Broken Dreams (Spiraling Book 2)

by H. L. Karhoff

  “Whatever.” I shrugged, retrieving a bag of potato chips from the pantry. “You want some?”

  “No, thanks.” She shook her head. “I should go home. Charlie is picking me up at five, and I want to get some homework done.”

  “Before you go, I want to ask you something.” I hurried to where she stood beside the bar and glanced through the kitchen doorway to make sure Chris and Carter were still on the couch. “Do you like Carter?” I kept my voice low.

  Joy dropped her eyes and blushed. “No.”

  “Yes, you do.” I smiled. “Is that why you didn’t want to tell me earlier?”

  “I thought you’d laugh at me.”

  “Why would I laugh at you? I think it’s cool.”

  “You do?” She raised her eyes.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m just confused. I didn’t think you’d be into a boy like Carter. I think he’s an atlas.”

  “An atlas is a book of maps, Tori. You mean atheist.”

  “Whatever. I just figured you’d go for a Jesus freak or something. Not Carter.”

  “I know it’s weird, but I like him. He’s smart and funny and honest.” Her face lit up, complete with a dreamy grin that didn’t fit Joy at all.

  “Yeah. Carter’s definitely something,” I replied sarcastically. How a girl could like Carter as more than a friend was beyond my comprehension. He wasn’t cute. At all. His brown hair was always a mess, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his nose was too big for his face.

  As if the reality of her revelation had just struck her, fear gripped Joy’s face. “Please, don’t tell him, Tori.”

  I shook my head. “I won’t.”

  “I know he doesn’t like me, and I don’t want him to think I’m a total loser.” Her words came out in a high-pitched jumble. She bounced on the balls of her feet, fidgeting with her hands.

  “It’s fine, Joy.” I tried to sound reassuring, but my annoyance seeped through. “I won’t say anything.”

  “But you guys hang out all the time and sometimes things slip and . . .” She sounded as though she were about to hyperventilate.

  “Stop wigging out.” I grabbed her shoulders, giving her a stern look. “I won’t tell him. I promise.”

  “Pinkie swear?” Joy held up her hand in a fist with the pinkie finger extended.

  “Whatever.” I released her shoulders, stepped back, and wrapped my pinkie finger around hers, completing the silly ritual with an awkward pinkie-only handshake.

  “Thanks, Tori.” She exhaled in relief. “I’m going to go. I have homework.”

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  I sat down at the bar and stared at the flashing light on the answering machine while Joy walked into the front room. She said goodbye to Carter before the front door opened and closed. I didn’t hear Carter respond.

  The flashing light taunted me. I wasn’t allowed to check messages—one of my stepfather’s ultra-strict rules—but something prompted me to do it, anyhow. I pushed the “play” button.

  “One new message,” the electronic voice said. “Message one. Friday. 3:16 p.m.”

  Dead air followed by a dial tone. I deleted the message and searched through the Caller ID for clues. At 3:15, a number came up with an unfamiliar city code and no name.

  “Hey, Chris,” I yelled. “Do you know what town has area code 3-9-7?”

  “Ashton,” Carter answered.

  “Why?” Chris asked.

  “No reason.” I grabbed the chips, meandered into the front room, and plopped onto my stepfather’s oversize chair. “Who’s winning?”

  “No one,” Chris said, tying the laces on his sneakers. “Car’s the only one playing. I told Beck I’d meet her at Sebastian’s.”

  “Can I play?” I asked.

  “Yeah, sure.” Carter nodded without turning away from the television. “After this round.”

  I waited until Carter won before moving to the sofa and taking Chris’ controller. The phone rang as Carter explained the controls. I got up, but Chris said he’d get it. He exited the kitchen a few minutes later gritting his teeth.

  “What’s up?” I looked over the back of the sofa at my brother.

  “Nothing,” Chris answered. “I’ll see you later.” He donned a counterfeit smile as he stepped through the front door, closing it behind himself.

  “Hold up.” I set the controller on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen.

