Sidekicks (4 page)

Brynn sighed her sympathy. "And I'm the only girl. At least your parents have promised you one for graduation. I'm beginning to think mine are only willing to pay for tuition at colleges that won't let dorm freshmen bring a car to campus."

Though that was pretty pathetic, I couldn't help but laugh as I wheeled my car into Tyler's drive.

He opened the back door. "Pick you up at ten?"

"Okay."

He shut the door and started walking toward his house.

I carefully avoided the topic of Cooper on the way home to cut down on more free advice or a lecture I didn't want to hear. Since Mom and Dad made it a point to be in the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, they weren't home when I got there. Tagliaro's stayed open until eleven on weekends, and business was always brisk. Though I waitressed for them during the summers, they preferred that I didn't when school was in session. I did help when they catered, but seldom on a week night.

When I finally went to bed a little earlier than usual, I thought about listening to the football game on the radio. Then I wondered why I would do such a thing since I wasn't into rough sports or Cooper. Even more important, the game confused me, which would make hearing it instead of seeing it a joke. In the end, I fell asleep watching TV.

True to his word, Tyler showed up at ten Saturday morning. Dressed in jeans, a red tank and a light denim jacket, I ran out the door and crawled into the passenger seat of his Dad's white Silverado. He next drove to Brynn's. Since she was ready, too, we got to the mall by ten-thirty. We hit our usual favs plus some others before heading to the food court around noon, where we split up since we all wanted something different.

Tyler went with egg rolls; Brynn got pizza; I chose a burger. We met at a table midway in the eating area and took a seat, where we talked while we ate. Feeling the tug of a spirit, I tried not to look in that direction. I must've done a bad job of it. At any rate, they both groaned.

"You may as well get it over with," said Brynn with a dry laugh. She looked especially cute in skinny jeans that showed off her slender build. "You won't be able to eat until you do."

Was I that bad? Tyler's nod of encouragement told me I probably was. Oh well. I swiveled in my seat and scanned the other shoppers in the court. My gaze belatedly pounced on a young woman with a baby in an infant seat, sitting at the table next to us. Yep. I was being called to her. The sudden increase in my heart rate proved it. I noted how natural her blond highlights appeared and how her coral lipstick contrasted with her golden tan and gray eyes.

Without a second thought, I spoke to her. "Hi. My name is Mia."

She smiled rather cautiously. "Hi."

"I'm a medium. Do you know what that is?"

Eyes a bit wider, she slowly nodded.

"Did you just lose someone dear to you? A male?"

She nodded again.

I could see that her eyes were filling and rushed to give her a message I knew would help ease the pain of her loss. "Was it your dad?"

A third nod. A couple of tears escaped, running down her cheeks.

"Okay. He's here, and he wants you to know that he saw you kiss his picture this morning."

She gasped and pressed her fingers to her lips.

"He also wants me to tell you that he held your baby son before he was born."

"Oh my God." A steady flow of teardrops now tracked her makeup. "I've wanted that so badly."

"You named your baby after your dad, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"He knows, and he's very, very flattered and so proud."

For a couple of seconds we just looked at each other. Then she stood and closed the distance between us so she could hug me. "Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure." As in totally. I felt the happiness of a job well done, a surge of emotion that I guessed might be as addicting as a narcotic. If so, no wonder people lied, cheated, and killed for drugs. Poor Cooper. He'd lost so much. Thank goodness the loss had come before he really experienced the joy he could bring.

When I turned back to my friends, Brynn gave me a big smile and a low-key high-five. I expected Tyler to be stoic, as usual.

But even he had been touched. "That's better than dessert."

I grinned. "Isn't it?"

I managed to take two whole bites of my burger before another spirit approached, this one oddly...cautious, I guess. The presence actually felt sort of familiar, but when I tried to probe for information, all I got for my trouble was the entity's fast retreat. Didn't know what was up with that.

We shopped for another hour and then went home. When Tyler dropped me off, I went into an empty house and got started on the laundry to help out my mom. I also put a roast in the crock pot, a non-Italian meal my parents would appreciate no matter how late they got home.

