Connection (Le Garde) (23 page)

Anna nodded. “Thank you.”

“
Your mother’s here.”

“
Thank you.” Relief and dread warred in her mind at the thought of her mother. She stood up, glancing at me. I followed her and the nurse out to the ER waiting room, and Anna’s mom pushed an elderly lady aside to reach Anna. They hugged each other tightly, and Ms. Beauvais stroked Anna’s hair down. She pulled away and examined Anna’s forehead.

“
Four stitches,” Anna said quietly.

“
I’m so glad you’re okay,” Ms. Beauvais said. She looked surprised when she noticed me. “Aaron. What are you doing here?”

“
I came when I heard Anna was in trouble.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You heard before I did?”

“
I kind of felt it,” I said with a shrug.

“
You did?” Anna whispered.

Ms. Beauvais wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulders. “Come on, Anna, we should go. Your sisters are home alone.”

“
You already filled the paperwork out?” Anna asked.

“
Yes,” Ms. Beauvais said. “It’s fine.”

“
I want to see Steven.”

Ms. Beauvais hesitated. “Okay, ask the nurse if you can.”

She walked to the desk, and I waited with her mother in an awkward silence. I stared down at my dad’s sandals. I took out my phone; I had a few missed calls from my mom. I probably should have called her a while ago. Dad wasn’t home from work yet, but Mom didn’t work on Tuesdays. She’d be wondering where I’d disappeared to without even bringing my wallet.

Anna returned, her shoulders slouched. “They said he’s still under. Can we visit tonight, Mom?”

Ms. Beauvais nodded wordlessly. She told me they’d give me a ride. I rode in the back. We passed the intersection where they wrecked. The cars had been towed away; only glass and rubber remained on the road. Ms. Beauvais pulled up to my house.

“
Are you going to be okay, Anna?” I asked her.

She glanced back at me from the front seat and gave me an unsure smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“
Okay.” I stepped out of the car. “You should listen to that voicemail.”

She sent a wave of frustration my way, annoyed I could think about that when Steven had gotten so hurt.

“
Just trust me,” I told her. “Thanks for the ride, Ms. Beauvais.”

I hated to leave Anna, but I had to. I turned at the doorway and watched them drive away. She faded into the distance.

14. le futur (the future)

Anna

I almost wished I could spend all night with Aaron as I waited to visit Steven. He calmed me, even with all his worry for me.

I was happy when we got home. I wanted to get out of this car. I never wanted to ride in a car again. “Let’s talk in my room,” Mom said as we walked inside.

Allie threw her arms around me as soon as I came in. “Are you okay? Mom said we couldn’t come! What happened? What’s that on your head?”

“
I got stitches,” I told her.

Allie’s eyes widened, shiny with tears. “You what? Oh, my goodness! Ginger said you’d have a few scratches, but
stitches
?”

“
They’re nothing,” I assured her, stroking down her hair. “It’s just to make sure the cut heals.”

“
Did they hurt?” Ginger asked from the living room couch. Her eyes were wide, too.

“
They numbed it up,” I said.

“
Give her some space, Allie,” Mom said, tugging on Allie’s shirt. “Come on, Anna. Do you want some tea?”

“
Yeah, sure.”

I drank some hot tea, then took a shower. I sat on my mom’s bed, and she brushed through my hair. She asked what happened, and we talked for hours. I told her that Aaron and I had been practicing our power while she thought I was at the library on Sundays. I told her about our kiss and how Steven was upset when I told him. I even told her about Kristina and Drew and Joseph Harwood. 

“
I just don’t know what to do,” I said, my head in her lap. “I really like both of them, but Steven is.
 
.
 
.normal. When I’m with him, I’m just another girl. I don’t have to worry about Joseph Harwood or causing a power outage.”

“
Are you only with him because he’s normal, or do you also like him as a person?” She stroked my hair down in a repetitive motion that made me want to fall asleep.

“
I like him as a person. He’s nice and funny.
 
.
 
.” I trailed off, thinking about what I’d said at the party in San Francisco, how he and Aaron were alike. He’d accused me of liking him because he reminded me of Aaron, but it wasn’t that. “I just don’t know who to choose.”

“
You should choose someone you feel secure with. Someone who would take care of you in the future.”

The future. Drew had talked about the future, too. I was a junior in high school. The most I thought about my future was which college I’d go to.

“
Mom, I’m only sixteen.”

I knew she was rolling her eyes. “Fine, someone you feel safe with. Someone who will respect you and your family.”

I hadn’t felt safe in that car with Steven. I might not ever again. My family liked both Aaron and Steven, and they liked my family. I knew they both respected me, too, from the way they stuck up for me around Jordan, the way they didn’t pressure me to do anything I didn’t want to, the way they treated me. “They both respect me and my family.”

“
Then you should be with the whoever makes you happier,” Mom said softly.

I didn’t know who that was. “Mom, do you think if you and Aaron’s dad had met earlier, you’d be together?”

“
If we had, you and Aaron wouldn’t exist.”

“
I know, but just say that you and him met before you met Dad.
 
.
 
.do you think you would have married him?”

Mom was silent for a long time. I started to think she wouldn’t answer when she finally said, “If he gave me security and respect and love, then probably. If not, then nothing would have kept us together.”

Though nothing will keep us together.

