Unconventional Scars (9 page)

“Very funny.”

“Why were you staring at my lap earlier?”

Anna’s breath caught in her chest.
Honestly
, Alex had the most unnerving way of springing thorny topics out of thin air
!

“Wh-what?”

“You heard me.”

“Um. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know.”

“I was looking at your hands. Sue me.”

“Why were you watching my hands, Anna? Did you think they might be someplace they shouldn’t?”

Anna felt her own fingers begin to tremble. The thought of his hands being somewhere they shouldn’t was an
immensely
appealing idea. Her mouth went dry. She realized suddenly that they were standing in front of her house, but neither of them moved.

“Ha
ve you forgotten how to speak as well as walk?
” Alex appeared to be enjoying her discomfort, damn him.

“You’re impossible,” was
the only retort she
could
come up with
.

“So I’ve been told.” His voice was even softer than usual, as if they were sharing a secret
just between the two of them
. He moved slightly closer to Anna, and she automatically took a step backward, though she wasn’t certain why she moved
,
or
why
, for that matter, he was making her so skittish tonight. They both waited, each wary of the other, for what seemed a very long time.

“You should probably go on inside now,” Alex
suggested
, reverting back to his normal demeanor.

“Oh. Yeah.” Anna cleared her throat. “I really should work on my English
essay
. I haven’t even started on it. I’ll be stuck doing that most of tomorrow as it is. So
. . . d
o you . . . do you want to come in for a Coke or something? Maybe you could help me.”
What on
earth
made
you say that? You need to get away from him before you
say something even more idiotic
!
If that’s even possible!
What’s
wrong
with you tonight?

He hesitated. Then, shaking his head, he said, “I don’t think so, Anna. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“
Um, o
kay
. S
ure.”

“Good night.”

“’Night.”

****

Alex slammed the front door and raked his fingers through his hair, sighing. He passed through the living room and past his brother, who was seated on the floor with an Xbox controller in his hand. Creed pulled his eyes away from the screen long enough to ask, “What’s with you?”

“Nothing.” He stood idly watching Creed play. “What are you doing home on a Saturday night?”

“Jennifer’s being a bitch. I didn’t feel like dealing with her tonight. Must be her time of the month or something.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“Went to bed early. Said she had a headache. Wanna play me?”

“Yeah, in a minute.” Alex headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he pulled out a can of ginger ale, then leaned against the dishwasher, tapping his fingers on the top of the can and thinking.

Maybe I shouldn’t be flirting with her. It’s hard not to, though. She’s so much fun to mess with. It’s cute the way she gets all nervous and jumpy when I do. She was sending out some weird vibes tonight. Staring at me one minute, then acting like she’s afraid of me the next. Christ, I almost kissed her
!
Good thing she backed off. I should be more careful. Flirting is one thing, but I don’t need the hassle of getting involved. It’s a bad idea. And she asked about that damn scar
,
too. Real attractive. Yeah, sure, a window did that. And did I mention I own
a
beachfront
resort
in
Siberia
?

I
need to
back off. I can be friends with her without getting too personal, right? More than likely she isn’t interested anyway. Why would she be? Face it, she’s a hottie. Oh man, she smells incredible too. That perfume she wears drives me insane. And the way she looks at me with those big brown eyes . . . okay, this isn’t helping. Think about something else or
you’ll never be able to sleep
tonight. Remember how it would all hit the fan if she knew about you. Think about that. Think about it and don’t forget.

7

During the following week at school, Anna noticed an almost impalpable difference in Alex. It wasn’t
exactly
something
she could nail down
and identify
. He still talked and horsed around with the group during lunch, and walked with her afterward to fourth period. Nothing had changed, really. Their conversations were
basically
the same as before. But she
now
sensed a cautious restraint in his tone, as if he wanted to evaluate every comment carefully before vocalizing it, fearful of saying something inappropriate somehow.

Maybe
, just maybe,
it was all in her own head. Saturday night had thrown her for a loop. She’d returned his jacket to him on Monday, omitting the fact that she’d worn it most of the day on Sunday just so she could continue to breathe in his essence, that yummy scent that reminded her of cedar shavings and did funny things to her stomach.

