A Whisper To A Scream (9 page)

After I release Mom, I scurry to the phone
and punch in Wren’s number. She picks up on the first ring.
“Hello.”

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“You up for Fall Fest?”

“You know it.”

Chapter 8: Ellory

The urges didn’t emerge when Adam was around
guys, only girls. He remembered a time during football practice
when the wide receiver caught him staring at his neck.

“Dude.” He waved his hand in front of Adam’s
face. “Are you okay?”

Adam gasped. “There’s nothing there. No
blood.”

The wide receiver backed away slowly. Adam’s
tendencies had come alive. “What’s with you? Man, are you
tripping?”

Adam snapped out of his trance. He played it
off coyly. “No, dude. I just have a doctor’s appointment today. I
was hoping they don’t have to draw any blood.” Inside, butterflies
bounced off the walls of Adam’s stomach when he mentioned the word
blood.

The wide receiver chuckled. “Ah, man, I feel
you. I hate needles.”

For Adam, when he noticed girls, it was like
every one of them had a permanent marker scrawled across their
necks with a message to him. It would say, ‘insert knife here’ or
‘slash at your own risk.’ From then on, he’d imagine doing exactly
what those messages were telling him to do.

Ellory Graham was different. Adam had figured
that out the moment he laid eyes on her in first period English
Lit. Normally, he liked his women weak. The weak ones were a lot
easier to manipulate. But Ellory, she was mouthy, strong, and
self-assured.

Those characteristics left him absolutely
fascinated.

Every time he tried to fraternize with the
opposite sex, his urges came out to play. Typically, he either
ended the relationship early, fearing that the monster inside him
would come out of hiding, or he decided that the female in the
relationship had to meet her demise to quench his thirst for
blood.

But that wasn’t the case with Ellory Graham.
It stunned him that when he was around her, there were no urges.
When she was in his car and at his house, he caught himself staring
at her neck several times. He was waiting to see if his morbid
fantasy would play out. He wanted to see the blood pour of out of
the gash on her neck that he envisioned in his mind. But, there was
nothing—just another neck.

He drove down the street, the music blaring.
He did the driving ritual often trying to distract himself, but
thoughts of Ellory remained constant. Could she be his savior?
Could she redeem him of his wicked ways?

There was only one problem with the Ellory
Graham situation. She didn’t like him. Not even a little bit. And
that was weighing heavily on his conscience.

Adam never had to woo a girl before. He was
used to them throwing themselves at him, like harlots in an ancient
Grecian market place. It never occurred to him that he’d actually
have to work to gain Ellory’s trust and affection. Now, he’d have
to be like any other guy and play the game.

He planned on attending Fall Fest, the one
event the whole town seemed to be talking about. He liked that
there wasn’t that much to do here. In Chicago, every day of the
week there was something that you could do. There was little time
for unwinding and doing mundane things.

He knew he would see Ellory there. He had to
think of something, anything that would get her attention. But,
what?

In the past he considered himself to be one
of the best strategists, so why, when it came to this girl, was it
so difficult for him to come up with a plan?

He picked up his phone that rested in the cup
holder of the middle consul and went to his contacts. He strummed
through number after number, until he found the one he needed. He
stopped in the section of the contacts that said K. K was for
Katie. She gave him her number his first day of school.

In all honestly, he despised her. The girl
was vile and she lacked self-respect. Not to mention he noticed the
red liquid oozing down her neck the moment he laid eyes on her. If
he did kill any girls in town, she would be the first on his list.
He dialed her number and the phone started ringing.

After three or four rings, Katie picked up.
“Hello.”

Adam put the phone to his ear, turning on his
charm. “Hey, Katie, it’s Adam.”

“Oh, Hi Adam,” she gushed. The sound of her
sultry voice made his stomach churn.

“So, are you going to this Fall Fest thing
tonight?” he asked.

“Are you going?”

“I was thinking about it.” He paused briefly.
“Do you want to go together?”

“I would love to!”

“Sweet. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“See you then.”

Adam hung up the phone and tossed it onto the
passenger seat. He had set his plan in motion. A devilish grin
spread across his lips as he stared into the rearview mirror. He
may have underestimated himself because the plan he came up with
was brilliant.

