Secret Admirer (5 page)

Jake's eyes had looked glazed, but now they snapped into focus. “I'm—I'm sorry,” he muttered.

“You're sorry, okay,” Danny snarled. “You're so sorry, you're pitiful!”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Selena demanded. “You guys are both crazy! I'm going home with Katy. I don't need a ride from anyone! And even if I did, I wouldn't take it from either one of you!”

Danny stared at her for a long moment, struggling to catch his breath. Then he spun around and strode back to the house. He pushed past Katy, who had just appeared on the porch.

“What's up?” she asked, hurrying down to Selena and Jake. “Did Danny get a nosebleed?”

“He tripped,” Jake muttered bitterly.

Katy stared at him for a moment. “Selena?” she asked.

“I'll tell you in the car.” Selena sighed wearily.

Jake followed the girls to Katy's car. “I'm sorry, Moon,” he repeated. “You know I can't stand Danny.”

“That's no excuse.”

“But he's such a jerk!” Jake insisted.

Selena sighed. “I know.”

Katy unlocked the car doors and Selena slid into the passenger seat. Jake stood holding her door.

“Danny thinks he can always be the star. He thinks he'll be Romeo in the spring play,” Jake said. “But he won't. I'd rather see him dead.”

Selena gasped and gazed up at him. He looked so pale and angry in the cold moonlight. “You don't really mean that, Jake. Do you?
Do
you?”

He turned and walked away without answering.

*   *   *

A distant ringing awakened Selena at dawn the next morning. She glanced at her clock radio and saw that it was five
A.M.
It took her a moment longer to realize that the ringing came from her bedside phone.

She groggily reached for it. “Hello?” she mumbled.

“We were together last night,” whispered a voice.

“Huh?” Selena choked out.

“I'm watching you,” the voice whispered hoarsely. “I'm always watching you, Selena.”

“Hey, wait—!” Selena cried.

“Soon we'll be together forever,” the voice rasped.

Selena sat up straight. She was wide awake now.

She gripped the phone tightly in her hand. “Who is this?” she demanded angrily. “What are you trying to do? Who is this?”

She heard a click and the line went dead.

9
 

S
elena approached the familiar stone steps of Shadyside High. She ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, and yanked open the front door. Inside, she collapsed against the wall, feeling safe for the first time that morning.

“Hi, Selena!” Katy called, coming down the front hall. “It's chilly out!”

“Yeah,” Selena agreed, shivering.

“Hey!” Katy cried, drawing closer. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing really.” Selena sighed. “It's just … I guess it's these practical jokes. I'm starting to feel nervous all the time! I—I heard from him again this morning.”

“Oh, wow!” Katy exclaimed, shaking her head. “You should call the police. You really should. If there's a stalker—”

“There isn't any stalker, Katy,” Selena insisted. “I
think it's Danny. You saw how crazy he got at the party.”

Katy twisted her face, thinking about what Selena had said. Then she pointed. “Look. There's Danny. Waiting at your locker.”

“Good!” Selena cried. She set her face in a hard expression. Then she rushed the rest of the way down the hall and found Danny squatting by her locker.

He had a scrap of paper in his hand, and was trying to work it through the slats in the locker door.

“More threats?” she demanded.

Danny straightened up, startled. “Selena, I didn't hear you come up.”

“Get away from my locker!” she cried, losing control. “Get away from
me!”

“All right already,” Danny snapped. “Don't blow a fuse! I just wanted to leave you a note.”

“Oh, great!” Selena cried. “How about more dead flowers, too?”

The anger left Danny's face. “Huh?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about!” she yelled. “The notes and the gross flowers and the creepy phone calls!”

“You've lost it!” Danny exclaimed. “I've never left you a note before. I never did any of that other stuff, either! I just wanted to apologize for the fight the other night.”

“Yeah. For sure,” Selena snarled. “Let me see it.” She held out her hand.

“Forget it!” Danny growled, snatching his note away. “I've changed my mind. I'm not sorry!” He turned and stalked off.

Selena watched him go, struggling to make her
heart stop pounding. Was the note in his hand really an apology? she wondered. Or was it another threat, signed with a sticker of the sun?

“What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is …
the Moon!”
Jake recited dramatically. He threw himself into the seat next to Selena.

“Juliet is the sun,” she corrected him. She swatted him with her copy of the
Romeo and Juliet
script.

Selena was glad for a chance to stop reading her lines for the audition. She had been sitting alone in the back row of the auditorium, waiting for tryouts to start. Now Jake and Katy sat on either side of her.

Jake had been clowning around. But now his expression turned serious. “Have you heard from the stalker?” he asked. “Do you really think it's Danny?”

Selena frowned at Katy. “I see you've been telling Jake every little secret, every thought of mine.”

Katy blushed. She started to sputter an apology.

“Hey, I'm a friend, right?” Jake broke in. “I have a right to know what's going on.”

Selena didn't want Jake to know she suspected Danny. Jake and Danny had never liked each other. The last thing Jake needed was another reason to hate Danny. Especially after their fight.

