3 THE PEEPER
I spent the entire night in my room reading, then crying in a vicious cycle. I couldn’t shake the words I had spoken from my mind. Where had they come from? What is happening to me? Jake had said my words to Candy were true, but how would I know any of that? I tossed and turned, begging for sleep to come and save me from myself.
The next morning I dreaded going to school, but I couldn’t put it off for all eternity. For the first time in my life I was eager to be moving. Maybe if I made the suggestion, Mom and Dad would grant my wish. It would be a record for us, the place we stayed in for less than a week. Now I had to share my upstairs bathroom with Jeremy and his mother, not wanting to run into either of them, I waited until I was sure they had both gone down stairs. I studied myself in the mirror, I looked the same as always. However, I felt as if a gigantic tumor of festering grossness was protruding from my face, showing my ugliness to the world. I moped downstairs to meet my doom.
Jeremy’s mom was in full swing making bacon and eggs, with sides of toast for the household. It did smell delicious, but the knots in my stomach revolted at the thought of yet more weight pressing down on the sickness inside me. Jeremy did not make eye contact with me and when I stepped closer to retrieve my book bag from the back of a chair at the table, he cringed from me. Just a sampling of what my day would be, I was sure. Mom came up to me to see if I was feeling alright, she said I looked pale. She can see it, the big wart of disgusting, front and center of my forehead. I told Mom I was feeling nauseous, that was the truth. She suggested I stay home and rest. I put up no protest.
Jeremy seemed relieved as I headed back to the steps to go to bed. From my bedroom window I watched him board the bus, I even saw a glimpse of Jake through the grimy bus windows. I knew staying home was not the solution, but it bought me time to think and time to recuperate.
I heard Michelle leaving to go to her job at the diner. I knew Mom would be up shortly to check on me, that would be my chance to plead my case that we move on from this town. Running away was not my personality, but I had lots of practice. Why put off until tomorrow, what we could do today? When I heard Mom’s gentle rap at my door, I called her in to my room. I had flopped myself across my bed, face down in my book. However, the words were one big blur from the tears in my eyes. Mom came to sit beside me and began telling me about a boy she had met in school before my father. I knew my parents were high school sweethearts, they met in the tenth grade, but she had never told me about another boy. His name was Albert, according to Mom he was very handsome and funny. He had broken off their relationship, because his parents didn’t approve of her as good enough for their son. I asked her why, but she shrugged me off. By virtue of having known my mother all my life, I knew there was a reason that she knew full well, but why wouldn’t she tell me? She continued to tell her story of how they would meet in secret for a few more weeks, but eventually Albert said he couldn’t keep sneaking around and broke it off. In no time he had a new girlfriend, Kotrina, and by the fire in my mother’s eyes she still harbored some distaste for that girl. Albert still laughed and flirted with Mom in school in the beginning, but Kotrina stopped all that. Mom said originally she started to date my father to hurt Albert and make him jealous, BUT . . . She fell hopelessly overboard in love with my father and wouldn’t change it for the world. I knew her story was meant to give me hope and see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I had much heavier fears eating at my hope.
“Mom, I want to move away from here and never look back. I know we just got settled, but that just means it would be easier to pack up and go.” Mom peered at me with the deepest concern. Unfortunately, she didn’t say what I desperately needed to hear. Instead, she patted and rubbed my back stating this heartache will pass, then soon I would have completely forgotten ole whatshisname. With more vehemence that I realize I was placing behind it, I yelled at her. “Like you forgot all about Albert and Kotrina!?” She flinched at my anger, but recovered quickly. She got up and promised she would talk to my dad about it tonight when he got home. Then she was gone.
Alone again with my dilemma, I imagined what all was being said about me at school in that very moment. She’s a witch, a devil, possessed. How hateful I am. Then a thought came crashing down, they are wondering how I knew. I had never even spoken to the students whose perversions I had outted. Didn’t know their names beforehand. How could I have known? If what I said was true, then that makes me worse than the plague. I am their worst nightmare come to life.
Mom had come into my room briefly to announce she was going out to look for work. Before she stepped out again, she insisted I get something to eat while she was gone. “Darling, it does no good to dwell on it or to try and make the world stop in its tracks for your broken heart. The best medicine is to brush yourself off and love again.” I knew she was right, but I hate medicine.
I heard the car start, then watched her pull out and get down the road. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and decended to the kitchen. I was hungry and my stomach had settled, largely due to not having to face the jury. I found some left over bacon in the fridge and made me a BLT. It is the little pleasures in life that work such grand scale wonders. The last time I had a BLT, I was in Junior High at a classmates house for a birthday party. That was the day I saw the fireplace that Fankenstein will surely have a replica of in its living room. I finished off my sandwich dreaming about my mansion.
