Betwixt, Before, Beyond (27 page)

Chapter Four

I'm totally distracted during first-period English, followed by French, which I hate anyway. The bell trills and I burst from my seat, sort of awkwardly, and make a beeline for the computer room. It's my study block, and I plan to do anything but study. Having had nearly two hours to mull this over, I've decided I'll look up Columbia online and print out the application forms again. Maybe I can reapply for Dale, fudge a few minor details...forge his signature?

It takes me ten minutes to find the information I want. My finger is hovering over the mouse, ready to print out the pages, when a heavy dose of uncertainty lands on me. Forge his signature? Lie on his application? I'm like the dumbest person on the planet. How the hell would I ever get away with that? And Dale would hate me to lie for him. It goes against every grain in his body.

No, Dale getting into Columbia has to be legit.

I flick the mouse away with my hand and slump back in my seat with a huff.

What am I going to do?

I know Dale made some mistakes in his past, but everybody does. It just sucks that they are coming back to bite him on the ass now. Maybe that's where I should start? Trying to wipe the misdemeanors off his record.
But how?

I run my thumb over my bottom lip as my mind whirls from one useless solution to the next. All of them are so filled with
holes, I can't even get them off the ground.

I'm just starting to get really pissed with myself when a voice distracts me.

"Yeah, Columbia's a really good school. I didn't know you were applying there?"

"I've kind of applied everywhere, man."

"Yeah, right, Adam."

Adam?

I sit up and peek over the study carrel. Adam Hutton. Belch! I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to me. Not only did he hit me with his car, but if it hadn't been for Dale stepping in, he was planning on burying me alive—well almost alive. When that didn't work out for him, he then turned a gun on us and threatened to kill me so that no one could find out what a coward he is.

He came and apologized while I was in
the hospital, but only because Dale made him. I haven't pressed charges or anything, but some days I'm so mega-tempted.

I still can't figure out what's stopping me. Maybe it's that we used to be friends back in middle school
? I don't know. I guess the guy's not all evil. He’s just messed up...like I was.

Adam's face is kind of flushed as he's chatting to... oh
, I can't remember his name. Another senior who's geeked-out smart and will no doubt be going to an elite college that costs a bagillion dollars to attend.

I tune back into Adam's voice. "Dad can be tough sometimes, but he just wants what's best for me."

Yeah right! Adam's dad is Sheriff Hutton. The man I most despise in this world. It was his idea to bury me and cover up the story, because he was afraid it would ruin Adam's life. Because forcing Adam to commit murder wouldn't? What a jackass!

Thankfully
, Dale found me first and Sheriff Hutton didn't get there in time, so he was forced to go along with the story in order to save his own hide. I have zero respect for the man, and I can't believe he's our town sheriff!

I know I could blow the whistle on this whole thing. I saw everything while I was trapped between life and death. But
, the only person who knows this is Dale, because he was the only one who could hear me. It's our little secret, and we're both happy to keep it that way. The only thing that irks me about our choice is that Adam and Sheriff Hutton got away with intent to kill, and I'm so not cool with that.

If I hadn't been gifted this second chance at life, I would so be haunting their butts until they ended up in psych wards for the rest of their lives.

But anyway… Adam's applying for Columbia. What's the bet he'll get in. My blood simmers. This is so unfair!

"It helps when your uncle has sway."

I glance over at Adam's comment.

"What? With Columbia?"

Adam nods.

His friend turns with keen eyes. "Are you talking about your rich uncle
who bought you your Mustang?"

"Uh-huh."

"He has sway at Columbia?"

"Yeah, he's a big time businessman and supports a few colleges on the east coast. If I play my cards right, I'll be able to get in where-ever I want, full scholarship included."

My ears are on fire right now.

Sway at a bunch of east coast schools?

"So where do you want to go?" Adam's friend taps his pen on the desk, trying not to look jealous.

Adam shrugs. "Not sure yet."

Typical! The guy has a silver spoon in his hand, and he doesn't know if he wants to eat off it. I hate that. I hate that he has everything, and Dale might get nothing.

