I took it from her and gave her a look.
“I know, you can keep it.”
I had no plans to keep it. I was burning it. The second I was bug-free.
Molly came back from the bathroom. “Harp, do you want to go with us? It’s okay if you don’t. You won’t hurt our feelings.”
For a split second, I thought she’d accept, but she surprised me when she smiled instead. “It’s okay. I’m glad to go with you. Besides, isn’t this what we do, Molly? We’re The Hair Helpers!” referring to my first hair tragedy when Sarah’s cat, Harry, and I had clashed right before Homecoming. She and Molly, and then Maddie, had helped fix it with huge success. I smiled at the memory.
We made our way down the stairs, taking care to be quiet so as not to wake Harper’s parents. Outside, we climbed into Harper’s car, a red, zippy little number. I felt bad that I was infected with gross, creepy crawlies and tried to keep my body upright so my head couldn’t touch anything. Molly was in the back seat, already curled up with her legs under her, earbuds in.
“Everyone ready?” Harper asked with her eyebrows raised looking into the rearview mirror. Molly popped a thumbs-up at her. She looked at me and I nodded.
“Molly, it’s only a five-minute drive. Why do you look like you’re settling in for a road trip?” Harper’s teasing tone was a relief to hear. My shoulders relaxed but immediately tensed up again when a particularly intense itch burned into my scalp. I guess Molly didn’t have her music up too loud since she made a face at Harper’s joke and went back to zoning out. I reached over and turned the radio on, hoping for something we could car dance to. I was disappointed as I flipped through the stations, all playing sappy love songs.
“So…” Harper started.
“So…” I replied.
“How’s it going with Cam?” She half turned in her seat to smile playfully at me. Her eyes were bright with curiosity and a little smirk hovered around her lips.
Her change in mood surprised me. “Well, someone’s feeling better.” I couldn’t resist poking at her a little. “One minute you’re screaming about the bugs in my hair and the next you’re tryin’ to get the juicy bits of my love life.” I stared straight ahead and forced myself not to smile. A half beat later, she jabbed me in the ribs and I burst into screams and shrieks as she tickled me. “Okay, okay! I’ll spill it all,” I yelled. My breath was hitching and I couldn’t see well from the tears in my eyes. Harper was laughing just as hard. Molly didn’t seem fazed at all.
“We’re good. Really good, in fact.”
“That’s not juicy. We all know you’re doing ‘good.’ C’mon, I want good stuff. I have to live vicariously through you.”
I pretended to think for a minute while she backed the car out of the drive and into the street. “He’s an amazing kisser.”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”
Her excitement brought Molly out of her reverie in the back. She pulled her earbuds off and leaned forward. “What are y’all talking about?”
“Cam is an amazing kisser,” Harper informed her.
“Oh, really?”
Merely talking about him made me forget all about my head. Visions of him wearing ripped jeans and a motorcycle helmet floated through my mind. I could almost smell his scent. The delicious hints of vanilla from his soap and the mix of rust in the blood that pumped through his veins tickled my nose. Oh, his veins. Barely covered by smooth, tanned skin, the little tubes made a complex network carrying his life force. My mouth watered and I couldn’t keep from letting my imagination wander. Why was he so cute? How did I manage to keep his attention? There were so many girls prettier than me. Two of them were in this car, in fact. What had made him look at me?
“Are you drooling?” Molly’s amazed question brought me back to reality and warmed my cheeks with shyness.
“Shut up.”
“Oh damn, he must be a super good kisser, huh?”
“Mmhmm,” I said, thinking about his full lips and the way he hummed softly in the back of throat right before he intensified things. My cheeks grew warmer.
Molly noticed. “Is he super good at anything else?” she asked archly.
Harper pulled into the parking lot of the drugstore, saving me from having to reply. We piled out, Molly and Harper still asking questions, but I ignored them because I’d realized I was probably going to have to ask Mr. Baker where the lice products were. I turned to Molly, mouth open to ask her if she’d do it for me, when my attention was stolen by a black Range Rover parked at the very end of the lot, next to the tree line. It wasn’t something we usually saw people drive around here, and if they did, it was because they were super rich or very powerful. But even so, I would probably have seen it somewhere before. I kept an eye on it, admiring its beauty, even as we walked inside.
