by Alisha Basso
Her friend watched her, concern shining from her hazel eyes.
"Hey." Cassie linked an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Sorry. I've had a tough couple of days."
"Yeah, I noticed." Penny squeezed Cassie's arm. "Glad to see you looking more like yourself." The two walked in, arms linked, heads almost touching.
"I'm getting there, but slowly," admitted Cassie. "It's hard listening to what everyone else is saying about him. I know they didn't know him like I did, but I didn't expect people to go totally off on him, either. My dad's been snarky mean about Todd since the accident. It hurts"
"Dads are like that and yours hated Todd. He's probably happy Todd's dead."
Cassie stumbled. It sounded so wrong to hear people say things like that. She knew Todd was gone physically, but her heart and mind couldn't quite accept it. Not while she could still see and talk with him. But neither did she understand his current state. She lived in fear he'd disappear and never return. She hadn't seen him since class yesterday. And that worried her.
"Wow, aren't you two cute?" Kendra, with a big blond brute-of-a-guy at her side, walked up to the two girls. Cassie stiffened.
"Easy. Don't let her get to you," cautioned Penny, keeping Cassie's arm tight against her. "She's just trying to piss you off."
"I know," murmured Cassie, eyeing Kendra. "She's succeeding. If she says one thing about Todd, I'm going—"
"So your little Toddy bear killed himself, did he?" She snickered, sending a knowing look at the brawny brain-dead male at her side. "Drinking and driving. What an ass."
"Cassie––" Penny warned, but it didn't stop Cassie.
"Todd wasn't drinking and driving, and if you knew him as well as you'd like everyone else to think you did…" Cassie's smirk grew at the outrage on Kendra's face. "Then you'd remember how strict he was on that issue."
"I knew Todd better than you ever did, you. How dare you imply anything else? Todd loved me. You were nothing to him." Kendra's face turned a mottled red.
Penny tugged hard on Cassie arm, dragging her down the hallway. "Don't say anything. Do you want to get in trouble? She's a bitch. Always has been and always will be. I don't know what Todd saw in her."
Cassie snorted. "Todd didn't see anything in her. He couldn't get past the assets sticking out in front of her."
Penny snickered. "So true. But he was male."
"You and I both know why she's so popular, but the guys don't get it. Todd couldn't tell me what he liked about her. The conversation always came back to what he could get from her."
"I can't believe you two talked about things like that."
"We talked about everything. That's why it hurts so bad. You have your mom. I just don't have that type of relationship with mine. I'm always afraid she'll involve my dad somehow. And he's always so furious when boys are mentioned. You know how he was with Todd." She scrunched up her face and mimicked, "He's too old for you. He's too worldly for you. He's too…He's too…" She groaned. "Ohh, he never shuts up."
Penny giggled. "And what you hate is he's often right. Todd was too old for you. He was all those other things as well, but your dad didn't understand. Todd was a special friend. He wasn't your boyfriend."
It was so nice to be understood. Penny and Cassie had fights over the ten years that they'd known each other, but that had settled down as they'd grown older and decided to be friends in spite of their differences, in the same way she'd built her relationship with Todd.
Todd had talked about his girlfriends, and Cassie had asked him tons of questions about boys he knew. The insider knowledge had been great for her and her friends.
Who did she have now?
Taking her seat in English class, Cassie looked around and realized that she had loads of friends, but few really good ones. Penny was the closest of three. Todd had been the lone male in her circle.
She frowned as a paper airplane landed on her desk. Scribbles covered one wing.
Todd was a loser and he got what he deserved.
Her back stiffened. How dare people talk about him like that? Todd hadn't been a loser. People may have had that impression of him but they didn't know him.
The English teacher walked in, a note in his hand. "I'm to tell you that the funeral for Todd Spence is this Friday afternoon at four, for those of you who wish to go and pay your respects. I'll post this information on the board."
