“I’m sorry, Cassie. I didn’t know. But, look. I don’t want to make a liar out of you, but Brian is looking mighty sleepy.”
We all stared, and indeed, Brian seemed sleepy. He had actually slid down to the floor, slumped over, and his eyes were lowering even as we looked at him. Cassie looked at me in shock.
“Okay. I’ll deny this ever happened at school. But, tonight, you’re my friends. Let’s go find a place to sit down, girls. For the first time ever, I am going to enjoy myself!” And then the most amazing thing happened. Cassie Carmichael, head cheerleader at MacGregor High School, who had gone out of her way to make my life miserable since forever, stepped forward and slipped her arms through first mine and then Sixx’s, and steered us toward the patio. Crazy.
Chapter Nineteen
For the rest of the evening, I didn’t have time to worry about keeping Mason’s paws off of me. I hardly saw him. Cassie, Jenny, Sixx, and I found a table in the grass away from the crowded pool area and had a great time talking and spending time with one another. Even as we were laughing and sharing stories with each other, I still had to look across the table and remind myself that Cassie Carmichael, the head cheerleader at my school, happened to be the one who was laughing like a horse at one of Sixx’s way off-color jokes. And next to her, practically spraying soda out of her nose, was her faithful sidekick, Jenny Harmon. Four hours ago, neither one of them would have given Sixx or me the time of day. Now, Sixx nearly had them both in convulsions and we were having maybe the best time I’d had in a long time.
“So, what’s going on with you and surfer dude, anyway?” Cassie leaned forward conspiratorially and I sucked in my breath. How did she know that fast? My relationship with Creepshow was so new even to me, how did it get out into general population in less than a weekend? Then, I realized she sat there staring at Sixx, not me.
“What? I just suddenly realized I was always in close proximity to surfer hotness and if I didn’t do anything about it, well, that would be all on me. Of course, all I had to do was give him the go sign. How could he resist all this?” Sixx stood up and waved her hands up and down her body. “I guess he finally got tired of waiting for me to notice him. Happened with Creepshow, too. He finally made his move on our Juice there.”
“Sixx! I didn’t want you telling anyone.”
“Telling anyone what?” The voice belonged to Mason.
I whirled around in my seat to find him standing there looking at the table at the four of us and I smiled at him.
He walked around until he stood almost directly across where I sat. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you. Been looking so long, in fact, that I thought maybe you’d up and left. This whole time, I had been trying to figure out why you were acting so different from the first time we met. I wondered if you were mad at me for some reason…” Mason trailed off and looked at me pointedly. “Then I hear this about your friend. Who I guess is not just a friend anymore. Is that about right?”
The table became so silent, I swear I could hear Sixx’s jangly earrings even above the noise of the party. I had no idea how to answer Mason. If I told the truth, I would not only hurt his feelings, I might hurt the chances of his being a host body for Shane. On the other hand, if I didn’t, it felt like I would be denying my feelings for Creepshow, and I didn’t want to do that. I tried to stammer out an answer that would buy me some more time.
“Of course, Creepshow is my friend, Mason. What are you talking about? And I don’t know why you were looking all over the place for me. I was here all along. Right, you guys?” I turned to look at Cassie and Jenny and they just sat there staring at me open-mouthed. They weren’t going to be much help. I couldn’t blame them. They were taken aback by Mason’s tone. I was, too. It seemed as though he might be accusing me of something. And it wasn’t friendly at all. I didn’t know how to respond. I knew I needed help. I kicked Sixx under the table and she jumped up without hesitation.
“Yeah. We were right here the whole time. What’s the big deal about it, anyway?” Sixx managed to look annoyed and protective at the same time, her specialty.
“The big deal about it is Juice is supposed to be my date tonight and I’ve hardly even seen her.” Mason turned to address me directly and this time his tone had softened. He sounded much more like he did when I first met him. “How about it, Juice? Can we take a walk? I promise we won’t go too far.” He looked at me winningly.
