“Will you go out with me Monday night?” Lexi asked, pecking him on the lips again.
“That’s all you wanted to ask?” Dan asked, sitting up.
“Yes,” she said softly. “We were just talking about how much I really like you.”
“Good,” Dan said, smiling. “You have no idea how relieved it makes me to hear you say that.”
*
Lexi snuck out of the house around eight o’clock that night. If her aunt called to ask where she was going, Lexi planned to say that she was at Mary-Kate’s. When she had left, her aunt and uncle were snuggling on the couch and drinking beer. They were already acting tipsy, and Lexi hoped that they would get too drunk to worry about where she was.
Hurrying across the street, Lexi glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one was looking. She saw nothing but a few bats circling around each other, as they swirled in front of the porch light. As she raised her fist to knock on the front door, it swung open.
A short woman with short chocolate brown hair and steel blue eyes, which looked just like Gabe’s and overlooked tiny wrinkles in her fair skin, stood in front of her. Lexi assumed that she was Gabe’s mom and opened her mouth to speak.
Before she could say anything, his mom said, in a harsh tone, “He doesn’t want to see you, Lexi.”
“What?” Lexi asked, confused about how his mom even knew who she was and unsure why Gabe didn’t want to see her.
“I told you. He wants no part of you. Leave him alone,” his mom said, slamming the door loudly in Lexi’s face.
Lexi felt her stomach drop to her knees, as her eyes filled up with tears that blurred her vision. That explained why Gabe had never responded to her text message, and why he hadn’t showed up on his own in past few days. Lexi wasn’t sure what she had done to make him mad at her, though. Maybe he was getting sick and tired of seeing Dan’s car parked across the street. Lexi wished that she could tell him that she was beginning to get sick of it too and that, if given the chance, he would have her heart any day.
*
On Friday morning, Lexi woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. She rolled over and shoved a pillow over her head. After a few moments, it rang again. Groaning, she climbed out of bed and treaded downstairs, taking two steps at a time. Glancing out the window, she recognized the canary yellow Mitsubishi Eclipse that was crookedly parked in the driveway. Brushing her hair with her fingers, she flung the door open.
“Justin! Hi!” Lexi exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she had hugged her ex-boyfriend, but he reminded her of home. Glancing across the street to make sure that Gabe wasn’t peering out the window, she stepped back, allowing Justin to come into the entryway. “Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to have to wait that long to see you. So, I took the day off from summer school.”
“How did you manage that one?”
Justin waved a piece of paper in his hand. “I took the day off to look at a college in Pennsylvania,” he said with a wink. “Only problem is now I have to actually go and get a signature, or it’s not an excusable absence. Do you mind if we stop there first? It should only take a few minutes.”
“Sure,” Lexi replied. “I’ve been there already, actually, so I know where it is.”
“I’ve missed you, Lexi,” Justin said. “I couldn’t believe it when you told me that you’re not livin’ in Jersey anymore. What happened?”
“My cousin died, so we came out for a visit,” Lexi said, realizing that this was the first time she had told someone outside of Briar Creek what had happened. “While we were here, my mom died. So I’m pretty much stuck here, living with my aunt and uncle.”
“Damn,” Justin muttered, running his fingers through the sandy blonde curls that fell onto his forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her back into a hug.
“Yeah, as okay as I can be under the circumstances, I guess,” Lexi responded. She glanced down at her pajamas. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here so early. I overslept. Let me go change.” She began climbing the stairs, before turning around and saying, “Come wait in my room, Justin. My aunt and uncle didn’t know you were coming, or that you’re here. Then we can leave.”
“’Kay,” Justin responded, looking around. When he reached the top of the staircase, he said, “Are your aunt and uncle rich or something? This house is huge.”
