The Wrong Path

Chapter Two





“Parker is way hotter this year,” Claudia was saying as Annabelle joined her friends in the cluster of chairs in the salon’s waiting area. With her long, waist-length black hair, olive skin, stunning features, and model-like body, Claudia was the girl’s second-in-command. She was also the resident expert on all-things boys, often having at least two boyfriends at the same time, and another three or four chasing her. Claudia was constantly showing off some new piece of jewelry from a desperate admirer.

“Definitely,” Erin agreed quickly. Erin, a petite, mouse-brown haired girl with tiny features, was the most agreeable person Annabelle had ever met. She was sweet and friendly, and always eager to please. She had started hanging out with the group late last year, when she and Claudia had shared a history class together, and had quickly ingratiated herself into its inner ranks. “He’s totally hotter this year.”

“Are you going to ask him to drive you to Rainstorm?” Mary asked. Mary had been part of the circle of friends since before Annabelle, having grown up with the others. She had long, dark brown hair, large brown eyes, and perfectly bronzed skin that gave her an exotic, eye-catching appearance. She was also the hardest partier out of all of them, always the first to suggest the latest hot spot or house party location for a weekend night.

“Speaking of…” Claire started, lowering her voice so the group of girls had to lean in close to hear her. Claire, the leader of the clique, was astonishingly beautiful, with blond hair always curled into big, bouncy waves, perfectly tanned skin, and a lean, toned body from hours of cheerleading practice. Her looks, strong personality, and sharp tongue made her a natural leader. It had been Claire who had introduced herself to Annabelle at the country club years earlier, inviting her to hang out the next day. Annabelle would always be grateful to her for that. “I’ve got the IDs in my room at home. Adam dropped them off yesterday, and they look great.”

There were quiet cheers of excitement from the girls. Annabelle tried to picture her and her friends getting dressed up and going out to a club to go dancing, but the idea was just so foreign she couldn’t imagine it. She, Annabelle, at sixteen, was actually going to go to a club with her friends.

The club, which was having its opening night next Friday, was advertised as having two floors, with five different rooms all playing different types of music. As soon as Mary found out about it and told them about it at lunch one day, Claire had set about trying to get them fake IDs, and Claudia had produced one of her college boys that had a contact. The next thing Annabelle knew, they were all giving Claudia money to pay for the fake IDs with a promise of having them in time for the club opening.

“Annabelle?”

She looked up quickly at the voice that called her name, and smiled at the familiar face of her stylist. She’d been going to the same woman since the girls had started bringing her to the salon, unlike the others, who didn’t seem to care who did their hair. But Carrie did her hair just the way she liked it, and she trusted her.

She stood, bid her friends goodbye, and smiled at Carrie as she was led to the back. “So what’re we going to do today?” Carrie asked, as they walked by freshly styled women on their way out of the salon. Annabelle lingered a moment to watch them, unable to tear her eyes away. She loved watching women walk out of the salon. They always looked beautiful, as if having their hair done had breathed new life into them. If Annabelle could, she would come to the salon every day to have her hair done.

“Just a trim,” she requested, lightly fingering the ends of her hair, which had grown slightly past her shoulders. She knew from the other girls that Trevor liked girls with shoulder-length hair, so she diligently kept her hair at the same length, getting regular trims to keep it in shape.

“Sounds good,” Carrie agreed cheerfully, even though Annabelle never asked for anything different. She spun the chair for Annabelle to sit down in.

As she slid in, listening to Carrie’s upbeat chatter, answering when appropriate, she wondered if it was difficult to be a hairdresser, pretending to be interested in what the people in her chair were saying. Maybe she really was interested—Carrie was in her mid-twenties, pretty, and appeared to be genuinely happy every time Annabelle saw her. When Annabelle spoke, she listened encouragingly.

An hour later, Carrie proudly set down her styling tools. Annabelle looked at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her shoulder-length light brown hair curled into large waves. Her blue eyes were bright, as if new life had been breathed into her, just like the rest of the women in the salon.