  The number on the Caller ID had an Ashton city code. I considered calling it back, but Ashton was long-distance; James, my stepfather, would get upset when he discovered the number on the bill. After staring at the telephone for a moment, I returned to the front room, sat next to Carter, and smiled.

  “Which guy is the best?”

  “I don’t know.” Carter shrugged. “I’ve been using this guy.”

  Carter and I played Chris’ game for around twenty minutes before I quit. The game was harder than it looked when the boys played. Carter let me win once, but his competitive streak didn’t grant more leeway than that. You can only get your virtual butt kicked so many times before a game gets boring, so I sat back and watched him play.

  “You going to the drag races with the guys tonight?” I asked as I finished off the bag of potato chips.

  “No.” Carter shook his head.

  “Why not?” I tossed the empty bag on the coffee table.

  “I’m just not.” He shrugged. “You finished with this?” He glanced at me and held up the controller.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I suck at video games.”

  Carter set the controller on the coffee table and stood. “I’m taking off.”

  “Okay.” I settled back against the sofa cushions.

  “I’ll pick you up around eleven tomorrow.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I didn’t bother walking Carter to the door. He came over often enough, he’d surrendered his special treatment status. Once Carter had gone, I wandered into the kitchen and riffled through the pantry for another snack. When I found nothing worth eating, I went to my room empty-handed.

  Three

  Joy and I convinced Carter to give us a ride to the Save the Whales Benefit Concert. Well, I convinced Carter; he was indifferent to Joy’s pleas. When we piled into Carter’s car, instead of Joy sitting in the backseat by herself, I shoved her into the front and squished her between myself and Carter.

  “I have a backseat, you know,” he grumbled.

  “We know.” I smiled.

  Carter shook his head and started the car.

  The line at the park’s main entrance extended for over a mile. Carter turned onto a side road. He told the man at the back gate we were with “NP” and parked next to a line of trucks and vans.

  “See you guys later.” Carter barely let us get out of the car before rushing away.

  I didn’t care that Carter ditched us, but Joy’s lip quivered as if she might cry.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it,” I said. “Let’s go check out the concert.” I looped my arm around hers and dragged her away from the car.

  Once around the amphitheater, we became immersed in a sea of people. They crowded the stage and pushed against one another. We squeezed through, emerging beside several tents. I pulled Joy behind me by her hand as we walked along the row of vendors. Half only sold alcohol, others had hot dogs, barbecue, or burgers, and the rest sold event or band merchandise. I bought an E.O.D. shirt with a flaming guitar on the front, then looked for something to eat.

  “This okay?” I looked at Joy and pointed at a sign with a list of burger and fry options.

  “No, thanks.” She shook her head.

  We continued, music filling the surrounding air. After reaching the end, we backtracked, bought candy and soda, then sat in the grass beneath a shade tree on the edge of the crowd. The band on stage wasn’t horrible. Their lead singer looked like a Stevie Nicks impersonator, but she didn’t have Stevie’s amazing voice.

  The sun dropped on the horizon. As soon a
s the streetlights flashed on, Joy wanted to find Carter. I doubted the sky had anything to do with her motivation but followed her back through the crowd, anyway. We found him behind the amphitheater, with Jake Wilson and Jeremiah Turley, sitting on a speaker.

  Jake and Jeremiah were not my favorite people. I’d gotten used to the two boys, along with the rest of the out-crowd, but I still felt uncomfortable alone with either of them. Jake had stringy blond hair that hung to his shoulders, a narrow, pimpled face, and dull blue eyes. He didn’t have much on Carter in width, but he stood head and shoulders above both Carter and me in height. Jeremiah stood over six feet with broad shoulders and a generous midsection. He had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and cheeks resembling a freshly fed hamster.

  “Hey, Princess.” Jeremiah smiled when he spotted us. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “We came with Carter,” I said.

  “Who’s she?” Jake nodded at Joy.

  “This is my cousin, Joy,” I answered.

  “The one that’s got a crush on you?” Jake looked at Carter and chuckled.

  “Don’t be a prick, dude,” Carter said, glancing at Joy.

  Joy lowered her gaze and her cheeks turned crimson.

