Ethan's Secret (James Madison Series Book 2)

by Patrick Hodges

  I nodded sleepily.

  “Where's the patient?” she said, striding into the house.

  “Bedroom,” I replied, pointing down the hall.

  “Gotcha.” She pulled some rubber gloves out of her pocket and put them on. “Everything I need in the medicine cabinet?”

  I nodded again.

  “Good,” she replied. “You get some rest, Kelsey. I'll take over for a few hours.”

  I was so relieved, I practically collapsed where I was standing. Somehow, I had the strength to smile. “You are a lifesaver, Mel.”

  “Well, you've babysat for Bryan and Emi so many times, you're practically family,” she said, smiling. “Now scoot, get some rest.”

  I needed no other encouragement. I didn't even bother getting undressed. I just flopped into bed, face-first. I was out like a light in less than five minutes.

  * * *

  I woke up when I felt something vibrate in the pocket of my PJ bottoms. Groping for whatever it was, my fingers eventually clamped down on my cell phone, which I'd completely forgotten was in there. I answered the call without even looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

  “Jeez, Kelse, you sound terrible,” said a familiar voice on the other end.

  I sat up, wondering if I was dreaming. I looked at the phone, and confirmed that I wasn't. “Eve?”

  “Hey, kiddo,” she said cheerfully. “You okay?”

  “I'm … fine,” I said, groggily rising to my feet. “What's up?”

  “Well, I got a strange text from Kirsten. She said you were supposed to meet some guy named Ethan at Westridge Mall, but you didn't show up.”

  My heart sank as I pictured Ethan, sitting in the food court, waiting for me to come walking up, and how disappointed he must have been when I didn't. “Yeah, my dad got sick, so I couldn't get away.”

  “Ooh, bummer,” she replied. “I'll text Kirsten back what happened. I'm sure Ethan will understand.”

  “I hope you're right.”

  “Is this guy your boyfriend or something?”

  “No …” I said, trailing off. “He's just … a friend.” For the moment, anyway. Assuming he ever speaks to me again.

  “Well, I hope your friend knows how lucky he is,” she said.

  Suddenly, all those great moments on the bus with Eve and Joshua flashed through my brain. “Thanks, Eve.”

  I heard her let out a loud sigh. “Kelsey … I'm sorry we haven't kept in touch as much as we said we would. It's just … high school's pretty crazy, you know?”

  “I guess I'll find out next year,” I said, smiling.

  Eve chuckled. “Yeah, you will. It'll be great to hang out with you again. I actually envy Kirsten and Sophie that they get to see you every day.”

  “Won't your senior friends mind having a freshman hanging around?” I asked.

  “Well, if they do, to hell with them,” she said. “You're our friend, Kelsey. You always have been, and you always will be.”

  I could feel myself getting choked up. “I miss you guys. Tell Joshua 'hi' for me.”

  “I will. You take care of yourself, Tiger.” Then she hung up.

  I changed into some fresh clothes and had a quick chat with Melissa, who was watching TV in the den. Thanks to some antibiotics and an ice-pack, Dad's temperature had gone down, and now he was sleeping peacefully in his bedroom. I thanked her profusely for helping not only Dad but me as well, promising her free babysitting for the rest of the year. She just laughed and said goodbye, kissing me on my forehead.

  My stomach grumbled. I looked at the clock, which read a quarter past three. I then realized I hadn't eaten anything all day except for a lousy piece of toast early this morning. I headed for the kitchen, hoping I could find something in the fridge to fill my tummy.

  A few minutes later, a plate of reheated leftover Callahan-family-recipe lasagna in my hands, I flopped down on the couch in the den. I turned on the TV and flipped through a bunch of channels, finally settling on an old episode of CSI on cable.

  As I watched, my mind started to drift. I hoped Dad would get better and not worse. I hoped I wasn't going to get sick too. But most of all, I hoped Ethan and I would still be on speaking terms come Monday.

  Chapter 18

  ~ DAY 22 (Mon.) ~

  KELSEY

  The clock read 6:08 a.m. Bruno had struck again.

