Entomophobia

  The rest of the ride to school was infuriating, but she remained mostly quiet. Despite any objections she may have had to the outlandish feats Jill supposedly accomplished, everyone on the bus swore they happened. Every time Lexi attempted to point out the absolute absurdity of some of the claims and say, “There is no humanly way possible,” the other bus riders would glare at her. They did not take kindly to her questioning their newfound hero. She started to feel as if some of them wanted to harm her. Eventually, Lexi put her earphones in and listened to her music, but that only seemed to encourage the others to speak louder.

  Deflated from the excessive Jill-praise, Lexi lifted her head and mouthed the words, “Thank you, Lord,” when the bus finally reached the school. She was unsure how much more she could take. Elle greeted her at the bus stop with a happy wave.

  “What an ugly morning,” Lexi commented as she looked at the overcast skies.

  “I agree.” Elle looked at the sky and then continued, “I read on Pfearville Connect that today is the day that the Salem Witches landed at Roswell. Freaky, huh?”

  Lexi shook her head. She could have corrected her friend, but on this morning she simply did not have the energy.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Elle asked. “You don’t look good.”

  “I don’t know, Elle. Something weird is going on. I’m having the strangest dreams. I’m seeing things that…” She paused. Mattie was walking past the two girls. She was wearing two tank tops, despite the chilly morning air, that exposed her back. Lexi glanced at her as she went by and saw several raised red marks on her back, as if she had been whipped. Her heart sank.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Memory Remains

  “Many of our daydreams would darken

  into nightmares, were there a danger of

  their coming true!”

  -Logan Pearsall Smith

  Lexi dropped her bag and ran toward Mattie, who was putting on a tan suede jacket. Lexi ripped the jacket off of her.

  Mattie contorted awkwardly as she was nearly thrown to the ground. “Hey!”

  Lexi stared at Mattie’s back. There were no whip marks or redness or anything. A halo of confusion encircled her head. “I’m, I’m sorry, Mattie,” Lexi mumbled.

  Mattie quickly surveyed her suede jacket. There were no dirt marks or scuffs or tears, but that did not mean she was okay with Lexi nearly dirtying up her new attire. “Watch it,” Mattie protested as she shrugged on the jacket. “It was a gift from Jill.”

  “Lexi, what is wrong with you?” Elle asked. She then turned suddenly to Mattie. “Wait, why did Jill give you a suede jacket? What did you do to earn a suede jacket? That cannot be real suede. Suede is French.” Elle reached out and touched the jacket. “OMG, that is real suede.”

  Mattie slapped Elle’s touchy-feely hand away. “Of course it is real suede. That’s what friends do for each other. They give each other real gifts like real suede, and Jill is my real friend.”

  “Well, I want one,” Elle said, her arms now crossed in defiance. “Tell your little friend that I want to be friends too.”

  Lexi turned and walked away. What is going on? First, it’s the weird dreams, now I’m seeing things? What is wrong with me? She thought. Now, she felt as if reality was slipping away from her. She wanted to leave, but did not know where to go. She decided to get checked out by the school nurse.

  About the time she reached the school nurse’s office, Elle finally caught up to her.

  “Can you believe that? A suede jacket. And guess what, I heard Kelley Pepper and Rachel Calderon talking and Kelley said that Jill told her she had a gift for her.”

  “So?” Lexi said, uninterested. Lexi was far more worried about her wellbeing. Am I having a panic attack? I’ve never had a panic attack. She opened the door and entered the nurse’s office.

  The school nurse listened to her complaints about feeling anxious and had Lexi lie on the gurney and relax. She pushed the hovering Elle out of the way so she could get Lexi’s vital signs. She checked Lexi’s blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. She listened to Lexi’s heart and lungs and looked in her eyes and mouth.

  “Well, other than your heart rate being a little fast, I don’t see or hear anything. Is something bothering you?” Nurse Winslow asked.

