Someone Knows

by Lisa Scottoline

  Allie wondered if David was online, so she went to her computer, and logged on to AOL to find that he’d messaged her.

  She wiped her eyes.

  CHAPTER 29

  Allie Garvey

  Allie entered the woods, walking next to David. It had come as a surprise when he’d IMed her to meet the others by the tree, and she’d put on a sundress with purple flowers and twisted her hair into a topknot, which turned out like a fancy updo. Plus she had on her sandals with ribbons that crossed at the ankle, which made her feel like a ballerina. She’d left the house quickly, telling her father she was going to Sasha’s. He’d been sitting in the kitchen like she had expected, but she’d fled out the door.

  “Hey.” David took her hand with an easy smile, in his red bandanna, white Lacoste polo, and long shorts.

  Allie’s heart pounded, and she felt a surge of happiness. He must like her if he held her hand. They walked through the woods together, with David moving branches aside for her. His hand felt so good, except for his palm. “Your hand’s scratchy.”

  “It’s calluses from tennis.”

  “Oh.” Allie kicked herself for saying something so dumb. “Anyway, I’m on page forty-three of your book.”

  “You made progress.” David smiled again.

  “I’m slow, though.” Allie stepped over some old leaves, not to mess up her sandals.

  “Slow but steady wins the race.” David looked over. “I saw there was that 5K today for your sister. How’d it go?”

  Allie forced a smile. She wasn’t going to tell him everything, or even anything. She wanted to change the subject. “So why did Sasha want us to come tonight?”

  “For fun.”

  “Oh.” Allie prayed that Sasha didn’t tell the others about the fight at her house. The Barrows, Brownes, and Hybrinskis were such normal families compared to hers, which was a mess. Allie didn’t even know where her mother was. Inpatient somewhere.

  Allie heard talking as they approached the tree, and when they came through the clearing, she could see Sasha and Julian sitting on the ground on a blue cotton blanket. Julian was digging up the gun, and Sasha was watching, drinking from a water bottle.

  “Hey, guys!” David released Allie’s hand, and she guessed he didn’t want to show the others how he felt about her. She told herself it was okay. It could be their secret.

  Sasha waved in a surprisingly friendly way, grinning. “Hey, David; hey, Allie! Let’s get this party started!”

  “Agree!” David called back, and Allie smiled, too, but she was unsure. Sasha seemed like she was in a great mood, but Allie didn’t trust her. She wondered if Sasha felt sorry for her or if she was finally being accepted, maybe because David liked her. That would be awesome.

  “What are you guys up to?” David asked, and Julian looked up from the gun, slapping him high-five with a dirt-covered hand.

  “Fun and games, bro.”

  “That’s what I thought.” David chuckled, sitting down on the blanket.

  “Thirsty?” Sasha offered David a bottle from a tote bag, and David took a sip.

  “Vodka, no chaser? Ugh. Next time, mix it with Gatorade.”

  “You’re welcome.” Sasha handed a bottle to Allie, who accepted it, hiding her reluctance. “Don’t worry, Allie. Nobody can smell it on your breath or anything.”

  “Thanks.” Allie sipped the vodka, which tasted horrible, like the alcohol she put on zits. She made a face but didn’t complain.

  “The 5K was fun today. Your dad did a great job.”

  Allie blinked. “Thanks. Congratulations.”

  “That’s why I was at your house, to get the trophy. Your dad left it upstairs.”

  “Oh.” Allie held her breath, waiting for Sasha to say something about the fight, but Sasha was looking at her with shining eyes, wearing the coolest black sundress. Her hair flowed to her shoulders like a sheet of gold in the sunlight through the trees.

  “Oh, that’s right, you won, Sash. Impressive.” Julian opened the newspaper. “I saw it on the TV news. You got good PR, Allie.”

  “It went really great,” Allie lied, but it came easier with the horrible vodka.

  “It was a fundraiser, right?” Julian took the gun out of the newspaper, setting it aside. “For cancer?”

  “Cystic fibrosis.” Allie remembered when she used to call it sis. She had been little then.

  “I bet if I ask my dad, Browne would make a contribution.”

