The family had moved out here when Track had run through all the schools in his burg. His dad thought the change of scenery not to mention the pace, was just what his son needed.
This last stunt proved that it didn’t matter where he lived, Track was going to be Track. It’s not that he’s a bad seed or anything like that, far from it.
Track is a fun loving teen same as the rest of us, he just has a more volatile personality I guess you can say. And a healthy dose of honor and loyalty for those he perceives to be his friends.
He’s one of those guys that you know you’ll know for life, and in a good fucking way. I’d learned since we were kids though that it was a lost cause getting between him and his sense of justice.
This was about the third time in the last two years that his dad had dragged him off somewhere to some kind of anger management camp. They never worked but old man Track kept trying.
Beyond that, the fucker was highly intelligent, like Mensa smart, but he never held that over us Hollywood freaks, as he’s so fond of calling us.
“So what did he do this time?” Sian cut in in the middle of my recitation.
Dad laughed out loud because he knew the story as well as I did.
“Chad I wish you wouldn’t laugh at these boys’ exploits it only encourages them.” Mom scolded him but her lips were twitching as well.
“I know, but you’ve got to admit, that shit was funny.”
“Well, what’d he do?” She looked from one to the other of us impatiently.
“He socked coach in the mouth during our last game of the season. It was a home game in front of a stadium full of people who all saw it, since Track wasn’t trying to hide it.”
“He, what, why?”
“I’m not sure, if I remember correctly he said it was because coach was being more of an asshole than usual.” Come to think of it that shit was funny.
For the next half hour or so I told her old tales of my friend. It was nice to hear her laugh, even nicer to have something else to think about other than the attack.
***
I had her set up outside by the pool with everything she could possibly need by the time I heard the first car pull up.
Marisa had a spread prepared to feed an army and I had a cooler full of juice and soft drinks sitting in ice. “You need anything else from inside before the others get here?”
“Nope, I think you brought half the bedroom down here. Are you sure I need this blanket?”
“Yes.” I fixed it around her legs the way I wanted it. “The doctor said not to let you get a chill.”
“Jace, this is California, it’s about ninety degrees outside, I’m pretty sure there isn’t a chill to be had for miles.”
“Very funny, you keep this on or it’s back inside with you.”
“Get a grip.” I ignored the eye roll and the grumbles as I stood to meet our first guest.
It looked like Shane had invited the whole team minus a few undesirables, which was fine by me.
“Where’s Track?”
“Said he’d get here on his own.”
“Uh, isn’t his license suspended or some shit?”
“I think his old man got that cleared up, or knowing Track he just decided to say ‘fuck it’.”
Yeah the last was more like it.
Just then we heard DMX Rough Riders or Track’s theme song as it’s known around here, blasting down the drive.
It seems like everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes were turned to the side of the house where he would appear. And boy did he appear.
“Here I am motherfuckers!” He came around the corner with his arms stretched out at his sides.
I studied him while the others flocked around him. It was strange to me that no one else seemed to ever notice how drawn he looked whenever he came back from one of these forced vacations.
I did though, I always have, but he would always shush me or change the subject whenever I brought it up.
I waited for him to finish his hellos and come to me. “Hey little brother, you’re looking like king of the fucking walk.” He grinned at me as he approached.
“Bro, you’re two weeks older than I am.”
“Older is older you ass. What’s going on brother?” We moved into each other and he whispered in my ear under the pretense of a brotherly hug. “I heard; that’s why I’m back.”
He eased back and looked at me. “How did you…?”
“Dad told me, he said it was bad, where is she?” He looked around for my girl.
I walked him over to where she was reclining in the lounge surrounded by her girls, who had already getting started on their nail painting shit.
“Sian I want you to meet the nut I was telling you about earlier.”
“My lady.” He did his Rett Butler shit and lifted her hand to his lips, making her giggle.
“Dude I didn’t say you could blubber all over my girl, you can let go now.” I tried muscling him out of the way playfully but he didn’t budge. Overgrown ape.
“Sian you sure this is the guy for you? You seem so refined and he has the manners of an ox.”
He had her in stitches the way only Track could, before we walked away. He clapped me on the back as we headed for the court a little ways from the pool.
“Damn bro, so this is what happens when I’m not around? You get the cream of the fucking crop?” we both stopped and looked back over our shoulders at her.
It was a perfect moment, the sun was glinting off her hair and her face was soft as she smiled at something Belle was saying to her.
“Nah brother, it wouldn’t have mattered even if you were here, she’s mine.”
“How can you be so sure?” He elbowed me in the ribs.
“Because that, that was made for me brother, from her first breath to her last.”
“Damn bro you are so gone.”
“I know it; she’s the one bro.”
