“They should be in my bag.”
When it was obvious that his father had no intention of moving, Rosa climbed down from the bed to get Josh his backpack. Digging to the bottom, Josh pulled out the little bottle and handed it to his father. Mr. Hanover twisted off the cap and emptied the pills into his hand. Sure enough there was still white powder all over the pills. His father sniffed the residue on his hands and inside of the bottle and his ever present frown deepened.
“Josh,” Steven said, after he put the pills back in the bottle and washed his hands off in the bathroom sink. “I think we have a serious problem here.”
“Tell me about it!” Josh agreed. “Someone tried to poison me.”
“You don’t actually expect me to believe that, do you?” His father asked angrily. “First your car, now this. Plus your grades have been slipping. What is this really about? Some kind of twisted way to get attention?”
Josh was too surprised to even stutter a reply. His dad had always been hard on him, but this was taking things to a completely different level. Josh had to the fight back the ridiculously juvenile urge to burst into tears.
“Dad, I didn’t. . . .”
“Do you realize how serious this is?” his father demanded, shaking the bottle in Josh’s face, not even caring that Rosa was listening to every word. “You could have killed yourself! Is that what you wanted?”
“Steven, that’s enough!” Josh’s mother appeared in the room just in time. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed into a fight frown. She was back in her white robe with her blonde hair pulled into a tight French braid.
“Robin, you know what this could have done to him!”
“I know that your son is in the hospital. He’s sick and in pain, and he needs his father, not the chief of staff!” she retorted hotly. “He certainly doesn’t need you screaming at him like a wild banshee.”
His father grunted and tossed the chart down on the bed, but took the bottle of codeine with him. “Then you handle him.”
Once he was gone, Rosa excused herself. Josh couldn’t blame her. He wished he could run away too. Instead, he leaned back into his pillow and flinched. His head and his stomach were starting to hurt again. Whatever drugs they had given him were wearing off. After what had happened with his migraine medicine, he would probably never take any kind of medication again. Not even an aspirin.
His mother sat on the edge of the mattress and patted his knee sympathetically. “Your father is a little gruff sometimes,” she explained. “But he really does love you. He’s just worried. That’s all.”
“He has a funny way of showing it,” Josh said sullenly.
“He has a good reason to be upset,” she said. “If you really did do this intentionally. . . .”
“God, Mom, not you too!” Josh exclaimed. “Does my whole family think I’m a suicidal nut job? I didn’t poison myself! Someone else did this to me!”
“What do you mean, Josh?” His mother asked, looking confused. “Who would want to do this to you?”
“Forget it. Never mind. You wouldn’t believe it anyway.”
“You can tell me anything. I’m your mother. I just want to help you.”
Yeah, help me right into the mental ward, Josh thought uncharitably. “Mom, I don’t feel good at all. Can we talk about this later?” It wasn’t a lie. He really did feel lousy.
“Of course.” She heaved a heavy sigh and rose from the bed. “Try to eat something though. You can’t leave this place unless you hold down a meal. And I’m sure you’d like to get out as soon as possible.”
“Definitely.”
“If you need me for anything, have the nurse page me. I love you, Josh,” she added. “Your father and I both do.”
“I know, Mom,” Josh relented. “I love you guys too.”
Rosa came back in with a soda a few minutes after his mother left. He hardly knew what to say to her. It was bad enough that she had seen him pass out and vomit in the last twenty-four hours. Now his father had completely humiliated him and made him look crazy. He almost wished he hadn’t told her about the note. She might agree with his father.
“Is it safe?” Rosa asked as she inched her way into the room.
“Yeah, the fireworks are over,” Josh told her. “Sorry you had to witness that. My dad is a little uptight.”
“Just a little,” Rosa agreed sympathetically. “He was pretty hard on you.”
Josh waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m used to it.”
“Okay then. Let’s forget about him. How about we check out what’s under that lunch tray Elena brought in?”
