Four (Their Dead Lives,1) (23 page)

Alec smiled benevolently. “God bless America.”
 

Hours later, Scot sat in the back of the classroom of his history class. Rows of nodding heads were seated in front of him. A few students focused on the old teacher ranting about the Norman invasion of 1066.
 

Next to the scrawny fifteen-year-old was Kelsey. His heart raced whenever he thought she was looking at him. He wanted to look into those bright green eyes of hers. His courage grew. He turned.
 

Instant deflation.
She’s not looking at me.
 

Kelsey stared forward at the teacher, clearly deep in thought, then peeked at a paper on her desk and made her move. The two teens, as they often did during class, were playing a heated game of Hangman. She handed the paper back to Scot. A six-letter word.
 

As he wrote down letters, waiting for Kelsey to nod or shake her head no, a lightbulb went off. He successfully finished guessing her word, JAZZED, and was relieved he didn’t guess something inappropriate. He started a new game, pencil trembling as he drew each line.
Keep going, you got this.
 

In the front of the classroom, the old teacher paced back and forth, talking about something none of the kids cared about. Half of them were falling asleep, if they weren’t already in a boredom-induced coma.
 

Scot’s pencil kept shaking and he paused halfway through his sentence.
 

Just do it
, he heard Alec say.
 

Kelsey tapped her foot against the leg of his desk, urging him to hurry up.
 

“One second,” Scot quickly whispered.
 

Finished, he handed her the paper, fighting to calm his nerves. He was surprised by how quickly she picked the correct letters. His heart was in his throat.
She knows already?
His face heated. A minute went by and the game board was three-quarters full. Scot gulped, analyzing Kelsey for her reaction.
She figured it out. What’s she thinking?
Looking away, he fought to stare back, pretending to pay attention to the teacher, waiting for Kelsey to do something. Anything. Her hand touched his wrist, and the sensation brought heat to his face. Fighting to breathe, he looked into her beautiful eyes.
 

“Yes,” Kelsey whispered, her smile beaming. She moved her hand to his, knocking the paper to the ground, revealing its contents:

“m a y i t a _ e y o _ o _ t f o _ d i n n e _?”
 

Distracted by her hand on his, Scot failed to notice another person reach down and pluck the paper. Tug Plowsky glared up at Scot and Kelsey with a devilish grin.
 

“Scotty asked you out through a game of hangman?” The lanky teenage boy sneered, waving the paper around.
 

“Give it back.” Scot lunged for it. A miss.
 

“Seriously, Tug, drop it.” Kelsey whispered the order, her voice furious.
 

“No, think I’ll keep it. Show kids around school how romantic Scotty is.” Tug Plowsky rammed his seat back, sending Scot’s desk against the wall with ease. How Scot hated Tug Plowsky. A stereotypical bully in his junior year of high school, Tug was attempting to pass history for the third time. Like most bullies, he cared less about the class and more about tormenting other students. Especially Scot.

“Everything okay back there?” The old teacher mumbled, but within seconds she went back to lecturing. With her attention distracted, Scot lunged for the paper in Tug’s hand again. The larger teen thrust his elbow down, slamming into Scot’s shoulder, and Scot tumbled from his desk, crashing on the dirty classroom floor.
 

Scot’s face burned red. Feeling all the students staring at him, he raised his hands to cover his eyes. He felt scrawny, small, and pathetic.
 

Tug nudged him. “Get up, you’re making a scene.”
 

Stand up for yourself. Do something.
Scot raised his head. “Fuck you, Tug.”
 

Jaw dropping, Tug’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Acedia, did you hear that?”
 

“Scot Garner! Get back in your desk.” The old teacher inquired no further and lectured on.
 

Scot pulled himself back into his desk, hiding from all the eyes on him, hiding from Tug’s chuckles, hiding from the girl he wanted ever so badly. Slumped down in his desk, he pretended to focus on his notebook, shielding himself from whatever expression was crossing Kelsey’s face.
 

I hate today.
 

“You’re dreaming, man.”
 

