Fire Girl Part 1 (15 page)

Trina clutched my arm. “Do. Not. Leave.
Me.”

Chapter 13 The Ugly

I had to leave. I couldn’t stay here. I
couldn’t hear this.

And then I saw him, his brown hair slicked
back tightly against his head. An older version of him sat on his
other side. But I couldn’t see Grace. And I couldn’t see his
mother. Not that their mother’s lack of attendance could be
considered an indicator of anything, but still. Panic filled me.
What if something had happened to her? What if she couldn’t get out
of bed or couldn’t use her hand because of the dumb four wheeler
ride?

I’d researched it on my phone Saturday night.
Google had revealed that sometimes muscle degeneration went fast,
sometimes slow. By all outward signs Grace’s degeneration was
happening fast.

I evaluated Zac’s father, Mr. Lockhart. His
eyes were closed. I thought of the heartbreak of losing a daughter.
The urge to leave lessened. I leaned back into the bench and
quieted the furious thump inside my chest. I wanted to find out if
everything was okay with Grace. That would mean staying—and talking
to Zac.

I didn’t realize I’d been staring at Zac
until he turned back.

My pulse jumped from school zone to Mach
three.

Zac’s eyes darkened, thunder clouds preparing
to unleash a storm. He swiveled back to the front.

Okay, he had a reason to be upset with me.
I’d taken Grace out without giving a thought to her condition or
how it could affect her. I rationalized if Grace were truly hurt he
wouldn’t be here—right? And neither would his father. I comforted
myself with that knowledge. I adjusted back into the bench.

I didn’t remember the rest of the meeting. I
came out of my thoughts at the start of the closing song.

A rumble went through the congregation when
the prayer ended.

No one hurried out of the chapel.

Trina elbowed me. Her face looked pained.
“Maddie, ” she said and gestured over her shoulder. “This is my
dad.”

I nodded.

He flashed white, brilliant teeth. “I’ve
heard about the new girl.”

His voice was louder than I’d expected, like
a television announcer, saying something really important. “Trina
told me she’d made a new friend this week.” He leaned over me and
waved at Grandma and Grandpa. “It’s nice to meet some good, church
going folks. I like to see my daughter making friends with good
people.”

Grandma looked confused. “And what was your
name?”

Trina’s dad stood and stretched his hand out
to her. “Charles. Charles Boyce of the Boyce Law firm up in
Pinewood. Trina and I have been living here the past year. If you
ever need an attorney, I have clients throughout the state.” He put
his hand out to Grandpa. “And your names?”

Grandpa shook his hand, but gave him a look
of skepticism. “Frank and Star Haven. Nice to meet ya, Mr.
Boyce.”

Trina’s dad pulled his hand back. “You can
call me Charles.”

Grandpa tipped his head down. “And you can
call me Mr. Haven.” Grandpa had always been friendly—but he
definitely believed in a system of younger people respecting their
elders.

I smiled to myself and shifted back to Zac.
He and his father moved toward the foyer. I had to talk to him. I
didn’t want to risk going to their house and setting off their
mother. No. And trying to get her cell number? No. I honestly
didn’t even know if she would want to talk to me. I stood.

Grandma and Grandpa stood too.

An older gentlemen walked by and engaged
Grandpa in conversation. The kind of conversation Grandpa wanted to
have about crops and weather. He relaxed his stance and let out a
chuckle at something the man said.

I leaned into Grandma’s shoulder. “I really
have to go to the bathroom.”

Grandma nodded. “Just a second, Maddie, your
Grandpa is talking.”

Another man joined them and Grandpa let out
another chuckle.

I had flash backs to being eight and waiting
for my grandparents to quit talking for what seemed like forever
after sacrament.

Grandma patted my arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll
help you find Young Womens.”

Zac and his dad disappeared.

Trina poked me in my lower, side back. “I
didn’t realize you went to church.”

The accusation in her voice told me she
thought I should be embarrassed of it.

I poked her back.

“Ouch.”

“No kidding.” The poking town needed to get
poked back. “Look who’s talking, Church Girl.”

Trina’s father gabbed with someone in the row
behind us.

