Cipher (The Cipher Series)

by Cindi Madsen

  By the time she’d made the drive home, she’d shed a few tears and was considering letting loose a few more. She turned up the Metric pumping through her speakers and closed her eyes. Then she realized she could cry and feel sorry for herself or she could call reinforcements.

  ***

  Troy had somehow got control of the remote and flipped to one of those shows that played shocking videos. Ashlyn seemed pretty into it, too, so they watched people fall, wreck their skateboards and end up with bones sticking out at wrong angles, and suffer all sorts of other catastrophes that ended with someone holding their crotch or bleeding.

  “If Nelson’s video gets enough hits, then Darren could end up on this show,” Troy said, as if that’d be the coolest thing ever. Darren, who now had a cast on his broken right hand, probably ranked higher in the social hierarchy than Summer did. The video of his death-defying leap (accidental plunge) had circulated the net, and he was obsessed with checking the comments now. They almost made him happy enough to be okay with Aaron taking his place in his upcoming chess tournament.

  During the commercial break, a preview for a movie came on. The voiceover had all the normal praise that they like to pepper throughout them. One reviewer claimed it was “The best movie I’ve seen all year.”

  “The best movie I’ve seen since yesterday,” Summer stated all announcer-like, mocking the preview.

  “This movie has actors in it, and they say stuff,” Ashlyn said with a laugh.

  Troy shook his head, but he was smiling. “You two have lost it.”

  That only made Summer laugh more. Inviting over reinforcements had definitely been the right call—they’d both come, no questions asked. Since Summer still wasn’t sure what to do about her growing not-friendship feeling for Troy, she was glad to have Ashlyn there to help keep her mind off it. Though, he did look extra cute tonight.

  Suddenly, the hairs on her arm pricked up, and it had nothing to do with Troy’s cuteness.

  Gabriella filled in next to the television. She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at Summer. “I’m glad you’re having fun, Summer Dear, but aren’t you supposed to be repairing Ashlyn’s relationship with her mom?”

  Summer glanced from Gabriella, to Troy, to Ashlyn, and back to the Angel of Death. Neither of her friends seemed to notice Gabriella’s presence. In fact, now that the video clips of people getting hurt were playing again, they both had their eyes glued to the screen. Seriously? I’m the only one who sees her?

  “Look, I’m trying,” Summer mouthed.

  Gabriella crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

  Summer rolled her eyes and turned to Ashlyn. “So? How’s your mom doing?”

  “Um, weird transition, dude.” Ashlyn shifted, leaning back against the armrest of the couch. “She is how she is. Condescending whenever I’m around.”

  Summer glanced at Gabriella, who wasn’t offering any advice, but rolling her finger, telling her to keep going. “But that’s how moms are. She loves you. I can see it every time I go over there.”

  Ashlyn’s eyebrows drew together. “Why do you keep bringing up my mother? I want to relax and enjoy the night without thinking about her. You said mindless fun, not Topics That Make You Feel Punchy.”

  “Hey, when are we all going to go surfing together?” Troy asked, veering the conversation in a completely different direction. “I still want to see Sunshine out in the water,” he said, poking her in the side.

  Gabriella dropped her head in her hands and shook it. “Do something,” she said. “You keep getting way off track.”

  “I think we should go on Saturday,” Ashlyn said.

  “I’m still waiting,” Gabriella said, her high-pitched voice grating Summer’s last nerve.

  Summer shot off the couch. “I’ll be right back.” Once she was behind the couch where Ashlyn and Troy wouldn’t see, she jerked her head toward the hall, hoping Gabriella knew that meant she wanted her to follow her.

  “What are you doing?” Summer whispered as soon as they were out of view of her friends. “I’m working on it, but you being here is totally throwing me off.”

  “You’re not working fast enough. Since this is your first job, I’m trying to help you.”

  “She doesn’t want to talk about her mom. I’ll work on it later.”

