Harmonic Feedback (28 page)

Mom squinted at me. “Is she at his apartment?”

“No, Justin went over there. They’re gone. She said they were heading south in a couple days.”

Naomi’s dad covered his face. “I don’t know what the hell to do. I reported her as a runaway, but she’s just one of the many. They said it’s tougher once they’ve been missing for forty-eight hours.”

“We’ll help any way we can,” Mom said.

“She wants me to take Lizzie,” I said.

Her father looked up at me from under heavy lids. “The cat? Yeah, take her. I’ll bring her over.”

“Grandma won’t allow it,” Mom said.

“It’s what Naomi wants!” I answered.

She rubbed her eyes, sighing. “Okay, fine. Just put her in the basement for now. We’ll figure something out.”

Naomi’s father stood up suddenly, nearly knocking his mug over. “Thanks for the coffee. I should get back and see if the police called.” He looked at me as he left the kitchen. “I’ll bring the cat by in an hour or so.”

Mom groaned into her hands after he shut the front door behind him. “This is such a mess.”

“It would’ve been fine if you didn’t open your big mouth,” I said.

She looked up at me over the tips of her fingers. “Do you really believe that, Drea? Was Naomi
fine
before this?”

I focused on the tiled floor. “No.”

“I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

I stared back at her sad brown eyes and her crinkled brow. Despite her flaws, she loved me. And I knew it. “I wish her dad was more like you.”

She walked over and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my forehead. “Why do you say that?”

“She doesn’t think he loves her.”

Mom’s chest deflated against my ear. “I think he does. But some people don’t show it as well as others.”

I thought of Justin’s dad and hugged her tighter.

The rain hadn’t let up by lunch on Monday. Justin and I sat under the roof overhang of the gym, picking at our sandwiches. The fountain looked lonely across the quad. Its vacant surrounding wall gleamed back at us.

We were waiting for Kari. She’d gotten a letter too.

The weekend crawled by. No phone calls or e-mails from Naomi. We’d searched downtown, the parks, and Scott’s apartment again but came up with nothing. Grandma threw such a fit about Lizzie that Justin offered to take her in. Apparently, she slept on his head.

“There’s Roger,” Justin said, standing up.

I followed his gaze and spotted Roger’s lanky frame exiting the main building. If anyone knew where Scott was, he did. Justin ran after him, dodging puddles.

“Hey,” Kari said from the other direction. She dropped her backpack in front of me and sat on top of it.

“Hi.” I tossed my sandwich onto its plastic wrapper.

She scanned my face and looked over her shoulder at Justin and Roger. They were standing close, talking. Neither looked angry, but Roger had his head down.

“Are you and Justin a couple now?” Kari asked.

“Yeah.”

“Ah.” She nodded slowly, eyeing the ground. “So, what did your letter say?”

“A lot. Nothing. Everything.”

“Yeah, that was my reaction.” She looked up at me, lacing her fingers together and twisting her hands. “She’s done this to me since fifth grade. Pisses me off so much. And each time I’m sure I hate her. But then she says or does something that makes me crumble. Mostly, because I know she hates herself more than I ever could.”

“Do you think it’s because her dad ignores her?”

Kari shrugged. “They were closer when she was younger. He started drinking a lot after he lost his construction job. She didn’t talk about it much. But Greg, her brother, was psycho. He chased us with a pocketknife once.”

“She seems to miss him a lot.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it. He was nicer to her when they got older, but he just took off one day. She cried for weeks—and then dyed her hair purple and decided she was
over it
.”

“Hey,” Justin said, sitting next to me. “Roger hasn’t heard from Naomi since Friday. He claims he didn’t even know what went down. But he says there’s this abandoned house Scott deals out of sometimes. He’s taking me there after school.”

“I’m going too,” I said.

“Me too,” Kari chimed in.

“Not a good idea. Roger said that Scott’s supplier got busted last week. And Scott’s pretty sure he’s next. It’s why he’s hiding out. You guys don’t want to get caught up in that.”

“I’m going, Justin. Whether you like it or not,” I said.

“I already have a record. Let me take the risk.”

“Exactly. That’s why you’re the last person who should be going.”

“Wait”—Kari held her hand up—“you’ve got a record?”

