“Shut up.”
Eve and I had no sooner arrived at the lunch spot than Monica hopped off the wall and pulled me away, confusing both Becky and my sister. As Monica and I walked off, I heard Eve mutter, “You are so not becoming a player.”
Monica steered me toward a shady bench where some startled freshmen were eating. She looked at them, tilted her head and said, “Could you, like, give us a minute, please? My boyfriend and I want to have a fight in private. Shoo.”
They grumbled a little, but scooted away. I felt a little guilty; I had never been on the giving end of that type of power play. As soon as they were gone, she demanded, “So what happened with Tim?”
“What did Tim say happened to him?”
“I’m not asking him, I’m asking you. But he said he was attacked by a stray dog.”
“Sounds plausible. Hey, maybe it was a coyote. You know, like the one that attacked the governor awhile back!”
Monica cleared her throat and glowered, all pretext of the dumb blonde gone for a moment; then she blew a bubble and it was back.
“Fine. He went after me last night while I was skating home. I ran into Mr. Givens’ yard, and Tim tried to run me over with his truck. He crashed through the fence, and when he came into the yard after me, the dogs attacked him. I was able to call them off, but they bit him a few times first. I couldn’t stop them.”
Monica looked shocked. “Sounds like he deserved it. But why didn’t the dogs attack you? Everyone knows those things are vicious. They go after everyone. Ever since Mr. Givens got those things last year, I figured someone would end up hurt.”
“They’re used to me, I guess.” She wasn’t buying it. “Okay, Rose introduced me to them a few nights back, and now they like me. Don’t ask me why; it was kind of weird. One minute they were growling monsters, the next all licks and wagging tails.”
“So you just called them off and they listened?”
I nodded. “I couldn’t think of what else to do. It’s not like I was going to try and pry them off him. I mean, Tim’s a jerk, but I couldn’t just do nothing while they ate him.”
Her jaw sped up as she thought about what I said. She must have decided to file away the information to process later, because the next second she changed the subject. “Are you going to the party tonight?”
“I guess so.”
“Rose coming?”
“No, just me. I’m getting a ride with Eve and them. Look, I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t know why I asked Rose to the dance. I truly don’t. Anyway, now it’s done and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just want you to know that I’m sorry it happened. I was stupid.”
“I believe you…at least the part about you being stupid. Trouble is, I’m not the one you have to convince.” She glanced at where Becky and the others sat.
She was right, but I had no idea how I was going to do it. I decided to do my own subject change. “Hey, did you know Richard picked up an outfit for the dance last night? I didn’t know leisure suits were making a comeback.”
“I know! Isn’t it cool? It’ll, like, totally match my fly disco unitard.” There’s no way Monica trusted Richard’s judgment in clothing. She must have sent him to the store with a shopping list, or, more likely, pictures of what he was supposed to pick out along with a hand-sketched map of the store.
Monica smiled and waited for my snappy comeback. When none came, she started to get up. “We better get back before Eve starts to spread that rumor about you being a player.”
I stood up and almost fell right back down. My head swam as a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I grabbed the bench to steady myself.
Monica rushed over and put her arm around my waist to prevent me from tipping over. “You all right? You don’t look too good.”
“I’m fine. I’ve been having some headaches and dizzy spells lately, but no biggie. Though I assumed they would go away now that I’m getting some sleep.”
“Did you take drugs?”
“What? No!”
“I meant sleeping pills.”
“No, I’m not taking anything. The ghost stopped waking me up. After it went crazy on Monday, it’s disappeared. I’ve finally been able to sleep through the night.”
“What do you mean went crazy?”
I remembered that I hadn’t told anyone yet, and I guess neither had Eve.
“I think the séance kind of ticked it off. It vandalized our bathroom Monday night before going after Eve with a pair of scissors. It’s been quiet since then, though, so maybe it’s finally given up.”
“I doubt it. More likely it’s building up for something bigger. Come on, Chris, let’s get you something to eat. Becky might be mad at you now, but she would never forgive me if I brought you back broken. Well, more broken.”
