Behind me, I heard him shouting, “Logan, wait.”
NOTES TO SELF
“Not anymore.” What kind of answer is that? Nathan now wants to talk, translation: make excuses for his behavior. I do not. We argued outside the coffee shop loudly enough to give Kat and Dina enough gossip for a week. Finally, my need to learn more about the Gears overrode my feelings of betrayal. It’s going to take everything I have to see him tomorrow, though. The one boy, the one person, I’d trusted and believed in was a member of the Gears.
30
ONE OF THE QUICKEST WAYS TO LOSE A LEO IS PUBLIC HUMILIATION. WITHOUT AN ADORING AUDIENCE, LEO IS SELDOM HAPPY AND PROBABLY NOT AROUND FOR LONG. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THAT LION IN THE LAIR, AVOID PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF ANYTHING BUT ADORATION.
—Fearless Astrology
Well, my Leo had his share of public humiliation last night, and Kat and Dina had gotten more show than they bargained for. The last thing I wanted was coffee with him, but if I could find out anything about the Gears, it would be worth it.
I had reluctantly agreed to meet him at his house. He probably didn’t want to be seen in public with me, and after the drama last night, I wasn’t all that excited about going anywhere with him either.
Nathan’s brother opened the door and smiled up at me from his wheelchair. Except for the shiny blond curls, he could have been Nathan’s twin. Another Leo. I’d bet my astrology book on it.
“I’m Logan,” I said, and stepped inside.
“Jeremy,” he replied. “Nathan’s in charge of the breakfast burritos, and I’m toasting the bagels. But don’t worry, I’ve got to study, so you two can have some privacy.”
What was he talking about?
“I just came by for coffee.”
“Whatever,” he said, and moved toward what had to be the kitchen.
This house wasn’t what I’d expected. I’d always pictured something cozy and warm with a fireplace and hardwood floors. A safe retreat for Nathan and his brother. Instead, what waited for me was an interior designer’s stark dream of what a home should look like. White leather sofas, black cushions, and vibrant art were surrounded by large windows overlooking the koi pond.
I followed Jeremy into the kitchen. Nathan looked up from the granite-covered countertop.
“Breakfast burritos.” He grinned. “You’ll love them.”
“I came to talk,” I said. “That’s all.”
“Okay, okay. I just thought . . .”
“Algebra calls,” Jeremy said, and grabbed a bagel from the toaster. “I’m going to my room. Have fun, guys.”
“You don’t want to eat?” Nathan asked once his brother had disappeared down the hall.
“No.” I leaned against the kitchen counter and pushed the butter dish out of my way. “I want to hear your explanation for all this.”
He looked down at the burritos in the pan as if he were the one who’d been betrayed.
“So, I was a Gear. It started out as a joke, just for fun, like acting in a play. I got out of it as soon as you and I started seeing each other.”
I guess he expected me to consider that an honorable act.
“Was it hard to leave the group?” I asked. “Did the others threaten you?”
“You wouldn’t believe how hard.” He sighed. “Let’s just say they weren’t very happy. I tried to get them to stop too. They wouldn’t, though—still won’t.”
I could tell he was liking his own story now, writing it like a screenplay where he was the hero.
I walked around the counter and leaned across it. “Who are the other Gears, Nathan?”
He shook his head, unconvinced by what I hoped was my conspiring tone. “It wouldn’t help, you know. It might actually hurt you.”
“Hunter,” I said. “He’s one of them, isn’t he?”
“No way.” He looked almost as miserable as Charles Bellamy had when Frankenstein accused him of being responsible for what happened to my column. “Hunter is a musician. He’s different. Weird in a way, but he knows who he is.”
“And he’s not a Gear?”
“Wouldn’t have the time if he wanted to be. He works like five jobs and goes to school part-time.”
Maybe that was the reason Hunter was out sick from work at the coffee shop. Wrong again, Logan.
“The Gears can’t hurt me any more than they already have,” I said. “Why can’t you tell me who they are? Are you afraid of them?”
“Why would I want to rat out my friends?” He looked away, and I could tell I’d gotten to him.
