Twisted (3 page)

He nodded, fingers now carelessly strumming the book. It was closed and resting on his knees. A finger was holding his page.

“I remember you,” I admitted.

“Really?” he asked. His voice was guarded.

“You were in my fifth grade class. Mrs. Larson. Remember her?” He nodded. “I was only there for the start of the school year. We moved shortly after…” I let my voice trail off.

“I remember,” he said quietly. He glanced past me again. I wondered if the memory had made him uncomfortable. It made most people uncomfortable.

I’d learned it was best to quickly change the subject.

“So, senior year. Hard to believe isn’t it?” The last few years of my life had dragged out interminably.

“Yeah. Hard to believe.” Again, his voice was so quiet. And he almost never looked me in the eye.

He was making me feel paranoid. “Are you waiting for someone? Your girlfriend or something?” I asked. I glanced over my shoulder now, too. I wondered, again, if he didn’t want to be seen talking to me.

He let out an angry little breath of air. “Is that supposed to be funny?” His voice was low but it had a definite edge to it.

I was stunned by his sudden flash of anger, so much so that I took a step back. “No. It’s just…” I floundered. “It just seems like you’re watching for someone. I thought maybe...” I let the words trail off. “I’m sorry,” I said. I sensed I had upset him in some way I did not understand. “I’ll let you get back to your book. I just wanted to thank you again for helping me yesterday. I mean, if you hadn’t helped me who knows how long I’d have ended up lying there. So, thanks.”

He gave me a slight nod and cracked his book back open.

I jogged away, glancing back a few times. He was thoroughly engrossed and didn’t lift his head again.

Ben McCaffey. Unfriendly classmate. Now that I knew who he was, I could let it go. It was quite apparent he didn’t want to be bothered by me.

***

Remy came wandering into the kitchen, her hair was a disheveled disaster. Anyone who saw us would know without a doubt that we were sisters. She was a little taller and a little more filled out. Her freckles were more pronounced but we had the same green eyes and the same bronze curls.

She yawned and headed straight for the coffee pot.

“Did you find out the identity of your mystery boy?” she asked as she scooped out some vanilla flavored coffee grounds.

I gave her a quick account of my trip to the library. Then told her how I had accidentally stumbled upon him at the park. I left out the part about me being ridiculously tongue-tied. I also left out the bit about his less than pleasant attitude.

“I had him in my fifth grade class. I kind of remember him,” I told her. “His name is Ben McCaffey.

“Ben McCaffey?” she asked as her eyebrows shot up.

“You know him?” I asked, surprised.

“I know
of
him. Everyone in this town knows of him,” she said and shook her head. “I told you about it Maya. It was about two years ago?”

“Told me about what? About Ben?” This was perplexing news.

“We talked about it a few times over the phone because I knew Ben had been a classmate of yours.” She paused, waiting for me to remember. I didn’t. “The murder? Katie Harmon? Do you remember that?” she prodded.

I stumbled over to the table and slumped into a chair. “That was Ben?”

“It was,” she confirmed. “The murder hit this town pretty hard. People are still shook up from it.”

I remembered now. I remembered everything she had told me. “He was cleared though, right?”

She nodded. “There were a lot of people, there are
still
a lot of people, who believe he had more involvement than he did. It’s still a touchy subject, even after all of this time.”

I let her words sink in. My mind fought against the idea that my rescuer had been accused of murder. Of a fourteen year-old. She had been a freshman and he had been a sophomore. She had been killed the spring of that year.

“What do you believe?” I asked.

“I believe in innocent until proven guilty. He was never proven guilty of anything,” she said diplomatically.

But his brother was. His eighteen year-old brother.

“It was his brother that killed Katie, right?” I asked.

Remy looked at me for a moment. “Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Please tell me what else you remember.”

She sighed. “Yes, it was his brother, Trent, that was finally convicted. He became obsessed with Katie after seeing Ben with her. He tried to frame Ben for the murder. They arrested Ben at first. And then even after they released Ben and arrested Trent, he insisted Ben was part of it. But it was never proven and Ben denied it. In fact, there was no proof at all that Ben played any part of it. He never went on trial.”

