Payback (12 page)

"SAM MOON, PREPARE TO DIE!"
Sam barely had time to duck under his desk before three of his so-called friends burst into his room and pelted him with water balloons. One splattered against his lower back, dripping ice-cold liquid down his pants and soaking his underwear.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Sam shouted from the cramped space under his desk. Every part of his body was soaking and stinging except his head.

"Study break, man!" Mike shouted, flinging another balloon. This one bounced off Sam's back in one piece and rolled across the floor. Sam heard a scuffle as Mike and the rest of his friends started to go for it, but Sam was already on the floor, and he was just plain faster. He scurried out of his hiding place, grabbed the balloon, and flipped over into a sitting position, holding it back above his head. His friends all froze, eyeing him warily as they tried to figure out who he was going to decide to attack.

Sam moved the balloon to his left hand and slowly reached under his bed with his right.

"You forget who you're dealing with," he said matter-of-factly, then watched their eyes widen as he pulled out a brightly colored Super Soaker.

"Shit!" they all yelled in unison. They fell over each other as they clamored for the door, and Sam doused them all with one, solid pull of the trigger, chasing them out into the common room. He laughed evilly, drunk with power as they all ducked behind their torn, pizza-stained couch.

"Bow before my greatness," Sam shouted, following up with a cartoon-worthy cackle.

But there was no white flag. Moments later they all popped up again, each holding a balloon in each hand. Sam was toast. His heart actually dropped.

"Put the gun down and back away," Will said slowly.

"I'll never surrender," Sam said, taking a step back nevertheless.

"You will when you see the coolerful we have back here," Mike answered. The boy was very good at menacing. Sam turned and bolted back into his room, slamming the door behind him. He didn't have time to barricade it before they all crashed through. The enduring war was nothing if not disorganized. Everyone was soaking everyone, and Sam laughed harder than he remembered laughing in months. After stressing over finals and Gaia and Heather for the last few days, it felt extremely good to let loose, even if his room was suffering dire consequences.

At one point he finally dared to open his eyes to assess the damage and saw that Mike was about to step on Gaia's gift.

"Stop!" Sam yelled.

Miraculously, everyone froze. Probably because Sam sounded like a borderline psycho.

"Mike, don't move," Sam said, holding out his hand.

"What is it?" Mike asked nervously. "A rat?"

Sam quickly crawled over to where Mike was standing, the knees of his jeans squishing as he went, and gingerly pulled the box out from behind Mike's feet. It was undamaged. It wasn't even wet, which seemed completely impossible. But it was obvious to Sam that he had to get it out of here before the next study break brought an onslaught of food or something.

"Okay, guys, war's over," Sam told his friends as he held the box away from his sopping wet body. "I have someplace I gotta be."

ELLA WAS SITTING IN THE LIVING
room when she heard the door to Gaia's bedroom creak open. Her senses immediately went on high alert. It was her job, after all, to keep an eye on Gaia -- to monitor her every move. It was also becoming her obsession.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs was followed by muffled whispers. There was someone with her. Ella pushed herself off the plush, peach-colored couch. If Gaia had smuggled Sam up to her room, there were going to be dire consequences. Ella would have to figure out what they were going to be, but she was confident she could devise some sort of punishment. The girl would have to listen to her at some point. Ella would make sure of that.

She got to the foyer just as Gaia was closing the door behind her visitor.

"Who was that?" Ella snapped, placing her hands on her rounded hips. She so wanted to go over to the window and check the streets, but she knew whoever it was would be far out of sight by now. And she didn't want to give Gaia the satisfaction.

"A friend," Gaia said, her voice very flat. Very low.

"A boyfriend?" Ella asked, frustrated by the high pitch her voice took on. She was jealous. She knew she was. Jealous that Gaia even had a shot at Sam Moon -- that perfect specimen. The jealousy just frustrated her more.

Gaia snorted a laugh and walked by Ella. She ducked into the hall closet, rummaged through it, and pulled out a long, battered army coat. She shoved her arms into it, yanked down on the front of her gray sweatshirt, and checked her reflection in the gilt-framed mirror above the hall table.

Ella watched, almost mesmerized, as Gaia pushed her knotted hair behind her shoulders, licked her fingertip, and wiped a smudge of something from her cheek. If Ella had done that, she would have taken away a fingertip full of foundation and she'd have to start the whole grueling primping process all over again. Not Gaia. She was gorgeous. No makeup. Dirty hair. Salvation-Army-worthy clothes. And she was gorgeous.

Ella wanted to kill her.

"Where are you off to, Miss Popularity?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the wall. "You look good enough to go eat out of garbage cans in the park."

"Thanks," Gaia said, buttoning up the coat. "I would go join your friends at the cans, but I have a party to go to."

Ella narrowed her eyes, seeing red as Gaia swept past her, brushing her disgusting old coat against Ella's leg. The girl was so damned cocky. So damned cold and sure of herself. Ella could take that away in an instant. All she had to do was reach into the closet, just inches from where Gaia had grabbed her coat, and get her gun. What Ella wouldn't give to see Gaia's face.

Then Ella would be in charge. Then Gaia would get in line.

And then, of course, Ella's cover would be blown.

"Gaia, you can't just come and go as you please," Ella said, just barely staying in character.