He knew that Ellory disliked Katie. It was
clear from her comments in school and at the party. When he thought
about it, he was certain that he’d found the best way to get
Ellory’s attention. He was going to use Katie Halston to crack
Ellory Graham.

Chapter 9: Fall Fest

Wren arrives just as the sun sets. I stroll
to her car, admiring the splash of colors in the sky. Yellow.
Orange. Pink. Even patches of dark blue with a faint glow from the
stars. A gust of wind, with a bite on its tail, blows forcefully,
and nips the tip of my nose. I shiver as the chilled air seeps
through my insulated hoodie. It feels good to shiver because
despite the wind and the dropping temperature, I’m warm inside. Not
just warm, I’m on fire.

For the first half of the drive, Wren and I
ride in silence. Then, I finally decide to speak up and talk about
what’s been on my mind for the last few hours. Adam. Wren is more
important to me than any other person in the entire world, aside
from Mom. I know she likes Adam and if she’s still interested, I
won’t act on anything. No matter how I feel.

“I took Adam on a tour today.” I clear my
throat nervously.

She keeps her eyes on the road. “Oh, yeah.
How did that go?”

I lower my voice. “He kissed me and I slapped
him. That’s how it went.” Wren doesn’t answer. “I know you like
him.”

“Do you like him?”

“I don’t know.” There’s a small part of me
that still despises him based on first time I saw him in the school
parking lot. Then there’s another part of me that is anxious every
time I think that I might see him.

Wren shrugs nonchalantly. “Fuck him.”

My eyes bug out. “Excuse me?” Did ‘Miss
Proper Etiquette’ just use profanity? “Did you just drop the 'f’
bomb?”

She giggles. “Yeah. You’re rubbing off on
me.”

“I’m serious though, Wren. If you want him, I
won’t act on anything. I don’t care how I feel. You mean more to me
than some boy I think I have feelings for.”

“I don’t want him. I figure when I get to
college there will plenty of nerds who will be dying to get their
hands on this,” she jokes, motioning to her body.

I’m laughing so hard that I snort. When I
finally get myself under control, she pulls into the parking
lot.

After getting out of the car, Wren laces her
arm through mine and we walk to the entrance. “So,” Wren begins,
“You have yet to tell me how good this kiss between you and Adam
was.”

Thinking back, I was too confused and pissed
off to evaluate the kiss fairly. But right before I pulled out of
it, there was a numb, tingling sensation on my lips. A sensation
that felt so amazing, I had to fight the better half of myself to
keep myself from kissing him again, and again, and again. Heat
rises to my cheeks when I think about his lips on mine. “It was
awesome,” I tell her.

Wren looks at me, one eye squinted. “Then why
did you hit him?”

“Impulse. I don’t know. He pissed me off
before. And on top of that I thought he was a different kind of
guy. Someone like Blake.”

“Ugh. How can you even categorize him with
Blake? I guess it’s because you don’t have any classes with
him.”

“I meant looks-wise.” Blake is wildly hot on
the outside, with his rock hard abs, perfect white-toothed smile,
dimples, and grey-blue eyes. But on this inside, he’s dumb and
shallow and selfish. I can’t imagine being Megan White and actually
have to hold down a conversation with him.

Two feet away from the entrance, I tell Wren
about what happened after she left Adam’s party. Then I tell her
about Adam and how he carried me home.

“Wow, she gushes. “That sounds like something
that only happens in fairytales.”

I agree. “I know, right? That stuff only
happens in movies.”

The Fall Fest banner dangles above us with
the words ‘Fall Fest’ in orange and brown letters. A parade of
people pass us as the corny music comes from the rides lingers in
the air. Children walk, holding their parent’s hands, clutching
balloons in their free hand. The sound of fryers sizzling echoes
from the food booths and the smell of a grease filled heaven
invades my nostrils. Shrieks of excitement ring out and I scan the
passerby’s in search of Adam. He has to be here. He just has
to.

Wren leans into my ear. “Are you sure he
kissed you?”

“Why would you say that?” I snap. “Would I
ever lie to you about something like that?”

