Ethan's Secret (James Madison Series Book 2)

by Patrick Hodges

  “You sure that's hers?” I asked, reaching over and picking it up.

  “Who else could it belong to?”

  I unzipped it. It didn't take long to find a cell phone. I activated it, scrolling through her Contacts list. I recognized a few names. It was her phone, all right.

  “What're ya gonna do, Ethan, call her parents?” Baz asked.

  “No, I've got a better idea.”

  * * *

  By the time Kelsey arrived on her bike, Baz and I had enlisted Elijah and Joey's help in getting April down the stairs and out the front door. April was awake again, but not yet able to stand on her own.

  “Kelsey,” I said. “Thanks for coming.”

  Kelsey climbed off her bike and ran to April's side. April smiled sleepily. “Hi, Kelse,” she said, right before letting out a long, obnoxious belch.

  “Damn, she's wasted,” Kelsey said, fanning away her whiff of April's beer-soaked breath. “We need to get her home.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “Do you know where that is?”

  “Uh huh,” she replied. “Where's Trey?”

  “Gone,” said Baz angrily. “Bastard's long gone.”

  We turned to see Elijah pull his car into Justin's driveway. “Okay, what's the plan?” he said, getting out of the driver's seat.

  “Get her into the back seat,” Kelsey said authoritatively. “You guys get in with her.”

  Oh, Gillian's so gonna kick my butt for this. I'll be lucky to ever be let out of the house again. And then, it suddenly dawned on me that Gillian was probably only a few hundred yards away, watching this whole thing unfold.

  Moving slowly, we helped April into the back seat. Baz climbed in next to her, again grasping her hand in his own. I climbed in the other side, but didn't close the door.

  “Now what?” said Joey.

  “You guys follow me on my bike,” said Kelsey. “She only lives a few blocks from here. Try to keep up, okay?”

  Elijah nodded. “You got it.”

  * * *

  From the back seat, I watched as Kelsey raced through the neighborhood, turning back every now and then to make sure we were still behind her. After a mercifully short trip, during which April resumed leaning her head on Baz's shoulder, Kelsey steered her bike toward the side of the road, skidding to a stop. Elijah followed, braking to a halt.

  We all got out, and Kelsey pointed to a house about fifty yards up the street. “That's her,” she said.

  “What do we do?” asked Joey. “Just ring the doorbell?”

  Kelsey shook her head. “No, you guys hang back here. Ethan, Baz, help her out of the car.”

  I couldn't help but smile to myself, marveling at how Kelsey instantly took charge. This was the Kelsey I'd pictured in my head, standing up to four eighth-grade bullies that must have towered over her. My admiration for her went up about ten more notches. She's incredible.

  April still wasn't able to walk on her own. She was tall and muscular, and it took quite a bit of Baz's and my strength to support her.

  “Follow me,” said Kelsey.

  Step by step, the three of us brought April to her own front door. We sat her down on a stone bench that was right next to it. Kelsey sat next to her, making sure she didn't topple over. “You guys go wait around the corner.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “Her mom knows me. She likes me. It's better if my face is the only one she sees.”

  “Okay,” Baz said, and we walked around the front of the garage, ducking down behind one of the cars in the driveway.

  I watched as Kelsey rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door was answered by a tall woman with long brown hair, just like April's. She smiled at seeing Kelsey, but the smile vanished when she saw her daughter lazily dozing on the bench.

  “Kelsey?” said April's mom.

  “Hi, Mrs. Hendricks,” Kelsey replied. “April's … had a rough night.”

  “What happened? Is she all right?”

  April raised her head. “Hi, Mommy. I don't feel so good.” She let out another long, embarrassing belch.

  Mrs. Hendricks glared at her, and then at Kelsey. “It was that boyfriend of hers, wasn't it?”

  Kelsey nodded. “He's not her boyfriend anymore.”

  “You're goddamn right, he's not,” Mrs. Hendricks said, her face reddening. “Were you there when this happened?”

