The Wrong Path

Chapter Seventeen





“Annabelle!”

She listlessly finished placing her books in her locker, giving herself a moment before turning to face the person calling her name. She mentally went over her list of excuses about why she couldn’t be wherever Claire or Claudia or whoever-it-was wanted her to be, but after the last few days of dodging her friends, the list was running dry. She was starting to toy with the idea of just telling them she didn’t want to go. That would definitely get her kicked out of her group. And out, she realized numbly, was exactly where she wanted to be.

But to her surprise, it wasn’t Claire or Claudia hurrying toward her in the hallway. It was Ebony, concern etched all over her normally cheerful face. Annabelle straightened, her heart skipping a beat at the sight.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her mouth feeling strangely dry.

“Have you seen Will?” Ebony asked. The usual brightness in Ebony’s voice had been replaced with a heavy, almost urgent tone that scared Annabelle.

Suddenly the reason she hadn’t seen Will for so many days took on a completely different light. Annabelle felt her heart plummet into her stomach. “Not since Monday night. Why? What’s wrong?”

Ebony swore softly. “Will went home on Tuesday, and I guess he and Trevor got into it. Trevor said Will hasn’t been seen since.” Ebony sank back against the locker, looking frustrated and defeated. “And if Will doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be.”

Annabelle’s mind raced. Will had been missing since Tuesday? That was why she hadn’t seen him anywhere? That was why he hadn’t come into her room, even though she’d left her window open despite the sudden turn in weather? Will had been missing all this time, and she hadn’t known about it?

But why would she know? No one knew they were friends. No one would even think to tell her except for Ebony. And Ebony had probably been out trying to find Will.

It was already Friday. Will had been missing for almost four days. He hadn’t come to find her. He hadn’t tried to get in touch with her. He had just vanished.

They needed to find him.

She needed to find him.

“Can you give me a ride home?” Annabelle asked her, slamming her locker shut.

Ebony straightened, her eyes brightening with hope. “You know where he is?”

She thought of all the places Will had shown her. “Not for sure. But maybe.”

Ebony whipped out a pair of car keys. “Let’s go,” she agreed immediately.

They started down the hall, Annabelle turning sharply when a hand grabbed her arm. She tried to yank her arm free, stopping short when she recognized Trevor staring back at her, his eyes wide.

“Annabelle?” he asked, looking between her and Ebony in bewilderment. “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

She couldn’t find it in her to not scowl at him; to hold onto her mask for him. She had seen Trevor every day since Tuesday, and even if she had carefully tried to extract herself from his company every time he approached, he could have mentioned that Will was gone in at least one of their conversations.

“Why didn’t you say Will went missing?” she snapped at him.

Trevor looked startled. “I didn’t think it would matter…”

Annabelle glared at him. “It matters, Trevor. Will matters. To a lot of people. Just like he mattered to your mother. And even if you can’t see it, it’s still true.”

Trevor gaped at her, but she just spun away from him, leading the way down the hallway to the parking lot. She barely felt the rain that pelted down on them as Ebony silently fell into step with her, finally stopping outside of a dark red sedan. Annabelle climbed in, her fear and her anger at Trevor nearly making her shake. Ebony blared the heat as she pulled out of the parking spot, both girls soaked from the rain.

“You know,” Ebony began slowly, after several minutes of silence, “Will was really surprised when you showed up on the steps that day.”

Annabelle looked over at her, startled out of her musing. “What?” she asked. She thought back to that day, which seemed so long ago, and remembered her fear as she stepped through the back door. She had been astonished at her own courage, so to hear that Will had been surprised wasn’t a big shock. It was just strange to hear Ebony suddenly bring it up out of nowhere.

Ebony deliberately kept her eyes fastened on the road. “I had a feeling you would show up, so I sat on his lap and waited for you.” She laughed. “Will was so annoyed. He kept trying to push me off. But as soon as you showed up and I saw your face, I knew.” She looked over at Annabelle. “He’s been in love with you for years, you know.”

Annabelle stared at her, floored. “What?” she asked again, sure she had heard Ebony incorrectly.

Ebony smiled slightly and turned back to the road. “I think he figured you were in two different worlds, so he just kind of watched from afar.” Ebony shook her head. “But then you showed up on those steps. You crossed that invisible barrier.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, merely gaping at Ebony in disbelief. Ebony glanced at her and laughed.

