She relaxed and gave in to his embrace.
“You'll get soda all over you.”
“Then we'd be stuck together. That would be neat.”
She laughed and pressed her face against his chest. She didn't sob, but the tears streamed down her face, staining his shirt.
Kevin smiled as she squeezed him back. A tiny sigh escaped her as he ran a hand through her sticky hair.
It was there, in the bathroom of the diner, that he realized he wanted to be more than her friend.
They held each other for a few minutes before Kevin pulled away.
“Come on,” he said. “Let's get out of here.”
He kept an arm around her shoulders as they left the bathroom.
Michael and the rest of their group stood near their booths. Everyone was trying to clean up. Michael was a mess, soda and ketchup all over his clothes.
“What the hell happened over there?” Rachel asked.
Kevin raised his voice so they could hear.
“I thought I saw a rat. So I wanted to scare it away.”
Chapter 11
Rachel sat at the dining room table and stared at the blank page on her laptop. The cursor flashed at her, almost mocking her.
She pulled up the photos that she'd taken at the post office, not even an hour ago. It was a cycle she repeated ever since she got home. She stared at her word processing program, looking at the photos of Kevin going into and leaving the post office. Then she started all over.
At first, it was cute irony when she saw him walking down the street. She just got done dropping him off at his apartment after school. Parking her car in an alley, she sat at the cafe across from the post office, nearly calling to him when she saw him.
Then he turned into the post office.
She didn't want to believe it at first. But the photos, and her eyes, didn't lie.
Mister Daly expected her to write an article outing her best friend as the guy who supplied students with papers.
She felt her father's eyes on her as he watched television from the living room. Nancy worked over the stove in the kitchen. Dinner smelled delicious, but her mind was still far away. Her mother moved her motorized wheelchair back and forth to talk to Nancy and her husband. Her parents whispered in the living room, and Rachel guessed it was about her.
Mom parked her wheelchair next to her. Rachel quickly closed the photos of Kevin leaving the post office with many sealed envelopes.
“Hey, Rach,” Mom said. “What's going on?”
“Nothing.”
“You've always been a bad liar.”
Rachel tried to smile. She caught Nancy laughing at her from the kitchen.
“I have to write something for the school's website that will get a friend in trouble.”
Mom nodded. “You have to? Someone's making you?”
“It's a story I've chased off and on since I was a freshman. There's someone in school that's been writing papers for people, for money. Now I know who it is.”
“Kevin?”
Rachel was surprised, but knew she shouldn't have been. It wasn't like she had many friends. All she did at home lately was talk about Kevin. It wasn't hard to guess who she was talking about.
“He must be very smart.”
“He is.”
She leaned over and pulled up the photos of Kevin. “Good looking, too.”
Rachel smiled at Mom and nodded.
“So what are you gonna do?”
“I don't know. I have to write something, Mom.” She held her head in her hands. “I'm a terrible reporter.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I'm supposed to be able to write and keep my emotions out of it.”
“Well, Kevin is your friend.”
She looked at Mom. “I like him more than a friend.”
Mom's eyes lit up. “Oh!”
“I know he needs the money,” she said. “It's just him and his sister. If I write an article, I could really get him in trouble, maybe even kicked out of school.”
“Are you the only one with these pictures?”
“Yeah. Took them on my cell phone.”
Mom shrugged. “Then write anything you want. Use your imagination.”
“I don't think reporters are supposed to use their imagination, Mom.”
She smiled. “You'll think of something.”
Nancy began to sing from the kitchen. “Rachel's got a boyfriend.”
Rachel laughed.
*****
Kevin and Rachel stepped into his living room. He dropped his books near the front door and collapsed on the couch. Oscar sprinted out of the bedroom, jumped on his lap, than ran laps around the apartment.
Rachel sat next to him and turned on the television.
“I think Friday is the best day ever made,” Kevin said.
She laughed. “I like Saturday myself.”
She stole a glance at him as he laced his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. She was growing braver in her indulgences.
“What do you have going for the weekend?” he asked.
“I'm thinking about hiking near Martin's Lake. You want to come with me?”
“No.” He pointed at her. “And you're not going either.”
“Why not?”
He frowned. “That's not too far from where they found Donna and Paul. We'll hang out, but we're not going there.”
She smiled and risked scooting closer, playfully laying her head on his shoulder.
“Aww. I have my own knight in shining armor.”
Rachel didn't have much experience with flirting, but she thought it was a good move and line.
Kevin actually leaned his head against hers before rising to his feet.
“I'm getting a drink. You want anything?”
“A soda, please.”
She felt silly, and fought with her self-confidence. She was trying to flirt with the hottest guy in school. Every girl smiled and batted their eyes at him all day long.
He turned around as he stepped past the coffee table and gave her a look.
“Take your shoes off,” he said. “Get comfortable.”
Before she could lean over, Kevin was on one knee. She gripped the couch as he untied her laces. He slipped her shoes off and gave her feet a gentle squeeze.