“Did y’all see that car in the lot?”
Molly shook her head. “Nope, wasn’t looking. But I am gonna go look at the nail polish while y’all get the stuff.” She glided off, looking as if she were shopping in Nordstrom’s rather than Mr. Baker’s Drugstore that we’d been inside a million times before.
I didn’t even have to ask Harp if she was willing to ask where the lice stuff was. She was already making her way to the counter. But before she could talk to Mr. Baker, he’d come out from behind the register, intent on helping a woman asking about cold medicine. Olivia, an upperclassman at school with a vicious gossip streak took his place. Harper faltered, and I grabbed her hand and yanked her back to me.
“Since when did she start working here?” My panic was deserved. If she got wind that I had something like lice, it would be all over school tonight, never mind waiting for Monday. Her network of informants and fellow gossipers was something to admire and fear at the same time. The fact she could tell everyone I actually did have cooties made me literally sick to my stomach.
“I don’t know,” Harper whispered. She understood my fear. There were some people you could ignore and then there were the Olivias and Kittys of the world who wormed their way into your head no matter how much you wished they wouldn’t. “Come on. We’ll have to find it ourselves and pray Mr. Baker takes over the register when he’s done.”
We went up and down the aisles, trying to maintain a low profile so she wouldn’t notice us. I was starting to get desperate by the time we reached the last shelving unit without finding anything helpful. But I was soon relieved when Harper made a small exclamation and squatted down to the very bottom shelf to pick something up. It was the lice treatment! Thank God. We could finally get out of here.
Harper stood on her tiptoes to peek over the shelves at the front counter. I watched her expression, trying to read the situation. She looked hopeful, but then Olivia’s voice rang out through the entire store and her eyes widened.
“Why goodness gracious! Molly, is that you? I haven’t seen you in years! What brings you to Mr. Baker’s?” The words were dripping with honey, but there was an undertone of poison in the greeting. I’d forgotten that Molly and Olivia knew each other when they were younger. They’d been forced into hanging out when their moms happened to join the same charity program. Theirs was not a friendly relationship. Harper and I looked at each other with matching frowns. This had the potential to go bad quickly.
“Olivia,” Molly’s voice was flat. “Don’t you have a cute little job here.” I knew that tone. Molly was about to serve up some serious shade. Sure enough, she went on the attack. “I thought your family was doing well. At least eleven years ago you were. I don’t recall you having to work before now.” Her tone grew ice cold. “But that apron looks good on you.”
“Oh no,” I whispered. “She’s antagonizing her. Ugh, why can’t she leave it alone?” I wanted to pay for the shampoo and get out of there. I yearned to be back in the safety of Harper’s house, not hiding behind the pharmacy shelves while one of my best friends decided to smear an old enemy to a pulp. I closed my eyes and sent up a quick prayer that Olivia would leave it and wal
k away.
But, of course, it wasn’t going to go that well.
“Why are you here, Molly? What could we possibly carry that you would need, hmm?” I joined Harper in peeking at the counter. Molly was in her “I Will Destroy You” stance and Olivia had her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, looking very much like an animal backed into a corner and ready to fight to the death.
“We have to do something,” I whispered.
“Yeah, this doesn’t look good,” Harper agreed.
Swallowing hard, I stepped out from my hiding place and strolled up to where World War III was brewing. “Hey, guys. Nice to see you, Olivia. Molly, we’re ready to pay and get going.” I gave her a meaningful stare, but automatically, she refused to acknowledge it. I felt Harper at my back and that’s when Molly eased and plastered a neutral expression on her face. Her body loosened and I felt myself relax with her.
“I’ll go wait in the car.” She gave me a small “forgive me” smile, and I nodded to show I agreed with her.
