by daisy harris
“Umm . . .” Thea put her hands on my upper arms.
My hands went to Thea’s waist. I aimed high. Since Thea was thick around the middle, I figured she’d want me to go for her narrowest point.
She frowned, looking away.
So I lowered my grip to the same position Julius was using. Frankly, it seemed a little forward to rest my palms on Thea’s hip bones. But I must have made the right decision, because she tipped her face up to mine and smiled.
“Thanks for bringing me.” Thea stepped closer. Her breasts teased across the front of me.
“You’re welcome.” My feet were as heavy as lead, but I kept moving. One step, two step. I closed my eyes, since I felt Julius watching me. No way would I let him see me screw up.
“You could kiss me if you want.” Thea was extremely close now, with only inches between our faces. Since she was around my height, I couldn’t peer away. I had to kiss her. It wasn’t like I could say no.
Slowly, I went in. I thought about trying for a cheek, but I was no idiot. Thea would have gotten past that in games of spin the bottle in junior high. So I planted my lips on top of hers.
It was almost exactly like holding her hand. Except wetter. I didn’t know how to breathe with our faces mashed together, and she moved her lips a little, which was weird. It felt about as sexual as going to the dentist. Midkiss, I opened my eyes.
Julius was staring at me. He had stopped moving and stood still as a ghost. In front of him, Bethany was trying to dance but getting nowhere.
I pulled my mouth away. Then my body. “Er . . . I need to call my mom. I told her we’d be back early.”
Thea might have frowned. I couldn’t tell because I was too busy watching Julius leave.
I jogged from the doors of Nathan Hale down the steps and into the parking lot. Despite the drizzling rain, Julius stood on a divider—phone in hand. “Hey.”
“Do you think the girls would mind if I had Mrs. Hundstead pick us up?” A frown darkened his eyes. “Everyone seems to have gotten what they came for.”
“Julius . . .” I struggled to come up with an excuse for what had happened at the dance, but couldn’t. Kissing Thea had been wrong. Doing it in front of Julius had been worse. I wanted to reassure him, but telling him Thea didn’t matter to me would make me sound like a jerk. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to explain. What, do you want a First Kiss parade?”
That stung, but I wouldn’t argue. “Have you ever dated someone?” I wondered if I had kissed Julius instead, whether that would have been his first time. “For real, I mean?”
“A girl?” Julius lifted his chin. His eyes were guarded. “No.”
I’d have asked if he’d ever dated a boy, but didn’t have the guts. “Ever had a crush on one?”
Once again, Julius asked, “A girl? No. No, I haven’t.”
That was hard to believe. From the time you were a toddler, everyone assumed you’d meet some girl who you’d eventually marry and have babies with. I figured everyone could convince themselves to be normal, at least for a while.
“I have a question for you.” Julius pushed his hair back from his eyes. “Do you actually like Thea? Or is this whole thing just to impress your friends?”
My first reaction was to tell him to fuck off. After all, I liked to think Bethany would be my friend either way, and Julius seemed nothing but pissed that I was seeing Thea. Still, there were the other people at school. The nameless, faceless mass of them that I shouldn’t care about, but did.
Dating Thea gave me status. Plus, it took attention away from other things I didn’t want people to see. “She’s nice.” I lifted my chin. “Yeah, sure, I like her.”
“Better than you like other people?”
“No.” My answer came out more passionately than I’d intended. “Not better than I like other people.”
His gaze serious, Julius nodded. “Well, I suppose there’s that.”
“Maybe we should get going.” I put my hands in my pockets, standing as close to Julius as I dared. “Do you think Mrs. Hundstead minds coming back? I can call my mom.”
“No. Mrs. Hundstead is happy enough to—” Julius twisted to stare at the doors of the school.
Zoe Ward had stormed outside, followed by a boy I didn’t recognize. He had dark hair and was a lot taller than she was. Tossing his hands in the air, he argued with her, “I don’t see why you won’t talk to me. You said you cared about me.” His voice carried, loud and shaking.
Zoe shielded her face with her hands and hurried down the steps. At the curb, she looked around frantically.
