Leftover Girl

by Bolick, C. C.

  “Thanks.” In his words, I felt nothing. I asked Skip about the tattered suit, faded as if someone sliced two pairs of jeans and sewed the ends together, but his reply was lost to the guilt. Others passed, dressed as if Credence High had a makeover to nightclub. I burst into laughter, certain I looked appalling in my layers of pink lace. Why had I let Mom talk me into dressing like a princess from a hundred years ago?

  My smile never dimmed until I saw Pade.

  Watching Pade from across the room made me cherish memories from our night at the fair. For one night, I stood by his side, equal in every way. Tonight he wore a tuxedo, blacker than the hair against his ears, which brought a real smile to my face at the same time I fought tears. Seeing him dance with seniors and cheerleaders blurred all the reasons ‘we’ could have been, along with my eyes. Even if I hadn’t pushed Pade away, the knowledge I’d never fit into his world remained between us. He stood next to Mia during the crowning ceremony, where I became the poster child for a tenth grader, wide eyed and dreaming. Beyond being family to him, a fact I preferred he could forget, I was nothing.

  As if drama demanded another appearance for the night, Terrance had asked Tosh. Around every corner, someone gushed about the cutest couples. I wanted to puke.

  At one of the later DJ breaks, I pushed open the bathroom door and froze with the sounds of Tosh shouting. She and Mia stood before the mirror, surrounded by the lies and accusations Tosh spit into the air. For a moment, I considered turning and running from the bathroom as if flames rose from the stalls, but then Chase’s words gave an encore performance in my head.

  Sometimes fighting is the only answer.

  I passed Tosh, her eyes following me in the mirror. She stopped screaming and formed a smile that curled in true nastiness. When I approached the sinks, she turned to Mia.

  “Do you know Jes actually thought Pade liked her too?”

  Mia finished a layer of lipstick. “Maybe he does.”

  Tosh snatched the crown from Mia’s head and threw the nest of glimmering stones. The metal skipped across the floor and clanked against the far wall.

  Without a sound, Mia crossed the floor and lifted the crown. Tosh put both hands on her hips and moved closer, staring down at me. Our eyes met in a fury, but I didn’t cringe or look away.

  “What now, Lame-o? Will you run like always?” she screamed and shoved my shoulders.

  I stumbled, but got back in her face.

  “How could you possibly think Pade ever liked you? How? How? So, you want to fight me? You’re not going to turn and run this time, Delaney. Not after the shit you pulled with Lisa.” Her voice bled pain and guilt as my own guilt threatened to drown me.

  “Leave her alone,” Mia said. “It wouldn’t be a fair fight. This is between us.”

  “You’re right, I’ll deal with you first. Then I’ll teach Jes a lesson she’ll remember every time she steps through that door.” Tosh’s laugh engulfed the room, conflicting with a steady beat from the cafeteria. She stepped to my right and reached for Mia’s hair.

  Mia ducked and forced an elbow into Tosh’s ribs.

  “Shit, shit,” Tosh said and grabbed again for Mia’s hair, this time catching her shoulder as both lost their footing and landed in a ruffled heap on the bathroom floor.

  They thrashed, rolling across the floor with talons bared. Tosh broke away and climbed to her feet, but slid on water that had pooled under a sink. She steadied her feet by grabbing the porcelain, looking up as my palm crashed into her cheek. Sputtering a sentence where my name was the only word not etched across the bathroom walls, she raised both fists and I fired at her other cheek, sending my enemy back to the tile.

  Tosh stared at Mia, who had inched away and now stood by the stalls, and once again pulled herself up.

  “I’m still waiting for my lesson.” I took a step forward. “Well?” I asked, but Tosh was out the door before I could take a second.

  Mia reset her crown in the mirror. “Thanks,” she said, beaming with the kind of smile that begged for another. “I thought you were amazing.” Reaching for my hair, she pulled some of the pins from the side of my head, which allowed a few soft curls to fall.

  When I looked in the mirror, I struggled to recognize the face, my face, lit by a new radiance, the glow of being back on top of the world.

