Secrets: The Hero Chronicles (Volume 1) (17 page)

I became sick. I felt like I was being turned inside out, like I would never be okay again. I got up off my knees to get my pack of Tic Tacs out of my pocket. I took a deep breath and wiped my face. Suddenly, I felt like something was wrong. The fire inside me lit, and instinctively I snapped around and began to walk briskly toward the truck. A small group of people had been watching my every move and was now moving toward me. A voice inside me said, “Run!” I broke into a sprint, weaving in and out of the headstones. The fire burned hotter and my surroundings blurred.

When I got into the truck, Cora was still looking straight ahead. “Where did you come from?”

“Cora, we have to go now.” Cora didn’t take time to look out the windows or question me further. She put the truck into drive and whipped us around with the wheels squealing loudly on the pavement.

We were out on the main road passing the Mt. Vernon sign when she asked, “What happened? Did someone approach you?”

“No, but I felt like something was wrong, and when I turned around to walk to the truck there was a group of people moving toward me from every direction, so I ran.”

“Nicholas what do you mean you felt something was wrong?” she asked calmly. The panic that had just been in her voice was now gone.

“I don’t know, I had just finished talking with Mom and Dad when I felt it. I don’t know why, I just felt like I was in trouble.”

Cora listen
ed but didn’t say anything.

COURT

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A
fter our trip, I was finally allowed to go back to school.
I
no longer felt the need to hide or blend in once I went back. My secret was still hidden, but Nicholas Keller could finally be a part of so
mething. For some reason, I felt safe here at school. I had confidence. This was a different feeling for me because I usually only felt this way when Cora was around. Maybe it was because I had talked to Elle the night before, and she was excited that I was coming back. She said that she couldn’t wait to eat with me under the stairs.

Apparently for the last couple of weeks, Eric had been talking to everyone in the school about me. He was like a campaign manager trying to get me elected for something I wasn’t running for. Eric had made it his personal mission to make sure they erected a statue to me for my heroics. With everyone knowing me now, it made me wonder if all the cloak and dagger, moving around and hiding, had been a mistake by Cora. Even Oliver stopped picking on me, probably because I was off the team, which is what he wanted all along. He was now completely ignoring me. I didn’t have to hide any longer. That burden was lifted off my shoulders.

The Homecoming Dance was coming up soon. Over the last week I had become determined that I was going to ask Elle. Normally, any dance or social event was off limits, but Cora had asked me if I was going, so I figured I could go if I wanted to. Even more surprising than being allowed to go was that I was nominated to Winsor’s Homecoming Court, which was incredible because Elle was too. It seemed like the stars were aligning. Maybe it was destiny for us to go to the dance together. I was pretty sure that she had been asked already, which was understandable because the dance was only a couple of weeks away, but I was hoping she had been waiting for me to ask her.

On my way to meet Elle under the stairs to eat, I stopped by my locker to get some books. That’s when I heard the familiar chipmunk voices. It was Jennifer and Julie, Elle’s friends from math class. They were standing by the water fountain, talking in their usual loud way for all to hear.

“I can’t believe she was nominated for court and we weren’t.”

“I know. How long do we have to keep being nice to her?”

“This was supposed to be
our
year. We are seniors. She’s a lowly junior.”

They walked by me. They didn’t even notice I was there.

**

“So, Elle, are you excited about being on the Homecoming Court?” I asked, propping myself up with my backpack against the wall, finally under the stairs with her.

“No, not really.”

“Why not?”

“Homecoming Court is just some stupid popularity contest,” Elle said, not looking up from her salad and grape pop.

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.

Elle looked up. She looked angry.

“Elle, are you okay? I’m sorry if I made you mad.”

She gave a half-hearted laugh and said, “Nicholas, you didn’t make me mad. It’s just that no one paid attention to me last year or the year before, and now I’m on the Homecoming Court after being invisible for two years. I never fit in with the popular crowd because I never gossiped, had the right clothes, or had the right zip code . . . and I was okay with that. But everything changed when I got contacts, began to wear some make-up, and had a certain football player begin to like me. I know what you’re thinking—why did I do all of that if I didn’t want to be noticed? I’m not shallow, Nicholas. I just wanted to be happy with what I saw in the mirror.” Tears welled up in her stormy eyes.

“Nicholas, I didn’t care about what anyone else thought, but now people want to be my best friend and be around me. On the inside, I’m still the same Elle that they never noticed.” Elle was shredding her napkin in her lap. She took a deep breath, looking angry.

“Elle, I would still like you, even if you wore glasses and no make-up. You could never be invisible to me.”

She laughed, wiping away a couple of tears that rolled down her cheek. “Well, of course you would, Nicholas. You are different. You are such a good friend.” She smiled.

“Elle, would you go to Homecoming with me?”

“Nicholas, I can’t go with you. I’m going with someone else. . . . I’m going with Oliver.”

The fire burned in me, consuming my soul. “Who?” I said.

“Oliver,” she repeated, but in a whisper like it was some terrible secret.

“So are you dating?” I asked.

“No way, we are going as friends. I would never date him. Our parents have been friends for a long time, and Oliver was that football player who I said liked me.”

“What does that have to do with you going with him to the dance? I thought you hated the fact you’ve become popular.”

“Oliver asked me after the first football game, and I had to say yes. Nicholas, if it makes you feel any better, I would rather go with you. You are the only person I would like to share that night with. We have become such great friends.”

**

After my first day back to school, Elle and I continued to eat under the stairs, but now we did it in silence. Eating there together was once comfortable and cozy, but now it had become tiny and claustrophobic, putting us uncomfortably close.