“God, you are such a bitch,” he screamed.
I flinched, unsurprised when Zoe did the same.
“I’m a bitch?” she shouted. “What, for not talking to a guy I don’t even know?”
I nudged Julius. “We should say something.”
He nodded, lips pale. Then he called across the street. “Hello, Zoe.”
He led the way as we jogged over.
The sight of Julius and me seemed to jolt Zoe’s stalker back into his right mind. He took a couple of steps away.
“Hey. Uh, you guys . . .” Zoe obviously didn’t remember our names, but I could tell from how her shoulders relaxed that she was happy to see us. “Well, bye . . . What was your name again?”
The guy turned pink, his hands curling into fists. On instinct, I stepped in front of her.
“Fuck you, you tease.” The guy spat. “See if I text you anymore.” He slammed his way back into the building.
“What a gentleman,” Julius said with a tight jaw.
Zoe’s eyes were wet. She wiped under them. “It’s fine. I don’t know what his problem is.”
“You’ve never met that guy before?” Julius asked. “Doesn’t he go to your school?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, he says he does, but this is a big school. I don’t know everyone.” She shook her head. “My mom says I should be flattered that boys like me, but it’s weird. This has been happening a lot lately. Guys I’ve hardly ever spoken to coming up to me like we know each other. I don’t get it.”
Julius and I shared a knowing glance.
“I’m sorry to disagree with your mother.” Julius crossed his arms. “But, no. You shouldn’t be flattered. If you don’t know these boys, you do not owe them anything. Not your attention or your consideration. If it happens again, you should report them to your school’s authorities.”
I was surprised at his vehemence, considering he was withholding what we knew about The Other Woman.
“I want to go wash my face. I’m getting picked up soon.” Zoe peered around the parking lot nervously. “Thanks, you guys.” She gave us a small smile. “You guys are cool, for freshmen.”
“Thanks.” I cracked a grin, though Julius kept to his usual stoic demeanor.
Zoe jogged up the steps and into the building. Julius and I, however, stayed where we were. A car drove along the outside of the parking lot, but otherwise, Julius and I were alone.
I bit the edge of my fingernail. “So, it looks like the swim team aren’t the only victims.”
“Nor are boys.” Julius rolled his fingertips against his thumb, like the answer was just out of reach. “Depending on what this girl is saying to people, Zoe might end up suffering more than anyone.”
I wandered back to the divider, not wanting to go inside immediately. “True. But do you think she’s the intended victim? Seems fairly shotgun to flirt with guy after guy hoping to find one who’ll get up the guts to bother Zoe directly.”
Julius stared around the parking lot, like he was taking it all in. “There’s something we’re missing here. I can feel it . . .”
Suddenly, a car approached at high speed. In a flash of headlights, it swerved.
“Fuck!” I yanked Julius out of the way. Pain screamed down my side as I landed on the raised concrete of the divider. In the confusion, Julius’s elbow stabbed me in the ribs.
The car screeched past and swerved around a corner, zooming away.
“What on earth was that?” Julius watched over his shoulder, but didn’t get off me.
What could have been a broken rib didn’t hurt so badly, as I realized we were pressed together from hips to chest. I wondered what Julius would do if I said he could kiss me.
Before I could test my theory, Julius got up. He knocked dirt off his pants. “That was her. I’m sure it was. Did you get a look at her?”
Without Julius’s weight on it, the bruise on my ribs felt extra sore. Gingerly, I rolled onto my side and crawled up to standing. “No.” I couldn’t get in a deep breath without pain, and I hoped I didn’t have to go to the emergency room. “The headlights were in my eyes.”
“Think! Did you see anything? The driver’s height or hair color?”
“No.” I shook my head. I hadn’t noticed the car until the last second, and by then, I had just been worried about Julius. “It was a sedan, I guess. Tan?”
“Yes. Tan metallic from what I saw.”
I gripped my side. “Should we go to the police? Report it?” I’d never spoken to a police officer in my life other than to ask directions. Telling some stern man in uniform what had happened seemed scarier than simply pretending I wasn’t hurt.