  “I’m not surprised,” Mia said. “Tosh can be real nasty, but she’s not so tough inside. You’ve put up with her for a long time, much longer than I could have. She seemed really jealous of you and Pade.”

  “Don’t you mean you and Pade?”

  “Do I?” Mia grinned and circled an arm around my neck. “Thanks again. You saved me from…breaking any nails.”

  We laughed and headed back to the cafeteria, to where Pade leaned against the entrance. His eyebrows knotted into a ‘V’ when he caught sight of Mia’s arm, still attached to my neck.

  “We were starting to wonder,” he said.

  “Worried about us?” Mia teased, shooting me a secret look. “I guess a lot can happen in the girls’ bathroom.”

  Pade straightened. “What happened?”

  “Oh, just a little Tosh trouble.” Mia rolled her eyes. “But it was nothing Jes couldn’t handle.”

  Terrance stopped next to Mia and handed her a drink. “Jes?”

  “Yes,” Mia drawled, “Jes. Let’s just say I don’t think Tosh will be bothering her anytime soon.” She turned to me. “You’ll have to teach me that move of yours.” Her excitement amplified each word. “I’ll never forget the sight of you knocking Tosh Henley to the floor of the bathroom in building one.” Mia tossed her hair and looked at Terrance. “Sorry about your date.”

  Terrance balled his fist. “We’re not being nice to that girl anymore. I know you’re on this mission to save the world, but Tosh is a lost cause.”

  “Agreed,” Mia said, putting an arm through his. “I was right about Jes, but I can’t be right about everyone.”

  “I guess not,” Terrance said, smiling. “But I’m glad you try.”

  Terrance escorted Mia through the door, leaving Pade as my only company for the walk inside.

  “Was Skip in on this too?” I asked.

  “No,” Pade said. “He overheard Mia’s plans to trick Tosh into acting normal, as if that were possible. He asked you out before I could explain what was going on, which made things weird with Angel. That’s why I was standing at the door. Rachelle got Skip and Angel together, and I promised to keep you occupied until they were dancing.” He pulled the door open and followed me inside.

  “Have you seen Bailey?” I yelled.

  “She was dancing with Chase before the last break.”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth, forcing back laughter.

  “What is it?” Pade asked.

  “I was just thinking how every girl in this room must be waiting for a dance. You might have to play offense if I get tackled.”

  He grinned. “Not even Tosh is that brave.”

  “But I’m sure you don’t want to disappoint anyone.” I glanced around the room, but no sign of Bailey. My eyes landed on Skip and Angel dancing, about the time Pade spotted them.

  He reached for my arm. “Let’s dance.”

  Pade led me to the center of a room filled by half the school and a song about Romeo and Juliet. The beat was swift, in rhythm with my heart, while his hands glided along my palms. With motions borrowed from a stage, he spun me as if the music played the tune of our lives and nothing else.

  There I was in glitter and lace, with my prince crowned, no more than a breath away and ready to steal forever. Nothing could have filled the moment with more magic until the last verse of the song. As his head lowered, I wavered between growing hunger and a sad dose of reality.

  With Pade’s lips almost to mine, I tilted my head from the path to freedom of emotions. Away from the feeling my soul cried for, the ache only Pade Sanders could bring.

  Pade stepped back and found my eyes, his own cloudy. “What’s wron
g?”

  The tremor in his voice brought the same kind of hurt to my heart. “I just didn’t want you to.”

  His eyes shifted down. “I thought maybe you changed your mind about us.”

  “No,” I said, fighting to keep my words firm. “We can either be friends or nothing at all.”

  Pade studied my face. “That’s really what you want? A friend?”

  “Tonight it’s what I need.”

  I pictured him running from the center of our stage, surrendering to desperation and sending each letter of my words back into the air that gave birth to goodbye. His face was a window for a spectrum of feelings, from anger to denial, and then a tight smile.

  Pade slid both arms around me, bringing his head next to mine. “I’ll give a year of tonights if you ask, but at some point tomorrow will follow.”

