Love Sucks! (14 page)

B
ridget met me at my locker between third and fourth periods.

“Where's Malia? I haven't seen her all morning,” I said.

“Not her keeper, you should know that by now,” Bridget said. “So are you and Sexy Lexy going to the prom together? Because if you're not, I know half a dozen girls who would volunteer. Actually, they'd probably all pay to go with him.”

“Hah. I'm sure. You know, he asked, but with all the drama going on at home, I probably won't go. It's just too much of a hassle, you know?”

“Seriously? It's our senior prom—you have to go!”

“Yeah, we'll see.”

Bridget and I parted ways. I was almost to Mrs. Christopher's class when my stomach started to roil. The smell just came on so fast and so strong, I seriously almost hurled in the hallway. I leaned against a row of lockers and took a deep breath.

Thank God I didn't blow chunks. I don't know if there's anything more humiliating than having the janitor toss some vomit litter on your mess while the whole school looks on.

“You okay?” Malia asked as she walked up. She reached out to grab my arm but then pulled back. “You look a little pale.”

“Do you smell anything?” I asked.

“Uh, nothing but the gourmet soyburgers we're gonna get for lunch. It makes me wanna vomit, too.”

“Heh. Yeah. I'm fine. It's passed.” I stopped using the lockers as a leaning post and stood upright. “Where were you this morning? Bridge and I waited for you at the lockers.”

“Sorry. Meant to tell y'all I had a dentist appointment today.”

“Oh, and how was old Dr. McKitchens? Does he still pass that one drop of spit between his upper and lower lip?”

“Ugh, yes! Thank God he finally put on a mask. I just wanted to grab my bib and wipe his mouth for him.”

When I entered Mrs. Christopher's class, I could tell the meeting had gone well.

Mrs. Ledbetter decided to let it go, since she was the only parent who seemed to be remotely concerned. So now we could move forward with the current theme.

That was the good news.

The bad news came shortly after class started when Sheriff Christopher showed up. As soon as Mrs. Christopher saw her husband, I could tell she knew something wasn't right.

There had been a break-in and someone had ransacked the Christophers' home. Which was pretty ballsy, if you asked me—he was the sheriff, after all.

But I supposed a demon really wasn't very scared of a little old sheriff.

It didn't take long for the rumors to spread like wild-fire that it was somehow connected to the Ledbetters' prom protest.

I knew it wasn't the Ledbetters. I just couldn't figure out how the demon or my daddy broke into their protected house.

My suspicions were confirmed when I walked out to
my car after school to find Clive waiting on me. “What do you want?” I asked.

“You know exactly what I want. And until I get it, I'm done giving your mother what she needs.”

I had been waiting for this. “You make me sick. You have two of the runes and you know the location of the third one. I've kept my end of the bargain.”

He smiled. “I want the third rune, and you're going to help me get it.”

“If you couldn't find it, what makes you think I can? And how did you get into their house without an invitation?”

“If I had looked for it, I would've found it. But I can't seem to buy myself an invitation anywhere, so I had that stupid oaf ex-teacher of yours look for me. I'm really glad it doesn't take a rocket scientist to pick a lock.”

“Mr. Charles?” I asked.

“I own him. Especially after his screwup with you last year. And since that stepbrother of yours gave him the green boils from hell, he's been pretty useless to me all week. But nobody needs to see him for breaking and entering. And my pet demon stayed very close to the house to keep him in line.”

I shuddered. My father was a real piece of work. “How
am I supposed to find the rune?”

“Your boyfriend is going to help. Get in, and let's go to the hospital.”

He moved out of the way so I could open my door. “Aren't you going to invite me in?” he asked sweetly.

It took all of my strength not to scratch his eyes out right there. “Please, join me,” I spat.

He laughed as he sat in the backseat. I glanced into my rearview mirror to watch him close the door, wink, and disappear.

“Surprised?” he said with a laugh. It was creepy how I could hear him but couldn't see him.

“Nothing you do surprises me. You're despicable.”

“Call your boyfriend.”