Unless...

I stand tall—well up anyway—I'll never be tall. My chin only just reaches over the study carrel.

"Hey Adam."

Adam's blue eyes round before he drops his gaze back to the computer screen in front of him. I swallow back a swearing rant and clear my throat, calmly walking around the desks so I can sit next to him.

Much to his discomfort, I pull a spare chair as close to him as I can and plop into it.

"How's it going?" I'm forcing a friendly charm into my voice. I know this is taking him off guard. The guy has barely looked at me since I returned to school. He's actually been a very different guy since hitting me with his car. He was already a quiet type, but he's got like no confidence now. I sometimes wonder if this cloud of shame he lives under is suffocating him. I sometimes wonder if he just wants to let the truth out so he can breathe normally again.

I pity him a little, but don't want to let that show. I'm on a mission.

"So, Adam. I couldn't help overhearing that your uncle has sway at Columbia."

"Yeah, so?" Adam's mumble is terse and surly.

Don't push my buttons, man. I may be small, but I can still damage you.

Not physically, but I could pulverize him with some pretty nasty curses. I've been working on them ever since the accident. Dale sometimes lets me tell him, rant it all out...get it off my chest, but then he makes me swear to never let fly in public with what I have to say. Believe me, some days it's an effort.

"Your dad's brother, right?"

"Yeah." Adam finally turns to me, his eyes narrowing into fine slits.

The thought of what I'm about to do scares me senseless, but I don't care. I want Dale to get into Columbia, and if it means chatting to Sheriff Toad Face, then I'll do it.

I jerk out of my seat and flick my hair over my shoulder.

"I gotta go."

"Nicole," Adam calls after me, sounding worried. "Nicole, where are you going?"

*****

I ditch school. Yes, yes, I know I'm not supposed to do it, but this is far more important than Algebra. Believe me!

Town is like five miles from school. I can hardly walk it, but I manage to score a ride with Gretchen something-or-other. Man, I'm useless with names. I know she's a senior, and she used to have braces. Her teeth look great now. I can't help noticing.

Anyway, she was going into town for her free period, which I think seniors can get away with. She looked at me really weird when I asked for a ride, but my persuasive smile must have won her over.

We don't talk at all the whole trip. I think she's a little scared of me or something. I have no idea why. I mean yes, I used to be a bitch and yes, there is a slim chance I may have referred to her as a pink Michelin Man at last year's prom, but that's because she totally dressed like one! It's not my fault she's tall and heavy set. You don't wear a ruffled pink, figure hugging dress if you're that body shape. It's common sense.

I press my lips together suddenly struck by how it must have made her feel. I was a punk sophomore kid, one of the few invited to the Junior Prom
, and I totally embarrassed her in front of her date. I'd never do that now. Maybe she knows that. Maybe that's why she's giving me a ride.

She parks the car along Main Street and I give her a smile.

"Thanks so much for the ride, Gretchen."

Her nod is small. She won't look me in the eye
, and I can't help myself.

"Why'd you give it to me?"

She looks surprised by my question, but then shrugs. "You needed one."

"Yeah, but I...I've never been...I mean I was..."

"Horrible to me?" Her voice has a slightly hard edge.

All I can do is nod and mumble a soft, "Sorry."

Her lips twitch with a little smile. "I thought about ignoring you, but, I don't know." She shrugs again. "I would have felt bad about it, and you don't hang out with the mean crowd anymore. I guess I took a chance that you wouldn't say anything horrible to me on the ride into town. Plus, Dale's a really good guy, and I'd hate for him to find out that I cold-shouldered his girlfriend."

I grin. Touching her arm, I give it a little squeeze. "Thanks for being cool." She nods and I turn to leave the car. "Oh yeah, and could you maybe not mention to D
ale that I came into town today? I'm planning a surprise for him and I really don't want him to find out."

Gretchen's eyes sparkle. "Your secret's safe w
ith me." She's obviously a bit of a romantic. Not that there's anything romantic about what I'm doing, but she doesn't need to know that. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." She wiggles her eyebrows.

