Ethan's Secret (James Madison Series Book 2)

by Patrick Hodges

  “I went to a few of their shows with me dad. I loved how they mixed classic rock with a punk vibe. They even let me sing a song with them once. It was the coolest moment o' me life.”

  “Nice,” I said.

  “Anyway, when Nick got busted, Joey and Elijah sent me an e-mail asking if I wanted to take his place. I thought they were messing with me.”

  “Well, we were, at first,” Joey said. “But this kid's got a great voice. And girls love his accent. They think he's, like, related to Bono or something …”

  “… Which is ironic, 'cause I really can't stand the guy,” Baz said, finishing his sentence.

  “And plus, he's the only one of us with an empty garage,” added Elijah with a smirk. “Are we gonna practice or what?”

  So, for the next hour, I listened to Baz and his friends play. They were raw, and there were a lot of bad notes, but as I sat there listening, I allowed myself a slight smile.

  For the first time since Mom died, the first time since we moved, I felt happy. For a few blissful minutes, I forgot about the tragedies that brought us to this place, that had upended our lives. I even forgot about the danger we were in.

  For a short time, I felt like me again.

  With six o'clock approaching, Baz and his friends started playing a really cool rendition of The Ramones' “Blitzkrieg Bop,” a song I not only knew but happened to love. It was one of the few songs that were on both Pop's and my all-time favorites list. Without even realizing it, I found myself bobbing and weaving my head, playing air guitar, and rocking out like a crazy fan-boy. As he was singing, I saw Baz smile and wink at me, appreciating the gesture.

  As the song reached its end, I had to join in. I just couldn't help myself. I jumped up and down, raising my fist in the air. “Ai! Oh! Let's go! Ai! Oh! Let's go!” we sang in unison, and that was that.

  I actually found myself clapping. “Yeah! That was awesome!”

  “Thanks, dude,” said Elijah, removing his guitar and unplugging the amplifiers.

  I turned to Baz. “You're a really good singer, Baz. Seriously.”

  He clapped me on the shoulder again. “You're not so bad yourself, boss!”

  I suddenly felt self-conscious, the blood rushing to my face. “I've … never sang before. I felt …” I trailed off, unable to find the right word.

  “Free?” suggested Baz with a knowing smile.

  I looked him in the eyes, realizing that he was right. “Yeah … free.”

  “That's what music's s'posed to do to ya.” He grinned. “There's a big kids' event coming up at Westridge Mall a week from tomorrow,” he said. “We're trying to get into it. Nothing big, maybe three or four songs. How'd you like to come up and sing that song with us?”

  My face flushed. “Okay, now you're messing with me.” Me? Sing? In front of people? Yeah, right …

  “Ahh, come on, bud, it'll be fun! It's only a two-minute song, it's easy to sing, everyone knows it, and you actually don't sound bad!” He lowered his voice. “And you'd look really cool in front of Kelsey …”

  I thought about it. No, there's no way Pop would be down with this …

  So maybe I just won't tell him.

  I smiled. “I'm in.”

  Chapter 11

  ~ DAY 15 (Mon.) ~

  ETHAN

  As I stowed my backpack in my locker, I checked my watch. It was 12:30, which meant that my first official “date” with Kelsey was about to start. I'd convinced myself it was a date and not something less brag-worthy, for the simple fact that it was the first time I'd ever gotten to spend time with a girl in relative privacy.

  I made my way toward the outdoor stage on the west side of the cafeteria building, which I'd been told had once been for concerts and stuff but hadn't been used for that purpose in years. I pulled my hood over my head as I reached the top of the stairs, leaned against the wall and shoved my hands in my pockets, waiting for my “date” to show up.

  Kelsey walked out of the cafeteria with her three friends a couple of minutes later. I actually felt a little better now that I knew their names: April was the tall one, Bryanna was the short one, and Penny was the redhead from my English Comp class. All four turned to look at me. I smiled and gave a casual wave. All of them smiled back at me, except Bryanna for some reason. Then, Kelsey said a few words to her friends and climbed the small staircase on the other side. Her friends made their way to the nearby bleachers, where I'd seen them hanging out every day since Kelsey had introduced herself.

