Night Road(27)

Long minutes passed and finally Zach answered. “Lex,” he said, looking broken. “She won’t talk to me.”

“Are your parents here?”

He shook his head. “She’s upstairs.”

Lexi nodded and moved past him, going up the stairs. At Mia’s room, she didn’t even knock, just pushed the door open and went inside. Mia stood by the big oval mirror. Even in the shadowy light, Lexi could see how wounded Mia had been by them. “Mia,” Lexi said, moving forward. She felt Zach come up behind her.

“I trusted you,” Mia said, her mouth trembling.

Lexi would have preferred anger, screaming; anything would have been better than Mia’s quiet heartbreak. “Mia, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I love you like a sister, and I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“You did. You both did.”

“I know. But I want you to know how much you matter to me. No one has ever mattered as much. You have to believe that. If you want me to break up with him, I will—”

“Don’t say that,” Zach said, stepping toward her.

Lexi ignored him. Her gaze stayed steady on Mia. “I’ll break up with him, I will. But I can’t stop loving him. I don’t know how. I should have told you that a long time ago.”

Mia wiped her eyes. “There was always something weird about the way you looked at each other. I thought I was being oversensitive … because of Haley.” She sighed heavily. “I know how I feel about Tyler. If it’s like that…”

“It is,” Lexi said solemnly.

“You promise you won’t dump me for him?” Mia said.

It was an easy promise to make. Lexi let go of Zach’s hand and moved toward Mia. “I promise. And I’ll never lie to you again. I swear it.”

“And if he breaks your heart,” Mia said steadily, “you’ll still be my best friend? Because you’ll need me then.”

“I’ll always need you,” Lexi said. “I’d die if I couldn’t come over here. Honestly. No matter what happens with Zach and me, you and I will always be bffs.” She stepped closer. “Say you’re okay with this, Mia. Please.”

Mia sniffed. Lexi wanted her friend to smile, but maybe that was asking too much. “I’m scared,” Mia said.

“I know,” Lexi said. “And it sounds crazy, but you can trust me.”

“Us,” Zach added.

“I want you guys to be happy,” Mia finally said. “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t? I love both of you.”

“And we love you,” Lexi said. It was true; she loved Mia through and through. Her best friend was a lioness, as all of this proved. Mia had been hurt—two people she trusted had lied to her—and still she stood here, trying to smile, caring about their happiness.

“It’ll be the three of us for senior year,” Zach said, obviously relieved. “How cool will that be?”

“I wouldn’t throw a party just yet,” Mia said, looking at her brother. “We’re gonna have to tell Mom tomorrow.”

“She won’t care, will she?” Lexi asked, frowning. “I mean, she likes me.”

Mia finally smiled. “Are you kidding? Our mom cares about everything.”

*

The next night, the Journey Through Senior Year meeting was held at 6:00 P.M. in the high school library. Most of the island parents showed up.

“We all know how special Pine Island is,” said police officer Roy Avery from his place at the head table. “I know a lot of this year’s seniors—my own youngest son graduated two years ago—and I’ve watched this class go from Little League to varsity. I’ve watched you protect them with car seats and helmets and airbags. Some of you might think that the biggest danger facing them now is that colleges will reject them, but there’s a new threat; one some of you know all too well, and some of you know not at all.

“Partying. Some of you think that the island keeps your kids safe, away from big-city dangers. But danger is here, too. It’s in every empty house and lonely stretch of beach. It’s in bottles of beer and rum. Starting about now every year, the senior class starts to feel both edgy and bulletproof. So keep an eye on your kids. Don’t let them outsmart you. Let them know how dangerous partying can be.”

As the crowd began to ask questions, Jude looked out at the familiar faces.

She’d driven carpool with many of these women; together, over the years, they’d sat freezing at football games, decorated gymnasiums for dances, been classroom moms. They’d joined forces to raise their children in a safe community. Now there was a new enemy: drinking. She had no doubt that the mom patrol would join forces again and be on the lookout for potential trouble.

When Officer Avery returned to his seat, Jude stood up. “Thank you to Officer Avery for that important heads-up. And thank you to Ann Morford for her insight on the college application process. I’m sure we’ll all be knocking on your door with more question as the deadlines approach. Now, as the head of the parent group, I get to talk about the fun part. Graduation night. As most of you know, Pine Island works to keep drinking and driving out of the graduation equation. To that end, we plan a fun-filled night for the senior class. They leave right after the ceremonies and board a bus. They’ll get home at six A.M. the next morning. This year’s festivities look great…”