The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) (17 page)

The doctor was in her room within fifteen minutes, along with her mom. Man, she looked awful. Her eyes were darkened by black circles, the lids were puffy from crying, her hair stuck out in various directions, and her clothes were wrinkled. Katie almost felt sorry for her. Almost. But her mom had brought it on herself by not listening to Katie in the first place. She had to pay the price. Katie sat on the edge of her bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap, and waited for the okay to get up and go. The doctor was the only one who had been on her side, she wanted to show a little bit of respect. He smiled at her.

“How are you feeling today?”

Katie shrugged. “Fine.”

He flipped through a few pages of her chart before turning to Mom. “The tests came back clear. Katie has no signs of infection. She’s free to go.”

Her mom’s forehead wrinkled with the effort. “How can that be? The things she was saying, she was acting crazy.”

The doctor closed the folder. “I don’t know what to tell you Mrs. Barrett. Perhaps it was a cry for help. All I know is that it wasn’t an infection. We can’t keep her here. I would suggest going home and getting some good rest. If Katie continues to act abnormally, I can recommend a psychiatrist for you to speak to.”

Mom nodded. “Okay. That sounds good.”

The doctor glanced back at Katie. “I’ll see you in a few days to remove those stitches.” He turned and headed out of the room.

Katie and her mom stared at each other for a moment. Katie fought back the urge to say, “I told you so.” Sympathy crossed her mom’s face. At least Katie thought it was sympathy. With fatigue lining her features, Katie couldn’t be sure what her mom felt. She stepped across the room and sat down on the bed. Katie desperately wanted to get up and move. Being so close to her mom made her stomach turn. She turned her head away instead.

“It’s all so weird. I thought for sure you had picked up rabies.” Mom ran her hand through Katie’s hair. “Especially after the stories you were telling me yesterday.”

Katie rose from the bed and stepped across the room. Still, she didn’t speak. What was the point? Her mom wouldn’t believe anything she said anyway. Plus, Katie was sure she wouldn’t be able to speak civilly. Since shouting at her mom would get her nowhere, she kept her mouth shut.

The nurse entered the room with paperwork and her mom signed. Katie didn’t wait until the ink was dry. With long strides, she headed out of the room and into the hall. When she made it to the front door, she had to wait for her mom, since she wasn’t sure where the car was. Inwardly, she wondered if Wes and Randy would be there for her release. When they didn’t show up, she wasn’t surprised. Why would they be there for anyone else? Everyone was supposed to cater to their needs, but Heaven forbid they think of others. She climbed into the car and stared out the window.

The ride home was done in silence. Mom pulled the car into the garage and turned it off. Katie opened the door and headed into the house. She made a beeline for her room and plugged her phone into the charger. It had died at the hospital. She sent a text to Deb.

We still on for today?

She headed for her dresser and grabbed some clean clothes. The phone dinged on the nightstand. Katie picked it up.

Are we? Heard you had to go to the hospital.

Yeah, out now. I’ll tell you about it when you get here. Can you pick me up in an hour?

Your mom okay with that?

Not her choice.

Okay. See you in a bit.

Katie set the phone down and headed into the bathroom.

The hot water helped melt away some of Katie’s stress. She let it run over the back of her head and shoulders. She tried to keep from thinking about the hospital, Wes, and Josh, instead focusing on what she and Deb were going to do. It worked, for the most part, until Katie heard the bathroom door open and close. She held back the groan of irritation.

“Katie, honey, can we talk?”

Her mom could be so annoying! Of course she waited until Katie was in the shower. She was cornered, had nowhere to go.

“I really need to finish getting ready.”

“Where are you going?”

“Deb and I are going out,” Katie snapped, unable to hold the anger back.

“Okay. When will you be home?”

Katie flung open the curtain and stared at her mom through slitted eyes. “Whenever I feel like it.” She pulled the curtain back closed with force.

“Katie, baby, I’m sorry for what happened. I’m sorry I took you to the hospital. I was worried about you. I had to make sure you weren’t sick.”

Katie slammed off the shower and grabbed a towel. She glared at her mother before grabbing her clothes and heading for her room. Mom was right behind her, and Katie slammed the door in her face.

