HIDDEN CREEK KISS: a hidden creek high novel, page 4
“It’s not that,” Dean said. “We didn’t want to come back. We didn’t want to be next.”
“Next for what?” I asked.
“To get killed, man,” Nick said.
“Why would you get killed? You know nothing.”
I grinned.
They didn’t.
“You can leave town now,” I said to them. “And stay away. Like you want to do. But if I need anything, I’ll find you. We can chat again. This was fun.”
“Elijah, we don’t know anything,” Dean said. “This was a peace offering. Proof.”
“And yet I don’t feel peace at all,” I said.
I turned and looked at Nero.
Then I looked at Lars.
He made a fist and cracked his knuckles.
“Can we?” Lars asked.
“Not a bad idea,” I said. “See if they say anything else.”
“Tell me you’re going back to get a piece of that crazy one?” Lars asked.
“No,” I said. “I’ve got a whole different kind of crazy to worry about.”
“You sure you don’t want to stick around?” Nero asked.
“Have at it, Nero,” I said. I took two steps and paused. “And thanks.”
I started to walk away and listened to the quick pleas from Nick and Dean before Nero and Lars got their hands on them.
I smoked my cigarette the entire walk back to my car.
There was no sight of the crazy girl, or her friends.
There was still plenty of people at the beach house though. The party was in full swing.
The exact kind of place I would normally have loved to have been.
Except I had somewhere else to be.
* * *
I drove to Cherry’s but I didn’t get out of my car. I didn’t walk up to the door. I didn’t knock on the door and ask to see Nova, not worried about who actually answered the door.
I just sat there though, window down, and stared down the long stone pathway.
Cherry’s house was nice because it was hidden. And if Cherry took you in, she loved you with all of her heart. But if you pissed her off and she wanted nothing to do with you, she was colder than an Alaskan winter.
I was still solid with her.
Even if Wes had anything to do with it.
Cherry wasn’t easily swayed.
When I finally emerged from the car, I walked the pathway, not sure what my plan was going to be.
It was far too late for me to be there.
I wasn’t the romantic hero showing up
doused in cologne with a million dollar smile and a promise of a nice first date.
The way I looked. The way I felt.
It was the exact reason Nova should have turned and ran and kept running when she had the chance.
I heard voices and stopped when I saw Cherry standing on the porch.
Sitting on the top step was Nova’s mother.
Cherry handed Nova’s mother a mug.
I cleared my throat and gave a quick wave as they both looked at me.
“Elijah,” Cherry said. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Of course I do,” I said.
“It’s a little late to see Novalee,” Nova’s mother said.
“That’s fine,” I said.
“You know, smoking will catch up to you,” Cherry said. “I’ve been telling you that for a long time.”
I took a drag of my cigarette. “I’m young and stupid. Right?”
“That’s the kind of excuse that gets a rolling pin upside your head,” Cherry warned.
“You know,” Nova’s mother said, “when I was sixteen, I tried smoking. I was determined to convince myself to pick up the habit because it was cool to do. Except my father caught me. And he did the cliché thing by making me smoke an entire pack. I got so sick and was so… hungover… I never touched them again.”
“Yeah, I thought about that with Elijah,” Cherry said as she folded her arms. “The fool would have smoked the pack and asked for more. So damn stubborn.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I know what I like.”
I kept inching closer to Cherry and Nova’s mother.
“I’m not so sure I’ve gotten a second to talk to you,” I said to Nova’s mother. “To just let you know how sorry I am with the way things turned out.”
“I’m not so sure I’ve gotten a second to thank you,” she said with a sigh. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was protect my daughter.”
She blinked fast and rose to her feet.
Cherry was right there to touch her arm. “And you did good, Leslie. You always did the best you could for Novalee.”
“I second that,” I said.
“No,” Nova’s mother said. “Novalee did the best she could for me. That’s how it always worked. And it was backwards for so long, it became normal. The only time I think I ever saw my daughter happy was in the summer.”
“Is that so?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Nova’s mother said.
“Elijah, you’re more than welcome to stay on the couch,” Cherry offered. “I know it’s very late. Or very early in the morning, depending on how you look at it.”
“Why can’t you just go home?” Nova’s mother asked.
“Let’s just say I’m not a stranger to a shitty home life,” I said. “With my uncle who is also my father.”
Nova’s mother had been sipping out of a mug. She coughed and spit liquid down the porch steps.
“What?” she asked.
“Long story,” I said. I looked at Cherry. “I wouldn’t mind stealing your couch for a few hours of sleep.”
Nova’s mother looked at Cherry.
Cherry nodded.
“I’m going to go get some sleep myself then,” Nova’s mother said. “Have a good night, Elijah.”
“You too,” I said.
Nova’s mother went inside and I walked up the porch steps.
