“That’s right,” she said with a grin. She was quickly shoveling the last of her breakfast in her mouth, barely chewing. The sound of a horn honking let Holly know that Wade was waiting outside to drive her to school.
“Sounds like Wade is here,” she said as she grabbed her backpack and rushed around to give Linc and Brigid a hug. “See you guys later.” They each gave her a kiss as she hurried towards the front door.
“Have a great day,” Holly heard Brigid call after her as she waved and ran out to the car parked by the curb.
“Good morning,” Wade said with a grin. “I feel like such a grown-up now that I can drive by myself.”
“I bet,” Holly said as she pulled her seatbelt across her chest and buckled it. “I don’t know about you, but I am so not ready for school this morning. I wish I could have slept in all morning.”
“Why? Didn’t you finish your homework or something?” he asked.
“Of course I did,” she said. “I didn’t sleep all that great last night. I think I’m just tired of the same old, same old. You know? I need a little excitement. Something to change things up.”
Wade nodded. “I get it. You’re used to always having something going on, aren't you? First with your mom, and then moving in with Brigid and settling in. After that, it was going to meet your mom’s family in Missouri. You’re so used to having something on the horizon you don’t know what to do when there isn’t anything big going on.”
Holly was a bit surprised at how perceptive Wade was being. She hadn’t really thought about it, but once his words were out of his mouth, they made complete sense to her. It seemed like she’d always had some kind of drama going on in her life, even if it was just wondering if her mom would come home in a drug and booze-induced stupor. That constant worry or stress was always there. Now that it wasn’t, she didn’t know what to look forward to.
“I guess you’re right,” she said softly. “I never really thought about it before, but when you put it that way, it makes complete sense to me. Maybe I’m just bored.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being bored,” Wade pointed out. “You deserve to have a little downtime. Enjoy it. Something new will show up soon, it always does.”
“Okay, I’ll try,” Holly said as she brushed her hair back. “And I guess there is still stuff to look forward to. I need to think about college, and if I even want to go.”
“I can’t believe you’re even thinking about not going to college,” Wade said, surprised. “You’re so smart it would be a snap for you, no matter what college you went to!”
“I don’t know exactly what I want to do. Maybe I should go to a trade school or start my own business. I really haven’t decided.”
“Wow,” Wade said shaking his head. “You’re just full of surprises, Holly Lewis. That’s one of the things I like about you.”
CHAPTER 2
It was lunchtime and Holly was standing in front of her locker, putting away her books. She gently touched the photo of her mother when she was younger, a photo she’d gotten from her grandfather over the summer. She tried to take a moment every day to think of her. Not as the woman who was messed up on drugs and alcohol, but as a young woman who had desperately needed someone to help her, but instead, had been banished by her father.
As she shut the locker door, she steeled herself against ever going down the road her mother had gone down, a road that led to hopeless loneliness and ultimately to being addicted to drugs and alcohol. When she turned away from her locker, she saw a familiar face, one she usually saw in church, not in school.
“Hey, Missy!” she called out to the woman with a wave. Missy had always looked out for Holly, even when Holly’s mother was still alive. Countless times she’d had something to eat because of a care package Missy had put together for her and delivered to the old trailer where Holly and her mother lived.
She knew some people said Missy did things like that because she had to as the pastor’s wife, but Holly knew the underlying reason was that she really had a big heart. She also knew Missy overextended herself more often than not, but she couldn’t resist helping someone who was in need.
“Hey, Holly,” Missy said with a kind smile. “How’s your day going?” Her gentle eyes had dark circles under them, and her makeup looked slightly smudged.
“Not too bad,” Holly sighed. “Same old thing, just a different day,” she responded as she slung her backpack strap over her shoulder.
“I hear you,” Missy said. “I’ve been working hard on this coat drive at the church. There are so many underprivileged families that can’t afford proper clothing. I’m trying to make sure everyone stays warm when it starts to get cold this coming winter.” She gave a slight wave to a girl walking by who called out her name and then she turned back to Holly.
“You do so much for everyone else,” Holly said sympathetically, “I don’t know how you have time to do anything for yourself.”
“As of right now, I don’t. That’s actually why I’m here. I wanted to put a couple of flyers up to try and get a few volunteers to help sort the coats that we’ve already received and check the bins at different places to see if they need to be emptied. I’m hoping a few people can help me out tonight. I’ll be buying pizza. You wouldn’t happen to be free tonight, would you?” Missy asked, looking at Holly with hopeful eyes.
Truthfully, Holly really didn’t want to help. She didn’t have to work, and she’d been looking forward to an evening lounging around, doing nothing. But Missy would help anyone in an instant, and Holly knew it, but not many people helped her out in return. Guilt picked at Holly until she relented.
“Sure, I could probably help. I’ll ask a few friends and see if they might be willing to help, too,” she said with a faint smile.
“Oh, that would be great. Thank you so much, Holly. I promise, I’ll make sure there’s plenty of pizza to go around. I might even have some cookies for dessert. I really appreciate this, Holly. It would take forever if I tried to do it all myself,” Missy sighed. “Now I don’t have to go beg the principal for permission to put up a few flyers and hope someone comes.”