  “That’s really nice of you.” Allie felt a rush of gratitude. She took another drink of vodka, but it still tasted terrible. She felt less nervous. Maybe they would become friends. Sasha was being nice to her, Julian was making a contribution, and David was holding her hand. She could feel the warmth of his body beside her, and their bare knees touched as they sat side by side on the blanket.

  “Drink!” Sasha held up her bottle. “Ready to play?”

  “Play what, crazy?” Julian grinned.

  “Spin the Bottle!” Sasha laughed.

  Julian’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know that’s what you had in mind.”

  “You should have.” Sasha downed more vodka. “You guys will play, won’t you?”

  “Totally,” David answered quickly, and Allie felt her face flush with excitement. She couldn’t believe that David wanted to play Spin the Bottle with her. All three of them were looking at her like she was supposed to answer.

  “Yes, but I never did it before,” Allie blurted out, tipsy.

  “Really?” Sasha asked, laughing, and Julian joined her.

  “I haven’t, either.” David touched her back, and Allie felt the warmth of his hand. The sensation was almost electric, and she took another drink from the bottle, then another.

  “Julian, why are you digging up the gun?” David watched Julian brush it off.

  “Sasha wants it.”

  Sasha grinned. “Don’t worry, Allie, I’m not going to kill anything. I’m not going to even shoot it. I just want to see it.”

  Julian laughed. “She’s a gun nut now. She loves it. It turns her on.”

  David took another drink. “Right, whatever turns you on.”

  “Doesn’t it turn you on?” Sasha held the gun, pushing a button and opening the chamber that was supposed to hold the bullets. “This is so cool. You can see how each hole is perfectly drilled, like, perfectly round, for the bullets to go in.”

  “It’s called ballistics.” Julian moved over and was digging up the bullets with a stick.

  “How do you know?” David laughed. “From Law & Order?”

  Julian smiled, digging away. “Detective Browne on the case.”

  “Like Encyclopedia Brown.” Sasha smiled, drinking.

  “Never heard that before.” Julian dug the bullet box from the hole, then set the empty bottle in the middle of the blanket. “Now everybody sit on the blanket, one on each side.”

  “Okay.” Sasha crossed her pretty legs, but her dress came up. “Wooo!”

  “Settle down, Sash.” David resettled on the blanket, with Allie catty-corner to him. A soft breeze blew through the trees, and the last sunlight of the day made a moving pattern of light and dark on their beautiful faces. Or maybe the vodka made it look that way. No matter, they were the cool kids, she was hanging with them, and David Hybrinski wanted to kiss her.

  “I have an idea!” Sasha picked up the gun. “Why don’t we play Spin the Gun instead?”

  “Spin the Gun?” Julian looked at her like she was crazy. “Woman, what’s the matter with you?”

  “If you don’t know, you’re about to find out.” Sasha giggled, the boys laughed, and even Allie joined in.

  Julian snorted. “A bottle spins easier than a gun.”

  “How do you know? Anyway, how far do you want it to go?” Sasha burst into giddy laughter, and so did the others, since everybody knew Julian wanted to kiss Sasha, who plucked the bottle off the blanket and replaced it with the gun. “Okay, who wants to go first?”

  “I will!�
� Julian spun the gun, which got caught in the blanket, its muzzle aimed at Sasha.

  “Oh, too bad!” Sasha laughed, and so did Julian and Allie.

  “Do it, dude!” David called out, so Julian leaned close to Sasha, put his hand on her cheek, and started kissing her.

  “Way to go!” Allie realized that was probably a dumb thing to say, but she was so excited. She was getting ready for her turn, with David.

  Suddenly they heard a shout from the top of the hill, and they all looked up to see someone was coming toward them, a tall silhouette. It looked like a man, but Allie couldn’t see his face because it was getting dark. Julian picked up the gun and hid it behind him.

  Sasha rose, waving at the man. “Kyle, what took you so long?”

  CHAPTER 30

  Julian Browne

  Julian realized who the silhouette was because Sasha was so happy to see him. It was the new guy that Sasha had hugged at her doorstep. Julian gritted his teeth so hard his gums stung. Sasha must have invited Kyle because she wanted to play Spin the Bottle with him.

  Sasha called out, “Kyle, hurry! You’re late! We already started!”

  “Started what?” Kyle called back, his voice deep. He climbed down the hill toward them.

  “Our party!”