  “Bruno! Seriously?” I glared at him, wiping his discarded tail-fur from my nose. In anger, I grabbed one of my two pillows and threw it at him. Dodging it easily, he ran out the crack in the door.

  “I really need to get a lock for that door,” I said to myself. “Or Dad'll have to arrest me for caticide. Felinicide. Felicide? Whatever …” I staggered to my feet, heading for the bathroom, where hopefully a hot shower would chase away my drowsiness.

  I was so relieved to see Dad dressed in his usual work-clothes – white shirt, red tie, brown jacket, dark slacks – when I entered the kitchen. His face still looked on the pale side, and I could hear him sniffling from down the hall, but it was clear that he wasn't going to be taking another sick day. The dark clouds visible through the kitchen window did not look promising either.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. “All better now?”

  “Well enough, thanks to you and Mel,” he said with a weak grin. “I'm sorry I wrecked your weekend.”

  “It's okay,” I replied, smiling. “Let's not go through that again, all right?”

  “Roger that.” He cracked open the morning paper, and a frown creased his face. “Damn,” he said, staring at the front page.

  “Something wrong?” I asked in concern.

  He nodded. “I'm going to have to have a long talk with Walter this morning,” he said, showing me the headline. It read, “PROSECUTION IN LYNCH CORRUPTION TRIAL REGROUPING AFTER MAJOR SETBACK.”

  I could see the frustration on Dad's face. “What happened?”

  “Two of the eyewitnesses recanted,” he replied. “And the judge threw out all the evidence we gathered based on their statements.”

  Oh, man. “Is there enough left to convict him?”

  “I hope so, sweetheart,” he said. “I'm just worried that the witnesses the D.A. has left are going to tuck tail and run too. And then we're S.O.L.”

  “Could that really happen?” I asked. “Isn't Lynch in jail?”

  “It's not Lynch I'm worried about, it's his business associates. If Lynch goes down, they're worried that he'll take them down with him. We've connected him to criminal organizations all over the world, and those people do not mess around. Between the police, the Feds and the U.S. Marshals, we've got our hands full keeping those witnesses safe.”

  I walked over, stood behind his chair and put my arms around him, kissing his cheek from behind. “I'm sorry. Wish there was something I could do to help.”

  He reached up and cupped the back of my head with his hand. “You've done plenty, Nurse Callahan.” He smiled, then turned and kissed me on my cheek as well.

  “It'll be okay, Dad,” I said, smiling back. “Good guys win, bad guys lose, remember?”

  “Oh, if only that were always the case,” he said. “You want some breakfast?”

  “Not really hungry this morning. I have a couple of granola bars in my backpack, so I'll just eat those.”

  “That's my girl. Have a good day, K-Bear.”

  “You too, Daddy Bear,” I said, grabbing my backpack and heading for the door.

  * * *

  By the time lunch rolled around, the knots in my stomach had multiplied. In a matter of minutes, I would face Ethan two days after failing to show up for our date. I'd done the right thing by staying home with Dad, and I could only hope that Ethan would understand. Still, I felt guilty. And even worse, this morning's clouds had turned dark, and a light rain was falling outside.

  When Bree sat down at our table in the cafeteria, her face was the picture of blankness. “Hey, Bree,” I said.

  “Hey, Kelse,” she said flatly. “How was your date?”

 
I sighed. “There was no date. Dad got sick as a dog, and I had to stay with him. Not a weekend that'll make my 'Best Of' list, that's for sure.”

  “That sucks,” she said, and for a moment, I actually wondered if she was being sincere.

  Just then, Penny and April walked up and sat down next to us. “Hey Kelse, how was your weekend?” April asked.

  “Don't ask,” I said. “How's Trey?”

  “He's awesome,” she replied excitedly. “He's invited me to a party with his friends this weekend!”

  “His high school friends?” I asked.

  I still had my doubts about April's relationship with Trey, who had always seemed like a guy who could go from zero to jerk in no time flat when he was a student at JMMS, but her relationship with him had already lasted longer than every other one she'd been in, so I kept my reservations to myself.