“No.” Julius chewed his bottom lip. His eyes darted everywhere, wild and intense. “They’d just ask all sorts of questions. Anyway, they’d probably think the car almost hit us accidentally. Some people drinking at homecoming, or smoking pot.”
He frowned, rubbing his hand across his mouth. Then Julius’s gaze clicked to me. “Do you need a doctor?” his forehead creased in concern. “Mrs. Hundstead can take you to the hospital after we drop off the girls.”
I imagined Mom’s potential freak-out if I called from the ER. “Nah. I’m okay.” Though it still hurt to breathe, I followed Julius up the stairs and back into Nathan Hale.
“Julius, seriously. Just get an Instagram account of your own.” The chest pain had faded to a dull throb, since Julius had offered me prescription-strength ibuprofen the second we got through the door. However, Julius’s stubbornness about social media was beginning to give me a headache. “We have to find this girl before she mows us down for real.”
“Why get one of my own, when I have yours?” Julius leaned over his keyboard.
“If you got an account, we could see The Other Woman’s actions from two different angles.” Besides, I didn’t want Julius going through my pictures of my old life in Killeen.
“I may have to.” He kept his eyes straight ahead, continuing to give me the same cold shoulder he had since the dance. Though I understood he was still angry about me kissing Thea, I wished he’d get over it. If I was going to sleep over, it would be a long night with Julius acting all strange and distant.
“Maybe I can pretend to be someone else.” Julius spun in his desk chair.
“Not a bad idea.” I stood, checking my phone. The Other Woman hadn’t blocked me yet, but I resolved not to post my location anymore. “She may have seen us well enough to recognize us in the parking lot.”
Julius thumbed something into his phone. “Okay. I’ll use some random picture.” His fingers flew. “Our next course of action is to map out Zoe’s closest friends and enemies. The person using her image is likely to know her, especially since The Other Woman has posted several pictures of Zoe’s face. She must have at least intermittent access to Zoe’s phone.” He rubbed his eyes, as if wiping away any creeping tiredness. “We’ll make a chart of the people we know so far, but I suspect we’ll have to do further recon at our school too. I doubt The Other Woman goes to Clinton, but we can’t rule it out.”
“Sounds good.” I stretched my back. “I’m going to get ready for bed.” Unfortunately, I’d have to sleep in my jeans since I hadn’t thought to bring clothes.
“You can borrow pajamas.” Julius read my mind. “They’re in the top drawer on the right.”
I braced myself for twisted sweat socks, frayed briefs, and a hubbub of emotions about seeing Julius’s underwear. When I opened the drawer, however, I found socks rolled into perfectly egg-shaped balls, each floating in its own personal space in the center of the drawer.
To the left were his briefs. Gray, black, and navy blue, they were so neatly piled they might have been on display at a department store. On the drawer’s right were three sets of pajamas, each as pristine as everything else. Navy, charcoal gray, and black with white pinstripes; Julius could have gone to a college interview in his nightclothes.
Sheepishly, I took the dark gray. “Uh . . . I’ll wear these ones.”
“That’s fine.” Julius kept his eyes on his phone.
I headed to the bathroom, extra clothes in hand. When I got there, the door was ajar. Natasha stood at the sink, hair tucked under a headband as she cleaned her face with a makeup wipe.
“What do you want, fetus?” Her reflection glared at me from the mirror, all pale skin and stark dark hair.
“Uh . . . I was going to . . .” I held up my pajamas.
“A sleepover? Lovely.” She jerked her head at the cabinet. “Grab a toothbrush if you’re staying.”
“Yeah. Okay.” The bathroom was giant, and not terribly personal. To the left was a shower stall and a separate shallow bathtub. To the right there was a door that I assumed led to a toilet because there wasn’t one in the outer area.
I shuffled to the cabinet and opened it. Inside were toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, and bars of soap. The top shelf had a bit of the regular stuff that would be in a bathroom. Tylenol and cotton balls and the rest. Overall, the cabinet could have been in a hotel.
“You’re welcome.” Natasha’s expression was dignified as she leaned closer to the mirror to pluck her eyebrows.