I leaned into Grandma, again. “Really, really
got to use the facilities.”

Grandma, who had found a chatting partner in
an older lady that had stepped next to the first old man, batted me
away.

I turned to Trina. “I have to talk to
someone, can you help me get out of here.” I pointed to the space
by her father’s side of the bench that led to the aisle.

Trina’s cat-like eyes widened. “Who?”

Urgency rose inside of me. “Not now. Can you
ask your dad to move?”

Trina grinned, her pink lips curved into the
perfect smile. “Sure, if you tell me who you need to talk to and
why.”

I rolled my eyes and whispered to her. “I
took Grace on a four-wheeler ride.”

Trina’s eyes widened. “Really?”

I didn’t move. “And she got tired, really
tired. I want to ask Zac if she’s okay.”

Trina narrowed her eyes and then cupped her
hands around her mouth. “My friend’s gotta pee. Spread out!”

For a moment, all the nice church chatter
stopped.

Grandpa sighed. “Good heck-a-mighty.”

I could feel the rising red tide of
embarrassment flush my cheeks and I knew I’d have to endure a
lecture on good manners.

Trina scrunched up her face. “Happy to
help.”

Her father cleared his throat and backed up
so I could get past. “Go ahead.”

I bustled through the aisle, taking care not
to stumble over the scriptures left on the floor.I pushed into the
foyer, relieved that at least Zac hadn’t heard Trina’s
outburst.

The bishop stood next to the door. He stepped
into my path. “Maddie Haven, I’m glad you could make it.” He pumped
my hand dutifully. “Hope to see more of you.”

I relinquished to the Bishop grip. “Did you
see where Zac went?”

He searched my face for a moment and it felt
like he was trying to decide something about me before answering.
“Do you need directions to Young Women's?”

We dropped hands.

“I just need to ask him a question about
Grace.” I didn’t want him to think I liked Zac or anything
completely ridiculous.

He frowned. “I think it best to leave the
Lockhart’s be. Zac’s a good boy. He needs to get off on a mission
right after graduation. He doesn’t need complications in his life
right now.”

I didn’t know what he even meant. Did he
think that I would be a complication? I paused for a second and
moved for the door that led to the parking lot.

The roar of Zac’s green Jeep raced past me.
His father sat next to him. Neither of them noticed me as they
passed.

Dang.

Then the Jeep stopped.

Zac backed up. His father had the window down
next to him. Zac leaned over him.

All of a sudden, having his dad there, made
me nervous. “H-hey.”

Zac seemed to recognize my anxiety and lifted
the side of his lip. “Project meeting tomorrow—my house. 7pm. ” His
truck lurched forward and rounded the corner out of the parking
lot.

My heart slowed. I watched them go. Zac—so
angry. Angrier than me. I worried about Grace. Worried she was
hurt. Worried she was trapped inside with her crazy mom. Worried I
was the cause of another Lockhart problem.

I twirled back to the building.

Trina propped the door open with her pink
high heel. “You-are-such-a-liar.”

I pushed past her. “Whatever.”

Trina pushed my shoulder. “You’re in love
with him, aren’t you?”

***

I rushed out of my third period biology
class. The stank of janitorial clean permeated my nostrils and
increased the headache I already had. I’d always been sensitive to
any type of chemical. Plus, I hadn’t slept well. I’d checked the
neon red clock next to my bed every two hours, almost on the dot,
the entire night.

I hadn’t seen Grace in the halls, which
didn’t mean anything—I had never paid that close of attention,
really—but I knew she’d be in the cafeteria at her table. She was
always there.

The lunch room buzzed in a storm of activity.
I caught a pointed glance from Bonnie. It wasn’t a glare, but it
definitely didn’t have any traces of smile in it, either. She had
her perfectly twirled curls around her head. She looked away from
me and I felt grateful. Too much pressure. We’d both been smiley,
borderline fake smiley to each other in front of Chance, but I
didn’t think it would be good to push the niceness levels. I
scanned the lunch line for Grace and realized my hands had a shaky
kind of thing going on.

