I threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. After a shower, I dressed quickly and walked over to the dresser to finish my homework that I had left undone last night when I fell asleep. My books were closed and neatly stacked next to my book bag. I opened my notebook to my homework assignment. I knew I had enough time to finish it before I had to leave for school. I pulled back the chair at my desk and sat down opening my book to the appropriate page. I found where I had left off, and I ran my finger down my homework page to where I stopped last night.
Confused, I opened my notebook and took out my homework paper. It was finished. I was sure that I had left half of it incomplete when I fell asleep. I sat there in a daze for several minutes trying to remember finishing my homework. I couldn’t remember finishing it at all. I sighed putting my homework back in my notebook and began packing my book bag.
“Good morning, dear,” my dad called as I walked into the kitchen.
“Morning, Dad,” I answered walking over to him and giving him a quick hug.
“What can I fix you for breakfast,” he asked me.
“I’ll just have some toast. I’m not very hungry.”
“Annie, you’re getting thin. You need to try to eat more.”
“I’ll try, Dad, just not this morning ok?”
“Alright dear, I just worry about you. You look so tired.”
“Ah, I’m just not sleeping very well. I’ll take that toast to go. I want to get to school early.”
Dad put three pieces of buttered and jellied toast in some plastic wrap and handed it to me along with a coffee mug filled with juice.
“Thanks, Dad,” I kissed his cheek, and suddenly, I became emotional. “I love you, Dad.” I whispered throwing my arms around him and giving him a quick hug before I turned and left the room.
“Love you Annie,” Dad whispered back.
I climbed into the Tahoe with a feeling of dread, and I didn’t know why. I reached for the wrapped up toast and took out a piece. I put it in my mouth and put my car into reverse. Slowly, I drove to school munching on my breakfast. I pulled into a parking spot and turned off the motor. I finished a second piece and put the third in my book bag. Maybe I would have it for lunch.
As I opened my door and climbed out a sleek, convertible sports car pulled in the place next to mine. Great! It was the stalker, Zell.
“Good morning, Annie,” Zell said smiling.
“Hey,” I answered unenthusiastically.
I headed for class, and Zell quickly caught up with me.
We walked for a couple of minutes in silence.
“You had toast and jelly for breakfast this morning didn’t you?”
“Like it’s any of your business. Are you stalking me at home now?”
“No,” he laughed. “It just looks like grape jelly on your chin.”
“Seriously?” I groaned.
“Seriously,” Zell replied. “Look at me.”
I stopped and turned facing him. He bent and peered into my face. He wiped a finger across my chin and held it up for my inspection.
“There love. You’re as good as new.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled returning to my trudge toward class.
“Is everything ok Annie?”
“Yeah, everything is just swell,” I grunted.
“Can I do anything for you?” Zell asked.
“Yeah, leave me alone,” I replied sourly.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really,” I answered walking off and leaving him staring at my back.
I thought first period would never end. Every time I looked up, Zell was watching me. It began to unnerve me. When class was over, I jumped up and stomped to his chair before he got up.
“Stop watching me,” I demanded.
“Why?” Zell asked.
“Because you’re giving me the creeps.”
“I apologize love. I never meant to upset you.”
“I’m not your love.” I stalked off leaving Zell still sitting in his seat. I’m not sure why I was in such a rotten mood today, but I was.
I could feel Zell watching me at lunch and in every class for the rest of the day, but I could not catch him in the act. He did as I asked and left me alone. Every time I felt his gaze, I would turn to him, and he would just be looking down at his paper, his hands, or a book. Even so, I knew he had been watching me just before I turned.
Finally, the day was winding down, and it was time for basketball practice. Kate and I walked together toward the gym.
“Boy, did you notice Zell today?” Kate asked.
“No, not really, why?”
“He looks so hot today,” Kate purred.
“I’m not interested in Zell.”
“He sure looks interested in you. At lunch, he couldn’t take his eyes off you even though he was sitting at a table with five girls.”
“Good. Maybe they will keep him busy, and he will leave me alone.”
“Do you wanna go get a burger after practice?” Kate asked changing the subject.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll call Dad as soon as practice is over and let him know. I don’t want to stay out long though. I want to go home, take a hot shower, and go to bed. I’ve been in a rotten mood today, and I’m not sure why. I think I’m tired, and I just want the day to be over.”
“Tomorrow will be a better day,” my loyal friend replied.
“I sure hope so,” I sighed.
My evening went just as planned except I stayed up later than expected fussing over what I would wear to school tomorrow. I hoped that breaking from my dull dressing routine would cheer me up. I was the ultimate tomboy. I rarely wore anything but jeans and a tee-shirt, and here I was contemplating wearing a dress to school tomorrow. Why was I doing this? Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew it was because of Zell. Even though he was impossibly attractive and stylish, I sensed an old-fashioned way about him. He spoke so properly and treated everyone so respectfully. He just seemed to be from another era. Of course between his impeccable manners and his impossible good looks, he had every girl and female staff member in school eating out of his hand. I was in a conundrum. Even though I wanted Zell to leave me alone, I still wanted him to notice me and think me attractive. I was being ridiculous, and I knew it.
