by C. C. Bolick
* * * * *
“Are you sure you’re good?” Bailey asked as I finished the last of my pizza.
I nodded and drank my tea.
Pade sat down next to me. “How many times have you been late to Aunt Rainey’s class?”
“More than four.”
“She won’t write you up,” Bailey said.
“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Tosh asked as she took one of the seats next to Bailey.
I couldn’t help but grin. Something about this new, reformed Tosh kept me guessing what she’d say next. “I think the computer putting me in her class was a conflict of interest.”
Tosh shrugged. “Your mom helped me last year. I was failing math before her class. I guess you could say the computer is responsible for that too.”
Although I would never admit it, she did have a point. I turned to Pade. “I bet Mom never had a problem when you missed her class.”
He laughed. “I’d never miss math class. Aunt Rainey might not be the best cook, but she is the best math teacher I’ve ever known.”
“Hey,” Bailey said as I grabbed my backpack. “Don’t forget about the sleepover at Angel’s.”
Forget? I’d argued with Dad about Friday for the last two weeks. “It’s conditional.”
Bailey raised an eyebrow.
I reached in my purse and pulled out my cell phone.
Shaking her head, Bailey took the phone from my hand. “This phone has been in your dresser for the last six months. It can’t still work.”
“That kind of battery doesn’t go bad in six months,” Pade said.
“Whatever.” She handed back the phone.
“I just hope we get to fish off Angel’s dock.” I dropped the phone in my purse and stood. “I really should go. Mom’s been on edge after what happened with Collin.”
“But he’s fine, right?” Tosh asked.
Now Tosh was worried about my family? Unbelievable. “Twelve stitches,” I said. “He acts like it’s thirty. Dad stayed home with him today, but Mom’s hands were still shaking as she cranked the van this morning.” Before Tosh could ask anything more, I left the table.
Bailey grabbed my arm at the doors. “I invited Tosh to the party. Is that okay?”
So, now Bailey and Tosh were hanging out? “Would it matter if I cared?”
“Yes,” she said, biting her lip. “You’re still my best friend.”
“Tosh hit me, she made fun of me in front of everyone, and she tried to take Pade. Don’t forget how she and Lisa set me up to get busted for skipping.” And Lisa had paid the ultimate price.
“I know, but Tosh has changed. She said you started it when you told her to turn in her step-dad, last year at the movies. If only she’d listened to you.”
Tosh had told Bailey? “I hated her. I can’t just turn it off, like nothing happened between us.”
“I understand if you can’t forgive her, but will you still come to the party?”
“Yes,” I said and pushed through the doors.
Tosh didn’t deserve Bailey’s friendship. Bailey asked about me forgiving Tosh, but how could she forgive so easily?
I slowed to a walk as the late bell rang. Good thing Mom hadn’t written me up yet. She hadn’t mentioned my being late so many times, but I had a feeling that discussion loomed on our horizon.
“Jessica Delaney.”
My feet froze as I focused on Ronald Pitts. He leaned against the wall next to the fire alarm he’d pulled, sipping from the straw of the clear plastic cup in his hand, which was filled with a blue liquid.
“Can’t make it to class on time?” he asked.
“Looks like I’m not the only one,” I said.
He smiled, his voice deadly. “Heard you can’t keep your mouth shut either.”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can’t lie well either.” He took another sip and walked toward me.
Running was my best option, but my feet wouldn’t move. I could only watch as he approached.
Ronald removed the lid from his cup. “Did you know Dr. Greene suspended me for three days?”
“Yes.”
“It was just a stupid dare to get someone out of class. I can’t believe that man suspended me.” He looked up and down the hall. “You’re going to regret turning me in.”
I swallowed, unable to breathe as he raised the cup.
“Tell me how sorry you are.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Such a bad liar. Make me believe it.”
Glancing up and down the empty hall, I shuddered. No witnesses for whatever he planned. “I’m sorry,” I said louder.