We earned a couple of priceless looks from Becky and Eve on our return. It was clear that Monica was flying solo questioning me about Tim. I knew that Becky and Eve would have given anything to know what we talked about, and why Monica rushed over to grab me at the end of it. I wondered how much it would be worth to my sister to get the scoop. Maybe I would be able to afford a car with air conditioning after all.
I knew I would be grilled about it later, but I was safe here in public, so I took Monica’s advice and scarfed down my lunch in the few minutes left before the bell. I decided to eat my whole sandwich today, much to Richard’s disappointment.
After school, I sat down at a bench and pulled out my laptop. This time I was able to finish my homework uninterrupted. It seemed my popularity had waned since that first Friday.
I met my parents outside the stadium a few minutes before kickoff. As usual, the crowd’s exuberance was infectious. The JV game was a blowout, but varsity was close, coming down to a twenty-yard touchdown run by Trevor in the last minute. Even from where I was sitting, I could hear my sister’s yells during his run.
During the varsity halftime I had let my parents know I’d changed my mind about the after-party. My dad was okay with it; my mom wasn’t. She was convinced I would end up in another fight. It took some shameless groveling, but I eventually got permission to go.
After the varsity game ended, they both wanted to know why Becky hadn’t come up to say hello. Seeing as the dance was tomorrow, I had to tell them.
“I kind of asked someone else to the dance, and Becky’s a little upset with me.”
“You what?” my parents said at the same time, shock and disbelief dripping from their faces.
“I’m, um, taking someone else to the dance.”
“I thought you liked Becky?” Mom asked.
“I do.”
My dad sighed in obvious disappointment. “You have a strange way of showing it, Chris. Well, when are we going to meet this new girl?”
“Her name’s Rose. She’s coming over tomorrow at nine to pick me up.”
“How old is she?” It was said innocently, but I knew better. My mom liked Becky, and was now on a quest to find something about this upstart she could disapprove of.
Still, it was a good question. “Seventeen,” I said. Give or take a century, maybe. I had no idea.
She was about to continue the interrogation when Eve saved me. She handed her duffle bag and pompoms to our dad and, without even a hello to our parents, said, “C’mon, Chris, let’s go.”
Apparently emboldened by my previous success, my sister wasn’t even pretending not to be going to a party. She now had the “but you let Chris go last time” weapon in her arsenal.
Once I assured Mom that I had my phone with me, and then showed it to her as proof, she let us go. My dad was strangely quiet as he continued to process how I could not be taking a girl like Becky to the dance.
Chapter 23
I grabbed the roll bar and was just about to hop into the back of the Jeep, Richard style, when I heard, “Chris, hurry up!”
I turned at Monica’s voice. She stood in front of Becky’s car, motioning me over. Behind her, Richard jumped into the b
ack of the Mustang. Becky stood between them, torn between who to glare at.
Eve gave me a shove and a nod toward Becky. Quick on the uptake for once, I jogged over to the Mustang. “Sorry, had to tell Eve something.” I thought I played it off rather well.
Monica looked at me and winked. “No problem. We had to wait for Richard anyway.”
I was about to get in back with Richard when Monica said, “Hey, Richard, do you think you can drive me? Then Becky doesn’t have to go out of her way to take us home.” Of course, that meant that Richard would.
He didn’t seem to mind for some reason. “Yeah, sure.” I marveled when Richard actually used the door to exit the car.
Then I saw Becky and knew why. Even Richard was smart enough not to push his luck at that moment. Becky’s initial reaction, one of startled shock, had been quickly replaced by a look that said, in no uncertain terms, that she and Monica were going to have words later. Lots and lots of words.
Monica simply stared back vacantly and popped a bubble. Apparently, like Eve, she was what Richard called a “plotter.” Based on what I knew about Becky, she was apparently also fearless.
I held my breath and got in the passenger seat of the Mustang. The door was barely closed when my head snapped back into the seat. I held on for dear life as we took off even faster than last time. I hoped once again that my parents didn’t see us.
