Unfaded

by Sarah Ripley

  “And you were there,” Claire continued.

  “Kinda,” I said.

  Amber squealed and grabbed my hand. “Wow, you must have been terrified. What happened?”

  “I wasn’t there,” I said. “I didn’t see it happen. I got there after.”

  Claire looked down at the table. Suddenly her peanut butter sandwich was more important than anything else in the world.

  “What?” I said.

  “Nothing,” she said. She picked at her bread with her pinkie finger.

  “You might as well tell me,” I said. “Otherwise I’m going to hear it from Breanna in English class. A good friend would at least give me a heads up.”

  “Where’s Connor?” Amber said, completely clueless for the first time. Usually she’s the first one to know about these things. But Claire knew. Picking up a napkin, she began shredding it into tiny pieces. A sure sign she was nervous.

  “We’re not talking to each other,” I said.

  Amber gasped. “What? Why didn’t you call me? How come I’m just hearing about this now? Is this because of last night?”

  “Oh,” I said. “You noticed that did you?”

  “His jealous boyfriend bit?” Amber shook her head. “I thought he was going to grab you and try to French kiss you at the table.”

  “I saw it too,” Claire said. “It’s not like him at all.”

  “I know,” I said. “I’ve never seen him act like such a jerk. I tried talking to him when he drove me home but he wouldn’t listen. He freaked when I told him he needed to back off. He said I look at Kian as if I’ve already slept with him.”

  Dead silence at the table. Not a good sign.

  They were my friends. They were supposed to act all appalled and start saying things like ‘oh, you’d never do that,’ or ‘he’s crazy,’ or ‘there’s no way you looked like that.’ There’s a stipulation that must be followed. But you know you’re in trouble when even your friends won’t meet your eye.

  “What?” I snapped after waiting an entire minute with no one jumping to my rescue.

  “Well, you do look at him,” Amber said. “I’m sorry, Mai, I really am, but the two of you kept acting like you were sharing some sort of secret last night. I can see why Connor got pissed about it.”

  “I’m surprised you saw it considering you couldn’t take your paws off of him.”

  More dead silence at the table. I’d hurt her. I could tell by the way her chin started to quiver. Shame on me.

  “Amber, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m being a bitch. You know I’d never say anything to hurt you unless my foot was shoved up against my tonsils.”

  Amber glanced over at the doors so that I wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. I turned to Claire, the voice of sanity, our brainy friend, the only one who could get me out of this mess.

  “You do look at him,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d put it as blunt as Connor did, but it looks like the two of you are closer than you say.”

  “You know me,” I said. “You know I’d never do anything like that.”

  “I know,” Claire said. “But Kian is really good looking. You can’t sit here and pretend he isn’t. All the guys in school are probably threatened by him right now.”

  “That’s true,” Amber said. “I’m not gonna name names, but I know a few girls who have admitted to having crushes on Kian. Most of them have boyfriends.”

  “And there are a lot of girls here,” Claire said. “But you’re the one he’s chosen to hang out with. If I were Connor, I’d be freaking too.”

  “Especially the way you look at him,” Amber said. “And I’m not saying that to be mean, Mai. The two of you do seem close.”

  How long had I known him?

  A flash of light. Kian reaching out to me. His hair was longer, past his shoulders. Reaching out, tracing his fingers along my cheek. Pulling me forward. My lips pressing against his.

  It took every ounce of strength in my body not to gasp. Where on earth did that come from? I could feel his fingers haunting my cheek. Reaching up, I pressed on my skin just to make sure there was nothing there.

  “He seems familiar to me,” I finally confessed. “I’ve felt that from the moment I saw him. I’ve met him before, I’m sure of it. I just have no idea when or where or how. He said he feels the same way. Do you think that might be it?”

  “How romantic,” Amber said.

