Demon (10 page)

The thought made Rebecca giggle in spite of herself, and after one last glance in the mirror, she headed back out to the theater. She assumed Justyn and the others would all be enjoying their impromptu dinner backstage. But as she headed toward the large velvet curtains, she started to wonder if Professor Carter had decided they needed a little more practice. She was sure she heard singing. As she drew closer and could distinguish the words, she realized a whole chorus of voices was belting out lines that were meant as a solo for Livy. Lines about how disgusting Mrs. Lovatt thought her own pies were before she started using human flesh as the secret ingredient.

“Revolting as they can possibly be.

The worst pies in the city, as ya surely will see.

Stale and greasy, hard as a rock.

Don’t break a tooth or go into shock.”

In the play, Mrs. Lovatt sings the song to Sweeney Todd when he first shows up in her shop. At the moment, it seemed the whole cast was participating in a sing-along. But Rebecca recognized Justyn’s melodious tenor overpowering all the others. Boisterous bouts of laughter were mixed in with the slightly off-key notes and the occasional fuddle of lines as the cast and crew tried to follow along with dialogue that wasn’t their own.

When Rebecca peeked behind the curtains, the first thing she saw was Justyn and Livy waving their pizza slices in the air. Livy even had her arm around him as they swayed back and forth along with the music. Rebecca tried to ignore the ridiculous surge of jealousy she felt at seeing them duetting together. She knew Justyn wasn’t interested in Livy. Still, if
she
had a pie handy she would have happily shoved it down Livy’s throat.

“Nothin’ in the center but grease and goo.

With no meat to be had, what can I do?

Take just one bite; you’ll see that it’s true.

The worst pies in the city, I’m tellin’ you.”

They had just finished the chorus when Justyn noticed Rebecca standing in the corner. He tossed his veggie pizza down on a paper plate and jogged over to her with a smile on his face. She met him halfway, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. The rest of the singing instantly transformed to hushed chatter and scattered laughter with the departure of the obvious ringleader. Most of the kids were still giggling over their food, but Livy looked unmistakably annoyed by the interruption and tossed her untouched pizza down as well. Rebecca didn’t care. She wasn’t in the mood for Livy’s nonsense.

“What’s going on?” Rebecca asked. “I could hear you screeching all the way at the end of the theater.”

Justyn shrugged, unoffended. “Nothing, really. This pizza we ordered is just really terrible, and enjoying irony as I do, I just couldn’t resist pointing out the similarity to the play. Which, of course, led to everyone singing the
Worst Pies in the City
.”

“That’s so corny.” Rebecca rolled her eyes, but she kind of wished she had been a part of the fun. She felt even more like an outsider. She also hoped there’d be some pizza left, even if it
was
terrible. She hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, and she suddenly realized she was starving. But based on the fact that the empty boxes were strewn across the floor, she had to assume the food was gone already.

Justyn noticed her glance. “Don’t worry, I saved you a slice.”

That made Rebecca feel a little better. Justyn always thought about her. It reminded her of how lucky she was. Most teenage guys wouldn’t be nearly as considerate, especially where food was concerned. He walked over to grab the paper plate that he had left sitting beside Livy. But before he could reach it, Scott snatched it up and shoved the whole thing into his mouth in two large bites. He smirked at them as he wiped pizza sauce from his chin with the sleeve of his shirt.

“You snooze, you lose.”

“It’s okay.” Rebecca put a restraining hand on Justyn’s shoulder when she saw his posture tense. “I’m really not that hungry anyway.”

“Someone needs to teach that barbarian some table manners. He’s a….” He stopped in midsentence and narrowed his eyes to look at her a little closer in the dim light, Scott instantly forgotten. “Hey, have you been crying?”

She opened her mouth, not even sure how she was going to reply. The last thing she wanted was to rehash the details of her meeting with the director, especially not when Livy was within hearing distance. Luckily, she was spared from having to give Justyn a lengthy explanation because Megan bounced over to join them. As usual, Quinn wasn’t far behind. He just stopped along the way to dump his pizza crust in the nearest trashcan.

