by Mercy Amare
Dad takes us all for breakfast at this really cute restaurant right on the beach. It has a deck, so we sit outside. While I’m looking at the menu, my phone goes off.
Gabe: Hey, Beautiful :)
Me: Hey. Any luck yet?
Gabe: Not yet. Mike is leaving at 10 for his flight to LA, so hopefully it will be quick once we get up there.
Me: You two aren’t staying over there, right?
Gabe: God, no. I just hacked into his computer to see his flight ticket. We aren’t going over there until after he’s in the air.
Me: Good. Be careful!
Gabe: We will. I love you :)
Me: I live you too.
Me: *love. Stupid auto correct.
I put away my phone as the waitress comes and takes our order. I get a water to drink, because they don’t have sweet iced tea anywhere in southern California. That’s one thing that I miss about St. Louis. Maybe I’ll make some when we go back to Mountain View.
“How is Gabe?” Toby asks me, taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper. Toby never drinks anything besides that.
“Good. Mike is leaving today at ten,” I tell him. “So they’re going to go over to his house as soon as he is up in the air.”
“Probably good to wait and confirm he actually gets on.”
“Do you think Mike knows we’re up to something?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Probably not. I mean, who says he’s actually doing it himself? Maybe he hired somebody else.”
“I actually think he’s not hiring somebody else. I mean, Kasbian was going to tell me the truth. And Brian said he was too. Does he really want to try for a third hit man?”
“Fourth,” Toby says. “Remember, the guy who broke into our house?”
“Right. Fourth. Because I killed him.” I frown thinking about him.
“Hey, don’t stress,” he says, bumping his elbow against mine. “You saved my life. Never forget that. I definitely won’t.”
I grin at him, feeling better. He’s right. I did save his life. I’d do it a hundred times over to save any member of my family.
“So what do you guys want to do today?” Dad asks us.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “I’ve only been to Malibu once, and we stayed at Ty’s beach house the whole time.”
“Everybody was drunk the whole time,” Toby says, laughing.
“We should go to Hollywood,” I suggest. “I’ve never seen Hollywood Boulevard.”
“We can go down there and walk the stars, eat some lunch, maybe shop,” Veronica says. “They have some really great stores down there.”
“That would be cool. I need to get some bathing suits to wear in Tahiti. Maybe some new sundresses.” I don’t need them, but I know that Veronica’s main thrill in life is shopping.
“Oh, yeah!” She smiles big at the idea. “We need to get some baby clothes too.”
The baby already has so many clothes, she will never be able to wear them all before she outgrows them. My baby sister is going to be so spoiled, but I’m glad. She is going to have a great life.
“Have you guys thought of a name yet?” I ask, taking a sip of my water.
“We were thinking Kaliee. Or Kourtney. We want her to have a K-name, like her big sister,” she says.
“Awesome,” I tell her. “I can’t wait for her to be born.”
“Me too.” She rubs her stomach. “Only three more months.”
“And you will come visit a lot, right?” Dad asks.
“Of course. Gabe and I decided to come back every other weekend for the first two years. I want to see her grow up. I’d hate to stay gone and have her not know me when I came in for the summer. That would suck.”
“Good,” he says. “I guess I need to get you a bigger vehicle so you can fit all your luggage.”
Toby raises his eyebrow and gives me a look that says I told you so.
“I can ride with Gabe,” I tell him.
“You need your own car,” Dad says. “I don’t want you to have to depend on anybody else.”
Toby laughs. “I told Kihanna that you’d probably buy her a new car for graduation.”
“You can help me pick it out this time,” he tells me. “I know you never really loved the Mercedes.”
“I did,” I say. “I thought it was extravagant at first, but I love the car. It’s beautiful. I think this time though, I want something cheaper. Besides, to be honest, I don’t need anything for graduation. I already have a car and then the trip to Tahiti, it’s all so much.”
“It’s never too much,” Dad says. “Besides, I promised your mom I would take care of you.”
“Take care of, not spoil.” I shake my head at him. “Can we at least trade in the Mercedes?”
“You don’t want to keep it too?”
“No way. I don’t need two cars. It would end up sitting in the garage.”
“Fine,” he says. “We’ll trade in the Mercedes.”
I smile at him. “Thanks, Dad.”
4 p.m.
I am not okay.
Toby and I are walking down Hollywood Boulevard while Dad and Veronica look at another baby store. We went in with them at the first five stores, but I can only look at so many baby clothes before I get bored.
I pull out my phone and check it for the one hundredth time. I haven’t heard from Gabe since earlier this morning, and I hope he’s okay. I’ve texted him a couple of times, but I guess he’s busy.
“Still no response?” Toby asks.
“Nope.” I put my phone back in my pocket. “What if Mike came back and caught them snooping? Do you think they’re alright?”
“I’m sure they’re fine. You know how Gabe is when he’s focused on something.”
“I hope they’ve found something. How amazing would that be? This could all be over soon.”
“That would be awesome.”
“Do you think we should’ve told Dad that we think it’s Mike?” I ask.
