“I had to hurry upstairs to my room and write a letter before we came down here, so I ate really fast.”
“Oh,” he said, nodding his head with a curious look on his face. He probably wondered whom I was writing to, but I didn’t offer. Kira stood there, just outside the door, glaring at me again.
I walked as fast as I could to Summer’s room, so that I could get back to the rec room as soon as possible. Kira and Rick followed. We crowded into her single room, which, like Alex’s, was bigger than Marybeth’s and my double room, and it was nicer. The perks of the rich. Josh had volunteered to be the first person to be it. He ran off to hide, and Summer shut her door behind him. He only had four minutes.
Four minutes? That was a lifetime to me at that moment, and staring at the clock didn’t make the time go faster. If anything, ten minutes must have passed before the clock showed three had passed. Was it working? I asked Eugene how long it had been.
“Three minutes and fifteen seconds,” he replied.
I moved toward the door, hoping I could be the first one out of it.
“Time!” Summer yelled.
I scampered out of her room, clutching the Whopper box and heading straight for the rec room. Please, please, I pleaded, don’t let Jeremy and Nathan be gone. I took a deep breath as I twisted and pushed on the door knob to the rec room. I looked around. No one was there. Maybe they hadn’t come yet. I almost sat on the couch, when I thought I should probably see if Josh was hidden away somewhere in the room. I searched it on the fly and found myself alone. I plopped down on the sofa in front of the TV.
I sunk down into the soft couch; it felt like I was sitting on a feather bed. I tried to relax but couldn’t keep my eyes from being stuck on the door. Seeing the door move a hair, I sat upright. Rick peeked in.
“No one here, huh?” he said lamely, still holding onto the door.
“Nope. Just me.”
“Well, I didn’t mean no one, I meant—“
“I know what you meant,” I interrupted. “It’s okay.” Was it my imagination or did he seem out-of-sorts? He was never like this.
Rick let the door swing shut and moved in my direction. I half expected Kira to follow him in, but she didn’t. I started to stand up but then he sat beside me, taking away my momentum, so I stayed seated. He was touching me again. Could he like me? No one had ever liked me. Is this how guys act when they like someone? Was Kira right to be jealous?
His hands curled in his lap, and he fidgeted. Awkward. I looked at him, then he looked at me. I looked away and so did he. I wanted the silly, uncomfortable game to end. I just didn’t know how to end it. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings if he did like me, and I didn’t want him to think I thought he liked me when he didn’t. What a mess.
“Christy.” He broke the miserable silence. He looked vulnerable somehow.
“Yeah,” I said, eager to move on.
“I was wondering—”
Whatever he wanted to say, I wasn’t going to hear it , because two handsome college boys entered the room. Just the guys I had hoped for and needed. The FBI. I heard the Whoppers move around in their box and looked down to see that my hands trembled, making the Whoppers jump.
“Where is everyone?” Nathan asked.
“Playing a game,” I said. “Do you want to play?”
“Depends. What game?”
“It’s called Sardines.”
“Sardines?” Nathan snickered and looked at Jeremy. They both looked at Rick and me and said, “OOOh.”
Was there a joke I’d missed? I didn’t get it. “Well?” I finally said.
“Sure, we’ll play,” Nathan said, all smiles.
“Great! Have you played before?” I stood and walked toward them.
“Oh, yeah.” Nathan said, his voice was funny, like he knew something I didn’t. It bugged me.
“Great,” I said, ignoring his tone, still heading in their direction. “Summer set the rules, of course.” They both let out a small laugh. “No hiding in the lobby and each round ends at forty-five minutes.”
“Forty-five minutes?” Nathan said, his mischievous smile broadened. “Wow, that’s the longest I’ve ever heard a round going.”
“Am I missing something?” I finally asked, looking up at them.
Neither one answered; they just smiled, shaking their heads back and forth.
I raised the Whopper box and looked at Jeremy with wide eyes, and then looked at the box of Whoppers. He looked at me and squinted slightly. I repeated my eye movements.
“Whoppers? I haven’t had Whoppers in years,” Jeremy said.