Josh twisted his face into an expression of feigned horror. “It’s probably a severed head.”
“No,” Rosa observed as she lifted the lid. “It’s just chicken soup and a buttered roll. How about it?”
Josh groaned and put a hand on his stomach. “I might throw up on you again.”
She laughed. “I can handle it. I have a strong stomach.”
“No, really.” Josh felt his face turning chalk white as he got a whiff of the soup. His stomach did one massive somersault. “I can’t handle it. Not yet.”
Rosa covered the tray and narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re still feeling bad, huh?”
Josh shrugged. “I’ll survive.”
“Well, you have to at least drink a little water. You’re going to dehydrate.”
Rosa poured some of the ice water from the mustard yellow pitcher into the matching yellow cup on the side of the bed. Josh humored her and took a few sips. Then he yawned and stretched out his arms.
“Are you tired?” she asked. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Not unless you want to.”
She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. “I have nowhere else to be.”
Josh flipped on the television, finding some old nineties adventure movie that was just starting. He patted the side of his bed and gestured for Rosa to join him. She crawled up next to him and he rested his head on her shoulder. He was really glad to have her there. She made him feel better, physically and mentally. Josh felt his eyes growing heavy as he tried to concentrate on the movie, but he was quickly losing the battle. Rosa had a long night as well, and before long, they had both fallen asleep in the shelter of each other’s arms.
Chapter 11
True to her word, Josh’s mother let him go home on Sunday when he was able to keep down both a light breakfast and a meager lunch. He was relieved to be out of the dank and depressing hospital room, surrounded by beeping monitors and the smell of disinfectant. At least at home, he had access to cable and the Internet to keep himself occupied. As a bonus, he didn’t have to spend the time alone. Rosa drove him home and spent the entire evening with him. They played a few board games and watched a few movies. With little sympathy for his recent recovery, Rosa even forced him to study chemistry and work on his history report. She still fussed over him and offered multiple backrubs, which he was more than happy to take advantage of. All in all, it was a pretty good day.
When Monday rolled around, Josh disregarded his mother’s advice to take it easy for a while longer and decided to go to school, even though he still wasn’t feeling one hundred percent. His father had actually taken the day off from work, and the last thing Josh wanted was to spend the whole time hiding in his room avoiding him. He’d rather be with his friends. Andrea had already left without him, assuming he’d be home awhile longer, so Josh jumped into his father’s Mercedes and stopped to pick up Rosa along the way.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Josh leaned over to kiss Rosa’s cheek as she slipped into the passenger seat. She lifted her braid onto her lap to avoid catching it in the door. “I guess you must be feeling better if you’re starting the day off with corny lines.”
“How is that corny?” Josh pouted. “You are beautiful.”
Rosa blushed and cleared her throat. “Are you really sure you’re okay to go to school? You’re not going to pa
ss out or anything? Seriously, I can’t handle that again.”
Josh squeezed her hand as he pulled out of her driveway, feeling grateful for her concern. “I’m fine. Besides, I have some investigative work to do. I plan on finding out who slipped me that rat poison.”
“It sounds like you already know,” Rosa observed.
Josh was quiet for a minute. He watched as houses and a few stores zipped past his windshield. Fall leaves fluttered to the ground, and a few landed on the hood of the car while they were stopped at a red light. He felt his fingers grip the steering wheel aggressively as his angry thoughts inched their way to the surface.
“I have my suspicions,” Josh replied, making an effort to keep his voice calm and steady.
“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“I think it was Bryan Grant,” Josh announced, deadpan. “I know for sure that he hates me enough to do it. He trashed my Mustang. I’m sure of that. Why wouldn’t he take things a step further?”
“There’s more than one step between vandalism and attempted murder,” Rosa reminded him. “If Bryan did do this, he’s really dangerous.”
“Tell me about it,” Josh said. “That’s why I need to take care of it now, before he takes another shot at me.”
Rosa shivered and zipped up her jacket, but it wasn’t because of the cool autumn morning. “But how could he have done it? When would he have had access to your medication?”