  Lexi rubbed her forehead. She felt hot, but not feverish. “I just feel anxious. I had this crazy dream where these giant aliens took a bunch of us as captives, me and Tyler and Mattie, and they used us as slaves. And, and one of the aliens was whipping Mattie on her back, and when I got to school this morning, I thought I saw whip marks on her back, but when I looked again, they were gone.” Lexi realized how fast she was talking, but also how silly everything sounded.

  “It was just a—”

  Before Nurse Winslow could finish, Elle butted in, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know,” Lexi said, nodding.

  “I mean, why was Mattie there? I was there, right? Did the aliens whip me? I mean, why Mattie and not me? After all, I am your best friend.”

  “What?”

  “I mean, why did the aliens not whip me? Is there something wrong with me?” Elle spoke faster than Lexi could respond.

  Nurse Winslow stood and led Elle to the door. “You need to go to class, Ms. Simmons,” she said as she pushed Elle into the hallway.

  Elle struggled to stay in the room. “I’m your best friend, Lexi. You should dream about me getting whipped by aliens and not dumb, old Mattie. I’ve dreamt about you being an alien slave—”

  The door slammed shut and Nurse Winslow returned. “Okay, if you like, I can call your grandmother. She will probably want to take you to the doctor.”

  Lexi shook her head. “I don’t want to worry her.”

  “Do you think you are just nervous about the upcoming championship game? I imagine that would create a pretty stressful environment.”

  “Perhaps,” Lexi responded. With everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours, she actually had thought very little about the championship game. Lexi blushed. “The fact of the matter is—I did something bad…”

  Just then, the intercom buzzed.

  Nurse Winslow raised a finger and said, “Hold on, Lexi.” She pressed a button on the speakerphone and asked, “Yes?”

  “Sorry, Mrs. Winslow,” the voice on the other side of the static-filled intercom replied, “but Elle Simmons said she needs to speak to Lexi Smith. She says it is an emergency.”

  “Tell her to go to class,” Nurse Winslow answered firmly.

  “Thank you,” the other voice replied.

  “Okay, what were you saying?”

  Lexi stood up. “I think I’m okay. I just needed to calm down a bit.” Lexi tossed her backpack over her shoulder. “I don’t want to alarm my grandmother.”

  Lexi ate nothing at lunch. She sat quietly staring out the window as her friend, Elle, rambled on nonstop. Lexi was ready to confess her crimes until the incident with Mattie. Rubbing her palms against her eyes, she asked herself, Am I going crazy?

  “Why does everyone else keep getting things and not us, huh? Mattie got a suede coat. Parker got One Direction tickets. I heard they’re back stage. Parker...tickets...One Direction...stage...back!” When Lexi didn’t reply, Elle spoke slowly. “Are you even listening?”

  Standing up, Lexi apologized. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”

  “Where?”

  “To the office. There’s something I need to do.”

  Elle looked at her with a peculiar expression on her face. “Um, okay. Should I come with?”

  “No, I gotta do this alone.”

  “You are totally freakin’ me out, but whatev. I’m gonna talk to some peeps and find out the what up on these free gifts.”

  Lexi nodded and then leaned down and hugged her friend. She walked to the office, took a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold. Like a criminal ready to confess her crime, she was ready for her punishment.

  “Can I help yo
u, Lexi?” Maudie, Assistant Principal Stevens’ secretary, asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I need to speak with Assistant Principal Stevens about who destroyed Jill’s poster.”

  Maudie’s face went pale and she immediately stopped her typing. Leaning down low, she whispered, “Who did it?”

  “I really need to speak to him.”

  Maudie sat up straight. Her face looked as if she had just been insulted. “Very well,” she said in a very formal tone. “I believe he’s in the gymnasium.” She turned away from Lexi and resumed her typing.

  The gym was the one place in the school Lexi felt the best. It was her safe haven. On the court, she felt calm and relaxed. Just herself, the ball, and the basket. Outside, the skies were darkening as a cold storm was moving in. On a normal day, the weather did not matter to Lexi because she would be in the gym shooting, dribbling, playing out game-winning shots in her mind. Today was no normal day. The cleansing effect the court typically had on her mind was gone. Even basketball couldn’t pull her out of her depressed mood.

