Shadow Keeper

by M. K. Yarbrough

  “I don’t care.” I threw back the covers and sat up on the bed. “If you hit me again, I’m going to turn you over my knee and spank your butt.”

  “Mom!” Stevie dashed from the room.

  I propped my elbows on my knees and rubbed my fingers through my hair. A minute ago, I’d been sound asleep. And instead of dreaming about some large, scabby looking thing trying to rip me to shreds, I’d been having a good dream. A hot one—with Lisa in it. I wanted to crawl back under the covers and let her return to me.

  “Brendon.” Mom stood in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, the other on her hip. “Did you just call your brother a name?”

  “Yeah, and I’m going to do a lot worse to him if he ever bitch–slaps me again.”

  “Brendon! That’s enough.” Her hand dropped to her side. “Is something wrong? You never swear, especially in front of your brother.”

  “He hit me in the face while I was asleep.”

  “Are you sick?”

  My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. Didn’t she hear the part about her precious little brat smacking me?

  “Are you going to school today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you’d better hurry,” she said. “Carson should be here in a few more minutes.”

  I glanced at the clock. “Oh, crap.”

  “Brendon,” she said in a tone that sounded like a warning.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ll watch my language.” I hopped off the bed and pulled open the dresser drawer. “Where are all my clean clothes?”

  Mom shrugged. “There’s a basket full of dirty laundry in the garage.”

  “I heard Grandma say she did the wash yesterday.”

  “I know she did a load of Krystal’s clothes.”

  Stevie stuck his head into the room, but stayed close to Mom. “Carson is here.”

  “Crap!” I grabbed my jeans hanging over the chair. The blue shirt I’d worn last night lay crumpled on the floor. “Could you all please get out? I’d like to at least put on a clean pair of underwear before I go to school.”

  * * *

  When the lunch bell rang, I was so ready. My stomach growled from lack of food. Grandma had fried a couple eggs and rolled them up in a flour tortilla this morning. I’d managed to grab that before dashing out the door, but in the pickup, Carson had ripped half the egg burrito from my hand before I’d taken a bite. My lunch was stashed in the locker and I headed for it now.

  A groan rumbled in my throat when I spotted Carson and Paul waiting by the lockers. I wasn’t going to share my food. Their parents had money. They could buy something at the Burger Barn. Whatever Grandma threw in the sack was all I had to eat until I got home.

  “Dude.” Paul slapped me on the back. “You dog, you!”

  “X–man.” Carson threw an arm around my neck and tried to get me in a head lock. “I’m your best friend. How come I’m the last to know?”

  I twisted out of his grip. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s all over school,” he said.

  “What is?”

  “Look at you, trying to act all innocent.” Paul swiped a fake punch at me. “Dude! Give us the details about last night.”

  I scratched at the stubble on my neck while glancing at the two of them. They both had weird grins. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  About that time, Sherry came storming down the hallway in our direction. The tight twist of her lips meant she was about to tear Paul a new one, but she shot past him and shoved at my chest with both hands. I stumbled backward and slammed against the lockers.

  “Dang, Sherry.” I rubbed at my chest. “You ought to try out for the football team.”

  She shoved me against the lockers again. “What’s the idea of spreading all those filthy lies about you and Lisa?”

  My mouth dropped open. Carson and Paul’s grins got wider, but Sherry glared at me through narrowed eyelids.

  “Have you all gone crazy?” I asked.

  Her fists thrust against her hips. “What happened last night with you and Lisa?”

  “Lisa?” With the crazy nightmare that seemed to stretch on forever, it seemed like days since I’d seen her. I shrugged while trying to recall last night. “She came to my house to ask about homework.”

  “Is that all?” she asked.

  I went over the details of her visit in my mind. The part about homework was true. And then we’d gone into my bedroom and I almost kissed her, but other than Grandma and Krystal, no one else knew. “Yeah, that’s all.”

  “So nothing happened at the minimart?”

  There went my gaping mouth again. Maybe those hard smacks Stevie had given me damaged my jaw muscles. “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. Lisa said the two of you just talked, but you’ve been spreading nasty rumors all over school that something else happened.”

  “I haven’t talked to anyone about it.”

  “Then why is she in the girls’ bathroom right now crying her eyes out?”

  “I don’t know, Sherry,” I snapped. My patience was growing thin. “Why don’t you tell me what it is that she claims I’m supposed to have said?”

  “It’s not her. It’s everyone one in gym class. All the girls are talking about it, especially Regina. Lisa didn’t even know what it meant, and I had to explain it to her.”

  “What did you have to explain?” I asked, still bewildered.

  She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “A hummer.”

  “You mean her car?”

  “Don’t act innocent.” Her voice returned to the higher pitch.

  Paul nudged Sherry. “You know what a hummer is?”

