“Ugh, seriously? What is with you and befriending the socially strange? Nick? Lana? Hannah?”
“Hannah isn’t strange.” I wasn’t going to take the bait on the other two.
“Her parents are loaded, she is gorgeous, and she insists on associating with nobodies.” Madison glanced sideways at me with a grin. “Present company excluded, obviously. I’m sorry, but her decision to spend her time with those people is strange.”
“She’s a nice person.” I smiled as I spotted Hannah waiting by the front doors. Genny waited nearby for Madison, fingers flying over her phone as she sent a text.
Hannah looked ready for anything in a white button up shirt with three quarter length sleeves and navy shorts. Her bare arms and legs made it hard to pull my eyes away from her. Genny was dressed pretty much the same as Madison. Next to Hannah, they looked trashy.
Hannah spotted me and a smile lit up her face. I tried not to mirror her look, fearing it would give away my feelings. She pushed herself away from the wall. “Hey, are you ready to go?”
“No,” Madison said for me. “She isn’t, because you are both coming to the pool with us.”
“What? You’re trying to bail on us?” Genny didn’t look like she cared much either way.
“Yeah, she is.” Madison tightened her arm in mine and tugged me close.
“I’m not bailing. I just have other plans.” I tried to pull free of Madison, but she didn’t let me.
“I’m pretty sure that’s what bailing means.” Madison pouted at me.
“I think to bail on someone, you have to have plans with them originally.” Hannah shifted her weight. She had no patience for Madison and Genny.
“And she did, because we go to this party every year.”
I winced and turned to Hannah. “We kind of do.”
“See? It’s bailing if you don’t come.” Madison grinned triumphantly. She turned to face Hannah. “So, Hannah, I will release her to your custody so you can both go get bathing suits and meet us at the club. Your family has a membership so you can get her in.”
“What if I don’t want to go to the pool?” Hannah crossed her arms over her chest, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. I shifted nervously. It was not the time for this standoff to take place.
“Then I keep Alissa.” Madison’s arm was like a vice through mine.
“Please, Hannah?” I gave her a pitiful look. “Just for a little while?” I didn’t care about going to the pool, but I didn’t want the two of them getting into it.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Fine, come on.” She turned and left the school before Madison even let go of me.
“God, I really don’t understand why you hang out with her.” Genny leaned back against the wall. “She is such a bitch.”
“You would know,” I muttered.
“She is a little weird. I mean, her parents joined the club two months ago and I don’t think she’s been there once.”
“She’s just not into that stuff. It doesn’t make her weird.” I stepped toward the door, pushing it open and turning to lean against it. “Are you two going to be nice at the pool?”
“Of course.” Madison looked innocent. Genny shrugged.
I smiled, hoping for a fun afternoon. “See you soon.”
I hurried out to Hannah’s car, climbing into the passenger seat. She started the car without a word and left the parking lot. I could feel her frustration simmering between us. I fidgeted in my seat, pulling my dress down over my legs and then lifting my hair from where it stuck to my back.
“When are you going to get up the nerve to tell them?” Hannah asked.
I looked at her with surprise. “I said I wasn’t ready for that.”
“You said that two months ago.” Hannah didn’t look at me. “That was before I knew them. They drive me crazy, always pulling you wherever they want you, and you let them do it. When it’s you and me, you’re this sexy, funny, smart girl. With them, you turn into a robot. I swear you’d shoot someone if Madison told you to.”
The words stung. “I would not.” I bit my lip. “They’re my friends.”
“If they’re your friends, then they won’t care one bit when you tell them we’re dating.”
I nodded, biting my lip again because I was pretty sure they would care. I hated to admit that our friendship was that fragile.
“We can still have our date later on,” I said.
Hannah pulled to a stop in front of my house. She sighed, resting her elbow on the door and biting her thumb. She wouldn’t look at me. “I don’t know.”
“What?” Panic fluttered in my chest. “What do you mean you don’t know? Are you breaking up with me?” I stared at her, feeling like a wounded bird.
Hannah shook her head. “No, I’m not breaking up with you. I just—” She shook her head again and finally turned to me. Her dark eyes bored into me. “I just want people to know that you’re my girlfriend and I don’t care what they’re going to think about it. I want people to understand why you’re bailing on them to hang out with me.”
“What about your parents?” I hoped bringing them up would make her realize what a horrible idea coming out really was. “This isn’t Chicago. Kids will talk and then their parents will find out and one day your parents will be at the club and someone will tell them all about what a giant lesbo their daughter is.”
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t care anymore.”
I blinked, because I could tell Hannah was telling the truth. There was something scary, but equally flattering about that. I was worth coming out for. A wary smile spread over my lips.
“Really?”
Hannah rolled her eyes, smiling. “Yes, really. I want my parents to know that you’re my girlfriend and I want them to get over it.” She leaned toward me. Her warm hands wrapped around my bare arm, pulling me close enough for her to whisper in my ear. “Because I’m not letting go of you anytime soon.”
I smiled, warming all the way to my toes at her words and soft breath. Suddenly, the idea of coming out to my parents and friends didn’t seem quite so scary.
