To add insult to injury, at that moment Cathy and a group of her friends walked by. “Ewwww,” they said collectively as we sopped up the mess. I felt my cheeks sear with heat.
“Ignore ’em,” Stubby advised.
I knew he was right, but I couldn’t help looking up to glare at them as they passed. And it was then that I noticed Principal Harris standing near the door watching Stubs and me. He then looked over at Mario and Eric, who were still laughing it up, and then Harris simply turned and headed back inside.
I felt something bitter twist inside of me.
“There!” said Stubs, pulling my attention back. “Good as new.” He’d gotten the last of the egg off and was grinning brightly at me.
“Thanks,” I told him. I really wanted to get the hell out of there.
“Hey,” Stubs said as I straddled the bike and we set off for home. “You ready for the game on Friday?”
I sighed. It’d been such a bad day that it was hard to focus on something good. “What time are we meeting up?” I asked, still a bit distracted.
“I figure if we get there before seven we can grab a good seat. Unless you want to go to the cheer-off at three?”
I cocked my head at him. “The what?”
Stubs grinned. “The Jupiter cheerleaders challenged our squad to a cheer-off. That’s at three.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Stubby was so adorably devoted to our cheerleading squad—one of the best in the state—that it cracked me up. I think his unique fascination started when Stubs was younger and he used to sit with his dad on Sunday afternoons and watch football. His dad, who was from Texas, always rooted for the Cowboys, and when the Dallas team wasn’t performing well, which was often, his dad would focus on the league’s best cheerleaders. Stubs, who was super klutzy, never really got into football, but he had become enamored with all those pretty girls shakin’ their moneymakers and doing their flips, twists, and turns. Cheer combined two things Stubs idolized: pretty people and great coordination. He loved it. “I hear Jupiter’s got a great squad this year,” I said, just to taunt him.
“Yeah, I heard that, too, which is why I want to go. You in?”
I sighed. Ma had been having a really tough time lately with all the stress from the investigation and the worry over money now that I couldn’t do readings. “Nah,” I finally said. “I should hang out with Ma after school. Why don’t you go to the cheer-off and then come pick me up around six thirty?”
When he didn’t answer, I looked back and saw that he’d fallen behind and was glancing over his shoulder. “Stubs?”
I got his attention, and he pushed hard on his skateboard to catch up to me again. “I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but there’s a car following us.”
I glanced back so fast that I felt the bike wobble underneath me. Sure enough, a black sedan was cruising slowly down the street. It was too far away to see who was driving, but I had a pretty good idea. “Let’s cut through the park,” I said. We hurried our pace to the park, where the car couldn’t follow us. I felt pretty good about ditching my least-favorite FBI agents until I parted ways with Stubby and came around the corner to my street, only to find that same black sedan sitting at the curb a little bit down from my house.
I was tempted to flip them off, but stopped myself because I didn’t know if there was some weird law against giving a fed the finger. Along with not doing any more readings, Donny had also warned me to keep my nose clean.
So over the next couple of days I ignored every teacher who gave me a suspicious look. I also ignored the black sedan that would show up unexpectedly in front of our house or two houses down the street and sit there for hours.
On the night of the game, Ma made dinner, which was huge for her. She surprised me with spaghetti alla carbonara, which had been Dad’s favorite.
“I know this has been hard on you,” she said as we sat down together. “But I want you to know that I’m very proud of you.”
I blinked. Ma’s unexpected display of tenderness had caught me off guard. “Thanks,” I told her.
She nodded and played with her utensils. She seemed suddenly nervous about something. “You know, though, if you wanted to go back to doing a few readings here or there, I wouldn’t mind.”
My breath caught. I felt anger rise like heat from my chest to my cheeks. I knew it was Ma’s addiction talking, but why did she have to ruin such a sweet moment by being so transparent? “Donny said I couldn’t,” I reminded her, unable to keep the bitterness out of my tone.