  “Shut up, Paul,” she said. “I’m not talking to you.”

  “X–man,” Carson yelled. “You ‘da man.”

  “You shut up, too.”

  The light bulb in my brain flashed on and my hands clenched into fists. “Watkins,” I blurted out. “His little brother is a junior. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill them both.”

  “What does Watkins have to do with it?” Sherry asked.

  “Lisa and I met at the minimart last night. I got in her car so we could talk. And then…” And then Lisa had been all over me, rubbing her hands and body on me. I wasn’t sure how to explain that even if I wanted to. That part was personal. I decided to stick with the impersonal part, although I’d have to improvise. “The passenger seat was too far up, and, ah, with my long legs, I was cramped. I tried to adjust the seat back, but couldn’t figure out the knobs. Lisa bent over me to find the button, but her elbow dug into my…my belly.”

  Carson and Paul snickered. From the smirks on their faces, they knew right where she jabbed me, but I continued. “I doubled over in pain and smacked into Lisa. She tumbled onto the floorboard. I got out of the car so I wouldn’t step on her. That’s when Bill Watkins showed up. When Lisa crawled out of the car on my side, he jumped to his own conclusion.”

  “So Bill’s brother is the one spreading the rumor and not you?”

  “That’s right.”

  Sherry’s lips twisted into a grimace. “Tim Watkins is in my next class. I’m going to talk to him and straighten this out.”

  “Good luck with that.” I didn’t bother to hide the cynicism in my tone. “Rumors never die, especially the bad ones. Just take a look at my two buddies.”

  Sherry glanced at Paul and Carson.

  “See those stupid grins on their face. They just heard me swear it was all a lie, but they’d rather believe the rumor.”

  They sputtered out excuses and denials, but Sherry looked at me. “Then what am I going to tell Lisa. She’s about ready to call her mother to pick up her up, but her mom works at UC Davis and it will take forty–five minutes for her to get here.”

  “Let me talk to Lisa.”

  “You can’t. She’s in the girls’ bathroom, and I don’t know if I can get her out.”

  I shook my head as my frustration grew. I grabbed Sherry’s arm
and pulled her closer so I had her complete attention. “Tell Lisa not to leave. It’ll only make it harder to face everyone when she does come back.”

  “What’s she going to do when everyone starts snickering at her when she walks into class?” Sherry’s dark eyebrows creased together. “You should’ve seen the way everyone acted in gym.”

  “Her next class is with me.” I rubbed my fingers through my hair while I thought. “Tell her to walk straight in and hold her head high because she has nothing to be embarrassed about. And if anyone says anything, I’ll take care of them.”

  * * *

  In Spanish, Carson and I sat at our usual desks. I wasn’t sure if Lisa would make it to class, but if she did, she probably wouldn’t want to sit in front of me.

  I opened my text book only to realize she still had my homework. A missing assignment didn’t seem like much of a problem compared to what she faced, but this complicated the situation. If Lisa did show up, I’d have to ask her for my homework.

  The usual chatter in the room rose for a second, then stilled to a deadly silence. I didn’t need to look up to know Lisa had walked into the room, but I glanced up anyway.

  Her head was down, but her hair didn’t cover her face. She had it pulled back into a braid.

  All eyes were on her as she stood by the door. For a second, it looked like she might bolt. She took a quick peek out of the corner of her eye and her gaze locked onto mine. A change came over her. Her spine straightened, her shoulders squared, and her chin came up. She reminded me of a field goal kicker facing the fierce rush of an entire line, but had the courage to stay strong and kick a perfect goal.

  Her blue eyes darted around the room as if daring anyone to snicker. She strolled through the quiet classroom, down the aisle where I sat, and stopped at my desk. Her lips were thin and tight, but she stood tall and didn’t flinch. “You are in my seat.”

  Excellent move. She’d taken control of the room—and me. Or, at least that’s the way it looked to the rest of the kids. I crawled from the chair and tossed my book on Carson’s desk. He jumped up and shoved Vanetti on the shoulder.

  “You owe me, Alexander,” Vanetti said as he searched for a vacant desk.

  When we finished playing musical chairs, the teacher instructed everyone to pass their homework forward. The kid behind me passed his, and I handed it to Lisa. She didn’t look back, but she made what looked like a deliberate effort to rustle the papers and hold them out to the side so I could see them. The one on top was in my handwriting. This must be her way of letting me know she added my homework to the stack.

  When class ended, I waited until we were outside the room before I spoke. “Can I walk you to your next class?”

  “That might not be a good idea. We probably shouldn’t be seen together until all the gossip dies down.”

  Inwardly, I flinched. Vicious gossip seldom dies; that’s how urban legends are born. But I wouldn’t admit it to her. “Okay, if that’s how you want it.”

