Learning Me (Lightworker Trilogy #1) (7 page)

Chapter Ten
 

She woke with her head on the laptop keyboard. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sleeping, but she’d gotten some rest in. Unfortunately, she also had a pain in her neck from sleeping at the awkward angle and her eyes felt heavy.

“Ugh, I feel like I just had too much to drink,” she muttered as she stood up. It took her a minute, but she managed to get up and pull some clothes out of her closet. She dressed slowly, wanting to keep her interactions with her parents that morning to a minimum. They’d told her she might not want to get more information, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist asking if they were alone together for long.

She collected her school bag and then checked her phone. She raised an eyebrow in surprise as she saw how little time she had before she had to leave. Shouldn’t they be up there wondering what was taking her so long?

Courtney shrugged it off and made her way to kitchen. Her father was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, but her mother was nowhere to be seen.

“Hi. Where’s Mom?”

Her father looked up from his cup. “She had to leave early for work today.” He checked his watch and glanced back at her. “You’re running behind this morning. Want me to drive you so you have time to eat?”

“That’s okay,” she said quickly. “I’ll just grab an apple or something and eat it on the way.”

“Courtney,” he said.

“It’s okay, really. I could use the walk anyway. It’ll wake me up some. I’ll see you guys tonight.” Courtney grabbed the fruit and raced out the door before he could argue any further.

The damp morning air invigorated her, while the chirping birds and clear skies dulled her foul mood from the night before. When she got to the school, she pushed her way through the front entrance and walked to her locker. She’d almost opened it when a voice from behind interrupted.

“Hey, how’d it go last night after I left?”

“Okay,” she said as she turned around to face Sam. “Sort of. Can we talk about it later on? Ya know, alone?”

“Sure. When’s your drama club meeting end?”

“Five… you have a game, right?”

“Yeah, but I can make some time before it if you need me to.”

Courtney smiled. “It’s okay… Focus on that and we’ll talk after. I don’t need people getting mad at me for distracting the goalie.”

“If you’re sure about that….”

“I’m very sure.” The bell interrupted before she could say anything else. “I’ll see you later, okay? We’d better hurry before we’re late.”

“See ya,” he said. “I’ll meet you out front after your meeting.”

“Great,” Courtney called over her shoulder as she hurried down the hall. Her day had started badly enough without a detention for being late, especially since she had stuff to do that day. She just hoped she’d be able to focus in class with everything on her mind.

****

Courtney walked out of her Chemistry class with her head swimming from all the formulas. She’d never been good at it, but today was even worse. The more she tried to focus, the more she got things wrong. At this rate, she was sure she’d end up failing the semester.

To take her mind off of her problems, she spent her lunch period getting lost in her script. Even though she knew all the lines, she felt the need to escape and made the most of the opportunity. She ended up hiding out under the bleachers beside the track where she knew no one would be. Reading a Greek tragedy oddly made her feel better. After all, at least she wasn’t dealing with dire prophecies and war.

As far as you know…

The thought brought a shiver that shook her head-to-toe. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to return to the page in front of her. She’d never had to do that before, and the idea of not being able to focus on the written word made her gnash her teeth.

“You have to get it together, or people are going to start thinking you’re mental,” she chastised herself.

The image of her real parents intruded in her thoughts, making her slam the book shut. How was she going to get through the rest of the day if she couldn’t even get through one lunch period without thinking about her family and how she’d been lied to?

Before she could try again, the bell rang and Courtney jumped in surprise. Had she really just spent the last forty minutes staring mindlessly into space while she obsessed about this? Courtney stuffed the script in her bag and made her way back to the building, her gaze focused. She knew exactly what she needed to do now, and there was nothing that could stop her. As soon as she got home, she was going to find out whatever else they knew and find her real family.

****

Once she made the decision to try finding her real parents, Courtney’s entire mood changed. The tension that had plagued her all day subsided and she was able to focus enough to get through class and her meeting that day. It was as if nothing had changed at all, and she welcomed the return to familiarity, even if it was a temporary thing. Sooner or later, she’d have to start her search and she had no idea where that would lead.

As promised, Sam met her outside after the meeting so they could go to the game together. For once, Courtney was only partly excited for the evening. While they hadn’t made definite plans, there was a real chance that Matthew and Lauren would be there. She had yet to decide if she was going to tell them about her discovery, and her stomach twisted at the idea of having to keep it quiet — especially from Lauren. There were times Courtney suspected her cousin could read her mind. Would her cousin pick up on the change in her? Would Matthew?

“Are you sure you want to go tonight?” Sam asked as they approached his car. “If you’re not into it, I’ll understand.”

“Of course I am,” she promised. “I could use a little fun right now. I just have to decide if I’m going to tell them about everything.”

“It could help,” he said. “I don’t know how you’d be able to keep something like that quiet forever, especially from Lauren. What was that nickname people gave her?”

“Loose Lips Lauren. She’s really not that bad, though.”

Sam laughed. “Didn’t she get in trouble before for somehow knowing things only the Principal and some of the teachers knew?”

“True, but she’ll keep a secret if she’s asked,” Courtney responded in her cousin’s defense. He was right, though. Lauren would know something was going on, so there was no getting around telling her. “Don’t worry about any of that right now, though. Just think about the game so I don’t get chased out of school.”

“If you say so,” he said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble.”

