What If

by Shirley Anne Edwards

  When Pete got into the driver’s seat, he leaned over to kiss me, but I lifted a hand to stop him.

  “What? Don’t want your lipstick to get smudged?”

  “No, I don’t want my parents to see us kissing.” I peeked to see if they were still at the door. They’d gone inside and closed it.

  “Now you can.” I gave him my mouth.

  “Hmm…nice. Flavored lipstick. I like vanilla,” he said, after he gave me a few pecks.

  He picked up my locket and kissed the inscription. I rubbed my nose against his, and after we shared another kiss, he started the car. He pulled down his visor and checked himself in the mirror. His lips did have more color to them than before. He reached into the back, grabbed his backpack, and set it on his lap, searching inside for what I assumed was a tissue.

  “I know you’re attached to that thing, but please tell me you’re going to leave it in the car.”

  He gave me a pout, and I swiped his arm with my scarf.

  “For you, it will stay in the car.” He wiped his mouth and then pulled the car away from the curb. Off we went to our first dance as a couple.

  ***

  “I guess the night is a bust, huh?” Pete held me close while we danced to a slow song.

  I viewed the near-empty gym in disappointment. Less than a quarter of the school had arrived. The only other people sitting at our table were Kyle and his date, a short and curvy redhead named Alice. The overall majority were freshmen.

  “It’s something different at least.” I shrugged, and we finished dancing.

  He took my hand, and we returned to our table. We sat down and watched other students mill around, talking or dancing. I rested my chin on my palm and played with one of the mini-wrapped chocolate hearts covering the table.

  “Are you hungry? Want me to get you another plate?” he offered.

  At least the food had been good with mainly snack-type munchies and hors d’oeuvres. There were pigs in a blanket, which I could’ve eaten until I exploded.

  “I’m pretty full. I need to go to the bathroom.” I stood and stretched.

  “I’m still hungry. I think I’ll get some more of those little hot dogs you like so much.”

  “You’re evil.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek.

  “Hey, Wendy!” Kyle waved as he came off the dance floor with Alice by his side.

  “Pretty spiffy outfit you have there, Kyle.” He wore a black button-down shirt with a funky tie covered with Snoopy all over it.

  I gave Alice a smile in hello. They both sat down and talked to Pete.

  I went into the bathroom and quickly did my thing. While I washed my hands, my cell phone rang. After drying them, I opened my clutch and picked up my cell. I didn’t recognize the number.

  I decided to answer it anyway. “Hello?”

  “Wendy?” The voice on the other end sounded monotone and not too friendly.

  “Who’s this?” I stopped reapplying my lipstick when the voice sobbed.

  “It’s Pam. I need your help.”

  “Pam? I can barely hear you. You’re breaking up. Where are you calling from? I don’t recognize the number.”

  “I-I’m calling from inside Williams’ Foods. I’ve done something so stupid. Toby’s really angry. We fought. Wendy, I told him,” she whispered.

  Oh, crap. We hadn’t talked much since the day she told me about her cheating. “Why are you calling from there? Don’t you have your cell?”

  “Toby stomped on it. He told me to meet him after work. I thought we were going to do something for Valentine’s Day. But the second I got into the parking lot, he was waiting outside. Dylan was there and.…” She cried louder.

  “Pammy, calm down. Stay there. Don’t leave. I’m at the school dance with Pete. We’ll come pick you up. Okay?”

  “You’re with Pete? Has he told you anything?”

  “Huh? Told me what?”

  “Never mind. Just hurry. I think Dylan and Toby have been drinking. Toby smelled like beer.”

  I pressed my fingers to my forehead. This was not what I expected my V-day to be like. “Give us ten minutes.”

  “O-okay.” She sniffed and hung up.

  I ran as fast as I could back to the gym and almost stumbled in my heels.

  Pete sat with a plate full of food and talked with a few freshmen. When I reached the table, he smiled up at me.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  He must have noticed how I tugged on my necklace and jiggled my leg. When he came to my side, I pulled him over near the bleachers.

