The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: The Curse of the Gifted (29 page)

She stopped and stared deeply into his eyes. Her cheeks were now covered with tears. “Dylan, I promise nothing will happen to me. I’m yours forever…for as long as you love me, I'll love you back.”

Dylan reached up and tenderly brushed the drops away. He whispered, “I love your more.”...

...The following week Aimee finally returned to school. She walked into the front entry on that Monday morning with Dylan toting her backpack. A crowd of people immediately greeted her. A white banner hung from the ceiling with large blue letters painted across the middle and colorful flowers and
swirls around the border. The sign read,
WELCOME BACK, AIMEE, WE MISSED YOU!!!

Impishly, Dylan grinned at Aimee while the crowd started clapping and pushing in towards them. Dr. Butler, Mr. Bailey, Mrs. North, Dr. Morris, and many other teachers, along with Chelsea, Courtney, Jana, Ashley, most of her friends and other students she only knew from passing in the hall or cafeteria, circled closely around them. Aimee blushed a deep red while everyone talked, laughed, and wished her well at the same time. Dylan squeezed her shoulder while the well-wishers moved with them to the end of the hall, then slowly started to disperse on their own way to class.

As they rounded the corner with Dylan’s arm wrapped gingerly around her waist, Aimee froze. In their usual group huddle at Randi’s locker were Brandi, Nicole, and Randi. All three twirled around and gawked at Dylan and Aimee. Brandi stared at Aimee, then her eyes slid over to Dylan. She darted her eyes back and looked nervously at Aimee. Dylan’s arm slid off Aimee's waist and tugged her elbow. He leaned over and whispered, “Come on. Don’t let these bitches get you upset.” Sweat covered Aimee's forehead while she stared at Brandi. She took a deep breath, and Dylan finally moved Aimee from the spot she had frozen to. They continued walking quickly down the hall and Dylan put his arm gently back around her waist. When they were a good distance from the trio he said, “Ugly, isn’t it?”

She took another deep breath, and then finally asked, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Brandi’s hair. She musta been stoned when she got her hair done because she came to school last week with it all whacked off. She was always so vain about her hair when we dated. I couldn’t believe she did it, but it’s almost as short as mine now. Ugly, isn’t it?” He chuckled playfully at the end.

Aimee looked back over her shoulder at the three, who were still standing at the end of the hall. Brandi had her back to her now. Nicole and Randi were talking to Brandi. Nicole suddenly looked up at Aimee, and Aimee whipped back around and stared straight ahead. Her pulse freaked. Dylan noticed her erratic breathing and stopped walking. He looked at her with a worried expression.

“You okay? Do you need to sit down?”

She took a long breath and faked a slight smile. “I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed after doing nothing but lying around for the past week.”

Dylan snickered. “Well, you have been minding. I didn’t think you would. You have a couple more weeks to get back on your feet completely before the prom.” He flashed a white grin at her. Aimee rolled her big eyes, then he continued, “You aren’t gonna try to get out of it, are you?”

“No,” Aimee answered quickly, “…no, I promised I would go with you, and lucky me, my dress wasn’t in the car when I wrecked. So I guess I’m stuck, huh?”

“I guess so.” Dylan smirked, and then he leaned in and kissed her quickly.

Dr. Morris stood at the doorway of the classroom. “Good morning, again, you two. Aimee, I’m so glad you’re back. You gave us quite a scare.” She patted Aimee's back while they strolled through the doorway.

Dylan tilted his head towards their desks and pulled her into the room with his hand glued to hers. Aimee replied, “I know. It’s certainly been no party.”

Chapter 13 Surprises

“Oh, Aimee,” Dr. Morris exclaimed as she held Aimee's hands and eyed her from head to toe, “you look stunning! You - she winked at Chelsea standing in Aimee's bedroom doorway - will absolutely mesmerize Dylan with your beauty.”

Her dad, who was standing behind Dr. Morris when Aimee emerged from her room after a couple hours of Chelsea’s torture, hadn’t uttered a word at that point. He just stood there a twinkle in his eyes.

“Well, Mike,” began Dr. Morris, “aren’t you gonna say anything to your daughter?”

