“Well,” I continued, “I guess if I've learned one thing in the last couple of years, it's that sometimes bad things just … happen.”
“I guess that's true.” She straightened up, bringing her face only a foot from mine. “I'm glad your mom has you.” She gave me her most beautiful smile. “I'm glad I have you. In my life, I mean.”
I smiled back, utterly captivated by her eyes. “So what do we do now? Do we play it safe? Just stay friends?”
She leaned in, ever closer. “No,” she whispered.
“Why not?” My eyes never left hers.
“Because … I like you, Ayden. A lot. You make me feel … beautiful.”
“You are beautiful, Marissa,” I said. “And I … I like you too. Very much.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Everyone thinks I'm weird. I never thought any boy would … like me like that. And I never thought I'd feel the same way. I never thought –”
Without even thinking about it, I brought my head forward, closing the last few inches between us, and kissed her. Our lips barely touched, and I waited for her to back away, to break contact, but she didn't. I pressed a little harder, and again, she didn't resist. I tried to concentrate, to enjoy the sensation, but my mind was a tornado of thoughts.
Wow. Oh, my God. This is happening. I'm kissing her. I'm kissing Marissa Ramos.
Sometimes, bad things DO happen to good people. And sometimes, good things happen too. I'm a good person. I'm not a loser. Not a freak. I'm Invisiboy. I'm Peter Pan. I'm Ayden Saunders.
I broke the kiss, and I noticed both of our breaths were coming rapidly. I placed my hand on her cheek, brushing my fingers over it gently, and she put hers on my shoulder. I waited for her to lean back, to move away, to end the moment, but it didn't happen. She just looked at me, smiling that amazing smile.
And then it popped out. “Marissa, would you like to be my girlfriend?”
I heard her draw in a sharp breath, as if she couldn't believe what I just asked her. “More than anything.”
She said it so softly, I wasn't sure I heard her correctly over the gusting wind. But the smile on her face confirmed I had. “Really?”
She nodded, and all my fears evaporated, melted away by the power of her smile.
Without another word, I wrapped my arms around her, closed my eyes, and kissed her with everything I had. I held her to me, feeling her arms folding tightly around me. I heard the tiniest of moans escape, an almost imperceptible murmuring sound, first from her mouth and then from mine, and I inwardly rejoiced. It's real.
I have a girlfriend. A beautiful, awesome, amazing girlfriend. Marissa Ramos, my polka dot princess.
This was the greatest moment of my life. And I wouldn't be topping it anytime soon.
* * *
Rehearsal didn't go so well today. In the space of a few hours, I seemed to have forgotten the entire script. Wonder how THAT happened.
I spent the entire rehearsal trying not to look at Marissa, but that was next to impossible. It didn't take Mr. Danbury long to lose patience with both of us, sending us to separate corners of the auditorium to practice our lines.
Marissa and I had agreed that apart from our close circle of friends, our supremely romantic moment would remain a secret. That is, of course, unless we got much better at hiding our feelings from everyone in the immediate zip code, and fast, or otherwise they might as well mention it on the six o'clock news.
Rehearsal wrapped up around five o'clock. Sophie's singing ability had improved a lot, and so had that of most of the other kids. As for me, my voice was starting to make actual notes rather than froggy croaks, earning me praise from both Mrs. Lynn and my friends.
Michelle's mom, as usual, would be driving the girls home, and I hated the idea of saying goodbye to Marissa, especially after our awesome day. As we walked hand-in-hand toward the exit, I saw Mom standing there, smiling at us. I wasn't sure how long she'd been there, but I was instantly anxious. The moment had arrived.
I watched as her gaze moved from me to Marissa. The smile hadn't left her face. “Hello,” she said.
“Riss, this is my mom,” I said nervously. “Mom, this is my good friend Marissa.”
She looked from Marissa to me and back again, finally focusing on our hands, which were still clasped together. “ 'Good friend'?” she asked, amused.
“Girlfriend,” Marissa replied, smiling and putting her arm around me.
