Dark Calling (14 page)

He moves back to his seat.  He may be down, but he’s not out.  Leaning forward, he whispers desperately in
her ear.
“I’m the same guy I’ve always been.  I didn’t pretend to be somebody different. 
It’s just...your first day here—when you wouldn’t talk to anyone—do you remember?” 
She
nods stiffly.  “I gave it a try
and you laughed.  You laughed and you actually spoke to me.  I may have pushed the
friendship,
I may have lied about
my age, p
retended like I belonged at this school, but I never lied about who I was.  Who I really am.  A
nd our friendship wasn’t
a lie.  You are a very likeable person.”
  He smiles sideways though she doesn’t see it
.  “
I
have known Nick and Lila and Dustin my whole life, but you are my best friend Keely.  I’ve t
old you things that I haven’t
told any of them.  And the t
hings you
told
me
, I swear I didn’t tell them.  Only what was pertinent to keeping you safe.  I was brought on this job to help you, but
I’m
the one that needs you.  You are my best friend.  Please
, you have to forgive me.”

Keely blinks.  She wasn’t expecting
a
passionate hushed
speech
breathed into her ear
.  This i
sn’t Bryo
n’s style.  She definitely wasn’
t exp
ect
ing
to feel so torn.  She wants so badly to trust him.  Wants
more than anything to forgive him and get back to the way it used to be.
Now, more than ever, she needs
a friend.
  She turns around slowly to face him.

“With everything going on, I needed someone to talk to.  Someone I could trust.  That person should have been you, but it wasn’t.  I just don’t know.”

Bryon sinks back
, his head down.
  “You’re killing me, Kiem.  What can I do?  Name it.  I will do anything to make you forgive me.  Do you want me to kiss your feet again?”

Keely laughs.  “No.”

“I’m asking too much.  Don’t forgive me.  Don’t forget.  Just give me another chance.  I will prove to you that you can trust me.  I will be the very best friend you
have ever had.  Come on, Keely.
I’m begging you.”

Everybody deserves a second chance.  Her mom’s motto.  She misses he
r mo
m so much.  She misses Bryon
.

“O.k.  A second chance.  But if you lie to me again, I cannot be held responsible for my actions.  I may have to kill you.”

Bryon beams at her.  “I will load the gun myself.”
 

“You’re lucky I love you so much,” she sighs.

“True story
. 
You know I love you too.  Right?”  His expression is suddenly so serious, almost pleading.  Keely’s lips part.  She licks them cautiously.  Her knee bounces as her heel taps the floor.  She is saved from
responding
as Mr. Giordano begins class.  He in
forms them
they will be working on a
group p
roject.  He then, unsurprisingly,
assigns K
eely, Bryon and Nick as a group
and asks to speak to them after class.
 

Mr. Giordano passes out the information they need to begin their projects.  Keely, Bryon and Nick push three desks together and pretend to work.

“So, do I not have to do homework in this class?” Keely asks.  She can’t help but smile at the idea.

“I wouldn’t.”  Bryon lifts a shoulder.

“He’s a real teacher, he taught at
our old school, so you
might.  This project is bogus though
.”

“That’s be
tter than I originally expected,
”
Keely says with a grin.
 

“Your
juice box is a little fuller today than it was yesterday, Kiem.”  Bryon smiles widely, flashing a mouth full of perfect white teeth.

“I guess so.  My juice box was pretty much empty yesterday though, so I’ll take whatever I can get.”
She rests her chin in her palm.  Blocks ou
t the conversation that begins
between Nick and Bryon.  Gazes around the room.
  D
ana waves.  Her eyes move past K
eely quickly.  Slowly brush over Nick.  Rest on Bryon.
  “Dana’s checking you guys out.  Again.”

“She has a crush on me,” Bryon says casually. 

“Me too,” Nick adds.

“Yeah, I kind of got that.”

“I don’t date girls like her.”  Nick shrugs and leans back in his seat.
  Keely’s eyes narrow.  Rake over Nick’s lazy posture.

“What do you mean?”

Nick looks up slowly.  Absorbs Keely’s scowl.  “Who?  Me?”

“Hmph.  Yeah you.  What do you mean, you don’t date girls like her?  What’s wrong with Dana?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her.  I’m just not interested in that type of girl.”

Bryon laughs.  Keely glare
s at both of them.  “Meaning?” s
he asks, her voice acidic.

“She’s fake.  She’s immature.”

“Immature?”

Nick rubs both hands over his face.  Why does she have to mak
e such a big deal out of things?
  Why is everything he says worthy of a fight?  “Everybody has a type.  I’m not trying to be mean.  I’m sure you have a preference.  What kind of guys do you like?”  He meant to ask the question to get the focus off of him, but as
she
taps her fing
ers on the table,
clearly in thought, Nick becomes
absolutely intrigued with the answer.

“I don’t know.  I guess I don’t have a specific type.” 

“Yes you do.  Everyone does,”
Bryon chimes in, pursuing the issue
.  He’s smiling as if he finds something extremely funny.  Or someone.  Someone like Keely.

“Well, what’s your type then?” s
he asks Bryon pointedly.

“Breathing,” Nick suggests
, chuckling.  Keely laughs too.

“Although that is definitely a requirement
—
I’m not into necrophilia
,
at least not anymore.”  He raises his eyebrows and laughs.  “S
he has to be cool.  A sense of humor.  And a good personality.  Hotness helps.”
 
