Dark Friends (15 page)

              “Things you'll never understand, doofus.” Jen answered.

              “Hey y’all, I gotta get home. I'll see you later, though.” Amelia announced, turning and leaving them on the trail. She didn't know it, but when she left the group, they didn't stay together.

                                                                     
Chapter Twenty-Six

              “Where have you been?” Catina asked Amelia as soon as she got home.

              “I walked home. I stopped by the park and chatted with some friends, too.” Amelia answered, irritated.

              “Y'know, I would really like to meet your friends sometime.”

              “Why? They're just people like anyone else.”

              “Because it's important. Don't you wanna meet some of my friends?” Catina asked.

              “No.”

              “Well, never mind then.” Catina said, pretending to be disappointed. To her surprise, it worked. Amelia kept talking.

              “This boy at school wants to go on a date with me on Saturday night. He wants to eat at some Italian place and go watch some cowboy movie.”

              “Wow. Well...Steven! Come down here!” Catina said. Steven came ambling down the stairs a moment later, appearing concerned.

              “What's up Cat? Hi Amelia, welcome home.” Steve said.

              “Amelia was asked on a date this weekend. What do you think?”

              “I think she's mature enough to take care of herself. The real question is, do you want to go out with this boy?” Steven said, making Catina feel overly punitive and anxious. She had not even asked Amelia the boy's name, if she liked him, or anything. Swearing to herself, Catina figured she had a lot to learn.

              “I like him, and I want to go.”

              “Does he drive?” Steve pressed.

              “No.”

              “Well, if he comes by the house so that we can meet him, then you can go, and be home before eleven.” Steven sounded like he had planned his instructions out in advance, Catina thought.

              “Thanks!” Amelia said, bounding up the stairs.

              “How do you do it, Steven?” Catina asked once Amelia was out of earshot.

              “My hair? Lather, rinse and repeat.
Always
repeat.”

              “Shut up.”

              “Hey, do you think that Amelia could be attracted to the wrong type of guy because of her abusive past?” Steven asked, “You know more about women's tastes in men than I do.”

              “I don't know. She could go either way, I suppose. At least we'll get to meet the kid before they go anywhere.”

              “You're welcome for that.”

              “I didn't say thank you.” Catina said, hugging her husband.

                                                                     
Chapter Twenty-Seven

              On Saturday night, Stewie arrived at six thirty sharp, wearing khakis and a buttoned-up polo shirt. His hair was combed neatly to the side and he held blue roses in one hand. Taking a deep breath, he rang the McCrees doorbell. Steven answered.

              “You must be Stewie. I'm Steven, Amelia's...guardian. Please come in.”

              “Thank you, Mr. McCrees.” Stewie answered, slightly intimidated. Her
guardian?
What did he do, follow her around with a black cape and smite the evildoers who crossed her path? Just then Catina rounded the corner, her eyes piercing Stewie.

              “You must be the young man whose infatuation is targeted at my daughter.” Catina said by way of introduction.

              “I'm Stewart Paleston. Pleased to meet you, ma'am.” Stewie answered formally as a huge bead of sweat formed at his hairline.

              “And just where do you plan on taking Amelia tonight?” Catina inquired.

              “Da Vinci's on second street, just past the north end of Bethe Park.”

              “I know Da Vinci's. Is that all?”

              “No. We're gonna go see
“The Zombie Hunter”
at the CinePlex.”

              “What time did you intend to bring our daughter home?” Steven joined the interrogation.

              “The movie ends at ten.”

              “Do you two need a ride?”

              “No.” Stewie responded, praying that they had no follow-up questions. Steve and Catina gave each other a sardonic smile. The boy seemed completely harmless, if a bit queer. They could have grilled him for much longer, but he was utterly guileless.

              “Well, have a good time then.” Steven said, cutting off the inquisition. After another minute, Amelia descended the staircase wearing form-fitting jeans and a shirt that said “What are you looking at?” in bold letters on the front.

              “Hi Amelia. I've just met your parents.” Stewie said.

              “Great. Let's go.” She replied, not bothering to acknowledge her adoptive parents existence. The young couple left the older ones standing on the front porch, watching them meander down the street unhurriedly. They had about a mile to walk to the restaurant.

              “Do you wanna follow them?” Catina asked.

              “No. One of the most difficult and rewarding parts of being a parent is being able to trust your child and loosen the leash. She'll be fine.” Steven said.

              “It's not her I'm worried about.” Catina replied, eliciting a snort of laughter from Steven.

              Amelia and Stewie walked down the residential block, not speaking. Stewie was not shy, but he was forcing himself to only say mature, relevant things that evening. If he were honest with himself, Amelia was a very unsettling person, and that was attractive to him. Around girls he usually felt like an ugly, too-smart-for-his-own-good kind of guy with no appeal. With Amelia, he felt attractive, yet intellectually inferior. She had such a quick tongue, such perspicacity that Stewie was thrown off balance around her.

              When they arrived at Da Vinci's, Stewie approached the maitre'd like he owned the place.

              “Reservation for Paleston.” he announced. The waited scrutinized Stewie for a moment, wondering if he was stealing the real Mr. Paleston's reservation. He came to a decision after a moment.

              “Follow me, please.”

