by Gina Rosati
Taylor stands with her parents beside the coffin. The funeral home has provided lawn chairs for her grandparents, but everyone else stands, clutching a long-stem red rose. So many nice things are said about Taylor during the service, it makes me wonder where this pastor guy is getting his information. Once he concludes the service, he invites everyone to lay their rose on the coffin, which is already buried under a heap of lilies, carnations, chrysanthemums, daisies, and several excited wasps. Taylor watches everyone as they approach the coffin, and she smiles at anyone who is crying.
Of course, she’s invited back to the Gleason’s house for the mercy meal, and so are all of her girlfriends. I jostle the phone in Rei’s pocket to get his attention and he pulls it out, flips it open and holds it steady.
I’ll stay with her.
“Okay. I’m heading to school. Let me know if you need me.” He pockets the phone and walks off toward the school.
* * *
Taylor arrives at the Gleason’s house and makes herself at home. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason have hired a caterer to set up a hot and cold buffet, and everything looks amazing, especially that steaming tray of lasagna, which I sniff longingly. Taylor offers to help pour soda at the bar, and I see her help herself to a few splashes of vodka in her Diet Coke. Before Taylor took up residence in my body, I had never had anything with alcohol to drink, not even a sip of wine. Okay, I drank some vanilla extract once because it smelled really good, but I didn’t know it had alcohol in it and it tasted so bad, I threw up, so I don’t think it counts. I wonder how much vodka will get me embarrassingly drunk. Or worse.
Taylor takes her drink and sits on the plushy sofa next to Jason Trent, the same jock/jerk who nearly caused me to drop my lunch tray last week. He’s a few inches taller than Rei, but bulky, with platinum blond hair, a ruddy complexion, and arctic blue eyes that stand out against his blond eyebrows and lashes. Maybe I’m prejudiced, but I consider Rei’s shoulders and arms to be well sculpted. Jason Trent just looks like he’s been abusing steroids. I watched Jason hit on Taylor when she was pouring drinks, and now they are engaged in some sort of verbal foreplay. By the time dessert is set on the table, Jason’s beefy hand is on her thigh. My thigh! I want to slap his hand right off his arm!
Taylor’s cell phone rings at about three o’clock, and she pats Jason’s hand twice before she has to take hold of it and manually lift it off her thigh to stand. She smiles at him in a way that looks ridiculous on my face as she sashays to the door to take the call outside. When I get close enough, I can hear it’s Rei, calling to see if Taylor wants a ride to school with him in the morning. She looks amused by the call, but no, she’s all set. Thanks, anyway. Maybe another time.
I’m in Rei’s room less than a second later, and he still has the phone in his hand. He doesn’t look all that surprised Taylor turned down his offer.
She’s flirting with Jason Trent.
“Jason Trent?” Rei wrinkles his nose. “You’re kidding!”
I wish I was. I desperately want to type Please don’t let me lose my virginity to Jason Trent, but somehow that seems like too pathetic a plea to share with Rei right now.
He drums his fingers on top of his desk, thinking. “One of us has to stay with her, Anna, and she doesn’t seem to want me anywhere near her or her friends.”
Why? They think you’re cute.
He shudders. “Okay, now you’re scaring me.”
Jason Trent is scaring me. He’s touching my leg. Will you go beat him up for me?
I was hoping to get a smile out of that request, but now Rei just looks ticked off again. “Anna, if it looks like she’s getting you into a bad situation, how can you let me know where they are?”
Jason has a white Jeep.
“Yeah, I know.”
I’ll know where she is. If you leave the computer, just keep your phone close by.
“Anna, you need to let me know before things get out of control. I’ll need time to get to wherever she is, and I don’t have the car. Maybe I should just go over now and make sure he leaves you alone.”
As much as I wish Rei would go defend my honor and kick the stuffing out of Jason, it would not be a good thing. He’s spent enough time in jail this week.
Not yet. I’ll let you know if they leave together.
