by E. C. Newman
“Lose your sidekick?” someone asked as she passed behind me.
Recognizing the voice, I groaned. “Hi Summer.”
“Where’s your loser friend?” She did disdain so well.
“I don’t have any loser friends, so I have no idea who you’re talking about.” I usually didn’t say anything back. Impressive. For me anyway.
“Juliet isn’t joining us this afternoon,” Mary-Beth said. None of us liked Summer, but Connie and Mary-Beth, maybe even me on a weird day, wanted to be in her crowd. Being popular and feared wasn’t unappealing. “Apparently she looks like hell today.”
“Mary-Beth!”
“And that makes today different how?” Summer laughed uproariously. Connie and Mary-Beth joined her.
“I did not say that. I said she didn’t seem like herself.” I gritted my teeth.
“Yeah, that’d be a good thing. Her being someone else, maybe less loser-y.” Summer was on a roll today.
“You not being yourself would make you less mean,” I said, then slapped my hand over my mouth, shocked I’d said it. Everyone stared at me. I couldn’t believe I’d said it either.
“I could be like you, fat and friendless.” Summer didn’t miss a beat before sauntering off with her posse.
I bit my lower lip, trying not to cry. I noticed that neither Mary-Beth nor Connie defended me. They chatted to each other as I ate the rest of my food, really wishing for ice cream.
I spent all of fifth period fretting. Truly fretting, like I couldn’t stop fidgeting and pushing my hair out of my face and looking around. I didn’t hear anything about the test that we were supposed to be preparing for.
When the bell rang, I got up and trotted over to Ezra, who was packing up his things. “Ezra?”
“Yeah?” He zipped up his bag and waited.
Ezra’s lab partner, Nick, chuckled. “Planning to spy on us again, Sophie?”
I shook my head, my face getting warm, completely aware that I had Ezra’s full attention. “Is Jules OK? She seems…off.”
“Off?” Ezra sounded skeptical.
Why would he notice? He’s a guy. They never noticed stuff like that. “Never mind. See you guys.” I felt so stupid. I was overreacting. And I needed to find her and apologize so she wouldn’t be mad anymore.
“Sophie…” Ezra caught up with me once I was in the hall. “You going to the fair later?”
I nodded. “You?”
“Yeah, we’ll be there.” He scratched his head, right by the ear. He noticed me watching him and dropped his hand quickly almost like he was embarrassed. I didn’t understand why. It was cute.
He could do nothing, and I would think it cute.
“Don’t worry about Jules. She’s OK,” he said before we got to the main hallway. “Promise.” He met my eyes and patted my shoulder.
I could only blink. Couldn’t think of a thing to say.
Three thoughts.
One, he touched me.
Two, he seemed to know what was going on with Jules.
Three, I hoped he was right.
Chapter Five
I headed first to my locker to grab my things for the weekend, relishing that I didn’t have Spanish today because of early dismissal. I scurried to Jules’s locker next.
She wasn’t there.
I got to her locker and peered in the vents on the door to see if I could see if it was empty, like that would tell if she’d been and gone or not arrived yet.
“What are you doing?”
I hit my head on the locker door at her voice. I winced. “Ow.” I forced a smile to my face. “Hey, Jules.”
“You a stalker?”
“Huh?” I rubbed my head. “No, I wanted to see you before leaving. Hi.” I’d already said that, hadn’t I?
She opened her locker and turned her back on me. She wasn’t any less mad.
“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean—”
“Fine. I get it. Just…stop apologizing.” She shoved her books into her bag.
“You going to the fair?”
“I don’t have a choice. Meredith has a booth there.”
“Really?”
Jules shut her locker door and looked at me. “She’s a painter.”
“Oh. Cool…Uh… So, you want a ride?”
“No.” She started walking away. “I’ll just see you there.”
Then she was gone, taking her temper with her.
* * *
I stopped home first to let Slightly out for a bit and change my clothes. A skirt and blouse was not really county fair garb. Mom, a fourth-grade teacher, was already at the fair, doing something with her students. Dad would come after work so I was on my own, which bummed me out.
