Just a Little Series (Parts 1 - 4) (16 page)

“Yeah,” he nodded, adjusting his glasses.
“And me.” I watched him for a moment, completely unsure as to
whether or not he was being serious. “I don’t think—considering how
I feel about you, and how you feel about him—we should continue
being friends.”

And as his last few words echoed through the
gym, a loud clap of thunder shook the school, knocking the lights
out once and for all. The absence of electricity brought the gym
into an immediate blanket of darkness. I couldn’t see anything, not
even the familiar glare from Derek’s glasses.

I sat still, waiting for the power to be
restored, but nothing happened. Very few sounds filled the open
space, but I could easily make out Derek as he rustled in the
darkness.

“You need to take some time to really think
about your life, Julie. You’ve lost perspective,” Derek said, and
his voice only got farther away. Though I couldn’t see him, I knew
he was heading for the door; he was leaving me all alone. “Luke
should be here soon. And while I don’t want you to chance the storm
alone, I can’t walk you through this one myself. But I don’t think
you should be here when he arrives either. Get out while you still
can, Julie. You’re just going to end up hurt if you keep waiting on
him.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Friday, November 02 | 11:00 p.m.

“Back off,” a woman said, and her command
was firm, but kind. “Give the poor girl some space.”

“Do you think she’s dead?” a man asked, and
his voice so loud that it sounded as though he was speaking
directly in my ear.

“She’s not dead,” the woman retorted. “Look,
she’s moving….”

Though my head pounded as if I’d been beaten
near to death, I managed to open my eyes. Three old faces stared
down at me, and only then did it become apparent that I was looking
up from a stranger’s couch.

I sat up quickly, but two gentle hands fell
on my shoulders. The hands belonged to the female, sixty-something,
graying woman, whose movements were smooth and purposeful. She had
an elegant grace about her that was admirable, and I couldn’t help
but feel assured by her touch. As I glanced up at the two men
behind her, I instantly recognized one and jumped to my feet.

“Bruno!” I stumbled as I worked to throw my
arms around him. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

Detective Bruno smothered me in his strong
arms and held me close to his chest.

“Lonnie heard you screaming from the
street,” he said, still holding me tight. “He looked out the window
just as you hit the ground, sweetheart.

“Hit the ground?” I asked, reaching up to
feel the back of my head. My fingers brushed across a bump, and I
winced at the simple touch of my own fingers across the
protuberance. “I don’t remember—”

“You had a nasty fall, little one,” the
woman said. “A limb fell from the old oak and pinned you.”

“Down like a sack of potatoes,” Lonnie
added, clapping his hands together dramatically.

The room was dark, only lit by the few
candles strewn about on tables throughout the house. After five
minutes beneath his comforting hug, Detective Bruno loosened his
grip and guided me back to the couch.

“The cell towers are down,” he said, and his
expression grew stern. “No one can get calls in or out right now.
The power’s been out for a few hours, and Main Street is flooded;
we can’t get across town. Last I spoke to Charlie, he’d picked Matt
up from the restaurant. They were heading home to take cover.”

“Are they safe?”

“They should’ve made it home in plenty of
time,” he assured me. “The wind was bad, though. We lost contact.”
I nodded as Bruno knelt down to meet my stare. “Why in the world
were you out in that, Julie? You were supposed to be at the school.
Charlie had sent….” He looked over his shoulder and then back to
me. “
Someone
was supposed to pick you up.”

“I didn’t wanna wait,” I said, feeling
defensive. “Derek left, and I thought I could make it on my
own.”

“Well, look how that turned out,” his tone
sounded far too much like Luke’s. And then the simple thought of
Luke made my heart slam against my chest.
Had he made it to the
school to get me? Why hadn’t I called him? I should’ve told him I
was leaving. Was he looking for me? Was he safe?

“What about—”

“No word from him,” Detective Bruno said as
if he knew exactly what I’d been thinking, “but I’m sure he’s
fine.”

“Do you want a snack or anything, kiddo?”
Lonnie asked, leaning over Bruno’s shoulders. “We’re all stocked up
on goodies.”

