I pointed to the haunted house in the distance. “Let’s go there.”
We went through the haunted house which was terrible—laughable, actually. Fake monsters popped out at us that wouldn’t scare a toddler. Henry would have had a good chuckle at it. Tate kept his arm around me the entire time. So much for “just a friend.” I prayed, for his sake, that he would never try to kiss me.
After the haunted house, we rode three more rides, and then I needed a restroom break. Once I was done, Tate handed me a candy apple. It had been dipped in white chocolate and had a white bow tied around the stick. “Look what I found.”
I took the apple from him. “Thanks, Tate.” I unwrapped it and took a bite, gnawing it shamelessly. It was one of the best things I’d ever tasted.
Tate watched me, not in a weird judgmental way, but like he thought I was cute. “Glad you like it. Let’s try some games.”
As I finished my apple Tate played the fishbowl game. The goal was to get the little white ball into one of the fishbowls. If you did, you got to keep the fish. Tate took his three tries, but had no luck. He paid five bucks for another three, but still didn’t make it. Tate kept playing until he was out of money. The man running the game felt sorry for him and just handed him a goldfish in a plastic bag.
Tate handed the bag to me as we left the booth. “For you.”
I took it from him and watched the fish swim in circles. “Thanks. You know, you could have gone to a pet store and bought a fish for a lot less money.”
He laughed. “Yeah, but then you couldn’t say I won you a prize at the fair. That’s like Boyfriend 101—you have to win your girlfriend something at the fair.”
He grabbed my hand which was probably clammy, but I yanked it away. Just friends. “Tate, I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Okay. Let’s go on the Tilt-A-Whirl.” He took my arm, pulling me toward the ride.
As far as I was concerned, there was no one at the fair but Tate and me. I was glad Father had let me come, but I felt guilty that he’d probably spent the entire night worrying.
It was almost midnight, closing time. Tate insisted we save the giant Ferris wheel for last, so this was our chance to ride it.
The height scared me at first, but I loved being able to see over the fair. Tate put his arm around me and pulled me close to him. He smelled like peppermint and cologne. His breath warmed my cheek. I knew what he wanted. I wanted it, too, but I couldn’t give it to him. I looked straight ahead.
“I had fun tonight.” Tate’s breath tickled my ear.
“I did, too.”
He touched my cheek gently, turning my head toward his. The vision of Tate dropping dead on the Ferris wheel shot through my mind. I clamped one hand over my mouth and shoved him away with the other. “No, don’t!”
“Hey!” Tate cried. “What’s the matter with you?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry, Tate. I didn’t mean to push you, but you can’t ever, ever kiss me.”
“Why?” he demanded, although he looked more hurt than angry.
“You . . . you just can’t.”
He folded his arms across his chest, and I wanted the ride to end immediately. I felt horrible, but I was only trying to save his life.
“I told you. We can only be friends.”
He put his hands up. “All right, all right. I get it.” That time, I think he finally did.
The rest of the ride seemed to take forever. Afterward, we met up with the others at the entrance. Hadley put her arm around me. “Have a good time?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I did.” Except for the Ferris wheel, I had.
She grinned. “I’m sleeping over at Mia’s. You should totally join us.”
I had never slept over at anyone else’s house. I’d always wanted to know what it was like to go to a slumber party, but I knew Father would never allow it. I was happy he had allowed me to come to the fair, and I didn’t want to press my luck. Besides that, though they were being nice to me, I still didn’t trust the girls enough to fall asleep in their presence.
“I can’t. I have to get home.”
Mia and Hadley pouted. I felt bad, because they were trying. If the girls were making an effort to be my friend, the least I could do was meet them halfway.
Tate shifted from foot to foot and ran his fingers through his hair. “Uh, Blane, Neva’s on your way home. Mind giving her a ride?”
My heart dropped. He didn’t even want to take me home.
Blane, Mia’s boyfriend, shook his head. “No problem.”
