Love, Lies, and Deception(41)
The thought of Alec having to leave because of some psycho out there tore me to pieces. We were supposed to have the summer together, and other than his past revelations things were going good between us. I didn’t want him to go, and I prayed that nothing else bad was going to happen.
Saturday had come and gone with no word from Detective Michaels, and with all the news vans parked out in the parking lot, Alec and I had stayed hidden. Alec didn’t want to be on the news and neither did I. It did, however, leave us stuck inside, but it was mainly Alec who couldn’t go anywhere.
My exams were coming up and I needed to study, so Alec and I were spending the day apart. Reluctantly, I left his apartment and slowly walked up the steps to mine. Emily had a million questions to ask me when I walked through the front door, so I filled her in on everything and watched the surprise take over her face. It was so hard to keep secrets from her.
“So, what you’re trying to tell me is that hottie from downstairs is worth millions? Damn, girl, you landed the jackpot,” Emily shrieked.
“It’s not like that, Em. I couldn’t care less about that stuff, but we need to keep this quiet. Don’t go blabbering around campus who Alec is, okay?”
Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Rissa, we’ve been best friends since kindergarten and never once have I betrayed your trust. I’m not gonna say anything.”
“Thank you,” I muttered gratefully. “Whatever’s going on is making it hard for Alec to stay here. The last thing he needs is another scandal.”
“You’re right, he doesn’t,” Emily said brightly. “What we need is some fun. Get Alec up here tonight. We’ll order pizza and enjoy our last night before exams. Because after this week, it’s all over, baby. We’ll officially be graduating.”
She skipped off and grabbed her cell phone off the kitchen counter, heading toward her room. “I’m going to call Justin and tell him to bring sodas and beer tonight. Why don’t you call Kristian and see when he’s coming in from Boston.”
Hopefully, his weekend went better than mine.
It sure had to be better than what it was like here. When I got to my room it felt good to be able to collapse onto my own bed and snuggle up to my favorite pillow. I snatched my bag from off the floor and dumped all of my books out in front of me so I could at least try to study, but first I needed to call Kristian. Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed up his number. It rang a couple of times before I heard his deep voice speak excitedly over the line.
“Mare, hey!”
“Hey, Kris, how are you? When are you coming home?” I tried to sound normal, to sound like I hadn’t just seen a dead body, but being the all-intuitive Kristian he knew something was wrong.
“Uh-oh. I know that tone, baby girl. Something’s wrong isn’t it?” he asked worriedly.
“Can you come over tonight? Emily and I want to have you, Justin, and Alec come over for pizza. Will you be home in time, say around seven? I’d love to hear about your weekend.”
Kristian laughed and I could tell he was shaking his head over the phone. “Dodging my question, are we? Anyway, I’m actually in Lenoir right now so I’ll be home in about forty-five minutes. Do you want me to come by?”
My heart constricted in my chest, and I actually felt a little pang of guilt at wanting him to be the one to comfort me. Was it bad that I missed him?
He always had a way of soothing me, of telling me the things I wanted to hear while Emily, being the vibrant girl that she is, was always good at cheering up; they both had their own ways of helping me. Kristian could also help me study, and at the moment I needed his help more than anything.
“Yes, please. After the weekend I had I really need you here. Would you mind stopping by?” I asked, trying not to choke up on my words. I didn’t want to tell him what happened until he arrived.
Kristian sighed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, and you can tell me what’s bothering you. I’ll make it all better … hopefully.”
My chin trembled, but I didn’t dare cry. I wished with everything I had that he could make it better, but I knew he couldn’t. “Thank you, Kristian. Be careful on your way,” I said before hanging up.
It was ten o’clock in the morning on a beautiful May day in the mountains. Everything was supposed to be perfect right now, but it all felt like it was falling apart.
An hour later, Kristian knocked on my bedroom door and slowly peeked his head in. “Knock, knock,” he said, opening my door all the way. “I thought you could use a pick me up.” In his hands he held a half-gallon of chocolate milk and a box of donut holes. The smile on his face lit up when he saw me, and I beamed. He always had a way of making me smile.
“You are a life saver,” I cried, motioning him over. I grabbed the box of donut holes and popped one in my mouth, enjoying its sweet-filled goodness.
Kristian sat on my bed, removing the text book from my lap, and handed me the chocolate milk. After taking a huge gulp of it, I sighed.
“Do you need me to help you study?” he asked. “Or would you rather tell me what’s wrong? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the news vans outside would it?”
Immediately, my chin began to tremble and I could feel the tears burning behind my eyes. Kristian scooted up on the bed and bumped me before he threw his arm across my shoulders. I laid my head on him and let the tears fall. “Oh, Kristian, it’s terrible. The girl who spiked my drink was found dead about a half mile behind here on the trail.”