Rev Girl (23 page)

Ernie jumped in front of Clover. ‘That's not going to happen, sergeant. It's obvious what's happened here.'

‘I'm sorry, sir,' he said, taking his handcuffs off his belt. ‘But that's exactly what's going to happen. The materials were found in Clover's locker. If the school had surveillance cameras, then maybe we could verify Clover's story about this second person. I will question Miss Gordon, but unless she admits to the crime, or someone else comes forward with some new information, which, I might add, is very unlikely, Clover will be charged, and face court and her due punishment.'

‘You've got to be kidding!' Clover yelled. ‘You're gonna charge me! Mom!' She spun, searching for her mother. ‘Mom! What does this mean?'

Leslie lurched forward, pulled Clover against her chest, then to her side, and stood up straight, eye-to-eye with Sergeant Cross. ‘If you think I am going to let you ruin my daughter's life, you are seriously mistaken,' she said. ‘She can't have a criminal record, she is only seventeen!'

‘A criminal record!' Clover screeched. She looked up into Leslie's worried, blue eyes, and was struck by an overwhelming sense of relief, and happiness, to have her mother there, defending her. ‘I can't have a criminal record. How will I go to the World's!'

This realisation sent a shock wave through Clover, a shock with enough force to shatter a recently erected wall, a wall within her mind, which she'd begun forging as she grappled with Dallas's ultimatum. Clover felt physically lighter as each brick of the wall fell away, exposing her innermost desire.

Her feelings for Dallas were still present, but were not as strong as her dreams for the World Championships, for a life as a professional racer, for adventure and travel and seeing the world. With these thoughts came a memory from the airport in Orlando, after she'd landed for the race. The image of Steph and Tuck dirt bike Ken and Barbie laughing with all of their racer friends. And at that moment, Clover realised, this was her ideal. The perfect couple. Who she wanted to be. ‘I have to go to the World's!'

‘Clover! That's enough!' Ernie grabbed her by the wrists.

‘Dad, you can't let them do this. It was Sera! Sera!' She shook with sobs, fell forward, her head in her hands.

Just then her ears pricked at the sound of footsteps across the carpeted floor. And Mr. Archibald's frantic voice, ‘Wait outside!' The door creaked. ‘This is a very bad time!'

Two bodies moved in to the room.

A beautiful, athletic blonde woman, familiar to her from somewhere, was striding towards them. Mr. Archibald rushed up to the woman. ‘Mrs. Gordon!' The principal pleaded. ‘Please! Can you come back later?'

‘Mrs. Gordon?' Clover heard her father say. ‘As in, Sera Gordon?'

‘Yes,' the blonde woman said. ‘Hi, Mr. Kassedy, Mrs. Kassedy. I don't think we've met.' She extended a hand to Ernie.

Clover glanced up at her father, who studied the woman intently, before accepting her hand. Then the sliver of a figure behind Mrs. Gordon caught her eye. And Sera stepped out from behind her mother.

Sera's face was sunken, even more so than Clover remembered from earlier in the day. She had a cut above her eye, spilling blood down her white face. Her jeans, torn and red from cuts, hung loosely from an absence of flesh.

‘We're sorry to intrude, Mr. Archibald,' Sera's mother said. ‘But Sera insisted we come here straightaway. She has something to say.'

‘I did it,' Sera said, throwing back her hood. Dull matted strands of straw-like hair fell about her cheeks. ‘I planted the envelope in Clover's locker.'

Clover blinked. She could not believe what she'd just heard.

Sera looked straight into Clover's eyes. ‘I did it. I knew the combo and I hid it in there. I'm sorry.' Her eyes lit again, with the same flare of hope that Clover had seen in the canteen. ‘It was dumb, I know, I was just jealous. Angry at you for not seeing that I needed your help, and for going away.'

The word
help
burned at Clover's heart.

‘I'm sick.' Sera bit her bottom lip, and then her mother moved towards her, pulling her into the safety of her arms.

‘Sera's been very brave, Sergeant Cross,' Mrs. Gordon said. ‘But she's weak. You can come to the hospital later to get a statement and do everything you need to do. But I have to get her there now. I found her collapsed in our driveway.'

Sergeant Cross removed his hat, lowering his head. ‘Of course.'

Clover tried to stand, but Ernie tightened his grip of her shoulders. ‘It's okay, Dad,' she said, smiling up at him. ‘I'm okay.'

He furrowed his brow, maintaining pressure.

She nodded her head, smiled again.

He let her stand.

For the first time since the devastation of Dallas's words, Clover felt powerful. She opened her arms, stepping towards a quivering Sera, and smiled warmly at Mrs. Gordon, who immediately stepped back.

Tears rolled from Sera's eyes as Clover wrapped her arms around her bony shoulders. ‘Oh my God, Sera, you're so thin,' she whispered, holding her closer.

The flame of life had re-kindled in Sera's brown eyes. ‘I'm sorry, Clover.'

‘It's okay,' Clover said. ‘I was a bitch. I should have talked to you sooner, it was wrong to stay mad. I'm so sorry.'

‘I deserved it. I've been out of control, and now I've ruined my life.'

‘No, Sera. I think you've just found it.'

‘If you call living spending at least the next four months in hospital, then, yeah, I'm doing great.'

Clover smiled, and let her forehead rest against Sera's. ‘It's getting healthy. You'll be okay. They'll fix you up, good as new.'