Oh god, maybe I was going to be sick after all.

“Maya?”

The bright yellow and red accents of Remy’s spotless white kitchen started to bleed together. I swung my eyes to her face and tried to focus. “He got mad at me today.”

Her head snapped back in surprise. “What? Why?”

Yes, I was definitely feeling sick. “He seemed really distracted when we were talking. He was constantly looking over his shoulder. I asked if he was waiting for his girlfriend. He totally snapped at me. Now I know why.”

“It had to be hell on him,” Remy sighed. “We both know what it’s like to lose someone. From what I remember, he and Katie were together for quite a while. That whole school year, at least. At that age it’s like a lifetime. To not only lose her but to be accused of killing her…” She sat back in her chair. “Then to find out his own brother did it and tried to set him up. It’s unfathomable. I can’t imagine what he went through. And he was only fifteen at the time.”

And I had unintentionally dumped alcohol into a wound that couldn’t yet be fully healed. No wonder he had gotten angry.

I had been trying to come up with a way to apologize to Ben. I didn’t want him to think I’d intentionally said something hurtful. So the next day I ran along the paved park trail that paralleled the river again. I wasn’t sure if he would be there but I had seen him
near
and then
at
the park the last two days. So I hoped it was part of his daily routine. It was shortly after noon so he wouldn’t have to be to work for a while yet.

He was there perched against his tree. His legs pulled up, baseball cap pulled down, backpack tucked off to the side. He was almost unnoticeable. Invisible to anyone who wasn’t looking for him.

I walked up to him again. This time he heard me approach. He glanced up from his book. His face was unreadable. I was hoping the peace offering in my hand would distract him from any anger he may feel.

“Here,” I said as I handed him a hot fudge sundae. I’d gotten us each one at the snack stand up the path. He took it reflexively because it was handed to him. He didn’t look like he was very happy about it. I sat down next to him, without being invited, hoping desperately that he wouldn’t mind.

He slid a scrap of paper into the book before closing it and setting it down. He looked at me skeptically.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday,” I said. I swallowed the lump of anxiety in my throat. “When I asked if you were looking for your girlfriend…I wasn’t thinking. I mean, actually I didn’t remember. Not until after I got home. I’m sorry. I never would have said something like that if I had known.”

He set the hot fudge sundae on the ground, untouched. He shrugged.

I felt my stomach buzzing as though a whole colony of bees had settled in. I was hoping he’d at least say something. I couldn’t take the silence so I kept talking. “Yesterday you said you remembered me leaving so I’m assuming you remember the accident. My mom couldn’t handle living in the same house or the same town. She kind of lost it completely after my dad and brother died. I don’t want to say that I know how you feel because I
hate
when people say that to me but I just wanted to let you know that I can relate.” 

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

I was starting to wonder that myself. Maybe he was like Mom. She was still angry and bitter and not wanting to let anyone too close.

“Doing what? Trying to be nice?” It was the only thing I was guilty of, as far as I knew.

He nodded.

I was confused. “Is there something wrong with wanting to be nice?”

He looked at me as though sure I had some ulterior motive. He stared at me so long and hard I thought I was going to begin to melt just like the ice cream in my cup. He finally shrugged again.

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “So is this okay?” I finally asked. “I mean, that I bought you a sundae? Or shouldn’t I have done that?” I was asking a genuine question. I couldn’t make one bit of sense from his actions.

It took him a moment to think it through. “I guess it’s okay.”

I glanced at his ice cream. It was still sitting on the ground turning to a sloppy mess in its cardboard cup. “Are you going to eat it then?”

He turned his attention to it and picked it up. I waited in awkward silence to see if he was actually going to take a bite. I knew that after the accident I had gone through a period of being withdrawn. I felt like someone had taken the pieces of my life and ripped them to shreds. Then after they were thrown on the ground and stomped on I was left to pick them back up so I could try to put them back together again. But the pieces never fit together quite right after that.

