The Dreamstalker (9 page)

For a few minutes they worked on tricks. Kerr never tried to lift her. Not that she was very heavy, but he needed a tiny partner, someone like Alysia, for that. They performed the other steps they knew in rhythm to the music that blared from loudspeakers around the lake. Karen noticed that people were watching them, but she didn't care. She was used to it by now.

They all broke for chocolate in the warming hut. Laughing and talking, they also teased and poked.

“Skate, Alysia?” Kerr asked, gliding up behind her as they went back outside.

“Oh—no, here comes Bill.” Alysia turned him down. They often switched partners, but it was obvious that Alysia didn't want to skate with Kerr.

He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He skated behind her and Bill for a short time, then came up behind Bill and pushed him slightly. “Cut,” he called out, grabbing Alysia's hands while Bill turned her lose to catch his balance.

Alysia could either make a scene or skate with Kerr. She skated with Kerr. Karen skated up and stopped beside Bill. “You can settle for second best.” She held out both hands in a crossed position.

Bill took them and they pushed off. “What's with Kerr, Karen? He keeps pestering Alysia. She hasn't complained about it to me, but it's obvious to anyone who's watching. She may have to stop being nice to him. Because he's your brother, I'd hate to have to punch him out.”

“Don't, Bill. Try to ignore him. He can't stand for anyone to tell him he can't have something. I guess I'd have to say he's pretty spoiled, and that I've helped make him that way. Mom and I have always catered to his moods and his demands. It was easier than having him throw a tantrum when he was little, or pout when he got older. He'll finally get over it.”

“But meanwhile, he's being really obnoxious. It's hard to ignore.”

“I know. Believe me, I know. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you need to punch him out. He has to learn sometime that he can't always have his way. I don't know if Alysia told you that Kerr asked her out. I put the idea into his head, but that was before she started going with you. She turned him down, of course. She really likes you, Bill. I doubt if Kerr even wants to go out with her now. But he's still angry, and he likes to pester people.”

They finished talking about Kerr and made another sweep around the rink. Bill had something else on his mind.

“I miss Jesse, don't you, Karen?”

“Yes. Sometimes I miss him so much, I think I can't stand it.” Karen nearly stumbled, but Bill tightened his hold on her.

“His dying was not only hard to accept, it was hard to figure. I've talked to the coach about it because I was having trouble handling it. Mr. Harbrace said he talked to the surgeon. The surgery he did on Jesse was only to relieve some pressure from the swelling. The doctor said Jesse should have recovered nicely. One of the nurses said he had regained consciousness and was sleeping, a good sign that he was okay. No one involved with the case can say what happened to worsen Jesse's condition. That makes it even harder to accept as far as I'm concerned.”

This was the first medical report Karen had heard about Jesse. She hadn't wanted to know anything about it after Jesse died. The news didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse just as she was starting to heal.

“We're going to win the championship for him, Karen.” Maybe Bill realized he'd said too much, set back some progress Karen was making. “I'm sorry if I opened some fresh wounds. Forget what I told you.” Bill stopped them in front of the hut.

“It's okay, Bill. I guess I needed to know what you've told me. But it does make it harder to know that Jesse had such a good chance of recovering and then didn't.”

They were distracted by Alysia's trying to get away from Kerr. She had pulled them to a stop, but Kerr was trying to force her to keep skating.

“Kerr, I want to stop. Now, let go of me.” She jerked away from him and skated toward Bill and Karen.

“I wasn't ready to stop.” Kerr followed her.

“Well, I was. Will you let me alone?” Alysia hardly ever lost her temper, but Kerr had pushed her to her limits.

Bill swung between them. “You heard her, Newton. Leave her alone. She's my girl.”

Kerr's face turned bright red. “She was going to go out with me before you butted in, Jergens.”

“I was not, Kerr. That's all in your head. You never even asked me to go with you. And if you had, even before Bill and I started going steady, I would have said no. I don't care if you are my best friend's brother, you don't have any claim on me, and I don't even have to keep being nice to you. So leave me alone,
comprende?
Understand? Have I said it plainly enough? You don't seem to respond to hints.”

