A Rose as Black as your Heart

(35) Destroying a Mall

Chapter 35

“Have you seen Travis?” I asked Rose on Monday morning. My gaze swivelled round the crowded hallway as we filed out for break. “He wasn’t in biology, and Daniel said he hadn’t seen him around either.” I crinkled my nose as I thought about it. “Not that he would’ve, I guess.”

Rose’s face filled with concern. “D’you think he’s okay? Travis, I mean?”

“I have no idea.” I swerved around a flock of giggling freshmen who were taking up half the corridor. “Maybe he’s in shock?”

“Maybe his mum took him the doctors after she saw his injury.”

“Maybe he started bleeding really badly again.”

“Maybe Jason went after him and-”

“Okay,” I interrupting, a shiver trickling through me, “can we stop this conversation now, please?”

“Right. Good idea.” We continued down the hallway in a sombre silence. Eventually, Rose let out a sigh.

“We should get out of town, take our mind off it.”

“That sounds great,” I agreed fervently. Right then, leaving Bridgewood, if only for a little while, felt like a really good idea. “When?”

“After school? I can show you my car.” She nudged me. “Daniel can come, too.”

“That would be great. Don’t you want to bring along another friend, then?”

“Nah.” Rose shrugged. “As much as being a third wheel sucks, I’ll just leave you two lovebirds alone. Besides, I need to do some shopping.”

I suddenly realised, looking at her, that even though Rose had thousands of friends willing to go to parties or shop with her, she was actually kind of lonely. I guess there’s only so much fake glam and glitter you can take.

“What’s up?” Daniel appeared behind us and slung an arm around both of us, kissing me lightly on the cheek.

“We’re going in to town after school,” Rose told him, tilting her head back to look at him. “And I can’t drive unless I have a legit driver in the car with me. So you’ll have to come too.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Do I get any say about it?”

“Nope,” I told him. I glanced down at my phone.

“Heard from your ginger friend, yet?” Daniel asked. I elbowed him playfully.

“His name is Travis, and no, I haven’t.” I scrolled through the three messages I’d already sent him. “D’you think he’s okay? Rose and I were discussed the countless ways he might not be.”

“He’s fine. Probably just in shock.” Daniel shrugged. “Y’know, from being ‘stabbed’. And from having his stab wound healed in about an hour.”

“Jesus. And I said I’d tell him everything,” I groaned.

“You don’t have to,” Rose reminded me.

“I think I do. I promised, remember? I owe him an explanation.”

“Do you?” Daniel asked. “He doesn’t remember anything. As far as he knows, he got stabbed, end of.”

I glared at him. “Oh, and the stab wound just evaporated, right?”

“Yeah, and he also knows the person who stabbed him knew Alexis,” Rose chipped in.

“And, um...” I’d kind of forgotten to mention the last part, what with everything that had happened. “He kind of recognised Jason from when he caught him feeding.”