  I swatted Jake’s arm. “Apologize, jerk.”

  Jake rubbed his bicep. “Sorry. Don’t cry, okay? I was just giving Car a hard time.”

  “It’s okay,” Joy replied.

  “We’re going to go check out the band,” I said. “You want to come, Carter?”

  “Sure.” Carter nodded, hopping off the speaker.

  As the three of us made our way around the edge of the amphitheater, Carter walked closer to Joy. Saying nothing, he took her hand. Joy looked at me with a huge grin and I smiled back. I was glad that Joy got the attention she’d wanted from Carter, but throughout the rest of the concert, I felt increasingly like the third wheel.

  On the way home, they acted like I wasn’t there. I sat next to Joy in the front seat, but Carter and Joy only talked to each other. Staring out the window, I watched the shadows of grass and trees as we rushed past. I didn’t want to be jealous of them, but envy crept into my head. It wasn’t fair that even my dorky cousin got what she wanted. Especially since it involved Carter. Although I wasn’t interested in him as more than a friend, I didn’t like that he ignored me in favor of another girl. He was my best friend, not hers.

  When Carter dropped us off, I told Joy goodnight and went into my house. Chris and his best friend, Becky Phillips, sat on the sofa watching a movie in the living room. It was odd to see them hanging out at our house. Chris spent most of his time down the street at Becky’s. There were weeks when I only saw my older brother after I yelled at him for monopolizing the bathroom before school. Twice in two days seemed strange.

  “Why are you guys hanging out here?” I asked.

  “Movie marathon on HBO,” Becky answered through a mouthful of popcorn.

  “Beck doesn’t have the pay channels,” Chris added.

  “Oh,” I replied.

  “Where have you been?” Chris turned to look at me, his eyebrows drawn and concern clouding his brown eyes.

  My brow furrowed. What’s he worried about? “With Joy and Carter,” I answered. “At that Save the Whales concert in Beaumont.”

  “Oh.” Chris’ focus returned to the television.

  “Did you have fun?” Becky glanced over her shoulder.

  My gaze shifted to her, and I forced a smile. “I guess.” I didn’t want to get into how Joy and Carter had made me feel like a tagalong. How seeing them together made me miss Devon even more than I already did.

  My stomach growled. The junk food I’d eaten for dinner had not been enough, so I meandered into the kitchen to find something more substantial. As I opened the refrigerator, the blinking light on the answering machine caught my attention. I walked over to press the play button.

  “You have two new messages,” the computer voice said. “Message one. Saturday. 10:57 a.m.”

  “Yeah, James. This is Lloyd. Call me back here at the store, would you?”

  I picked up the pad and pen beside the phone, scribbling, “James, call Mr. Bronson,” as the machine reported the time of the second call.

  Dead air. I deleted both messages before checking the Caller ID. There were various calls for James, a few unknown numbers, and the same Ashton number as the day before three times between five and nine.

  “Any idea who keeps calling from Ashton?” I asked as I walked back into the front room.

  Chris shook his head. “Nope.”

  Becky gave my brother a sideways glance and nudged him with her elbow.

  “Fine.” Chris sighed. “It was a guy. He wanted to talk to you. I told him you weren’t here and hung up. I’m not your answering service.”

  “Thanks, Chris.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Anytime,” he replied.

  “You don’t know who it was?”

  “Didn’t ask.” Chris shook his head.

  Becky looked at him again.

  “I didn’t,” Chris said with an insistent tone.

  “Whatever,” I replied. “If he calls again, tell me.”

  “Sure thing.” Chris nodded, turning back to the television.

  I watched the movie for a few minutes before I picked up my bag and went to my room. Despite the hour, I wasn’t tired, so I worked on homework. I flipped through the books I’d checked out from the library until my eyes blurred from exhaustion.

  Four

  Wandering by the computer lab, I caught something from the corner of my eye. I stepped back and peeked through the open door. Andy Birch and Chad Jenkins stood next to Miss Devereaux’s empty desk, Chad’s hand tucked into Andy’s larger palm.

  That’s weird. My brow furrowed. Why are they holding hands? Boys don’t hold hands.