No such luck. We screamed right by them as they got in their car. They both looked up at the sound of squealing rubber. I met my dad’s amazed expression with a guilty smile.
Becky was making a point of keeping her eyes fixed on the road, so I risked a glance over. Damn, she was pretty. She shifted gears, pulling my attention down. Even in the dim blue light from the Ford’s under-dash illumination, I could see that she had great legs. I looked up in time to catch a quick sideways flick of her eyes. Her lips were ever so slightly upturned.
When she shifted from third to fourth, she brushed her skirt with her wrist, hiking it up even further. I had no doubt it was intentional, and from then on, I did what I could to keep my focus looking straight ahead. I was only marginally successful.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, as we pulled up to the party.
“Glad you enjoyed it.”
“Well, you know, it was a nice view. The countryside, I mean.”
“It’s dark out.”
“Didn’t I tell you I was a ninja? We have awesome night vision.”
She tried not to smile as we made our way to where our group had hung out last time. I had no idea if Jason was coming or not. If he was, it would take him a few minutes to get here from his game in Clarksville.
Richard and Monica arrived a few minutes later, having obeyed most of the posted speed limits.
“Any luck with your ghost?” asked Becky, as we watched Richard hurry around his truck to open the door for Monica.
“A little bit.” I relayed to her what Mrs. Brown had said, then repeated the first part after Monica and Richard joined us.
“Wow. I wonder if the ghost is Emily?” asked Richard.
Monica looked perplexed. “I don’t see how, if she’s in Vermont.”
“Maybe she came back to Texas. I mean, it’s worth it just for the barbeque!” Richard, as usual, was thinking with his stomach.
“Anything’s possible. I have to figure it out soon, though.” I filled in Becky and Richard on what I had told Monica earlier about the ghost coming after Eve with scissors.
“Oh, my god! Is Eve all right?” asked Becky.
“Yeah, she’s okay. I just want to get this over with before someone does get hurt. I suppose I should tell my parents, but I don’t think they would believe me if I did. I’d probably just end up in counseling or something.”
“Yo, Becky!” A big guy walked up to us, sliding an arm around Becky’s waist and pulling her close to his side. This, I presumed, was Jason.
“Hey, Jason,” said Richard, semi-enthusiastically.
“Hey, my man! Looking good as always, Monica.”
Monica blew a bubble to hide her sour expression; apparently she wasn’t a big Jason fan.
We all chatted for a while and, though I hated to admit it, he didn’t seem that bad. Typical jock, but nice enough.
Eve came over to check him out, her freshman posse in tow. It wasn’t long before Savannah and her minions joined us. We had grown to quite a crowd.
I risked a glance at Savannah. She returned my look with an angry feral stare that suggested she knew what happened with Tim. Or at least Tim’s version of it, which I guessed might not be one hundred percent accurate. I wondered if in his version I had sicced the dogs on him as he was innocently walking down the sidewalk.
Monica was, of course, fidgeting, her eyes darting between Richard and the dance floor. Finally, when it became apparent he wasn’t going to ask her to dance, she dragged me out there. Richard didn’t seem to care; he knew that between Rose and Becky I already had all the girl trouble I could handle.
I spent most of the night dancing with Monica and a variety of Eve’s friends. Jilting Becky for a mystery girl had upped my coolness factor; plus, I knew how to dance. The combination made me a hot commodity. Consequently, I got passed around a lot, but I wasn’t complaining. There were far worse ways to spend an evening. The few times I caught Becky looking my way, I took my sister’s advice and tried to look like I was having fun. Which wasn’t hard to do, considering I kind of was.
Richard was happy in his element, kicking back with a group of friends, cracking jokes and talking football. That ended when Eve walked over and snatched him. Like a tourist kidnapped in a third-world country, it happened so fast he had no chance.
Before he knew it, he was on the floor dancing with Eve. In no time, they closed in on Monica and me. An instant later we had somehow switched partners, and I found myself dancing with my sister. Not cool.
