"Were you just pretending to like me?" he had demanded indignantly. "Is that some kind of a kick for you? Does it give you a rush?"
She had hung up on him. There was nothing else she could do.
Suddenly itchy and uncomfortable, she nudged A.J. with her elbow. He turned to her with a question in his warm brown eyes. "Let's go, OK?" she asked.
A.J. gulped down the rest of his milk shake and nodded. "Sure. No problem." As they squirmed out of the booth, he added to the others, "See y'all at the beach tomorrow."
Jessica quickly headed for the door, not even looking to see if A.J. was following. She just wanted to get away from Christopher and the place where he had tracked her down.
On Saturday, Jessica spent a miserable afternoon at the beach, hunched over and hidden behind big sunglasses. Every surfer she saw made her heart skip a beat. She was terrified Christopher was going to show up and make a scene.
Why is he doing this to me? she wondered. Why won't he just leave me alone?
Frustrated and anxious, she stared out at the water, wishing for the day to be over. A.J. kept trying to entice her to go swimming, but she refused. It was bad enough being on the beach without standing up and calling attention to herself. If Christopher was there looking for her, she wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible.
And besides, every time A.J. said anything to her, she felt a flood of guilt. He was the nicest, most sincere, and smartest boy she had ever dated—and she had gone behind his back and cheated on him.
A dark-haired boy strode by with a surfboard, and Jessica felt herself freeze until she saw it wasn't Christopher.
I'm getting so paranoid, she told herself mournfully. This is crazy.
What worried her most was that Christopher would keep following and calling her until somehow A.J. found out. It would take some pretty fancy storytelling to explain her way out of this one, Jessica realized. In the past, she had always been able to spin some kind of believable story when necessary. But with A.J., she wasn't sure it would work.
And to be perfectly honest with herself, she knew she wouldn't blame him. If she found out that A.J. had spent the weekend with another girl behind her back, she would be livid. So if he learned about Christopher, who knew what might happen. And it would probably take a miracle to keep him from finding out.
"Hey, Jessica!"
She winced and turned around warily. She relaxed when she saw Jeffrey French walking toward her across the sand. She waved and gave Elizabeth's boyfriend a feeble smile.
"Isn't Liz with you?" he called.
Jessica nodded down the beach. "She's over with Enid and Olivia."
"Right. See you later."
Next to her, A.J. gave her a puzzled look. "Hey. Are you all right?"
"Wh-why?" she stammered, blushing.
He shrugged. "You seem kind of worried, that's all. Nervous."
"Oh . . ." Jessica searched her mind for a good excuse. "I have a French test next week—it's going to be a real killer."
"Pauvre enfant," A.J. said with a little smile. "Oh, hey, I was going to tell you—a guy called last night about my car. He's coming over tomorrow afternoon for a test drive, so either you can come over while I wait for him, or I can pick you up afterward."
Being at A.J.'s meant being away from her phone, Jessica realized quickly. Every time the phone rang it made her a nervous wreck, so any excuse to get away was welcome. She gave him a half-hearted smile. "I'll come over after lunch, OK?"
"Sure." A.J. sprang up from the sand in one lithe, athletic bound. "I'm going swimming. Want to come?" He held out one hand invitingly.
Jessica shook her head and hunched her shoulders a little more. "No, not really." She watched him stride confidently down to the water's edge and felt a stab of pain and confusion in her heart.
Why did I do it? she asked herself mournfully. How could I have been so dumb?
Sighing, she surveyed the beach once again, but Christopher was nowhere to be seen.
That night the phone rang while Jessica was getting dressed to go out to the movies with A.J. She stared at the extension by her bed, her jaw clenched. It rang and rang, then stopped. She held her breath.
"Jessica. For you!" Elizabeth's voice traveled through the bathroom. Both girls had telephones in their rooms because they got so many calls.
With a sinking feeling, Jessica tiptoed through the bathroom and poked her head around the door to her sister's room. "Who is it?"
Elizabeth was reading and didn't look up. "I don't know. A guy."