I was surprised she hadn’t lectured me about riding with Steven or about lying to her about where I was going since Spring Break. I knew it would come eventually, but we talked for a while longer. She asked questions about Kristina and Drew, and she tensed when I said they wanted me to meet Joseph Harwood.

“
I don’t like that idea,” she said. “Do you want to meet him?”

“
I don’t know,” I said, running my fingers over my stitches. “Sort of, yeah, but it freaks me out.”

“
That worries me. We don’t even know who he is. Kristina and Drew could be anybody, Anna.”

I knew she’d react this way. “Mom, they’re just like us.”

“
How do you know? Have you seen them do anything?”

I paused and shook my head.

“
See? They could be those bad people you were talking about. I don’t think you should talk to them anymore.”

“
If they were someone bad, they wouldn’t just meet us every once in a while for coffee.” Still, I might ask them to prove their powers next time I saw them.

I trudged through some of my homework, then called the hospital to see if Steven was awake. When I found out he was, I begged my mom to drive me back to the hospital to see him, and she did.

When I reached Steven’s room, his family was already there. Paula sat by the bed, saying something quietly. Phil was in the corner, his arms crossed, and Heather still wore her soccer clothes, looking at his cast. I paused in the doorway, then slowly walked in.

Steven lay in bed, his left leg in a white cast, his head bandaged. He saw me first. It seemed like he had trouble focusing on me, but he gave me a shaky smile. “Hey, Anna.”

Paula looked at me sharply, pursing her lips. Her eye make-up was completely gone, and she looked a little different. Less put-together, somehow.

I came to stand next to Heather. “Hey, Steven,” I said, touching his shoulder. He wore a hospital gown. “How are you feeling?”

“
Okay,” Steven said.

“
He has a concussion,” Paula snapped.

“
I feel fine,” he said. “Well, I have a killer headache, and my leg is numb, but.
 
.
 
.are you okay?” His brown eyes tried to focus on me again, but his head swayed.

“
I’m fine. I was so worried about you.” I took his hand in my own, ignoring his mom’s glare.

“
Did you get hurt?” Heather asked.

“
I had a few stitches, but that’s all.”

“
I’m so sorry,” Steven said, shaking his head.

Tears stung my eyes, and I had to fight them back. “Oh, Steven.”

“
This was
not
your fault,” Paula said as she stood. She pointed at me. “You shouldn’t have been in the car with him at all!”

I stared at her. “He was giving me a ride home—”

“
I don’t care! You’re never driving with him again!” she said, her voice hitching. Her hair stuck up at odd places.

I clenched my teeth. I wouldn’t have gotten in a car with him again, anyways, but I wasn’t going to say that in front of him.

“
Mom, tease slop,” Steven said, his words slurring together.

“
I think you should go.” Paula crossed her arms. “You’re upsetting him.”

“
No, not sheeze.” Steven’s head swayed as he tried to look at me again.

I squeezed his hand. “It’s okay.” I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

He rested his head back, nodding. “I love you.”

I swallowed, slowly letting go of his hand. “I’ll talk to you later,” I whispered. I backed away from his bed, his mother’s eyes boring into me. I left the room, wiping tears from my cheeks. I hoped he wouldn’t remember tomorrow that he told me he loved me. Or that I didn’t say it back.

* * *

The next day, my mom asked if I wanted to stay home from school. It was tempting, but I felt fine and I had a paper to turn in. Mr. Johnson was the type of teacher who didn’t accept late assignments, especially if you conveniently missed the day it was due. Maybe going to school would help me sort things out. I could talk to Kaylie and Sam, even if I couldn’t tell them everything I’d told my mom.

On the drive over, Mom said, “I suppose it will be a while until Steven starts driving again.”

I nodded. “Yeah. He probably doesn’t get his cast off for six weeks.” I hadn’t been able to get a hold of him last night when I tried to call his cell. “I suppose you don’t want me driving around with anyone for a while.”

Mom shook her head. “No, I don’t. Unless it’s Aaron.”

I looked at her surprise. “Really?”

“
Do you trust him?”

I nodded. He’d always been a safe driver.

“
Then I do, too,” Mom said. “If you ever need a ride from him, no need to call me. Just take it.”

I grinned. I hadn’t expected my mom to be more lenient after I got in a car wreck, but she really seemed to like Aaron. Maybe because he’d been there with me all afternoon yesterday.

“
But I still don’t want you with Kristina or Drew,” she said, her demeanor changing. “I don’t like what you’ve told me about that.”

“
Mom, they’re fine.”

She shook her head, and we drove the rest of the way in silence.

When I went to my locker, Kaylie was waiting there for me. “Hey,” she said, “how are you feeling?”

I’d called her last night and told her about the car crash. “I’m fine,” I said, touching my stitches. “My neck’s a little sore, but I’m good.” My face and neck were littered with small scrapes from the shattered glass, but they’d all scabbed over. I probably looked like I had a weird version of the chicken pox.

“
I need to talk to you,” Kaylie said, dropping her voice. “I didn’t tell you last night on the phone because of the car crash, but.
 
.
 
.” She stepped closer as I got some of my books. “Sam and I saw you and Aaron kissing yesterday.”

I nearly dropped my Government book. “Oh.
 
.
 
.yeah.
 
.
 
.he kissed me, and I kissed him at first, but I pushed him away.”