The Pandora Project (2 page)

From my vantage point I am able to look over periodically and study him.
I know that his presence will not make my parents happy. Painted Rock was a very carefully selected community, chosen only after thorough background checks had been completed on all of its residents. It was chosen in part because no one ever moved
to
Painted Rock. If anything, people couldn’t wait to get away.

Only one other family had joined our community since we moved in and I thought my parents would die of stress before they learned all there was to know about them.
This new arrival should make things very interesting for a little while. Whether he poses a threat to my family or not, the way the butterflies are still battling in my stomach indicate a shift in my normal existence.
You don’t deserve him
, I remind myself.

The hour passes quickly and I know that chances are good John will be in my next class also.
With only fifty-seven seniors, well fifty-eight now, in our graduating class, there isn’t a lot of variety in the classes offered. Given that he is in my AP English class, he will probably be tracted with me for most of the day.

Lexi
knows this also and as the bell rings, she jumps from her seat, grabs my hand and rushes over to escort John to our next class. Fortunately for me, so does every unattached girl in the class. We are too far away and we hang back as the other girls make fools of themselves trying to get an introduction in. I take comfort in this and let Lexi’s positive aura wash over me.

John is in two of my next three classes and they all play out largely the same.
Lexi shares the one right before lunch with us and I can tell that she is determined to grab him for lunch. It annoys me and makes me love her more because I know she is doing it for me. She has been dating Jake Turner practically since kindergarten and has been trying to find me a match for about the same length of time. With the pool of eligible young men so small, and me being adamantly opposed for my own reasons, Lexi is not going to let this fish go without giving me first opportunity to hook him.

As well as Lexi knows me, she doesn’t know the one thing that actually rules my life, not that many do.
As we walk into Physics, Lexi takes the seat directly behind the one that normally sits vacant and pulls me down next to her.

“I know what you are doing, Lex, and you really don’t have to.”

“Of course I do, Jake will kill me if I don’t finally get you hooked up,” she responds as she smiles at me. I know she says it as a joke, but I also know there is some truth in it. Jake has always been good about how close Lexi and I are, but as we have gotten older it has been hard to be the third wheel.

John walks in surrounded by three of my hopeful female classmates.
Sam Parker who normally sits in the spot Lexi has claimed shoots daggers at us both. She gave up the chance to sit next to John by walking him to class. She quickly grabs the seat in front of me and the rest of class shuffles to find the remaining available seats. Lexi guards the seat in front of her like a momma bear to ensure it remains empty until John is introduced. I have to giggle at the look she shoots Sam, it could get ugly if they weren’t cousins somewhere along their family tree.

Mrs. Wilson doesn’t bother to introduce him because she knows by the fourth class of the day everyone knows who he is.
John walks confidently over and drops into his seat. Lexi beams at him and I try not to make eye contact. Lexi better be careful or John will think she is after him! Mrs. Wilson announces that we will be conducting experiments in torque and movement and I am happy to have an easy hour. Given my condition, I probably know more about physics and chemistry than Mrs. Wilson.

“Partner up,” Mrs. Wilson commands.

John turns immediately to me and asks, “Do you have a partner?”

As I stare blankly at him,
Lexi who is my normal lab partner, betrays me and responds, “Nope, she is free.” And she winks at him to let him know that I am free in every sense of the word. I want to poke her eye out so she won’t be able to wink at anyone again.

I glare at her as I stand up to move to one of the tables on the outskirts of the room.
I turn back to John who is also standing and say, “I guess not. Want to partner up?”

He just smiles, knowing his answer is evident.
He stretches his hand out for a handshake and says, “My name is John Sullivan.”

I shoot a panicked glance at Lexi who saves me by reaching for his hand and giving it a nice strong shake.
“Lexi, and this is Paige. She has a thing with hands, you get used to it and it is a small price to pay for her sparkling personality.”

John glances
towards my hands which I quickly put behind my back and I try to cover my awkwardness with a smile. He smiles back and we move to an unoccupied table. Lexi pokes me in the back and gives me a meaningful glare, “Don’t waste this opportunity!” her eyes practically shout at me. Turning away, she groans as she realizes the only person left without a partner is Shawn Green. Shawn habitually smells like week old Chinese food and has a really strange sense of humor so I know Lexi has made a huge sacrifice to give me this time with John. Reminding her that I didn’t ask for it won’t get me out of her debt.

The lab consist
s of a meter stick balanced on a ring stand and a couple of weights hanging from the stick by string. We have to calculate the torque by moving the weights around while keeping the stick balanced. I change the position of one of the weights and begin to work the equation. John grabs paper and pen and works quietly beside me. I glance at his work as he finishes and see that we have the same answer. We move the second weight and the stick balances perfectly. I knew it would, but I am glad John also got the answer right.

John moves the weight to the second measurement we are given and we work silently until a cough from Lexi followed by a murderous look push
es me to make conversation. “Why did you pick me?” I ask because my parents have made me paranoid and I am slightly suspicious of his intentions.

He
laughs lightly, “Because you are the only one that hasn’t attacked me like a rabid dog all day.”

I laugh but
also feel bad for my classmates at the same time. “You can’t blame them, it is hard to find a decent guy around here that you aren’t either related to or have known since you were in diapers.”

“What about you?”
he asks. “You related to most of them or remember diaper related incidents?”

