me,” I scolded. “I thought something had happened to you.”

  Shannon walked up and squirted her in the face. “Eva, you’re dead. Lie back down.”

  Obviously, it wasn’t sweat in Eva’s hair. It was water.

  “I’m taking a break,” Eva said. She handed Shannon the squirt gun. “I’ll be back in ten.”

  We walked by a couple of the booths on the fairway and Connor bought us snow cones.

  “What were all the ambulances for?” I asked.

  “A couple of girls fainted. They’ve been dieting to fit into their homecoming dresses, so the combination of no food and the heat got to them,” Eva said. “But Edgar thought we should still go through with the demonstration.”

  “That seems a little selfish,” I said.

  “No, just the opposite,” Eva insisted. “He’s determined to make his mom’s store a success. What’s more selfless than that?”

  It occurred to me that if the store was a success, Edgar could continue to ride in limos and wear expensive clothes.

  “There he is,” Eva squealed. Edgar, all in white again, was just ahead and she ran to catch up with him. “See you guys later. Have fun!”

  The back of her T read SHOOT FOR LOVE, with The Look of Love logo below it, in big purple letters. That was lame. Edgar was turning her into a walking, talking billboard.

  She caught up to Edgar and they walked away together hand in hand.

  I frowned.

  “He’s a creep, isn’t he?” Connor said. “I hope she doesn’t get mixed up with him.”

  “I think she already is,” I said. “She’s almost hypnotized when she’s around him. It’s like no one else even exists.”

  “Maybe it’s love,” Connor said softly.

  “Maybe,” I said. Or maybe it was something else entirely. But what?

  We lost sight of them and I was finally able to turn my attention to enjoying the day.

  “What do you want to do first?” I asked. There were several stages, many food stands, and lots of games, but I assumed Connor would want to see the headliner band.

  “I want to check out Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends,” he said. That was a hip local band.

  He noticed my surprised expression and said, “Unless there’s anything you’d rather do first?”

  I put a hand to my forehead. “Uh . . . just gotta send a quick text.” I sent Flo a message that it was a false alarm. My tattoo seemed to agree with my assessment and stopped tingling.

  Flo texted me back. Vinnie and I are here, anyway, checking out the competition.

  I put my phone away and then floundered for something to talk about with Connor. “How are your lessons going?” I asked.

  “Ms. Minerva says I’m ready for an advanced class. And the jazz band is competing at state soon.”

  “Congratulations,” I said, genuinely impressed.

  “You’re pretty handy with a guitar yourself,” he said. “Have you ever thought about joining a band?”

  “I don’t like performing in front of people,” I confessed. “Besides, it’s something that’s just for me.”

  He put an arm around my shoulder. “I get that.”

  I put a little distance between us. “Let’s get something to drink,” I said. “My treat.” Connor was acting like this was a date, but I’d been stood up by one guy today and wasn’t in the mood.

  By nightfall, Connor had won a stuffed bear, which he’d promptly given to me. Then we checked out three of the bands. Two of the three weren’t as good as Side Effects May Vary, but the other one w
as amazing.

  “Wow,” I said when the song ended.

  He smiled at me. “I agree completely.”

  We were walking down the midway when Connor suddenly stopped short. “The picnic!” he said. “I forgot to feed you. You must be starving.”

  “Not exactly,” I said. “Remember? We had snow cones and then we split that turkey leg.”

  “That was hours ago,” he said. “I’ll go back to the car to get the cooler. Wait here.”

  I enjoyed the music while I waited for him to return. That is, until I spotted Selena and Dominic, walking hand in hand. He had her hand in a death grip. Despite the rage that swept through me, I had to admit they looked good together. Dominic had that slightly dazed look a guy sometimes got when he was with a girl he liked.

  I was still staring at them when Edgar sidled up next to me.

  “Jessica, I like the way you look,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “So?”

