Buried (21 page)

Amerie sings words I've never heard before to a melody I know by heart.

It's
my
song. Only Ruby has added beautiful words to go with my music.

I think of Opal's prediction—that I'd “achieve the highest success.”

Not me, but my song.

And I smile.

T
w
e
n
t
y
-F
i
v
e

I
sleep in the next morning and wake up to my little brothers playing Frisbee over my bed. And I know everything is back to normal—which is a good thing.

But it doesn't last long.

First Amerie calls, hyper-excited and not sounding heartbroken as she tells me to turn on the news. When I click on the TV, there's Collette's tragically sad face spilling her story, twisting the facts exactly as I expected. Philippe is destined to be even more famous after this scandal. When he starts to talk about his “tragic loss,” I click off the TV. What a phoney-baloney jerk.

Then Rune sweeps in and drags me off for breakfast at The Hole Truth, because she wants the “whole truth.” And I tell her as much as I can. Afterward, we go thrifting and I find some wicked black shoes with skull-shaped buckles for only seventy-five cents.

As I'm paying, I think about how even though I still miss my old friends from California, I've made some cool new friends here. My soul sister Rune is always amusing me with her wonderfully shocking weird facts, and Amerie is turning out to be made of sterner stuff than fairy wings. Nevada is starting to feel like … well … home.

On Monday morning, it's back to school. I wear my skull shoes and accessorize with skull hair clips and my black-blue wig. I put on blue lipstick and a temporary tattoo of a skull on my cheek. I leave the house feeling gothtastic.

Everyone at NB High is talking about Philippe and the contest, of course. Ruby isn't at school, and I hear she's gotten an entertainment manager and is planning her trip to Las Vegas. I find an envelope from her, though, in my locker. When I open it, there's a sheet of lyrics to
our
song with Ruby Rodriquez credited as lyricist and Thorn Matthews as songwriter.

Me. A songwriter. Cool.

As I'm reading the lyrics a second time, there's a tap on my shoulder.

I turn and find Jay.

I can't decide whether to slap his face or stomp away.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he says, blocking my way.

“You left me!” I accuse.

“Would you rather I'd waited around for someone to rip off my mask? Then the Grin Reaper would be done. I wouldn't be able to help people anymore.”

“You didn't help me or Amerie.”

“I would have, if you'd needed help. When I snuck out, I planned to come back and tackle Collette. But then Philippe took her gun away and I realized you weren't in danger. I hid outside until the sheriff arrived. If you'd needed me, I would have been there for you. Still, I'm really sorry.”

“You should be … but I guess I understand why you left.” I want to hold on to my anger, but finding out he didn't really leave means a lot. “Did you give the record to Wiley?”

Jay nods. “That big tough snake-tattooed dude cried when I placed it in his hands. He never thought he'd see it again.”

“But you made it happen,” I say, gazing into his face.

“I told you the Grin Reaper is a good guy.” Jay clears his throat. “There's something else I want to tell you.”

“What?” I ask softly.

“You aren't bound by your promise anymore. Now that everyone knows the truth about the grave, there's no reason for you to keep my secret.”

“Oh, there's a reason,” I say casually, like my heart isn't suddenly racing. “I kind of like having the Grin Reaper around.”

“You do?” He gives me a slow smile.

“He's not such a bad dude when you get to know him.”

“Want to know him even better?” Jay leans close so that our faces are inches apart. “If you can handle it, Goth Girl.”

“I can handle anything or anyone, Reaper.”

We look at each other for what seems like a long time, and I have a strong feeling that Jay and I are going to be something more than friends.

I'm not exactly sure what will happen.

But I can't wait to find out.

The End.

About the Author

Linda Joy Singleton
lives in northern California. She has two grown children and a wonderfully supportive husband who loves to travel with her in search of unusual stories.

She is the author of more than thirty books, including the Seer series, the Dead Girl series, and the Strange Encounters series (all from Llewellyn/Flux). She is also the author of the Regeneration, My Sister the Ghost, and Cheer Squad series. Visit her online at www.LindaJoySingleton.com.