Radiate (37 page)

Will Hopkins, dressed as a vampire, climbs down off the wagons after Daniel and comes over to Lora. “Where have you been all night?”

“Working,” Lora says. “Bite anyone interesting in the haunted house?”

Exposing his plastic fangs, Will moves to nibble at Lora’s neck and she squeals.

Daniel actually makes eye contact with me and sort of smiles. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say, not able to form any other words.

“What are y’all doing now?” he asks.

I don’t respond, not knowing exactly what our status is at the moment.

Ashlee says, “I’ve got to go home. Trig test tomorrow.”

“What teacher gives a test after the Halloween carnival?” I ask.

“Quakenbush.”

“’Nuff said,” Daniel says with a laugh.

Byron Burke, a fellow senior and one of the offensive linemen on the football team, pulls up in his Jeep. “Y’all wanna go riding around? See what trouble we can get into?”

I glance at Lora. “I don’t have to be home until eleven.”

“Me either.”

Lora and Will climb into the back of the Jeep with Lora sitting in his lap. Byron’s driving with Phillip Bradenton in the front seat. Daniel awkwardly stares at me and then motions for me to get into the back of the Jeep before him. I slide in next to Will, and then Daniel squeezes into the small space left. We’re totally smashed together and touching from shoulders down to our knees.

“You got enough room?” he asks.

“Yeah... I’m fine.” I swallow hard, not knowing what to say to him after what we’ve been through. And after that mysterious kiss in the dark.

Byron lets out a loud whoop and slams the Jeep into gear. We speed down the PHS driveway. I pull my thin cape around me for warmth and hold on to the roll bar overhead to keep from flying into Daniel’s lap.

Before I know it, we’ve driven all through Maxwell and into a residential section over behind Maxwell State University. We weave through the quiet streets and then turn onto Gravity Way.

My grip tightens on the bar, and I grit my teeth.

“Get ready!” Byron shouts, and then slips the Jeep into low gear.

Gravity Way is this huge downward steep grade that I’ve heard about people racing down, followed by a sharp upward incline.

“Gun it!” Will shouts. Lora hides her face in his vampire cloak.

“Do it!” Daniel yells, and puts his hands up in the air.

The chilling night air whooshes around us as we speed down the hill. I’m trying to enjoy the thrill, but I’m torn between the sheer terror of what if we flip or crash, or what if one of Maxwell’s finest is waiting at the bottom of the hill to ticket the crazy kids out causing trouble Halloween night.

Fortunately, neither happens, and we make it up the hill safe and sound.

“Do it again, dude!” Daniel says.

Boys.

“Naw man, check this out,” Byron says as he turns left onto this tiny gravel road. It’s darker than dark, and the treetops provide a leafy tunnel that we drive through. The Jeep’s headlights touch on a wrought-iron gate at the end.

“What is this place?” Lora asks.

I see an overgrown sign that reads Restful Grove.

“Oh my God,” I say, breathless. “We’re at a cemetery?”

Byron turns and laughs. “It’s the oldest one in the city. Isn’t even on the maps.” He pulls the Jeep all the way up to the gate and shuts off the engine. “Let’s go explore.”

Lora and I exchange panicked looks. This is so
not
cool, but I don’t want the guys to think I’m freaked out. Guys love it when girls freak out.

Byron, Phillip, and Daniel force the gate open, and Lora, Will, and I slip inside. The place is very run-down with broken headstones, piles of leaves, and tall grass and weeds covering the area. It’s no bigger than my grandmother’s backyard; yet it has a total creepiness factor.

“I don’t like this, Hayley,” Lora whispers. “I’m scared.”

I try to reassure her while comforting my own tripled pulse rate. “It’s okay.”

Is it, though?

Daniel and Byron start dueling with long tree branches they found on the ground. The rest of us wander around checking out the old graves. Some date back to the mid-1800s with a lot of unmarked, unknown, or sunken-in tombs. The hairs on my arm stand at attention and not from the cold. There’s an eeriness here that crawls over me, and makes me feel like something is watching us. Not that I necessarily believe in demons, ghosts, or spooks, but this just doesn’t seem right.

My instincts couldn’t be more dead—no pun intended—on when I hear Byron scream out to Daniel, Will, and Phillip.

“Dudes... run!”

