“I guess so.” Miriam stretched out on Ruth’s bed, fanning her straight red hair over the white bed-spread. “Thank goodness.”
Ruth sat on the floor of her bedroom holding Lizzy, a brown-and-white hamster, in her cupped hands. Another hamster—Tilly—covered in tan fuzz, wandered over Ruth’s legs.
“Did Jed say what was wrong?”
“Sort of,” Miriam replied. “It’s the pressure. The playoffs, trying to get a scholarship, all that. But he’s okay now. I think.”
Miriam realized that she didn’t truly know if Jed was okay. He’d become quiet again on the way home from the party. But his kisses had been long and warm.
She hoped he was okay.
“I couldn’t believe Holly last night,” Ruth grumbled. “Did you see that dress?”
“Yeah.” Miriam reached for a can of soda on the nightstand. “And so did everyone else.”
“Miriam, what is she trying to prove?” Ruth demanded. “Why did she throw herself at Noah last night? In front of Mei and Gary?”
“I don’t know,” Miriam replied thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s really in love with Noah. She thinks she is.”
“She doesn’t even know him,” Ruth sneered. “All she sees is how happy Mei is. I think she’s jealous.”
Miriam thought about that. “No. Holly loves to gossip. But I think that’s as petty as she gets.” Miriam smiled. “I think Holly is just majorly hot for Noah.”
“Yeah, well, she’s going to crash and burn,” Ruth said sourly.
“Speaking of crash and burn, you and Patrick sure didn’t hit it off.”
Ruth shrugged. “He was okay. I’m just not into music.” She slid a hand around Tilly to prevent her escape. “He kept talking about it all night. I swear, he knew the name of every drummer in every band.”
Miriam grinned. “That’s Patrick all right. I’m sorry you had a lousy time. I promise I’ll never fix you up again.”
“It’s a deal,” Ruth declared. The two girls laughed.
Ruth lovingly picked up Tilly and set her down inside the large glass cage beside the desk. The little fuzzball went immediately for her water bottle. Ruth did the same for Lizzy and slid the wire mesh cover back into place.
“Home sweet home,” Ruth cooed. “Right, girls?”
She turned back to Miriam and smiled. “I think I have more fun when I curl up with my hamsters and read than I do going to parties,” she confessed. “Especially parties like Mei’s. Did you see that group of guys that pulled up as we were leaving?”
Miriam nodded, remembering. She hadn’t recognized any of the tough-looking guys. “I wonder who invited them,” she commented. She finished her soda, stood, and stretched. “And I wonder what’s keeping Holly?”
Ruth didn’t answer. She pulled her backpack from her closet and unzipped it. She removed a hooded, Shadyside High sweatshirt. A few other items spilled out onto the bed—a brush, a dog-eared copy of Catcher in the Rye, and a large hammer.
Miriam idly picked up the hammer. One of its claws was broken off. It looked very old.
“What’s this monster for?” she asked, slapping the head against her palm.
Ruth yanked it away so quickly that Miriam’s arm hurt.
“I’m using it to build a loom in art class,” Ruth said. She paused. “It belonged to my father.”
Miriam didn’t know what to say. Ruth’s father had died suddenly of a heart attack three years ago.
She knew that Ruth was still very hung up on her father’s sudden death.
Deep down, Miriam thought this could be the reason Ruth avoided guys. She didn’t want to be close to anyone again. She had loved her father very much. Maybe building something with his tools felt like a tribute to his memory.
“I’m sorry, Ruth. I didn’t know.”
Ruth nodded. “It’s okay. Really.”
She shoved the hammer back into the pack and stuffed the pack in the closet. “So,” she asked, “how long did Gary and Holly stay at the party?”
Miriam could hear the forced cheerfulness in her friend’s voice. Clearly, Ruth wanted to change the subject.
“I don’t know. I didn’t talk to her today. But Gary has the game tonight. So I don’t think he wanted to party all night.”
Miriam saw Ruth bite her bottom lip.
“What’s wrong?”