He smiled at her as he vanished into the kitchen.
She knew she had it bad, getting excited at Kevin touching her feet.
They watched television for an hour, laughing and talking, enjoying each other, when the door opened. Kristin whistled as she dropped her purse on the end table.
“Where's my kitten?” she called.
Oscar ran to her and rubbed against her leg. She scooped him up and showered him with kisses.
“You know he hates that,” Kevin said.
“No, he loves kisses,” she said, smiling at Rachel. “How you doing, girl?”
“Good. How about you?”
“It's Friday.” She lowered Oscar to the ground. “Which brings me to my next announcement. You two sloths have to leave. You can stay out all night, but you can't stay here.”
“What's going on?”
Kristin smiled and flung her hair behind her shoulder. “I have a guy coming over tonight. So, please, hide your sheet and pillow?”
“Holy crap,” Kevin said, smiling at Rachel. “Miracles can happen.”
“So funny. How do I look?”
“Well, good, but those are your work clothes. Aren't you gonna change?”
She pointed at him. “Yes, that is a good idea. Get out of here.” She looked at Rachel. “Please, go get my brother a girlfriend.”
She turned red. “Uh, yeah. I'll work on that.”
Kevin laughed as Kristin disappeared into the bathroom.
“What do you want to do?” Rachel asked.
“Let's go to Tessa's party.”
“I wasn't invited.”
“So? No one will notice you.”
She frowned and lowered her he
ad. “Gee, thanks.”
He nudged her shoulder. “You know what I mean. No one's gonna freak out that you're there.”
“Maybe they'll pour acid on me this time instead.”
“I don't think anyone will mess with you for a while.”
“Kevin, I really don't want to go over Tessa's house.”
He gave her a look. “Okay, let's go over your house.”
She gave the idea serious thought. Her parents were going out to dinner to enjoy a romantic evening.
Rachel and Kevin would have the house to themselves.
But with her luck, her parents would come home early. She cared about Kevin more than anyone, but wasn't ready to introduce him to her family yet. Her mother by herself would embarrass her. Not because of her multiple sclerosis, but because she knew Rachel had feelings for Kevin.
She smiled. “Tessa's it is.”
*****
Kevin looked at the cars parked ahead of them as they climbed out of the Mustang. They had to park near the end of the street. It wasn't hard to spot Tessa's house. Girls danced on the front lawn, with guys standing around watching and cheering. The sun had only started to sink over the horizon, meaning the party hadn't truly begun.
Rachel's shoulders slumped as they walked next to each other on the sidewalk.
“What am I doing here?”
He laughed and put an around her. She leaned her head onto his shoulder.
“You're having a good time with me. Rachel and Kevin, living it up in the amazing town of Walton.”
She smiled. She could get used to the sound of Rachel and Kevin.
Kevin let his arm drop from her shoulder, but reached for her hand.
As they approached Tessa's house, all he could think about was kissing her in literature class.
He noticed her looking down at their interlaced fingers.
“Is this okay?” he said, squeezing her hand.
She nodded, her eyes growing wide. “Oh, yeah, it's fine. But...people might think we're going out or something.”
He held in a smile. Would that be so bad?
“I'll make you a deal. If you see a guy in here you like, I'll let go of your hand and help you get his number.”
Her eyes never left his. “And if I don't, you can hold my hand as long as you want.”
“Deal.”
The party was energetic, but not out of control. There was loud music, drinking, dancing, couples making out against the wall. A group of guys hung out in the kitchen and watched the Orioles on television.
There was the occasional couple that went upstairs, and didn't come back down for a while. Kevin wasn't experienced with parties, but he guessed that was normal.
They actually had fun, much to Rachel's surprise. Perhaps it was because there were so many people, but she found it easier to hide, to slip through the cracks. Plenty of girls walked up to Kevin to introduce themselves, but she found if she just held on to his hand and hid behind his back a little, the drunk girls barely even noticed her.
They sat on the couch to rest their legs. A blond girl sitting next to Kevin knocked back a drink and gave him a flirty smile. She crossed her bare legs, making sure to rest her calf against his leg.
“Hi,” she said. “I'm Sharon.”
He scooted closer to Rachel.
“Uh, hi.” He decided against giving his name.
“Is that your girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Maybe the three of us could go upstairs?”
He leaned close to Rachel's ear. “We'd better escape.”
She laughed as they both rose from the couch. The plan was to go through the kitchen to the backyard to get some air.
Another girl wearing jean shorts and a bikini top grabbed his free hand.
She tried to pull him away. “Let's dance.”
He shook free of her grip and wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist.
“No, thank you. I'm good.”
Kevin pulled her close and held onto her, almost like a security blanket. He took a deep breath, trying to gather himself.
“It's like I'm invisible,” Rachel said.
“This might have been a bad idea. Sorry.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. She wasn't a graceful person, and nearly tripped as she tried to hold him closer.
“I'm having fun.”