I considered what Mason asked. It may not sound like the best idea to the other girls, but I still needed to be alone with him for one good reason: Shane. If Mason did turn out to be a good host body for Shane, there would be no way for him to execute a body transition unless I got Mason away from the party crowd. That constituted reason enough for me to agree to Mason’s request.
“Sure,” I agreed. Sixx shot me a look that said she thought I might be insane, but I silenced it with one back that said, I know what I’m doing. Luckily, our friendship had always been such that she trusted me and non-verbally, she gave me room.
I got up from the table and Mason and I started walking out past the patio and the noise and chaos of the party. I followed him around the corner of the house and we soon found ourselves in an alley that ran along the back of the house. It wasn’t as nice as the rest of the house but thankfully, it was much quieter. I tried to think of some way to jumpstart the conversation when Mason grabbed me by the arm, hard, and yanked me around to face him.
“What kind of game are you playing here, huh Juice?”
“Ow, Mason. Stop it. You’re hurting me!” I tried to twist out of his grasp, but the more I tried, the harder he held on.
“Are you a tease? Is that it? You’ve been teasing my buddy Brian forever. Flaunting your body in his face and never letting him anywhere near it. If you think you’re gonna do that to me, you’re crazy. You’re not getting away with any of that tease crap with me, Juicy Lucy.”
Teasing Brian? What could he be talking about? Was he crazy? That must be it. He even looked crazy. Mason’s face twisted into a sneer and his voice dripped with sarcasm. The smile from a few minutes ago disappeared, replaced by a look I had never seen before. For the first time since I met Mason, I felt afraid of him. Then I took a good look around my surroundings and realized that Mason had led me to this secluded area, not because we would be away from the noise of the party, but because we were far enough away that no one from the party could hear us.
I couldn’t believe this could be the same guy who had been such a gentlemen at the Battle of the Bands. How could I have been so wrong? How did he get under my radar? In one burst of anger, more at myself than anything else, I yanked my arm free and took off running down the alleyway.
With Mason in hot pursuit, I careened past a line of garbage bins which seemed like a half a block long, impeding my getaway. How much trash do these people make? I thought crazily. Finally, I got to the end of the building and swung around to find myself in the driveway of the gigantic house. I could hear Mason panting hard right behind me, so I rapidly considered my two options. I could try and weave my way through the maze of haphazardly parked cars and try to get back to the front of the house to find one of the gang, or I could take off down the street, find The Gator and barricade myself in. I knew where the hide-a-key would be hidden.
I took off running in the direction of The Gator. The cars were parked so stupidly now, they were practically jammed bumper-to-bumper up on the curb. I scrambled over the trunk of one just to have to skid over the hood of another. Each time I did, the sheet metal made a soft thump as I dented it in. As I cleared one, I could hear Mason crawling across it a split second behind me. Frantic he would catch up to me and terrified what he would do when he did, I kept running.
As I got farther from the party, the cars started to clear out and I got closer to the street. Then I had a new fear. Maybe as soon as we hit the pavements, I’d lose my lead. Mason might be faster than me as soon as we got on terra firma. I started looking ahead for a wa
y to try and lose my pursuer.
A dull thud startled me. It sounded totally different than the sheet metal of a hood or a trunk of a car. And it sounded like it happened right behind me.
I chanced a glance behind me and was shocked to see Creepshow on top of Mason! He must have seen Mason chasing me and tackled him from behind. I watched in horror while the two of them rolled around on the street, trading punches. I couldn’t tell who had the upper hand. First Creepshow would be on the top, then they would roll over and Mason would be getting the better of him. Finally, Creepshow jumped to his feet and Mason followed. They stared each other down.
“You need to keep your hands off Juice, man.” Even though he seethed with anger, Creepshow still managed to sound like his usual laidback self. Only I could tell that he barely held in his rage.