“Not good enough,” he said and launched the contents of his cup.
No, I thought and squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for a cold shock, but seconds passed as the sugared water failed to splash against my skin. Opening my eyes, I gasped at the sight before me.
Every molecule of blue liquid hung in the air between us. Like paint splattered on a canvas, the drink seemed to have a solid texture, exploding in all directions, while moving in none. Ronald stared at the liquid, his eyes huge. The cup fell from his hand, crashing to the floor near his feet. His mouth gaped open.
I touched a drop about the size of a dime, with a similar thickness and shape. My finger made a slight dent as the blue disk compressed, like a piece of gummy candy. I pressed harder and the disk moved. Without warning, the blue mass lost its solid form and rained onto the floor around my feet.
“What the hell was that?” Ronald asked, staring at me.
My power. I’d stopped the drink on impulse, not thinking of consequences. A primitive response to danger, but how could I explain? Fear gripped me as I realized Ronald knew my secret.
To my surprise, Ronald grabbed for my arm. “You really are a freak!”
“I wouldn’t do that,” said a low voice behind me.
I spun and almost bumped into Joe.
He took a step back, far enough that I couldn’t touch him, all the while his eyes stayed fixed on Ronald. “I’ve heard enough from you.”
“You did that?” Ronald asked.
“Yeah,” Joe said. “Imagine what else I could do.”
Ronald considered. “Shit on that,” he said and took off down the hall.
Joe looked over me. “You shouldn’t have done that. Why didn’t you just tell him it wasn’t you?”
I covered my face with my hands. “I tried, but I’m the worst liar, remember?”
“You’re far better than you realize.”
“What?” I asked, uncovering my face, but the hall was empty.
* * * * *
“I’m not sure if you staying out tonight is a good idea.”
I took a spoonful of my cereal, still not sure if Dad would okay the party. “It’s Angel’s birthday. I didn’t get to go last year.”
Dad chuckled. “You never asked to go last year.”
“Because you freaked out about the water on our first day in Credence.”
“How was I supposed to feel?” he asked. “You weren’t exactly truthful with us.”
“Because you two are control freaks.”
“We want to keep you safe,” he said.
I shook my head and shoved another bite of cereal into my mouth.
Mom patted Dad’s arm. “You didn’t win this conversation at fifteen and you’re not faring any better at sixteen.”
Almost seventeen, I thought. September had already begun, and October fourteenth wouldn’t be far. I wondered if they planned to celebrate my birthday on time this year or wait until January. Probably neither since they’d never been much for celebrating birthdays in the past.
“Honey,” Mom said, “all we want is for you to be honest with us. You nearly died because you were too afraid to tell us the truth about your illness. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“Horrible,” I said, dropping the spoon.
“Try worse than horrible,” D
ad said. “We’ve all been through a mountain of stress this week. A quiet weekend is the ticket. Besides, I want us to sit down and discuss what happened with you when Collin was hurt.”
I looked down at my hands, still feeling the warm blood as if the smear of red had been tattooed across my skin.
“You remembered something.” Dad’s eyes held the same look from the morning I confronted him about the Naples, who’d turned out to be a lie to keep me safe. “I want us to talk about this as a family. We’ve always known you faced a trauma, and I think you’ve finally begun to remember what happened the night I found you.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I tried to help Collin. I’m sorry I lost it.”
Dad pushed back his chair and put an arm around me. “I’m sorry I had to leave you like that.”
I leaned against him and cried into his chest.
He circled his other arm around me. “I didn’t have a choice. Pade was there and I know you don’t exactly like him, but…”
I raised my head. He still thought I didn’t like Pade? “It was the blood—I remembered blood on my hands and then…I…I blacked out.”
Mom’s voice was sad. “Whose blood?”
My real father’s. “I’m not sure.”
Dad put a hand on my cheek. “It’s important that you remember.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Time is running out, Kay Ray. I need you to remember.”