  “Hi, Ethan,” she said, smiling as she approached.

  She had an awesome smile. How did I not notice that before? I couldn't help but smile back. “Hey, Kelsey.”

  “You ready to go?”

  “Where are we going?” I replied, my eyebrows raising.

  “Follow me,” she said, and then she led me down the stairs and out toward the playground. We strolled down the sidewalk that ran between the playground and the faculty parking lot, right past a building that looked like it was in the final stages of construction. I could hear the sounds of hammering, sawing and drilling coming from inside.

  “What're they building here?” I said, practically shouting.

  “A new gym,” Kelsey said, turning toward me. “Last year, they tore down the band building and the old basketball courts that hadn't been used in, like, forever. I think it's gonna look really cool when it's done. We're getting all new basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics stuff. I just hope they finish before we graduate!”

  Finally, we reached what I gathered was our destination, another set of bleachers on the far corner of the playground. We sat down on the second tier, and I took a good look around. We were pretty far from the school buildings, over a hundred yards. There were no other students even close to us. I then turned to Kelsey, who was also taking in the view.

  “Nice place,” I said, breaking the silence. “You come here often?”

  “Not really,” she replied, staring at the ground. “Actually, this is my first time here.”

  “Why'd we come here, then?”

  She gave me a serious look. “I had a couple of friends who used to come here. This was their … place. They came here to get away from everybody, because they were going through some tough times. This was back when bullies practically ran the school.”

  I nodded. “Were these your friends from the bus?”

  She looked surprised. “You heard the story?”

  “Baz told me some of it.”

  “Baz?” she inquired, breaking out in a smirk. “You're hanging out with … Sebastian?”

  I nodded.

  She smiled, but didn't say anything more.

  “It's pretty cool, what you did,” I said after a short pause.

  “Thanks.” She looked out at the field again. “These bleachers were so special to them. They called it their 'Island.' They spent all their recess periods here. Together. They became boyfriend and girlfriend here. Then they totally, and I mean totally, fell in love with each other.”

  “That's nice,” I said. And just like that, the question I'd been begging to ask her burst out of me. “Did you really stand up to four bullies by yourself?”

  She looked at me, and I could see her face reddening. After a moment, though, she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I did. Those guys made my friend's life hell for years. When they attacked him right in front of me, I just …” she sighed, lowering her head. “I just couldn't sit back and do nothing.”

  I was amazed. The story was true. Kelsey had more guts than any kid I'd ever known, boy or girl. Suddenly, I found myself looking at her completely differently. She was courageous, fearless, and protected her friends without regard to her own safety. Must come from being a cop's daughter.

  But, for whatever reason, she'd taken an interest in me. Why? She seems like a nice girl. Why would she want to get to know me? I'm wearing an old black hoodie and a Bon Jovi T-shirt. Whatever her 'type' is, I'm probably as far away from it as a guy can get. Baz seemed sure that she wasn
't into any other guys, so there wasn't anyone she would be using me to get revenge on …

  Without even realizing that I had zoned out, she continued, “But the worst came a few days later. The leader of the bullies snapped, and he beat my friend almost to death. Right in front of the library.”

  My … God. “Holy crap,” I said, shocked.

  “I didn't even know what had happened. I saw somebody being loaded into an ambulance, but I was too far away to see who it was. I didn't have a clue it was Joshua until he and Eve didn't show up on the bus that afternoon. I had to call my Dad at work to find out for me. I cried on his shoulder for hours, and believe me, I'm not a crier.”

  “I believe you.” Cautiously, I reached over and took her hand. She didn't flinch or pull back, but remained still. She just smiled again. It was an amazing smile. It lit up her entire face. I wanted to just stare at it for hours.

  After a few seconds, though, I broke eye contact, not wanting to creep her out. “So what happened?”

