Rising Tide: Dark Innocence Page 2

  *Huh?* How did he know who the heck a nobody junior like me was? Or did my freak status make me far more noticeable than I’d realized? I started to feel sick to my stomach, realizing I was staring at him, dumbfounded, mouth hanging open.

  “How do you know my name?” I asked weakly.

  He actually blushed and brought a hand up to nervously brush the soft wisps out of his eyes. “Oh, I’ve just seen you around. You really made a mess of me, didn’t you?” He laughed, and it was the warmest sound.

  I opened my mouth wider, horrified. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’m really sorry about your shirt!”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry; it’s just a shirt. No harm, no foul. I can just get my t-shirt out of my gym locker and put it on.” He winked at me then. “I’ll forgive you, but only if you promise not to give the milk thing another thought, okay?”

  “Okay,” I promised. His smile and that light in his earthy eyes were leaving me completely shell-shocked.

  Much to my surprise, he turned his head to look at Wendy, who was still barking loudly with amusement. He rolled his eyes, picking up the bit of brownie from my tray and quickly whipping the chunk at her. The chocolate collided with her straight brunette hair, before falling to the floor in pieces. “I can’t stand that girl,” he muttered.

  It was my turn to laugh. She looked so startled; I really couldn’t help myself. Wendy was picking out crumbs and glaring at both of us. “Ronnie Stine, I swear I’ll get you back for this!”

  He was obviously unconcerned by her words, ignoring her threat and turning his back to her. He was just a few inches taller than me, but enough I had to glance up a bit to find those glorious eyes of his. He must have been about six feet to my five-foot-nine.

  “Will you walk down to the gym with me?”

  I was afraid I’d be late for Latin, but walking with him was the least I could do. “Sure.” I probably would have skipped the rest of afternoon classes just to see that smile of his for a bit longer. Instead, I expressed worry for him. “Won’t you be late for class?”

  “Well, I might ditch and go to the mall. I have a birthday present to pick up.”

  What a coincidence. The thought I’d just had about cutting class was closer to becoming truth. I tried to work up the nerve to ask if I could ride along with him, while also nursing a small worry in the back of my mind that somehow Caelyn would find out I’d left school before I should have…and been alone in a car with a boy. I was definitely doing things more and more out of character those days.

  He spoke before I could form the words. “You know, I was sitting at the table behind you and thought I heard you say you needed to go across town to get something yourself. Would you like to come along?”

  Wow, he sure had made that easy. “You must be a mind reader,” I murmured.

  “No, I’m just an excellent eavesdropper.” He grinned mischievously. We were already at the gym doors, though I couldn’t really remember walking all the way there.

  “I’ll be right back.” I watched him walk through the doors and then shook my head. I must be crazy. No boy had ever snagged my attention before. I simply wasn’t interested in any romantic involvement, especially not with someone who would soon be almost 3,000 miles away from me. Not to mention the fact that Caelyn would be less than happy. She was dead set against me making the same choices she had. She might not talk about my dad often, but I’d heard over and over how childishly stupid teenage romances were. She’d even convinced me of my inability, at my age, to know whether I truly loved someone or not. No, I decided right there; I simply would not put myself through a heartbreakingly brief romance that would haunt me when I started my new life in Vancouver.

  When he came back, I made a real effort of trying not to be enchanted by the boy who’d appeared out of the blue at the wrong time in my life. His shirt was plain white after, but even the simple cotton fabric looked stunning against his olive-toned skin. I reshaped my thoughts to concentrate on Caelyn’s gift.

  We managed to sneak out to his car undetected. He led the way to an older, but immaculately kept, white Trans Am. I climbed in after he opened the door for me. Hmmm, a gentleman too.

  Neither of us spoke on the way to the mall. He flipped through the songs on the cd in the stereo until he found one he was satisfied with and sang along as he drove. Figured; even his voice was nice—well, way better than nice. He had an easy, casual air about him that was so much more pleasant and effortless to be around than my recent choice of company.

