The DJ played a rap song. My leg began to twitch.
“Can we borrow Brooke?” Amy asked Marcus, her entire body bouncing to the beat.
“I guess that’s up to Brooke.”
I guessed he imagined that I wouldn’t want to dance under the circumstances, but I surprised him and myself with my reply. “Okay. Just this once, though.”
My excitement was building as I let Amy drag me by the hand through the crowd. She and Christy hauled me over to a group of girls, some of whom I’d met over the past couple of weeks. Immediately, I started to bounce to the beat.
Three songs later, an odd feeling struck me in the chest. I promised the girls I’d be back, and after much pleading on their part for me to stay, they reluctantly let me go back to Marcus.
I missed him.
When I first left the group, I was a bit disoriented, until I saw the opened gym doors and the cafeteria beyond. From there I knew which corner to go to.
Sammy and Megan weren’t at their table when I walked by. I was relieved. A slow song came on. The lighting changed to angle more onto the mirror balls. Tiny flecks of light flickered across everyone and everything, looking like a million fireflies.
As I got close to where I’d left Marcus, I saw Megan standing in our corner. Her arms were wrapped around someone. As I stared through the gaps in the crowd, I realized it was Marcus. He had his hands on her. I felt a sharp stab to my newly swollen heart. My steps slowed, but something continued to push me in their direction. Why wasn’t he pushing her away? His hands caressed her back. A group of people walked in front of me, obstructing my view. After they’d passed I saw his face buried in her neck. The reflections from the facets on the mirror balls, danced over them. Her hands were in places mine had never been. Dave and Jamie looked on with eager grins. My stomach knotted.
From behind me, I felt a warm touch to my shoulder.
“Hey, are you looking for me?”
My heart skipped a beat. I closed my eyes and let out a long relieved breath. When I opened them again, Jamie and Dave were the only two people in the corner. Had I imagined it? I didn’t know. I turned my head toward the door. Megan sat on top of the table like she’d always been there. My mind was playing tricks on me. I turned and wrapped my arms around Marcus’ neck. He slid his arms around my waist and pulled me close.
“I missed you, Marcus.” I said into his ear.
“I missed you too, and if it wouldn’t have made me look so desperate, I would have come and collected you.”
“Collected? Like some sort of prize?” I teased him.
“No. You’re much more than a prize. You’re a treasure.”
Following a sudden urge, I pressed my mouth against the warm skin of his neck and held it there a few seconds, until I felt his pulse flutter against my lips. I kissed him there, lingering, and then lifted my head back. Although Marcus’ eyelids looked as heavy as mine felt, he held them open and lowered his mouth to mine. Our bodies melted together.
We kissed in the middle of the dance floor to the slow song that blasted from the speakers. Oblivious to the other couples who waltzed in circles around us, we stood still as if we were the only two people in the room.
Our tongues brushed lightly together for the first time. Excitement pulsed through my veins, and I grew warm all over.
Someone shattered the spell by yelling into our ears, “Get a room.”
Our kiss ended in a laugh. I laid my head on his shoulder as our bodies swayed to the music. I don’t know what came over me then, but I had a sudden urge to ditch the crowd.
I lifted my head and looked into his eyes. “Do you mind if we go?” The still-dancing girls would be disappointed, but I really wanted to be alone with Marcus, and I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing Megan again.
Disappointment flashed across his face. “Do you want me to take you home?”
I shook my head. “Is there somewhere else we can go?”
A new light flicked on in his eyes. “We can go somewhere, if that’s what you want,” he said, with obvious interest. “There’s Jared. I’ll go tell him we’re leaving.”
“Okay, I have to use the washroom before we go. Meet me at the gym door.”
The music carried into the washroom. The words were muffled, but the music was audible. I put some lip gloss on and was pulling my fingers through my hair, when the door burst open, smashing loudly against the tiled wall. I snapped my head in the direction of the door.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Megan in her silver heels and skimpy purple dress towered in the doorway. Her icy glare sent a chill across my body, instantly replacing the warm fuzzy feeling. Her eyes stayed glued to mine while she held the door open until the last of the girls left the room.
It wasn’t Megan who scared me. It was the darkness within her. If she’d been the Megan I’d met on the first day of school, I’d have pushed past her and left, but she wasn’t that girl.
I stood with one hand clinging to the sink, my body frozen to the spot, and watched as she closed the door behind her. She strutted toward me with purpose. Her perfect blonde waves cascaded down the sides of her face and past her revealing neckline.
She was the Megan from my nightmare.
With great effort, I found my voice, although it was weak. “What do you want?”
A wicked grin turned up the corners of her mouth. “What I want is very simple. I want you to break up with your boyfriend.” Her words, and the sharpness in which she’d spoken them, stunned me. “And I want you to do it tonight!”
“What?” My heart pounded in my throat.
“You heard me, Brooke.”
She took a step closer. The pendant turned cold as it had in Sammy’s bedroom. Its icy touch penetrated the fabric of my dress, turning my already cold skin colder.
“He loves me.” She glared at me in silence for a moment, as if remembering something and then added, “He told me so.”