Lexi grabbed a pair of frayed denim shorts and a checkered pink button down top from her bedroom. “It was my grandma’s before she died. My aunt and uncle claim to be poor,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, she hurriedly slipped out of her pajamas and into fresh clothing. Lexi decided that it felt nice to see Justin, but that she also didn’t have any feelings for him anymore. In between falling head over heels for Gabe, getting to know Dan better, and imagining her (hopefully steamy) date with Brandon, Lexi realized that she had no room for any other guys in her life right now.
Lexi strode back into her bedroom and sat down on the bed next to Justin. He put his shoulder around her.
“I hope I’m not bein’ rude, but how did your mom die?” Justin asked, looking at her from behind his turquoise blue eyes.
“The doctor said she was food poisoned,” Lexi said. “It makes no sense though. They said she got E. Coli from beef, but –”
“Your mom doesn’t eat meat,” Justin finished her sentence, nodding that he understood where she was going with her statement.
“Exactly,” Lexi replied. Smiling, she added, “I’m surprised that you actually remember that.”
“I remember the night we ordered pizza and I wanted sausage, but your mom said no,” Justin laughed. “Then we ended up getting half cheese, half sausage, and your mom wouldn’t touch one of her pieces from her half because it was too close to the meat.”
Lexi smiled at the memory. “Yeah, I remember that, too. So, anyway, it’s strange.”
“Do you think that the doctor was lying to you? Maybe they were tryin’ to cover somethin’ up,” Justin said.
Lexi thought about it. “I guess that’s possible,” she said hesitantly. “I just don’t know what they’re trying to cover up.”
Justin shrugged. “Who knows, Lex? All I know is your mom didn’t eat no beef. How did your cousin die?”
“That’s a mystery too,” Lexi said. “First, they said that he was attacked by a wild animal. Then, they started investigating because they suspected something more. Supposedly.”
“What do you mean by supposedly?”
“Well, my aunt and uncle told me that. Crazy thing is, they told me that the police were investigating Austin’s laptop…but then I found his laptop in their room. I don’t think the police ever took it,” Lexi said.
“Huh,” Justin murmured. “I wonder why they would lie about that…”
Lexi shrugged. “I have no clue. I wish the cops would have taken the computer. I have this weird feeling that something really bad happened to Austin, but no one else seems to think so…or if they do, they haven’t said so.”
“I think,” Justin started to say, before snapping his mouth shut again and chewing on his kissable bottom lip.
“What do you think?” She questioned, raising a thin eyebrow.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this,” Justin said hesitantly. “I don’t wanna freak you out.”
“I don’t think I could get any more freaked out than I’ve been lately,” Lexi said. “After getting hurt and –”
“Hurt?” Justin interrupted her.
“Oh, I forgot that I haven’t told you yet. I got beat up pretty bad at a carnival,” Lexi answered.
“By who?” Justin asked, a worried expression mirrored in his face.
“I don’t know, I didn’t see the person. It was random,” Lexi said, adding quietly, “I think.”
“Okay, then I definitely gotta tell you th
is,” Justin began. “I think you need to know, if you don’t already. When I was lookin’ for a college around here, I came across this weird blog…”
“Go on,” Lexi encouraged.
“I found out that there are a lot of murders in Briar Creek. There were 46 murders last year alone,” Justin said. “And one of the articles I found pointed out that there were no murder suspects in any of the cases. No one was ever charged.”
“So, what are you saying? Is there a Briar Creek serial killer or something?” Lexi questioned.
“I’m sayin’ that I think there’s something going on in this town, and I think that someone’s doing a really good job at coverin’ it up,” Justin replied.
From behind them, someone made a point of clearing their throat. Turning around to see who was standing in the doorway, Lexi felt her heart sink.
****
Chapter 21
Violet stood in the doorway, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her fair cheeks had turned pink with anger. Lexi should have known that her aunt would come home before she could either hide or sneak Justin out of the house.
“Who’s this, Lexi?” Violet asked coolly.
Placing a hand on his squared shoulder, Lexi answered, “This is Justin. He’s my ex-boyfriend from home.”
