Animal Nature

Chapter 31

Shy had thought David didn't have a cell phone, until she looked at her phone on her way to school on Friday and discovered a text message there.

I will meet you at the dance – I can't wait to see you

At least, she thought it was David. She only had a few numbers in her new phone: those of her family, David's home phone, and Mara's number. Mara didn't know Shy had a phone yet, so that ruled Mara out. And Shy had called David's house last night, to see if David had returned home, then she had given her new number to David's mom.

It had to be David.

While David's words, "I can't wait to see you," made her feel warm in her chest, the idea of walking into the dance by herself was making her anxious. What if Ron was there, waiting to do something to her? What if she sat there by herself for two hours, and David never showed up?

Then she remembered how she was supposed to be trying to kill him. She had hoped she wouldn't have to do it at school, but now...

"Oh, hey, you got a cell phone?" Mara said, startling Shy from staring at the text message. "Welcome to the 21st century. Here, let me put in my number."

"I already have it," Shy said quickly. She stuck her phone in her backpack.

"Oh, okay, cool. Hey, so I know David's been out sick or whatever, but are you guys planning on going to the dance tonight?"

Relief washed over her. "Yes, but I have to meet David there. Can you and Chester give me a ride?"

"Yeah, totally! That's good, though. That you're going. No one else from Animal Rights Club is going. I guess I'm just worried Chester's going to hang out with his friends and ditch me."

Shy gave Mara a sideways glance. "You think Chester would do that?"

"I know," Mara laughed. "It's stupid of me. That's just kind of what he does, most of the time. He asks me to go skateboarding with him and then it's just him and his friends laughing and I'm left sitting with the other girlfriends. God, I sound so pathetic! Maybe I need to be in a Women's Rights Club or something."

"It's not pathetic. Chester should pay more attention to you."

"It's just hard, because I'm not very good at skateboarding. Mostly he wants me to take pictures of him doing tricks. Which is cool, I guess. But I have other stuff I want to do, you know?"

Shy nodded. After a beat, not knowing enough about relationships herself to offer advice, she asked, "What are you and Chester dressing up as for the dance?"

Mara bounced a little. "I'm going to be a rabbit, but like, with blood on me, and a sign that says MEAT IS MURDER." Then she grimaced. "Chester wanted to go as a hunter, but I told him flat out NO. So he's going to be Tony Hawk or something." She rolled her eyes. "What about you and David?"

"I'm going to be Red Riding Hood and David's going to be—"

"The Big Bad Wolf!" Mara shrieked. "Oh my god, that's perfect! We can splash red paint on his costume too! Maybe I can find a wolf costume. You guys are genius! I can't believe you thought up a way to do Save the Wolves without getting in trouble for—" Mara made air quotes, "protesting on school property." She shook her head. "Absolutely genius."

Shy smiled tightly. The last thing she wanted was for David to look like a murderer in his wolf costume. She was still hoping all of this would turn out to be wrong, that David hadn't lied, that he hadn't killed anyone. Except Bart.

No, she had to kill him. Even curing him wouldn't erase the fact that he was a killer.

Before the final bell rang, Shy took out her phone and sent David a text back. "I'll see you tonight."

She put her phone away, feeling sick.