“Here, have some,” I said. He held out his hand and I poured some in. “You too, Nathan?”
“Sure.”
“Me too,” Rick said.
I’d almost forgotten he was there because I was so focused on getting the box into Jeremy’s hands. I gave Rick a few Whoppers, and I saw that Jeremy had finished his. He held out his hand for some more, and I handed him the box giving him “the look” once more.
“There’s only a few left. You can have the rest,” I said as calmly as possible. The fact was, my insides jumped up and down. I’d finally gotten the info to Jeremy! This spy stuff was fun.
“Guess we’d better go look for the others,” Nathan suggested.
“Yeah,” I said, feeling much better now.
I watched Jeremy shake the last few Whoppers into his hand and then shake the box as I walked through the door behind Nathan. Then I heard a clunk. What? Did he throw the box away? My head whipped around, and I looked at Jeremy. His hands were empty.
Oh, no! This was not happening! Hadn’t he seen my signals? All that hard work for nothing. Maybe I should have been more obvious. I felt like I was walking in quicksand, but Jeremy gently pushed me forward.
Eugene walked toward us from the opposite end of the hall.
“No one in the rec room, huh?”
“Nope,” Nathan said.
“Bummer,” Eugene said. “Guess I’ll keep looking. I’ve cleared all the floors below this one, so go up, guys.”
He turned around and headed back to the stairs. We went for the elevator, Nathan pushing the up button on the wall. I felt Rick’s arm against mine. My arm heated up. I forced myself not to look at him.
When the doors to the elevator opened, we all laughed. Alex pressed against Josh. Summer pushed up against both Josh and Alex and only after searching, did I see Marybeth squished between Josh and Alex. Nathan rammed himself against Alex, Jeremy piled on Nathan and Rick grabbed my arm and pulled me into the mix. Rick’s arms surrounded me and his body pressed hard against mine. I could hardly breathe, but I sputtered out a laugh anyway. I wondered where Kira was and heard the doors close.
We all heard Summer’s stifled voice, “Is everyone here?”
Someone yelled, “Eugene’s not, he went up the stairs.”
“Then he’s it,” Summer said. “Game over!”
With those words, the mass of arms and legs started to untangle itself. Rick hadn’t loosened his body-hold on me, and I started to wonder if he would. He leaned his chin on my shoulder. Pressure came from behind me and like a bomb exploded, we were shoved against the closed doors. I pried myself loose, turning around, meeting Alex’s gaze, which had traveled from my face to Rick’s and back again. I turned my head and looked at Rick, who looked past me at Alex, a grin on his face. When I looked back at Alex, he’d turned and moved away.
I wanted to reach out and grab him, but, of course, I was too chicken. Crap! I didn’t want Alex to think Rick and I were together. Twice now, it had looked that way. If I’d seen what he had, I’d think we were together, too. Ugh!
“Push the door open button,” someone said.
Jeremy pushed it and everyone around me tumbled out and, laughing, headed for Summer’s room once more. I was the last one out, but I wasn’t laughing.
Mrs. J. came down the hall, obviously headed for the rec room. She stopped when she saw us flood out of the elevato
r.
“Tomorrow’s a long day. You all need your rest. Heck, I need my rest. It’s nine o’clock, so, head for bed, please.” She didn’t walk away like she usually did. She stood there in the hallway waiting for all of us to go back to our rooms. Jeremy and Nathan got back into the elevator. Marybeth and I went to my room and shut the door. While Marybeth sat on her bed, telling about how she had found Josh and Summer first and how they had been making-out in the elevator, I leaned against the door, willing Mrs. J. to leave our hallway quickly. I finally understood why Nathan and Jeremy thought playing sardines was so funny. It was a hook-up game. Duh! I closed my eyes, trying to hear the rest of the story while listening for clues that Mrs. J. was gone. I had to get that Whopper box from the trash.
I placed my ear against the door but heard no sounds, so I reached for the door knob and pushed lightly. “Just a minute, Marybeth,” I said. Peeking out the open door, I could see no one. Whew! I pulled the door all the way open and walked out.
“Where are you going?” Marybeth asked.