Will drops Lora’s hand that he’s been holding and takes off toward the gate with his football buddies. Lora screams like a banshee and bolts after her boyfriend. I can’t exactly run and am totally screwed.

“They’re trying to leave us!” Lora yells.

“No shit, Sherlock!” I cry back.

“Will! Don’t do this to me!” my partner begs as she’s running fast. Guess he forgot she ran track in the spring.

I can’t run, though, and can only watch as Byron squeezes back through the gate, followed by Phillip, and Will pulling up the rear. Lora catches up to him, screaming and waving her hands. The Jeep starts backing up, and I see Lora dive into the back seat, wailing away on her boyfriend as he laughs and fends her off.

Oh my God. They’re leaving me. WTF?

Daniel’s the last one of the pack to make it to the gate; his black cape flapping in the wind. However, his cell phone comes flying out, and he pauses to get it.

This is my chance!

I have no idea where I get the energy, strength, or even the ability to close the distance between the two of us. Daniel straightens from picking up his cell phone, and that’s when I tackle him like a lineman on fourth and short.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I growl out.

He struggles with me in the dirt and leaves that we’re rolling around in. “Hayley, what are you doing?”

“Y’all aren’t ditching me! If I’m left, so are you.”

He wrestles away from me, but my sudden Wonder Woman strength keeps him pinned on the ground.

The squeal of tires on gravel catches my ear, and I realize the deed is done.

“Great! Just great!” I yell, climbing off him.

Daniel slams his fists into the ground, sending leaves flying everywhere. “Fuck!”

I stand up and pick remnants of broken shrubs, twigs, and grass off my uniform. My teeth begin to chatter, so I wrap the thin cloak around me, hoping Byron will come back soon. What an asshole!

I give Daniel the death stare as he dials his cell phone. He obviously gets Byron’s voice mail. “Yo, Burke. What the fuck, man? That wasn’t the plan. Girls—we were ditching the girls, you retard! You’d better get your ass back here ASAP!”

I hiss through my teeth, trying to cap my anger. “Are you serious? You idiots planned that? What... strand the cheerleaders in the cemetery... for what purpose?”

“It’s Halloween,” he says. “You do shit like this.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t.”

I turn my back and walk away from him. I cross over to a crumbling mausoleum covered with vines and clumps of mud. At least there’s a little overhang to protect me from the extreme cold. Why hadn’t I thought to bring my coat tonight? Oh, I know—because I didn’t know I was going to get left in a freaking cemetery with my ex.

Pulling my knees up in front of me, I wrap my arms around my legs and pull the cape over myself. The torn fishnet stockings do very little to keep me warm.

I sit like this for at least fifteen minutes, wondering if our ride will ever come back. It’s not like we’re near anything or could walk to a house and ask for help. Daniel can’t call 911 because we’re totally trespassing and the cops would
not
be happy.

Several feet from me, Daniel keeps calling and texting Byron to no avail. If he were a cartoon character, steam would be spewing from his ears.

No words are exchanged as he paces back and forth near me. At least he has long pants on and a thicker cape—a cape similar to the person who kissed me. Was it Daniel? And if so, why is he being so distant now? Shouldn’t he be comforting me or something?

Hell no. He’s too concerned about himself, as usual. My fists ball up, and I dig my fingernails into my palms. Irritation rushes through my veins, and I become passionately outraged on the inside like a bubbling volcano about to burst.

I can’t take it anymore. I erupt.

“You know,” I call out to Daniel, “you’re a real jerk.”

Quietly, he shuffles through the leaves and makes his way over to me. He hangs his head and then sits down next to me. His eyes meet mine, and I see regret overcome him.

“Yeah, I know it,” he acknowledges.

Ahhh... victory. “At least you admit it.”

Silence surrounds us again as the night wind curls around our feet. An owl hoots in the distance, and I quake.

Daniel moves closer and wraps his cape around me in a nice gesture. The one streetlight, coupled with the moonlight, bounces off his face. I see his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he’s about to speak.

“I’m sorry I flaked on you, Hayley.”

I don’t know what to say, so I just nod and listen.

He sighs. “Cancer is just too much for me to handle.”

“Tell me about it,” I say sarcastically.

“It’s high school, you know? Senior year. Final blowout. Not real life.”

