Broken Hearts (20 page)

“T
his is so romantic,” Melissa said, grabbing Luke's arm and leaning close to him as they walked through the darkness.

Luke had parked on Fear Street, and now they were making their way along the winding path through the woods toward the lake, their ice skates draped over their shoulders.

Torches had been set up all along the lakefront. As they approached the lake, they saw the orange torchlight flickering in the spaces between the dark trees, giving the woods a soft, magical glow.

“Such a clear night. It's perfect!” Melissa declared.

“It's kind of pretty,” Luke admitted as the frozen lake came into view.

“You're so poetic,” Melissa teased, squeezing his arm through his jacket.

They could hear the music now, from a portable
sound system on the shore. And they could see several couples skating in a wide circle over the ice.

“How many of you
are
there in that coat?” Luke asked, laughing. He pulled at the side of Melissa's wool overcoat, stretching it wide.

Melissa laughed. “You don't like my coat? It's my dad's, actually.” She lowered her head to examine it. “Maybe it
is
a little big. But I figured I might need the extra padding.”

“Maybe later I'll climb in there with you!” Luke teased, letting go of the enormous coat and leading the way along the path to the lake.

Voices called to them as they drew nearer. People were clustered at a long refreshment table. Others were seated on the ground, struggling to fasten their skates. The woods echoed with laughter and voices shouting over the blare of the music.

“I warned you. I'm not a great skater,” Melissa said, as Luke helped her tighten her laces. She glanced up at the skaters circling the lake, recognizing most of them. They all seemed so graceful, so at ease.

“Look at Cory Brooks,” Luke said, pointing. She followed Luke's gaze across the ice to see Cory showing off as usual, skating backward on one leg, in the opposite direction from everyone else, his hands high above his head.

“What a showoff,” Luke muttered. Then he burst out laughing as Cory collided with David Metcalf, and the two of them toppled to the ice, nearly sliding all the way to the refreshment table on their backsides.

Luke stopped laughing when he caught the serious
expression on Melissa's face. “Hey, what's wrong? You can't possibly be as bad a skater as Cory!”

“I—I wasn't thinking about that,” Melissa said solemnly. She reached up for Luke to pull her to her feet. “I was thinking about my locker. That disgusting broken heart. The threatening valentines.”

“Hey, I thought we were going to party tonight,” Luke scolded.

Melissa sighed. “I know. But maybe it was a mistake. Maybe we shouldn't have come.”

Gripping both of her gloved hands, he tugged her onto the lake. “I'm right here,” he said softly, reassuring her with a smile. “Come on. Forget that nonsense. It's so awesome here tonight.” He gestured to the flickering torches casting their soft light along the shore. “Let's just skate and have a good time.”

“Okay,” Melissa agreed, smiling back at him.

They skated side by side for a short while, picking their way through the crowd of skaters. Melissa moved unsteadily, her arms out awkwardly at her sides.

Like a toddler just starting to walk, she thought, embarrassed.

Luke moved across the ice with confident, graceful strides.

He looks so much more at ease on ice than when he's walking, Melissa thought, studying him as she tried to keep up.

“Stay away from over there!” someone called to them, pointing to the empty area to the right.

“What's the problem?” Luke called.

“The ice is too thin. It's already cracking!” came the reply.

Luke turned, making a wide circle. He reached for Melissa, but her left skate hit something, and she tumbled forward.

“Ow!”

She stretched out her hands to break her fall and landed hard on her right elbow. Pain shot up her arm. “Ow. Oh, man!”

“You okay?” Luke circled her, backing around her, reaching down to pull her back on her feet.

“I warned you,” she said, frowning. Her side still throbbed, but she allowed him to pull her up. “Not exactly graceful, am I? My skate caught on something.”

“You're a graceful faller,” he said, teasing. “You stumble like a pro. Really.”

“Liar,” she muttered.

They started again, gliding side by side to the music. They skated in a wide oval over the frozen lake, their breath steaming up above them, the torches on shore providing the only light, casting long, shifting shadows over the ice.

“Hey, wait up!” Melissa called.

Luke, skating easily, had picked up speed and had moved far ahead. Concentrating on keeping her balance, Melissa kept losing him in the crowd.

“Wait up!” Then she fell again. Her skates slid right out from under her, and she landed hard on her back.

“Hey, Luke.”

He appeared from out of the shadows and glided
easily up to her. “How'd you get down there?” he teased, bending to help her up once again.

“I'm going to be black and blue,” she said. “It's my ankles, I think. They're not strong enough.”

“Follow me,” Luke said, skating away from the crowd.

She started to follow, moving slowly, one skate then the other, having lost all confidence. “Hey, where are you going?” she called.

“I'm going to give you a lesson,” he called back.

He was leading her away from the crowd, away from the flickering torchlight, away from the music.

“Why are we going over here for the lesson?” she called, picking up speed.

“It's a
private
lesson!” he declared.