  “No. She called me after Trey left her. I brought her home.”

  Her eyebrows raised. “All by yourself?”

  Kelsey nodded again.

  “Well, thank you, Kelsey,” she said, stepping forward. Between the two of them, they got April back on her feet. “I'll take it from here.”

  “Please … don't yell at her, Mrs. Hendricks,” Kelsey pleaded. “This wasn't her fault.”

  April's mother draped her daughter's arm over her shoulder. “I promise I won't yell at her … tonight.” She led April into the house, and then closed the door behind her.

  Kelsey walked over to where we were hiding. “Let's go,” she said, and then the three of us made our way back up the street to where Elijah and Joey were waiting.

  “Everything okay?” asked Elijah.

  “Not really,” said Kelsey. “April's in major trouble.” After a short, awkward silence, she added. “Thanks for your help.”

  “No prob,” said Joey. “You guys need a ride home?”

  I thought for a moment. Gillian was likely still following me, but that's not how I wanted the night to end. So I just said, “No, I'll walk.”

  Baz looked at me, and then at Kelsey. “Ah,” he said coyly. Then he turned to face his bandmates. “Let's go, guys, before me Ma sends out a search party.” He extended a hand to me. “Thanks for an interesting evening, boyo.”

  I shook his hand. “See you Monday, Baz.” I waved at Joey and Elijah, who were already getting back in their car. Baz climbed into the back seat, and within seconds they were driving back the way they came.

  I turned toward Kelsey. “Can I walk you home?” I asked, trying my best to act casual.

  She looked at me with a serious face, and then smiled. “Or I could walk you home,” she said.

  I smiled back. “I'm so glad you said that, 'cause I just realized … I have no freakin' clue where I am.”

  “So … you're refusing a ride home was just your not-too-subtle way to get me alone?”

  Oops. Busted. Thank God it's dark, because I'm sure I'm blushing right now.

  “Yep, I know it's not exactly the best circumstances for our first date, but I'll take it,” I said.

  She started chuckling. “Okay, Ethan, I'll get you home. But you do realize … you're going to have to tell me where that is.”

  Just tell her, Ethan. It's too late in the evening to play this dumb game of Secrets.

  “It's on, uh, Orange Blossom Lane,” I said quietly.

  She punched me playfully in the arm. “There, was that so hard?” She picked up her bike and started to walk up the street with it. I walked alongside her, placing my hand on the handlebars.

  “How far is it?” I asked.

  “Not far. Just a few blocks. Maybe fifteen minutes.”

  We walked in silence for a while. I racked my brain for something to say. Say something, you moron! “I, uh … I hope I didn't scare you or anything when I called.”

  “I wasn't scared, just … surprised.” Finally, she turned her head to look at me. “I'm so glad you called, though. If you hadn't, there's no telling what might've happened.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said. “There was a lot of beer at that party.”

  “Why were you even there?”

  “Baz's bandmates invited him, and he invited me. We just kinda hung around, playing video games and stuff. We didn't drink anything, I swear. Except water.”

  “I believe you.”

  “You … think she'll be okay?”

  She sighed. “April? Yeah, eventually. She'll probably be grounded for a long time. But as long a
s that creep's out of her life, that's all that matters right now.”

  I smiled again. “I'm glad she has a friend like you.”

  She smiled back. “And I'm glad I have a friend … like you.”

  I stopped walking, and she did the same. Did she really just say that? I tried like hell to get my brain and my tongue on speaking terms, but at this moment, they were ignoring each other. I just stared at her, unable to form words.

  “Ethan?” She looked at me, with those amazing eyes. I felt my heart start to pound.

  Finally, my brain started working again. Very softly, I said, “I've … I've never met anyone like you.”

  Her expression remained blank. “Is that … a good thing?”

  I nodded. “I think you're amazing.”

  She smiled coyly. “I think you're amazing too.”

  Oh. My. God.

  A dumb smile crept over my face. And again, I was at a loss for words. My brain was going a zillion miles a minute.

