Breathless (7 page)

I frowned. “But that door leads outside.”

She laughed, looping her arm through mine and pul ing me in the direction of the door. “You want to go to an assembly? Great. Let’s assemble.

Who says we have to do it with the rest of the school?”

My mind reeled even as my feet fol owed her lead. “But—but that would be skipping.”

Morgan snorted. “Nothing gets by you, does it, Smal s?”

Sir’s voice spoke inside my head.
Skipping school? You’re practically begging to enlist in the military academy.

My steps slowed. “I don’t know, Morgan. We could get in trouble.” I couldn’t do anything that would jeopardize my chance to at going away to a col ege that didn’t require uniforms.

“Not likely.” Morgan reached out and pushed the metal bar, swinging the door wide. The sun’s rays spil ed across my chil ed skin like warm fingers urging me forward. “I’m pretty sure the teachers are expecting you to be al traumatized and messed up. This boat accident is your get-out-of-jail-free-card.”

I stumbled as the memory of the crash resurfaced in my mind. “People died,” I whispered.

She shrugged and continued to pul me down the sidewalk. “It’s natural selection, Smal s. Dumbasses are going to die. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. It’s the Darwinian way.”

I thought about that. Could it real y be that simple? Marty, Russel , and Gabriel e had al been drinking and smoking pot before the boat race. Did their stupidity absolve me from any blame? Or could I have done something more to prevent the accident? My head pounded under the weight of my thoughts and I pressed two fingers into my temple to ease them away. “Aren’t
you
worried about getting in trouble?”

“Me?” Morgan appeared to hold back a laugh. “In case you haven’t noticed, I make teachers uncomfortable.” She gestured to herself and her short plaid skirt dripping at the side with several chains. “They tend to look the other way when I don’t show up for class.” When I didn’t answer, she stopped short in front of the turnoff leading away from our school. “Look, I’m not kidnapping you. I’m trying to do you a favor. For al I care, you can turn back and go to the assembly looking like a drowned—” She bit off her words when I inhaled sharply, then waved her hand in dismissal.

“Whatever. Or you can come with me. Whatever you think you know about me—you don’t. I’m not going to smoke dope, shoot up, or any other dumb shit. My drug of choice is caffeine. Preferably in the form of a vanil a latte. It’s your choice, Smal s. Free country and al that jazz.”

I swal owed as I considered my options. There was no denying that Sir would be watching me closer than before—I walked a frayed rope on stilts made of scissors. But on the other hand, I was dripping wet and another pair of accusing eyes would be al it took to send me over the edge. It was true I didn’t quite understand Morgan or her reasons for asking me to tag along, but ever since the moment she’d pul ed me up from the bathroom floor, the ever building pressure in my chest loosened. And that was enough. “I’m in.”

A smile tugged at Morgan’s lips. “There’s only one rule if you’re going to hang out with me. You are not, under any circumstances, al owed to tel anyone I’m straight-edge. I’ve got a reputation to maintain. If anyone asks, make something up. Tel them I took you behind a Dumpster and snorted lines of coke between shots of tequila. Got it?”

“Got it.” I smiled.

She grinned back. “Be careful, Smal s. It looks like you don’t smile much and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” She looped her arm back through mine and hummed the
Star Spangled Banner
as we hurried down the street.

***

I glanced at the digital clock hanging from Morgan’s backpack and picked up my pace. Somehow, I’d lost track of time and spent nearly the entire school day at a graffiti-covered booth in the back of a coffee house with Morgan. We’d sipped lattes, painted our nails black, and talked about everything from emo bands to the perfect smudge-proof eyeliner. And yet, al that time, Morgan was nice enough to not bring up the boat accident, even though I saw her eyes wander to the edge of my shirt col ar where a corner of gauze lay exposed. When I brought up our first meeting in the lunch room she was clearly surprised, not realizing the trembling girl with the fruit cup had been me. She’d gone on to tel me how Gabriel e—or Hagriel e as Morgan cal ed her—found it hilarious to send girls over to flirt with her and gauge her reaction. Her outburst had been the result of those assaults.

I locked my eyes on the brick building stil a block away, as if by sheer wil I could teleport myself inside its wal s.