  When we got out of the car, however; he brought up a difficult subject.

  “So, I hear you’re moving all the way to Vancouver after school is over.”

  “You know we’re moving too?!” I asked, incredulous. Had Katie told the entire student body?

  “Yep, I heard Wendy telling a girl in Chemistry class.”

  “Oh.” Katie, Wendy, whoever. I was positive then the whole school must know.

  “You know what? Those girls, well, that whole group they hang out with, their biggest problem is that their lives are so boring; they have to keep tabs on everybody else.” We both laughed at that.

  We were walking through the double doors. “So, are you going to have to live in an igloo up in Canada?”

  “I hope you know how silly you’re being.” I smiled up at him. “Actually, it’s pretty much supposed to rain all the time in Vancouver. And my mom assures me she’s rented a very comfortable apartment for us to live in. There was no mention of Eskimo neighbors or roaming polar bears either.”

  He laughed again as he stepped into the edge of the jewelry store at the corner. It was a really fancy place but appealed to me in the form of the Gund plushies displayed in one of the glass cases. I didn’t usually go for fancy stuff, but something about those lavish stuffed animals always captivated me when I walked past the store. He noted the stray of my eyes toward them.

  “Those are pretty cute, huh?”

  “Pretty expensive,” I added. I’d never had the heart to ask Caelyn for one. It felt too selfish to want her to spend so much on a bit of fluff.

  “I could see you all curled up with one of those.” He smiled that magic smile once more.

  I blushed in response, speechless.

  “Hey, I need to go in here, okay? Do you want to go pick up whatever it was you came to get?” His question made it clear I wasn’t invited into the store while he ran his errand. Maybe the birthday present was meant for a girlfriend I hadn’t considered might exist before that moment. I suddenly felt so stupid, being all worked up about liking him when there probably was nothing to worry about at all. Why would someone so amazing be single? Beyond that, why should he like someone like me? I was far too different to be able to be with him, most likely.

  I could feel myself flush a bit deeper, embarrassed by all the thoughts running through my head and happy he had no way of hearing them.

  “Sure.” I couldn’t seem to help the coldness that crept into my tone. “I’ll meet you back here?”

  I didn’t wait for him to answer but turned and walked swiftly away, deeper into the hallway lined with store after store. I thought I heard him say my name as I’d brusquely walked away, but I couldn’t be sure. My agitation had been an illogical response I’d had to things that were only imagined. But every failed attempt I’d ever made at trying to get close to other people had served to make me angrier at myself for even bothering to try. I was probably feeling the frustration I kept bottling up every time I’d made a bit of progress with Trent and Katie, only to have Wendy scathingly unravel it. I was finding it hard to live on the edge like that. Wanting to believe I could find acceptance while maintaining the caution that helped ease the inevitable rejection.

  I sighed, my agitation and quick temper dissipating as they always did after the brief, violent flare. All my emotions seemed to be even more volatile those days…like they ran all over the place with no control. Part of being a teenager, I guessed.


  I’d reached the doors at the entrance on the other side and walked out into the dizzying sunlight; what I was after was actually in a strip mall down the hill from the Indiana Mall. The harshness tortured my eyes until I finally reached the shadow at the storefronts. I realized I was panting.

  “You suck,” I shot over my shoulder at the blazing ball in the sky.

  The yoga studio was pleasingly cool. They’d possessed the good sense to turn the air conditioning on, even though the temperature wasn’t quite hot enough to justify its use. There was a girl with a plain, kind face behind the counter.

  “Hi,” I said shyly.

  “Hi there.” She smiled in a friendly way that I seemed to need that day. “Was there something I could help you with?”

  “Umm, I wanted to get a pass for my mom. But I’ve never done this before… Do I have to buy her a certain amount of lessons or something?” I was suddenly uncertain. Even though Caelyn had been saying forever she wanted to give the place a try, I didn’t want her to commit to something when she didn’t know whether she even liked yoga yet.

  “Has she ever been here before?”

  The answer to that question, I knew for certain. “Nope.”

