The words were meant kindly, but to Gretchen, they held the sting of a slap that had caught her off guard. It had somehow never occurred to her that Jason might be here. Maybe because Ansell had existed in her Walfang universe so much longer than Jason had. Gretchen had known Ansell since they were small. He belonged to the Walfang that held Will and Tim and Angus. Jason was a rocky satellite that existed at the edge of her orbit—she thought of him as her own moon, not as a planet with orbits of his own.
“After I heard about what happened at Bella’s, I called him and told him not to show his face here.” Ansell shook his head. “He tried to play it off like he was some victim, but I was like, ‘Hey, I know Gretchen, okay?’ ”
Gretchen nodded, her head swimming. “Thank you.”
“Don’t sweat it. Hey, Angus is around here somewhere.… Oh! Hey, here’s Trina. You guys know each other, right?”
Trina detached herself from a pair of preppy worshippers and made her way over to join Gretchen. “Hello, Gretchen,” Trina said. Her mouth smiled, but her eyes stayed cold.
“Hi.” Gretchen squirmed uncomfortably, cursing herself for coming to this party without backup. She hadn’t returned Trina’s texts in days.
“Ansell!” someone shouted. Ansell gave Gretchen a friendly pat on the arm and plunged back into the crowd of partygoers.
“So, I guess you’ve been busy.” Trina didn’t smile.
“Yeah.” Gretchen didn’t feel like inventing excuses, but she was more than happy to take the one Trina offered.
“So … I talked to Jason.”
“Oh?” Gretchen was surprised, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. He sure moved on fast.
Trina’s lips curled into a smug smile of ownership. “Someone trashed his car—did you hear that?”
“What?”
“Yeah—he’s stuck driving his parents’ car—the Lexus is slashed up. Jason thought you might know something about it.”
Gretchen couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She felt welded into place. Jason suspects me? The news had shocked her; the accusation shocked her more. “No,” she finally managed to strangle out. “I didn’t even—I had no idea.”
“Really?” Trina sounded dubious. Her eyes flicked over Gretchen’s shoulder.
Gretchen turned. Asia was standing several feet away, near a railing wrapped in cords of tiny white lights. She was watching them.
Trina gave Gretchen one last up-and-down glance and walked off to rejoin her group of admirers. She said something to the preppy boys, and one of them turned to look at Gretchen. She felt herself blush with embarrassment and anger.
Asia put a hand on Gretchen’s shoulder. “Their thoughts can’t touch you.”
The words washed over Gretchen like a cool wave. She turned to face her friend. “You know, my mother used to always say, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.’ ” Gretchen sighed. “But that isn’t true.”
“They only hurt when you care,” Asia said.
Gretchen walked over to where Asia had been standing. “I guess that’s my problem.” She leaned against the railing, looking down at the dark water. Clusters of silver stars—the reflection of the tiny white lights—shone up at her, shimmering in the liquid blackness. A breeze blew up against her, cooling the sweat on her arms. It was a sultry night, and the bodies pressed close together on the pier created enough heat to make Gretchen’s red cotton sundress stick to her back. She lifted her thick hair off her neck, feeling a trickle creep down her spine. She turned toward Asia. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
Asia looked down at the water. She seemed as if she was considering how to respond. “I’m keeping an eye on someone,” she confessed.
Gretchen laughed. “Thanks.”
Asia cocked her head, a quizzical smile playing at her lips. “You think it’s you?”
“Isn’t it?”
Asia shrugged. “Perhaps,” she said. Her eyes sparkled, as if Gretchen amused her.
No wonder Will was asking about her. Gretchen was starting to have questions of her own. “You’re so …” Gretchen searched for the right word. “Strange.”
Asia laughed, and Gretchen blushed.
“I don’t mean that you’re strange,” Gretchen said quickly. “I just mean you’re—you know—kind of mysterious.”
“I’m not offended,” Asia said.