  Gabriella’s fists went to her hips again. “You keep saying that, but pretty quick, there’s not going to be a later. Think about that while you’re laughing and talking. You might be having fun, but Pamela’s going to have a lot of guilt. Ashlyn will feel unfinished as well. But it’ll be too late because you wouldn’t listen.”

  Then, with no warning or goodbye, Gabriella disappeared. Even after all other traces of her were gone, her disappointed expression remained burned in Summer’s mind. Summer walked back into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Once again she’d shifted moods, going from finally happy to irreversibly frustrated.

  “Are you okay?’ Troy asked. “You seem a little crazier than usual tonight.”

  She shot him a dirty look. “I’m not crazy.”

  “You’re a little crazy,” Ashlyn said with a smile.

  “I’m perfectly sane. Now just drop it!”

  Troy and Ashlyn glanced at each other, eyes wide. Summer tried to think of something to say to fix the weirdness. If only there weren’t so many thoughts screaming for her attention first. Instead of getting better, she was getting worse. In fact, she felt like she was pushing Ashlyn and her mom apart rather than together. All Summer had wanted to do was sit down and relax, but she couldn’t do that with Gabriella’s warning running through her head.

  Dad poked his head into the room. “Hope I’m not interrupting, but Tiffany made some brownies earlier, and I was thinking about busting them out. We’ve got soda in the kitchen, too.”

  Might as well try to fix it with sugar. “I’m in.”

  “Actually, I’ve got to get going.” Ashlyn scooted to the edge of the couch and stood.

  “But it’s still early,” Summer said, standing as well. “Besides, you’ve got to have a brownie first.”

  “I’m good. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. And surfing Saturday.” Ashlyn pointed to Summer. “You’re in, right?”

  Asking if they could all hang out with Pamela seemed like the wrong move. “I’m in.” She’d have to figure out how to work her way in after the surf session. Maybe the fact that they were spending Saturday morning exercising would open Pamela’s mind enough for Summer to make progress.

  It was a big maybe, but she needed something to hold on to.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Summer walked across the cafeteria and sat down in her usual spot next to Marcie. “This day’s been hell.”

  “The girls aren’t playing nice?” Ashlyn asked.

  “That’s an understatement. I’ve been called things I’m not even sure what are, some I wished I didn’t know what were, and I feel like I’m wearing a Give Me Evil Glares sign.” Summer twisted so Marcie and Ashlyn could see her back. “I’m not, right?”

  “No sign, so they must’ve passed it through the Air Heads ‘R’ Us Network earlier.”

  “Okay, that? That deserves a high-five.” Summer lunged across the table and smacked Ashlyn’s hand.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Summer saw Troy heading their way. Her heart beat picked up speed, each beat tripping over itself, anticipation swirling through her stomach.

  Then that stupid volleyball-player girl that kept popping up everywhere cut him off. Summer shoved a handful of Cheetos in her mouth, chewing as she stared at the two of them together. “Who’s the girl Troy’s talking to?” she asked, trying to sound casual, as if jealousy wasn’t stirring in her stomach, ruining her nuclear orange lunch.

  Ashlyn peeked around Summer’s head. “Not sure. Marcie, do you know who Troy’s talking to?”

  Marcie craned her neck to see them. “Um, I’m pretty sure her name is Cara.”

  “She’s pretty,” Summer said, wishing
she wasn’t. When she’d asked Troy about Lexi, he’d said he liked someone else. No doubt Cara was the someone else. “She and Troy seem to hang out a lot. Seems like there might be something else going on there, too.”

  Ashlyn raised an eyebrow. “I was wondering about you two, actually.”

  “Me and Troy?”

  Ashlyn nodded. “I thought I caught a vibe.”

  “Anytime he’s around, there’s definitely a vibe,” Marcie said, a dreamy edge to her words. The two girls leaned in, looking like they were waiting for Summer to give them the scoop.

  Lately, she got this strange tugging sensation in her heart whenever she was around Troy. Or looked at him. Or thought of him. Which she’d been doing a lot. But that was crazy. They were just friends. If they were going to be more, it would’ve happened already.

  Ashlyn and Marcie were still staring, eyebrows raised.

