Escape Room (Underlined Paperbacks)

by Stoffels, Maren

  “What happened there is my business, not yours.”

  “If you’re with my friend, it’s my business.” Mint is still looking straight at me. “You screamed at Cleo. Is that the reason we’re in here now?”

  I feel the note burning in my back pocket. No one can find out what Cleo wrote, and certainly not Alissa.

  “Of course not,” I say.

  “I don’t trust you.”

  Mint will warn Alissa about me. Maybe she already has.

  “I don’t care.” I stare at her. “As long as Alissa trusts me. And she is in love with me.”

  Mint’s eyes narrow. “You are seriously disturbed.”

  Karla said exactly the same thing to me back then, in the same tone.

  I reach Mint in two steps. Fear flashes across her face. See, she’s scared of me. I have to use that. It’s the only advantage I have. Before I know it, my hand is around her throat.

  “Don’t go shooting your mouth off to Alissa.”

  Mint’s eyes are open wide. I can see the veins in the whites of her eyes.

  “Is that perfectly clear?” As I say the last word, I gently press my thumb into her skin.

  “Y-yes.”

  “Good.” I let go of Mint and hear her gasping for air behind my back. I didn’t want to do that, but I had no choice.

  There’s a war raging in my stomach. Miles has gone, but I can still feel his thumb on my skin. I have to hold on to the dresser to stop my knees from giving way.

  Miles isn’t just unreliable. He’s dangerous.

  I hear him talking to Alissa out in the hallway, but I can’t make out what he’s saying. His casual tone makes me nauseous. How can he put on a different face so quickly? It’s not normal. It’s…

  “Hey, Mint?” Alissa comes into the room. “You okay?”

  I want to answer, but no sound is coming from my throat. How can I tell her what just happened?

  “Are you crying?”

  I collapse into Alissa’s arms, leaning my full weight against her.

  Miles had his hand around my throat. He could have strangled me if he’d wanted to. Could I even have called out for help?

  “Shhhh,” Alissa whispers. “It’s going to be okay.”

  I have to tell her to stay away from Miles. That’s all that matters now.

  “It’s Miles. He’s dangerous.”

  Alissa frowns. “Are you starting that again?”

  Her words flash through my mind. I know who you got that panicky stuff from.

  Alissa has to believe me. She has to.

  “He threatened me.”

  Alissa looks shocked. “Huh? When? Just now?”

  “I saw him yesterday. He completely flipped out. He’s dangerous, Alissa. He was yelling and smashing his scooter helmet into a bench, and then Cleo came along and—”

  “Cleo?” Alissa says, interrupting me.

  “She was out running. She asked Miles something, and he…exploded.”

  “At Cleo?”

  Why do we keep talking about Cleo? Didn’t Alissa hear what I’m trying to tell her?

  “He’s disturbed,” I say quietly. I take a sidelong look at the door. Miles is even more dangerous than Cleo, because he’s in here with us. He’s a head taller than Alissa and me, and Sky has only one good hand left.

  “He grabbed me by the throat. Here.” I point at the place where Miles’s thumb pressed into my skin.

  Alissa frowns. “I don’t see anything.”

  “He didn’t squeeze.”

  As soon as I say it, I realize I don’t have a leg to stand on. As Miles said, Alissa is on his side. I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s completely fallen for Miles’s tricks.

  “How can you be so blind?” I’m getting angry now. “You can see something’s not right, can’t you?”

  Alissa looks at me silently for a few seconds, and then she says, “Are you mad because of your hair?”

  “Huh? What?” Does she really think that’s what I’m worried about? “Why would I be bothered about my hair?” I explode. “I was already ugly anyway.”

  “Are you jealous of Miles and me?”

  Alissa doesn’t know what she’s talking about. That has nothing to do with it.

  “You’re just jealous because you don’t have a boyfriend and I do.”

  I want her to stop.

  “Is that why you’re wearing makeup? Because you want to be like me?”

  “Not everything revolves around you!” I spit out the words. “Sometimes things are about someone else. But you’re only interested in yourself. Even when Sky got hurt, you didn’t help him.”

  “I was panicking!” Alissa takes a step forward. “The way you always do, with your stomach and your aches and pains. Everyone feels sorry for you, including me. Why do you think I came and sat with you on the first day of school? I felt sorry for you, sad little mousy Mint!”

  I can see it again. I had thought Alissa had made a bet. And that was why she came to sit by me. But this reason is much, much worse.

  “Better sad than selfish.” The words come pouring out, as if they’ve always been in there but have only just found the way out. “You always want all the attention, even at your dad’s expense!”

  I know bringing up the documentary is a step too far, but I can’t stop. I want to hurt her.

  Alissa’s face changes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. But you might if you’d ever asked me about it.”

  I want to take back my words, but at the same time I kind of want to say it all over again.

  “Is it any wonder I get all the attention?” hisses Alissa. “And look at the state of you now, with your hacked-off hair.”

  It’s like someone else lifts up my arm and swings it forward. The flat of my hand slaps hard against Alissa’s cheek.

  At first her eyes are wide with disbelief, but then they turn as cold as Miles’s.