“No thanks,” I said, still looking at the
Detective. “I need to get home. Charlie’ll be worried sick.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” the woman took
a step forward. “Didn’t you hear? The streets are flooded. There’s
no power. It’s pitch dark. It’s not safe for you out there,
darling.”

“You can sleep upstairs,” Bruno said. “Grace
will show you to your room.”

“Where are
you
going?” I took his
wrist as he started to stand. “You’re not going to stay with
me?”

“I’ll be on the couch,” he said. “I won’t be
far.”

“Are you sure,” I started, but leaned closer
to whisper so only he could hear me, “are you sure we’re safe with
these people? They’re kind of….” I looked back to Lonnie and Grace,
and they both stared down at me with goofy smiles beaming from one
ear to the next, “strange.”

Bruno glanced behind his shoulder and winked
at the woman.

“Grace is my sister,” he turned back to me,
“and Lonnie is the poor schmuck she talked into marrying her.”

I smiled up at Grace and Lonnie, but I’m
certain that they read through the insincerity. It wasn’t that I
was ungrateful, but history had taught me to be a little skeptical
of anyone who was so willing to lend a helping hand for nothing in
return.

“It’s just one night,” Bruno assured me.
“We’ll get you home tomorrow.”

Five minutes later—after listening to Lonnie
relive an animated and exaggerated version of my fall—I followed
Grace up the dark staircase. Her nightgown swept each step as we
climbed to the second floor, and I watched closely so as not to
step on the back and trip her.

“Watch your step here,” Grace pointed to the
final step. “It’s creaky. I’ve been waiting on it to fall through
for years, but it hasn’t given out yet. You never know though.”

“Have you lived here a long time?” I
followed her to the first door on the right.

“Only five years,” she turned back. “It was
Lonnie’s house before we were married.”

“Ah, newlyweds?” I asked, cherishing the
idea that new love could blossom at any given age.

“We were married five summers ago,” she
said. “We didn’t have a big ceremony, just something small and
comfortable. It was a second marriage for each of us, so we didn’t
see the point in all the frills and thrills.”

“That’s sweet,” I stepped in the room as she
opened the door.

“You can sleep here for the night,” she
said. “I know it’s not a five-star hotel, but the bed’s
comfortable, and the sheets are clean.”

“It’s perfect,” I said, letting my eyes
wander across the dark space. “Thank you.”

She set an extra candle on the dresser and
turned to go, leaving me alone in the cold bedroom. I made my way
over to the window and looked outside, hoping to get a better idea
of where I was, but nothing was easily discernible in the dark.

“Knock, knock,” Lonnie stuck his head in the
room, “brought you some clothes.”

“Thanks,” I said, coming over to take the
folded men’s pajamas from him.

“I took a wild guess that one of Grace’s
nightgowns would probably swallow you whole,” he smiled again.
“These are just some old things that used to belong to my….” He
trailed off for a moment before shaking his head. “Well, anyway, I
hope you can get some use out of 'em.”

“Thanks again,” I said, lifting the clothes
a little higher. “For everything, really. You didn’t have to take
me in like this; I can imagine it’s unnerving having a stranger
sleep in your home.”

“Any friend of Bruno’s is a friend of ours,”
Lonnie said. “Besides, I can’t remember the last time someone slept
in that bed. It’s a comforting thought knowing there’s a grateful
soul just down the hall.”

I nodded and smiled.

“I’ll let you get dressed,” he said, turning
away. “Sleep well.”

After Lonnie left—closing the door behind
him—I slipped out of my damp, dirty clothes and into the long,
flannel pajama pants and tee-shirt.

I pulled the blankets back on the bed and
climbed in, remembering nothing before I fell into a dreamless
sleep.

Saturday, November 03 | 8:00 a.m.

The morning sunlight shone through the
curtains. I turned over, my back to the window, and hoped to fall
back asleep. When the light continued to pierce my eyes and became
too unbearable to ignore, I opened my eyes and shot up at the sight
of another person in the room.

“
What are you doing here
?” I asked,
and I couldn’t mask my shock for even a moment.

Luke sat in a corner chair on the other side
of the room. He didn’t smile; he didn’t wear anything that even
closely resembled a happy expression. He sat still: his lips
pursed, his eyes glaring, and his stare unwavering.