After I had eaten and wiped up crumbs and smears from the counter, I decided to get some fresh air with a walk. I didn’t want to go toward town, so I opted to go in the direction of Jake’s farm. It was beautiful country with its hills and spring in bloom. When I got to the corner of Jake’s property, I did an about face and retraced my route back to the house. I stopped for a moment at the spot where Jake had parted ways with me to return home at nights after studying. It was bittersweet to recall his kiss and his voice telling me Jeremy would have a fight on his hands to take me away from him. I urged myself to let Jake go, knowing all that was just a whisper of a dream that had flown away in the cold hard light of day.
Crossing the lawn, a thought occurred to me. The noises from the garage. In broad daylight, I was not afraid and I could investigate the surrounding area to discover what could have caused the clanking. I must have looked silly, snooping around my own home like a burglar. I checked inside the garage just to be sure the bike had not been placed in there out of the way for the car, but it was not inside. Around to the side of the garage, from where the noise was certainly emmenating, I saw little to draw my attention. The siding on the building could have been the culprit combined with the wind, but had there been much wind? Not that I could recall. Several old clay planters were lined up along the side, of them two were broken, like they had fallen from being stacked on top the others. That could have been like that when we moved in, I was sure the planters were not ours. There was an awning above a man door at the corner of the garage, I gave it a shake to see how sturdy it was, then voila, my clanking noise. I was fairly certain that no wind could have caused it, which elevated my concern.
Looking about rather suspiciously, actually hoping to find some kind of collaborating evidence to set that awning in motion, I saw it. Bike tracks in the mud, and on either side of the wheel print were foot indents. I assumed a stance as if sitting on a bike in that position, my vantage point was undeniable. I could see thorough the window on the door, then through the glass on the garage door to have a perfect view of the entire front yard. Whoever it was may have used the awning leg to aid in balance on the bike. I gave the pole a tug, as I might if I were relying on it to hold my weight in a fall. That was the noise I heard, had to be. The peeper has little feet, smaller than mine at any rate. I couldn’t honestly say I had ever taken any notice of Marcy’s feet, but I had already deduced that she had taken back her bike when she saw I had used it to go to Jake’s. Could Marcy have been spying on Jake and I? She had never come over to see me after rushing home for dinner, but that did not necessarily mean she was not permitted back outside. Did she see Jake come to my house and just wait here for him to leave? She must truly hate me. All things considered, she doesn’t have to be jealous of me anymore. Now I am the leper no one would dare touch.
With the thought of it only being Marcy in the shadows, did much to allay my fears of a stalker. Would Marcy ever be my friend again? I didn’t allow myself to pick at that scab, in my heart I was praying Dad would relent to my need to flee from here and soon it simply would not matter anymore. A fresh start was right around the corner and all this would just be life lessons learned.
Michelle came back to the house shortly before Mom returned from applying for jobs around town. However, she was changed into her cleaning uniform and gone again to her next job, just minutes ahead of Mom coming in the door. Michelle cleaned rooms at the local bed and breakfast, then when she was done there she would scoot over to the Holiday Inn and clean there too. Her uniform was for the Holiday Inn, apparently the owners of the B&B didn’t mind her wearing it at their establishment. Mom looked as if all life had been drained from her veins, but she managed a smile for me. She told me she had landed a job at the local dentists office as a secretary, but she seemed not very pleased by it. When I asked why, she waved her hand at me as if I were just a noisome fly, saying ‘people‘. As if that explained it all. I suppose I could not deny, I did understand that people are the problem at least 90 % of the time. Sometimes it was the weather or a mechanical issue. I helped Mom in the kitchen working on chicken and dumplins for supper and hadn’t even noticed the time when Jeremy came creeping in the front door. I rushed to the kitchen window to get a possible peek at Jake, but the bus had already disappeared farther down the road.
I wanted to rush Jeremy and pry him for information about the rumors and gossip undoubtedly flying around the school regarding me, but by the time I abandoned the window to spy Jake, Jeremy had gone upstaris. Besides, what are the chances that anyone had talked to Jeremy about it? They probably thought he was in on it anyhow. Ding-ding-ding, we have a winner! I bet that is how they assume I knew those things, Jeremy had surely told me. Poor Jeremy! If he had spent the day being tormented in my stead, he is wanting to be near me even less than this morning. I couldn’t imagine those were things even Jeremy could possibly have known, but has he now been labeled a peeping Tom?
I told Mom I would see about my assignments with Jeremy and wearily trudged up the steps. I knocked on his door and got no response, so I knocked again harder. “What! I don’t want to be bothered.” I spoke through the door asking if he knew what I would need in the lines of homework for school tomorrow. He stompped across the room and threw open the door. “We only have one class together. Here is my flashcards from French.” Then he slammed the door shut in my face. It was clear he had been crying and I felt just horrible.
I stood there in shame and regret, then was about to walk back to my room, but changed my mind. Jeremy deserved some kindness. “I am sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn’t mean to cause you any problems. I don’t know what came over me, I was just sooo mad I suppose. I don’t want you to hate me too.” I listened for any kind of acknowledgement and got nothing. “Thank you for the cards. Will you go over them with me?” Silence. “Jeremy, what happened at school today? What are they saying about me?” I waited. “Are you never going to speak to me again?” From the other side, I heard him say ‘not now’, but I also caught the lump in his throat saying it.