Tears sprang to Cassie's eyes as words of protest sprang to her mouth. She choked them back. She bowed her head, her fists clenched in her lap. Todd was dead. His body – that part of him – would need to be buried. Staring down at her hands, she refused to look around. She felt the stares, heard the half whispers. How difficult to realize she might be the only one to show up on Friday. Well, his mom and brother would be there. So would Todd. If he could, that is.
Thoughts of him watching the ceremony brought a tiny smile to her face. He'd probably get a kick out of it. So far, though, he hadn't sounded particularly enthralled with the changes in his life. Not that she blamed him.
Maybe she'd search out Jessie at lunch time. See if he had any news.
With a plan in place, Cassie tuned back into class.
***
Todd stuck close to Cassie throughout the morning, interested in this side of her. She seemed one person with him and then another without him. Being dead gave him a unique look into her life. Normal for everyone, he supposed. Still, he'd been amazed at the spat between Kendra and Cassie. Kendra was a bitch, always had been, and obviously had no plans to change anytime soon.
But she'd 'put out' and that had been valuable. He grinned. Guys had needs, after all.
He'd always been protective of Cassie, but now he had a big-picture view. A view that highlighted different priorities, put things in an order of relevance he hadn't been able to see while he was alive.
He knew Cassie needed help to find the truth about his accident. But who?. The only friends he'd trust around her were Bryce, Ivan and maybe Rob. But they wouldn't help. They were law abiding and respectful and would believe exactly what the police told them. They'd listen to Cassie and agree to her face, to make her happy, then say later that she was overreacting, and overemotional because of her grief.
His other so-called friends would laugh her off for the opposite reason. They didn't like cops, never believed what they said and avoided all cops.
Maybe his brother? He wasn't so sure he wanted those two together. Just the thought made his insides tumble around. Or they would, if he had insides.
He placed a hand on his belly and pushed inward. His hand want right though the vision of shirt material and skin. There was nothing there. Holding up his hand he could see people through his palm.
He wasn't solid.
Staring around the crowded classroom, he realized he couldn't smell that stuffy stale odor he had always picked up in this classroom. And if he couldn't smell, why could he hear and speak? Weird. Wonderful, yeah, sometimes – but the rest, well, he didn't quite know.
A funeral, huh? Funny, he'd never put any thought into his own death.
Odd to think that the first funeral he'd attend would be his own.
***
Lunchtime, as always, was nuts. Kids stayed in class to work on homework, others ran to the closest store for goodies, and all of them seemed to pass in front of, or around Cassie on the way to the commons room. She'd forgotten to pack a lunch. Well, not really. She hadn't bothered was more like it. She'd lost her appetite. She had to force food down when her parents were around or they'd get on her case, but when they weren't there…
"Can I treat you to an iced coffee?" Penny appeared at her elbow.
Cassie smiled. "That's a great idea. Thanks. Are you having one?"
"Duh, girlfriend. You think you're going to get away with drinking one of those in front of me? Of course, I am. Find us a place to sit and I'll be right back." Penny disappeared in the sea of jeans and purple hair. Cassie surveyed the large room and rolled her eyes. She should
have gone to buy the drinks and left Penny to find a seat. This place was chaos.
Working her way down one wall, Cassie headed to the far corner of the large open room. Just as she was about to snag a corner foam cushion, a larger male plunked down in front of her.
Outrage didn't quite cover her reaction. Cassie narrowed her gaze and pinned Jessie in place. "A gentleman would let the lady have the seat, particularly as she was here first."
Several of Jessie's friends laughed and crowded around her.
"There're no gentlemen here, sweetheart."
"Uh, did you say a lady? Where?"
Their taunts wouldn't stop. She tossed them a withering look before looking for another space.
"Here, you can have it."
The guys' laughter stopped as if it had been sliced off. They stared down at Jessie. Jessie stood up and motioned at Cassie to take the chair. "You're right. You were here first. Take it, please."
