“What are you doing on this side of town?”
I glanced at him and then back to the apartment complex. “I’m not really sure.”
“You can come inside if you want. My mom’s at work and she won’t be back for a few hours.”
I shook my head. I hadn’t walked across town to distract myself with Trent. I’d willingly walked into my past and it felt good to stare it down, to remember that day and realize that my mom had never apologized; hell, she probably didn’t even remember it.
I pointed to the curb in front of the apartment. “Do you remember seeing a little girl sitting there years ago? All by herself?”
Trent followed my point and shook his head. “No, but that’s not really a place for kids. I’ve seen some shady shit go down over there.”
I stared at the rotted wood and crumbling brick of the complex and remembered the way that man had gripped my mother’s neck in the doorway. He could have snapped it in two right in front of me.
Trent was right.
It was no place for a kid.
Chapter Thirty-One
November 2009
Blackwater, Texas
Chase Matthews ran up the gravel drive just as the setting sun finally disappeared behind the row of houses across the street. He was supposed to have been home already, but the baseball game at the park had run over time. He knew his dad would pop him for being late, but he hoped that if he slipped in unnoticed through the back door, his dad might assume he’d been home all along. He pulled open the screen door and cursed the squeaky hinges. He kicked off his muddy shoes and tiptoed toward the kitchen.
His parents’ voices carried over into the hallway, so he pressed against the wall and listened to their conversation, trying to make out if they were talking about him. They were usually so careful; Chase rarely overheard their arguments.
“I don’t think you should go. She’s a grown woman, Hannah. You can’t change her.”
“She’s my oldest friend, David. I can’t just leave her there.”
Chase knew right away they were talking about Elaine, Lilah’s mom. She’d been getting worse lately, calling his mom at all hours of the night.
His dad cursed under his breath and Chase crept closer to the kitchen. He stayed pinned to the wall as he peered inside. His dad was hunched over, gripping the side of the kitchen island. His mother wound her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back, right between his shoulder blades.
“I promise I won’t be gone long. I’ll just make sure she’s safe and then I’ll come right back home.”
His dad didn't say anything for the longest time, but then he nodded and wrapped his hands around hers. “Hurry back. I'll finish dinner and we'll wait to eat until you get home.”
She kissed him quickly and then grabbed her keys from the counter. When she rounded the doorway and saw Chase standing there, she tilted her head to the side.
“You need to go wash up,” she said, licking her thumb and wiping his cheek where dirt was caked from playing baseball outside all day.
“Can I come with you?” he asked. He didn’t know where she was going, but he didn’t like the idea of her seeing Elaine. She was always protecting Elaine, but who was protecting her?
His mom cupped his chin and bent down to kiss his cheek. Soon she wouldn’t have to bend at all; he was nearly her height and growing faster by the day. He couldn’t wait for the day he could tease her about being shorter than him.
“I need you to go help your father with dinner,” she said before whispering, “He's helpless without you.”
He smiled and shook his head before she moved past him, toward the door.
“Love you. Be good,” she called back.
He moved after her, holding the screen door open and watching her walk toward her car. The motion-sensor light above the garage kicked on as she closed her car door. Her engine revved and he was left with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Even at thirteen, Chase knew Elaine was a bad lady. She’d left Lilah and she’d leave his mom too. One day.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chase
Ten days. Lilah and I walked to school together for ten days before she finally paused her music. I was running late thanks to a missed alarm. I threw on my shoes and ran out the door, prepared to have to book it to catch up to Lilah, but she was still at the end of the driveway, fidgeting with her shoes.
She stood as I approached and I noticed her headphones were still in place, but there was no music playing, at least none that I could hear.
We started to walk together in silence. We passed her neighbors’ houses and I tried to come up with something interesting to say, something so good she would have to take her headphones out to listen.
“Seems like Harvey likes to sleep with you more than me now.”
That didn’t even garner a nod.
“We have our first scrimmage of the season tomorrow. It’s against Oak Hill.”
She pulled her iPod out of her pocket and I knew I was losing traction. That’s when Mr. Hill stepped out of his house and headed for his car. He was a lawyer in town who rented out space in the old town hall. Rumor had it he would have to close his practice soon.
“Have you heard that Mr. Hill might have to close his practice? He’s been telling people there’s not enough work.”
Lilah glanced over to watch him slide into his black Lexus and then shook her head. “That’s not why he’s closing up shop.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“He’s having an affair with his receptionist,” she said matter-of-factly.
“What? How do you know that? You haven’t even been in town that long.”
She shrugged. “I keep my eyes open.”
We turned toward Main Street and I narrowed my eyes, trying to work out her accusation. I’d never heard about an affair. Mr. Hill and his wife had been married for something like thirty years. It didn’t make sense.
“Who told you ab—”
She sighed and pulled out her headphones. “No one told me anything. I saw them in the window of his office the other morning. It wasn’t that hard to connect the dots. It’s the closing of his practice that I haven’t been able to work out. I think his wife has something to do with it.”