  “Eve saved his life. They haven't left each other's sides since.”

  I was amazed. “You mean, they're still together?”

  “According to Eve's little sisters, yeah, they are. I've never seen two people more in love than them, except in fairy tales.” She chuckled slightly under her breath.

  “That's … so awesome,” I said sincerely. “I'm glad they had a friend like you.”

  “Thanks,” she said, finally retracting her hand from mine. “So what about you, Ethan? What's your story?”

  I was glad I'd had the weekend to think about what I'd tell her. As much as I wished I could just tell her my whole life's story, I couldn't. But how do I withhold information from someone as intelligent as her without it looking suspicious?

  Just keep it light and simple. That's about all you can do.

  “Well,” I said, “I was born in Portland, but we moved to Arizona when I was four. My dad got a job as a construction supervisor, and my mom was an artist. We lived all the way on the other side of town until a few months ago, when we moved here.” There, that'll work. Hope that didn't sound too rehearsed …

  Kelsey's brow furrowed. “What do you mean, your mom 'was' an artist?”

  Oh, crap. I should NOT have said that. Idiot! What do I say now?

  “Um …” I stammered, “She's … uh … she died.”

  Suddenly, the look on her face turned to one of sadness. “Oh … I'm so sorry.”

  “It's okay.”

  “When did it happen?”

  “Earlier this year. It's kind of why we moved.”

  “How'd it happen?”

  I could almost feel the sweat threatening to erupt on my face. “She … uh … she just … died.” I averted my gaze, noticing for the first time how much I was fidgeting. “I really don't like talking about it.” Please, Kelsey, ask me something else. Anything else.

  She nodded. “I understand. I lost my mom when I was two years old. Brain aneurysm.”

  I relaxed a little bit, hoping my relief didn't show in my face. “I'm sorry.”

  “It's okay, I don't even remember her. All I know about her is what my Dad and my brother have told me, and Dad doesn't talk about her much anymore. I think he still misses her.”

  “Same with my Pop,” I said. “So it was just the three of you growing up?”

  “Not exactly. We have a lot of family and friends in Denver, and they helped Dad raise my brother Tom and me.”

  So the two of us continued to talk, all through recess. She told me about her childhood in Denver, her move to Phoenix, and her love of mysteries. I found myself listening intently, hanging on practically every word.

  I'd never been this comfortable around a girl before, and certainly no girl had ever wanted to give me any more than the time of day. I continued to listen to Kelsey as she poured her heart out, but my attention started to drift inward.

  She's really cool. And she's smart, and she's fearless, and she's nice. I mean, genuinely nice. There's not a drop of arrogance or prejudice or fakeness in her. She's the real deal. And that smile …

  She's amazing. And beautiful. How can I possibly be the first guy to be this close to her?

  I've never met anyone like her. Ever. I want to be her friend. No … I want to be more than her friend. I want to …

  No …

  No.

  NO!

  What am I thinking?

  This isn't going to work. It CAN'T work! Eventually, this is going to end! She'll see me for the liar, the fraud that I really am, and then she'll hate me forever!

  Freakin' Linda Owens. Why'd she have to go and ruin my life?

  Chapter 12

  ~ DAY 17 (Wed.) ~

  KELSEY

  I closed my Social Studies textbook and returned it to my backpack. I stood up from my desk, stretching my muscles and yawning, casting a glance at the clock. Just past 5:30. Dad would probably be getting home soon, and now that I'd finished my homework, it was time for me to get dinner started. I didn't have much cooking prowess, but there were a few things I could make pretty well, and it was a nice change from eating take-out all the time.

  While I prepared dinner, I thought about Ethan. We had another 'date' on the bleachers today, and it went pretty well. Now that we'd gotten over our initial awkwardness, he seemed to be coming out of his shell. We spent a lot of time talking about all of the friends we'd had over the years. It turned out Ethan had a pretty long list of friends, which struck me as odd. To hear him talk about his former “life,” you'd think he was one of the most popular boys in his school. I couldn't help but wonder how radically different a school would have to be from JMMS to have someone who looked and dressed like Ethan run with the popular crowd.