“I forgot something in the rec room. I’ll be right back.”
I hurried down the hall as if my life depended on it and pulled the door open. I reached into the trash can. I stopped short when I realized that the can was empty. The box was gone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I lay in bed, panicked. What had happened to the Whopper box? Did housekeeping take the garbage out? Did Jeremy go back and get it? We hadn’t been gone that long, maybe ten minutes. Who else would have taken it? I had so many questions but no answers. Then it struck me. What if the murderers had found it? Was it possible? I suppose anything was possible. How could I have been so stupid? If the murderers had discovered my note and the pictures, they would for sure know I helped the FBI. Then again, maybe they already knew after yesterday. Being a spy wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it would be. What’s obvious to one, isn’t always obvious to another.
I railed on myself most of the night until exhaustion finally got the better of me, and I slept.
“Christy, Christy?”
Marybeth’s face was only inches from mine and it startled me. Panicked, I moved my head forward with a jerk and smacked my forehead into Marybeth’s nose.
“Oweeee!”she yelled.
I felt dizzy and flopped back down again, rubbing my head gingerly. I tried to blink away the light that pierced my brain. Keeping my eyes tiny slits, I saw Marybeth head for the bathroom to stuff toilet paper against her nose. “I’m so sorry, Marybeth,” I managed to say as I slid off the bed, swinging my legs to the floor with caution. When I stumbled toward her, she waved me away, but I kept on going.
“It’s seven, Christy. I wanted to wake you up gently.”
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, wishing I had the bloody nose and not her. The pressure behind my eyes told me a migraine was on its way. I crossed the floor to the closet and dug into my bag, pulled out my trusty pills and walked to the bathroom. Marybeth had the water on and was wiping blood off her face.
“Could I sneak in there, Marybeth? I need a drink pretty bad,” I whispered.
She moved completely out of my way and I shoved the pills in my mouth and took a long drink. I left the water running for Marybeth and headed for my bed. With utmost care, I climbed in.
“Christy, didn’t you hear me?” Marybeth said, sounding frustrated. “It’s past seven. You won’t have time for breakfast. We leave at seven-thirty today, remember?” She still held tissues to her nose.
I knew she was only looking out for me, but I wanted to slug her, to let her know how painful this migraine was. I didn’t, of course.
I’ll be there in time,” I whispered, hoping she would take my cue and whisper, too.
“You’re not getting sick again, are you?” she said at full volume, if not a little louder.
“No, no. I have this headache that I’m trying to fend off. I’ll be there. Really.” I’d have promised her just about anything if she would just leave me in peace at that moment. I couldn’t even open my eyes to watch her leave. I could usually keep my migraines from getting unbearable. I just needed time to let my medication work. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to relax every muscle in my body, one by one. I just needed some time.
Without warning, I felt the covers slide over my head. Barely opening my eyes, I saw Kira and Marybeth standing over me, neither leaning close to my head—probably afraid that I might pop up and slam into them—history repeating itself.
“Time to go,” Kira said. “Where are her clothes?” she asked Marybeth.
Marybeth rushed to my closet and pulled out jeans and a T-shirt, then opened her closet to get something else.
“I don’t know how I let you talk me into this,” Kira said, irritation etched in her voice.
“Hurry, Christy. Get dressed.” Marybeth’s voice echoed in my head and the light seared my eyes—I tried hard to keep them closed.
“I-I just need some more t-time,” I said, so quiet, I almost didn’t hear myself.
“You don’t have it,” Kira said in a pretty mean way.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Then, I felt them stripping my PJ’s from my body. I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, until someone pulled my T-shirt over my head and it felt like my head was being ground down to dust. I clamped my mouth shut. Kira yanked my arms through the shirt’s sleeves as Marybeth slid my jeans on. Then, they sat me up.
“Look at her hair!” Marybeth said, panicked. “Get a brush and a pony, would ya, Kira?”
“I think she looks just fine,” Kira said, chuckling.
“Oh brother! I’ll get ‘em. Hold her please!” Marybeth said, a bit too loud for my aching head.
“Let me do it,” Kira said.