I finally decided on a pretty, flowing spring skirt, a soft tank top, and lightweight cashmere sweater of the same pastel shade as the top. I picked a pair of sandals that would pick up an accent color in the skirt from the dozens of pairs in the closet. When at last I lay down, I was too troubled to sleep. I felt bad for being so rude to Zell today. It was uncharacteristic for me to be impolite to anyone. I needed to apologize to Zell tomorrow. I had barely looked at Zell today, but all I had heard all day was how hot he looked. I couldn’t wait to get to school the next day to see if he was as unbelievably handsome as everyone was saying, or if we all just had an overactive reaction to the new guy in school. Then, there was art class. What happened there? Was it all a dream? It seemed real to me, too real. I was not entirely convinced what had happened during the video in art class had been a dream.
Finally, I drifted off to sleep. It seemed as though I had only been asleep for a few minutes when I awoke suddenly. I thought someone had touched me. My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and focused on someone standing in the corner of my bedroom. Frightened, I fumbled for the switch to turn on the lamp beside my bed. As the light flooded the room, I could see that no one was there. I must have been dreaming again. I was probably just imagining everything, but here in my room, in the middle of the night, I was not so sure anymore. Anything seemed possible. My thoughts immediately went to Zell. Perhaps, he was a not the good guy he seemed to be. There was definitely something off about him just showing up in Dacula, Georgia saying he knew me. Perhaps, he is a psychopath like Ted Bundy, nice on the eyes, but having the heart of a killer. My blood ran cold, and I shivered. Sleep was almost impossible.
I was nervous the next morning. I washed my hair over and over again to make it shin
e. I even rolled it on a few electric rollers. The last time I rolled my hair was the previous spring for junior-senior prom. I must be losing my mind, but I could not stop. I was out of control. I was dressing for someone who may not give me the time of day especially since I was someone else’s girlfriend. Nothing I did makes sense to me anymore. I carefully put on make-up so that my complexion was smooth and even. My hands shook as I made toast for breakfast. Even with the elaborate dressing ritual that I had just performed, it was still too early to leave for school.
Dad walked in the kitchen and jumped back startled dropping the paper he had just retrieved from the sidewalk.
“Annie, I didn’t expect you in the kitchen so early. You surprised me,” Dad said adjusting his glasses. “Is it picture day at school?” he added noticing that I was not in jeans and a tee-shirt.
Dad didn’t intrude much in my life. His faith had been his profession and family since my mom died. I think he was afraid of attachment. I think he was fearful that he would lose me too and have his heart shredded once more. The only time I have seen him cry was the day my mother died in the accident. I had been thrown from the car and survived. Sometimes in those early years of her death, I would catch him looking at me strangely. I often thought he must wonder why I didn’t die instead of her. I was almost a mirror image of my mother. My mother wore her hair short, so I wore mine long. She was so beautiful that she never wore make-up, so I did. She was a real Beaver Cleaver’s mom. You know, she vacuumed wearing pearls, so I was the biggest tomboy ever. Not because I didn’t want to look like my mom, but I did it for my dad’s sake. The less I reminded him of her, the happier he seemed to appear. I knew it must rip his heart out every time he looks at me because I could have been her clone.
“You look beautiful, dear,” he complimented me nervously adjusting his glasses again. My dad had trouble showing emotion. Emotional issues made him a basket case. He wasn’t that way before she died. He had shriveled up emotionally after Mom’s death.
I missed my mother. I was terrified of forgetting her. I had to keep a picture of her by the bed in my room to remind myself of what she looked like. I had been only five years old when she died. I still remember her smell and the way she felt when she held me in her arms, but her memory was fading.
“No, it’s not picture day. I just felt like dressing up,” I said reaching up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m headed out for school. I want to get there early today. There’s a new guy at school who is in all my classes, and he sits by me without fail. I want to get there early enough to make sure he doesn’t get a seat close to me.”
“This young man is not harassing you, is he?”
“No, he’s just new and very popular, and it’s a big distraction.” I hurried from the kitchen and picked up my book bag from the table beside the door that led to the garage where my car was parked. It had taken a lot of persuasion to convince my dad to let me buy a car and drive. Old fears from my mother’s death crowded our lives and made it difficult for him to accept the fact that I was growing up. Growing up meant that I would leave one day, and he would be alone.
Dad had taken the life insurance money he received from my mother’s death and put it in a trust fund for me. Every month, a few hundred dollars were put into an account for me to use until my 21st birthday when I would receive the rest if I wanted. I appreciated having money of my own. That fact allowed me to play sports and not have to work a part-time job after school or constantly bug my father for money. It was also responsible for the dozens of pairs of shoes in my closet.
Hitting the remote to open the garage door, I threw my book bag in the passenger side of the car and walked around to the other side of the car. Hoisting myself into the driver’s seat, I crammed my keys in the ignition and put the SUV in reverse. Seconds later a loud crash made me stomp my right foot on the brake. I looked in the rear-view mirror and groaned. I backed into a silver convertible sports car. Through the rear-view mirror, I couldn’t tell what kind it was, but I could tell it looked very, very expensive. Throwing open the door of my vehicle, I jumped out of the car and walked toward the car that I just backed into. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who sat behind the wheel. It was Zell.