She thanked Carrie and went to pay with her credit card. Her mom had given it to her on the condition every purchase was either discussed with her before it was made or never totaled more than three-hundred dollars per month. It was much less than her friends were given—Claire could spend as much as she wanted each month, and Claudia had a cap of a thousand dollars per month—but as envious as she was of her friend’s unlimited amount, she felt good about having her own card. She was, after all, more blessed than many other people, a fact her parents never hesitated to point out to her.

“It looks great,” she heard a voice say as someone approached on her right. She turned quickly, smiling brightly at Claire’s compliment. Claire’s shiny blond hair hung straight down her back, making her look like a model.

“Thanks,” she said, pleased. “You, too. But you always look great.”

Claire grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. “What would I do without you, Annabelle?” she laughed, placing her credit card down on the counter to pay for her cut.

They sat around and gossiped for a while, until everyone but Mary had finished and paid for their styles. Claire disappeared into the back to find out what was taking so long, reappearing a few minutes later with her lips in a straight line. “Mary’s getting her hair colored,” Claire announced, sounding borderline annoyed. “So we’re going to get some food.”

Annabelle hesitated. She felt bad leaving Mary alone in the salon, but the other girls were already heading out into the mall the salon was connected to. She followed quickly, not wanting to get left behind.

“That is so cute!” Claire exclaimed, stopping short at the front of the group to point into the window of one of the stores they walked by. Immediately, Annabelle and the other two girls turned to look.

“It’s totally cute!” Erin agreed enthusiastically.

“The boys’ll die,” Claudia agreed, sounding almost amused.

Annabelle studied the outfit. It was a light blue mini-skirt and a short, cropped white shirt with a matching light-blue sweater over it. On the wrong person it would look hideous, but on Claire it would be stunning, just like everything else she wore. Claire could probably turn heads wearing a track suit three sizes too big.

“Annabelle?”

Annabelle turned sharply, startled to find three sets of eyes on her. Claire was giving her an expectant look, waiting for her opinion.

Embarrassed, Annabelle grinned. “It’ll look amazing on you,” she assured Claire. “Just like everything else.”

Claire smiled broadly. “That settles it, then,” she declared. Pleased that she had been part of the decision, Annabelle and the other girls followed Claire into the store.

“I’m trying this,” Claudia announced succinctly, studying a pair of black Capri pants that looked like they were made specifically for a mannequin. She disappeared into one of the changing rooms.

Annabelle watched as Erin also disappeared into a fitting room, and suddenly found herself alone in the store. Feeling instantly isolated and conspicuous, she glanced around the store, keenly aware of the eyes on her. Flustered at the probing, accusatory, annoyed looks that were being directed at her, she quickly looked down at the racks of clothing. She and her friends had been getting stared at like that for years in the mall, and she still didn’t understand why. At first she had thought it was jealousy at how pretty they were and that they were out having fun, but as more time went on, she wasn’t so sure.

“You should try this on,” Claire said, appearing out of nowhere. Annabelle looked over at her gratefully, thankful to be saved from the judging, hostile stares. Claire smiled, holding out a plaid, pleated mini-skirt and a cropped white polo shirt.

“How was the outfit?” Annabelle asked her, nodding at the items over Claire’s arm as she took the hangers Claire held out to her.

Claire grinned impishly. “Amazing.”

They giggled and headed back to the changing rooms. Annabelle pulled on the skirt and the top, surprised at how good the outfit looked on her. Claire certainly had an eye for fashion, right down to knowing Annabelle’s size without even having to ask. And she had an uncanny ability to put clothing together that always looked polished and perfect, as if it had been designed to fit together.

Once the girls had bought and paid for their clothes—and they had all bought at least one new outfit, and Claudia had even grabbed some new accessories—they made their way through the mall to the food court.

As they walked, she caught sight of a boy and a girl around their age sitting on a bench drinking coffee. They were dressed in dark clothes, the boy in black pants covered in chains and zippers and a black t-shirt with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, and the girl in baggy black pants and a shredded burgundy tank top over a skintight long-sleeved black shirt. The boy had his back to Annabelle and her friends as he talked to the girl, blocking their faces from Annabelle’s view.