‘Too bad they can't erase what I've done.'

‘I'll be there for you, every step of the way.'

‘No. You won't. I've ruined my life, and nearly ruined yours. I don't want you to make the same mistakes.'

Clover stared into her friend's eyes, confused.

‘I'm sorry I wasn't supportive before, Clover. I was too afraid of losing you. But I see now. We can always be friends, but you need to follow your dreams. You need to go.' She smiled, but a tear ran down her cheek. Mrs. Gordon stepped gently between them.

‘C'mon, Sera,' she said. ‘We should go.' She turned to Clover. ‘Thank you,' she said genuinely. ‘We'll be at the Denver West Medical Centre, whenever you'd like to come visit.'

Afterwards, Clover found her phone at the bottom of her handbag, and, ignoring the messages from Sydney, let her finger fall on Dallas's name. She knew the answer to his question, and there was no point waiting around to tell him. The thought of calling him occurred to her, but she brushed it away. Hearing his voice would make it impossible. After all, it was he who was doing this to her. Her fingers started to shake, and suddenly, as she typed out the words to the text she knew she had to write, the desolate chill of being alone crept up through her bones, settling over her heart. As soon as she pressed ‘Send,' she would no longer be the girlfriend of Dallas Cash. No more ‘perfect' high school boyfriend, what every girl desired. Wouldn't be anyone, except for Clover Kassedy. Just her, on her own.

When Clover finished typing the message to Dallas, she paused, to re-read it, just once …

Dallas, I can't believe you don't support me. I love you, but I'm going to the World's. Guess that means we're over. Love you always … Clover xo.

She stabbed at ‘Send', and then got out of Messages and turned her phone off. She could feel her own frailty, the possibility of shattering, but she couldn't let it happen, couldn't let him get to her, convince her she was wrong.

I am me and I am strong.

She needed to stay away from Dallas Cash, the guy who'd tried to kill her dreams, the one who'd forced her to make the most devastating decision of her life.

Clover wiped her eyes, and swallowed back the lump in her throat. She dropped her phone into the zippered pouch in the side of her handbag, where she kept her most precious things. When something hard and cold stabbed her finger, she pulled out the bracelet, with the little silver heart, that Dallas had given her for Christmas. The bracelet was beautiful, she couldn't help but think,
a token of our love …

She shoved the bracelet back into the pouch and zipped it shut.

Just two weeks until the World's,
she told herself.

She hardly made it out of Silvertown before she had to pull over. It felt wrong, having a present from Dallas on board. So she pulled a U-turn, and drove the short distance to Clearview Lake. She walked down to the bank, through the tall grass.

The mountain peaks stood strong and wise around her, giving her strength. She slipped the bracelet from her pocket and raised her arm, ready to throw it into the lake. But something stopped her. Her fingers refused to let go. It didn't feel right, to just throw it away.

Clover dropped her head and turned back to her truck. Even though the sun was still lingering, warm on her bare arms, she shivered and slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket …
Not my jacket.
She was still wearing Dallas's. Clover knew what to do. She whipped off the team jacket, pushed the bracelet deep into one of its pockets, jumped into her truck and drove as fast as she could to the Cash farm.

She was relieved beyond words when she found the yard unoccupied by any trucks. Clover hurried up to the house, the very place Dallas had first said,
‘I love you'
. She draped the jacket over the rail, took off back to her truck and sprayed gravel down the driveway in her hurry to get away.

Halfway home, Clover knew exactly what she needed to say in her speech.

She pulled off the interstate, tore a fresh page out of one of her notebooks, and started to write.

Just a few minutes before she was due to take to the stage at Phoenix Composite High School, Clover realised she had forgotten her speech in her handbag, which Leslie had snatched off her to ‘keep safe' before she and Mr. Archibald had scurried off to find their seats in the audience.
Damn you, Mom!
She cried to herself. Leslie had insisted that she be the one to take Clover to the talks after their ‘moment' in Mr. Archibald's office, with Sergeant Cross. But Clover was still wary of her intentions. It was going to be incredibly public and might even pose a chance for her to drop a plug for her boss's business.

She turned to the teacher who was escorting her down the narrow hallway, hoping to ask if she could quickly find Leslie or dash to a computer to re-print her speech, as she'd remembered to save the Word file in her Hotmail account, just in case of such a mistake.

But before Clover could make the request, the teacher placed a hand on her arm.

‘That's our cue!' the teacher said cheerfully. ‘Better get you to the lectern. You're ready, aren't you, sweetheart?'

‘Actually … '

‘You'll do just fine.' She pulled Clover through a red stage door. ‘Don't be nervous, they might look tough, but they're all just a bunch of big softies, once you get to know them.'

A rush of panic clutched Clover's throat. She spun from the teacher.
My speech how will I know what to say? I can't do it … I
CAN'T DO IT!

Noise from the gym knocked like the devil at her revving brain. Judging by the number of voices, now much clearer, Clover imagined a huge room absolutely packed.

‘Come along, dear,' the cheery little teacher said, pulling at her arm.

There was just a stage curtain between Clover and the crowd. A crowd which, she was certain, would soon be heckling and making her life a living hell. She paused, keen to hide in the shadows for as long as possible. But the voices quieted, and a male voice crackled through the PA system, demanding quiet and welcoming ‘Clover Kassedy' to their ‘esteemed educational establishment'.