With a sigh, I pulled back, but found some comfort in the thought Dad would be proud of my milestone. I’d found the right words to make things okay between us.
* * * * *
The lunch Mom packed consisted of ham and cheese subs, chips, and cokes. Chase held his can as if the sweet liquid might burn his flesh.
“Don’t you like sodas?” Mom asked.
Chase cringed. “My mom says they’re bad for you.”
“Your mom is right, but I let the kids drink them on special occasions. There’s water in the cooler if you’d like. Water is better for you, especially in the heat.”
“No, this is fine. Thank you.”
After lunch, we decided on a hike through the woods. Luckily, Mom turned down the boy’s pleas to tag along. She was laying out towels in the shade as we headed for a trail that would take us on a tour of the family land. “You four be careful and watch for snakes.”
“Snakes?” Chase choked out, as if her hands were closing around his neck.
Pade snorted. “Yeah, man, snakes. We’ll be in the woods and snakes hang out near water.”
“I hope we don’t see any water moccasins.” Bailey looked at Chase. “Those snakes will follow you out of the water and won’t stop at the bank.”
Chase glanced up and down the edge of the lake, probably wondering how close we might have been to a snake earlier.
“Come on,” Pade said, leading us through briars that claimed a majority of the trail. As Bailey followed close behind, Chase planted himself by my side, fighting the stickers and branches. It wasn’t long before Pade and Bailey were out of sight.
Chase scanned the ground around us. “Are there really snakes?”
“This is my first time here, remember? My dad has always said snakes are ‘more afraid of you than you are of them’. We just need to make lots of noise.”
“Where is your dad? Doesn’t he like to fish?”
Unsure if Dad had ever touched a fishing pole, I shrugged. “He had to go to Tokyo for his job.”
“Tokyo is a long way from Credence. Do you ever travel with him?”
“Not since we’ve been living in Credence. We moved a lot before…”
“Before what?”
Although the chance had arrived to tell my new friend the truth, I avoided my past like the cafeteria on days when they served vegetarian pizza. “Before we came here.”
We reached the edge of the woods, a green field spreading from our feet to the sky. I swung a leg over the wooden fence meant as a barrier to heaven. “I bet you can’t run faster.” Before his hands touched the wood, I grinned and took off.
Each pounding foot drove anxiety like the wings of an eagle skyward. After what seemed like a marathon of steps, I dropped to my knees and collapsed on a blanket of grass. I lay back, arms crossed under my head and the sun a purple ring floating in the darkness of my sunglasses.
Chase joined me on the ground. “I thought…you…would never…stop.”
I coughed to release the fire in my chest. “But… it felt… amazing.”
He stretched across the grass, leaning back to stare at the sky. “For you maybe.”
“This is how I deal with issues.”
“Like Friday?”
“Friday was a nightmare that’s already leased a spot in my head.”
“What did my mom say to you after second block?”
“She gave me an ‘F’ for missing words on the vocab tests. A zero, actually.”
“Ouch.”
“It pissed me off. She is dramatic about trying your best, just like you said.”
“That’s Mom for you.” Chase laughed. “We were arguing that morning, which explains her bad mood.”
“What were you arguing about?”
A gentle breeze teased the grass and fell against my face while Chase lay still, staring at the white puffs of cotton trailing the sky above our heads. “Today’s my birthday.”
“What?”
“She wanted to do something special since I was turning sixteen, but I refused. I told her I was coming to your house on Sunday, and she flipped out.”
“Why my house and how did you know where I live?”
“The you part was only to make her mad. I can’t be alone with her, not when we’re half a family. She gives me three times the love, and that’s not really like it sounds. The where part Bailey took care of.”
Of course Bailey. “I can’t believe you’re sixteen today. My birthday isn’t until January second.”
He smiled, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. “Are you sure?”
Something in his voice felt strange, almost like a challenge, but I pushed the thought away. “I want to ask you something. Please don’t get mad.”
“You can’t possibly hurt my feelings.”
I took off the sunglasses and locked his blue eyes with mine. “Were you at Save All on Friday?” A boiling cloud, gray underneath, choked the sun while I waited for humor, denial, or even a good excuse, but his silence spoke truth. “Why?”
Chase’s eyes lifted back to the sky. “I followed to make sure you were okay.”
The feeling from our first day returned, only it had a name. “You were worried about me? Why?”
“You won’t believe unless I lie.”
“I’ll believe whatever you say is the truth.”
“Maybe, but I can’t always protect you.”
The air chilled my skin in spite of the warmth pouring down on us. Protect me from what? Thoughts of similar words from Dad surfaced. “Tell me how you got to Save All. Tell me how you got Bailey’s phone back in her bag. There’s something crazy going on and you’ve got to tell me. Please, Chase, tell me.”
Sterling blue eyes merged with mine again. “You really want to know?”
“I have to know.”
Chase nodded and I expected another entry in his long list of deflections. Instead, he stood and reached for my hand, pulling me up to stand before him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Before I could blink again, the green around my feet disappeared, and I stood in front of Chase by the edge of the woods, separated from the field by the same wooden fence we had climbed.