  “Ah, of course,” he said. “You’re beautiful, and therefore you’re used to compliments.”

  “What did you want, Edgar?” I said. He was ruining a perfectly lovely evening with his mere presence.

  He handed me a bottle of the “exclusive” perfume everyone had been raving about. I recognized the unusual container.

  I handed it back to him. “I’m not interested. In the perfume or you.”

  He smirked at me, apparently unfazed by my cold shoulder. “I can make you change your mind.”

  “I doubt it very much,” I said.

  “So do I,” Connor said.

  Edgar moved away. “My apologies. Enjoy the rest of the concert.”

  After he left, Connor asked, “What did he want?”

  “I have no idea,” I replied. What I really wanted to know was why my tattoo had been throbbing the whole time I talked to Edgar. I passed it off as a combination of my overactive imagination and my dislike of Edgar. After all, how evil could a freshman boy be?

  We found a spot not far from the main stage and spread out a blanket Connor had brought, along with a couple of low chairs. He unpacked a delicious meal of veggie sandwiches, potato salad, and sodas, and we ate until we were stuffed. Then we sat back to enjoy more performances.

  “This band is good,” he said. “Good food, good company. This is the best day I’ve had since—in a long time.” He smiled at me.

  We pulled up to my house about five minutes before my curfew. Noel and Harmony waited in the car while Connor walked me to the door.

  “Thanks for hanging out with me today,” I said.

  “I had a great time,” Connor said. He grinned. “I don’t suppose you’d want to do it again?”

  “Connor, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  His grin faded. “That’s never good.”

  “I don’t think we should go out anymore.” There wasn’t any easy way to say it, so I just said it.

  “You didn’t have fun?”

  I put a hand on his arm. “I had a great time, but . . .”

  “But you have a thing for Dominic Gray,” he said bitterly. “Just like every other girl in Nightshade.”

  “I was supposed to go out with him today,” I confessed. “But he stood me up. And that’s when I realized how horrible it was to mess with someone’s feelings. I don’t want to do that to you.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, he cleared his throat. “I understand, but if you change your mind . . .”

  “I won’t,” I said, but softly.

  Mom’s face appeared at the front window. I reached over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I had a wonderful time. Gotta go.”

  Even though the thing with Connor had ended before it had even really begun, I couldn’t wait to tell Eva all about it.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  It was between classes on Monday when Dominic decided to try to talk to me.

  “Hi, Jessica,” he said.

  I kept walking, but his longer legs meant he could keep pace with me in the hallway at school.

  “Leave me alone,” I said.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “I can’t believe you’re mad at me because I was sick.”

  “Sick? You are sick. A pathological liar, in fact.”

  “I had the flu,” he said. “I couldn’t even get out of bed. The whole weekend was a blur.” He raised his voice, which attracted the attention of half of Nightshade High.

  “You looked pretty healthy when I saw you hand in hand with Selena,” I said.

  I marched away, ignoring the stares.

  Raven came up to me before class. “What was that all about with my brother?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said. I couldn’t tell her the truth. That her brother, the great Dominic Gray, was nothing but a liar.

  I was home baby-sitting Grace and Katie after school when the doorbell rang. I peered through the peephole and saw Dominic standing on our front porch.

  “Oh, now you show up?” I said to him through the door. “Go away.”

  “Jessica, open up,” he pleaded. “I want to talk to you for a minute. To explain.”

  I opened the door but didn’t invite him inside. “You have two minutes.”

  “I don’t remember,” he said.

  I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You don’t remember what? Asking me out?”

  “I remember that,” he said. “But this weekend was all a blur. I’ve been feverish, achy. I thought you saw Selena at the festival with someone who just looked like me. Until . . .”

  “Go on,” I said.

  “Until my own sister told me she saw me there. With Selena. I’m so sorry.”

  “Do you like her?”

  He stared at his feet. Was he embarrassed or lying?

