Of All the Stupid Things (13 page)

“JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, YOUNG lady?”

I swing around to find a security guard holding my wrist. “Quick, sir, there’s a fire in the gymnastics area.”

“I don’t think so. I saw you running down here looking like you were up to no good.”

Riley is almost at the door. I’m going to miss her. “That’s just it, sir. I saw the smoke from the viewpoint upstairs and rushed down to sound the alarm.”

“Well, let’s see about that.” The guard leads me toward the gymnastics door. I turn around and see Riley go through the other door. I try to yank my arm out, but the guard has a tight grip. Crap. I have no idea where Riley has gone. Off to get together with Brent, no doubt. We enter the gymnastics area. Without looking at the clock on the wall, I know it’s just after four thirty.

The coach looks at us. “Does there seem to be a problem?”

The guard places his free hand on his belt to pretend he’s packing. “There was a report of some smoke in here. Do you know anything about a fire?”

The coach looks around. “There’s no fire here.”

“Sorry to bother you.” The guard nods and drags me out. Once back in the main gym area, he squeezes my arm tighter. “So what do you have to say for yourself?”

His grip really hurts, but I don’t care about that right now. I look toward the door Riley had gone through. Is there even the slightest chance that I can still stop her evil plan to seduce Brent? “Look, I’m sorry. I made a mistake. Can you just let me go now?”

“No. I’m filing a report,” he says, his hand still on his belt. “Do you know what you almost did is a criminal offense? False alarms cost tax payers loads of money.”

I switch my tone and smile at him. “I really am so sorry. It was a silly mistake. An accident, really. It was good you were there to sort things out with that coach. Tell you the truth, he was a bit scary, but you smoothed everything out. You were great. Thanks so much.”

The guard grunts. “Can it. You can’t sweet-talk your way out of this one, princess.”

We walk back upstairs. Damn Riley and damn this stupid guard holding me. I give my arm another yank. I can’t break free.

I dig my heels into the floor. “I demand you let me go. Do you know who my father is? When he hears how you’re treating me, he’ll have you for abuse, harassment, and possible child molestation. You don’t want that on your record now, do you?”

The guard doesn’t flinch. “I’m taking you to my boss, and he’ll decide what to do about you and your daddy.”

“Fine.” I glance at the name badge on his shirt. “Franklin. If that’s the way you want to play it.” I hold my head high and follow him willingly. I feel Franklin the guard no longer knows if he is doing the right thing. Well, I’m not shitting him. No one in this town messes with the Blaires.

Tara

“TARA?”

I look up to see Riley. Her hair hangs like a curtain so I can’t see much of her face. I wish I had hair that did that.

“You okay?” Riley asks.

I push myself up from the floor. I’m in control. I’m in control. “Yeah, of course. The bag just knocked me over. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What happened?” Riley offers a hand.

I shake my head. The images don’t budge. “Nothing really. Just like I said, the stupid bag…” I brush off my pants and try to smile. The smile doesn’t quite reach my face.

Riley doesn’t try to smile back. I know she doesn’t believe me but she doesn’t push it. “Are you heading home?” she asks.

My breath is still coming out in jagged bursts. “Yeah, I’m late to get dinner started.”

“Let me give you a ride.”

I think about that. “Where are you parked?”

Riley makes a face. “Around back, by the emergency exits.”

I grab my bag. “Okay, let’s go.”

Riley leads the way out to her car. I follow her with my shoulders back and my head up. I don’t look at anyone, just keep my eyes focused straight ahead. I climb into her red Audi TT and silently thank her parents for getting her a car with tinted windows. I stare in the direction of Brent’s car. I can’t see it, but then again I can’t see that far.

“Which way?” she asks.

Part of me wants to tell Riley to circle around the parking lot. She probably would do it and not ask any questions. But I’ve already seen enough. I’m not Pinkie. I don’t doubt everything I see, hear, or think.

“Turn right once you get out.”

Other than give Riley directions, I don’t say anything on the ride home. And other than clarify my directions, Riley doesn’t ask anything.

She pulls into the driveway before I realize it.

“Thanks,” I say.

“No problem, anytime.”

I nod and wave to her. I’m halfway to the door when I realize she hasn’t moved. I turn around. It’s like she’s waiting to make sure I get in okay.

I take one more step to the door and then turn around again. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

Riley responds by turning off the engine and getting out of the car.