Cherry plucked the cigarette from my lips before I could take a drag.
She held the cigarette and stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said.
“I’m hoping to get some sleep.”
“That’s not what I meant, Elijah. Might be best to let things go. Let time do its job. Don’t step in.”
“Understood,” I said.
“You can have the couch. You know where the blankets are. You go near the steps… I catch you with even one foot on a step going near Novalee’s room…”
“Cherry…”
She squinted her eyes.
Then in a way too much of a badass move, she took a drag of my cigarette. She dropped it to the porch and crushed it with the heel of her foot.
“You go near Novalee and I’ll crush something else under my foot.”
Cherry went inside and left the door open for me.
I laughed.
Goodnight to you too.
Chapter 4
Nova
I walked down the stairs and when I saw Elijah on the couch, I froze.
I turned and ran back up the stairs and shook my head.
Not real, right? I’m imagining it.
I crept back down the stairs and sure enough, Elijah was on the couch.
Passed out cold.
One foot on the floor.
Arms above his head.
He was much bigger than the couch and there was no way he was comfortable.
I slowly sat down and stared at him.
I wondered if he had gone out and done something stupid like getting drunk. But he had been fine when we were together. He took the surfboard into the water and caught a few waves just to show me up. He gave me the surfboard back and kissed the tip of my of nose. He dared me to go out into the dark water again, which I did.
Then he walked me back to Cherry’s and kept his distance because he knew Wes and Aira were there.
He touched my cheek, told me to have a goodnight, and that was that.
Somehow he ended up on the damn couch though.
I heard noise in the kitchen and I jumped up and took the steps two by two.
In the kitchen, Cherry was busy making breakfast.
“Hey,” I said.
“Morning to you,” she said.
“Yeah. Good morning. Um…” I pointed.
“Have some coffee,” Cherry said.
“I will. What’s Elijah doing here?”
“He needed somewhere to sleep,” Cherry said. “How many pancakes do you want?”
Cherry turned to face the electric griddle she had plugged in on the counter.
I touched her arm. “Is everything okay?”
She smiled. “Perfect. Why?”
“Why did he sleep here?”
“Everything worked out,” Cherry said. “Don’t worry about it so much. He needed somewhere to sleep. He showed up really late. Your mother was still awake and-”
“She saw him?”
“Yes. She was having tea. Elijah showed up. That was it.”
“Wait…”
“Novalee, there’s a lot happening right now,” Cherry said. “And whether you like it or not, Elijah is tied into all of this.” She pointed a black spatula at me. “Do you understand me?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Get some coffee. Pour some for Elijah too.”
I did as I was told, my heart racing.
I knew how to make Elijah’s coffee too.
From those summer mornings…
I shut my eyes and chased the memories to the back of my mind.
I carried the coffee mugs to the living room only to find the couch empty.
Part of me hoped he woke up and left.
But it was Elijah.
No way he would have left without saying something to me.
Right?
I carried the coffee mugs to the front door and saw him on the porch, smoking.
I knocked on the glass and he turned.
His eyes lit up and he smiled.
He opened the door for me as I forced myself to look pissed off.
Even though inside… stupid butterflies and shit…
“Cherry said to get you coffee,” I said.
“Been a while since you’ve made me coffee, babe,” Elijah said.
“Yeah,” I said.
“I didn’t plan on crashing here,” he said.
“I don’t believe you.”
“That’s fine. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Then why did you sleep here?” I asked.
“Cherry’s orders.”
“No. Why did you come here?”
Elijah looked down into the coffee mug. “A mix of not sure and wanting to see you.”
“You already saw me.”
“I can’t get enough,” he said with a grin.
“Barf,” I said.
“You have a way with words, Nova,” he said.
“And you have a way to just… be in the way…”
“I’ve heard that my entire life.”
He sipped his coffee and smoked his cigarette.
I hated how calm and relaxed it was between us. Like no matter how much I wanted to fight with him, I couldn’t. And if I tried he just took it and laughed it off or gave it back and I loved it.
“It was just a fucked up night,” he said. “That’s all. I thought for a second I was going to be able to talk to my father. But then Rosemary showed up. She acted like I was invisible.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I’m not sure why I even mentioned it.”
“Because it hurts you,” I said.
Elijah looked at me. “That’s not true.”
“Yes it is,” I said. “It’s not your fault that anything happened and you’re played off as the bad person in it. That’s wrong, Elijah. And you can be vulnerable near me.”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, you saw my life…”
Elijah took one last drag of his cigarette and then dropped it into the coffee cup.
He put the cup down and walked down the steps.
“Tell Cherry I said thanks,” he said.
“Elijah. Wait.”
He kept walking.
I hurried down the porch steps but stopped there.
He was on the move. Fast.
