I hesitated. Speaking about everything out loud made it harder for me to ignore, and my way of coping was to stuff everything unpleasant into the back of my brain and hope for the best. Of course, I knew deep down that wouldn’t solve a thing. “About a month ago, I was leaving work, and I felt like someone was there watching me. I called out, but no one answered. I stood still listening, and when I heard a sound, like a bottle being kicked, I took off running. I didn’t look back that time. And last week, I was sure there was someone standing on the sidewalk across the street staring up at my window. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.”
He was writing in his notebook. “So two of these incidents happened in the parking lot of the multiplex, right near where the accident happened?” asked Detective Markus.
“Yes.”
They exchanged glances. “Is there any reason you can think of that someone you know would want to hurt you?” Detective Franklin asked.
“No, why?” A cold shiver of fear ran up my spine.
“Well, since all the incidents happened when you were getting off work, or here at your house, it would indicate that he not only knows where you work, but also where you live.”
I froze. I never thought of that, but that was impossible. Someone I knew would never harm me.
“It could also be a customer that has seen you at work and fixated himself with you. He could be staking out the theater waiting until he sees you, then gets out of his car and follows you,” Detective Markus added. I liked his theory better, if I had to choose. “We’d like you to be very careful, and have someone drive you around.”
“Actually my boyfriend already insists on doing that. He’s a bit of a worrier.” That was an understatement.
“Good, you can never be too careful.” They both stood up. “Call me if you think of anything, or if something happens.” Detective Franklin handed me his card, and I stuffed it in the front pocket of my jeans.
“Thank you.”
I walked slowly into the living room after seeing the detectives out, and sunk down onto the couch, feeling dazed. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I hung my head in my hands wondering what was going on, gazing at the bread crumbs mixed in the carpet. Someone should really vacuum in here.
My family came out of the kitchen, looking concerned and confused. My father rushed toward me, sat down, and took my hands in his. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you want us to hear what you had to say?”
“I didn’t want to worry you, Dad. It wasn’t a big deal. Everything is fine. I’m going to bed now; I’ve had a long day.” He only let go of my hands because I yanked them away. I strolled calmly past them, trying to ignore their worried faces, and made my way upstairs.
I hated lying to them, but I didn’t want them to worry about me. I did what was necessary, I told the police, and if it got worse I would tell them, and Lucas, maybe. Telling Lucas was different than telling my family. I knew he was having dreams of me being stabbed and killed, so he was constantly worried it would come true. I hadn’t told him about being followed because I knew he’d be scared of losing me. He was overprotective now, I couldn’t imagine how he’d react if he knew everything. He meant so much to me, I couldn’t worry him.
The next morning, Lucas was waiting for me in front of my house.
“Hey,” I said, climbing into the passenger seat.
“Good morning, how was your night?” He was wearing a dopey grin.
“It was fine.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s with you? Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Why wouldn’t I be, I get to escort a beautiful girl to school every day.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“Okaaay,” I said, amazed at his good mood so early in the morning.
At lunch, our now usual group, Emma, Derrick, Andy, Kyle, Lucas and I, were eating lunch together. I saw Cory and Pete hitting on a couple of girls at a table across the room.
I was about to take a bite of my sandwich when Logan sat down beside me. His strong cologne almost made me choke. That would be my next project with him—lay off the paint thinner. “Hey, guys.” He nodded to everyone before leaning over me. “Luke, could I get a ride home with you and Sarah, Jim’s car is in the shop. I still have another week without mine, and I’d rather not walk.”
“Sure, just meet us in the parking lot after school.”
“Thanks.” He waved goodbye to everyone, and smacked my shoulder gently as he stood up, winking at me before walking away.
I turned to the right side of the table where the rest of them sat. Lucas and I were sitting on the end. All of their mouths were wide open in shock, staring at Logan.
I followed their gazes. Logan was heading to his table, occasionally saying hi to people who spoke to him.
