By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (14 page)

My heart stalled.

He grinned. "Get some sleep."

He backed away, releasing my hand at the last
moment. Even though he didn't say it, I knew Ty was afraid to leave
me alone. It would take me two minutes to walk to my house, but
even that would be too far out of his reach. Here he could keep me
safe.

Taking a seat next to Melanie, he bent his
head toward her in quiet discussion. I watched them. Whatever Ty
and I were developing into was good. Very good. And then Melanie—in
just a short span of time, we'd gone from enemies to tentative
friends. Strange how in the worst of times, something good could
come out of it all. But whatever the reason for us being thrown
together, I was thankful the three of us had each other to lean on
for support.

Sometime in the night, Ty joined me in bed.
He quietly molded himself against my back, wrapping a strong arm
around my waist. A soft kiss landed on my temple. I smiled before
succumbing once again to the darkness.

Melanie hurried into the lunch room and over
to the table where Ty and I sat. She flapped a small paper bag in
front of our faces before taking a seat next to me. The girl seemed
wide-eyed and full of an endless supply of energy. Both Ty and I
were dragging. Granted, he pulled off exhaustion well. Only the
faintest of shadows lined his eyes.

I had actually managed a good amount of sleep
before springing out of bed to sneak back into my house that
morning. Even so, I looked like death warmed over and felt even
worse. A low throb ached at my temples. Despite my protests, Ty
declared that come hell or high water, I would not be helping them
that night. We were in the middle of negotiations when Melanie
arrived.

She pulled out a small metal object and
passed it to me. Cold in my palm, I fingered the whistle
tentatively. Could this be our ticket to finding Kim's killer?

"When in the world did you have time to get
this?" Truly, she was the eighth world wonder.

"All night department store. I was so wound
up last night, and I figured we'd want to give it a test run today.
It had a little booklet for teaching your dog different tricks, but
I figured we were safe without it." She winked at Ty and he
grimaced.

"I don't know. Fetch might've come in handy."
I grinned at Ty's expression. Then again, lay down could have its
uses, too. A flush raced up my neck at the thought.

"You're too funny, Mac." Ty deadpanned the
words, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Transfixed by his lips, I momentarily lost my
train of thought. "Uh, right." I cleared my throat. "So, should we
give it a little toot?"

"Can't hurt any." Ty shrugged.

"One sec." Melanie moved next to Ty. Facing
the room at my back, she would have a good view of the area. If
anyone besides Ty reacted to the whistle, we'd have our girl or
guy.

"Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath and
blew hard.

Ty's reaction was immediate and violent. He
threw his hands over his ears and his face contorted in pain. I
dropped the whistle quickly, realizing the senselessness of doing
such a thing. I should've tested it first—used baby steps to check
his endurance.

"Are you okay?" I pulled his hands from his
ears and clutched them tightly.

His breathing was rapid and irregular, but
slowly it began returning to normal. He managed a weak nod. "God,
that was stupid."

"I'm sorry," I said.

He squeezed my fingers. "Not your fault."

Melanie gave us a toothy smile. "I guess I
should've mentioned you should start out with soft breaths."

Ty gave her a sharp look before starting to
laugh. "What? You mean you're not supposed to act like a
sugar-hyped five-year-old blowing out her birthday candles?"

I clapped a hand to my forehead as a small
giggle escaped me. Soon all three of us were laughing like
lunatics, drawing the stares of the students around us.

o0o

Sixth period was canceled that day. Groups of
students streamed into the auditorium for our weekly dose of school
spirit. Always a big supporter of our football team, I found my
excitement amped to the max at the thought of cheering Ty on. Our
budding relationship now foremost in my mind, I ignored David and
his friends as I took a seat near the front of the senior section,
just a couple of rows up from where the cheerleaders sat.

David's group, located a few feet behind me,
made several lewd remarks as the cheerleaders warmed up for their
show. I tried to push the sound of their voices out of my head.