I opened my mouth but wasn’t sure what to yell at him to get him to come back.
I sighed.
When I turned I saw his coffee mug. The disgusting cigarette butt floating at the top of the tan liquid.
I grabbed the mug and carried it to the kitchen and dumped it into the trash.
“Elijah left,” I said.
“What?” Cherry asked. “Why?”
“Had to go,” I said. “I’ll take five pancakes. And you don’t have to cook for me.”
Cherry whipped her head around and stared at me.
I fought back the tears as best as I could.
* * *
The first thing I had to do was go to Miss Carson’s office. And by doing that, I had to walk through the main office which meant there was a chance of seeing Principal Henders. Not that it was a big deal or anything but it was just… I didn’t want to see any of them. I had no desire to see the powers of HCH. There were plenty of rumors crawling through the hallways, ones that I could either get ahead of, straight up deny, or just ignore completely. I really didn’t know my place in anything. The truth was that most of it was out of my hands and their hands. It was now up to my mother and father to work out. Or the police. Or lawyers. Or whatever.
I really didn’t care.
My heart was still torn up and spinning from that morning.
And it only made it worse that Elijah didn’t go to HCH. That left me assuming him to be at Tech.
When I opened the main office door, Principal Henders stood there.
He quickly closed a folder and jumped at me.
“Novalee,” he said. “How are you?”
“Fine,” I said. “Just meeting with Miss Carson.”
“Of course. Let me walk you in.”
There was no objecting to it.
Principal Henders opened Miss Carson’s office door without knocking. Which was kind of shitty to do.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said as Miss Carson looked at us, a spoonful of yogurt at her lips.
“Sure,” she said, standing up. “Come right in.”
I felt mortified.
“If you need anything, Novalee, you let me know,” Principal Henders said. “Or let Miss Carson know.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Sorry,” Miss Carson said. “I was just eating some breakfast.”
“I didn’t tell him to do that.”
“I know. He’s nervous.”
“About?”
“Just a busy time right now in this place.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Fights. Murder. Abuse. Hope they pay you by the case. Or pay you based on how fucked up each one is.”
Miss Carson shook her head. “You don’t hold back, do you?”
“Nope. Which is why I don’t need to be here. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“You know, everyone says that.”
“I’m right.”
“And everyone else is wrong?”
“Yes.”
Miss Carson smiled.
“I know,” I said. “That sounds pathetic. Oh well.”
“Can we just take five minutes and talk?”
“About?”
“How are you doing?”
“Perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“Yeah. I slept. Woke up. Ate. Came here. What’s not perfect about it? Oh, last night, I went surfing. After dark. Kind of dangerous but it works.”
“Sounds like fun,” Miss Carson said. “Do you normally surf in the dark?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I just said… it’s dangerous.”
“Right,” Miss Carson said. “Have you done anything else dangerous lately?”
Besides falling right back in love with Elijah?
“No,” I said. “Why?”
“Well, sometimes we channel anger with danger,” Miss Carson said.
“What?”
“Sorry,” she said. “You’ve been living in a very difficult situation. And you’re out of that situation. Which is good. But sometimes it can leave you with the residual of it all. Understand?”
“No,” I said.
“Okay. That’s fine. That’s completely fine, Novalee. What I’m explaining is that… sometimes you chase that sense of danger because that’s all you know. And I don’t want you to end up actually doing something too dangerous.”
“Like what?”
Miss Carson opened her mouth and then shut it. She sighed. “You don’t want to be here with me. Not many people do. I deal with this all the time. Play dumb. Ask awkward questions. Try to get me to say something wrong. I’m used to it, Novalee. You’re not going to get to me. But I will say this… we have time together. To talk about anything you’d like. From my point of view, if you’re out in the middle of the night, chasing danger, that means you’re feeling something. And you should be.”
“I went surfing at night because I felt like it,” I said. “I walked away from a situation that could have been bad. So I did the right thing. And I’m not stupid because I know how to surf. And I wasn’t alone.”
“Novalee… I would never accuse or assume anything. I’m happy to hear you’re surrounded by friends. The same way you were there for friends when they needed you.”
“You’re talking about Aira and what her father did.”
“I can’t bring up other names.”
“Oh, I get it. On paper, we look perfect, right? What her father did. What my father did. We should be best friends forever.”
“And you’re not?”
“I don’t know if I have any real friends right now,” I said.
“Why not?”
“I just don’t,” I said. “I should get to class. I know you have to bother me. Which is fine. I know everyone is scared for me. But maybe the right thing is to help my mother. Because my father is going to paint her as a crazy bitch. Nobody needs to worry about me.”
“I disagree, Novalee,” Miss Carson said. “Everyone needs and has someone to worry about them.”
That pissed me off more than anything else that happened so far that morning.