"A.J.?" Jessica asked in a hopeful tone.
"No, I don't think so," her twin replied absently. Elizabeth was intent on her book. "You'd better answer it."
Jessica glanced at the receiver of Elizabeth's phone as if it were a rattlesnake. "I'll get it in my room," she whispered. She went back through the bathroom and slowly picked up her own extension. Before she said anything, she called to Elizabeth, "OK, I've got it." She waited until she heard the click of her twin's extension. Then Jessica said fearfully, "Hello?"
"Jessica—please don't hang up on me again." Christopher's voice was strained and pleading.
She swallowed, near tears. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
"Because I love you, Jessica. Don't you realize that? I have to see you again."
"No." Jessica vehemently shook her head. "That's crazy. You aren't in love with—"
"Don't say that! I am. Don't you know that by now? I'd do anything for you, if you'd just give me the chance. Your boyfriend can't love you the way I do. And if he knows about us . . ."
An alarm triggered in Jessica's head. "What do you mean, if he knows?" she croaked.
"You told him about us, didn't you?" Christopher's tone changed suddenly as he answered his own question. "You didn't."
"No, and I'm not going to! I'm not telling him, and I'm not breaking up with him or cheating on him again, OK? Now just leave me alone."
There was a pause, and then Christopher laughed. It was a disturbing, menacing sound.
"You wouldn't—" Jessica choked.
All Jessica heard was the sound of the dial tone. This time he had hung up on her.
Jessica sat down hard on the edge of her bed. Her knees were shaking, and her knuckles were white from gripping the receiver so hard.
"This is crazy," she whispered, her eyes wide and staring.
The word crazy seemed to echo in her head. It was the word she had been using every time she thought about the way Christopher was hounding her. Crazy.
What if Christopher was insane? The question loomed like a black shadow in her imagination. Suddenly Jessica was afraid. She slammed the receiver down and stared at the phone in horror.
Fighting the trembling in her arms, Jessica walked stiff-legged back through the bathroom and stood in the doorway of Elizabeth's room. She stared at her twin without a word, her mind reeling.
Finally Elizabeth looked up "What's up, Jess?"
Jessica looked at her sister for a long moment, then looked away. Nervous, she moved to the bureau and began picking over Elizabeth's barrettes and hairbands and jewelry. More than anything else, she wanted to confide in her twin. Elizabeth was always so reasonable. Nothing like this would happen to her in a million years, but she could help if anyone could.
Jessica had gone to Elizabeth for help so many times in the past, and always her twin had bailed her out. But Jessica wondered if she shouldn't try to sort things out on her own for once. She also hesitated because she was afraid to see the look on Elizabeth's face when she told her about Christopher. Her two dates with this strange surfer didn't seem so casual and unimportant anymore. Jessica had certainly gotten more than she bargained for from her romantic fling.
"Jess?" Elizabeth's tone was concerned. "What's wrong?"
Jessica forced herself to turn around and give her sister a carefree smile. "I just wanted to borrow your pink sweater, and I was afraid you wouldn't let me, that's all."
"Sure," Elizabeth replied sl
owly. She sounded unconvinced. "Go ahead—it's in the closet."
With a sickly smile on her face, Jessica turned and started rummaging in Elizabeth's closet. She had gotten herself into this situation, she resolved, so it was up to her to get herself out.
But she was still terrified.
Seven
Jessica woke up with a headache on Sunday morning. For a few minutes she lay in bed with her eyes closed, feeling miserable and tired. All night long she had dreamed that she was being chased, and no matter how hard she struggled to get away, she couldn't escape. In the morning she felt as though she hadn't slept at all.
And it's all because of him, she complained to herself.
Jessica glanced at her clock. Her parents and Elizabeth were probably eating breakfast on the patio, as they often did on Sunday mornings. She could picture them happily munching on toast and reading the paper.
They don't even care if I'm being followed by some nutcase, she thought. They don't know how horrible it feels.
To be fair, she realized, they didn't know about Christopher. She wished at least Elizabeth would sense her trouble and take pity on her, though. But it wasn't going to happen.
