The Wrong Path_Smashwords (9 page)

He nodded and sighed, smiling tiredly. “Will’s friends got arrested earlier for doing drugs on campus… I’m trying to figure out if he did, too.”

She wanted to reassure him that he hadn’t, but she couldn’t make herself say the words.

“Well we’ll leave you two love birds alone,” Claire declared loudly, drawing their attention. Annabelle smiled weakly at her. Claire held up her fingers into the shape of a phone. “Call me, sweetie. Love you!” She smiled at Trevor. “See you later, Trev.”

They bid them goodbye, and then she, Claudia, and Mary were gone, the hallway separating for them as they walked.

Trevor flashed a smile and leaned against the locker beside hers. “Ready to go?” he asked.

She nodded, grabbed her backpack from her locker, and was delighted when Trevor took it from her. He really was a gentleman. His chivalry continued out to the parking lot, where he held open the passenger door for her and shut it behind her before going to his own door.

He was more silent than normal as they drove, so she forced herself to speak. “I’m sure Will’s fine.”

He looked over at her quickly, then smiled weakly in appreciation. “I hope so… My mom really can’t take hearing more bad news about Will.”

She hesitated. “Do you really think Will’s behavior has that much affect on her?”

Trevor nodded immediately. “Will’s her baby. She can’t understand why he can’t just behave and stop acting like a little kid. He was always a little bit of a trouble maker, but now he seems to be doing whatever he can to cause her as much stress as possible. And with the doctors warning us that she needs to be kept calm…” He sighed.

“Maybe he’s just so upset about your mom that acting out is his only way of dealing with it?” she suggested uncomfortably.

Trevor laughed softly. “I wish that were true. But he’s just being a selfish brat. Can’t see anything but him…” Trevor trailed off as they pulled up to their houses just as Will did. Trevor parked in the street between the two houses and all-but jumped out of his SUV as Will climbed out of his black convertible. Annabelle slowly slid out of the SUV, watching the two brothers face off against each other.

“At least you didn’t get arrested,” Trevor said quietly, flatly. “Are you deliberately trying to kill Mom, Will? Want your inheritance early or something?”

Will’s face was as cold as if it had been carved in granite. “Funny. I never even thought of that. Makes you wonder which of us is really waiting for her to kick the bucket.”

Trevor’s hands were clenched into fists so tight he was shaking. Annabelle stood behind them, not sure if she should stay or go into her house. “Where the hell did you go today?” he demanded. “If you weren’t getting arrested, what were you skipping school for? You know the principal said he’d call Mom if you missed one more day.”

Will arched an eyebrow. “Really. How do
you
know that?”

“Did you go bail them out?” Trevor went on. Annabelle could tell he was struggling to keep his voice quiet. “Finish making deals they couldn’t so you wouldn’t get shot and killed?” He roughly grabbed the front of Will’s shirt, yanking his brother to him. “Answer me!” he ordered furiously. “What the hell was so important—“

“Trevor? Will?”

Annabelle and both boys instantly followed the voice up to the front porch, where Mrs. Scarlett was standing, looking aghast at the scene in front of her. There was utter silence in the yard.

And then Will pulled out of his brother’s loosened grip and strode up to the porch. “Hey, Mom,” he greeted warmly. “You want some tea?”

Mrs. Scarlett accepted the hug he gave her with a confused look. “Is everything okay?” she asked, frowning.

“Sure, of course it is.” Will gestured back to Trevor with a light laugh. “Trev and I were arguing over who had the prettier girlfriend. You know guys and fighting for their women’s honor and all that. Sorry if we freaked you out.” Will turned to Trevor and Annabelle in the yard and raised a hand, his light expression obviously forced over his rage. “Didn’t mean to insult you, Belle. Everyone knows you’re beautiful.” He deliberately flashed a charming smile and then led his mother into the house, the door closing behind them.