I stared at his face. Sounds flashed in my head, a few words, maybe only a feeling, before the memory passed and I was back in Credence.
“Still not sure?” Dad asked. “Your eyes tell a different story.”
I couldn’t breathe, not with the strange look on his face. Pushing his arms away, I stood. “I’ve told you all I know. What else do you want from me?”
Dad backed away, pain glimmering in his eyes. Without another word, he turned and headed for the porch.
“Guess you won,” Mom said, after the door slammed. “We’ll talk tomorrow when you come back from the party.”
I forced a smile. If I’d really won the battle, why did I feel so low?
* * * * *
“What should we drink tonight?”
“Tequila,” Bailey said. “I want the worm.”
Angel nodded and opened the globe that filled an entire corner of her living room. It was her parent’s liquor cabinet, a piece of furniture passed down from Angel’s grandmother. Angel’s mother often forgot to lock it when they were away. Rachelle sat next to me on the couch, but didn’t bother looking up from her phone. Tosh stood near the door, as if she might bolt from the party at any moment.
A knock sounded and Angel slammed the globe, running for the door. “Act normal,” she said, before opening the door.
“Everything okay in here?” A woman with glasses peaked through the screen. “Any boys tonight?”
Angel grinned. “Just us girls, Señora Giménez.”
“Bueno, mis niñas. I’ll return to check on you later.”
“We look forward to it,” Angel said. When the door closed, she sighed. “My parents go out of town and claim they trust me, but then send the neighbor. How’s that for trust?”
Bailey rolled her eyes and looked at me. “Can we get on with this?”
Another knock sounded on the door. “What now?” Angel asked and swung open the door.
Pade stood on the steps. “Hey.”
Angel’s forehead creased. “What are you doing here?”
He held out a white container with a lid. “Jes mentioned wanting to fish tonight, so I got some bait.”
“Aww,” Angel said, clasping her hands together, “isn’t that sweet.” She turned around. “Jes, you’ve got a visitor.”
“It isn’t all like that,” Pade said. His cheeks turned a faint shade of red.
I opened the screen door and reached for the container of worms. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” For a long moment Pade stood, smiling at me. When he turned to leave, I felt a pang in my chest that surprised me.
I’d once thought I loved Pade Sanders, but that crazy high felt nothing like what I felt as he walked to the jeep. I’d wanted him so badly a year ago, but now…now I didn’t want to have him as much as I wanted to be near him. If only I could ditch the party and take a ride in the jeep. He had the top off. My hair would dance in the breeze as the music jammed.
Angel patted me on the back. “I know we all joked about him liking you before, but I think the joke might be on us.”
“He’s just being Pade,” I said.
She laughed. “The old Pade was sweet in his own way, but this new Pade…I’m not so sure about him anymore.”
“Oh no,” Rachelle said, “Bailey spilled the Tequila.”
“Bailey!” Angel yelled and rushed to grab the bottle.
“I didn’t spill anything,” Bailey said.
“I saw it fall,” Rachelle insisted. “You’ll never get that smell out of the carpet.”
I knelt next to Bailey and ran a hand over the carpet. “It feels dry to me.”
“See,” Bailey said.
Rachelle shook her head. “I could have sworn.”
“Next time don’t,” Bailey said.
“Sorry,” Rachelle said, but the word held an edge of anger.
“Enough,” Angel said. “Since Pade was so sweet, let’s go fishing.”
We each picked from a bundle of poles that leaned against the back porch and chose a canvas chair from a stack nearby. I pulled my chair out of the bag as we reached the end of Angel’s dock. The sun was disappearing fast behind the trees across the river, leaving flares of orange and red to bounce from cloud to cloud. The water slept before us, with not a single boat in sight to shatter the glass surface. The air felt cool, but no one wore a jacket. It was enough that summer had finally begun to fade.