“Wait up, Smal s!” Morgan cried, balancing a Styrofoam cup of coffee as she ran in her lime green heels to catch up to me. “Where’s the fire? I told you that the teachers won’t give you any trouble.”

“It’s not the teachers I’m worried about,” I panted, accelerating my jog to a sprint.

“Yeah, wel ,” she grumbled behind me. “I don’t like doing anything that accelerates my heart rate.” She giggled. “Wel ,
almost
anything.”

I ignored her and kept running but, after making the turn down the school’s drive, I saw that my efforts had been for nothing.

Amid the students streaming around his parked 4x4, Sir stood, leaning against the hood, his arms crossed and a scowl etched on his face.

Morgan slammed into my back when I screeched to a halt, spil ing half her latte on the sidewalk. “Smal s!” she groaned.

But I didn’t respond. I was too busy fighting to stay standing despite the fact that my heart bounced around my chest like a hornet in a glass jar.

After shaking off the coffee off her hands, Morgan looked up. “Smal s?” She took a tentative step forward. “What’s up?”

Dread stole the words from my tongue, and I was helpless to do anymore than nod in Sir’s direction.

She fol owed my gaze. “Is that your old man?”

I nodded.

Her brow folded under her scowl. “Ugh. I know the type.” She looked around and gave my elbow a tug away from the curb into the parking lot.

“Come on. I don’t think he’s spotted us yet. There’s stil time.”

I shook my head. Even from a distance I could see the muscles in Sir’s jaw tighten as he ground his teeth. “I’m in enough trouble. Running away is only going to make things worse.”

“Run away?” Morgan feigned hurt but she couldn’t mask the mischief that ran through her eyes. “Real y, Smal s. I would have thought that after today you would give me more credit.”

“But if we’re not going to run away, what are we going to do?”

She smiled. “I have a plan.” She motioned me to fol ow and waded into the parked cars.

“Military school, here I come,” I muttered.

Chapter 9

“Smal s, get down!” Morgan hissed as she crouched behind a rusted Taurus.

I darted between two parked cars and knelt next to her. “I stil don’t understand what we’re doing.”

She sighed dramatical y. “I’m saving your ass.
Again
.” She stood up and peered over the car’s hood in Sir’s direction. “God, Smal s, he looks like a complete tool. How do you stand it?” She looked over at me, and whatever she saw made the smile fal from her face. “Fol ow me.”

I crouched behind her, bobbing and weaving through the maze of cars until we came up to a fire-hydrant-red sports car.

“Here!” She motioned me over with a wave of her hand.

I crouched beside her. “Whose car is this?”

She opened the door, reached across the seat, and rummaged through the glove box. “Mine.”

I didn’t bother hiding my surprise. “Are you kidding me? It’s brand new.”

“Present from Daddy.” She grimaced on the last word as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Anyway, I found the answer to your prayers!” Morgan withdrew her hand from the glove box and uncurled her fingers to reveal the prize within.

“An inhaler?” My heart sank. This was her big plan?

Morgan huffed. “You’re not seeing the bigger picture here, Smal s.”

I waited.

She crossed her arms. “We don’t have time for me to explain. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” The speed of my reply surprised not only me but Morgan, who blinked several times before responding.

“Good. Now let’s go meet Pops.”

“M-m-meet Sir? I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Much to Morgan’s amusement, I pul ed the pink plaid shirt from my backpack and buttoned it over the black v-neck. Next, I dug the heel of my palms into my eyes to rub off any of the makeup that remained after my incident in the bathroom. I wouldn’t have time to remove the nail polish. I could only hope that Sir wouldn’t notice. “Look, I’m not saying that I’m ashamed to be with you or anything, but obviously you stand out. Sir’s not one to appreciate non-conformity.”

Morgan rol ed her eyes. “You said you trusted me, now come on!”

I fol owed her through the rows of cars. Inside my chest, the sense of dread built into a painful crescendo. Stil leaning against the hood, Sir’s frown deepened as he glanced at his watch.

I wondered what the military uniform would look like that I’d be required to wear at my soon-to-be new school.

As if sensing my arrival, Sir glanced over his shoulder. His eyes darted from me to Morgan and back to me. I could almost feel the anger rol ing off of him like waves of heat from sun-drenched blacktop. He stepped around the hood and folded his arms as we approached.

