Crushed (17 page)

She giggled with delight.

He pulled her back up and held her tightly as they continued to dance. The boy had some nice moves. It was hard to believe this was the same guy she’d watched swagger down the hallway at school.

“You’re graceful,” she said.

He put a finger to his lips. “Shh. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Your secret is safe with me. I wouldn’t want any other girl to expect this kind of treatment from you. Seriously. How did you learn to dance like this?”

“My mom insisted I try everything at least once. Dance, sports, art—you name it, and I at least gave it a chance.”

They danced in silence to the end of the song. He spun her around before drawing her close again. Her arms wrapped around his neck at the elbows. She went down slowly, legs sliding apart until she performed the perfect splits. She almost touched the ground with her inner thighs.

He bent with her, still holding her close. Then, he stood straight again, taking her with him in slow inches.

She didn’t want this night to end.

He stopped dancing and stared into her eyes for what seemed to be an eternity.

She found herself lost in those incredible eyes, on the verge of drowning in them. No matter how long she lived, how many men she knew, she was certain Zach was it for her. She wouldn’t love anyone else. Funny thought coming from a girl who hadn’t believed in love just a couple of months ago.

His head lowered, and he kissed the tip of her nose. “I made a late-night snack for us.”

Her stomach revolted at the idea. It was on high alert, nervous and twisted into so many knots it wouldn’t have a place for food. She smiled up at Zach, not wanting to spoil a single moment of their last time together. “Sounds good.”

They walked to the round table in the corner. He pulled a chair out for her. His hand stroked her bare arm before he moved to the other side and sat down. There were three platters of cheese, crackers, and strawberries. A small bowl in the center held melted chocolate.

“I should have brought you here on our first date,” he said.

But at the time, he hadn’t wanted her to know about Morgan. Kristen understood the implications of what he was saying. If it weren’t for his sister, they could have a happy life together.

Zach scooted his chair closer to hers and said, “I hate being that far away from you.”

It was an ironic statement considering he was ditching town. “Where will you go when you leave?”

He rested his arm along the back of her chair. Instead of answering the question, he picked a strawberry, dipped it in the melted chocolate, and held it up to her mouth. She took a bite, crushing the sweet fruit against her tongue. He popped the rest of it into his own mouth.

He asked her, “Are you going ahead with your plans? College? Job in Hong Kong?”

“I honestly don’t know. I feel like I’ve changed so much since school started.” She gazed into his eyes, wanting him to feel the sincerity in her words. “I changed because of you. You’ve taught me what love is… real, that I don’t have to be perfect to be happy, and that I have a lot to learn about life. I want to explore everything, try everything. Your mom was a smart woman.”

“Thank you. I think so, too.”

“I just wish we could explore new things together.”

A loaded silence closed in around them. She wanted to ask him to stay, but the words got stuck in her throat. She leaned closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them ate anything else after that. They let the food go to waste, content to enjoy each other’s company. Tears dampened her eyes again. She wanted to shake him and scream and beg him not to leave her; she wanted to wrap her arms around him and refuse to let go.

Zach picked up the two champagne flutes, handed one to her, and lifted the other to make a toast. “To us.”

She sniffed the golden, bubbly contents.

“It’s non-alcoholic champagne,” he said with a wry smile. “What can I say? I’m a wild man.”

She giggled.

They each took a sip while staring into each other’s eyes. Possible arguments for him to stay entered her mind, but she kept her mouth shut. Nothing was going to sway him. If he would just promise to return, she could handle his departure better.

She mentioned it to him again, the possibility of him coming back.

“I don’t want to make any promises,” he said.

“Tell me you
want
to come back, at least, and I’ll be satisfied.”

“You know I want to.” He sighed. “And someday I probably will, but you might not want to be with me by then.”

She frowned.

He added, “You could be married.”

“I won’t get married. You don’t have to worry about that. My mother would kidnap me ‘cause she thinks a girl should play the field, not tie herself down to one guy, and my father would ship me to a non-English-speaking country if I even thought about getting married before I’m thirty. They’ve been crystal clear on their feelings on that subject.”

“Don’t put your life on hold because of me.”