He took a few bites, not speaking to me in the meantime. I ate a few bites of my own melted mess before starting in again. “You got your book back,” I said.

He nodded.

“And you’re almost done,” I said. I was surprised, assuming he had just gotten it back last night. I was rewarded with more nodding. “Then will you go back to the one you were reading yesterday?” I knew I was babbling again, just trying to make conversation.

“I finished that one,” he said. He sounded somewhat reluctant to share this with me.

“I’m impressed,” I said softly. For some reason I didn’t want to sound too enthusiastic.

“I usually read a book a day.” He hesitated before adding, “Or maybe every other day. Depending on the book. Or the day.”

I smiled. Those four choppy sentences were the longest dialogue he’d strung together for me since leaving me sitting on the park bench. He finished off the ice cream. Once again his eyes darted over my shoulder, making my smile falter.

I fought the urge to look over my shoulder, too. I finished off what was in my cup. Ben was staring out toward the river now. His head rested against the tree.

I wiggled my toes inside of my running shoes and gnawed on my lower lip. Ben’s fists were clenched into tight balls. He looked tense. I could only assume it was my presence that was making him that way.

I reached for his empty cup and stacked it inside of my own.

He glanced my way and gave me a forced almost-smile. “I suppose you better get going now.”

His words startled me. I sat frozen for a moment, trying to interpret them for some hidden meaning. Something less blunt than the obvious. I nodded and got to my feet. His head swung around to look behind us and then he scoped out the trail and sprawling grass. 

“Okay, I guess I’ll go then,” I said, finally finding my voice.

He reached for his book and the words slipped out before I could think them through. “Are you looking for someone?” I asked. “I mean, it just seems like you’re always…looking for someone,” I tried to explain.

“No one in particular,” he said quietly. Now he was looking at the ground in front of my feet.

“’Kay,” I answered, not quite sure what that meant. I waited a moment, wondering if he would say more. Say something. Anything. “I guess I’ll see you later then. At school, I mean.” I might be stubborn but I could take a hint. I wouldn’t bother him in his personal space again.

He nodded.

“Bye,” I said, wondering why my throat felt like it was tightening up for no good reason. I started walking away. I was looking for a trash bin when he called my name.

“Maya?”

I had only taken a few steps and I turned to look at him.

“You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” His eyes drilled into me. “I mean, you’re not going to mention to your friends that you ran into me, right?” It came out sounding like a command.

I let out a little half-laugh. “I don’t really have any friends here.”

He glanced around again. His face was serious now. “Okay, just…make sure you don’t mention it to anyone.”

I felt my cheeks flush. “Is that why you’re looking around constantly? You don’t want to be seen with me?” I felt like an idiot. He just didn’t want me around. I took a step back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize being seen with me would be so embarrassing,” I choked out.

He shook his head, looking surprised. “No, Maya, it’s not like that.”

“What is it like then?” I managed to ask, hoping to keep the wobble out of my voice. I didn’t even know this guy. It would be stupid to let him upset me.

He gave me a miserable look as he ran his hand across his face. “It’s just better, for both of us, if we don’t know each other.”

I nodded, thinking that he just might be right. I stomped to the nearest trash bin, slammed in our empty cups and took off running.

***

The kitchen phone was ringing when I got home. I knew Remy kept her bedroom ringer off so I grabbed it before the sound reached her and woke her.

“Maya?” the female voice on the other end asked.

“Yes,” I replied, wondering who would’ve ever managed to get this number for me.

“This is Olivia Walker. Do you remember me?” she asked hopefully.

Olivia. Yes, Olivia Walker and Hailey Marshall were the two people I clearly remembered. “Of course! How are you?” I asked. I tried to sound cheerier than I felt.

“I’m good. I was so excited to hear you’ve moved back! My aunt’s friend works with Remy and she had mentioned you were coming to stay with her. She kept forgetting to tell me but my mom had her over for lunch today and she let me know,” she explained. “I was hoping we could get together sometime this weekend. Before classes start on Monday?” I hesitated and she forged ahead. “Actually, I would love to have some people over. Maybe just a small party so you could get reacquainted with a few of our classmates before school starts?”

