The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: The Curse of the Gifted (6 page)

Blood tinged her cheeks, then her hands balled into tight fists. Aimee was
furious at his betrayal, his distorted attempt to defile what he couldn’t validate. The travels were not her imagination filling in the holes pierced in her psyche by her mother’s death. She wasn’t delusional! Aimee felt this within the deepest existence of her being and suddenly understood the necessity for absolute secrecy. She couldn’t risk having anyone doubt her sanity again. Telling others would interfere, and she couldn’t bear for her dad to be tortured again by her zealous attempts to convince him her imaginary world wasn’t make-believe. Aimee was all alone, and for now that would have to do. She
may not understand this
gift,
but she had to try to figure out how to use it and not waste any more time.

Her mind raced. She needed to figure out what to do next.
I need to skip school,
she decided.
I don’t know what to expect, but something tells me my journey will be soon, and I’ve gotta be ready
.
In a flash she was in, then out of the shower, her wet hair dripping down her back. She dashed
into her room and booted up the computer. Aimee had to find out something about time travel. While she waited for the desktop to open, Aimee flew to the closet, flipped on the light, then started digging around the crammed clothes until she found the perfect outfit for traveling; a pair of faded blue jeans,
a pink Oxford shirt, and a navy blue hoodie
.
She was slipping on a tennis shoe when her phone started to
vibrate gently across the nightstand.

Aimee noticed
BFF
on the caller ID. “Oh crap, it’s Chelsea.” She impatiently answered, “Hey.”

“My tire is flat, and Brian won’t change it. Can you give me a lift?”

“I’m not feeling well…” She faked a weak cough. “…and I think I need to stay home and sleep it off.”

“You can’t miss the test. Dr. Morris has a friggin’ cow anytime someone misses an exam,” said Chels. “Besides, it’s too late for me to get a ride with someone else.”

“Thanks, Chels, for the sympathy. Yeah, okay, give me a couple minutes to get dressed and I’ll be down. Be looking for me so I don’t have to wait.”

Aimee snapped shut her phone and stuffed it into her back pocket.
Dammit!
She needed to reassess this kink in her strategy.
How am I gonna go to school?
Somehow I have to get through economics. I feel fine for the moment. Maybe an hour or two won’t matter.
Quickly, she shut down her PC,
flipped off the light, and grabbed her backpack.

“I’ll be back shortly, Z,” Aimee said. After digging the keys to the Bug from her backpack, she headed out the front door, locked it, then ran to the car to get out of the steady drizzle. She unlocked the Bug and pitched her pack to the backseat, then jumped in and cranked up the motor. Without checking, she threw the gearshift into Reverse and backed out onto the street. The motor whined bitterly as she sped towards Chelsea’s, but Aimee didn’t notice. Her mind was focused on
something more important; the inevitable journey.
I need to leave school right after economics. I
totally suck at faking, but pretending to be sick seems my only option at the moment. Dad’ll get a call from the attendance office busting me so I better make it look convincing. The nurse’s office, oh yeah, that should work. I’ll ask Dr. Morris to let me go see Mrs. North after I finish the test. If something
starts to happen, the halls will be empty so I can avoid bei
…Beep-beep! A car behind Aimee honked.
Her Bug was speeding down the left side of the street. She yanked it back into her lane and kept moving. Chelsea’s house was a couple more blocks, and East Medford High a mile down the road from
there.
If Chels doesn’t dawdle, we can be on campus before the second bell
. A few seconds later Aimee whipped her car alongside the curb and tooted the horn a couple times.
Awesome!
For once Chelsea’s ready.
Chels waved, then finished locking the door. Aimee shoved open the passenger door a few
inches and waited for her to slide in. Within seconds, Chels squeezed into the tiny space. Before Chels could close her door, Aimee threw the car into first gear and jerked away from the curb.

“Geez Christ, Aimee, what’s the friggin’ rush?!” Chels grabbed the door handle to slam it shut. She dropped her pack to the floorboard, then frantically reached for her belt, fastened it as quickly as she could, and slapped the lock down. Instantly Aimee felt Chelsea's glare. She peeked over and Chels was staring at her with her mouth and eyes wide open.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to be late.” Aimee locked her eyes back on the road.