  David sat straighter. “Who’s this dude, Sasha?”

  “He’s new,” Sasha answered over her shoulder. “He saved my cat. He’ll be at school in September.”

  “He’s a hunk,” Allie blurted out.

  Julian struggled to control his emotions. Kyle was just Sasha’s type. A dumb jock with big shoulders, cut biceps, and swollen forearms. It was getting dim under the trees so Julian couldn’t make out the guy’s face, but he wasn’t about to let anybody move in on Sasha. His father taught him you have to fight to win, and if Julian had to fight for Sasha, so be it.

  “Kyle, I even brought a beverage for you!” Sasha dug her hand in her tote bag and produced another water bottle.

  “A beverage?” Kyle called back, laughing.

  “It’s not water.” Sasha giggled.

  “I didn’t think so.” Kyle reached them, accepting the bottle from Sasha. “Thanks.”

  “Welcome to our gang. Guys, say hi to Kyle!” Sasha giggled again, and Julian couldn’t believe the way she was acting.

  “Kyle Gallagher.” Kyle twisted open the bottle and took a swig.

  “Julian Browne.” Julian glanced at David, hoping he would remember their conversation at the tennis courts about Sasha’s new guy. But David was smiling at Kyle, which made Julian even angrier. David could be such a jocksniffer.

  “I’m David Hybrinski.”

  “Allie Garvey.” Allie smiled.

  Sasha giggled, touching Kyle’s arm. “I think I drink too much. I mean, drank.”

  “I think you did, too,” Julian said pointedly. “So, Kyle, what are you doing here?”

  “I invited him,” Sasha answered, her eyes still on Kyle.

  Julian let it go. Kyle was playing the cool jock role, big easy grin, dumb look in his eyes. No way was he good enough for Sasha. “Are you new or something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Ohio.”

  “Where in Ohio?”

  “Columbus subs.”

  “My dad has developments there.” Julian knew the nice neighborhoods. “Dublin? New Albany?”

  “Julian, don’t brag.” Sasha shot him a look, and her body was facing Kyle’s in a way Julian didn’t like at all. “Kyle is my hero. He rescued Bootsy.”

  “Really.” Julian couldn’t shake the challenge from his tone and didn’t want to try.

  Sasha hung on Kyle’s arm. “Kyle, come and sit down. We were just playing Spin the Gun.”

  “What?” Kyle squinted in the direction of the gun, and Julian realized that he had forgotten about it and scooted over, blocking it futilely.

  Sasha laughed. “Julian, are you trying to hide the gun? Come on, put it back on the blanket.”

  “Wait, was that really a gun?” Kyle asked, incredulous. “Is it loaded?”

  “No, of course not.” Sasha giggled. “But isn’t it cool? I wanted to show it to you.”

  “No way,” Julian said, frustrated. He was losing control of the situation. “Sasha, he’s not supposed to know about the gun. Kyle, forget you saw it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, guys!” Sasha tugged Kyle downward and sat beside him on the blanket. “I told him about it. He saw it. You’re being silly, Julian.”

  “I can’t unsee it, dude.” Kyle scoffed. “What are you doing with it? Where did you get it?”

  “Julian found it, that’s why he’s freaking.” Sasha’s dress slipped up, showing her perfect thigh. Julian noticed Kyle looking over, too.

  “I’m not freaking.” Julian tried to recover.

  “Are you serious?” Kyle took a swig of vodka. “You’re playing Spin the Gun?”

  “It works better than a bottle because it doesn’t go far. Watch!” Sasha grabbed the gun, returned it to the blanket, and spun it. The muzzle got caught in the blanket and pointed at Kyle. Sasha leaned over, grabbed Kyle by his shoulders, and kissed him hard on the lips.

  Julian’s heart pounded in his ears. He had spent a lifetime watching Sasha but he’d never watched her making out with another guy, right in front of him.

  Kyle burst into laughter as Sasha let him go. “Well, hello, Sasha!”

  “Let me spin,” David said out of the blue.

  “Go for it, David!” Sasha clapped. “Who do you want to kiss? Allie or me?”

  “Take a guess!” David drained his bottle, then spun the gun, but it ended up with the muzzle pointing at Julian.

  Julian recoiled, putting up his hands. “Don’t even think about it, dude.”