“Too late. You can’t change my mind. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

He cleared his throat and got up. In seconds, he returned with a small box. It was gold with a red ribbon expertly tied around it. He handed it to her with a soft smile in place. As if embarrassed, he sat next to her and took another drink instead of watching her open it. She tore the wrapping with shaking fingers. What could it possibly be?

Kristen reached inside and pulled out a small, wooden angel. “It’s like the ones on your mantel.”

“My mom collected angels. Some were made out of glass, and some were crafted from metal. Her favorites were made of wood like this one.” He paused for a second before admitting, “My father made them for her.”

“Your father made this?” Kristen lifted her gift to eye-level.

Zach slowly shook his head, refusing to meet her gaze. “I made this one.”

The confession blew her mind. She brought the tiny angel closer to her face and took in the detail. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen. Winking, the angel held a hand to his mouth as he blew a kiss. “How? How did you learn to do something so incredible? Did your father teach you?”

He nodded. Obviously pleased at her response, he sat up straighter. “You really like it?”

“I love it.” She held it gently between both hands. “I will always treasure it. Thank you.”

She placed cool lips on his warm cheek.

As Zach leaned over and set his glass down, her peripheral vision picked up movement. She turned her head to the right and looked to see what it could be. Upstairs, standing at a window, his psycho sister watched them. Kristen lifted her champagne glass in mock salute, hoping to piss the girl off. Maybe his familiar would race down the stairs and let them have it, dropping the charade. Then Zach wouldn’t have to leave.

Following her late-night date—she’d crawled into bed at five that morning—Kristen slept in. Lucky for her, it was Saturday. In her dreams, she’d been back in Zach’s arms. It was so incredibly real she’d been able to smell his cologne and feel his cheek next to hers. She had woken with tears streaming down her face, her pillow wet. A blanket of grief covered her, suffocating her. How was she supposed to go on without Zach?

She stayed in bed for over an hour after waking up. Eyes on the ceiling, she drowned in the sorrow that permeated every pore. Zach was leaving town, and she’d never see him again. Her mind went in circles, trying to find a convincing argument to get him to stay, but she couldn’t come up with a single one. Zach had made up his mind to go. There wasn’t anything she could do about it.

Later in the day, her bedroom door opened and Cyndi stuck her head in. Kristen was sitting on the bed, still in her pajamas, looking at the precious mementoes from her time with Zach. They included the angel and rose from last night, a movie ticket, pictures of them taken by her friend on the yearbook committee, and a couple of notes he’d left sticking out of her locker.

There was half a box of tissues beside her and several used, discarded ones scattered around the floor. Hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her face had tearstains, her nose was red, and her eyes were swollen. Across the room, the stereo played Simply Red, the song about the woman wearing a dress similar to hers. Zach had given her the CD at the end of their date. Every time the song ended, she started it again.

It was their song.

Cyndi gasped at the sight of her. “What happened to you?”

“H-he’s l-l-leaving,” she sobbed, sprouting fresh tears.

“I’m sorry.” Cyndi hurried over to her and sat beside her, arms wrapping around her in a big hug. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Kristen grabbed a fresh tissue and wiped her face. She took a deep breath and forced the tears to stop flowing. “I’m g-going to be f-fine.”

“Of course you are.”

Kristen almost started crying again as she pictured the grief in Zach’s eyes when she’d left him standing on the sidewalk in front of his house. Shaking off the memory, she quickly changed the subject to something that didn’t make her feel like she was dying inside. Taking another deep breath to steady her voice, she asked, “Do you know why the car windows exploded at school yesterday?”

“Brittany.”

“Big surprise. Why did she lose her temper this time?”

“Well, I didn’t want to tell you last night and ruin your big date, so I kept my mouth shut, but Brittany has been suspended from school for two whole weeks.”

Kristen squinted at her sister. She must have heard wrong. As bad as Brittany could sometimes be, she wouldn’t get herself suspended. She wasn’t that stupid. “What?”