  * * * * *

  Since Bailey wasn’t clinging to Chase anywhere on the dance floor, I escaped into the courtyard, able to get away from Pade without complaint. As I rubbed the prickles on my arms, the glow from a window in building five caught my attention.

  The hall was darkness except for light filtering through a crack in the door to our first block class. Bailey stood near the door, one ear tilted to the conversation inside. Two people were talking; their faces took form through the crack as I approached. Thoughts of what Bailey had already heard Chase and Mrs. Pearson say raced through my head, before I realized our teacher’s words made no sense.

  “No,” Chase said. “I’ll only speak English here.”

  Mrs. Pearson sighed as he paced in front of the desks. “I do not know how much longer you can…are you listening to me?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Do not say that word. You sound like them.”

  Chase lowered his eyes and I felt his discomfort as if she lectured me.

  “For months you have been free from the many responsibilities and hardships my position on Golvern has forced upon you. I have given your fantasies of ‘normal’ considerable latitude, but I believe we must leave Earth soon.”

  “I miss home, despite how they treat us, but I feel leaving here now would be a mistake.”

  “We have finished our research, but the facts seem to stand against your friend. Chadsworth, I know how bad you wanted it to be her this time.”

  “But she’s adopted.”

  “As are many people on this planet.”

  “She dyes her eyes and hair.”

  “You have visited Earth long enough to realize humans hate themselves. They always want to be someone different.”

  “What about her parents?” he asked.

  “Lorraine Delaney attended this school with Dr. Greene.”

  “How can you be sure they’re human?”

  “No other answer makes sense. Only her abductors would know the truth, and Lorraine Delaney does not fit the profile.”

  “I never found pictures of her dad. When I searched their house the day I missed school, I couldn’t find any pictures. Health Made Simple does exist, but there’s no public information. I haven’t been able to crack the encryption on their servers. We should wait and meet him.”

  “The question of her father’s illness has been prevalent in all of our minds.” Mrs. Pearson lifted a red folder from her desk. “I obtained Justin Delaney’s medical records, which I might add date back more than thirty years.” She nodded as her son straightened. “For once I ignored the rules regarding the privacy of this world’s inhabitants. Learning his past seemed crucial.

  “He was born in Colorado and almost died of pneumonia at age five. At thirteen, he broke both bones in his lower right arm and at fifteen cracked several ribs. He was diagnosed with skin cancer a year ago and underwent radiation therapy.” She smiled weakly. “You know such a treatment would be fatal to any of us. The fact Mr. Delaney has spent a lifetime on Earth should at least prove he is human.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “And that she is too.”

  “It has to be her,” Chase said. “I won’t accept she’s gone. I won’t stop believing we’ll find her, but I don’t want to be wrong like before.”

  “If you truly believe, Jessica will be on the ship tonight.”

  “I need more time.”

  “I will take the blame if you are wrong.”

  “Don’t you think Jes will hate us?”

  She extended the folder to Chase. “This is a picture of Mr. Delaney, taken while he attended college in Denver. Do you think the boys look like him?”

  “You saw them at the library.”

  “Your opinion is important.”

  Chase stared at the picture for a long moment, before closing the folder and handing it back. “Will my answer change your decision?”

  She swallowed. “Yes or no.”

  His eyes met hers. “Yes.”

  Mrs. Pearson faced the board.

  “Are we taking her back to Golvern?”

  Her voice was hollow. “Any chance…we have no choice.”

  I stumbled back, autopilot taking over, allowing me to retreat past the empty rooms. Away from Mrs. Pearson and the implications of her words. Away from the offer of adventure Chase prepared to make good on. My heart skipped with excitement while an earthquake shook the flesh beneath my skin. Not until I reached the safety of cafeteria lights was breathing possible, and I still jumped like a caged animal when someone touched my arm.