What kind of courage, Annabelle couldn’t help marveling, did someone have to possess to be able to dress like that? How were they able to walk around with their heads held high amidst all the stares and sneers? She didn’t think she could do it. While she was pleased to be part of the group everyone was envious of, she didn’t think she could handle being one of the outcasts—one of the ones who were noticed because they stuck out, not because they stuck in.

Still, a part of her couldn’t help but admire their strength.

“What do you think, Annabelle?” she heard Claire’s voice ask, breaking into her thoughts.

Startled, she tore her eyes away from the boy and girl and back to her friends. They were clustered together in a v-formation, Claire at the helm, several steps in front of her. She had become so distracted by the couple she’d fallen behind and lost track of the conversation.

As they waited expectantly, she frantically thought back to what her friends had been discussing. She was fairly certain she had heard Claudia say something about The Roux, which meant they had been talking about where to eat.

“The food court,” she declared, relieved she had been paying at least a little bit of attention to her friend’s chatter. They often saw other students in the food court, and since that was generally the main entrance, there was a high probability she would see Trevor if he showed up. “Never know who you’ll see out there, right?”

Claire grinned approvingly. Apparently Claire had wanted to eat at the food court as well. “Exactly,” she agreed, taking a few steps back to link her arm through Annabelle’s and bring her to the front of the group. Annabelle tried to sneak another look at the couple to see if she recognized them, but with Claire holding onto her and the other girls behind her, there was no way for her to do it without drawing too much attention. She tried not to be disappointed that her curiosity about their identity hadn’t been satiated when they rounded the corner to the food court.

They all ordered from the same place in the crowded cluster of restaurants so they wouldn’t have to split up, as was customary. Claudia looked annoyed they hadn’t gone with her choice, but at the sight of the tables full of boys who all turned their heads to stare at them, her features smoothed and lifted into a flirtatious smile. They chose a table on the outer edge, closest to the points of entry to the food court, giving them maximum visibility to anyone who should enter. Claire sat facing the hallway so she could see people as they streamed in, and to Annabelle’s surprise, she was pulled down into the chair beside her. Claudia, of course, sat on Claire’s other side, leaving Erin to sit beside Claudia.

Sitting beside Claire was the biggest honor the girls in the group could have, and Annabelle couldn’t help but feel pleased she had been chosen. She stuck her straw in her milkshake with a smile.

Claire discussed all of the gossip she had accumulated in the last day, which was enough to keep them entertained well through the meal and then some, especially with the other girls interjecting more gossip and their opinions. Annabelle enjoyed being included in the epicenter of the high school—knowing everyone else’s business and being able to discuss it all. There was something comforting about knowing something about everyone, as if it made the school smaller; made even people she barely knew almost like friends.

Out of nowhere, Annabelle watched Claire straighten, deliberately resuming control of the conversation. Her laugh suddenly became louder; her presence more commanding. She had paused in “casually” looking around, fixing her eyes on her friends.

Someone Claire had wanted to catch the attention of and impress had clearly come into the food court.

Sure enough, a moment later, Annabelle’s suspicions were confirmed. To her delight, Trevor Scarlett and his best friend Zach Coffman appeared at the end of their table. Both boys were dressed in polo shirts and lettermen’s jackets, their short hair styled to perfection. Zach had been Trevor’s best friend since they were kids, and as far as Annabelle had ever been able to tell, they were together all the time.

“Hey ladies,” Trevor greeted, smiling in his cheerful, friendly manner. Annabelle’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. Trevor was incredibly handsome, with dark brown hair and warm brown eyes set against deeply tanned skin. He was large, but not overpoweringly so, and Annabelle admired his ability to be so tough on the football field and yet not intimidate people on the street.

“Hey Trevor; Zach,” Claire greeted, in almost a purr. “What are you guys doing here?”

Trevor grinned. “Just grabbing some food.” He paused and studied them with a curious, polite look. Annabelle tried not to fidget under his scrutiny. “Did you guys get your hair done?”

