The Dolls (16 page)

I look over at Caleb’s table. He’s deep in conversation with the waitress, who’s in short shorts, a tight white T-shirt, and cowboy boots. I shake off a surge of jealousy. “He’s really glad you came,” I tell Liv.

“Awesome,” she says.

The band begins playing, and we turn back to the stage. Drew keeps grinning at us, and Liv is squirming in her seat. Meanwhile, Caleb doesn’t appear to be paying the slightest bit of attention to me. I’m puzzled that he’s here, considering that the Périphérie isn’t exactly the Dolls’ domain.

“So would you think I was totally crazy if I told you I’d offered to help Drew’s band?” Liv asks after a few minutes.

“Help them how?”

“So what if I offered to manage them?” she says. When I shoot her a confused look, she hurries to add, “I know it sounds kind of nuts. But I’m always listening to indie bands and reading
Spin
and
Rolling Stone
and all that. I’ve been saving up for this program that’ll basically turn my Mac into a home recording studio—what if I offer to cut the song for them?”

“You know how to do that?”

“I’ll learn,” she says confidently. “Then maybe I can get out of this town and take Drew and his buddies with me. I mean, look at those guys.” She points at the stage. “Girls will go crazy for them. They’re all really cute, right?” Her eyes linger on Drew several beats too long.

“You sure this isn’t just a way to hit on Drew . . . ?”

“No!” she exclaims. Then she shoots me a guilty look. “Maybe. But only a little. If you tell anyone that, though, I’ll have to kill you.”

I laugh and settle back to watch Little Brother’s set. Just before the band finishes, Liv grabs my arm and says, “Wait, is that
Caleb Shaw
? What’s he doing out here?”

I sneak a glance at his table again. He’s reading the menu like it’s a fascinating book. “I don’t know,” I say, trying to pretend I don’t care.

Liv stares at me. “Wait, do you
like
him?”

“No,” I protest unconvincingly. “He’s just, uh, a nice guy, you know?”

“You don’t have to lie. Every girl in Carrefour has had a crush on Caleb Shaw at some point.
I
even liked him for thirty seconds. But sooner or later, everyone realizes he just doesn’t date.”

“But I thought he used to date Peregrine.”

Liv frowns. “That was really short-lived. I wasn’t at Pointe Laveau yet, so I don’t know all the details, but I hear he just wasn’t that into her, and everyone sort of knew it except her.”

I’m embarrassed by how happy this makes me. But then something occurs to me. “Maybe he’s gay,” I say, my heart sinking a little.

“No. Believe me, Max has asked. Several times.”

I laugh, but before I can say anything in reply, Liv’s already standing up.

“I have an idea,” she says before waving her hands dramatically in the air. “Caleb!” she yells across the bar. “Over here!”

He hesitates before getting up and walking slowly in our direction. I can feel the hairs on my arms standing on end as he comes closer.

“Hey,” he says in a low voice. His sky-blue eyes flick to me for an instant and land back on Liv. “What’s up?”

“Well first of all, Caleb, I didn’t know you hung out in the Périphérie.”

“I do sometimes.”

“But you live in central Carrefour, right?”

“Right.”

“So Caleb, I was wondering if you could do me a favor,” she continues. “I picked Eveny up, and I don’t
mind
driving her home. But seeing as you live right by her, maybe you’d be willing to do it?”

Caleb looks startled, so I jump in to say, “Liv, that’s really not necessary.”

“Oh, but Eveny, I have to talk business with Drew and the band.” Liv turns to Caleb with a faux-serious expression. “Plus, I’ve been drinking,” she says. “Like, a
lot
.”

“Liv, I’m sure Caleb is busy. And you said yourself you only did one shot.”

“Caleb, are you really that busy?” Liv asks immediately. “I mean, you’re going home anyway, right?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, that’s fine,” he says. “But I was about to leave, actually. I don’t want to cut your night short.” I feel like curling up and vanishing; it’s so obvious he doesn’t want to give me a ride.

I open my mouth to tell him to forget we even asked, but Liv elbows me in the ribs.

“Would you excuse us for a minute, Caleb?” I ask. He looks uncertain as I grab Liv’s arm and drag her a few feet away. “What are you doing?” I demand.

