Don't Die, Dragonfly

by Linda Joy Singleton

  “After the way he treated you? Why would you want him back?”

  “We’re soul mates, and we’ll love each other forever. Just wait—next time you see me, we’ll be together.”

  I frowned, unsure what to say. I could feel in my gut that Danielle and Evan were a bad combination, yet it wasn’t fair to judge them. Maybe Evan was different when he was alone with Danielle. Josh thought he was a good guy, so he couldn’t be a total jerk.

  Whooping and stomping jerked my attention back to football practice. Hulking guys were high-fiving as the coach pumped them up with a pep talk.

  I watched Danielle, wondering if she would go to Evan. But it was a different girl who ran across the field and threw herself on Evan—a petite girl with streaked, honey-blond hair. Evan dropped his helmet and opened his arms to sweep her up in a hug. She was so tiny that her feet left the ground when Evan twirled her around.

  Danielle groaned, slumping back down to the bench.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said softly.

  She stared across the field, tears spilling down her cheeks.

  I took her shaking hands in mine. “Don’t let him get to you.”

  She didn’t say a word and had turned as pale as a corpse. She didn’t object when I led her down the bleachers. But then she just stopped and stared at the ground.

  “How could he?” she murmured, as if stunned.

  “He does it all the time. Some kids call him ‘Moving On, Marsh.’”

  “But it was different with us. He said I wasn’t like the other girls. That he—he loved me.” Her expression changed from ice to fire. “I hate him!”

  “Good—he deserves it.”

  “I—I wish he were dead.”

  “He isn’t worth the cost of a hit man.” I joked nervously, startled by this hostile change in her. It was like her emotions had been pushed to the edge, and she was in danger of falling. “Come on, you need to get out of here.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore—except getting even.” Her hands tightened into fists. “If I can’t have him, no one can.”

  I reached out to put my arms around her, but she shook me off.

  “He has no right to treat me like this! Do you know what I did for him? More than studying—I did his homework,” she said angrily. “Then I broke into the school and almost got arrested! All for him!”

  “You’re through with him now—he can’t hurt you anymore.”

  “Oh, I hurt all right. But he’s going to hurt worse.”

  “Let it go,” I said, unnerved by her viciousness. “Revenge never solves anything.”

  “He’s going to be sorry he betrayed me because I know enough to ruin him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You want to know what really happened at the school that night? I only told you half of the story. You were right. I was lying—to protect him. I didn’t go there alone—he made me go there, and he waited outside.”

  “Evan was there?”

  “Yes.” She grimaced as if tasting something bitter. “It was all his idea. He begged me to find the test and memorize it. I was thrilled to do something so important for him, sure he’d love me more than ever. Only, you know what happened when I came back after I ditched you?”

  I shook my head.

  “He yelled at me. Called me a loser and blamed me for screwing up. When I said I loved him, he just laughed and told me to get lost.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I left. But Evan didn’t.” She paused, turning around to glare towards the football field. “Last I saw of him that night, he was headed back to the school to get the test.”

  Players were leaving the field, and, when Danielle spotted Evan and Shelby among the group, she threw up her hands and cried, “I have to go!” Then she took off, leaving me standing there, stunned by what she’d revealed.

  Slowly I walked away, trying to figure out what to do. How could I make a serious accusation against Josh’s best friend? I didn’t know for sure what he’d done that night. Had Evan copied the test? Was he still planning to cheat? Had he witnessed the vandalism? Or had he taken part in it?

  I didn’t like Evan much, but would he trash his own school? He was a cheater, not a vandal, I thought. Maybe he’d just seen what happened and was afraid to come forward.

  Or maybe Danielle lied—again.

  Grabbing my bike by the handlebars, I started to leave, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Whirling around, I found myself face to chest with a tall football player. “Evan!”

  He flashed a lazy grin. “Don’t act so happy to see me. What were you doing here? Checking up on me?”

  “No.” I propped my bike back against the fence. “Why would you think that?”

  “It’s no secret you’re not a fan of football—or me,” he added accusingly. “Josh has been different since hooking up with you. I hardly see him anymore.”

  “He’s busy, I guess.”

  “Don’t try to interfere in our friendship. No girl has ever come between us.”

  “And there have been plenty of girls,” I couldn’t resist saying sarcastically. “I saw you out on the field with your new girlfriend. Where’d she go?”

  “Some babysitting job.” He narrowed his gaze at me. “And I saw you—with Danielle.”

  “She left. I’m leaving, too.” I stepped away from him, eager to get on my bike and leave.

  “Wait!” He shifted around to block my way. “What did Danielle tell you about me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “Well, she was upset about Shelby. I see you’re living up to your reputation.”

  “What’s wrong with moving on when things don’t work out? That doesn’t make me a bad guy.”

  “Depends on why they didn’t work out.”

  “Josh wouldn’t judge me without hearing my side first.”

  “He always sees the best in people, and I admire that about him, but I’m not as trusting. Not that my opinion matters—this is between you and Danielle.”

  “We’re over. I’m with Shelby now, and she’s nothing like Danielle—she knows how to treat a guy right.”

