I pulled Damon away. "I can't do this," I said breathlessly. Before he could say anything else, I threw on my shirt and ran out of the gym.
Two days had passed since I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. Okay, not the biggest, I had done a lot worse things in my life, but that would have definitely been one of them. Lily asked me what happened---after school, I went directly home after running from the gym---and I said nothing, which was almost true. Something happened, but not as bad as it could have been. I was playing hooky today and I even got my dad to believe that I was sick. In some ways, I guess I was. But I'd have to go back to school tomorrow---and band practice---and face Salvatore. Ugh, someone shoot me.
My pocket started vibrating from my cell phone. I glanced at the number. What the....How would he....I opened the phone and put it to my ear without saying anything.
"Hello, Elizabeth," came that oh-so-familiar voice. "I know you're there, I can hear you breathing."
It took me a while to actually use my vocal chords, and even then my voice was shaky and hoarse. "What do you want?"
"You sick, darlin'?" he tsk, tsked. "That won't do. Guess we'll have to play some other time."
"What do you want?" I nearly screamed.
"I want you, babe. Just you. Call you back when you're feeling up for the game, doll."
"Wait---" But he had already hung up. Angrily, I threw my cell phone at the wall, watching it shatter. That felt good, so I took a random figurine---a glass goose---from my desk and threw that, along with three other breakable items. I sunk to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Why? Why did he have to come back? Why did he have to call and mess with my head? It was only a matter of time before he'd start making me scared to even leave the house. I would not let him do that again.
"Rachel! Rachel what's going on?!" I heard my father's footsteps running towards my door. He must have come home early to make sure I was okay. "Rachel, I heard screaming and glass---Rachel, honey, oh my God, what's wrong? What's wrong?" my father crouched down and wrapped his arms around my shaking body. I didn't bother to stop crying. He rubbed my arms, as if to get me warm. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay...." He put both of his freezing hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him. He looked distorted through my tears, but I could see how worried he was. "Rachel---Elizabeth---what's wrong, honey? What happened?"
I glanced at my broken cell phone. "He called me...." I managed to through sobs.
"Who called you, honey? The Salvatore boy?"
I shook my head. "D-D-Drew...." It was all I could say before coming on with a new fit of sobs.
My father took me into his embrace again, his arms a hard grip around me. "I have to call the police."
"They can't do anything!" I yelled. "It's only been a year and a-a-a h-half! Four y-years he-he was s'posed to-oo stay...."
"No, I don't buy that," he said, his voice strained. "They can't just let him out after what he did...."
I couldn't reply to this. Instead, I stayed in my father's embrace like I was a four year old who had just woken up from a nightmare. I wasn't a four year old, but I had woken up from a nightmare.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I never told Greta or Lily about last night; I couldn't. I just went to band practice---my dad letting me skip school---with a gloomy atmosphere and a watchful eye.
"So," Abby said to me while tuning her guitar---she'd broken a string. "Are you and that guy at the Pandemonium together or what?"
I adjusted my mic stand. "Damon?"
"Yeah. And don't say you're just friends. I saw you two, looking at each other the way you were."
"Not even friends! I hate him!" Even though I hated him less than I had before, as much I hated to admit it. "But....that being said, I....don't really know. It's....complicated...." Oh boy, was it.
"Isn't it always," she clucked and sighed. "You looked cute together, though. Kind of like a match made in heaven."
Before I had time to respond to that, Ashley smiled at Abby. "Kinda like us, huh, babe?" she said with a wink.
Abby tried to frown but her grin broke through. "You're such an idiot, Ashley."
She shrugged. "I know. But hey none of this mushy talk, what're we playing today?"
"I've got the playlist right here," Abby said, waving a few lyric papers. She read them aloud. "Bring Me To Life, Going Under, Careless Whisper---the Seether version, Ordinary World---the Red version, and What've You Done Now."
"So, two Evanescence songs, Seether, Red, and Within Temptation....No David Bowie?" Ashley winked at me.