Annabelle stood in silence behind Trevor, her mind spinning over what she had just witnessed. She looked up as Trevor turned to face her, looking exhausted.

“He was with me,” Annabelle heard herself say. She felt like she was watching everything take place from somewhere far away, as if it were a movie unfolding before her. She watched Trevor’s eyes flash with alarm and confusion. “Will. He was with me today. There were… rumors going around about me. I was upset, and Will took me away from school. He wasn’t making any drug deals. He was helping me.”

Trevor’s expression had shattered. “Why… why didn’t you come find me?” he asked, sounding like he was almost choking on the words.

She shook her head. “I didn’t plan on leaving. I don’t think Will did, either. But I ran outside, and he was there, and he could tell I was upset. And then we saw his friends get taken away by the police, and I think we both just needed to get out of there. He brought me back right before school ended.”

Trevor pulled her into a warm, strong embrace. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, though she didn’t know why. She had been the one to keep the truth from him, but he was apologizing to her? “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Annabelle.”

She could only hold him back.

***

Annabelle sighed as she entered her bedroom. It had been a long, long day, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Once Trevor had finally stopped apologizing, he had gone into his house to be with his mom, and she had spent hours trying to catch up on the homework she had missed. Then over dinner she had told her parents she had skipped school with Will because his friends had been taken away by the police and he had been upset—leaving out why she had been outside with Will in the first place—and guiltily listened to their lecture about skipping school. When they had finally finished, almost an hour later, they had written her a note excusing her from school that day. She still felt a little guilty, but she felt a lot better, too. After the lecture she’d dragged herself up the stairs to the bathroom for a warm shower, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and was finally ready for bed.

She shut the door and flicked on the light, looking up out her window. She gasped and jumped back, her heart leaping into her throat. Will sat on the branch leading to her room, almost invisible under the cover of darkness. She hurried to the window and opened it, kneeling down to look at him. “Will,” she hissed, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. “What are you doing?”

“Trevor said you told him I spent the day with you.”

She flushed and dropped her eyes. “Well... you did…”

“He actually apologized,” Will announced, his voice unreadable. “For ‘wrongfully accusing’ me.”

She hesitated, not quite sure what to say. “Isn’t that… good?”

“What would you have done if he had accused you of trying to cheat on him with me? He doesn’t exactly think highly of me, so it wouldn’t have been out of the realm of possibility for him to jump to that conclusion. You couldn’t know that I wouldn’t lie.”

She felt her heart plummet into her stomach. “What?” she asked, bewildered. She shook her head, sure that she had somehow heard him wrong. “That’s ludicrous. Trevor would never be so cruel.”

He laughed softly and shook his head.

She hesitated again, but forced herself to speak. “My friends… They’re the ones who ratted out your friends. To save face for me. They said your friends drugged all the drinks, and someone called the cops. I don’t know who. I don’t think it was one of my friends, but…” she trailed off, not sure how to finish. “I just wanted you to know,” she concluded softly, unable to meet his eyes.

She braced herself for cold words, but there was just silence. Had he been so angered by her words that he had gone back into his own room? Slowly, she lifted her eyes, surprised and a little relieved to see him still sitting there as calmly as ever, watching her under the shroud of darkness.

“And?” he prompted.

She straightened, startled. “And what?” she asked, bewildered.

He cocked an eyebrow in something like cold amusement. “You want to make sure we’re not going to retaliate? What?”

She blinked. “Retaliate?” she repeated, a cold sweat breaking out over her body. “Y-you’re not going to, are you? They were just trying to protect me, and they’re not the ones who called the police, so it’s really not their fault—“

“I’m not going to do anything,” he interrupted, and she felt the air drain from her lungs. “Everyone knew my friends dealt. It could have been coincidence.”

She could have hugged him. Instead, flustered, she dropped her eyes, not sure what to say back.

“Here.”

