Read Over My Head (Wildlings) Online

Authors: Charles de Lint

Over My Head (Wildlings) (30 page)

BOOK: Over My Head (Wildlings)
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Brian pulls over to the shoulder and the three of us get out. I look back into the van before I slide the door closed. Chuy gives me a thumbs-up. Eddie nods. La Bamba makes a gun with his hand and pretends to shoot it.

"Give 'em hell, kid," he says.

Joanie pouts.

Then the door slides closed and the van pulls back onto the highway.

Marina

I take a shower as soon as I get back home, then go find Mamá. She's still in the kitchen making dinner. My stepdad, Jim, is in the dining room reading the news on his iPad while waiting for supper to be ready.

"Did the surfing help?" Mamá asks.

I nod. "A little."

I talk about the waves—the ones I missed, the couple I caught. She doesn't really know anything about surfing, but she likes to listen to my enthusiasm. When my cell rings, I pretend it's my stepmother, Elena, instead of who it really is: Theo.

"It's Elena," I tell Mamá. "Is it okay if I go over and babysit the girls?"

"Right now?"

I nod.

"It seems very short notice."

"Something came up. It's only until Ampora gets home."

Mamá gives me a worried look. "Is that really such a good idea?"

I know she's thinking about the conversation we had earlier, and it's obvious she doesn't think Ampora and I should be together with no one else around to referee, except for our little stepsisters.

"It'll be okay," I say.

"Have you done your homework?" Jim calls from the dining room.

"Of course."

"Then let her go, Nita."

Mamá nods. "All right. How late will you be?"

I repeat the question into the phone.

"She says not long," I lie. Then I add into the phone, "I'll be right over."

Five minutes later, Jim is driving me over to Papá's house. I get him to let me off at the corner store to buy some treats for the girls and tell him he doesn't have to wait. He hesitates, but we're close to Papá's house. I know he gets uncomfortable around Papá and Elena, so he's probably happy for the excuse not to run into either of them.

"Be careful," he says.

He thinks the barrio is a scary place, but it's not even dark yet. I may live on the other side of town, but this neighbourhood will always be my home. But I keep that thought to myself.

"I will," I say. "Thanks for the ride, Jim."

I give him a kiss on the cheek and I'm out the door before he can change his mind. He watches me go into the store, where I buy each of the girls a package of gummi bears. I watch him from inside as I'm paying. I wait until he turns the car around and heads back home before I step back outside and call Ampora.

Theo told me: you don't do this over the phone. You do it in her face and you don't give her the chance to say no.

I practice with this phone call.

"Meet me in the park," I tell her when she answers. "Right now."

"Why the hell would I—"

"Just do it," I say and I hang up.

I'm sitting on a swing when she comes storming into the playground area, her face dark with anger.

"Here's how it's going to work," I say before she gets a chance to talk.

But she barrels right over what I'm about to say. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you in the face."

The unfamiliar temper that's been plaguing me all day has me on my feet and I'm about to take a swing at her myself before I manage to rein it in. I take a steadying breath.

"I need you to cover for me in case Mamá calls," I tell her.

She laughs. "Like that's ever going to happen."

"And if she does call," I go on, "just tell her that we're talking things out and I'll be home later."

"Seriously, have you been smoking loco weed?"

"If you don't," I tell her. "If you screw me over, Papá's going to find out just how sweet a daughter you really are, starting with everything that happened today."

"You wouldn't."

"I will if you don't cover for me."

Her eyes are still flashing with anger, but now her curiosity wins over.

"What are you planning to do?"

"It's none of your business."

She smiles—that mean smile of hers that she has down to an art and throws at me every day at school.

"Either you tell me," she says, "or I won't cover for you."

I hesitate. Theo told me that if I try to explain myself it'll just show weakness, but as crappy as she treats me, she's still my sister. Once upon a time, we were best friends and I'd love to get that back again. But it's not going to happen if I stoop down to her level of meanness.

"It's just to clean up a few loose ends from what happened today," I tell her.