  Her forehead crinkled when she glanced over her shoulder. “You’re still following me.”

  “My next class is in this direction.” We walked down the hallway without speaking until we reached her math class. “I liked the way you handled the situation in Spanish. Just do the same thing here.”

  She gazed into my eyes. “Sherry told me about your advice of holding up my head. I wasn’t sure I could go through with it until I saw you sitting there. Having you in the room gave me the courage to do it.”

  “I’m glad I could help.” I glanced around at the kids in the hallway. The foot traffic had thinned down. I tried to summon the same courage I’d given her. “I’d like to see you again, Lisa. I mean, outside of school. Can we get together sometime? “

  Her gaze lowered to my chest. “Perhaps we should. There are a few things I’d like to get cleared up.”

  “Great.” I gathered my nerve. “How about this Saturday? We could go to a movie or something.”

  “Oh.” She nibbled at her lip. “You mean like on a date?”

  “Yeah. You do date, right?”

  “A little, but my mom is really strict. I was thinking we could get together later today. Right after school maybe.”

  “I have football practice that lasts until about five, but we could hook up after that.”

  “That won’t work. As soon as my mom picks me up, we have to drive back to Davis where we’re living.”

  “Why not tomorrow at lunch,” I suggested.

  Her eyebrows knitted together. “There’s always such a crowd at the Burger Barn. I kind of wanted to talk to you without a lot of people around.”

  My mind flirted with suggesting either of the two previous places: my house, or the minimart. But neither of those meetings had ended well. I wracked my brain for someplace secluded, but Lisa came up with a better idea.

  “Tomorrow, I might be spending the night at Sherry’s house. Her mom is secretary to one of the department head’s at UCD. My mom is meeting Sherry’s mom today to talk with her.”

  “That’s even better.” I smiled at the new plan. “I could meet you at Sherry’s house. They’ve got a big backyard. We could talk without half the town butting in.”

  “No one would see us?” she repeated. “Good. Then it’s a date…I mean, I’ll see you at Sherry’s tomorrow after school.”

  “Right after practice,” I promised. My mouth tugged into a huge grin. I didn’t care what she called it. I was going to see Lisa again. I waited until she disappeared into the classroom, then turned and sprinted all the way back down the hall to my last class.

  Chapter Ten

  Another miserable night, but I expected as much. I drifted in and out of a restless sleep as the nightmares plagued me. The scabby looking rat–man lurked in the darkness and threatened to attack if I ventured too close. I never saw it, but felt its blood red eyes staring at me, watching me. The stench of the creature’s rotting corpse and the wheezing of its labored breathing always alerted me when I stumbled too close. Then it would pounce on me. I’d awake with a start, bolting upright on the bed, my heart thumping and my body shaking.

  As soon as I laid back down and closed my eyes, Lisa appeared. Her fingertips stroked across my brow and soothed my fears. Her warm, sweet breath glanced over my cheek, and her soft lips pressed against my mouth. When she vanished, I found myself searching for the creature again, knowing that after I fought him, Lisa would return to me.

  Morning came and I rolled out of bed more tired than when I’d first crawled in. I stumbled with the routine of getting to school and attending classes. In Spanish, I saw Lisa for the first time. My sleep–deprived body perked up when she confirmed she’d be spending the night at Sherry’s house and would see me there later. All I had to do was make it through football practice without getting killed by a bunch of heavy linebackers.

  * * *

  “I’m not going home,” I said as Carson maneuvered the pickup out of the school parking lot. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Paul because I was afraid he’d get weird, but I want you to drop me off at Sherry’s house.”

  “Sherry?” Carson’s eyes got wide. “X–man, how many women do you need? First the new girl, and now Sherry. You can at least wait until after her and Paul breakup before you start hitting on her. Man, that’s just wrong.”

  “I’m not hitting on Sherry.”

  “Then why are you going to her house?”

  “If you’ll shut up long enough, I’ll tell you.”

  “Okay, so tell me.”

  “Lisa is spending the night at Sherry’s. I’m only going there to see Lisa.”

  “So, you’re not interested in Sherry.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Why not?” His voice rose to a hostile pitch. “Isn’t she good enough for you? Not pretty enough?”

  “Man, what is your problem?” I could tell he was upset. His knuckles turned white from the tight grip on the steering wheel. “Sherry is pretty. Smart too. And s
he’s a lot of fun to be around, but I’ve known her since grade school. She’s like a sister to me. I don’t know if I could think of her as girlfriend. Could you?”

  He took a long minute to answer. “I’ve got two sisters.”

  “So?”

  “So, I don’t need any more.”

  “You dog.” My mouth broke into a wide grin. “You’ve got the hots for Sherry.”

  “No, I don’t.”