I reached for her arm and pulled us to a stop. “Wait. Were you snooping?”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t call it that. Snooping implies that I went out of my way to find out Mr. Hill’s secrets. In reality, he was flaunting his affair for anyone to see. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”
She pulled her arm out of my grip and kept walking. I ran to catch up to her. She seemed so sure of herself, not like someone embarrassed to have stumbled upon an affair.
“Does that happen often? You being in the right place at the right time?”
She smirked. “Sort of.”
“What else do you know?”
Her bright eyes slid to me, alight with excitement. “I’ve been back in Blackwater for two weeks and the things I know could turn this entire town on its head.”
“Like what?”
She pointed to a nondescript blue house we were passing on the left. “It’s a lot of little things, like that woman that lives there. Mrs. Peterson, right? She steals roses from her neighbor’s garden, and Mr. Jenner goes through his next door neighbor’s trash.”
I stared at the houses as we passed them, wondering if Lilah was telling the truth.
She continued, “We’re all consumed with the petty drama, the minor stuff settled right up at the top, like roses and trash. Not many people realize how easy it is to dig a little deeper.”
She sounded like she knew from experience.
“You’re saying there are bigger secrets? Like what?”
The curl of her lips slowly faded to a straight line as she shrugged.
“Things people would prefer to keep buried.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lilah
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The warning bell rang through the hallway, indicating that I had less than a minute to make it across the school for physics. They gave us five minutes to get from one period to the next and I’d thought I’d snub my nose at the establishment by attempting to use the restroom. Mistake. I shoved my physics textbook into my backpack and slammed my locker closed. I spun on my heel, prepared to make a run for it, when I nearly ran straight into Ashley.
She laughed. “Sorry, I was calling your name but you didn’t hear me.”
I smiled, already moving in the direction of my physics class. “Sorry. I’m kind of in a hurry.”
Her smile fell. “Oh, it’s cool. I just wanted to see if you had plans for this weekend. I think Trent is going to lift some stuff from his mom’s boyfriend’s stash.”
I withheld a cringe. “Actually, I’ll probably just stick close to home this weekend. Binge on Netflix and do that history report I’ve been putting off.”
In truth, I wanted to start working on my garden.
“Sounds fun, except for the fact that Chase will be there.” She made a fake gagging motion. “Yeah he’s hot, but he’s such a goody two-shoes.”
“He’s not that bad,” I shrugged, taking another step back.
“I’m sorry, are you on crack? He’s one of the chosen people.”
Students rushed around us trying to get to class before the tardy bell, but Ashley wasn’t the least bit preoccupied by the threat of detention.
“Listen, I gotta get to class. I’ll call you later.”
Before she could reply, I took off. I knew I looked like a dork running with my backpack jostling around, but I fully embraced it. Our school had zero tolerance for tardiness. Every day, the principal reiterated over morning announcements that being tardy would land you in detention, no exceptions.
I rounded the corner into the science wing and was two feet from the door when the final bell rang, marking my doom with its shrill sound. Mr. Jenkins stood behind his desk prepared to start class, and I knew there was no hope. He’d see me as soon as I walked into the room.
“OH MY GOD. WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!”
Chase was standing by the windows with his hands cupped around his eyes like binoculars. He pressed closer to the glass and stared up at the sky as if he was watching a meteor hurl its way toward earth. All the students jumped out of their seats and ran to get a closer look, and I jumped on the opportunity. Mr. Jenkins yelled at everyone to sit back down and I crept slowly around the edge of the room, trying to slip past him undetected.
“What are you talking about Chase?” one girl asked. “I don’t see anything.”
“Yeah, nothing’s there,” another classmate chimed in.
“What?! You don’t see it? It’s humongous!” Chase exclaimed, pointing wildly toward the sky.
“Chase, you idiot,” Connor said, slapping him on the shoulder. “It’s just a cloud.”
“Yeah, but it’s not every day you see a cumulus!”
Mr. Jenkins clapped twice and the sound echoed around the room like brass cymbals.
“That’s enough! Nice try Mr. Matthews, but one more distraction like that and you’ll be joining Mrs. Calloway for detention next week.”
I froze. Ugh. He’d noticed me sneak in and it was impossible to hide my disappointment as I took my seat. I slipped my backpack off my shoulders and let it fall with a thud beside my chair.
“Now, if everyone will take their seat, I’ll review one brief lesson before I hand out your problem set for the day.”
Chase leaned in as I was reaching for my textbook. “Sorry, I really thought that would work.”
I glanced over my shoulder and was met by his infectious grin.
“Cumulus was the best you could come up with?”
“I could have sworn that cloud looked like Mickey Mouse.”
Connor grunted. “Gimme your man card, dude.”
