Did he feel it too?
“Who are you staring at?” Agnes asked, standing on her tippy-toes to see around the crowd.
Courtney glanced over at me and smiled, then hung her head forward. So she had seen my blush. She knew my secret crush. I wondered if she would betray it to Agnes, but she climbed into the van without a word, leaving Agnes to wonder what she'd missed.
“No one,” I said.
“You saw someone,” she said, climbing in after Courtney. “Trust me, I know that look. Harper likes a boy.”
I laughed and glanced back over toward Jackson's car, but he was turned away, talking to his friends. Out of habit, I reached up to touch my mother's sapphire pendant. It was a movement I made a hundred times a day without even thinking about it. Only this time, the pendant was gone.
That Necklace Was Everything To Me
“I have to go back,” I said, tears already stinging the corners of my eyes.
“No Ma'am,” Ella Mae said. “We need to get going or we'll be waiting in this lot forever.”
“I dropped something important. I can't leave without it.”
My eyes pleaded with Ella Mae and she took pity on me. “Be quick, alright?”
I ran back to the stadium, going over every step we'd taken throughout the night. The bleachers. The field. The concession stand. My necklace wasn't anywhere. I needed more time.
“Dammit,” I said. I kicked the wooden light post hard. A sharp pain ran through my big toe and tears rolled down my cheeks. That necklace was too important. I couldn't lose it now, after all these years.
“What did you lose?” Agnes asked, coming around the corner to join me.
“My mother's necklace.” I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand and sniffed. I was acting like a baby, but that necklace was everything to me.
“Oh no, Harper. I'm so sorry. Was it expensive?”
“No, it's not like that. It's not about money. That pendant was the only thing of my mother's I'd ever owned. I never knew my mother,” I said. “She gave me up for adoption when I was a baby. My parents gave me that necklace the day they told me I was adopted. They said my mother wanted me to have it. It's completely irreplaceable.”
Agnes touched my arm. I saw genuine sympathy in her eyes. “That sucks,” she said. “I'm sorry but Ella Mae asked me to come get you. I don't think she's going to wait much longer.”
I knew I couldn't afford to make Ella Mae angry. One bad report to my case manager could land me in kid-prison if I wasn't careful.
“Maybe you can come back and look for it on Monday,” she said.
I swiped at my tears again, then followed Agnes back to the van.
“Did you find it?” Ella Mae asked.
I shook my head and climbed into the van. I didn't say another word the entire way home.
Later, once everyone was in bed, I tried to fall asleep. I really did, but there was no use. I couldn't stand the thought of someone else picking up that sapphire pendant, and I definitely couldn't stand the idea of it sitting there in the dirt with people's gum wrappers and coke cans. What if someone stepped on the stone and broke it?
I tossed and turned, unable to let it go. I only had this one piece of my mother. It was the only thing important enough for her to want me to have it. I needed to get it back.
Quietly, I got out of bed and tiptoed to my door. I slowly turned the brass handle, but as I suspected, the door was locked. I cursed through gritted teeth. Agnes was wrong about the doors. Why were they locking us in our rooms at night? And it wasn't every night. Only sometimes. I'd checked. Were they afraid we would have secret meetings or sneak out to meet boys?
Granted, sneaking out was exactly what I was trying to do, but a simple locked door wasn't about to stop me. I looked around for something I could use to turn the lock inside the keyhole. On my dressing table, I had a bag of bobby pins. I took one out, straightened it, and pulled off the little rubber tip.
Crouching down, I inserted the bobby pin into the hole, going by feel until I was able to slowly turn the lock mechanism inside the door. It only took me a few minutes of trying until I heard the distinct click that released the lock.
The dark hallway outside my bedroom door was silent as a tomb. The gentle whoosh of air conditioning was the only sound. I stepped lightly down onto the top step and winced as it creaked beneath my sneakers. Frozen, I didn't make a single move until I was sure no one had heard me.