  “I’m not trying to be romantic,” I said. “I have a boyfriend in case you forgot and everyone’s making me feel like the most terrible person in the world. But there’s more to this isn’t there? I can read you like a book, Claire. Tell me.”

  Claire sighed. She didn’t want to be the burden of bad news. “Everyone says you spent last night at the motel with Kian.”

  Amber glared at me. Now which one of us was thinking the other was being cheap?

  “That’s not true!” I said. “I’d never do that to Connor. You both know that.”

  “I know that,” Claire said and Amber nodded. “But does Connor know that? Having the entire school talking about it isn’t going to help. Especially when I know some of it’s true.”

  “What? What’s true? Which part?” Amber practically shouted. The people at the table next to us snickered and leaned closer to hear.

  “Great, why not tell the entire school, why don’t you,” I muttered.

  “What’s true?”

  “I’ll let Mai tell it.”

  I should have known Claire would know. Her Dad was a fireman and was probably there last night even if I didn’t see him. Of course he would have mentioned it to Claire this morning since he knew we were friends. It was time to fess up.

  “Kian and I were at the motel,” I finally said. Better they learn the complete truth from me. “In Thelma’s library. We were studying, nothing more. When we heard the noise we came out to investigate. Half the town saw us coming out together.”

  “You’re so dead,” Amber said and I’m sure she meant it in a nice way because she gave me a big hug. “We’ll stand behind you. I’ll tell Connor it wasn’t true. I’ll even beat up Breanna or put used chewing gum in her locker.”

  “It won’t matter,” I said. “He’s going to need some time over this one. And it probably won’t help with all the stories going around. Besides, I don’t owe him anything. He’s the one who started it by going all psycho boyfriend. I’m not going to be the one who ends up feeling guilty this time.”

  “You’re a lousy liar, Mai,” Claire said.

  “That’s got to count for something,” Amber said. “Everyone who knows you, knows this.”

  For the rest of lunch we managed to keep the topic on things that didn’t involve my love life, my extracurricular activities, or my daredevil lifestyle.

  * * *

  Kian was waiting for me as usual when I arrived at English class a few minutes early. How he always managed to beat me was beyond me.

  He was nervous. Even though he smiled as if nothing was wrong, he was clicking a pen absently while his shoe tapped the floor in a completely separate rhythm. His eyes wouldn’t meat mine either, a sure sign of guilt. But we had done nothing wrong.

  Funny how sometimes being innocent is just as hard as being guilty.

  “Hey,” I said quietly as I took my seat. I placed my backpack on the table to try and use as an invisible barrier. At least this way Breanna couldn’t see my face. She was at her desk with a few of her friends. They were whispering to each other and glancing over at us as.

  “Look on the bright side,” Kian said. “You’re not nearly as unpopular as me today. I've already had three basketball players threaten to beat my ass.”

  Kian had gym just before lunch with Connor and all of his friends. They must have treated him like he had the plague. The Coach probably wouldn’t have done anything about it either. The team was having an eight game winning streak. He’d never punish his star players, especially when they were so close to the championships.

  “I’m sor
ry,” I said.

  “I’m not,” Kian said. “So what if a bunch of teenagers can’t handle the truth? It’s not like I owe them anything. Either do you.”

  “Yeah, well I’ve got to coexist with them,” I said, my voice raising more than I wanted. “It might be easy for you being new and all but I’ve known these people my entire life. I care what they think.”

  “You shouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, well I do.”

  I furiously yanked on the zipper of my backpack and my books spilled over onto my desk. A few pens rolled out and onto the floor. Kian immediately bent down to pick them up. I ignored him when he tried to hand them back.

  I was hurt. Kian really didn’t understand what I was going through. Sure, he was having a bit of trouble with the guys but they weren’t nearly as mean as the girls could be. This wasn’t going to end easily for me. Not only had I quite probably lost my boyfriend forever, but I’d have to endure months of laughs, whispers, and name calling.