I had gone to my room to sulk. I had flipped through the flashcards a few times to instill them in my mind. If I did get Jeremy to work on them with me, at least he would know I tried to do it on my own. It would be an hour until Dad was home from work and my first order of business would be to make my argument for an immediate move to a brand new town. I had barely started my speech to Dad in my head when I heard Mom calling for me to come down.
Instantly, I seen that Michelle was back, but I hadn’t seen Jake until I was at the foot of the stairs and Mom pointed into the living room and my eyes followed. The sight of Jake sent my mind into a whirlpool of disorganization. Jake was sitting on the couch, his algebra book and homework sprawled across the coffee table. “You missed the test today, but I can help you to pass it, even though I don’t think I did.” His smile was nowhere near as genuine as it had always been before the French Massacre.
I stumbled at the door over my own feet refusing to cooperate in drawing closer to him. He started to smile but stopped it in its tracks. Collecting my wits, I forced my spine to straighten and my brain to concentrate. This could be a do or die moment. “How was school today?” I hoped my fear wasn’t as obvious in my voice as it was in my mind.
The expression on his face told me it wasn’t going to be good news. “Do you want the truth or do you want me to make up something good to tell you?” I gritted through my teeth, ’the truth’. “Everyone is talking about the new girl. You really shook things up yesterday. No one is eager for you to come back to school, except me of course. I was upset when you didn’t get on the bus. Once I got to school and started hearing the tale of what happened in your French class, I was really worried about you. How did you know those things? Although, none of the kids you spoke to will admit you had a clue what you were saying, everyone knows Carter hasn’t been the same since his brother died. Barbie knew Rachel was pregnant, she just didn’t know who the father was. Alan has been telling anyone who would listen that he couldn’t be sure he got, what was it you called it, creepy crawlers, from Candy because he had a night with a college girl at a party. His college girl had denied it, but he didn’t believe her. Now he is certain where they came from and it has branded a mark of outcast on Candy. In light of that, your revelations are deemed true on all accounts. Some people think Jeremy told you. It was a rough day for Jeremy today. Even I have to wonder, did he tell you to say that stuff?” I shook my head, ’no’, so forcefully it started a headache.
“Jeremy didn’t have a clue about any of it. He is afraid of me too. I told you I felt possessed, I didn’t know any of that stuff was true the moment before or even after I said it. I don’t know any of them, let alone their intimate secrets. You know how Jeremy is at school, no one tells him anything. I hate that I have done this to him. I can never show my face in that school again.” I was holding back tears, but there was no way I was going to let them fall in front of Jake.
From the doorway Jeremy added his two cents in the mix. “She didn’t know what she was saying. If you were there you would have known it too. It was like she said, possessed. If you could have seen the faces of Candy, Carter, Brad, Misty and Rachel as I did, you would know every bit of it was true. How did you know Charleigh, was it voices in your head?” His tone was concern, but his face was out for a witch hunt. “Did you see the scenes? What was it like?”
I had replayed that entire situation over and over so many times asking the same questions. “I just said it. I didn’t know it, I definitely didn’t know it was true. I was so angry and that is what came out.” Jeremy had came deeper into the room, but was still keeping a safe distance from me. “It is not like me to hurt people intentionally, all I can say is I don’t know. I am a victim here too.” Dad came home and I was hating that I was surrounded by company. I couldn’t abandon them to plea for my freedom from this town. However, I did see Mom take him by the arm and lead him in the direction of his den. Hopefully, she was coming to my rescue.
Jake reached across the coffee table to hold my hand. “We will get through this, you just need to learn to control your anger, young lady.” He was going for funny and lightening the atmosphere, but it didn’t. “At least we know that no one will be making you mad any time soon. I sure hope you don’t have any dirt on me.” I saw the sideways darts of eyes between Jake and Jeremy, then back to me. I guess he was right about that, I cant think of anyone willing to have their secrets be public knowledge. What could Jake be hiding? Jeremy?
I went over some algebra with Jake and Jeremy, then Jake said he was going when Mom announced supper was ready so I walked him out. At our spot, he told me he forbids me to miss any more school, his heart cant take it. That did make me feel a little better, even though I believed I didn’t deserve his devotion after what had happened. He told me he would try harder to keep the jerks away from Jeremy and promised that no one would pester me on his watch. Even I knew Jake couldn’t be there to protect me 24/7, but it was the thought that counts.