Silence settled between them. The party grew around them, the hot press of bodies encroaching on their space. “It’s hot here,” Asia said after a few moments. “How can you breathe?”
An arm brushed against Gretchen as a short, squat guy pressed past, fighting his way toward the beer. “It’s better here at the edge.”
“There’s no room.”
Gretchen shoved out an elbow, and someone retreated. A few inches appeared, and Asia slipped into the space. “It makes you want to dive in,” she said, looking down at the water.
“In that dress?” Gretchen joked.
Asia looked down at her white dress. It was goddess-style—halter at the top, gathers of white fabric down almost to her ankles.
“Not the best for a swim,” Gretchen pointed out.
“Hm.” Asia looked down at the water again, seeming to barely hear her. She narrowed her eyes suddenly, as if she saw something, and pulled back.
“What is it?”
Asia looked at her with cool green eyes. “Do you see anything?”
Gretchen studied the water. “No.”
“No,” Asia repeated.
Gretchen studied her friend’s face but couldn’t read anything there. Over Asia’s shoulder, Gretchen noticed a handsome dark-skinned guy checking Asia out. Her exotic looks had been attracting quite a bit of attention, and Gretchen had to check a pang of jealousy. The other reason Will was asking about her.
“I have to step away from here,” Asia said suddenly. “This heat …”
“Really?” Even in the press of people, Asia seemed cool and unmussed.
But Asia was already moving away, gliding past bodies and moving steadily toward the end of the pier. Gretchen watched her move. It was as if there were a force field around her. She collided with no one, and no one touched her.
“Someone’s looking at you.” Angus appeared at Gretchen’s side, holding a plastic cup half full of foam. He slipped into the space that Asia had left.
“Who?”
Angus nodded, and Gretchen spotted a pale boy in a black T-shirt and jeans. His huge eyes met hers for a moment, then flicked away.
“Oh, that guy,” Gretchen said vaguely. “Kirk the crazy screaming sophomore.” She watched as he picked up an empty beer cup and tossed it into the water. Then another. He reached for a third, but a girl snatched it away. She wasn’t finished with it, apparently. Kirk cringed and skulked away, octopus-like, reaching out his arms and legs along the railing and feeling his way backward.
“Crazy is right.”
“Local celebrity.”
“Hey, he gets his picture in the paper more than Lindsay Lohan.”
Gretchen laughed. A stray lock of hair blew across her face, and Angus reached for it, then drew his hand away, tentatively. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He leaned against the railing, his body weight on his arms, and stared down at the water.
Gretchen smoothed the hair out of her face and looked up at him, smiling ruefully. I guess I can’t expect things to go right back to normal with Angus.
“Where’s Jason?” Angus asked, giving her a sideways look.
Gretchen put her hands over her face and groaned. “Don’t mention that name.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard.” He smiled down at the water.
“Word gets around.”
Angus shrugged and turned to face her. “Jason has friends. I heard your waitress friend stood up for you.”
“I guess.”
“What’s her name—Asia, right?”
“Right.”
“Is she here tonight?”
“Som
ewhere.” Gretchen scanned the crowd, but the white dress had disappeared. “Why—you interested?” She blushed a little the minute the words were out of her mouth, but decided not to dig the hole deeper.
Angus scoffed. “Get serious.”
“She’s so gorgeous, though.”
“More like scary.”
“Really?” Gretchen blinked up at him. She thought about Asia’s green eyes, her long black hair. She was a little cold; then again, that was part of what Gretchen liked about her. She got the feeling that with Asia there weren’t any lies.
Angus watched her face for a moment. He seemed as if he was about to say something, then seemed to change his mind. “Is Will coming?”
“Allegedly.”
“No evidence?”
“Not so far.” Gretchen looked out at the shore. Beyond the dunes, the mansion was lit up, spewing light almost to the sand. The lights from the pier glowed to the water, leaving the waterline in gray shadow. The sand was dotted with dark shapes—couples who had escaped the hot, sweaty party to make some heat of their own.