“What the hell just happened?” Emma asked, looking stunned.
“Are we in an alternate universe where Logan is actually an okay guy?” Derrick asked.
Lucas and I just shrugged our shoulders. I looked down to pick a piece of bread from my sandwich and took a bite. Lucas held his can of soda and stared into the hole. Our lunches were suddenly so interesting we couldn’t answer their questions.
“So Sarah, did Luke tell you where you’re going Friday night?” Andy asked, waving his sandwich at me to get my attention, a piece of salami sticking out of the bread.
“No, where am I going?” I asked, glancing at Lucas.
He smiled. “They want to take you to a paintball war; they’re guessing you’ve never been.”
“And they’d be right.” I shrugged. “Sure, sounds fun.”
“Hey, Emma, why don’t you and Derrick come too? It’ll be fun with more girls to beat,” Andy said with his usual arrogant grin.
“Oh, we’ll be there. Taylor and you are so going down,” she said, trying to look tough.
“Sarah, Mom said she gave you money for my lunch, since I was asleep when she left,” Alex said, suddenly appearing behind me.
“Oh yeah.” I reached into the pocket of my jeans and handed him a ten-dollar bill.
Alex took it and glanced at Lucas. “Hey, Luke, did Sarah tell you the cops came by to talk to her last night?” I suddenly felt the urge to punch him.
“Alex, you’d better go, or you won’t have enough time to eat. Go,” I said pushing him away.
He walked away, looking back at me with a confused expression on his face.
“What was he talking about, Sarah?” Emma asked.
Luke’s jaw was clenched, and his cold stare told me that he was not pleased. I didn’t want to meet his eyes, so I glanced at Emma.
“Nothing, you know Alex, he’s crazy.” I gathered my stuff, shoving it awkwardly into my bag. “I’m going to my locker. I have a few things to do.”
Lucas started to rise.
“No, you stay and eat your lunch. I’ll see you in class.” I rushed away without looking back. I didn’t go to my locker.
I went outside to the bleachers and sat snuggled in my coat trying to stay warm, waiting until the bell rang so I could go right to class. A dark gray cloud hovered above, threatening rain, and wind whipped the leaves and rubbish that were scattered along the football field around me. The chill in the air threatened a storm, but I still preferred my spot here, rather than face the disappointment in Lucas’ eyes. I hated when he was mad at me. It had only happened once before, but I wasn’t looking forward to a second time. I took my book out of my bag and began to read; there was still a half hour left of lunch. If I was going to hide out, I needed something to do.
“So first you lie to me, and then you hide. What the hell is going on, Sarah?” Lucas’ voice startled me. He stood behind the bleachers. I refused to turn around. “Sarah, look at me.” I stayed planted in my spot, knowing it wouldn’t matter. I would just have to face him, he was here, and he wasn’t going away. Tucking my book back inside my bag, I waited.
He stalked around the bleachers to stand in front of me, his hair blowing wildly in the wind. “Why did you li
e to me this morning?”
“I didn’t lie to you. You asked me how my night was. You didn’t ask if cops came over to ask me questions. If you had, I would have told you.” I smiled at him. To me, my logic was sound. He continued to stare at me with his arms folded in front of him, waiting for a better explanation.
“What?” I asked, getting a little uncomfortable. We stared at each other, waiting to see who would break first. He was better at it than I was. Damn, he was good. I caved. “Fine, two detectives came to my house last night to follow up on the accident. They asked questions, I answered, end of story.”
“You’re keeping something from me, I know it.”
“And you’re not keeping anything from me?” I asked, suddenly realizing it was true.
He glanced at the ground, shifting his feet, a sure sign he was lying. “I’ve told you everything you need to know.” Whatever that meant.
“So have I.” We glared at each other some more. I could see that he was still angry.
“You should have told me.” He ran his fingers roughly through his already messed-up hair in aggravation.
“And if I did what would it matter? You were there the first time they questioned me.”