I turned and took the shampoo from Harper’s hands. Placing it on the counter, I said, “This will be all. How much?”
Rather than getting smart with me as I’d feared, Olivia simply cocked an eyebrow and scanned the bottle. “That’s eleven dollars and eighty-nine cents.” I handed her a twenty, my heart hammering the entire time. Was she going to say anything? Laugh? Crack a joke?
She didn’t. Rather, she handed me the change and bagged it. “Have a nice night, Sadie,” she said. I met her eyes briefly, long enough to see the dark twinkle there. My heart sank. Something told me by the time I got to school Monday, everyone would know about my purchase.
Oh, screw it.
I grabbed the bag with one hand, grabbed Harper’s bag with the other, and we marched out the door and back into the cool night. Molly was lounging against the car door. Something about it seemed off.
“What’re you doing out here instead of in the car?” I asked.
When she spoke, it was so low that both Harper and I had to lean in closer to hear it. Her lips barely moved with the words. “We’re being watched. Don’t react.”
I kept my voice super low. “Where?”
Harper shifted her feet. “Over there. I see them. By the dumpster.”
I flicked my eyes to where she indicated without moving my head. There, in the long shadows of the night, were two distinct darker shadows: one, again wearing sunglasses. The other decidedly more feminine. I sucked in some cold air. It was the same guy; had to be. But now there was a partner. Carmen, maybe? We held our breaths, so quiet, straining to pick out any sound that seemed off from the usual night noises in a little town. I closed my eyes, listening, until I heard it. Two sets of breathing. Two sets of shoes rustling slightly in the leaves. And one very distinct male voice softly whispering a warning that stood my hairs on end.
“Game on.”
***
“Y’all heard it, too, right? I didn’t make this up?”
We were back in Harper’s room, my head covered in goop from the lice treatment. I was a hairbreadth away from an anxiety attack that could, in my mind anyway, kill me. My chest was tight, heart pounding. Was I even breathing? I’d been like this since Molly had shoved me back into the car and Harper raced us home. Nobody had said a word in the car.
“Right?” I asked again. “Game on. That’s what he said.” My voice was rising. “It might as well be ‘game over!’ I can’t defend myself from the unseen, and I certainly can’t play a whole-ass game.” I started to say something else, but Molly cut me off.
“Stop it. Stop it. You’ll make yourself sick if you keep this up.” She looked intimidatingly at me. “Just stop.”
“She’s right. Yes, we heard it. Yes, it is scary. But, you’re not in this alone and we’ll face it together.” Harper checked her watch. “But first, it’s time to wash that stuff out of your hair and comb through it.”
“Suddenly, bugs in my hair aren’t the problem. They lulled me into a false sense of security. That’s the problem.” I tried to relax. “But I don’t even know who they are. What are we gonna do?”
Harper took my hand and pulled me off the bed and toward her bathroom. “I said we’re going to wash your hair. Let’s focus on that right now. One task at a time.” She was back to being her calm, unruffled self. There was a tingle in the air. It was slight, but I knew she was Persuading me when a languid calm engulfed my body like a huge, comfy hug. I didn’t even struggle. I wanted to give up and let someone else take over. But I couldn’t stop thinking.
“And where’s Pen? What’s happened to her? Should I be out there looking for her? Is she hurt?” I was panicking so hard it shook off the Persuasion, but I couldn’t stop. “We still don’t know what Ms. Stratha is doing at school! Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that.”
Harper silently pushed my head under the faucet as I continued to word vomit. “And Coach Anderson! He and Kade are connected. Plus, he’s one of the ingredients in the stupid serum they used on me. Does that mean I should be scared of Coach Anderson? And Kade and Carmen are connected. Does that mean I can’t trust Kade, after all?” Water rushed into my eyes, so I squeezed them shut and continued to shout over the sound of the faucet. “I mean, he could have saved my life only to be setting me up for the real show!” Harper didn’t answer and massaged my head as she washed the disgusting little bugs down the drain. Every question I’d ever had since everything started bubbled to the surface.