“Doesn’t that shit scare you?”
“Why should it?”
“Because you’re seventeen years old maybe?” That was strange coming from him but I let it slide.
“Nah, it feels fucking awesome.”
“Good as long as you’re sure. Now whose shit are we going to fuck up?”
“Track…”
“I told you that other one was poison didn’t I? You looking at her for this? Because you know she’s one fucked up individual.”
“She’s in the hospital in a coma.”
“Heard about that too as soon as I got back.” We were almost to the others, but there was no need to lower our voices or change the subject, it’s why I’d brought them here after all.
Dad came out on the patio and called out to me just as I was about to talk to get things started. He held the phone up as I jogged back towards him.
“What is it?”
“It’s the hospital, it seems that Mandy person woke up a little over an hour ago and she’s asking for you.”
“What the fuck are you talking about dad?” he didn’t answer me for a while and I could tell from the look on his face that he was struggling with whatever this was.
“Son, they say she can’t remember what happened to her that night. Her memory apparently stops at when you two were still together as a couple.”
***
Chapter 3
JACE
“Who’s on the phone?”
“Someone from the hospital, they’re waiting for an answer.”
“Tell them to get fucked.”
“I thought you might take that stand, but I wanted to be sure before I did anything.”
I turned to head back to my boys pissed way the fuck off; like what the fuck? This shit was too unreal to be believed. If they only knew…then again, I could probably use this shit to my advantage if I played it right.
I looked over to where my girl was sitting with her crew and she had eyes on me. I smiled and waved like my shit wasn’t tight.
If that bitch really couldn’t r
emember anything but me, then she should remember that I hate her ass.
“What’s up bro? You look like you’re ready to jump off.” Shayne was the first to notice the black scowl on my face when I got back to them.
“That was the hospital, apparently Mandy can’t remember shit except for when we were together.” I gave them the bare bones, which was about all that I had myself since I didn’t give the caller a chance to tell me shit.
“Convenient much?”
“Just what the fuck I said Track.”
“So what’re you gonna do?”
“What do you think Jared? Leave her ass where she is. She might’ve forgotten but I haven’t and I still think she had something to do with what happened to my Si.”
Of course it became the topic of discussion, and everyone had an opinion. My mind was working around it and trying to see things from all angles.
Too bad I didn’t trust her ass, not even now when they claim that she was at death’s door. I wouldn’t put anything past her, and like I said, she might’ve forgotten but I haven’t.
“But maybe we can use this to our advantage, I mean the cops can’t seem to find shit and nobody’s talking. If this shit is legit, wouldn’t it make more sense to get close to her, just in case? You never know, she might slip up.”
“Or I might slip and kill her ass, you thought about that Alec?”
“I’m just saying bro; everyone’s in an uproar. The whole town thinks there’s a madman running around killing off high school girls.”
“He might have a point bro, this might be the only way to get any answers.” Another one of my boys chimed in. I noticed that Shane and Jared, were the only ones no longer saying anything, they were just listening.
Well those two and Track, but I knew where he stood already so I didn’t even bother to ask. I also knew that I wasn’t ready to share what I’d seen and heard that night I’d been outside her house, not yet anyway, and not with everyone here.
“I already told them to get fucked so it’s too late.”
“You can always change your mind.” This was true and they had a valid argument, one that was beginning to make sense to me even though it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I can’t believe I was actually contemplating this shit, it felt kind of disrespectful to my baby that I would even give it any play.
But I kept coming back to the fact that it might be the only way for me to get to the truth. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get the person who’d fucking hurt her and make them pay.
I looked back over to where she was sitting and tried to imagine what that shit would look like, me pretending to be Mandy’s boyfriend while she recovered her memory.
Could I put her through something like that, no matter the cause? And how the fuck would I even pull it off, when I can’t even stomach the idea of Mandy?
I tried to imagine if the tables were turned and Sian was in my shoes, and I actually laughed my ass off. She’d be fucking dead.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my parents’ relationship, it’s respect. I know down to my soul that if I did this shit it would be disrespectful to my girl, no matter the reasoning behind it; but the question still remained, will it help me get closer to the answers I was looking for?
The ball game was put on hold as the guys played around with different scenarios. I was dead set against having anything to do with this shit, but some of their arguments made sense.
My only stumbling block, well there were two of them. How the fuck would I pull it off believably, and what the fuck would I do with Sian if I went there?
If I did it I knew there was no way I would ever touch her, but just the thought of being in the same room with her, or even letting her think that we were still together for even a second, fucked with my head.
There was a slight chance that she was for real, that her memory really was gone, though I was more inclined to believe that she was full of shit; but what if?