  There was another terrifying thought pushing from the back of my mind. I wasn’t sure if I wanted Connor back. Something had changed and although I wasn’t positive what it was, I knew it was there.

  “What’s the matter?” Breanna’s voice drifted over from the front of the room. “Is the honeymoon over?”

  I tore open my copy of the Canterbury Tales and pretended to read. I didn’t know what to say. I’d never been in such a situation before. Breanna must have loved it; she’d spent the last four years trying to take Connor away from me, now she had her chance to belittle me in the worst possible way.

  “Fire starter, slut.”

  I wasn’t going to let her do it. I grabbed my backpack and shoved everything into it. Standing, I held my head high and walked right out of English class. Let them talk. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun for them if I wasn’t there.

  I made it to the parking lot before Kian caught up with me.

  “Hey,” he said. “I’m really sorry.”

  I sighed. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m the one who should apologise. My day’s been nothing but complete crap. How about you?”

  “I wouldn’t put it in my top ten list.” He pulled out his car keys and dangled them in front of me. “Wanna get out of here?”

  “More than anything else in the world.”

  * * *

  “Two large coffees, please.”

  We stopped at Bean Town to grab a hot drink. The place was blissfully empty. I was thrilled. We did get a few stares from a group of elderly people in the back but I doubt it had anything to do with the situation last night. They were probably just bored and willing to look at anything.

  “First you pull me away from a speeding car and now you’ve got me skipping class,” I said. “Is there anything you’re not capable of doing? Should I be worried? I am a good girl, yanno.”

  “You skipped class,” Kian said. He handed over some cash in exchange for two cups of steaming goodness. “I came after you.”

  “Details, details,” I said. “Who cares about those pesky little things?”

  “Not me,” he said. We moved over to the service counter. I drank mine with lots of cream and only one packet of sugar. Kian left his black. I grabbed an extra plastic stir stick because I liked to chew on them when I was bored. It drives Marley crazy, she’s positive it’s going to ruin my teeth.

  “Where should we go?” I asked once we got back outside. It was another beautiful day with lots of sun and very little wind. The snow was beginning to melt. The sides of Kian’s car were covered in mud. Soon all the cars in Addison would be dirty and the car wash would make a killing. The weather was affecting my bad mood too. All the stress weighing on my shoulders was dissolving. I decided that I wouldn’t allow myself to worry about it for the rest of the day. I was just going to enjoy myself. So much easier to do once I’d managed to get away from everyone. Except Kian, of course. He was the only one I wanted to be with. Of course, I told myself, it was just because he was facing the same adolescent crime as me.

  I was halfway to the car when I realised that Kian wasn’t walking beside me anymore. He’d stopped in the middle of the parking lot, his coffee cup burning away in his hand, a look of intense concentration on his face.

  “Something wrong?” I asked. I followed his eyes until they came across a white car. The sunlight was reflecting off the window so I couldn’t see who was inside. There were only two dark shadows.

  “No, nothing wrong,” Kian said. He started walking again but his eyes didn’t leave the car. I glanced again, trying to see the licence plate at least but it was too far away to notice if it was out of state.

  “Someone you know?”

  “No.”

  Kian unlocked the door but neither of us got in. He pressed his arms against the roof of the car as if he was trying to look casual.

  “Another bout of paranoia?”

  That got his attention. He tore his eyes away and placed them on me. “What do you mean?”

  “You do that often,” I said. “You’re always looking around like you’re expecting something bad to happen. You did it at the lake when that family showed up. You did it at the motel the other night. You’re doing it now. And I might add—you’re a terrible liar.”

  “Huh?”

  “Who’s after you, Kian?”

  “No one,” he said. “I’m not lying about that either.”

  He didn’t look so convinced when the strange car’s engine roared to life. Opening his door, he got inside faster than humanly possible. Leaning across the seat, he shoved open the passenger door. I stood by the car, stupidly not knowing what to do.

  “Get in.”