Keely rolls her eyes.  Of course he finishes with looks.
 
“Now you,” he prods.

“I guess what you said.”

“Oh, that’s so hot.”

“
With a guy
though.”  Keely smirks at Bryon.

“That’s not nearly as hot,” he sulks.

Nick sits forward.  “You just stole Bryon’s.  You can’t do that.”

“
There are no rules,” Keely protests.

“It’s my game.”

“I don’t know what my type is.  I haven’t had a type since…
my old school.
  My type before was immaturely based on who was the cutest and most popular.  Seeing as how I
now
find the most popular guy revolting, I’d say my tastes have changed.  Anyways, you never said what kind of girl you’re interested in.  Or guy, whatever.”  She smiles hugely.

“
Though I appreciate your open mindedness,
I like
girls
who are confident,” Nick says slowly.
 
“
Someone who doesn’t care what the world thinks, just what the people she cares about think.  Smart, funny.  Daring.  And mature.”  He looks at Keely as he says this, but she doesn’t notice.  She barel
y hears a word he says
because her phone is vibrating against her leg from its pocket in her back pack.

She pulls it nonchalantly from her bag.  Slides it in her back pocket. 
Stands up and asks to use the hall pass, catching Nick and Bryon by surprise.  They exchange a look of confusion.

Mr. Giordano hands her the pass.  Shoots an expectant look at Nick, who then asks for a pass as well.  Keely nearly stomps her foot before she rushes out the door.  She hopes she can make it to the girls’ restroom before Nick catches up to her.  Surely he wouldn’t follow her in there.

She doesn’t make it.  “Keely, wait up.  Are you all right?  If I offended you, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to
make you mad
.
  It’s like having a favorite flavor of ice cream.
”

She turns, confused.  “Offended me?  No.  I just need to use the bathroom.  I can go by myself.  Can’t I?  I mean, I’ve been potty trained for like, years.”

Nick’s eyebrows merge as they scrunch together.  “Uh, yeah.  I’ll just wait for you right here.”

She leaves him standing in the hall
and rushes into the bathroom. 
The lighting is different in here.  A yellowish glow fills the small room.  The s
peckled tile has a glossy shine that causes Keely’s shoes to squeak
. 
As soon as the door clicks behind her, she is ripping the phone from her pocket.  Flips to her text messages as
she closes herself in a graffitied
stall informing her of the several people
she should call when interested in having a good time. 

Keely reads the message twice and sinks to the floor.  Leans against the door.  Reads the message once again.  Every logical thought is to go get Nick.  The logical thoughts are not winning against the less intelligent, more emotional thoughts swirling around in her head.  She bites her lip and stares at the screen of her phone
.  CALL WHEN YOU’RE
AL
ONE.  It’s what she wanted.  So
why is she so scared to call?  Closing her eyes, Keely hits the send button twice
,
knowing it will call the last dialed number. 

Thr
ee rings later there is a click
and she hears a voice that instantly sends chills down her spine a
nd tears to her eyes.  “Hello, K
itten.  It’s been a long time.”

Unable to respond,
s
he stays quiet.  Bites her lip harder
.
Tastes metal in her mouth; it reminds her of
when she was younger and would suck on the cheap chains of her necklaces.
  If only she could go back to being a kid again.

“Now, now.  You did call me.  Don’t you have anything you’d like to say?”

As crazy as it seems, she has nothing she wants to say to him.  Cannot find words.  She draws in a ragged breath as tears stream down her face.  Wat
ches the splotches form as the
tears hit her shirt. 

“Th
at’s o.k.  I have plenty to say,” Apophis informs her.
 
“
I
assume you remember me, my beautiful Keely. 
So, I assume you understand how vital it is to your
dear parent
s
’
health for you to cooperate and do
exactly
as I say.”  He pauses as if she would possibly answer him.  Chuckles softly when she doesn’t.  “Now, the first
thing, and this is so important,
is to come alone.  I will know
if you’re not by yourself, my love
.  Do not try to trick me.  Save the tricking for those of us that ar
e more experienced. 
Don’
t worry though, what you lack in experience, you more than make up for in beauty.  And if you want it, I a
m more than willing to share some
of my
knowledge with you.”  He laughs again
and Keely is struck by how melodic his voice is.  If he hadn’t tried to murder her, Keely may
have
be
en
fooled by the angelic sound.  Angelic.  She cringes.  Memories wash over her like a ti
dal wave.  A tidal wave of acid burning
de
ep into her
inner
most
fears.  Closing her eyes, she releases them.  Allows
the fear
to flow around her
.  It
s
mother
s her.

“No?  Well, you think about it.  Anyways, I’m thinking the sooner we meet, the better.  How is right now for you?
  A bathroom isn’t my ideal rendezvous, but I do appreciate the privacy.”

Keely freezes.
  She can hear him in the phone
as well as in the room.  His voice echoes off the walls ar
ound her.  Coming to her senses,
she disc
onnects the call
and slides her phone back in
her pocket.  With sur
vival instincts pushing her, Keely
crawls
underneath
the floating wall
to the stall beside her.  She understands he has no intention of trading her parents for her.  He is only here to kill her.  She moves as quietly as she can.  Makes it to the next stall.  Her only plan is to get clo
se enough to the door before he
finds her so that maybe Nick can hear her scream.