  “Well, actually, the first visit is free.”

  Hmmm, that wasn’t much of a present. And free begged no sort of binding commitment from Caelyn to actually show up. I looked around the entranceway to the studio, and my eyes fell upon the answer. “How much are those yoga mats?”

  “$39.99.”

  Perfect! That was about what I’d been hoping to spend on an introductory lesson, and the mat had tangible value. I’d have actually spent money, which meant less of a chance that Caelyn would say no, despite her own lack of social skills...beyond those put to work schmoozing clients.

  “I’ll take one.” I chose a light green. One other possible problem crossed my mind. “Oh, and is there a beginner’s class sometime Saturday?” If so, I prayed the hour wouldn’t be too early, or Caelyn definitely wouldn’t show. We both loved sleeping in on Saturdays.

  “Sure is!” she answered cheerily. “How’s one o’clock?”

  “Oh, that‘s perfect!” I smiled in earnest then, my plan coming together beautifully.

  The girl rang up the mat, and I handed over an infinitesimal amount of my generous allowance Caelyn gave me in return for all my work around the house, which I rarely ever had opportunity to spend. My mother still insisted on buying all my clothes.

  The girl held up two free passes. “Will you be coming with her?”

  I felt guilt over my attempt to make Caelyn’s Saturday bearable while I left her all alone. “No,” I answered as nonchalantly as I could.

  The girl quickly put one of the passes under the counter, as if she’d read what I was feeling in my expression. I took the remaining one she handed over, along with a schedule of the daily classes, thanked her for her help and left quickly.

  I grew aware of the sudden concern I’d kept Ron waiting too long. I raced back up the hill, through the mall doors and down the short hallways—ours was a pitiful excuse for a mall.

  I collided with him as I came around a corner. In my defense, he wasn’t present around the corner where he was supposed to be waiting for me. I didn’t realize it was him until I’d caught my breath. His arm was wrapped snugly around the small of my back. Embarrassingly, his grip had been the only thing that had kept me from falling flat on my bottom.

  “Oh!” I exclaimed, a bit in shock, a bit from the impact. The breath had been knocked from my lungs, and the heat of his skin burned across the bare spot right above the top of my jeans… I knew the heat in my own face meant I was blushing…again.

  He seemed amused by that and grinned down at me. “You seem intent on killing me today, don’t you?”

  I pursed my lips together in annoyance at his reminder of the day’s earlier embarrassment and pushed against his chest with my free hand. “I’m fine; you can let go of me now.”

  He didn’t release me. “Only if you promise not to crash into me anymore—at least for the rest of the day.”

  “I promise,” I said through gritted teeth.

  He stepped back, moving his hand to my upper arm to steady me. “Oh, come on, Maura! I’m only teasing you! Lighten up.”

  I made an attempt at being more normal, especially since I’d stomped off so irrationally earlier. “Okay, okay, you’re right,” I conceded and even made a feeble attempt to laugh at my uncharacteristic clumsiness.

  “I didn’t mean to make you mad.” I knew he was probably referring to more than only the present moment.

  I brushed the whole thing off, not wanting to divulge my irrational reasons for being so silly earlier. “Oh, you didn’t! I’m just angry with myself for being such a klutz, and twice in one day even… It’s really embarrassing. And you know, the whole stress of the move…” I looked away from his too-soft, too-attractive eyes then, not wishing to get pulled into anything I would regret later.

  Thankfully, he changed the subject. “So, did you get what you came for?”

  I held up my bag, the mat’s spongy end sticking out in a tell-tale way. “Sure did! You?” Did I really want to know?

  “Yep!” He held up a much smaller bag. I was sure, whoever she was, the girl would love whatever he had picked out. I sighed despite myself.

  “You okay?” he asked, those eyes crinkling at the corners with concern.

  “Oh, yeah.” I pulled myself away from the unreasonable thought I’d been having about the boy who wasn’t even in any way close to being mine. “I just have to get home soon.”

  “Do you?” There was disappointment in his voice. Was he trying to make my life harder?