Maybe Jules was just having a bad day.
I let Slightly back in, patting her head, then looked once more in the living room mirror. I studied myself for a few seconds. My hair was in a low ponytail, and I’d taken the time to put on some brown eyeliner. Possible Ezra Varden sighting in a nonschool setting equaled eyeliner.
I made a face at myself and left the house. Honestly, boys made you do the strangest things.
I drove to the fairground, texting Jules to ask where I could meet her. No answer. I tried not to worry, but that was impossible. I knew deep down I should just leave her alone. Let her cool off. But leaving people alone was not my specialty.
I parked in the already crowded lot. Tons of people headed down the path toward the slowly turning Ferris wheel. The scent of funnel cakes hit my nose, and my stomach growled appreciatively.
Tonight would be fun.
I stopped by the funnel cake booth and traded a few dollars for the fried goodness topped with powdered sugar. It was burning hot, so I continued along the kiosks, looking at local art and waiting for my food to cool.
I came across an unsupervised booth. The artist was a whittler, if that was a word. Little wooden figurines lined the tables. Some polished and stained, others very rough. A few walking sticks were propped up in a corner, decorated with a variety of symbols, American Indian, Celtic, and Chinese. I set my funnel cake on a table, reached out, and took one. I traced along the carving, smiling at the smell and feel of the wood.
Most of the figurines were forest animals. Bears, squirrels, wolves, fish, birds. I figured the artist was from Forest Hills. The area was known for artisans and the like, such as Meredith Varden, a painter.
“Hey, Sophie.” Ezra came into the booth.
I nearly dropped the walking stick. “Ezra.” OK, voice, sound normal, please. “Hi.”
He smiled a little. “That’s one of my favorites.”
I looked at the stick I held. Most of images were of trees, vines, and leaves. It was a work of art.
Something clicked. “You did this.”
He sat in the folding chair and set down a lockbox he’d been carrying. “Yeah.”
“You whittle? I mean, all of this?” I set the stick with the others then picked up my funnel cake so I’d have something to keep my hands occupied.
“Yeah. Never run out of supplies living in the woods.”
I tore off a piece of cake and chewed it quickly, then offered the plate to him.
“Sure, thanks.” He pulled some off and ate it.
I finished my bite. “Ezra. This stuff is really good. Is it, like, a job?”
He swallowed, nodding to another passerby who glanced at the figurines with interest. “You mean to make money? Yeah. I have a real job during the summer, but this supplies my need for video games. Usually.” He half grinned. “But it’s not a job, really. I just do it because I like it.”
“How much for this?” The lady who’d joined us picked up a puppy figurine.
Ezra’s eyes softened when he looked at it, and then he cleared his throat. “Five.”
She paid him without question and left. He chuckled.
“What?” I asked, offering the funnel cake again.
He took some, still clearly amused. “It cost me nothing
to make that. Just a good knife and something to sharpen it with. The wood’s free. The fact anyone would pay for it never ceases to surprise me.” He chewed slowly with his gaze resting on me.
“They’re really good. I mean, I buy stuff like this when we’re on our road trips all the time. Souvenirs. And I never think about how much it cost someone to make it.” I picked up a bear. “Besides, it really looks like a bear. Do you copy it from pictures?”
He didn’t answer immediately, so I looked back at him. I was still wrapping my brain around the idea that Ezra was an artist. Like I needed to find him more attractive.
“Oh, yeah, pictures. I’ve seen a few in my life also, so I go from the memories.” He didn’t meet my eyes. “So, Jules is around somewhere.”
I set the bear down, my stomach getting all twisty again. “She still…off?”
He smiled lightning quick.
“Sophie!” Nick had just walked up. “You’re here. With Ez.” His grin could only be described as mischievous.
“Oh, I just, um…” I stopped, embarrassed. “Funnel cake?”
“Suhweet.” Nick took a big piece. “So, what’s up?”
“Nothing,” Ezra answered. “Did you want to buy anything?” he asked me.