“So you’re stuck with me?” Angus asked.
“I guess it’s you or Kirk.” Gretchen looked over toward the skinny boy. He was having an animated conversation with someone—someone invisible. The passion in his face gave Gretchen the creeps.
“Someone needs to do an intervention with that kid.”
“Then what would everyone talk about?” Gretchen asked. “The paper wouldn’t have anything to publish.”
Angus nodded. “Yeah. Still, I feel sorry for him.”
“Why don’t his parents do something?”
“His mother’s always down at the bar with her shady boyfriend, the dealer. His father’s dead. His sister’s the only sane one. But Adelaide’s only twenty. What’s she gonna do?”
They stood there, side by side, looking down at the water. Below them, a ghostly figure moved away from the pier, along the stretch of wet sand. The water raced to meet her bare feet, spilling up around her ankles. Gretchen could tell by her movements as well as her long dark hair that it was Asia. Her white dress seemed to shimmer, like the lights in the water below, as she faded slowly into the darkness. Gretchen sighed, wondering when everything had gotten so complicated.
Will watched her watching the water for a few moments. A wave reached out, embracing her feet with gently hissing bubbles. She sank slightly in the sand before the water sucked back toward the sea. The hem of her white dress was wet, but she didn’t seem to care. She was looking out over the dark horizon.
Will was behind her, sitting on the sand in the semi-darkness. He had been sitting there for at least half an hour. He’d promised Gretchen that he would go to the party, but the nearer he got, the heavier his footsteps became. Will hated yelling small talk over loud music. He hated being shoved up against people he didn’t know. Tim had always been the fun brother—the one who loved people.
Will’s head was full of Tim tonight. Here, at the edge of the water, the memories of their last night together came fast and thick.…
“Will, where’s your brother?” his father had asked as he banged in through the back door. “I told him I needed his help with the tractor.”
Will shoved his chair away from the table. “I can do it.”
“Bert, for heaven’s sake, don’t bother with that now.” Will’s mother shot her husband a look from the sink, where she was trimming sugar snap peas. “Will, I need you to finish chopping those tomatoes. And Bert, go wash up—you’re covered in grease. We’re ready to eat in ten minutes.”
“Woman, you boss me around like you’re the queen of England,” Will’s father said playfully.
She flicked a kitchen towel at him. “I’m the queen of the house.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“It’s Your Majesty,” she corrected.
“Got it.” Will’s dad winked at him and headed down the hall to wash up.
Will took the tomatoes to the stove and added them to the pan, where onions were already browning. The pulpy juice immediately began to bubble and turn orange around the edges in the sweet butter.
“Thanks, Will. Would you go find Tim for me? Let him know that we’re about to eat?”
“Sure.” Will loped upstairs, then climbed the ladder and poked his head up through the floor. “Tim?”
No answer.
Will climbed up to the top. Tim had converted the attic to his room the year before. It had low ceilings and only two tiny windows. But from the windows, there was a beautiful sweeping view. To the left were dunes and beyond that the sea. To the right was the bay. Tim spent hours up there, reading or playing the guitar. It was a cozy space, and Will often joined his brother there for long talks.
Will walked over to the window and looked down over the farmland below. The rows of iris had just begun to explode into ribbons of vibrant colors. Flowers were a lucrative crop, and these sat next to the thick, bushy heirloom tomatoes—just flowers, no fruit yet—and the smaller rows of sage, thyme, and dill. To the left was the bluff, and beyond the rows were the dunes, and then the sea. Will saw two figures down there. One was Tim. The other, with long blond hair lit by the setting sun, was Gretchen.
Will hesitated a moment, watching them. They seemed deep in conversation. He wondered what they were saying. Will knew how Tim felt about Gretchen—everyone knew. And Will could only assume that Gretchen felt the same way. Of course she loved Tim. Will had always feared that he would end up the third wheel instead of the third Musketeer. Maybe this year would be the year.…
“Will!” Mrs. Archer called up the stairs. “Tell Tim he has two minutes!”
