The Princess and the Pauper (2 page)

Tasha wasn’t listening. She practically flew down the stairs into her boyfriend’s waiting arms. Then she started kissing everyone around her, stopping every few seconds the gasp, “I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it!”

April walked carefully down the stairs to stand by Lance’s side. She hoped she was still smiling. It felt like it, but she wasn’t sure. Though she was normally a gracious loser, this last defeat really hurt.

Tasha’s tears had mysteriously dried up. Now her eyes were bright and starstruck, her lips softly parted. Suddenly she twirled and stood directly in front of April and Lance. She tossed the carnations skyward and flung her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, you fool!” she exclaimed, and to April’s amazement and mortification, Lance bent his head without hesitation.

The kiss was brief, more like a loud smack between friends, but to April it lasted an eternity. When it was over Lance’s cheeks were flushed, and Tasha’s tinkling laughter fell over the room like a pall. At least that was how April saw it. No one else seemed to notice – except Tasha’s boyfriend, Spencer Tamblin.

The band struck up another squeaky love song, and Tasha and Spencer began swaying to the beat in the center of the room. Spencer’s face was dark with fury, and April struggled to remain composed as Lance led her forward and swept her into the security of his arms. Inside, jealousy and envy ran like green poison through her veins, and she had to keep reminding herself that she was too smart to feel such infantile emotions.

“Everybody’s meeting at Three Bears later,” Phillip Walker said to Lance as he and Carrie moved in beside them. “This has gotten boring.”

April couldn’t agree more, but the last thing she wanted to do was to go to Three Bears, the bend in the Rock Springs River where kids collected to drink beer and generally raise hell. She felt too restless and let down, and she just wanted to be alone with Lance. His “We’ll be there,” took her by surprise, and she clenched her fists in frustration.

“Are you crazy?” April exclaimed as soon as they were out of earshot. “If we get caught up there, we’ll be in big trouble.”

“Jesus, April, grow up. It’s nearly graduation. We won’t stay long.”

She was speechless. She’d always been the daring one, the one who’d sneak past her parents’ bedroom door when she came in a few minutes too late, the one who’d suggested the senior class organize an unauthorized senior skip day, the one who first dared to say “I love you” even when she wasn’t completely sure. Lance had always lacked that kind of initiative.

She worried about the direction of his thoughts. “My father will kill me if he finds out I was at Three Bears.”

“So he won’t find out, will he?”

With that, Lance dragged her off to the reception table, poured them both a glass of punch and pointedly avoided any further conversation. April held the plastic cup in a death grip, her gaze on Tasha and Spencer. She couldn’t wait to graduate and leave Rock Springs. She wouldn’t even glance back on her way out.

A sudden commotion near the main doors brought her back to the present. Jordan Taylor was being escorted from the gym by the collar of his suit coat. One of the counselors was so livid that his face was flushed a deep, furious scarlet. April’s lips twitched in spite of herself. At least Jordan had guts.

Twenty minutes later she was sitting next to Lance in the front seat of his black Range Rover, glad for the comfort of just being alone and the familiar feel of his arm draped loosely over her shoulder. Yet the way his fingers stroked her bare arm bothered her. Was she ready for something more intimate? She wasn’t certain.

“How much farther is it?” April asked, peering through the windshield. Except for the red taillights winking ahead of them, leading the way, the country road that wound its way along the cliffs above the river was dark and lonely.

“A few miles.”

“Are we going to stay long?”

“Not if you don’t want to.” He slid her a look.

April hadn’t misinterpreted his signals. Her throat felt dry and it was difficult to swallow. So this was it. The make-it or break-it test. But did she want to make love with Lance? Her heart pounded heavily at the thought, partly from fear, partly from excitement. She just didn’t know.

Glancing out the window, she changed the subject. “This night hasn’t really gone like I expected.”

Silence stretched between them. April sneaked a glance at Lance’s profile, and her heart flipped over. His brow was furrowed, his expression dark.

“You mean because you didn’t get to be queen?” he asked slowly.

It sounded so silly that April half-laughed. “Well, that was part of it,” she said lamely.

“April, Tasha was really happy she got to be queen. She’s not as lucky as you and I are.”

“What do you mean?” asked April, but she already sensed where Lance was headed and it made her pulse start to pound with resentment.

“Oh, you know.” He shrugged dismissively. “Your dad owns Hollis’s, and it’s a bigstore, for Christ’s sake. Competes with Macy’s and Nordstrom’s. Man, that’s epic. You’ve got everything money can buy, and you and I both live in Windsor Estates.”

“Tasha lives in Windsor Estates, too.”

“Yeah, but for how long? Her parents are divorced and it’s a big mess. Her dad and mom are always fighting over everything. I just thought maybe she deserved to be queen a little more than you do, that’s all. It’ll mean more to her.”

Of all the things he could have said, this was the worst. Disappointment swelled upward, lodging in her throat. With supreme casualness she edged slightly away from him, smoothing her skirt. One of Lance’s most endearing qualities had been his ability to understand her. He’d always sensed how important it was for her to make her own way, to have something for herself, something of her own making. Now his reaction took her breath away.

“My dad’s got his own business here in Rock Springs, too,” he went on, oblivious to her withdrawal, “but right now Tasha’s living with her mom. Her dad just sends money and there’s never enough.”

“I know,” April murmured.

“It’s just that when you have so much, it doesn’t hardly seems fair.” He cleared his throat, darting her a sheepish look. “Forget it. Let’s just have a good time.” He squeezed her shoulder affectionately, but April felt as if she were made of ice – much more pressure and she would shatter.

She turned her gaze out the window, thinking of Tasha. They’d never been friends, even when they were classmates at the exclusive private school that most of the Windsor Estates kids had attended before it burned down. Rock Springs High was more of a mixture, and April had been glad to switch. She could do without snobs like Tasha Bennington.