He slipped into the night and I ran for the house, I heard the clanky noise and yelled out. “Good night Marcy!” I opened the door and went to the table to eat with my parents, Jeremy and his mother. At least Jeremy wasn’t treating me like a disease anymore, but he still had a twinge of worry. Michelle dominated the converstaion at dinner talking about her customers at the diner discussing the ruckus at the school the day before, apparently someone spread a bunch of nasty lies about a few of the students and the parents are outraged. I swear, she looked right at me! She went on to say that one of the lies was the class president dresses up in his mother’s clothes and plays with himself, another was accused of killing his brother and one girl’s boyfriend believed the lies and broke up with her over it. It is quite the scandal. I don’t know if Jeremy looked at me, because I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. My parents had all the proper responses. ‘Oh, that is horrible.’, ‘Children can be so cruel to each other.’, ’ What is the school doing about it?’ According to Michelle’s customers, the best reaction to lies is disbelief. Don’t give the liar any credence and they will quit soon enough. Was it my imagination? Or was my Mom looking at me like I was the culprit too?
Thankfully, the converstaion was dropped to focus on Mom having got a job to start tomorrow. It was clear she had already told Dad by his lack of enthusiasm or surprise, but Michelle was full of questions. After dinner, Jeremy and I worked on French in the living room for about half an hour, before Dad came in saying he would like to speak to me. He was never that formal with me. Was it because of Jeremy and his mother living here now too, or was it that I was in trouble? I can only recall a few times I have ever been in what I would call real trouble with my parents, but this new round of mischief was sure to blow all that out of the water.
I followed him into the den and he closed the door, adding to the sense of impending doom. “Your mother tells me you want to move away and so soon. She said it was because of a falling out between you and Jake, but that seems to be smoothed over now. Am I right?” I nodded slow and wary. “Do you know anything about the shenanigans at school yesterday?” I felt the blood rush to my feet, I acutally was feeling faint and took a seat. I had never lied to my Dad, it was understood between us that the truth was paramount to a happy home.
I didn’t confess to being in direct connection to the affair, but let him know that the consensus is that what was said was all truth. Gratefully, he dropped the subject sort of, in a round about way. “Well if you ever need to talk about anything you can always talk with me or your mother. We havent been teenagers in a long time, but once upon a time we really were teenagers ourselves. It is our job to help you grow up to be a wonderful person. Always remember, it is best to leave a place better than when you found it.” Then right on cue, he gave me a wink. “That goes for people too.” I felt the jabs of a million tiny swords in my heart, guilt is a nasty emotion. “So we are going to stick it out here in Sylvaran for a while yet. Besides, we have only helped Michelle and Jeremy so far, but if we left now it would be like abandoning them.” I told Dad that would be fine and got up to leave. “Charleigh, Jake is one of the good guys, not many of them out there anymore, but everyone has a past. Always remember, everyone has a past and many times, one they would prefer stay there.” He smiled his proud Daddy smile at me and waved me to go.
I went up to my room to try to sleep and convince myself I am strong enough to face those kids tomorrow. Then I remembered, I would need a note in homeroom from my parents to explain my absence today. I went down the stairs and made my way through the dining room and down the short hall to my parents’ door in the dark. Their door was slightly ajar and they were talking in voices that sent alarms off in my head. “ . . .will be sixteen soon.” / “I know, and I am worried too. But there is no guarantee it will happen to her.” / “She is my daughter. Of course, it will. Do you really believe the lies she told you that she wasn’t the instigator of the happenings at the school?” / “I choose to believe her until proven otherwise.” / “I was sixteen when I got it, then gave it to you.” / “Listen, all I know is we have known all along that this may happen. At least, she has us to guide her. I made sure she understood she could come to us about anything, but she is a typical teenager. You didn’t tell your parents and I sure as hell didn’t tell mine about you and definitely not when I found out I could do it too.” / “I told you what the woman in the dentist’s office said. She blatantly stated it was Charleigh that was spreading the rumors.” / “Well can we at least agree on this, if it was Charleigh then it isn’t just rumors. Granted, not pretty, but true. You know our daughter as well as I do, no way would she hurt a single soul in any way. You remember how difficult it was in the beginning to keep what you knew to yourself. Let’s not forget she is not sixteen yet.” / “What if it has something to do with she was born late, you know I went past my due date with her. If it comes to her like it came to me, it would be to the minute she was born, 12:34 PM, on her sixteenth birthday. So by next Friday, a week from tomorrow, are you paying attention to me?” / “Yes, can we just get some rest and see how this all plays out? I wish we could prevent it from happening to her, but I am not convinced it definitely will and surely not convinced it already has. If it already had, she would have had a stronger reaction when I mentioned Jake’s past. That would have been a clue to her I knew something too. You have to know if your parents would have shown any sign of being able to help you, you would have pounced on it. Charleigh acted as if it was still just a casual conversation.” / “Maybe we should move. This town has some dark secrets that shouldn’t be Charleigh’s first experience.” / “This is the first town that Charleigh has made any friends in and even a boyfriend. You know Jake will be good for Charleigh. I just hope Jeremy doesn’t mess it up.” / “I think Michelle is on to something. If she starts putting pieces together, we may be ran out of another town.” / “Just try to sleep, I have to get up for work in the morning and so do you. Good night.” The light flipped out, and I was in complete darkness surrounded by the crushing words of their converstaion. I tip toed out of the hall and back upstairs to my room. I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night.