“Scott said P.C. called you away.” Megan put her arm around Rebecca. “Everything okay?”

Rebecca sighed. “Yeah. He just told me I need to loosen up a little. Apparently, I’m not quite slutty enough for him.”

Quinn chuckled. “Don’t worry about Crater Face,” he told her. “You’re doing great—just enough sluttiness without crossing the border to outright hooker.”

“I thought you were fabulous,” Justyn agreed, more seriously. “I really can’t imagine what P.C. is complaining about.”

“You’re a little biased,” Rebecca reminded him, but she was grateful for the encouragement.

“No, Becca,
really
,” Megan argued. “You did everything right. Your voice is fantastic, and you make Lucy seem funny and pathetic all at once.”

Rebecca couldn’t help but grumble a little. “That’s me, laughable and pathetic.”

“Oh seriously,” Megan continued, “it’s not easy to pull off that kind of combination on the stage. Not just any actress can do it. Really, you were great. I have no idea why Professor Carter is always picking on you.”

Rebecca was glad she wasn’t the only one who thought she was being signaled out. She was starting to think she was paranoid. Still, she really just wanted to put the whole awful day behind her. She was glad when they said their goodbyes for the night and started home. But she should have known Justyn wasn’t going to let it go so easily. She was working the combination on her bike lock when she felt his eyes boring into her. His gaze was never easy to ignore. She turned and looked up at him suspiciously.

“What?” she asked.

“Who says you aren’t a good actress?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe Megan and Quinn didn’t notice how upset you were,” Justyn said, “but you don’t really think you can hide it from
me
, do you? Do you want to talk about it?”

“It isn’t a big deal.” Rebecca tried to sound confident as she swung her leg over her bike. “Professor Carter tore me apart. But I survived, and I’m moving on. I’m not going to let it defeat me.”

“Good for you!” Justyn cheered. “Never let anyone stop you from living your dreams, Becca. I knew you had what it took from the first time I heard you sing.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You’ll
always
be my angel of music.”

Rebecca smiled. It was her first heartfelt smile since the meeting with the director. Justyn always knew the right things to say. Without him, she would never have the confidence to get up on the stage at all. Between his adoring stare and the full moon smiling down on them, it was hard to stay upset. She actually started to feel a little optimistic again. She was still starving though, which was obvious when her stomach let out an obnoxious rumble that was so loud it made her blush. Justyn couldn’t help but hear it and glanced at her just before he started to peddle.

“Do you want to stop and get something to eat?”

Rebecca shook her head, still a little embarrassed. “No, that’s okay. I have a big exam tomorrow. I should get home and study. I’m sure I can scrounge something up to eat when we get there. Unless you’re still hungry….”

Justyn made a face. “No, I’m not hungry at all. That pizza really was awful. I feel a little sick.”

Rebecca frowned, concerned. “Are you going to be okay riding home?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He waved his hand. “It’s no big deal.”

Rebecca was still concerned. As a habitual worrier, she always made a fuss over her boyfriend. Justyn never complained. He liked having her attention, and she felt needed when she was giving it. She kept a close eye on him the whole ride back to the apartment. It wasn’t until they were safely home and she was immersed in her textbook that she temporarily forgot about him mentioning it. She had also forgotten about being hungry, until her stomach started to growl unattractively for the second time that day. Luckily, Justyn was too busy reading a novel about the true story of Sweeney Todd to notice.

“I think I’m going to make some Ramen Noodles,” she announced. “Do you want some?”

Justyn shut his book and placed a hand on his stomach. “I can’t even think about food right now.” He groaned.

Rebecca instantly forgot about eating. For the first time, she noticed Justyn was a little pale—even paler than usual. She shut her textbook, slid a little closer to him on the loveseat, and laid a hand on his knee.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded. “My stomach is just a little upset. I’m fine though. You can go back to studying. Don’t worry about me.”