“You’re entitled to be mad. I would be too if I were in your shoes. I’ll give you some space, but I want to talk to you. I want you to tell me what you were trying to tell me about Randy earlier.”

Katie rolled her eyes. Of course now she wanted to talk about it. Once she found out she was wrong. She couldn’t believe Katie before. Well, maybe Katie didn’t want to talk about it later. Maybe she was done trying to get people to listen to her. That was something she was going to have to decide later.

“I love you, Katie. Please don’t forget that.”

Katie’s anger softened a little after Mom’s words. Katie knew Mom loved her, but that didn’t change the fact she wouldn’t listen to her.

She finished getting dressed and sat down on the bed. Deb would be there in ten minutes, but she didn’t want to wait for her downstairs. Mom would try to talk to her again. She thought about waiting outside, but what if Wes saw her out the window? She really didn’t want to have to talk to him. No, it was best to stay in her room, where she was safe, until Deb showed up. She contemplated sending Josh a text, to see how he was doing, but didn’t. Uncertainty lingered about whether or not the Tormentor was part of his plan. Until she sorted things out in her mind, it was best to leave him alone.

A horn honked, and Katie jumped from the bed. She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs. Her mom called after her as she ran out the front door, but Katie didn’t acknowledge her. She jumped into Deb’s car and faced her friend.

“Oh, my God. You’re never going to believe what I’ve been through.”

REALIZATION HIT KATIE
that she couldn’t tell Deb exactly what had happened. That would mean telling her about the warehouse, about what Josh and Wes were. No doubt, Deb would never believe her. Her mom didn’t believe her. Plus, even though Deb was her best friend, she was terrible at keeping secrets. It was one thing for Deb to think she was crazy, but for the whole school—possibly the whole town—to think that was too much. Deb’s eyes widened and she smacked Katie on the arm.

“Well? Are you going to tell me or what?”

Katie playfully shoved her back. “My mom thought I had rabies.”

Deb’s face crunched in amusement and confusion. “What? Why would she think that?” She pointed at Katie’s arm. “Because of the dog bites?”

Katie nodded. “Yeah. That and Wes and I got into this big fight and I guess I went a little crazy when I tried to explain it to her.”

Worry crossed Deb’s face. “Oh, no, Katie. Please tell me you aren’t pining for him again.”

Katie held up her hands defensively. “Absolutely not. I just had to drive his dad to the hospital to pick him up.”

Deb knew most of the stories about how Wes had stood Katie up and broken her heart. They had been friends since the eighth grade. She always told Katie to forget about him and move on. She always said he was bad news. If Deb thought Wes was bad, what would she think about Josh if she knew the truth?

“You better not be falling for him again. I’ll kick your ass. Seriously. I’m not listening to you whine about him anymore.”

Katie pursed her lips and placed her hands in her lap. “I promise I’m not falling for Wes again. He’s ancient history.”

“Good. The rumor around school is you and Josh Evers are a thing. Is that true?”

Katie became sheepish and turned her gaze away. To the school and the vast majority of town, Josh was still a teenager. A good looking, athletic student. Katie was rarely ever the topic of gossip. Not that she minded—she was more than happy to stay out of the limelight and crosshairs of teenage drama. It embarrassed and flattered her at the same time to know that people were talking about her and Josh. After all, he was the most popular guy at school. It made her heart ache that he couldn’t be normal. If her classmates only knew.

Deb smacked her arm again. “It is true! Why didn’t you tell me? Why did I have to hear this from Brenda?”

Katie shrugged. “I’m still not sure what’s going on between Josh and I. It’s complicated.”

“But he kissed you, right? Brenda said she saw him kiss you in the hall.”

Heat warmed Katie’s cheeks. “Yeah. He kissed me in the hall.”

“Oh, my God!” Deb’s voice screeched through the car, piercing Katie’s ears. “You have to tell me all about it. I want every sordid detail.”

“Deb, really, there’s not much to tell. It was just a kiss.”

Deb pounded her hands on the steering wheel. “You see what happens when you finally let go of childhood flames? The world comes knocking on your door!” She leaned her head back against her seat. “I am so freaking jealous of you right now! Josh Evers. Hottest guy in school.” She sat up and pointed a finger at Katie. “Promise me you’ll fill me in on anything that happens between you guys.”

