by Hotcheri
“Thanks for the sleepover,” I smiled, hugging Luke and feeling my heart thump. When would this stop? Not for a long time, babe, so get used to it.
“No problem. We should do it again sometime,” Luke murmured, kissing my cheek lightly and wrapping his arms tightly around me. I wish.
I stood outside the grimy public housing building and watched Luke drive away. With a smile on my face, I walked through the door of our building, my nostrils assailed by the smell of urine, old sweat and must. Home sweet home.
My heart almost stopped in my throat as a pair of hands shoved me in the back. I fell sprawling and landed on my back against the door of the broken elevator. Nate moved out of the shadows, sneering at me.
Oh, God, no.
“You think you’re smart, don’t you?” he snarled, slowly moving towards me, even as I tried to figure this one out. What is he doing here awake? Unless- he was just getting in. And I could tell from the beery stench emanating from him that his night had been as good as mine.
There was no way from me to hide as I stared up at Nate, fear chilling my bones. “Nate- I didn’t do anything.”
My voice came out in a rush and to my own ears I sounded guilty.
“I saw you, little slut. You got out of a Mustang. And that wasn’t no Robyn I seen driving it. So tell me. Where you or were you not with that boy from the deli?”
Nate sounded so reasonable, so sober, but I could sense the anger in him rising to the surface. Its target- me.
“I was but- Nate, listen to me,” I said, my voice breaking. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear-.”
“Oh, really?” Nate said, a bland interest in his tone that made the scene more terrible.
My eyes darted from left to right in hopes that someone would come through and put a stop to whatever was going to happen. But the entire building was silent and all I could hear was my terrified breathing.
“Nate, please. He just gave me a lift from Robyn’s house,” I lied.
“That’s funny, because you weren’t at Robyn’s house,” Nate said casually, leaning over me with his hands on his knees. My mouth gaped open. How did he know. As if reading the question on my face, he smiled evilly. “I called her last night. You see, I, unlike you, was home all night. And now I’m going to teach you a lesson, slut. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
I felt the slap across my face before I even realized it was coming. This couldn’t be happening. Not in the entrance of our apartment building. Luke and I hadn’t even done anything!
“Nate-,” I whispered, looking up at him pleadingly just as he hit me again. And again. And again.
I lay on the floor, sobbing as he shot a disgusted look at me before stepping back.
“You think I liked doing that? I just don’t want to see you go the same way your mom went.” His voice softened as he reached down to help me up. I shrank away from him, tears rolling down my face as I shook. I knew I had a cut under my eye because the tears made it sting. How could I go to school like this? Why would Nate do this to me? Looking uncertain, he said, “Go upstairs, get cleaned up.”
And then he sauntered up the stairs to our apartment, leaving me huddled against the elevator door, crying.
CHAPTER 22
the truth will out.
Luke’s Point of View
I fidgeted all through Science class on Monday, my eyes not leaving the spot where CiCi should have been sitting. My mind asked frantic questions I didn’t have answers to, the most frequent one being ‘why isn’t CiCi at school today?’
Don’t think I hadn’t tried getting in touch with her to ask her. I’d sent so many texts to her cellphone, tried calling her so many times over the weekend that I actually felt like a legitimate stalker. And she didn’t reply to one text. Not one.
She wasn’t the type of person to miss school, I was positive (unlike me). I let out an apprehensive breath, tapping my pencil on the desk. Was she sick? Or had something more sinister happened? Something that had everything to do with her violent, foul tempered cousin?
No. Don’t even think that way, Luke.
I tried to push that thought to the back of my mind and concentrate on the lesson, but I couldn’t help coming back to it, and often.