  They’re fighting. As long as I’ve known Alissa and Mint, they’ve never fought. And now Alissa’s saying that Mint hit her.

  I leave Miles and Alissa in the doctor’s office and quickly go to Lia’s room, where Mint is sitting on the floor.

  I crouch in front of her. “What happened?”

  Mint doesn’t answer. She mustn’t give up, not now. Mint is the only one who did anything when my hand was stuck in the hatch. She let Alissa cut off her hair to keep Caitlin out of danger. She’s a leader.

  “We need you in there.” Quietly, I add, “I need you.”

  Mint looks up. She smiles sadly. “Do you feel sorry for me too? For mousy little Mint?”

  I think about the way Mint can be in the outside world, with her sagging shoulders and her lank hair. The way she complains about all those nagging little aches and pains.

  I don’t want to lie to her. She doesn’t deserve it.

  “Sometimes.”

  “Alissa says I’m jealous of her, but that’s not it.”

  “Why would you be jealous?”

  “Because she has a boyfriend and I don’t. Because all the boys like her.”

  “Not all the boys,” I say.

  “Miles, you…”

  “Me?” Deep inside me, something explodes. All the blood rushes to my head.

  “Do you think I didn’t realize?” Mint looks at me, shaking her head. “You said she was pretty on the very first day of school.”

  What’s Mint talking about? Did I really say that to Alissa?

  “She hates me,” says Mint.

  “Of course she doesn’t.” I’m glad Mint changed the subject.

  “I hit her.”

  “I heard something along those lines.” Slowly, I feel my heartbeat getting back to normal. “But we’re all pretty confused right now.”

  “Alissa doesn’t believe me.” Mint gives me a searching look, as if she’s not sure she can trust me. “We were talking about Miles.”

  Miles? I change my position and hear a creaking sound under my feet.

  Mint’s eyes wid
en. “Do that again!”

  The floor makes a strange sound, as if there’s some give in the boards.

  Mint pulls up the rug in one movement. You can barely see it, but one of the floorboards is loose.

  I look around at Caitlin.

  She’s finally stopped crying.

  I don’t understand.

  This girl isn’t ugly.

  Slowly, the pieces fall into place.

  I feel a smile on my lips.

  This is the perfect oil to pour on the fire.

  Time for a new message.

  Miles puts his arms around me and hugs me to him. I realize that I’m crying, but I don’t know how long I’ve been crying for.

  Mint slapping me isn’t even the worst of it. Her words hurt much more. She’s never said anything about the documentary, and now she’s throwing it in my face.

  “Mint says you threatened her.”

  Miles immediately lets go of me. “What?”

  “I don’t believe her,” I say. “She’s gone completely crazy.”

  Miles runs his hand through his hair. “Well, I did do something….”

  It feels like when you miss a step. This can’t be true.

  “I tried to talk to her about yesterday,” Miles says.

  “Just talk?”

  “Of course.” Miles gives me a shocked look. “What did you think?”

  Mint’s obviously lying. She wants to hurt me, so she accused Miles and brought up my dad.

  “I know about the meadows,” I say quietly.

  Miles nods. “I didn’t want you to hear about it, so I asked her to keep her mouth shut. She must have taken it the wrong way.”

  “Why didn’t you want me to know you were so angry?”

  Miles smiles weakly. “Why do you think? We’re only just getting to know each other!”

  I know that feeling. I want to be the best version of myself with him too.

  “I was on edge because of my dad.” Miles turns his face away. “A few days ago, I accidentally rode my bike to our old street. It was so bizarre to be there for the first time since Dad…You know, everything there is the same, but at the same time it’s all different.”

  I think about what my dad was like yesterday. It wasn’t like last Christmas, but he was different than usual.

  “I know what you mean.”

  “I think Mint’s scared of me.” Miles looks at me, worried. “She’s been staring at me all night, but without saying a word.”

  So he’s noticed Mint spying on him too. I feel ashamed for her.

  We sit down on the floor. I hear Mint and Sky talking in Lia’s room. I don’t understand Mint. Is she really that jealous of us being together?

  “So you didn’t grab her by the throat?” I ask, just to make sure.

  Miles looks hurt. “Do you think I’d do that?”

  I look deep into his eyes. I see the same blue as earlier this week. He’s not lying. No one can lie that well.

  I sigh. “I just can’t believe Mint would make up something like that.”

  “Friends are shit.”

  I look at him. “Why?”

  Miles laughs, but it sounds anything but happy. “After Dad died, they all said they’d be there for me. Karla too. They wanted to talk to me. They wanted me to cry. But when I finally did, they left. People can’t handle sadness. Have you ever noticed that?” Miles looks at me. “Your friends have never asked about your dad either, right?”

  Miles’s words slowly get through to me. He’s right. Sky and Mint have never bothered to ask.

  There’s a rumbling in the chute. What does Cleo want now? I don’t know if I can handle any more of her messages. When is this torment going to stop? I follow Miles to the chute.

  He frowns as he reads the message.

  “What?” I ask. “Has she kidnapped any more people?”

  Miles looks up. “It’s about Sky.”