  The urgency in his voice was impossible to miss. I didn’t argue. I didn’t ask why. I tossed my backpack on the floor and got in.

  Kian put the car in reverse and we shot out of the parking spot. The other car moved just as quickly, it pulled in behind us as Kian steered the car onto the road. I didn’t say a word. I was too busy trying to keep hot coffee from spilling while trying to get into my seatbelt at the same time. I shoved my drink in the cup holder and promptly forgot about it.

  We drove the speed limit through town with the white car on our tail. I twisted around in my seat, trying to get a glimpse of who was following us. But I still couldn’t get a good view. Whoever was driving was smart enough to keep the right amount of distance to remain unrecognizable.

  Kian hit the gas and swerved around another car that was crawling along the road. The driver, a tiny, blue haired lady whose head barely made it over the dashboard, didn’t even appear to notice as we passed. There was other traffic ahead of us and the white car got stuck behind her as she slowed down to turn left at the post office. Kian took a sharp left, heading towards Route Seven.

  It was the slowest car chase imaginable. They sure didn’t show it like this on television.

  “Who is it?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kian said.

  “Why are they following us?”

  “They’re looking for someone.”

  “Who?”

  We entered the exit to the highway and Kian pressed his foot on the gas. We were ahead of the white car by about a block. Now that we were more in the open it looked like he was going to try and lose them. But the other car was a BMW and had a better engine than Kian’s Honda Civic. It steadily began to gain on us.

  “Who are they looking for?” I repeated.

  “Mai,” Kian’s voice was tight and his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I am more than happy to answer your questions but can it wait until we’re in a safer predicament? Please, let me drive or this might not be a happy ending.”

  I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. "Should I call the police?"

  "No," Kian said. "They won't be able to help us."

  By now Addison was far behind us and we were speeding up the hill and away from the ski resort. There wasn’t much traffic today and I was both thankful and terrified. But I also
knew that the further we got out along Route Seven, the worse the road became. There was a series of twists and turns that required a lot of navigational skill. We had driven on them the other day when going to the falls so I knew that Kian was aware of the dangers. I only hoped he wouldn’t try and do something stupid. There was a lot of black ice on the highway this time of year. Just because it was getting warmer didn’t mean the roads were safer. If anything they were worse. Melting ice is slippery.

  We were going uphill and the Civic was no match for the BMW. It fell into place right behind us, driving right on the edge of our taillights, if Kian were to slam his brakes they’d hit us for certain.

  But that was their plan all along.

  The Beamer slammed into us, metal screeching, sparks flying, our car was thrust forward, the steering wheel wrenched out of Kian’s hands. Tires spun as he desperately tried to regain control. We swerved into the shoulder, crashing up against the guardrail. I placed my hands up on the dashboard, my breath stopped in my throat and I closed my eyes, waiting for the trees to hurtle through the windshield.

  Nothing happened and when I finally got up the nerve to peek, Kian had the car back on the road. We zoomed past a series of trucks heading in the other direction and the white car slowed down a bit until the road was clear again.

  Although we’d managed to gain a little speed it didn’t take long for the BMW to catch up. It weaved over to the left and pulled up beside us with very little effort. Now I could fully see what our attackers looked like. A male sat behind the wheel, he couldn’t have been much older than us. His hair was long and held back in a pony tail. A woman sat beside him, older, yet stunningly beautiful with long blonde hair. She smiled and blew me a kiss while the driver spun the wheel back towards us.

  The car took us from the side and we smashed into the railing again. The passenger door swung open and sparks flew into the car. I screamed and pressed myself closer to Kian. The window smashed, showing the upholstery with tiny crumbs of glass.

  “Close it,” he shouted over the noise.

  Reaching out, I managed to grab hold of the door while it swung inwards, I pulled it towards me and the latch caught. At the same time, Kian hit the brakes and the BMW shot past us, a white blur with bright red taillights.