Chapter Twenty-Six
Happy Freaking Halloween
I put a finger to my free ear to hear the phone better, angling myself away from Lend. "Wait, what? Who is there?" Carlee couldn't have said what I thought she said.
"Jack, the cute one! Thanks for telling him to come. I'm so over John! And so glad I went for the slutty angel costume! Can you give me any hints? His likes, dislikes, whatever?"
"He's- Jack is there? Now?" Lend turned his head sharply, suddenly focused on the conversation.
"Yeah, he's-wait-" A girl screamed shrilly in the background, and then loud cheers erupted. Carlee swore, laughing. "He flipped off the second floor balcony and landed in the foyer!"
I put a hand over my eyes, trying to figure out a way to make this better. Jack couldn't be there. My worlds were not supposed to mix like that. How did he even find out about it? And, knowing Jack, he was bound to get them into some sort of trouble. It's what he did. Besides which, the thought of Jack and Carlee making out made me feel vaguely ill, and I knew it wasn't because of the caramel apples I'd overdosed on at Lend's house. What happened when he disappeared and broke her heart? I'd lose the only normal friend I had. And if he told her about his real life-well, she'd probably think I was crazy by association. I didn't want to spend the rest of my senior year totally friendless.
"Can you put him on the phone? Carlee? Put Jack on the phone. "
She was laughing, shouting something that I couldn't understand over the background noise. "Okay, I've gotta go-everyone's heading to the cemetery! Thanks again-full dish tomorrow, girl!"
The line went dead. "Oh, bleep. " I flipped my phone shut, momentarily paralyzed. This had disaster written all over it. Jack wasn't exactly the picture of discretion-or sanity, for that matter-and if he told her my secrets . . .
"Jack, huh. " Lend's voice was flat, carefully controlled.
I shook my head, hating Jack for shattering our perfect evening. "I guess he showed up at Carlee's party. "
"Oh. " Lend didn't say anything. I couldn't fight down the rising panic over what Jack would do or say. The lights strobed as the costume parade started. We were missing it.
"I should- They're all going to the cemetery. I should make sure Jack doesn't get into trouble. "
"If you think so. " Again with the flat voice. Lend trying not to betray any emotion was a lot worse than him being openly annoyed about something. "I have to go back to school tonight, anyway. I can drop you off-it's on the way. Will you have a ride back?"
"Yeah, I can get one with Carlee. " Even if I couldn't, the cemetery was only about a mile from the diner. It'd be easier to walk back than asking Lend to either wait or come with me. Our night wasn't supposed to end like this. Suck, suck, sucktastic.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Thanks. "
The drive was painful, and every minute that passed in strained silence made me that much more determined to wring Jack's neck. My phone rang when we were nearly there and I flipped it open.
"Carlee? What happened?"
"It's Arianna. "
"Oh. What's up?"
"I can't stay in this apartment another minute. They're doing a slasher flick marathon at Crown Theater. Where are you guys?"
My heart sank. Perfect. She'd pick now to want to socialize. "Umm, actually, I'm going to a party thing, and Lend was gonna head back to school. But I can maybe meet you later?" I waited for her response, but the line went flat. "Great," I muttered, throwing the phone into my purse.
Lend pulled up in front of the wrought iron fence that lined the perimeter of the cemetery. It was a beautiful spot-and, trust me, I've seen more than my fair share of cemeteries. Massive ivy-covered trees shaded the entire thing and gave it a sense of privacy. Narrow, paved pathways wound throughout, lined periodically with stone benches. During the day it was peaceful, lovely, as nice a spot for an eternal resting place as you could ask.
At night? Yeah, kind of creepy. You couldn't see more than twenty feet in any direction thanks to the trees, and the whole thing was poorly lit by the occasional pathetic lamppost.
"Do you have Tasey?" Lend asked.
I let out a nervous laugh. "I don't usually bring her on our dates, oddly enough. Besides, this is your dad's territory. It's probably the safest cemetery in the world. " The vampires here were almost militant in their regulation of one another. There's no way they'd let someone mess around in their area and draw attention.
"You have your necklace, though?"
I smiled at him and pulled it out from under my dress. "Yup. I'll be fine. And if I had Tasey, I'd probably just use it on Jack. "
I hoped for a laugh, but Lend sighed and nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow night then. "
"Yeah. " I leaned in and was rewarded with a quick kiss, our lips barely brushing. Stupid, stupid Jack. I climbed out of the car and Lend waited until I was through the gate and down the path a bit before I heard him drive away.
