Ripple Effect: A Novel (23 page)

Kelly’s eyes narrow. All of the sudden, something clicks. His face becomes blank and holds no emotion. Glancing out the window, he seems almost catatonic.

“Kelly,” I say, scared. My hands clench his forearm as I stare into his face.

“Did he
rape
you?” Kelly asks me in a low whisper.

Tears fill my eyes. “
No
.”

Angry now, he stares straight at me. “He
touched
you?
Molested
you, Cecily?”

Holding back a sob, I nod. “Yes.”

“I’m going to kill him,” he says darkly. In a flash, Kelly is rising from the table, his knees banging loudly on the old wood, and he’s heading over the back of the green booth. He can hardly contain the rage he feels; his face and skin are bright red.

“Kelly,” I scream and run after him. I barely catch him before he stalks around the corner to the entrance. “Stop,” I cry, clinging to his arms and looking desperately into his eyes.

Settling down, he holds my face in his hand and stares down at me, rubbing my cheek tenderly with his thumb. “Cecily, I––” He shakes his head and looks down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Ces, what’s going on?” Randal asks, wiping his hands on a white cloth.

I look at him and wipe the tears from my face quickly. “We thought that guy had stolen my purse, that’s all.”

Randal claps Kelly’s shoulder. “Calm down, fella, it’s just a purse.”

Kelly nods at Randal and holds me with a strong arm, before leading us back to the table.

*              *              *

Upon my return home, I walk into my house to hear my mother talking on the phone. A bad feeling hits me.

“Mom,” I say, rounding the corner into the sea-shore themed kitchen. She’s sitting at the bar, resting her elbows on the white countertop.

Her hand goes up to tell me to hold that thought. “Thank you, Alan.” She smiles.

My arms cross over my chest as anger fills me. “Mom!”

“Goodbye, now,” she says and hangs up. Looking at me, she sits straight and shrugs.

“You better not tell me that you just talked to Sheriff Copper,” I bark.

Mom stands up and wraps her arms around me. “Baby, things are going to be fine.”

Fear fills me. “No, they aren’t!”

“Sheriff Copper will take care of this. All I told him is that there have been some problems with a few kids being bullied. They are just going to put a few more officers in the school. Things will be okay. Leison’s name wasn’t mentioned once. Just as we’d discussed.”

Does she not comprehend what she just did?! “No!” I yell.

Her lips tighten and she’s losing her patience. “Cecily, you are a victim now and you are letting your fear stop you from thinking logically. You’re seventeen and I can’t expect you to make adult decisions yet––you’re just a girl!”

I give her the nastiest look and storm off to my room to cry the rest of the night.

I am trying to be normal today. Eighty times I’ve smiled in the mirror––seeing which one seems less forced––as I try to prepare my master façade. If there is any sign of distress or fear in my countenance, I will be hunted down and eaten alive by the royals. They will be watching me closely.

Darien informed me that Sabrina was out to get me. It’s easy to imagine the bounty that has been put on my head by the royals, by the nasty duchess.

Royal bounty plus Leison’s threats equal puke-worthy terror, coursing through my body at a rate that only Einstein could predict, the master physicist he was. But it doesn’t take a scientist to see that I am going to be a dead girl by the end of it all. Well, maybe not dead . . .

So here I am, going to school after missing two days, plus most of last week. That horrible feeling returns to me. I have so much late work to make up.

“Time to go,” Mom says, her smiling—though worried—face peeking into my bedroom.

I smile pathetically. “I’ll be fine. Stop being such a mom and ruining my existence.”

After holding me uncomfortably close and kissing me on the forehead, she sends me out the door. She told me a billion times that she loves me. I know when my mother is freaking out, when she is terrified—like she is now. It’s surprising that Sherriff Copper isn’t escorting me to the school and sitting by my side all day or something . . .

I slowly walk to Hazel’s white hatchback and open the passenger door. She’s dancing in her seat––covered with zebra print seat covers––to the newest bop song. I’m just trying to be brave, to be the
hero.

“Your music sucks!” I yell and get into the car. My shoulder bag plops down on the floor.

