Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1) (31 page)

Mom
looked amused as she said, “I didn’t make it.”

“Who
did?” Skylar was, obviously, confused; much like Luke had been.

“Sil,”
Luke said between bites.

Skylar’s
nearly non-existent eyebrows shot up, but then she pursed her lips and nodded
just a little, as if impressed. With the seal of approval all around, I was
finally able to dig in. I couldn’t deny I was pleased with my cooking as well.
It turned out perfectly. I couldn’t wait to tell Tegan and her dad. I knew
they’d both be proud of me.

Everything
was gobbled down, so there were no leftovers to worry about, and once everyone
started to disband from the dining room table, I started to collect the dishes,
but Mom insisted, “You let me get those.”

“Are
you sure?” I asked uncertainly. Mom looked slightly less haggard, but it was
still plain to me that she was exhausted.

 “Yes,”
she nodded firmly. “Thank you for cooking dinner tonight, sweetheart. I really
appreciate the help, and you did a terrific job.”

“Thanks,”
I blushed, thrilled by all of her praise.

“You’ll
have to teach me the recipes sometime,” she said brightly.

I
didn’t have the heart to tell her I thought she and meatloaf were hopeless.
Instead, I just smiled and said, “Sure, anytime.”

I
headed back up to my room, groaning as I thought about the homework I’d yet to
touch, but as soon as I stepped into my room, my eyes landed on the computer
screen. I froze for a moment, shocked that I’d completely forgotten about
Jackson.

Even
though I’d fled the room to escape talking to him for a few minutes, I hadn’t
thought about him once while I was downstairs. I hadn’t walked away with the
intention of leaving for a couple of hours. I immediately felt contrite.

I
walked over and sat down at the computer. Jackson was still signed on, and he’d
sent me a couple of messages since I’d left.

jackyourhart:
Did you get lost?

jackyourhart:
I think you forgot about me.

My
first instinct was to reply and apologize for leaving for so long, but then I
remembered why I left in the first place. I realized I still didn’t feel like
talking to him. I considered what I should do for a moment. The right thing
would be to tell him I was sorry and explain why I’d been gone for so long
before letting him know I needed to sign off and work on my homework.

Instead
of doing the right thing, I took the coward’s route; I signed off of AIM
without another word. As I dug my books out of my bag, I felt the heavy weight
of guilt settle over me for what I’d just done.

“So, you
just left and never came back?” Disapproval colored Tegan’s tone, and I nodded
with a cringe. “
Why
would you do that
?
”

That
was a very good question. After running on empty for days, I’d finally got my
first decent night of sleep last night. By the light of morning, some of my
sanity had returned and with it came the heavy hand of guilt.

Everything
seemed to be moving so fast lately. My emotions were running extremely high,
making me overly sensitive. Thanks to the clarity of a good night’s rest, I’d
been allowed the minute I really needed to catch my breath and think things
through. I could see now, whether I’d misinterpreted Jackson’s intentions or
not, that my actions were unwarranted. 

When
Tegan found me cautiously skirting the halls on Tuesday morning at school, she
immediately knew that something was up. I felt so ashamed of myself that I
didn’t want to admit my stupidity to Tegan, but, because she was my best friend
and never judged me, I told her anyway.

Despite
my trust in her, I knew she was tense due to my recent edginess, so I bit my
nails as I recounted what happened after she signed off AIM the previous
afternoon. Naturally, she was stunned while my shame only increased.

“I
don’t know!” I sighed, searching for the right words to explain as I lay my
head against the cool metal of the locker I leaned against. “I didn’t mean to.
Not really, anyway. I was still upset about talking to him in the library. He
was bantering with me like everything was fine, and I felt anything but okay.”

I
glanced at Tegan out of the corner of my eye and her previously narrowed eyes
softened slightly, so I went on. “I guess I thought I’d just leave the room for
a few minutes, regroup, and go back, but I started fixing dinner. I was so
focused on that I just didn’t even think about Jackson. Then I went back
upstairs, saw the computer and remembered.”