  “I just don’t want him to get a girlfriend right now,” Summer said, trying to convince herself that was all there was to it. “His last girlfriend hated me, then I started dating Cody, and Troy and I stopped hanging out. I really don’t want to go back to not hanging out.” She glanced back at Troy and Cara—still talking, ugh—then looked at Ashlyn. “Speaking of boys, how are things with Matt? Is Spanish class muy caliente?”

  Ashlyn tried to act like she didn’t care, but her smile betrayed her. “I talked to him a little bit, but I keep hesitating. Because of how things happened with my last boyfriend.”

  “And that was…?”

  Ashlyn looked around, then whispered, “Not here. We’ll have to discuss him later.”

  ***

  “So spill,” Summer said, flopping down on the bed next to Ashlyn. After practice she’d needed a friend, so she’d driven over to finish the chat they’d started over lunch. “I want to know why you’re not planning a hot date with Matt.”

  “Okay, so I told you how my last boyfriend kept pressuring me to have sex.”

  Summer nodded. “Yeah. I got that feeling, anyway, though you didn’t exactly spell it out.”

  “I wasn’t sure I was ready for the next step, but he definitely was. It wasn’t like I had other boys knocking down my door either, so I went ahead and had sex with him, thinking I had to get it over with sometime.”

  “And how was it?”

  “Well, it was a bit awkward at first. Mother’s made me plenty paranoid about my body, so I was mostly terrified about that. But you know, once we got going, it was nice.” Ashlyn’s cheeks turned pink and she suddenly became very interested in a fuzzy piece of lint on her bedspread. “And it was even better the next time. But then we broke up a few weeks later, and I felt used. It seemed like he was only in it for that one thing, got what he wanted, and then I was history. I wish I would’ve been stronger, like you were.”

  “Like at the party when I almost kissed Cody? Obviously, I’m not that strong.” Summer covered Ashlyn’s hand with hers. “And you’re stronger than you think. When I first tried to hang out with you and the rest of The Misfits, you set me straight. You made sure to let me know I couldn’t mess with your friends.”

  Ashlyn wrinkled her nose. “I was kind of mean.”

  “But you had a good reason. I admire you. You’re strong, but sometimes”—Summer bumped her shoulder into Ashlyn’s—“you’ve got to be willing to put yourself out there.”

  “You think I should go for Matt?”

  “I do. But actually, I’m talking about your mom. Tell her how you feel.”

  Ashlyn frowned. “Why are you so obsessed with making things right with me and my mom?”

  “I guess it’s because I don’t have my mom here to talk to anymore.” The familiar ache rose up. She hadn’t really realized it before, but now she’d said it, she realized there was truth to it.

  Ashlyn’s face dropped. “I’m sorry, Summer. I didn’t think about it like that. I swear, I’ll try to give my mother a break. Just for you.”

  Summer smiled, thrilled she’d made progress. Where was Gabriella now? Strike that; she didn’t want her to come barging in right now. She’d only say it wasn’t good enough.

  “Oh, I love this song.” Ashlyn jumped up, using her thumb for a microphone and belting out the words along with the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

  Summer joined in and they danced and sang around the room. By the chorus, Summer was laughing too hard to continue singing. She dropped onto Ashlyn’s bed and grinned at her friend. “You know what’s so awesome about you?”

  “Everything?” Ashlyn asked with a laugh, then sat next to Summer. “Kidding, of course.”

  “No, you’re right. It’s everything. But I especially love that we could be doing absolutely nothing and I still have a blast. I’m going to go ahead and get all gushy. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

  Ashlyn broke into a wide, open smile. “Aw, thanks. You’re my best friend, too.”

  Warmth filled Summer’s chest as she returned Ashlyn’s smile. Then came the painful, lung-crushing realization that her best friend was going to die.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Troy walked up beside Summer and stuck his surfboard in the sand. Water dripped from his hair and eyelashes. “You’re doing pretty good out there, Sunshine.”