Three Bears was alive with throbbing engines, car lights and loud chatter. Lance parked to one side, then helped April from the car and over a few dried ruts. In her silk dress and peep-toed shoes she felt totally ridiculous, though no one else had bothered to change, either.

Heat swirled from the engines, adding to the sultriness of the night. An ice-cold beer bottle was thrust into April’s hand, and Lance half-dragged, half-carried her down the twisting trail that led to the banks of the river. There was no beach; the ground was carpeted with river rock, ghostly white in the moonlight. April pulled off her high heels, watching the foaming water race over a series of large stones. Spying Carrie, she waved her shoes frantically and called out to her, but Carrie was giggling madly and April soon realized she was drunk.

Could anything be worse? she asked herself, staring up at the thick, black sky.

“Hey, Tasha!” Lance yelled, lifting his beer bottle in a salute.

April gritted her teeth and glanced back. Tasha and Spencer were standing at the bottom of the hill. It was clear they were having a major argument. April, feeling a moment of spiteful pleasure, swallowed some of her beer – and spent the next few moments choking. Lance slapped her so hard on the back that she stumbled forward a few paces.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Never better,” she croaked, tears streaming from her eyes.

“You gotta sip it at first,” he offered by way of instruction.

“Thanks.” Her wry tone was lost on Lance, who had already crossed the rocks to where Tasha was standing.

The Pink Carnation Ball queen had the audacity to lay her head on his chest and break into tears. April didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. Deciding that her pride would weather this better if she were amused, she determinedly squelched the flames of resentment and misery licking through her and opted to rise above it all.

Tipping up the beer bottle, she closed her eyes and ears to everything around her. Her heart slammed in painful, even be against her ribs. Soon it would be over. Soon…

Two hours later the moon was riding low in the sky, its reflection glittering on the churning river, illuminating the area in frosty gray tones. The party had peaked and only about a dozen people remained. April sat on a large, smooth outcropping of stone, her feet dangling above the water. She lifted her chin and squinted at the sky. The stars grew blurred. Turning her gaze to the bottle in her hand, she realized she’d consumed more alcohol than she’d intended. Lance had made certain she was plied with beer before leaving her.

How charitable of him.

April closed her eyes. Maybe she should have been more responsive. Maybe she shouldn’t have accused him of planning to act like a “macho stud trying to score.” Had she actually said that? It sounded so lame now.

She shuddered, hurting inside. A headache pulsed at her temples, and the thought of taking even one more swallow of beer made her stomach quiver alarmingly. Climbing to her feet, she focused on Tasha and Lance. They were sitting by the water, just talking now, but there was something about the way they looked at each other that made April’s heart squeeze painfully. Seeing her, Lance waved her over, but it was a half-hearted gesture and April turned blindly the other way, disregarding her shoes as she stumbled over the rocks.

Halfway to the cliff path, she passed Jordan Taylor, who was stretched out on a slab of rock, a happy, drunken smile on his lips. April placed her half-empty bottle of beer on his tuxedoed chest and Jordan wrapped his fingers around it.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, trying to focus on her face. “Uh, April. I’d make room for you here but as you can see, one of us would fall off.”

“Have you been expelled?” she asked carefully, having trouble forming the words.

“Ahh… don’t worry, I’m gonna show ‘em. I’ll show ‘em all.”

She walked past him barefoot on the pine needle strewn path. She knew just how he felt. She was going to show ‘em all, too.

Halfway up the trail she realized this wasn’t the way she’d come down.

Confused, she stopped short. A bramble caught in her hair and she yanked it out. Gathering her silk skirt, she stepped forward and crested the headland at the same moment the moon sailed behind a puff of clouds.

The night grew black as pitch.

“Damn, damn, damn.” She heard the teary sound of her own voice and bit hard into her lower lip. Lifting a hand to her forehead, she marched blindly onward. Her toe connected with a stone.

Her eyes burned. There was nothing to do but wait until it grew light enough to see.

In the darkness her other senses came alive. Her hair stood on end. Was that another person’s breathing? It felt as if she weren’t alone.

By the time the moon appeared again, April’s nerves were frayed. The first thing she saw was the rocky beach far below. There was Jordan, passed out cold, and Carrie and Phillip, laughing and tossing water at each other, and Spencer, making a big production of kissing some girl April didn’t even know. Steeling herself, April looked at Tasha and Lance. They were holding hands, staring into each other’s eyes as if they’d never seen each other before.

A whimper of protest escaped her throat.

“Didn’t you like the party?” a male voice drawled from somewhere behind her.

She nearly jumped from her skin. Whipping around, she saw a figure slouched against a motorcycle, and she couldn’t help the short, sharp scream of terror that escaped her.

Dressed in faded jeans and a black, leather jacket, which creaked as he moved his shoulders in a slow stretch, he added conversationally, “Didn’t think much of it myself.”

Her heart still galloping, April strained to see him in the shadows. His hair was light – blond maybe, or a very pale brown – and his features were sharply chiseled and surprisingly familiar. He looked like someone she knew or had just met, but for the life of her she couldn’t place him.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What are you doing?”

“Watching.”

“Watching what?
Us?”

“That’s right.” His smile was hardly a smile at all. “I’m just your average voyeur.”

He had a way of speaking that made her nervous – a soft, rhythmical cadence that instinct warned her to beware. Briefly she recalled that a serial killer had left bodies in the fields and foothills around the area some ten years earlier; prostitutes from the Portland area, mostly, whose bodies had been dumped in Rock Springs. It was kind of old news, she supposed. Lore now, really, but still… “Well, you’re not going to see much,” she told him. “This is about as good as it gets.”