“Just getting you a little alone time with the hottest guy in Carrefour.”

“I didn’t ask you for that!” I exclaim.

“You didn’t have to,” she says with a shrug. “Besides, I was kind of hoping this would give me some time to talk with Drew.”

“Talk? Or make out?” I tease.

Her cheeks turn a little pink. “To talk about the
band
, Eveny.”

I’m about to argue further when Caleb comes up behind us. “You ready to go?” he asks.

“If you’re sure you don’t mind taking me.”

Liv’s already slinking away from us. “Later, you guys,” she says, winking at me.

“My Jeep’s this way.” Caleb begins walking toward the exit without waiting for me, and even when I hurry to catch up, he keeps a few feet of distance between us.

“I’m sorry about that,” I say. “I didn’t ask Liv to do that.”

“I know.”

“What are you doing here, anyhow?” I ask when he opens his passenger door for me.

“Driving you home,” he says in an even tone. “We’re neighbors, and Liv asked me to, in case you don’t remember.”

He waits for me to get in and buckle my seat belt, then he shuts my door and goes around to the driver’s side. Once he’s buckled in and has started the engine, I say, “What I mean is, what are you doing
here
? At Domion?”

“Listening to music, same as you,” he says. “Why, are you implying I’m following you?”

“No, of course not!” I feel like an idiot.

For a moment, I’m sure he’s about to say something else. But he puts the car in gear, mumbles something to himself, and backs out of his parking space.

It’s not until we’re almost out of the parking lot that I realize I’ve walked out without saying good-bye to Drew.

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T
he first few minutes of the drive are silent. I feel nervous and tongue-tied in Caleb’s presence.

“So, Liv and Drew? I didn’t know she liked him until tonight,” I say in an attempt to cut through the awkwardness.

“Yeah,” Caleb says, his eyes glued to the road.

“I mean, Liv seems so tough sometimes, like she doesn’t need anyone,” I add when it’s clear he’s not going to say anything.

“Yeah.”

I take a deep breath. “But when you think about it, they’re kind of perfect for each other.”

“Yeah.”

This is getting ridiculous. “Okay, so the way that conversation works is that I say something, and then you say something back—preferably something other than ‘yeah.’”

This finally elicits a reaction from Caleb. He chuckles. “Yes, I know what a conversation is.” He hesitates and adds. “I’m sorry. I’m not making this very easy, am I?”

“I just don’t understand why you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not,” he says instantly.

I continue to stare at him until he clears his throat and says, “All right. Maybe I’ve been avoiding you a little.”

The words hit me harder than I expect. “Why? Does it have something to do with zandara?” I ask after a moment of silence.

“It’s hard to explain. I think it’s better if we just don’t talk about this.”

“Look,” I say, “I didn’t even know anything
about
the Dolls or the sosyete or anything until two days ago. I wasn’t raised with any of this, so you can’t hate me because of it.”

“I don’t hate you,” Caleb says immediately. His voice is husky as he turns and repeats, “I don’t hate you.”

“Well, it sure feels like it,” I reply.

“It’s not that. It’s just...” His voice trails off. “It’s just that certain people in town have certain responsibilities. And feelings make those responsibilities that much harder.”

“Feelings?”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant.”

“Right,” I say, feeling foolish. “Me neither.”

“It’s just . . .” He hesitates and starts again. “There are some things in this town that you don’t understand.”

I grit my teeth. “You know, I’m getting pretty tired of everyone talking in mysteries and riddles over my head.”

“Eveny . . .” For a moment, I think he’s going to tell me what he means. But instead, what he says is, “It’s complicated.”

“Seriously, no explanation? Are you
trying
to drive me crazy?”

“No,” he says quickly. “I’m trying to warn you. This town, it sucks you in. It’s like all your choices start to disappear, and you realize your life’s been planned out for you long before you got here.”

“Well, that makes everything a lot clearer,” I say sarcastically. I realize that he actually looks upset, so I soften my tone and add, “That’s why you disappear to go surfing, isn’t it? You’re just trying to get out of here.”

He looks surprised. “You remembered.” When I nod, he continues, “I love that feeling of anonymity when I’m out there alone in the water.” He pauses. “But now that I’m not going as much anymore, it sometimes feels like this town is closing in on me.”

