Rock and a Hard Place (12 page)

He touched the onyx carving, strung on a
leather string, his eyes connected with hers. “Are you sure?”

“
Yes,” she stated. “It’s an
ancient symbol. It represents trust.”

“
It’s awesome. Very rock
and roll.” He rubbed his thumb over the smooth stone.

“
You think?” Libby nibbled
at her lip. She wanted him to love it as much as she
did.

“
Yeah.” He touched the tip
of her nose with his. “Where’d you get it?”

“
My mom gave it to me after
a trip she and my dad took.” She liked how the leather cord lay
against Peter’s skin.

Peter sighed, his tone serious. “Oh Libby,
are you sure?” His eyes searched hers. “It’s too important.”

“
If you don’t want it,
that’s okay, but if you do, I’d love for you to have it. I don’t
think it’s very girlie, I think it was actually meant for a guy,
but Mom and I thought it was cool.”

“
Yes, I want it.” He closed
his hand over hers. “And it isn’t girlie at all. I wondered why you
always wore it.”

Libby squeezed his hand, glad to share this
connection. It solidified everything in her heart and proved
Peter’s goodness. Her mom would have liked him a lot.

“
Help me.” Peter leaned
close.

She placed the thin leather cord around his
neck and attached the clasp, then stood back. Satisfied, she
nodded. “I like it.” Her neck felt bare without it, but on Peter
the pendant looked perfect, as if created for him alone.

Peter touched the carving against his skin.
“Me too.” He leaned down and kissed her, sending little thrills
through her body.

They left the river behind and meandered
down Main Street, his arm slung over her shoulder, and her head
rested against him.

“
The town is so quiet.
Where is everybody on a Friday night?”

“
At the football game. The
town practically shuts down for Friday night football.”

“
Would you rather go to the
game?”

“
Gosh no, and hang around
those idiots? No way. Plus, you don’t have to worry about getting
recognized. Everyone under the age of forty is at the
game.”

“
What makes them
idiots?”

“
They’ve just always
treated me horrible. I wasn’t born and raised here, so that made me
an immediate outsider. And my aunt is a total whack job, so that
doesn’t help. They know about my family.” She stopped talking for a
minute. Peter looked down at her, his face sincere. “They don’t
know the details, just that Mom died and Dad left me
here.”

Talking about her family hurt. She missed
them so much. Her throat tightened.

“
Hey, you’re not alone any
more. Okay?” He stopped, his eyes focused on hers.

“
Okay.” They began walking
again. Peter put his around her and held her close.

“
Anyway, the people in this
town are so small-minded, especially at school. Anyone different is
an outcast. I’m so over it.” She slid her arm around his waist and
hooked her thumb in the edge of his back pocket. It felt nice to
belong again.

# # #

After the movie, Peter drove them back
toward the stifling farmette. His gut ached thinking of leaving
Libby with her pot-smoking aunt.

“
Are you sure you’re okay
there?”

“
It’s fine. I’m used to
it.” She sighed.

“
Well I’ve been thinking .
. .”

“
That’s dangerous.” Her
voice chimed.

He reached across and squeezed her leg.
“Would you be quiet, this is serious.”

“
Yes sir,” she
giggled.

“
Actually there are two
things.” He returned his hand to the steering wheel. “First, I
think its time we get you out of here.” There, he’d said
it.

“
What are you talking
about?” She sat upright and stared at him through the
dark.

“
It’s terrible for you
here. You have no ties to anything except your psycho aunt. She
sounds like bad news, and honestly, I’m surprised your dad would
leave you with her.”

Libby sat silent and contemplated his words.
He knew they struck close to home.

“
I’m sorry, that was cruel.
I’m sure your Dad did what he thought best.” Peter couldn’t imagine
how a father could leave his own daughter. If he ever lost Libby,
he’d go insane.

“
It’s okay, I know what you
mean. He wasn’t in his right mind.”

“
Grief is a powerful thing
and you’ve both lost a lot. Listen, I’m eighteen now and I want you
to come be with me. You’d be safer.”

He’d said it. Finally. Peter could picture
how much fun they’d have together and how happy Libby would be away
from Rockville. He hoped she agreed.

She sat wide-eyed. She opened her mouth to
speak and then stopped. He could almost see the wheels turning in
her mind.

“
I would love to escape
this town and be together 24/7, but how would we do that? Where
would I live? Would I go on tour with you?” Libby asked the same
questions that rolled around his mind.

“
I haven’t got it figured
out, but I’m working on it.”

“
Don’t get me wrong, I’d
love to run away with you, but somehow I don’t think your family
would be too keen about some strange girl showing up. What about
school? And what about my dad? He’s coming back.”

Peter wanted to say that if he hadn’t come
back in the past year, it wasn’t likely he’d return any time soon,
but he kept it to himself.

“
I know, it’s a lot to
think about, you’re in a bad situation surrounded by people who
don’t care about you, but I care, and I want you with me.” He
reached for her hand and held it firmly. “I’ve got all kinds of
money, it should be good for something. Maybe it can help get you
outta here.”

“
That’s the nicest thing
any one has ever said to me.” She sounded hopeful. “You say the
word and I’m outta here. I’m so happy I could cry, but I’ve already
done enough of that for one day.”

“
Good, I don’t think I
could take any more tears. When you live in a house with four guys,
crying doesn’t exist. Garrett beat that out of me when I was
three.”

“
So what was the other
thing you wanted to tell me about?”

Peter couldn’t wait to lay this one on her.
“I think we should go to your Homecoming dance.” He watched for her
reaction.

Libby stared at him, her mouth agape.
“You’re nuts. You just agreed I have nothing here and now you want
to go to the Rockville Homecoming?”