What if Nate had somehow seen me drop CiCi off outside her building on Saturday morning? Again, I gave myself a mental kick for letting CiCi talk me into that. I had been going to drop her off a block away, just in case Nate was lurking, but she had convinced me that it was okay for me to let her out right outside the building because ‘there’s no way he’ll be up at this time’. Stupid, stupid idea. I had already seen firsthand what a violent prick her cousin was. He obviously hated the idea of CiCi having male friends, as he had showcased the day I showed up with CiCi at the deli. Imagining how he would react if he knew that not only had CiCi stayed over at my place, but we had slept together (get your mind out of the gutter) made me feel queasy, and it had nothing to do with the on-off headache I had.
Something just wasn’t right.
As soon as Science class was over, I found myself in the one place I rarely ventured- the office of my House Advisor, Mrs. Williams. Nervously, I poked my head around the door. She claimed she kept her door open on purpose because she thought that all teachers should be accessible to students or something like that. I personally thought that was a crock of bull but hey, whatever helped her sleep at night.
Mrs. Williams was sitting behind her old, rickety desk, looking through a file. I hoped to God that it wasn’t my file. She was pursuing a PHD in Psychology and had actually asked me to be the topic of her dissertation. I turned her down, but I knew she was just watching me from afar, biding her time.
She looked up as she heard me and her face cracked into a welcoming smile. Well, I’m assuming she meant it to be welcoming, but in reality it was as hair-raising as hell.
“Lucas! What a wonderful surprise,” she exclaimed enthusiastically, sweeping the files off her desk into a drawer in one movement. She leaned forward, her elbows on her desk as I stood at the door, knowing that this was just going to be another bad idea. “Don’t just stand there! Come on in, have a seat!”
I should have left right then and there, but I didn’t. Maybe I was just misguided, but I felt like I had to know what was going on with CiCi, and Mrs. Williams was the right person to tell me. If she was sick, Mrs. Williams would know. It was her job to keep track of things like that. And if anything was wrong with CiCi, if her cousin had done something to her, it was almost certainly my fault. And I had to know about it, so that I could take the blame.
So I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped into Mrs. Williams’ office, shutting the door behind me. Screw the ‘my door is always open’ policy. Whether she liked it or not, it was one-on-one time with me right now.
And I’m pretty sure she liked it, if that smile on her face was anything to go by. No, Mrs. Williams didn’t have a crush on me- shudder. What she did have was an insatiable urge to be my ‘person’, someone I could spill my guts to and tell my problems to. For over 5 years now, she’d been trying to score a therapy session with me. I intrigued her, she said. When she found out that I’d stopped seeing my therapist (thank you Hope), her efforts to delve into my psyche and examine why I was the way I was doubled. I managed to avoid her by walking very fast in the opposite direction when I saw her come my way- it worked every time. But now I was in the dragons den and I hoped it wouldn’t all be for nothing.
“So, Lucas,” Mrs. Williams beamed, steepling her fingers, “what can I do for you this beautiful morning?”
Beautiful? Are you kidding me? It had been raining for two days straight! Still, at least she hadn’t asked me what I was doing in her office instead of being in class.
“Um,” I started, nervously pulling on my earlobe. “I was just wondering- do you know why Celsi Sawyer isn’t at school today?”
Immediately, a guarded look flitted onto Mrs. Williams face, piquing my interest. Somet
hing was up.
“Why do you want to know, Lucas?”
“Well, I- I just missed her in Science today and...”
My voice trailed off as Mrs. Williams fixed me with her eagle eye. God, if she could only stop looking at me like that for a minute I might be able to come up with something convincing to say!
“Celsi Sawyer won’t be coming in today,” Mrs. Williams stated firmly, in a voice that clearly said ‘and that’s the last I’ll say on this matter.’ But I was nothing if not hard headed. Hey, what can I say, I got it from my dad.
“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” I pressed, also leaning forward. “Like, is she sick or – or something?”
That ‘or something’ had a deeper meaning, and Mrs. Williams was smart enough to catch it.
“Like I said before, why do you want to know?” Her lips tightened. “It’s not like you two are friends.”
I gave a silent groan, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Was she perhaps the only person in the entire school who missed my PA announcement?