“Ouch,” came from either Hadley or Mia, and a pain struck me in my chest. I thought about the goldfish dangling at my side in the plastic bag. Tate had tried so hard to win it for me, and then my awkward behavior made him feel foolish and rejected. I should have known something like that would happen.
I said goodbye to Tate, and then Mia, Hadley, and I walked toward Blane’s Jeep. Tate barely looked in my direction when I said goodbye. He had finally given up on me. This was a guy who was used to getting what he wanted. A mixture of emotions flowed through me: disappointment that Tate was done with me, emptiness when I realized how much his attention meant to me, and relief knowing we wouldn’t grow closer.
11
“So, what happened between you two?” Hadley asked beside me in the back seat. “Tate seemed pissed.”
“I told him I couldn’t date and that we could only be friends.”
Mia, who was in the passenger seat, turned to face me. “Why? I thought you liked him.”
“I do. It’s a long story. But the bottom line is I can never have a boyfriend.”
Mia and Hadley exchanged glances, but I offered no further explanation.
“You can never have a boyfriend?” Hadley asked. “Why’s that?” They should have been thrilled I would not be hooking up with their precious Tate.
I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Is it your crazy-strict parents?” Mia asked.
I nodded, because that explanation was just easier. “Just my dad. It’s just me and him.”
Hadley squeezed the bag of cotton candy she was holding. “That’s understandable, I guess. You’re all he has, so he wants to protect you. Although, I’m sure it sucks having so many rules. Will your dad be mad about you getting home so late?”
“No. He’s gone for the weekend.” I suddenly wished he was home. I didn’t want to be alone. Maybe Father would have made me feel better about Tate. When they dropped me off, I decided I didn’t want the goldfish. It would only remind me of Tate. Mia thought her little brother would love it, so she kept it. My first and last date was a bust.
***
On Saturday, Henry and I had our weekly movie marathon over the phone. I let him pick this time, and I didn’t complain about his awful choices. Dad had gone hunting, so it was just Henry and me. I couldn’t get into any movie, because Tate’s disappointed face kept running through my mind.
My cell phone rang at two o’clock on Sunday morning, waking me from a deep sleep. My heart raced as I reached for my phone on the nightstand, thinking something terrible had happened to Father. I didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Neva! It’s Mia. Throw on some shoes and come outside.”
Was I dreaming? “What?”
“Come on. We’re going to the fair,” she said. “Just throw on some sneakers or something.”
I was confused with my head still full of sleep, and it took me a second to comprehend what she was saying. I glanced at my clock to make sure of the time. Yes, it was 2:00 a.m., and the fair had been closed for two hours.
“It’s closed,” I muttered, ready to hang up, figuring Mia was drunk-dialing.
“Yeah, but the guys are with us,” Mia said. “They know a way to get in, and Garrett knows how to operate the rides.”
“Give me that,” I heard Hadley say in the background. “Come on,” she said into the phone. “We’re wasting time.”
“
I don’t want to go to the fair again.”
“But this time it’ll be better,” Hadley said. “We’ll have the place all to ourselves, and it will be more fun because we’re really not supposed to be there.”
I rolled my eyes at her logic. “You guys go. Have fun.” I rested my head on my pillow.
Just then, the doorbell rang repeatedly.
“Come on. Hurry up!” Hadley screamed in my ear.
Maybe it would be fun. My father was out, so what harm could it do? “Let me change out of my pajamas.”
“No,” Mia said. “We’re all in our pajamas. That’s part of the fun.”
I threw the covers back and gave my pajamas a once over. I wore a black tank top with a big pink heart in the middle, and pink pajama pants with little black hearts. I decided they were presentable and slid my feet into a pair of sneakers and grabbed my purse and a jacket.
I stepped outside into the chilly, early morning air and shivered as I squeezed into the Jeep. There were three boys inside along with Hadley and Mia. I ended up sitting on the lap of a boy I didn’t know, though I had seen him around school before.