Ma was still playing with her utensils. “I know. But what Donny doesn’t know…”
I stared at the plate of pasta, and my appetite vanished.
Ma must’ve noticed that I was upset because she quickly added, “It’s just that the settlement check doesn’t quite cover our needs, Maddie. You know we’re always short at the end of the month.”
I held back the retort that was on the tip of my tongue. I was the one who always made sure the checks got written and sent out the payments, because otherwise Ma would forget and we’d have the lights turned off. I knew as well as she did what came in and what went out, and the thing that always brought us up short was the liquor tab.
I cleared my throat and stared at my plate. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
She nodded reluctantly. “Okay, then maybe I’ll look for something,” she said, but I could tell she was mad. Ma’s employment history was spotty at best. And because she’d lost her license, whatever she applied for had to be within walking distance or a short bus ride, which I knew greatly limited what she’d be able to get.
We ate the rest of the meal in relative silence, and I couldn’t wait to bolt out the back door and head to the game.
I’d told Stubs to meet me on the block behind my house so we’d avoid the black sedan that might be out front. After cutting through the yard of the people behind us, I came out onto Mt. Clair Street, where I saw Stubby in his mom’s minivan a little ways down the block. “Hey!” he said when I got in. “I didn’t know which house backed up to yours.”
“You did fine,” I told him, and we made our way through my neighborhood, careful to keep well away from my street. The route took us a bit out of our way, but worth it if we could avoid the feds.
On the way, Stubby became excited and said, “Ohmigod, Mads! Wait until you see the new girl on Jupiter’s squad!”
I laughed. “I take it she’s cute?”
“No,” he said with a sly grin. “She’s beeeeautiful!”
I laughed again. Stubby seemed to have a new crush on a different cheerleader every year.
After arriving at school, Stubs parked near a streetlight and we hoofed it over to the gate where we had to show our school IDs to get in. We didn’t even bother with the Poplar High bleachers, but aimed our steps toward the visiting team’s side.
On our way we passed the concession stand, where there was already a line. I saw kids I’d grown up with: Kristy Junger (1-14-2100), Brady McDonald (3-17-2024), Molly Thompson (10-9-2082), and Tim Goodacre (9-21-2071). I’d ridden the bus to elementary school with Kristy and Brady. I’d been in the same catechism class with Tim, and I’d gone to aftercare with Molly. And yet, when Stubs and I walked by, there was barely a flicker of recognition. I was used to being ignored by my classmates, but with the whole Tevon Tibbolt thing hanging over my head I felt a little more vulnerable and sensitive to it, which made me even more grateful for my friendship with Stubby.
The bleachers on the visiting-team side were fairly full—Jupiter High is our closest rival, and their school always comes out to support the team—but Stubs found us great seats three rows up at the right corner.
I sat down and immediately began to scan the visiting team’s bench, which was a mass of light blue and bright white except for three navy rugby shirts. I found who I was looking for right away.
“He’s here,” Stubby whispered, grinning and nudging his chin toward one of the rugby shirts.
I smiled back, and relished the rapid uptick of my heart while I took in the dark curls and broad shoulders I’d recognize anywhere. Aiden was as beautiful as I remembered. Maybe more so because since the previous spring, when I’d last seen him, he’d grown taller and his shoulders were now even broader.
From freshmen year on he’d been the football team’s manager, keeping stats for the coaches and rooting hard for Jupiter. I usually only got to see him two or three times a year, when our two football teams played against each other and then during the spring when he played soccer for Jupiter. Our soccer teams always played against each other twice—once during the regular season and once during the playoffs—so I’d see him at those matchups, but it was harder to get near him then because he was always on the field.
As I stared at the back of Aiden’s head, that knot that I’d been carrying in my chest since Tevon had been abducted began to loosen. I wanted nothing more than to feel the texture of Aiden’s soft curls.
And then, as if sensing that someone was watching him, I saw that head begin to turn. I shifted my gaze away quickly, pretending to focus on the game. But then I snuck another glance and was shocked to see Aiden staring back at me.
