Handcuffs (29 page)

“Oh fuck,” I say.

“I’m right outside in the green Jeep,” he says into the cell.

The back door opens. “Kyle?” Marion climbs into the backseat. “What’re you doing driving this? What happened to your car? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”

“I had a flat tire, at the Prescotts’ house.”

“Oh no.” Marion puts her head into her hands.

“It’s okay, Marion. Paige and I have been talking. She’s not going to have me questioned by the police or taken to court again.”

“Oh, no no no,” Marion says. I realize with surprise that she’s crying. “You already let Paige Prescott ruin your life once. Why would you give her another chance to hurt you?” This is a good question. Another good question might be, why would Paige Prescott give Kyle Henessy the time of day? She only speaks to her own sister when she wants to taunt me or make fun of me, what’s up with her suddenly wanting to talk to him?

“I’d like to get out of the car.” I try to say this calmly.

“I’ll drop you off at your house, Parker. I want to tell Paige goodnight, anyway.”

He says this like it’s reasonable. Like running out of a party and getting into my dad’s Jeep only to discover that it’s being driven by a guy under a restraining order, my sister’s stalker, no less, who just borrowed said vehicle because the stalker-mobile has a flat in the Prescott driveway, and he (Kyle) needs the car to pick up my worst enemy (Marion) from this party, where she just tried to sabotage my love life and my self-esteem, is reasonable.

He says to me, “I’ll give you a lift.”

Yeah, this is normal. To him. And I’m totally entering his world. Hell, I’m already here.

We drive across town in silence. The only sound is Marion’s annoying snuffling from the backseat. I try to understand what is going on with her, why she is so freaking upset, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.

We pull into my driveway and everyone just sits there.

“Well, thank you for the ride,” I say. Is he going to park my dad’s Jeep or just drive off in it? Marion is all hunched over with her arms around her knees.

We aren’t in the driveway five seconds before my sister runs out the door.

“I’ll take Kyle and Marion home. Bye, Parker,” she says in a rush.

“I’m going with you,” I tell her. There is no way she’s driving around with these freaks alone. No way. This is all so crazy, if I go with her, maybe we’ll both make it back to our house alive and everything.

“There’s no reason—”

“I want to know what’s going on here,” I tell her.

“Nothing is going on.”

“Then it won’t matter if I ride along with you.”

I stay in the front seat because I don’t want my sister near Kyle. Even though he’s been pretty benign, being around the object of his obsession may not be the best thing for him.

The Henessys live about ten minutes from our house. They moved into the nicer, newer subdivision before Kyle started hanging out in our tree. My parents took it as an enormous insult, because they had been sharing our backyard with the Henessys since before I was born, having cookouts and things like that.

“You’d better make sure your alcoholic sister is sober enough to drive,” Marion hisses. The only other sound for nine and a half minutes is the hum of the Jeep’s tires skimming over the back roads as we drive through three interconnected subdivisions to reach the Henessys’ great big well-lighted house, where there is no for-sale sign anywhere in sight.

“I didn’t know you knew where I lived,” Kyle says to my sister. For a stalker he’s awfully vulnerable.

“I remember,” Paige says.

“So do I,” Marion says. “You passed out in our living room.”

“What’re you talking about?” I ask no one in particular and get no answer at all.

Paige puts the Jeep in park. Kyle gets out, walks around, and opens the door for Marion, who practically falls out onto the sidewalk because she’s trying to keep her distance from Paige. Confident, bossy Marion is sure different when she gets away from her disciples at school. Of course, she used to completely worship Paige when we were little. Kyle doesn’t say goodnight or slobber on my sister after all. He stands in the driveway looking confused and lost for a minute, and then he follows Marion inside.

Paige and I drive home in silence. I spend the whole trip trying to think how to ask her what the heck is going on, how to break the ice, and before I say anything we’re pulling past Kyle’s Explorer with its flat tire and into our garage.

35

B
efore I go to bed, I leave messages on Raye’s phone and on his. I wish I had just stayed at the party, but I don’t know. I really needed to get out of there, though I won’t be able to explain it to either of them. I know I won’t be able to make them understand.

I draw an all-new house plan. Something smaller and without the ice-skating rink. I imagine an ice rink would make it expensive to heat in the winter, anyway. That guy Albert from the electric company would probably call and tell me off for wasting energy.

When I’m done I pad down the hall and borrow my brother’s Crayola markers and start coloring my illuminated manuscript. It isn’t as beautiful as I wanted it to be, what with the bright primary colors, but it keeps me from screaming, or pulling out my hair, or stealing one of my parents’ vehicles and driving back to the party to see what’s going on. He could have at least called to check on me. I try not to ask myself why I am always hoping for him to call and then being let down.

Saturday is uncommonly confusing because I don’t know whether to press my luck. Should I consider myself officially ungrounded or lie low for a while? I’m thinking that maybe Paige’s bizarre behavior will take the heat off me. That’s the way things have worked for the sixteen years up to this point.