Whitney Blaire

THE SECURITY GUARD TAKES ME TO THE SURVEILLANCE room. Right away I notice that there is a camera shot of the cardboard vitamin display. And one of the front desk. Great. Now all I need is for one of these stupid Franklin guards to find the tape of me sneaking into the gym and vandalizing the display on top of almost pulling the fire alarm.

I sit down on a rolling chair and wait for the verdict. Franklin talks to another guard who has spent too many hours looking at the security screens with little more than donuts for company. I can’t hear what Franklin is saying, but I’m not paying attention either. I have to get out.

There’s no way I’m really going to call my father. Calling Mother wouldn’t be any better. They probably can’t pick me up anyway. Didn’t they say something at breakfast about going out for drinks with some of Father’s new clients? Could be. There are always clients and extra work to hold them up. Whatever. I can deal with this on my own.

Franklin leaves and Donut Guard looks at me with powdered sugar on his mustache. I let my lip quiver. My whole face starts contorting. My ribs jolt upward. I sniff.

“There now,” Donut Guard says.

That is the cue I’m waiting for. I bury my face in my hands and start crying. “I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I was so stupid. I think I saw a cloud of chalk from the gymnasts and must have thought that was smoke. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. I thought I was being a he-he-hero!”

I feel a tissue by my face. I grab it without looking up. Between my sobs, I hear Donut Guard creaking in his chair. I cry harder but make it sound like I’m trying hard to stop.

“There now,” he says again. “Don’t worry. No harm done. I think old Franklin was just a bit bored, you know? Tell you what, why don’t we call up your parents to come get you and we won’t tell them anything about what Franklin thinks he saw, okay? After all, you didn’t really do anything wrong. How does that sound?”

I sniff a couple times and nod. “Okay, but can I go to the bathroom? To wash up?”

“Sure, do you know where it is?” Donut Guard asks.

Again I nod.

“Do you want me to call your parents while you get yourself together?”

I hang my head low over the piece of paper and scribble our spare line that isn’t actually attached to any phone so it will only ring and ring. Then I hurry out of the surveillance room. Once the door closes, I straighten up and look around. Franklin is nowhere. There are also no cameras. But I know that already. I memorized every single angle I saw on the screen while I was in the room. I need to hurry. I have to get out. But the front doors have cameras on them. There has to be another way.

I remember Riley’s car parked out by the emergency exits. But where are the emergency exits? I think about where they are outside and where that would be from the inside. Of course, the door Riley had gone through earlier. I hurry back downstairs. I keep my head low, and in the places I know there’s a camera, I hug the wall underneath it.

I go through the door and into a staff-only corridor. Straight in front is a door leading outside. An old woman with rainbow hair has it propped open while she smokes. I stop myself from ripping the cigarette out of her hand and taking a drag myself. Instead, I scoot past her, neither of us saying anything.

I stop just outside. This is the emergency exit by Riley’s car. Or rather where Riley’s car had been. I catch just a glimpse of it driving away. Through the tinted window, I spot Tara looking straight ahead. Riley sees me and waves as she zooms by.

Tara

IT TAKES THREE TRIES TO FIT THE KEY IN THE DOOR TO unlock it. When it finally works, I almost get knocked off my feet as Sherman bursts out of the house like the ferocious dog he thinks he is. Before I can stop him, he’s sniffing Riley. Instead of being scared, Riley sits down right there on the pavement and scratches him behind the ears. Sherman takes that as a hint to plant all forty-five pounds of himself on Riley’s lap. I’m about to apologize, but Riley doesn’t seem to mind.

“He really likes you.” I make conversation in my effort to act normal. “My other friends tolerate him, but no one really gets to his level.”

Riley continues scratching him. “He’s a good boy, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”

At the second “aren’t you,” Sherman leaps off Riley and starts running laps around the front yard. Riley pretends to chase him and that just gets him more excited. If it had been any other day, I might have laughed at them running after each other, Sherman with his tongue flapping all over the place and Riley with her hair flying around her. They chase each other for a few minutes until Sherman remembers that he’s been locked up in the house all day long. He stops dead and gives Riley a guilty look as he lifts his leg.

I enter the house, letting Riley shut the door behind Sherman. I tell Riley the bathroom’s upstairs if she needs it and wave quickly to the downstairs: the small living room by the front door and the kitchen in the back. It’s good having Riley here. It’s easier to stay calm when there’s company. And for some reason it’s easier to stay calm when she’s around.