              The couple were seated at an intimate table on the second floor of the restaurant, overlooking the park. The table had a large, purple cloth on it and expensive silverware. Amelia had never dreamed of dining in such a ritzy venue. She had been raised in dirt-poor orphanages where they usually ate on the floor. If they even ate at all. A different waiter approached their table.

              “Hi, my name is Leo and I will be serving you this evening. Can I start you off with some drinks?” he spoke with a light Italian accent.

              And so the entire evening went. People bringing them food, refilling their drinks. Amelia was in complete shock the entire night. They were given rolls and butter, an appetizer, salad, soup and
then
their meals. They were even offered dessert at the end, though Stewie declined. After the meal, Stewie paid the bill like it was nothing, then guided Amelia outside. They had barely spoken the entire meal, and he was confused.

              “Are you having a good time? How was your meal?”

              “This is so...new to me.”

              “New? Have you never been to a restaurant?”

              “No.” Amelia answered. Stewie stood there gazing at her for a moment.

              “Who are you really, Amelia McCrees?”

              “I'm Amelia Gannerson. I was an orphan my entire life, until I was adopted almost a month ago.”

              “What? Why didn't you tell me?” his eyes narrowed.

              “It's none of your business.”

              “I thought we were friends! We talk everyday! I took you out for a very expensive dinner! The least you can do is pretend like you're having a good time, or even tell me who you really are.”

              “Y'know, my friend Jennie said I shouldn't go out with you, she said you're a weirdo loser. Now, I think she was right!.” Amelia yelled, storming away from Stewie, towards the park. Stewie watched her for a moment, stunned by the evening's sudden change of course. He watched her escape into the darkness, waited a moment, then followed her.

              Amelia walked briskly until she could no longer see the lights from the restaurant, then slowed down, observing her surroundings. Her eyes were still adjusting to the night, and everything was shadows. She could see the paved path in front of her and the dark trees off to the sides, jumbled together like storm clouds. There was a glimmer of moonlight on a metal bench, inviting wayward lovers and bums to bring it company. Amelia kept walking.

              During the day, the park was bright, open and relaxing. At night, it was an animal, growling and ominous. The quiet was broken by the ruffling of leaves in the woods, no doubt a small animal or bird. The wind was erratic, kicking up to a fierce torrent, then dying down to an unnatural stillness. Amelia cursed it all. Even when she found something she loved, something that made her comfortable, it was not what it seemed. The late hour brought dark thoughts, memories, of Ellis, of death, of the weight of too much knowledge. Somewhere in the direction of the restaurant, Amelia heard the pitter-patter of footsteps coming towards her. Stewie, she thought. Amelia ducked off the path, behind an isolated tree, and hoped he would pass by her without detecting her perfume.

              He went by. His forlorn expression and hesitant body language marked him as a boy who was doing something he didn't understand. Amelia watched him go, waited another minute, then set off toward Da Vinci's. She would take the long route home, they hadn't seen
“The Zombie Hunter”
and she would easily be home before eleven. As she neared the edge of the darkness, She heard Nelson's familiar voice.

              “Hey Amelia.”

              “Nelson? What are you doing out here, alone, so late?” she asked as Nelson emerged from shadows. He was wearing all black clothes and splotches of mud decorated his pants, like he had been digging a hole.

              “I'm...working.” he offered.

              “OK.” Amelia's voice trembled.

              “What are you doing out here? All dressed up and sweating like a pig”?

              “I'm trying to get away from my date, Stewie. We had dinner, then we had a misunderstanding and he's trying to find me.” Amelia said, regretting the words, but unable to lie to Nelson.

              “OK. Well, if I see him, I'll let him know you don't wanna be found.” the malevolence in Nelson's eyes was clear.

              “I gotta go” Amelia blurted out, racing past Nelson. He didn't give chase, and after an hour of strolling down empty streets, Amelia was home. 

                                                                     
Chapter Twenty-Eight

              Monday came too quickly. The universe conspired against her, accelerating the fabric of time, bringing her confrontation with Stewie to it's inevitable conclusion. Amelia got to math class and sat in her chair ramrod straight, focusing on her study guide, though she knew it by heart. She heard the classroom filling up behind her, and a Hispanic boy's broken English caught Amelia's attention.

              “Ooh! The rojo-gringo was a pinata this weekend!”

              Amelia swiveled in her chair and saw Stewie, his face was bruised and scratched. He walked with a small limp and his lips were fixed into a perpetual grimace. Nelson! She knew it was him. He must have found poor Stewie and administered an anonymous beating, in accordance with his increasingly sadistic disposition. Stewie didn't meet her eyes as he took his seat, burying his shame in his textbook. He didn't say a word to her the entire class, and afterward he rushed out of class ahead of her. He's ashamed, Amelia thought, and embarrassed. She promised herself to talk to him during lunch, to sacrifice her personal comfort to try and soothe his injuries.

              Stewie ate alone in a corner at lunch. He had been attracting stares and rude questions all day. Amelia watched him eat, never looking up. After a few minutes, she worked up the courage to approach him.

              “Hey Stew”

              “Get away from me” he grumbled.

              “Look, I'm really sorry for what happened on Saturday. Thanks for the nice dinner and I'm sorry I stormed off like that into the park.” she explained.

              “Why don't you apologize for what you did to my face?”

              “Me? Oh...that was Nelson. He's a friend of mine. I don't know why he was out in the woods that night, but I think he may have attacked you because he likes me.”