“What are you doing in my driveway?” I yelled at him.
“I thought we might ride to school together,” he explained smiling.
“Oh noooo,” I groaned as I walked to the front of his car and noticed the broken headlight and huge dent in his fender. “Look at your car,” I said spreading my arms imitating the scope of the damage.
“It’s just a car,” Zell replied nonchalantly.
“Just a car,” I squeaked. “It’s a gorgeous car, and it looks incredibly expensive.”
“Expense is relative,” he said shrugging his shoulders.
“Relative to what?” I shouted horrified.
“I guess it’s relative to what you can afford. I can afford to buy a dozen of these and not notice it in my bank account. Would you like this one?” he asked.
“Are you insane?” I screeched. “My dad would never let me drive this car. It’s too fast and too small. Only a Sherman tank is good enough for me according to my dad.”
“Well now,” Zell said lightly as he joined me at the front of his car and surveyed the damage. “I suppose you will have to give me a ride to school.”
“It’s only a broken headlight and a dent, a rather enormous one, but still just a dent. Your car is drivable,” I argued.
“Yes, but will you follow me to the body shop near the school and give me a lift? I can’t stalk you with only one headlight.” Zell laughed at the expression on my face when he said that.
“I will leave it there to be repaired, and you can be my chauffeur until I get it back,” he explained grinning at me mischievously.
“Are you a psycho?”
“Yesterday you called me a creep and a stalker. Then today the morning has barely begun, and you call me a psycho. If I wasn’t so incredibly well-adjusted, my self-esteem would be shattered,” Zell said trying to look hurt.
“Just get in the car and cut the crap. I’ll follow you,” I sighed exasperated.
“By the way, you look lovely,” he whispered drawing close to me.
“Yeah, I bet you say that to all the girls who crash into your car at 7:00 o’clock in the morning,” I replied as I turned away from him, climbed in my car, and slammed the door.
I followed Zell to the repair shop and waited while he went inside to talk to the owner of the shop. While he was inside, I took a closer look at his car. OMG, he was driving a Lamborghini. I didn’t know what one cost, but I knew it probably cost him more than my dad paid for our house. I really felt crappy now.
I was all apologies when Zell returned to the car. “I’m so sorry that I was rude to you yesterday. I’ve been really tired lately, and I guess I took it out on you. I’m rarely rude to anyone. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, and I want to formally apologize.”
“No worries,” Zell said kindly and smiled at me.
“And I want to apologize about your car. I’m so sorry about wrecking it. I didn’t know you drove such an expensive car. Why do you drive such an expensive car anyway?” I asked abruptly getting personal.
“It was for sale,” he answered shrugging his shoulders.
“Are your parents rich?” I asked pursuing the question in my mind of how a high-school senior could afford a Lamborghini.
“Something like that. Annie, could you stop at the deli down from the school?” Zell asked changing the subject.
“Sure,” I said as I put my tank in reverse and slowly pulled out into traffic.
The deli in question was more of a self-service station with a snack bar inside. A few booths and tables filled an addition to the building. In the mornings, they served bagels, biscuits, muffins, coffee, and juice.
I let Zell out and remained in the car looking at my face in the rear-view mirror. I seemed to be getting dark circles around my
eyes from my restless nights. He returned a few minutes later with a couple of homemade cinnamon rolls, two bottles of orange juice, and fifteen red roses.
“These are all the roses they had,” he apologized handing them to me. I knew that the store kept them in a vase by the register and charged about five dollars each for them.
“Why did you buy me roses?” I asked shocked.
“Take it as an apology for being in the wrong driveway at the wrong time,” he quipped handing me a bottle of juice and a cinnamon roll.
“But we’re on the way to school. They will die in the car during the day,” I moaned suddenly sad that Zell’s gift would be short-lived.
“We have plenty of time before school starts. Let’s run back by your house and put them in a vase,” he offered.
I looked at my cell phone. We still had forty-two minutes before the bell rang. Forty-two minutes would be plenty of time to make a quick trip back home and still get to school on time. I handed the roses back to Zell and put the car in reverse. When I pulled into our driveway, Dad was just backing out into the street. He stopped alongside my car and rolled down the window.
“Is something wrong?” he asked confused as to why I had come back home.
“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it tonight,” I explained.
“Ok, if you’re sure nothing is wrong,” he said concerned.
“Everything’s fine. I just need to run in the house a minute,” I assured him.
“Bye then,” he answered rolling up his window and pulling down the street.
I leaned over to retrieve the roses from Zell. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I ran for the house being careful not to jostle the roses. Inside, I rummaged through the cupboards looking for a vase. I had never received flowers from anyone, but I thought that my mother had a crystal vase somewhere. I moved to the formal dining room and spied the vase inside my mother’s China cabinet. I was filling the vase with water when I felt someone behind me. I turned to see Zell close behind me watching me. I didn’t know if it was fear or excitement at being alone in the house with him, but I began shaking.
Dark Angel (Anak Trilogy) Page 5