“Mrs. Williams, at the moment, Celsi is practically the only person in the whole school who isn’t treating me like a leper,” I said with feeling. “So, if anything’s wrong with her, if anything happened to her- I think I have the right to know.”
Yeah. No dice.
“I’m sorry, Lucas. I can’t tell you anything. Celsi herself called in to swear me to secrecy.” She gave me a faint smile and reached across the table to pat my hand. “I am however glad that you’ve started reaching out to people who come from- shall I say- different walks of life.”
Whatever . It was time for me to make my exit. Since Mrs. Williams had failed me, I would have to get my CiCi-related news elsewhere. As in Shazia and Robyn. I didn’t really want to mess with Shazia, coz Ahmed was still being a dick about the whole CiCi thing and I didn’t want to put Shazia in the doghouse. But Robyn- she had a big mouth. Keep her talking long enough and she would let something slip. Hell, it was worth a shot, since I had learnt absolutely nothing from Mrs. Williams.
Standing up, I said, “Well, thanks for your time, Mrs. Williams,” as gratefully as I could, even though what I really felt like doing was shaking her and yelling ‘tell me what’s wrong with CiCi!’
But I’m glad I didn’t. Grounds for expulsion right there.
She looked up at me, her grey eyes wide and startled. “Oh, but Lucas, I wanted to talk to you about something your stepmother told me.”
Oh. Shit.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I stopped dead, my hand on the doorknob. So close to freedom, then Mrs. Williams had to spring that on me. It had to be about the aneurysm, just had to be. Why, Hope? I remember telling her that I didn’t want her telling anyone about my aneurysm. At the time it seemed like she understood, but now this. Fuck. Now Mrs. Williams would take it upon her to tell every member of the faculty and they would all treat me like fragile goods. Like I needed this!
“Uh,” I managed to croak out. My throat was dry and I could barely think, my head was pounding so hard. How could Hope do this to me when I plainly told her not to? Why would she out me to Mrs. Williams?
A huge smile on her face, Mrs. Williams said “I was so happy to hear that you’re back in therapy! Congratulations!”
Oh my God.
I practically sagged against the door, relief coursing through my body. Was she trying to give me a heart attack? God!
“Oh, uh- yeah. My dad kinda made me go back. No biggie.”
“But it is a big deal! It shows that you want to get help. How’s it going? Are you doing better?”
I nodded. Mrs. Williams didn’t even know what I was in therapy for. Neither did I, actually. All I seemed to do was lie on a couch and avoid questions my therapist asked about Shane, my mom and how I was dealing with the aneurysm. How that was going to help me I had no idea, but it wasn’t my money being wasted.
“Yeah,” I lied. “My therapist says I’m improving at a rapid rate.”
Mrs. Williams ate it all up. I am such an awesome liar. “Fantastic news, Lucas! I’m so happy for you! And I’d also like to remind you- my door is always open if you ever need to talk.” A meaningful look. “About anything.”
Again with the open door!
“Sure.” I put on my best fake smile. “Thanks, Mrs. Williams. I gotta go, though. Get back to class.”
I booked it out of her office before she had even finished saying ‘see you later’ and stopped outside in the hallway, almost panting. My nerves were shot! And the CiCi thing really wasn’t helping. Time to weed out Robyn and see what light she could shed on the situation. One thing was true- something had happened to CiCi and judging from Mrs. Williams’ tightlipped refusal to tell me, it was major.
***
I ran into Shazia and Robyn later on, almost by accident. It was lunch time and I was heading reluctantly to the canteen for a solitary meal. Lunch had been a nightmare ever since the PA incident. People who now didn’t want to talk to me had no problem with talking about me, and very loudly too. I had gone from being one of the most popular and liked students at school to being one of the most hated and infamous in a second. Charming.
Shazia and Robyn were huddled together just outside the canteen entrance, whispering. I almost walked into them because I wasn’t looking where I was going, lost in my own little world.
Robyn’s head snapped up. “Watch it, dumbass- oh, hi Luke.”