Well, there goes THAT secret.
Mom gave Marissa a look of loving approval, and me one of pure motherly pride. She then gave the slightest of nods. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Marissa.” She extended her hand, and Marissa gave it a gentle shake, smiling back.
After an agonizingly long minute of awkward small talk, the three of us walked outside, along with Sophie, who'd stayed behind briefly to talk to Mrs. Lynn. When we emerged from the cafeteria, I saw something I was definitely not expecting to see.
There were two people standing there, looking at us. One was a girl with brown hair and freckles who looked to be in her mid-teens. Next to her was a large man with beefy arms and a thick mustache. He had a policeman's badge hanging from his belt.
Sophie spoke first. “Kelsey?”
The girl took a few steps toward us. “Hey, Sophie. Hope you don't mind us dropping by like this, but when my dad,” she indicated the beefy man, “told me what he found out, we thought we should inform you immediately.”
“Mrs. Saunders?” the man said, walking forward and extending his hand in my mother's direction. “I'm Detective Martin Callahan.”
Mom took his hand and shook it gingerly, her eyes narrowing. “What's this about?”
“We need to talk,” he replied simply. To me, he asked, “Are you Ayden?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied nervously.
“I need to speak to you as well. It concerns a Mr. Ronald Merriweather.”
Mom turned to face me with a frown, and it was all I could do to keep my face blank and not give her an 'I told you so' expression.
After the rest of the introductions were performed, Sophie told Michelle's mom to go on without her, promising she'd explain the situation to her friends later. I was sorry to not have Marissa with me, but it was probably better that she wasn't around for this.
The five of us, including Sophie, went back inside the cafeteria and sat down at an empty lunch-table. By this time, everyone had left except for Mr. Wallace, the school custodian, who was sweeping the floor near the stage.
Speaking evenly, Detective Callahan said, “It's been brought to my attention by your son, Sophie, and Kelsey here,” he indicated the three of us, “that Mr. Merriweather, who I'm told cohabitates with you, has been engaging in alleged criminal activities.”
Mom turned to me again, her head cocked to one side. “Ayden? What's he talking about?”
Detective Callahan answered for me. “Mrs. Saunders, your son found evidence that seems to incriminate Mr. Merriweather, which he passed on to Sophie, who in turn gave it to Kelsey to bring to me. I was reluctant to believe his story at first, but it would indeed seem his suspicions have merit.”
Hearing these words from an actual policeman, a detective no less, made me more relieved than I think I'd ever felt. I was so sure that even with Sophie and Kelsey on my side, my story would still be written off as a kid's tall tale.
“Kelsey has shown me the pictures you took, and she played the vocal recording you took as well. I agreed to take part in this because I trust my daughter's judgment, and those she puts her trust in. But I need to know, before this becomes an official police matter, if there is anything else you may know that can help us. Because honestly, right now we don't even have enough for a warrant. It's not illegal for someone to rent a storage locker, and neither is it illegal for a man to make lofty promises to his girlfriend or badmouth his boss. Do you have anything else?”
With Mom watching me silently, I filled Detective Callahan in on all I'd heard, including mentions of his friend
s Doug, Curt, and Ray. Mom's entire body stiffened a little more with every sentence I spoke, while the detective just listened intently, writing everything I said in his notebook.
When I was done, he closed his notebook and put it in his jacket pocket. “Mrs. Saunders, you should know that I've also looked into your family's history. I read the Missing Persons reports for both your husband and your daughter, and I am truly sorry for your misfortune.”
“Thank you,” Mom said weakly, clearly still processing the news about all that had gone on under her roof. Events she'd been either ignorant of or willfully turned a blind eye to.
“It's true kids often make up stories, and it would be easy to dismiss this as the product of a child's overactive imagination,” Detective Callahan continued. “But as it stands, I think there is enough here to make some discreet inquiries. If it pans out, and evidence of a larger criminal enterprise presents itself –”
“You'll arrest him?” I piped up, causing Mom to jostle me with her shoulder, a clear 'shush' gesture.