Josh thought about it for a minute. He had only considered the motive, not the means or the opportunity, but the answer seemed obvious. “He must have done it while we were at wrestling practice. I usually don’t bother locking my stuff up in the locker room.”
“If that’s the case, anyone could have done it. How can you be sure it was Bryan?”
“Who else would want to hurt me?” Josh asked her.
“What about Elena? Or that new girl, Nadine? Even the girl from the arcade could have snuck in while you were at practice.” Rosa reached out her hand, and touched the still tender scratch on Josh’s cheek where Jasmine had clawed him. “They were all angry with you. And to be honest, poison sounds more like a woman scorned than a brother defending his sister’s honor.”
“I just can’t believe any of them would be capable of something like this,” Josh said as he pulled the silver Mercedes into the student parking lot. “I know they have their moments, especially Elena, but I can’t imagine them physically hurting anyone. And Nadine, well, she would never be able to come up with such a complex plan.”
Rosa frowned. “I don’t think you give Nadine enough credit. She’s in some of the honors classes with me, and she does pretty well. I overheard her telling someone she got a 1400 on her SATs and from what I hear, she’s already been accepted to a few really good colleges. I think the airhead thing is just an act because she thinks the guys like it.”
“I had no idea,” Josh said thoughtfully. “Still, I don’t think she would hurt me. And Elena looked really surprised when she saw me in the hospital the other day.”
“Maybe she was just surprised you were alive,” Rosa suggested.
Josh shook his head. “No, it had to be Bryan,” he said with conviction. “He’s the only person I know who’s capable of it. And when I find him today, I’m going to straighten him out.”
Josh slammed the door of his father’s car so hard that the vehicle shuddered against the black concrete. Rosa looked more than a little nervous as she flung her school bag over her shoulder and followed him. “Josh, you just got out of the hospital,” she reprimanded. “Please avoid getting in any fights for a least another day or two.”
“I can’t make any promises.”
Despite his protests, Josh knew she was right. He didn’t feel like he was going to throw up anymore, but he still felt weak and tired. He would be lucky if he made it through wrestling practice let alone a full-fledged parking lot brawl. He knew if he saw Bryan he might not be able to control himself.
“Well, don’t expect me to play nurse if you get hurt,” Rosa said, annoyed. “If you’re stupid enough to get in a fight, you deserve what you get.”
“I’m sorry,” Josh said in exaggerated remorse. He slipped his arm around her waist as they walked toward the entrance of the school. “I’ll try to be good. I don’t want my girlfriend mad at me.”
Rosa stopped dead in her tracks, and looked up at him with wide, doe brown eyes. “Your girlfriend?”
“Well, yeah,” Josh said, a little flustered himself. After she had been glued to his side all weekend, he had just assumed they were a couple. “I mean, only if you want to be.”
“I’m Joshua Hanover’s girlfriend,” Rosa said with a light laugh. “The chess club is never going to believe it. That was a joke,” she added when Josh gave her a baffled look. “I’m not that much of a nerd.”
Josh beamed as he walked hand in hand with his new girlfriend. He had forgotten all about Bryan for a few minutes. In fact, his arch nemesis was the furthest thing from his mind. That is, until he noticed him stumbling through the parking lot with a bottle of Vodka in one hand. Rosa noticed him too, and she visibly stiffened.
Josh had every intention of keeping his word to Rosa. He tried to side-step his obviously drunken classmate, but it was too late. Bryan had already seen him, and he was heading in their direction. He somehow managed to place himself between Josh and the door, blocking the entrance with his bulky frame. Josh knew there was no avoiding a confrontation no matter how many promises he made. Bryan was dead drunk and he wasn’t going to be rational.
When Bryan opened his mouth, Josh expected a multitude of insults and vulgar words. He expected to be cursed and threatened. What he didn’t expect was for the larger boy to fall to his knees and begin to sob. He looked up at Josh with eyes that were red-rimmed from crying, and glazed from too much alcohol.