Finally, the shampoo was over. Harper wrapped a towel around my head and pointed to the door. “We need to comb it out now.”
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
“Because I told you how I was planning to handle it. Hair first, shadowy stalkers second.”
I sighed but did as I was told and sat down in the chair at her vanity. I was lucky my hair was short. It didn’t take her very long to go through it all with the little comb. Molly held the flashlight so Harper could really see each strand. I sat there, stewing in my own questions.
“Okay, you’re done. Lice-free.” Harper gathered up the towels from my neck and the chair. “I’ll burn these later.”
I felt my head with tentative fingers. “Thank you, guys. I don’t know how I would have handled it without you.”
“Luckily, you didn’t have to find out.”
I got up and sat back down on the now-stripped bed. I’d changed into a spare T-shirt from Harper’s closet. I was about as comfy as I could be with such an insane night under my belt, but I wanted to talk about it. “Now can we talk shadowy stalkers?”
“Yes.”
“First, before anyone says anything else… Harper, you saw the guy this time. He’s hot, right?”
I threw a pillow at Molly’s head. “Stop that! Is that all you’re gonna be thinking about when he’s murdering you?”
She caught it midair and threw it back. “Hey, this is how I cope. I’m thinking about his hotness because I don’t want to think about him murdering anyone.”
Sighing, I said, “I know. You’re as scared as we are, but you always do your best to hide it.”
“It’s not only a coping mechanism for me. It’s for you, too. Don’t think I don’t know that if I were to fall apart, you’d freak out.”
I was quiet because she was right. I was always getting mad at her for being flippant, but the few times during our friendship she let herself show worry, it made me feel like everything was ten times worse.
“I know. Thank you,” I whispered.
“Ah, don’t thank me. But… let’s talk it out. We have to come up with some sort of plan if he’s moved on to verbal threats. For starters, one of us needs to be with you at all times.”
Harper sat down on the chair I’d vacated. Stretching her legs out, she bent over them so her head was touching her thighs and took a few deep breaths. “I agree with you, Molly, but there are times when it’s not gonna be possible. Unless we bring Cam into it.” She lifted her head and smiled suddenly. “And as Sadie can
attest here, I don’t think he’ll mind one bit. You know, being a super great kisser and all.”
I blushed again but didn’t correct her. “He’s gonna freak out when he hears about this. We both sorta thought maybe everything had died down. No pun intended.” I shut my eyes, weary of everything. “He probably won’t have any problem sticking close once he finds out I’ve been directly threatened. That we have been threatened. You realize you guys have to be careful, too, right?”
“We know. But he, they, whoever, does seem sort of focused on you. After all, you’re the common denominator between all of us.”
Her statement settled onto my shoulders like a heavy blanket. The reminder that everything seemed to stem from me was a horrible feeling.
“Maybe if I left, it’d fix everything,” I mused aloud.
Harper and Molly exchanged horrified looks.
“What are you talking about, Sadie?” Molly’s voice was so gentle and soft, as if she was talking to someone teetering on the edge of a building. It was unusual, but I barely noticed. I was too busy trying to come up with a solution that would keep my friends and loved ones out of harm.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just brainstorming.” I relaxed my shoulders, making sure Molly could see it.
“You leaving town is not part of the brainstorm. That’s not an option. I mean it, Sadie.”
“Of course,” I murmured, aware I’d gone too far. “Guys, I’m tired. Maybe it’s time to sleep. We’ll probably be able to think more clearly in the morning.”
Molly was firm. “You and Harper sleep. I’ll watch a movie until y’all get up.”
I didn’t need any persuading. I curled up under a blanket on the bare mattress and closed my eyes, still thinking of ways I could end this with nobody being the wiser. The bed sank a little when Harper crawled up to lie next to me. She sighed softly and before long, I could hear her even breathing. The light from the TV flickered across the walls and ceiling, creating a shadowy story of its own. I watched, fascinated and scared, until I remembered nothing at all.
Caught Between Worlds (The In-Betweens Book 3) Page 13