The coldness penetrated through to my heart, where it left an ache.
“It’s true, Brooke. It was a long time ago. He said he would always love me, that there would never be anyone else for him.”
What if it was true? Why would she lie when I could just ask Marcus? Would he tell me the truth?
Her perfect face twisted into a snarl. “And then you came along and charmed him, like the witch you are.” The bitter hatred in her tone escalated. She took another step closer. “He will come back to me eventually, when he gets bored with you. I doubt you could satisfy him the way I can.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said in a quick breath.
Her blue eyes blackened. “I don’t care if you believe me or not. If you really care for him, you’ll leave him … tonight!” With her eyes fixed to mine, she smashed the side of her fist into the towel dispenser, leaving an impossible dent behind.
My insides shook. I couldn’t speak anymore. I took a stagger backwards, which put me against the tiled wall. There was nowhere else to go.
“He’s mine, so give him back before he gets hurt.” I saw a flash of vulnerability in her eyes, as well as heard it in her voice.
Remembering Maggie’s letter, I forced myself to speak again. “Wh-why would he get hurt?”
“Maggie will hurt him if you don’t leave him.” Her voice wavered slightly from its acid tone.
My eyebrows pulled together over my widened eyes. “Why will Maggie hurt him?”
For the first time during our conversation she lowered her gaze to the pendant. She reached for it. Curious, I let her. As her fingers grazed the cold metal, she shrieked and pulled away, just as Sammy had earlier. I grabbed it myself and wished her away. For a brief moment, she looked scared.
“Remember what I said.” She peeled her black eyes from the pendant and fled the room.
Megan might as well have thrust a dagger into my heart, for all of the emotional pain she’d just inflicted upon me. What if she was right? What if Marcus loved her? But Sammy had said they were never really to
gether. Yet, he took her to a dance, and they made out.
“Oh God,” I said out loud. My head spun, and I felt physically sick. I grabbed the sink in front of me for support. “He loves her.” He’s never mean to her, even though she’s always mean to me. Also, there were circumstances surrounding their date that I didn’t know about.
Tears flowed down the face of my reflection. With a shaking hand, I pulled out a piece of paper towel from the defiled holder and pressed it to my eyes. The washroom door flew open and a couple sophomore girls walked in.
“Hey, are you alright?” One asked.
Without lifting my head from my hands, I nodded.
“You sure? Do you want me to get Sammy?” the other offered.
Panicked, I looked at them. “No! I just need a minute. I don’t feel very good.”
When I looked back into the mirror, I knew the girls weren’t fooled. They proceeded to fix their hair and struck up a conversation about boys. I had to get out. I flew past them and pushed through the door as another group of girls came through.
I didn’t look to the gym door, where I knew Marcus would be waiting for me. Instead, I bolted from the cafeteria. Once I was in the hallway, I ran to the stairs that led to the main floor. My heart stopped when I heard him call my name out.
I decided in that moment that even if Megan was lying, I still had to cut myself out of Marcus’ life for his own safety. Maggie had said so, and now Megan. I couldn’t exist if anything happened to him. If my fate was to live the rest of my miserable life in this cursed village and only glimpse Marcus from a distance, then I would be content knowing he was safe.
As I ran up the bottom half of the stairs, Evan was coming down from the top. I slammed into him on the landing. He grabbed my arms to keep me from falling backwards.
“Let go of me.” I tried to keep a steady voice, but the tears spilled anyway.
“What’s this now?” With a confused look that quickly changed to amusement, he let go and stepped back as if to assess me. “Trouble in paradise already?” I ignored his hurtful remark and pushed past him, but he grabbed my arm again.
“Let go. I have to go home.” I twisted out of his grip.
“And how do you plan to get there?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I wiped my face with the sleeve of my dress.
“I’ll take you,” he said after a pause.
Perhaps he had some ulterior motive, but the way I saw it, I had no choice but to take him up on his offer. I needed to get Marcus out of my life, and so I would use Evan to hurt Marcus, even though it would kill me inside.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said, unable to look directly at him.
We were heading up the second half of the stairs when I heard Marcus call out.
“Brooke. Where are you going?”
I didn’t stop.
“Brooke!” His voice was louder this time.
He’d caught up. I stopped and turned to face him. With an ache in my heart and a cracked voice, I said, “I have to go. Evan’s driving me home.”
“What just happened? Tell me?” he pleaded.
I closed my eyes trying to summon the strength I needed, but couldn’t find it. “I just have to go.”
“Then I’ll take you.”
“No. Evan’s taking me.” I could just imagine how much Evan was enjoying this. The dagger plunged deeper. “Please, just trust me,” I pleaded through my tears.
His face changed from shock to hurt. Marcus grabbed the front of Evan’s jacket. “What did you do to her?” he demanded.
Evan’s grin widened.
“Stop it!” I tried to pry Marcus’ hands off his brother. “He didn’t do anything. I ran into him on the stairs and asked him to drive me home. Now please let us go.”
Marcus’ hand touched my arm. He opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind. An invisible hand shoved the dagger in to the hilt and twisted it, wounding my heart beyond repair. My knees weakened. I swallowed, hurting my throat, and turned away from him. He didn’t follow.