I rolled my eyes. "We can't have a bunch of David Bowie songs."
"Why not? We have a bunch of Evanescence," Ethan pointed out.
"Look, you guys asked me to pick a playlist," Abby said. "I did."
"And you made a great one," Ashley flirted. "Next time, you get to pick, Liz."
"Me? Why me?"
"Why not?" Benjamin giggled.
"I....oh, fine. How many songs?" Maybe making a playlist would get my mind off other people....
"At least six," Abby said.
"By next Thursday?"
"Yup. Oh, and make 'um really good," Ethan said. "I'm trying to get us a gig at this new place called Edie's. It's a bar that likes rocking music."
"Awesome!" We all screamed.
"Ethan, you're amazing!" Benjamin yelled.
"Yeah, we love you!" Abby laughed.
"Yeah, I know," he said with faux arrogance.
I laughed. Man, this band was too cool. I was so glad Lily made me be the lead singer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My dad had been over generous Wednesday and Thursday, but it was time for me to face the drama of school. By now, the 'Salvatore and Ashwern Scandal' had died down, but it was still definitely talked about. I was so close to paying some punk to pants a popular prep. That would delay the Salvatore talk for a while.
Lily linked arms with me. "So...where've you been? You weren't really sick, were you?"
I sighed. "Yes, I was really sick, Lily."
"With what?" Greta asked, she and Isabelle joining us.
I shrugged. "The usual, nothing serious."
"Love sickness," Lily sang.
"If you say that one more time, I am going to flush your head down the toilet," I growled.
"K...touchy. You sure you aren't, you know...." She lowered her voice. "On your period?"
"What a pleasant thing to say with a bunch of people walking by," I waved in the direction of all the people. "And no, I'm not."
"Well, you sure are moody."
I leaned against Greta's shoulder. "Greta, make her shut up!" I whined.
"Lily."
"Sorry, sorry." She gasped, hiding a giggle. "Heads up, Salvatore, eight o'clock."
My head snapped up, looking around wildly. Then I spotted Stefan and Elena by their lockers. It had just occurred to me that I had talked to them only once and they actually seemed like cool people. I marched over to them, ignoring Lily's whispered. "Elizabeth!"
I smiled at them. "Hey."
Stefan glanced at me and frowned before turning back to his oh-so-amazing book. What a jerk.
Elena rolled her blue eyes. "Ignore him. He's just moody today."
"Ditto," I said. Deciding to test Stefan's humour, I whispered to him, "That time of the month?"
He stared at me as though I had two heads. Well, I could see who got the humour in that family.
Elena, however, giggled. She elbowed Stefan's side playfully. "She's just kidding."
He mumbled something and turned back to his book.
Okay...."So, Elena, maybe we could hang out some time. I mean....I know we weren't exactly on the best of terms when we first talked, but...." I shrugged. "Maybe we could be friends."
Elena smiled. "I'd like that."
"Cool," I was actually pretty happy Elena and I were trying to be friends. Anything I ever heard about her was nice.
The bell rang. Elena kept her smile. "See you at lunch?"
I nodded. "Sure."
"Great. C'mon, Stefan, we're gonna be late," she giggled.
Stefan closed his book and started following Elena. "Um, hey," I said awkwardly. "I never got to thank you for getting me out of an....awkward situation...."
Stefan's eyes narrowed a bit. "Not that it would do much good. You're pretty much good at getting yourself back into 'awkward situations.'"
"Excuse me?" I said, completely miffed.
"You shouldn't be fooling around with Damon."
"I'm not. And, besides, since when did it become your business?"
Stefan looked at me seriously. "Be careful."
I watched him walk away, glaring at his back. Okay, the most I could get from Damon was that he was a womanizer. It wasn't like I hadn't been around that block of guys. Okay, and maybe he had a bad temper sometimes, but what was the double warning from the oh-so-in-love-duo?
I turned to go back into class. The hallway was empty. Great, just great. I started to run for my class when I heard a familiar voice call, "Elizabeth!"