I
chewed nervously at my bottom lip and then shrugged. “I still didn’t know what
to say, and, honestly, I really didn’t want to try—even if it was just a few
minutes of apologizing and then signing off before he could reply—so I just
signed off without saying anything.”

Tegan
pursed her lips as she leaned her back against the locker beside me. She was quiet
for a moment before she took a deep breath. “Well, you could always tell him
that something came up and you couldn’t come back to the computer,” she
suggested.

“Which
isn’t a complete lie,” I pointed out.

Tegan
chose to ignore my words and added, “Or you could tell him the
truth.
”

“That
I was being an overly sensitive brat?”

“No.”
Tegan rolled her eyes. “Tell him your self-centered, over-zealous and obviously
jealous older sister has you convinced his only interest in you is to get to
her. Maybe he could set the situation straight and spare us all from the
drama.”

I
was somewhat surprised by Tegan’s words. Just yesterday she’d been trying to
point out that my sister wasn’t always so bad. Of course, it wasn’t often Tegan
spoke ill of anyone, but I knew her of opinions on Skylar often mimicked my
own. Part of that probably came from the bias of being my best friend, but I
realized maybe she had a more objective view of this situation. 

She
kept telling me not to listen to Skylar, but it was hard. Every time I tried to
look at things clearly and found a flaw in Skylar’s interpretation of Jackson’s
intentions, he seemed to do something else that made me doubt Tegan’s
reassurances and start to believe Skylar was right.

Believing
Skylar, though, meant my nice guy impression of Jackson was completely wrong.
With his good looks and great personality, he had so much going for him, but it
also made me wonder why he would show any sort of interest in me. Despite what
Tegan claimed, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe he was interested in dating me,
but I’d thought maybe he did really want to be my friend. Now, I wasn’t so
sure.

As
easy as it was for Tegan to suggest I just ask Jackson about his intentions, I
knew there was no way I could just casually ask, “By the way, are you hanging
out with me because you like me or is it because you want to gain Skylar’s
interest?”

Also,
I had no desire to go looking for him because that would mean trying to explain
my disappearing act last night. Instead, I was determined to avoid him until I
had time to think and figure things out. With only a couple of days left before
Thanksgiving break, I wouldn’t have to avoid him for very long. I just hoped
the long weekend would give me the time I needed to think.

“You’re
being ridiculous,” Tegan said, shaking her head after I’d explained my plan to
her, but she agreed, nonetheless, to help me keep a look out for any sign of
Jackson.

The
coast was clear through my first two classes, but when lunchtime rolled around,
there was the added stress of avoiding Mark Moses as well. I also really wanted
to go back to the library and check out some books, but I was too afraid I’d
see Jackson again, so I decided that would have to wait.

I
spent the majority of lunch trying to hide behind Tegan, which was somewhat
ridiculous since we were now the same height, but in the end I got lucky and
didn’t cross paths with either Jackson or Mark Moses in the hallways or during
lunch.

Journalism
was spent putting together the special edition of the newspaper. When it became
obvious we wouldn’t get through all of the papers by the end of class, Mr.
Hensley offered extra credit to anyone who volunteered to stay after school and
help put the papers together, so we’d be ready to sell them the following
afternoon during lunch.

Tegan
and I both volunteered after she assured me that if Tierney couldn’t come back
to pick us up, then one of her parents wouldn’t mind doing it. Even though I
wasn’t exactly keen on hanging out at school after hours, I thought it might
help in my quest to avoid Jackson and Mark Moses.

English
Composition wasn’t too terrible. Wanting to keep my mind off of the situations
with Jackson and Mark Moses, my homework had been getting more focus than
usual. For once, I felt like I actually had a pretty good grasp on the class
discussion. I even raised my hand to answer a few questions. It was quite
exciting that I got them right.

Normally,
I’d have been surprised by my bravery, but after facing off with Mark Moses,
Miss Barkley didn’t seem quite as intimidating as she had before. My new
courage seemed to be just the boost I needed for my morale.