My own sigh releases. “Well, it’s real life to me.”

He pulls me closer, and I appreciate the shared warmth. “I know.”

We sit like that for a few more minutes—how many, I don’t know. We’re friends comforting each other. Nothing more.

After a while, I see the headlights to Byron’s Jeep approaching. They’re waving and laughing like they’ve just pulled off the cleverest gag of all times. Whatever.

At least I had this time with Daniel—the real Daniel; not some jock trying to impress his friends.

I forgive him in my head for being such a stupid boy.

Deep, deep down in my female intuition, I know he wasn’t the one who kissed me in the dark.

The question remains...
then who was it?

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

—Winston Churchill

I creep into the hospital room and find Ross sitting in bed with tons of paperwork in front of him.

“Mobile office?” I ask.

“Hayley, what a treat,” he says, smiling. “Come sit.”

I pull the chair up next to his bed and hand him the gift bag I brought for him.

“What’s that?”

“The real treat.”

Ross opens it and then laughs. “Snickers bars. Honestly, kid. You should buy stock in the company.”

I bob my head. “It was the only thing I could stomach during my chemo.”

“It sucks,” he says. “You know, to be technical about it.”

“Yeah, it did.”

He seems older, more worn, and very tired. His hair is definitely thinning, and there are bruises all up and down his arms. He’s been in the hospital three weeks now, and I can tell he’s fidgety and frustrated.

He shifts the paperwork aside and reaches into the bag for one of the candy bars. Ripping into the paper, he takes a bite and then moans in pleasure. “That works.”

I lace my fingers together on my lap. “So, how is everything going?”

Ross lays the chocolate on the tray in front of him. “Day to day, you know? Seems that in order to kill the leukemia cells, a lot of my healthy cells and tissue get damaged. I’m starting to lose my hair, my nails have all broken off, and every time they stick a needle in me, I bruise like I’ve been in a prize fight.”

I shake my head, realizing how “simple” my treatment was in comparison. “I’m sorry, Ross. But you have to do this to get well.”

“That’s what they tell me,” he says. He fakes a smile at me, but I know better.

“I’m so tired, Hayley. I’ve never been this exhausted in my life,” he says. Frustration underlines his words. “I’ve climbed mountains with less effort. Now, all I want to do is sleep and not throw up. You know what I’m talking about.”

“I do,” I say quietly. “I don’t know what I can do for you, but I’m here.”

Ross reaches for my hand. “That’s priceless. That and the chocolate bars.”

I tighten my grip to encourage him. “I know this is hard. Believe me, I do. You have to trust that God has a plan for you and that the doctors can take care of this so it won’t get worse.”

He chuckles. “You should bottle that positive attitude and sell it on eBay, kiddo.”

My cheeks heat from the compliment. “It’s how I get up every day and go to school. I
have
to stay positive.”

He points to my head. “Just as I’m losing my hair, yours is coming in nicely.”

I scrub at the short soft growth on my scalp. “It’s coming in darker. It’s almost black now instead of brown. The doctors told me the texture can change, as well.”

“Cancer perm,” Ross says. “I heard all about it. Sometimes you get a wave or curl when it grows back.”

“That would be cool,” I say, smiling.

The nurse knocks and enters the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got some medicine for you, Mr. Scott.”

Waving her off, Ross says, “Mr. Scott? Mr. Scott is my father.”

Standing, I drop Ross’s hand. “I’ll get out of the way.”

“Please come see me again,” he begs.

“Of course I will,” I say.

“I need you to help me be brave, Hayley. I need you to share that innocence you have. That lust for life. This is hard for me and I don’t admit things like that easily. I run a multimillion-dollar firm, yet, I can’t control my own body.”

I take his hand again. “I know it’s frustrating. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. There’s a reason for everything. We just don’t know the ‘why’ part all the time.”

“Stay as you are, Hayley.”

My lips curl up into a wide smile. “I’m here for you... whatever you need.”

“Your friendship means the world.”

***

For Thanksgiving, our small community neighborhood takes to the street. Even though the weather’s a bit nippy, we bring out our picnic tables, chairs, lawn furniture, fire pits, and we all share a massive celebration dinner before the sun sets. We’ve been doing this since I was about eight years old, and I’d be crushed to experience Thanksgiving any other way.