  She couldn’t find Assistant Principal Stevens, but she did bump into her coach. “Have you seen Assistant Principal Stevens?”

  “You just missed him. He went that way,” he said, pointing to the opposite end of the gym.

  “Thanks,” Lexi said as she started to jog away.

  “Lexi, look at these new plays I drew up.”

  “I really need to speak to Assistant Principal Stevens.”

  He opened his playbook and eagerly flipped through the plays. “This one is called ‘Jill One.’” He flipped the page. “And this one I call ‘Jill Two.’” He flipped another page. “And this is called ‘Jill Three.’ You will set a backside screen and Jill will make a quick curl for a shot.” He continued flipping through the pages, but Lexi could not hear him over the grinding of her teeth.

  “Can’t wait to try them.” Her voice was coated in sarcasm. “I gotta catch up to Assistant Principal Stevens.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Frenemies

  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

  -Arabian Proverb

  She couldn’t take it much longer. She had to tell; she needed to tell what she had done. The guilt was picking at her brain like a rat gnawing on a floorboard. Lexi sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her. She swung open the doors and found Assistant Principal Stevens standing in front of Elle and Jill.

  “Well, I’m glad you two handled this like adults.” He turned to leave and said, “Hello, Lexi. Are you ready for the big game?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “A little misunderstanding between Elle and Jill. It’s all taken care of. Jill is such a great girl. She wasn’t even mad. Get ready for the big game,” he said as he walked away.

  “What is going on?” Lexi asked again.

  “Oh, thank you again,” Elle said as she hugged Jill.

  “It is okay, Elle, just remember, you have nothing to be jealous of,” Jill replied.

  Again, Lexi asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, hi, Lexi.” Jill turned her big, phony, toothy smile on Lexi. “You know, you and I need to talk sometime, get to know each other. How about now?”

  “No,” Lexi answered bluntly. “Elle, what’s going on?”

  “Oh my gosh, Lexi, you will never believe what happened. Yesterday, I got so angry and jealous of Jill because she won the contest that I came in here and wrecked her poster, but guess what, because Jill is so super cool, she forgave me.” Elle screamed as if she had just scored Justin Bieber tickets. “And she said she was going to give me a suede jacket just like the one Mattie got, only in pink. Frosted tulip to be exact. Isn’t that awesome?” Elle could not contain herself. She jumped up and down and hugged Jill.

  The two girls giggled and laughed. It was all very sickening to Lexi, but she remained confused. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You apologized for breaking Jill’s poster.”

  “Yes,” Elle said.

  “And when did you do that? I just left you.”

  Cutting in, Jill replied, “It doesn’t matter, Lexi. What matters is that I have forgiven her, silly, because that is what friends do.”

  “You are not her friend,” Lexi growled with a stinging glare.

  Jill continued to smile stupidly. “Lexi, you and I should hang out.”

  The two girls’ eyes locked onto one another, and for a split-second, Lexi thought Jill’s eyes changed color. She felt a tingle in her body, and for a moment, her body froze. Jill isn’t such a bad girl. In fact, I like...

  “Lexi, I need to talk to you,” Cambree said.

  With a cocked eyebrow and an agitated look on her face, Jill glared at the new arrival.

  Blinking and feeling a little dizzy and confused, Lexi shook her head and rubbed her eyes. “What were we talking about?”

  “We were talking about how we need to hang out,” Jill said with a smile. “Cambree, we can all hang out.”

  Cambree grabbed Lexi by the arm. “First off, I don’t ‘hang out.’ My time is far too important to waste hanging out. And second, no.”

  “Wait! Elle, come on.”

  “She’s gonna stay with me,” Jill answered with a grin that curled the corners of her mouth.

  “I’m gonna stay with Jill.” Elle clapped excitedly. “You should stay too, Lexi.”

  “That is an awesome idea,” Jill remarked.