For a moment I couldn’t breathe or look away. And then he smiled, and my heart stopped. I think it skipped at least three beats before it started pounding again.
Stubby nudged me with his elbow. “He’s looking at you!” he whispered.
I felt the corners of my mouth quirk, and my brain felt fuzzy. Could this really be happening? Could this boy who I’d secretly adored for the past two years actually, really be smiling at me? And then I realized he was. And then, even more miraculously, I was able to smile back at him. In that instant everything else went silent, and it felt like the whole world had paused to allow us a moment of perfection. It was the best I’d ever felt in my whole life.
Hi, he mouthed.
My breath came quick and I went light-headed while my hands began to tingle. His smile widened, and somehow I managed to nod and smile back at him, silently thanking God for this small bit of perfect happiness.
In the next second the spell was broken when the crowd erupted in a roar. I jumped as all around me people leaped to their feet and began to cheer and clap. I lost sight of Aiden, and by the time the crowd settled down again, I saw that he was back to scribbling on his clipboard and focusing on the game.
But I’d had that moment—that one, sweet, amazing, perfect moment. I shut my eyes to replay it again in my mind. “Mads!” Stubby whispered excitedly.
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. Stubby was pointing to the cheerleading squad now moving down the sidelines. “See her?” he said, nudging me while pointing to an exotically pretty girl with silky black hair, a perky nose, and full lips. Pretty much every high school boy’s wet dream.
She was also way out of Stubby’s league, but as his best friend, I wasn’t about to tell him that. “Her name’s Payton,” Stubs said, and I swear he added a sigh. “Payton Wyly. She’s a junior, and she moved here from Colorado three months ago.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. He was so smitten. “How do you know her name and her history already?”
Stubby blushed. “At the cheer challenge today I pretended I was on Poplar’s school newspaper and asked the Jupiter assistant coach about her.”
“I’m impressed,” I said. Leave it to Stubby to think up something clever to find out about the new girl on the team.
“God, she’s soooo pretty.” He sighed. Next to us one of the Jupiter kids looked at Stubby like he was weird, and Stubby blushed. Clearing his throat, he added, “I mean, go Jupiter!”
I laughed into my hand, and Stubs squared his shoulders, trying to regain his composure, but I saw him continue to sneak glances Payton’s way.
Still giggling, I was about to tease him a little when a couple of parents wedged their way to the bleacher just below us and sat down. The man took his seat right in front of me, obscuring the perfect view I’d had of Jupiter’s team bench.
“Great,” I muttered, leaning to the right and left, trying to see around him, but he was too big.
I started to look for another place to sit, and motioned to Stubby that we had to move. He frowned because he still had a good view of Payton, but then he pointed to a small area in the very front that was dead center to the cheerleaders and even closer to Aiden.
I nodded, and we got up and snaked our way over. While we were moving, I hoped that Aiden wouldn’t look up and see me making my way closer to him—I didn’t want to be that girl.
Still, I felt brave with Stubby next to me. At last we were settled again and we both smiled to each other. Mission accomplished. I felt a warmth bubble up in my middle, and I couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “We gotta be cool,” Stubby said, clearly fighting a grin of his own.
Nearby the cheerleaders were all chatting and gossiping happily to one another, and much of the attention was centered on Payton. There was a timeout from the Poplar Hollow side, and the teams gathered around their coaches, allowing us to hear some of what the cheer squad was saying.
“You’re so lucky,” said one girl to Payton. “I can’t believe you’re getting a freaking car for your birthday!”
“It’s only because the ’rents are feeling guilty about moving me out here right before my junior year,” Payton replied, like getting a car for her birthday wasn’t a huge deal. “I mean, I love it here and all, but they don’t have to know that, right?” All the girls laughed.
“When are you getting it?” another girl asked.