“For cryin’ out loud! We have five minutes before we’re tardy. Besides, you
know Jana is the office aide in attendance first period. She’ll cover us.
OMIGOD, SLOW DOWN!
You’re gonna get us friggin’ killed!”

Aimee's car fishtailed onto the main drag heading to campus. Her pace immediately dropped to the speed limit with the thick traffic dictating her course. Chelsea’s hand finally loosened off the handle and she sighed heavily.

After a few seconds of silence she was back to her normal, bubbly self. “So, have you decided what you’re gonna wear tomorrow night?”

“Wear?” Aimee replied clueless.

“Yeah,
wear
! Omigod! Don’t tell me you have forgotten already?”

“Forgotten what?” asked Aimee again, trying to keep her irritation with the traffic moving at a snail’s pace from showing, and her attention focused on Chelsea’s conversation while at the same time still organizing the unfinished details of her plan to skip school.

“Dylan Townsend…
helloooo
! You know, your date tomorrow.” Chels sounded exasperated.

Suddenly Aimee's mind reeled back to her plans for tomorrow, and she grimaced
. How could I have forgotten the date?
“Of course I haven’t forgotten our date,” Aimee said, hoping to convince
Chels that this was as much on her mind as hers.

“Well, you don’t
sound
very excited. I mean, it’s not like you have tons of guys asking you out. It’s just that this is Dylan Townsend, Aimee. Are you
crazy
? He hasn’t dated anyone since breaking up with Brandi, and half the girls at East Medford would do anything, and
I mean
an..eee..thing
for a date with him, but he asked you.” She was annoyed that Aimee wasn’t giving
this as much attention as Chels thought she should.

Wincing from the sting of Chelsea’s chiding, Aimee mulled her words through her brain.
Are you crazy,
Aimee repeated to herself. Chels was right to wonder. Aimee thought,
I must be crazy
. Her
last year in high school and her social life was dismally bleak. Honestly, dismal was too kind. How could she forget about her date with Dylan? Even worse, how could Aimee possibly date anyone, much less Dylan, knowing what was about to happen? It was risky. Too complicated. Aimee shuddered when
she thought about all the potential scenarios that could happen if they were together and
it
happened.
Without noticing, Aimee gripped the steering wheel tighter, the muscles in her arms and hands tensing under the weight of the realization.

As they turned into the student parking lot, Aimee shot a sympathetic glance back at Chelsea and shrugged. “You know, Chels, putting more pressure on me doesn’t help, okay? I guess I’m just trying to not make a big deal about this, you know, so I don’t friggin’ die on Monday when he has
moved on to someone else. I
reeeally
like Dylan, but you know my dating history. You’re right. Guys
like Dylan just don’t ask someone like me out.”

“Aimee, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that, well, you are
soooo
aggravating.
You’re gorgeous. And when you get out of your room long enough to do something besides study, you’re fun to be around, and even funny when you actually open your mouth and talk, and…” Aimee rolled her eyes. “No, listen to me,” Chelsea began, “Dylan would be a freakin’ moron to not see what an amazing person you are. He’s the one who is crazy if he doesn’t get completely blown away by you.” Her reproachful smirk changed to a coy smile as Chels continued. “Besides, if you let me help you get ready you won’t have to worry about him checkin’ out other chicks. Trust me. You’ll look so hot he won’t be able to think about anything but you.”
Clearly Chelsea had made Aimee's date with Dylan a project -
Help Aimee Get a Life.
Aimee
figured she better give in and let her work her magic. It was easier conceding with Chelsea than arguing. She was bound to get her way, always had.

“All right, Chels, you win. I have to admit I could use your help. Can you come around six tomorrow? Two hours should be enough time, don’t you think, to whip me into this spellbinding beauty?” Chelsea seemed content. She loved a good competition, and Aimee knew it was easier to allow Chels to win than to dig her feet in.

“Hey, there’s a spot.” Chelsea pointed excitedly as they cruised down the last aisle of student parking. Benny Cardenas was coming from the other direction towards them. Aimee darted into the space before Benny, killed the motor, and they grabbed their backpacks. Benny sat idling his oversized truck in the aisle. He stared at Chelsea and Aimee while they got out, and he didn’t look amused. Aimee smiled apologetically at him, then both sprinted to the main building.