  “Yeah, unfortunately, I’m kind of in charge of dinner. And if Mom gets home and I’m not there, she’ll kind of freak out.”

  “Overprotective parents?”

  “Parent. And something like that, yeah.” I grinned sheepishly up at him. “It’s sorta complicated…”

  “Gotcha.” He wasn’t going to pry. “Okay, let’s get you home then.” Why did he have to be so perfect? Why couldn’t I have met him after we’d moved?

  When we pulled into my driveway, I turned to thank him. “I owe you big time,” I confessed.

  “Hey, friends don’t let friends ride with Neanderthals!”

  I knew he was referring to Trent, and with what I’d observed of the football player’s personality, I couldn’t help laughing. I looked at him after with apology in my eyes. “I would invite you in, but to be honest, if Mom comes home and finds me alone in the house with you… Well, let’s just say I couldn’t guarantee your safety.”

  He laughed but added, “That must be hard to deal with.”

  “It’s not like either of us ever had to deal with it before.” I realized I really hadn’t wanted to admit to such a thing. I mentally kicked myself for revealing how unattractive I was to the opposite sex to the one boy I might have had a chance at being interested in—if we hadn’t been moving to the other side of the continent. I recovered quickly. “Caelyn, my mom, she had me when she was really young, so she just doesn’t want me to make any mistakes. That’s all.”

  He smiled his sunshine smile. “Sounds like you two really take care of each other.”

  “We do.” I was staring in an idiotic fashion, once again, into his chocolate-colored eyes.

  “Good luck with the yoga class on Saturday?”

  “Oh…” He’d caught me off guard. I pulled my gaze away from his face and looked down at my mother’s gift. “That’s for Mom. I wanted her to have something to do while I’m gone.” Why did I end up saying more than I ever wanted to reveal to him?

  “Oh? What are you doing this weekend?”

  I was suddenly ashamed of admitting I was spending my Saturday with the Neanderthal, the cheerleader he couldn’t stand and the rest of their little clique. “I’m going swimming on Saturday.”

  He pressed, aggressively, that time. “Wit
h who?” His tone was flooded with suspicion.

  I answered, despite my revulsion at the truth. “Trent and Katie…and some of their friends.” My voice was diminished from its usual volume, as if the tactic might hide the meaning of the words I spoke.

  “Oh.” He rolled his eyes at that. “Have fun.”

  I tried to side-step the subject. “So, what are you going to be doing?” In a way, I was challenging him to come up with something better, though pretty much anything he might have planned would have to be more interesting than my idealistic attempt at fitting in with the popular kids at school.

  “Shane and I are going camping.” Yep, that sounded better. I’d seen Shane around school, and he didn’t look like the type who’d laugh critically when one of his friends said the wrong thing.

  “That does sound like waaaay more fun,” I admitted.

  He was serious then, eyeing me quizzically. “Really, Maura, why do you hang out with them? I don’t understand it. You aren’t like them at all.”

  That stung. Yet another reminder of my differences and inability to fit in.

  My face must have had that look like he’d slapped me, because he added, “I mean that in a good way. I mean you aren’t a snob like the rest of them.”

  “Oh,” I said meekly. “Thanks.” He looked like he was going to say something more, but I got a look at the dashboard clock out of the corner of my eye and jumped in panic. “Ack! I have to go!” I’d have to really hurry to make everything seem normal and in its place in time for Caelyn’s arrival home.

  “I had fun today,” he said simply. He reached over to briefly squeeze my hand.

  “Me too.” I smiled at him genuinely. “Maybe I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

  “Definitely!”

  Even though I was rushed, I stood outside, waving to him as his car disappeared down the street.

  It turned out that I saw Ron much sooner than I’d even thought I would. As I stood across from Trent and Katie’s house the next morning, waiting for them to emerge from the garage in the Mustang, Ron’s car rolled to a stop in front of me. He leaned over toward the open passenger’s side window, a big friendly grin on his face.