Dad slid around Dr. Morris and took Aimee's hands into his. He looked at her speechless, and for the first time she noticed the dew in his eyes. He hugged her gingerly, careful not to ruffle a hair on her plastered updo, then Dad whispered into her ear so only Aimee would hear, “You are my angelic Marie, a reincarnation of your mother, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.” He kissed her cheek, then stepped back and put his arm around Dr. Morris's waist. “I guess, Hannah, I’m gonna have to carry a concealed handgun to the prom tonight. I don’t dare let these two gorgeous girls go without some protection.” He grinned, looking from Chelsea, who was breathtaking in her mauve sparkles, back to Aimee.

Dad had given in to Dr. Morris's firm insistence that he should accompany her to the prom to keep her company since she had to be there to chaperone. Aimee knew her dad must really like Dr. Morris to agree to put on a monkey suit and attend an event like the prom. She wasn’t crazy about him being there, but Aimee was sure Dr. Morris would keep him busy so his attention wouldn’t be entirely on her and Dylan.

“Come on, Amos,” Chelsea said, “we still need to get some pictures before Dylan and Matt get here.”

After pictures in the backyard, they raced inside to add one more dab of lip gloss and one more check of their dresses and hair before the guys’ arrival. The rest of the evening was an amazing fantasy. Dylan couldn’t peel his eyes off Aimee the entire night. Despite the three inch heels and two left feet she possessed, they danced every slow dance, clinging as tightly to each other as possible. The night whizzed by in a flash as most of their friends, who they would watch go off on their own separate paths in just a few weeks, danced around them. The mood of the night made even Dylan’s friends sociable towards Aimee, much to her surprise.

Brandi, Nicole, Randi and their dates kept to themselves, and left early in the evening. Brandi cut her hair again giving herself a new, very short style that was slick and shiny tonight like a twenties flapper girl. They crossed paths once in the restroom. Brandi's eyes met hers, then nervously followed her when Aimee came through the door, but Brandi said nothing. While she washed her hands, Aimee
looked up into the mirror. Brandi was still warily eyeing her.
She must remember something from that night,
Aimee thought, but she knew Brandi couldn’t say anything without everyone thinking she was
crazy.

“Nice haircut,” Aimee said, then she turned and walked out.

The mysterious black Lexus quit invading her privacy after her last journey. And the annoying phone calls stopped. Aimee knew the connection now, and she no
longer felt like she
had
to get even. Part of her wanted to see this asshole hang for what he did, but for now there was no need to stir up killer bees when they were nested. For some strange reason,
someone
had sent her on that mission to save Brandi, the one person in the whole world she could have purposefully failed to save. Maybe Aimee was being tested. If she had gotten revenge she would be just as evil-hearted as Miss Peters. Her pacifist nature was stronger than her willful side. Besides, in a few months Dylan and Aimee would be gone from Medford, and hopefully they would never cross Miss Peters and her loser friends’ paths again.

But to keep Dad and Dylan happy, Aimee gave in to their pressure to find the creep who tried to kill her. Detective Woolsey took her statement following her release from the hospital. He questioned her a couple times, pulling every minute detail she could remember about the huge, white pickup that night and its driver, and the previous occurrences when she was followed by the black Lexus. He inquired about all her friends, and pumped her an extra long time for information about Brandi. But Aimee couldn’t tell him about the party. That was a secret. She already knew who was behind the attack, and Aimee didn’t need to do anything else to get even. The chameleon in her was too hard to change.

Aimee barely noticed her dad during the evening. Chels and Aimee were coming back from the restroom towards the end of the evening when Chels elbowed her, then pointed out Dr. Morris and her dad getting down to the music. Aimee grabbed Chelsea’s arm and they quickly disappeared to the other side of the room to find Matt and Dylan.

Around midnight Dylan finally asked Aimee if she was ready to leave. She ripped off her torturous heels and sighed cheerfully. The night had been magical, but she was more than ready to go. Just like James said, they headed for the second half of the night; the awesome parties. Around four in the morning, Aimee rested her head on Dylan’s shoulder while they sat poolside at Trent Fry’s house. Dylan agreed it was time to call it a night. On the way home he held Aimee's hand and drove much slower than the speed limit allowed while he frequently glanced over at her and smiled. He still looked full of life even though they had been partying for almost eleven hours.

“What?” she finally said with a giggle when he looked at her with a grin for the tenth time.