If Uncle Phil noticed that she was wearing a boy’s jacket, he didn’t say anything. He did ask her once if she was cold, however, and suggested an iron supplement to ward off anemia. She assured him she was in perfect health. Just before she went to bed on Sunday night, he’d given her a
credit card of her own
, telling her it was
for emergencies or
in case she wanted to order pizza or something while he was gone. She couldn’t help comparing his thoughtfulness to her mother’s lack thereof. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum! How was it possible they shared the same genes? Maybe one of them
really
was
adopted and didn’t know it. It was certainly a plausible theory.

He
’d
dropped her off at school on Monday before heading to the airport with a promise to call every day to check on things.
It still felt strange to have someone worry about her. Strange, but nice.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, she caught a ride to school with Creed and Alex, but that didn’t turn out to be a big deal. It was a short ride to school so there wasn’t
all
that much time to talk. Besides, they were usually scarfing their
breakfast
in the car since Creed could never manage to wake up on time. From what Anna could deduce, he frequently stayed up late talking to his girlfriend. What could they possibly have to talk about for hours on end, every day?

****

On Wednesday morning
,
Anna was
focusing
on a
particularly
tricky
algebra equation
when Sebastian suddenly appeared beside her, sitting sideways in the desk next to hers and leaning forward with his arms folded across his legs with an expectant look. The teacher had retreated to the office on some unknown errand, so naturally most of the students were talking loudly to each other and walking around the room. It was impossible to concentrate.

Looking up from her textbook, Anna grinned at Sebastian’s expression. “You look like the cat that ate the canary. What did you do?”

“Who, me? I haven’t done anything,” he replied innocently. “I was just wondering what
you
were up to. I’m still waiting for you to come to your senses so we can embark on a passionate love affair. You haven’t gone and relinquished your heart to someone else, I trust.”

“Not that I’m aware of.” From across the room, Bailey shot her a nasty look.

“Good. Then we can elope this weekend.
Saturday’s good for me. Now w
here should we spend our honeymoon? I’m leaning toward a private tropical island where we can
sip
margaritas
while lying naked on the beach.
”

“
I’m
thinking a private room in a mental hospital might be more appropriate.” Anna actually enjoyed bantering with Sebastian most of the time. He was impossible to take seriously.

“Ouch. Why must you torment me the way you do?”

“Something to do, I guess.”

“If you’re looking for something to do, you should go out with me sometime. I’ll introduce you to the concept of multiple orgasms.”

Shocked, Anna laughed so hard several students
paused
to look
quizzically
at her. “Yours or mine?”

“Ours. What say you?”

“I say you’re crazy. And I mean that. You’re certifiable. Without a doubt.”

“Ah, come on, Anna. You could use some male companionship. I haven’t seen you with any guys other than Pretty Boy and I get the impression that’s a dead end street.”

He i
mmediately had her undivided attention. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Nothing really. Just that I don’t see you as his type.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Rumor has it
,
he has a preference for a more
masculine
gender.”

Anna clenched her pencil tightly. Suddenly she wasn’t amused anymore. “Sebastian, what the hell are you talking about?”

“No need to get defensive. I’m just stating the facts. He’s been at this school for two years and nobody has ever known him to date anyone.”

“So what? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Possibly. However, Bailey once decided to put our little theory to the test. She practically threw herself at him and he shot her down.”

“Maybe
she’s
the one who’s not his type.”

“Please. Bailey is everyone’s type.”

“Really? If she’s so great, how come
you
aren’t dating her?”

“I already swam in that pool,” Sebastian
confessed
, shrugging nonchalantly.

“Oh my gosh, you are
such
a
pig
!” The bell rang then,
so
she slammed
the
book shut and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder as she stood. “Alex is not gay, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I don’t even know why anyone would start a rumor like that. It’s total crap.”

As she walked out of the classroom, she heard him call playfully after her, “Let me know if you ever have the urge to go swimming!”

****

As
a senior, Creed only had four classes and always left early to go to his job at some sporting goods place in the mall
. It seemed pointless to take the bus when home was only a mile or so away,
so Anna walked home in the afternoons. Alex stayed behind at school all week, presumably to do some artwork for the yearbook. She wondered, not for the first time, if he was avoiding her, then brushed the thought away. It was
useless
to speculate. He was, if nothing else, her friend
. That would have to be enough.
Time to concentrate on less confounding issues. Boys only clouded the mind.