Which boyfriend? I had to assume he meant Lex. Nobody knew about Ryan and me, and there was no way I was going to let him know about us. And frankly, once Ryan realized how I had betrayed him, there would be no more Ryan and me.

So I dialed Lex.

“There she is. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me.”

“Never,” I said with a nervous laugh. I glanced into the rearview mirror with my eyebrows up. I had no idea
what I was supposed to say.

“Tell him you think you know where the third rune is but need him to help you find it,” the backseat said.

I did as I was instructed and added, “I'm on my way to the hospital. Can you leave now?”

“Sure. Rick's awake and doing well. He doesn't need me here to babysit anymore. And your mum is really starting to get stronger.”

“Really?”

“She woke up today and was lucid. They think just a few more transfusions of the Serpentine blood and she'll be back to normal.”

My heart sank. I was hoping he would tell me that she didn't need any more Serpentine blood so I could tell Daddy of the Year to get bent.

But no. I needed his blood, and the only way to ensure he would keep helping my mom was to find that third rune.

“I'll be there in ten minutes. Meet me out front?”

“See you there,” he said.

I hung up the phone, a mix of emotions fighting inside me. “How do I know you're going to keep your word if I find the rune? How can I trust you?”

“You can't, I guess. But since I'm your mom's only
hope, I don't think you have a choice. Doc told me today they need at least two more donations, so for your mother's sake, you better hope you find that rune.”

 

Lex got into the car, leaned over, and kissed me softly. I was a little tentative, trying to figure out how I could tell him I was distressed without tipping off the invisible dad in the backseat.

He pulled back with a strange look on his face. I smiled at him, hoping it came across as warm instead of whacko. Because at the moment I felt very much out of my mind.

“You all right, sailor?” he asked.

I nodded as I drove away from the hospital. Maybe I could open the door up to my brain and let him into my thoughts?

Wait. No. If I opened my mind to Lex, would I be letting Dad in as well? If Dad knew I was letting Lex in, he would stop helping Mom. And if Lex realized Dad was in the car, he wouldn't help me.

I was definitely caught between a rune and a hard place.

“Is this some top-secret mission that you can't tell me about in advance?” he asked. “You haven't said two words since you picked me up.”

“Sorry. Lost in thought,” I said. “So the second rune
has been showing us Mrs. Christopher's house as the location of rune number three. But we can't find it.”

“And neither did the person who trashed her house,” Lex added.

I shot him a look. “What makes you think that wasn't just someone trying to make a point about the prom?”

“I think you're being watched and that person realized there's a reason you're continuing to go over to Mrs. Christopher's house.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. But you don't think they found the rune?”

“No. Why else would we be heading that way now? The second rune is still talking to you, aye?”

“Um, yeah. That's right. So, anyway, I think Mrs. Christopher has a secret room or a safe, and I think the rune is in there.”

“And you want me to read her mind to figure out if your hunch is right?”

“You're one smart kitten.”

I parked in front of Mrs. Christopher's house. When I got out of the car, I looked into the backseat just to see if there was any hint of my father. All I saw was backseat. I started to walk away, but something in the window caught my eye.

Breath.

My father had leaned forward and breathed onto the window, then drew a smiley face.

Hmph. Still there.

Lex was watching me as we walked to the front door. “You seem a little off center today,” he said. “I think we need another training session this afternoon. Are you up for it?”

“Sure. Actually, yeah. That would be great. I could use the stress relief.” And that was definitely the truth.

I rang the doorbell, and Mrs. Christopher answered almost immediately. “Hey, you two,” she said with a smile. “C'mon in. I'm just straightening up.”

“We came to see if we could help,” I said. “Did they do any real damage? Was anything stolen?”

“It looks like everything is fine. Two pieces of pottery were broken, but it looks like nothing was stolen.”

“That's good. I can't believe someone would do this,” I said. “Did they mess up your library upstairs?”

“Yes, I haven't even started in there. It's a disaster.”

“Show me the way, Mrs. Christopher, and I'll do it,” Lex said. “Libraries and I go way back.”

“Upstairs, first room on the right. Thank you, Lex.”