  What do I do now? Do I ask her out again? Do I ask her to be my girlfriend? Do I try to kiss her?

  No.

  Don't do it, man. This can only end badly.

  And I don't care. I'd rather have Kelsey in my life for a few weeks, a few days, a few hours, than not have her at all.

  “I … I … I want …” I stammered, my breath coming almost in pants. “I want to tell you. Everything. But … I …”

  Before I could get another word out, she pushed her bike a few yards ahead of her, letting it clatter noisily to the ground. She stepped toward me, put her arms around my neck, and pulled my lips onto hers.

  My body felt like there were fireworks going off inside it. I wrapped my arms around Kelsey, returning the kiss. We just stood there, on the side of the road, under a dimly-lit street lamp, holding each other close. Her lips were soft, and the kiss was gentle, tender.

  Her arms tightened around me even further, and time slowed to a crawl. It may have stopped altogether, for all I knew. Nothing, nothing on Earth, could spoil this moment for me.

  Kelsey Callahan. Fearless, incredible, beautiful Kelsey Callahan.

  My first.

  Finally, she broke the kiss, but only pulled a few inches away. We were still locked in our first embrace. I moved my hand to her face, caressing her cheek. Soft yet cold, in the slightly chilly night air.

  In that first instant, staring intently into her eyes, I got it. Why so many songs and poems and plays and books had been written about love. Why some people were willing to risk everything, including their very lives, for it.

  In the next instant, I understood what my body was going through. What every boy my age was going through. And what a terrible, frightening, overwhelming, and completely awesome thing it was.

  And in the instant after that, I focused on the face of the girl in front of me. A girl whose breath was coming as rapidly as my own. A girl who had captured my heart. A girl who, against all odds, made all the chaos and the tragedy and the craziness in my life just melt away into nothing. The first girl I'd ever kissed, ever held in my arms.

  Ever would've broken every single rule to be with.

  “You're so …” I whispered, finally breaking the silence. A hundred words avalanched through my mind, but the only one that made it through was “… awesome.”

  “Thanks,” she replied. She smiled again, her most beautiful smile ever. She retracted her hands from around me, and then took a step back. Looking up the road, she pointed to the nearest street sign. “That's Orange Blossom Lane right there.”

  I nodded. She continued to smile at me, and I could feel my heart melting into a slushy, gooey mess.

  “Ethan, seriously, thank you for what you did for April. If it hadn't been for you, something terrible might've happened. I will never forget that.” She picked her bike off the ground and climbed on. “See you at school.” One final smile, and then she pedaled away, disappearing into the darkness.

  I just stood there, watching, mesmerized by the memory of my first kiss. The feeling, the rush of blood, the emotional impact was starting to fade, but the smile was still on my face when a long black car pulled up next to me.

  I turned to see Gillian looking at me through the window. I wasn't sure if she'd seen what just happened, but from the serious look on her face, it didn't matter. “Get in. Now.”

  Finally, my mind snapped back to reality. “What's wrong?”

  “I have to get you home,” Gillian said. “Right now.”

  A few minutes later, I walked through the front door of our house. Pop was there, and he was talking to two other agents. All three turned their heads to look at me. Pop was frowning, and I could see a mixture of relief and intense anger on his face.

  “Pop, I'm fine, I swear.” A terrible thought crossed my mind. “Where's …”

  “Your brother's fine,” Pop interrupted. “Sean's mother drove him home. We very nearly blew our cover.”

  “Pop …”

  “Where the HELL have you been?”

  “I was with Baz! All night! I swear!”

  I saw Pop clench and unclench his fists. “Go to your room. Right now. And don't come out until morning. I'll deal with you then.”

  “But …”

  “Now.”

  I hadn't seen Pop this mad in a long time. I knew there was a possibility I'd get in trouble, but not this much trouble. Without another word, I went to my bedroom and closed the door. I took off my shoes and jacket, and sat down on the bed.