“No way. Dad would’ve wanted to tell the police, and then we’d lose the element of surprise. Mike doesn’t need to think that we suspect anything,” Toby says.
“Yeah, but the police would get a search warrant. They wouldn’t have to sneak around.”
“Mike Newman is the senator of California. This wouldn’t be a quiet thing. Trust me. He would find a way out of it, and would somehow use it to make Dad look bad. We are doing the right thing.”
“But at what expense? I mean, are we sure that Ty and Gabe are safe?”
“Kihanna, when will you get it? They are doing this for you. They know the risk. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they know who they’re doing it for. Gabe loves you, and Ty… well, he loves you about as much as somebody like him can love anybody,” he says. “If I could be there with them, I would, but there is no way I’m sending you to a party at his house without me there to protect you.”
“Kihanna!” I hear Veronica yell.
I look over and see her and Dad walking towards us. Dad’s arms are full of bags from the last baby store they went in.
“I found the cutest dress for you! You must try it on!” Veronica grabs my arm and pulls me after her. I have no choice but to follow. We go into a store that is full of just dresses. She pulls me over to a huge display and pulls down a royal blue polka dot party dress. I immediately love it.
“It’s so cute.”
“Try it on,” she says, then flags down an employee to open up a dressing room.
I go inside, slip on the dress, and then come back out to show her. I do a spin, and she gushes over it.
“Oh, Kihanna!” Veronica puts her hand over her heart and looks at me like I’m the cutest thing she’s ever seen. “You need to wear this dress tonight to the party. In fact, just keep it on. In an hour we are meeting up with Senator Newman for a pre-dinner party.”
My heart skips a beat at the mention of Mike. My hand is shaking, and I put it against my side so she won’t see. “I didn’t know about the dinner.”
“Oh, it was a last minute thing. The senator just texted your dad and asked him,” she says. “It’s not a formal thing, but you will look nice. You can wear it to dinner and to the party.”
“Okay,” I say, fighting to keep my voice normal. I don’t want to be around Mike Newman that much. How am I supposed to pretend that I don’t know he’s my stalker? Will he be able to tell by the way I act? I mean, he’s been paying people to watch me for the past ten months. Certainly he knows me well by now. Maybe as well as Ty does… or better. Maybe we are fooling ourselves by thinking that he doesn’t know.
I pull out my phone again and text Gabe asking if he’s okay. As always, I don’t get a response.
Veronica starts walking towards the checkout and I follow her. Once we pay, we meet up with Dad and Toby outside and go back to our hotel to get ready. The whole way back, I feel sick.
How am I going to survive this? I am not okay.
5 p.m.
Fraud.
We go back to the hotel to get ready. I’m feeling numb as I get ready, and I can see that Toby is worried too. How easy would it be for Mike Newman to slip a little poison into my drink or food? How easy would it be for him to make my death look like an accident?
I imagine my little sister growing up, never having met her big sister. I imagine my family moving on after my death.
“Stop,” Toby says.
“Stop what?” I ask.
“Being all paranoid. It’s depressing.”
“Sorry.” I run the straightener over my hair, trying to look less depressing. Besides, he’s right. I have to remain optimistic. I can’t give up.
I look at my phone again and see that I still don’t have any texts from Gabe or Ty. I sigh and put my phone in my bra. Toby looks at me funny.
“What?” I ask.
“Nice place to put your phone,” he says.
I laugh. “I don’t have any pockets in this dress. Where else am I supposed to put it?”
I unplug my hair straightener and leave it on the counter so it can cool down. Veronica doesn’t like when I wear my hair down, but I prefer it this way. When I wear my hair up, I almost feel naked, especially in this strapless dress.
“How do I look?” I ask Toby.
“Absolutely stalk-able,” he answers, then smiles. “Seriously though, you look hot. As always.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me hot.”
“Whatever. You love it,” he says.
I look at my phone again and sigh. “I still haven’t heard from Gabe or Ty. Last time I talked to Gabe was early this morning.”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Toby says, with a dismissive wave. “I’m sure their silence is a good thing.”
I try to smile, but can’t. “You’re right. I know. I just wish they would text me and tell me they’re okay.”
There is a knock on the door, so Toby opens it. Dad and Veronica are waiting on the other side. Dad is wearing a nice suit, and Veronica is wearing a long gown. Her stomach looks big in her dress, and as always, she rests her hand at the top of it. Toby looks a little out of place in his dark denim jeans and dress shirt, but if there is one thing I’ve learned about Toby since I met him is that he doesn’t wear anything he doesn’t want to. He hates dressing up. At first I thought maybe he did it to make his mom mad, but now that I know him I realize that isn’t it at all. He just really hates conforming and wants to stick out in every way possible. I like that about him. He’s the reason that I’m wearing a pair of white Toms with my dress instead of uncomfortable four-inch heels. My feet are eternally grateful to him.
“Did you not like the shoes I sent you?” Veronica asks.
“They were cute,” I answer, honestly, because they were. They were royal blue and had cute sequins on the heel. “I just didn’t want to wear them all night and be uncomfortable.”
