Vampire Beach: Initiation (6 page)

"You wish," Tyler replied, seeming relieved at the change of subject.

"Hey, you have no clothes. You're at my mercy," Jason warned. When they reached the upstairs hallway,
he turned toward his bedroom. "Let me just grab some stuff."

Tyler and Dani headed down the hall toward their rooms while Jason pulled a pair of khakis and a blue button
-
down shirt from his closet. He snagged a pair of jeans and a few
T-shirt
s, too. If Tyler was going to be here all weekend, he'd need more than just one change of clothes. He took them down to the guest room where Tyler was staying.

The door was open, so Jason went in. Tyler was standing over by the window, cell phone to his ear. Probably listening to a voice mail, Jason figured. He dumped the clothes on the bed and turned to leave. His sneaker tangled in Tyler's hoodie, which was lying on the floor near the foot of the bed, and Jason nearly tripped. He bent to pick up the sweatshirt, and a pre
scription pill bottle tumbled out of the pocket, so he swooped back down to grab that, too. "Sorry, man," he said, tossing the hoodie on top of the other clothes on the bed.

He reached out to put the pills on the dresser so they wouldn't get lost. But as Jason glanced down at the bottle in his hand, he paused to take a closer look.

The name on the label wasn't Tyler's.

“W
hat
are you doing?" Tyler
snapped,
his voice
tense.

Jason turned to find his friend off the phone. "Sorry," he said again. "I tripped on your hoodie and almost kicked your pills across the room." He tossed the bottle to Tyler. "I didn't want you to lose them."

"Thanks." Tyler quickly shoved the bottle into the pocket of his jeans.

"What are they for?" Jason asked. "You sick?"

"No, they're just, uh, painkillers," Tyler replied, frowning.

"For the bruises?"
Jason pushed. He knew Tyler didn't appreciate the questions, but he wasn't about to back down. His friend was walking around with someone else's pills, hitching across the country with no supplies, and covered in bruises. He'd have to be blind or stupid not to notice that something was wrong.

"Yeah."
Tyler clearly didn't intend to elaborate, but Jason held his gaze until finally Tyler sighed. "I got banged up a week or so ago, and the doctor gave me some pills for the pain."

"Banged up h
o
w?" Jason asked.

"Playing football,"
Tyler said. "You know how it is."

"Not really," Jason replied. "I don't play football. Neither do you."

Tyler just stared at him for a moment, busted. Tyler was a swimmer, not a football player. They had that in common
-
both liked watching a good game on the weekend, but neither one of them liked to play. "Yeah, well, that's why I got banged up," Tyler said at last. "I suck." He smiled nervously, clearly wondering whether Jason would buy it.

Jason frowned. He knew Tyler was lying about the bruises and pills being prescribed for him.
But
why?
He'd come all the way to Malibu to see Jason
-
why not tell him the truth? "Look,
Ty...," Jason began.

"Do you seriously have a shirt from Disneyland?" Tyler interrupted, grabbing one of the
T-shirt
s from the bed. "What are you, five years old?"

Jason stifled a sigh. Clearly, Tyler was determined not to talk about anything serious. But then, maybe that was just what he needed: a break
-
a vacation from his problems back home. It worried Jason that his friend was taking medication that had been pre
scribed for somebody else, but it wasn't any of his business
-
unless Tyler wanted it to be. And right now, he obviously didn't.

"They were giving them out for free at an
Angels
game," Jason explained. "Besides, that shirt would be pretty big on a five
-
year
-
old."

Tyler chuckled. "Thanks for the loan. Guess I bet
ter shower before dinner, huh?"

"Good luck getting in there before Dani!" Jason laughed, heading for the door. "See you downstairs."

"Everything looks amazing, Mrs. F,"
Tyler said as they all sat down around the dining room table. Jason agreed. His mom had made the place look like a TV special on the perfect Thanksgiving holiday.

The table was decked out with all the new linens and china Jason's mother had bought when they moved to California. It had a less wintry feel than their dining room in Michigan had. Here, everything, in shades of light green or blue, felt summery. Even the candles in the middle of the table were blue and smelled like the ocean.

"Thank you, Tyler," Mrs. Freeman said. "I only hope the food lives up to it."

"Don't pretend to be all modest," Aunt Bianca told her sister with a smile. "You know you're a great cook."

"I'm sure it's not up to your standards," Mrs. Freeman replied. She turned to Tyler. "My
little
sister only eats in the best restaurants in New York and L.A."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "I just don't see the point in cooking myself when other people do it so much better."

Jason knew his mom and his aunt always bickered to some degree, but the sisters seemed to be getting on each other's nerves a
little
more than usual during this visit. Jason glanced at Dani, who shrugged.

"Here's the main event," Mr. Freeman said, coming in from the kitchen with the turkey on a platter. He placed it down in the center of the table. "Should I carve now or wait until everyone's had their salad?"

"No salad for me," Jason said. "I like to get right to the meat."

"Me too," Tyler seconded.

Jason's dad nodded. "Okay, I'll carve now."

"Why don't we let Jason carve?" Bianca suggested. "He's a big, strapping man now. Let him take over the carving duties."

Dani almost spit out her mouthful of water, and Tyler laughed out loud.

"'A big, strapping man?
Freeman?" he teased.

Even Jason had to laugh. "That's okay, Aunt Bianca. I don't need to carve a turkey to feel like a man," he said reassuringly.

But Jason noticed that Bianca actually looked a lit
tle put out at having her suggestion dismissed so lightly. Maybe that was why, with a slight tone of irri
tation, she said, "I just think it's time we stopped treat
ing you like a child. You're almost done with school. Soon you'll have to start making your own decisions."