  This couldn't just be Pop getting mad at me for slipping out to a party. Something bad had happened. Something far beyond just my minor act of disobedience. And suddenly, just minutes after experiencing a moment of pure bliss, an icy terror gripped my heart.

  Oh my God. They found us.

  Chapter 25

  ~ DAY 28 (Sun.) ~

  KELSEY

  I was grateful today was Sunday, and that Dad let me sleep in. Last night, he'd allowed me to go “rescue” April with barely any details. I told him what happened to her upon my return home, but I left out all the parts that involved Ethan. I knew I'd have to tell him about my feelings for him at some point, but first I needed a good night's sleep.

  And sleep did not come quickly. I stared up at my ceiling for hours, languishing in the memory of my first kiss. Enveloped by the darkness of my room, I tried to remember every detail: what we'd said, how it felt. Oh my God, how it felt.

  I'd heard April describe every gory detail of her first kiss, and how good it made her feel, despite the fact that it was with a boy who would break it off with her only a week later. The way she described it made me both jealous and apprehensive, and I'd hoped every day since that when my first kiss came, it would be as amazing as I'd built it up in my mind to be.

  And it was.

  I lay on my bed, and I felt like I was floating. It had been perfect. The crisp, cool air, the dim light that bathed us. Ethan's wiry yet strong arms tightening around me. The way his lips felt against mine, hesitant at first and then with more and more confidence. I remembered my heart, beating frantically inside my chest. I remembered his musky, boyish scent. It could not have been better.

  “Thank you,” I told the darkness, along with whatever higher power had provided me with such a magical moment.

  * * *

  For once, Bruno and the alarm clock were in agreement, and it was almost ten in the morning when I woke up. Dad had gone to the gym for his semi-weekly racquetball match, so I made myself an omelet and read a few sections of the Sunday paper. No more news about the trial, and there hadn't been any news at all about the missing witness, in the paper or on TV.

  At eleven, I called April to see how she was doing, but ended up only having a brief conversation with her mother, who, after thanking me again, told me she'd confiscated April's cell phone for the time being. I was relieved to find out that April's nausea had passed, but I dreaded the punishment she would no doubt receive, which I was sure I would hear about tomorrow. That, along with the splitti
ng headache she must have, would take a long time to fade from her memory.

  Then I called Penny, and I asked how her dance lesson went. She went on for several minutes about how much fun it was, even though it had been over a year since her last one and she had to shake several layers of rust off her legs. I asked her if she wanted to come hang out at my house, and was pleasantly surprised when she said yes. It'd been months since she'd been over at my place.

  The warmth of the summer had returned, not in full force, but enough to bask in the sun's glow. Penny brought her bathing suit, and the two of us spent a couple of hours sunbathing, talking and messing around in the pool.

  My earlier instincts were confirmed: Penny really didn't like talking about herself. I promised myself that I would get to know her better, but she volunteered so little about her personal life, it probably would have been frustrating if not for the fact that she was just so darn nice and so darn fun to be around.

  I was happy when Dad came home, and he was happy that I hadn't been forced to spend yet another Sunday all alone. He brought us all sandwiches from Mr. Submarine, and we chowed down on the patio. Unfortunately, Dad had to leave in the middle of the afternoon, to return to the precinct for a couple of hours.

  Penny and I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting on the living room sofa. She smiled and softly cheered and gave me a congratulatory hug when I told her about my first kiss with Ethan. I asked her if she'd had her first kiss yet, and she just blushed.

  “No, not yet,” she said with an embarrassed smile. “I hope that when it comes, though, it's really special … like yours.”

  “I hope so, too. Pen. Any news about this guy you like?”

  Her smile changed shape slightly, from embarrassment to something I couldn't quite identify. Then she just shook her head.

  “He's still into this other girl that isn't into him?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  I exhaled. “Pen, you need to tell him you like him. Every day you wait is another day closer to when we graduate middle school.” I held up my hands. “And who knows what'll happen after that.”

  “I guess so,” she said with a sigh. “It's just … hard to tell someone you like them, you know?”