“Is Noelle coming?” I asked. I always felt more at ease when she was around. She kept things from getting out of control.
Hadley applied some pink lip gloss. “No. She has to get up to teach Sunday school.”
That girl really was perfect.
“We’re all invited to the service, by the way,” Mia added. She and Hadley burst into giggles.
We sped through the empty streets as we headed toward the fairgrounds. I was sure we would get pulled over before we even made it there, but we were lucky.
Blane pulled into the empty parking lot and stopped near the back entrance. “Garrett said the gate back here will be open.”
Mia turned to me. “Leave your purse under the seat next to ours. You won’t need it.”
I stuffed my small clutch underneath the seat. It would be easier not having to carry it around.
We got out and dashed toward the gate. Garrett stood there, waiting. I followed the others inside. As soon as I had set foot on the other side of the gate, something was placed over my eyes, blocking my vision.
Someone tied something around my head way too tight. My hands rose to remove the object from my eyes, but a stronger person grabbed them and pulled them down.
“What are you doing?” I screamed. Girls shrieked with laughter around me.
“Shut up,” ordered a male voice. Blane. Before I could say anything else, I was shoved to the ground. My hands scraped the rough concrete as I attempted to break my fall. My knees bled through my pajama pants.
“What is going on?” I asked again.
Someone pulled me roughly from the ground. I wanted to rub my knees, but whoever held me wouldn’t let me.
“We’re going to have some fun,” Hadley said. “Relax, Neva. You’re way too uptight.”
Several hands—I couldn’t tell how many—dragged me forward. I tried to resist, but there was no use. What were they doing, and where were they taking me?
Conversations broke out around me. It suddenly sounded like more than five other people were there, but I couldn’t be sure. I hoped one of them wasn’t Tate. I tried listening for information about where they could be taking me, but no one said.
“What are you doing to me?” I screamed.
Someone pulled my hair and yanked my head back. “You ask that one more time and we’re going to shove something down your throat.” That had been the boy whose lap I’d sat on.
I screamed as loudly as I could, but my cries for help were drowned out by laughter.
“What’s wrong with this girl?” someone asked. The voice was female, but it wasn’t Hadley or Mia. I screamed until my throat was sore and raw.
After a couple of moments, we stopped.
“Hold on,” Garrett said. His words were followed by the sound of something clanking against metal. “Okay.”
I was pushed forward again. I realized I was walking up a ramp. The flimsy metal vibrated beneath my feet as the others stomped around me. A door creaked open, and I shivered from the cool air. The kids hooted and hollered, while I was desperate to know where I was. The many hands holding me became two. We walked forward a few more steps and then stood still.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Hadley said sweetly. “Think of it as a friend helping another friend get over her fears.” Then she leaned closer and whispered in my ear, venom dripping from her voice. “And the next time you want to screw with me, my man, or my best friend, maybe you’ll think twice.”
She shoved me forward, and I landed on my side. “All right, guys. Let’s go ride! We have this place to ourselves.” The others erupted with laughter. The sound of running feet pounded against the ground, and their voices sounded farther and farther away.
I was relieved they were leaving me alone. It took me a moment to remove the blindfold. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by mirrors and my countless reflections—images of a pathetic heap cowering on the ground. The House of Mirrors. A sharp pain shot through my head. It felt like someone had pierced it with a sword. Immediately, I dropped my gaze to the metal floor beneath me to keep the mirrors out of my view. My vision blurred slightly. I would have to crawl my way out.
I had moved forward a couple of feet when my head bumped against something. A mirror. Keeping my eyes closed, I used my hands to feel around me, but all I touched was the cool surface of more mirrors. The place was a maze—it would be hard enough to get through with my eyes open. I didn’t have a choice but to look up and see where I needed to go. When I opened my eyes, my gaze fell upon a mirror directly in front of me. A blinding pain worse than the first forced me to look away. I’d never felt anything like it. I closed my eyes and crawled through blindly, but every move I made sent me crashing into another mirror.
