Isaac waited until Nathan was out of sight.
“Sorry about him,” he said. “He doesn’t get out much.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I sensed that maybe Isaac really was embarrassed by what his brother said to me. But why would he care?
No...That’s a stupid thought....
I shook off the stupidity fast enough to remove that sudden hopeful look on my face. It seemed that killing the strange infatuation was going to be harder than I thought.
I doubt I was hanging out with Isaac and Daisy for more than thirty minutes when Zia joined us. But when she came back she seemed stressed and said to Isaac something about needing Trajan home ASAP and that Aramei was sick. It must have been pretty bad. I was politely rushed out and driven home by Isaac, Damien and Dwarf.
“Tomorrow around eight,” Isaac said. “We’ll pick you up if that’s a good time for you.”
We were sitting at the farthest end of my dirt and gravel driveway. The hot amber of a cigarette glowed brightly and then faded from the front porch. No one smoked in our house, but I was certain it was a cigarette.
“Eight o’clock is good,” I said and then opened the door and stepped down from the Jeep. “Thanks for the ride...again.”
“Not a problem.” His lips never smiled, but I could see the smile in his eyes as if we were sharing some secret moment that could only be relayed through them.
I didn’t know what was happening to me. I mean aside from his jerk-like tendencies, strange family life and plethora of girls, which I did realize Zia had been right about his disinterest in them; I was completely into him. Everything about him. How he was gorgeous underneath such a rough exterior and how he didn’t care about popularity and fifteen-dollar socks. He could do whatever he wanted, wear whatever he wanted and still be the secret crush of just about every girl in school.
Isaac Mayfair. Yes, he was my type. Screw killing the infatuation. I was completely over that.
I heard the Jeep pull away, but my focus was on the smoker. As I approached, the glow of the cigarette disappeared, but I could smell the smoke lingering in the air.
It was Aunt Beverlee.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” I said, standing at the end of the steps.
I could see her waving furiously in the dark at the puffs around her head. “I don’t,” she said, “well, I used to. I’ve been smoke-free for five years, but every once in a while....”
I knew the story without her having to finish. My mom had lived by the same story for six months; smoking only when totally stressed out, until she picked the habit up again full-time.
“Well, it’s disgusting,” I said. “Don’t let me see it again.”
Beverlee laughed. “You’re right, I know.”
“Alex came by,” she said then. Nothing about her tone suggested that my sister’s visit was a good one, but I was surprised and hopeful. I went up the steps quickly and sat in the empty chair next to Beverlee.
“What happened?” I said. “What did she say? Why did she leave? Is she coming back?” I always tended to ask a ton of questions when I was stressed out.
Beverlee hardly looked at me; instead she stared out in front of her.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“You don’t know if she’ll be coming home?”
“Or why she left,” Beverlee added.
I wished she would just tell me what happened and get it over with, but I knew I had to be patient. Clearly, she was still working the meeting out in her mind, and maybe even, whether she wanted to tell me anything, or not. Finally, she turned to face me. A shadow covered most of her face, but I could tell her expression was downcast with worry. My eyes strayed for a second to notice a stinking ashtray on the little round table between us, which had at least two cigarette butts in it.
“At first,” she began, “she seemed interested in us and in you, asking questions about how you were doing. At one point she even seemed concerned for my feelings.” Beverlee shook her head then, confirming Alex’s concern might have only been Beverlee’s hopeful fantasy. “But then she snapped at me. I mean, all I did was comment about her boyfriend.”
She sighed and confessed, “I probably shouldn’t have said anything in front of him, I admit.”
“What did you say?”
“Just that any respectable boy wouldn’t fondle her the way he was doing right in front of me.”
“What?” I was shocked and repulsed. “He was here? He did that, really?”
She nodded. “If Carl had been here....”
“For the record,” I said sternly, “you said exactly what I would’ve said. I can’t believe Alex let him do that. That’s gross.”
“She didn’t try to stop him, either,” said Beverlee. “In fact, she was enjoying it. I just don’t get it...I don’t get her. I can understand rebellion, but I think Alex is beyond that. She’s...cruel.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“I think she was really just here for you,” said Beverlee. “You were the first and last person she asked about. Wanted to know where you were and told me to tell you to stay away from the Mayfers, I think.”
“The Mayfair’s,” I said, though aloud to myself rather than correcting her.
“Yes, that was it,” she said. “Wait—you mean Nathan’s family?”
Absently, I nodded.
“Adria; don’t tell Carl that she came by. I’m going to tell him so he’ll know she’s alright, but I don’t want him knowing the rest.”
I agreed with that entirely. Alex coming here was actually helping us all to do what Zia and Isaac wanted us to do. I didn’t like any of it, but it was what it was, and more and more before even meeting up with Alex myself, I was seeing just how right about everything Zia and Isaac were. I still couldn’t get past the part about leaving Alex with these people and not doing anything to help her see reason, but maybe tomorrow night would be what made me see reason.
GEOMETRY CLASS WAS QUIETER than usual. Mrs. Schvolsky was out sick and we had the harshest substitute ever employed by any school board. Everyone was afraid of her, even Lance Becker, the class show-off who always had something sarcastic to say.