  Summer tipped her head forward and wrung the water out of her hair. “I feel like I got worked over. You and Ashlyn caught tons of waves, and all I did was flail around in the water. I think I’m actually getting worse. I kinda thought if I could replace dancing with surfing, I could quit the dance team.”

  “Things still that bad?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle. But let’s just say they’re far from pleasant.”

  Ashlyn walked over to them, surfboard tucked under her arm. “So, my house is the closest, but my mother only makes egg white omelets.”

  Troy jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “There’s a breakfast place on the corner that’s really good. It’s cheap, tastes good, and even better, they give you tons of food. I say we go there.”

  They secured their surfboards on Ashlyn’s car and slipped T-shirts and shorts over the top of their wet swimsuits. The day had hit eighty degrees—warm for mid-October, and perfect for playing in the ocean.

  As they made their way down the boardwalk, Summer drifted left. There was a large crowd in that direction, but it was like her feet didn’t belong to her anymore. This was the only direction she could possibly go. She scanned faces as they parted around her, trying to figure out who or what was compelling her. As she came out of the larger group, there was a dark-haired man who refused to move one way or the other, simply striding toward her. Sure he was going to plow into her, Summer started to move to the side. The man stepped directly in front of her. She moved the other way at the same time he did.

  They stood in limbo for a minute before he reached out and gripped her shoulder. “Choose a way already.”

  “Get out of my house!” a gray-haired lady shouts.

  The man turns, arms loaded with electronics. The outline of a gun is visible under his shirt, where it’s tucked into his pants. He drops the items to reach for his weapon. The lady already has a gun in her hand. She whips it up and fires, once. Twice. The impact sends him back into the counter. He slides down to the floor, leaving a bloody trail as he gasps for air.

  Blood pools around his body, his limp arms flop to the floor, and a wet, strangled noise escapes his mouth.

  Then he stops breathing altogether.

  “Back off,” Troy said, pushing his way between Summer and the man.

  He turned his angry gaze on Troy. “You kids need to get out of my way.”

  Paralyzed by what she’d seen, Summer couldn’t do anything but stare for a moment. Her gaze drifted to the place she’d seen the gun. There, underneath the man’s shirt, was the outline of the weapon. Summer grabbed Troy’s arm. “Just let it go.” Her voice came out so shaky, she was worried Troy didn’t hear.

  The man glared at her for a second. Then he pushed past her and Troy and char
ged down the sidewalk.

  “You okay?” Troy asked, two creases forming between his eyebrows. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Almost. He’ll be a ghost soon.

  Ashlyn stopped in front of her. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  Summer shook her head. Two in a matter of weeks? Most of the time she went months between occurrences. And while Gabriella scolded her for trying to save the guy she bumped into in North Park, Summer didn’t want to warn the man she’d just encountered. She wanted him to get what was coming to him. Still, she worried she should call the cops to make sure the elderly lady was okay.

  What would I say, though? I think there’s going to be a break-in somewhere near the beach. Get the bad guy so the old woman doesn’t have to. Feeling like she might vomit, Summer folded over, squeezing her eyes closed. The world was still spinning, so she dropped to her knees.

  Troy and Ashlyn crouched down next to her.

  Troy cupped her cheek, his hand warm against her skin. “Tell me what you need.”

  Where to even begin? She needed the world to stop spinning. To not see people die. To not know that Ashlyn was going to. Summer took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I think I just need some food. I’m hungry, and it’s making me light headed.” She forced herself to her feet. “How far is this place?”

  Troy put his arm around her waist to steady her and pointed to the blue building on the corner. “It’s right there.”

  Summer was almost sure she could make it.

  ***

  “Hey listen to this,” Dad said, calling Summer into the living room. “This guy tried to rob a little old lady, but she shot him when he reached for his gun. They think he’s been responsible for several break-ins down in the PB area.”

  It was too big of a coincidence to be just that.

  Summer sat on the couch and Dad un-paused the television.

  “A man was shot today when he tried to rob an elderly resident,” the news anchor said, and the footage cut to one of their reporters. He held his microphone up to the gray-haired woman from Summer’s vision, and ice spread through Summer’s veins.