True to my prediction, Coach Pierson hadn't
booted Ty from the team. The man knew how to hedge his bets; he
needed Ty to have a winning season. I smiled as I caught sight of
Ty's dark head amongst the throng of football players pooling
together off to one side of the impromptu stage set up at the end
of the court. Even from a distance, I admired the way his red
jersey hugged his muscular frame.

Several seniors pushed into my row. I smiled
as many stopped to say hello and exchange a few words with me.
Despite my outcast status with my friends, apparently I wasn't
quite the social pariah I had feared I'd become. Mary Clark, the
girlfriend of one of Ty's teammates, sat down next to me, and we
prattled away excitedly. Other than Homecoming, this game against
Baxter High School would be the biggest of the year. The crowd
pulsated with anticipation that was infectious. It seemed to give
my weary bones the needed boost to make it through the rest of the
day.

I searched the crowds for Melanie, but
couldn't locate her. I hoped she was okay. My mom had told me the
principal would be conducting a brief memorial for Kim during the
rally. I thought perhaps Melanie decided to stay away in order to
avoid the scrutiny of the entire school.

Mrs. Kramer and several teachers, including
my mother, stood behind the podium. The rally would start any time
now. I saved a spot for Melanie, just in case.

Opposite the stage, the band assembled and
punched out a sad rendition of our fight song. They definitely
weren't known for their musical prowess, but at least most of the
members were in time today. I cringed as a lone trumpet player
wailed away at her own tempo. It sounded like a cat in heat.

"Band's sounding good this year," Mary
joked.

I giggled. "Oh yeah."

A buzz ran through the crowd and everyone
stomped their feet and clapped along with the cheerleaders. I
couldn't help but join in. Our mascot, Curly the Tiger, bounced
across the glossy floor, arms flapping to bring everyone to their
feet. I screamed along with everyone else.

The song came to an end, with several players
adding their own flourish to the final notes. They were such a
disaster and laughter rang out all over the auditorium. Red-faced
members took their seats in the folding chairs behind them.

Mrs. Kramer stepped up to the microphone and
quieted everyone. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Melanie slip
in through a side door. I ushered her over, her red-rimmed eyes
confirming my suspicions. She gave me a weak smile as she slid into
the seat beside me.

"Before we begin the rally today, I want us
all to take a moment to remember a student we've recently lost,"
Mrs. Kramer began. "Kim Urwin..."

"Who?" Vince screamed from behind me.

Mrs. Kramer gave our section a pointed look
before continuing. "Kim Urwin was a very special student." She went
on to describe the activities Kim had been involved with. I was
surprised by how many clubs she'd been an active member of.

Soft sobs came from beside me. I took
Melanie's hand.

Mrs. Kramer concluded her speech with a
moment of silence, which several people behind me didn't adhere to
respectfully, instead jabbering on about our chances in the game
the next night. I fought the urge to turn around and smack them
upside their heads. Had Melanie not been there, I think I might
have.

The moment ended and Mrs. Kramer introduced
our cheerleading squad to an uproar of applause. My school didn't
do somber very well, and they seemed to take a collective sigh of
relief.

I pulled Kleenex out of my purse and handed
one to Melanie so she could wipe her face. I gave her a reassuring
smile and she returned it, mouthing "thank you" to me.

Hopefully, the pep rally could bring both of
our moods up. When the football coach started introducing the
players, I know my spirits soared.

The crowd rose to their feet as each player
came forward. I practically lost my mind when he called out number
seventeen and Ty stepped out of line to give the crowd a little
wave. Several girls screamed out his name all around me and I
flushed with pride. Sure, Ty had always had this effect on the
female student body, but he'd never been
my
boyfriend
before.

It could have been my imagination, but he
seemed to search the stands until he looked directly at me. He
smiled. Surely he did that on purpose. Mary poked an elbow into my
side and giggled. I gave her a big grin. I was dating A Sex
God.

"Pussy!" Vince yelled out above the din. He
continued a diatribe of insults aimed at Ty. Apparently he hadn't
gotten over Ty's absence and our team's subsequent loss the
previous weekend. Enough was enough.

