Adventures of a Graveyard Girl (13 page)

"Kait, we've been waiting for you," Suzie said.

I couldn't help, but glance at Logan. He had been waiting for me. My life had gone surreal again. I felt my cheeks turn pink. No teenage boy should have this affect on a girl just by way of his cuteness.

"Oh?" I think I said. It might have come out more like a grunt or a gurgle because my brain was still trying to process the situation.

"I wanted to talk to you," Logan said, peering at me, "Suzie said you were investigating Madison and Julia's murders? I want to help."

"You want to help?" I repeated. Again, my brain was trying to understand the words that were working to penetrate it. Wow, this guy was hot.

"Yeah, I used to know them when we were kids. We were best friends in junior high. Then we weren't, but I do feel like I know something important to your investigation. I still talked to them every once in awhile and Julia and I went to Homecoming together, actually," Logan said. "Just as friends."

I nodded. What was wrong with me? I couldn't help staring at Logan. Why had Julia complained about not having a date to the dance? Logan was the hottest guy in school, next to Ethan of course, even if they had gone to the dance as just friends. I mean, with Logan on her arm, did Julia even need to try and go after Ethan? Who was that girl anyway? Then I noticed Logan was talking again. I struggled to pay attention. This guy was so good looking it was distracting.

"I think I know who might have done it. I thought about going to the police, but I don't really want to get involved. I mean, people here talk and I'm me, you know, but if you're looking into their deaths, maybe you could check the guy out and see if he and his friends are worth even telling the police about and if they are, tell them for me," Logan said.

I felt bewitched by Logan. His eyes were staring into mine. It was different from Ethan, though. Ethan made my stomach do flips and I mostly longed to kiss him. Logan sort of floored me and made my mind go numb. He was too handsome for his own good, for my own good. Seriously, no guy should have this sort of effect on a girl. It wasn't good for him...or the girl in question.

"Okay," I said, brain moving forward slowly, "Who do you think did it?"

"It's a hunch," Logan started, "But there's this weird guy that's been following Madison around and stalking her because she was the president of Pep Club. His name's Seth Wilcox. He and his friends are really anti school spirit and they've been giving her a hard time."

"Okay. Like what? And, how do you know about it?" I asked.

"Madison told me. We still talked sometimes. And, I kind of knew this kid from way back in junior high too. She knew that. Madison said that he and his friends had gone so far as to destroy the posters and all the decorations for the Pep Club Homecoming float. Everyone was really upset about it, but they all rallied and fixed something up in time. Madison was amazing like that - she'd just pull stuff together and make it happen the way she wanted to," Logan said.

"Did she report what happened?" I asked. "To the school? Or the police?"

"I don't know. Madison admitted to me that she was scared, but didn't think that they'd do anything serious. Looks like maybe they did and then continued on with Julia, although I guess there's some people who think that will be ruled an accident," Logan said. "Since it was a car wreck and all."

"Everyone knows it wasn't, though," Suzie said. "So, what do you think Kait?"

"I'll check Seth Wilcox out. For sure. Thanks, Logan," I said, lingering on his name.

Logan nodded, "You're welcome. I hope you catch the guy."

"Me too," I said.

Logan waved to Suzie and walked down the hallway toward his next class. Suzie and I both watched him walk away. When Logan turned the corner, I felt like I had suddenly been set free from an enchantment and I turned to Suzie, eyes wide.

"Okay, you have to tell me. How in the world do you know Logan Collins? And, why did you keep that a secret?" I asked.

Suzie smiled, "I met him through Madison in junior high and he's been nice to me ever since. He used to be such a geek, with pimples and braces and stuff. So, he was just as shy as me. Then his mom took him to the dermatologist and the orthodontist. There were probably some genetics in there too once he hit puberty. Then bam! Logan became popular because one school year he showed up after summer vacation as super hot and all of the girls fell in love with him. Still, when I saw him, Logan would talk to me. He was cool. So, we stayed school friends. We never hung out or anything...or dated or anything."