“Where have you been?” Sir’s voice was a jackhammer on cement. “I told you to meet me here at fifteen hundred hours sharp. And why are you coming from the parking lot?”

I forced myself not to shrink back. “I—I—” But before I could answer, Morgan was in front of me, taking the ful weight of the sergeant’s stare with her chin lifted and shoulders back.

“I’m afraid it’s my fault, Mr. Smal .”

Sir’s eyes narrowed, registering the pink-haired girl before him and making his own conclusions. “
Master
Sergeant Smal ,” he corrected her.

“Sure.” Morgan waved her hand in the air as if Sir’s rank were of little importance.

Sir made a choking noise and curled his fingers into fists. “Explain yourself,” he said to her.

“Edith saved me.” Morgan held the inhaler up for inspection. “I was in the bathroom when I found myself having an asthma attack. I accidental y left my inhaler in my car, and if Edith hadn’t been there to help me to the parking lot, I don’t know what I would have done.” She smiled sweetly.

“Regardless—” Sir began, but Morgan cut him off, drawing a shocked expression from him.

“I know my father wil be so grateful. He’l insist that your family comes over for dinner.”

“Your father?” Sir blinked, as if trying to understand how he’d lost control.

“Sure.” Morgan shrugged. “He’s the base commander for Eglin Air Force Base. Lieutenant Colonel Pratt. I’m his daughter, Morgan.” She held her hand out and grinned a thousand-watt smile.

I couldn’t have been more shocked if I’d licked a nine-volt battery. The base commander’s
daughter
? And I wasn’t the only one stunned.

Sir’s eyes clouded over and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat like a fishing lure. “Lieutenant Colonel Pratt is your father?”

Morgan snatched his hand dangling at his side and pumped it twice. “Like I said, I’m awful y grateful. Edith saved my life. I’l have Daddy cal you with dinner plans.” She winked at me. “Oh, and if it’s al right with you, maybe Edith can stay over. For a sleepover?”

I fought off the grin that pul ed at the corners of my mouth. I’d never seen Sir bested before. And the fact that it happened by a seventeen-year-old girl with pink hair made it that much more awesome.

Sir opened his mouth but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and tried again, his voice a pitch higher than normal. “We’d be honored. My wife wil bring a casserole.”

“Great!” Morgan gave me another wink and skipped away into the parking lot.

Sir blinked several more times before he turned to me and growled, “Car. Now.”

I scrambled in, keeping my head low. After buckling the seatbelt, I propped my backpack on my lap so I could hide not only my painted nails but also the smile I wore the entire way home.

***

That evening Sir and I sat in uncomfortable silence at the kitchen table. It was nice to see that some things were back to normal. Mom slipped her hands into a pair of frayed potholders and lifted the casserole onto the table.

Tuna noodle.

I sighed.

“I just don’t understand it.” She set the dish on the counter and dug the spoon into the crust. “I’d noticed the kitchen faucet leaking while I made breakfast, but when you two left this morning, it stopped. I thought maybe I didn’t have it al the way closed, but look, it’s started up again.”

Sir and I glanced at the sink, and sure enough, water trickled down like a thin silver ribbon.

Sir turned his attention back to his plate and the casserole that Mom heaped upon it. “Cal the plumber tomorrow.” He picked up his fork and speared a noodle. “And then cal the landlord and tel them that whatever the plumber charges we’re taking it out of the rent. There’s no way we’re going to pay for a repair on a house that’s not ours. And I’m not going to pay extra on a water bil while we wait for the landlord to take his sweet time getting the repair done.”

After dishing her own plate, Mom sat. “You’re right, of course.” She unfolded her napkin across her lap and looked at me. “How was school today, honey?”

Before I could say anything, Sir answered, “She was hanging out with some delinquent in the parking lot. Get this, Carol, the girl had
pink hair, and she’s the base commander’s
daughter
. His daughter! How’s the guy supposed to command an entire base consisting of thousands of soldiers when he obviously has no control over a seventeen-year-old girl?”

Mom smiled. “You made a friend?”

Sir shoveled another forkful of tuna noodle into his mouth. “You should have seen her.” He shook his head angrily. “Not only did she have pink hair, but it was al knotted up in those dreadlock things. Can you imagine the infestation of insects living on her head? I don’t understand how any base commander can al ow his daughter to present herself that way. Ridiculous.”