My blissful mood plummeted when I saw the flashing police lights as we turned onto my street. I wondered if Wayne’s dad was just inspecting his car before his shift started, but as my house came into view, I noticed two squad cars, and they were both parked in my driveway.
I checked the dash clock in the convertible, but it was still fifteen minutes before curfew. Sweat prickled over me despite the cold, and I began to pick through potential scenarios. Had Officer Russell called my parents after all? Did they think I was running away or being abducted by some college boy they had never met? Then my stomach clenched as an even worse scenario popped into my head. Had they gone up to my room to look for evidence and found Matilda? Did she play dead? Did everyone think I was certifiably mental now?
“Oh, damn.” Benny’s eyes widened as he realized the cops were in front of my house. “Oh, damn,” he repeated. “Is there anything I should know right about now, Janie?”
I swallowed. “Just that you’re my cousin. You were in town for a visit. My friend stood me up, so you took me out for pizza and ice cream. You don’t know anything beyond that.”
“You’re sure I shouldn’t know anything else about this?” he asked one more time as we parked on the curb.
“Trust me. You really don’t want to know. I’m not even sure I want to know what this is about.”
We hopped out of the car and walked up through the yard. The front door flew open before we made it halfway, and my mom ran out of the house in tears. She threw her arms around me and squeezed the air out of my lungs.
“You,” she snarled at Benny, “are much too old for my daughter.”
“Yes, Aunt Linda. I agree.”
My mom gasped. “Benny? Benny, is that you?” She let go of me and snatched Benny’s hat right off of his head. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Taking my cousin out for pizza and ice cream?” he offered, giving me a skeptical look.
“Is this the college boyfriend everyone thinks you have?” My mom turned back to me with a frown.
“Um, I guess,” I said sheepishly.
By then, Wayne’s dad, two other officers, and my dad had come out of the house to join us. Officer Russell had a pad of paper out and was taking notes. He turned to Benny. “Tell me, young man. Have you been providing your cousin and her friends with alcohol?”
“What? God no.” Benny frowned at me. “You’re drinking now, Janie?”
“No. I’m not. I swear.” I held up my hands and looked from Benny to Officer Russell. “Why would you think I’ve been drinking?” I asked.
Officer Russell narrowed his eyes at me. “Because I received an anonymous call from someone who claimed that you were at the party the night of Matilda Hunt’s death. They also said that you were dating a college boy who was providing alcohol for everyone.” He gave Benny another suspicious glare.
Benny put his hands on his hips and glared right back at Officer Russell. “Please. Do you really think I’d drive over three hours just to buy booze for a bunch of pimply, underage rejects? I am head of the theater department of the Henley Academy of Performing Arts. Besides, I’ve been busy every night for the past six months. I’ve been directing the winter production. There are at least two dozen people who can vouch for my presence at the theater. There’s no way I would have had enough time to make a six hour round trip to Jasper and back. Do the math,” he said hotly.
Officer Russell took a step back, finally picking up on Benny’s flaming personality. He turned back to me and sighed. “Well, maybe he wasn’t providing the alcohol, but I still have substantial evidence that you were at the party. Your parents tell me that you claimed you were studying with Chloe Martin that night.” He flipped through his notes. “But when I checked with the Martins, they said that you weren’t at their home that evening.”
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t force a lie to come out, not with Wayne’s dad boring his eyes into mine. My heart sank as I realized that I had hesitated too long. My mom covered her mouth and looked away.
“I was at the party,” I said softly and dropped my gaze.
“Janie.” Officer Russell shook his head. “I’m going to need the names of everyone you saw there.”
“I can’t-”
“You most certainly can, young lady,” my dad said. He folded his arms and frowned at me. It was the most disappointed I had ever seen him, and it made a little lump swell in my throat.
“I can’t,” I repeated. My eyes burned on the verge of tears. “I was only there for five minutes, and I only talked to Wayne and Matilda. It was dark. I didn’t see anyone else.”
“Janie,” my dad growled. “I can’t believe this. It’s just too much, and we thought you were such a good kid. Say goodnight to Benny and go to your room.”
Officer Russell looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he pressed his lips together and nodded to Benny instead. “You’re free to go, son.”
Benny harrumphed and gave me a quick hug. “Sorry you’re in such a pickle, sweetie. It was a mostly fun night. We’ll have to do it again when you’re not grounded.”
“Which will be when she’s fifty,” my dad grumbled.
Benny left, and I sulked up to my bedroom. I hadn’t been grounded since fourth grade, after Wayne and I had used all of my mom’s fancy toiletries to set up a mad scientist lab in the backyard.
When I opened my closet, Matilda was gone. She had probably slipped out to the shed while everyone was in the front yard. The blue shoes sparkled on my shoe rack. There was a little note tucked down inside one.
That Chloe Martin would have made a good D too.
I ripped the note in to little pieces and let it fall to my closet floor. I knew we weren’t getting along, but up until that point, I had assumed that we would eventually make up, once the whole Matilda scheme was over. Not now. Not ever. She had burned that bridge, our ship had sailed, and a million other clichés that meant we were through.