  “Does that include stealing—” I slapped my hand over my big mouth. Then I glanced at my watch as if I’d just remembered a late appointment. “I have to go.”

  “Wait.” He seemed to grow taller and wider as he blocked my way. “Obviously Danielle told you some lies and you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

  “I really have to leave.”

  “She told you about the test. Didn’t she? Which means she also told you we were at the school last Sunday.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stepped to the side, only he slid right back in front of me.

  His smile never faltered—like he was toying with me—and he even casually waved at some kids who passed. “If you wanna know what really went down that night, don’t rush off. I’ll tell you something I haven’t told anyone.”

  “What?”

  “I have a picture of the dude who trashed the school, caught in the act. So, do you want to hear my side now?”

  I didn’t trust him, yet how could I walk away from this? A picture! Real proof! Manny would be totally blown away. So I nodded.

  “I’m ashamed I tried to cheat.” Evan’s sincerity seemed genuine as we walked toward the school. “But when Danielle found out I was going to be kicked off the team if I flunked another science test, she offered to copy the test, and I couldn’t talk her out of it. So I went along and kept watch outside.”

  Obviously not a close watch or the janitor wouldn’t have caught us, I thought. Then I wondered, does he know I was there, too?

  “I was keeping a low profile and saw this guy sneaking around. He was carrying a spraypaint can, acting real suspicious. I couldn’t call the cops because Danielle could get in trouble. But I have one of those cell phones that takes pictures, and I took his.”

  “Why didn’t you get
Danielle out of there and call the police?”

  “I wasn’t sure what he was up to at first. It wasn’t till the next day that I knew what went down.” Then he hung his head and added quietly, “Sorry if I came on strong at first, but Danielle gets to me.”

  “You’re the one who dumped her.”

  “I felt bad about that. I was really into her until she started talking crazy, making all these threats about killing herself, me, and anyone I ever dated.”

  “She was just hurt.”

  “So was I.” He sighed dramatically. “Come on—I printed the picture out and hid it somewhere safe, just in case I needed it.”

  I folded my arms across my chest, not sure whether to believe him or not. It all seemed so polished and convenient. But I did want to see the picture. So making sure my bike was locked, I followed him toward the school. I walked quickly, glancing nervously over my shoulder.

  Sabine, came a mental whisper. Opal. It was just like her to butt in when I was finding answers on my own. So I shut her out by visualizing Manny’s reaction when I showed him the vandal’s picture. He’d be way impressed—especially when I revealed I hadn’t had any help from the other side.

  As we neared the same unlocked door that Manny had used to get into the school, Evan paused to look around.

  “Did you hear that?” he asked, glancing around uneasily.

  “What? No one’s around.”

  “You never know who’s watching,” he said ominously.

  Why was Evan acting like this? A prickly feeling made me look over my shoulder again, and I glimpsed quick movement in a tree-filled courtyard. Only a bird or squirrel, I assured myself. Still, my heart pounded as I walked with Evan into the hushed, dimly lit building. With the school shut down for the weekend, the halls seemed eerily quiet.

  “With all the locker searches, I didn’t trust leaving the picture in my locker. Since I still had the key Danielle used to get into the storage room, I hid the picture in here.”

  Evan stopped at the supply room where I’d found Danielle. He dropped his backpack and reached into his pocket for the key. He opened the door and made a gentlemanly sweep of his arm. “Ladies first.”

  I froze, remembering the last time I’d been here—caught by the janitor. Had it only been a week ago? Glancing inside, I saw nothing threatening: a desk, chairs, and file cabinets. Yet something felt very wrong.

  “I don’t know about—” I started to say, only a vicious shove from behind knocked my breath away.

  Gasping, I tumbled forward, falling hard onto the concrete floor. Pain shot through my knees, the door slammed, and the room went dark. It happened so fast. Before I could jump up to rush at the door, there was a sharp click of the door locking behind me.

  Pounding my fists, I screamed, “Let me out!”

  Evan just laughed. “Scream all you want,” he said through the door. “The janitor can’t hear you. He’s picking up trash by the football field.”

  “You jerk!” My knees stung, but I ignored the pain as I yanked and rattled the knob. It wouldn’t budge. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Damage control—and it’s kind of fun.”

  “I’ll damage you when I get out of here!”

  “So naïve,” he taunted. “You really believed I had a picture?”

  “No picture? Then why did you—” My body stiffened but my brain whirled. “You put that stuff in my locker! Why target me? What did I ever do to you?”

  “Come between me and Josh. He’s always looked up to me like a big brother, but he wouldn’t listen about you. I suspected when I met you that you were trouble. And I knew it for sure when you started hanging around Danielle, getting her to tell you things about me.”

  “So you set me up?”

  “I knew your locker combination from watching Josh. It was a brilliant move, shifting the blame on you. I’ve been trying to figure out how to show Josh you’re not right for him. He’ll be upset when he finds out you’re a thief, but I’ll be there for him. He’ll listen to me in the future before he dates some nobody.”

  My mind continued to grind out the details, not fully comprehending what Evan was saying. “You called in the anonymous tip!” I smacked the door harder, wishing it were his face.