  I mulled it over all through Algebra class, where I had to fight hard not to just turn my desk around and stare at Ethan for the entire hour. Ever since Monday, I found myself thinking of almost nothing but him, and my friends had noticed. April and Penny were happy things were going well for me, but Bree just seemed to get surlier and surlier the closer Ethan and I got.

  What bothered me more than that, though, was that I was no closer to figuring Ethan out than I was on the first day of school. Nothing about him added up. Nothing. Boys were not supposed to be this complicated.

  If I was to believe everything he told me, he'd gone from a fun, outgoing, popular guy to a withdrawn, shy and introverted one. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't imagine anything – not moving into a new neighborhood, not attending a school full of strangers, not even the death of his mother – causing a complete one-eighty in his personality.

  And then there were his clothes. He wore the same damn thing practically every day. The same black hoodie and the same black jeans. The only thing that changed from day to day was the hard rock band depicted on his T-shirts.

  I was now completely convinced that his whole “bad boy” image was just an act. A costume both he and his brother were wearing. No, not a costume, a mask. A way for them to hide who they really were. And, presumably, to keep other kids away.

  As I chronicled my suspicions in my notebook, I felt pangs of guilt rise in my stomach.

  What are you doing, Kelsey?

  When the school year began, Ethan was a mystery, a puzzle I had to solve, just like Dad said. It started as an investigation, but it had turned into a friendship. I liked him. Something about our personalities just clicked.

  What Ethan wasn't telling me was enough to fill my entire notebook, of that I had no doubt. I also knew, however, that I could no longer try to force his secrets out of him without destroying my ability to look at my reflection in the mirror every morning.

  Whatever he's hiding, he must have a good reason. And no matter how you slice it, Kelsey, it's none … of … your … business.

  I pictured his face. Now that I'd seen him up close, I could truly see how good-looking he was. And then there were his eyes. He had gorgeous deep brown eyes, and when he smiled, I saw an almost imperceptible twinkle
in them. I'd never seen that in a boy's eyes before, and when I saw it, I felt my heartbeat quicken.

  As much as I disliked the rich, snobby girls who came to school in designer clothes and expensive jewelry and makeup, I never wanted them to see how much it bothered me that they were able to go in and out of relationships so casually while I was still struggling to find one guy that didn't make my skin crawl or my eyes roll. Never in a million years did I think I would be one of those girly-girls who got all giggly and weak in the knees whenever a cute guy looked their way.

  But … my God. Now it's happened.

  I have a crush on Ethan Zimmer. A big one.

  My daydream was disturbed by a loud sizzle, and I realized that not only was the vegetable oil that I'd poured into the frying pan starting to smoke, but the pot of water I put on the back-burner was now boiling over and pooling on the stove-top. Frantically, I grabbed a towel and pulled them off the burners, using my other hand to turn the knobs to the “off” position. I switched on the exhaust fan, and slowly, the smoke began to clear.

  Sighing, I picked up a sponge and started cleaning up the mess. I had just about finished when I heard a familiar meow from ground level. I looked down to see Bruno staring at me from the other side of the room, right next to his unforgivably empty food dish. We locked eyes, and he meowed again.

  “Oh, shut up,” I said, throwing the sponge into the sink.

  Chapter 13

  ~ DAY 17 (Wed.) ~

  ETHAN

  Her smile is infectious. She wraps her arms around my neck, holding me tight. “Of course I'll be your girlfriend,” she says.

  “Really?” I ask. I have to act surprised. I knew she was going to say yes, but I can't let on that I knew. Girls like guys to be a little bit awkward.

  “Yes, really,” she says. “I've been waiting my whole life for someone like you.”

  “Me too,” I say. Am I blushing? God, that would be embarrassing.

  “Are you going to kiss me or not?” She looks at me expectantly, and smiles again.