Please God, let him find the
rune. My mother's life depended on it.

Two hours later, we were back in the car. The museum room was almost back to normal, and Lex did a pretty good job on the library.

But neither of us found the rune.

“Did you get any indication of a secret room? Or a safe? Or maybe a safety-deposit box?” I asked, my voice sounding desperate. “Please tell me you have a lead.”

“Sorry, love. Nothing. The only thing Mrs. Christopher thought about was cleaning up the mess and trying to get past the violation.”

“Why does the rune keep showing us Mrs. Christopher if that's not where number three is?”

“It's still showing you Mrs. Christopher?”

I nodded.

“I don't know then. Let's go home, get a good workout in, and, when Robbie gets home tonight, have him take a look at the runes. He's got a gift with that type of thing. He'll figure it out.”

I glanced into the rearview mirror. He was there, watching, listening, and waiting for me to screw up.

“Sounds like a plan. If we can pull him away from Malia. Those two seem to be attached at the tongue nowadays.”

I couldn't see the man in my backseat, but I could feel
his smile. He was enjoying this a little too much.

My stomach churned. On top of everything else that was going on, now I had to figure out how to keep Robbie and Lex from realizing the runes were no longer in my possession.

This was going to be very messy.

L
ex worked me like a junkyard dog for the rest of the night. We played crouching tiger, hidden vampire for at least five hours.

And I have to say, I schooled him at least seventy percent of the time.

“Good job, sailor,” Lex said as we entered the house. “I didn't get inside your head once. I'm impressed.”

“Thanks.” I walked into the kitchen, grabbed two hemoshakes, and tossed one Lex's way. “I'm glad we trained tonight. I needed it.”

“Everything better now?”

“It will be after a shower and a full night's sleep,” I said with a laugh. I drained my hemoshake and grimaced again.
“I really wish I hadn't gotten a taste for the real thing.”

He laughed and held out his wrist. “I'll let you have another go if you want.”

Tempting. Oh, so tempting.

I pushed past him to head to the stairs, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. “I've missed this,” he whispered as he kissed me. Guilt burned my stomach. “Are we still on for prom?” he asked.

“Yes. Unless you've changed your mind.” It wasn't like I could take Ryan.

“No. I think it's the perfect way to say good-bye.”

I pulled back and looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean, ‘say good-bye'?”

“Robbie and I are leaving Sunday. We've been assigned to a new client. There's really nothing left we can teach you at this point, so consider yourself trained.”

“But,” I stammered, searching for the words. “What about—”
Us?
That would be hypocritical of me. “The rune? What about the third rune?”

His smile was sad. “You have all you need to find it.”

I was torn between relief and sadness. He was making this easy on me. He was ending things for me, to ease my guilt. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stroked his cheek with the back of my hand. “Sexy Lexy is most
definitely one of the good guys.”

“I'm not the one for you, sailor. I knew the first time I was in your head. And the first time I was in duffer's. I wanted to be wrong, but there's no denying it. You guys might be complicated, but you belong together.”

A tear slipped down my cheek. At one time I had thought so, too.

 

Robbie never came home, giving me a Get Out of the Tangled Web Free card. At least for one night.

Actually, if I planned the next couple of days perfectly, I could probably avoid Robbie altogether. I couldn't afford to let my guard down around him; he was too good at being a brain stealth. Since he and Lex were “moving home” again, they were no longer going to school. All I had to do was make sure I planned my hospital visits when they weren't on duty.

“Good mornin' to ye, dearie,” Aunt D said when I entered the kitchen. “Ye no sleepin' well? Yer mum is healin' up quite nicely now, so ye should be restin' easier.”

“I'm fine. My dreams aren't going away. I keep seeing myself getting crowned queen in front of a blood-covered crowd. The good news is, it feels like a real dream and not like someone is in my head manipulating me. So my
training has worked—I'm keeping them out of my head even in my sleep.”

“Is there some bad news, then?”

“Yeah. I'm worried the dream is an omen.”