“I was thinking about how incredibly sexy you looked tonight, and…” He paused, then finished, “how much I want you.”

Her cheeks instantly felt hot. Aimee peered out the window hoping he wouldn’t notice her flushed face. Finally she glanced back at Dylan and replied, “We don’t have to go home yet. I told Dad I would be out all night, most likely, and might stay with Chels depending on what we decided to do after the prom. He just asked that I text him where I’m at so he doesn’t worry if I’m not at home when he wakes up.”

“Hmmm, well, I can think of one more place we can go before we call it a night.”

He suddenly veered Paul's Lexus down a street the opposite direction from her house. She sat quietly while they drove back towards Dylan’s house. A million thoughts flitted through her mind. Because of her accident they postponed their trip before the prom to Otter Rock where Aimee had planned for them to do more than just surf. She was ready, more than ready, for this moment. She had dreamed about the two of them being alone tonight, but she wasn’t sure they would get to be by themselves. “Mom and Paul went to their cabin for the weekend. The house is empty, except for us, that is if you would like to come over. We can finish the night with a party of two.” He turned his gaze from the road to Aimee while they cruised onto his street.

She started to freak, and she knew for certain he could feel her palm getting sweaty. They slowed down to turn into his driveway. He stopped and punched in the code for the front gate and waited for it to sluggishly swing open to let them in. Every bit of weariness evaporated from her body as adrenaline rapidly surged through it. The thought of what was coming aroused her and Aimee sat anxiously thinking about what she should do.

Dylan noticed Aimee's sudden silence while he deftly pulled into the garage. He shut off the motor and turned to her. “Are you okay with this?” he asked. “I mean, we don’t have to do anything tonight if you don’t want to. I know you have told me a dozen times you’re ready, and I’m the one who
keeps holding off. I’m not going to be
too
terribly hurt...” He stopped and feigned a smile, then inched her fingers into
his.“...if you decide you want to wait.”

Aimee coyly smiled at Dylan and peered into his eyes. His stare was hypnotic. Smoldering. Entranced she answered automatically without a second thought, “No more waiting. I’m ready.”

Instantly Dylan jumped out of the Lexus and flew over to her side and opened the door. He reached in with his hand extended and took her hand. Aimee eased out and raised up into his arms. He wrapped them delicately around her waist and tenderly drew her close. He slid his hands to her bare back. His touch sent delightful chills through every inch of her body, and her pulse kicked up a notch. He slammed the door without taking his eyes off Aimee's face, and their bodies welded against the SUV. He kept her spellbound while she waited for his lips to reach hers. After a second of anticipation their lips met and they kissed passionately. After a short minute, Dylan broke away, grabbed Aimee's hand, then motioned with his head towards the door.

“Let’s take this inside. My bedroom will be much more comfortable.” Dylan whipped the suit jacket from the top of the hood and slung it over his shoulder, then they dashed towards the door.

Aimee abruptly stopped and broke loose from his grasp. “Wait a sec. I need to text Dad before I forget so he won’t worry if I’m not there when he gets up, and he won’t start calling you and all our friends trying to track me down.”

“What are you gonna tell him?”

“I’m gonna let him know I’m with you, and we’ll crash at your house. I’m just gonna leave out the little detail about your parents not being here.”

Dylan snickered. “Yeah, I bet he'll ask.”

“No, I doubt it. I don’t think he’s gonna all of a sudden start interrogating me every time I’m out with you. He trusts us and knows I try to be responsible no matter what I do.” Aimee reached in and grabbed her clutch from the floorboard, pulled out a purple foiled package and tossed it to Dylan, then she returned to his side.

He took one look at the package in his hand and grinned. “Prepared, aren’t you?” he said, then stuffed it into his pocket, opened the door and they quickly moved through the utility room, to the kitchen, then the living room and continued on to the stairway in the front entry. Giggling loudly they raced up the stairs holding hands and stopped at the top landing breathless.

Dylan led her towards his room, but Aimee stopped at his bathroom, pulling him to a fast halt. Aimee said, “I think I need to freshen up a bit. Do you mind?”

“Nope, not at all. There’re clean towels hanging on the rack. Take your time. I’ll be waiting.” He smiled, then took her hand up to his lips and kissed it before he let it go.