Just Making Out

by Mark Roeder

  Tim and I walked back outside and climbed into the car. I drove to Ofarim’s first, went in, and talked to Agnes. I explained my predicament. I didn’t tell her about Tim’s crazy theory, of course, but I explained how he was terribly upset and needed me. Agnes was understanding. I thanked her profusely and walked back out to the car.

  “So, any idea where to look?” I asked as I climbed back in the Cutlass.

  “Let’s just drive around and see if we can spot him.”

  I pulled out and drove slowly past The Park’s Edge, The Paramount, and on. We passed homes, the gas station, the library, the bank, and stores. Soon, we drove by Café Moffatt and our own apartment. We drove on, but there was no sign of Dane.

  I didn’t say so out loud, but looking for Dane was a complete waste of time. We could more easily have cornered him after school and talked through things then. Tim was in a nervous frenzy, however. While I thought he was worked up over coincidence and imagined danger, he was convinced that Dane’s life was at stake. I couldn’t just tell him he was being stupid and leave it at that. He’d just go off on his own looking for Dane, and he was acting a little too crazy just now to be set loose on Verona.

  I hated missing work. We needed the money, and I didn’t like canceling out on such short notice. I could think of a hundred things I’d rather be doing with my time, too. Making out with Tristan immediately sprang to mind.

  “Shawn?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For humoring me and for helping me. I know you think I’m nuts.”

  “Can you read minds now?”

  “No.” Tim smiled briefly, but his smile faded quickly. “I know what I’ve told you is farfetched, but I also know it’s the truth. I can feel it, Shawn. Maybe I am crazy, but I have to make sure Dane is okay. I know I’m not crazy, though. I know I’m right. Either way, thanks for being here with me right now. Thanks for helping me.”

  “I know you’re worried. I don’t believe Dane is in any danger, Tim. I don’t believe Jacob and Dane’s ghost are one and the same. I know you do, however. I wouldn’t be much of a brother if I didn’t help you.”

  Tim closed his eyes for a moment. He looked as if he was concentrating.

  “Drive to the south, out toward the Selby place.”

  I turned the car, taking us one step further into weird. I was afraid to ask why Tim wanted me to drive south. I didn’t want to hear about little voices in his head or whatever was going on in there. What if Tim really was losing it? What if this whole thing with Dane was just too much for him? I was glad I’d taken off work. Tim wasn’t himself.

  As I drove, I tried to think of a way to soothe Tim’s fears. The odds were against us finding Dane. I had half a mind to take Tim home, give him a couple of sleeping pills, and put him to bed. I’d never seen him so agitated before. If only I could talk him out of his crazy…

  “There, there he is! Slow down,” Tim said.

  I could spot two figures way ahead. I couldn’t begin to tell who they were.

  “Are you sure that’s Dane?”

  “Yes, it’s Dane, and Jacob is with him.”

  Unless he had the eyes of an eagle, there was no way Tim could be sure who was up ahead. I’d come this far, so I figured I might as well humor him. What was that old saying? In for a penny, in for a pound? I closed the distance a little.

  “Don’t get closer. I don’t want Jacob knowing we’re tailing them.”

  “So, we’re just going to follow them?”

  “For now.”

  “Okay.”

  This was definitely not the best use of my time. Following two distant figures who might or might not be Dane and Jacob was not a thrill. Time somehow slipped by, however, for darkness fell. I looked at the clock on the dashboard.

  “What the…?”

  “What?” Tim asked.

  “What time have you got?”

  “Um, 4:30, why?”

  That’s what the clock on the dashboard read. I checked my own watch. It was the same.

  “Why is it dark, Tim?”

  Tim looked around as if he had only then become aware that darkness had fallen.

  “Eclipse?”

  I didn’t answer. I just didn’t know.

  I wanted to turn on the headlights. There was no moonlight. Had I not been driving so very slowly, I couldn’t have made my way. As it was, I had to close in more to be able to make out the figures ahead.