  “What about him?” I take the strip of paper from his hand and read:

  Why did you guys punish Mint that way, when Sky is the one with a wicked game to play? His love for Caitlin is fake, not real. If she knew, how do you think she’d feel? Sky lies really well, he lies really quick, and the way he treats Caitlin should make you feel sick.

  I look up. “What’s this about now?”

  Miles shrugs. “Caitlin?”

  I read the message again, but the words haven’t changed. It’s Cleo who’s playing a wicked game, isn’t it? Not Sky?

  Is Cleo trying to drive us apart? Well, it’s not going to work. Mint might be a bit twisted, but Sky is honest through and through. I know him better than anyone.

  “We’ve got the key!”

  I’m startled to see Sky coming into the doctor’s office. His new bandage is soaked through, but he looks invincible.

  “Is there another message?”

  I slowly lower the piece of paper. I can’t read this out. I don’t want to hurt him. Sky would never lie to me. He’s the most honest person I know. If Sky thinks something, he says it. He’s a bulldozer, the most direct kid in the class, sometimes too direct, but I can take it when it comes from him.

  “She says you’re playing a game,” says Miles.

  Sky frowns.

  Do we really have to kick him when he’s down? Sky’s already been hurt enough, what with Caitlin and with his hand.

  Miles clears his throat. “She says you don’t really like Caitlin.”

  When Sky has to talk in front of the class, he is completely in his element. When he stumbles on the street, he makes a joke of it. But now he’s blushing all the way down to his neck.

  So it’s true.

  “But why?” I ask.

  Sky shifts from one foot to the other. “What exactly does it say?”

  I slowly realize that Sky has actually been lying to me. All that time he was with Caitlin, he was playing a game.

  Friends really are shit.

  “Why are you going out with her when you…”

  Sky shakes his head, as if this is a nightmare and he really, really wants to wake up. I want the same, but this isn’t a nightmare. This is real.

  Just now, he was totally panicking about Caitlin. He can’t have been acting, can he? I know Sky.

  “I want…” Sky looks at me and then at Miles and back at me. “I can’t tell you, okay? Not here.”

  I’ve never seen my best friend nervous before, but he can barely get his words out.

  “I don’t get it,” I say. “I just don’t get it.”

  How can Sky have fooled me for all those months? What kind of game does Cleo mean?

  “Not here,” repeats Sky, and he looks at Miles again. Is he scared of him? But why…

  Then the penny drops.

  I look at Sky. “You’re in love with me.”

  Sky’s cheeks just about explode. He even looks like he’s sweating.

  “No, that’s not it.”

  I don’t believe him anymore. It’s like his lies are being poured over all my memories.

  All those months he was with Caitlin, was he really thinking about me? We’ve known each other since the first year of junior high, so why did I never notice anything?

  I did kind of notice that he never went out with girls, but Sky was always busy with other things. Drumming, working at the pizzeria. And when Caitlin came along, I didn’t stop to think about it.

  How could I have missed it?

  But as far as I know, Sky never flirted with me. He never touched me. Not like Miles does. Sky’s managed to keep this hidden for all those years.

  Cleo’s right: Sky lies really well; he lies really quick.

  “You don’t get it.” Sky’s eyes flash back to Miles and then to me. “I’m not in love with you.”

  I squeeze the key. It’s out. The biggest secret I ever had is out.

  I don’t dare look at the two of them, but I can feel that my words are slowly getting through.

  Alissa is the first to say something.

  “You’re i
n love with Miles?”

  Hearing it out loud is even worse than it just being inside my head. I don’t want her to say it, not her of all people.

  I want to get away, but there’s nowhere to go. We’re locked up. Cleo is slowly breaking us.

  How did she know? Was it the conversation I just had with Mint?

  She thought I was looking at Alissa, but I’m always looking at Miles.

  “Of course not.” Miles smiles, shaking his head. “Sky’s just joking, right?”

  I glance at Miles. It’s not a smart idea. His blue eyes have the same effect on me as an electric fence.

  “No…” Miles’s expression changes. “Don’t be stupid.”

  In my mind, he reacted differently. When I looked at his photo and told him about it, he was full of understanding.

  When our boss took a picture after our staff outing, I made sure I was standing next to Miles. I felt his arm against mine as I stared into the camera. I wanted to look good. This had to be the perfect photo of us together.

  Ideally, I’d have cut out the rest of my coworkers, but if Alissa and Mint had seen that photo, they’d immediately know that I felt more for him. This way, Miles could stay on my nightstand.

  “You’re gay?” Miles looks at me incredulously. “But…but you don’t look gay.”

  “So what do gay guys look like, then?” I can hear my voice shaking. “Neat? Tight jeans? Effeminate?”

  At first I thought I stood a chance with Miles. In fact I thought that until last week.

  As he rode his scooter into the park, I sat up straighter. When Miles is around, I’m always aware of how I move, how I look.

  Alissa did the same thing before me, quickly running a hand through her hair. I didn’t think anything of it, because, as always, I was thinking about Miles.

  The bet was perfect. Thanks to Alissa, I’d finally be able to ask the question I’d wanted to ask for months.

  “Are you gay?”

  Miles would look up, with those beautiful eyes of his, and say yes.