Dark Calling (13 page)

Nick rummages through his drawers.  Finds an old
Superman tee shirt to put on.  Asks Keely, “What are you looking for?” as he watches her search her backpack. 

“My medicine.”

Nick ties his shoes.  Knows he should keep his mouth shut, but as he hears the sound of pills rattling, he says what’s on his mind anyway.  “Do you really need those?”

“These?” Keely asks, holding up her prescription bottle.

He nods.  Pulls the leg of his jeans down over the top of his shoe.

“My doctor prescribed them, so yeah.”

“Your psychologist.”

Keely pauses
, lid in hand.  “Yes.  My psychologist.”  They’re eyes are locked on
each other
.

“Just hear me out.  I think now
that you understand what happened to you, and you have me to watch out for you, well, maybe you won’t need them anymore.”

“So, you are speaking as someone who attended eight years of medical school?  Or possibly someone with experience in diagnosing patients?”  He
doesn’t answer.  Doesn’t think
she really expects him to.  “No?  How about as someone with firsthand knowledge as to the inner workings of my
psyche?” 
She pops the tiny pill into her mouth dramatically.  Gulps down the end of his coffee.  It tastes bitter.  Mirrors how she is currently feeling.

“You ready?”
Nick asks.
  He s
natches his keys up.  Wa
its by the door.  Keely follows
him
out without a word. 

They split off.  Ta
ke separate cars to school.  Nick is at her car before she has the chance to shut it off.
  Halfway through the parking lot, Lila and Bryon join them.

“How are you today?” Bryon asks Keely quietly.
Nervously,
she thinks.  She stops walking.  Looks him in the eye.

“If you’re asking me if I’m still mad at you, yes.  I am still pisse
d as hell.  I understand my mom, for whatever reason,
didn’t want me to know.  But you pretended to be my friend.  My only friend.  I told you things that I didn’t tell anybody
else
.  And you probably turned around and told them,” she points to Nick and Lila, “everything I have ever said.”  She pushes her hair out of her face.  “I feel betra
yed.  I don’t know who to trust
because
you were that person
and now…now you’re just not.”  She starts walking.  Nick is on her heels.

“Keely, I didn’t pretend.  I mean, yeah, I did at first.  But you were cool.  After a little while, I didn’t have to pretend.  And I almost told you so many di
fferent times.”

“Almost?
 
You are judged by your actions, not your intentions, Bryon.  I don’t care who signs your paychecks.  If we were really friends, you would have told me.  Now, I will try to get past it.  Past it, not over it.  But I can’t do that with you hovering over me making excuses for yourself.”  She turns quickly to face Nick.  “That goes for you too.  Quit hovering over me.  You’re in every single one of my classes.  Just give me a little space, please.”

Nick doesn’t know why this surprises him.  Doesn’t understand why it stings.  He winces internally as if her words
burn him.  “Whatever you say, P
rincess.”  He hangs back with Bryon as Lila strides alongside Keely the rest of the way to the school.

Eight:

“Y
ou shouldn’t be so hard on them,” Lila says.
 
“
They are only trying to keep you safe.  And Bryon really does care about you.  H
e feels terrible about all this.”

“And he should.  I’m not going to repea
t how he lied to me for a year.”

“He had to.  It was his job.  He had no idea he’d wind up liking you.  You have to think about it from his perspective.  I mean, I would have done the exact same thing.  Our goal is to protect you, no matter what that takes.  Lies, truth—it doesn’t matter.”

“Do you even hear yourself?”  Keely looks at her sideways. 

“I hear myself perfectly well. 
The question is do you hear me?”

Keely thinks Lila’s trying to make a point, but she is missing it.  It doesn’t really matter.  She is holding firm to her
side.  She was the one lied to by the most important people in her life
after all.

“
You’r
e looking a little faded, Keely,” Farah calls.
 
“
Better run down to Freak-Mart and get yourself a bottle of instant emo before we all figure out what color yo
ur hair really is.”
  Joce
lyn, doing her side kick duties
giggles beside her.

Lila shoots them a
venomous glare.  Keely d
ucks her head and walks faster. 
Nick moves closer to her
protectively.

“Hey, Nick.  Did Freak-Mart have a two for one sale?  What happened?  You use
d
to be normal?”  Farah is smiling, but
her eyes are blazing with disgust.

“Yeah, they did
.  Too bad you missed it, Farah,” Lila says, her voice sweet as honey.
 
“
They had some great hats to co
ver that stupid hair cut of yours, too.”
  Her lips spread into a picture wo
rthy smile.  Farah is raging; h
er fingers curl into stubby little freckled fists.  Jocelyn has to grab her arm and pull her away.

“You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you Lila,” Farah shouts as she’s drug into the school.

“Why do you antagonize the children?” Dustin asks as he joins them.  He throws an arm around Lila.  Kisses the top of her colorful head.

“She started it.
”

“So
you finished it.  Makes sense,” Dustin laughs.  He tears his eyes off Lila to look at Keely.  “Hey Keel.  How are you holding up?”  He says it sympath
et
ically
, like he
already knows the answer.