Breathlessly, they erupted through the hall doors as the final bell rang. Dr. Morris was pulling the classroom door shut when they careened around the corner and bolted through the doorway just before she closed it. Both girls giggled under their breaths as they nudged past Dr. Morris, who watched with her evil eye while they hurried to their seats.

“Nice of you to join us today, Miss Jenkins and Miss Schmidt.”

Chels and Aimee glanced at each other, stifled the urge to continue sniggering, and ignored the stares from other students, most who were still getting settled themselves. Without waiting for a response, Dr. Morris promptly proceeded to give instructions for the exam.

“Okay, class, quiet down. Everybody put your books away. No more studying. If you aren’t ready by now, it’s too late.” Dr. Morris paced across the front of the room, counting the number of students in each aisle, then handing a pile of papers to the first student while motioning to pass the tests back. She continued giving instructions while she peered over the top of her glasses at the class. “You know the drill. Make sure your name, date, and subject are on the top of each page. I’ll count off one point for each item missing.” Several students groaned, but Dr. Morris proceeded without paying any attention. “Essay questions need to be in paragraph form, complete sentences, and be sure to use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You guys are going to be in college this fall, so write as if you’re literate.” A couple snickers rumbled across the room. “Validate your statements. Remember, I can tell if you’re trying to dupe your way through, so don’t be tempted. Okay? Once everyone gets a test you’ll have fifty minutes.”

Aimee waited tensely.

Dr. Morris looked over her glasses again searching the faces in front of her. “Well then, you can begin.”

Aimee checked the clock above Dr. Morris’s desk, and then discreetly glanced over her shoulder to the back of the room. Covertly she scanned the desks. Dylan sat at the end of the next aisle surrounded by a couple of his football buddies. Her gaze stopped at Dylan’s desk, then moved up to lock onto his face. Right at that second he looked up, catching her lame attempt to be subtle. A smile stretched across his face and he nodded. Aimee smiled back nervously. Blake, the boy behind Aimee, poked a finger in her back and whispered, “Hey, wake up.” He pointed at Heather in front of Aimee about to dump the pile of tests over her shoulder. She reeled around and grabbed the tests and took one for herself before passing the rest to Blake.

“Sorry,” said Aimee.

Blake groaned. Aimee stared down at the test, but suddenly her
brain clouded. Like Blake, she groaned. She grumbled to herself.
Come on, Aimee. FOCUS!
Aimee slowly read and reread each essay question, but answers would not register. Dylan’s gorgeous face kept interrupting any attempt to concentrate on the test. She couldn’t breathe. She pulled at her collar to loosen its chokehold. Chelsea glanced over at Aimee with a puzzled look. Aimee shrugged and pointed at the first question.

Without glancing up, Aimee noticed Dr. Morris strolling down the aisle. She paused at Aimee's desk and checked her paper. Dr. Morris's fingers grazed over the first question, then she peered at Aimee curiously. She leaned into Aimee's space and whispered, “Everything okay?”

“Yes, ma’am, I think so. I haven’t been feeling well today.” Aimee kept her eyes
glued to her test.
Hmm, not so hard,
she thought. Aimee figured it was wise to lay the groundwork for
when she would ask to go see Mrs. North.

Dr. Morris lingered for what seemed like forever. Her stare burned into the side of Aimee's face, and Aimee felt heat spread across her cheeks. It settled into her ears and turned them a nice cherry red. Aimee stunk at faking. Her father said her ears always gave her away when Aimee tried to tell a lie, even a little white one. Aimee was sure Dr. Morris had to notice the beacons on either side of her head. She froze, her lips pursed, expecting a siege of scrutiny. Without taking her eyes off the page, Aimee finally heard Dr. Morris's footsteps proceed down the aisle. Aimee melted into her desk. With a deep breath, her heart started to beat again. She tried to shake the cobwebs from her brain. She flipped the page hoping the next set of questions made sense. The test was short, three pages, covering material she had studied, but now it seemed like she was reading Greek. She was definitely screwed.