  “I’m cold, turn on the heater,” Tim said.

  It was chilly in the car. I turned on the heater.

  Headlights appeared to the south, meeting us. They illuminated the figures ahead for a moment. One of them was wearing a letterman’s jacket. Even as we looked he took it off and put it on his companion. An old pickup passed by soon. At first I thought it might be Ethan in his uncle’s old Ford, but this truck looked even older.

  “Is that snow?” I asked.

  Tim leaned in toward the windshield and looked up as if he needed to gaze into the sky to see the white flakes that were beginning to fall. There were just a few at first, but then more and more until it was a regular snowfall.

  “This is crazy!” I said. “It’s not supposed to get nearly cold enough for snow.”

  I turned on the radio to see if I could pick up a weather forecast.

  “This has been the Burns and Allen Show with George Burns and Gracie…”

  I turned the dial to hear Tarzan’s signature yell come over the speakers. I tried again, and some guy was singing the words “some enchanted evening.” I turned the dial further and was assaulted by a country song about ghost riders in the sky. Why was there never a weather report when I needed one? I made another attempt to find what I was seeking.

  “…presents Fibber McGee and Molly…”

  Some of the words in the radio programs began to register in my mind. Burns and Allen? Fibber McGee and Molly? I’d never heard the programs, but…

  “What is this?” I asked. “Old-time-radio night?”

  I kept trying to find the weather, but all I could get was old songs I didn’t recognize.

  “This is too weird,” I said.

  “See! I told you something bizarre is going on!” Tim said. “Why is it dark at 4:30 p.m.? Why is it snowing when the temperature wasn’t supposed to get below, like, sixty? What’s with the music and the old radio shows?”

  Tim looked up for a moment and his face lit up.

  “We’re in the past!”

  “Tim! Come on! We are not in the past. It’s some kind of oldies night on the radio.”

  “On all the stations at once? And what about the darkness? It’s night! Our watches say it’s early evening, but it’s night!”

  “Tim…”

  The headlights of another car appeared through the snow. Moments later, it passed by. It was a Model A. My stomach sank. Tim looked me in the eyes again.

  “We’re in the past, I tell you! Jacob is taking Dane back to the night he was killed, and we’ve been pulled in with him!”

  “Tim, that’s crazy!”

  “Then explain all this! Go on! Explain it!”

  “I…can’t.”

  “Oh, my God!” Tim said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t you see what Jacob is doing? Jacob was murdered! He was murdered, and now he’s going to make Dane take his place! That’s why he put his jacket on Dane! He knows someone is going to run him down, most likely very soon. That’s how he’s going to do it! When Dane is killed, Jacob will become fully human!”

  I didn’t know what to think of Tim’s line of reasoning, but there was no denying something truly bizarre was going on. Another car appeared in the northbound lane. This one was going faster. It accelerated even as we watched.

  “Stop that car! Don’t let it hit Dane!” Tim screamed.

  Tim slammed his foot down on mine and shoved the accelerator to the floor. The Cutlass fishtailed and roared directly toward Dane and
Jacob…

  Dane

  Slightly Earlier That Same Evening

  I grinned when I saw Jacob waiting for me at my locker.

  “I thought you’d forgotten about me,” I said.

  “About you? Never.”

  Those words were all it took to soothe my worries and ease the hurt I’d felt in my heart.

  “It’s time, Dane.”

  “I’m so tired,” I said. It was true. I was exhausted, and I think I might have killed for a candy bar.

  “I know,” Jacob said, pushing my hair back off my forehead. “You still want to help me, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but I’m worn out…”

  “Don’t you love me? You said you’d do anything...”

  “Yes! Yes, I love you!”

  “Then come with me.”

  I nodded. I put all my books in my locker and followed Jacob out of the front entrance of VHS. I barely had the energy to walk. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was probably coming down with something. I hated that. I hated to be sick. I swayed.

  “I don’t feel so good.”