“I don't know,” Selena replied cautiously. “I mean, I think it has to be someone in drama. Who else could have put those flowers in my locker?”

“You should tell Mr. Riordan,” Jake said.

“But he hasn't
done
anything,” Selena protested. “Just written some notes. Besides, I need a drama scholarship. If I tell Mr. Riordan, he might not cast me in the play.”

“Why would Danny do such dumb stuff?” Jake asked.

Selena shrugged. “He's used to getting his way. But not with me. I think he's really angry that I don't melt at his feet.”

“Yeah, well, nothing Danny does would surprise me,” Jake muttered. “But he'll get away with it, as usual”

Selena studied his face. The circles under his eyes were darker than ever. She didn't think she'd ever heard Jake sound so bitter. “Jake? Is anything wrong?”

“No!” he snapped. “I mean, we're talking about your problems, not mine,” he added in a calmer voice. “Danny gives me a pain. But I think I understand where he's coming from.”

“Are you serious?” Katy demanded.

“I just mean I know what it's like to really want something and not be able to have it.”

The auditorium doors flew open. Mr. Riordan entered and strode to the front of the room. Selena saw Eddy behind him.

“I'm glad to see so many of you here,” Mr. Riordan announced. “We'll begin by casting the major parts.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “Alison Pearson and Selena Goodrich are both trying out for Juliet. Come on up to the stage. And for Romeo, we have Danny Morris and Jake Jacoby.”

“Jake!” Selena turned to her friend. “I didn't know you were trying out for Romeo.”

“Why not?” he replied, avoiding her eyes. “It's just one more thing that Danny and I both want.” He stood quickly, still not looking at her, and marched up to the stage.

“What's his problem?” Selena asked Katy.

Katy rolled her eyes. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Selena picked up her script and climbed hesitantly to her feet.

“Hey, you're going to be great,” Katy assured her.

“Thanks,” Selena murmured. She started up the aisle, but found Danny blocking her way.

“Once I'm Romeo, we'll be spending a lot of time together,” he said with a smirk.

“I'm glad Romeo dies in the end,” Selena said nastily. She hurried up to the stage before he could say more.

As she passed the first row of seats, Eddy caught her eye and flashed her a thumbs-up. “Hey, Selena,” he called. “Break a leg!”

“Thanks, Eddy.” She felt a fluttering in her chest. Suddenly, she wished Eddy wouldn't be watching her audition.

“I want the Romeos and Juliets to practice their lines while I speak to the others,” Mr. Riordan announced.

Selena crossed the stage toward the wardrobe area where she liked to work on her lines. She always sat on the same bench. Sometimes she thought it gave her luck.

To her surprise, someone was already sitting there. Alison was perched on Selena's bench, hunched over a copy of the script, her back propped against the heavy wooden wardrobe cabinet.

“Hey, Alison,” Selena greeted her.

Alison finished reading a speech. Then she slowly raised her eyes to Selena. “I guess this is your place, right? I'll go work somewhere else.”

“No problem,” Selena replied. “I don't own the
bench. Besides, I've already been over the lines so many times they're making me dizzy.”

“Are you sure you don't want me to move?”

“Positive,” Selena told her. “In fact, I think I'll go outside for some air.” She pushed open the door that led from the wardrobe area to the hallway behind the stage.

“O Romeo, Romeo,” she murmured to herself. “Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse—”

She stopped when she heard the scream.

A shrill scream of terror. Behind her.

Followed by a frightening crash.

And then silence.

A heavy, frightening silence that made Selena gasp.

10
 

S
elena froze, struggling to catch her breath. Then she forced herself to move. She pushed open the door and made her way back onto the stage.

She heard frightened cries, murmurs of shock. And saw a circle of kids near the back of the stage.

What were they staring at? Why were they so upset?

She pushed her way through the crowd. “What's going on? What's happening?” she demanded.

She saw Alison's sneakers first. In such a weird position. Toes to the floor. Then a few inches of Alison's legs.

And then the wardrobe cabinet.

The huge wooden cabinet. On its side.

On its side
on top of
Alison!

“Oh nooooo!” Selena wailed.

She could see Alison's hair spread over the stage.

Facedown. She's facedown, Selena realized. Her arms stretched out. The play script still gripped in one hand.

Not moving. Not moving. Not moving.

And the giant wardrobe on top of her. Crushing her body. Crushing her back.

Crushing her.

Alison not moving. Hands so pale and stiff.

Crushed beneath the wardrobe. Her hair spilling over the stage like blood.

As Selena stared down at the ugly scene, she felt her stomach lurch.
I'm going to be sick,
she realized.

She cupped a hand over her mouth. Staggered back.

Back through the alarmed voices, the muffled cries.

Struggling to keep control. Seeing Alison's crushed body even with her eyes shut.

Frightened, shrill voices all around.

“Is she dead?”

“How did it fall?”

“Pull it off her!”

“No! Don't move it!”

“I said
pull it off!
Are you crazy?”

“Someone call nine-one-one!” Selena opened her eyes to see Mr. Riordan bent over Alison's body. “Call nine-one-one!”

“I already called!” Danny shouted from the auditorium. “They're on the way!”