While twisting her fingers, Cyndi explained the whole thing in an overly-excited voice. She hardly took a breath between sentences. “A girl went to the principal and told him Brittany had beaten her up. Her face was a bloody mess. I saw it. Brittany totally denied it, of course, but there were witnesses. They all said the same exact thing. So, Brittany went nuts and the windshields blew up. Funny thing is, I believe her, and it’s not because she’s my twin and I’m sticking up for her, either. I can tell when she’s lying. She didn’t beat that girl up.”

“Then why would the girl say she did?”

Cyndi hesitated. “Well, Brittany thinks the girl lied because you crushed her and made her say those things.”

“
What?
” Forgetting about her problems with Zach and her broken heart, Kristen stood on the mattress. With Cyndi in her way, she had to walk a few steps before she could jump off the side of the bed. She began to pace as soon as her feet hit the floor. “I don’t crush girls. I don’t think it’s even possible for one girl to crush another.”

“Well, someone used magic to make all those people lie, because Brittany was telling the truth. I know she was.”

Kristen decided she needed to ask Brittany about it herself. She’d be able to tell if the girl were lying or not. Unlike Cyndi, she wasn’t easily fooled. Kristen asked, “Where is she?”

“I don’t know. That’s what scares me. She didn’t come home last night, and she hasn’t called or anything. It’s a good thing for her that Dad is gone for the week or she’d be toast. Of course, she’ll still be suspended when he gets back, so I guess she’s going to get into trouble no matter what. But I swear she didn’t do this. I just wish I could prove it.”

Hopefully Brittany wasn’t with Morgan Bevian again. Zach hadn’t been playing around when he’d threatened to accuse her. He would do it without a single regret if he thought his nutty sister was in jeopardy. Kristen’s gaze swung to her landline phone in the shape of red lips. Should she call him and ask him if he had Morgan in his sight?

Kristen’s imagination ran wild. She stared at Cyndi for a moment and thought about all the times the girl had done her Brittany impression. Morgan’s notebook had clearly named Cyndi as her new friend. Was it possible? Could Cyndi be the crazy one and not Brittany?

“Have you met Morgan?” she asked Cyndi in a casual tone.

“Zach’s sister? No.”

“Are you sure? She might have given you a different name.”

Cyndi shook her head emphatically. “I know what she looks like, remember? She made the lights go out with a freaky wave of her hands when we spied on Zach. If I’d met her, I would know it. Why?”

A wave of relief rolled over Kristen. Inwardly, she laughed at herself for being such an idiot. Of course it wasn’t Cyndi sneaking around with Morgan. No one could possibly keep up a sweet act like that for years on end. Eventually, they would slip up and unknowingly reveal their black heart.

Kristen sighed. “I think Brittany is using your identity again.”

“Great. Is she going to get me thrown into jail, suspended, or killed?”

It was a reasonable question. Kristen paced faster and contemplated the situation. What should she do? She couldn’t call Zach. He would go hunting for Brittany, ready to accuse her on the spot. Brittany most certainly couldn’t live without her powers. The girl used at least five spells a day on average. She couldn’t boil water without using powers. She would be even more lost than Kristen would be if it happened to her.

Cyndi frowned. “Have you noticed anything weird about her lately?”

“You’ll have to be more specific. This is Britt we’re talking about, and you know that doing weird stuff is kind of her hobby.”

“Well, one second she hates you and wants to kill you. The next second, she’s talking about you as if the two of you haven’t been fighting at all. Britt and I used to be chained at the hip, remember? She wanted me with her everywhere she went, but now I hardly see her. She says she has other friends and she’s doing things I wouldn’t enjoy, but since when does she care about what I want or what I would enjoy?”

That did sound weird.

“She hasn’t been acting like herself for a long time,” Kristen said. “I guess she was hung up on Zach more than we realized.”

Cyndi frowned. “I don’t think that’s it. I mean, she always thought he was hot, but she was just playing with the idea of hooking up with him. It wasn’t serious.”

“But she told me she wanted him. You were there. She’s pissed off at me because she wanted him and I crushed him.”

“She wasn’t serious about that.”

“Then why is she mad? Why is she out to get me?”

Cyndi shrugged. “I don’t know. I used to be so close to Britt that I knew what she was thinking before she did, but I don’t have a clue what’s going on in her head anymore.”

