“Ready?” Kian asked, after fifteen minutes of convo with my parents, which was like eight dog years.
“Yeah, I’ll see you guys later.” With a wave, I followed him out and down the stairs, where we found Mr. Lewis staring at a giant nail protruding over the front door.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Yeah. Some no-good bastard stole my horseshoe.”
At first, I had no idea what he was talking about and then I realized he’d mentioned hanging one up for protection. “That’s a problem.”
The old man leveled a grim look on me. “More for you than me, girlie.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, while Kian glanced between us in dawning startlement.
“Because now they can come in.”
FINDING THE LOST
“Could you text Kian and ask him not to pick you up today?” From Davina, that was a surprising question, but she had been a little different today, possibly as a result of our whispered conversation at the weekend sleepover, after Jen fell asleep. She’d followed me to the bathroom after lunch and was pretending to put on lip gloss while I washed my hands.
“Why?” Maybe it qualified as cynical, but I wasn’t agreeing to anything without asking. My life was currently in too much of a mess for me to take on more complications blindly. Brittany’s death danced in the corners of my mind while monsters lurked in the shadows, waiting to catch me unaware. Lately my head was a scary place to live.
“I need to look for Russ, and I was hoping you’d go with me. I can borrow my mom’s car, but I don’t want to leave the city alone.”
“How far is it?” There was a limit to what I could get away with on a school night.
“About an hour and a half.”
“I can text my dad and tell him I’m studying at the library with you if you’re willing to corroborate.”
Last year I’d have bet my vintage TARDIS that any member of the Teflon crew, even a perpetual floater, didn’t know what that meant. Davina nodded. “Absolutely. And it’d be awesome if you were willing to tell my mom the same thing.”
“Not a problem.” That settled, I tapped out a quick message to Kian saying I didn’t need a ride after all, but he didn’t reply.
Apparently he has a life.
“Thanks for doing this.” She paused, lowered her voice to add, “The others don’t get it, but Russ actually cares about me.”
I hadn’t seen any evidence of it, but she seemed secure in that conclusion. “I’m sure he’s a nicer guy than he lets on.”
“Exactly. When we’re alone, he’s really sweet. Did you know he plays piano?”
“Absolutely not.”
“He’d kill me if he knew I told you. Don’t let on, okay?”
“I won’t.” Unlike Allison, I didn’t want to cause trouble for Davina.
“Thanks. I’ll see you after school?”
I nodded and she hurried out of the bathroom, much more cheerful. Pausing at my locker, I sent my dad a message. Working on a project with Davina at the library. Home later than usual.
How late?
Not sure. I’ll have dinner out.
Remember, I know what time the library closes.
My dad was sharp. While I’d never given him any reason to distrust me, he remained cognizant that I might suddenly start lying at any time, an anomaly he would doubtless blame on hormones and their response to people with penises. Since Russ presumably had one, my father wasn’t entirely wrong, just not right in the way he’d imagine.
Afternoon classes passed slowly; I turned in assignments and took notes, though not my usual meticulous ones. Davina was waiting when the last bell rang. She jittered with energy as she walked to my locker, surprising me with her nonstop narrative. Before, I always got the impression she was shy, but that might’ve resulted from being shut down by Brittany and Allison. Possibly she felt like we’d bonded, after the hospital and then the sleepover weirdness.
“I don’t know if you heard,” she said, as we headed for the front gates, “but Allison is holding tryouts to fill Brit’s spot on the squad.”
“You’re the alternate. Aren’t you supposed to move up automatically?”
Her chin firmed as if she was clenching her teeth. “That was how they conned me into being mascot for the last three years.”
“That’s bullshit. How is she getting away with it?”
“The short version? Her dad has more money than mine. So when she comes to Coach Tina with how she’s so concerned about the performance of the squad in competition, too many fliers, not enough foundation, blah blah, and an open audition is best—that her dad will be very happy to buy new uniforms, even a new bus, if necessary—as long as Allie gets the support she needs.”
“Wow.” I had no idea what to say. “You need to perform so well that you land a spot anyway, then a freshman can be mascot this year.”
“That’d be nice. But the teachers who pick the squad always seem to choose me as alternate.” Her smile was ironic. “I wonder why. Maybe if my family bought textbooks or new computers or donated a pool, I’d miraculously make the squad.”
I smirked. “On your own merits.”
“Naturally. It’d be three years of hard work and relentless practice that finally shattered that glass ceiling.”
Deciding I liked Davina, I made up a new school slogan on the spot. “Blackbriar, just enough diversity to prevent litigation.”
She laughed and grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the T. At school, I’d never had friends, of either gender, who hauled me around like that. My throat tightened a little.
Davina got us to her house fast, where she wheedled and begged her mom for the car. In the end, she agreed to get some groceries before her mother handed over the keys; It took some creative lying about the many heavy books our project required. This was a big, old car with a powerful motor that roared like an aging lion when she started it. I buckled in, hoping she was a good driver.
Davina seemed to know what she was doing, heading out of the city on the interstate before the worst of the commuter traffic locked the city down. I didn’t say much because on some levels, this seemed crazy. Russ had obviously disappeared for a reason; I mean, if he had been kidnapped, he wouldn’t have lied to his parents about being at Cameron’s house. The farther we got from the city, the more nervous I became. There was no guarantee that Davina wasn’t working with Wedderburn or Dwyer & Fell. Either way, it could be bad for me.