“You too Dus
ty?”  She stops so unexpectedly
Nick walks into her.

“Ulp, sorry.”

Keely ignores Nick’s
apology, but puts her hand out, resting it on his arm,
as if to stea
dy him.  “So, who else? 
Dana?”
  She looks from face to face. 

“No, not Dana.  But Giordano,” Nick says.  He looks at her hand still on his arm.  “That’s it though.  I promise.”

Keely
’s mouth pops open.  She is
s
hocked to find her History teacher is involved as well.  She drops her hand.  Turns back toward the school.  Suddenly, she
doesn’t want to go anymore.  However, she
isn’t willing to admit t
hat
as
Nick opens the door for her.  They break off, she and Nick going one way, the others going another way.

“See you at lunch,” Lila sings.

“See you in History,” Bryon says to Keely.  It sounds like a question.  She nods dismissively.  Turns away just as Lila puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

Once
inside her home room class, Keely
plops
down in a seat and pulls her iPod, notebook
,
and pencil out
of her backpack
.  Places the ear buds into her ears and begins sketching
her view of the hallway
,
including the doorway and the fire extinguisher hanging beside it.

Nick watches from the desk beside her admiringly.  He loves her intensity when she draws.  As if she forgets there is anyone else around.  It’s her and her pencil.  He knows the music she is listening to must be a slow song.  Her body is perfectly still but the soft strokes of her hand.  He can tell jus
t by the mellow way she moves over
the paper. 

The teacher closes the door.  Takes attendance.  Hands out a reminder and
home room is over.  Keely packs up quietly, throws her picture into the trash on her way out the door.  Nick ducks down, fishes it out.  Slips it into his binder.  Keely peers over her shoulder.
  Green eyes quizzical.

“What are you doing?”

Nick tucks his binder under his arm.  “Nothing, let’s go.”

Algebra is uneventful. 
Her evil De
mon Prince brother is a no show
as Nick expected. 
They are kept busy throughout class and Keely doesn’t have a chance to think about how badly her life sucks.  Mr. Steffey gives them a ridiculous amount of homework before the bell rings. 

Nick waits patiently as Keely s
hoves her book into her back
pack
.  Drops her paper.  They nearly collide as they both bend to pick it up.  Both grab the sheet of paper, fingers touching.  Eyes meet and both smile.
  It’s the highlight of the hour.
 

Wal
king through the hallway, they’
re quiet.  Strange emotions are rumbling around inside of Keely. 
She has dated boys in the p
ast, but none since the attack
.  She hasn’t even though
t of boys like that since.  But
she
likes Nick.  And she actually thinks she trusts him.  Believes he will keep her safe.  Hopes he’ll help her find her parents.  An idea has been brewing since last night.  Nick had told her that it’s all her choice.  The Sussurro Demons told her to give herself to save her mom.  It was the best idea she could think of.  So this morning, while she was in the
bathroom, and Nick still slept,
she left a message on her mom’s c
ell phone.  Her hands had shook
, but her voice was smooth, confident.  She asked for a meeting
place where she could exchange
herself for her
parents’ safe return.  Keely is hoping Nick will
go alo
n
g with this plan.  That he will
hel
p her trick her father.  She has
no real intentions of actually going with him anywhere.
 
Not unless it comes
to that, but th
at’s where Nick’s help really co
me
s in.  She i
s counting on him to bring her back.

Nick pauses by
the door to World H
istory.  Keely feels awkward as she enters the room.  Does Mr. Giordano know that she knows about who he really is?  Actually, now that she thinks about it, she
doesn’t
really know who he is.  All she knows is he’s somehow involved.  At least he’
s one of the good guys. 

Mr. Giordano ignores her as thoroughly as he did yesterday.  Nick moves past her and takes his se
at in the back. 
Bryon walks briskly into the room
wearing
his gray beanie despite the fact
it
is
way too warm for it
.  He s
i
ts at the empty desk behind her
though this is not his seat
.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Keely says.  She t
ucks a strand of hair behind her ear
.  Ignores
him
.

“All right.  I can’t take it anymore.  I can’
t stand you being mad at me, Kie
m.
I can’t take not talkin
g to you.  It’s only been a day
and I’m going crazy.
If I could do it all over, I would do it all
differently.  I’m sorry.  I was wrong.  Please forgive me.”  He jumps out o
f his s
eat.  Kneels
beside
her on the
dusty tiled
floor.  His
slender
hands folded around themselves as if he’
s praying.  No.  As if he’s
begging.
Everyone is staring at him.
  Twenty sets of eyes focus
on him.
Part of Keely wants to
laugh;
the other part is reminded
of how
he had been playing the part of her best friend for the past year
.  He takes her foot in his hand and kisses
the top of
her shoe.  “Please, please, please forgive me.  I was a stupid asshole, but I have learned my lesson and I swear on my mother’s life, I will never lie to you again.”  He crosses his heart with the hand not still holding her foot.
  Holds two fingers up,
scout’s honor.

“No.”  She
pulls her foot back.
  Pushes h
is knee with it.  He falls back,
flat on his behind.
  “I
can’
t forgive you.
I don’t know who you are, Bryon.”