Ruth sighed. “I hate the way Holly treats Gary. The whole thing with the dress, and hugging Noah. Everything.”
“Gary doesn’t seem to mind,” Miriam pointed out.
“Yes, he does,” Ruth replied quickly. “Gary and I were talking last night at the party for a while.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He knows Holly isn’t really interested in him.”
Miriam’s eyes widened. “Really?” she repeated.
“Of course. It would take an idiot not to notice. And Gary isn’t an idiot. He’s just too nice for his own good.”
“Why does he stay with her?” Miriam asked.
Ruth’s eyes were hard. “Because he likes her,” she replied flatly. “I think he—”
They heard Ruth’s mother greeting someone downstairs.
“Holly’s here,” Miriam said.
They heard fast footsteps on the stairs. Then the door to Ruth’s bedroom burst open. Holly stood triumphantly, a wide smile on her face.
“I just heard the most incredible thing!”
“What is it?” Miriam demanded.
chapter 5
Holly grinned. “After you left last night, the party got good.”
“Oh, so it stank as long as we were there?” Ruth asked.
“Ha-ha,” Holly replied. “That’s not what I meant.”
“So?” Miriam prompted. “What happened?”
“First, some of Noah’s friends from Center City showed up. And they were totaled. Reeking of beer.”
“That must have been the group we saw,” Ruth said.
Miriam nodded. “And knowing Mei’s parents, they probably had heart attacks as soon as the first guy stumbled through the door.”
“That’s just the beginning!” Holly exclaimed. “Right after Mei’s mom kicked them out, she and Mei got into a huge fight. We’re talking total blow-out!”
“What did they say?” Miriam gasped.
“It was all about Noah, and how he’s irresponsible and a creep. But Mei kept saying it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t invite his friends. They just showed up. It got really intense!”
“Then what happened?” Ruth asked.
“Dr. Kamata kicked everyone out—including Noah. So we go out on the lawn—and there’s beer cans all over the place. Noah’s friends dumped them there after they got kicked out. And they toilet-papered Dr. Kamata’s car.”
“Wow,” Miriam muttered.
“What then?” asked Ruth.
“We had to leave,” Holly answered sadly. “But I heard more later. After everyone left, Mei and her mother went ballistic. Mei was hysterical, screaming and crying that her mother treated her like a child, that she loved Noah more than anything.”
Miriam noticed that Holly’s voice gained a slight edge on the word loved.
Holly continued. “And guess what happened after that?”
Miriam and Ruth stared at her, waiting.
“Mei’s mother said that Noah could never set foot in their house again. And Mei can’t see him anymore. She broke them up!”
“No way!” Miriam cried. “That is so unfair!” Holly didn’t reply.
Miriam studied her best friend. Holly was almost glowing. Obviously she still had her eye on Noah. She’s probably happy about this, Miriam thought. But Mei must be devastated.
Miriam felt terrible. She knew Mei was crazy about Noah. She would do anything for Noah.
Couldn’t Mei’s parents see that?
“Mei and her mother aren’t speaking,” Holly added matter-of-factly. “Mei’s father is taking her mother’s side, but not very loudly. He probably hates seeing his little girl cry.”
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“Don’t be mean,” Miriam scolded her. “It’s not funny.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” Holly said quickly. But Miriam could still see the spark of hope in her eye. “It’s just … I can’t help thinking …”
“About Noah?” Miriam asked.
Holly nodded.
“I’d forget that idea if I were you,” Miriam said. ‘After this, I bet Mei and Noah are more of a couple than they ever were. She’s not going to listen to her parents.”
“I know.” Holly slumped down on the bed. “I wish I never heard these rumors.”
“That’s a first,” Ruth muttered.
“What do you care, Ruth?” Holly replied angrily. “You’ve never cared about any guy before.”
Ruth’s eyes narrowed, and she took a deep breath. “How do you know?” she snapped. “You don’t know anything about me! And I know everything about you—whether I want to or not.”