In the end I decided to discuss the shit with Sian later. The only reason I would even contemplate doing this shit is for her anyway.
We still didn’t know who’d attacked her and why, and the longer we went without any answers, the more worried I became that we’d never know. I can’t live with that shit.
As repulsive as I’d first found the idea, it seemed to be growing on me now as my anger was pushed aside by practicality. If I needed to get close to her in order to get to the truth, then I might have to put my personal feelings aside and go for it.
“Let’s play, I can’t think about this shit right now, it’s fucking with my head.” We headed onto the court, the discussion tabled for the time being, but it never left my thoughts.
I only hope that if I had to do this shit it wouldn’t be too much for Sian. But somehow I think I knew what her answer was going to be already.
CASSANDRA
I barely overheard a little bit of what the boys were saying as I pretended to be interested in something in the gardens beyond the basketball court, after I’d heard what Jace’s dad had said to him about that phone call.
They hadn’t even noticed me thank heavens or they would’ve noticed my reaction. So she was still alive, and now awake, that sucked. I was hoping she’d die, even after she’d been found, but it looks like she’d escaped once again.
I was a nervous wreck the rest of the afternoon while the others laughed and played around me. Sian kept studying me though, so I had to put on my smiley face as I bided my time and counted down the hours ‘til I could respectfully leave. I needed to go home and think in the confines of my room.
Both of my parents had been acting strange this morning at breakfast, strange meaning they were almost back to normal, at least that was something. But now with her still in the picture instead of six feet under, who knows how long that will last?
“Cassie are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been so quiet all day, aren’t you having fun?”
I walked over to sit next to Sian who had been confined to the lounge chair by Jace, who kept throwing her looks every so often as if to make sure she was following orders.
“I’m fine, just thinking about some stuff I have to do at home.”
“Oh, do you need to leave? Because I will totally understand if you do! You don’t have to stay here keeping me company if you have stuff to do.”
“No it’s okay, I’ll stay for a little while longer.” I didn’t want to call too much attention to myself by acting weird, so I’d better get my act together.
No one knew about Mandy and my dad, and I was glad now that I hadn’t shared what I knew with anyone. It would only have made things a lot more difficult.
If her memory was gone did that mean it would never return, or was it only temporary? And more importantly, was it really gone?
I had to find out more before I made a move, but this time, no matter what, I was not about to let her destroy my family. I had to stifle my thoughts as I sat there among my friends who had no idea of the turmoil I was going through.
Pretty soon the conversation turned to Track, and since Sian had never met him until today, everyone was filling her in.
“He’s like the meanest guy if you piss him off, or at least that’s the rumor. We weren’t this close with these guys until you came along, so everything we know is rumor.”
“I find that hard to believe Belle, you have an opinion on everyone, you don’t need to know them like that to know them.”
“This is true, but I’ve never really given it much thought before. I will say that his mysterious disappearances used to be the talk of the school, but now no one hardly ever mentions it.”
“What mysterious disappearances?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? He disappears for weeks sometimes, something about anger management camp, at least that’s one of the excuses I’ve heard. Why did you think he wasn’t here when school started?”
“I don’t know I wasn’t given much time to think about it one way or the other
. Jace never mentioned him until today.
So he has to go to anger management camp, isn’t he a bit young for that?”
“That’s why I’ve never really believed it, but like I said, we weren’t part of the same circle so it never really mattered all that much to me.”
“It could be true Belle, about the camp I mean. He is known to have a temper and he’s not too shy about showing it.”
“Yes Tammy but who sends their kid off to anger management camp or what the hell ever every time they misbehave?”
“Belle the last time Track ‘misbehaved’, he almost killed coach remember?”
“ You’ve got a point, but still.”
Thank heavens the conversation had shifted from me because I was fast running out of things to say to explain my odd behavior.
I was too nervous to really let my guard down and I was afraid I would slip up and say the wrong thing if I did.
By the time a reasonable amount of time had passed and things were winding down, I was about ready to pop. I wasn’t much better in the car when my dad came to pick me up later.
We didn’t say anything to each other and I realized that our relationship would never be the same; she’d taken that away from me as well.
I sat up straight in my seat when we pulled into the driveway and saw the unmarked car there. Somehow I knew without being told that it was the police.
My dad’s reaction was very strange though and for a minute I thought he would turn around and leave, but instead he took a deep fortifying breath and got out of the car.
Chapter 4
TRACK
“Hey, what have you found out?”
“Listen we’re having second thoughts about letting you do this, we were in the middle of something very important; this high school drama isn’t worth it.”
“First of all you’re not letting me do shit. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this shit, you don’t own me so don’t believe your own fucking hype.”
“Son…”
Eden High Series 2 Book 1 Page 3