I attempted to open my eyes for a second to determine my location, but even that proved to be too much. When I stayed still, my body still felt like it was spinning. I had the urge to crawl into a corner and curl up into a ball until someone came to help me, until I realized no one would come. No one even knew where I was except for the awful kids who had brought me here.
I grasped at the cold metal floor, relying on it to keep me steady. My hand landed on something that felt different. I opened one eye and made out a black and white Converse sneaker. Blane stood over me, recording with his phone.
I looked back down. “Blane, please help me.”
He yanked his foot away. “I can’t believe this. You are a total loser.”
I ignored him, since he would obviously offer no assistance, and continued to crawl on all fours like an animal. It seemed as though I were moving deeper into the maze instead of finding an exit. Resting for a moment and taking deep breaths, I opened my eyes once more. A searing pain, as if someone were now twisting the knife in my head, overwhelmed me. A strange, uncomfortable warmth traveled through my body. My eyes filled with a bright white light, and I collapsed.
12
My body shuddered. I had no idea where I was, but wherever it was, it was too cold. Struggling to open my eyes, I blinked a few times as my surroundings came into view. To my right was a large window with white curtains. Bright sunshine seeped in through the fabric. Around me, people spoke in hushed tones.
“Oh, look who’s up,” said a male voice.
I turned my head to the left. A man who appeared to be in his thirties, wearing aqua-blue scrubs, looked down on me. The photo ID clipped to his shirt read Raymondo Ortiz, RN. I closed my eyes tight. I was in a freaking hospital with a nurse standing over me. What the hell happened?
“How do you feel?”
My head pounded, but other than that, I was okay. I might have needed an aspirin, but I didn’t feel like I needed to be in a hospital.
I searched my memory, trying to remember how I got here.
“This morning, when they opened the fair, a worker found you passed out in one of the attracti
ons. We thought maybe you had gotten drunk, trespassed on the fairgrounds, and just passed out there. There’s evidence of some other people having been there after hours. Where you with them?”
I was trying to make sense of his words. When I didn’t answer him, he kept talking.
“We ran some blood tests, but we found no drugs or alcohol in your system.”
I tried to sit up. “Of course you didn’t. I’ve never done either of those things in my life.”
The nurse gave me a sympathetic nod like he believed me. “There was no phone or ID on you, so we had no idea who to contact. No one has filed any missing person reports for anyone matching your description.”
I balled my hands into tight fists. I remembered Mia telling me to leave my purse in the car under Blane’s seat because I wouldn’t need it.
I took notice of the orange band around my wrist. It read Jane Doe.
I remembered everything now. Those cretins had pretended to be my friend only to play a cruel prank on me and then desert me. I tightened my fists underneath the covers. If I’d come across any of them at that moment, I would have pummeled them to the ground.
Anh’s warning from the last Rubber Room meeting raced through my mind. Once the group found out what had happened, they would think I was a complete idiot.
“What were you doing there?” Raymondo asked, frowning. He probably thought I was a lunatic, breaking into fairs and passing out in the attractions.
I didn’t want to explain it to him—it was embarrassing—but I didn’t know what else to say. “Some kids played a joke on me. It was just a stupid joke.”
Raymondo furrowed his brow in concern. “I need to call your parents to let them know you’re here. What’s your name and phone number?”
My father getting a call from the hospital was the last thing that could happen. I wasn’t supposed to be out of the house, and I definitely wasn’t supposed to be breaking into a fair during the wee hours of the morning. I’d promised my father nothing bad would happen.
I told him my name was Haley Clark and rattled off a series of random numbers. As Raymondo went off to make his call, I climbed out of bed. I was still wearing my pajamas and thankful not to be in a hospital gown. I searched around my bed and saw no sign of my sneakers. I would have to leave without them.
Forever Snow (The Everly Girls Book 1) Page 10