  “Pam’s in trouble. She called me while I was in the bathroom. She and Toby had a fight, and she thinks he’s been drinking. She sounded really scared. We need to go pick her up.”

  He brushed a hand over his hair. “Wendy, do we—”

  “Yes we have to, Peter Michael. Pam is one of my closest friends. If I were stuck in the same situation, she’d do the same for me.”

  “You’re right.” He rubbed my arms. “Let me get our coats, and we’ll go get her.”

  My heart raced, and sweat gathered on the back of my neck. Whatever happened must have really scared Pam, and for some reason, Pete might be involved also. Tonight, I would finally get the answers I’d been wanting.

  ***

  When Pete came out with our coats, we jumped in the car and sped away. I was close to biting off my nails but tapped my cell phone against my mouth instead. It was past nine thirty.

  I dialed the number Pam had called me from. “She’s not answering.”

  He rubbed my shoulder. “It’ll be okay. The store doesn’t close until ten, and there are cops

  all over the area. I don’t understand why she didn’t call her parents.”

  “Are you serious? What normal sixteen-year-old girl is going to call her parents? She calls her friends first,” I snapped.

  “Sorry,” he snapped back, staring straight ahead.

  I hit my head against the head rest. “I’m just worried for Pam. I’ve never heard her sound that way before.”

  “I know. We’re both stressed out. You’re tense. I’m tense.”

  “Why are you tense?”

  “Because you are.”

  He was so sweet. But he seemed a bit off and twitchy. I’d never seen him twitchy before.

  “She mentioned you might have told me something. What did she mean by that?”

  He rubbed the back of his head. He did that when he was nervous. “Eh.…”

  I hit my knee with my palm. “What’s going on? And why am I out of the loop?”

  He opened his mouth again, but closed it as we reached the Williams’ Foods’ near-empty parking lot. There were two cars with four people standing in front of them. They all argued. The one car I knew all too well. It was Dylan’s Mercedes SUV.

  “Oh shit,” Pete murmured. For him to curse like that meant something very bad was about to go down.

  He parked next to Toby’s car. “I think you should stay here.” He unbuckled his seat belt.

  “I don’t think so.” I jumped out before him.

  He called my name, but I hustled around the car without stopping. Toby was screaming at Pam, who stood in front of him, crying. Dylan was next to Toby and watched the fight like it was a movie. Anthony paced with his hands behind his head.

  “Hey, stop yelling at her!” I scurried over to get between Toby and Pam.

  Reaching out, Dylan grabbed my arm. “I wouldn’t if I were you, Wendy.”

  I snarled at him—a first for me. Before I could pull my arm away, someone else pushed me off to the side.

  “What gives you the right to touch her?” Pete yelled into Dylan’s face. Dylan pushed him away.

  I couldn’t believe this was happening!

  I went to stop them when Toby yelled at Pete. “You son of a bitch!” He ran at him and threw him up against Dylan’s car. Pam and I screamed. Dylan and Anthony tried to pull Toby off him.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked Pam
.

  She stood there weeping but didn’t answer.

  “You bastard! I always tried being cool with you even though you were a loser. How could you go behind my back and fuck my girlfriend?”

  The ground underneath my feet collapsed. I stumbled, and Pam reached out to grab me. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes. I slid down to the ground, dropping my head between my knees. I heard voices, but couldn’t make them out. The buzzing sound in my ears was too loud.

  Pete wouldn’t do that to me.

  “Wendy!” Hands ran over my face. Dylan appeared concerned. I peered past his shoulder. Anthony held Toby, pushing him away while Toby continued hurling insults at Pete.

  Pete held his face. Blood dripped down his cheek.

  “He didn’t,” I shouted.

  “Wendy?” Pam reached down to touch me.

  I allowed Dylan to pull me up. The second I was on my feet, I got in Pam’s face.