After
class Tegan and I found Tierney and told her about our plans to stay after
school. She agreed to let Trista or Travis know, so one of them could come and
pick us up since she had to go to work. I used Tegan’s cell phone to call home
and leave a message for my parents in case they arrived home before me. Then we
headed to the computer lab.

Only
a handful of people stayed behind, and Mr. Hensley quickly put us to work,
giving us each a job. Tegan and I were assigned the simple, though somewhat
boring, task of folding the papers and putting them together in order.

Mr.
Hensley turned on a radio, and for the most part we all worked quietly
together. Annabelle and another girl, a sophomore named Eliza, double checked
to make sure the pages were all in order, and then a boy named Lance, who I
thought was a junior, stapled the papers together.

After
a while, my fingers started to get sore from folding papers and making sure the
crease was crisp. Then, once Tegan and I finished folding papers, Mr. Hensley
started counting through how many copies we had. He then instructed Tegan to
help Lance staple the papers together before he handed me a stack of papers—the
master copies, I realized—and asked me to take them down to the office and ask
for twenty more copies.

It
felt odd to walk down the nearly empty school hallways. Normally, they were
filled with students and the noise they brought along with them. Without
students, it felt eerily cold and quiet. While it made me a little uneasy, it
was also kind of interesting. I saw things, like posters and bulletins for
various events and clubs, that I’d probably passed hundreds of times without
noticing.

As
interesting as it was, I realized I needed to hurry up because Mr. Hensley and
the others would likely be waiting on me. Promising myself I’d take a closer
look later, I picked up the pace, and when I arrived at the office, the
secretary was none too happy with my request.

Even
though I realized she probably just wanted to go home and relax, I didn’t feel
all that sympathetic. After all, she spent most of her day seated, answering
phones or making copies. Boring work, yes, but compared to other jobs, I
figured she’d probably had it pretty easy.

While
I waited for the copies, I glanced down the hallway that led to the principal’s
office. There was a small waiting area there that the resident troublemakers
usually occupied. I found I wasn’t at all surprised—though I was a bit scared
to spot him after school hours—when I recognized Mark Moses seated in the
waiting area next to a man, who looked very much like him though the man was
quite a bit older with graying hair and a full-blown beer belly. The skin that
wasn’t hidden by clothing was covered in tattoos. I could only assume the aged
doppelganger was Mark Moses’ dad.

I
looked away quickly, hoping Mark Moses wouldn’t turn and look my way. I only
had one more day to elude him before I was home free for a four-day weekend.
The last thing I needed was another run-in with him. I just wanted the rest of
the week to be peaceful, so I was thankful the principal, Mr. Mallory, chose
that moment to open the door to his office and call them inside. Neither
glanced in my direction as they stood and went inside the small office.

Just
as the door closed, the secretary returned with the copies I’d asked for. I
thanked her as I took them and hurried back to the computer lab.

Tegan
came back to help me fold papers. Then we both helped Lance staple the papers
after Annabelle and Eliza checked them. It took another half an hour to finish
up, and then Mr. Hensley thanked us before he told us we could go.

On
the way to our lockers, Tegan called her house. Trista said she’d send Travis
to come and get us. Then Tegan and I agreed to meet by the exit before we went
our different ways to collect our things from our lockers.

My
footsteps echoed against the walls and floors as I passed each dark classroom
along the hallway. When I reached my hall, I turned and started toward my
locker, but I stopped short when I heard shouting coming from the other end. I
couldn’t imagine what was going on, but curiosity got the better of me and I
tiptoed down the hallway and peeked around the corner into the next corridor.

I
immediately recognized Mark Moses and his dad. His dad was red in the face, and
he was the one doing the shouting as he poked Mark in the middle of the chest
and backed him up against the nearest wall. Before I hadn’t been able to
decipher his words, but now that I was closer, his voice was clearer.

“I
don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with you. You’re worthless,” he
growled. “Can’t you keep your nose clean for a week? I don’t have time to come
down here and look after you every time you decide to get your ass in trouble.”