“Ayden, if he's breaking the law, he will face justice. But Mr. Merriweather, for all his boasting, is likely only a minor player in all this. If we arrest him now, his co-conspirators could flee the jurisdiction and set up shop somewhere else. At this point, we don't know who they are, how many more people are involved, and where this merchandise goes after it's picked up. We don't even know what it is he's doing. He could be stealing furniture, or it could be something else entirely. I believe it'd be more prudent if we just keep tabs on him for now. When the time is right, we can arrest the whole lot of them at once.”
Mom finally found her voice, and it came out as a frantic shout. “And what are we supposed to do until then?! You've just casually informed me that this … man,” she spat out the last word, “that my son and I have been depending on to keep the electricity on and a roof over our heads is a thief and a liar and a – a –” She threw up her hands, unable to find the right word.
“Scumbag?” I suggested with a tiniest of smiles.
“Thank you! Scumbag!” Mom said, utterly exasperated. “You expect us to keep living with him? I'm supposed to keep cooking his dinner and washing his filthy bedsheets while he continues whatever dirty scheme he has going?”
“Yes,” Detective Callahan said firmly, a look of steel flashing through his eyes. “I know it's asking a lot, but for the time being, you must act as though you don't know any of this. I've done a little digging into Mr. Merriweather's background. I've even skimmed the transcript from his divorce. From what I can tell, the man's not dangerous. Guys like him are a dime-a-dozen. He's a small man who believes because he has power over a few employees, that makes him a big man. That delusion has turned into greed, and now he's convinced himself that he can commit grand larceny and get away with it.”
Mom closed her eyes as she mulled over the detective's words. After a few seconds, she opened them again. “I will not put my son in danger, and that's final.”
Detective Callahan, showing a gentleness I wouldn't have expected from such a big man, reached over and put his meaty hand on top of Mom's. “Mrs. Saunders, am I right in thinking that it's just your name on your home's mortgage?”
“Yes,” she replied, her eyebrows raising.
“Is Mr. Merriweather's name on any of the bills?”
“No.”
“Do you two share a bank account?”
“No.”
He smiled. “Is there a rental agreement in place between you and him? Any documentation at all with his name or signature on it?”
Mom's face relaxed, and I wondered what had just happened. “No, there isn't. He said he wanted it that way for tax purposes. He just gives me money once a month to pay the bills. But everything is in my name.”
He nodded. “Then how about this: would you be willing to have the department install hidden surveillance devices in your house?”
“Can you do that?” I asked, finally cluing in to what he was suggesting.
He nodded, still smiling. “With your mother's consent, yes, we can. Mr. Merriweather has no claim to the property, and since there's no rental agreement in place, that means he cannot claim a right of privacy inside it. We'll plant listening devices in the hallways and common areas in the house, and hopefully we can even get a warrant to tap his cell phone. Everything he says in that house can be recorded and used against him in court … if you give us permission, that is.”
Mom gave me a pleading look. It was clear she was unsure what to do.
I took her hand and squeezed it. “It'll be okay, Mom. We can do this.”
Detective Callahan, ever authoritative, added, “Mrs. Saunders, I can't force you to do this. But since Mr. Merriweather has apparently been doing this for six months, and given what he said on the recording, we can assume his next 'score' will be a big one. If his workplace keeps to the same schedule, that will be a little under three weeks from now, and if all goes well, that's the day we'll take them all down, him and his friends.”
Mom looked at all of our faces: mine, Sophie's, Kelsey's, and finally Detective Callahan's. She took a deep breath, and then she nodded. “Fine. Ron usually leaves for work around 8:30, and I generally leave around ten, so you can show up anytime between then. It won't take long, will it?”
The detective smiled. “No, ma'am, it won't. And trust me, we will not disturb your house in any other way.”
“Good,” she said. “Is there anything else?”
“If you don't mind, there is one other thing I'd like to ask you in private, if that's okay?”