A shout and some distant, nervous laughter drifted through the trees, and I gritted my teeth. After several twists and turns, I found the group, gathered around one of the benches. They seemed to be focused on someone standing on the bench in the center. I got closer and narrowed my eyes. Jack-of course. He did a standing backflip off the bench to applause.
Then he noticed me and grinned as though seeing me was a welcome surprise. "Evie! You made it!"
"Yeah, funny thing, that. I was actually invited. How did you get here?"
"Evie! Yay!" Carlee threw her arms around me. She had to be freezing in a tiny white sleeveless dress, go-go boots, and wings. "Isn't this awesome?"
"Oh. Yeah. Totally. Love cemeteries. Let me guess-Jack's idea?"
"Yes!" She giggled. "I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner!"
Jack's eyes were bright, almost feverish in his excitement. "Isn't this fun? I haven't been to a party like this, well, ever!" I still hated him for dragging me out here, but part of me was jealous. This was the exact thing I'd always imagined for a Halloween night party, but I had to play Miss Responsible now and get him away before he did any damage. Then again, this didn't look anywhere near as fun as the bowling had been. It was mostly just cold, and half the students looked like they were working up to being good and drunk.
"Hey!" A lanky, dark-haired guy I recognized from the hallways at school stood on the bench to get everyone's attention. "Hide-and-seek! Feel free to hide in pairs. " He gave a leering wink, then jumped down. Carlee turned to Jack, way too excited, but the guy slapped her on the shoulder. "Carlee's it!"
With shrieks, everyone scattered into the darkness. Carlee stuck her lip out in an exaggerated pout. "Don't hide too hard, okay, Jack?"
He winked at her. She giggled. And I threw up a little in my mouth. He turned to run into the trees and I was forced to follow him. If this was what parties were, well, lame. Although I probably wouldn't have thought it as lame if I were with Lend.
When I caught up, I grabbed Jack's arm. "What are you doing here?"
"Hiding! That's how you play the game, right? I thought the title hide-and-seek was fairly self-explanatory. Then again, you are blond. "
"So are you, idiot. Again, what are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I thought it would be fun. I found the invitation on your bed the other week. "
I hadn't seen Jack since I got the invite. Which meant he was in my apartment when I wasn't home and snooping through my stuff. "What were you doing in my room?!"
"I stopped by to make sure you were okay. You've seemed kind of down lately. "
I frowned, taken aback. I'd expected a glib answer, but he seemed sincere. "Oh. Well, don't mess with my stuff. And you shouldn't be here. "
"Come on. What's wrong with what we're doing? Not everything is life and death. A little party never hurt anyone. " He turned and ran deeper into the trees, and I followed him with a groan. I needed to get him out of here, even if he did genuinely seem to
be having a good time and hadn't caused any damage that I could see. So far. But how dare he accuse me of not being able to have fun? I'd been having plenty of fun before he ruined it.
My phone rang and I pulled it out. Lend. "Hello?"
"Did you find him?"
"Yup. We're leaving. "
"He's coming back with you?"
"No! I'm just getting him away from the innocent high schoolers. " Someone screamed close by and I stiffened, all senses on alert, but then the scream melted into laughter and playful shrieks.
"Probably a good idea. "
I bit my lip, scanning the darkness for Jack. I'd lost him. "Yeah. " I struggled for something else to say.
"Call me when you get home, okay? I want to make sure you get back safe. "
"Sure, of course. "
He sighed heavily. "I should have stayed. I'm turning around. "
"No, really, it's okay. Jack's my problem, not yours. I'll call you when I get home, and you'll be back tomorrow night. "
"Alright. " The static silence between us felt like the miles were stretching, deepening. "Talk to you soon then?"
"Yeah. Bye. "
I hung up the phone, staring sadly at it for a moment. Then I looked around, determined to find Jack and get him out of here so I could call Lend back. I was deeper into the cemetery than I'd ever been-in fact, I wondered if I was even still in it or if there was no fence separating the outer boundaries from the surrounding woods. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. It felt like I was being watched.
Something grabbed my arm, and I screamed, dropping my phone.
"Hey-oh, aren't you jumpy tonight?" Jack grinned at me.
I kicked him in the shin, then leaned down and picked up my phone. I pocketed it and turned back toward Jack. "Let's go. "
He perked up. "Where to? If you're bored here, I'm sure I could find us a more entertaining party in New York. " He held out his hand, and although it was too dark to see his dimples, I could practically feel them. "Come on. "
I shook my head. I couldn't hang out with Jack, even if he would take me places I'd never see otherwise. It'd be too much of a betrayal of Lend. "I'm going home. "
A velvet voice bled out of the darkness. "So soon, Liebchen?"