“
Why not go? I never got
the chance to go to a school dance and it’s something everyone
should do once. It would be normal. I never get to be normal, and
think how surprised everyone will be to see you with
me.”

“
Aren’t we a little full of
ourselves?” she said. “Actually they would be shocked to see me
with a date at all. Heck they’d be shocked to see me out after five
o’clock.”

“
Then it’s a date.” He
wanted Libby by his side. He wanted to show the world his beautiful
girlfriend.

“
I think you’re crazy. How
do you know you can even make it? What if you have a concert or
something?”

“
If I have a concert, then
obviously it won’t work. I guess we’ll have to crash some other
school’s dance. Get the date and we’ll figure it out from
there.”

“
I’ll have to deal with the
crazy aunt issue. I’m not sure how tonight is going to go over. I
might be locked in the castle tower for the next month.”

“
Then I’ll come rescue
you.” And he would. Anywhere. Anytime.

“
Sweet.”

Peter drove past the entry to the
preserve.

“
Where are you going? You
need to drop me off.”

“
I’m not dropping you off
in the woods late at night. I assume your aunt’s place is up
ahead.”

“
Yeah, but don’t go there.
Drop me off at the corner, I don’t want her to see you.”

“
No.” He turned on to the
side road that led to the old farm house and slowly pulled into the
gravel driveway, then faced Libby.

“
This was the best night of
my life you know,” she said.

“
Me too.” He grinned. Their
date far outshined any concert he ever played. They leaned
together, he put his hand behind her neck, held her gently and
kissed her goodnight.

Libby’s door whipped open, light flooded the
Jeep. A crazed woman, who must be her aunt, glared at them. The
whites of her eyes stood out next to her yellowing teeth. Libby
cringed and leaned away.

“
Where’ve you been?” She
shrieked.

Chapter 11

Libby looked from her aunt to Peter and
back, her eyes as big as CDs. “Out with a friend.”

“
You thought I wouldn’t
know you snuck out, did you? You lied to me, just like I knew you
would. First time I let down my guard and you’re off fornicating
with some boy.”

Shock didn’t begin to describe how Peter
felt. This woman was an unbalanced lunatic.

Libby looked to Peter, horror on her face.
“I gotta go.”

“
Are you sure?” He grabbed
her hand and held on tight.

She nodded. Her eyes filled with conflict,
she pulled away.

“
I’ll call you,” he
whispered, as Libby hurried out of the Jeep.

“
What did he say?” her aunt
badgered.

Libby closed the door, and looked back at
him. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

Her aunt stalked behind her yelling colorful
phrases as Peter watched. He could tell Libby wanted the scene over
with.

Aunt Marge paused her screaming long enough
to glance back and see he hadn’t left the driveway. She spun toward
him.

“
What the hell are you
waiting for? Get the fuck off my property!”

Peter threw the Jeep in reverse, pulled out
and returned the way he came. It took all the strength he had not
to turn around and go get her. Dammit. How could he leave Libby
here? He needed to find a way to get her out and soon.

Once out of sight, he turned the headlights
off and turned the car around so he could watch the house from a
distance. A few minutes later he saw an upstairs light go on. He
continued to watch the house, including the front door, to make
sure Libby’s aunt didn’t notice the Jeep and come back with a gun
to shoot him.

He pressed Redial on his phone. A moment
later, Libby’s sweet voice filled his ears. “Oh, God, Peter, I’m so
sorry.”

“
Are you okay?” Her safety
was all he cared about.

“
I’m okay, don’t worry,”
Libby whispered.

But he did worry. “Are you sure it’s safe?
Do you want me to come back and get you? I hate that you have to
stay with her.”

“
I don’t think that would
be the best way to go. Let’s plan it out, otherwise we might have
the police on our tail.”

“
Libby, she’s scary.” He
wanted to say she was a psycho freak who shouldn’t be allowed out
in public, let alone near kids, but he didn’t want to upset Libby
more. She wasn’t given a choice when her dad dumped her with the
woman.

“
I know. Usually she’s
ultra mellow and semi-passed out. She must have been drinking all
night. That’s when she gets mean.”

“
God Libby, you can’t stay
there. I don’t trust her.” He pushed a hand through his hair in
frustration.

“
It’ll be okay. Where are
you?”

“
I’m pulled over about 100
yards down the road. I can see the light of your bedroom
window.”

“
I’d ask you to flash your
lights, but Lady Paranoia might blow a gasket.”

“
Can you stay on the phone
for a while?” It was the next best thing to being with
her.

“
All night if you want, but
you better get started back. Birthday or not, you don’t need to get
in trouble too.”

# # #

A couple days after discovering Libby out
with a boy, the sound of tires crunching on gravel again alerted
Marge.

Who the hell could that be?

There were no pick-ups scheduled until
later. Dammed intruders. She wiped her dusty hands on her faded
smock and peeked through a crack in the barn door. Libby’s school
counselor stepped out of her car and walked to the front of the
farm house.

“
Dammit.” What did the nosy
bitch want?

Marge opened the barn door and looked back
at her unfinished work spread over several tables. The rest would
have to wait until she got rid of the woman. She pulled the heavy
door closed and secured it with a padlock.

She trudged through tall grass to the front
of the house. Morning dew licked at her beat-up boots. As she
appeared around the corner, the woman from school, a prissy look
painted on her face, knocked on the front door.

“
What do you want?” Marge
barked.

The woman jumped, almost losing her purse in
the process. “Oh, I didn’t see you there.” Collecting herself, she
offered a slender hand. “Hi, I’m Julie Orman, we met last year when
. . .”

“
I know who you are. What
do you want?” Marge glared at the woman in the fancy slacks and
heels.