“Home? This is your home now. Does Dan know that your ex-boyfriend came to visit?” Violet asked, putting a sarcastic emphasis on “ex-boyfriend.”
“No. I didn’t realize that everything I do is Dan’s business,” Lexi said defensively.
“He’s your boyfriend. I don’t think he would be too happy about you hanging out with another guy,” Violet shot back, turning to Justin. “Is there a reason you came here?” she asked.
Justin shrugged his shoulders. “Just to see Lexi, I guess.”
“So, you drove all the way from New Jersey to Briar Creek just to see Lexi?” Violet asked, an icy look in her amber eyes. Justin nodded.
Turning to Lexi, Violet asked, “How could you let him come here without even asking my permission first?”
“I didn’t know that he was coming,” Lexi lied, glancing over at Justin. “I told him where I was living, but I didn’t tell him to come.”
“Yeah, Lexi didn’t invite me. I wanted to surprise her,” Justin played along.
“Oh, how sweet,” Violet said sarcastically, looking into Lexi’s eyes before glancing at Justin. “Well, say your goodbyes, Justin. Lexi’s grounded.”
“What? That’s not fair!” Lexi yelled louder than she meant to. “I haven’t done anything wrong! I’ve done everything you’ve asked, including date Dan.”
“You didn’t ask if you were allowed to give our address out to strangers,” Violet responded firmly. “Say your goodbyes, Justin, and get out of our home.”
“Can you at least give us some privacy?” Justin asked. “I did come all the way from Jersey. I’d like to say goodbye to Lexi alone.”
“Fine,” Violet replied, leaving the room. Over her shoulder, she called, “Five minutes!”
“Damn, your aunt’s a bitch,” Justin whispered, mouthing the last word.
“You’re telling me,” Lexi whispered back.
“She’s making you date someone?” Justin asked. Lexi could have sworn she saw a jealous look in his eyes. She nodded. Justin sighed and asked, “Are you okay with that?”
“Not really, but I kind of don’t have a choice. If I don’t date him, they’ll ground me.” She shrugged. “I didn’t like the guy at first, but he’s starting to grow on me.”
“I see,” Justin answered. “Look, Lexi, I’m worried about you. I think you’re in danger here, and your aunt seems like a complete bitch.”
Lexi stared down at her toes and quietly said, “Yeah.”
Justin stared into her eyes. “I’m gonna get you out of here, Lexi. When I get home, I’ll ask my mom if you can move in with us. You know she’ll say yes. She loves you. We’ll see if we have to get a lawyer or anything. Then, I’ll come back for you, okay?”
Lexi nodded. This was her one shot at getting out of Briar Creek. The idea of leaving Gabe crossed her mind. She remembered that he didn’t want to see her anyway and tried to shake the thought away.
Justin cupped her chin his hand and kissed her forehead. “Bye, Lexi. Take care of yourself while I’m gone.” Then he whispered into her ear, “Meet me at the college in ten minutes.”
“I will,” she said, ignoring the fact that she didn’t feel any spark between them when his lips brushed against her skin.
****
Chapter 22
It couldn’t have been better timing when Violet decided to take a shower almost immediately after Justin left. Sneaking out of her bedroom window, Lexi concluded that she was going to become an expert at climbing down the lattice if she had to continue living in Briar Creek (which she hoped she didn’t).
As she walked to the library, Lexi thought about Justin’s offer. With all of the bad memories she was making in Briar Creek, getting out of this town seemed like the best thing for her. Lexi knew that once Violet found out about her plans, she would find a way to interfere, and the plans probably wouldn’t happen.
Sighing, Lexi turned onto Lochester Ave. Out of the darkness of the forest surrounding it, Briar Creek College loomed ahead of her. As Lexi approached the parking lot, she spotted Justin’s bright yellow Eclipse on the far end. When she got closer to his car, she realized that it was empty. Deciding that he must have gone inside to get out of the hot sun, Lexi walked towards the building.