  David snorted. “Dude. So not happening.”

  “No!” Sasha waved her hands. “That’s not the rules. You have to kiss whoever it lands on.”

  “The hell I do.” David laughed.

  “Damn right.” Julian laughed, too.

  “Julian, are you afraid to kiss David?” Sasha asked, her eyes narrowing.

  “Sasha, stop it!” Julian felt hurt. Sasha had played him. “Why are you being such a bitch?”

  Allie drank more vodka. “Guys, she’s just joking around.”

  Sasha giggled. “Julian, don’t get all mad. Just kiss him! It’s the rules!”

  Julian felt his temper give way. “Sasha, since when do you care about rules? You weren’t supposed to tell anybody about the gun. You told Kyle.”

  “You’re not mad about the gun,” Sasha shot back, but Julian was too angry to stop now.

  “Sasha, we don’t even know this guy. We can’t trust him knowing about the gun. How long have you been dating him?”

  “Dating?” Sasha burst into laughter. “What are you, my dad?”

  Julian let it go. “How long have you known him?”

  “I know him.”

  Julian turned to Kyle. “For how long?”

  “I’m not gonna tell anybody about your stupid gun,” Kyle said, his tone matter-of-fact.

  “How do I know that? We’re all friends. We don’t even know you.” Julian got an idea. “If you want to hang with us, you have to prove yourself.”

  “I’ll hang with whoever I want to hang with.”

  “You can’t hang with us or with Sasha unless you prove yourself.”

  Sasha perked up. “Prove himself to me? Like how?”

  Julian didn’t miss a beat. “He has to do what we all did, way back when. He has to play Russian Roulette.”

  “Russian Roulette?” Kyle repeated in disbelief. “You guys played Russian Roulette?”

  “Yes,” Julian answered without hesitation. “We all did. It’s the price of admission. Right, Sash?”

  “Yes.” Sasha started laughing, turning to Kyle. “Kyle, we played Russian Roulette to hang together, and this is where we played it. It’s, like, our initiation. If you want to hang, you have
to play, too. Right, David?”

  David caught Julian’s eye, then turned to Kyle. “He’s right. We all played it. If you wanna hang, you have to.”

  Kyle snorted. “I don’t want to hang that much.”

  Sasha put her hand on Kyle’s arm. “Take a chance. We all took a chance. Even Allie.”

  Allie didn’t say anything.

  “Here, dude. Let’s play.” Julian grabbed the box of bullets, took one out, loaded the gun, and spun the barrel. “Now it’s got a bullet. That’s how we played. It’s your turn to play.”

  “I don’t want to.” Kyle recoiled, aghast.

  “Play, for Sasha.” Julian thrust the gun at him. He was hoping to send a message to Sasha, that this guy wasn’t good enough for her.

  “No.” Kyle edged away.

  “Not even for me?” Sasha said, stroking his arm.

  “Is this a joke?” Kyle looked at Sasha, and Julian felt his heart pound. The only way his trick worked was if Kyle didn’t agree. The last thing Julian wanted was Kyle to prove that he liked Sasha enough to play Russian Roulette for her.

  “It’s no joke, dude.” Julian bore down. “Make a decision.”

  Kyle brushed Sasha’s hand away, getting to his feet. “I’m out of here. You guys are nuts.”

  “Pussy.” Julian hid his happiness. His gamble had paid off. He had fought and won.

  “You don’t like me, Kyle?” Sasha pouted prettily. “I thought you did.”

  Kyle frowned. “It’s not that, it’s that I can’t decide right now, on the spot—”

  “Bullshit.” Julian withdrew the gun. “I’ll tell you what, Columbus. I’m calling your bluff. I’ll let you think about it overnight. We get back together tomorrow night, all of us.”

  “I’ll bring vodka,” Sasha added.

  “Right, you bring vodka,” Julian repeated. “Kyle, we meet here nine o’clock tomorrow night.”

  Kyle shook his head. “Go to hell.”

  Sasha pouted. “Kyle, don’t go!”

  Julian rose. “Tomorrow night at nine o’clock. If you’re here, you’ll do it. If you won’t do it, don’t come.”

  Kyle edged away, then broke into a jog up the hill, disappearing into the darkness.