Secret Admirer (10 page)

“Selena! Are you okay?”

Selena didn't recognize the voice. Then, dazed, she turned to see Eddy beside her.

“What happened?” she gasped, pushing herself off the tunnel wall.

“The car—it almost hit us!” Eddy cried in a trembling voice.

“You … you pushed me in front of the car!” Selena accused.

“I pushed hard enough to be sure you'd reach the other side of the tunnel,” he explained, struggling to catch his breath. “Then I jumped.”

He let out a deep sigh. “Sorry it was a little rough.”

Selena glanced around the concrete tube and shuddered. There was barely enough room for a car to squeeze by. If Eddy hadn't pushed her out of the way …

She wrapped her arms around her chest. She was beginning to tremble in reaction. “Don't apologize,” she murmured. “You saved my life.”

“Are you sure you're okay?” Eddy leaned close.

“Uh-huh,” Selena said. “You?”

“I banged my elbow,” he replied. “No big deal. I wish I'd been able to get that idiot's license number.”

He offered Selena his hand and led her toward the parking lot. “We should have been walking on this side in the first place,” he said, shaking his head.

Selena stared at Eddy in surprise. He had been here many times before. He must have known there wasn't enough room to walk in the tunnel.

We
should
have been walking on this side,
Selena silently agreed.

Why,
she wondered,
weren't we?

“Did you see what kind of car it was?” Selena asked as Eddy turned onto Old Mill Road. They'd been riding in silence for several minutes. Selena still felt jittery.

“No,” Eddy admitted. “It happened too fast. It was obviously some jerk who'd had too much to drink. I hope the police get him before he kills someone.”

“What if it wasn't a drunk driver?” Selena suggested. “What if it was someone who knew us? Who
wanted to hurt us?” She swallowed hard. “Or wanted to hurt
me?”

Eddy stayed silent for a moment. “You mean the guy who sent you the notes?” he asked quietly.

Selena nodded, staring straight ahead.

“But it happened over in Waynesbridge,” Eddy pointed out. “No one would expect you to be there.”

“Unless they followed me,” Selena muttered, remembering her encounter with Danny.

Maybe that driver wasn't aiming for us deliberately,
Selena thought, changing her mind.
Maybe Eddy just decided to push me in front of that car
.

She leaned her head against the car window and shut her eyes.
I can't trust anyone,
Selena thought.

When she opened her eyes and gazed at Eddy, she suddenly didn't feel so safe anymore.

The next morning, Selena awakened with the vague memory of a disturbing dream. She shook the feeling away, dressed quickly, and hurried downstairs.

She sliced bananas into two bowls of cereal. Today was her mother's day off. For once, the two of them could have breakfast together.

After setting the table and pouring orange juice, Selena stepped out onto the porch for the newspaper.

She gasped when she saw the cone-shaped package leaning against the screen door. Wrapped in blue tissue paper. Another bouquet.

“Oh, no!” she wailed. “Not again!” She reached for the package, ready to toss it into the garbage can.

But then she saw something bright peeking out from the edge of the paper. Something bright and colorful—a beautiful red rose.

Selena brought the bouquet indoors and quickly
unwrapped it. It was so beautiful—a dozen red roses nestled in green leaves. She couldn't find a card. But Selena didn't need one.

It's from Eddy,
she thought.
It must be. How could I have suspected him? How could I think he wanted to hurt me?

She stood on the kitchen stool and pulled a glass vase down from the shelf above the refrigerator. She filled the vase with water, then began to arrange the flowers and greenery.

“So beautiful,” she breathed. She pressed her face into the blooms, inhaling their sweet scent. “Thank you, Eddy,” she murmured happily.

“Good morning, honey,” her mother called out behind her.

“Hi, Mom.” Selena glanced up. “Look what someone left for me.”

“How lovely,” Mrs. Goodrich exclaimed, approaching the table.

“Smell them,” Selena urged, once again burying her face in the bouquet. “They're wonderful!”

“Oh—wait!” Mrs. Goodrich suddenly cried. “Selena!” she gasped. “Get away from them!”

“Huh?” Selena had her face buried in the bouquet. She pulled it away. “What's wrong, Mom?”

“Those leaves, Selena—they're poison ivy!”

19
 

S
elena had always been very allergic to poison ivy.

A few minutes later, her face had swelled up. Her skin tingled and itched. She found it hard to breathe. Her temperature rose to one hundred two.

Who could have known how sensitive I am to poison ivy?
she wondered.

Who could have known how allergic I am?

A week later, Selena's face was still puffy. Her hands and arms were covered with scabs. As she leaned over her geometry text, she found herself scratching the rash that wouldn't go away.

How could I have been so stupid?
she asked herself for the hundredth time.
Everyone knows what poison ivy looks like. Was I really that desperate to get flowers from Eddy?

“How do you feel?” Jake whispered.

“Better, thanks,” Selena muttered.

“You
look
better,” Katy told her. “A little, anyway.”

The three friends were sitting around a small table in the library, where they were assigned for study hall.

“I feel like such an idiot,” Selena moaned. “This is the most embarrassing thing I've ever done. I can't believe I had to miss play practice, too!”

“It's not your fault,” Jake whispered. “If some creep sends you poison iv—”

“Shh!” Katy warned as the librarian frowned at them.