"You mean gang stuff."

My good intentions wash away and I feel like hitting her again.

"Gang stuff that
you
put in motion."

"Hey, those losers think they can waltz into this park and set up shop, they—"

I stop her with a raised hand. I take another breath and let it out while I try to ignore the way she's glaring at me.

"I get it," I tell her. "I agree. I think you were brave to do what you did." Stupid, but brave, but I don't say that out loud. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. There aren't many people who would step up like that."

That seems to take her off guard.

"You really think that?" she says.

I nod. "I really do."

"So this has to do with Josh and what happened today?"

I nod again.

"Then I'm coming," she says.

"What? Why would you come?"

And then she actually looks away and blushes. I don't think I've ever seen Ampora blush.

"It's just," she says, "you know … after he helped me …"

Oh my God.

"You're
interested
in him?" I say.

She tries to shrug it off. "He's a nice guy. Why are you so surprised? You pined over him for years."

"I guess I did."

"But not anymore, right? That's what you said."

I'm having so much trouble processing this. My sister and
Josh
?

"Does he—know that you're interested in him?"

"I think so. That's why I have to come."

"Will you just trust me in this?" I ask. "The most help you can be right now is to cover for me."

"What can you do that I can't?"

"I'm going to a … meeting, I guess you could call it. But it's private. You're not invited and if I show up with you, the whole thing could get called off. We can't let that happen because it took a long time to set it up."

She studies me for a long moment.

"Just what are you really into?" she finally asks.

"Maybe I can tell you all about it one day. But not now."

Except she's not ready to let it go. "Does this have anything to do with Wildlings?"

I can't hide my shock. What does she know?

"Why—why would you ask that?" I manage to say. "You don't even believe they're real."

"I do now. Josh showed me."

Can this day get any stranger? Ampora crushing on Josh. Josh telling her—showing her?—he's a Wildling. Is there anybody he hasn't told?

"And just like that, you're okay with it?"

I see a moment of vulnerability in her eyes.

"I don't know. All I know is what I saw."

"But what about the government conspiracies and all that stuff you're always on about?"

"I guess I was wrong." she says.

"Do I even
know
you anymore?"

"I could ask you the same thing. What secrets are
you
hiding?"

"They're not mine to share."

"But Josh already told me he's a Wildling."

I nod. "Okay then, since he's your big confidant, ask
him
about secrets." Then, before she asks me anything else, I pull the packages of gummi bears from my pocket and add, "These are for the girls."

"Okay."

"So you'll cover for me?"

"Sure. But this doesn't mean I like you any better."

I smile. "You're going to need to work on that if you plan to be hanging with Josh."

I walk away as she thinks about that. As soon as I turn the corner I call Theo.

"So how did it go?" he asks me a short while later, as I get onto the back of his bike.

"Fine. It was … interesting."

He turns to look at me. "Interesting how?"

"I think she's crushing on Josh."

Theo's brows go up. "Well, I can understand the basic attraction. That is, if he's crushing on her."

"Oh,
really
?"

"Sure. There's good genes in your family."

I smile. "Good recovery."

"Nothing to recover from," he says, his eyes earnest. "You need to understand that you're the one for me, nobody else."

I wish we could just stay in this moment, but I have to tell him the rest.

"Plus she knows he's a Wildling," I say. "Josh told her."

"Tell me you're joking."

"I wish. She says he
showed
her."

Theo starts to say something, then shakes his head.

"I'm going to assume he knows what he's doing," he says.

He gives me a kiss, then turns around and starts the bike. I wrap my arms around his waist and press my cheek into his back.

The world's turning upside down, but at least I've got this.

We've
got this.

Halfway to Tiki Bay Theo suddenly pulls over to the side of the road.

"Why are we stopping?" I ask.

Theo shakes his head. "I'm so stupid."

"What? Why are you stupid?"

I get off the bike so I can see his face.

"I didn't put it together," he says.

