“No, not at all. It’s just that I don’t usually see a car that nice.”
She turned and watched it drive away. “So you like the Benz?”
“I do. It’s gorgeous.” I couldn’t take my eyes off her. “I’m sorry if you thought I was staring at you.”
She took a few steps toward me, so that she practically stood on my toes. I looked up at her, scared and yet excited at the same time. She didn’t say anything, which made this encounter more awkward than it should have been. She chewed a wad of gum, the only flaw in her character that I could detect.
“I should really go to class now,” I said.
“Willow Briggs.” She held out her hand.
I shook it; her grip was strong. “Katie Eaves.”
“I’m new here at this school. First day.”
“Oh wow,” I said cheerfully. “I can show you around if you like. I’ve lived here my entire life.”
She laughed. “Lucky you.”
“I know, right?” I joined her in laughing. “Where did you move from, Willow? Portland?”
“Portland, Oregon? Hell no.” She looked up at the brick building that passed for our high school, blowing a bubble through her perfectly formed teeth. “What a shithole.”
“It’s really not that bad.” It really was.
“Maybe not, but it’s ten times better than my old school.”
“See? There’s a silver lining to everything.”
“Damn, girl. Are you always this annoyingly cheerful?”
I shrugged, wondering how that was a bad thing.
“Will you walk me inside, Katie Eaves? That way I can start my day having at least one bestie.”
“So we’re besties now?” I looked up at her with a welcoming smile.
“My father’s always saying that friends are like assholes. Everyone should have at least one.”
“So am I the first asshole you’ve met today?” It felt deliciously naughty to speak this way.
“Girl, I kid you not. You’re, like, a one-of-kind asshole.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“Most definitely, it’s a yes.”
Willow and I walked through the doors together, and I could feel all eyes on us. I knew then that everything was about to change in my life. It excited me. It gave me hope that I could make it through the rest of my high school years without dying of boredom.
If I had only known then how much my life would change, I might have reconsidered becoming friends with Willow Briggs that day.
ISLA
ISLA PACED THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE OF KATIE’S ROOM. SHE HAD BEEN AT the hospital over twelve hours and had seen Katie only once in that time. Ray had come and gone after the doctor told him it might be a while before Katie came to.
Her daughter had been sedated when she had finally gotten to sit with her, and Katie’s face appeared so battered and bruised that it had shocked her. She seemed to have suffered significant memory loss, as well. She’d been violently attacked, that much was clear, but because of her head injuries, she couldn’t yet tell them who had done this to her.
She checked on Drew and found him asleep on the sofa in the waiting room. Earlier she’d insisted that everyone else go home and get some rest. They’d reluctantly acquiesced. It had been a long two days of searching, and the well-meaning volunteers hadn’t helped any by hanging out in the waiting room. In fact, it had made her feel guilty that they weren’t home, in their own beds. She went to the cafeteria and helped herself to a cup of coffee. Despite her own lack of sleep, she felt not the least bit tired. The discovery of her daughter was enough to keep her pistons knocking for days. God had listened to her prayers and come through big-time. She couldn’t wait for the moment when Katie woke up and could tell them what had happened to her and Willow.
She reminded herself to have a talk with Ray once he came back to the hospital. Like, why hadn’t he returned her calls? And what had he been doing all that time?
What worried her most was the psychological damage Katie may have suffered. Learning the nature of the attack would answer some of her questions, as would finding Willow Briggs. The doctors had said they would have a better handle on her condition once she came to and they could better assess her mental state.
She sat outside Katie’s room, sipping coffee and trying to deal with the facets of this crisis. The hard work would soon begin: helping her daughter cope with