Justin stuffed his untouched food into his bag. “What can I say? I wasn’t always this charming.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Wow, I totally had you pegged wrong.”

He glanced over at me. “That happens a lot.”

I stayed close behind Justin as we left film class. He was still trying to convince me not to go. But Roger and Kari stood in the parking lot waiting for us. We didn’t have time to argue about it anymore.

We piled into the back of Roger’s car. Kari rode shotgun. The two of them talked about their favorite metal bands.

“At least wait in the car while we check it out,” Justin said in my ear.

“Quit treating me like I can’t take care of myself. I was the one who protected you last time.”

He laced his fingers with mine. “That’s true. But Scott is twice your size. You could’ve gotten hurt.”

“And you
did
get hurt. She needs me, Justin. You need me too.”

He kissed my cheek and leaned toward Roger. “Where is this place?”

“It’s off San Juan Road, where all those empty warehouses are.” Roger made a left on Holly.

“You better not be dicking me around.”

“I’m not! I care about her too, okay? She’s my best friend.” He drummed the steering wheel.

That surprised me. I didn’t think they were that close.

“But you didn’t get a letter?” Kari asked him.

“I don’t have a computer.”

Roger made a right, and the bay glittered between rusty buildings. Trash, sleeping bags, and the skeletons of cars littered the gravel parking lots. A sour odor sifted through Roger’s cracked windows. It was strong enough to make me sick.

Two boarded-up houses sat at the end of the street. The pointy rooftops and intricate pillars made me think of princesses and frilly dresses. I bet someone cherished them a hundred years ago. Now they were graffiti-covered ghosts, like everything else around here.

Roger stopped in front of the pale green house. “I don’t see Scott’s car here.”

“Let’s go in anyway,” I answered, a shiver inching down my back. “We need to be sure.”

The four of us climbed out and walked toward an open window. The boards had been torn off, and a filthy sheet hung in their place.

Justin looked in all directions before peeking inside. “Hello?” he called. “I think I see someone.”

We followed him through the window. Bits of glass ripped the hem of my skirt, but I didn’t care.

Dim light revealed shredded floorboards and gouged walls. It smelled like rotting wood and piss. I had to breathe through my mouth to keep from gagging.

And then we saw it. A crumpled heap on the floor. Pale skin. Strands of purple hair.

Justin ran over to her, Roger cussed under his breath, and a small cry escaped from Kari. But I froze. My fingertips and toes went numb.

Roger ripped the sheet from the window to let in more light. Kari joined Justin and covered her mouth. I walked toward them slowly. Justin pulled a small flashlight from his pocket. He touched Naomi’s face, prying her eyes open and waving the light in them.

“Is she breathing?” Kari asked.

“Barely,” Justin said. He pressed his fingers against the inside of her wrist.

I knelt next to Naomi, my limbs shaking. She was lying on her back, one knee bent at an odd angle. Saliva dripped down her chin, and her lips were tinged blue under the neon light. I grabbed her hand. It was hot and clammy.

Justin pulled out his cell phone and dialed three numbers.

Kari squatted next to me, hiccuplike sounds coming from her throat. “Naomi…?” She touched her cheek. “She’s fucking burning up.”

Roger paced around us, talking fast. His words blurred together. I blocked them out, because they didn’t make sense. Naomi wasn’t going to die. She’d wake up and laugh at us. Tell us we were being ridiculous.

I squeezed her hand and brushed the damp hair off her forehead. “You can’t give up.”

“I just found my friend unconscious,” Justin said into the phone. “She’s burning up, her pulse is all over the place.” He listened for a few seconds, his eyes wide and furious. “I think she overdosed on speed, but I don’t know for sure. I just found her like this.” More seconds passed. “I don’t know!”

Kari cried into Naomi’s chest, begging her to wake up. “Please be okay,” she repeated over and over.

Their voices echoed around me. Too many words to process. I kept squeezing her hand, hoping she’d return the gesture. Nothing. I wiped the spit from her mouth with my sleeve and leaned toward her face. “You have to wake up so I can tell you what a dork I am. And you can laugh. You were the first person to give me a chance, and I’m sorry if I was mean to you at first. I thought you’d be like everyone else.” I stroked her hair. “But you aren’t like everyone else, Naomi. And someone will love you for who you are—I know they will. Because I love you.”