  “Yeah. It'll be so cool. I may even let him go to second base with me.”

  Uh-oh. “And your parents are okay with you going to a high school party?”

  She suddenly looked nervous. “Yeah … of course they are.”

  Well, THAT sounded convincing. “Do you want us to come with you?” I asked. I looked at Bree and Penny, hoping they would back me up on this.

  Her face fell. “I don't know, Kelse … I guess I could ask, but … it's a high school party, you know? I doubt they'd even let me in if I wasn't Trey's girlfriend.”

  “Will there be grown-ups there?” Penny asked, joining the conversation.

  “I'm sure there will be,” April said. “Tell you what, I'll try to talk Trey into letting you come, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Not liking this at all. Every alarm bell in my head is going off. I hope we'll be able to save April from herself, just in case.

  “So … you think Ethan will ask you out again?” Bree inquired, changing the subject.

  “We'll see,” I replied with a sigh. “I hope so.”

  “You really … like him, don't you?”

  I looked into Bree's eyes. They were sad. I realized that the closer I seemed to get to Ethan, the sadder she became. And I could feel my own frustration growing.

  How can I resolve this? Between me and Bree, one of us had to be the first one to have a steady relationship with a boy. If it had been Bree and not me, would I be feeling the same way she's feeling now? I'd be happy for her, wouldn't I? Of course I would! Going out with a boy doesn't mean we're not best friends anymore! Why can't she see that?

  So what do I do? Do I tell her the truth, or do I play it down? Should I be honest with her, or should I spare her feelings?

  Sigh. “Yeah, I think I do,” I said.

  Bree didn't reply. She simply nodded, and went back to eating her lunch.

  She didn't speak to me again for the rest of the day.

  * * *

  I turned around to look at Ethan so many times during fifth-period Algebra, I'm sure everyone in my class noticed. Even Mr. McCann gave me a stern look, something I'd never seen him do before. Bree wouldn't even look at me.

  As soon as the bell rang, I sprang out of my chair and ran out the door, catching up to Ethan within seconds. “Ethan!” I yelled as I jogged to keep up with him. I noticed the minute class started that he was wearing jeans that were blue instead of black, as well as a cool-looking denim jacket over his AC/DC T-shirt instead of his ugly black hoodie. The difference was like night and day. He was making an effort to fit in. Finally.

  “Hey, Kelsey,” he said simply. “How's your dad?”

  “Much better,” I replied. “I'm so sorry I missed our date.”

  “It's okay,” he said. “Stuff happens.”

  “I had a great outfit all picked out and everything. I love your jacket, by the way.” I smiled, eying his new threads.

  “Thanks,” he said. “You missed a good show, Baz totally rocked the place.”

  “I'm still sorry. I'd have called you, but–”

  “I know,” he said, grinning. “Good thing you've got friends everywhere.”

  I laughed. “You mean Kirsten and Sophie? They're pretty awesome, aren't they?”

  “My brother sure seems to think so,” he replied, laughing as well. “Especially Sophie. She's gotten him completely turned around on girls.”

  I grinned knowingly. “Yeah, that's totally her superpower.”

  “Oh, that reminds me …” He stopped walking, and I did the same. He unzipped a pocket on his backpack, reached in and pulled out a small paper bag, which he handed to me.

  “What's this?” I asked, taking it from him.

  “One soft … uh, well … semi-soft pretzel. With tangy mustard sauce.” He smiled again, and I immediately felt so much better. I didn't need a mirror to know I was blushing.

  He saved it. For me. Most guys would have just thrown it away, but not him.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “You're welcome,” he said. “You're right, they are pretty good.”

  I was blown away. “This is so … thank you,” I said again.

  “You're welcome … again,” he said, grinning. “Meet me on the bleachers tomorrow?”

  “Okay,” I said, smiling hugely. I looked at his eyes. They were twinkling. My God, Ethan, do you even realize how amazing you are?

  “Well, gotta go. Catch you later.” He smiled again, and walked off to his next class.