Delighted he had noticed, Annabelle’s heart sang with more adoration for him. “Yeah,” Claudia confirmed. “We all did. We just stopped here for something to eat while Mary finishes up.”

“It looks nice,” he complimented. He was so sweet, Annabelle had to stop herself from swooning.

“You guys should join us when you get your food,” Claire suggested. She smiled, her perfectly painted red lips curling up to reveal straight, white teeth. “We can discuss the party tonight.”

Trevor looked back at Zach, who grinned at the girls. “Of course,” Zach agreed. “Who doesn’t want to be surrounded by beautiful women as they eat?”

The girls all laughed, calling him “flirt,” and “tease,” as they giggled. Zach was almost as big of a ladies’ man as Parker, often hopping from girl to girl without ever seriously dating any of them. Annabelle was grateful Trevor had never picked up the same behavior.

As soon as the boys left to go get their food, the girls leaned forward and spoke in quiet whispers. “How delicious does Trevor look?” Claudia asked dreamily.

Annabelle tried not to flinch. If it was a contest for Trevor’s heart, history showed Claudia would win every time. She tried not to think about seeing Claudia wrapped up in Trevor’s arms or wearing his letterman’s jacket, but her imagination was already running wild. The image almost brought her to tears.

“Hey,” Claire snapped suddenly, startling all of them into silence. “Trevor is Annabelle’s, Claudia. Don’t even think about moving in on your best friend’s guy.”

Annabelle stared at her in gratitude and awe. Claire was fiercely protective, and she was always willing to put someone in their place when she thought they were going to do something that would hurt one of her friends. She really was a great friend. Once again, Annabelle found herself incredibly grateful to the blond girl.

Claudia shook out her long hair. “I was just saying he looks extreme,” Claudia declared shortly, almost protesting. She gave Annabelle a reassuring smile. “I would never do anything to hurt you, like go after your guy.” She leaned forward, her eyes dancing mischievously. “In fact, I was going to ask if you wanted to borrow a dress for the party tonight. It’ll look gorgeous on you. Trevor is sure to notice.”

Annabelle shook her head immediately, feeling guilty. If Claudia really did like Trevor, what right did she have to stand in Claudia’s way? It wasn’t like she was dating Trevor. Trevor had never even asked her out. “No, no. I don’t mind if you go for Trevor. Really. I’m happy if he picks one of us.”

They were interrupted from discussing it further as the boys reappeared, adorably pulling chairs up to the end of the table between Claire and Claudia and sitting backwards in them as they pulled out hamburgers and fries.

Their food smelled amazing. Annabelle longed for a cheeseburger.

“So, the party tonight,” Claire started, smiling impishly. All traces of anger had completely vanished from her face, replaced with that irresistible twist of her lips all the boys fell for. “You guys are coming, right?”

“Of course,” Zach answered, grinning flirtatiously at her. “As long as you girls are.”

The girls burst into giggles. Even if it was cliché, it was still really cute, and Annabelle felt lucky to get to be around people who had so much confidence in themselves.

“You know Caleb is supposed to have, like, five kegs,” Erin stuck in from the other end of the table, looking desperate to be part of the conversation. “He said he bought them off his brother since they had too many at their last party.”

“Sweet, keg stands,” Zach declared, flashing another charming smile. “You ladies need any help, I’m there.”

Again the flirtatious laughter rang throughout the table. Annabelle dared to sneak a look up at Trevor, who was grinning at Zach and shaking his head slightly, looking amused. Feeling tongue-tied and shy at Trevor’s close proximity, Annabelle looked away and stirred her milkshake, trying to keep herself from blushing.

“Annabelle?” Startled, she looked back up at Trevor, who had turned his kind smile on her. “Do you need a ride tonight? I can drive you.” He smiled around the table. “Unless you girls are already going together, that is.”

For the first time since she had turned sixteen, Annabelle was overjoyed her parents had refused to buy her a car.

And then she remembered. The girls had all planned to get ready at Claudia’s house and go together. As much as she was dying to say yes, Claire would be furious if she ditched them.

