11
N
ew Year's Eve was under way.
Mom and Angie decided to have a girl's night in the Petrovsky suite, and Ruiz tagged along to play love-sick puppy. Haden and Michael stayed in their room to watch the ball drop on TV, while Caleb and I celebrated the only way we knew how.
“Sammy, my caramel candy goddess! I could simply eat you alive.” Robbie Ford greeted me at his front door, dressed as the Monopoly guy, including the top hat and monocle over his eye. One could've mistaken him for a gentleman were it not for the string of mistletoe hanging from his crotch.
We pecked cheeks before I stepped inside.
“There's something different about you.” Robbie squinted and adjusted his lens for a better look. “When did you get green contacts? They're hot.”
I batted my lashes and placed a dainty hand over my heart. “Oh, these old things? I've had them a while now. Catch up, Robbie, you're behind on the times.”
As usual, the house was packed with kids from all walks of life: jocks, stoners, townies, and a lot of scantily clad girls. By the sound of it, Caleb was already doing his thing. He had definitely found his element, and I was instantly swept away by the beat and the fast, flowing stream of energy. This spell caster, this pied piper controlled all who entered with hard bass and electronic refrain.
He stood at the deejay booth, rocking out under his headphones, but he almost scratched his album when he saw what I was wearing.
My smooth complexion was my only vanity, so I put as much of it as I could on display, with a glittery silver tank top and a mini skirt to cover up the naughty bits. And even in my most scandalous ensemble yet, I looked ready for Bible study compared to half the girls there. Heading the march to this burlesque show was Mia, who rushed to my side in her drawers and a sheer T-shirt posing as a dress.
I was happy to see her; however, I wasn't too thrilled with what she'd been doing before I showed up. “Okay, how much have you been drinking?”
“Just this. Robbie made it for me.” She waved a Styrofoam cup in front of my face. The alcohol content that wafted off the cup burned the hairs in my nostrils. That was a red flag. Robbie's concoctions had people passed out by the second sip.
As to declare our grand arrival, deejay Cake Boy grabbed the mic and yelled, “Give it up for the hottest ladies in the building: my sexy girlfriend, Samara, and her BFF, Mia!”
Hoots and cheers followed as Mia and I stopped in the middle of the floor and struck a pose, letting everyone know the party could now begin with us on the scene. In school, I had to watch everything I said and did, but in a house full of drunk kids from six different school zones, I could be someone else for one night, and right now, I was diva!
After that warm welcome, we spent the next hour dancing badly and gossiping about people and their choice in outfits, as if we had room to talk. It was like old times.
“I've seen her before. Who is that?” Mia pointed across the room.
I groaned on sight of the tall blonde who had Dougie's undivided attention. Oh, that was no one, just the only reason I was even allowed to come to the party. Olivia was dying to experience the American teen nightlife, and having hired muscle as a chaperone granted us the green light. I saw Gunner's bulky frame lurking in the corner of the room. His icy blue eyes were steadily scanning the area for anything sketchy; though the only thing out of place around here was him.
“Mia, relax. You guys aren't together anymore. He's entitled to move on,” I said.
“Do you think she's prettier than me?” she asked.
I said what any friend would say. “No! No way. She's all skinny and tall and she talks funny. She doesn't have a thing on you.”
Mia tried to smile, but it withered before it could truly bloom. At the same time, a short guy with a curly red afro walked by us, holding a Dixie cup of something green and likely flammable. Mia snatched the cup from him and shoved him away. It could have been mouthwash or antifreeze for all she knew, but she took it to the head like a pro.
Still dancing, I said, “You know drinking is not gonna solve your problem. It's just gonna be there when you sober up along with a headache. What's up with you? We used to talk about everything.”
“Yeah, used to, but you seem to prefer secrets.” She tossed the cup behind her then took my hand. “What happened to your bracelet? Did you get it fixed?”
Instinctively, I pulled my hand away and covered my wrist. “Yeah, I got a new one for Christmas.”
“Oh. I always see you wearing that bracelet, so it must mean something to you. I don't understand why you had to cut it off instead of just unhooking the clasp.”
It could've been the noise or the atmosphere, but I had to lean in to make sure I heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”
The music changed to a slow bump-and-grind, “I'm gonna get you pregnant on the dance floor” song, and howls filled the room.
“Oh, this's my jam!” Mia cheered and rubbed up on some fat kid in the corner who looked terrified. Maybe he was scared because a complete stranger had started humping his back or maybe it was because Mia had the dance moves of a mental patient.
Before she got low, I pulled her away from the traumatized boy. “You said something about my bracelet.”
Already she seemed bored with the conversation and started searching for more liquor. “You left it in the parking lot when you left school.”
I followed her to the dining room, past the keg and some half naked guy covered in mustard. “You found my bracelet?”
“Yeah, that's why I left it at your front door, duh,” she said this as if it were common knowledge. “I knocked, but I guess you weren't home.”
“Oh, I was home,” I said in my head, as I recalled waking up on the ceiling.
“I didn't tell anybody. I might've been mad, but I didn't want you to get into trouble. And then when the police found Malik's truck, I didn't know what to think. Maybe he dropped you off at home before his crash or what.”
I stared at her, not believing what I was hearing. “Can you tell me everything you saw that day? What time did we leave?”
Finding what she was looking for, she plucked another cup of green poison from the kitchen counter. “I don't wanna talk about this now. I wanna dance.”
I blocked her path to the doorway. “In a second. What did you see?”