“Luke, what are you doing here?”

“What part of
I’ll be right there to get
you
got lost in translation?” he asked, and I could hear the
anger in his voice. “What the hell is wrong with you, Julie? Grace
said they found you pinned between the sidewalk and a tree
branch.”

“I don’t remember that part—”

“Do you remember the message I sent
you?”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you remember leaving the school when I
specifically told you not to?”

“Yes, but Luke—”

“But
nothing
, Julie.” His words were
sharp and cold. “I’m sick of this. I’m sick of you blatantly
ignoring me when I give you an order. I know you don’t like to
think so, but I
do
know what’s best for you.”

“I know you like to think that,” I mumbled,
pulling the blankets up. “But look. I’m alive. I’m safe, sound, and
well rested. In the end, it all worked out.”

“Well, isn’t that just peachy?” he said, and
his voice was laced thick with sarcasm. “Sweet little Julie spent a
night in a stranger’s house, sleeping in a stranger’s bed, wearing
a stranger’s clothes, and ignoring the advice of everyone who
wanted to help her. God only knows what could’ve happened to
you.”

“Detective Bruno said I could trust
them.”

“So you can listen to
him
, but you
can’t listen to me?”

“He cares about me—”

“Dammit, Julie,” he said, and he let go of a
heavy sigh, “was this just one of your sick plans? You nearly got
yourself killed, and for what? Just so, if you happened to pull
through, I
might
run to your side and finally profess my
undying love for you?
Is that what you want
? For me to admit
that I care?”

“No,” I suddenly felt two inches tall. “I
don’t care if you tell me you
hate
me, Luke. It doesn’t
really matter anymore. All I’m saying is, your words don’t always
match your actions. How was I supposed to know you’d actually show
up last night?”

“Real nice, Julie,” he rolled his eyes for
what seemed like the tenth time. “Any excuse to make me the bad
guy—”

“What do you want me to say, Luke? I’m not
wrong!
You don’t know the meaning of consistency!
You never
carry through! I can’t spend my life trying to figure you out!”

The door creaked open, and Detective Bruno
stuck his head in the room. His eyes met mine, and he furrowed his
brow with worry.

“Everything okay in here?” he asked, but
then his glance fell on Luke. “Oh,” he stood straighter. “When did
you get in?”

“A few minutes ago,” Luke mumbled, not
meeting Bruno’s stare.

“Sorry about the yelling,” I looked between
the two of them. “I didn’t mean to disturb anyone—”

“No sweat,” Bruno winked at me. Then he
turned back and glared at Luke with nothing but disappointment. The
gaze lingered for what felt like years, and I suddenly got that
same feeling I’d gotten the night Bruno called Luke at the costume
party.
What was going on between them?

When the two men finally broke their stare,
Bruno managed a smile. “Everyone is up and at ’em,” he said.
“Lights are back on, and breakfast is on the table. We just got a
hold of Charlie. He and Matt are both safe and sound, but you
should probably get dressed. The roads are clear now. They’re on
their way over to get you.”

“Thanks,” I threw the blankets off to slide
out of the bed.

“Heads up, Julie,” he said, looking as if he
didn’t want to say what he was about to say. “He’s pissed as hell
that you left the school alone.”

Bruno left the room without another word. I
turned back to Luke and shrugged.

“So?”

“What?” he asked, still bitter.

“I need to change.
You
need to
go.”

“Right,” he stood up. He walked toward the
door and stopped short as he reached for the handle. He didn’t turn
around, didn’t look back, but rested his forehead on the door in
front of him.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Julie,” he said, and
his voice was muffled against the wood. “If anything would’ve
happened to you….”

“I know,” I figured that was as close to an
apology as I would ever get from him.

He pushed himself back and opened the door,
but before he stepped out, he finally turned around to look at
me.

“I won’t be here when you come down,” he
said, and his voice had lost every bit of its anger and sarcasm.
His words were soft and heartfelt, and I assumed it took everything
he had in him to muster up that much kindness. “Get home safe, and
don’t let Charlie give you too much crap.”