Selena turned back to her books. A few minutes later, the librarian stepped out into the hall, and Jake nudged her again. “Ready for rehearsal?” he asked. “Only two weeks until opening night!”

“I hope my rash is cleared up by then,” Selena moaned.

“I'm not even sure you should do the play,” Jake whispered.

“What? Are you serious?” Selena cried.

“I agree with Jake,” Katy said somberly.

“But don't you get it?” Selena argued. “That's what he wants me to do—quit the play. I don't want to give him the satisfaction.”

“I wish we knew who it was,” Katy sighed.

“I
know who it is,” Jake declared. “It's got to be Danny.”

Selena made a face. “I don't think so. What makes you so sure?”

“I don't want to say yet,” Jake replied. “But I have been doing some checking.”

Selena stared at him. “What do you mean, checking?”

“Just asking around, finding things out,” he explained.
His eyes burned into hers. “I know how much you want that scholarship. I promise I'll find out what's going on.”

“Thanks,” Selena said sincerely. “But, Jake … I know you've been having problems of your own. I don't want you to worry about me.”

“Hey,” he said, giving her a grin. “What are friends for?”

Selena glanced impatiently at the clock. She could barely wait for the last bell to ring. Her history teacher droned on and on. All she could think about was her conversation with Katy and Jake.

Why was Jake so certain that Danny was the stalker? He had seemed almost happy about it. What did Jake know? Did he know something for sure?

“Selena? You okay?” Katy whispered.

Selena glanced over at her friend. Katy sat next to Selena in the back row of the classroom. Selena nodded and picked up her pen to take notes.

But as soon as Katy looked away, Selena's mind returned to Jake and Danny.

Jake might be fooling himself,
Selena thought unhappily.
He
wants
Danny to be the stalker. He doesn't know for sure
.

She gnawed on her pen.
I appreciate Jake trying to help me. But I should try to find the creep myself. I can't let Jake do my dirty work
.

Selena saw Katy staring at her again. Quickly she began taking notes to cover her nervousness.

Maybe there's some kind of clue in the stage area,
she thought.
Something that will show me who the stalker is
.

The final bell rang, making Selena jump.

She knew what she had to do.

Why didn't I do this weeks ago?
she wondered as she rushed out of the classroom. She was halfway to the auditorium when Katy caught up to her.

“Selena, wait!” she called. “Want a ride home?”

“Thanks, Katy,” Selena replied. “But I've got something to do first. I'll catch the bus later.”

“Sure? I don't mind waiting.”

Selena hesitated. Should she tell Katy where she was going? She felt funny about what she planned to do. Snooping around other people's stuff …

“You go ahead,” she told Katy.

Selena made sure no one saw her as she entered the auditorium.
I'm
not
snooping,
she told herself.
I'm just protecting myself
.

She climbed onto the stage and searched around. Everything appeared normal. She crossed to where the curtain ropes were tied. Again, she saw nothing unusual.

Selena sighed. She pulled open the backstage door and hurried to the locker room. This was where cast and crew members kept their personal things. This was where she might find something—anything—that would lead her to the creep who had been threatening her.

She glanced around. Except for a pile of costumes and props on the table in the corner, the room stood empty. The battered metal lockers were never locked. Selena edged toward them.

She opened her own locker first, and found it empty except for a white hair band she thought she had lost. She picked it up and absently placed it in her pocket.

Then she opened the next locker, which belonged to Alison. Empty.

“This is ridiculous,” Selena told herself aloud. “I don't even know what I'm looking for.”

She opened two more lockers at random, then quickly shut them. None of them contained anything except a few items of clothing.

Selena crossed the room and peered at the cast bulletin board. Her eye fell on the list of locker assignments tacked to one corner. She quickly scanned the list, then returned to the row of lockers.

She knew why she had really come here. She wanted to look inside Danny's locker. She had no proof that he was the stalker. But she hadn't been able to think of anyone else. And Jake kept saying it must be Danny.

Selena simply had to know.

Locker number 111.

Selena stared at it for a moment, feeling guilty. She took a deep breath, then quickly yanked the door open.

At first she thought the locker was empty. She started to slam the door shut again.

But then she saw something stuck in the back of the locker. A small, shiny square of paper. Selena reached for it. Examined it.

And uttered a low cry as she realized what she held.

A page of stickers.

Most of the page had been peeled away. But at the bottom she saw at least a dozen orange suns.

Selena stared down at the stickers, feeling sick.

Danny.

Danny was the one, after all.

Danny. Danny. Danny.

To think she had once been so close with him. She had been so crazy about him.

She stepped back. Her legs felt rubbery. Her mouth suddenly felt dry.

She read the number again. Locker number 111. Danny's locker.

Selena gripped the stickers tightly in her hand. Her heart raced.

Don't jump to conclusions,
she told herself.
Make sure you have the right person
.

She returned to the bulletin board to double-check the locker number. She quickly scanned the names. There it was: Danny Morris—number 112.

Huh?

112?

No!

No! She had opened locker number 111!

Selena returned to the list. The columns of numbers made her dizzy. She used her finger to draw a line from number 111.

Carefully she ran her finger across the wrinkled paper.

And gasped as she read the correct name.

She read the name again. Then once more.

She couldn't make herself believe it.

Locker 111 belonged to Jake. Jake Jacoby.

Jake was the stalker. The Sun.

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