“Hey,” Miriam said sharply. “Let’s all take a deep breath and—”
“What about Gary?” Ruth demanded. “You don’t have the guts to steal Noah from Mei, so you just string Gary along. He really likes you!”
Holly’s mouth dropped open. “I like him, too, Ruth! I do!”
“You’d never know it the way you obsess about Noah,” Ruth accused. She put on a fake high-pitched voice and imitated Holly. “‘Oh, Noah is so sexy.’”
“Gary is, too,” Holly shot back. “But … I don’t know. He’s just not that much fun. He’s always talking about basketball. I mean, who cares? Besides, this is none of your business, Ruth!”
“Stop it—both of you!” Miriam cried. She stepped between them. “I’m sick of this! We’re supposed to be friends.”
Holly turned to Miriam. “But she’s always taking Gary’s side! She’s supposed to be on my side!”
Miriam sighed. “Can we go to the game? I don’t want to miss the first quarter.” She thought it was incredible that the three had remained friends for so long. Ruth and Holly were so different. She also didn’t want to scold her friends anymore. It made her sound like someone’s mother.
“Yeah,” Holly agreed, pulling out her car keys. “Let’s do that. Okay, Ruth?”
“No, thanks,” Ruth muttered. “I lost my appetite for rah-rah. You guys go ahead.”
“Come on, Ruth,” Miriam pleaded. “It’ll be fun.”
“I promise not to mention Noah all night,” Holly said, attempting to be playful.
Ruth smirked at the comment, but shook her head. “Wish Gary and Jed good luck for me, okay?”
Miriam nodded, still upset by her friends’ arguing.
But by the time she had buckled herself into the passenger seat of Holly’s car, all Miriam could think about was Jed. She could hardly wait to see him take over the basketball court and single-handedly win the big game.
She had no way of knowing about the disaster that awaited her. No way of knowing what Jed was about to do.
chapter 6
Miriam screamed and jumped to her feet as Jed stole the ball right from the hands of a Waynesbridge Gladiator. She cheered as Jed drove the full length of the court for the easy layup.
The crowd roared, and the second quarter score jumped to 36-31, in favor of Waynesbridge. Jed had only four points so far and was playing badly.
“Why didn’t he slam it?” Holly moaned.
“He’s having a horrible game,” Miriam replied fretfully. “He needed an easy basket to get back on track.”
“But easy baskets are no fun to watch!” Holly complained.
Miriam let out a sigh of relief and clapped for Jed.
Poor Jed, she thought.
He just couldn’t get into the groove. He missed every outside shot. Inside, he got mauled on every play and couldn’t make a rebound.
She could tell by the way he carried himself that he was absolutely furious, Miriam hoped the easy basket would help. The last thing Jed needed was to lose control.
Waynesbridge scored again. A Gladiator whisked smoothly past Jed for two points. Jed cursed loudly, and most of the gymnasium heard it.
“Whoa!” Holly cried. “Nice language.”
“Give me a break,” Miriam barked.
Gary had the ball now, and the Tigers were driving downcourt. Two passes later Gary fed the ball to Jed.
Jed charged for the basket. As he leaped, the tallest Gladiator leaped with him, knocking the ball away and elbowing Jed in the face.
Both players went down hard as the whistle blew.
Immediately Jed jumped to his feet, glaring down furiously at the Waynesbridge player.
Miriam froze.
The Waynesbridge player said something to Jed.
The crowd gasped as Jed punched him in the face.
Blood spurted from the boy’s mouth.
Miriam uttered a low moan. What was Jed doing?
The crowd roared.
Jed leaped on the fallen Gladiator. Grabbed him in a choke hold.
Other players tried to pull them apart.
But Jed held on.
The Gladiator turned an ugly shade of scarlet.
His eyes bulged.
Jed was strangling him, Miriam saw to her horror.
Jed was choking him to death.
chapter 7
The excited, startled cries of the crowd drowned out Miriam’s thoughts. She gasped in horror as players from both teams struggled to pull Jed off his red-faced opponent.