“Am I? I’m pretty sure I’m standing here awake, Jimmy.” The stubby Kale slammed his locker shut, staring at Jimmy Miller’s pimply face.
 

“Yeah, whatever. You’re not going to find him. If the sheriff can’t, how can you?”
 

“I’ll find him. He’s a crazed maniac. They’re always found.”
 

An abductor had been plaguing Green Hills for the past few months, kidnapping kids.
 

“Yeah, in movies. In books. This ain’t those.” Miller smiled, showing his crooked yellow teeth.
Gross
.
 

Does he ever brush?
“Well, where would you look?” Asking Jimmy was pointless, but he wondered what the bonehead thought.
 

Miller shuffled his feet as several kids shoved past him. “How about those woods by the coast? Lots of trees. Lots of hiding places. No one goes there.”
 

Kale was surprised that Jimmy actually made sense. “This might be the smartest idea you’ve ever had, man. You should be a cop.”
 

Miller kicked one foot aimlessly, his hands gripping his backpack straps. “No, I want to be an astronaut.”
 

“But imagine if we found him? We would be heroes. Famous.”
 

“I don’t want to be famous.” Miller looked out the hall at the sun, his voice dreamy, distant. “I want to be in space.”
 

“Let’s go search today after class. We can go check out those woods.”
 

Miller snorted. “I was kidding. Get your other friends and check it out.” He left for the open quad.

“You mean my real friends,” whispered Kale. He shoved one hand in his locker. Without looking, he rummaged for his English book.
I hate class. A kidnapper preys on our town, and I have to read about less interesting stuff than the poop I made this morning.
He yanked the book out, slammed his locker shut, and left the dark hall, stepping under the sun.
 

Jeff lowered the town newspaper to his lap, legs crossed on the grass. “He got another one. I don’t believe it.”
 

“Who?” Alec draped his arm around Nicole’s shoulder. The three of them sat near the baseball field as the Panthers practiced for their next game.
 

“The kidnapper guy. Third kid from Green Hills. Gone.”
 

“How do you know it’s a guy?” Nicole asked, placing a grape between her lips as she raised an eyebrow at Jeff.
 

“Uh.” Jeff shifted nervously.
I don’t want to be sexist. I don’t want to offend her.
He folded the paper and picked up his crustless PB&J sandwich.
I’ll just eat.

“Relax, Homer.” She smiled. “I’m kidding.”
 

“It could be a creature from the black lagoon for all we know.” Alec snagged the grape from Nicole’s lips and tossed it for his mouth. He missed. The grape bounced off his nose.
 

“Dork.” Nicole kissed his cheek.
 

“Thought I had that one.” Alec’s phone vibrated. He struggled to yank it from the pocket of his tight jeans.

Jeff had yet to receive a cell phone. His mom wanted to wait until he got his driver’s license.
 

Nicole bit a new grape. “Who is it?”
 

“Kale.”
 

Jeff watched a baseball player strike out. Annoyed, the player threw his bat against the cage. The coach yelled at him to take a lap.
I want to play again. I was just getting good.
Although slow, the pudgy teen was quite powerful.
 

Staring at the discarded bat clouded in dirt, he yearned to pick it up, just as he choked on a mouthful of creamy peanut butter. His eyes watering, he looked back at the others, turning from the baseball practice.
 

“You okay, Homer?” asked Nicole.
 

Jeff nodded, needing milk to wash it all down.
 

“Hey, tell me the meaning behind the nickname!” Nicole wiggled, excited.

“Hang on, baby,” Alec interrupted, showing his phone to Jeff.
 

Nicole smashed a grape against Alec’s cheek. “Rude.”
 

Laughing, Alec kissed the skin to the right of her lips. “Can you get us some water? Please, baby?”
 

“I’m not your servant.”
 

“Please, please. I’ll try that thing you’ve always wanted to try.”
 

Nicole’s eyes lit up. “Promise me.”
 

“I swear,” he smiled.
 

She jumped and jogged for the vending machines.

“What new thing?” Jeff asked.

Alec responded with a smug expression.
 