I flipped open my phone and sent the last text that I would probably get the chance to before my parents confiscated it.
I hope you’re happy.
I didn’t get a reply.
While I waited for my parents to finish talking with Officer Russell, I stripped out of my date clothes and into my Dr. Who pajamas. Then I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I tidied my room and made my bed. I had just pulled back the covers when my parents finally paid me a visit.
“Janie,” my mom said softly. “I need your phone and your internet cable.”
I didn’t try to argue with her. I didn’t pout or get angry. I disconnected the internet cable from my laptop and turned it and my cell phone over without a word.
“I don’t understand. What were you thinking, going to that party? And lying to us?” My dad sighed and sat down on the edge of my desk.
I shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to fit in for a change. I didn’t want to be the goody-two-shoes nerd that everyone ignored or made fun of anymore.”
My mom sat down next to me on my bed. “Honey, when you start college this fall, everyone’s priorities will be different. They’ll respect that you’re smart and well-mannered.”
“I know.” I frowned. “It’s just been an awfully long wait, and after Matilda died and Wayne started talking to me again, I was just so worried that I wouldn’t be cool enough for him to stay friends with for long.”
“Wayne?” My dad’s eyebrows shot up. “You’ve been friends with Wayne your whole life. Do you really think he expects you to jump through a bunch of hoops now that you’re seniors?”
“Yeah. I do.” I laughed bitterly.
“Well, if the kind of hoops you’re jumping through are going to attract the police, then I say he’s not worth it.”
“I wasn’t trying to attract the police, Dad.”
“Well, you did, and we’re pretty disappointed in you. You’re better than that, Janie.”
“You don’t understand. Things have been really complicated late
ly.”
“Well, they’re about to get real simple. You’re grounded. In addition to losing your phone and internet privileges, you’re not allowed to borrow the car or get a ride home with anyone else. No shopping. No movies. No television. No going next door to visit Wayne even.”
“No makeup,” my mom added. “And definitely no miniskirts. Where did you get that thing anyway?”
“Ebay.” I just didn’t have it in me to lie to her right now.
“No more Ebay,” she said.
“I think you covered that with the internet cable.”
“Don’t sass your mother,” my dad snapped.
My mom sighed. “Goodnight, Janie.”
My dad stood and followed her to my bedroom door. Then he turned and frowned at me. “We’re not done talking about this, Janie, but I think it’s best that you have some time to think about your actions.”
When the door closed behind them, and I was alone in the dark, I cried. I cried because my best friend had betrayed me. I cried because I had betrayed her. I cried because I had hurt Wayne’s feelings, because I had disappointed my parents, and because I had lied to everyone I cared about. I cried because I hadn’t just let Matilda take over my life, I had actually enjoyed it. I cried because as much as I wanted this to be over, it wasn’t. Not even close.
Doubts
Chapter 16
The rest of the weekend was depressing. I sulked around the house. I helped my dad set up his new printer in the basement office, and I baked casseroles with my mom. Everyone was extra quiet and broody.
Officer Russell called to inform us that there wouldn’t be an official police report about my presence at the party. There was no actual evidence to document, and since I hadn’t stayed or drank anything, I was essentially let off the hook, at least, as far as the police were concerned.
Matilda slipped up to my room only once, just to let me know that she would be steering clear until Monday morning, when my parents would have to give me a little breathing room to get ready for school. She seemed a little wigged out by their extra attention. Her parents hadn’t spared her that kind of time whenever she had screwed up.
The weekend seemed to go on forever. I didn’t have things like my phone or the television as distractions, so every minute was painfully accounted for. I wondered if the Ds had texted or called. I wondered if Wayne’s dad had told him about Benny and if he would tell everyone at school. I did all of my homework and checked it twice. Then I wrote two papers that weren’t due for another month. I even found time to slip in a novel I’d been wanting to read since Christmas. For a few short hours, I was able to forget all the ways my life was spiraling out of control.
When Monday morning did finally arrive, my sulking gave way to desperation. Matilda gave me a quick lesson in trickery. We emptied out an old zippered pencil bag and packed my makeup essentials inside, along with a pair of hooped earrings. Then I slipped a hoodie over the new green blouse I had hidden in the back of my closet. My skinny jeans and boots were mild enough to go unnoticed. Matilda slipped a bottle of baby oil and a few cotton swabs down in my bag before I left, for quick makeup removal after school.
When my mom dropped me off, I went directly to my locker and stripped out of the hoodie. I put in the hoop earrings on the way to the girls’ bathroom. The Ds were already waiting for me. They looked more polished than usual, probably to compensate for the gossip Amanda had surely spread about the legitimacy of my Friday night date with a college boy.
“Late start this morning?” Denise asked, passing me her cigarette. I took a long drag and handed it back before fishing my makeup out of my bag.
“What a weekend. I hope your party was better than my date,” I said, leaning over the sink to brush on some eye shadow in the mirror.
“It was so lame,” Danielle whined. “It would have been better if you were there.”
