Unsure if it was worth mentioning, I looked at Billy. Obviously distressed by what he’d accidentally said in front of Rochelle, he didn’t seem up to hearing my report that a car that may look like his parents’ had driven by. Not when it could have been anybody. Besides, how would they know where Billy lived? No, there was no reason to give him something new to stress over.
I hurried to his side and sat next to him on the step, then put my arm around his shoulder. “Forget it, Billy. She’s not gonna care about some summer camp you went to years ago.”
He looked at me and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I hope you’re right.”
Grinning, I said, “I’m always right.”
He laughed. “That’s debatable.”
At least I’d gotten him to think of something besides what he’d said. “I’m hungry. Does Tasco have anything good to eat?”
He stood, then held out his hand.
Grabbing his hand, I let him pull me to my feet. Rather than letting me go, he pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me. His strong arms made me feel safe and protected. Even though I knew he wasn’t perfect, I knew he would always stand by me. He’d already proven that.
“You always know just what to say,” he murmured next to my ear.
I smiled, glad I’d been able to convince him that mentioning Camp Willowmoss to Rochelle wasn’t the end of the world.
He pulled away from me, gazed into my eyes for a moment, then pressed his lips to mine. One of his arms stayed around my waist while one hand went to the back of my neck. I melted into his kiss, relishing the feel of his lips against mine as my arms snaked around his neck.
My cell phone rang in my pocket and I jumped back like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t. At the surprised look on Billy’s face, I started laughing as I swiped my phone to answer. “Hello?”
“Where are you, Morgan?” Mom asked.
“I just got to Billy’s house.”
“I didn’t know you were going there.”
“Oh. Well it was kind of a last minute decision.”
“Hmm. Next time I’d like to know your plans.”
“I’m sorry.”
“The reason I called—besides to find out where you are—is to let you know that I spoke to Holly.”
“Did she call you?”
“Yes. She wasn’t happy that you hadn’t called her back yet. She said that you’re holding up production of the PSA and she insisted that you start as soon as possible.” She paused. “Morgan, when she pressed me about you starting on Saturday, I had to admit that you were available.”
“Mom.” My tone of voice showed that I didn’t approve.
She sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to lie to her. Besides, you agreed to do the PSA, so you’re going to have to do it.”
Of course she was right. “Fine.”
We hung up a moment later and I turned to Billy with a scowl. “I’m doing the PSA on Saturday.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
The thought of having Billy there for moral support boosted my mood. “Yes. I do want you to come with me.”
He smiled. “Good.”
Saturday morning Mom and I picked Billy up and the three of us drove to the studio where we’d filmed the first PSA.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told Mom as she parked, remembering how many hours Amy and I had been there before.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I have Billy here, so I’ll be fine.” I smiled at Billy as he took my hand in his.
Mom smiled at Billy. “Okay. Let me just see if I need to sign a release or anything.”
The foyer seemed pretty empty as we walked in, so when Holly walked through a side door to meet us, my gaze went right to her.
“Good morning,” she gushed as she walked towards us. “I’m so glad you could make it today, Morgan.”
Billy gently squeezed my hand, and I forced a smile on my face. “Hi.”
“Roxanne,” Holly said to Mom. “Thanks for arranging this.”
“I’m not planning on staying, but I wanted to see if you need anything from me before I leave.”
“No, I think we’re all set.”
Mom pulled me into a hug. “Try to have fun, Morgan,” she murmured in my ear before pulling back and giving me a look that said to behave myself.
“I will.” Although I knew it would be completely miserable—no fun involved.
I watched her leave and wished I could go with her.
“Okay then,” Holly said. “Let’s get started.”
Billy and I followed Holly to the space where we’d filmed the first PSA.
“You know the drill,” Holly said as she motioned to the make-up chair. “Here’s the script.”
I took it from her and sat in the make-up chair. Billy stood nearby as the make-up and hair people got started. Holding the script in front of me, I managed to read it despite the fact that the make-up lady kept getting in my way.
The script said that I would say my lines while standing in front of a blue screen where images of healthy foods being harvested would be projected. As I read the words I would have to say, my stomach began to churn. There was no way I could say what Holly wanted me to say. I read it over again.
We live in a country where food is abundant, but that has challenges of its own. Sometimes we have so many options that it’s hard to know what to choose. The new food choice regulations in our schools will take the guesswork out of the equation. Starting this fall, only the healthiest foods will be available at our schools.
My name is Morgan Campbell, and I believe that a healthy me is a healthy world.
I can’t do this. No, no, no.
The make-up and hair people finished, but I stayed where I was.
“Are you okay?” Billy asked.
I handed him the script. “I can’t say this.”
He read it over, then looked at me with a frown.
“All set?” Holly said as she appeared next to my chair.
When I looked at her fake smile I actually felt a jolt in my neck, as if she’d pressed the torture device, and I cringed. Though the spot at the base of my skull had healed long ago, my hand automatically reached for it as my gaze went to Billy. I saw the worried look on his face and knew he knew what I was remembering.
