Between These Lines (A Young Adult Novel) (18 page)

I
had been here only once but still felt awed by the second home the Shellingers
kept. They boasted it was a lakeside cabin, but it didn’t even come close. It
was a behemoth of a house, with loads to keep anyone occupied for weeks:
hiking, boating, jet skiing and countless unmarked trails for mountain biking.

“You’d
think they’d do something about the landscaping,” Tara huffed.

Here
we go again,
I
rolled my eyes. I followed her up to the main walk, refusing to acknowledge her
distaste for nature. She didn’t seem to hear that my shoes weren’t the only
ones sucking into the mud.

The
party was in full swing by the time we arrived. Kids filled up the wraparound
porch, taking in the beautiful night. Laughter and music came from every corner
of the house and the sound of bottles clinking from inside greeted us. It
wasn’t a large group of people, but it was definitely loud.

“You
made it,” Jake emerged, beer in hand. “You’d better leave your shoes outside,
it’s kind of muddy.”

“Really?”
Tara breathed facetiously. “I didn’t notice.”

“Jake
just doesn’t want any trace of us after we leave.” Shane’s voice crept from
behind, taking me off guard. Ever since the other night, our encounters had
been strained and uncomfortable, especially for me—especially since we
were still keeping up the appearance of being a couple, when deep down, both of
us knew otherwise.

Tara
and I leaned down to pull our shoes off, holding onto each other’s shoulders
for support.

“Oh,
come on, your parents have to know what we do every time they go away.
 
Just because you’re mentally challenged
doesn’t mean your parents are stupid too.” Tara eyed Jake playfully.

Tara
was right. How could they not know? But honestly, I didn’t think they really
cared one way or another. Most kids from school had parents like that; the ones
who let them go off and do whatever without intervening. My parents went off to
do as they liked, but they
always
intervened. Go figure.

Voices
called from the kitchen for the boys to return.

“Shots?”
Jake asked us with a sly grin.

Tara
shrugged, pulled her purse up onto her shoulder then followed the sounds of
laughter that wafted from the kitchen. “You coming?” she asked, turning around
for me.

I
was torn between trying to conjure a tactful conversation with Shane, who
stared at me, or watching the front door for Chase. I looked at Tara and shook
my head.

“Suit
yourself.”

Just
like that it Shane and I were alone, and suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t
breathe. Out of habit, I ran my fingers through my hair, covering the bruising
on my cheek, which just this morning had begun to turn a nice shade of greenish
lavender. I watched him from the corner of my eye and crossed my arms
uncomfortably.

“How
does it look?” He reached out and lifted the hair away from my face.

Silent
shrieks of panic careened throughout my body and I instinctively recoiled. The
thought of him touching me again sickened me.

“It
looks lovely, how would you expect it to look?” I shot back, though with all
attempts not to draw attention to us. As far as everyone else was concerned, we
were still together, still a couple. The golden couple.

Far
from it
,
I thought to myself, and was about to step away when he pulled at my hand,
motioning us toward a darkened corner near the foyer. It was so loud there was
no way anyone could hear us, but he whispered anyway. “Eves, I’m sorry about
the other night. You know I would never hurt you.”

Sorry.
Isn’t that the word I wanted him to say to me all along? Did it still count
coming a few days later?

“But
you
did
hurt me,” I whispered back, hoping he’d hear the stupidity
embedded in his words. How could he say he would never hurt me when he already
had?

His
clammy hand landed on my cheek awkwardly. It reminded me of how Chase cupped my
face in his hand in English Lit, only this felt nothing like that. Not even
close. This was a poor duplicate of that moment—a moment I now realized
couldn’t be compared to by anything Shane could drum up, in hopes of making
things better between us.

“It’s
not just what you physically did to me Shane,” I turned my head, hoping his
hand would fall away. “It’s everything.”

I
knew this would come out all wrong, but I had to stick up for myself. Only, I
knew he would interpret it differently. Just as I thought, a cold look settled
in his eyes. It was safe to say I was treading on thin ice here by implying we
were headed for a break up, only I should’ve known better than to be the one to
initiate it. If there was a break up in our future, it would be Shane to do it,
not me. How dare I, right? According to him, he was in charge of everything. My
happiness—my unhappiness.

I
let my words fall short and turned toward the door, praying Chase would walk
through it and save me from what I knew I had to do. Shane followed my eyes,
but instead of letting go of my hand and dropping me right there, his clutch
tightened and squeezed, hurting me all over again at the very notion of my
turning away from him for someone else.

“It’s
him, isn’t it? Did you know he’s out there right now picking Ty up on the way
here?”

Of
course I knew but I couldn’t tell him that. Instead I let him gloat as he held
his secret over me.

“That’s
right. Ty has something for me and I have something for him. And Chase is the
one who will make it all run smoothly.”

I
looked him in the eye and raised my eyebrows, watching the smirk grow across
his lips in the shadowed corner where we stood. The beat of the music pulsated
around us, timing with the nervousness of my heart, thrumming deep within my
chest. His eyes gleamed bright with this bit of information, but I had a secret
too. Shane had no idea his uncle was about to betray him in the worst possible
way, even if it seemed to jump straight out of the tough love chapter from a
Kids Peace handbook. But fear took hold of me anyway. I knew to trust my
instincts where Shane was concerned. I knew he would eventually set out to ruin
Chase, especially in front of everyone, and I was careful not to let the secret
slip.

He
moved closer, leaning next to my ear. “What the hell is it about Chase Mitman
that has you so wrapped up?” he asked, urging me to admit what he thought was
going on behind his back, only he didn’t wait for me to answer. “Well, I’ve got
some news, Evie. Chase might be invited to this party, but he’s not staying.”