“Yeah?” Mason wiped some blood from his mouth with the back of his wrist. “Well, you need to tell her not to be such a tease.” I watched Creepshow visibly bristle at Mason’s choice of words. Mason didn’t see it and continued to poke the sleeping bear. “Yeah, tell her she shouldn’t advertise if she’s not stockin’ the goods, know what I mean?” His voice sounded, suddenly, evil. “And we can all see, she’s definitely got the goods. I mean, I’ve seen them. You’re the new boyfriend. Haven’t you?”
Creepshow looked like he wanted to punch Mason in the face. He clenched his fist and drew back his hand. But he never got a chance to follow through. Because just then, Shane appeared. Right in front of Creepshow and Mason, he just…materialized.
Chapter Twenty
“What the—?” Mason staggered back a couple steps, clearly freaked out at the sight of Shane coming into sight like Spock or Sulu on the Starship Enterprise. I’d never actually seen it either, so it stunned me a little, too. Only Creepshow kept his cool and acted like it happened all the time.
“Hey, man. What took you so long?” he asked Shane, voice all casual.
“Traffic,” answered Shane, all Cool Hand Luke-like.
They eyeballed Mason, and without even synchronizing their watches or anything, they both took a step toward him, almost as though it were choreographed. I watched the possible scenario flash across Mason’s face, and he apparently figured that whatever might happen wasn’t going to be pretty, nor would it be in his favor.
“It seems like maybe it’s time for Juice to leave the party, Mason. Any problem with you if Creepshow and I escort her out of here?” Shane’s words sounded friendly enough, but his tone was clearly anything but.
“Hey, hey, don’t forget about us!” I heard her before I saw her. I looked around and saw Sixx and Jett picking their way through the parked cars to get to us. Sixx got to me first and she came around to my side. Jett went to stand by Shane and Creep. Anyone coming up to us would have thought we were just a group of kids leaving a party and figuring out where we should head next. The truth was so totally different.
“We missing something important?” Sixx directed her question to me, but she glared openly at Mason. Without any words being spoken between Shane and Creepshow, she somehow understood something sinister and wrong was at play. I started to answer her, but Creep silenced me with a hand on my arm. He responded to Sixx.
“Mason and Juice had a little misunderstanding. Shane and I were helping them figure it out.”
“You sure? Looks like a heck of a lot more than that.” Sixx wasn’t convinced. She looked me over. “You okay, Juice? You seem sorta spooked.”
“I’m fine. Now.” I put my hand on top of the one Creep still had on my arm. “I’m just glad some people are here.” I smiled at Shane. “But it looks like other people don’t make as ideal a host body as I thought, huh, Shane?”
“No, I don’t guess so. Probably some pretty nasty workings inside that head. Don’t think I want to be in there after all.”
“Sorry, I was so wrong, Shane. He got under my radar.”
“No worries, Juice. Back to the drawing board.”
Mason had been following this exchange first with interest, then fear. Now, he just looked ticked off. “What the heck is everyone talking about? Host body? What does that mean?”
Creep stepped forward to answer him and Mason, intimidated, took an involuntary step backward. “Don’t worry about it. All you need to know is you didn’t make the cut. Now, you should probably get out of here before I lose my manners and take care of you the way I want to.” Mason didn’t wait for a second invitation. He spun around and took off down the street. I watched him go.
I couldn’t believe I had liked him even for one second. I also couldn’t believe I still didn’t have a host body for Shane. I’d been a complete failure. I returned to my friends, knowing my body language must be giving my feelings away to everyone. I tried to straighten up and change my attitude. Briefly, I thought maybe we could go back to the party. There were still plenty of people inside the massive house. There had to be someone who would be a good candidate for Shane.
As if he could read my mind or something, Shane stepped toward me. “Don’t worry about it, Juice. I waited sixty years already. What’s a few more days? Or weeks even. We’ll find the perfect body, I’m sure of it.”
“Wow, you’re a friggin’ ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Sixx leaned heavily into me and bent one knee up behind her. She reached back and unfastened one of her strappy sandals. “I’m just glad the drama’s over. These flippin’ shoes are killing me!”