“It’s no problem. I’m sure I can get somebody,” she promised before Missy gave her a hug, thanking her again. She could tell Missy had just had a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, and although it meant Holly would have to give up her free time after school, seeing the woman’s relief was worth it.
After they said their goodbyes, Holly continued on her way to the cafeteria. She got her lunch, which consisted of a can of soda and a bag of chips and sat down with Wade, along with a few other friends, Margo, Chelsea, and Jonah. She’d been friends with Margo longer than Chelsea and Jonah, but that didn’t make Holly feel any closer to her.
She considered Margo, Chelsea, and Jonah to be friends, but they only spent time together at school. It wasn’t that they weren’t on good terms, it was just that a situation hadn’t really come up yet that would cement their relationship as truly close friends. She wasn’t sure how they’d react when she asked them about helping Missy, but she was sure Wade would help.
“So, who all has plans after school?” Holly asked as she sat down.
“I’ve got practice,” Jonah said as he ate. He didn’t play sports for the school, but he was on one of the teams organized by the city recreation department.
“And I have to babysit my little sister,” Chelsea replied. “What’s up?”
“My friend Missy from the church has been doing a coat drive to help people who can’t afford a new coat. She needs some volunteers to help with organizing and picking up some of the boxes from the locations where she’s left donation boxes. She’s promised pizza for anyone who can help.”
Holly had a sinking feeling she might end up doing it all alone. Well, at least Wade would try, but he played sports too. If Jonah had practice, that might mean Wade would have practice as well.
“I’ll help,” Wade said quickly. “She was there for my aunt when her house caugh
t on fire. It’s the least I can do for her.”
“Me too,” Margo chimed in. “I’ll sort some coats for free pizza.”
Holly exhaled deeply, not realizing she’d been holding in her breath. “Awesome, guys. Thanks,” she said, relieved by their response. “Make sure you tell your parents. I thought we could go over to the church right after school, so we can get started as soon as possible.”
“No problem,” Wade said easily. “I can drive us over. My parents will love it that I’m volunteering at the church.”
The conversation moved on to other things such as an upcoming science test and the next football game against a nearby rival school. Just the usual day-to-day things that teenagers normally talk about at lunch. Holly didn’t talk as much as the others, but she enjoyed listening to the stories everyone else told about their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, or whatever.
Before long, the bell rang, indicating it was time to go back to class. The noise in the cafeteria grew louder when the students pushed back their chairs and continued their conversations as they headed off to their classrooms.
“Let’s meet at Wade’s locker after school,” Holly said before they went their separate ways. Her friends nodded, then hurried off to their classes.
*****
“We have a new student today,” Holly’s algebra teacher, Mrs. Lohman said after the bell rang. “Levi? Would you please come to the front of the room?” Holly turned around to look at the new face sitting diagonally behind her, which had a stricken look on it.
She’d noticed him earlier, but she’d been busy trying to remember if she’d put her homework in her folder the night before, or if it was still sitting on her desk at home. His wavy bleached blonde hair had turquoise tips, and his glasses were round, dark frames. He was a little heavy with an oversized anime tee shirt and a plaid shirt tied around his waist. “Would you like to tell everyone a little about yourself?”
Slowly, Levi made his way to the front of the class. He gave a small, awkward wave to everyone. “Hey, I’m Levi.” He picked at his fingernails which were painted black. “I just moved here from Denver. My parents were worried about me there, so we moved to Cottonwood Springs because… well I’m not sure why, to be honest,” he said with a shrug and looked pleadingly at Mrs. Lohman who gave him a reassuring smile.
“Thank you, Levi. You may return to your seat,” she said.
Mrs. Lohman started the lesson for the day and Holly began easily working through it with no trouble. Math was one of her stronger subjects, so while some of her classmates needed the extra time to work through the assigned problems, she was through with the problems so quickly that she often read a book to kill time.
“Holly, Levi, would you both come up front, please?” Mrs. Lohman asked.
Holly turned to look at the new boy before sliding out of her desk. Had she done something wrong? Nervously she made her way up to the teacher’s desk.
“Holly, Levi’s school wasn’t as far along as we are in math. Since you’re doing so well with the assignments, I wondered if you would be willing to help him out. You two could go sit in the hall while you get him up to speed. I’d appreciate it, and I’m sure he would, too” Mrs. Lohman said apprehensively.
This was one of the major drawbacks of being better than most, probably all, of her classmates. Teachers always seemed to think you’d want to spend your spare time helping others with their work. Was there a polite way to say, I’d rather just sit and doodle if you don’t mind? Holly thought. Instead she said, “Sure,” She gave Levi a faint smile. “Not a problem.”
“Thank you so much. He’s not terribly far behind, but there are a few things I feel he’ll need to learn in order to stay up to speed with the rest of the class. I thought you’d be the best one for the job. I’ll give you extra credit, not that you need it,” she said with a wink.
