The Edge of Forever (11 page)

“Really, Sela, this is a bad idea. Just take me home.”

“Nope. You’ve got to pass the test, remember? I’m tired of you being grounded already, and you said you’d try out for the cheer squad.”

I scowl. Funny how her saying that makes me want to fail the history test.

She laughs and opens her door. “Oh, lighten up. You’ll have fun, I promise. Now are you gonna get out or do I have to drag you out?”

I consider telling her I’d like to see her drag me out, but I did agree to meet Trevor. “Fine,” I huff. “But don’t expect me to have fun.”

“I don’t get you. Half the girls at school would kill to have Trevor notice them.”

“Yeah, the half he hasn’t already screwed behind Naomi’s back,” I mutter as I grab my history book and open the door. “Do I look okay?”

Sela glances at my skinny jeans and green shirt. “Girl, please. You could dress like a bum and still look good.”

“No, I wouldn’t, but thanks anyway.” Leave it to Sela to make me feel a tiny bit better. “Well, I guess I better go.”

“I’m sending you thoughts of rainbows and fairy dust and if that doesn’t work, I’ll even stoop to gummy bears and chocolate,” she says with a grimace.

“If that doesn’t work, nothing will.” I try to smile, but my face feels frozen.

“You’ll do great. I bet he wants to confess his undying love for you and promise to never leave your side again.” She folds both of her hands over her heart and sighs.

“Now you’re being ridiculous.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?”

No, I wouldn’t. This is the Sela I miss, the one who cracks jokes and wants to spend time with me without two idiots tagging along. It’s selfish of me to think that, but I can’t help it. Things were so much better before Jess and Miranda entered the picture.

A bell tinkles as we walk into Java Jive. We’re enveloped with the scent of coffee and fresh pastries. I allow myself to relax a little. A few kids from school are already here. They barely acknowledge us as we place our order. I hope it stays that way. Why didn’t I tell Trevor to meet me at the library?

I grab my order and head to a rear corner booth. Hopefully nobody will notice Trevor when he comes back here.

Sela chats nonstop while I sip on my mocha frappé. I can barely taste it. The bell on the door sounds again and again. I twist around, and my stomach sinks like a stone in water. The place is filling up with kids from school. More are in the parking lot.

Sela grins and waves at someone behind me. “Hey, over here!”

Oh God, he’s here. I turn again, expecting to see Trevor, but instead I find Jess and Miranda heading toward us. Just great.

“Hey, girlie,” Miranda says. She shimmies onto the bench next to Sela.

Jess gives me a thin smile as she sits with me. “Where’s Trevor?”

My grip tightens around my cup as I my eyes flick to Sela. “You told them?”

She shrugs. “Everyone will know soon enough.”

“But it’s just a study thing. He didn’t ask me out on a date.”

“He hasn’t yet.”

I take a long sip of my drink to keep from snapping at her.

Miranda’s nose wrinkles as she watches me. “I hate to think about how many calories are in there.”

Jess nods. “Uh huh. Those things are so fattening.”

I hate the way the Brainless Twins stare at me with those smug expressions and wonder for a moment how good it would feel to throw my fattening frappé in their faces. No more smug looks, that’s for sure. But I don’t do anything except take a big bite of my fattening chocolate chunk cookie.

Then I proceed to almost choke when Sela lets out a squeal. “Ooh, he’s here!”

Reluctantly, I look out the store’s window. Sure enough, it’s Trevor. He parks his truck and jumps out, pausing to smooth his hair while studying his reflection in the side mirror.

“Awww, look at that. He’s primping for you,” Sela says. The Brainless Twins twitter.

I give Sela a withering glare. “Knock it off.”

“Okay, no jokes.” She grabs her drink. “All right, girls, let’s clear out so Alora can work her magic on loverboy.”

Jess snorts while Miranda shakes her head. I know what Miranda’s thinking and I agree with her—there will be no magic-making from me. Hopefully I’ll get out of here without becoming Willow Creek’s biggest idiot.

The girls head to an unoccupied table near the exit. Even though I despise Jess and Miranda, I’d give anything to be with them now.

I grab my history book and flip to the chapter I need to study. I try to read over the first paragraph. Nothing sticks. All I want to do is watch the door, but I don’t want Trevor to think I’ve been looking forward to seeing him. That’s pathetic.