“Okay,” I said softly. We were close enough to kiss, but I didn’t dare do it in the street outside my house. “Soon, we’ll tell everyone. But first come upstairs and help me pick out a bikini for the pool.”
“Can I help get you into it too?” Hannah raised an eyebrow, grinning slyly as her finger trailed down the side of my neck.
I squirmed away from her, laughing as I opened the car door. “Only if you can catch me.”
Chapter Seventeen
I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Something had woken me. I shoved a mess of hair over my shoulder, looking around the sun-drenched room. My walls were still painted the same pale purple I picked out when I was eleven, but posters and pictures covered most of the available space now.
Someone knocked on the door and I realized that must have been what woke me.
“Yeah?” My voice was groggy with sleep. I’d been up late after coming home, unable to shut my mind off. Someone who knew about Lana and me had been at the party. There was no other way they would know about her drink. Either it was Rachel playing some sick joke, or it was the kidnapper. Finally, I’d decided I would take Nick’s advice and try to talk to Lana’s parents.
Mom opened my bedroom door and stepped inside, her hand covering the mouthpiece of the cordless phone. She smiled. Even though it was Saturday she was dressed in slacks and a blouse.
“Nick’s on the phone,” she stage whispered. “He’s been trying your cell but you didn’t answer.” From the look on her face you would have thought a boy being on the phone for me was right up there with winning a million dollars.
I let out a soft groan and lay back down. “What time is it?”
“A little after ten.”
“Doesn’t he know it’s Saturday and some people sleep in? Tell him I’ll call him back.” I curled on my side and yanked my blankets up over my head.
A moment later, Mom pulled
them back down. I refused to open my eyes. She pressed the phone to my ear. Sighing, I gripped it.
“Hello?” I made myself sound as tired as possible, hoping to make him feel bad.
“Hey, Alissa?” He sounded wide awake.
“Who else would it be?” I bristled. “You called me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, sorry. I tried your cell, but you weren’t answering.”
“I was sleeping.”
“Oh.” A long silence filled the line. “Um, do you want me to call back later?”
I cracked an eye open to see Mom still hovering near the bed. I groaned and rolled to my back. “No, it’s fine. What’s up?”
“I was just researching Lana’s case. There’s a ton about it online still.”
“I’m sure.”
“Anyway, I was thinking maybe you wanted to come over and we could do this together.”
I cringed at how eager he sounded. Most of the time I was glad we were friends again, but when he started behaving like he wanted more than that, I got nervous.
“I don’t know.” I hedged. “I’m really glad you want to help, but I have a lot going on today.”
“What are you doing?”
“Well…” I glanced toward Mom. I didn’t want her knowing I planned to visit Lana’s parents. She didn’t know anything about what had really happened between us. “Just stuff.”
Mom rolled her eyes and then crossed her arms, giving me a look. On the phone, Nick was silent for a long moment.
“Oh, okay then,” he said. I could practically feel the disappointment through the phone. “That’s cool.”
I sat up. “Sorry.” I felt bad. I didn’t want him to think we would be more than friends, but he was pretty much the only friend I had. “I’ll text you about it later, okay?” I hoped maybe that would give him the clue that Mom was standing right there.
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
He hung up before I could reply. I groaned and held the phone out to Mom. “Happy?” I asked.
“No. Why can’t you be nicer to that boy? He obviously has feelings for you.”
“I don’t want to give him the wrong idea about us.” I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them. It was kind of weird having Mom in my room. She didn’t spend too much time in here anymore.
“Oh, honey.” Mom sat on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on my arm. “Would it really be so bad to go on a couple dates with him?”
I pulled my arm away. “Yes, it would be. I don’t like guys. God, Mom, how many times do I have to say it? Also, I have a girlfriend so even if I did like him, it would be cheating.”
She bit her lip and nodded before standing. “I know. Okay, I’ll let you get dressed.”
She practically ran from the room. I blew my hair off my face and reached for the hairbrush on the bedside table. I started running it through my hair. It hung halfway down my back and I was due for a trim.
I pulled on jeans and a faded red T-shirt before heading downstairs. Usually, I would sit in front of the TV catching up on some of my shows in my pajamas, but I thought I’d better head right over to Lana’s before I lost my nerve. I grabbed my jean jacket from the banister.
“You look nice,” Mom said. She was all smiles again at the kitchen table. I managed a smile in return.
“Thanks. I’m gonna go run a few errands.”
“Where are you going?” Dad asked. The newspaper rustled as he folded it and set it down on the table. “There are still some pancakes warming in the oven.”
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
“You really should eat breakfast.” Dad frowned. “I’m getting worried about you, kiddo. You seem stressed.”
“Oh, let the girl go. We Reeves women need to watch our figures.” For once Mom’s obsession for eating light came to my rescue. “I keep trying to tell you to skip the big Saturday breakfast. You’re the only one who really enjoys it.”
I could tell that hurt his feelings. “I like it. I just have a lot to do so I can’t stick around.” I bent down and kissed Dad’s cheek. “You said they are in the oven?”
“Yeah, and syrup is on the counter.”