“No.” She points to her left. “But look.”

My eyes follow her finger to a corndog booth.
Adam stands in front of the booth with Blake, Megan, and Oh. My.
God. Katie.

A dull ache throbs in my rib cage. It starts
slowly then builds until I clutch my side unable to breathe. He’s
touching her. Tucking a stand of her hair behind her ear. I’m
jealous. This is new. And I’m furious. He spots me in the crowd as
Wren lugs me toward the hot chocolate stand and I give him a look
full of pure disgust. How could he kiss me like that and then show
up with another girl? A girl I despise more than anyone else on the
planet.”

I have to talk to him. The uneasy,
gut-wrenching emotions that are taking over me will chew me up and
spit me out if I don’t. I unfurl Wren’s fingers from my arms and
start toward him. Wren latches on to me again. “Ells are you sure
going over there is a good idea.”

“Wren, I have to. Please just let me.” Wren
releases my arm, shaking her head and folds her arms across her
chest.

Stomping toward them, I reach Adam, grab him
by the arm and rip him away from Katie. “What do you think you’re
doing?” Katie yells.

I’m seething, and I grit my teeth. “Saving
him from contacting AIDS.” We only make it a few steps before he
removes my fingers from his arm. “Leave me alone,” he says
coldly.

He moves closer, inches away from my face. I
focus on his full-enticing lips and I think about the way they felt
against mine. No. I snap out of it and throw my hands in the air.
“I can’t believe you!” I yell in a gruff voice. “I’ve never met
someone who is as big of a dick as you!”

“You made it that way!” he shouts in a
grizzly voice.

Here I am, ready to admit I was wrong. Ready
to apologize. Ready to beg for his forgiveness and he’s here with
someone else. I have every right to be pissed off. More than pissed
off, I’m about to explode. I hope I blow him up in the process.

Katie takes a few steps forward. “Back off
Ellory. He knows what he wants. There’s no point in throwing
yourself at him.”

I sneer at her. Torn between heartache and
rage. “You back off! Unless you want my sloppy seconds!”

Adam is still looking at me. He’s memorizing
every feature on my face. I glare at Katie and she glares at Adam.
“Adam, what is she talking about?”

Keeping his eyes on me he replies, “I have no
idea.”

I’m laughing hysterically. I’m a lunatic,
seconds away from tearing the hair from my scalp. “You’re a liar, a
sham of a human being, and a bastard!” I raise my hand, backing
away. “You know, I had every intention of coming here, apologizing,
and telling you I was wrong. And that maybe, just maybe the kiss
earlier meant something to me.” Something more than I’m prepared to
admit. “But here we are.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I go on.
“I’m so glad that I figured this out now.”

“Figured what out?”

“That everything I thought was wrong about
you was right.” I tilt my head to Katie. “Have fun with the town’s
leftovers.”

I turn on my heel and stalk toward Wren who’s
patiently waiting for me next to a fried rice booth. “Crazy bitch!”
Katie shrieks at my back.

“Really, Katie! Is that the best that you can
do?”

For a second I drown out all the fair noise
until Katie screams, “At least my father loves me enough not to
leave me!”

I freeze and ball my fists up at my sides.
The blood in my veins is a cauldron above a blazing fire. Boiling.
Bubbling. My teeth chatter as a deep red appears on my cheeks. I
look at Wren. She wears a shocked look on her face. “Ells, don’t do
it. Seriously.”

I can’t help it. I can’t believe she just
went there. I have never gone there. I’ve never even thought of
involving Katie’s family members in my comments. Besides, she gives
me too much good material on her own.

“You little bitch!” I shriek. “I will rip
your head off!” I charge toward her, my fist high in the air,
prepared to shatter the bones in her nose a second time. Adam
catches me by the arm before I reach her. “Calm down,” he says in a
soothing tone. “Don’t cause a scene.”

“Are you deaf? Did you not just hear what she
said to me?”

His lips form a straight line. “I did. But
don’t you know that every time you respond you’re stooping to her
level.”

“I don’t care.” I yank my arm from his grasp,
marching forward. He clutches the hood on my shirt and pulls me
backward. “I’m telling you Ellory. Don’t go there.”