I thank her and leave the car before she sees my strained expression. If she only knew what I was about to do, she wouldn't be offering to help me. Raising my chin, I clear my throat and attempt a confident stride as I make my way down the street to the Big Bear Police Department.

Chapter Five

The police department is practically empty. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. Every set of eyes lands on me as I walk up to the front desk. I'm greeted by the officer I harassed when I was trying to break Dale out of the back cell last year. My ghostly fingers made him think he had a spider crawling up his neck.

I guess I do miss being a ghost sometimes.

What? No, I don't!

Nicky,
just shut up and ask the guy if you can speak to the Sheriff!

I paste on a smile. "Good morning." I check my watch. Yes, still morning. I don't sound like a total dork.

The officer looks slightly suspicious as he glances at me.

"Why aren't you in school, young lady?"

I swallow down my nervous titter and clear my throat instead, trying to sound all mature. "I'm completing a paper for a school project, and I need to interview the Sheriff. I'd like some personal quotes from a respected town member to add some weight to my argument."

Ah, the lies. They come so easy.

"I have a free period at the moment, and I thought the Sheriff might be more available now than he would be after school. Is that okay or do I need to make an appointment?"

I've learned from Dale that putting on a sweet, innocent expression and suddenly asking if it's okay to do something really softens people. My approach
is usually,
tell them what I want and if they don't give it to me, tell them a little louder
. Much to my angst, Dale's way works better.

The officer in front of me relaxes slightly and flashes me a smile.

"Well, if it's for school." He stands and hitches up his pants, the keys on his waistband jingling. "I'll just go ask the Sheriff if he can squeeze you in."

I see through the Sheriff's glass door that he's alone. I can't help quirking my eyebrow at the officer who gives me a bashful smile and heads across the station.

A knock and a mumbled conversation later, I'm walking towards the Sheriff. He's standing in the door waiting to greet me. When he notices who I am, his face falters just a little, but there's nothing much he can do about it because the officer is still watching us.

The Sheriff reluctantly extends his hand and greets me with a cheesy smile. Overdoing it much?

As soon as the office door closes, his smile flees.

"Take a seat." He points to the chair on the other side of his desk.

My heart is hammering. I can feel it bashing against my rib cage, making me feel ill.

I perch on the hard, leather chair. I am feeling so many emotions right now I barely know what to do with them
—hatred and loathing are right up there, but they are diluted by fear. This man tried to kill me. He's like twice my size, and if he really wanted to, could demolish me. And he'd no doubt get away with it.

As I watch him settle at his desk, I try to feed off my anger, but that just makes me more emotional.

Dale.

The word whispers through my brain, calming my insides.

Dale.

I repeat it about five more times before I open my mouth.

"Thanks for seeing me, Sheriff Hutton."

"What do you want, Miss Tepper? Something about a school project?"

"Yeah, well," I flick a non-existent speck off my jeans. "That was just so I could get into your office."

The Sheriff's blue eyes harden to cold steel. I try not to let this deter me, although it takes
some effort. That look could cut through granite.

I sit up as tall as I can go and straighten my shoulders.

"Sheriff, I need your help."

His left eyebrow rises into a sharp peak, making his forehead crinkle.

"You see Dale is applying to all these colleges, but he really wants to get into Columbia University."

"So, he should apply for Columbia then."

He did, you dickhead!

I breathe in, forcing my voice to remain soft and calm. "He didn't get in."

"Then I hope he applied for other colleges as well." The Sheriff looks ready to start ushering me out the door. I hold up my hand to stop him.

"He wants Columbia, sir." Ugh! Sir! I can't believe I just called him that.

"Look, Nicole, I can't control your boyfriend's fate, and frankly, it's not really any of my concern."

"I know your brother has sway at the college. If he could just put in a good word for Dale. A reference from you would probably help too. Maybe between the two of you, you can get him in."

Sheriff Hutton sits back in his seat looking incredulous. His snigger makes me want to punch him. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you owe him one."