Fortunately, she immediately led me off the dance floor. “We’re going to take off.”
“Thank God! Between Monica and your friends, I’m worn out. I’m like the party’s designated dancer or something.”
“Emma and Mia are just into you because they’re freshmen and you’re a sophomore. Not to mention you totally snubbed Becky, which in their little minds makes you a big deal.”
“They’re into me? Really?” I looked over at where Eve’s friends were chatting with some guys. Emma especially was cute.
Eve punched me. Hard. “Don’t even go there. You have enough problems already.”
“I guess you’re right. Nice to have options, though.”
She hit me again.
“Ow! Quit it! Fine, let’s get out of here.”
“No, I’m getting out of here. You have your ride home.”
“But Jason—”
“Brought his own car, and Becky brought you. Sucks to be him. Besides, now that I inflated your ego, there’s no way I’m letting you back in that Jeep with Emma and Mia. Later, bro.”
Eve left me standing there. Screw her; I’d ask Richard for a ride as soon as Monica was done with him. I spotted them on the dance floor. Richard gave me a desperate look before I lost them again in the crowd. It was going to be a while.
I killed time by getting a drink and taking a walk around. At the back of the barn I saw one of Rose’s friends from Mr. Givens’ house—Sean, I think his name was. He was chatting up a pretty senior I had seen around school. He saw me and gave me a nod, then went back to her.
It made me wonder if Rose were here. I looked around but didn’t find her, though I did run into another one of her friends. It was the girl. She was laughing with a group of drunk-looking guys. Our eyes met, and I started making my way over to ask if Rose was around. Before I’d even gotten halfway to her, she shook her head slowly, then resumed flirting with the guys. I shrugged and went to check on Richard and Monica.
Richard had managed a successful retreat off of the dance floor and was over by the drinks. Monica was off chatting with Becky, Jason, a
nd a couple of friends.
I walked over to where Richard stood.
“Who pays for these parties anyway?”
“These days, Trevor. But they’re a tradition. They’ve been throwing parties after home games for ages, so I think the team always finds some way to have them. Only three left after this one, though, unless we make playoffs!”
“Cool. Hey, do you think I could get a ride home with you?”
“Sorry, man—only two seatbelts in the truck.” I must have looked dejected, because he said, “I’m joking. I can take you.”
“Thanks. It would have been a long walk.”
“Any time. I wouldn’t want you to become one of those local disappearances you hear about. Better not to become a statistic, if you know what I mean. Mind if I drop you off first?”
“Sure.” I lived a lot closer to Richard than Monica did, but I wasn’t going to intrude on their alone time. I wouldn’t have even asked him for a ride if I’d had a choice.
It was getting late, and we decided to call it a night. Monica saw us coming and proceeded to derail the plan I made with Richard. “There you guys are! Richard and I need to get going, but we’ll see y’all at the dance tomorrow night!”
She took Richard’s hand. I was about to open my mouth, but she stopped me with a look. Richard wasn’t as smooth. He got out, “Oh, we’re giving Chr—” before she stepped on his foot.
Richard was persistent. “Ouch! Monica, I was—” She did it again.
“Like, I’m sorry, I’m totally klutzy sometimes. Well, good night, guys. Thanks for giving Chris a ride home, Becky.” Richard looked over his shoulder with an “I tried” look as Monica pulled him toward the truck.
Wonderful. Nothing like being abandoned in Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas. Then I had an idea. I could grab a ride home with one of Rose’s friends. They lived right next door to me.
I was about to track them back down when Becky said, “I should get going too, Jason. C’mon, Chris, let’s go.” Jason looked confused by this arrangement, and Becky didn’t bother to explain.
I was confused as well, but I needed the ride. We walked toward Becky’s Mustang with Jason tagging along behind us. Becky looked like she was trying to escape him, but when we got to the car, she did turn around to give him a good-night kiss. It was an awkward moment all around, but at least the kiss was short, though not for his lack of trying for an extended version.
The Haunting of Pico (Pico, Texas - Book 1) Page 18