“How could Jed do this?” Miriam cried out loud. When the crowd on the floor finally cleared, Jed stood to one side. Gary and some other teammates held him back. Jed struggled against them, but they were too strong for him.
Miriam took in a sharp breath. Jed’s lip was bleeding.
On the floor in front of him lay the fallen player. The boy held his chest, struggling to breathe. His teammates were huddled around him.
Miriam felt numb. She had never seen Jed so furious, so totally berserk.
Why? she asked herself over and over. What was wrong with him?
Finally Jed calmed down enough so that his teammates could let go. Coach Hurly pointed his finger toward the locker room and bellowed, “Hit the showers!”
Jed stomped off the court to a chorus of boos. Miriam could see his tightly clenched fists. Staring down at the floor, Jed marched through the locker room doors and disappeared.
Slowly Miriam sat down.
She felt dazed. And sick to her stomach.
The game started up again. But she was no longer interested.
“Miriam, what’s his problem?” Holly demanded. “I don’t believe it!”
Miriam didn’t answer. She kept picturing the look on Jed’s face. His hands around the other player’s throat.
She thought back to his blowup Friday afternoon by the water fountain.
Something had to be seriously wrong with him.
She’d watched every basketball game this season. Sure, Jed made lots of fouls. He was a physical player. But this was totally different. Miriam couldn’t imagine where such fury had come from.
The rest of the first half was a blur to her. When the buzzer went off, people stood and stretched. Miriam remained sitting, staring down at the empty court.
“Are you okay?” Holly asked gently. “Miriam?”
Miriam raised her eyes to her friend. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Holly sat down again and put a reassuring hand on Miriam’s arm. “Remember yesterday when I said I’d try to find out what was up with Jed?”
Miriam glanced up hopefully. “Did you hear something?”
“Not yet,” Holly answered. “But I haven’t hit up my best source. I’ll ask Gary what’s going on. Jed and that guy from Waynesbridge might just have a grudge. That would explain everything that happened tonight.”
Miriam sighed. “Jed never said anything to me about it.”
“It will be okay, Miriam. I promise.”
Miriam shook her head sadly. “This is the playoffs
, Holly. If the colleges hear about this, they’ll never recruit him! These games are so important to Jed.”
Holly didn’t reply.
There’s nothing to say, Miriam thought miserably. It’s hopeless.
She put her face in her hands and waited for the game to end.
The Shadyside Tigers managed to pull off a victory—with a buzzer-beating jump shot by Gary. The scoreboard lit up, Tigers: 72, Visitors: 71.
Hopes of a state championship were still alive at Shadyside High.
Miriam, however, didn’t feel like celebrating.
“Ready to go?” Holly asked.
Miriam nodded, silently gathering her bag and coat.
Holly’s hand clamped onto her arm. “Look,” she whispered.
Miriam followed her friend’s gaze. Mei and Noah strode briskly across the gymnasium floor toward the doors to the student parking lot.
Miriam could see the disappointment in Holly’s eyes.
“You knew they’d stay together,” Miriam said softly.
“A girl can hope, can’t she?”
“Only if she likes to torture herself.”
They watched Mei and Noah disappear out the doors. In spite of Holly’s feelings, Miriam couldn’t help but be happy that Mei and Noah were still together. Miriam wanted to believe that love was all that mattered in a relationship.
“Um … Holly?” Miriam asked.
“Yeah?”
“Do you mind waiting a few minutes for me? I want to see if I can catch Jed outside the locker room.”
“Don’t you think you should wait until he cools off a little?” Holly replied.
“No.” Miriam shook her head. “Now.”
Holly smiled. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the car.”
“I won’t be long,” Miriam replied.
I hope, she thought grimly.
* * *
The hallway outside the boys’ locker room was empty except for a few kids and parents doing exactly what Miriam was doing: waiting. She leaned against the wall and sighed.
In a few minutes the locker room door opened. Miriam jerked upright. Several players filed out, their hair wet from the showers. She searched for Jed.