Fractured Light (8 page)

“Do you mind if I stick around?” he asked.

“Why?” I kept walking.

“It’s fun.”

“You so need a life.”

“Then you don’t mind?”

I shrugged and jogged onto the court to continue running ladders. I had to get my mind off Christian and his touch that still lingered on my skin. I felt it more than I did the pain from my legs.

After ladders, Ms. Lindsey rounded us up for other drills. Shooting was my favorite. I only missed a couple of shots—and those had been on purpose. I didn’t want to seem too good, because I knew it was only a matter of weeks before I’d really stink it up.

Ms. Lindsey blew her whistle. “Have a seat, girls.” She waited for us to sit before continuing, “Tomorrow I’ll post a sheet on my office door of the girls who made first cut. If your name is on it, return tomorrow at this same time. You all did a great job, but remember, I can’t keep all of you. Have a great night.”

Everyone stood and began gathering their belongings.

“Llona, can I have a word with you?” Ms. Lindsey asked.

I cringed, knowing what she was going to say. Last year she’d been furious at me for the way I’d played in some of the games. At first she’d tried to be all nice and understanding, thinking maybe I was sick, but when I couldn’t give her a satisfactory answer as to why I was suddenly playing like Shaq on crack, she’d blown up. At one point I’d thought she was going to slap me, but luckily the gym had been crowded.

“Yes, Coach?” I asked, staying out of arm’s reach just in case.

“You probably know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“Did you come to play this year?”

“Yes, Coach. I want to be on the team.”

She shifted her considerable weight. “That’s not what I meant. Are you going to give it your all, each and every game?”

“Absolutely. I will never quit.”

“Like you did last year?”

“I didn’t quit.”

She snorted. “You could barely run down the court half the time. I can’t have you playing like that this year. I need you a hundred percent during all practices and games. Can you do that?”

“I promise to give it a hundred.”

She squinted. “Why do I get the feeling that we’re going to have the same problem?”

My shoulders slumped. “Look, Coach, I promise to do my best, but I can’t promise that it will always be what you want. I understand you have to do what’s best for the team, I really do. I won’t have any hard feelings one way or the other.”

She rubbed her chin, like a man does when feeling his scruff. “Fair enough. I’ll be watching you, Llona.” Her gaze moved behind me. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“We’re looking for Llona Reese,” a deep voice said.

I turned around. Two policemen stood side-by-side. “I’m Llona,” I said.

The larger one spoke, “I’m Officer Pieut and this is Officer Bryant. May we have a word with you?”

“Um, sure.” I turned to Ms. Lindsey. “See you tomorrow.”

She nodded. Her eyes darted back and forth between the officers and me, and then she walked away.

Officer Pieut looked down at a small notebook in his hand. His bulbous nose protruded into his thick mustache. “You called us earlier today about a shoe.”

I swallowed. “Yes. Did you find it?”

Officer Pieut looked at Officer Bryant. “We did. And we have some questions for you. What time did you find it?”

“About seven this morning. I was leaving my house to go running when I tripped on it.”

“Where did you find it, again?” he asked.

“On my front porch.”

The officer’s looked at each other again.

“Did you hear or see anything strange last night?” Officer Bryant asked.

“No. Why?”

Officer Pieut scribbled on his notebook. “Thank you for your time. We’ll contact you if we have any further questions.” They turned away.

“Wait!” I said.

They stopped and turned back toward me.

“Did the shoe belong to that woman?”

Officer Pieut glanced around and then focused his gaze on me. “It looks that way. But don’t worry. A dog probably dragged it onto your porch,” he said, and then walked away with his partner.

I wanted to believe him, but I’d seen the shoe. There hadn’t been a scratch on it—no teeth marks, nothing. I looked up and waved to May and Christian. It’s nothing. Strange coincidence is all. I had to believe that—for the alternative terrified me.

“W
HAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
” C
HRISTIAN ASKED, ONCE HE
reached the bottom of the bleachers. His eyes followed the officers out of the gym.

“Nothing, really. They just wanted to know about a shoe I found.”

“A shoe?” May asked.

“You know that lady who was killed?”

“The one who had her throat slit?” May said, swallowing hard.

“Yeah. Her shoe showed up at my house.”

“No way!” May said. “How?”

“The police think a dog ran off with it and left it on my porch. Weird, huh?”

Christian touched my arm. “Are you all right?”

“Of course.” Think of something else. “You guys want to get out of here, go do something?”

“Aren’t you tired?” May asked.

I shook my head.

“I’m in,” Christian said.

“Good.” I heaved my bag over my shoulder and started outside.

“Let me get that for you,” Christian said.

I scowled and darted away. “I can handle it.”

“I know you can, but you don’t have to. You can let someone help.” He opened the gym doors.

It was a strange thing to say. It was something my father would’ve said.

“So what do you guys want to do?” May asked, once we were all sitting in the car. “Do you want to get something to eat?”

“How about it, Llona?” Christian asked.

“Sure. I can eat.” And pretend the incident with the shoe never happened. I took a deep breath to clear my mind.

“Where to?” May asked.

“Wherever you want,” I told her, tapping my fingers against the side of the door.