  They kissed. Full on the mouth. My eyes grew to the size of pop bottle glasses and I gasped. Chad and Andy separated and looked at me.

  “What are you doing here?” Andy demanded.

  “I . . . I was . . .” I stammered.

  Chad glared at me with eyebrows drawn and jaw set. “This isn’t what you think. Don’t go running your mouth to everybody.”

  “I won’t.” I shook my head.

  He stomped toward me. “I’m serious, Tori. Keep your mouth shut.”

  Stepping back, I continued to shake my head. “I won’t say anything. I—I—”

  “You’d better not.” Chad grabbed my arm and squeezed. “I’m not having you making up shit about me. I know how you and your bitch friends are.”

  “Chad, let me go.” I tried to pull away from Chad’s grasp. “I won’t tell anybody. Promise. Please, let me go. You’re hurting me.”

  “Hey!” A thunderous voice permeated the hallway.

  I looked to see Jeremiah storming toward us, fists clenched at his sides and eyes locked on Chad.

  “Take your hands off her!” Jeremiah ordered.

  Chad released his grip, but it did nothing to halt Jeremiah’s advance.

  “Like pushing girls around, asshole?” Jeremiah pushed Chad with one finger and the smaller boy stumbled.

  Chad regained his balance. He backed away, shoulders hunched, and looked everywhere but directly at Jeremiah. When he spoke, his voice sounded small and shaky. “I was just talking to her.”

  “Not from what I saw.” Jeremiah stepped closer. He loomed over Chad like an elm staring down a frightened squirrel.

  I placed my hand on Jeremiah’s arm. “It’s all right, Jeremiah. I’m okay.” I smiled when Jeremiah glanced at me. “No harm done.”

  It was a lie. My arm throbbed, but I feared the result if I revealed the truth. Even though Chad and I didn’t have a civil history, I didn’t want to see him get hurt. I understood why he’d threatened me. If anybody found out about his relationship with Andy, losing his social standing would be the least of his problems. Two years before, someone outed a sophomore. Five boys from the football team beat him senseless, s
tripped him naked, and tied him to the flagpole in front of the school with “FAG” painted on his chest. Although those boys had since graduated, Chad and I both knew his jock friends might not hesitate to do the same to both him and Andy. They were not the most tolerant group.

  “Good,” Jeremiah said. Then he glared at Chad. “Touch her again and I’ll tear your arms off and beat you to death with them.”

  Chad gulped. “That won’t be necessary.” He sank back into the computer lab where Andy waited to offer comfort as soon as they were away from prying eyes.

  Jeremiah put his forearm across my shoulders. “Sure you’re all right, Princess? I can go fuck him up if you need me to.” He waved toward the computer lab door.

  “I’m fine, Jeremiah.” I smiled. “Come here.” He leaned down, and I kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  His cheeks blushed as he stood straight again. “It’s not a problem.”

  He kept his arm around me as we walked to the cafeteria. It surprised me how much I liked it being there. Not that I was into Jeremiah; I felt safe, like I had a grizzly bear protecting me. Nobody would bother me with Jeremiah Turley by my side. He was by far the biggest boy in school and his fierce reputation, exaggerated as it was, made even the burly jocks second-guess messing with him.

  “Are you going to Ruckus with us this weekend?” Maimy asked, leaning over the cafeteria table so that her boobs almost fell out of her shirt.

  “I don’t think my mom will let me,” I answered.

  “Tell her you’re staying at my house.”

  “Like spending the night?”

  “Sure.” Maimy nodded. “We won’t be there, but your mom doesn’t have to know that.”

  I hoped she couldn’t hear the anxiety in my voice when I asked, “Where will we be?”

  “At Jake’s. His mom’s sick so she’s always in her room. She doesn’t even notice I’m there most of the time. You can sleep on the couch.”

  The idea sounded horrible, but I agreed. Being pushed out of my comfort zone with the out-crowd girls was better than the alternative. I hated sitting with the nerd patrol. The way Lou Chambers stared at me made me want to run home and take a bath.