Before Lexi could open the door, it swung open towards her and she found herself staring face-to-face with Craig. Shit, Lexi thought to herself. She hadn’t given him a call like she said she would. In fact, she had thrown his number out.
“Hey there, stranger. It’s Lexi, isn’t it?” Craig asked. Lexi nodded and tried her best to flash him a genuine-looking smile, but was afraid that it had come out to be just as awkward as she felt. “I haven’t seen you around lately,” he went on. “When did you want us to get together?”
“Yeah, I’ve just been busy,” Lexi found herself lying to him again. “I’m not really sure when I’m free right now, though.”
“Why don’t you just give me your number then and I’ll call you?” Craig persisted, pulling a pen and a piece of paper out of his pocket. Lexi had a feeling that he was going to continue trying to persuade her to hang out with him any time that she happened to bump into him, which was bound to be soon because Briar Creek was such a small town, unless Justin or her dad got her out of here. It might just be easier to give him her number and pretend to be busy or maybe actually agree to go out with him if things didn’t work out with Gabe (which seemed like a good probability at the moment).
Lexi jotted down her number and handed it to him. “Just don’t call too late,” she said. “I’m commuting, so I’m living with my aunt and uncle right now.” Lexi decided that she would save the sob story about her mom for a later date, if she needed a better excuse.
“Sounds good to me,” Craig said, folding the number up and sliding it in one of his pockets. “I’m gonna go get some lunch, but I’ll talk to you real soon, Lexi.”
“Bye,” she replied, giving him a tiny awkward wave before going into the building. Once she was inside, she found Justin, who was sitting on a bench, a few feet away from the door. He stared at her accusingly.
“Who was that who you just gave your number to?” Justin asked. Lexi noted the jealousy in his voice.
“Just a friend,” Lexi replied. “He’s actually one of the only nice people I’ve met in Briar Creek. Don’t worry, there’s nothing going on,” she added, before reminding herself that she didn’t have feelings for Justin. Lexi felt bad, though. He was going to try to help her; the least she could do was not let him feel like she was interested in other guys, especially when it was a guy that she wasn’t actually interested in – even though she did think he was really cute.
After Justin got someone in the administration of
fice to sign his slip for school to prove that he had visited a college for the day, he and Lexi got into his car. “What do you wanna do?” he asked.
Lexi thought back to the last time she felt happy and safe. Memories of her mom pushing her on a park swing and sitting on the other end of a seesaw so that Lexi could sit high up on the other end, giggling because she felt like she was flying. “I want to go to the park,” Lexi said, without hesitation.
“The park?” Justin asked, raising a large eyebrow. “Uh, okay. If that’s where you want to go, it’s where I’ll take you,” he said, shrugging and turning his key in the ignition and speeding away from Briar Creek College.
*
“Aunt Violet and my mom always used to bring me and Austin here when we were kids,” Lexi said, as she led Justin to the swing set. “It was one of Austin’s favorite places to go.”
“Do you miss them?” Justin asked. The tone in his voice told Lexi that he didn’t really know what to say.
“I miss my mom, of course. I know she wouldn’t want me to be too sad, though, so I’m trying to be strong,” Lexi began. “I don’t miss Austin, though. I can’t, really. I didn’t even know him. All I know is that all of this weird stuff has been happening, and I think that somehow, it’s because of him.”
“Like your mom not really dyin’ from beef juice? And the thing you told me about Austin’s laptop?” Justin asked.
Sitting on a swing, Lexi nodded. “There’s that, and there’s all this weird stuff that seems to imply that Austin’s girlfriend might know something more about how he died.”
“What do you mean?” Justin asked, sitting down on a swing next to her.
“Well, she was supposed to be the last one to see him the night he died, even though she claims he never showed up,” Lexi answered. She looked at the ants that were crawling around in the sand beneath her feet before adding, guiltily, “I also snooped on his Facebook. I found this message from his girlfriend, Mary-Kate. It was sent the day he died. She said they were going to do something Austin didn’t want to do.”
The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death Page 16