Twenty-Two

I checked the rearview mirror for the millionth time to see if anyone was following me. I’d told my anatomy teacher I was needed in Lester’s office, but cut instead. Skipping class wasn’t the end of the world, but I’d also snuck into Drew’s locker, grabbed her keys, and taken her Bug.

Once you’ve done kidnapping and fraud, you might as well add auto theft.

If I’d asked Drew, she would have lent me the car, but I didn’t want her to grill me about where I was going. I pulled into the Walmart parking lot and found a spot near the side of the building.

Our town was split down the center, with the river acting as a dividing line. The west side, where Drew lived, had the two blocks of Main Street with the old-fashioned light poles and flower boxes in front of all the stores. The nicer restaurants were clustered nearby, and the whole thing was surrounded by tidy subdivisions. The east side had my apartment complex, strip malls, car repair shops, and our version of a cathedral—the Walmart.

It was time I took some control of the situation. Ryan might have been following me, but I could find him just as easily. I jogged across the parking lot, crossed the street, and went into Cherry Fields, the trailer park.

For a trailer park, it was nicer than I expected. Decades ago it had been a farm, and there were still fruit trees lining the driveway. It wasn’t like there were pit bulls chained to the bumpers of broken-down cars and people hanging Confederate flags in their windows the way I’d imagined it. The trailers were mostly in good shape, and lots of people had planted flowers or stuck garden gnomes around their tiny yards, but it still wasn’t a place I’d dream of moving to. I stopped near the entrance at the giant community mailbox. As I’d hoped, someone had busted out a label maker and put people’s names on the numbered boxes: DENTON #15.

I walked down two rows before I figured out the numbering system, then spotted his trailer. It was painted a yellowing white with faded red trim. I held the palm of my hand over the tiny peephole and then pounded on the door.

The door flew open, and there stood Ryan. He hadn’t shaved and his sweatpants rode low on his hips. He looked shocked to see me. Good.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “Not so nice when someone just shows up, is it?”

He looked past me to see if I was alone. “How did you find me?”

“I’m a psychic, remember?”

His mouth twitched. “You wanna come in?”

“I came to tell you that you need to leave me alone.”

He turned and went inside. “You might as well yell at me in here. I got water and beer.” He looked over his shoulder with a smirk, watching me hesitate in the doorway. “Unless you’re afraid,” he added.

I stepped inside after him. The trailer smelled like a mix of fresh-cut grass and stale cigarettes. It wouldn’t have taken magical powers to figure out Ryan was a hockey fan. There was a giant Red Wings poster on the far wall, and a hockey stick was mounted like a rifle above the doorway to the kitchen. He followed my gaze. “I used to play.”

“Were you any good?”

“Not good enough.” He went through into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and held out a can of Budweiser. I couldn’t tell if he really wanted to drink this early or if he was yanking my chain. I shook my head no. He pulled a couple glasses off the drain board. He poured us each a glass of water. I took a sip and then put it right back down on the counter.

When he stood so close, I was reminded how solid he was. Not much taller than me, but broad across the shoulders. He was only a year or two older than the guys in my school, but he didn’t look like them. He looked more like a grown man. Ryan motioned to the sofa.

I shook my head. “I’d rather stand.”

“Suit yourself.” He stepped past me and plopped down.

I’d wanted to stand because I wanted to come across as in control, but instead of feeling powerful, I felt awkward. My arms felt too long and floppy, and I suddenly didn’t know what to do with my hands.

“So, you came to tell me something?” He leaned back, his legs spread.

I stood straighter, hating how I felt prim and stuffy. “I know you broke into my apartment. I don’t know what you’re looking for—but I’m telling you now. Cut it out. I don’t want to get you in more trouble, but if you do it again, I’ll call the cops.” I was bluffing, but I was hoping he wouldn’t guess.

He sat up, the smirk wiped off his face. “What are you talking about?”

I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I know you’ve been in my room.”

“I’ve been to your apartment complex, but I never went inside.” He held up a palm as if swearing an oath. “Promise. If someone’s been in your space, it wasn’t me.”

I tried to read his body language to see if he was lying, but I couldn’t tell. He likely wouldn’t admit to it. I wasn’t even completely sure anyone had been in my room.

“Have you thought it might be Paige?” He scratched his elbow, his eyes never leaving mine.

I jumped, and my face grew hot. “What? No.”

Ryan rubbed the condensation on the side of his glass off with the bottom of his T-shirt. “Okay. Just a thought.”

I had to focus on what I knew for a fact. “You need to stop following me.”

“You need to tell me what’s going on.”

I wanted to scream. The conversation was devolving. “I don’t know what’s going on. Look, it’s simple. I had a vision. I had no way of knowing if it meant anything or not. I shared it with the cops because I felt like I should. That’s it.”

Ryan propped his feet up on the coffee table, pushing aside a stack of library books and a pizza box. “If it was just a vision, then why is your mom on the news all the time?”

I pulled my hair away from my neck, trying to cool down. “She’s not on the news all the time. She thinks she has these abilities, and she wants to help.”

He cocked his head. “Thinks she has them—so she doesn’t.”

“I didn’t say that.” I wanted to kick something or grab the glass out of his hand and smash it on the floor. He was doing a better job at reading me than I was at reading him.

Ryan stared at me. “Look, I don’t know what you’re messed up in, but if Paige is involved, you better be careful.”

“Of Paige?” I said skeptically.

He nodded. “That girl—hell, her whole family—they are seriously messed up.”

“So you don’t believe she’s been abducted. That the whole thing is some big . . .” I waved my hands in the air as if trying to conjure up the right words. “Some big lie?”

Ryan shrugged. “Maybe. I do know nothing with that girl is easy.”

“So why did you go out with her?”

He smiled. “I liked the idea of a challenge.”

“Liked, but not like. You don’t like it anymore?” I wondered how he’d enjoy someone pulling apart each of his words for their secret meanings.

“Maybe there are some things that are so challenging they aren’t worth the hassle.” He smirked up at me. “I’m betting you’re worth a fair bit of trouble.”

I could feel myself blush. He was trying to throw me. He still wanted her. At least part of him did. I watched the dust move through a sunbeam coming through the window. It looked almost like glitter. “If she’s not worth it, why are you worried about her?”

He shrugged. “Who said I was worried?”

“You spend a lot of time on stuff that doesn’t worry you.”

He rubbed his eyes. “I will tell you that nothing with her is the way it looks. Maybe you had a vision, maybe you didn’t, but you seem like a nice girl, and if I were you, I would watch your back.”

“I will. But I better not see you behind me anymore.”

Ryan stood and I retreated quickly, almost tripping on a bump in the carpet. He rolled his eyes, and I felt foolish for overreacting. He slid past me and through an accordion door at the rear of the trailer, then returned. He handed me a thick-linked gold ID bracelet.

“What is this?”

He smirked. “Aren’t you psychic?” He nodded toward the bracelet. “Paige gave it to me. Said it was like a promise ring, only for a guy. She wanted it back when we broke up, but I wouldn’t give it to her. I told her it belonged to me now. Take it.”

I tried to return it to him, but he wouldn’t let me. “I don’t want this.”

He moved past me and opened the door, letting me know the conversation was over. I walked out, the sun outside seeming hotter than it had just minutes ago when I went inside.

“If you happen to see Paige, you give her that and let her know that I’m done for good. She wanted it, and now she has it. She can leave me the hell alone, and we’ll go our separate ways, but if she tries to get me in trouble, I’ll tell all her secrets.” He leaned closer to my face, and his breath smelled like bitter coffee. “Tell her that’s a promise.”