Curious, Cassie stared at him.
He shifted, uncomfortable, either with her or with his chivalrous actions. Maybe those surprised him as much as they had everyone else.
"Thank you." She stepped forward and sat down.
The other guys backed off, following Jessie toward the back doors. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"Jesus, man, just because she was your brother's stupid girlfriend doesn't mean you have to go and give her our spot."
Todd's stupid girlfriend. Cassie could only wonder what else people thought of her relationship with Todd. A Principal's List student, she hardly qualified for 'stupid' status. Obviously people applied the term because she had been friends with Todd. Cassie slid lower in the seat and closed her eyes, letting other conversations drift around her. She'd much rather be home alone in her room.
"Cassie?"
She opened her eyes.
Todd. Looking as careless and gorgeous as always.
She bolted upright, glanced around and quickly sat back down. "What are you doing here?" Keeping an eye on anyone close enough to hear, Cassie winced at the idea of being overheard.
"Don't you want to see me?" He grinned.
She noted he wore the same clothes. Were they the ones he'd worn in the accident? If so, why weren't they covered in blood? Or alcohol, for that matter. Keeping her voice soft, she asked him.
"I don't know. These are all I've seen. I can't take them off." He tried to lift up the strap of his muscle shirt and it lifted but was as transparent as his own body. He hooked his fingers into his pockets and his fingers disappeared as if they were actually going into something. Weird.
"Your brother called a deputy, asking for more details."
"Oh." Todd sat on the arm of the couch, oblivious to everyone else.
Cassie couldn't talk out loud to the empty air in front of her face. People were worried about her now. Wait until she got caught talking to a piece of furniture.
"What did he find out?"
Keeping her voice low and trying not to move her lips too much – which wasn't easy – she relayed what she'd learned.
"I was outside the vehicle? So I must have been thrown free." He frowned. "That can't be right. I always wear a seatbelt. And what about the air bags, were they deployed?"
Cassie shook her head. "I don't know. He didn't mention them."
Todd stared off into the distance. "We need to find out. If the airbags did work, I had help getting out of the vehicle. I think they deflate quickly, but they're big and awkward. They would have been hard to get around. If they didn't, then maybe something mechanical was wrong with the car and that caused the accident."
Cassie pursed her lips. Odd, she hadn't considered a mechanical problem. Why not? If there'd been booze containers in the car, still in the case or bag, they would have obviously broken in the accident, spraying their contents throughout. Had the police considered that?
"I may have to call them myself."
"Call who?" Penny stood in front of her, two iced coffees in her hand, slightly out of breath.
Cassie glanced at Todd then shook her head. Todd was gone. Again.
"Here, take one will you? These things are freezing."
Cassie snagged the one on the left and took a long sip, hoping her friend wouldn't notice her discomfort. Penny took Todd's spot. Cassie watched her out of the corner of her eye, wondering if she'd feel anything different. Nope.
"The line was huge." Penny shook her shoulder-length, brown hair – the ends flipped up as they landed. "At least I can sit down now."
"Mmmm." Cassie busied herself drinking her iced treat.
"So, who are you going to call?"
Glancing up at her friend, Cassie shrugged. "I might call the police and ask for the facts about Todd's death."
"Oh, no. Don't do that. You're never going to get over this if you have all those nasty details rolling around in your head." Penny pretended to shiver horribly. "Yuck."
"I know, but I need answers and I won't get them unless I ask."
"Ask his father, then. He'd know the important ones."
Cassie shuddered. She'd rather not know than approach Todd's father. She'd seen a lot of him over the years, and when the man was drunk, ugh. He was bad news. Then again, Jessie could ask him. They might be on talking terms. "Are you going to the funeral on Friday?"
Penny glanced sideways at her. "I don't want to. I hate funerals. Besides, I start work at four. I'd have to get someone to cover my shift, and you know how hard that is."