I’m so engrossed in pretending to study that I jump when Trevor says, “Hey, there you are.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Easy there. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I search for something brilliant to say, but my tongue feels heavy.

He slides his history book on the table across from me. “I’m gonna get something to drink. You want anything else?”

“No, thanks, I’m good.”

After he leaves, I try to appear relaxed. I cross and uncross my legs and rub my palms against my jeans. The noise level has gone up since I got here. The place is packed. And even worse, some of the kids from school must have noticed Trevor talking to me. They keep glancing in my direction like they’ve witnessed a supernatural occurrence. Sela catches my attention and gives me two thumbs up.

Somebody please kill me now.

“I’m set,” Trevor says as he sits across from me. Then he slides a small bag across the table. “I figured you might want another one of these. I know how much you like them.”

I open the bag and inhale the scent of another warm chocolate chunk cookie. I glance up at Trevor. “Um, thanks. But you really didn’t have to do that,” I say, feeling my face get hot.

Trevor smiles. “It’s no big deal. I’m just trying to be nice, that’s all.”

“Well, thanks again.” I take another sip of my frappé, but I can barely swallow it. I push the container away. “Before we get started, I wanted to thank you for offering to help me. I really need to pass this test.”

“No problem.” He glances around before leaning closer. “You know, I’ve wanted to ask you out for a long time.”

Talk about direct. That’s the last thing I expected to hear. “I can’t believe that. You’ve been with Naomi for ages.” And your mom hates my aunt.

He leans back, scowling. “Yeah, that’s two years of my life I’ll never get back. I wish I could forget.”

“Really? I thought you two were pretty tight.”

“With Naomi, everything is about appearances. It gets old.”

“I kind of got that impression too.” Especially since she’s besties with Kate.

He bites a chunk off his donut and chases it with coffee. “It’s time for me to move on. I’ve got better things to look forward to.”

He holds my gaze for a moment. With his smile turned up to killer levels and all attention focused on me, it’s kind of easy to see how girls might fall for him. Wait, what am I thinking? I tap a finger on my book. “So, are you ready to study?”

“Absolutely,” he says, taking out his own history book. He opens it, extracts a few pages full of notes, and offers them to me. “And I came prepared.”

I glance over the notes, taking in the neat handwriting of the detailed outline he made of the chapter. I peer at him over the pages, starting to feel guilty. He put a lot of work into this. Maybe I was wrong to be so harsh with my judgment of him.

He starts to speak again, but his face darkens as his eyes shift to something behind me. I get a sinking feeling as I turn around.

Naomi is standing at the door with Kate. They’re both wearing tennis skirts and tank tops. Naomi’s ash-brown hair falls in a braid over one shoulder, while Kate’s hair is pulled up in a ponytail. Both have zeroed in on Trevor and me.

They march across the room and stop at our booth. Kate’s lip curls in a sneer. “What are you doing with
her
?”

If I thought my face was burning before, it’s on fire now, but I don’t say anything. Naomi stares at me like she would choke me if she could get away with it.

“I don’t remember inviting you here,” Trevor says.

“I didn’t realize I had to have your permission. This
was
our favorite place to go after school,” Naomi says, turning her attention to him. “I figured you’d try to flaunt some new whore in my face, but I didn’t think you’d start with trash.”

“What?” I ask, hating how my voice squeaks.

Naomi places a hand on Kate’s arm. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Aren’t y’all related?”

“Hell no,” Kate says. “She’s from Grace’s side of the family. No shared blood, thank the lord.”

“Outside. Now,” he says to Naomi through gritted teeth. Then he says to me, “I’ll handle this. Don’t go anywhere.”

He takes Naomi by the arm and leads her away. She tries to protest, but it sounds feeble. Kate smirks and follows them. Just as they get outside, Naomi flashes a triumphant smile over her shoulder.

I close my eyes, wishing I could disappear. But it wouldn’t solve anything. I’d still have to deal with this mess.

“What was that all about?”

Sela is standing next to me. At least the Brainless Twins didn’t come over, too.

“Apparently Naomi didn’t know Trevor was going to help me study today and she’s not happy.”

“So she wants to start some shit with you?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. I guess I can’t blame her. Trevor said he’s the one who broke up with her. I guess she’s not over him.”