  “I don’t know.” He finally met my eyes. “When I’m not with her, I feel like she’s just another girl. Not special. Not you.”

  Although his last words gave me a thrill, I knew it wasn’t enough. “But when you are with her?”

  “When I’m with Selena, I can’t think of anything or anyone else. It’s like magic.”

  Magic? Something about that word sent up a warning flare in my brain, but I ignored it. Dominic looked so miserable.

  I sighed. “Do you want to come in and hang out for a while?” I couldn’t believe I was making a move on the guy right after I finally convinced him that I didn’t have designs on his hot rock-star body.

  He grinned. “Sure.”

  “My little sisters are home,” I warned. “And it’ll probably be boring.”

  “Hey, don’t oversell it,” he said.

  We both laughed.

  We found Gracie and Katie in the family room. Gracie didn’t even look up from the book she was reading.

  “Jessica,” Katie said, and launched herself at me. “I’m hungry. Will you play Monopoly with me? Who is that?” The questions came fast and furiously.

  “Katie, this is Dominic.”

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Katie was my favorite little sister or I would have killed her. Instead, I blushed.

  “No,” I said, so forcefully that Dominic faked a stab to the heart.

  “Ha-ha,” I said to him, and then turned to Katie. “C’mon, we’ll make a snack.”

  “Monopoly first,” she demanded.

  “No, snack first,” I said firmly.

  She skipped ahead of us and climbed onto the barstool in front of the counter that separated the family room from the kitchen.

  “Gracie, snack time,” I said.

  She finally looked up from her book. “Oh, hi, Jessica,” she said. “When did you get home?”

  I laughed. “It’s nice to see you, too, Gracie. Now kitchen. You can read more after your snack. Or maybe you want to play Monopoly with us?”

  “No, thank you,” she said. Her gaze sharpened. “Who is that?”

  I repeated the introduction and she handed me her book before heading for the kitchen.

  “I hope yo
u like Monopoly,” I said.

  “Love it,” Dominic said.

  “I want banana buddies,” Katie demanded. She already had the peanut butter and bread out on the countertop.

  “What’s that?” Dominic asked.

  “Peanut butter on toast with a banana mouth and raisin eyes,” I told him.

  “My dad used to make us those,” he said.

  “I can make something else,” I said, remembering what Flo had told me about his dad’s death.

  “No, we can’t deprive Katie of her favorite snack. Besides, I like being reminded of him,” he said. “I’ll make the toast.”

  Once the toast was made, Katie and Dominic amused each other by decorating the peanut butter with silly faces.

  We ate our snack at the kitchen counter. My knee bumped Dominic’s under the counter and I jumped.

  “Where is everyone else?” I asked Katie. The house was unusually quiet. Not that I was complaining. I could only imagine the grilling I’d get if Sarah and Sydney were home.

  “I dunno,” she said.

  “Katie,” I said in a warning voice.

  She sighed. “Sarah and Sydney said they were at the library studying, but they’re probably just giggling about boys. Fiona’s at karate and Kellie’s at dance class.”

  Katie went to set up the game and Gracie returned to her book.

  “All those girls she mentioned are your sisters?” Dominic asked.

  “Every single one,” I said. “Are you scared?”

  Dominic reached over and slowly rubbed the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

  I looked up and met his eyes and a deliciously warm feeling spread through my body. He leaned in and I thought he was going to kiss me.

  “You had peanut butter on the corner of your mouth,” he said, pulling away.

  “Oh,” I said. What was I thinking? He could have any girl he wanted. He wasn’t interested in me.

  Katie’s voice shattered the moment. “Jessica, hurry up!” she shouted from the other room.

  I gave him a little smile. “This is your chance to make your escape.”

  “No way,” he said. “I love Monopoly.”

  “Then we’d better get in there,” I said. “Katie takes Monopoly very seriously.”

  “I like you better than that other boy,” Katie said to Dominic as she rolled the dice.