I slip downstairs to swipe something to eat and test the waters. Mom is on the phone, wandering around the kitchen.

“So, Theresa, I would really appreciate it if you would get me some estimates for houses in Florida. Yes, Chris was offered the job he applied for on Tuesday, and I could always transfer. I think Florida would be great for Preston. With the beautiful weather he could spend so much time outside.” I was reaching for a Pop-Tart, but now my hand is frozen in midair. “Yes, I know it’ll be Parker’s senior year, but to be honest with you, we haven’t been that impressed by the education she’s getting at Allenville. And Chris and I would love to get her away from her boyfriend.” Mom turns and looks directly at me. She knows I’ve been listening.

I take the Pop-Tart and head back to my room without a glass of milk. I figure I had better lie low for a very long time.

Florida. I can’t even contemplate it. The fact that they would go to such extremes to ruin my life makes me want to ram my fist through something. What have I done all this work for, getting money from Kyle, if they’re just going to move us away from here?

Mom calls me down less than an hour later. My sister is sitting on the couch, appearing sober, and talking to Dad. They want to take us all to Red Lobster. This kind of thing doesn’t happen much. What with my brother’s inability to sit still and my sister’s nonstop social life, we never went out even when my dad had a job and we could afford to. The last time I went to a restaurant with them was for the rehearsal dinner for Paige’s wedding.

I wasn’t even supposed to be in the wedding. I’ve always had this secret desire to dress up and be a bridesmaid, but Paige didn’t want me. Not until one of her bridesmaids couldn’t make it home from college. So I got drafted to wear a too-big dress and carry a bunch of purple geraniums. It was the first time I ever tasted champagne, the first time I danced a slow dance on a dance floor, and the last time I danced a slow dance on a dance floor. For one thing, ice princesses simply do not dance, and for another, one of West’s best buds was looking down the front of the hideous purple dress that was too big for me, the imposter bridesmaid. I was wearing purple satin panties and a matching bra, but I wasn’t particularly interested in having some Neanderthal check out my underwear.

“I have to have dinner with my family tonight,” I tell him on the phone. “At Red Lobster.” I just keep talking, like he cares. I couldn’t stand it, I had to call him, but I haven’t mentioned the party, or Kandace Freemont, or me leaving abruptly.

“What time?” That’s a weird question. Is he pretending to be interested or something?

“Supposed to be six, but Paige will be running late, so probably closer to seven. Why?”

“We’ll be there.”

“What? Who?”

“Me and the folks, little brother. We’ll share some calamari and talk about where they want me to go to college. See you at seven.” He hangs up.

That was weird. I call Raye. She shows no interest in taking her family to Red Lobster, but she has plenty to say about everything he and I did not discuss.

“Why did you run out?” she asks.

“I’m not cut out for the Allenville party scene,” I tell her. How else can I explain?

“That’s a real surprise. You have to be an alcoholic slut to enjoy an Allenville party. That or an extrovert.”

I laugh. “I don’t think I qualify as either.”

“I changed my mind,” she says. “If you two break up, I totally want him.” Her voice is light—is she joking?

“Too bad. You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Universal rule of friendship.”

“But you asked me last week if I would want him.”

“And your answer was no.”

“Now it’s yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I liked his style last night. Pushing Kandace away.”

“Raye, he didn’t have any style. He was kind of a jerk. I left because he just walked away from me.” I’ve spent so much time beating myself up for walking out, for possibly messing things up again, that this is the first time I’ve let myself feel irritated with him. And just because I’m talking Raye out of wanting him, which I know is really just her teasing me. I remind myself that he gestured with his head, that he was waiting for me to join him, but somehow it wasn’t enough. And then there’s the thing with always waiting for him, always being on edge. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.

“Yeah, I guess you’re not the only one who’s attracted to jerks. Ian is being a complete jerk too. He went and comforted Kandace Freemont, you know. Totally ignored me the rest of the night.” Her voice is low, bitter.

“What, why?” God, poor Raye.

“He said he felt so sorry for her, it was the least he could do.” I can’t tell if she’s sarcastic or sad or what. That’s what sucks about cell phones, you can’t always tell how the other person is feeling. “It’s all screwed up, isn’t it?” Raye sighs.

I hate all this freaking drama so much.

36

D
inner at Red Lobster. I’m wearing a black skirt and a red sweater, more because he said he’d be there than because I care how I look at a seafood chain. Preston sits by me. I don’t know what’s up with his recent liking for me. He keeps asking me to draw things for him. It’s kind of flattering. I feel pretty fond of him right now too. Dad sits on his other side. Mom and Paige are across the table.

“So what classes are you taking this semester, Paige?” Dad asks. Paige mumbles something about public speaking. What a joke. She straightened her hair and it’s silky and wispy. I wish I were cool enough that she would talk to me instead of rolling her eyes at me.