CHAPTER 26
Jason has to be at work by five, which is a big plus for my virginity. Taylor and her friends pile into Cori’s car to go someplace, but they can’t decide which place. Taylor produces the half empty bottle of vodka from her backpack, which earns her a rowdy cheer from the girls. They drive around aimlessly for a while, drinking and arguing the merits of The House of Ting versus the food court at the mall.
Hey! How ironic would it be if they got pulled over and they ALL got arrested for underage drinking! I bet that would cheer up Rei considerably.
No such luck. Taylor and her friends end up at the mall where they clickety-clack around in their high heels, complain about their lack of spending money, and gossip. Until now, the gossip has been benign, mostly stuff like who said what about who, but there is the distinct sound of something splattering against the proverbial fan when they bump into Kyle Rupert, whose mom works at the only doughnut shop in Byers.
“Hey, how’s Rei doing?” Kyle asks Taylor. “He must be pissed!”
“He’s fine. Why would he be pissed?” Taylor asks suspiciously. Kyle is sort of a dork, and I’m surprised Taylor’s group is tolerating him long enough to have a conversation with him.
Kyle looks baffled. “Oh, come on. You of all people should know; you’re, like, his best friend.” He leans in and whispers loud enough for the entire group to hear. “Because he got arrested? In New York? With Seth?”
Taylor and her girlfriends exchange a voracious look.
“I was with Taylor’s family most of the day, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. What exactly did you hear?” Taylor asks.
Kyle puffs up. “My mom heard from one of the cops that they arrested Seth in New York yesterday. His arraignment was this morning, and they’re pushing the trial up to this Friday. And I heard that Rei was arrested with him in New York, but they didn’t press any charges.” Kyle looks a little confused. “You know, I really thought you’d know that, Anna. Hasn’t the district attorney talked to you yet? Isn’t Rei, like, really pissed that you’re testifying against Seth?”
Taylor’s face is pinched. “We haven’t discussed it,” she says tightly. “What else happened in New York?”
Kyle shrugs. “That’s pretty much what I know. I was kind of hoping you’d know more,” he admits.
“No,” Taylor glowers, “but I will know more soon.”
She pushes the speed dial number on her cell phone so fast, I don’t have time to warn Rei. I surge into view just as he checks the caller ID and picks it up. He looks right at me, but he’s talking to the caller—two birds with one stone. “Hey, Anna.”
The force of her voice drives the phone away from his ear. I get a look that clearly says, Thanks for the warning!
“Calm down!” he says into the receiver. “If you’d stop yelling at me, I’ll be happy to explain.” He squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s better. I was planning to tell you as soon as I saw you alone. Getting arrested isn’t something I’m bragging about. Nobody knows except my family and now you.” He rolls his eyes. “Okay, and now Kyle, Cori, Mandy, Olivia, and Vienna. So much for damage control.”
I don’t know how Rei can stand that shrill voice so close to his eardrum.
“Yes, Seth’s arraignment was today. Why didn’t I tell you? Because it’s an arraignment; it has nothing to do with you. They just read him the charges and he tells the judge he’s not guilty … Yes, I know you think he’s guilty,” he drums his fingers on the desk with a little more urgency. “Well, if they wanted you there, I’m sure they would have sent you a subpoena or something … I don’t know—I’m not a lawyer … No, you can’t come over right now—I’m in
the middle of a project for school … Tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow.”
He hangs up the phone and leans back in his desk chair, groaning. “And what really sucks is I know I should spend more time with her, but the girl just makes my brain hurt.”
I know what he means. I had planned to learn more about her so I could figure out her weak spots, but we’ve been too busy with Seth’s situation. But now there’s nothing more we can do for Seth until Friday, so I have no excuse.
It’s time to know my enemy.
Rei smiles like a proud father. “So you do listen to me sometimes.”
I listen to you a lot. I just don’t always follow your suggestions.
Rei almost laughs. “No … really?”
