Asp of Ascension (A Nefertari Hughes Mystery #1)

Chapter Three

Terry's jaw dropped. She wanted to turn around and run, but her body ignored every signal her brain was firing down her nerve endings. She stared at three backs, two in varsity jackets, side by side in front of the urinals. Zach's ruffled light brown hair was unmistakable. In her rush to stop whatever Allison was doing to Maude, she'd gone through the wrong swinging door.

Zach's teammate gave Terry a look of amusement, as if her sudden appearance was a pleasant surprise. Murphy hollered out a greeting worthy of a hero's welcome. "Hey, babe." He grinned over his shoulder. "Sorry about earlier. Zach's right, my passes do suck." He turned back to the urinal, and then flushed.

There was a cascade effect immediately following his announcement. The other two guys did a double take, then almost jumped out of their sneakers. Zippers were quickly tugged up.

"Whoa, Jesus!" Zach tucked in the front of his shirt.

Terry finally blinked, breaking the spell. "I...um." She pointed with her thumb behind her. "I thought this was the girls' room."

Murphy gave her a salacious grin. "This is the men's room." He laughed at his own joke. "But I'm cool with co-ed."

Zach gave him a look that made his smirk disappear, then said, "I don't think Nefertari is stupid enough to do anything co-ed with you."

At the sound of her name, the third boy, now at the sink washing his hands, caught Terry's eye in the mirror. His dark bangs touched the top of his tortoise shell glasses. His wrinkled Oxford shirt was open at the top, but his tie was a perfect knot, resting just below the second button. Terry guessed he was trying hard to look disheveled, but in a stylish way. Sloppy and formal at the same time.

The door opened behind Terry. "What the—?" She whirled around and pushed past the confused guy.

The hallway was jammed with bodies rushing to last-minute activities before the afternoon bell. She took small steps trying to disguise her limp, but her knee throbbed more than usual. Terry suspected the crappy weather. I'm like some old lady in the nursing home, able to predict the next storm by how much my bones ache.

"Nefertari!" a voice came from behind.

Terry cringed and kept walking, but her stride was quickly outmatched, and soon the boy with the fancy glasses was walking beside her. "Nefertari, right? I'm sorry," he started, "but I didn't get a chance to introduce myself back there."

"It's okay," she said, looking straight ahead, trying not to blush. "You were busy."

He slowed down his pace, staying in step with her. "I'm Fraser," he said, holding out his hand. Terry shoved her hands in her pockets.

He bent his head closer and dropped his voice. "I did wash my hands," he said. There was a knowing pause before he added, "Remember?"

Terry relaxed her pace; it was easier to hide her limp when she walked slowly. "Right," she said, giving his hand a quick shake. "Nice to meet you, Fraser," she said. "And you can call me Terry. Actually, I'd prefer it."

He stood a little taller and made a grand sweep of the hallway with his arm. "Welcome to Roosevelt High."

She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Still, he seemed genuine, and he made her smile—something that didn't happen very often these days.

"Thanks," she told him. "You're the first one to say that."

"Really?" He looked like he didn't believe her. Terry only shrugged. The school secretary was nice, but hearing it from someone her own age was better. "It's a sad commentary on the school's hospitality if you're required to crash the washroom looking for friends."