  By now Cambree had pulled Lexi to the door. Lexi resisted for one second as she glanced at her former best friend. She shook her head and reluctantly followed when Cambree whispered, “Forget about her, Lexi. She’s gone. She’s one of them: a Jillian.”

  Outside, Lexi tossed her backpack over her shoulder and walked away. She was so confused. Her best friend had just lied about wrecking the poster, refused to come with her, and coldly decided to stay with the one girl they both hated a mere ten minutes ago. Making matters worse, the last person Lexi wanted to receive solace from was Cambree Meyers, the snobbiest girl in school.

  “Lexi, we need to talk.”

  In her own biting tone, she asked, “What could you and I possibly have to talk about?”

  Cambree grabbed Lexi firmly at the wrist and tried to pull her closer, but Lexi promptly pulled away.

  “Listen to me. I know we aren’t the best of friends—”

  “Best of friends? Cambree, we aren’t friends,” Lexi cut her off. “Let alone ‘best of friends.’”

  Cambree gave a dramatic pause and put her hand on her chest. “Lexi, that hurts. I invite you to my birthday party every year.”

  “You hand out a registry every year as if you are getting married. Who does that? And besides, your party was in Aspen, not exactly around the corner.” Lexi did not wait for an answer before she started walking again.

  Despite the snobby exterior, Cambree was a determined individual. “Something is going on at this school, and it all started the minute that—that—that—”

  “New girl?”

  Calming herself, Cambree nodded. “Not the word I was going to use, but yes, the minute that new girl showed up. She’s suddenly friends with everyone without even trying. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even Pelham Barnes, I mean seriously, no one is friends with old Pan-hands.”

  Putting her hands on her hips defiantly, Lexi said, “Pelham is nice, just a little weird sometimes.”

  Cambree rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever, listen, your friends are not your friends anymore. My friends are not my friends anymore, and if we don’t work together, Lexi, we are going to become the two most unpopular girls in school.

  “I have worked my entire life to become the prettiest, most popular girl in this school. I have one goal and one goal only, and that is to become homecoming queen, but then in swoops this little tramp, and she threatens to undo everything I’ve worked so hard to secure. I will not share my crown with anyone. Do you hear me, Lexi? Anyone.”

  Lexi paused and said, “Cambree, only you would worry about s
omething that could happen five years from now.”

  “It’s never too late to plan for the future. We both know that Elle was not the one who destroyed Jill’s poster.”

  Lexi’s mouth nearly fell to the floor.

  “That’s right. I saw what you did, Lexi.”

  She stammered and attempted a half-hearted denial, but when it was clear that Cambree did not believe her, Lexi dropped her head in disgrace.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, if you help me, that is. Now, let’s go get mani-pedi’s and plan our offensive.”

  The thought of spending time with Cambree Meyers was numbingly bad, but being manipulated was downright nauseating. “As delightful as that sounds, I’m gonna have to check my planner to see if I can fit you in.” Lexi patted Cambree on the shoulder and walked away.

  “You joke about it now, Lexi, but how much more can you stand to lose? I will not lose my crown, Lexi. Are you ready to share your basketball glory?”

  That thought had crossed her mind multiple times lately. She did not want to play second fiddle to Jill. She didn’t want to be the Pippen to Jill’s Jordan. Lexi sarcastically laughed as she walked away. The two of them seemed to be the only ones who did not fawn over Jill, and one thought kept bouncing around Lexi’s head, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” It was hard for her to imagine any situation where she and Cambree would be friends.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Evil Lurks Everywhere

  “Ernest Hemingway once wrote: ‘The world is a fine place

  and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.”

  -William Somerset (Se7en)

  Unable to concentrate, Lexi did poorly on her social studies quiz. After finishing, Lexi asked her teacher if she could use the bathroom. Mr. Dillon was not very nice. He removed his glasses and rubbed his nose as if her very question had generated a migraine.

  “Are you sure?”

  Lexi nodded.

  “If you must, but don’t be long.”