  “Want to ride with a member of the lower class today?” he joked.

  I stuck my tongue out at him, not realizing I could be that playful. “Hold on a sec,” I answered.

  In another minute, Trent and Katie were easing out of their garage and backing toward us. I called to them. “Hey, guys! I’m going to ride with Ron today, okay?”

  “Don’t ask their permission!” Ron seethed from the window.

  “Shhhh,” I shot back. Katie must have been unable to hear me. She looked confused, but I exaggeratedly pointed to the passenger’s seat of Ron’s car, opened his door and settled into the black interior. As Ron drove away, I couldn’t help noting Katie’s injured expression. I hoped the damage was repairable.

  “Thanks.” Ron grinned enormously at me.

  “Umm, you’re welcome…but for what?”

  “For ditching on the Ne…on Trent and Katie to ride with me. There’s hope for you yet!”

  I looked at him with as much irritation as I could muster before the exhilaration I felt at seeing him bubbled up into my face and took over. “Well, you are a senior, you know. I think you carry a higher status than them, anyway.”

  “You do know that means I have dibs on hanging out with you then.”

  He would find a way to turn my being nice to his own personal advantage. I laughed and said, “I guess you do!” I wondered if that meant he was going to try to stop me from going with them on Saturday, but he never said another word about it, so his camping plans must have been firmly set.

  He switched topics. “So, how did your mom like your surprise?”

  I thought about that before answering. Unable to keep my secret, I’d decided to spill the beans. Caelyn had agreed to go to the lesson, but not without much reluctance. I still wasn’t sure whether she’d chicken out or not. “She liked it,” was all the answer I gave. “How about yours?”

  “Oh, the birthday’s not until next month.”

  I didn’t want to show any petty, imagined jealousy that day, so I joked, “Wow, you’re absurdly well-prepared for a guy!”

  He shrugged and turned on the radio again. We spent the rest of the drive to school listening to the music. I found myself wishing he would sing along again, and he didn’t disappoint me.

  “Now then, tell me, Baby, do you need my love?” He looked over at me as he sang that line.

  I blushed but didn’t miss the small voice inside my head that answered, completely of its own accord and only to myself, *Yes, I do.*

  4. Sink or Swim?

  “Oh, come on, Maura!” Katie called from the water. “Everyone else is already swimming!”

  I looked around at the boys initiating a splashing war with some of the girls. Everyone seemed to be oblivious to the fact that none of us had on swimsuits. Knowing we were going swimming, I’d brought mine…burying the garment at the bottom of my backpack so as to escape any hope of discovery by Caelyn. But once we’d arrived, Katie had informed me that everyone usually just stripped down to their undergarments. She said doing so was a kind of tradition. She’d added that even if I did go into the woods to change, one—if not all—of the boys would be sure to follow and peek. That was enough to keep me from that course of action.

  Still, the thought of stripping down to my underwear, even in the rapidly-dying light, and revealing garments not usually seen against my pale skin made me a bit queasy. The time was still early enough in the year that the sun was merely fading in the late afternoon.

  “It’s not even dark yet,” I offered in a weak, whiny voice. The way my voice came out made me feel even worse….if that was even possible.

  Even from where I was standing on the bridge, I could see Katie roll her eyes. “It’s nearly twilight, close enough.”

  My hands were shaking as I slid my jeans down, my face feverish with embarrassment. I decided to get into the water ASAP, so I ripped my t-shirt over my head and jumped in, deeply desiring its blue-green cover.

  Even though the air was unseasonably warm that day, the water was icily cold… The month was only May, after all. I surfaced, gasping as my body fought to adjust to the temperature. My breaths ached up through my lungs. Katie giggled as she swam toward me.

  “The cold’s a total rush isn’t it?” she squealed.

  I couldn’t find my voice to answer her. I gasped several times, unattractively, trying to adjust to the cold around me. “S-s-soooo c-cold,” I finally managed.