Rebecca ignored him and went right on worrying, especially when she noticed his hands were trembling. “I’ve studied enough for one night. Besides, you know I can’t concentrate on anything when I’m worried about you.”

“That’s sweet.” He kissed her nose. “But really not necessary. Go ahead and make your dinner if you’re hungry.”

“I have some Pepto Bismol in the medicine cabinet,” she offered.

Justyn raised a pierced eyebrow. “Do you really think I’d allow anything hot pink anywhere near my mouth?”

That made her giggle a little, but not enough to stop her from feeling concerned. “Dandelion tea, then? I’m pretty sure there’s some in that basket of herbs Darlene gave us. Just let me go look for it….”

She started to stand, but Justyn grabbed her hand and pulled her back down beside him. “Shhhh. I’m okay. Really. Still, I have to admit, you’re beautiful when you’re being paranoid.”

She didn’t fight it when Justyn pulled her closer and kissed her. She fell into the embrace almost instantly, just like every time his soft tongue began its tentative exploration. He caressed every inch of her body, peppering her skin with gooseflesh. She was excited to reciprocate his sensual touch. Her hands traveled over every inch of his familiar body, starting at his shoulders, running down his back. Finally her fingers snuck beneath the grinning white skull on his T-shirt to caress his bare chest. She planned to venture lower, but he stopped her and pressed his hand against his stomach. Then, breathless, he pulled away, buried his face in her hair, and groaned.

“Justyn, what’s wrong?” Rebecca fretted

He didn’t reply for a long time, just pulled her closer with an almost desperate need. Eventually, she pulled free from his grasp and gently pushed him back against the sofa so she could study him closer. He didn’t seem to have the strength to fight her. He leaned back and closed his eyes, but he didn’t let go of her hand. He was squeezing it so hard her fingers were starting to feel a little numb. Rebecca was crossing the border from worry to complete and total panic.

“Justyn, what’s the matter?”

“I’m okay,” he said, but his voice was still strained.

“Liar.”

“Really, I just … aghhh.” He doubled over and moaned, his face losing color by the second. He finally stopped trying to act tough and squeezed her hand even tighter. “Becca, my stomach is killing me.”

“What can I do?” She brushed the hair out of his eyes.

He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he leaned back against the loveseat, shut his eyes, and pressed his hand against his stomach. She thought his breathing seemed a little strained. Wanting to comfort him in some small way, she rubbed her hand up and down his arm and hoped the worst of it would pass quickly. At the same time, she was trying to remember the directions to Urgent Care. She didn’t for a second think he was just being a typical whiny guy. She had nursed him through a bullet wound with very minimal whining on his part. So if he said he was hurting, she knew it had to be serious.

“Justyn?” she whispered after several minutes had passed in silence. “Say something. You’re scaring me.”

Finally he opened his eyes and took a long breath. His grip on her hand loosened slightly. “I feel a little better now. Sorry I scared you. Wow.” Rebecca imagined he might have blushed if his face wasn’t so peaked. “I’m never ordering from that pizza place again. They really were the worst pies in….”

Justyn stopped talking in midsentence. He didn’t double over again, but he definitely didn’t look good. In fact, he looked a little green.

“Justyn?”

“Oh, gods….”

He let go of her hand, jumped up from the couch, and flew toward the bathroom with his hand over his mouth. He very nearly knocked Rebecca off the sofa in his haste to get away. She blinked a few times before she got up to follow him. The bathroom door was closed, but even with the fan running, she could still hear the sound of him heaving. It made her glad she never got around to making herself dinner.

Rebecca paced nervously in the narrow corridor, not sure whether she should knock or give him some privacy. After a while it started to get quiet, but still he didn’t come out. She didn’t want to embarrass him, but when she started having visions of him passed out on the linoleum, she knew waiting wasn’t going to be an option. She gently tapped on the door.