What is ‘it’? My parents have ‘it’. I am supposed to get ‘it’ on my birthday. I have the strangest feeling that ‘it’ isn’t a gift, but more like a curse. What does Dad know about Jake and what does Jeremy have to do with Jake? I had been told many times by my mother that my exact birth time was 12:34PM and most birthdays that was the scheduled time for blowing out candles. Was that the significance? At that time the light would go out and I would be lost in the darkness? Mom gave ‘it’ to Dad? Could I give ‘it’ to Jake, like creepy crawlers? My mind was swamped with questions about ‘it’, but I didn’t want the answers to ‘it’, because I didn’t want ‘it’.
By the time that the sunlight was peeping through my window, I was worn out from the night of brainstorming for clues to the strange and mysterious, ‘it’. Surely, I got a sampling of ‘it’, the other day in French class and I wasn’t eager to be inflicted with ’it’ for the rest of my life. By the time, I made it down stairs to breakfast I was famished. Michelle had made pancakes and I dug right in sitting beside Jeremy. Romeo he was not, because his first comment was how I looked like death. However, that is exactly how I felt. Pancakes brought some life back to my tired bones, but I couldn’t help but notice how Michelle couldn’t keep her eyes off of me. Finally she said something. “Are you sure you are up to going to school today?” Her words were ominous and knowing. “I wouldn’t want you making the whole school sick.” She cast a conspiritors glance at Jeremy, who immediately looked to me. I assured her I was not contagious, but then again maybe I was.
Jeremy was flashing French at me as we waited for the bus to return from Jake’s end of the world. Since it no longer had to go out to pick up Jeremy, it was only a couple of minutes after it passed that we needed to be out there waiting. Jeremy confided in me that his mother had shot a barrage of questions at him regarding the problems at the school, but he said he told her that it wasn’t lies. However, he also told me his mother knows I was the one who said them, even though he didn’t tell her.
We got on the bus and when I looked up, Jake was already in my seat against the window, waiting. I sat next to him. Shane was behind us, being quieter than I had ever known him to be. Jake reminded me about the algebra test I would need to make up, then whispered that Butch heard Rachel was going to tell her mother after school yesterday, from Barbie. That didn’t help my nerves one iota. Marcy made no attempt to look at me and sat even farther away. Sathra, sat three seats up to keep her distance too. At the trailer park, as the kids came on one by one they each saw me, then quickly looked away. No one in the back spoke, it was as if someone had died and they were all having a moment of silence that lasted the entire way to the school. Nicole still was not riding. When the bus came to a stop, everyone jumped up at once and was crowding to be out. This was going to be one weird day.
I felt like Moses as he parted the Red Sea to walk through, the hallways were crowded with students until they saw me coming then they would all push as close to the walls as possible to avoid being in too close of contact with me. I decided that I would make no attempt to speak to anyone and just go about the halls to my classes as if a robot. Jake, however, wouldn’t leave my side until he had to go to a different class. Even then he walked me to mine first. I was shocked to see him standing outside my English class almost as soon as I came out the door, to be at my side on the way to the library. It intrigued me to discover he knew my schedule so well. It was nice knowing that no one would bother me if Jake was there. Honestly, all the students seemed more afraid of me than out to hurt me.
At lunch, Jake and I sat at a table of our own, because Barbie didn’t want me at their table, but she was the only one putting up a protest. Alan, Candy’s recently ex-boyfriend, came to thank me. That was very awkward, but he seemed deeply sincere. Jake didn’t seem to mind not sitting with his friends, but I hated feeling as if I was costing him time with them. I caught Marcy glancing my way a few times, but she always whipped back around like she were committing a crime or was it she was afraid I could see her secrets too?
The last half of my day was fairly uneventful, until French class. In biology, no one had even looked my way not even Nicole. It was like it was unanimously decided that if they made eye contact with me I would know their secrets. Did they hold a class meeting about it? Everyone invited, but me? Did they come up with a way to kill me? Was it a stake through the heart? A silver bullet? Would I melt with water? Am I from another planet and they need to get their hands on some Kryptonite? It was so unnerving, how they were all afraid of me now.
However, French Class was an entirely a different scenario. As soon as I walked in the room, the students I had turned my wrath on came walking like a gang toward me. I was certain that at least the five of them had in fact held a secret meeting concerning me. I wont lie, I half expected one to draw a gun and another to have a stake handy, while the others produced their sure fire cure to the problem of me. I remained standing, I was not going to give them the advantage of hovering over me. You would have been proud, as I was, when Jeremy came to my rescue. “She is done exposing people’s secrets and she feels horrible about it happening in the first place. All she wants to do is learn French and be left alone.” Of course, Jeremy’s plea was like a gnat trying to slay a dragon, but his next statement drove home a thought that backed them all up. “You made her mad once, are you sure you have no other secrets to be told? You leave her alone and she will cause no problems.” Jeremy was shaking in fear for standing up to them. It was my guess that these five made Jeremy’s life pure hell yesterday, but he was not going to allow it to flow over into today or to me.