“Because,” I said. “You can help undo a lot of damage. It’s way past streaking now. You guys said that Frankenstein must die.”
“We didn’t do that. We don’t know who left that message, Logan, but it wasn’t us. We’d never threaten a teacher’s life.”
Of course not. Just mature stuff like stealing mailboxes, streaking, and spray-painting the administration office with SNIDER PUTS OUT. That’s all.
“There can’t be two Gears groups.” I reached down and lifted my backpack into my lap.
“That’s what we said.” This time, he didn’t attempt to hide his smile. “Guess that’s what’s going on, though. You aren’t the only one to suspect Hunter.”
“So you do think he’s involved?” Poor Paige.
“I don’t,” Nathan said. “Like I said, he’s different, but I don’t think he’s one of them.”
“Then who in the Gears suspects him?” I asked, but he closed himself off again.
I looked at his perfect face, those lips I’d been so psyched to kiss. It was all I could do to keep from crying.
“Will you at least tell me how you guys worked?” I asked. “Did you pick your dates in advance, or did you just do whatever felt right?”
“There was a schedule,” he said. “What would happen, and when. I can tell you that much.”
“How far ahead did you know about it?”
“Sometimes days, sometimes hours.” He reached out across the counter for my hand, but I drew back. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Checking something out.” I took the book out and opened it. Although Leos weren’t known for lying, this one might be. I needed to do some research, and I didn’t care that he was watching.
“Would you listen to me?” he said. “I invited you over today because I want to make it right. I want to make us right. I’m not going to give you details, though, and I’m not going to give you names. If you decided to talk, some of us wouldn’t be able to graduate.”
Which meant that some of them were seniors. And he was afraid of them. Combined with the fact that he didn’t seem to want to break up with me and didn’t want anyone to know that he was seeing me this morning. A sickening little feeling spread through me. I skipped to the familiar Libra page covered with my sticky notes.
“That’s for sure.” I grabbed his arm. “Whoever sabotaged my article was one of the Gears, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I can’t tell you who that was, though.”
“You don’t have to.” I stood up and looked into those eyes I adored. “You’ve told me enough.”
He grabbed my hand. I pulled away, and his own hand slammed into the butter. The dish shattered on the floor. I stood there for a moment, torn between staying here and trying to make it better, or leaving and doing what I had to do. If I stayed, he might try to convince me that I was wrong, that what I suspected was just my certifiable overactive imagination. If I stayed, I might let him.
NOTES TO SELF
With Fearless Astrology, I should be able to figure out the rest of what I need to know. Why someone would do this. How to get them to confess. I have to figure it out too. Everything I believe in depends on it. Only one person could have both sabotaged my article and orchestrated the naked run through Chili’s backyard. Only one person in this school is smart enough to organize a bunch of guys and get away with it. And only one person has a motive for pushing Nathan into breaking up with me. My next job will
be to find out where she is today and make her admit it.
31
EVERY SIGN TELLS A LIE NOW AND AGAIN, BUT SOME ARE MORE LIKELY TO THAN OTHERS. THE OUTSPOKEN LEOS USUALLY PREFER TO SAY WHAT’S ON THEIR MINDS RATHER THAN RESORT TO FALSEHOODS. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE AS BLATANT AS ARIES OR AS HOOF-IN-MOUTH AS BLURTING SADGE. ALL FIRE SIGNS THINK THEY KNOW BEST. THEIR PHILOSOPHY TENDS TO BE: WHY LIE? GEMINI, PISCES, SCORPIO, AND LIBRA MAY TEND TO STRETCH THE TRUTH A BIT MORE THAN SOME OTHER SIGNS, BUT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. PISCEANS ARE FUNNY ABOUT PRIVACY. THEY WILL LIE JUST TO KEEP OTHERS FROM KNOWING WHAT THEY ARE THINKING OR DOING. GEMINIS TEND TOWARD WHITE LIES AIMED AT HELPING OR NOT GETTING IN TROUBLE. THEY USUALLY END UP GETTING IN ONLY DEEPER. SCORPIOS LIE TO AVOID SPILLING THEIR SECRETS. LIBRAS LIE BY OMISSION—WHICH CAN OFTEN GET OTHERS INTO TROUBLE.