"Watch me." Gaia slammed the door in Ella's face.

For one brief moment there was silence, and then Ella turned and swept the hall table clean, letting out a primal sort of scream. She picked up the largest piece of the now broken lamp and pulled back her arm, ready to hurl it at the mirror. Her reflection looked crazed -- frightening -- and it gave her pause. But all she had to do was imagine it was Gaia she was looking at, and she snapped all over again, flinging the lamp so hard that for a moment she thought her shoulder had pulled out of its socket.

She smiled happily as Gaia's reflection shattered into a hundred pieces and slipped with a delicious crash to the floor.

One day she would feel what it was like to crush the real thing.

And that day couldn't come soon enough.

GAIA WALKED INTO CHARLIE'S
brownstone and searched the slight crowd from just inside the door. She wasn't even remotely surprised when the lyrics of a familiar Fearless song crooned from nearby speakers.

Nobody's gonna hold you down. Nobody's gonna make you cry. Nobody's gonna break your heart if you don't let 'em say good-bye.

Gaia smirked at the cliché sentiments, rolled back her shoulders, and headed straight for the far end of the living room, where Charlie was already working his first victim Some tiny little girl with tiny little arms and tiny little cheeks. Gaia practically shoved her out of the way.

"Hey!" Tiny Girl protested.

Gaia ignored her. The girl could thank her later.

"Hi," Gaia said to Charlie, somehow keeping the disgust out of her voice. He'd tried to rape her friend. Beaten the crap out of her just hours ago. And yet he could stand here in his designer sweater with his gelled hair and his stupid smile and act as if he was God's gift to the female population.

"Gaia," he said with an easy grin. "It's good to see you."

Gaia really wished she could say the same. She'd really liked the cocky bastard. Enough to go to two, count 'em, two high school parties.

"Can I get you anything?" Charlie asked, glancing toward the makeshift bar at the front of the room.

"Yeah," Gaia said, unable to believe what she was about to say. "You."

Charlie's smile turned into a grin, and it was all Gaia could do to keep from laying him out right there. Instead she lowered her lashes and looked up at him through them, just like she'd seen Heather's flirtatious-by-habit friends do a million times.

"If you're still interested."

Charlie reached behind him and put his plastic cup down on the bookshelf just over his right shoulder.

"Oh, I'm interested." He reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He squeezed. She couldn't bring herself to squeeze back.

"My room's right down the hall," he said, eyeing her as if he was waiting for her to back out. He was in for a big surprise. Or two. Gaia stood up on her tiptoes and brought her mouth so close to his ear, she could smell where the cologne mixed with the gel.

"Let's go outside," she whispered, and almost vomited when she felt Charlie shiver. "I like to do it outdoors."

Not that she had any idea where she actually liked to do it.

But apparently Charlie agreed with her. Before Gaia could blink, they were halfway to the back door. Charlie, ever the gentleman, grabbed a chenille throw from the couch along the way.

SAM PUSHED HIS HAND THROUGH
his hair a few times, hoping he didn't look like a Santa Claus clone with red nose and cheeks from walking in the freezing cold. Gaia's gift, now wrapped with a card stuffed inside, was cradled under his arm. When he got to her house, he was just about ready to puke, but he took the steps two at a time, anyway.

He might as well at least look confident.

The bell played a little tune, but Sam was too distracted to even place it. He took a step back, watching the door as his heart pounded crazily. He heard noises inside and held his breath, hoping Gaia would be the one to answer the door. He wasn't sure if he could handle waiting all over again as someone went off to find her.

A few moments passed, and no one came. Weird. Sam was sure he'd heard noises. He reached forward and knocked. Total silence.

Sam had the sudden, odd feeling he was being watched. He looked up at empty windows. Was Gaia up there somewhere? Had she seen him and decided not to come out? Sam's heart plummeted at the thought. Well, he wasn't going to stand here looking like a moron.

He looked down at the gift in his hands and contemplated it for a moment. Before he could entirely think it through, he bent down and left it on the doorstep. If she wasn't in there laughing at him, maybe she'd get it and get in touch with him.

If she was in there laughing at him, she could have it. The pathetic part of Sam still wanted her to have it.

To have something of him.

MARY HEARD A FOOTSTEP BEHIND
her and glanced over her shoulder for the tenth time in as many seconds. She mentally told her heart to just stay in her throat. "Just go to the precinct, find a detective, and wait for her call," Mary repeated Gaia's instructions to herself, keeping her head bent against the wind. She watched her feet as they clicked quickly along the sidewalk. There were people everywhere, but Mary felt like she was entirely alone, walking in a spotlight. She was sure they were after her. Every garbage can she walked by hid a masked attacker. Every time she came to an alley, she quickened her pace.

She was starting to sweat under her jacket, and she swallowed hard. When she'd thought about getting hot and sweaty tonight, this wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind.

She hadn't thought that by the end of the night, she'd be afraid of her own city. The town she'd grown up in. The town she'd always loved as her home.

It just wasn't fair. Even less fair was the fact that she couldn't have anything to take the edge off.

"Just go to the precinct, find a detective, and wait for her call," Mary said again, ducking her head even more as frustrated tears burned at her eyes. "Just go to the precinct . . . wait for the call."