Bill didn't have to hit Kerr. Alysia's words were like a slap in the face. Karen had seen that kicked dog look before. Maybe now he could go off and sulk and get over Alysia's refusal to date him.

She felt like crying, crying for Kerr, for herself. It was hard not to feel guilty that Kerr was like this. That she and Mom had spoiled him, knowing the rest of the world wouldn't. As she watched him skate off the wrong way across the ice, dodging people or pushing them aside, her heart went out to him. He was unhappy, and she couldn't make it right for him as she always had. This time, Kerr was going to have to take some responsibility for making things right for himself.

Chapter 11

Before Kerr was out of sight, Alysia and Bill got into a fight. “I should have punched him out. He's been asking for it for days.” Bill grabbed up a wad of snow from the drift beside the rink and made a snowball. He threw it as hard as he could at a pine tree beside the warming hut.

“Look, Bill, Kerr already made me lose my temper. No sense in you losing yours too. Forget it.”

“I don't want to forget it. You should have refused to skate with him. You could have, right from the beginning.”

Karen was on the verge of tears. She felt responsible for all of this. “Look guys, let's call it quits. Our nerves are all ragged. It hasn't exactly been a great fall.”

“Your brother isn't making it any better.” Bill couldn't let it go.

“Get off his case, Bill. Forget it.” Alysia started unlacing her skates.

“I don't want to forget it.”

Karen could see that Bill was trying to control an unreasonable amount of anger. She wondered if Bill wasn't angry in general, or partly about Jesse dying. She had heard enough of the grief counselor's talk to know there was a stage of anger after someone close to you dies. You're mad because he died. She couldn't imagine getting angry with Jesse, but on the other hand, she didn't know how she'd feel tomorrow.

Alysia moved to sit beside Karen while she changed to her boots. She took Karen's arm and huddled close to her as if she were cold.

“Come on. I'll take you home.” Bill motioned to Alysia.

“I'm not going with you. I'm going with Karen.”

Bill stared at them for a minute. “Okay, have it your way. Go where you please.”

“I will,” Alysia whispered. Her voice was all shaky.

“I'm sorry, Alysia.” Karen hugged her. “But I think everyone is on edge. I think Bill isn't angry at you so much as he's angry at the world. He's angry because Jesse died. He'll see that by tomorrow and call you.”

“I know. But I decided to let him cool off by himself. I don't feel so good. I didn't want to deal with it.”

“Are you getting a bug?” Karen looked at Alysia. She did look awfully pale. “I hate to tell you this, but I rode with Kerr. We're both stranded here.”

Kaziah had stood back and watched the battle, but she had a tendency to look after people. “I have a feeling you two need a ride. Am I right?”

“You are very perceptive, Kaziah.” Karen smiled at her. “Or is it obvious?”

“Easy knew Alysia came with Bill, and you always come with your brother, Karen. It didn't take much imagination to read this mess.”

“Cabin fever,” diagnosed Easy as they headed for his four-wheel-drive Chevy van. “Let's all go to Belize with Alysia's family. Think your daddy can afford some tagalongs?”

“Hey, wouldn't that be fun?” Kaziah buckled her seat belt and swung around to look at their passengers. “No kidding. How much would it cost?”

“About seven, eight hundred apiece.” Alysia perked up. “You can't believe how much a week in the sun does to improve your attitude. The good feelings might last all winter.”

“We're going to kill each other if we don't do something. Cabin fever, senioritis—call it what you like. And we've hardly seen the sun for two weeks. And all this snow. It's getting to me.” Kaziah let out a shriek to relieve her emotions.

It had started snowing hard, and Easy sat forward to peer out between the whacking windshield wipers. “It's gonna be a white out soon.”

“Listen, don't try to take Karen home,” Alysia said when they were close to her house. “She can stay with me, can't you, Karen? You live too far out.”

Karen hesitated. She worried that she'd outstayed her welcome at Alysia's.

“Come on, I want you to stay. My mom doesn't care, really. We can build up the fire and make popcorn.”