  “Am I going crazy?” Bailey asked, swinging me around. “I wanted to find Chase, but they were talking all weird. Please tell me I’m not freaking out. Mom is always saying I’m going to end up on the first floor of the hospital. You know, the psych ward!” She paced the narrow sidewalk. “I’m freaking out and my boyfriend is some psycho lunatic loose from who knows where. And his mother is el primo psycho of the year.”

  “Let’s get back to the dance,” I said, my drama scale pegged for the night.

  Bailey checked her phone. “It’s almost time for my mom.” Her eyes met mine with a flash of concern. “We didn’t see anything.”

  “Anything like what?” I asked.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  * * * * *

  Aunt Charlie parked in her driveway and I walked the path to my back door, with no other thoughts but Pade. Only the absence of a single kitchen light brought me back to Credence, as I crept toward sounds flowing from the living room. Dad was talking with Mom, though I couldn’t make out their words. Hearing his voice sent all of my worry crashing into relief, but the room became a sponge for secrets when the floor creaked beneath my feet.

  Dad turned, his eyes shining like the sparkles on my dress under the lone lamp. “You look lovely.”

  I threw my arms around him. “I’m so glad you came home early.” After inhaling the familiar scent of his aftershave, a memory of my real father replayed in my head. Again, I heard the man reading and felt his arms around me. ‘Kay Ray’ he called me. But he wasn’t the one who’d been there for me. How could I hug Dad and think of some other man? I cringed and Dad pulled away.

  With light shadowing his face, he looked tired, and old. “I’m glad to be home. It’s been a long journey for me.”

  “From Tokyo?” I asked.

  “I’ll tell you about it one day.”

  I wanted to tell Dad the truth. As he hugged me again, I almost convinced myself to disclose every amazing detail about Chase and Mrs. Pearson. Dad would believe me, even in a frantic state. I would make him believe me, somehow.

  Instead, I climbed the stairs.

  Lauren

  I awoke the next morning, amazed I ever got to sleep. My mind reeled with events from the night before. Hitting Tosh. Dancing with Pade. Seeing the truth about Chase.

  Bailey lounged in a chair beside the rose bushes, facing a square of awkward grass lighter than the rest of her backyard. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t trying for a tan under the dreary sky.

  I tore a leaf from one of the bushes. “Are you still sad about the pool?”
>
  “You’re stalling,” she said. “Tell me what you know about Chase.”

  Bailey was quiet while I talked about Chase, starting from the first day we met. When I finished, she opened her eyes. “You didn’t think I should know? I thought you were my friend.”

  “I promised Chase I’d keep his secret.”

  “And you told me.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. “A little late, don’t you think?”

  “You deserve the truth, promise or no promise.”

  “I finally meet the perfect guy and he turns out to be from another planet. The worst part is, he seemed to really like me. Why is this happening? Uhhh!” She jumped from the seat, throwing her hands into the air. “Why did Chase tell you? Why are you so special?”

  Though I’d never considered the question, Bailey made it seem like an obvious one. “I guess we made a connection with the whole outcast thing.”

  “You’re not an outcast, you’re adopted. I can’t imagine you having anything in common with an alien.”

  At Bailey’s mention of the ‘A’ word, I giggled. She’d get angry, I knew, but the giggles soon became full blown rolling on the ground laughter.

  “Have you lost your mind? Did you not hear what Mrs. Pearson is planning to do to you?”

  Bailey’s words had the effect of dampening my laughter. In fact, the world around me sobered fast.

  * * * * *

  “Did last night have something to do with the list of names from Chase’s notebook?”

  “They’re looking for a missing girl,” I said, dropping into a seat across from Bailey. “That’s why Chase and his mom are in Credence.”

  She stared at the drink I’d placed in front of her. “You think they’re looking for you?”

  “I tried to get the truth out of Chase, but he never told me the whole story.”

  “So, he didn’t tell you everything.”

  “He acted like a CIA agent over the girl they’re searching for, but Chase said his people can’t stay on Earth more than three years without going back. Our sun is deadly for them.”

  “Which is why Mrs. Pearson decided you can’t be her. But why did she say they had no choice?”