Slowly, I made my way down the stairs and out the front door.
Once outside, I searched for a way to get into town. Starting up the Shadowford van would be way too loud. Plus, someone might see me. It was just too risky. What I needed was a bicycle. And there was only one place I could think to look.
The barn.
I made my way to the back of the house, mindful of every noise that rose above the steady song of crickets in the Georgia night. The motion sensor light above the barn door clicked on as I approached, and I hurried through the lit circle.
The door was tough to open, but I finally managed to crack it enough to squeeze inside. I couldn't see much beyond a huge spider web right in the entrance, but it was clear the building was bigger than I first realized. A couple of cars by the far wall were covered up with off-white tarps. A pegboard wall held carefully organized tools. Hammers, wrenches, a hand axe. Then, against the wall near the back, I saw the silhouette of a bicycle.
Tori Has A Secret
The ride into town took nearly half an hour. The air seemed to grow cooler and as I rode, goosebumps jumped out on my arms and legs. High in the night sky, a half moon rose up, giving a little needed light along the deserted road. Never in my life had I seen so many stars.
In the city, the stars were hard to see unless it was a super clear night. But out here in the middle of nowhere, the universe opened up to me. I felt small and insignificant as I rode those few miles watching the star-scattered night. And at the same time, I felt free, confident that once I made it to the stadium, I would find my mother's necklace.
The parking lot of the school was deserted. I rode up as close to the fence as I could get and looked for a way in, but all of the gates were locked up. The chain links were small enough for me to fit the tip of my shoe into and hoist myself over. I climbed up the fence, threw my leg over the top, then jumped down onto the dirt below.
From the looks of it, the janitor had already done a sweep of the stadium. Most of the popcorn boxes, drink cups, and trash were taken away, leaving only the plain dirt and sparse grass. I prayed the necklace was still there somewhere, or at the very least, picked up by someone and turned into lost and found where I could get it on Monday. I retraced every one of my steps from the second I had entered the gate until the time I left.
I walked from one side of the stadium to the other, looked through the metal bleachers, and searched around in the dirt. The pendant and chain were nowhere to be found. The longer I searched, the more frustrated I became.
My last ditch effort was to crawl beneath the bleachers and search for it there in the dirt and filth below where Agnes and I sat to watch the game. I walked down to the approximate place, then got on my hands and knees in the dirt to crawl beneath the seats. It was dark out there, but the stadium's emergency lights were still on. I ran my palm against the dirt and grass, pulling up every piece of trash or debris to inspect, just in case.
That's when I heard someone giggling. I recognized her right away. After all, Tori Fairchild was one of the first people I'd met at Peachville High, and I'd heard enough of her to last me a lifetime. Geez, it was like she was following me around like a little black raincloud. I froze in place, hoping she wouldn't see me there covered in dirt.
She skipped across the field, still in her blue and black Demons cheerleading uniform. There was a guy with her. In the semi-darkness, I couldn't quite make him out, but there was no doubt in my mind who it was. Who else would she be out here with after the game? He was wearing a Demons letterman jacket wi
th a blue Demon on the back and a Demons baseball cap.
Foster Adams. Star receiver. They were the perfect couple.
I'd seen them together at school all week. Foster was one of the rich kids in town. He drove a freaking Porsche, if you get my drift. He was part of that elite crowd. You know, the one that hated me?
Tori rushed into his arms and he spun her around. Her high pitched giggles echoed off the bleachers and into the empty stadium. They both seemed so normal. So all-American high school kids. Would I ever have a normal life like that?
My legs started to cramp, but I didn't want them to see me crawling out from under the bleachers. I'd never hear the end of it. Plus, if anyone at Shadowford found out I was here, I'd be kicked out on my ass. I couldn't let that happen, so I crouched through the pain.
Tori and Foster stopped and embraced in a long, passionate kiss. I rolled my eyes and looked away. As I turned my head, I lost my balance. I let out a whoop as I fell backwards, hitting my head on one of the metal steps.