* * * *

I had a pretty normal, as in boring, weekend, all in all. Sunday night found me on our back deck in a lawn chair, alone, chilly, and watching for a meteor shower that was supposed to light up the southern sky around eleven-thirty. Since that gave my mind permission to wander, my thoughts found Cooper, who'd been a constant presence inside my head for days.

Why couldn't I just give up on him? His actions--or lack thereof-- the past week spoke much louder than his claimed willingness to be my friend. Yet I foolishly clung to the hope that he hadn't called, texted, or even spoken to me because he was just too busy with school and football. Was my innate need to help everyone to blame? Or were the leftover emotions of an immature eight year old confusing me beyond belief?

When the meteor shower finally began, I forgot all about Cooper. Watching those bright lights streak past the earth and into infinity made my own insignificance hit home with a vengeance, giving me the ability to put my problems in perspective.

I realized I didn't actually have any.

Later in my bedroom, where I snuggled a body pillow under a couple of quilts, Nick came calling. I gave him a short and not-so-sweet progress report. "Sorry, but I've given up on Cooper."

Someone wants to talk to you.

Before I could give the go ahead, I sensed the presence I'd felt in the mall on Saturday, the semi-familiar one that had retreated. This time I knew who it was immediately: Brett Ray, Cooper's deceased dad. My heart sort of swooped inside my chest as I pictured him in life: tall, brown hair, brown eyes. A good looking guy with tons of charisma. I hadn't realized Cooper favored him so much. In death Brett was nothing more than a feeling, communicating with thoughts and emotions I intercepted as images that held meaning to me. Learning those meanings had taken me my whole life, and I was constantly readjusting to nuances as I fine-tuned my skills and dealt with spirits that had vastly different backgrounds and personalities.

Brett Ray's thoughts were no challenge at all. He was worried about his son.

I heaved a sigh of frustration. "What do you want me to do?"

He presented me with an image from an old movie my mom had watched a zillion times,
The Miracle Worker,
in which Annie Sullivan finally got through to deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller. I knew exactly what that meant.
Keep at him. Don't give up.

"Okay," I said with a sigh and new determination.

But I didn't see Cooper until after lunch on Monday when everyone gathered for one of those informational assemblies that Mr. Marsh loved. We sat in alpha order by homerooms, which meant I was seated between an S and a W. A glance to my right revealed that Cooper sat one section over, but a row down. I stared hard at the back of his head, hoping he'd feel my heavy gaze, but he never looked my way.

Normally I slipped into a mental daze when Mr. Marsh began droning about upcoming events and the importance of studying hard, but the sudden appearance of a young spirit on the stage behind him made that impossible today.

I hadn't seen an apparition that clearly in ages. If I hadn't known Jim Carey was alive and well in Hollywood, I'd have wondered if he'd died and dropped by to haunt Martinsburg High. This joker was that funny. I actually struggled not to laugh out loud and truly wished every other student bored silly could see his ridiculous antics.

On that thought, I automatically glanced around expecting nothing but straight faces. That's what I saw, too, until I got to Cooper, who was hiding a grin with his hand. Had someone around him said something funny? My quick check told me no. Besides, he had his eyes glued to the stage.

That could only mean one thing.

The moment Mr. Marsh dismissed us, I darted into the aisle. Cooper soon passed, walking as fast as he could with his gaze straight ahead. I didn't let that deter me and fell into step beside him. "Feeling the heat are you?"

He spared me a split-second glance. "Huh?"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." I deliberately shoved him aside with my shoulder before weaving my way through other exiting students and stepping into the afternoon sun.

Of course he caught up, grabbing my arm to keep me from descending the steps of the concrete landing. He pulled me to the side, avoiding the streams of students on their way to fourth period. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?"

"You've been lying about your powers."

"Why would you say that?"

"I saw that
you
saw that idiot on the stage. You know the one. Young, male, talking out of his butt..."

Cooper's cheeks turned bright pink, but he didn't give in. "The only person on that stage was my stepdad."

Suddenly I'd had enough. "You are such a jerk!" I tried to get by him.

He blocked me. "I believe we decided that last Monday."