  “Someone is lying. What the hell is going on? You better talk fast, or I’m going to make you wish you were never born.” I’d never experienced such rage like I did at that moment.

  “Wendy.” Pete came over and held out a hand, but I didn’t want him touching me.

  I wrapped my arms around my waist and sprinted over to Toby’s car so it was between me and everyone else. Anthony and Toby whispered off to the side. Pam still cried, and Dylan rubbed a hand over his face. Pete waited on the other side of the car.

  “Wendy, she’s lying. I would never do such a thing. I don’t know what’s going on, but Pam got herself into this. I have a good idea who is responsible for this clusterfu—”

  Dylan shoved Pete out of the way. “Oh, yeah? I bet I can tell Wendy who it is, too. Do you really want me to do that?”

  “I have nothing to hide!” The side of his mouth dripped more blood, and a dark-purple bruise formed where Toby had hit him.

  Agony consumed me. All the accusations flying around, along with Pete’s bruised face, was too much to handle. He seemed like he might cry. I wanted to.

  Dylan snagged my arm. “Let’s go for a ride. I can tell you everything. The truth.”

  Pete approached me on the opposite side. He tugged on my arm and moved in front of me. “If there’s anyone Wendy’s going with, it’s me.”

  They were ready to come to blows. A police car rolled up to the front of the store. If we were caught out here, we would be in so much trouble.

  Pam had vanished. Toby stomped away, mumbling under his breath. Anthony stood a few feet away, his cell up to his ear, watching us warily.

  I needed to make a decision—either leave with Dylan or with Pete. This was a no-win situation.

  “Wendy?” Pete whispered over his shoulder.

  The officer got out of the car and stared right at us.

  What if I went with Dylan?

  What if I went with Pete?

  I had to decide and fast.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “We need to talk about what happened back there and what you’re keeping hidden from me,” I said while we drove.

  My driver nodded but kept his eyes on the road. “Want to go to the lake? We haven’t been there in a while.”

  I was going to recommend my house or his, but I think he wanted neutral territory for what he needed to tell me.

  I stared out my window and up at the full moon. A few stars twinkled in the sky. It was a nice clear, crisp winter night I should be enjoying. Instead, it had been ruined by lies and secrets, where I didn’t know who was telling the truth.

  He parked the car near the boathouse. The light from the moon bounced off the lake. I could sit here for hours watching it, but I needed fresh air. I opened the door and got out.

  “Wait, Wendy. It’s too cold out there!”

  It really didn’t feel all that cold, and I didn’t care. I stopped at the edge of the water, studying the ripples on the surface. Tears filled my eyes again, and when hands touched my arms, I flinched. They wouldn’t let me go. I relented and leaned into his warm body and dropped my head in my hands.

  “Wendy, don’t be upset. I hate seeing you like this,” he whispered in my ear, and pressed his nose against my cheek. It tickled.

  I turned in his arms and swallowed another sob. Pete’s bottom lip was crusted with dried blood, and his cheek swollen. His left eye would definitely be closed shut by tomorrow.

  “How are you going to explain this to your parents?”

  “Maybe I can hide in your room until it fades away?” he joked and swept aside a few wisps of hair that had come undone from my clips. I guess I was wrong about my hair being indestructible.

  “This isn’t the time to be funny. I am beyond…angry. Everything’s so crazy! Pam, Toby, and now you.”

  “I know. Let’s go back into the car where we can talk.”

  I stepped away, almost stumbling on the uneven ground. A breeze made me shiver. “I can’t sit in the car. It’s too stifling. Let’s go sit by the dock and talk there.”

  He didn’t seem thrilled by the suggestion. “I have a better idea. Why don’t we sit in the boathouse?”

  I’d never been inside and was curious. “Okay.”

  “Stay right here.” He returned to the car and took out a blanket along with his backpack.