I cast my line, smiling as it broke the surface, but the single splash and outward waves quickly calmed back to glass. A fish jumped about ten feet from the dock, taunting us, and Angel pointed with a laugh. Life was perfect.
Everyone had a drink, except for Tosh, though I barely finished half of mine. Even though I only had half of a shot-glass in the cup, I made a mental note that tequila would never be a drink of choice for me. Only Rachelle caught a fish, but we stayed on the dock long after the stars appeared. The moon glowed, a larger-than-life ball of fire that Angel referred to as a ‘harvest’ moon.
The happiness faded when Angel brought up Skip. “His birthday is next Saturday.”
“Oh yeah?” Bailey asked, but I could tell she didn’t want to talk about Skip.
“I’ve decided on his birthday present.” Angel cleared her throat. “I’m going to give it to him.”
Rachelle’s smile died.
Bailey choked on her drink, spitting a mouthful over the dock’s edge. “You mean your virginity?”
Tosh spoke for the first time that night. “Oh, no.”
“Skip will be eighteen,” Angel said softly. “I’m seventeen now. We’ve been dating for almost a year.” She gripped the sides of her chair. “I want him to know how I feel.”
Bailey stood. “Guys are idiots.” She dumped the remains of her drink into the water. “He’ll just leave you.”
Angel shook her head. “Skip will never leave.”
“Keep believing that.” Turning toward the house, Bailey stomped until her feet reached the dirt.
The dock began to drift up and down in waves.
“What did you do?” Angel yelled. “Give it up to Chase before he left?”
Bailey stopped. “Don’t ever say that again.” The force of her words shocked me, or maybe it was how her voice sounded so close to tears.
I ran after Bailey, following her into the house, and found her sitting on the bathroom floor, gripping her knees. Tears poured down her cheeks.
“Hey,” I said, grabbing her arms. “It’s okay.”
“Chase is never coming back,” she wailed. “You aren’t the girl, remember?”
It
was the perfect moment to tell Bailey about my memories. I could share my suspicions about Joe, and she could help me discover the truth. It made perfect sense—she knew the truth about New York, about Lauren, and even the fact that Chase was from outer space. But I couldn’t say the words. No way would I put her through losing Chase again. “Right.”
She sniffled. “I thought I could move on and forget about him.”
“Bailey, you and Chase didn’t…”
“Yeah, right. I’m about as slutty as you could ever be.” She smiled through the tears. “If only I could see him again.”
Angel knocked on the bathroom door. “I’ve got something to show you guys. We’ll be in the living room.”
Bailey wiped the tears. “Let’s get back to tonight.”
In the living room, Angel stood holding a box. “Mom got this for my birthday.”
“Oh my god,” Bailey said. “Where did she find this?”
The box seemed to be a game. The picture showed a board with letters and numbers, almost like a paper keyboard, but arranged in sequence. A beige heart-shaped piece of plastic with a clear circle at its center sat below the word Ouija.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You’ve never seen a Ouija board?” Rachelle asked. “They’re super cool.”
“I’ve always wanted one,” Bailey said, taking the box.
Was I the only one who’d never played this game? I looked at Tosh, who stared at the box. “I want to play first,” she said.
Bailey laughed. “We all play this together.” She turned to me. “It’s supposed to be like a psychic experience. We all touch the planchette at the same time. If there’s a spirit in the room, the essence of that person guides us to move across the letters, spelling a message.”
“Ghosts?” I asked, stunned. I’d read stories but nothing had ever happened to make me believe in ghosts.
“It’s silly,” Rachelle said. “The chances of ghosts being real rank right up there with flying saucers, but it should be fun.”
“Flying saucers?” Bailey asked while nudging my arm.
I sighed. “Okay. Is the ghost supposed to be haunting Angel’s house?”
“We can use this to contact someone on the other side,” Tosh said. “We can talk to Lisa.”
Angel’s face looked uncertain as she considered. “What will it hurt?” she finally asked.