  I just stood there, watching him walk away, while students passed me on both sides, oblivious to my presence. All I could hear was the sound of the rain and my own breathing.

  Wow. Just … wow.

  After I lost sight of him, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction. When I reached the far end of the upper concourse, I took a left around the east end of the building, which overlooked the main parking lot. From this vantage point, I could see the entrance gate, and a few yards of the street leading up to it. Turning my head in that direction, I noticed something strange.

  Parked up the road, just outside school grounds, was a large black car. I couldn't tell if anyone was inside it or not, because the windows were perfectly tinted. From Penny's description, it looked just like the car that picked Ethan and Logan up every day.

  Maybe it's not even the same car. There must be thousands of black cars out there, right? School doesn't get out for another hour. Why would they be here so early?

  I kept walking, watching the car. It didn't move, and nobody stepped out of it. I have to stop overreacting to every little thing.

  Chapter 19

  ~ DAY 23 (Tue.) ~

  ETHAN

  For the first time since we started meeting there, I actually arrived at the bleachers ahead of Kelsey. Baz and his friends were all smiles and fist-bumps at lunch when I talked about her, and for the first time since setting foot on the campus of JMMS, I felt like I belonged here.

  Of course, every happy thought was immediately followed by the exact same, deflating, depressing thought: it's all going to end. Not might end. Going to end. There's nothing that can stop that from happening. It is inevitable.

  So what do I do? Stop talking to people? Stop making friends? Stop being ME?

  My name is Ethan Zimmer, and …

  “Hey, Ethan,” Kelsey said, breaking into my thousand-yard stare.

  Kelsey took her spot on the bleachers next to me. I smiled at her, but she only returned it with a resigned nod.

  “What's wrong?” I asked.

  She sighed. “It's my friend Bree. Something's going on with her, and I don't know what it is. I'm really worried.”

  I frowned. “Why, what's wrong?”

  She turned her head to look at me. “She's become … I don't know … weird. One minute she's happy, one minute she's sad. One minute she's ticked off at me, the next she's hugging me like nothing's happened. Now, she's barely even speaking to me.”

  Wow, now I'm sorry I asked. I am so far out of my league here it's not even funny. I want to be supportive, but girls' mood-swings are something I've never had to deal with, thank God.
Thinking fast, I answered, “I take it she's not always like that?”

  She shook her head. “Not until this year. I've been racking my brains trying to come up with an answer.”

  I could only stare dumbly in response. “And?”

  “Well, she says things are fine at home, and I really want to believe that, because her parents are, like, the perfect couple. She would never, ever do drugs, that much I'm sure of.”

  “That's good.”

  “Last year, things were fine. But ever since I started … talking to you, things have been different between us.” A sad look crossed her face.

  I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I knew where this was going. “Look, Kelsey, I …” I trailed off. This conversation was suddenly getting far more serious than I wanted it to.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I … like you, Kelsey. But I don't want to come between you and your best friend.”

  A horrified look crossed her face. “What are you saying?”

  Good question. What AM I saying?

  My mind started to race. I suddenly realized that the next thing out of my mouth could drastically affect my relationship with Kelsey. And the more I thought about this, the more my brain froze up.

  Finally, all I could manage was a pathetic, “I don't know.”

  “Do you want to stop seeing me?” Her voice was suddenly tense. I could see it in her face, too.

  “No,” I said firmly. “But she's your best friend …”

  Kelsey reached over and took my hand. “Ethan … I appreciate the thought. But I don't want what's going on with Bree to … come between you and me being friends.”

  I exhaled. “Are you sure?”

  Suddenly, she leaned her head on my shoulder. It was so unexpected, I wasn't sure how to react. I eased my arm around her, grasping her shoulder.

  “Yeah,” she said softly. “It's like she thinks that because she doesn't have a … a guy-friend, I can't have one either. That's not fair, right?”

  I'm so glad it's cool outside today, or I'd probably be sweating through my shirt right now. “No,” I replied, hoping this wasn't totally the wrong answer.