I drew in a nervous breath, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. My head snapped around to see if the others had heard me, and I was mortified to see them looking my way.
Oh God, I'll never hear the end of this.
The guy took a couple of steps in my direction.
“Who's there?” It didn't sound like Foster's voice, but then again, I hadn't heard him speak that many times. Tonight, though, his voice sounded deeper. Older.
I bit my lip, not daring to move an inch.
Tori leaned over to the guy and said something, but I couldn't quite make it out. She was pulling furiously on his arm, as if she were scared. Not that I could blame her. For all she knew, some maniac with a gun was out here to spy on them or rob them blind.
“Let's get out of here,” Tori said.
“I wanna know who's there,” the guy said. His face was still cloaked in shadow, but as he moved closer, I was certain it wasn't Foster. He was a bit too tall and not quite as muscular.
Tori has a secret, I thought. Powerful information to have if I ever need it.
I strained my eyes to make out the guy's face, but with the cap pulled firmly over his forehead, I simply couldn't tell who it was.
“There,” Tori said, pointing toward the bleachers where I was hiding. “Under the bleachers.”
The man came running toward me and out of fear, I bolted, slipping on the loose dirt a few times before I found my footing. I ran as fast as I could to the fence, scrambled over the top, and rode away. Just as I reached the edge of the parking lot, I could see the guy come around the side of the bleachers, too late to see my face.
For A Girl Like You
By the time I pulled down the driveway twenty minutes later, I was exhausted. I had no idea if Tori and her guy were going to jump in their car and follow me, so I pushed my body to the limit. My lungs burned. Cold tears spilled down my cheeks from the wind in my face. My legs were sore. But I pushed on.
I barely had the energy to pull open the large, stiff wooden door. Inside the barn, I stopped to catch my breath and noticed the pungent smell of cigarette smoke. Suddenly alert, I looked to either side, then saw the red burning end of Jackson Hunt's cigarette.
“Smoking will kill you, you know,” I said, certain he'd been watching me.
“So will sneaking out at night.” He stood and moved close enough that I could make out his face in the shadows. “Or so I've heard.”
“Is this what you do in here, all secret like?”
“This,” he said, “and work on my motorcycle.” He motioned toward the back of the barn, but I couldn't see much of anything that far back.
“Do you ride?”
“I used to. It's my dad's old bike. A good one too. A Harley.”
“Did your parents split? Or what?” I leaned against the wooden wall of the barn and ran my fingers along the smooth wood. Being this close to Jackson, especially in the dark, made me nervous.
“My dad passed away when I was a little boy.” He didn't elaborate, and I didn't push. “Want a smoke?”
“No way,” I said, sticking out my tongue and screwing up my nose. “It's completely disgusting.”
He laughed and threw his cigarette to the ground. “For a girl like you, I might consider quitting.”
The tone of his voice turned my body to melted chocolate. I steadied myself against the wall, afraid that if he moved any closer, I really would melt. I felt his nearness in my bones, a vibration of warm, flushed energy.
“You better get inside,” he said, checking his watch even though it was probably too dark to see the time. The way he raised his arm and leaned forward brought his chest so close to me, I wanted to run my hand along the rippled muscles I felt certain I would find underneath his black t-shirt. “It's way past your bedtime.”
My heart beat so hard in my chest my ears were filled with the loud thumping sound of it. I dipped under his arm and pushed open the barn door, grateful for the refreshing rush of cool, night air.
“I won't tell if you won't,” I said.
“Your secret's safe with me,” Jackson said. He drew an X over his heart as I ran toward the house, disappearing into the shadows.
What With Tori's Disappearance
The rest of the weekend passed by in a daze. I couldn't stop thinking about Jackson. Plus, I was anxious to know if anyone had found my necklace. I didn't get much sleep.