  Something flashed across her face for only a moment, too fast for me to read. Then, she shrugged and said, “You’ll get used to it”. She swam back toward the others, turning her back on me. My former embarrassment was at present a distinct feeling of unease. I watched as Katie swam up to Wendy, whom she’d been protecting me from, ironically enough, all week. They whispered something schemingly between themselves. I didn’t like the way Wendy’s eyes flashed at me before she laughed maniacally.

  I, quite suddenly, didn’t want to be in the water with any of them anymore. I turned back to the bridge, dog paddling numbly. My limbs were so frozen; my arm ached when I reached up to grasp the edge of the rail, beyond ready to pull myself from the chill of the water.

  “Maura!” Katie was calling to me. “Where are you going? You just got into the water; you can’t get out now.”

  “The h-h-hell I can’t,” I mumbled under my breath, shivering violently. But when I turned toward the sound of her voice, I saw that everyone, all our male company included, had their eyes on me. I cursed softly and dropped back down into the water.

  Too bad I wasn’t off camping with Ron instead. He was so much more fun…and genuine.

  Katie came back toward me again. “Awww, are you cold, Maura?” Her tone was mocking.

  My eyes narrowed. Up until that point, since she’d started talking to me in t
he first place, Katie’d been nothing but polite, kind even. She’d even defended me against Wendy’s maliciousness on several occasions. She was a completely different Katie then.

  “What’s with you, Katie?” I asked suspiciously.

  “What’s with you, freak?” She sneered at me. Both of us stammered out our words between chattering teeth. Hers struck me with the force of a blow.

  I couldn’t say anything else. I looked at her with an expression twisted somewhere between shock and horror.

  “Did you really think we wanted to be your friend?” It was Wendy who spoke then, moving through the darkening water to Katie’s side. The evening was turning into a scene from one of my nightmares. I thrashed away from them toward the water’s edge, desperate to escape their words. I was so confused; what was the point to it all? Why had they dragged me out there like that? I tried to think of some wrong I’d done to any of them, but nothing came to mind. I edged closer to the bank, not caring who saw my pale entirety covered only by scant undergarments.

  Katie looked up toward the bridge we’d all plummeted from. “Got ‘em, Trent?”

  I followed her evil gaze to find her brother leaning over the railing, holding my shirt and jeans in one hand, my runners in the other.

  “Yep,” Trent quipped back, eloquent as always. I was closer to the water’s edge, but not close enough to do anything about Trent’s sudden possession of my clothing. The water came to my waist instead of my shoulders. The cold air assaulted me, making me shudder, or was my worsening situation causing me to shake so hard?

  I looked up at Trent, my eyes pleading for all I was worth. “Please, Trent!” I implored him. “Please, give them back…”

  “Please, Trent…” Wendy and Katie were imitating my pleading tones. I ignored them.

  Trent was looking at me then, his eyes locked on mine. “Maura…” he said in a strange, faraway kind of voice, like he was down in a deep hole or something. The whole world seemed to fall away from us, like we were the only two people in existence.

  “Please, give me my clothes.” I didn’t break my gaze, my eyes seeming to hold his. I ignored the splashing noises around me, focusing on weakening the resolve of the most important player in their sick game. To my great shock, he held my things out to me. Maybe Trent wasn’t as cruel as the others.

  “Trent! What the hell are you doing?” Katie’s voice shrieked up at him. She sounded closer, and I realized she’d emerged from the water. Her lacy black underwear made her seem all the more malevolent. When she’d yelled at him, Trent shook his head, like he’d been asleep and someone had shaken him awake. He looked over at his twin, blinking, a confused air about his face. He must have been fantasizing about tackling someone or something.

  She closed the gap between them while I watched, horrified, ripping my clothes out of his hands. I knew I was seeing the real Katie then and that there would be no swaying her. She didn’t appear to have any mercy I could appeal to. They must have been planning their cruel prank the entire time. The realization clicked in my head that they’d befriended me—elaborately—only to be cruel to me. I couldn’t exactly wrap my head around the idea, how any human being could be so mean to another one. It wasn’t even like I’d tried to steal her boyfriend or started a rumor about her; Katie was being mean to me because, and only because, I was different. My eyes filled with tears, and I was frozen in place, even though I knew I should be doing something, anything, besides just standing here half-naked and crying.