Miss Ziktan clapped her hands telling everyone to ‘sit, sit, sit.’ None of the five took their eyes off of me the entire class. Each had chosen a seat to not have their back to me, although I had my back to them. I could feel their eyes boring holes in to me. By the look on Jeremy’s face, I knew their faces were bent on revenge. I could not believe that Jeremy had it in him to stare back with such a solid resolve to not be intimidated. All I had to do was make it through this class and the bus ride home, then I would have a two day weekend. When the bell finally rang I rushed for the door. My intent was to get my books for home and the others put away in my locker and get to the bus ASAP.
Jake had to have left his last class early to make it to my class as soon as I come out of the room, but I was grateful he did. Quick on my heels was the furious five, bless his heart, Jeremy had tried to block them at the door. Jake stood up to them telling them to just leave it alone. It was Brad, the class president that spoke for the group. “We want to have some fun of our own, but we need her to do it.” Jake shook his head in disbelief. “We want to know what she knows about everyone else. The whole school is have a blast teasing us, we just want a little ammunition to fire back. That is fair isn’t it?” I huffed out my disgust at the idea they were proposing, then ran off down the hall. Jake caught up in a second who was followed by Jeremy. Both escorted me to the bus.
Besides no one sitting near Jake and I, the silence, and the darting peeks at me nothing of any vast importance happened on the ride home. I think Jeremy was as glad as I to have to door closed and locked behind us in the house. Teenager or not, locking the door keeps the boogyman out. The problem was, I am the boogyman and now I am locked in with myself. Mom hadn’t seen Jeremy and I rush for the door, then lock it. However, when she went to it later to let Michelle in, she cast a queer look in my direction, but only for a second. Then she was lost in converstaion with Michelle about her new job.
Jake came over later than he usually did, but he told me he had been on the phone with Butch. Apparently, Butch is the biggest gossip in school, worse than any girl, even Barbie. From what Jake learned from Butch, Rachel chickened out telling her mom last night, but when she got home from school today her mom was already home. Her mom’s boyfriend was moving out, as per her mother’s orders. Somehow Rachel’s mom got wind of the rumors and believed them. Rachel is being sent off to live with her dad. Her mom insists she have an abortion, also, that the father should pay for it. Rachel told Barbie, she was going to run away with the father of her baby and never look back.
I couldn’t help but feel responsible for Rachel’s predicament. Jake tried to reassure me saying I was not the one messing around with her mother’s boyfried and got pregnant by him. Jake was adamant that Rachel made her own bed. Still, if I had not shouted it out for all to hear this would not have happened as it is now.
Jake asked if I would join him for supper at the diner, his treat. I was so excited by the invite I could barely keep myself from springing off of the couch to go ask permission to go. I had never been on a date and Jake is the only boy I have ever wanted to ask me out on one, too. Mom said I should wait to ask my father, who was due home any minute. However, he sure was taking his time.
When Dad finally came through the door, he didn’t know what hit him. I was to him in a flash, telling him what Jake had proposed, adding that Mom said I needed his approval. Dad went into his version of redneck hillbilly. “Well I’ll be!” Slapping his leg. “My youngen done growed up to be pretty gal and a fella has done came a’courtin’. Don’t you’ns go causin’ any strife and come back ‘for is too dark, ya hear?” Dad was embarrassing me and he knew it. Jake was enjoying every bit of it, especially since Dad had granted his blessing.
I ran up the steps to change into something nicer and try to fix my hair in a more flattering way. When I came back down the stairs, Jake was waiting at the bottom. “There she is, Miss America.” Singing it out, in full splendor. Dad came out of his den to stand beside Jake, before I reached the bottom. Dad whispered something to Jake and Jake blushed a tiny bit, but then stood straighter replying. “Yes, sir.” I asked Jake later what was said, but he informed me it was not for me to know.
Unbeknownst to me, the diner was the Friday night meeting point for most of the High School students. From that point, everyone would split to go their separate ways or move on together to some party or place to hang out. Jeremy popped his head out of the living room to ask if we were going to the diner. Jake informed him we were. Jeremy dropped his head in what had to be disappointment. It didn’t last long, when Jake invited him to come along if he wanted. Now I was a bit let down, but I couldn’t show it and not seem ungrateful for what Jeremy had done for me today.
Although Jeremy’s mom worked at the diner, he had very rarely been there, especially not on a Friday night. I hadn’t heard Jake pull up to my house with a vehicle, but when we went out the door an old beat up truck was in the driveway. Jake led the way. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.” I couldn’t stop the blushing of my cheeks, I was glad it was evening to hide it some. Jake’s truck only had the one bench seat, I sat in the middle of the two guys.