Jeff shook. “Never mind, don’t want to know.”
 

“Ha, fine, Homer. It’s something lovely, though. Anyways, look at Kale’s text, will you?”
 

He glanced at the phone.
 

DITCH CLASS. MUST MEET.
 

“What do you think?” Alec asked.
 

“I don’t know. Is he okay?”
 

“It’s Kale! I’m sure he’s fine.” On his feet now, Alec looked for Nicole at the vending machines. He and Jeff were at the corner of the field furthest from the rest of campus, with the shade of a tree swaying back and forth over them.
 

Alec lowered a hand to help Jeff rise. “Come on, let’s find out what he wants.”
 

As Jeff stood, his stomach flooded with an ill feeling.
 

I think I ate too much peanut butter.
 

High up on cliffs, the Pelican Cove trail overlooked the glistening surface of the Pacific Ocean. The four friends stared at its beauty, and as a sea breeze whistled through Kale’s black hair, he thought,
Today is a day we will never forget.
 

On the weekends, the trail was crowded, and no smart kidnapper would have a hideout so close to here. But Kale had zero intentions of sticking to the trail. He would take his friends off soon enough, once he figured they were ready. And in the high chance they found nothing, at least they weren’t stuck at school.
 

“Suck it in, boys,” said Kale. “This is what it’s all about.”
 

Scot coughed. “Fag.”
 

Alec laughed.
 

“Whatever,” said Kale.
 

Quieting his laughter, Alec grabbed Kale’s shoulder, stood about an inch taller. “Well, tell me why you dragged us out here.”
 

“Not yet. We have a little bit to go.”
 

“How much is a bit?” Jeff rubbed his arm. His silky blond hair flowed with a cool gust.
 

Kale poked at Jeff’s belly. “You hungry?”
 

Offended, Jeff swiped his hand away. “Not cool.”
 

“Sorry, Homer.” Kale stepped down the trail. “Let’s keep moving, boys. Not much longer.”
 

Jeff, Alec and Scot all exchanged glances. Alec shrugged, following Kale first. Scot and Jeff hesitated.
 

“It’s times like these, Homer, times like these when I wish we stayed in Hebrew school,” said Scot.
 

“Hey, I stayed. You left after your Bar Mitzvah.”
 

“We can’t all be Moses.”
 

They traveled along open cliffs before veering inland, heading for a tree line. Scot complained constantly. He adopted a joking tone, but everyone knew he was serious. He lacked the patience needed for such a task.
 

Fate wants us here, I know it.

A high ceiling of leafy green, with hints of light breaking through, arced over them. They headed deep into the forest.
Soon there will be no trails.
Excitement shot to Kale’s fingertips like lightning.
 

“Okay, so it’s unanimous. We would all do Ms. Lasci,” Scot announced, following behind Kale and Alec. “But what about Miss Saxon?”
 

“Oh, definitely Saxon, she’s got some big ol’ titties.” Kale smiled. “I jacked off to a picture of her one time.”

“Too big for me. I like Nicole’s better.”
 

Kale spun to Alec. “Well, we all knew you would say that.”

Scot and Jeff giggled, but Scot paused. “Wait, you jack off already?”
 

They all froze. Scot’s face reddened as they closed in around him.
 

Kale struggled to keep a face that was sincere and caring. “Scotty, tell me you’re kidding. Do you not white water wrist it?”

Alec leaned closer. “Do you not evict the testicular squatters?”
 

Even Jeff chimed in, “Do you not drop stomach pancakes?”
 

What—the—fuck?
 

Staring at the ground, grimacing in embarrassment, Scot said, “I do. I do. You know me — just messing with you guys.”

They all moved in closer, smothering their friend.
 

Alec spoke in a light whisper, “Even I take Captain Picard to warp-speed, and I have Nicole.”
 

Jeff and Kale lost it, falling back, hunching over as they choked on their laughter.
This is the best day ever!

Alec grabbed Scot’s shoulder. Scot squirmed away and said, “Don’t touch me with Picard’s spaceship.”