Harry sat behind me. “Psst!” he said. “You won’t believe this,” he whispered leaning into the back of my head. I felt the heat from his breath boring a hole through my hair and onto my scalp.
The substitute looked up from her desk momentarily. When she looked back down into her paperwork, Harry went on: “I saw Julia in Augusta last night.”
I acknowledged him by slightly turning my head, but not enough I was looking at him.
“So.”
Obviously, there was more to it and I waited impatiently for him to get to the point. The substitute made me nervous.
“She was hanging out with those losers from the skate park.”
I couldn’t help but swing my neck around so that I could look Harry in the eyes. “What!” I whispered harshly.
Harry was nervous now and so was every student in our vicinity. Lance Becker buried his blond head further into his paper, scribbling furiously. Michelle Lancaster put her hand to the side of her face so that maybe it would rule her out as being one of the listeners. Criminally beautiful Genna Bishop sat up straight and pretended to be thinking.
“I’m serious,” whispered Harry. “They came to the skate park last night—where were you anyway?”
I turned back around quickly as I heard the substitute’s chair creak under her movements. I watched her, barely moving my head and pretended to be studying until I thought it was safe to inch around again.
“I was at Zia’s house.”
Harry leaned in even closer. “Really?” he said with a suspicious eagerness that I recognized right away as a crush. I had suspected it before, but his interest made it more obvious.
“You like Zia, don’t you?”
I noticed Lance’s body shift position.
Harry gritted his teeth. “Shhh! Not so loud.”
&nb
sp; I laughed inside. It wasn’t that he was ashamed that anyone knew he had a thing for Zia; when it came to girls, he just embarrassed easily.
“Think you could drag me along next time you go? Or, maybe bring her to the skate park when I’m there? I’ll be there tonight, but then I guess I’m there every night, huh?”
Yeah, Harry definitely had a thing for Zia. The babbling was kind of cute.
I glanced back at the substitute once more, just to be sure.
“You can go with me tonight,” I whispered. “Isaac’s taking me to the river to meet up with Alex. I’m sure Zia will be there too.” Only after I offered did I realize it probably wasn’t the best time to bring anyone else along, but it was too late to take it back.
“Awesome, The Cove,” he said just above a whisper and then dropped his voice again; “I’ll come to your house then?”
“Yeah, just be there by seven,” I said.
I was just about to tell him we’d be riding with Isaac when the substitute looked right at me. “Miss...” she glanced down at her seating arrangement list, “Dawson—anymore whispering and you may leave the class.”
I felt like I was back in Jr. High. I lowered my head into my book.
Why would Julia be hanging around Alex’s group? Around Alex? As I thought about it further, I realized that Julia had been acting a little standoffish lately. No big deal though, it wasn’t like she and I had enough time to get really close so I didn’t feel like she’d stabbed me in the back or anything. Too much.
By midday, I was in Art class sitting next to a snob who never said anything to me without a snarl. I ignored her most of the time, like today when she accidently on purpose knocked my sketchbook on the floor and said, “Oh, sorry,” but didn’t bother to pick it up. People like her were a waste of energy and I was never the confrontational type. I picked up the sketchbook and went about my business, but then the school intercom interrupted the class:
“I have a very important announcement to make,” said Principal Davis’ voice, “so please let me have everyone’s attention.”
Everything about her voice was solemn and every student seemed to share the same troubled look. Normally whenever the intercom came on it was school-related boring stuff. There were always a handful of uninterested students who continued chattering quietly behind their desks. Not this time.
“Last night,” Principal Davis began, “Sebastian Reeves was apparently abducted from his home. His family has reason to believe he may have been hurt. You’ll be able to learn more details on the news tonight, but we want every student to be careful when you’re off school property, especially in the evening hours.” She took a deep breath and continued, “And if anyone has any information on Sebastian Reeves, any at all, call the police right away, or you can come to the office and speak with myself, or Mrs. Chesney.”
I heard the speaker squeal once before it went dead.
The entire school was in shock. The atmosphere changed in an instant. I don’t know how long I sat there, glued to my desk, or how I was capable of eventually pulling myself out of my swimming thoughts. Sebastian was my friend, one that hardly ever spoke to me, but my friend, nonetheless. How could this be happening? I had to know more about the kidnapping. The lack of information was driving me insane.
“His bedroom window was broken,” Lori Avery said as Harry and I walked beside her through the hall, “and they said his room was, like, destroyed.”
“Tori’s mom checked her out of school,” said another girl. “I bet she’s totally freaked out. Sebastian was fine as hell. If he was my boyfriend, I’d be wicked freaked.”
I ignored this girl’s inability to portray her feelings correctly. It annoyed me how she was referring to Sebastian in past tense. He wasn’t dead. God, when I thought about it, my stomach did flips. I hoped he was okay.
So many strange things were happening lately. By the end of the day, I managed to create a mental list:
I left number six blank, but ready just in case, because at the rate things were going....
Harry arrived early and watched the news with Beverlee and Uncle Carl and I. As expected, Beverlee was worried about me going out anywhere. Uncle Carl agreed. But with Harry there and since I wasn’t going to be out riding my bike, they didn’t hold me prisoner for the night.
