Page 116 of Enemies to Prom Dates
“Well, she can’t avoid us forever,” Janie said. “It’s a small school. We’ll talk to her. We’ll find out what kind of trouble she’s in and then we’ll help her.”
“You’re assuming she wants to be helped,” Ed said grimly. “Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of fucking money.”
“Indeed, it is. Mind if I join you?”
I turned to find Locke standing there with a lunch tray in his hand.
“Seems you’re down a few people,” he added sarcastically. He knew damn well what had happened yesterday at The Woods.
I shrugged. “Sure. Have a seat.”
“Maybe you can help us,” Janie said. “Beth said you’ve been following Reen. So you must know what kind of trouble she’s in.”
“Sadly, I do not. She’s proven to be rather adept at giving me the slip. It’s almost like…no, it’s not possible. If Irene decides she needs help, I imagine she’ll let her friends know first.”
“I’m not counting on it,” Beth said sadly. “It’s like everything has suddenly flipped around and nothing makes sense. Where did Heath go? Why would he set up his best friend like that? Is Reen into something criminal? Oh, and did I mention my dad’s back home?”
“Beth!” Janie gasped. “When did that happen?”
“Yesterday. He just showed up like nothing happened. My mother is…so happy.”
I reached for her hand under the table. Our fingers linked and I squeezed gently to show her my support.
“We’re going to get through this,” I told her. “Whateverthisis. Together.”
She smiled at me then. “Promise?”
“I promise,” I told her.
I said it like it was a solemn vow. Because it was.
I would promise Beth the world if I thought I could deliver it.
* * *
Locke
Question:Did watching the cheerleaders practice from beneath the bleachers make me a creeper?
Answer: No. Not if I was in pursuit of a suspect.
I watched them go through some kind of dance routine. Watched as Reen did three handsprings sequentially, so quickly I could barely see her skirt drop down toward her head.
Barely.
But she was wearing hipster boy shorts underneath so did it really matter?
She knew I was here. I’d caught her eye at one point, but it hadn’t impacted her focus on her practice.
So I waited patiently until she was done. Finally, Star called an end to their drills and the girls dispersed into the gym. Reen, however, made her way across the football field to the bleachers where I was currently not being a creeper.
At least not intentionally.
“I saw you. I know you’re there,” she said, her arms crossed over her chest.
It was cold, not freezing, but cold like a fall day should be but she was only wearing a short skirt, long white sleeved shirt and a red vest. She once told me Star had them practice outside in the cold sometimes so they would get used to it. Since it’s how they would be dressed on game night.
I thought the idea utterly preposterous. Then again, I thought the idea of a bunch of girls standing on the sideline of a football field, in a costume, flipping about also preposterous.