I opened the oven door and pulled a perfectly fluffy pancake out. I waved it at Dad and rolled it up before taking a bite. He smiled.
I slipped out the back door before Mom could say anything about how bad eating on the go was. I walked along the side of the house to the driveway and climbed into my car. The pancake was delicious, but as I drove toward Lana’s house, my stomach started to turn. Was I insane to be doing this? The only time I’d met her mom was in the principal’s office after letting Madison and Genny convince me to report Lana’s kiss as sexual harassment. Would her mom recognize me? God, I hoped not.
Though I’d only been in her house once, the route was seared into my mind. In the days after she’d disappeared, I’d driven by the house dozens of times. Each time, I’d hoped to spot some sign of her. Back in those early days, I’d thought maybe she wasn’t really gone, that maybe it was a stunt.
I drove out to the south end of town, following the highway through a long stretch of no man’s land that separated us from the next town over. A hill rose from one side of the road, while a sporadic mix of homes appeared on the other side. The homes were a combination of run-down houses and even more run-down double-wides.
I pulled into the driveway of a two-story home. Cinder blocks held up the front porch and some of the gutters hung listlessly by one or two fastenings. The salmon colored paint was peeling and the lawn was overgrown with weeds and grass almost to my knees. I followed a rough path through the long grass to the porch steps. The middle one had fallen in at the center and the other two creaked under my feet.
While the house hadn’t been much to write home about when Lana was around, it had at least looked cared for. It took all my resolve to stride across the porch and knock on the door. If the outside looked this bad, what would the inside be like? The door opened.
“Yes?”
I only recognized the woman squinting out at me as Lana’s mom because she had the same brittle looking bad perm and bleached hair as before. Other than that, she looked like a woman half-dead. She was disturbingly thin with prominent cheek bones and eyes sunk deep into her skull. Her hair was thinning and greasy. She wore old jeans and a sweatshirt with a stain on the front.
“Mrs. Meyers?” I asked. My voice came out miraculously clear and strong.
“Yeah.” She tilted her head. “Who are you?”
She didn’t remember me? I scrambled to figure out what to say.
“I, uh, well, I…” I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. “My name’s Shannon Morgan. I’m studying criminology at the local college and we have to do a report on famous unsolved crimes and I picked yours.” I stood, breath held, waiting to see how she would take that story.
She pursed her lips. “Ain’t my unsolved crime and I’m not sure it’s so famous.”
“It’s local though,” I said. “And I remember the case so I thought it would be good. Could I talk to you a bit?”
She frowned and swung the screen door wide. “Might as well. Get on in here then.”
I slipped inside, a rush of excitement filling me that my ruse had worked. I’d been prepared to tell her the truth and beg forgiveness, but this was better. She would probably be more willing to share her story with a caring stranger than the girl who ruined her daughter’s life. I wondered how she could possibly have forgotten me, but then again we’d only met once.
We walked down a short, dark hallway before stepping into a living room. The lingering stench of cigarette smoke filled the air. A couch with a ratty blanket thrown over it sat across from a tube TV. Empty glasses, soda bottles, and overflowing ash trays filled the coffee table along with magazines. She sank down on the couch and I perched on the edge of the lone armchair. There were cigarette burns on the arm.
“Well, what do you want to ask?” She leaned forward, rustling through the detritu
s on the table before snatching a pack of cigarettes and a rattling bottle of pills. She popped one and dry swallowed it.
“I, uh.” My eyes lingered on the pills.
“Hurt my back about a year ago. Can’t work anymore and it hurts all the time. These are for the pain.” She lit a cigarette, exposing her boney wrists in the process.
I looked down and pushed my hair behind my ear. “Um, could you tell me a little about the days leading up to Lana’s disappearance? I believe at first the police thought she was a runaway, correct?” I wished I’d thought to bring a notebook. That would make my story look much more realistic.
“Yeah. We might have had a better chance to get her back if those useless people had taken her disappearance seriously. If she had been a club member’s kid you bet your ass they would have been scrambling over themselves to find her, no matter what sort of trouble she’d been in.” She pointed her cigarette at me as she spoke, as if I might disagree.
“Did your daughter get into trouble a lot?”
“Nothing serious.” She waved away the question with her cigarette, her aggression fading. “Breaking town curfew, cutting school, that sort of thing. They picked her up a few times and brought her home. Can’t blame her for ditching school with the way they treated her there.”
“How was that?” I swallowed hard. This was the moment. If she remembered who I was, I would be done for.
“A few of the country club girls got it in their minds that Lana had a thing for them.” Her eyes lifted to meet mine. “You know, a lesbian thing.”
“Uh huh.” I nodded, afraid to say more.
“Anyway, you know how it is once word like that gets out. People treated her awful. Worst part was, she thought she was a lesbian.”
“That must have been hard for you.” My mouth was dry.
She pointed her cigarette at me. “I loved my daughter. If she was a lesbian, I wasn’t that pleased about it, but I would’ve dealt with it. But the kids at school made that decision for her. Now, her dad was another matter.” She took a long puff of her cigarette, exhaling as she flicked ash into an already full tray. “He was an awfully religious man.”
18 Months Page 8