  “You’re just hungry. We’ll take care of that.”

  I leaned on Jacob, and he led me through the streets of Verona. I grinned when he pulled me toward Ofarim’s. Scotty came to our table to take our orders. Jacob ordered a triple cheeseburger, large fries, a corn dog, onion rings, a large Coke, a large chocolate shake, and a banana split for me. He ordered only a Coke for himself, which I knew he would only pretend to drink.

  Devon entered with Zac while I was eating. His upper lip curled in an angry snarl, but he backed off when Jacob stared him down. I had nothing to fear from Devon with Jacob around. I have a feeling he could have taken on both Devon and Zac.

  It took a good long while to finish my feast, but Jacob was patient. He kept talking about his plans: joining the football team, maybe becoming quarterback, buying a car, and more. I didn’t know how he planned to join the football team when he wasn’t even enrolled in school, but Jacob could probably surmount any obstacle. A boy who could come back from the dead—or almost dead, as he put it—could probably do just about anything.

  When we stepped out of Ofarim’s it was after four. We began walking again. I was still so very tired, but I felt better. At least I didn’t sway when I walked.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  We walked down the sidewalk. Jacob began to lead me through the streets of Verona. It was a truly beautiful spring afternoon. I looked at Jacob beside me. He was so very handsome. He was wearing his letterman’s jacket again. It was the first time he’d worn it since he’d begun appearing at VHS. I couldn’t believe he’d soon be as real as me. Knowing I could help him live again filled me with contentment. Maybe then we could be boyfriends.

  We walked beyond the town limits. I grew a little weaker with every step. I was coming down with something. I just knew it. I’d be missing school the next day for sure. Mom would probably drag me to the doctor’s office. I was determined to go forward, however. I had to do this. I had to help Jacob. He needed me.

  “Is it much further?” I asked.

  “No, Dane. It isn’t much further now.”

  I noticed a road sign that said, “Roger’s Road,” and knew we were close to the Selby Farm where Ethan, Nathan, Casper, and Brendan lived. I knew there was something I should be remembering about the road, but my mind was foggy. We walked on a bit more. I looked around then stopped. I closed my eyes and opened them again.

  “But, how?”

  It was nighttime, but it couldn’t be. Only a few minutes had passed since we left Ofarim’s, and it wasn’t much after four then.

  “What?” Jacob asked.

  “It’s night!”

  “Yes.”

  “But it shouldn’t be night.”

  “You’re confused, Dane. Of course, it’s night. Remember? I picked you up at your house a little after nine.”

  “You did? I thought we just came from Ofarim’s.”

  Jacob laughed.

  “No. I took you home because you were tired, then I picked you up just a few minutes ago.”

  “Oh.”

  I didn’t remember any of that at all. I really was coming down with something.

  “When this is over, we have to get you into bed,” Jacob teased.

  We walked on, my mind reeling. I could have sworn…but it was night. There was no denying the darkness.

  An old car passed us going back toward town. I could hear Dinah Shore singing Baby It’s Cold Outside for a moment as the car passed. My mom loved Dinah Shore, and I’d probably heard that song a hundred times. The song sure fit the weather at the moment. Spring had slipped away. It was chilly—cold, even. Hadn’t it been warm earlier? What happened? I began to shiver. I gazed at Jacob beside me. Flakes of snow drifted from above, alighting in his hair. Jacob grinned.

  “Not long at all now.”

  “I didn’t know it was supposed to get this cold tonight,” I said.

  “The weather forecast called it a return to winter,” Jacob said.

  The snow, which had barely been a few flakes before, came down harder and faster. I felt colder than ever but didn’t know if the temperature was dropping fast or if it was just a symptom of whatever illness was taking me over.

  “I can’t believe it’s snowing! The flowers are already blooming, and now it’s snowing!”

  “Weird, isn’t it?” Jacob observed, yet the tone of his voice indicated he didn’t think it weird at all.