“So, Nicholas, are you going to the game?” Elle’s question sounded awkward. She was not eating much of a lunch today. Just a cookie and her grape pop.

“Yes, I stand on the—”

She interrupted, “I know, you stand on the sidelines with the team. Sorry, I forgot.”

The team still wanted me to be on the sidelines even though I was injured. They all insisted that they needed me to be there. I was like a rabbit’s foot or a lucky penny.

“Nicholas, I want to know something. Are you going to the dance?”

“I haven’t given it much thought. I don’t have a date,” I said. I looked up, meeting Elle’s penetrating eyes. She took my hand.

“Nicholas, please come to the dance.”

“Okay, I’ll go,” I said like a mindless zombie.

She let go of my hand and I snapped out of it just long enough to realize that I didn’t have anyone to go with or a suit to wear. Why was I going? Better yet, why did she want me to go? I was upset with her, but I decided I would at least try to go anyway. This might be my only chance to go to a dance during high school.

After school, I saw Eric hanging out near my locker. “Hey, Eric,” I shouted.

He spun around like he was in a Western, about to draw his guns. “Hey, Nicholas. How’s my star?”

“Good. I have a question. Who are you going with to Homecoming?”

“Hey, it’s a little late to be asking me to Homecoming,” Eric joked. “Plus, I’m not Ms. Popular Elle, who you are infatuated with.”

“Very funny. Seriously, who are you going with?”

Eric was now batting his eyes at me and making kissy faces. I pushed him up against the lockers. The force of my shove made his long, brown hair fall over his face. He pushed the hair back out of his face.

“Ouch, Keller, I’m just playing around. I’m going with a big group of people. We rented three limos and are going to eat at McDonald’s. Then we are off to the dance. Why? Do you want to come with us?”

I didn’t hesitate. “That would be great, if you have room.”

“But why the change of mind? When I asked you yesterday, you weren’t remotely interested.”

“Well I want to go now, okay?”

“Of course, we always have room for the star of the tenth-grade class.”

“Eric, don’t start that again because next time I won’t be so gentle. I’ll push you through the locker.”

He laughed at me. “See you tonight, star.” He ran by me to avoid getting pushed again. He yelled to me as he ran down the hall, “Don’t run after me. I don’t want you to hurt another vertebra.”

When I got home, Cora was washing the truck. She was on the other side rinsing off the soap when a stream of water came shooting over the truck, drenching me. She looked around the truck, laughing at me. I ran to the front porch just out of reach of getting squirted again.

Cora walked up to the porch. She looked like she had been swimming, not washing a car. She was drenched from her head to her toes. It was warm for October, but not warm enough for getting soaked.

“You know the water goes on the truck, right?”

She smiled. “So are you ready for the big game tonight, Nicholas?”

“Well, I guess, but I don’t know what I should be ready for. I don’t play, remember?”

“Yes, I remember that. I’m talking about before the game and halftime. Homecoming Court? Remember, you ride in the parade before the game. Then at halftime you walk out and wave to the crowd. They will announce the Freshman and Sophomore Prince and Princess, the Junior Duke and Duchess, and the Senior King and Queen. At least, that’s what the paper said that I got from Joy Lemmins.”

She was right. I had totally forgotten about all the Homecoming Court stuff. The different classes had all been working on building floats for the Best Float Contest, and everyone was talking about the parade and the court. This past week, Joy Lemmins was on the announcements each morning, reminding everyone all about it.

“I forgot,” I told Cora.

“I knew you had, especially with all of the stuff with Elle. Nicholas, I knew you were going to ask her, but when you didn’t say you needed a suit or anything, I figured she said no or you decided not to ask.”

“I did ask and she said no.”

“I’m sorry, Nicholas. Who is she going with?”

“She’s going with Oliver Rails.”

Cora’s expression didn’t change when I said his name. She just stared at me. I wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. I couldn’t take it. I had to break the silence.

“So what am I supposed to do tonight for the parade and stuff?”

Cora’s face lit up again. “You are supposed to wear a suit and meet at the school at 5:00 p.m. to ride on the sophomore Homecoming float with the other nominees. Then during halftime, they will announce who was selected for the Homecoming Court.” The more she described it, the more animated she became. “Once the court is selected, they will represent their different classes at the dance.”

“Cora, how do we
represent
our classes?”

“Oh, you will be announced and walk down a carpet of some kind. Then the winners will dance to a couple of songs.”

“But Cora, I don’t have a suit.”

Her smile got even larger. She grabbed me, dragging me into the house. There, hanging on the coat closet door, was a garment bag with two red griffons on it and the name “Oxford Clothes” in large fancy writing. Cora quickly took out the suit. It was something royalty would wear. It was a navy pinstriped suit with silver buttons. There was a green tie with a white dress shirt inside the suit. It didn’t look like it was made from fabric. It moved like it was made out of water.

“Cora, where and when did you get it?”

“The
where
is a long story, but the
when
was when Joy Lemmins told me you were nominated. I was hoping that you would wear it to the actual dance, but the Homecoming festivities during the game will have to do.”

“Cora, I’m going to the Homecoming Dance with Eric and his friends.”

Cora’s eyes lit up even more. She nearly knocked me over hugging me. “Nicholas, that’s great. I’m so happy for you, and it’s for the best that you’re not going with Elle.”

I knew she was right. Going with Elle would have made leaving that much harder. Maybe it was good that she was going with Oliver; it would definitely make things easier. Leaving a friend was something I could do, but leaving a girlfriend would be a new pain I wasn’t eager to discover.