I have a suggestion of my own for him, but I don’t want him to take it the wrong way. I just think he needs to spend more time with her, too, and there’s only one way for him to do that.
Maybe it’s time you bit the bullet and went on a date with her.
Rei hoots at this idea. “Me? On a date with Taylor Gleason? What, are you nuts?”
I look down my nose at him before I turn back to the keyboard. I’m allergic to nuts, remember?
“I was afraid it might come to this,” Rei sighs. “Oh, well. Sun Tzu did say war is based on deception.”
I never actually read The Art of War, so I’ll take his word for it. I am sorry he feels so put out by the idea of dating Taylor, only because it’s hard to feel that he’s not rejecting part of me as well. I mean, it’s still my physical body, even though it’s infested with Taylor. On the other hand, I can’t say I blame him. After what she’s rumored to have done to the guy in New York and what she’s actually done to Seth, who in their right mind would want to date her? I may as well just hand Rei a rope and a chair rather than suggest he go on a date with Taylor.
Never mind. I’m sorry I suggested it.
“But you’re right. It’s the only way I can keep an eye on her,” he rationalizes. “Okay, you go hang out with her and learn what you can. I’m going to finish this project. And tomorrow, I’ll play nice and ask her out.”
Military strategy at its finest. I give him a thumbs-up and go off in search of the enemy.
* * *
Taylor has three messages waiting for her when she finally gets home from the mall. The first is from the district attorney. He wants to talk to her. The second is from Seth’s attorney. He wants to talk to her. The third is from Jason Trent. I don’t even want to guess what he wants.
* * *
The next morning, I tag along while Taylor rides to school with Cori. Taylor was the third-smartest girl in our junior class, but now that she’s in my body, I can’t figure out if she’s hampered by my less-than-brilliant brain or if she just can’t be bothered to extend any effort on my behalf. Watching Taylor’s academic inertia is boring. I can’t take notes and I won’t remember what Ms. Bannister is talking about anyway, so I hang around the back of the class and look for ways to amuse myself. Just out of my reach, I see a pencil hanging halfway off a desk, and it makes me wonder if I’m confined to the shape of a body I no longer own. I stretch my invisible arm, farther and farther, until I reach the pencil and it drops to the ground.
Cool!
Sheets of paper, pens, anything I find light enough to maneuver, sail effortlessly off desks around the room while I hang out in the back corner orchestrating these shenanigans. Finally, Ms. Bannister walks over to the window and closes it.
I want to show Rei what I’ve learned. As soon as class is over, I find him at his locker and watch him swap out notebooks and textbooks. He organizes everything just so in his backpack, then he heads for the cafeteria. Once he’s settled at our table with his lunch and chemistry notes, I jiggle the phone in his pocket, and he nonchalantly takes it out and sets it on the table.
Ohai
Ohai, he texts back. I thought you were bonding with her.
I’m taking a break.
Summoning just enough energy to text but not so much that I materialize in front of everyone else in the cafeteria is tricky. I also realize it’s no fun to show him my new trick unless he can actually see me and judge the distance between me and my target.
So where is she now?
Probably in the bathroom putting on more lipstick.
Probably?
Fine. BRB
I latch onto Taylor’s vibration and follow it to …
Holy crap! The windows of Jason Trent’s white Jeep are open on this warm day, and the sounds coming from it are obscenely graphic. I bolt back to Rei’s phone and punch in white jeep now.
The instant Rei reads these words, he abandons his stuff and sprints for the door. I beat him to the white Jeep, but not by a very wide margin. Rei reaches into the open window and unsnaps the convertible roof, then moves quickly to the other side and does the same. He yanks the canvas roof back in one fluid motion.
“Get off her now!” His voice is fierce.
Taylor and Jason both look up at him in astonishment. Jason pushes himself up on his hands so he can gawk at Rei from a better angle, and now …
Uh … you know … I would feel a whole lot better about this entire situation if that halter top was still tied around my neck and not all tangled up around my waist. Rei doesn’t even seem to notice.