A party? Perhaps it was my recent encounter in the park but a party was one of the very last things I was in the mood for.

“I’d
love
to get together,” I fibbed. “But things have been hectic around here. You know, getting all settled in and registering for school. Maybe we could do something a bit more low key?”

“How about the beach?” she instantly replied. “Do you remember Hailey?” I told her that I did. “I’m meeting her and our friend Phoebe at the beach in an hour. I know Hailey would
love
to see you. I’m sure Phoebe would love to meet you. Would that work?”

I couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse on such short notice so I agreed. I told her I’d probably be a little late since I needed to shower and change because I was just coming in from a run. She told me it would be no problem, come when I could because they planned on spending the rest of the afternoon there. I procrastinated but the time came when I finally left the house. I could have driven but I chose to ride my bike. I knew it would kill a little more time and I wasn’t quite ready to take my car out yet.

“
Maya! Maya! Maya
!” A tiny little Goth-clad thing trilled as she came running toward me. Her black flip-flops tossed up sand as she ran. She shouted loud enough to make several people turn their heads. I fought the urge to duck behind a parked car and pretend I didn’t know anyone named Maya.

A much taller girl with perfect curves, perfect features and perfectly tousled golden-blond tresses followed. Her white bikini was a glaring contrast to her incredible tan. I knew immediately it was Olivia. With a start I realized the ebony-haired Goth girl was Hailey.

At least I was pretty sure it was Hailey, even though the white-blond hair was dyed an unnatural shade of black. I was guessing it was maybe shoulder length but it was hard to tell as it was up in two haphazard pigtails with chunks of shiny red poking through. Her bangs were cut straight across her forehead. Her big, pale blue eyes were thickly lined in black. Her lips were the color of an overly ripe plum. Despite all of that, she still looked obnoxiously cute.

“
Maya
!” she shrieked one last time. As she reached me she threw her arms around me, almost toppling us both to the ground.

“Hailey?” I guessed with a smile and raised eyebrows.

“Yup!”

“Hi, Maya!” Olivia said with a smile. She gave me a hug when Hailey released herself from my neck.

I laughed. “This is sure a different look than what I remember,” I said to Hailey.

She held out the sides of her black sarong and gave me a little curtsey. Her black pigtails bopped enthusiastically as she did so. Then she let out a happy laugh and clapped. “I’m so excited! I can’t believe you’re back! This is going to be the
best
school year
ever
!” she enthused.

“She’s right. We’re going to make sure we have a great senior year.” Olivia stood back, obviously checking me out. “You’ve changed so much! You are absolutely gorgeous!” Olivia told me.

I blushed.

“She is, isn’t she?!” Hailey asked with a happy grin. Her gaze was swinging back and forth from Olivia to me. She looked like she was going to bounce right out of her skin. “She looks great!” Then she looked me up and down. “Oh, wow! You look
so
good! You don’t look
anything
like you used to!”

I felt my blush deepen, for a different reason now. I kept my smile frozen in place.

Hailey did a few more happy bounces, threw in a few more claps and then threw her arms around me again.

When she released me a pretty girl with shoulder length mahogany hair was standing beside us. I knew right away she had to be an athlete of some sort. She was wearing a wispy covering over her swimsuit but her muscle definition was clearly evident. She gave me a wry smile and her brown eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Be careful,” she warned. “Our Goth girl is packing Pixie Dust again.”

I scrunched my face up in mild wonder, glancing back at Hailey.

“Pixie
Stix
, silly, Pixie
Stix,
” Hailey practically sang. She reached behind herself and whipped out a small bright green and white paper tube. I could only imagine she had them sticking out of the back of her bikini bottom. She bopped the unfamiliar girl on the nose with it as though it were her magic wand.

The girl snatched it from Hailey’s hand and smacked her across the forehead with it. “I’ll give you one guess where you can stick your Stix if you do that again,” she said with a huff. Then she turned to me. “I’m Phoebe, by the way. And I know you’re Maya.”