She looked up, confused, and saw him leaning toward her on the branch, holding a book in his hand. She took it slowly, looking down at it even as she settled back. “Elmer Gantry?” she asked, looking up at him.

He stood on the branch. “It’s one of my favorites. I thought you might like it.”

She watched as he moved easily to the branch that led to his window, surprised to discover she was disappointed he was leaving. “Thank you,” she called over to him.

He paused on his branch and looked back at her. “You’re welcome,” he said, and then he was in his window. She pushed herself up off of her knees, looking down at the book. She climbed into bed with it, bewildered and a little pleased. Will could be harsh and cruel, but he was still intriguing.

She opened the book, which was covered in creases and obviously well read, and settled against her pillows.

Chapter Six

Annabelle felt like she was glowing as she walked into the crowded diner under Trevor’s arm, wearing his letterman’s jacket like a brand. She spotted their group of friends crammed around their regular table in the back, several chairs pulled up to accommodate the ones that wouldn’t fit in the circular booth. Annabelle caught Claire’s eye and her friend immediately started catcalling, inciting the others into a chorus of cheers and whistles.

Blushing furiously in a mixture of immense pleasure and embarrassment, Annabelle stood at the head of the table with Trevor as the others slid over to make room. She had never been the center of attention before, and while couldn’t say she liked it, there was something exhilarating about it; about being Trevor’s girlfriend. She slid into the booth beside Erin, Trevor sitting down on the edge of the packed bench beside her.

“How was the movie?” Zach asked, his arm wrapped around Claudia’s shoulders.

“It was good,” Trevor answered, smiling. He picked up a menu from the table and held it out for Annabelle to look at with him. “What did you guys do?”

“Made plans for tomorrow night,” Parker replied, grinning wolfishly. Annabelle felt a weak smile form as the others laughed and began chatting excitedly. Even though she was sure that Parker hadn’t drugged her to be cruel, she still felt uncomfortable around him.

“Tomorrow night?” Trevor asked, frowning in confusion.

“You know!” Claire insisted. “The big launch of that new club?”

“Oh… Right.” Trevor smiled charmingly. “I forgot.”

“Well you’ve had a big week,” Claudia reminded him, shooting him a kittenish wink. Annabelle had to clasp her fingers together to keep from shifting uneasily. She knew Claudia didn’t mean anything by the flirtatious gesture, but she couldn’t help feeling troubled that her friend might be interested in her new boyfriend. “We’ve barely seen Annabelle all week long.”

There was laughter around the table, while Trevor and Annabelle offered their protests. Annabelle looked over at Claire nervously, but she didn’t seem to be upset about Annabelle’s lack of appearances. She was laughing and teasing with the others, no traces of annoyance on her face. Annabelle relaxed, relieved, and allowed herself to feel pleased.

Being Trevor’s girlfriend was really like a dream come true. Trevor drove her to school, walked her to her classes, and after school she did her homework in the library while he was at football practice. Then he would either take her out for dinner or they would go back to her house and watch a movie in the game room. He was gentlemanly and polite and being in a relationship with him was impossibly easy. She had never thought it would be so easy to be in a relationship after all of the stories she had heard from her friends.

“So what is the plan for tomorrow night?” Trevor asked, when their teasing died down.

The waitress came by, interrupting the conversation before it began. Before any of the girls ordered, Claire suggested they split a plate of fries, and even though Annabelle was starving, she agreed with the others. It was an unspoken rule between the girls to never order anything they couldn’t fit into their mouths in a small bite—it was unattractive. Annabelle ordered a strawberry shake and the waitress collected their menus, looking irritated as she walked away.

“How do you girls survive on nothing?” Parker asked, shaking his head with a smile. The boys had ordered cheeseburgers. “It’s why you’re all so skinny, isn’t it?”

There were squeals of delighted objections. Annabelle added her voice to the protests, but she was so hungry it felt hollow—of course it was why they were skinny. And ordering nothing had the added benefit of drawing attention to themselves.