“I said NOW!” He punctuates this with a fist slam against the hood of the Jeep, and the resounding thunk makes Taylor flinch. Jason is still stuck in neutral, so Rei reaches in and grabs him by the front of his neck.
“Son of a…” But Jason’s air is cut off and his eyes bulge nearly out of his head as Rei applies more pressure.
Taylor grabs the straps of her halter and struggles to untangle them and sit up at the same time.
“If you’re smart, you will get out of there on your own,” Rei tells him in a deadly calm voice before he lets go of his neck with a little shove.
Jason rubs his neck as he climbs out of the backseat. “What’s your problem, Ellis? She says she doesn’t go out with you.” He hacks and spits something chunky on the ground.
“She has a concussion, Jason. It affects her memory. And you will respect that and leave her alone. Do you understand?”
Rei doesn’t take his eyes off Jason, but he nods curtly toward Taylor. “Fix your shirt and let’s go,” he says in a brittle voice.
Okay. So he noticed. I wonder if this cancels out the shower invasion.
It looks like Jason is getting his second wind. I imagine he understood exactly what Rei said to him; I just don’t think he cares. He seems to be calculating his height and weight advantage. When his right hand balls into a fist by his side and he draws his elbow back, I yell out to warn Rei, but he can’t hear me, of course.
It doesn’t matter. Rei turns just in time to catch Jason’s fist squarely in his right hand. He yanks him off balance and squeezes, twisting in rapid succession Jason’s hand, arm, and shoulder until Jason lies crumpled faceup in a heap on the ground.
Rei looks down at him contemptuously. “Now do you understand?”
He turns to Taylor, who is still stunned but at least she’s fully dressed now. “Put your shoes on,” he orders. As soon as she fumbles her feet into the high heels, he puts his hands around her waist, lifts her out of the Jeep, and deposits her on the pavement. “Let’s go.”
Wow! I’ve never seen this badass side of Rei before.
He marches her back to the courtyard a step ahead of him the entire way, his fingers gripping the top of her arm, right over the tattoo. He doesn’t say a word until he sits her firmly down on a bench.
His face is a block of ice. “What the hell was that about?” he demands in a low voice.
Taylor finally seems to be coming out of her stupor. “What the … what the hell was that about! How dare you!”
“Oh, come on! Jason Trent? You can’t have hit your head that hard.”
“Well, at least he doesn’t treat me like a little sister!” she shoots back.
“That was pret
ty obvious.”
Taylor flushes and stands up. “Yeah, and it was pretty obvious you weren’t interested, Rei. What did you expect?”
“Not Jason Trent.” Rei sighs, and his voice softens. “You were going to come over today.”
“What?”
“Yesterday, when I talked to you on the phone, you wanted to come over and I said I had homework. I said for you to come over tomorrow instead. And … it’s tomorrow.”
Taylor plants her hands on her hips. “I don’t get you, Rei. The last time I came to your house, you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.” He smiles hesitantly, and then he reaches over and slowly slides his hand underneath her hair to that spot on the back of her neck and gives her his signature squeeze. I close my eyes and replay the sensation from memory.
He sighs and lets his hand slide down to her shoulder. “And it’s not that I’m not interested. I just thought it might be a little weird.” He brushes the back of his fingers against the side of her neck, and she looks every bit as flustered by that simple gesture as I feel. “I miss you, Anna. I’ll be home all afternoon if you want to come over.”
He squeezes her shoulder gently and walks away.
CHAPTER 27
“I was wrong back there,” Rei confesses when he gets home from school. He drops his backpack by the side of his desk and steps on the power strip button to turn the computer on. “I told Taylor this might be a little weird. It actually will be very weird.”
I agree: it will be weird, and sandwiched in with all that weirdness is my knowledge that even though Rei has a great poker face, he’s a terrible actor. How much of that performance was the art of deception and how much was fueled by real emotion? When he looks at Taylor, does he see me at all? When I look at Taylor, I barely recognize myself.