Now it was Kristen’s turn to frown. She went to her bed, sank down on the edge, and tried to recall Brittany’s exact words. Kristen was sure her sister had told her again and again that she’d wanted Zach for herself. If she wasn’t head over heels for him, then why was she so adamant about taking Kristen down?

###

They spent the day searching for Brittany, calling her friends and going to all the places Brittany enjoyed. When darkness fell, Brittany was still missing. Kristen’s concern multiplied with each passing hour. She and Cyndi decided to check the basketball game at school. Since Brittany had been kicked out, it was possible she’d be there. Suspending Brittany from school was like daring her to show up.

Cyndi checked the gymnasium while Kristen stayed outside. She didn’t want to see her old cheerleading squad doing their thing without her. It would be a painful reminder of everything she’d lost, thanks to that nasty Gina girl. Although she was almost certain she’d outgrown her former hobbies, she was afraid the sight of her ex-squad would bring up some bad memories.

Rain poured from a black sky. Beneath the hood of her yellow slicker, Kristen crossed the parking lot. Every time another person came into view, she looked at them expectantly and asked if they’d seen her sister. No one had. A couple of people suggested Brittany might have left town, run away. Deep down, Kristen hoped that was the case. Running away would be preferable to making trouble with Morgan Bevian.

When Zach appeared in front of her, she thought she was imagining him. He wasn’t wearing a coat, and his white T-shirt was plastered to his strong chest, molding to the muscles like a second skin. He looked incredible, breathing deeply as if he’d been running, and her eyes devoured him. For a second she forgot about Brittany, forgot everything except for the fact that she was in Zach’s presence again.

With a desperate look in his eyes, he shouted, “Where is your sister?”

She didn’t have to ask which sister he meant. “That’s why we’re here. Cyndi and I are looking for her.”

“Morgan is gone, too.”

Great
. That was all they needed—Brittany and Morgan teaming up against them. Kristen closed the distance between them. “I assume you searched your house?”

He nodded. “I checked the garage and the beach, too, but I own too many acres to search the property from one end to the other. I’ve been going crazy. Where could they have gone? Do you have any idea where Brittany would have taken my sister?”

She bristled. “Brittany didn’t
take
your sister anywhere. It was probably the other way around.”

“Don’t start defending that witch to me again! Brittany is vicious and manipulative, and Morgan is a child who goes along with other people because she doesn’t know any better.”

“Morgan is not the sweet, defenseless little girl you think she is!”

He threw up his hands. “I don’t have time to argue with you about this right now. I have to find my sister before your sister hurts her.”

Kristen breathed through her open mouth as rain hit her in the face. She was too cold and tired to argue with him. It was no use. He wasn’t going to listen to her, especially not when he was freaking out over his missing sibling. “It doesn’t matter which one is doing what right now. We need to find them both. Agreed?”

“
Yes
,” he hissed.

“The three of us should work together until we find them. Agreed?”

He nodded.

“I think we need to start at your house,” Kristen said. “We can split up and look in the woods. That’s probably where they are. Did you check your sister’s notebook for a clue?”

Sighing, he tilted his head back for a moment and allowed the rain to beat down on his face. “She didn’t write anything in it today. Nothing. Which doesn’t make sense because I told her we were moving. There should have been an entry about it, but there wasn’t a single word.”

Simple explanation for that. Morgan had been playing games with her brother, pretending to be handicapped. Of course the girl didn’t write in her notebook today—the notebook wasn’t an essential part of her cover anymore. “Did you check her back-up notebook?”

“Yes.”

Kristen pulled out her cell and called Cyndi. She filled the girl in as quickly as she could. By the time she finished the story, Cyndi had exited the gymnasium and was walking toward them. She nodded at Zach. Then the three of them started across the parking lot. They were going to take Kristen’s car because Zach’s didn’t have a backseat for Cyndi.

Kristen removed her hood when the hard rain turned into a light sprinkle.

Zach turned to Cyndi as they were walking and said, “Feels weird that we’ve never talked. You’re Kristen’s sister, and I’ve been dating her, but I haven’t even met you.”