Katie nodded. “I will. Don’t worry.”

“You better.”

An engine revved next to Deb’s car, and Katie glanced over her friend’s shoulder out the window. Wes’s truck pulled into his driveway. Katie’s chest tightened, her limbs tingled. The last person she wanted to see was him. He got out of the truck and stared at Deb’s car.

“Deb, drive. Let’s get out of here.”

Deb wrinkled her nose, then glanced over her shoulder to see what Katie looked at. When her gaze fell on Wes, she put the car in gear and headed down the road. Katie looked out the back window. Wes watched them drive off.

“So, I was thinking, instead of going shopping today, some of the senior class is meeting at the reservoir. You know, just to hang out. A last fling before the weather gets cold. I thought that sounded fun. What do you think?”

Katie turned and stared at her friend. Normally, that wasn’t the type of scene Katie liked to hang out at. It made her uncomfortable, out of place. But at that moment, she really didn’t care where they went, as long as she didn’t have to be around Wes, Randy, or her mom. Maybe it would be the perfect chance to not have to think about the events of the past few days, a chance to just be a teen.

“Sure. Why not. But I don’t have a swim suit.”

Deb smiled. “No worries. I brought you one of my bikinis. Your suits are so dowdy.”

Katie feigned anger. “And how did you know I would agree to go to the reservoir?”

Deb glanced at her. “I didn’t. To be honest, I planned on taking you no matter what. But if you really wanted to go shopping, we would do that first.”

Katie chuckled. Once Deb had her mind set to do something, it took a lot to get her to change it.

Deb pushed Katie’s leg. “C’mon. It will be fun. It’s the perfect chance to get away.”

“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be fun. I’m sure it will, but I can’t exactly go in the water with this.” She held up her arm with the bandage.

“It’ll be fine. You can hang out on the beach. Get some sun.”

Katie nodded. It would be fine. It was the perfect chance to relax. It was exactly what she needed. She was a little nervous about wearing Deb’s bikini, though. Deb had a tendency to show off a little more skin than Katie was comfortable with. Not that Katie had anything to hide. She was in good shape, being on the volleyball team, and wasn’t exactly lacking in the assets department. In fact, there had been many times during her games she wished she didn’t have the curves she had; they seemed to get in the way. Still, just because she was endowed didn’t mean she wanted to show it off. This one time she would let her inhibitions go, only because she needed to get her mind off demons.

“So, what did the doctor say?” Deb’s tone took on a seriousness. “Do you have rabies?”

Katie stared at her through narrowed eyes.

“I’m not trying to be rude,” Deb said quickly. “But you haven’t been acting like yourself lately. I mean, two days ago you were like a walking zombie. If I was your mom and you came up to me acting hysterical after being out of it, I would probably think that same thing. No offense.”

Katie shook her head. Deb was right. She hadn’t been acting like herself lately. Her world had been turned upside down, she wasn’t sure she knew who she was anymore. Maybe it was unfair of her to be so mad at her mom. After all, she was just reacting to how Katie was acting. It was completely plausible to believe she had picked up rabies and it altered her personality. Still, her mom should have listened to her, given her a chance to explain herself before dragging her to the hospital. And Katie’s actions certainly were justified when it came to Wes.

“No,” Katie answered. “I don’t have rabies. And I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. Things have been kind of weird lately.”

“Weird how?”

Katie took a breath. “It’s hard to explain. And I don’t have things straight in my head. Let me figure it out, then I’ll talk to you about it.”

Deb glanced at Katie out of the corner of her eye. “Okay. If that’s what you want. But know I’m here for you no matter what.”

Katie smiled. “I appreciate that.”

“Now let’s drop this bad mood and have some fun!” Deb plugged her iPod into the radio and cranked up the volume.

Both girls sang at the top of their lungs as they headed to the reservoir.

Deb found a parking spot at the top of the hill and shut off the car. Reaching into the back seat, she grabbed a duffel bag and smiled at Katie.

“You can change in the outhouse. Which one do you want to wear?” She dug through the bag. “The turquoise one with sequins or the stripy one.” She held them up for Katie to see.