“You know I’ve never been to Will’s spots?” Ebony asked. Annabelle wordlessly shook her head. Ebony nodded. “We’ve been friends for nearly ten years and I’ve never been to any of them.” She cast a look over at Annabelle. “But you have, haven’t you?”

She nodded guiltily.

Ebony laughed, pulling the car up to Annabelle’s house and putting it into park. “Do you know why I’m telling you all this, Annabelle?”

“No,” Annabelle admitted, her voice hoarse.

“Because I just watched you tell off Trevor on Will’s behalf, and I know that means something big to you. Probably bigger than I can understand. And I want you to think about that and everything I just told you when you find Will.” Ebony nodded at Annabelle’s house. “Good luck.”

Annabelle stared at her for another second, until she remembered that Will was still missing. Then she nodded and jumped out of the car, hurrying up to her house. She ran inside and scrawled a quick note to her parents, letting them know she was borrowing the car. Then she swiped the keys from the key rack and ran out to the garage.

The red sports car convertible was her mother’s fiftieth birthday present to her father, and he almost never took it out of the garage. He only drove it once or twice per year, and it was generally just for a leisurely drive on a perfectly clear, sunny day. He would be furious when he came home and discovered that not only had she taken the car, but she had taken it out on a rainy day.

She hopped into the convertible and gunned the engine.

She tried to remain calm as she drove, staying as close to the speed limit as she could, but her anxiety and unfamiliarity with driving made it difficult. Her mind kept going over Ebony’s words in her head, repeating endlessly. Could it be true? Could Will really have been in love with her for years?

She thought of their first real interaction together—of the nickname he had given her with a familiarity that had surprised her. At the time it had seemed just like Will to be casual and flippant, but now that she knew him better, it seemed so much more than that. Will had been telling her, in his own way, that he knew her. And she hadn’t seen it.

The windshield wipers worked rapidly across the windshield, clearing water off of the glass. She could still barely see, leaning forward against the wheel, clutching it fiercely.

She almost cried with relief when she finally spied the barn, then felt her heart sink in despair when she saw the deserted lot. Will wasn’t there. He wasn’t at the barn.

But this had to be it. This had to be where he would come.

She climbed out of the car, the rain battering down on her with an almost bruising force. She dashed for the barn, relieved to see the lock was not closed. She lifted it out of the latch and opened the door just enough to let herself in, finding sanctuary from the rain.

It was dark inside, the dull gray light from the heavy storm clouds outside barely lighting the room. She looked around uneasily, trying to locate some sort of light source. She finally spied a lantern on one of the work tables by the door and picked it up, turning the dial until it cast a hazy yellow glow around the room.

To her dismay, there were no indications Will had been at the barn since he had brought her. The place looked the exact same as it had the last time he had brought her. She had hoped for some sign—clothes or blankets in the corner on the couch, maybe—but there was none.

She headed to the couch anyway, setting the lantern down on the coffee table in front of it before curling up in the corner of the couch. She tugged one of the blankets from the back of the couch over her, shivering as her body temperature started to rise. How could Will stand to stay here? The rain on the outside of the barn was impossibly loud. Every sound she heard outside she was sure was someone coming to murder her.

She tried to picture Will staying here, as frightened as she was, but she couldn’t imagine it. Will probably just flopped back on that very couch, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. He wouldn’t let strange noises frighten him. And if he did hear one, he would probably just get up and go investigate it.

The thought comforted her somehow, making her smile. She rested her head against the arm of the couch, which smelled vaguely of Will, and closed her eyes.

The sound of a car startled her. She looked up, shocked to see it was dark outside. She hurriedly set aside the blanket, her heart hammering against her chest as she ran to the window to see outside. She could only see headlights in the darkness, which went out even as she watched.

Her blood ran cold as she heard the footsteps slowly approach the barn.

If it were Will, he would have run up to get out of the rain, wouldn’t he? So then who was walking up with such slow, deliberate steps? Will had told her no one would come to the barn, but what if he was wrong? What if someone did know about the barn?

What if she were about to be in a lot of trouble?

She ran to the back of the barn, turning the dial on the lantern to extinguish the light. She hid behind the standing shelves, crouching low to the ground. The rain sounded impossibly loud on the roof of the old barn, as if it had somehow amplified within the last few seconds. Her blood rushed in her ears as she waited in trepidation for the person to enter. She heard the scrape of metal and wood as the barn door was opened. A figure stepped in, drenched with rain. He paused a foot inside of the barn and looked up, the dull light from the window barely lighting his features.