“No, I am a transplant
, like you. Thankfully I was out of diapers when we moved here. I have been here a long time though.” I hope that isn’t more than I should share. It isn’t anything he couldn’t ask anyone in the entire town to find out.

“So why not attack?” He asks with a flirtatious smile.

“Just not interested,” I respond.

I don’t realize how rude that sounds until his face drops and he quietly says, “Oh,” as he moves another weight.
We again work in silence for a couple of problems. So stupid, sparkling personality my butt!

“I didn’t mean that as rude as it sounded,” I try to break the ice that has formed from my comment.
“I didn’t mean I wasn’t interested in you, I just meant I am not looking right now.”

“No, I get it.
No problem.” He tries to brush it off, but I can tell he isn’t satisfied. “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks, still searching for a legitimate reason I wouldn’t be interested in him.

“No, that
’s not it. Just concentrating on school and stuff.” He shakes his head slightly and I hope I have salvaged some good will. I am sure when he is reminded of the other girls who are dying to attach themselves to him his feelings won’t be hurt. I do feel bad so I try to continue the conversation.

“You seem really at ease here.
I don’t think I could fit in so easily. How do you do it?”

He smiles a little at the compliment and I hope I have made up some ground.
I don’t want to like him, but he isn’t making it easy. “I’m an Army brat. My dad has moved me around my entire life. You either learn to do it gracefully or you wind up a total social reject.”

I laugh a little at his joke, but my mind starts spinning.
My dad is really not going to like this. Anything related to the government immediately sends him into a tizzy. “Where did you move from?” I ask. That is a legitimate question, right? Not too nosy, just interested.

“His last duty station was
the Pentagon, it was really neat living in the Capital region.”

I have to work to stifle a moan.
This is getting worse and worse. “What brings you to Painted Rock? I can’t imagine a place being less like D.C.”
Why did you have to come here?!
I want to scream. The more I learn the more I know he is going to change my life, and not just because I am feeling my first real attraction for the opposite sex.

Again he laughs, I want to be annoyed that he is so easy going but it just endears him to me more.
“That is exactly why my dad wanted to retire here. He wanted to get me away from the big city for the last little bit of my senior year.” He looks up at me and I realize a heartbreaking expression has come over his face. “Plus, my mom is really sick and she wanted to die in a beautiful place.”

I
can’t believe he would so freely share such a personal piece of information. “I’m so sorry,” I mutter while looking back to my work, or anywhere except his sad eyes. For the second time that day I find myself wanting to touch him and being horrified at the desire. I just want to comfort him, to bring his easy smile back.

I
am a monster…I am not a monster…I am a monster…I am not a monster!

“Not your fault,” he responds.
“I am trying to get used to the idea. None of the doctors in a city as big as D.C. could help her. My dad has been desperate. After tons of research, he discovered that Painted Rock is one of the healthiest places on earth. Did you know that?”

My entire body goes cold, which for me is a feat, as I shake my head.
“Yeah, I think I heard that somewhere.” And I know
why
that is.

“My dad thought that maybe
with the fresh air and personal attention of a small town doc my mom could get better.”

Now
I know for sure that my life is falling in around me. I try to keep my expression neutral as my insides are in turmoil. “I hope that works out for you.” I try to sound sincere, but I know that his mom dying would help protect my secret, as callous and as cold as that may be.

“We’ll see.
Your dad is the town doctor, right?”

Finally
, an explanation for his interest in me that doesn’t put my life in jeopardy. Again I shake my head, “Yeah, but like you said, he doesn’t do much. Clean air and an active lifestyle keep most people around here pretty healthy.” Again I try to smile and am not sure I accomplish much more than a grimace.

“Well, let’s hope he has a little more to do with it than that.”
His eyes bore into mine and I wonder if it is just my own paranoia or if he knows something.

I shake my head and don’t say anything, because there is nothing more I want to say John Sullivan.

*****

At the end of the period, Lexi invites John to sit with us at lunch.
I let Lexi and Jake carry the conversation and they cover most of the same ground that John and I had in Physics. I try to reassure myself that there is nothing going on and Lexi and Jake both seem satisfied with all that John tells them.

When John explains about his mother, Lexi almost tears up.
It is more than her tender heart can handle. “Well, if anyone can help her it is Doctor Mills. He has magic hands.” She waves her fingers like a magician and smiles brightly. Even knowing she is joking, I am horrified. I glance quickly to John who is looking at me with hope and satisfaction; at least that is what it feels like.

I try to recover myself, “Come on, Lexi.
Don’t get his hopes up.”

“Don’t be so modest.
Your dad is the best doctor in the world, just ask anyone. When I was ten I broke my arm on a trampoline, it was a horrible break. My parents did all this research and everything said that I would never have full range of motion again and that it would take eight to twelve weeks to heal. Well, Paige’s dad had me out of a cast in six weeks and back on the monkey bars by eight weeks.” She stretches out her right arm, “Full of range of motion almost immediately. I tell you…magic hands.” She laughs at her own joke.

“Maybe you are the magic one, quick healing might be your super power,” I tr
y to joke and direct the attention away from my dad. I remember all too well when Lexi broke her arm and how hard it was for him not to heal it right away. The break was so obvious with her elbow all sunken in and at a weird angle that there was no way he could have pretended it was only a sprain.

Lexi ha
s never gone on about my dad like this before and I begin to wonder who else feels this way about my father. We have always felt that he hides his talent well. This day keeps getting worse and worse.