When we piled out of the truck, I seen Marcy sitting on the front porch of her house watching our every move. I directed my eyes to anywhere, but her. Jeremy kept behind Jake and I, Jake held the door for both of us to pass through ahead of him. I never understood why it was socially mandated for the woman to enter first. I, without a doubt, didn’t want to face these kids and would have liked Jake to shield me from their stares. Obviously, no one ever expected me to show my face in a public place where they would be. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I was relieved that Jeremy’s presence seemed to divert much of the attention off of me.
In a corner in the back, Butch raised his cup of soda beckoning Jake to join his table. We made our way past the smug smirks of our classmates. Before we reached the table we were aimed for, Butch and Shane had gotten up to pull another table to connect to the one they already were already using. We sat, both Jeremy and I with our backs to the customers and Jake across from me. Almost as soon as we sat down, Butch was retelling the latest gossip on Rachel. Since last he had spoke to Jake, Rachel has gone missing. Her mother had grounded her to her room until she could get Rachel’s father there to collect her. When Rachel’s dad arrived, Rachel was nowhere to be found. The cops have an APB out, looking for the boyfriend’s car and Rachel. “We went riding around looking too. She is just gone, man, gone. I bet that man of hers is somewhere in hiding and she knew where to find him.” It was plain by the excitement in the air over the whole ordeal, that anything new around here was good news, even if it was horrible. Jake asked me and Jeremy what we wanted, then left with our order to the counter. When he returned he had our drinks and said our food would be brought over.
Amanda and Heather were purposely avoiding me by scanning the diner for anything to hold their attention elsewhere. However, Barbie wouldn’t quit staring at me like I had green skin or something. Kyle and Shane were discussing the latest sports with much passion and ferver. Butch just looked completely content to sit and watch the people as he had Barbie snuggled up to him. All of a sudden, Barbie jerked herself out of Butch’s embrace and brought her face to within inches of mine. “Are ya happy? Is this what you wanted to do? Come into our town and make everyone turn against each other? ‘Cause that is what you have done. Poor Carter, cries all the time again and he had finally stopped. Brad is too embarrassed to even show his face, I heard he is wanting to step down from his presidency. Candy will never get a boyfriend again in this town. Misty says she keeps getting harassing calls on her cell, guys that want her to dance for them. You completely ruined Rachel’s life. No one wants you here, so why don’t you leave!” Butch was trying to calm her down, but he wasn’t putting much effort into it. I have to wonder if he was liking things being stirred up and him having a front row seat. Then Barbie adjusted her scopes to include Jeremy. “You enjoying this? Did you tell her all those lies to get some kind of pleasure from watching everyone squirm? I bet you couldn’t wait to see something like this happen. Everyone knows your dirty secrets, is this a little revenge? Play nicey, nice to the new girl and get her to do your dirty work, since you don’t have the balls.” Butch got Barbie to listen to him, saying they were leaving. Barbie shot arrows of hate straight toward me as she moved to leave with Butch.
Our food came as they were headed out the door. I had lost any appetite I had came in with and Jeremy was a bundle of nerves. Amanda got Kyle to give up his discussion with Shane so they could leave too. She promised him something extra special, if he would just get her out of here. That was all it took to get Kyle moving. Shane clapped Jake on the back saying that he and Heather were gonna take off too. Then he whispered loud enough for all of us to hear, even Heather. “Maybe if I beg enough, I can get something special.” Heather hit him laughing, saying ‘keep dreaming’.
Once our gang had left us, it didn’t take long for most of the diner to clear out. Jake apologized for Barbie. He says she always wants people to feel sorry for her and baby her. She is just jealous all the attention is on anyone, but her. She had to make a scene to get noticed, that‘s all. That did very little to take the sting out of her words. I nibbled at my fries, once the diner had cleared out both Jeremy and Jake woofed down their burgers and fries. I did manage a bite of my sandwich, but food was the last thing on my mind. I asked Jake if we could leave too, he agreed to take us for a ride around town.
We seen Butch’s car at the bowling alley, but we didn’t stop. I asked Jake why Nicole wasn’t at the diner. Even though the place was packed, I did notice her blatant absence. “Nicole knows I hang out there and keeps her distance.” That was all he said, leaving me with more questions, but I wasn’t so sure I wanted the answers, so I let it ride. He took us past the school, it is so strange to see just an empty building when usually all we see it as is full of kids and alive with activity. It hardly seems like a place of bullying and torture, with all the lights out. I guess I just figured all the anguish released in it would show on its face all the time. I asked Jake another question, curious why he rides the bus if he has a truck. “I am only allowed to have it on the weekends. Dad says the bus was good enough for him, it is good enough for me. Besides, it isn’t exactly my truck, it is his.”