"Would that be when you said we could be friends?"

Cooper's shoulders sagged. "What do you want from me, Bella?"

"It's Mia now, remember? And all I've ever wanted is the truth. Give me that, and I'll never bother you again."

"You're not a bother."

"Could've fooled me."

He hid his face in his hands. "I know."

"Just tell me this. Were you glad or sad to see me at that dance? And please don't lie. I deserve your honesty for worrying about you all week."

His arms dropped to his sides. "You worried about me?"

Could the guy be more exasperating? "Of course I did. I care. Now answer my question."

"I was both, but not for the reasons you probably think."

I glanced at my watch, vaguely noticing that Tyler and Brynn had just stepped out of the building. "You have thirty seconds. If I'm late to calculus again, I'll get D-hall."

"Okay. All right. I was sad because I knew I'd have to lie if you starting talking about our sidekicks. I was glad because..." He hesitated as if dreading what he had to say.

"Oh my God. Out with it!"

Instead of answering, Cooper swooped in for an open-mouthed kiss that shocked me stupid. So when I immediately melted into him, it was probably nothing more than reflex. But pure desire prompted me throw my arms around his neck and really go for it, pressing my body close and tangling my tongue with his.

"Geez. Get a room." Tyler's taunt was followed by a pained yelp and Brynn's squeal. Cooper and I broke apart. I saw that my friend, undoubted distracted by us, had missed a step or maybe two and now lay sprawled on the sidewalk.

Brynn dropped to her knees beside him. "Holy crap, Tye. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

As she helped him to his feet, I shifted my attention back to Cooper. I kept my voice low so only he could hear me. Didn't want to deal with my friends just then. "Meet me right here after school."

"You've got it."

I was an honest-to-goodness wreck by last period. Though tempted to hope Cooper's kiss meant he was madly in love with me, his behavior the past week wouldn't let me go there. So when the bell finally rang, I actually dragged my feet a little getting to the door. One step into the hall revealed that Cooper was right outside the English room dodging students hell bent on leaving. How'd he know my schedule?

Then I remembered. The boy had connections.

He grabbed my arm. "I was thinking we could go to the park or something instead of talking here."

"I have riders."

"If you trust one of them to drive your car, I can take you to it when we're done."

"All right." I headed to my locker with Cooper one step behind me. From there, we went to the parking lot, where Tyler waited. Brynn hadn't shown up yet. I tossed my keys to him. "Do not wreck my car. I'll pick it up later."

"Sweet." His grin told me he was all about the guy doing the driving.

I followed Cooper to his ride, a black Dodge Ram. He drove us straight to one of the city parks. After getting out of the truck, we walked to a wooden bench by ducking under a canopy of low-hanging limbs laden with vibrant leaves. The air actually had an autumn bite to it for a change, so I zipped my hoodie before I sat next to Cooper.

He leaned forward slightly, his forearms resting on his thighs and his gaze on the grass beneath our feet. "Here's the deal. I never completely lost my sidekicks. But after my dad died, I hid them because every time I saw a spirit, Mom would ask me if it was him. When it wasn't, she'd start crying, which made me feel like I was a failure or doing something wrong."

I gave him a side-arm hug in sympathy. "That must've been awful."

"Baby, you have no idea. When we moved from Birmingham to Martinsburg to live near her parents, they kept dogging me about my powers. They had this idea that anything paranormal was a sin, though if you really think about it there's nothing weirder than angels and demons, and they had no trouble with those." He sighed. "The bottom line is that I pretended I'd lost my abilities so they'd get off my back. Then Mom started dating Marsh, and the minute she did, Dad showed up, trying to tell me something. Of course, I told Mom. I mean, what if he was trying to warn us about the guy? And this was just what she'd been hoping for all along, right? Unfortunately, Marsh heard my confession. He flipped out."

For some reason, that didn't surprise me.

"He told Mom that I needed to see a shrink. And while she had the good sense not to go there, she still made me promise to never mention my sidekicks again. So I started blocking all apparitions, even Dad, though I sometimes let just enough of him through that I'd get this warm, fuzzy sensation."