The irritated expression on her face disappeared as she gave me a small, cautious grin. I smiled back. Just the people I wanted to see.
“Hey, guys. So, um- where’s CiCi today?” I asked without preamble.
“CiCi?” Robyn repeated, smoothing her hair back nervously. “Oh. Don’t worry about her, she’s fine.”
My eyes narrowed slowly as I folded my arms across my chest, fixing a fidgety Robyn with a steady look. “I didn’t say I was worried,” I pointed out, making Robyn look even more nervous, if that was possible. “Is anything wrong with her?”
Robyn’s eyes darted wildly to Shazia, who bit her lip but didn’t say anything. I stared. What was going on? How could it be so hard to get a straight answer out of people?
Finally Robyn looked at me again, panic shining in her eyes as she threw me a giant, fake smile. “No, why would anything be wrong?” she asked. “Everything is just peachy!”
I watched her carefully. She was definitely lying- her cheeks had gone beet red.
Shazia threw her an exasperated look and turned to me. “Luke, we can’t talk right now. We have a project to work on,” she said, her brown eyes chilly, even though she was obviously trying to hide it. What did I do to her now?
Sensing a save, (damn, I just knew I would have been able to squeeze the whole story out of Robyn if Shazia hadn’t been there) Robyn eagerly chimed in, “Yeah, a project!”
Sighing wearily, I spread my hands imploringly. “Guys, just tell me. What’s going on? Did her cousin do something to her?” I looked at Shazia, who averted her eyes. “Is that why you’re mad at me, Shazia?”
Unconvincingly, Shazia shook her head while staring at me in a shrewd way that I didn’t much care for. “I’m not mad at you,” she said blandly.
Sure you’re not.
“Look. Whatever’s going on, I just want to help. That’s all. I’m on your-,” I started, moving closer to the girls.
“Yo, Astor.”
Shit. I took a step back as Ahmed’s voice came from behind me, groaning silently. Shazia gave her approaching brother a frightened look. The jerk probably told her not to have anything to do with me but screw that. We went to the same school, had some classes together. There was no way we weren’t going to run into each other from time to time. But logic has never been Ahmed’s strong point.
“What the hell, dude? Leave my sister alone!”
Deliberately, Ahmed swung his shoulder violently into my back, trying to get me to lose my balance. I didn’t and he scowled, slinging an arm around Shazia's slight shoul
ders.
“I’m talking to Robyn. Or is that a crime as well?” I asked, feeling fed up about everything. Why did everyone in my life have to make things so complicated?
Ahmed sneered at me. “No, but breathing in the same air as my sister is.”
He steered Shazia into the canteen and Robyn followed, her blonde hair bouncing as I yelled, “Grow up!” after him.
His response- flipping me the bird. Well, some things just never change.
***
My luck switched around after school was out. By that time I was in a really bad mood. After managing to corner Robyn in the library, (don’t ask me what I was doing there) I was truly pissed off because she wouldn’t tell me anything, even when I used my best interrogation skills on her. It’s all Shazia's doing- I blame her for giving Robyn tips on how to keep her mouth shut. It was nice that they were loyal to CiCi but just one tiny piece of information was all I was asking for!
As I stood at my customary spot by the school entrance, waiting for my ride, Ahmed jogged past me and down the stairs, leaving behind the strong smell of Hollister cologne. Epic fail. I watched him get into his ride and drive off before I realized that Shazia was nowhere in sight. She definitely hadn’t gotten in the car with Ahmed. I would have seen her. Oh well, whatever. I shrugged to myself. She was probably headed to Robyn’s house after school. Hell, if I had a brother like Ahmed, I’d want to get out of the house once in a while too.
Sure enough, Shazia and Robyn appeared a few minutes later, deep in conversation. I glowered at them, leaning against the pillar. Something was definitely up. I really wasn’t liking the fact that I was being left out of the loop like this. CiCi was my friend too, even though she was still ignoring my texts. Scowling, I slid my phone from my jeans pocket and tapped the screen. Nothing.