Billy moved to stand in front of me, then he placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned in like he was giving me a hug. “They’re just words, Morgan,” he whispered. “You can do it.”
It was that last line that really bothered me, and I knew there was no way I could get those words past my teeth.
“Come on,” Holly said. “Time to get started.”
Billy held his hand out to help me. I grasped his hand and let him help me out of my chair, but once my feet touched the floor I didn’t want to let go. “I want Billy to be in it with me,” I said.
“No,” he said without hesitation. “You know I can’t do that.”
“No,” Holly said at the same time. “This is just for you, Morgan.”
Maybe I can change the last line. Maybe Holly won’t even notice. Everyone was looking at me—Billy, Holly, the camera crew, the lighting people, everyone.
“Okay,” I said, resigned to my fate. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Terrific,” Holly said with a grin. She walked over to a taped X on the floor. “You’ll stand here, Morgan, and say your lines. We have the cue cards again.”
“Great,” I mumbled, then I forced my legs to carry me to the X. “X marks the spot,” I whispered, and held back a laugh. I’d gone from being dragged out of my house and into a Federally Assisted Thinning center, to escaping with Billy, to voluntarily going back inside so I could help Amy escape, to being discovered and taken to a higher-security facility, to being tortured by Holly, to getting away from Holly, and finally getting back to my world. Surely I could manage to say a few words telling people how wonderful it is to have the government make the
ir food choices for them.
The similarities between Billy’s world and mine were startling and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. Bending at the waist, I put my hands on my knees and took several deep breaths.
“Are you okay, Morgan?” Holly called out. “We need to begin now.”
I didn’t care what she needed, and when I felt a hand on my back I nearly elbowed the person who had put it there.
Then I heard Billy’s voice. “I’m right here with you. It will be okay.”
I turned my head and saw Billy standing next to me and I remembered how we’d cut the tracking chips out of each other’s arms and then barely managed to escape Camp Willowmoss. I’d had to stab Enforcer Hansen in the back to get him to release Billy, but we’d gotten away and found Jack and Dani’s group.
All of my time in Billy’s world rushed through my mind, and I knew—I knew—I couldn’t be a shill in Holly’s propaganda.
Billy stepped away, and I slowly stood.
“Action,” Holly said.
I stared at the cue card, but my mouth seemed frozen and no words came out. Everyone’s eyes were on me and the room was completely silent as everyone waited for me to speak. My gaze went to Holly and I saw her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“Cut,” she shouted, then she stormed over to me. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you saying your lines?”
“I can’t—”
“You can’t or you won’t,” she said, cutting me off. With her hands on her hips, she glared at me. “You made an agreement. This or go to another school. Is that what you want, Morgan? To leave Fox Run and attend a new school where you don’t know anyone? Huh? Is that what you want?”
“What is your problem?” I said as I faced her head-on. “What is it with you wanting me to do this? What’s so special about me, huh?”
She glared. “Nothing’s special about you, Morgan. Nothing.”
“Then have someone else say your stupid lines,” I yelled, then I marched over to Billy. “Let’s go.”
His eyebrows rose. “We’re leaving?”
I grabbed his hand. “Yes.”
He smiled like he thought that was a grand idea. “Okay.”
Hand in hand, we walked out of the room, out of the studio, and out into the chilly January air.
Chapter 41
Morgan
The moment we cleared the parking lot I began breathing hard as the adrenaline seeped away. “I’m so screwed,” I murmured. “So screwed.”
“Don’t panic,” Billy said. “I’m right here.”
I looked at him, our eyes met, and I threw my arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
He pulled me against him, and with a low chuckle, he said, “I’ve always been there when you’ve needed me the most.”
The truth of his statement hit me, and I held him tighter. “I know. And I love you for it.”
“What?” he said as he pulled away. His eyes sparkled and he had a smile on his face. “What did you say?”
My smile matched his, and I knew I’d been thinking it for a while. Now it felt right to say it out loud. “I said I love you, Billy Foster.”
Placing both of his hands on my face, he laughed. “I love you, Morgan Campbell.”
“You do?” My horrible morning had just turned into one of the best days of my life.
He grinned. “Are you really so surprised?”
We’d been through so much together, and now we’d said how we really feel, and it felt wonderful.
“It’s gonna suck when you don’t go to Fox Run,” he said.
It felt like my heart dropped right out of my chest. I’d forgotten the consequences of running out of Holly’s studio, but at Billy’s words, the reality came roaring back.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s call your mom to come get us.”
“I can’t,” I said. “I don’t want her to know yet.”
“It’s a little far to walk.” He grinned. “Even for me.”
“What about Rochelle?” I said. “I’ll call her.”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
A moment later I’d arranged with Rochelle to come pick us up. I told her I’d explain when she got here.
“What is this place?” Rochelle asked as we climbed into her car—me in the passenger seat, Billy in back.