  He helped me over the bumps in the grass. The wind whistled, and I shivered. It was spooky being here at night with no one around. My imagination ran away from me, my thoughts conjuring up those horror movies where the serial killer comes across the two teen lovers and cuts off their heads with a machete. But we were safe because we were virgins. Well, I was. As for Pete, that was up in the air. What if he and Pam had been fooling around? I didn’t think my heart could take it.

  “You’re too quiet. What’s going on inside your head?” He took out a set of keys from his backpack and unlocked the door.

  “You still have the keys on you even though it’s winter?”

  “I come out here to write. It’s peaceful.”

  “Ever bring Pam out here?” I said at his back as we headed inside. I didn’t see his expression. He closed the door with a loud bang.

  It smelled musty and moldy. A kayak sat in the corner, and a few paddles lay on the floor next to it. There was some rope, fishing gear off to the side, and under a window was a dusty, inflated raft.

  He dropped the blanket on the raft and went over to one of the shelves. Grabbing a book of matches, he lit one of the lanterns there. Soon, there was enough light to see, but not too much where it was blinding. He set his backpack on top of the shelf and turned to me with his hands in his pockets.

  I suddenly thought of Dylan and the wounded look he gave me when I left with Pete.

  He didn’t say anything. I guess I would have to.

  “Where should I begin? Maybe you can tell me why Pam accused you of being the one she’s been fooling around with? Or the fact you’ve been keeping secrets from me about my best friend?”

  “I thought I was your best friend?”

  I pointed my finger at him. “I’m not so sure about that now. I’m so pissed I could scream. I thought we told each other everything? What are you hiding that’s such a big secret it could ruin everything between us? And why are you standing over there?”

  “You’re angry. When you get that way, you become physical.”

  He had to be kidding me. “I’m not the one going around punching you in the face.” I fisted my hands on my hips and tapped my foot.

  He approached me and touched my arm. I moved away.

  “Wendy, one minute you want me near you, the next you push me away. What gives?”

  “I don’t want you to touch me. When you do, I forget things.”

  He grinned. After I shot him a frustrated glare, he covered his mouth and flinched. His lip must be killing him. “Can we at least sit? Your feet must be hurting like crazy in those heels.” He pointed at the raft.

  My feet were throbbing. I sat down and bounced, the raft moving under me. I took off my shoes
and wiggled my feet. Pete sat next to me. I leaned against the wall.

  “How’s your face? It must hurt like hell.”

  “It does, but I can handle it. Will you let me massage your feet?”

  I crossed my arms. “No way am I falling for that. First, tell me if you’ve been screwing around with Pam.”

  He hit the back of his head against the wall. “No. I’m not screwing around with Pam. I never have and never will.”

  I held out my hand. “That’s all you had to say. I believe you.”

  He took mine is his, and his entire body relaxed.

  “Now we got that out the way. Give me the scoop. She told me on the phone before she hung up you might have told me something she wanted to keep a secret. What was it?”

  He licked his lips and swallowed, appearing uneasy. “About two weeks ago, I found her crying in the park. Since you don’t like to bike in the cold, I went by myself and saw her sitting on the bleachers near the track. I was going to get you. Last time you calmed her down, but this time she was hysterical. I was afraid she would leave before I could help her. I asked her if she needed anything, or just someone to talk to, no judgment.”

  “You would do that? I thought you didn’t like her since she was Miss Cheerleader U.S.A. and she always treated you badly?”

  He shrugged. “She’s your friend, and you care for her. I thought of you and what you’d expect me to do. I sat down with her, and instead of her running away, she cried in my arms. I think the guy she’s involved with threatened her or they had a fight. She was crying so hard I could barely understand her. But she kept saying she was fuc…in a lot of trouble. I recommended we go see you, but she was adamant we didn’t. She said you would be disappointed in her.”

  “Did she say who the guy was?”

  “No. But I think I might know. It’s just a guess, but he’s not the best person for her. No man should make a woman cry.”

  “Who do you think it is?”

  He rubbed his palms over his face. “I have a few ideas, but I’m not certain.”