Page 108 of Thrown for a Loop
“There’s no information about that yet,” the officer says quietly.“And now we’re interviewing the other boys to make sure nobody else needs treatment.”
“For… an overdose?” she whispers. “Ofwhat?”
Her mom shakes her head. “No idea. But have you seen anything? Have other campers been whispering about where to get drugs?”
Panic fills Zoe’s head with static. She shakes her head vigorously, but she can’t forget the image of Chase discreetly handing Ethan something behind the building yesterday. “I don’t know what that could be. Chase and I weren’t even here, so he won’t know, either.”
Her mother glares. “Wherewereyou? With Chase? And don’t youdarelie to me. This camp is most of my annual income, Zoe, not to mention that my reputation is at stake.”
“Um…” Zoe glances between her mother and the police officer, but she’s crumbling inside. Sticking to the script is a lost cause. “Look, Chase probably won’t admit this, because it was all my idea, and he won’t want to get me in trouble. But we went camping last night.”
Her mother gapes. “Camping?Are you shitting me?”
“It was my idea,” she repeats. “He said no, but I wore him down. The place was just twenty minutes out of town.”Think, Zoe.“We left yesterday afternoon, probably around four.” That’s a good two hours earlier than the truth. But she can’t let anyone think that Chase gave drugs to a kid.
He’dneverdo that. Or if he did give Ethan something, then it must have been because… Her mind is too scrambled to think. There’d have to be a good reason. “We drove around. We got dinner at Carlotta’s.”
“So a real date, then,” the officer says.
“Right,” Zoe squeaks. But she’s truly mortified. Certainly hermother can fill in the rest of the evening without details. Zoe braces herself for the screaming that’s sure to follow.
But first, her mom drops her head into her hands and gasps. “God. God. This is so bad. This could be the end of the camp. And the end of me.”
“No,” Zoe whispers.
Her mom looks up sharply, anger brimming in her eyes. “Just couldn’t keep your hands off that stupid boy, could you? I hope it was worth it.”
Then she storms off. The cop watches her go and turns to Zoe, red-faced and shaking.
“Can you tell me where this camping took place?” the officer asks. “Just for my notes.”
“Um… it’s a place out on the old state road? They have glamping.”
The cop nods again, scribbling something on her notepad.
“We, um, spent the night there, and Chase drove us home just now. So we’d be in time for the first session of the day. We’re never late.” She steals a glance in the direction of Chase. He’s leaning against a cop car, holding his head in his hands.
Oh God.
“Hey, hey,” the cop says, squeezing Zoe’s elbow. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” But she’s actually swaying.
“Sit down, hon,” she says, aiming Zoe at the split rail fence. “On your bottom. Put your head between your knees.”
Zoe sinks down onto the grass. The edges of her vision are yellow. “We weren’t here. Whatever Ethan had, I don’t know where he got it.”
“Ethan?” The cop’s voice sounds like she’s speaking from underwater.
Zoe catches her forehead on her knees. “Joon-ho. Whatever.”
“You wait here a minute,” the cop says. “I’ll be right back.”
Zoe takes several deep breaths in a row. She doesn’t faint. But when she looks up again to find Chase, he’s no longer in view.
If she’d known at this moment that she’d never see him again, she’d probably pass right out.
Chapter 37