I glanced into Chemistry class to see if Kyle had witnessed Suzie, Logan and me talking. He was already inside and looking in our direction. It was too far away to tell if he was worried that Logan was going to steal Suzie away from him. My guess is that Kyle was totally flipping out with thoughts that Suzie was running off with the most popular guy in school and that his brief moment of true love happiness was gone.

I looked at Suzie and gestured to Kyle, "Well, I'd tell Kyle that you were just school friends because I wouldn't blame him for feeling just a little bit threatened."

Suzie looked horrified at the thought and went inside to console Kyle. I looked down the hallway to where Logan had disappeared. It was totally surreal that I actually managed to form words in front of him. Then I followed Suzie into Chemistry class.

I ran to my locker after the final school bell rang to get out the last of the books I needed to finish up my make-up homework. I groaned inwardly as I realized it was still going to take me a couple more days. There was a lot left to do. I had just shut my locker door when Ethan walked up. It was nice having him meet me at my locker, almost as if we were really and truly going out. It still wasn't official after all. Neither of us had said it yet. Okay, I had kind of said it to Casey when I was playacting, but that wasn't the same. I mean, Ethan hadn't said it to me yet. I guess technically we were just hanging out and making out and it was totally great, except... I ignored my brain. I wasn't saying anything first.

"Ready for the Pep Club?" I feigned my best Valley girl accent.

"Totally," Ethan mimicked my Valley girl accent back, as best as a guy could.

I grinned at him and we walked down the hallway toward the library, which was where the Pep Club was meeting. I was so focused on thinking about what might happen at this meeting and wondering if attending two meetings was definitely enough to legitimately and truthfully put this club on my college applications, that I almost didn't notice right away that Ethan had grabbed my hand. We were actually walking hand in hand toward the library, not to mention down the halls of the high school, on a school day. Even if it was after school and there weren't as many people around.

I forced myself not to look at Ethan or stop walking or give any sign that I had noticed. My stomach did an excited flip. It was really nice holding his hand. I felt myself start to smile. I looked down so Ethan wouldn't notice. I had to breathe. I was cool. I was totally cool. Oh no, now I wanted to smile even bigger.

We got to the library doors and Ethan pushed open the main door without letting go of my hand. I felt like we were a united front about to enter a war zone. It was sort of disconcerting, being that we were just entering the library and going to an after school club meeting.

The librarian directed us to a meeting room just off the main section of the library. It looked like a majority of the Pep Club members had turned up for the meeting. It was super packed. I noticed that Ariel was across the room, mostly because I heard Ariel shriek in surprise at seeing Ethan and I walk into the club meeting together. In her mind I knew we had just moved up a notch as a couple. Now, we were the couple that joined clubs together. If I thought about that, it did sound pretty serious, actually, almost as if we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Then again, I had to remind myself that we were only at the Pep Club meeting to see if we could discover any more murder clues and see what about the Pep Club presidency was potentially deadly.

Ethan and I sat down on the floor near the front corner of the room. There were no seats left on chairs. The meeting was about to spill out into the main part of the library if any more people showed up. There was a general murmur of people talking and waiting for the meeting to start. Ethan and I held hands and listened. I tried to eavesdrop, but quickly got bored hearing people complain about teachers and classes or gush on about crushes. It almost seemed like people didn't want to talk about the murder on purpose. Maybe that was true, but I was pretty sure that's why the emergency Pep Club meeting had been called in the first place.

I glanced around the room and saw that I knew a few other people besides Ariel in Pep Club. There were a couple of random people from my classes, but nobody I really talked to, as well as Ariel's friends' Sarah and Megan. I also finally laid eyes on Sebastian Zane, Madison's date to the dance, who was trying to catch a nap in the corner. I'd have to try and talk to him before the meeting let out, even if he was probably in the clear.