Using her key to enter the quiet house, Anna tossed her backpack on the floor by the coffee table and headed to the kitchen for a snack. After selecting a peanut butter granola bar from the pantry, she
wandered
into the living room, flopping down on the couch to channel surf. The house, though empty, didn’t seem that way. Not like the apartment she
used to
share with her mother.
This
house was truly a home, and exuded warmth and security even when Uncle Phil was away. She could feel his presence in a way she never had with her mom. Bianca never stayed in one place long enough for it to absorb any of her personality. True, they’d lived in the apartment complex for two years, but with her mother gone so much, never once had it seemed like a home. The difference was colossal.

An hour later, just as Anna was pulling
out
her history book, she got a text from Karen. The only thing it said was
graveyard dance!
Confused, she responded with
WTF??
Karen loved being dramatic
and Anna was used to it by now,
but this had
her
baffled. What did she mean by
graveyard dance
? It didn’t make any sense. The next text read
call u later!
But i
n Karen’s typical flighty fashion, she never did call, and Anna was left to wonder. She tried to
reach
Karen twice that night but only got her voice
mail, and
later
when she went to bed she was still trying to mentally decipher the cryptic message.

The next morning, as soon as she was in the passenger seat of Creed’s extended cab truck, she turned to Alex in the back and asked, “Do the words
graveyard dance
mean anything to you?”

The brothers exchanged looks and laughed. “It means there’s going to be a party at the Graveyard this weekend,” Creed offered.

Anna stared. “People have parties in cemeteries here?”

Backing out of the driveway, Creed shoved the remainder of an English muffin into his mouth and licked his fingers. “The Graveyard’s a place people go to party, have bonfires, stuff like that. It’s called that because it’s in a clearing in the woods and there’s a trail out there that leads to a really old grave that’s been around since the 1800’s. There isn’t actually a cemetery there.”

“Josh mentioned it last night,” Alex added. “A bunch of seniors are having a bonfire there Friday night.
Dalton
invited all of us.”

Intrigued, Anna said, “Sounds like fun
!
Are you going?”

Alex shrugged. “I doubt it. Not really my thing.”

“Well,
I’ll
definitely be going,” Creed announced. “The parties there are epic! It’s far enough in the woods
so
you don’t have to worry about the music being too loud or the cops showing up. You just have to make sure you have someone sober to drive you home because half the people will be falling-down drunk by midnight.”

“You included?” She was pretty sure she already knew the answer to that one.

“Hell yeah, baby girl!”

Anna turned around
again
to look at Alex, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head as if to say
y
es, I am fully aware that my brother’s an idiot.

****

The bonfire was the primary topic of conversation at the lunch table that day. Karen was so excited
,
she was
practically
giddy
.
“
I’ve only been to one
dance
there, but
you would not
believe
how much
fun
it was
!
And i
t’s the
sweetest
place for a
party
ever. Wait ‘til you see it. Oh, and make sure you wear comfortable shoes ‘cause you have to park and then walk there, like a quarter-mile.”

To be honest,
Anna was excited, herself. The only thing that dampened her enthusiasm was the
knowledge
that Alex
wasn’t coming
. Karen and Erica tried to coax him into changing his mind, but he only grinned at them and said that a case of alcohol poisoning wasn’t his idea of fun. Erica tried to argue by pointing out that a lot of people wouldn’t be drinking, herself included, but he remained firm.

“What should I wear?” Anna asked, taking a bite of her fettuccine and broccoli. Marie was a great cook. She had doled out some of the pasta in small containers in the freezer for future lunches.

“Something sexy!” Karen suggested.

Erica was more helpful. “I’m wearing a black skirt and that
dark
green
pullover
, the one you said looked good with my hair, remember?” Josh took the opportunity to
remind
her that she looked good in
anything
, earning himself a kiss.

“
My outfit’s top secret,”
Karen
announced, pulling
a compact from her purse
. She
began applying lip gloss. “I
saw a totally hot dress at the mall the other day that’s perfect. I’m going to pick it up after school today.
I plan on looking
fabulous
.
Especially since
Dalton
’s
skeevy
ex-girlfriend will probably show up.
”

“Are we even going to know anyone there?” Anna wondered.

“Oh,
yeah
,” Josh told her. “By now half the school has been invited. It won’t be just seniors.”

“There are going to be an awful lot of high school students with hangovers come Saturday morning,” Alex commented dryly. He crumpled his empty potato chip wrapper
into a ball
and
scrutinized
Anna for a moment before asking, “You planning on getting wasted?”