Will.

She darted out from behind the shelves, running to him. “Will!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

He caught her with a slight step back, his arms holding her almost automatically. “Belle?” he asked, sounding bewildered. “What are you doing here? Whose car is that?”

She hugged him tightly, all the fear she had felt replaced with so much warmth and relief she could almost feel it exuding from her. “It’s my dad’s. I came to find you.”

“Your dad’s?” he repeated. “Where did it come from?”

“He’s had it for years. He doesn’t take it out of the garage.” She pulled back and looked up at him. His hair dripped onto his shirt, hanging in pieces around his tired, thin face. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to come here.” She nearly gasped when he pulled away from her, stepping around her to the couch. She watched as he knelt down in front of a trunk beside it and unlocked it, pulling out a long-sleeved t-shirt.

She tried to push down her hurt feelings. “I was worried about you,” she objected. “Ebony told me that you were missing.”

Will yanked off his wet shirt, scowling. “Of course she did,” he muttered.

“Will—“

“Belle.” He turned on her, the dry shirt still in his hands. “Thank you for coming. Really. But I came here to get away from everything. I’m fine. Tell Ebony not to worry.”

She frowned at his dismissal, watching as he tugged the shirt over his head, settling it around his waist. “Will—“

“Why are you here?” Will demanded, turning on her with flashing eyes. “Really, Annabelle. What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you,” she repeated, her heart aching.

“I noticed. Why? Did you have a bad day again? Need a shoulder to cry on? Need someone to cheer you up because you got into a fight with your boyfriend? I’m probably not the person you want for that right now.”

He was hurt. She could see it all over him. Will looked exhausted and hurt, like he was barely keeping it together. She crossed the distance separating them, facing off against him squarely as she took his hands, interlacing their fingers. “No,” she agreed. “I’m the person you want for that right now.”

He looked… caught off-guard. And then angry. He pulled his hands from hers, smiling darkly down at her. “Really?” he asked. “I’m pretty sure we did that. And I left.”

She tried not to flinch at his harsh words. She forced herself to remain strong—to believe in everything they had been through together. To believe in Will. He was upset about something, and if he would just talk to her, they could work it out. Together. “To go home,” she pointed out.

“Where I left.”

“Because you got into a fight with Trevor.”

He flashed another dark smile. “Your boyfriend.”

“Stop it!” she shouted, frustrated. Why did it always have to come back to Trevor being her boyfriend? Why did he always have to point out that she was dating someone else? Someone who happened to be his brother? Someone she didn’t even want to be dating? “I had been about to break up with Trevor on the way home from the fair. Because I was thinking about you.” His eyes flickered, but she went on, unable to stop. “And then he got the call about your mom and I couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to him.” She shook her head, convincing herself of the words even as she said them to Will. She raised her eyes to his, meeting his unreadable gaze. “So stop telling me Trevor’s my boyfriend. I know. I know, and I’m sorry.”

He looked away. “You’re just upset because you got into a fight with Trevor today. You don’t mean—“

“I got into a fight with Trevor about you!” she cried. “For not telling me you were missing! Because I thought you had run off because I had done something wrong! God, Will!” She turned away helplessly, throwing her hands up in the air, before turning back on him. “I gave up my boyfriend, my friends, and everything I have spent years working for, just to be with you! What else do I have to do to prove that I love you?”

His head lifted instantly, his eyes stunned. Her chest heaved as she panted for breath, refusing to look away from his shocked gaze. She had said it. She hadn’t meant to say it, but she had. She had finally been able to tell Will—to tell herself—that she loved him.

“You,” she began, her voice trembling with emotion, “changed everything.” She shook her head, laughing almost bitterly at the memory. “I think the moment I saw you and Ebony in the mall the first time, something in me changed. I kept staring at you, admiring your courage.” It all felt like so long ago, but she went on, needing to say it. “And then I started seeing you everywhere. Every time I turned around, you were there. To save me. To help me. You were completely different from anyone I had ever known. You showed me things I didn’t even know existed. Whenever I went out, where ever I was, I started looking for you. Hoping you would be there. I looked forward to every time I would see you again. Not because I wanted a shoulder to cry on, but because I wanted you with me.” She looked up at him, tears blurring her vision. “Because you made me want to be me.”

He yanked her into his arms, clutching her fiercely. She let out a sob, fisting his shirt in her hands as she held onto him.