Denise glared at her before turning back to look at me in the mirror. “Mitch got drunk and fell in the water. Then he chased us around the park like an idiot. How was your date?” she asked, twirling a golden curl between her fingers.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, first he took me to a cheap restaurant. Then he ordered without asking me what I wanted, which he did again when we went out for ice cream afterwards. I swear, I almost dumped him right then and there.” I tried not to smile as the memory of mine and Benny’s performance came back.
“You totally should have,” Danielle said, taking the cigarette from Denise.
I shrugged and finished my eye makeup off with a coat of mascara. I only had enough time left to slick on some lip gloss before the first bell rang, but I was polished enough for the Ds to be seen with.
Denise and I said goodbye to Danielle and made our way to Mr. Hammond’s English class. I saw Chloe at her locker as we passed by, but quickly looked away. Denise noticed her too and stuck her nose up in the air. She was so engrossed in her snobbery that she bumped right into Eddie Paris as he stepped into our path.
“Janie, I need to talk to you,” he said, clutching the strap of his backpack over one shoulder.
Denise snorted and walked around him. She stopped when I didn’t follow and turned back, narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re not really going to talk to him, are you?”
“No,” I blurted, trying to step around Eddie too, but he stepped in front of me again.
“It’s really important,” he whispered.
“I somehow doubt it.” My rudeness shocked him enough that I was able to dodge around him and catch up with Denise.
“What a creeper,” she said under her breath.
I gave a small laugh and looked back at Eddie. I hoped he knew how sorry I was, but then again, it was probably best if he didn’t. I didn’t want to have to be mean to him in front of the Ds, but I would be. My entire life was at stake. Being mean was better than being committed.
The day was slow and predictable. No one said anything about my date being my cousin, so I assumed that either Officer Russell hadn’t told Wayne, or else Wayne was still my friend and not out to destroy me.
I thought that I might have my answer by lunch, but our table was too crowded for Wayne and me to have a private conversation. Instead, we stared each other down from across the table.
Eddie had been bumped down to the opposite end from us by a trio of cheerleaders led by Amanda Hughes.
“Your boyfriend is kind of a jerk,” she said by way of small talk.
“Yeah, I suppose he is.” I had the feeling that she was probably looking for more than that, but I just couldn’t give it to her with Wayne sitting right in front of me. Amanda shrugged and went back to talking to Mitch about how mad she was that he hadn’t invited her to the party.
Wayne was quiet all through lunch, until I went to dump my tray. He followed me to the trash cans, nudging in close to my shoulder. “I know that was your cousin Benny.”
My cheeks burned, and I was suddenly sorry that I hadn’t had time to apply the rest of my makeup that morning. “My date bailed. Benny came down to cheer me up. So what if everyone thinks he’s my boyfriend?”
“You didn’t really have a date, did you?” Wayne grinned at me.
“Wayne, what do you want?”
His brow furrowed as he took my tray and set it down on top of his. He took me by the arm and pulled me out of the cafeteria and into the hall. “I want to know what happened between our kiss and now. I thought you liked me, and now you’re giving me the brushoff like Denise does with Mitch all the time. What gives?”
I licked my lips and pressed them together. “I do like you,” I admitted. “I’m just really confused right now. There’s a lot going on that I can’t explain, and it’s killing me.”
“Yeah, well it’s killing me too. Let me know when you figure it out.” He turned to go back in the cafeteria, but then stopped and turned back around. “And for the record, the Ds would be just as impressed if you were dating me instead of some fake college guy.”
My heart ached
and my head throbbed. I began having doubts about my priorities. Maybe it would be okay if Officer Russell found Matilda in my room. Maybe I could convince him that someone had framed me. Maybe being put in a straightjacket wouldn’t be so bad, as long as I got to watch them put her back, six feet under where she belonged.
The garbage disposal wasn’t entirely out of the question yet, but it seemed more and more farfetched the longer Matilda hung around. It would have been easier if she had been a drooling, stumbling, mindless cliché of a zombie, but she wasn’t. She was still evil though, even if it was just run of the mill high school evil.
I was trying to decide if I should follow Wayne back to the cafeteria, when Eddie pushed open the door and slammed it into my elbow. “Ow!”
“Sorry, I, sorry,” he stammered. “I really need to talk to you.”
“Now really isn’t a good time, Eddie.” I reached for the cafeteria door, but he slapped his hand against it, holding it shut.
“It’s really important, Janie.”
“What?” I snapped.
Eddie jumped and took his hand back, rubbing it over his face. He shifted from one foot to the other and then tapped one of his worn sneakers on the floor, squeaking it against the linoleum. “You know that hair you gave me a while back?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Seriously? This big important thing you need to talk to me about is a hairball?”
“No. Well, yes. Sort of.” His brows crinkled up and he gave me a pained half smile. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and fourth period.
“I don’t have time for this, Eddie.” I turned to head for my locker. Eddie followed me down the hall.
“Wait! I just wanted to ask if you had a date for prom yet.”
Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend Page 11