I grimaced. “The place where I just screwed myself over.”
“What?” She looked at Billy for an explanation.
“It’s where Holly was shooting the PSA,” he said. Then he smiled. “And right in the middle of it, Morgan basically told Holly to get someone else to be her flunky.”
Rochelle smiled. “That’s awesome, Morgan.” Once we were ready to go, she asked where we wanted her to take us.
“Thank you so much for coming to get us,” I said. “I kind of don’t want to go home though. My Mom’s going to be mad at me.”
“Tasco’s kid is at his house this weekend,” Billy said, “So I don’t really want to go there.”
“It’s too early to go to the mall,” Rochelle said. “We can go to my house.”
Turning to her with a smile, I said, “Great idea.”
When we pulled onto her street a feeling of deja vu flooded me. The last time I’d seen this street I’d been in the other world and I hadn’t known what was going on. We passed her neighbor’s house, the woman who’d invited me in when I’d knocked on her door and then had called someone to say I was telling crazy stories.
Rochelle pulled up to the curb at her house and a moment later we walked inside. I immediately recognized the layout of her house, although the furniture was slightly different.
“Where’s your cat?” I said, remembering the orange tabby who’d snuggled against me as I slept in Rochelle’s parents’ closet.
“My cat?” She looked at me with confusion. “I don’t have a cat.”
“Oh.” I laughed self-consciously. “I guess I thought you’d said you did.” With a look that said I must be going nuts, I pressed my hands to my head. “Too much going on, I guess.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Her mother came into the room—a woman I’d never seen before. Rochelle introduced us, then said, “My room’s this way.”
We followed her down the familiar hallway and into her room. Taking a deep breath to center myself, I sat on her bed and focused on the here and now.
Rochelle sat in her desk chair. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Billy sat beside me and I held tightly to his hand as I told Rochelle about my interaction with Holly.
“That is so awesome, Morgan,” she said.
I frowned. “Not completely awesome. Now I’ll have to switch schools.”
“Maybe that was an empty threat,” she said. “I mean, can Mr. Cunningham really even do that?”
I glanced at Billy, as if he would have any idea, then looked back at Rochelle. “It didn’t seem like an empty threat.”
My cell phone rang and I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen. “It’s my mom.” So far having the cell phone had been more trouble than it was worth, enabling Mom to find me when I didn’t necessarily want to be found.
I swiped the screen to answer, releasing Billy’s hand. “Hello?”
“What is going on?” Mom asked. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Rochelle’s.” My gaze went from Rochelle to Billy.
“Why aren’t you at the studio doing the PSA?”
Since she wouldn’t have called in the middle of filming, she obviously knew I’d bailed on Holly. “I couldn’t do it, Mom. I tried, I really tried, but I couldn’t say what she wanted me to say.”
“Look, I understand how difficult it must be, but you made a commitment and you need to keep it.”
Squeezing my eyes closed for a moment, I thought about my decision to do the PSA, and wondered why I’d ever thought I could go through with it—because I had hoped I could get out of it, that’s how. “I made a mistake, okay?” I said. “I shou
ld never have agreed to do it in the first place.” My voice became firm. “I know I told Holly I’d do it, but I just can’t. I can’t do their propaganda.”
Mom was quiet for a moment. “What are you going to do now?”
Billy slid his fingers back into mine, and I felt a surge of warmth in my heart. No matter what, I had Billy and my family, so really, what else mattered? “I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to see if Mr. Cunningham really makes me leave Fox Run.”
“You should know that Holly asked Amy to fill in for you today.”
“What?”
“They’d already paid to use the space and to hire the crew, so they didn’t want to waste it.”
“She’s doing it?” I didn’t like the idea of my sister being a shill in their propaganda machine either, although I knew she’d be thrilled to do it.
“Yes, Dad’s taking her there now.”
It was out of my hands—the PSA would be made with or without me.
“You need to come home. Dad was pretty upset that you ran out on Holly like that. I think he’ll want to talk to you.” She paused. “Do you need me to come get you?”
I knew she would have to stop whatever she and the boys were doing to come get me, and I didn’t want to make her life any more difficult. “No, that’s okay.”
“Good, because I’m about to take Zac to a soccer game.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, though I wasn’t exactly sure what I was apologizing for.
“I know, honey. See you when you get home.”
“Bye.” I ended the call, then looked at Billy. “I have to go home.”
“What’d your mom say?” Rochelle asked. “Was she mad?”
I couldn’t begin to explain to Rochelle how even though Mom wasn’t happy with me, she understood. Not without telling her about the parallel world I’d visited. “She was kind of mad, but she’ll get over it.”
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“You’ve been so nice to drive us everywhere,” I said with a smile, “but we can get ourselves home.”
“You’re my friend, Morgan. I’m glad to be able to help you out.” Then her face lit up. “Besides, I like to have an excuse to drive.”
After (Parallel Series, Book 4) Page 17