I whipped around. "Shut the hell up,
dickhead! I don't see your sorry ass out on that field every
week."

A stunned silence followed. Then the entire
area erupted into laughter, several people adding insulting remarks
aimed at Vince. His face turned fire hydrant red and my mouth
trembled out of control as I faced forward again, carefully
avoiding the scathing look David gave me. I slid Melanie a
side-long glance, and held a hand against my mouth. I'd never done
something like that before. It felt wonderful.

"Good for you," Melanie whispered, her own
laughter lighting up her eyes. "That was awesome, Mac!"

"I kn..." A flash of red caught my eye. To
the left of where we sat, I spotted Carrie, dressed to the hilt
with team spirit. Her red sweater was tight, accentuating her
vampish figure—had she gotten work done?

She was glaring in Vince's direction. It was
an expression of pure hatred, white hot and barely under control.
If looks could kill.
I swallowed the rising lump in my
throat and continued to watch her surreptitiously.

Most of the crowd resumed their cheering as
the rest of the team came forward, but she continued to glower at
Vince. Blood pounded in her cheeks. What in the world had Vince
done to inspire such pure venom from her? Sure, the guy was a jerk,
but he had rocks for brains. It would be like having it out for a
big dumb animal.

Just then, her blue eyes cut to me. I
panicked and moved back so that Melanie blocked me from her line of
sight. My heart raced. For just a moment, when her eyes met mine,
I'd had pure, unadulterated hatred aimed at me.

A minute later, she left the stands and
slipped out a side door. With the tall brunette gone, I allowed
myself to breathe again.

I watched the rest of the rally through a
dazed fog. As soon as it ended, I excused myself and raced down to
the floor to meet Ty. The smile on his lips faded as I approached
and pulled him aside. "We need to talk."

o0o

"Let me get this straight. You said
what
to Vince?"

I fumed, situating myself far out of Ty's
reach. Had it not been for the door, I surely would've slipped off
the bench seat of his car and onto the gravel below. The worst
part—he didn't even try to hide his amusement or lack of faith in
my new theory.

"That's right. Yuk it up." I crossed my arms
over my chest and glared at him.

We were parked in the lot around Rosemead
Lake. The foliage in the area was painted rich shades of orange,
red, and yellows—pinks even. It was a breathtaking view. Students
normally came out here for amorous activities, and I tried to put
such thoughts out of my mind. Right now I was too busy planning
Ty's death. If I didn't focus, I would start gushing over the fact
he'd brought
me
here.

"You didn't see the look on her face." I
tried to remain calm while I laid out my case for him again. "Vince
insulted you and she acted like he'd committed murder—or rather,
like
she
could commit murder."

"That's just not possible." He waved me off
with a flap of his hand and fiddled with his CD player. "It isn't
Carrie."

"Why not?"

Ty gave me a warning look. "Trust me. It's
not her." He paused. "Are you going to start accusing every girl
I've dated?"

I rolled my eyes. "Think about it, Ty. It's
the classic love-gone-wrong revenge scenario."

He shot me a dubious look. "You need to stop
reading Harlequins."

My jaw dropped open. Had he found my stash?
"Don't change the subject!"

He shook his head with a laugh and punched a
button on his stereo.

Light strains of Otis Redding floated out of
his speakers. I paused to take in everything happening around me.
Lake—car—me—Ty—sexy music.
Oh. My. God.

He leaned back in his seat and rested his
hands on the steering wheel. It wasn't exactly the scenario I saw
playing out in my mind.

"What?" He quirked his brow.

"Nothing." I fiddled with the door handle.
"It makes sense—especially with everything Melanie told me
yesterday. The attack on you after we...well, you remember. And
then the football game. Give me one good reason why it couldn't be
her."

"If you'll recall, we weren't exactly
together when Kim was killed. No matter what you think of her,
Carrie isn't a mind reader."

I mulled over his words, my heart slowly
accelerating. This was stupid. I'd been alone with Ty many
times—all the time, in fact. I'd even slept in his bed the past two
nights. Why was I so nervous?