I didn’t speak to Evan on the way home. The music was too loud anyway. I used up his entire stash of fast-food napkins from inside of the dash on my tears. When he pulled into the driveway, he reached over to put his arm on the backrest of my seat. I reached for the door. Evan grabbed my shoulder and held it forcibly.
“Leave him, Brooke.”
I felt the pendant grow cold again, and my hand froze to the door handle. Too afraid to look at him, I summoned the strength to get out of the car and, without a word, slammed the door shut and ran to the house.
I collapsed to the floor of my bedroom in a crumpled heap next to my bed, clasping Claire and Christian’s picture to my chest, and cried my heart out.
I tried to convince myself that I’d done the right thing, but I’d never felt such an ache in my chest in all my life. The ball of paper, all that was left of Maggie’s letter, lay on the floor nearby, where I’d thrown it earlier. I reached for it and smoothed out the wrinkles then read it again.
It was obvious to me now that Megan was part of whatever was happening to me, and for some reason I couldn’t comprehend, Maggie wanted me away from Marcus.
Nothing made sense.
In my despair, I decided I would give Maggie what she wanted. I would give her the pendant and then, maybe, I could have some sort of normal life here. Perhaps I would even beg my parents to let me come home. Although I knew my heart would stay behind.
A half-hour later, as I sat on my bedroom floor, reduced to sobs, my cell phone rang. I looked at the display and clutched the phone to my chest. A new wave of tears spilled. I didn’t answer Marcus’ call. He called two more times, and when I didn’t answer the third, he texted me.
“I’m outside your bedroom window. If you don’t come down, I’m coming up.”
My spirit had weakened, all but one tiny fragment. It was that fragment that pushed me up off the floor and forced my legs to move, until I found myself standing at the window.
I looked down into the back yard and could barely see him in the darkness below. Something pinged off the window pane. I sighed, knowing he wouldn’t give up.
“I’m going outside,” I called into the living room to Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jim as I slipped my feet into my sneakers.
“Is everything okay, Brooke? You came home from the dance awfully early.”
Aunt Rachel turned her head away from the TV to look at me. I made sure not to look at her directly, for fear she’d see evidence on my face that things weren’t okay.
I tried unsuccessfully to lighten my voice. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, remember it’s a school night.”
Apprehensively, I stepped out onto the unlit porch and stood there, numb. Marcus stood beside the truck, holding the passenger door open. His face was shrouded in darkness. I felt my chest tighten.
“Get in,” he said, his tone void of expression.
I obeyed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Marcus shut the door behind me and got in the driver’s side. I clutched Maggie’s crumpled letter in one hand, the picture in the other, and sat stiffly, staring straight ahead.
A barrier of silence hung between us as Marcus drove to the boathouse. Once there, he got out of the truck and walked inside. I followed, feeling as if I was in deep trouble.
The moment I closed the door, he turned and drew me to him, holding me like he was afraid to let go. “Tell me, Brooke. Tell me what happened at the dance tonight.”
I squeezed my swollen eyes shut. They hurt. From in between us, I loosened the hand that clutched the letter and held it up to him. When he took it from me, I walked to the front wall of windows.
The light at the end of the wharf shone dimly through the multi panes of glass. The lamp on the table behind me gave off a soft glow, enough to paste my gloomy reflection in the window in front of me.
“Where did you get this?” he asked after a fe
w minutes of silence.
I stared at the whitecaps washing onto shore and answered softly, “It was in the envelope Beth had given to me from Maggie.”
“Why would Maggie give this to you?”
I couldn’t answer his question, but I had one for him. “Why didn’t you tell me about Megan?” I ended up sounding more jealous than hurt.
“What about her?”
Through the window, I watched him walk across the great room and stop behind me. His bewildered expression was mirrored in the glass beside mine.
“You love her. You were with her before I moved here. Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Love her? I don’t even like Megan,” he said, sounding both disgusted and confused.
I turned from his reflection and faced him.
“She told me tonight, in the washroom, that you loved her and that you two … .” I couldn’t finish the sentence. He could figure it out.
My shoulders dropped, surrendering to the emotional pain. I was too tired from all the crap that had just gone down to have this conversation.
Marcus brought his hand to the side of my face and held it there.
“She lied. How can I make you believe me?”
Like a flower turning toward the sun, I leaned into his touch, my gaze lifted to his.
“There’s something I want you to know.” He clenched his jaw and swallowed. “I was waiting for the right moment, but after tonight, I might not get another chance.” He hesitated. “I love you, Brooke.”
His declaration stunned me. I blinked and lowered my eyes to the point on his throat where his T-shirt began. For a few seconds I couldn’t move.
When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “I have since the first day I saw you. It might sound ridiculous, but it’s true. I never knew what it felt like to be in love before I met you. I swear.”
The softness of his hand sliding down my face and neck and coming to rest on my shoulder sent a cool tingle across my skin. In that moment I knew I loved him too. I had from the beginning. That’s why everything hurt more than it should.
“Megan lied. Whatever she told you was a lie.” He looked at me firmly, waiting for me to say something.