She handed a few papers to Holly. “Here are some instructions on things I’d like you to go over with him. Once he’s confident with each one, you can move on to the next. I trust your judgement.”
Holly nodded before leading Levi out into the hall. It was quiet as the door shut behind them. At least sitting in the hall was a bit more entertaining than sitting in class. There were two desks nearby, pushed up against the wall, and facing each other.
“Sorry you have to do this,” Levi apologized. He scuffed one foot on the faded carpet and looked down. Holly felt badly for not having wanted to help him. He seemed like a nice guy. It’s not like it was his fault the other school was behind, and he had to move here.
“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Holly reassured him. “I actually like math.” She gave him a friendly smile, and Levi seemed to relax a bit. Holly felt a little better about helping him and vowed to give him a chance. He didn’t look like the rest of the kids who attended high school in Cottonwood Springs. He definitely stood out, but to Holly, that was a good thing.
He slid into the seat at one of the desks and sighed. “Good, because I suck at this stuff.”
“Give it time,” she said. “I’ll help you.” If he was willing to try, she’d do what she could. “But you have to work at it,” she said.
“Not a problem. I’m usually a fairly quick study. I won’t waste your time, I promise,” he said sounding sincere.
“So you don’t know why your parents made you move here?” Holly asked as she sat down at the other desk and looked at the papers Mrs. Lohman had given her.
“Not completely. I mean, I have my suspicions,” he said looking away.
Holly didn’t want to pry, so she changed the subject. “What was it like going to a big school in a city like Denver?”
“Honestly, it was terrible,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “I had classes one right after another that were often on opposite sides of the school. I don’t know how many times I was late because a teacher stopped me in the hall to talk about something.”
“Wow,” Holly said amazed. “I don’t think I’d ever want to go to a big school like that.” She couldn’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for him.
“That’s probably why my class in Denver was behind yours. There’s a lot of kids in each class, so sometimes we’d have to stay with a subject a little longer to make sure everyone got it.” He pulled out his notebook and a worn pencil with teeth marks on it.
“Well then, let’s get you caught up,” Holly said eagerly.
CHAPTER 3
“Thanks for coming with me, guys,” Holly said to her friends as they climbed in Wade’s older four-door car. It wasn’t expensive or new by any means, but to Wade it was the best thing on four wheels. They each put their backpacks in the backseat before Margo climbed in behind Holly. “I don’t know how much fun it would have been if I’d had to volunteer all by myself.”
“You know if you need my help with anything, all you have to do is ask,” Wade said with a smile as he started the car.
“If I don’t have something else my parents sign me up for, I’m always willing to help you out, Holly. You’ve helped me on more than one occasion,” Margo said as she buckled her seatbelt. It was nice to hear someone truly appreciate the time Holly spent helping people with their studies.
That was how Margo and Holly had become friends. It was another situation where someone needed help, and the teacher had paired them up. And for someone as quiet as Holly was, it had become one of her main ways to make friends.
“I’m so glad you guys weren’t busy. Maybe this won’t be too bad. With any luck the time will fly by, and we’ll get lots done. Plus, if Missy’s asking, that means she really needed some help.” Holly sighed. “She doesn’t ask for help very often.”
Pulling out of the school parking lot they started talking about what happened at school and all the latest gossip. Margo had just finished telling them a story about something that happened in her gym class when Wade suddenly slowed down.
“What’s wrong?” Holly asked as she braced herself. Wade was a careful driver, so she knew h
e wouldn’t drive like that unless he had a reason. They were on one of the less traveled roads on the edge of town that led to the church. It was a paved road, but there weren’t any lines. Evergreens lined either side of it with a few feet of grass between the pavement and the tree line.
“Did you see anything?” Wade asked as he pulled over to the side of the road. One side of the car was on the grass while the other was still partly on the road. He leaned forward and peered through the windshield looking for something.
“No,” Holly said as she turned to Margo to see if she’d seen anything. Margo looked just as confused as she was. They both looked into the distance in hopes of seeing what Wade had seen.
“I think I saw a little dog or something over there in those bushes. The poor guy looked really scared,” Wade said as he undid his seatbelt and opened the door. Holly and Margo followed, thinking he may need help. He shut the car door behind him and slowly moved forward.
“Look, there it is. It’s a small dog,” Wade said quickly, his hand pointing just a few feet in front of them towards the thick underbrush. Holly saw a flash of light brown fur before whatever it was disappeared back into the bushes lining the trees. It was so small it was easy to miss.
“The poor little thing must be terrified,” Margo said softly. “I wonder if it’s lost?”
Wade began to whistle gently and they all knelt down, hoping the little dog would return. In a few moments, a dirty little face peeked out from the leaves. The dog had leaves and tiny sticks stuck in its matted fur that shook as he peered at them from what he thought was a safe distance.
“He looks so scared,” Holly said softly, afraid she might spook him if she spoke too loudly. “I think we should try to get ahold of him and see if he has a collar. I bet his owner is missing him.” She started whistling, hoping to coax the dog out.
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 14