“Yes, but since they came to your house, it must mean that they are concerned that it wasn’t just a random hit and run, right? They think someone is targeting you, don’t they?”
I averted my eyes, looking down at my hands that were folded on my lap. My expression gave me away.
“Sarah, why won’t you open up? You mean everything to me, I need to know.” His voice was laced with frustration.
“What if they did think that? What if it was true, which it’s not. What would you do? You would never leave my side. I want a boyfriend, not a bodyguard.” He shifted his feet again, looking away. “That’s what I thought.” I stood up, climbed down the steps, and walked away as fast as I could.
Before I could open my locker, I saw him at the end of the hall, heading my way.
The mature thing to do was to stand my ground and talk to him, try to work it out. But I never said I was mature, so instead, I ducked around the corner and slid into a utility closet. The smell of dirt and mildew was thick in the small room. I turned my head and noticed a dirty mop leaning against the wall right beside my head. That explained the stench. I waited until he walked by, then slipped out to my locker.
I went to class without him, I was irritated and confused. My emotions were in turmoil. It was bad enough that someone might be targeting me; I really didn’t want to drag my friends and family into it.
Lucas tried to get my attention a couple of times during class, but I ignored him. When Emma looked at me curiously, I just shook my head.
After fourth period, I stood in front of my locker, thinking about getting a ride with Derrick. The feeling of hot breath on the back of my neck changed my mind. As I closed my eyes, it turned into soft kisses on my skin, leading to the side of my throat. Thank God I wore my hair up today. The kisses slowly moved up to my ear. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His breath gave me goose bumps. The familiar sweet and spicy scent made me forget my anger.
I leaned my back into him as he rubbed my shoulders. The kissing continued until we heard “Get a room” from someone walking by.
I finally turned around and looked into his eyes.
“Let’s just agree to disagree for now, okay? I don’t want to fight with you.” His eyes pleaded with me. How could I resist those beautiful gold-flecked hazel eyes that haunted my dreams so often?
I smiled, wrapping my arms around him. “Come on, Logan’s probably outside waiting for us.”
He was, but he wasn’t alone. He was talking to a few girls, and everyone was smiling, no one was slapping him or telling him off. That was a good sign.
“I’ll see you girls later,” he said when he saw us. “You were right, Sarah; you do get more attention when you’re nice.” He smiled at me as we met him in front of the car. “I will never doubt you again.”
“You know, Logan, I like the new you.” I laughed as I climbed in the front seat; he sat in the back behind me. “You shocked the hell out of everyone at our table today.”
“Yeah, their mouths were wide open, watching you chat with people and not knocking anyone’s food off their tray,” Lucas agreed with me.
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Logan protested, punching the back of my seat lightly.
“Yeah, you are,” we both said at the same time. Lucas started his car and pulled out of the parking lot.
At his house, Luke showed me more defensive moves while Logan made us supper, a spicy chicken with rice that was really delicious.
I hit the heavy bag for two minutes longer this time, and after supper, I went home with my arms feeling like they were wearing hundred-pound weights
After Lucas dropped me off, I went up to my room to do my homework.
I had just opened Pride and Prejudice—I had yet to finish it—when I heard a SMASH. Something sharp hit my face. “Ow!” I whined, touching the spot on my cheek where it stung. I pulled my hand back and saw blood covering the tips of my fingers. Broken glass lay across the edge of my bed and floor. There was a large hole in the center of my window. And on the rug was a big rock the size of a fist.
I gently tiptoed over to where the rock was lying, trying to avoid the glass, and bent down to pick it up. On the rock, there were words written in black marker that read: “YOU BELONG TO ME!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Fun & Games
Cold fear ran through my body as I rushed to the window to look out, but the sidewalk and street were empty, with the exception of Mrs. Emerson who was walking her poodle, Yonkers. And I didn’t think she would have the strength to whip a rock up twenty feet. She was eighty and full of arthritis.