Beyond the Sylvaran High School, we were driving through some ritzy neighborhoods. Jake said we we would soon be passing Rachel’s house. Before he said that, I hadn’t paid enough attention to notice that there was an unusual abundance of traffic for residential streets. Jake pointed out the house, but he wouldn’t have needed to because of all the cars in the drive and parked around the house. A police car was parked in the drive, but didn’t have its lights flashing. On the other side of their home, a bunch of kids were walking the streets. Probably looking for Rachel or checking out the commotion.
Jake turned around in a driveway and got us out of there. I was never so happy to get away from the evidence that I had in fact, destroyed a life. Jake took us back past the school then about a block later took a right on a back road. “When we were all kids, there was an old mine shaft we would come out here to play in. Just a hunch I got, but I need to check it out.” Jeremy was shaking his head in agreement, apparently it was a good idea. “We all talked about running away, when we were about 11, the plan was to meet out here. We were kids, so only a few actually showed, Rachel was one that did. Do you remember, Jeremy, how mad she was that we weren’t there too?” Jeremy was shaking his head lost in a memory. Then he shook it like he was trying to shake it away forever.
Jake parked his truck so the headlights shone on the mine entrance. Just the looks of the place sent a chill of terror up my spine. Both Jake and Jeremy got out, Jake told Jeremy to get in the glove box for a flashlight, then almost in unison they told me to stay. I seen them descend the incline leading to the shaft, then they disappeared from my vision. They were out of sight for approximately five minutes, when a rapping at the passenger window made me jump out of my skin. “They in there?” Holding a flashlight to his face and pointing toward the mine was Kyle and standing beside him was Amanda. I told him they were. Kyle told Amanda to wait with me. She eagerly entered the truck and together we watched Kyle make the same trek, Jake and Jeremy had a little while ago.
“We were in the middle of things and he just blurted out ‘the mine shaft‘, he was sure this is where she would come too.” She didn’t seem too interested in me, but she was shaking with fear.
“This place give you the creeps too?” If the look of terror on her face was any indication I would say something really bad had happened here. All she replied was ‘yeah’.
What seemed an eternity, we waited and watched, hoping to see them return. Then we seen Kyle come out followed by Jeremy and Jake. However, there was no Rachel. Kyle yanked open the truck door and told Amanda they were getting out of here. Jake hopped in the driver’s side and waited for Jeremy to be in before throwing dust and stones backing out of there. “We need to go to Rachel’s house and talk to the police.” The dire urgency in his voice told me they knew something. Did they find her? The silence was torture, but I didn’t dare ask.
At Rachel’s house Jake jumped out and ran for the door. He was throwing up his arms and pointing in the direction from where we had just came. In a matter of a minute, the police car was in action, lights and sirens cutting through the darkness. Jake was taken inside. Jeremy and I waited. “She is in there. So is that guy, but they are trapped. Everytime we tried to move something more earth fell on them. Kyle didn’t want to get help and tried one last time to heave a beam that was once the barrier to it all coming down, after that we couldn’t see them anymore. That guy responded when we yelled, but Rachel didn’t.” Jeremy’s voice was like someone in a trance. “When we were kids, she was my girlfriend. I didn’t show up that night and she never forgave me, blames me too.” All at once he realized he was speaking out loud and to a basic stranger. I bet it didn’t help matters that I was the witch that caused all this in the first place. The teller of secrets. Jeremy didn’t say anything more. Jake emerged from the house with his hands scrubbing at his face, then holding his head as if to keep it from floating away or exploding. He stopped to speak to a few of our classmates, but quickly broke away to join us in the truck.
“I had to tell the other policeman all I knew. I heard over his scanner they are calling out the national guard and fire fighters to get in there and get them out. Rachel’s parents are numb with fear and guilt. Man, this is so unreal. Why would she go there, especially after what happened?” His question was rhetorical, but Jeremy looked at him like he should know.
Jeremy found his voice. “You heard her in there. She knew we would come. That was the one place close that she could hide. Why she brought that guy with her is what I don’t understand. I cant get the desperation in her voice wanting me to save her, out of my mind. Do you think Kyle will tell Butch?” Was it my imagination or was that question loaded with meaning? What does Butch have to do with it? For someone supposedly capable of knowing a person’s deep dark secrets, I was out of the loop.
Jake had thought about that for a second before responding. “Naw, but it wont be long before he finds out anyway. Maybe we should take Charleigh home and go back out there in case Butch shows up.” Jeremy gave his nod of approval. This was too much mystery and it was clearly something that both Jake and Jeremy had strong feelings regarding.
They dropped me off at my house and then sped away. As I approached the door, the clanking rang out again. I stopped dead in my tracks to listen. This night of fear, had oddly enough gave me some courage to face Marcy at the corner of the garage. I darted along the front of the house, hoping I was out of sight to catch her. Crouching beneath the windows of the garage door, so I would have an element of surprise. Then when I turned the corner, she was sitting there on her bike with her mouth gaped open in fright. However, it wasn’t Marcy.