—Fearless Astrology
That’s what she’d done this whole time, lied by omission, by what she hadn’t said. It was time for a confrontation. I knew she ran laps on Saturday. Everyone in school did, and any number of boys would show up to run with her. Today, she was alone.
“Hey, Geneva,” I shouted across the football field.
She stopped, squinted at me, and called back, “What?”
I motioned to where I stood and said, “Can you come over here?”
She jogged in my direction. The sweat trickling through her pale hair and running down her forehead made her look younger and somehow less secure.
“So what’s so urgent?” she asked. “If it’s about the column, I didn’t ask to replace it with my own. Considering the way the Gears have been acting, Snider and I just figured this might be best for a while.”
“It’s not about the column.”
“What, then?” she asked, still running in place.
“The Gears,” I replied.
Her expression didn’t change. “What about them?”
“You were all too happy to give me an alibi when they trashed my column, weren’t you?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I did see you that Friday night in the parking lot getting into that vehicle of yours.”
“But I didn’t see you getting into yours.” This time I got a reaction out of her. She stopped jogging and glared at me. “You were setting up an alibi when you said we had left the journalism room together.”
“No doubt another lame theory based on something you read in that book.”
“In a way, yes,” I said. “After checking out where your Mars and Venus are, I can see why you might enjoy the power of bossing around a bunch of boys and terrorizing the school.”
“Oh, I get it.” She stepped back and gave me that snide Geneva look. “So now that Nathan’s dumped you, you’re so desperate that you’re willing to accuse anyone.”
“Not anyone.” I kept my voice calm, no longer afraid of her. “What makes you think Nathan dumped me?”
“Gossip.” She looked me up and down as if that scrutiny should make me uncomfortable. “I was sorry to hear about the breakup. You’re both nice people.”
“Yes we are,” I said. “And since you’re so sorry about the breakup, I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that he still wants us to be together.”
“He does?” The cat eyes blinked, then studied me with renewed interest. “Um, have you seen him recently?”
“This morning at his house,” I said. “And, yes, we are very much together. He told me who the leader of the Gears is.”
She straightened as if to make herself even taller. “I’m so glad you worked it out, especially with all you’ve been dealing with lately. I don’t think Snider will want to give you the column back, though.”
“Do you think she’ll be interested in learning who’s the brains behind the Gears?”
“If you can prove it.” A slow smile spread over her face. “And you can’t prove it, can you?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’d sure like to know why you did it, though.” I watched her skin change. Not a downright sweat, but a definite sheen. She was more worried than she was pretending to be.
“Why I did what?” she asked, and I could tell she was fighting to keep her tone friendly.
“Why would someone like you, someone beautiful, smart, and talented, want to do what you’ve done?”
She glowed at the compliment. Typical Libra. Then she said, “Why wouldn’t I? Not that I’m admitting anything, understand.”
“But suppose I’m right, and you are what I think you are? Tell me this. If you did it, what would be your reason?”
Her grin was slow and steady. “Logan, do you have any idea how boring my life is? How boring my parents are? Not to mention my little brother and his stupid friends.”
“A lot of kids have less than boring, you know.” Before I finished speaking, I realized that she had given me the rest of the puzzle pieces. Jared was the little brother. And the friends she mentioned? Jared had only one, that string bean J.T.
“So you decided to stir things up, didn’t you, big sister? Get Jared and J.T. doing your dirty work.”
“Maybe.”
“How’d Nathan get involved?”
“If you were really as close as you pretend, he would have told you.”
“There’s no pretending. I know his reasons.”
I did, too. Nathan needed to be on stage. The Gears gave him much of the attention he wasn’t getting at home.
All of the pieces began clicking into place. All but one.
“I know boys can be idiots,” I said, “but Nathan isn’t mean. Neither are Jared and J.T.”
“What do they have to do with it?”