It was a long time later when Will slowly stepped back, just far enough to look down at her. Her heart fluttered as he gently smoothed her hair away from her face, a tender look on his face.

“When I was thirteen,” Will began, his voice soft, “I hurt my arm pretty bad. They said I would never play baseball again. I was sitting in the front yard, angry at everything, when I saw you walk out of your house. You were wearing this light blue dress and you had your hair up in a ponytail, and you were wearing this big smile. You called back into the house that you would be back before dinner. Then you shut the door, walked to the tree between our houses, and sat down and started crying.” Will’s eyes focused on her. “Suddenly my hurt arm didn’t seem so bad. You looked so sad. I thought, if you would just stop crying, my arm could stay broken forever.” He held up his right arm and flexed his hand. “It didn’t, but the next year you transferred to our school.”

Annabelle felt hot tears slide down her cheeks as she looked up at him. He reached up and carefully wiped the tears away, his expression softer than she had ever seen it. “I don’t know how I would have gotten over what happened if I hadn’t seen you that day.”

“I wish,” she said softly, her voice thick with tears, “that you had come over to comfort me then.”

He offered a half-smile. “I have been wishing that for years.”

She smiled lightly. “I think you more than made up for it, though.”

He leaned down and kissed her lingeringly on the forehead. Her heart ached in a way she had never felt before, with so much happiness that it hurt. When he pulled back and looked down at her, his dark eyes loving and warm, she thought she would break.

And then, her emotions swirling around her, she reached up and kissed him.

Will’s lips were warm and soft against hers, smooth and gentle. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, drawing her impossibly closer, sealing the distance between them. She locked her fingers in the silky strands of his hair, holding him to her, refusing to let go.

A while later they were laying together on the couch, Annabelle lying contentedly against his chest. Will had one arm behind his head against the arm of the couch, the other lightly stroking her hair. She smiled into his neck, sighing deeply at the faded cologne scent that still lingered around him.

Will let out a sigh against her hair and shifted, slowly sitting up. Annabelle sat up as well, sitting beside him. She frowned at the almost reluctant look on his face, alarm speeding up her heart.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He looked over at her. “There’s something you should hear,” he told her. Her heart skipped as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a cell phone. “It’s how I knew you’d gotten into a fight with Trevor.”

Startled, she sat up straighter. “You knew?” she asked.

He looked down at the cell phone and then paused, frowning. She watched anxiously as he stared at the phone, practically hearing the wheels in his head turning.

And then Will’s eyes suddenly grew large and his head lifted, his face filled with disbelief and amazement. “That son of a bitch,” he breathed. Annabelle gaped at him, her heart hammering against her ribs as he quickly dialed a number, listening intently.

A machine’s voice filled the quiet room. “You have one saved message,” it announced.

“Hey… Will?” Annabelle heard Trevor’s voice say through the speaker. “You’re probably up at the barn, but can you send me a text when you get this to let me know you’re okay? Your friends haven’t heard from you all week. Mom’s funeral is tomorrow, too… It’s at eleven at the church. And, um…” Her heart skipped as she heard Trevor let out a deep breath. “Look, Will… I’m sorry about the other day. And… if you see Annabelle… will you tell her I’m sorry? I… I didn’t know. I guess I should have, but I… I just didn’t. Typical Trevor, right Will? Anyway… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Will. Alright, well… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The machine’s voice took over. “To delete this message, press seven. To save it—“

Will ended the call.

Annabelle’s mind spun. She felt rooted to the couch, stunned. Trevor had known where Will was the entire time? That was why he hadn’t been worried. And he had asked Will to tell Annabelle he was sorry. As if he knew Annabelle would find him. And speaking about something he should have known, as if he should have known all along, but hadn’t…? Saying he was sorry?

Saying he was sorry to Will.

Trevor had figured it out.

A part of her was so relieved that she wanted to laugh, and yet so sad she wanted to cry. Trevor really was a nice guy. She was lucky that she had gotten to go out with him. He had been a wonderful boyfriend to her. She would always be happy she had dated Trevor.

But Trevor wasn’t the one she wanted to be with. And Trevor had figured it out and let her go.

To be with Will.

She turned to him, tears of relief flooding her eyes. Will was still marveling at the phone, as if he couldn’t believe what he already knew. Annabelle couldn’t resist laughing, throwing her arms around him. Will fell back on the couch, clutching her tightly.

Nothing left to keep them apart.