  “Clever, huh? Only, somehow, you got lucky and found the stuff before Dunlap searched the lockers.”

  “Wait till I get out of here! I’ll tell him everything.”

  “Try it. Think he’ll believe you over his star football player? My team will cover for me, say I was with them, so it’ll be your word against mine. And no one will trust you by then. Including Josh.”

  Panicked, I balled my hands into fists and pounded harder. “Open up! Now!”

  “Keep making noise. When the custodian finishes the football field, he’ll let you out. Only he’s not going to be very happy when he sees what you’ve done.”

  “I haven’t done anything!”

  “No one’s gonna believe that.” A strong odor wafted through the crack at the bottom of the door. Paint! And Evan laughed in a cold way that made me shudder. “By Monday morning the whole school will know who the vandal is. You.”

  Trapped. And the only hope of a rescue would result in my being blamed for crimes I didn’t commit. Why had I been dumb enough to believe Evan? He’d called me naïve, and he was right. I knew he was a jerk and had never liked him. Yet I’d followed him anyway.

  My eyes watered from paint fumes and rubbing them only made them sting. Sinking with hopelessness, I whispered into the darkness, “What am I going to do? Opal, why didn’t you warn me?”

  I tried to, she sassed back. Only you chose not to listen.

  “Shout next time.” I sagged against the door. “Not that there’ll ever be a next time. Evan is arranging an alibi while I’m waiting to be caught. The janitor will think I was stupid enough to lock myself in after spraying graffiti and no one will believe it was Evan. Everyone will turn against me. I’ll have to leave school … and Josh.”

  Such negativity is unbecoming for a young lady. In my day, I was too consumed with exhausting chores to give thought to my own comfort. You need to worry less about trifles and focus on the larger picture. Wallowing in self-pity will accomplish nothing. Seek a positive action.

  “News flash: I’m stuck in here. Can’t do squat.”

  Are you sure about that?

  I started to argue, but when her energy pulled back, I knew it was useless. What did she know anyway? Safe in spirit-land where you could bet doors were never locked.

  Still, she was right. I couldn’t give up.

  My eyes were beginning to adjust and I explored the room, feeling the wall for a light switch. I remembered that the janitor had reached up for an overhead bulb. Within seconds, my black hole of despair flooded with light.

  Now all I needed was an open door.

  In movies, locks were jimmied open with credit cards or hairpins. I was too young for a credit card and the scrunchie around my ponytail was the closest I had to a hairpin. I started searching the room, checking drawers that weren’t locked. I found pencils, pens, paper, rubber bands, paperclips and tape. Unbending a large paperclip, I tried poking it in the lock—but no luck. So I searched again—then shrieked with joy when I found a screwdriver.

  Forget the lock, I’d unhinge the whole damn door.

  Like the rest of the school, the door was old. The hinge was held on by a few screws. My knees ached as I kneeled on the floor and set to work. I pressed my arm against the door for leverage. As the first screw began to turn, I heard a noise from outside in the hall.

  Please, not the janitor so soon! I needed more time!

  The knob jiggled and turned. The door swung open, and I saw—

  “Dominic! Am I glad to see you!”

  “Well, that’s a first.” He flashed a wry smile, showing dimples that softened his rugged face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. How’d you know I was in trouble?” I thought of the shadow I’d seen earlier by a
tree. “Oh, don’t tell me—a little bird told you.”

  “A big bird,” he said, looking around curiously. “How’d you get locked in?”

  “Evan did it.” I could tell by Dominic’s puzzled expression that he didn’t recognize the name. I returned the screwdriver to the drawer then said hastily, “I’ll explain later. Let’s get out of here.”

  Once in the hall, the smell of paint was overpowering. A very rude message was scrawled on a wall above an insulting drawing of Principal Dunlap sitting on a giant cowboy hat that resembled a toilet.

  Dominic touched the wall, then glanced at the blue smear on his finger. “Fresh paint. Your artwork?”

  “No! I would never!”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  I bent over to toss the cans in a nearby trash, but Dominic pulled my hand back. “Don’t,” he warned. “You’ll leave fingerprints.”

  “Oh. Right.” I stared at his hand holding my wrist and tingled with hot embarrassment. Jerking away, I said we’d better go.

  Wait, your locker. It was Opal again.

  I stopped. I thought, maybe I should listen this time.

  “What?” said Dominic.

  “We’ve got to check my locker.”

  Dominic just nodded and followed me down the hallway.

  I quietly thanked Opal, because when I opened my locker, there were two spraypaint cans sitting inside.

  “This Evan guy isn’t messing around.”

  I nodded. Evan was clearly playing hardball.

  *

  When we finally stepped outside in the cool night air, I sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. I was safe—for now.

  There was a fluttering of wings and Dominic’s falcon landed on the protective leather band he usually wore on his arm. I regarded the sleek bird with new respect. “Did Dagger really tell you I needed help?”

  “Not in words, but I understand his gestures. It’s really not hard. When he dips his head like that, he’s showing he’s proud of himself.”

  “Yes, you’re a smart guy,” Dominic added to the bird.

  “Very smart,” I said gratefully. “Tell him thank you.”