Being Henry David - By Cal Armistead Page 0,48

I know he’s into drug dealing and taking advantage of street kids, and he knows what I did to Simon in that alley. But it’s not possible that he tracked me all the way to Concord. Is it?

“Are you doing okay, Hank?” Sophie looks like she wants to check me again for signs of a fever. “Ever since you left the school, I’ve been worried about you.”

“Oh, sure,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m fine, really.” She’s a sweet lady, but I just want to be done talking to her. In fact, I want to bolt out of this room. “Thanks for letting me know about my, uh, friends.”

The auditorium door slams shut again, jarring me to the bone, and there’s a flurry of voices as the rest of Cameron’s band files into the room, pulling Cameron away from Hailey to set up. The lead singer is this skinny girl dressed all in black with straight blond hair, dyed pink at the tips. She gives Hailey a superior smirk, like she’s proud that she’s taken Hailey’s place in the band. Whatever. There’s no way she’s as good.

Ms. Coleman shoos us out of the auditorium so Cameron’s band can set up. Out in the hallway, we say good-bye to Sam and Ryan and they take off, leaving Hailey and me alone together. Her cheeks are red after her exchange with Cameron, and her green eyes flash.

“Let’s get out of here,” I suggest. “You want to go downtown?”

“Yes. Need ice cream, stat,” she says and manages a tight smile. “By the way, what did the janitor want? I saw her talking to you.”

“Nothing. She just kind of likes me, I guess.”

“Of course she does.” Hailey reaches over, so easy, and takes my hand. Hers is warm and soft and fits perfectly into mine. “She’s a sweet lady, but a little crazy,” she says with a shrug. “That’s what people say anyway.”

“Yeah.” But I know she’s not that crazy. Still, it’s not possible that somebody really did come looking for me, not here in Concord, Massachusetts. Is it?

Don’t think about it.

12

Helen’s Restaurant is packed with the after-school crowd. A hum of laughter and conversation floats in the small space like smoke, punctuated by scraping forks on plates, the clink of soda glasses behind the breakfast counter. We sit in a booth across from each other, and Hailey orders a strawberry sundae with extra whipped cream. I’m not hungry, so I just get a root beer.

“Don’t judge me,” she says, her spoon poised above the sundae.

“Why would I do that?”

“Danielle is always lecturing me about what I eat. Drives me crazy.”

“I wouldn’t judge you,” I tell her, wondering what ice cream has to do her health, making a mental note to find out. “Anyway, tell me about Cameron,” I say, glad I have something to take my mind off what Sophie said.

Hailey licks a few drips off her spoon. “It’s kind of a long story.”

I tie a double knot in the paper left over from my straw and smile at her. “I’ve got time.”

So she tells me about how her parents and Cameron’s parents have been best friends and next-door neighbors since the two of them were in kindergarten. They grew up like cousins, with both families really close. His family helped them through the scary time when Hailey got sick, before they knew what was wrong. Then they started a band freshman year, with Cameron on lead guitar and Hailey on vocals. The band fell apart after last year’s doomed—her word—Battle of the Bands, but the two of them were still close friends. This past fall, they decided to try dating. It didn’t take.

“I don’t know. He started getting serious right away, you know? But I realized it wasn’t like that for me. He’s more like a brother than a boyfriend. So I broke it off. And he was really crushed. Things haven’t been the same between us since.”

Hailey hands me an extra spoon. I take a bite of her sundae, sweet cold strawberry, and although it’s good, I realize hot fudge would have been my choice. Another new detail I know about myself.

“And what was that thing he wants you to do for him, the thing you owe him, or whatever?” I ask, setting the spoon back on the table.

Her mouth twists to one side and she frowns. “Yeah, well, here’s the thing. A couple weeks ago, I went to this party and had way too much to drink. It’s not something