“Now you know how I got to Save All.” His voice was bitter, but he made no move to escape.
I met his stare with wide eyes. “Did you take the earrings out of my purse?”
Chase was waiting for my scream, or perhaps for me to run back down the path as if snakes had appeared for our show. My heart beat fast, but not at freakish speed, and I felt exhilarated, my dreams possible for the first time. “Does your home address end with a zip code?”
His gaze never left mine. “We call it something different on my planet.”
I slapped a hand over my mouth, stifling a laugh. Chase might think my action hysterical, but I wanted to show him this girl could handle the wild truth. Then I remembered the notebook. “Why are you living in Credence?”
“Everyone has to live somewhere.” He wore a trench across the width of the path before speaking again. “Could you trust me when I say we’re not here to turn the people of Earth into blood sucking zombies?”
“You mean vampires.”
He stopped. “Vampires?”
“You said ‘blood sucking zombies,’ but vampires would more likely feed on blood. Besides, some vampires are actually cute.”
“Okay, could you trust I’m not here to turn everyone into vampires?”
“Could you turn us into vampires?”
“Jes, this is reality. Can you trust me?”
“Have you ever hurt anyone? What else can you do? Can you see the future?”
“No. I can move anything with my mind. Large objects like cars and people I have to touch while thinking.” His tired laugh hung between us as he hesitated. “I wish like crazy I could see the future. I would have known about Lisa and Jarrod, maybe even saved them.” Regret shining through sad eyes told the ultimate truth about Chase.
“My dad always says you can’t
‘live your life in the past’.”
“I feel guilty knowing I had the ability to help. But you’re okay with everything I said?” His blond hair seemed absurdly far from bald green monster. He might not be human, but he sure looked human.
“After the last forty-eight hours, I think I could be okay with anything.” Not to mention weeks of dreams and the longing to share with someone who might believe. I wanted to know the possibility of me being from another planet or simply crazy. But a dark chill stopped me. A voice inside urged me, pleaded with me, to remain quiet.
Chase’s shoulders relaxed. “I’ve got something for you.” In one outstretched hand appeared a box about the size of the case for my sunglasses. The box opened to reveal a pair of glasses with lenses that sparkled like a pink crystal and rims rounded with blue-gray metal. “I wanted you to see it can be cool to wear glasses.”
I unfolded the glasses and slid them over my nose, then jumped when a mirror appeared in Chase’s hand. Even I had to admire the girl in the glass. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” Chase brightened at my delight. “And you got the prescription perfect. How did you…well never mind, I can probably guess.” We both laughed. “I hate you got me a gift and I didn’t get you one.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“It’s your birthday.”
“That’s okay. Don’t mention it. I mean for real, don’t mention it. To anyone.”
“Our secret.”
Regardless of his abilities, I felt thankful to have Chase as a friend.
Making Up
I fled into the sunshine, desperate for any chance to break the circuit of pain charging my heart. All eyes had followed me through the service, and I had no doubt my name touched every set of moving lips. The suffocation level dropped as I reached the back of the funeral home, at least until I noticed a woman staring across the expanse of headstones. Instantly I recognized Lisa’s mom, eyes glossed with tears.
“You must be Jessica,” she said.
“Yes ma’am,” I said, frozen from the chill of her stare. “Mrs. Johnson, I’m really sorry.”
What did I expect from her? Not the arm taking mine, or the slow walk down a hill to the lake. Not the silent invitation to share a wooden bench. Before us, swans glided atop still water, clueless of events around them. Children ran in the distance, playing at a nearby school. Golden rays stretched from the sky. The day would be perfect if…
Mrs. Johnson pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse. Her hollow laugh split my heart as she lifted the brown end to her lips and lit the other. After a deep drag, she spoke again. “Lisa had been on me to quit smoking for years.” She turned, looking at me as if just realizing someone occupied the bench beside her. “What are you sorry for?”
My throat became sandpaper as I strained to speak. “For what happened.”
She took more drags, pausing after each to knock the ashes loose. “That wasn’t your fault.”
“I wish…”
“You wish what? That you could have stopped her? That you could have been there?” She tossed what was left of her cigarette and lit another. “Jessica, let me tell you something your parents may not have.”
Mrs. Johnson stared at me, taking in every angle of my face except for my eyes. “We all make choices in life, my dear: some good, some bad. Lisa made a very bad one.” She puffed and leaned over to rest her forehead on a trembling hand. “I loved that girl with every breath in my body. She was my world, my entire life.”
Tears slipped down my cheek, but I couldn’t wipe the burning trails.
“My daughter made the decision to leave school.”
“To take me to Save All.”
She dropped the cigarette to the ground, crushing the half-smoked paper stick with her foot. “Guilt can swallow a person whole; I know because I carry enough for two lifetimes. I tried to do right by my daughter, but there’s only so much a parent can do. Lisa was a good girl,” she said, as the crack forming in her voice threw open my floodgates. “But even good girls are not spared from tragedy.”
“I shouldn’t have gone.”