"Well, that's true. I guess you're right and I'd better get some practice in by carving the turkey," Jason said with a smile. He knew Tyler and Danielle would make fun of him for the rest of the weekend, but he wanted to lighten the atmosphere. He stood up, took the carving knife from his dad, and got to work.

Aunt Bianca shook her head. "Can you believe how grown up he is?" she asked Jason's parents.
"Dani, too.
In a few years they'll be off at college."

"Off at college," Dani repeated, nodding. "College
-
where there are lots of parties!"

Mrs. Freeman sighed. "Danielle
-
," she began.

"Mom," Dani interrupted. "Your guru, Dr. Phil, would say to let me go to Zach's. He'd say that I need experience dealing with parties while I'm still in the safety of my home, with my big brother to look after me."

Jason choked back a laugh. So Dani had resorted to invoking Dr. Phil. Well, it just might work.

"Dr. Phil doesn't have all the facts in this case," Mrs. Freeman answered.

"What facts does he need that
-
," Danielle began.

"End of discussion," Jason's mom said firmly.

"I'm getting flashes of us and Mom," Bianca com
mented li
ghtly
to her sister. "Remember how over
-
protective she always was? Remember how we used to have to sneak out and
-
"

"Looking back, I think she might have been right all along," Jason's mother said, cutting Bianca off sharply. Then her voice softened. "Maybe it's some
thing you don't realize until you're a parent yourself. It wouldn't have hurt the two of us to listen to Mom a little more back then." She grinned. "Not that I'll tell her that anytime soon. I don't want to face an attack of the I
-
told
-
you
-
so's
."

"You know, Stefan was friends with the
Lafrenière
s for years," Bianca put in soothingly. "I'm sure you don't have to worry about Dani at their son's party." Jason knew Bianca was just trying to help Dani out, but he knew she had just pushed his mother a
little
too far.

"That's it," Mrs. Freeman snapped. "Danielle, I told you
-
no. Bee, this is none of your business!"

Jason glanced at Tyler. His friend looked seriously uncomfortable. The last thing he needed was a family feud at dinner
-
he'd had enough of that in his own house. Jason hoped Bianca would just let the party thing drop.

"You want Danielle to make friends with the right people, don't you?" Aunt Bianca pressed. "Well, the
Lafrenière
s do more charity work than anyone else in Malibu! There are some valuable contacts to be made. You have to want that for Dani and Jason."

"Don't tell me what I 'have to want,'" Mrs. Freeman said, her voice rising. "The answer is no.

Those parties are too wild, and Danielle is not going."

Nobody spoke for a moment and Jason was afraid that the day would be completely ruined. The air held a weird energy. He didn't know where it was coming from, but everyone was on edge.

Bianca opened her mouth to say something else, but Danielle jumped in. "Don't worry. I'll just go to the movies or something on Friday," she volunteered quickly, her eyes darting between her mother and Bianca. Jason could see that she wished she'd never brought the party up at all. "It's no biggie. It's not like being refused the last scoop of mashed potatoes. They look great, by the way, Mom."

"Everything's great, Tania," Jason's dad agreed. "Let's enjoy it. It's Thanksgiving."

That was enough for Bianca to think better of whatever she'd been about to say. She nodded and fell
silent.

"Well, I for one have a lot to be thankful for, this Thanksgiving," Tyler said, raising his glass of cider. "And I'd like to propose a toast to all of you, the Freemans. Thank you for including me in your Thanksgiving. You've always made me feel right at home, and today is no exception."

Jason's mom smiled, and Aunt Bianca chuckled. "You mean because we're willing to argue in front of you just like you're part of the family?"

"Exactly," Tyler said with a grin. Everybody laughed, relaxing for the first time since they'd taken their seats.

Jason shot his friend a grateful look. Tyler had always been able to charm anyone
-
from senior citi
zens to toddlers. This time he may have saved Thanksgiving.

"Okay, pass your plates for turkey," Jason announced. "And let's eat!"

"Sorry I mentioned the P word at dinner," Dani said later that night. She, Jason, and Tyler were heading upstairs for bed after they'd finished cleaning up the kitchen. "I didn't know it would set things off like that."

"You always used to go to parties back in Michigan," Tyler said. "What's the difference?"

"The parties are more out of control here. But I'll deny saying it if you try to quote me. Mom's
parentnoid
enough as it is," Dani answered, pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her tr
en
d
y
shrunken blazer. She changed the faceplate every day, and today her cell was zebra
-
striped. "I'm going to call Billy. He's the only one I know who isn't going to Zach's. He'll come up with something fun for Friday night."

"Ooh, Billy," Tyler teased. "That your boyfriend?"

Dani rolled her eyes. "I still haven't picked out the lucky guy who gets to be my
boyfriend,"
she answered. "But it definitely won't be Billy, because he's gay." She hit a speed
-
dial number on her cell. "What's up, Billy?" she asked, wandering toward her room.

"See you in the morning," Jason told Tyler. "Thanks for putting up with my family."

"You
kidding?
Your family should get an award for Most Functional Thanksgiving. Nobody even got close to throwing food or crying."

Jason laughed. "True. Although I think my mom might've lobbed the gravy at Aunt Bianca if she hadn't spent so much time making it." He slapped Tyler's hand and headed down the hall to his bed
room. The basketball combined with the huge dinner had made him sleepy, and he flung himself down on the bed fully dressed. He'd rest for a few minutes, wait for Dani and Tyler to use the bath
room,
then
go brush his teeth.