  Most of them had piled back into their cars, and Katie was turning to leave, wrenching Trent along by his elbow. He staggered clumsily when she pulled at him.

  The world around us had grown pretty dark, the last edge of the sun sinking and leaving behind a weak, rosy half-light.

  “How am I supposed to get home?” I called up to them in a hoarse voice, not that I thought Katie would care about that.

  “I guess you’ll have to hitchhike,” she said in a voice full of nonchalance. “I’m sure your outfit, or lack thereof, will attract someone interesting.”

  Her words played out a dangerous scenario in my head. I was more terrified than I’d been in my life. “How can you do this?” I screamed at her through my tears. The fear was laced around the edges with rage. I didn’t want to add to her twisted amusement but couldn’t stop myself from crying out, “Please don’t leave me here!”

  “Have fun getting home, Maura.” Katie remained unaffected by my desperation, the anguish in my voice. “I’m so glad we didn’t miss this opportunity before you moved so far away.” How long had they been plotting some cruel way to torture me?

  I watched her disappear around the back end of the Mustang, and that put my body into motion. I knew, logically, it was too late to catch her, to somehow rip my clothes out of her harpy talons and at least be able to cover my pale, frigid skin. But I still had to try; doing anything was better than doing nothing. I fought against the cold water, scrambling across the rough rocks under my feet, trying to break away from its numbing grasp. I heard the Mustang start, then the spray of gravel as Trent initiated their escape.

  “NOOOOOOO!” I screamed out, too late to do anything to help myself. I lurched forward, slipping on the ever-shifting rocks under the water. I fell awkwardly to the side, my head connecting with something hard. The water was pulling me back then. I felt the glassy surface slide cold and smooth over my face, like the night that was advancing too fast, stealing my sight.

   

   I was dreaming, of that I was certain. My cheek lay against something warm, and a different kind of heat was radiating against the other side of my face. I thought it’d been very cold, and there was something else—a very terrible something—gnawing at the edges of my memory. What was the tragedy which had occurred?

  I thought I heard someone’s voice and felt surprised to find the sound belonged to a male. Shouldn’t Caelyn’s voice sound in my ears if I were just waking up?

  My mind crawled farther up toward consciousness, and I realized my cheek was against someone’s bare skin. I forced my eyes to open and could see I was resting against someone’s chest…a boy’s bare chest! What was the horrible thing I could almost remember happening to me? Didn’t it involve my being in my bra and panties? I shot up, trying to struggle into a sitting position, looking down at my body. My muscles didn’t want to obey the commands my mind was giving them, but I could at least see that I was more covered than my memory was telling me I had been. Although my legs, extending from the bottom of the red flannel shirt partially covering me, were glaringly bare.

  My mind was all muddled, and I couldn’t make sense of the shirt, my state of partial undress or the flames I was catching out of the corner of my half-opened eyes.

  “I think she’s coming around.” The unfamiliar male voice sounded again.

  I looked up to find eyes I did know.

  “Ron?” I breathed. I noticed my head was throbbing.

  He looked relieved. “Yeah, Maura, it’s me.” But that emotion was all mixed up with something else. His eyes relaxed a bit when I’d spoken, but his mouth was all wrong. He looked furious. I noticed more and more as the seconds went by. Ron was cradling me against him, and it must have been his shirt I was wearing. But the other boy standing over his shoulder, wearing an anxious expression on his face, was bare-chested too. Had I done something very bad? My mind was so cloudy... No! The bad thing had been…Trent, Katie! The memory of their deviousness came flooding back. But how was Ron here? And the other boy, wasn’t his name Shane?

  That’s right. Ron was going camping with Shane that weekend. I tried again, without success, to sit upright, making out the shape of the tent over Ron’s other shoulder. I couldn’t figure out why I was here with them.