Chase’s eyes met mine and we laughed just as Ashley’s words echoed through my mind. She was right. Chase was one of the chosen people, but more than that, he was the last person I’d expected to be friends with upon my return to Blackwater. He and I had fought until the day I’d left town. It’d been a bitter war with two casualties and no spoils. I knew that, and yet his gravity still had a way of pulling me closer. I didn’t have a single friend in Blackwater—not unless I counted Harvey—but out of everyone, every kid in my graduating class, Chase was the closest thing I had to an ally.
His mother would be disappointed.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chase
Lilah bolted from the classroom as soon as the bell rang. I walked to the front of the class to turn in my problem set and saw hers at the very bottom of the stack. Her name was written in scrolling cursive, so neat and perfect. I laid my paper down on top of it.
She knew I didn’t have practice on Fridays, but she’d left without a second glance. I walked with Connor toward the parking lot, trying to work out her reasoning for leaving without me.
“So you’re in love with her, right?”
His question caught me by surprise, but by the time I glanced over, my shock was masked by annoyance.
He held his hands up in innocence. “Jeez! I was kidding. You seriously can’t take a joke these days.”
I picked up the pace, weaving through students trying to make it to their cars. Unfortunately, he caught up easily.
“But seriously, you are, aren’t you?”
The parking lot was packed with students, but I could see our group in the distance. Kimberly and Brian were talking with a few guys from the baseball team. I focused on them instead of looking at Connor, but that didn’t stop him.
“I mean the googly eyes between you two are vomit-inducing.”
I gripped the straps of my backpack and finally answered. “Let’s say hypothetically that you’re right, there’s no point in dwelling on it.”
His jaw dropped. “Why? Because she’s a vampire?”
I had never wanted to punch Connor more in my life, but fortunately for him, we reached our group before I could turn and sock him in the face.
“Main-man-Matthews!” Brian called as I joined the circle of people milling around his car. Everyone always lingered on Fridays, trying to solidify weekend plans before parting ways. Whose parents are out of town? Whose older brother can buy some alcohol? It was the same questions week after week.
“Are you excited for your game this weekend?” Kimberly asked me with a big smile.
I thought back to when I’d briefly mentioned it to Lilah on the way to school; I didn’t think she’d even been listening. “Yeah, but it’s just a scrimmage, nothing serious.”
Her smile never faltered. “I know, but I’ll still be there with the Diamond Girls. It should be fun.”
“Would you mind letting Lilah sit with you if she shows up?”
I asked the question before I realized how stupid it was. The odds of Lilah showing up for the game were slim at best. The chance of her sitting with Kimberly were astronomical.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Lilah
Saturday afternoon, I found myself walking into the baseball stadium at our high school wearing cutoff shorts and a Blackwater baseball shirt I'd found in the back of my closet. It was snug, but still fit well enough. I pulled my baseball cap lower and tucked a few strands of hair behind my ears.
“Lilah Calloway? Is that you hiding underneath that hat?”
I glanced up to see Mrs. Rochester behind the ticket booth. She was a friendly woman with a round build and a big smile. She would watch me when my dad brought me to the games when I was little. I hadn't seen her in a few years, but she looked nearly the same as she had back then.
“Hi Jan,” I said with a small smile as I slid my five dollars across the counter for my ticket.
She pushed it right back toward me. “Oh please. Your daddy would cut my hand off if I took your money.”
“Oh, okay.” I didn't feel like protesting, so I took the ticke
t she held out for me and pocketed my five dollars. “Thanks.”
“Does he know you'll be here?” she asked with a kind smile.
I hadn't been to one of my dad's games in years. He had dragged me along when I was young, but once I was old enough to stay at home by myself, he let me decide what I wanted to do.
“I told him this morning,” I said, recalling his reaction at the breakfast table. His eyebrows had practically met his hairline as I’d casually mentioned dropping by to watch him and the team.
“Well, I'm so happy you're here. I have to man the ticket booth until the second inning starts, but after that I'll come say hi to you in the stands,” she promised as a young family walked up to purchase tickets.
As I walked away, I found myself hoping she actually meant what she'd said because I was fairly sure I'd be sitting by myself. Somehow I doubted Ashley and Trent were spending their Saturday afternoon rooting on the “Mighty Wolves” baseball team.
Truthfully, I didn’t know why I was there. Chase had only mentioned the game in passing. It’s not like he really expected me to show up. I told myself I was there for my dad or as a thank you to Chase for trying to get me out of detention; those reasons were easier to digest than the truth.
With a tug on the brim of my hat, I walked along the back of the bleachers, past the concession stand that sold Frito pies and hot dogs with enough chili sauce on them to send you into a cholesterol coma. The rich smells took me back to my childhood. My dad would give me five dollars before each game to spend at the concession stand. I remember feeling like a queen with ring pops as stand-in rubies. A bright neon poster confirmed that they were still four for a dollar. Say what you want about small town economies, but they sure are resistant to inflation.