There were two sinks, so I stood at the one next to her and took the packaging off my toothbrush. Once I’d added toothpaste and stuck it in my mouth, I noticed her glancing in my direction.
“Uhn-hnm?” I asked around my brush.
“You seem like a good kid, Henry. A little slow, maybe. But good, generally speaking.”
I wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment. Scrubbing my teeth, it wasn’t like I could argue.
“I get what you and Julius are trying to do. I don’t think you’re going to find anything, but I get that it’s fun to chase bad guys.”
I spat in the sink, and shook my head to argue. We were doing real work, Julius and I. There was definitely something going on with this Internet account that wasn’t quite right.
Natasha held up a hand to stop me. “Listen. Like I said, it’s no big deal what you’re doing, but you need to know—be careful with Julius.”
“Julius doesn’t mean to be an asshole,” I said in his defense. Anyway, I was used to his dry brand of humor by now. “And it’s not like you’re the nicest—”
“For God’s sake.” Natasha swatted the air. “I don’t give a fuck what he does to you.”
“Then, what?”
“It may not seem like it—and I’ll kill you if you tell anyone—but I care about my brother.”
“Yeah?” I finished brushing my teeth and rinsed my mouth with water. “So what?”
“So . . .” She glanced behind her as if Julius might be standing at the door. “He’s had some problems. Emotional problems. And . . . psychiatric stuff.”
My first instinct was to rail against anyone who implied there was something wrong with Julius. Another, smaller part of me remembered how I’d felt the first time Julius started pacing. Little gestures I’d pretended not to notice sprung into my memory—the rapid shifting of his attention and the way he talked over everyone else. Then there was the million-mile-away gaze his eyes got sometimes. Mostly, Julius just came off as hyper. Some moments, though, I had to admit I’d been weirded out by how he’d acted.
“I’m not sure what Bethany told you, but a few years ago, Julius was out of school for a while.”
“Yeah?”
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nbsp; “Back then he was investigating a ‘case’ too. It was about a teacher—Kyle Andersen—who Julius thought was having an affair with a senior.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Did he prove it?”
“Oh. I don’t know.” Natasha’s hands flapped upward as if on their own. “He swore up and down that Kyle had seduced this girl, but no one believed him. And Julius—he went haywire. Not sleeping. Not eating. He’d come downstairs in the morning with dark circles under his eyes, and looking like he could barely stand up.”
I rubbed my thumb against my knuckles, not daring to bite my nails. “Well, he must have been right.”
“You don’t understand, Henry.” Natasha stared me in the eye. Her posture, her expressions, her cheekbones, everything about her was so similar to Julius, it was striking. All except her eyes, which were dark as night. “They thought he was psychotic at first, the way he wouldn’t stop talking. All of the story was so outlandish. Everyone loved Kyle. He was the nicest guy. You’d never think he’d do anything wrong. Even Julius had talked about Kyle like he was the Second Coming. But then . . . Julius turned on him for some reason. All of a sudden, Julius was accusing him of having inappropriate contact with students outside of school. And then Julius started talking about how Kyle had been grooming Julius too . . .” Natasha closed her eyes and shook her head, like she didn’t, or wouldn’t, believe it. “I’m not even sure what that means.”
A shiver rolled down my spine, and I thought about the question I’d asked Julius. Had he ever had a crush on someone? Or dated someone? Now I wondered about the caveat he’d added: he’d never been involved with a girl.
A sick vertigo washed over me, and I had to steady myself against the sink.
“But then this officer got a search warrant for the teacher’s apartment—”
“And Julius was right.” Of course he was. Anything he’d sensed must have had basis in truth. Julius was the most perceptive person I knew.
“Maybe. I mean, yeah, I guess. They did find some videos. And the girls were underage—but not by much. They were like fifteen or sixteen. It wasn’t kiddie porn or anything. The girl at school never admitted to anything, either. She swore up and down that Kyle never laid a hand on her. But— Okay they did find out that he’d been texting her, and officially teachers aren’t allowed to communicate with students outside official channels . . .”