She flung one arm over her face. "Boy, you make one little mistake, and you end up paying for it a zillion times," she grumbled.
Finally she got up and scowled at her window. It was a beautiful day. Pouting, she wondered why there was never a natural disaster when she needed one. Nothing short of a major earthquake could stop Christopher from ruining her life.
"Well, you're looking pretty uncheerful today," Mrs. Wakefield teased as Jessica shuffled outside. Alice Wakefield was youthful and pretty, with a playful sense of humor. Her sleek blond hair shone in the sunlight as she reached for her coffee.
Jessica stifled a yawn and eyed the breakfast table suspiciously. Then she slumped into a chair and sank her chin on her chest. She let out a long, pitiful sigh.
"Something wrong, Jess?" Mr. Wakefield asked mildly.
"No."
Silence descended again while the others pored over the newspaper. Jessica picked up a piece of toast and crumbled it into pieces. She sneaked a look at her sister, but Elizabeth didn't notice.
The more she thought about Christopher's last call, the more spooked Jessica became. She wanted to confide in Elizabeth about Christopher's creepy behavior, but something held her back. Not until things were completely desperate, she decided.
"If anyone calls me this morning, tell them I'm sleeping or dead or in South America or something," Jessica announced.
Her mother looked over the top of the paper. "Anyone? Does that include A.J. and Lila?"
"And Cara and Amy?" Elizabeth put in.
The only way to screen out Christopher's calls was to avoid all calls. Jessica ruffled her hair and avoided meeting anyone's eyes. "Anyone."
Frowning, she pushed herself up from the table and wandered back upstairs. Until it was time to go to A.J.'s, she just wanted to be alone. After tossing and turning in her bed, she finally fell into a heavy sleep and didn't wake up until noon. Then she dressed, ate half a tuna sandwich, and drove to the Morgans' house.
A.J. was polishing the chrome on his car when she arrived. He smiled and snapped the rag sharply in the air. "Hey—just in time to help me do the windows."
"Hi," she muttered. She gave him a quick kiss and ripped off a section of paper towel. "I'll do them from the inside."
"That guy called again this morning," A.J. said, spritzing glass cleaner on the windshield. "He said he's in a real hurry, but he wants to take a test drive. He should be here soon." He handed the glass cleaner to Jessica.
She nodded as she polished the inside of the window, but she didn't answer. After a few minutes of silence, she noticed A.J. studying her.
"Jess? Something's bothering you," he said abruptly. She started to deny it, but he shook his head. "No, I can tell. You've been really edgy the last few days. What is it?"
Unexpectedly her throat tightened. There was no way Jessica could tell A.J. the truth. So she concentrated on wiping a streak on the window and shook her head.
"Maybe I'm coming down with something, I don't know," she said. "I'm sorry I'm being such a—"
The sound of a car pulling up interrupted her. She looked up as the driver got out. She felt the blood drain from her face. It was Christopher. Jessica held back a gasp.
In a flash she realized he must have taken A.J.'s number off the For Sale sign when he had followed them to the Dairi Burger the other day. He certainly wasn't there because he was interested in A.J.'s car. He was there because of her.
Jessica was paralyzed by shock and uncertainty, but seeing A.J. stride down the driveway to introduce himself to Christopher spurred her to action. She clambered out of the car and stood there, not knowing where to look. Christopher and A.J. were walking toward her, talking.
"This is Jessica." A.J. introduced her with a proud smile. He nodded at Christopher. "Jess, this is Christopher. He's come to look at my car."
"Hi. Nice to meet you, Jessica." Christopher held out his hand.
Jessica was afraid she would start screaming, she was so tense. But Christopher was pretending he didn't know her—and she didn't know why. All she could do was act as normal as possible, or she would be the one to give their secret away.
She took Christopher's hand, and his grip was so hard she almost flinched. "Hi," she whispered. She refused to meet his eyes, and she yanked her hand back as soon as she could. Surreptitiously she wiped her hand on her pants. When she glanced up, Christopher was giving her a sardonic look. She quickly turned away.