On Monday morning at school, the first place I went was the front office. I wanted to get there before homeroom, but I hated walking past that demon statue up front. Instead, I walked around to the side entrance and practically ran to the office. The secretary, Mrs. White, gave me a weak smile when I walked through the door, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
“Good morning, dear. What can I help you with this morning?”
“I lost something Friday night at the football game,” I said, my toe jiggling nervously inside my boot. “Did anyone turn in a necklace?”
“Oh, honey, I don't think so. It's just been a madhouse around here this morning, what with Tori's disappearance.”
My eyes widened. “Tori Fairchild?”
“Yes, bless her heart,” Mrs. White said. She brought the back of her hand up to her mouth and closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths, she opened them again and I saw that they were full of big, wet tears. “No one's seen her since the game Friday night. Half the town has been out looking for her since Sunday morning.”
I stood there in shock, thinking about Tori and that guy after the game on Friday night. A guy who wasn't her boyfriend. Had he done something to her? Had Foster found out about them and gone crazy with jealousy? I swallowed hard.
“I'm sorry, what was it that you lost again?”
“A necklace,” I said. “A silver chain with a blue sapphire pendant. But I can come back some other time.” It seemed petty to be talking about a lost necklace when Tori was missing. What if something horrible happened to her?
“You're Harper, right? The new girl from Shadowford?”
I nodded and she wrote my name down on a yellow sticky pad along with a note about my necklace. “If anyone turns it in to the office, I'll make sure we let you know.”
She stuck the yellow note onto a small cork board by her desk.
I thanked her and headed to my homeroom. The halls were filled with sobbing girls, sombre faces, and clusters of students sharing whispered conversations. I rushed to homeroom, wondering if I should tell anyone about my midnight Tori sighting at the football stadium.
If I came forward with the information, Mrs. Shadowford would know I left the house after curfew to search the stadium. I had no doubt she would contact my case manager and send me straight to juvie. Then again, if I could help save Tori's life, wasn't that the most important thing? My mind ran circles around the issue. What if Tori had just run away with her new, possibly older boyfriend? Maybe she wasn't in trouble at all. Was I willing to risk my entire future for a girl that wasn't even the slightest
bit civil to me? I felt certain she wouldn't have risked breaking a nail if it meant saving my life, so why did I even care?
For the first part of the morning, I played it safe. I kept my mouth shut and listened to the gossip around me.
“She was supposed to come to the party at Foster's parent's cabin by the lake Friday night, but she never showed,” a brunette to my left was telling her friends.
“That's pretty typical Tori, thought, right? To bail on a party?”
“Last year, maybe, but this year she's dating Foster. I don't think she'd ditch him at his own party.”
“Well, what do you think happened to her?”
“I have no idea,” the brunette said. “I just hope they find her and she's okay.”
Then, in second period, I specifically sat near Allison Moore. If anyone knew about Tori's other man, it would be one of the cheerleaders. Allison's face was red and splotchy from crying.
“I can't believe this is happening,” she cried to one of her fellow cheerleaders. I recognized the blonde she was talking to, but I didn't know her name. “We were the last two girls in the locker room, but I had to run home and get my sweatshirt cause it was getting chilly, right, so I left her and told her I'd meet her at the party.”
“So she just never came home from the game or what?” the other girl asked in a whisper when the teacher turned her back.
“No one has seen or heard from her since I left the locker room Friday night.” Allison's face scrunched up and she began to cry again. “I never should have left her alone in there. If something's happened to her, I'll never be able to forgive myself.”
“It just doesn't make sense.”
“Maybe someone abducted her from the school. It totally could have been some crazy stalker that, like, watched her at all the games or something,” a petite girl with a short brown pixie cut said.
“The weirdest part is that the cops found her car parked on the street just a few blocks away from her own house,” Allison said. “But she drove it to the game that night. If someone abducted her, why would they drive her car to the street where she lives and just leave it there?”