Will hustled down the stairs and out the door. He cut across the fields between two rows of beans dotted with small white flowers along the vines. But by the time he’d reached the sand, Tim was alone.
He’d been standing at the edge of the water, watching the waves. Just as Asia watched them now.
Will stood looking at her, wondering what to say.
“I know you’re there,” she whispered after a moment, although she didn’t turn to look at him.
“All right,” he said, and she whipped around to face him. Her sandals fell into the retreating water with a splash.
Will hurried to retrieve them, and Asia’s face had somewhat recovered by the time he handed them—crusted with sand—back to her.
“Thank you.” She spoke to the sandals rather than to him.
He looked at her carefully. “You seem surprised to see me.”
Asia looked up at him, but didn’t speak. Will felt a tremble of doubt. He’d been sure that she’d been talking to him, but now he wondered if the words “I know you’re there” could have been meant for someone else.
“You didn’t like the party?” He stood close to her, so close that the top of her head was level with his chin. His body burned with the desire to brush that hair with his lips.
“It was too hot.” She looked up at him. “Too many bodies.”
He felt her voice, like music, through his body. He looked down into her eyes. “Can you explain to me how someone as small as you could intimidate someone as large as Jason Detenber?”
She went rigid. “What?”
The word was a clang—like a door slamming. It shook him, and Will blinked. “Gretchen told me what happened.”
“Did she?” Her voice had gone soft again, musical.
Will felt sleepy, but he fought it. “She did.”
“Are you certain?” It was a long note, almost a song.
Just agree, whispered a voice in his mind. But he couldn’t let it go. There were too many holes in his memory—too many questions. He needed some answers. “Yes.”
Asia cocked her head. She looked at him a long time. He had almost given up when she said, “You’re different.”
“What?” Will was so surprised by this that he took a step backward. “What do you mean?”
“There aren’t many like you, Will.”
Wil
l didn’t know what to say. “I’m nothing special.”
Asia just looked at him. “Most … people … have weak minds.”
“You say ‘people’ as if you aren’t one of us.”
“Life is full of mysteries,” Asia said at last. She held his gaze, but just for a moment, and then she kissed him on the jaw.
Before he even realized what happened, she was walking away across the sand. Will put a hand to his forehead. His brain was muddy, as if he’d just walked across a clear river, stirring up silt. He watched the white form as it began to fade from view. “You don’t have to be so mysterious all the time!” he shouted after her.
But she didn’t turn back.
Will sighed. He looked over at the pier. Gretchen and Angus were leaning against the railing, talking and smiling. Would she even really notice if I skipped the party? But Will knew that she would. He didn’t want to go, but it wasn’t worth hurting her feelings.
The sand rasped softly underfoot as he headed toward his friends. As he approached the pier, the gentle roar of the sea beside him subsided, giving way to sounds of music and laughter.
“Will!” Gretchen, half dangling over the side of the railing, waved frantically at him. He waved back, and hurried his steps toward the pier.
She fought her way through a thicket of moist bodies to reach him at the end of the pier, near the sand. “You made it,” she said. Her cheeks were pink from the heat, and her smile lit up her whole face. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a pretty red halter dress. He was taken off guard at how beautiful she was. Usually Gretchen was just … Gretchen. But here, with her hair blowing in the soft breeze, she looked different to him.
Angus had gotten caught by Gina Abernathy—the chattiest girl in Walfang—and it took him a moment to extricate himself. “Hey, man,” he said, appearing at Gretchen’s side. “A couple of people are talking about building a bonfire on the beach. What do you think?”
Someone screamed from the other end of the pier, and that was when Will saw the figure standing atop the railing at the edge. Someone reached out as the figure spread its arms wide.