She rolled her eyes and scooted past me. “You don't remember anything that happened? Did he drug you?” When I shook my head, she said, “Um, I don't know, around lunch sometime. I was cramping really bad so I went to the nurse. I got a note to go home early and I saw you walking to his truck when I was leaving. You dropped something on the ground and when you took off I went to pick it up.”
I followed her through the party as the commotion went on around us without disturbance. “What? I cut my bracelet off?”
“Either you or Malik. Who's Lilith anyway? I saw the name on the bracelet. I've never heard you mention her before. I thought she was like a relative and that's why you wear the bracelet all the time. Did she die or something?”
“Something like that,” I mumbled. Anger boiled up inside me so hot that I wanted to cry. The room began to grow small and the walls bent together in a colorless blob. Though my vision was impaired, my brain was still on duty.
“Sam, what's going on with you? Did Malik do something to you? I didn't say anything, but you need to tell the police what you know. Everyone's worried about him. Sam? Sam!”
“Huh? Yeah, I'm fine,” I said. “Is this why you've been acting weird around me? You think I had something to do with his disappearance?”
“No. I don't think you kidnapped him, but I really don't know what to think these days. You've been acting weird all year, and I'd see you two together in the hall and it would just get under my skin. Malik is cute and all, but I've never been into him like that, you know? I just went crazy.”
“You and half the school,” I grumbled.
“I'm sorry for being so bitchy, but I couldn't help it. I . . . I thought you were cheating on Caleb and you know how I feel about that shit. I mean, if you don't want somebody; just leave. Don't stick around, come home at three A.M. with a lame excuseâjust divorce her.”
I didn't ignore the use in pronoun, and I suspected that her Freudian must've slipped. I knew Mia had some family issues that leaked into her own relationships. The Moralez family had more drama than all the daytime soaps combined, but with a better story line. They were their own reality show, ringing truth to that old adage, “More money; more problems.” For that reason, Mia always dreaded going to her house and spent most of her time at mine.
She needed to find another way to cope or else she'd ruin any future with Dougie, but I couldn't play shrink tonight, not after she dropped this bomb on me.
“I gotta go get some air. I'll be back. I promise.”
“Sam, I wish you would talk to me. Did Malik do something to you?” she whined and stomped her foot. “You're freaking me out! Stop it. I'm sick of these secrets. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”
“I know. There's something I gotta straighten out right now, but I promise I'll tell you everything, okay?”
She nodded, satisfied for the moment, but the concern on her face was still there. “Honest promise?”
“Honest promise,” I said and I meant it. I would tell her everything from beginning to end, back my U-Haul of drama right up to her front door, just as soon as I figured it out myself. I owed it to her.
The party was too loud and I couldn't hear myself think, but I did my best to tally up the facts. I was in Malik's truck during the blackout. Tobias was taking me somewhere that day, and Lilith went with him willingly. Was I the cause of the accident? Was that what Lilith was trying to keep from me? I let my imagination fill in the gaps. Jason Lao said Malik's truck was run off the road. Maybe Lilith freaked out and took control of the wheel. The car might've swerved and landed in the ditch. But if that was the case, how did I get home?
No. I would
not
obsess about this tonight. This was the last night of the year and I wouldn't ruin it by talking shop. Besides, I needed to find some place quiet to concentrate and this glorified saloon was not a proper think tank.
While waiting in line for the bathroom, I took down what Mia said and used my phone to e-mail myself with all the details. I needed to get all the clues down while they were still freshâI couldn't afford to forget any of it.
With that done, I did a lap around the party, sucking in the energy around the room. The air was rich, potent, and teeming with virility. On my fourth round, I spotted Olivia doing some energy surfing as well. She stood in the middle of the dance floor swaying her hips to the beat with at least four boys surrounding her. She had some moves for someone so prim and proper; she could teach me a few things.
But what really shocked me was that she'd been watching me work the room. She seemed curious, wanting to see me feed. She pulled away from her partners and circled the floor, her eyes fixed on me with what I now knew was a challenge.
The current of energy rode the air in the room, moving faster as the music picked up tempo. I breathed it in through my mouth and held it, letting the light-headedness take over. Soon there were hands and shoulders rubbing against me on the dance floor. Bodies ground together and I no longer cared who I was dancing with. The beat picked up, loud and hard against my chest, my heart a speaker trembling from the bass.
“I swear, I'm gonna marry Caleb! Or he's gonna deejay my weddingânot sure yet!” Mia screamed as she flung her arms around me. “Em gonna tell you a secret,” she said in a sneaky tone. The smell of pineapples and jet fuel shot from her mouth like dragon fire. “Okay, don't get mad, but I have a little, teeny, tiny crush on Caleb. Not like dat tho. Wait, hold on. Listen, I'm try'na tell you somefin'. Em not gonna go after him or anyfing. Thaz breakin' da buddy codeâbros before hoes 'n all dat,” she slurred. “I mean, he's a kick-ass deejay and . . . I dunno, he has dis thing, ya know?”
“Yeah, he has a thing all right.” I gently pulled away and shook off the drink she splashed on my top.
“Right? I dunno know why, he's not even hot. Wait, don't get madâhey, juz listen.” She kept petting my hair, trying to make sure I was paying attention, yet she was the one swinging in and out of the conversation. “He's cute, but come on, Sam, we both know Dougie's way hotter.”
We do?
I thought.
“But he has doze eyes, ya know?” she continued. “Hiz eyes are like magicians. Wait . . . no that's not it. Hippoâ hypnotistâhypnotic. Yeah, dat's it. I can't describe it. It's like lookin' intoâ”
“Oblivion,” I supplied.