Justin and Roger yelled back and forth, trying to figure out the address.

Kari’s voice was muffled in her chest.

Justin checked her pulse again. “It’s still erratic.” He glanced at me and covered the phone. “They’re on their way. But I have to stay on the phone until they get here.”

A commotion erupted behind me. Someone yelled, and feet thudded against the floor. Roger and Scott wrestled each other near the window.

Justin tossed the phone at me and ran toward them. He pulled Scott off Roger and tried to force him to the ground. Scott was like a rabid animal, punching and shouting.

Everything in my stomach crept into my throat. I put the phone to my ear, trying to not throw up. “Hello?”

“Who is this?” the female voice asked.

“Drea.”

“Okay, Drea. Can you tell me what’s going on right now?”

“They’re fighting. My friend needs help. We can’t get her to wake up.”

“I know. We have an ambulance on the way. I need you to stay calm for me, okay? It’s the best way we can help your friend right now.”

The guys moved toward us, shuffling feet and swinging arms.

“What the hell is going on?” Scott hollered.

The voice on the phone kept saying my name. “Drea, I need you to tell me what you see. Who is fighting?”

I rocked back and forth, still clutching Naomi’s hand. “They won’t stop. Please make them stop.”

“Do they have weapons?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Kari grabbed the phone from me and started talking about Scott. The guys moved closer. Scott was fighting them to get to Naomi. I braced myself over her, preparing for impact. There was a loud thud. The floor shook beneath my knees. I glanced over to see Scott’s face a couple feet from mine. Justin and Roger pinned him to the ground, both struggling to keep him still.

“The cops are coming too,” Kari said, covering the phone.

“What did she take?” Justin asked Scott.

His face contorted, and his lips trembled. “She did a line before I left, and I took the rest with me. That’s it. She was fine.”

Justin leaned toward Scott’s ear, shoving his face harder into the floor. “What else did she have access to?”

“Nothing!” Scott’s eyes watered. He’d stopped fighting them. “I took everything with me because she doesn’t know when to stop sometimes. She was fine, man. She was fucking fine.”

Kari grabbed the flashlight, illuminating the ground near Naomi’s left hand. “Then what’s on the floor next to her?” she asked. A baggy filled with white powder was spilled a foot away—as if Naomi had dropped it when she fell.

Scott squeezed his eyes shut. “She must’ve found my stash. It was under the floorboards.”

Kari listened to Naomi’s chest. “I don’t hear anything,” she said into the phone. Mascara streamed down her cheeks. “What are we supposed to do?”

I kept Naomi’s limp hand in mine, telling her to get up. Telling her to fight.

More voices filled the room, and several people rushed at us. They were dressed in dark uniforms and carrying equipment. They yelled at me to move. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t let her go.

The room began to spin. Someone grabbed me from behind, prying my hand from Naomi’s.

“No pulse,” one of the paramedics said.

My head was against Justin’s chest. Police officers stood in front of us. Two of them talked to Scott. He sat on the floor, bawling like a baby. His words were distorted. Nothing made sense.

I tried to pull away, reaching for Naomi. I could see her pale hands between the boots of the paramedics. “She needs me!”

Justin’s breath hit my ear. He kept telling me to calm down—Naomi would fight this.

The paramedics scrambled, shouting things and passing equipment back and forth. One of them pushed on her chest. Justin tightened his grip on me.

Kari’s cries came from somewhere behind us. Roger sat with his face against his knees, his back shaking. Every second crawled by.

They carried Naomi off in a stretcher and loaded her into an ambulance. We followed them outside, but the police wouldn’t let us go. Sirens echoed down the street, taking her away.

The police asked for IDs and kept asking questions. Questions I couldn’t answer. Justin told them we’d found her like this. Over and over. They acted like they didn’t believe him.

Justin was led to a squad car and cuffed. All I could think about was Naomi. How lifeless her face looked.

A female police officer patted me down and shined a light in my eyes. She asked me if I’d smoked or ingested any illegal substances. I told her about my meds.

“What is your diagnosis?” she asked.

“Asperger’s and ADHD.”

She nodded and wrote something on a notepad. “What’s your relationship with Scott Reynolds?”