“Because of the Dolls?”

“I just have this feeling that there’s a storm coming, and they’re the ones bringing it here.” He hesitates. “They told me about the possession at Cristof’s. You should be worried too.”

“Gee, thanks for making me feel better.”

“This is life-and-death stuff, Eveny. I know Peregrine and Chloe think this is all fun and games, but I need to know that you know better. Tell me you know better.”

“Of course I do.”

He’s silent for a moment before changing the subject. “So Drew. Has he said anything to you about Glory?”

“Drew?” I repeat, surprised. “No. Why?”

“I think he was seeing her,” Caleb says. “I was just wondering if Liv knows.”

“Caleb, that’s crazy,” I say. “The Dolls act like Drew’s not even alive. Besides, Drew would have told me if there was something going on.”

He shrugs. “I saw them together. A week before she died.”

“Saw them doing what?”

He clears his throat. “It just seemed like they were together, okay? I thought it was great that something was going on between them, being that she was a Doll and he’s from the Périphérie. About time someone shook things up around here. But then she died, and he kept right on acting like he didn’t know her.”

I shake my head. “Are you sure they were together? Like
together
together?”

“No. Not one hundred percent.”

“So don’t you think you’re being a little unfair?”

“Then ask him, Eveny,” Caleb says. “I just want to make sure Liv is aware. She’s your friend, and if she’s interested in him, she deserves to know that something might have been going on.”

We’re pulling into my driveway now, and I feel a sense of disappointment. Even if we’re disagreeing, I want to keep talking to Caleb. Forever, if possible.

“I’m only being cautious, Eveny,” he says as he puts his car in park. His eyes are wide and concerned as he turns to me. “You should be too.”

I open my mouth to respond just as he leans forward to jiggle my door handle. “It sticks sometimes,” he explains in a gruff voice. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, as he goes still, I have the weirdest feeling he’s going to kiss me. But then he retreats to his own seat and looks out the windshield with his hands gripping the wheel, like he can’t wait to get out of here.

“Bye,” I say softly as I climb out of the car.

He doesn’t reply. Instead, the moment I shut his car door, he guns the engine and pulls away.

But he lingers at the bottom of my driveway until I’ve unlocked my front door and slipped inside my house. I watch from the window as his taillights disappear.

Aunt Bea is already in bed when I get home, but I’m not even slightly tired. I sit down at the kitchen table and dial Meredith’s number.

When she answers on the third ring, all I can hear at first is club music pumping through the earpiece.

“Mer?” I ask loudly. I repeat myself a few times, until I hear her voice faintly over the music.

“Eveny?” she yells. “Hang on, I’ll go outside!”

A moment later, the music fades and is replaced by New York street sounds: people talking, car horns honking, brakes screeching. I realize with a pang just how much I miss being there.

“Hey, girl!” she says excitedly.

“What are you up to tonight?” I ask.

“Nick and Holly heard about a party in Chinatown,” she says. “So Colton and James and I grabbed a cab and came out here. This place is amaze, Ev! No cover, and the door guy didn’t even look twice at my ID.”

“Sounds cool.”

“Totally wish you were here! What’re you doing tonight?”

“Just got home from seeing a friend’s band play,” I tell her.

“Ooh, you have a friend in a band?” she asks. “Is it a
boy
?”

“Just the guy I told you about the other night. The one I knew when I was a kid. But the other guy drove me home.”

“Who?”

“Caleb. The one who’s insanely gorgeous.”

She makes a noise. “Girl, the hot ones are the ones you’ve got to look out for.” She pauses. “So are you coming back to visit soon, or what?”

I think about it for a minute. A few days ago, I was dying to return to New York. Now, I feel like there are a thousand answers I need to figure out here in Carrefour first. “Probably not,” I tell her. “Not for a while, at least.”

“Seriously?” she asks. “Why, your aunt won’t give you money for a plane ticket?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that so much of my family’s history is tied in to Carrefour.” I try to stay as vague as possible. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think I belong here for now.”

“In the boonies?” she asks with a laugh.

“It’s not so bad,” I say, actually meaning it.

“Well, in that case,” Meredith says after a moment, “I’ve been meaning to ask you a question.”