“Oh. Um, yes.” I found myself sad that Nick had shown up because Ezra seemed different. Almost instantly, he became less friendly. Could have been my brain though. “I’ll, uh, take the eagle and that wolf.” I pointed. “And how much is the tree walking stick?”
“This wolf?” Nick asked, picking up the one I’d pointed at. It had a doggy smile and its tongue hanging out. “She likes black wolves,” he told Ezra, who glared.
“It’s a light wood,” I said, confused.
“Oh, but this is definitely a black wolf.” Nick handed it to me. “Good choice.” His smug smile annoyed me.
I looked at Ezra. “How much?”
Ezra stopped burning holes into Nick’s head. “Ten.” He began to wrap the figurines in newspaper.
“What about the walking stick?” I picked it up. It had been sanded, but not stained. The carved trees reminded me of Lord of the Rings, which made me think of Fangorn. And Jules. Maybe she’d think the stick was cool. “It’s more than the eagle and wolf, right?”
Ezra handed me the wrapped figurines in a plastic bag. I dug in my purse, pulling out a ten. He took it, his fingers brushing mine for just a second. It took so little for me to get dizzy around him.
Nick snickered, and Ezra glared at him. “You can have the stick,” Ezra told me.
I gaped at him, shocked. Nick also looked startled.
“No, I’ll pay for it. You said it was your favorite, after all.”
He turned, sticking the ten-dollar bill in the lockbox. “Just take it, Sophie. Where’s my sister?” he asked Nick.
Nick shrugged. “Over by the games. She’s a crap shot, by the way.”
Ezra rolled his eyes. “She’ll spend all her money.” He handed the lockbox to Nick. “I’ll get her. Watch this.” He left without saying good-bye.
“Um…”
Nick sat in the folding chair and grinned at me. “Can I have the rest of your funnel cake?”
I handed it to him, grabbed the stick and bag, and left.
I trotted out to my car to put in the things I’d bought at Ezra’s booth. When I hurried back, I nearly ran over my mother who was standing at the entrance waiting for Dad. We chatted for a bit. I didn’t tell her about the argument with Jules even though Mom said I looked flushed.
Possibly more to do with the running to and from my car than with Jules or my encounter with Ezra.
“I saw Juliet a second ago,” Mom said. “Over by that ride that goes around backward and everyone usually throws up.”
I wrinkled up my nose. “Thanks for the visual, Mom.”
“Any time. I’ll call you when I find your dad. Do you have enough money for dinner?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She hugged me, and I headed back in to find Jules’s ride.
There she was, and talking to her was Summer Harlan and two minions. I touched my cheek remembering the pain, but marched up to them anyway. As I got close, I saw Naomi watching several feet away with her friends.
When Summer saw me, her arrogant smile widened. “The fat bodyguard.”
I swallowed the hurt. “Hi, Summer. Having a good time?”
Jules’s hands were balled into fists. If she’d been a cartoon, smoke would have been coming out of her ears.
“Always.” Summer looked back at Jules. “See you later, freak.”
I didn’t see it coming, and I don’t think Summer did either. Jules was so fast that Summer was down on the ground, holding her chin before I realized Jules had punched her.
“You stupid bitch!” Summer tried to get up, her two friends helping her.
I moved in front of Jules as a buffer. She pushed me out of the way so hard I hit the side of the boards surrounding the vomit ride, gasping at the impact.
“So you had to tell Summer that I looked like crap today too?” Jules snarled at me. As Summer got up, Jules hooked her leg under Summer’s so she fell again.
“Huh?” I rubbed my shoulder.
Jules pointed to Summer, who was inching away. “She said that you were talking to your friends about me.”
I felt that sinking sensation I always got when someone was angry with me. “I was just asking if they thought you were—”
“Just keep your mouth shut, for once,” she snapped and stormed past me.
I didn’t follow. I whirled around to look at Summer who was standing and trying to dust off the dirt. “Why are you so mean to her?”