"I owe him one?" That hard look is coming back into the Sheriff's eyes. I glance away from it, but know that only makes me look weak, so force my eyes back to him.

"Look, we both know Dale and I could have spilled the truth months ago.
However, we kept our mouths shut, and I think it's time you show a little gratitude."

"Gratitude?" He threads his fingers together and rests them lightly on his desk, looking anything but relaxed.

"Come on, Sheriff. A couple of phone calls, one little reference. It'll take less than thirty minutes of your time."

"And why do you think I'd want to spend thirty minutes of my time helping some juvenile delinquent."

I scoff. "He's not a delinquent! He's one of the best kids in this town and you know it."

"He has a police record
, and he broke into my place."

Anger spits inside of me. "He broke into your place because he suspected your son of a hit and run. And he was right. Remember?"

The Sheriff's lips pull into a tight line.

"Please Sheriff, you've got to do this for him."

"I don't have to do anything."

My eyes narrow into slits as I throw as much rage into my look as possible. "I wouldn't be stubborn about this if I were you. I could ruin your career."

The Sheriff presses his fingers into his desk and slowly rises. "Is that a threat, Miss Tepper?"

My gaze wants to falter so badly, but I hold it steady. "Think of it however you like, but I know the truth
, and I have no qualms about telling anyone I need to."

"No one will believe you. You've got nothing." He spits out the last word, almost looking triumphant.

I slowly rise from my seat. "Adam hit me with his car and left me for dead, he also threatened Dale and me with a gun. I have every right to press charges and it'll take me less than thirty minutes to do it." I really didn't want it to come down to this, but I'll do what I have to. I just need to convince the Sheriff of that.

"Don't be insane. You have no evidence." He looks smug, because the evidence we did have was driven out of town in the middle of the night and fixed in an LA garage. Adam brought his pristine car back to school the next week and none were the wiser.

"Dale's a witness."

"His word against mine? You've got to be kidding me. I can just as easily press charges against Dale. He was trespassing on my property."

"You think trespassing is a worse crime than intent to kill? Besides, there's no way Adam would be able to lie his way through a court case. We both know it. My dad's lawyer would pulverize him."

The Sheriff's right hand balls into a tight fist.
I cross my arms and raise my eyebrows to let him know I'm all business.

His lips remain tight and unyielding. He crosses his arms to match mine and raises his chin. "I will not kowtow to your threats. Find another way to get your boyfriend into college
, you little minx."

I decide to take that as a compliment and paste on a flirty smile just to prove my point.

"That's fine Sheriff." I collect up my bag, going for nonchalant and breezy. "If you're not going to help me, I guess I'll just have to find another authority that will." I stop at the door and feign thoughtfulness. "You know my mom helped the mayor buy his new house a couple of months ago. They became quite good friends throughout the process. I'm sure he'd be very open to chatting with me. There'd be so much we could talk about. Like the fact that the sheriff's son is guilty of attempted murder."

I reach for the door, ready to swing it open.

"Alright stop!" Sheriff Hutton slaps his desk and I let go of the door knob. "I'll write him a damn reference."

I turn with a pointed look.
"And call your brother?"

His nod is stiff. "Give me two days," he mumbles.

"Excellent." I'm sure my grin is smug, but I don't care. "Thanks for your help, Sheriff. Give me a call when that letter's ready and I'll come by to collect it."

I dodge his evil glare and waltz out the door, waving politely to the front
-desk officer.

I feel light and airy as I awkwardly skip down the stairs. Dude, that mayor thing was inspired. It came to me just in time
too. Thank goodness! Because I was starting to freak that this was about to be an epic fail.

I head back into town with a beaming smile and am lucky enough to spot Gretchen
, who actually offers me a lift this time.

You know, my mom's totally right. Putting the needs of others above your own rocks. I can't wait for this all to come through and for Dale to get that letter again. He's going to be so stoked.

I ignore the long-term consequences for me and force myself to dwell upon the fact that I am making Dale's dream come true, and that's enough for now.