“You’re a murderer,” Bryan cried, pointing an accusing finger at Josh. “You killed Lily!”
Chapter 12
“She’s dead!” Bryan sobbed. “She’s dead because of you!”
Josh’s mind whirled. He staggered backward, and probably would have fallen if a black pickup truck hadn’t been there to steady him. He wasn’t sure how long it was before he was able to take another breath, but his lungs were aching when he finally felt himself inhale. Rosa’s grip on his arm tightened protectively, and he knew he must have looked as pale as he felt. His stomach was churning for reasons that had nothing to do with rat poison.
“Wh . . . what are you talking about?” Josh managed to stutter. “What happened to Lily?”
Bryan threw the empty Vodka bottle to the ground and it shattered into pieces. “She’s dead! My little sister is dead!” He cried, his words slurred. “Oh, Lily! Lily, how could you?”
Bryan slumped back against the brick wall of the school, and Josh thought for a minute that he might have passed out. He fought back his own surprise and grief to reach out a hand to try to help his classmate up from the ground, all past arguments forgotten in the light of apparent tragedy, but Bryan wouldn’t be consoled. With a snarl of rage, he opened his eyes and flung himself at Josh with pure animal fury. Even though the attack had taken him by surprise, Josh easily stepped aside. Being overcome with grief and drunkenness, Bryan flew past Josh and landed face first on the cold cement parking lot.
“It’s your fault,” Bryan accused. “She killed herself! She killed herself because of you!”
He tried to tackle Josh again, but he was so off balance, he didn’t even make it to where Josh stood before he simply fell to the ground with an audible thump. That small effort seemed to be all Bryan was able to muster. He rolled himself into a ball, rocked back and forth, and seemed to forget that Josh was even there at all as he lost himself in his grief.
“Lily. Oh, Lily,” Bryan chanted in an eerie monotone.
Josh didn’t want to leave Bryan alone in the condition he was in. Not that he was truly alone. Dozens of students had gathered around them. Each one heard every word
Bryan had said, but none of them seemed very concerned with helping him. They were too busy gawking and whispering back and forth. Only when the school principal appeared and helped Bryan to his feet, did Josh finally feel comfortable leaving him. He moved through the entranceway with Rosa beside him, and realized that now he had no choice but to deal with his own feelings.
At first, when Bryan had started screaming at him, Josh only felt numb. Now that the truth was starting to sink in, he had to come to terms with his own grief and guilt. He had heard Lily crying when he broke up with her. He knew she was upset. But he never dreamed that she was this upset. He never thought she would take her own life. It didn’t seem possible that she could really be dead. He could picture her sweet heart-shaped face so vividly. He could visualize her skipping down her driveway in her plaid skirt, filled with never-ending optimism. How could she be gone?
“Josh, are you all right?”
Rosa placed a timid hand on his shoulder, and Josh was brought back to awareness. He found that he was trying in vain to work the combination on his locker. He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten there.
“Not really,” Josh told her honestly.
“Can I do anything?”
Josh shook his head. No amount of soft touches or sweet words would fix this. He didn’t deserve to have her comfort. When the warning bell rang signaling they only had five minutes to get to their homerooms, Josh brushed her check absently, and went to his classroom in silence. He went through his courses in a daze. Somehow, it didn’t seem right for everything to go on as usual when Lily was dead.
At lunch, Josh sat quietly, only picking at his food. His friends didn’t ask any questions. News of his ex-girlfriend’s suicide had spread quickly by those who had witnessed the scene in the parking lot. Josh didn’t pay attention to the stares of his fellow classmates, whether they were sympathetic or condemning. Later that afternoon, Josh went to wrestling practice, but he got thrown for the first time in two years. Coach Kubiak assumed it was because of his illness, but he was just distracted. Josh was too busy thinking about his missing teammate, wondering where Bryan was and how he was doing.
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