Summer rolled her eyes. “’Cause she’s weird. The hair, the eyes, the attitude. You wouldn’t get it because you’re weird too.” With that inane retort, she and her friends turned and strutted away, their hair flipping perfectly.
I wiped my eyes, not really in the county fair mood any longer. I headed toward the entrance, glancing at Naomi who was laughing with her friends. She sneered at me.
One mini-Summer coming up.
* * *
When I got home, I got on my laptop to e-mail her. I called her, but got her voice mail. Even her recorded name sounded angry at me.
Nothing by ten p.m. So I made a decision.
I lied to Mom and Dad. I rarely, if ever, did that. I called Mom, who was still at the fair with Dad, watching local musicians play. I told them that Jules had invited me to sleep over again. Was that OK?
Sure.
I felt so guilty when I got in my car. I was the worst daughter of all time.
But the fight was still running through my mind. I had to see Jules, talk with her. We would be fine once we talked it out. It’d been a few hours. She would have cooled off some.
The anxiety wouldn’t leave. I kept glancing over at my cell phone, wondering if it would light up with a text from Jules. Wondering if I should call the Vardens first, but afraid to. Afraid that Jules would still be furious and not want me to come over.
Then I would never get to sleep.
The unlit roads approaching their house were dark, but the clear sky held a full moon, huge tonight. I glanced up at it as I drove, sort of admiring its eerie, cold beauty.
I parked on the street, not wanting to wake up anyone if I could help it. I padded down the driveway, feeling very sneaky. It wasn’t a cloak I usually wore. I liked it. I felt the corners of my lips turn up. Adventure.
Hopefully I would be more successful than last time.
Jules would be so surprised. Pleasantly surprised, I hoped.
The house was dark and quiet. I paused. Maybe this was a terrible idea. I should go. Maybe waking up Jules was the worst type of apology.
But I was already here. And didn’t the Bible say, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”? So if Mom and Dad threatened to punish me, I could just say God made me do it.
Jules’s room, being on the third floor, required me to take the outside stairs up to
the deck, then the second staircase to the upstairs den. I could see her blue night light shining through the circular window. I climbed softly, wincing at every creak of wood.
The den door was unlocked. I guessed the Vardens weren’t worried about burglary this far into nowhere. I slipped in and shut the door behind me. I crept along the hall to her door and knocked lightly. The house was freakishly quiet.
“Jules?”
I heard movement and waited, but no one came to the door.
“Jules?” I tried her door and stuck in my head. “It’s me, Sophie.”
I could see a lot of tossing and turning in her bed. Her white streak flashed in her dark hair, so I knew I hadn’t stupidly gone into the wrong room. The movements were violent, and I wondered if she was having a nightmare.
“Jules?”
I heard a strange sound. Sort of like when I cracked my knuckles, but louder and longer. It came from the body in the bed.
“You all right?” I started to worry. I shut the door behind me and turned on the light. The comforter was flipped back, and Jules was sprawled over the bottom sheet. But not really Jules. This Jules had a long snout that was covered in white fur and a hunched, animallike body.
“Jules?” My voice reached a high pitch. The creature glared at me, growling. Its head stretched, and human ears morphed into pointed furry ones. The black upper lip snarled, exposing long white teeth.
It was a wolf. A huge, beautiful, terrifying white wolf. I backed up against the door, my heart beating fast. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t scream.
That’s when I noticed the eyes. Pale blue, like a husky’s.
Like Juliet’s.
My brain couldn’t comprehend anything except that an angry wolf was only a few feet away from me, staring at me like I was dinner. I knew I shouldn’t be looking into its eyes, but I couldn’t help it.
They were Jules’s eyes.
The wolf snarled and growled at me before lifting its head to let out a howl. I mumbled a prayer under my breath. I was going to die. My eyes welled with tears, and I wondered if anyone other than my parents would miss me.
Another howl shot through the room. From outside. The white wolf heard it too. The huge head turned from me toward the window. Several more howls streamed through, and the wolf jumped off the bed, racing to the window. The crash drowned out the howling as the white wolf leaped through the glass.