It was a few minutes after three-thirty, which was when the meeting was supposed to start. That was when Mrs. Davis, the faculty member in charge of Pep Club, cleared her throat, cut straight through the crap, and said, "Welcome everyone. As you know tragedy has struck our club and we have lost two of our esteemed members in the last few days. Let us have a moment of silence and remember them."

As the group went silent, I looked around the room. Most people had their heads down and were looking at the floor. I glanced around for anyone who might feel the slightest bit guilty and be showing it in this moment. My eyes flicked to Sebastian, but he just looked startled at having been woken up. I moved on. Ariel's eyes met mine across the room. We both looked away quickly and the moment of silence was over.

Mrs. Davis continued, "What brings us here today for this emergency meeting is two fold. First, we need to elect a new Pep Club president. Then we need to talk about the football game on Saturday, make some posters, and show that school spirit is most important in times of tragedy. It binds us together as a school and the support will help us move on."

I felt like Mrs. Davis was being a little cheesy, although I agreed with the overall sentiment. Madison, and even Julia, deserved a tribute of school spirit. They did both love the Pep Club, even if they pretty much hated each other. Or, well, I knew it was technically more complicated than that.

"Since there is no successor, we need nominations from the junior or senior class for Pep Club President," Mrs. Davis said.

"Jenny Kendall!" a guy in the back yelled out.

I looked around to see who that might be, since I didn't know her and saw a girl with long black hair and skinny jeans wave to those who turned to look at her. Her friends were wildly pointing to her and cheering. I noticed a familiar looking girl with flaming red hair in a pixie cut, as one of the people cheering Jenny on. Wait a minute. I tried to place her, the girl with the pixie cut. I looked between Jenny and her friend. Then I remembered. I had seen them talking about Julia the other day. Now, I had one of their names. Interesting development.

"Sebastian Zane!" a girl called out and I saw Sebastian grin and throw up his hands in a Nixon-esque salute.

I glanced at Ethan, he looked back at me, eyebrows raised.

"Ariel Walker!" Sarah yelled.

I felt my brain freeze as I registered Ariel's glee at being nominated for Pep Club President. Ariel looked around the room like she owned the place and just smiled. I knew from that smile that she was going to get her way and I was terrified.

Ten minutes later, I was proved right and Ariel was officially Pep Club president. She was practically glowing with pride the rest of the meeting. Why did Ariel of all people have to be the one to get elected president? I tried to not pay attention to her, so I wouldn't worry even more. Besides, Ethan and I had a poster to worry about and investigation work to do. Ethan and I grabbed our markers and blank poster board. Then I casually led Ethan over toward Sebastian, to position ourselves within talking distance of him.

Ethan and I looked at our poster board blankly. We needed to come up with something creative for cheering the football team on to victory. I know I didn't want to hold up or put up a poster that looked like a second grader drew it. I looked over toward Sebastian who was studying his blank poster board with some scrutiny. Maybe this was a way in.

"What are you going to draw?" I asked.

Sebastian looked up at me, "Probably just the mascot and the old standby: Go Palos Grizzlies!"

"That sounds simple," I said.

Sebastian nodded. We lapsed into silence. I was rapidly losing my chance to get information out of him.

"Hey, didn't you go to the dance with Madison Brown?" Ethan asked.

I looked at Ethan in relief. Somehow it sounded better coming from a popular guy to another popular guy.

"Yeah, I did," Sebastian said.

Ethan whispered, "And the cops don't consider you a suspect?"

Sebastian frowned, "Why would they? I'm not a girl, I was nowhere near the girl's bathroom, and I have friends who would back me up on that, since I was talking to them while Madison was gone."

It sounded like a pretty airtight alibi if Sebastian had a few people willing to vouch for him. Still, they might lie in order to protect a friend. It wasn't unheard of. I decided to play a morbid curiosity seeker. Hey, it fit my reputation.