“Keep your cell with you and don’t lose it,” Beverlee demanded.
Channel 8 said the same things Lori Avery had told us in the hall earlier at school.
But there was more.
Apparently, there was also blood in Sebastian’s room and on the windowsill and glass. His wallet was left undisturbed on the nightstand (this, Beverlee heard from Mrs. Finch, who knew the Reeves’ family well). The police unofficially ruled out robbery based on that. It was just all so horrible. I was afraid. Even if I was allowed to go out alone, I wouldn’t have, that’s for sure.
What happened to Sebastian weighed heavily on Harry. They had been friends for a long time. This was hard for him and he tried his best not to let it ruin the rest of the night. He wanted Zia to like him and I think he was less confident now about hanging out with her. I played the little sister (he was only two months older than me) and gave him my sisterly advice: “Don’t think the worst, Harry,” I said, “I know it’ll be hard, if you let yourself feel guilty, I’ll smack you myself.”
He thanked me by thumping me on the back of the head.
Isaac was fifteen minutes late. Dwarf, Damien and Zia were with him, and as usual, Damien was driving.
“Mind if Harry rides with us?”
Isaac looked at Zia and then at me in that harsh, secretive way he always does. I have to say though; it made me feel good he actually looked at me too, rather than at Zia about me. I felt like a part of them.
Bringing Harry with me worked out in ways I never expected.
“It’s a little tight in here,” Damien said to me. “I guess your skinny butt will fit between them back there.”
“Or, she could just sit in Isaac’s lap,” Zia said from the front with that obvious hidden meaning she was becoming famous for.
Isaac glared at Zia from behind. He probably would have kneed the back of her seat if it wouldn’t draw more attention to him.
“Well, she can sit in my lap,” Dwarf offered with a huge, sly smile.
Isaac leaned over and possessively took hold of my elbow. Next thing I know I’m hoisted onto his lap and he’s motioning for Harry to get in next to Dwarf. I had shivers from head to toe. That’s exactly how you know you really like someone, if when they touch you and you feel like your skin and insides have come alive with euphoric tremors.
“Harry, this is Isaac and next to you is Dwarf,” I said. “Damien’s driving and, of course you know Zia from school.”
“I would ask if you were Adria’s guy,” Dwarf said to Harry, “but I guess that’d be a stupid question, huh?”
They looked at each other and sort of laughed under their breath. I thought I might feel Isaac tense up at that, but he didn’t do or say anything. Not that he probably wasn’t thinking about squeezing Dwarf’s small head in his big hands. I glanced down at Isaac’s hands then, noticing how they were so near my thighs, but not touching them. I tried to will them with my super mental powers so he’d put them around my waist, but apparently I had no super mental powers.
Zia surprised me by turning around fully to see Harry. I thought I might not have to work as hard as I anticipated at playing matchmaker. Then again, Zia was this friendly by nature and I was probably reading too far into it, too fast.
“I’ve seen you skate,” she said. “You’ve got some wicked talent.”
I think Harry lost his confidence right then. He was slow to find a response and when it came, he sounded unsure of himself. “Ummm thanks,” he said. “I guess seven years of practice helps.”
“Well, it’s definitely paid off,” she said, beaming.
I wanted to nudge Harry, urge him to continue the conversation, but decided against it. I
was too preoccupied with those euphoric tremors that showed no signs of letting up.
“So what do you think happened to Sebastian?” I said, trying to take my mind off Isaac.
“Don’t know,” Dwarf answered.
“This might sound harsh,” Zia said, “but I think we shouldn’t worry about Sebastian right now. You have enough to worry about with your sister.”
Zia was right about that, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I probably shouldn’t have even brought Sebastian up, especially with Harry there. I was doing exactly what I told Harry not to do: feeling guilty about going out while Sebastian was out there somewhere, hurt and maybe even dead.
I forced myself to think about him less. Unsuccessfully.
When we made it to The Cove there were a lot of teenagers hanging out, but I couldn’t spot Alex among them. Isaac helped me climb out of the Jeep. The act alone allowed me to smile discreetly even though I was so tense about everything else.
“Stay by us no matter what,” Isaac demanded.
The Cove was nothing like hanging out at the skate park. There was a lot of drinking and smoking here. Beer cans littered the parking lot and I could smell weed all around me. There were two cars blaring different kinds of music and a lot of harmless shouting. I saw a few people from school, even Genna Bishop from Geometry class, but no one I really knew. I could hear the river nearby, just beyond a few trees and there was an old abandoned building in the distance that looked creepy against the black sky.
And the nights were getting colder. I was just glad I was learning to better prepare myself for the weather in Maine.
“This place has changed since I was here last,” Harry said.
I waited for him to go on.
He looked around, investigating.
“A bunch of us used to come out here and just hang,” Harry went on, “but looks like the loser crowd took over.”
Nothing was ever going to make me feel any better about Alex. Everything just seemed to get worse.
“I don’t see Alex,” I said, “maybe we should just go.” I was lying to myself, as if not finding her in less than five minutes meant she didn’t come anymore and things would be okay.