He skated into the darkness. She followed the
skud skud skud
of his skates.

It was so dark away from the lights. Away from the party.

Away from everyone.

She heard a cracking sound to her left.

“Hey, Luke!” she called, fear beginning to rise in her chest. “Luke, the ice! It's cracking!”

Then she remembered the warning to stay away from this area.

“Luke, we shouldn't be here!” she called, feeling her throat tighten and her heart begin to pound.

So dark. So silent.

Another
crack
just behind her.

Luke abruptly appeared out of the darkness, skating toward her, his features set, his eyes locked menacingly on hers.

Why has he led me here? Melissa wondered, suddenly consumed with fear.

Why did he take me to this dangerous spot, away from everyone else?

She spun around. Nearly fell. Started to skate back toward the party.

But he swept up behind her and grabbed her shoulders.

He twirled her around to face him.

Behind his glasses, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Luke, what are you
doing?”
Melissa cried.

L
uke slid his hands down from Melissa's shoulders and wrapped them around her waist. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

“I just wanted to get you alone,” he whispered, starting to kiss her again.

“Get off me!” Melissa shouted angrily. She shoved him with both hands.

He slid backward, easily regaining his balance. His smile faded. “Melissa, what's your problem?”

“You scared me to
death!”
she cried angrily. “How could you be so insensitive?”

“I thought this was supposed to be a party,” Luke snapped back, pouting. “I just—”

“You just forgot that I got all those death threats!” Melissa snapped.

“I thought—”

“You thought it was funny to lead me out here to the
darkest spot where the ice is cracking! I don't
believe
you!” She uttered an angry cry, raising her fists and nearly toppling over.

“Okay, okay. I was wrong,” Luke said, raising both gloved hands as if to shield himself. “Cool off, okay? Just chill.”

Melissa cast him a dirty look, but her anger had started to fade.

Luke was just trying to be romantic, after all.

But he scared her. He really scared her.

And besides, they had no business being out where the ice was thin and cracking.

“Why don't you skate on without me?” she suggested, softening her tone but unwilling to let him off the hook entirely. “Go ahead. Skate a few laps. I'm just slowing you down. Skate for a while. Then I'll meet you by the refreshment table,” she said, pointing.

“Well, okay,” he reluctantly agreed. “You still mad at me?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

She watched him skate away, leaning into the wind. “When I get back, I'll teach you some tricks,” he called back.

“Yeah, like how to stay on my skates!” she shouted. She wasn't sure he'd heard her.

A gust of wind ruffled her hair. She pulled her wool ski cap down. She felt sorry she had suspected Luke.

Party pooper, she scolded herself.

“What am I doing way out here?” she asked herself out loud.

The other skaters seemed miles away. She couldn't
even hear the music, only the steady booming of drums, echoing off the trees.

Surrounded by darkness, she felt suddenly afraid.

I've got to get away from here.

I've got to get back to the others.

She started to skate, the ice slushy beneath her skates.

She heard a loud
crack,
spreading across the ice like a soft thunderclap, very nearby.

She tried to skate faster. Lost her balance. Stumbled. Fell onto her stomach.

“Oh, wow. Great party,” she muttered sarcastically.

As she pulled herself to her knees, she saw the hooded figure skating toward her.

Who is that? Melissa wondered and climbed all the way to her feet.

The hooded figure was skating fast, bent low, face cloaked in darkness under the hood.

Melissa squinted hard, trying to see who it was.

Closer. Closer. Skating low and fast in a straight line toward Melissa.

And what was that in the skater's hand?

Something that caught the torchlight. Something silvery.

Slender and silvery.

Like a knife blade.

“Ohhh!” Melissa uttered a moan of terror. She tried to scramble away, but her legs wouldn't cooperate.

She slipped, almost fell again.

The ice cracked behind her.

The skater approached, head bent low.

Melissa stared in open-mouthed horror.

The hood flew back. She saw the long red hair fly out from under it.

“Rachel?” she cried.

The skater glided rapidly through the shadows. The arm holding the slender blade rose up.

Melissa struggled to dodge away.

“Rachel!”

Head still lowered, red hair trailing over the fallen hood, she crashed into Melissa without slowing.

“Oh!” Melissa cried out, rocked back by the force of the collision.

And then she gasped as the knife plunged into her side.

“S
omebody help me!” Melissa tried to scream. But in her terror, her voice came out a choked murmur.

She waited for the pain to roll up her side.

“Oh!” She realized the knife had plunged into the enormous, bulky overcoat. It had missed her.

Her attacker realized it too, and tugged the knife out of the coat, preparing to thrust it forward again.

“Rachel,
please!”
Melissa shrieked. In her panic, she lost her footing. She started to fall forward.

“Rachel—” As she started to fall, Melissa reached out and clutched at her attacker to hold herself up.

“Oh!” Her hands got tangled in the long red hair—and pulled it off.

A wig.

Stumbling backward, the red wig in both hands, Melissa caught her balance.