I sat at the bar with my hemoshake. Aunt D set a warm loaf of fresh baked bread in front of me. I tore off a hunk and slathered it with honey butter.

“My gram could always tell when I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. She said I looked constipated. Lookin' at ye now, I know exactly what she was talkin' about.”

I shrugged. “I'm fine. This has just been a stressful week, that's all.”

“Aye, it hasna been easy. But I'd bet my cauldron it's more than that, lass.” Aunt D took my hand in hers. “Trust is the answer. I've been telling Ryan to trust you, but do you trust yourself?”

I tried to blank out my expression when I looked at Aunt D. She smiled. “If ye can't trust yerself, ye need to trust those around you. The burden is easier to carry when ye have help.”

“I'm going to the hospital before class,” I said as I was leaving. “Can you and Ryan get the kids to school today?”

“I'll take the weans. Ryan left early to visit his father, so ye may run into him as well. Remember what I said, dearie. Sharing the burden may not be easy, but it is simple,” she said with a wink.

I walked out to my car, opened the door, and tossed my backpack into the passenger seat. It landed with a thud and an
oof
.

Chills raced across my skin as I watched my father reappear, holding my backpack.

“You're leaving awful early this morning,” he said.

“Have you been watching me? You're such a creep. I'll be so glad to be done with you.”

“That's why I'm here. Find that rune today or I'm done. No more blood.”

“You can't do that! You gave me your word.”

His laughter was as cold as his eyes. “Circumstances have changed. Find the rune or your mother dies.”

He put my backpack on the floor and got out of the car. “Oh, and one more thing. Baby F might be safe while she's in the hospital, or when she's in your house—but she won't be safe on the drive home. So find the rune and not only save your mom but, as a bonus, you can save that half-breed sister of yours, too. See how nice I can be?”

“Your benevolence astounds me.”

He laughed and shut the door. I started the car and, as he walked away, I thought about running him over. The image of him flying off my hood as I sped on by put a smile on my face. I backed up, never taking my eyes off him as I quickly checked off the pros and cons.

The pros had it. I punched the gas and aimed my four-wheel killing machine at his back.

And he disappeared.

Bastard.

I had no idea if he went left, right, or up. Oh well. I would have to be satisfied with my fantasy version of his hit-and-run.

The drive to the hospital was becoming second nature for me, like getting out of bed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I didn't have to look where I was going; instinct alone carried me there.

I hadn't been lucky enough to see Mom awake yet, but Lex, Ryan, and Auntie Tave assured me that she had been up and lucid, if only for a brief amount of time.

Baby F was doing well. She'd been moved to the regular nursery, and all the nurses were in love with her. They were even collecting a list of names for her and trying them out. Apparently, Baby F liked being called Baby F the best.

I always checked on her first. She was so tiny, and that hair was so black. She was beautiful.

And in danger.

This whole thing was my fault, and now it was even worse.

I turned away from the nursery to head toward Mom's room and nearly ran into Ryan. It was the first time I'd really seen him since the day of the accident.

“Hey,” he said, brushing my hair away from my face. “I've been missing you.”

“Me too,” I said as the guilt bubbled in my gut. “I was just on my way to see Mom.”

“We need to talk first,” he said. “Your mom's asleep right now, anyway. C'mon.”

He grabbed my hand and led me to the same conference room we had had our family powwow in the week before. He closed the door behind us and locked it.

I walked to the table, but Ryan pulled me back to him. He pressed me to the wall, and my heart skipped as my stomach burned.

“I need you to hear me,” he said, touching his lips to mine, “when I tell you I trust you.”

He breathed his truth into me with his lips on my lips, his palm to my face, his dark gaze piercing my soul.

My heart splintered like it was made of glass.

I fell into his eyes, savored the kiss, and tried not to choke on my guilt.

“Ryan.” I broke the kiss and pushed him away. “I'm so sorry.”

“AJ, I
need
you to hear me. I trust you. I know something has happened and that you're eaten up with guilt. I know you're afraid I'm going to walk away. I promise, that will never happen again. No matter what you tell me. I'm here to stay. I'm yours.”