Brushing my hair felt like someone scrapping nails along my scalp. I wanted to die. I couldn’t help but moan.
“Be more gentle, Kira,” Marybeth said. “You’re hurting her. Just pull up the front and sides, it’s still pretty straight from yesterday. No ponytail.” She spoke in a whisper, which I appreciated. “I’ve got makeup in my bag. We’ll finish on the bus.”
Marybeth brushed my teeth, forcing me to drink some water afterwards before they stood and wrapped my arms around their necks, lifting me up. My head throbbed and I felt like I might barf. I had to keep telling myself that I would be okay, that I was okay.
“We forgot her shoes,” Marybeth said.
They moved me back to the bed.
“I’ll hold her up, you grab ‘em,” Kira said. “Hurry and put them on Marybeth. She’s heavier than she looks.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Marybeth said after slipping my shoes on.
They dragged me out of the room and down the hall. The ding of the elevator sent sharp pains through my skull, and I gasped. Marybeth and Kira held me tighter, dragging me into the elevator. They were kind enough to press their free hands against my ears when we got to the lobby, so that I barely heard the ding this time. As they shuttled me out into the lobby, I heard distant whispers and then someone pulled me out of Marybeth and Kira’s hands and lifted me into their arms.
I didn’t dare peek to see who was carrying me so effortlessly; the light would definitely bring on the puke. I hoped it was Alex. Could I be so lucky? Truthfully, though, all I really wanted was for the pain to go away. When they finally set me down on the bus bench, I focused again on each muscle, starting with my head and going all the way to my toes, willing them to relax. The jarring and pounding in my head slowed until I could barely feel anything anymore, the meds had finally kicked in. Even the jostling of the bus and getting makeup on my face didn’t bother me.
The bus stopped. I could hear whispers that seemed far above me. I tried to make out the words, but they were too hushed. Once again, someone lifted me into their arms and carried me. As we left the bus, I could feel the brightness of the sun hit my closed eyes, and I pulled my hands up to shield them.
“Sorry ‘bout that.” I heard the faint whisper of whoever was carry
ing me. I couldn’t think clearly enough yet to try and figure out who had spoken. With the meds just kicking in, my mind didn’t work properly. We stopped moving and whoever held me gave me to someone else. Next thing I knew I was transferred once more, but whoever held me now, sat.
I dared a peek and saw Alex whispering to Josh. I clamped my eyes shut, then felt my face flush, hoping he wouldn’t feel my slamming heart. While embarrassed to be in his arms, somewhat helpless, I couldn’t help but feel excited that I was in his arms. For the first time in my life, I was truly grateful for inheriting my mother’s slim build. He had carried me. The most beautiful boy in the world. I could live happily ever after now.
I closed my eyes. Slowly, but surely, my head began to feel even more normal. Sometimes I only got partial relief with my meds, other times it was like I’d never had a headache. The worst was when they had no effect at all or I was so loopy, I couldn’t do anything.
“Christy,” Alex said.
Even though I didn’t want to open my eyes, afraid I would have to get out of his arms, I looked up at him with one eye, half-closed. I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t move. Maybe I was more loopy than I thought.
“How’re you feeling?” Only inches from my face, he talked in a whisper. I felt a thrill go through me. He smelled so good. He made me feel alive. “Do you think you can stand? We’re about to go into the Capitol, and I don’t think they’ll let me carry you in.”
Both of my eyes locked onto his. I couldn’t help it.
“Christy?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I said, pulling myself together.
“Migraine, huh?” he said. “My mom gets ‘em pretty bad. You’re lucky your meds worked.”
“They don’t always,” I said. It would have been a long day if they hadn’t.
He sat me up on his lap. My heart pounded so fast and hard, I was afraid he could feel it. It felt weird to look at him now, our faces so close together, so I looked away, afraid it would turn out to be a dream. Alex sat on a bench and Josh sat next to him. Summer stood next to Josh. A bunch of kids stood in a line, not far from us, that led to the Capitol building. I could see our group far ahead, almost ready to go into the building. I could make out Rick near the front of the line, waving for us to come.
Watched (The Watched Series) Page 12