“Next Wednesday, on my birthday!” Payton said, so pleased with herself and the attention that I couldn’t understand how it didn’t turn Stubby off. “I get the keys right after school, and about two seconds after that I’ll be picking you bitches up to do some major damage to my dad’s credit card!”
The girls all shrieked and giggled, and I couldn’t help but feel that if my dad were alive, no way would I say something that stupid and shallow. But when Stubby turned to grin at me, I shoved a smile onto my lips and nodded like I was happy and excited for Payton, too.
A whistle blew then, and the teams broke their huddle and started to head back toward the center of the field. I snuck a peek at Aiden and saw that he was looking and grinning at me again. I felt my cheeks heat, and shyly glanced away, secretly thrilled. Pretending to take an interest in the crowd, I froze when my gaze landed on someone familiar. All those warm, gushy feelings I’d had a moment before vanished, and my blood ran cold. Staring hard at me was none other than Agent Wallace, who was sitting midway up in the stands. Right next to him was Agent Faraday, who was busy looking at the field.
Immediately, I snapped my head to face forward again and slapped a hand on Stubby’s arm. “What?” he asked.
But I was too unnerved to speak. I couldn’t believe the two agents had managed to follow us to the game and even stalked us to the visiting team’s bleachers. I didn’t know what to do.
“Hey, look, they’re starting!” Stubs said, his attention already back on Payton.
Sure enough, Jupiter’s squad was spreading out in the small section between the stands and the field, and they began to clap their hands and stomp their feet. Meanwhile, my mind was racing, and I felt like I had to get out of there, but wouldn’t the feds simply follow me? Wouldn’t rushing out of the stands call attention to me? And what if Aiden was watching? Would he see the panicked look on my face? I couldn’t risk glancing over at him.
Next to me I heard Stubby’s breath catch, and I realized that Payton was still sidestepping to the right, coming nearer and nearer to where we sat. She stopped in front of us. And then the most horrible thing happened. She was maybe four and a half feet away from me—near enough to see the color of her eyes and read the date on her forehead.
For a moment I was so stunned I couldn’t even breathe, and then our eyes met and the expression on her face became confused.
But I couldn’t look away from her; that date on
her forehead lifted off her olive skin and hovered in the air as if to taunt me. “Oh God!” I gasped, and jumped to my feet, bolting to the stairs leading down to the side of the field. I didn’t stop until I was out in the parking lot, but from there I didn’t quite know where to go. I felt panicked and shaken, and like my whole world was being pulled apart by a black hole of little numbers.
Stubs caught up with me, wheezing and coughing as he pulled out his inhaler. “What’s…wrong?”
Stubby has bad asthma, and I knew that his attacks were sometimes brought on by stress, but this was too big and I was too freaked out to keep it to myself. “It’s Payton,” I said, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of him.
“What about her?” Stubby asked, his breathing settling down a little.
I stopped and looked anxiously toward the stands.
“Maddie? Come on, tell me.”
My gaze shifted back to Stubby. “I saw her deathdate.”
He squinted at me. “Annnnnnd?”
“It’s next week.”
Stubby’s mouth fell open. “No!”
I could only stand there and hold his gaze. I wasn’t wrong. “Eleven-twelve, twenty fourteen,” I said.
“You got it wrong,” Stubby replied, but then he seemed to reconsider the date. “Wait, Maddie, that’s…that’s next Wednesday—her birthday. Maybe you saw her birthday and not her deathday.”
I pressed my lips together. I never see birthdays. I only see death.
Stubby turned and eyed the visiting team’s side of the field. “We have to warn her,” he said, and I could tell he was about to run back and do just that.
I caught his arm and squeezed it hard. “You can’t!”
Stubby tried to shake me off, but I wasn’t letting go. “Maddie, we have to!”
Still, I was determined. “Stubs, please listen to me for a minute, will you?!” Finally he stopped fighting and stared at me expectantly. I pointed toward the bleachers with my free hand. “Faraday and Wallace followed us here. They’re up in the stands right now.”
Stubby paled even more. “How did they find you?”