At
long last, my hand slipped from his and I rubbed it, urging the blood to run
through it again. “And when he does, I’m leaving with him. We’re done, Shane.
Do you understand? We’re finished.”

That
did it.

Now
I was his worst enemy.

Shane
stood directly in front of me and leaned down until we were eye to eye. “On
second thought, I’ll see that he stays and enjoys himself.”

 
The grin on his lips made me shudder
forcing all the warnings my dad had given me to the surface. My dad was right.
Guys who are cruel don’t change. I had been completely under

Shane’s
spell, like everyone else, and never saw the jerk he really was.

Until
now.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chase

“Heeyyy,
you’re the kid from the library,” Ty slurred as he opened the passenger side
door to my car. “Shane said he’d send a ride over, but he didn’t say who it
would be.” He immediately handed me a manila folder, not waiting for my answer
to his astute observation. “So, you have something for me?” he asked with a
grin. I almost expected to see him greedily rub his hands together.

“Um,
yeah, in there,” I motioned toward the glove compartment. Part of me expected
someone to run up to my window and catch us, but the arrangement between me and
Headmaster Whitley came to the rescue, easing my thoughts. Tonight would go
according to plan, no matter how awkward I felt now, or once I got to the
party. What kept me going—reassuring me—was that I wasn’t in this
alone. Evie knew. Headmaster Whitley and the police knew. Shane would get
busted. It would work. I took a deep, silent breath and pressed my foot on the
gas and headed out.

“You
seem a little edgy.” Ty was obviously sober enough to make judgment.
 

“I’ve
never done this before,” I admitted, feeling stupid for sounding every bit the
rookie I really was. I had hoped to appear like a true bad-ass. Wishful thinking.
I brushed off the fact that this was illegally and morally wrong. The truth
was, I was beginning to feel more at ease. I was at the wheel, I was in
control. I knew things neither Ty nor Shane had any idea of.

Ty
pulled the baggie from the glove compartment and inspected it like a
professional, seeming satisfied with its contents.

“Look
good?” I asked him.

“Yep,
looks good.” He had the same glassy eyes from the other night, which made me
cringe as I realized I was about to spend the entire drive with a wasted
stranger.
 
Despite Jake’s
directions, the party house wasn’t exactly a hop, skip and a jump away. It was
going to be a long drive and I had no idea what Ty and I would to talk about to
make it go any faster. It wasn’t like we’d have a lot in common. In fact, I’d
prefer to deal with my paranoia by myself.

“Shane
rarely gives me anything bad,” Ty offered.

“So
you two have done this before?”

“Mmm,
hmm.”

“So,
are you going to like, rub it on your gums, or something?” Obviously I had seen
too many Miami Vice reruns.

Ty
looked at me crookedly. “Nah, I trust Shane,” and he turned his attention back
to the tiny bag in his hand. Trusting Shane Whitley—that to me was just
as dangerous as dangling a hand over an alligator’s open mouth. Actually, it
was just as dangerous as the mess I had gotten myself into tonight.

“Good,”
I said, “Because I was going to tell you not to open that.” I blew a sigh of
relief between my lips and felt my chest lighten slightly. That was the last
thing I needed; a powdered illegal substance all over Aunt Claudie’s car. I
looked away and focused on the road and getting us to the party.
 

“So,
how much does something like that go for?”

“Why,
are you interested?” He looked at me with gleaming eyes, as if he had just
garnered a
 
future customer in me.

“No,”
I answered. “I was just curious.” And just trying to make conversation with
someone I had absolutely nothing in common with.

“Well,
I usually deal in trades when it comes to Shane.” The bag crinkled as he rolled
it back and forth between his hands. “Between you and me, he’s kind of a
cheapskate and not too bright, so we rigged up a deal. I do his papers and he
gets me quality.” He dangled the bag above his head like a trophy and I nodded,
pretending to follow along.

“I’m
sure I could work something out for you too.”

I
rolled my eyes and concentrated on the road. Like that was going to happen.

Ty
talked nonstop for the rest of the ride, and I hunched over the steering wheel,
craning to listen to the lady’s voice in my GPS so we wouldn’t get lost.
Apparently, the secret location of Jake’s party was so secret, even Ty had no
idea where it was, but by the time we rounded the corner and turned onto the
driveway of the house, he was suddenly struck with recollection.

“Oh,
yeah, I’ve been here.” He muttered next to me in the passenger seat.

Thanks.
Thanks a lot.

Cars
were parked all around the outside of Jake’s house. I looked among them, not
sure if Evie was already inside. I was pretty sure she came with Tara, only I
had never seen Tara’s car before, and it was pretty dark up here on the
mountain with trees shading most of the lot. I gathered my bearings and caught
the cool, damp scent of the lake in the air, then followed Ty toward the
brightly lit house. The folder that held Shane’s paper was a dead weight in my
hand.

 
I stepped through the doorway beneath the
roof of an incredibly wide front porch and was struck by three things: the
intense pounding of bass, the view of a glistening black lake just beyond a
humongous room with a wall full of windows, and dozens of eyes staring at me.
It was like walking into the dining hall all over again, only I didn’t have the
comfort of Evie by my side. But walking in with Ty seemed to work in my favor.
The heads that turned our way, turned back, and everyone resumed what they had
been doing before.

“Come
on, the kitchen’s this way.” Ty waved his hand for me to continue following on
his heels.

“I’m
not hungry, but thanks.”

“Ha
ha,” Ty laughed, and I followed his unsteady figure toward the back of the
house.

“Let
the party begin!” Ty announced with his arms stretched wide, oblivious that the
party had indeed begun a while ago and we were a few of the last ones to
arrive.