The volume bars on the fancy stereo are bright pink when she touches the dial. Hazel laughs as she turns the tunes down. “Let’s go! Time to show the royals who’s boss!”

I slam the door shut and refrain from telling to shut her mouth.
Stupid royals.

Before driving, Hazel adjusts her shirt that is too low. I fancy the old baggy sweater I’m wearing. “Grandma,” she says to me before backing out.

“Skank,” I reply, flicking her exposed cleavage.

We begin laughing and turn up the music once more as we drive to school. What can I say? I love my bestie and she loves me. Otherwise, we’d have beaten the crap out of each other by now.

All is fine until we reach the parking lot. My nerves are firing and I want to throw up so badly . . . just to relieve the giant knot that takes up my entire stomach. There is something horribly wrong here, I can sense it. And I am not talking about the royals. Something sinister is taking place and this is the epicenter. It’s like the school building is Hell and I am walking into a mess of demons.

“Here we go!” Hazel says with enthusiasm, after she pats my leg. “I got your back.”

Smiling, I nod. “Okay, let’s go.” I swallow my fear so that my pride can shine again.

“Remember, Ces. Be the hero, stop the disaster.”

Automatically I glare at her. “Thanks for the reminder.”

The first half of my day goes fine. Painting is always therapeutic and I start the beginnings of the golden bridge in outer space. My favorite part is the glowing pink star that I call Diamond Heart. Who knows if it is real or not?  Iles hovers over me, as if I am some sort of miraculous art piece and is constantly asking me how I’m doing. I just hum along as I paint, happy for the first time this day. The poor guy is baffled at my rapid transformation. Relieved, absolutely, but baffled. I don’t like to mention the suicidal Cecily.

Then it’s on to Math––boring, tedious, and easy. My concerns in that class are falling asleep or allowing my mind to wander about my imminent death caused by Sabrina or Leison. I hate my life sometimes.

As I stick to the walls of the hallway, moving swiftly on my way, I stare at the ceiling and search for something more, some sort of insight. Besides, if I look down it will show my weakness, that I’m terrified and vulnerable. So, I look up and walk tall with strength and dignity. I can do this. I can be brave. I’m the hero.

I remember that soon enough I’ll be in New York and none of this will matter.

“Cecily!” someone yells to me.

Ice courses through my veins, freezing me in place.

It’s just a smiling Stacy. Of course, her blue eyes sparkle, and with a smile her face becomes a little wider. “Hey, how are you?” A hand brushes through her brown hair, which is quite long actually. She’s beautiful, like subtle and soft and natural.

I try to smile, but the fact that I feel a little odd showed on my face. The last time I saw her, she was helping my pathetic butt off the ground in front of Leison’s class. She probably thought I was a slut. “Uh . . . hey, Stacy.”

“You know, I had the weirdest dream about you!” She bobs her head as she says
weirdest
. She’s acting like we’re best buds or something, and nothing about me tripping out of Leison’s class ever happened.

“Like . . . what?”

Stacy sighs and looks down at her full hands. “Well, you were dead.”

My eye starts to twitch. “What the––?”

“No, listen!” she begs, her blue eyes full of remorse.

“Okay . . .” I give her a chance to redeem herself.

“So you were dead and walking the halls of the school. There was like a vigil and everything to remember you. There was something you were trying to tell me, but I didn’t understand you. Someone needed help . . .” She starts to trail off in her own thoughts.

I notice that my mouth has dropped open. “Why did you dream this?”

She shakes her head like she’s scared. “I don’t know why. I can’t control my dreams.”

“We don’t really talk a whole lot,” I remind her. “So this is really weird and you’re freaking me out.”

She looks away silently, as if I have offended her. “I’m sorry.”

Guilt fills me. “Stacy, I’m sorry. Thanks for helping me the other day,” I say, trying to find forgiveness from her.

Stacy slightly smiles. “You know, I’ve always considered us friends.”

“Yeah, me too,” I reply, smiling. Another bullet dodged.

“I’ll let you go,” she says and heads down the hall. “Be safe, Cecily.”

I head toward the cafeteria to meet Hazel. That was weird.