“Okay, you talked me into it.” Suddenly remembering the frosty atmosphere at her house, even with a huge fire and the furnace blasting full force, convinced Karen. And no one at her house cared where she was.

The two girls ran, slipping and sliding, for the back door. Jerking it open, they jumped inside, laughing. The wind had started to howl, and icy pellets splattered against the house and roof.

“Here's your permanent house guest, Mrs. Holland,” Karen said, entering the warm kitchen. It smelled of chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and chili. Mrs. Holland made the most delicious soups in the world. Her chili was famous with their crowd.

“You should have invited everyone in, Alysia. I've cooked enough for an army, but didn't think of telling you to bring the party home with you until now.”

“You might have us for a week, Mrs. Holland. I think this is turning into a real blizzard. What's the weather report? Thank goodness tomorrow is Sunday.” Karen shook snow from her hair.

“I'm afraid to listen to the news, girls. Go see for yourself, but don't tell me.” Mrs. Holland got plates from the cupboard.

After shedding their coats and boots in the back hall, Karen and Alysia each grabbed a warm cookie and a mug of cocoa, and hurried into the living room. Mr. Holland was watching a Channel Four newscast.

“This was supposed to be four inches.” He laughed. “It figures. Suddenly it's turned into an upslope storm and is stuck over our part of the state. They're telling everyone to stay home.”

“We'll do our part.” Alysia said. She curled up against her dad's feet to watch pictures of people trying to drive on the freeways.

“I'd better call home. The phone lines might go down.”

Karen was glad her mother answered. She agreed that Karen shouldn't try to get home. Kerr had said it was getting bad.

“He's home then?” Karen asked.

“Yes, he's right here, helping me make a pizza. You want to talk to him?”

“No, I just wanted to be sure he was okay.” She turned back to Alysia and her father. “Kerr's helping Mom cook. That's a new wrinkle.”

“At least he's not still mad. I wonder if I should call Bill?”

“No, let him call you. He's the one who lost it, Alysia. He should be the one to apologize.”

They watched
Star Trek
while they ate supper. Then Mr. Holland suggested a game of Monopoly. Everyone agreed if Alysia made popcorn, and the loser promised to make fudge.

Alysia ran out of money early in the game, but she backed out on making fudge while the others finished playing. “I think I'll go to bed. I don't feel so hot.”

“Are you getting the flu?” Mrs. Holland felt Alysia's forehead. “You don't have a fever.”

“No, I just feel tired.” Alysia left the room, wrapped in an afghan.

“She and Bill had a fight at the lake,” Karen told Mr. and Mrs. Holland. She knew Alysia didn't mind if she shared. Her parents pretty much knew everything that was happening with the girls.

“I know you're still struggling with losing Jesse, Karen. And losing two classmates from your small, special psychology class within a month of each other is probably affecting your whole class, even if you aren't aware of it.”

“Maybe I'd better go with Alysia.” Karen stacked what little play money she had left. “I'll concede the win to you, Mr. Holland. But it's not fair. You always win. We challenge you again.”

Mr. Holland laughed. “You're playing with a big businessman, you realize. I've probably handled more money than you two.”

“I should hope so.” Karen laughed. “I'll help with the dishes, Mrs. Holland.”

“You'll do no such thing. Not tonight. Go with Alysia. She probably needs to cry on someone's shoulder.”

Alysia was already in bed, which surprised Karen. Maybe she
was
sick.

Alysia's large bedroom had been planned for company. There were two single beds, two big comfortable chairs, even two closets and two chests of drawers. Karen still had some of her stuff there. She hunted for pajamas and was rewarded by a favorite worn pair of pink sweats, demoted from everyday wear to sleeping gear.

“Are you asleep?” Karen whispered, coming back from the bathroom.

“No, just getting warm.” Alysia turned on her side and propped herself on her elbow.

“Bill and the big chill. Guys—bah, humbug!” Karen tried to tease, but suddenly she thought, I'd give anything to have a big fight with Jesse. It would be so great to kiss and make up.

“I know what you're thinking, Karen. I'm sorry.”