They spent the rest of the trip to the ice arena in silence, Sam focused on the road while Courtney allowed her mind to wander. This time, she managed to keep a tight rein on it and wouldn’t allow herself to think of anything but the scenery before her or the play. By the time they got to their destination, Courtney felt better than she had since the day she’d opened that trunk.

The pair got out of the car, saying a quick goodbye before going their separate ways. He hurried toward the locker room while Courtney got in line outside. A few minutes later, she jumped and nearly screamed when someone came up from behind and touched her shoulder.

“Geez, Matt, you scared the crap out of me! What was that all about?”

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I said your name a few times, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh,” Courtney said, her cheeks heating. “I guess I was daydreaming again or something. It’s been a long day and there’s another show tomorrow.”

“Right. How’d the last one go?”

“Okay, if you don’t count me missing a cue once. Hopefully, I do better tomorrow night.” Courtney cringed as she thought of the oversight she’d made. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.

“If not, I’ll be there to videotape it for posterity,” Matthew teased.

“Thanks a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Where’s Lauren?”

“I don’t know. She said she’d meet us here, right?” He turned toward the parking lot, putting a hand over his eyes to block the setting sun as he searched the lot.

‘Yeah.” Courtney checked her phone. “She’d better hurry if she doesn’t want to spend most of the game waiting at the concession stand.”

“You know her, she always manages to pull it out.”

As if on cue, Courtney spotted Lauren in the parking lot, making her way through a crowd that wasn’t exactly cooperative. Lauren managed to fight her way through after a few minutes and ran up to them. “Hey, sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything good?”

“No, unless you count wondering where you are. What happened?” Matthew moved to allow Lauren to get into line with them.

“It took me forever to get out of your house,” she said. “Your parents are mental today. What did you do?”

“Wait a minute… what were you doing there?” Courtney raised an eyebrow at her cousin’s words. She rarely stopped over there except to see her.

“My parents wanted me to drop some old stuff off at your house, and they were asking me all kinds of questions about you and what you’ve been up to lately. What’s the deal?”

“It’s a long story…. I’ll tell you guys about it later.” Courtney tried to sound as casual as possible to avoid getting anyone’s attention and to discourage them talking about this anymore in front of a ton of people. They might be hyped up for a game, but they were still a bunch of teenagers who usually clung to gossip like a life preserver. Who needed everyone at school talking about the freak with the fake parents?

“If you say so,” the pair said in unison.

Courtney changed the topic fast, and before she knew it, they were inside looking for seats. They managed to find some right in front of the boards. Matthew was practically jumping with excitement, but Courtney was a little unnerved. She hated being that close to the ice during a game. The hits were way too loud that close. Still, it did give a great view of everything.

“Let’s go, Lions!” the crowd cheered as the team skated onto the ice. Most of them were on their feet, clapping wildly while the team skated some drills. They didn’t even seem to notice all the chaos surrounding them, and Courtney couldn’t help but admire their focus. She wondered if the team ever got as nervous as she did before a show. She’d asked Sam once, but he was casual about the whole thing, acting like it was no big deal to perform in front of a ton of people.

Courtney watched Sam run through his drills, holding her breath every time a puck came near him. He let a few in, but most were stopped with no apparent effort on his part, something that never ceased to amaze her.

Once the game started, the crowd got louder and more aggressive. They stood, stomping their feet and clapping while throwing an occasional insult out at the other team.  That was one part of the game that made Courtney want to leave the building. She still didn’t get the appeal of hurling insults at the competition, even if the team and fans insisted it gave them a boost.

Courtney cheered until her voice got hoarse. Once the buzzer rang to signal the first intermission, Courtney turned to her friends and said, “I’m going for some hot chocolate. Anyone want one?”

“Sure,” Lauren said. “I’ll come with. Matthew?”

“Sure, why not? I’ll wait here.”

Courtney tried not to laugh at the suspicious tone in his voice at the idea of leaving their seats. He was always convinced someone would take them over while they were waiting in line. They waved at him as they walked away, suppressing the urge to tease him over it.

“Great game, huh? We’re killing it.”

“Yeah, although it doesn’t seem like fair fight. This other team is a mess. I’ve never seen anyone skate as slow as they do.”

Lauren shrugged. “Must be new players or something. I think I heard a lot of their team was hurt. So, how are you doing?”

“Okay… why?”

Lauren tilted her head said with a knowing tone, “Come on. I know there is something that you’re not telling us. What gives? You know I always find out the dirt, so you might as well tell me.”

“We’ll talk about it later, okay? After the game.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

By the time they returned to their seats, the second period was well underway and a bunch of players were advancing on the opposing team’s goal. They stopped in the aisle to watch as one of their players shot the puck. The explosion from the crowd as the puck flew over the goalie’s shoulder and into the goal nearly deafened Courtney. She had to remind herself she had a drink in her hand to keep from clapping as wildly as she’d been during the first period. Now that the teams were lining up for another faceoff, they took the opportunity to join Matthew back at their seats.

Courtney handed him his drink, asking, “So, what’d we miss?”

“Not much,” he said. “Just a massive struggle at the opening faceoff. No one could get control of the puck.”

“We struggled against them? Seriously?” Lauren’s face held a barely disguised contempt for the competition. “Oh, well. At least we scored on ‘em.”

Once the game was over, Courtney and the others went outside to meet Sam. Lauren tried to ask about Courtney’s parents again, but she refused to answer anything while people could overhear. Lauren sighed and leaned against a wall.