“She would have left with Jarrod, whether or not you were in the car. I’ve heard the story and I know what she tried to do to you.” She covered my hand with hers and lifted her eyes, finally meeting mine. “I will miss my daughter every day God chooses to leave me on this Earth, but I will also thank God every day that she left you at that store.”
Mrs. Johnson stood and wiped her tears. “Please remember the decisions you make now will shape the rest of your life. It’s unfair for a teenager to have such huge responsibility. Sometimes even your parents can’t keep you safe; that’s entirely up to you. Please Jessica, remember Lisa’s lesson.”
Not prepared for a hug, I shied away from the pleading behind her words, convinced Lisa’s mom would hate me forever. After she released me, we walked back up the hill in silence. The weight of her arm around my neck eased some of the pain.
At the entrance, she tossed her not so empty cigarette pack in a trashcan. “That was my last one.”
I believed her.
* * * * *
School surrounded me with the stress of an E.R. for the rest of the week. Most people were nice, though a few of Lisa’s friends acted as if the pain I carried topped the list of symptoms for strep throat. Bailey stayed quiet in the van and at lunch, making the week of silence a new record. Pade made commitments to clubs I’d never heard of, ready to share the glow of football fame with those less fortunate. Tosh bragged about an offer to change schools, forcing me to dwell on how pure evil might deal with the loss of a close friend. Despite the fact she set me up, I felt a pang in my chest each time those eyes stared beyond her audience and glazed with a dampness no one mocked.
When Friday arrived, I beat the first bell to English, desperate for half a day of strength at my side. Mrs. Pearson called for book reports and gave us another Shakespeare assignment to read, this time Macbeth. She picked students to read the parts aloud, but I was spared.
The woman had shown me five days of niceness, the kind that made me want to puke. I thought about the secret Chase had confided and considered what my knowledge might mean to her. At the end of class, Mrs. Pearson passed out vocabulary tests. I stared at the questions, though I knew every word and definition by heart.
“Jessica?” she whispered, as I placed the paper on her desk.
“Yes ma’am?”
“See me after class.”
My stomach churned with a painful urge to run to second block. I only needed to push my toes into a forward motion. Instead, I stood in shadows until the last person finished.
“Run along, Chase,” Mrs. Pearson said. “Close the door behind you.”
Their eyes met in silent combat, which raised my fear level. Chase left the room as I entered, stopping to close the door, only he didn’t use his hands. I pretended not to notice while I took my usual seat.
“You must be wondering why I kept you.” She pulled my vocabulary test from the stack. “A perfect score, of course,” she said, happiness painting a new layer of beauty on the cold face.
True to her words, a one hundred headlined the page she handed down. As she laid more pages in front of me, delight surfaced over three digits that also filled the inch above my book report, graded during the reading session. She wasn’t even listening.
“Another perfect score. I was impressed with your sentence structure and explanation of the book.” As she eased into Chase’s desk, I found myself drawn to solve the mystery of her features. Mrs. Pearson became a sight for envy when she smiled, with styled hair and clothes cut from a magazine, even down to the heels she never failed to wear. Flaming amber eyes held not a speck of blue as I’d once imagined, but the candy color warmed me like hot chocolate on a windy day in February.
“I never underestimated you. I knew your report would be excellent, which is why I read it first.” Her voice lowered. “Jessica, is everything okay with you?”
&nbs
p; Shock mushroomed as I realized my teacher, the one Bailey had dubbed the Wicked Witch of English, was worried. Not to mention she wasn’t human. With her nearness, I questioned my ability to think.
“I know what occurred last Friday, only hours after we talked. My intention was to teach you a lesson that day, but I forget sometimes what it felt like to be a teenager.” Jeez, she was talking like my mom. “Maybe I should not have made the comment of praise over your first test. Is that why you purposely missed questions? Obscurity must be the Holy Grail for all teenagers; even my son has begun to reason without the help of sense.”
Only for those with a secret past. I nodded, feeling ashamed and once again under her scrutiny. She reached out and touched my hand. Without thinking, I jerked away and her face twisted. For an instant, bone-deep guilt erased every hateful thought.
She stood and crossed to her desk, retrieving a book from under a pile of papers. Her tone was almost normal when she spoke. “I want you to read this for your next report.” She placed a copy of Pride and Prejudice in my hands, the binding overgrown with ivy across a wooden trail. “This is my favorite book, and one I first read as a teenager. It is a long read at sixteen, but I believe this read will be worth your effort.”
Sixteen? I opened the cover and scanned the first pages. Some had words filling the margins, printed by a much neater hand than mine. “What language are these notes in?”
“An old style of English. You will be unable to read the words in the near future, but maybe one day…” She smiled. “I picked up this copy during a visit to England. The edition is early and the pages somewhat brittle. Please be careful.”
Okay, she’d peaked my interest. “This will be for November’s report?”
“If I am thoroughly impressed, you may substitute the grade for your last vocabulary test.”
I flipped through the remaining pages at random. A month of newspapers rested in my hands, but I felt determined to meet any challenge from her.
“Miss Delaney?” She retreated to her desk. “Do you not have a second block class?”
Leftover Girl Page 14