  “Why…am I camping with you guys?” My confused mind couldn’t put together the part that led from the awful scene at the bridge to their peaceful little campsite in the woods.

  Ron rolled his eyes; he was holding onto
that air of being extremely agitated. “You’re not camping with us, Maura. You were with your other ‘friends,’ remember?” His voice had an edge that made me cringe away from the comfort of his warm, bare skin.

  “They…aren’t my friends.” My voice cracked when I spoke. “I’m sorry… I just don’t understand how I ended up here.” I could hear the inevitable crying creeping into my words.

  That softened Ron right up. “You hit your head.” He subconsciously moved the hand that wasn’t cradling my back, to dab at my temple with a huge wad of white cotton. That must have been Shane’s shirt.

  Since he’d mentioned it, I could sort of remember that. I started to put everything together but still didn’t understand how Ron could have been there when he was away camping.

  I peered up at him. “But how did you get…how were you at the bridge?” Had I somehow missed that he’d been in the group swimming with us?

  “I didn’t trust that Katie Parker or her idiot brother…or any of the rest of that group of…” His voice seethed with anger. I would never have imagined that the easygoing boy from the other day could be so enraged as he was then. “I know you’ll probably be mad, but when you told me you were going swimming with them, Shane and I decided we should camp here. I mean in the woods near the bridge.”

  “How did you know we would go swimming at the bridge?” I knew enough to be sure I hadn’t told him that part.

  “Maura.” He rolled his eyes once more; they glowed red in the firelight. “Everyone goes swimming at the bridge when the pools aren’t open yet.”

  Yeah, like I would ever know something like that.

  “But why would you think I’d be mad?” My eyes were wide in awe. He’d come to make sure I would be okay.

  “Well, I mean, you guys were all in your underwear and everything,” Shane admitted.

  Ron scowled at him. “Thanks, Shane!”

  “It’s okay,” I piped in weakly. How could I be angry? They were the ones who’d attempted to cover me up. I was more aware of my bare legs then, though. They were so pale they glowed orange, seeming to absorb the light from the campfire.

  “Nothing’s okay,” Ron muttered. I could feel the slight tremors running through him and realized he was so angry he was shaking. “What happened tonight, that was just sick.”

  “It’s my fault, anyway,” I squeaked. My voice seemed to have no force behind it, and my throat hurt. I must have had water in my lungs.

  Ron was appalled. “Just how the hell is this your fault?”

  I fastened my eyes on his, wishing I could dissolve his anger. “You even said yourself I shouldn’t be hanging around with them. I should have listened to you…to my mom…my MOM! Oh my god, what time is it?” The sky was, at present, pitch-black, the moon positioned high above us.

  “It’s almost ten,” Shane informed us, squinting down at his watch.

  “It’s almost ten?!” I parroted back in panic. I was so horrified; I would have sprung to my feet if the dizziness hadn’t stopped me. My body’s momentum carried me halfway there, but I plunked back into Ron’s lap, awkwardly, as my vision greyed around the edges.

  He let out a rush of air as I landed on him. “Ooof, hey, careful there! Don’t worry, Maura; I’ll take you home. There’s no need to make yourself pass out again.”

  I knew I wasn’t light. I was tall. He made me feel even more graceless as he struggled to get up with me still in his arms. From his sitting position on the ground, even I knew standing was an impossibility. I felt even more embarrassed—if that were even possible—at his futile struggle to rise.

  “I can walk, myself,” I tried to tell him.

  He ignored me and flashed a look at Shane, who stoically came over to lift me from Ron’s arms. My small attempts at struggle did me no good. Shane’s frame was smaller than Ron’s, but he was taller and maintained a wiry kind of strength in his long limbs. Shane must have been Native. His eyes were black, like his hair, his skin a pleasant brown. Though dark, his eyes held a friendliness, tinged with mischievous, that was impossible to resist. He smiled down at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back…even though I was still cold, half-naked and internally wounded by the cruelty inflicted upon me almost three hours ago.