He looked at her and smiled.
She likes me.
It was a simple, beautiful thought. They were having a moment, and they both knew it.
Kevin tried to work up the courage for a kiss. He had a feeling she wouldn't push him away.
He was ready to make the move when he felt cold and wet on his side. Another drunk girl had stumbled and spilled beer on him. He shouted and managed to turn Rachel to keep her dry.
Despite his irritation, he managed to laugh. Rachel cleared the hair from her face and smiled. She clasped her hands together and batted her lashes.
“My hero,” she said.
“Let me find the bathroom,” he said. “I'll be right back.”
He pushed his way through the crowd to get to the steps. A guy was on the stairs dry heaving, along with a couple that looked like they were seconds away from stripping each other. On the second floor were some light moans from behind a locked door.
The bathroom was at the end of the hall. He was five feet away when he heard a voice as he passed a bedroom.
“Ah man, that sucks. I was gonna buy a paper from him, too.”
Kevin stopped mid stride.
He peeked in the open bedroom to see two guys he didn't know. They were huddled over a laptop at a desk with the lights out.
“Uh, guys? What are you reading?”
One teen looked at the other, surprised Kevin was talking to them.
“Just the school website. Some dude's been making money doing people's work for years. Looks like they finally got him.”
They spun the laptop so Kevin could read. They left him alone, mumbling about getting some beer from downstairs.
He nearly slumped in the chair.
The picture was blurred and grainy, something that might have been found on a Bigfoot website. The post office was unrecognizable, the figure going inside even more so.
Kevin knew who it was.
The article was written by Rachel Evans.
She spoke about him in generalities, never calling him by name. Referring to him as Walton High's grade savior, she compared him to other legends, such as the gift of roses and cognac on Edgar Allan Poe's grave.
It was a clever article, and couldn't possibly trace back to Kevin.
He knew it didn't matter.
His heart thumped in his chest as he logged into his email.
He sank in the chair even further as his fears were confirmed.
There were three requests for research assignments from various classes.
Following each of those emails was a cancellation request.
With a single article, Rachel had destroyed his way of making money.
He shut down his email and stared at the article, trying to put the pieces together. Rachel had found his post office box, staked it out, and took photos of him. She then wrote an article about him, keeping him in the dark the entire time.
They spent time together, watched television, went out to eat, talked on the phone at night. She was the only person from school he considered a friend.
Even more than a friend, he was falling for her.
Kristin tried to hide it, but he knew she was stressed. She had to support both of them with no help.
He would have to tell her he'd have trouble helping to pay for things.
He left the house and began the long walk home, not even bothering to look for Rachel.
Rachel waited a half hour before she grew worried about Kevin. She went to the second floor and saw the open bathroom at the end of the hall. The neighboring rooms were all empty, except for the one the sex noises came from. She assumed h
e wasn't in there.
Peeking in the first room she came to, she saw the familiar distorted photo sitting on a laptop, and immediately recognized her article.
Her jaw dropped.
Mister Daly had posted her work an entire week earlier than he said he would.
Panic set in. She knew how the school social system worked. She had to talk to Kevin before he found out, if he didn't already know.
The laptop being in a room next to the bathroom didn't help calm her.
Her cell phone rang. She answered it as fast as she could.
“Kevin? Look, I'm so sorry. I can explain-”
“It's not Kevin, Rachel. It's Nancy.”
She frowned. Nancy's voice was strained, like she'd been crying. Rachel hadn't seen her much lately. With her father home more Nancy was enjoying some well-deserved time off.
“Nancy? What's wrong?”
“Come to the hospital. Right now. It's your parents.”
*****
Victoria parked her Porsche outside her latest home.
She had associates who were highly paid and owed her favors, and they came through once again.
The house was acceptable. It was on the edge of town, near the woods, set further back than the other houses on the street, giving a degree of privacy. There was only one floor with a basement, which was more than suitable for her. A bar was just around the corner, perfect for those nights she wanted a warm drink.
Walton was an interesting town. Surrounded by thick woods, only two highways led in and out. It was small enough to give a nice sense of community, but large enough for three high schools. She had to smile, wondering how those rivalries were played out.
Somewhere in the woods behind her home, a werewolf without a master was claiming its territory.
Touring the house, she liked what she saw. Her associates only made one mistake, but it was one she could live with. Furnishing the first floor was completely unnecessary, but she stepped through the front door to see a couch, loveseat, wide-screen television, dining set, a stocked kitchen, brand new carpet and paint.
Extreme, but impressive. They'd got it all done in less than a week.
Still, the basement was her biggest concern.
She opened the door leading downstairs and carefully descended the wood steps.
She smiled.
The basement was completely finished. New drywall, drop ceiling, and carpet. The only two windows were covered with drywall, allowing in no sunlight. A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the floor, with new sheets and two pillows. Four suitcases of clothes sat next to the bed. Victoria was a vampire, but that was no reason not to pamper herself. She loved her clothes.
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