He looks so fierce I could be afraid of him, except I know in my heart that he'd never hurt me. I put my hand on his arm.

"Theo, tell me what's wrong."

"Tiki Bay is what's wrong. That's where Vincenzo killed Lenny."

A chill runs up my spine.

"Exactly," Theo says, reading my face. "This feels like a set-up. I'm already jumpy because there's been no sign of Vincenzo for a while."

"But I thought it was Auntie Min and Cory who picked the location. I can't see either of them betraying Josh."

"What do we really know about them?" he says. "All I know for sure is that they've been keeping things from us. That's a given."

I find myself nodding. What little interaction I've had with either has been frustrating. They only ever tell us so much.

"Do you think Vincenzo's working
with
the elders?" I ask.

"Honestly? I don't know my ass from a hole in the ground anymore."

I can't help it. That makes me laugh. Theo smiles and I can feel his tension ebb.

"But we have to keep going," I say. "If it
is
a trap, Josh is already on his way."

He nods. "I'll call Des. Josh hasn't got his phone with him. But we have to be careful. I …"

He lets the word just hang there.

"You what?" I ask.

"Okay, you can get mad at me, but I wish you weren't here. If anything happens to you …"

I smile. "Actually, I find that sweet. But I'm a tough surfer chick. You don't have to worry about me."

"I know you're tough. But I'm still going to worry."

Josh

"Okay, that was weird," Des says once the van pulls away.

"You mean getting a ride from The Wild Surf," I say, "or having Joanie Jones fawning all over you?"

"Both. Dude, what is wrong with that woman?"

"I would have thought you'd be loving it."

He nods. "So would I—if you'd asked me anytime before today. Now? Not so much. And I don't get it. Why is she into
me
? I'm not putting out the pheromones or anything."

"I get the feeling she just likes to hook guys in for the fun of it."

"So why wasn't she affected by yours?"

"Beats me. Maybe she knows how to filter them out. It's all just one more complication I don't need."

Des grins. "Still, dude. It's not the worst superpower to have."

Tomás shushes us. "Keep it down. We need to make sure none of those Black Key operatives are nearby."

"Relax," I tell him. I've already had my internal radar turned up, surveying the area around us. "There are a couple of people up on the headland—Cory, and someone I don't recognize, but I'm guessing it's Auntie Min since I'm getting the big-cousin vibe from her. Besides them, there are a half-dozen kids building a fire on the beach and a couple making out in one of the cars in the parking lot."

"Cool," Des says and I don't know if he means the couple going hot and heavy, or the fact that I'm aware of all of this.

"We still need to be careful," Tomás says.

I give him a curious look.

He doesn't have it, I realize. This radar thing I have in my head, that's not in his particular repertoire.

I start thinking about everything Des told me about this guy when he showed up at ValentiCorp. What stands out the most is how Chaingang was always in his face. Now that I've met him myself, I can see why. There's something about him that rubs me the wrong way, too.

"Come on," I say to Des. "Let's get this over with."

I turn away from the highway and start up the incline of the headland instead of going around by the parking lot. Des is right behind me. Tomás watches us for a moment, then mutters something under his breath and follows as well.

The tall grass is brown and stiff, but easy to push through. The incline is steep, loose dirt sliding under our feet. I keep scanning the area as we climb. Nothing much seems to have changed, except that The Wild Surf's van has pulled into the parking lot. The band and their driver are sitting in their van. Everything else is the way it should be. There aren't any surprises. No snipers sneaking up on us. No hawk uncles hanging around nearby. No FBI agents.

But then I do get a surprise. Through the sporadic traffic on the highway, I home in on a motorcycle with two very familiar people on it.

"Huh," I say.

I don't realize I've made the sound aloud until Des says, "Dude?"

"Did you know that Chaingang and Marina are an item?" I ask him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Chaingang told me he had a girlfriend, but he didn't say who it was. Now I'm guessing it's Marina. You should see the way their auras entwine."

BOOK: Over My Head (Wildlings)
5.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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