“Girl, don’t make excuses for that beyotch. She seriously needs to have her butt kicked.”

I blink a few times. “Really? And who’s going to do that?”

“You should. My mama says if you let someone run over you, they’ll think they own you.”

I want to tell Sela that she’s being ridiculous, but I know she’s right.

“I’m going to see what’s happening out there.” I grab my things and slide off the seat.

“Want some backup?” Sela asks.

I shake my head in alarm. “No. I’ve got to do this myself, okay?”

“Gotcha, but if those two jump you, I’m all over them.”

She rejoins Jess and Miranda at their table, no doubt filling them in on my unwanted drama. It seems like everyone’s eyes are on me as I head outside. My feet drag as if they know I’m heading into disaster.

I blink a few times at the bright sun and search for Trevor and Naomi. Kate is chatting with two girls at one of the outdoor tables. She calls out, “Where you going, Alora?” in a mocking voice. The other two girls laugh along with her.

I ignore them and keep looking for Trevor and Naomi. They’re next to Trevor’s truck. I had expected to find them arguing, but they’re standing close, talking quietly. This can’t be good.

I’m halfway across the parking lot when Naomi’s voice rises. It almost sounds like she’s pleading. Then she says, “Please, don’t.”

I stop a few cars away and crouch next to a gray sedan. I feel like an idiot, but I need to hear what they’re talking about. Naomi says something else, but it’s too muffled for me to understand.

Then I hear Trevor say, “It’s a joke.”

In that moment, a mixture of emotions rolls through me. How stupid am I for believing Trevor wanted to help me? I mean, why would he? He’s a player and he tried to play me. I’m so pissed that I fell for it.

Sela and the Brainless Twins are probably glued to the window. I should go back and tell her what I heard, but I can’t face them.

Before I can stop myself I sneak out of the parking lot. The inn is about three miles from here, so I can walk. By the time Sela realizes I’ve left, I’ll be halfway home. She might get mad at me for leaving without telling her, but she’ll understand when I explain why.

I’ve gone a block down Main Street when my eyes glaze with tears. I rub them away and blink back the rest. I won’t cry over some stupid jerk. He doesn’t deserve my tears.

I round a corner and glance back over my shoulder. A gray car is behind me, driving slowly. Unease creeps up me, and I walk faster.

A few moments later, the car pulls up next to me and the driver rolls the window down. “Hello, Alora.”

Adrenaline floods my body and I almost take off running, but I finally recognize the man. “Hey, Mr. Palmer,” I say, allowing myself to relax. “I didn’t realize you drove that car.”

He smiles and pushes his glasses back up. “Yes, it’s nothing fancy, but it gets me to where I need to go.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Are you heading back to the inn? I could give you a ride,” he says, patting the seat next to his camera. “I promise I won’t bite.”

I try not to take a step back, but that’s exactly what I want to do. He might be a guest, but I’m not about to accept a ride from him. “No, thanks. I need the exercise.”

His jaw flexes like he’s chewing on what to say next. “Suit yourself. I’ll see you soon.”

My body is already covered in chills from the Trevor fiasco, but as Mr. Palmer drives away, they sink into my core, freezing me. All I can think about is his car as I clutch my history book against my chest. It’s the same gray car I hid next to back at the Java Jive parking lot.

Is he following me?

Or am I just being paranoid? Lots of people go to Java Jive. Even if Mr. Palmer was there, this route is the quickest way to get back to the inn. I’m just being ridiculous.

I guess that’s what I get for letting Trevor mess with my head.

13

BRIDGER

MARCH 17, 2146

T
he sun is barely peeking over the skyscrapers when I leave Mom’s apartment. The brightness blinds me for a moment. I rub my temples, trying to ease the pressure. I didn’t take any pain meds or Calmer. It’ll take a clear head for what I’m about to do.

I grip my portacase strap as I thread through the crowd. Everyone is too noisy as they make their way to wherever they’re going. Nulls silently pick up trash and clean storefront windows. Again I can’t help but think that could be me if I’m caught.

I left early in case Mom changed her mind about me going camping with Zed and Elijah. She grew a heart last night and agreed to let me get away for a few days. I guess I looked like hell after Vika’s memorial ceremony yesterday.