  I felt lightheaded. I began to wonder if I was dreaming. Maybe I was back home in bed, experiencing a feverish dream. I didn’t feel feverish. I shivered in the growing cold. I’d worn only a short-sleeve t-shirt.

  “Maybe we should go back,” I said. “It’s too cold.”

  Another vehicle passed. This time it was an antique truck. My grandfather had driven one like it. I’d seen a picture of it.

  “No. Here,” Jacob said. He took off his letterman’s jacket and helped me into it.

  “Better?”

  “Much,” I said.

  I wanted to hug Jacob and tell him how much I loved him. He was so good to me.

  The snow came down harder still, and the wind got up. My ears began to ache, and my face began to grow numb.

  “This is crazy,” I said.

  “Not much further,” Jacob said. “We’ll get this done as fast as possible, and then we can get warm.”

  “Warm sounds good.”

  Another car passed going north. This one was a Model A.

  “That’s three!” I said.

  “Three vehicles driving down the road? I know it’s a little late, but…”

  “Three old vehicles! Very old!”

  “I think I heard something about an antique-car show,” Jacob said.

  He didn’t sound convincing. Everything was so…dreamlike. Antique cars, a near-blizzard in spring, my unusual exhaustion—yeah, I probably was dreaming. If this was a dream, why couldn’t I have dreamed something a bit warmer!

  I staggered and nearly fell. Jacob grabbed my arm and kept me from falling face first in the gravel at the side of the road.

  “I want to help you, Jacob, but I can’t keep going.”

  “Just a little farther,” Jacob said. He slipped my right arm over his shoulder and supported most of my weight.

  “I feel dizzy. My heart feels as if it’s barely beating. I feel…something’s wrong, Jacob.”

  “It’s almost time,” Jacob said, looking at his watch.

  I was so cold, so tired, and so disorientated I hardly cared anymore. We stopped. Jacob wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest, trying to keep warm.

  “It will all be over soon, Dane, and then I’ll be alive again. I’ll owe it all to you.”

  I grinned, but Jacob couldn’t see, because my face was buried in his chest. He was so warm.

  I could hear another car coming, heading north towards t
own like the others. I couldn’t see the car because I was facing Jacob, but I could hear it coming nearer and nearer. Jacob gripped my shoulders tightly and pushed me back just enough so he could look into my eyes.

  “I couldn’t have done this without you,” he said. “I’ll never forget you.”

  He leaned in and kissed me deeply.

  The car grew closer. Something about the whole situation suddenly felt very, very wrong. I tried to turn and look, but Jacob held my arms so tightly I cried out in pain. Reflexively, I tried to break his hold. I jerked my head toward the oncoming car as it veered into the southbound lane and accelerated. All I could see were oncoming headlights. I screamed.

  The next few seconds whipped by so quickly I was only aware of what happened after it was all over. A second car, gunning its engine, roared down the southbound lane. The driver must have been doing eighty. Jacob screamed, “NO!”, even as he shoved me with every ounce of his might into the path of the northbound car. I tumbled to the center line. For a moment I found myself standing between two cars racing toward a head-on collision. I only had time to scream as both cars raced toward me in a crazy game of chicken, with me in the middle. At the last second, the southbound car jerked to the right missing me by inches, then back to the left, fishtailing out of control. Tires squealed, and the northbound car skidded across the lane to miss the other car and jerked onto the shoulder where I’d recently been standing. It passed so close to the other car I expected to hear the screech of metal on metal. There was a loud thud; the northbound car whipped back onto the road and took off. The southbound car skidded to a halt and turned with its headlights shining upon me. I was too exhausted to even try to get out of the road. Doors slammed.

  “Dane! Dane are you okay?”

  I recognized Tim’s voice, but I was too exhausted to answer. I looked up to see him staring down at me with a worried look on his face. Shawn came into view then, too. Together, they pulled me to my feet. I glanced up the road and saw Jacob’s still form lying off the shoulder in the snow.

  “I need your jacket,” Shawn said.