Hazel is sitting at a table, a book in hand, and a carton of chocolate milk. Her leg bounces as she reads, and her shirt is too low. Darien doesn’t seem to mind, though he is watching her from a distance. They aren’t brave enough to commit social suicide yet.

The first thing I do is pull her shirt up for her.

Hazel smacks my hand away and inches it back down. “I’m showing the royals that I can be sexy too.”

“You look like a skank,” I inform her rudely. “Pull your shirt up!”

As she does as she’s told, she sticks her tongue at me. “Grandma Cecily is back.”

I smile, proud of my baggy sweater. “It’s so comfy!”

“Shush!” Hazel rolls her eyes before going back to reading.

After sitting, I sigh loudly. Twenty minutes to World Civ. I look around the room and locate three police officers that were added to the hallway décor thanks to Sheriff Copper and my mother. And I must admit that I am glad. At least I’m not alone . . .

Something smacks the back of my head––and hard. I gasp, my hand reaches to the spot, and I turn around slowly.

Sabrina is standing there with her hands on her curvy hips, scornful gray eyes, and a smirk on her light-pink glossy pout. “Oops,” she says snidely. “I didn’t notice your head in the way of my hand.”

Clenching my jaw, I stand up to face her. “What do you want?” Suddenly, I just want to yank the dark, long hair from her head. But I don’t.

“You owe me,” she hisses. “Big time.”

Anger fills me now and I can’t help but to shove her away from me. “Oh, really? What for?”

Sabrina snickers. “You no-showed Friday!” She shoves me back.

“I do what I want!” I yell, getting right up in her face. “What does it matter to you?”

“I had a lot riding on your attendance to that party, Cecily,” she says, maliciously quiet.

I shake my head in disgust. “What am I, some bargaining chip to you?” I shove her once again, becoming angrier. “You’re sick!”

Hazel stands up and is ready to beat her off of me.

Sabrina grabs my shirt and pulls me over to her. “I will ruin you!” Anger fills her eyes.

I smack her hands off of me. “You’re a selfish brat that knows nothing unless it’s pertaining to you!”

“Exactly! You’ve cost
me
an A in
World Civ.
”

She’s sending me a message of some sort. “It’s probably because you didn’t do the work Sabrina. That’s kind of the point of school!” I glare. “Unless you sleep with the teachers to get your way, right?”

Pain fills her eyes but her face contorts in anger. “You slut!” She reaches for me but I dodge her and grab her arms.

“Did I hit a nerve, Sabrina?” I whisper, so low that only she can hear.

Sabrina looks away and hides the fact that tears are filling her eyes. “You’re in trouble,” she informatively whispers.

“Sabrina!” I yell loudly. “What does it have to do with me?” There is absolutely nothing that ties us together aside from a lifelong event of Sabrina’s hatred of me. “I have nothing to do with you! I freaking hate you!”

Fear-filled eyes stare at me before she masks her fright with anger. “You’ll see.”

My brow furrows. “What does that even mean?”

“Stop acting like an idiot!” she screams. Her hair is shoved out of her face and she composes herself once more.

Then I see something. Her eye is swollen and black, but masterly covered with makeup. She has bruises on her biceps. She’s frail and wounded, beaten by someone.

Sabrina a victim? Impossible! That means that I’m not alone in this! My stomach contorts and I’m seriously going to puke now!

“Don’t puke on me!” Sabrina screams as she pushes me away and steps back.

Then it’s all released from my stomach and I’m kneeling on the cafeteria floor with two cops at my side and the school principal. My nose stings, a horrible taste is in my mouth, and my eyes are tearing up.

Hazel is rubbing my back and saying soothing things to me. “Let’s just take you home,” she says loudly.

Even Darien is by my side, helping me to my feet.

Sabrina is glaring at me with so much hatred. She points in the direction of the World Civ classroom. “Don’t be an idiot,” she whispers, well aware that I know her secret now.

“I’m going to class,” I say to Hazel and Darien, just as the bell rings. I give them a look before grabbing my things and heading to World Civ. Something huge is happening and I have to find out what it is!