“Sure. Ayden, can you and the girls wait outside for a minute?”
I turned to Sophie and Kelsey, who both nodded. “Sure, Mom,” I said, and we all stood up and walked back outside. We'd been talking for over thirty minutes, and darkness had nearly fallen.
As soon as we got outside, Kelsey turned to Sophie. “We don't have much time, so I need to tell you a couple of things. First off, you were right. That guy you saw? His name's Duncan Yount, and he's part of the crowd that sells drugs to high school students.”
The look of complete anguish on Sophie's face was scary. I'd never seen her look that way before. I worried she might faint, or blow up, or something, but thankfully, Kelsey continued, “Don't worry, he's not into the hard stuff. It's mostly prescription drugs, you know, stuff you get at a pharmacy. Like that pill you found.”
I just stood back and listened. I had no idea what they were talking about, but from the way Sophie's body had completely tensed up, it had to be something deeply personal and important to her.
“Did you tell your dad where you got it?” she asked nervously.
“No,” Kelsey replied. “I just told him I found it in the girls' restroom at Centralia, so I was able to keep Kirsten's name out of it.”
“Thank you so much, Kelsey,” Sophie said, visibly relieved. “I owe you. Big time.”
“Get me and Dad front-row seats to Peter Pan in a few weeks and we'll call it even, okay?” Kelsey smiled, and I instantly saw why Sophie and this girl had been friends for so long, despite the age difference. They obviously shared a history that I couldn't even begin to know.
“Deal,” said Sophie anxiously. “So the pill … what was it?”
The gleam disappeared from Kelsey's eyes. “I'm afraid it's not good news, Sophie. That pill? It was Adderall.”
Chapter 24
~ Day 59 (Wed.) ~
SOPHIE
I was eerily silent riding home in the back of Ayden's mom's car. I was all smiles during fifth and sixth periods after Marissa told me about her amazing recess period with Ayden in the dugout – which, if I remembered correctly, was the exact same dugout where Eve and Joshua exchanged their first kiss. History repeats itself. I'd also watched with some amusement as they spent all of rehearsal messing up their lines, completely unable to stop staring at each other.
I was relieved to hear Kelsey had indeed relayed Ayden's suspicions to her father, and that he'd not only
believed her but done some investigating of his own. I'd been secretly praying, ever since my visit to Kelsey's house, that whatever results turned up on the pill fragment, it would reveal I'd been worrying for nothing. But that wasn't the case.
The first thing I did when I got home was read whatever I could find on the Internet about Adderall. I learned that it was usually prescribed to people, often teenagers, who were diagnosed with ADHD. I didn't understand a lot of the words, but what I did discover was that the drug, when used in the right doses, helped those afflicted focus their minds and effectively control their hyperactivity. But like all drugs of this nature, it could be misused. I was shocked to learn that it contained some of the same elements as methamphetamine, and as such, was highly addictive. I scrolled down the list of symptoms, which included loss of appetite, mood changes, and paranoia. Eventually, I became so alarmed by its potential side-effects that I couldn't bear to read anymore.
Kirsten, for whatever reason, had gotten herself into a situation that she felt she could only cope with by taking Adderall. And even though it seemed to have had a positive effect on her schoolwork, it had also affected her deeply on a personal level. Her mood and her physical appearance had changed, and she'd fooled Mom and Dad into believing all was normal, that teenage angst and her increased school workload were responsible.
I wasn't one to completely ignore the horrors of the world around me, the world I was going to be an adult in, but this situation had forced me to admit that there were many things I just didn't want to know. Because things like that would never touch me, or my friends, or my family. It couldn't. It was too horrible a thought to even contemplate.
But now … it has.
I was preoccupied all afternoon and all through dinner, where the conversation between the four of us consisted of the usual, everyday mealtime questions. After dinner, Kirsten, as usual, went straight back up to her room, and Mom and Dad nestled close together on the living room couch while Dad flipped through the channels, looking for something they could both watch.
Sophie's Different (James Madison Series Book 3) Page 19