“Let’s go to Johny’s then. I’m craving a burger,” she said.

Johny’s was a 1950s-style burger joint, and a popular hangout for high school kids. It wouldn’t have been my choice because it was always packed, but it fit May’s personality.

“It looks crowded,” I said to May when we pulled into the parking lot.

“Is that okay? Do you want to go somewhere else?”

“Um, no. This is fine.”

“Look! There’s Adam,” May said. As soon as she parked the car, she jumped out and rushed over to say hello.

When I opened the door to Johny’s, the smell of grease and vanilla punched me in the gut. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. Surprisingly, there were still a few tables unoccupied. Fifties paraphernalia littered the walls, and Elvis Presley bellowed “Heartbreak Hotel” from a lit-up juke box in the corner.

“How many?” a waitress dressed in a poodle skirt and pink top asked. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail; stray strands from a long day’s work fell to the sides of her flushed face. She looked like one of those single moms who worked hard for every dollar she earned.

“Three,” Christian answered.

“Right this way,” the tired woman said.

I tried to think of something to say that might lighten her burden, but I wasn’t used to reaching out.

“We’ll tip her good,” Christian said once we sat down.

“Huh?”

“Let’s leave a good tip for the waitress. She looks burned out.”

“You noticed?”

“Sure. She’s probably a single mom or something. I can’t imagine how hard that would be.” He opened his menu and scanned over its contents.

Once again, I stared at him. Who was this guy?

May bounded up with Adam next to her. She was in the middle of telling him about basketball practice. Adam pulled out a chair and sat next to Christian, while May sat next to me. Just then the front door opened, and in walked Mike. I shuddered.

“Hey, Adam! I thought I recognized your car, you big putz,” Mike called from across the diner. He waved the waitress out of his face and moved toward us.

“What are you losers doing?” he joked, even though, to me, he sounded serious. He stole a chair from a nearby table and sat at the end next to May and Adam.

“We just ran into each other,” May said.

“Don’t you guys have anything better to do?” he sneered.

“Don’t you?” I shot back.

He glared at me. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you had any friends.”

“We just came from Llona’s basketball practice,” Christian said. He sat up straighter in his seat.

“Did she fall on her face?” Mike asked. He motioned the waitress over.

“Actually, she was amazing.”

“Whatever. Girls can’t play sports.”

“We can too,” May blurted. “In fact, I bet Llona could waste you at basketball.”

“Yeah, right. I saw her play last year. My one-eyed dog could’ve played better,” Mike said, looking disgusted.

“If you played her tonight,” Christian said, “she’d murder you.”

“What can I get you?” the waitress asked from behind me.

“Get me a double burger with extra cheese. And a large Coke,” Mike said, his lips wet with spit. The waitress turned to Adam, but Mike interrupted her. “And by the way, make sure the cook doesn’t drown the burger in ketchup. Last time I got one, I felt like I was drinking the soggy thing.”

The waitress nodded, looking even more miserable. She moved around the table, taking our orders, and when she got to me, I noticed her eyes were glistening with tears. Her suffering tore at my heart. Instinctively, I reached out and touched her arm, wishing I could help. All of a sudden Light’s energy passed through me and warmed the skin beneath my palm. “Everything will be okay,” I said.

The woman visibly relaxed as if I’d injected her with melatonin and, for a reason she probably didn’t understand, she smiled. “Thanks. It’s just been one of those days.” I returned the smile and gave her my order. When she turned to May, my eyebrows rose, and I mouthed the word “wow” to no one. I couldn’t believe I just did that. It had come naturally, like learning to walk. I never knew what my mother had meant when she said she could comfort others—now I did.

“I’ll be right back,” Mike said, after the waitress left. He stood and walked over to a girl whose name I thought was Amanda.

“Why does he have to be such a jerk all of the time?” May asked the guys.

“That’s just Mike. He’s been like that for as long as I’ve known him. Everyone just ignores him,” Adam said in a lame attempt to justify Mike’s behavior.

“Well, I think he needs his butt kicked,” May said. “The other day in Mr. Steele’s class”—my head snapped up—“Mike made a girl cry. It was horrible.”

“What did Mr. Steele do?” I asked.

“Gave him detention. He is the nicest teacher,” May said, her eyes drifting toward the heavens.

Christian and Adam laughed. “I don’t think the girls like him because he’s nice.”

“He can’t help it if he’s hot,” May said.

“What do you think, Llona? Do you think Mr. Steele is hot?” Christian asked.

May answered for me, “Are you kidding? Llona’s got it the worst. She’s in a complete daze every time she walks out of his class.” She turned to me. “Speaking of which, what’s your math grade like?”

I shook my head. “Horrible. I don’t know what my problem is.”

“I could tutor you if you’d like. I do okay in math,” Christian said. “And since I’m not as hot as Mr. Steele, maybe you’ll be able to learn something.”

“I think you’re hot,” Adam said. He leaned in for a pretend kiss. Christian shoved him away.

Ten minutes later our food arrived, bringing Mike back to our table. We dove in, especially me. It was hard to consume enough calories to make up for all the energy I burned.