I picked up the rock and stuffed it on the top shelf of my closet. I needed to hide it. My defense mechanism, denial, wouldn’t really work if I told someone. If I kept this to myself, I could pretend it wasn’t really happening.
Looking in the mirror, I wiped off the blood from my face with a tissue. It left only a small cut, hardly visible. Then I yelled for my dad.
It only took a few seconds before I heard him coming up the stairs.
“What is it, Sarah?” He wandered in carrying a half-eaten apple, wearing faded jeans and a plaid shirt. My mom followed behind him, looking more polished, still wearing the suit she wore at work today.
“I was doing my homework, when a branch from that tree smashed my window. It must be windy out.” I pointed to the large, towering oak that stood on the front yard.
They both looked down at the glass on the floor. “Are you sure this is from a branch Sarah?” my dad asked suspiciously, kicking a few shards with his sock-covered foot.
“What else could it be from?”
He peered outside and then shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, I’ll go get some plywood to put up for now.”
He hurried out of the room while my mom and I cleaned up the glass. “That is so weird; I can’t believe a branch could reach the window. Are you sure nothing was thrown through it?” my mom asked me, glancing around the floor.
My hand shook, holding a big shard. “Not that I saw, if there was I couldn’t find it.” I would probably go to hell for lying so much.
To be sure that we got all the sharp pieces of glass, we quickly vacuumed the rug as my dad nailed a piece of plywood to the window frame. “Well, that’s all I can do tonight. I’ll call someone tomorrow to come and put a new window in.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mom and Dad.” The thought of being alone left me uneasy.
“You’re welcome. Good night, honey.” When they shut my door behind them, my room felt oddly sinister. I noticed every shadow my small lamp created, and I heard every sound coming from outside.
With hands that shook, I put my books away. My teachers would just have to understand I wasn’t in the mood to do my tedious homework after the vandalism and threatening note. Not tha
t I would tell them this. I’d figure out a different story tomorrow, another lie, just what I needed.
I closed my curtains and made sure my remaining window was locked before crawling into bed.
I dreamed I was walking through the woods at night; the only light was from the faint glow of the moon. The wind made the trees sway wildly. I thought I heard something over the roar of the wind, but whenever I turned to look behind me, I would see a dark figure skulking behind a tree.
The next few days went by quickly. Lucas continued to drive me to and from work and school. If he couldn’t, Logan did, with Lucas’ car. Logan was excited. He was getting his car back on the weekend and talked about how much he was going to drive it, where he was going to go, what girls he would take in it.
I preferred the days Lucas drove me, and I wouldn’t have to listen to Logan’s endless jabbering.
Friday night after school, we were headed for a round of paintball, and then to Charlie’s Diner to eat afterward. It was a favorite spot for most of the kids at our school.
“Hey, does this vest make my hair look darker?” Emma asked, posing in front of me with her paintball gear, which consisted of a bulky black vest and clear protective eyewear. While she goofed around, the guys were choosing who would be on what teams.
“Emma, will you give it up already, I love your red hair.”
“Fine, then let’s trade,” she said, sticking out her chin at me. I groaned and shook my head.
“Okay, Sarah, I guess you and Emma are on my team.” Lucas reached around Derrick, taking my hand to pull me toward him. I grabbed Emma, and the three of us stood waiting our turn.
When the arena was free, the six of us plowed in, scrambling around trying to hide from one another. There were small walls and different equipment designed to give cover from the other teammates.
Since I was crouched down under some kind of black metal bridge, I heard a lot of shooting and cursing, but I stayed where I was, afraid to be shot.
After about ten minutes of waiting I peeked through a hole and saw Andy sneaking past. I jumped up and shot him right in the center of his chest. It felt awesome taking out the cockiest member of the other team. “Yahoo!” I shouted, giving away my position.
Fated Dreams (Book One In The Affinity series) Page 19