Penny was a part-time checker at Thrifty's, and no one ever wanted to work Friday nights. Just the same, Cassie hoped Penny found someone to cover for her.
She wanted her by her side at the funeral. And she wanted answers to her questions.
Why was someone holding back information? Cassie was sure someone knew what happened to Todd on his last night, and she was going to find that person.
She needed to know the truth. And so did Todd.
***
Cassie walked into the sheriff's office on her way home from school. Going through the front door wasn't too bad, but once inside she felt intimidated. Everyone had such stern, imposing looks on their faces. Unapproachable. She almost backed out.
"Hi there. How can we help you?"
Cassie followed the sound of a friendly voice to a large counter where a woman smiled at her. A friendly face. Cassie headed for her, relief in her voice as she said, "I want to find out some information about an accident that happened last weekend."
The woman looked at her monitor and typed in something. "What kind of information are you looking for? And which accident?"
Cassie took a deep breath and gave out the details. "I'm…" she stumbled and corrected herself, "… I was his best friend and well, I can't sleep for the questions rolling around in my head."
"How old are you, Cassie?"
"Sixteen," she muttered, hoping age wouldn't make a difference.
"And do your parents know that you're here?"
A heavy sigh slid out. "No. And I suppose you can't talk to me unless they are here, too, huh?"
"That's not mandatory. Let me find someone for you." The woman stood and left the room.
Cassie wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans. That wasn't so bad.
"Cassie, come on through here. Deputy Magnusson has a few moments to spare."
The large wooden desk-high gate opened, giving Cassie entrance to the other side of the counter. The woman led her down a small hallway and into a smaller office. A portly man her father's age stood and smiled at her. "Come in, come in. We don't get too many people your age in here voluntarily, you know."
Cassie grimaced. "Not sure I'll ever come again either, sir."
He laughed. "Sit down and relax. What can I do for you?"
"Thank you." She sat down on the edge of the spare chair. "My friend, Todd, died in a car accident Friday night." Tears threatened. Cassie stopped, sniffled once and stared out the window for a long moment before she managed to get her emotions back under control. Facing the depu
ty again, she saw empathy and understanding on his face. "I know that everyone says he'd been drinking and driving and deserved what he got." This time tears did form in her eyes. She choked them back. "But, he didn't. He'd never drink and drive."
Deputy Magnusson sat back, crossed his hands on his belly and gave her a solid look. "First off, no young man deserves to die. So what they're thinking along that line is just plain wrong. Second, the investigation hasn't officially been closed and rumors will always float around."
"I need to make sure you checked out a few things."
The deputy raised one eyebrow and settled back into his chair. "Fire away and we'll see if I can help."
"Did his airbag go off?" she blurted out. Sitting back, she wondered at the frown on his face.
"You know, that's a darn good question. There was one on the car, I know that. And it was burned in the fire." He reached into the drawer at his side and pulled out a thin file. "I'm not sure if I have anything written down about whether it went off first though. Why are you asking?"
"I'm wondering if he was actually thrown out of the vehicle, and if he was, how? He kept his car tuned up particular. He loved that machine and there were airbags in it. So if the airbags went off, how could he have been thrown out of the vehicle?" she asked reasonably. "Also, did anyone find Todd's cell phone?"
The Deputy frowned as he flicked through his open file. "We didn't find one. Although, chances are it was destroyed in the fire."
Wincing, Cassie stared at the floor for a moment, catching her breath. "Right. Fire," she said weakly. "Was Todd burned as well?"
"No." He rushed to assure her. "He was far enough off to the side that he wasn't caught in the fire."
Her breath gusted out in relief, not wanting to have that picture locked into her head. "So is it possible for him to have been thrown out before the airbag opened up or to have crawled out after it inflated?"
The deputy studied her face. "What's the real problem here?"
Cassie flushed. "The problem is Todd didn't drink. Maybe a little but not very much and never ever would he drive afterward." She sighed. "Have you met his father?"