She nods, understandingly. “I understand. I’m wearing flats tonight myself. My feet are so swollen I can hardly fit into most of my shoes anyway.”
Together we all go downstairs where a limo is waiting for us. Mike Newman sent it for us… nothing but the best for his special guests. I try not to cringe as I scoot in the backseat beside Toby. He gives me an encouraging smile, and I take a deep breath to calm my shaky nerves. It doesn’t help.
“Are you feeling okay, Kihanna?” Dad asks me. “You’re so pale.”
I swallow hard. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He nods but doesn’t look convinced.
“So what is tonight exactly for?” Toby asks him, trying to take attention off me. I send him a grateful smile.
“Mostly it’s to make Senator Newman look good,” Dad answers.
I roll my eyes. “Doing something good doesn’t make up for all the bad.”
“You don’t like Senator Newman?” Dad asks.
I shake my head. “Not really. He gives me the creeps.”
“Me too,” Toby agrees.
“Between us, I’m not his biggest fan either,” Dad says. “But it’s business. And despite my personal feelings for him, he’s a great senator. He’s done a lot of really good things for California.”
And how convenient for him that he can use his power to hide all the bad things he’s done too. Of course, now he’s picked on the wrong person. He will go down, and finally everybody will see what a fraud he really is.
I can’t wait.
6 p.m.
He never should’ve let you go.
Mike Newman is sitting directly in front of me at the dinner table.
I’m not as freaked out as I should be. When you look at him, you don’t think serial killer. He looks… nice. I never realized how much Ty looks like his dad. They both have the same color of green eyes, with tiny flecks of gold patterned throughout. They’re quite entrancing. But his eyes aren’t really what draw you in. It’s the way he carries himself — his smile, his posture, his tone of voice, and everything he says is perfect. It’s like he’s reading from a script, and I realize then that he truly is the perfect politician. I see why he has won the last three elections.
I try not to watch Mike too much. I don’t want him to know that I know, but at the same time, I don’t want him to think I’m avoiding meeting his gaze. So I do look him in the eyes. I try to imagine that he’s not a complete psycho, but I inwardly sigh in relief every time he looks away. I am literally sitting just a couple of feet away from my stalker, and I have to pretend like everything is normal. It seems impossible. This is the person who has been torturing me for the past ten months. This is the person who paid somebody to pretend to be my boyfriend… or maybe that was all Brian, I don’t know. Either way, this is the person who has brought me nothing but pain. I want nothing more than to punch him in the face, but instead I smile at him and answer his questions politely.
“Kihanna, I hear you’re going to Berkeley this fall with Ty,” Mike says, grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah. I can’t wait.” I force myself to smile back. Of course he knows I’m going there, but it’s not because Ty told him.
“I’m sure the two of you will have a lot of fun.” He winks at me, and I can hear the suggestive tone in his voice.
Ew.
Ew.
Ew!
I remember that he had an affair with Jacqueline Hoff, so he’s obviously into younger girls. Maybe he thinks if I am hooking up with Ty, I will hook up with him too. Yeah, that would never happen. Not in a million years.
I remember the text that Ty got while we were at the mall. Tell Kihanna her ass looks great in those jeans. It’s too bad her dad is Mark Evers. I could’ve had so much fun with her. Maybe I still will. I inwardly cringe.
“Kihanna is in a relationship with Gabe,” Veronica tells him.
“I thought you two broke up,” Mike says. He’s acting like it’s completely normal to know the dating habits of his son’s ex-girlfriend.
“They did,” Veronica answers him. “But they recently got back together. I, for one, am glad. She and Gabe are so good together.�
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“I’m still holding out hope that Ty will get back with her,” he says.
Toby laughs. “I doubt that will ever happen.”
“He never should’ve let you go,” Mike says, looking me straight in the eyes.
I will myself to breathe, but for some reason I can’t. As our eyes lock, I can’t look away. I can’t move. All I can do is stare back. He winks at me for a second time, and then turns toward my dad to talk to him. I let out the breath I was holding and look over at Toby who is giving me an encouraging smile.
Somehow, I manage to smile my way through dinner. I don’t know how I keep my hands from trembling and my voice from shaking. By the time we get in the limo to head toward the party, I am a nervous wreck. My stomach is in knots and I have a pounding headache. On top of everything else, I still haven’t heard from Gabe and Ty. I’m worried about them. What if they’re locked up in Mike Newman’s basement… or worse. But I can’t let myself think of that. I just have to keep focusing on making it through this night. I have to make it through this. And hopefully, this will be it. Hopefully Ty and Gabe will have found something, and they can turn it into the police. Maybe in a few short days, this nightmare will all be over. I will be safe. My family will be safe. My friends will be safe. Really, that’s all I want.
Normal.
College parties. Hanging out with Gabe, Ty, and Toby. Finally being able to focus on having a relationship with Gabe… Just being with my family and not having to worry about if I will be alive to see them the next day.
Soon, I will look back and this will have all been just a bad dream.
I can’t freaking wait.
8 p.m.
You just have to trust me.