“You only have to wear them a few hundred more feet.” I reminded her. “Do you want to walk barefoot to The Gator down this street? You could step on glass or heaven knows what. Kids from the party have been throwing stuff on the ground all night.”
Sixx considered this, then slowly slipped her foot back in the sandal. “Last thing I need is to slice my foot open because some tool tossed an empty bottle in the street. Guess I’ll stick it out for a few more minutes. But I absolutely refuse to re-fasten this vicious strap!”
I burst out laughing. The drama of the past hour and the super-serious tension finally broke like a dam and I laughed so hard my sides hurt. Creepshow caught the humor as though it was contagious and so did Jett. Shane watched us with a bemused expression on his face like a patient parent watching over his unruly charges.
“You guys are crazy. I sure know how to pick ‘em.”
“Hey, I never said you had good taste,” I teased Shane.
“No, you never did. But, I chose you, so I know I do.” Shane looked at me so adoringly, I knew I had to tell him about me and Creepshow. The longer I delayed it, the harder it would become.
“Shane, I need to talk to you. I think now would be as good a time as any.” I turned to the others. “Do you guys mind if I talk to Shane for just a minute? It’s kind of important.” I looked at Creep meaningfully and hoped I was telegraphing my intentions to him. He nodded and shot a glance at Jett, who in turn shot one over at Sixx. In that five seconds my three best friends, which included possibly the best boyfriend ever, understood exactly what I intended to talk to Shane about. Sixx answered for all of them.
“Do your thing, sister. We’ll wait over here.”
Shane and I walked a few feet away from the others until I knew we would be having a private conversation. I wasn’t sure how to start and figured the best way would be to just speak from the heart and tell Shane the truth. I had a feeling he would appreciate just hearing the truth.
“Shane, I wanted you to hear this from me. I think I’m in love with Creepshow.” Wow. I hadn’t even thought those words yet much less spoken them aloud. They sounded so powerful, so sure and confident coming out of my mouth. I said them again. “I love Creepshow, Shane. It just happened. I know it sounds like a line from a movie, and believe me, I’m the last person I ever thought would be saying them, but it’s true. I wanted to tell you before you, well, before you maybe had stronger feelings for me than I had for you. Am I making any sense at all here?”
Shane waited a few minutes before he spoke. I thought he would sound sa
d or angry at me, but he didn’t. He sounded kind. “You are, Juice. You are making sense. And you know what? I’m truly happy for you. I don’t know any other person who deserves it more than you. See? It wasn’t a mistake that I chose you, Juice. It wasn’t because you like ghosts or you’re into the supernatural or anything like that. You were the perfect choice and here’s the reason why: It was just because you are so genuine. So authentic.”
Shane paused and gazed at me with a sparkle in his denim blue eyes. I felt his sincerity shine from them. “Out of that whole school, as soon as I saw you, I thought, that girl will never lie to me. That girl will tell me the truth even if I don’t want to hear it. I felt lucky to even find you. And I’m lucky to call you my friend, Juice.”
When he finished speaking, I stepped forward to hug him before I remembered that I couldn’t. The pain of not being able to touch me flashed briefly across his face, and I realized it was the first time he’d let me see how much that hurt him.
There was so much I wanted to say. I wanted to tell Shane that I was the lucky one, that my life had been enriched since I had met him. I wanted to tell him I believed meeting him had brought Creepshow and me together. I needed to say I would always be his friend and would never stop looking for a host body for him and wouldn’t rest until he became a real live person again, surfing and sun worshipping as I know he longed to do. I wanted to tell him this and so much more.
“Shane, I—”
The screech of the tires on the street behind us startled me from what I’d been about to say.
Shane and I both whirled around toward the sound just in time to see a speeding car come careening down the street, heading directly toward my best friends.
Chapter Twenty-One
Creepshow and Jett were helping Sixx cross the street. They were laughing and giggling and she had started limping as a result of her cheap, disco sandals. She had apparently unbuckled both of the straps and they were flapping around her ankles making her walk super slow. Jett told me later that they simply had no time to react.
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