Trina appeared next to me, her black hair
pulled back into a ponytail and ghost white skin, purple lips, and
an inordinate amount of mascara making her look like the Trina I’d
first met. Her lips set into a straight line and she tugged at the
metal ring, now back, in the side of her lip. “Where we
sitting?”

Thoughts of something happening to Grace
because of our little jaunt had my stomach in knots, but I didn’t
want to argue about sitting with her. It had become the thing we
did. Some friends in life were made because you really liked them.
Some friends were made because they were always there. At this
point, Trina fell into the latter category.

We shuffled through the line and paid Howie
without any delay.

I balanced my tray and turned to Trina. “Have
you seen Grace?”

Trina tugged blankly at her lip. “No. Please
tell me where to put my tray.”

I pushed past her and went for the
cheerleader table. I tried my best ‘play nice’ smile. “Hey, have
any of you guys seen Grace today?”

Bonnie’s friend, Jessica, the one that didn’t
make any bones about letting me know she didn’t approve of me,
frowned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I have first
period with her and she wasn’t in class. Why, do you really think
she’s going to let you sit by her?”

Some of the other cheerleaders laughed.

Trina glowered over them. “Well, we know
Grace doesn’t want to sit with any of you.”

The way she said it, in that scary I’ll
totally mess you up type of way, made them stop laughing.

Gratitude surged through me. “It’s okay,
Trina.”

Trina kept her glare on them and then looked
back at me. “I’m going outside to eat.” She went for the double
doors.

I wanted to follow her, but I had to find
Grace. My cheeks tightened and I tried not to look as rubbery as I
felt. My head pounded harder as I inhaled the assorted perfumes
that reeked from the table. Lack of sleep, and the fact I hadn’t
eaten anything, made controlling my temper at the wannabe Bonnies
extra hard.

Bonnie gave me a pitying look. “Has anyone
else seen her?”

The girls looked up at me with that bored
look that said ‘excuse me—why are you talking to us—
we
are
the cheerleaders.’

“Yo Madds, what’s up?”

Chance held his tray to the side with one
hand and gave me a pat on the back. “You doing okay?”

I stared up into his playful smile and bad
camouflage hat. “Have you seen Grace today?”

Chance looked completely baffled. “No. Now
that you mention it, I haven’t seen her.”

I lowered my voice and tried to keep the
worry out of it. “Chance, do you think she’s okay?”

Chance pointed his hulky arm across the front
of me. “There’s Zac. Go ask him.”

At that moment, Zac’s eyes met mine.

I immediately felt worse, the knots in my
stomach clamped down tighter.

Raw anger brewed in those gray eyes. The
gleam of his shark tooth and the menacing look that washed over his
face made him look like one of those ancient boy warriors that
could take his shark tooth and use it to gut me like I fish. He
stood. “I thought I told you to stay away from her.”

I retreated.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Chance called after
me.

I stumbled into another football player that
held a stacked tray. He recovered. “Watch it.”

I dumped my tray and jogged out of the
cafeteria. I tightened the straps on my backpack, grateful I had
opted for black Mary Janes today and not the stiletto boots.

“Hey!” Zac called after me.

I went to a full throttle run. I just wanted
to see her—not him. My heart erratically skipped beats. I tried to
stop the tears that started to build pools in my eyes. Where was
she?

“Wait!” I heard him behind me.

I stopped.

He took in a long breath behind me. “What’s
your deal?”

I glanced back at him then kicked one of the
hall lockers. I didn’t want to explain to him how I’d stayed up all
night and how I couldn’t eat. It seemed ridiculous. I didn’t even
know her. It wasn’t my right. “Is she okay? Is Grace okay?”

He didn’t answer and his breathing turned
soft.

Finally, I turned around. His eyes were
closed, his fists balled at his sides. Every part of him appeared
on edge, like the slightest touch would set him off.

I stood there and waited. I couldn’t do
anything else.

He opened his eyes. “She had an appointment
today.”

The appointment. The appointment. The one
Grandma had told me about. The one that would determine—everything.
“Oh.”

Zac watched me. “She’s coming back
though.”

My heart rate leveled.

He took a step closer. “I don’t know what
your deal is, but she could have, she could have gotten really
hurt."

“It was stupid. I know that now. I’ve been
torturing myself with it.”