"Anyway," A.J. began as he smiled and waved toward his Toyota, "it's six years old, but that doesn't really matter with Japanese cars, you know? It still runs great."
Christopher frowned thoughtfully and nodded, walking around the car and examining the body. "Was it ever dented or repainted or anything? It looks good."
"No. I bought it from a friend of my parents, and he takes 'defensive driving' seriously," A.J. replied with a laugh. "Not even a scratch. I put in new spark plugs two months ago, and I change the oil every two thousand miles."
Jessica twisted her hands together and tried to stay calm. Watching Christopher go through the motions of a perfectly ordinary, harmless conversation with A.J. was like a horrible nightmare.
"So, how about a test drive?" A.J. suggested. He dug the keys out of his pocket. "We can cruise around here or take it out on the highway."
Christopher smiled, then glanced at his watch. "Sure, but I have to go pretty soon, so we should make it fast."
"No problem. Let me—"
"A.J.!" Mrs. Morgan opened the front door and waved. "Another call about the car, honey!"
Jessica glanced nervously at A.J. She didn't want to be alone with Christopher.
"Can't you take a message, Mom?" A.J. gave Christopher an apologetic shrug.
Mrs. Morgan shook her head. "I'm in the middle of something, and this boy has some questions. Come on."
Torn, A.J. looked at Christopher. "Look, this will only take a second."
"I'm definitely interested, but I'm really late already," Christopher said doubtfully.
A.J.'s eyes brightened. "Look—Jessica can go with you. It's not like you're going to kidnap my girlfriend, right?" he said, chuckling.
Jessica stared at A.J., too stunned to say anything. She could feel Christopher's gaze boring into her.
"It's not a bad idea," Christopher drawled.
A.J. laughed again and tossed Christopher his keys as he headed for the house. Speechless, Jessica was left with Christopher.
"Let's go, OK?" he said in a casual voice.
She shook her head, her blue-green eyes wide with anxiety. "No."
"You want to explain to your boyfriend why not?" Christopher sneered and opened the car door.
All she could think of was what A.J. had said about kidnapping. What if Christopher was angry enough and disturbed enough to actually kidnap her
? But how could she explain her fear to A.J. without giving the whole show away? Her heart pounding, she walked around the car and climbed in. Deep down, she was afraid she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Without another word Christopher started the car, backed down the driveway, and turned up the street. Once away from the house, he pressed down on the accelerator. The car raced through intersection after intersection, heading for the highway.
Jessica gripped the seat and stared at the speedometer. The needle hovered at sixty-five, and they were still on the town streets. Her mind was a blank. She didn't know what to do, and she couldn't speak. Christopher seemed a completely different person from the one she had met the weekend before. There was a frightening intensity to him now that gave her chills. The tires squealed as he wrenched the steering wheel to turn up the entrance ramp to the highway. Jessica felt tears well up in her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she whimpered.
He didn't say anything. They were speeding up the highway at seventy-five miles an hour. The Sunday afternoon traffic was light and scattered, but Christopher kept switching lanes for no reason. Jessica was rocked from side to side, her shoulder slamming into the door.
Without warning, Christopher turned into the exit lane and sped down the ramp, through a yellow light at the bottom, and into an empty shopping center parking lot. Suddenly he slammed on the brakes, and the car spun around and stalled.
Jessica's eyes were squeezed shut, and her body was rigid with fear. Even though they had stopped, she knew the ordeal had just begun.
"Have you told him about us yet?" Christopher said in a perfectly calm voice. He looked at her expectantly.
She shook her head slowly, staring back at him in horror. Her voice was ragged when she said, "No. And you won't, either."
"Then you have to go out with me again," he concluded.
She shook her head. "No way."
"Saturday. We can go somewhere together Saturday night," he went on, ignoring her refusal.
"I'm busy that night," she insisted.
Saturday was the night of the Citizens' Day Ball. But even without previous plans, there was no way she would go out with Christopher again.
Two-Boy Weekend (Sweet Valley High Book 54) Page 5