I could have told her that she just gave me the clues. Instead, I said, “Astrology. I know what you’ve done. What I can’t figure out is why you would encourage something like Frankenstein Must Die.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“But you did. You made the Gears write it. How could you be so evil?”
“Logan,” she said. “Whatever else you believe about the situation, please believe me on this one. The Gears are not responsible for Frankenstein Must Die. They don’t know anything.”
“Do you—I mean, they—do they have any idea who’s after Frankenstein?”
“Maybe,” she said. “You know how tough he can be. There’s a former student of his attending JC now who absolutely hates him. I know because I talk to the guy at the coffee shop.”
“Hunter Allen?” I asked.
“All I’ll tell you is that Hunter isn’t a member of the Gears. If he’s leaving threats all over the place, he’d better make it clear that he’s acting independently.”
Hunter. There he was again. I had to find out if he was the one threatening Frankenstein’s life. For Paige’s sake, I hoped he’d turn out to be innocent. He was an Aries. But how much of an Aries?
“Um, can we consider this conversation over?” Geneva stared out at the field, then back to me.
“Sure,” I said. “If I tell anyone what we’ve discussed out here, you’re going to say I’m lying, right?”
“Absolutely.” She moved closer to me. “If you even think about talking about what you think I did, I’ll just explain how you started this whole phony astrology thing, and how the kids can’t stand you. You won’t a chance.”
“And you’d do that?” My voice felt raw.
“If I have to. I’m out of here, Logan. Your best bet is to just leave me alone. Leave the Gears alone too. We’d all like to catch whoever left the threat, but so far, that’s not happening.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
She shrugged. “If you ask it fast.”
How could I ever have thought she was cool?
“Snider,” I said. “She took an interest in you. Tried to give you every break, credited you with the newspaper’s success. How could you have let your brother and his friend post that awful stuff about her?”
“All’s fair,” she said. In that moment I realized that I was not just staring into the face of cool. I
was staring into cold.
NOTES TO SELF
Whatever is wrong with Geneva goes beyond astrology. She feels no remorse. No guilt. That calm look in her eyes scared me more than the manic craziness in Kat’s. So now I know who the Gears are: Geneva, her brother, Jared, his friend J.T., and until recently, Nathan. If Nathan is to be believed, of course, and Leos usually can be. According to what I learned from the ephemeris, something bad could happen on Monday. Could that be related to FRANKENSTEIN MUST DIE? Nathan and Geneva both claim they don’t know who’s behind it. What am I going to do?
32
THERE IS A TIME WHEN EVERYONE MUST DEPEND ON SOMEONE ELSE. AT SUCH TIMES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRUST ONE’S FRIENDS. THAT IS, IF YOU KNOW WHICH ONES ARE THE FRIENDS, WHICH ONES ARE THE IN DIFFERENTS, AND WHICH ARE THE ENEMIES IN DISGUISE. SELECT CAREFULLY AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.
—Fearless Astrology
I didn’t speak until Chili, Paige, and I were on the Chiliderians’ deck, sitting around the patio table. Stella had brought out a platter of yalanchi, her stuffed marinated grape leaves, and a bunch of paper towels folded on a separate plate.
“Use the towels after you eat the yalanchi, girls,” she said. “Olive oil messes up the pool filter.”
Before leaving, she knelt beside me.
“You doing okay, honey?”
“Fine,” I said, and tried to look that way.
“Years from now . . .” she tapped my shoulder with her shiny acrylics, “. . . this column of yours . . . this silly boy . . . they are going to seem so unimportant.”
She was trying to make me feel better and had no idea how to. Still, I loved her for trying.
I squeezed her hand with my oily fingers. “Thanks, Stella.” “Don’t do anything crazy, Logan. Promise me that.”
“I won’t,” I said.
Not until Monday, that is.
Once she made her way back into the house, we all sat there looking at one another. Then we got up and found our places around the spa. Chili and Paige, both in cover-ups, moved closer to me, one on each side, as if trying to protect me from a disease I’d already caught.
Aries Rising Page 16