But Claire surprised her. “Oh, Trevor, you’re so sweet. Would you bring Annabelle? That would be so awesome. You guys live so far away from everyone else that going out to grab her was going to add a ton of time to us actually getting to the lake.”

Annabelle could have kissed her. She knew the other kids at school didn’t love Claire for their own reasons, but Claire was a true friend. “Thanks, Trevor,” she said, hoping she sounded confident and flirtatious, and not as embarrassed as she felt.

“Sure,” he agreed, smiling a cheery, friendly smile.

Annabelle felt weak as she furiously sucked on her straw, filling her mouth with melted strawberry-flavored vanilla ice cream. She prayed she wouldn’t blush, relieved that her brown hair had fallen around her, creating a veil between her and the world. Trevor had offered to give her a ride. Trevor Scarlett had actually offered to give her a ride to the party. In front of everyone. It was practically a date!

“Can you guys excuse me?”

She lifted her head at the bristled sound in Trevor’s voice even as he stood from the table. She, and the others around the table, followed his movements to the entrance of the food court, where to Annabelle’s astonishment, Trevor was approaching his younger brother and a girl… But it almost didn’t look like Will at all. Will had always been just on the edge of acceptable dressing—wearing t-shirts with logos and large designs, sometimes under button-downs that were always a little bit edgier than the ones the other boys at school wore. And yet now he stood in baggy black pants absolutely covered in chains and zippers, a black t-shirt with another longer black shirt under it, at least five chains around his neck, and a studded bracelet around his wrist.

Trevor’s back was tense as he joined them. Will’s long brown hair hung around his chiseled cheekbones, his expression snide as he stared down his approaching brother. The girl at Will’s side had dyed black hair hanging down the middle of her back, held back by a strange headband that appeared to be made out of some sort of zipper. She had dark red, almost black lipstick on, and her eyes were completely surrounded by black eye shadow. She looked like a really skanky, Goth China doll. She had on a skintight black shirt under a shredded burgundy tank top that looked both horrific and somehow eye-catching at the same time.

Annabelle vaguely recognized the girl from school, but she was pretty sure she had never seen her dressed like that before. Usually she took to more punk rock clothing… Nothing so gothic and extreme. Will and the girl—Ebony, Annabelle recalled suddenly—hung out with the same group of friends. When they actually attended school, they could be found on the back steps of the building, and they were not creepy Goth kids. They were generally more into the punk scene. So what on earth was going on? Why were she and Will dressed like that?

And then it hit her… Will and the girl… They were the ones Annabelle had been staring at earlier on the bench on the way to the food court.

But… what had happened to Will?

Trevor was clearly talking. Annabelle watched as Will suddenly pulled his wallet out from his back pocket—attached to his pants by a spiked chain—and handed some money to the girl, saying something to her with a sweet smile. The girl eyed Trevor for a moment, as if she were contemplating stabbing him. Eventually she took the bills, planted a kiss on Will’s cheek, and strode away to stand in line for food.

“What a freak,” Claire declared, drawing the table’s focus back to her. “Ebony and her little bitches that follow her around seriously need therapy.”

“I heard she went to juvie for stabbing her step-father,” Erin offered, her voice low.

As the conversation around the table turned to discuss the gossip of the punk crowd, Annabelle couldn’t resist looking over at the brothers, standing at the entrance to the food court. Will was smirking, a taunting expression marring his boyishly good looks. Though Annabelle couldn’t see Trevor’s face, she could see how stiff his body was, as if he were trying hard to control his anger. Whatever Will had said to him had clearly displeased him.

Will was growing exasperated. Even from the distance she was at, Annabelle could see it in the way he fidgeted and tensed and looked around. She watched as he looked at the line Ebony stood in, then, as his gaze drew back across the crowded room, his eyes settled on Annabelle’s. His sneer suddenly morphed into a devastatingly charming, mischievous smile that made her heart skip, catching her off-guard. She couldn’t bring herself to look away from the dark eyes that held hers, surprised at their depth. The curl of his lips was evident as he finally said something to his older brother. Almost instantly, Trevor swung around to look at her.

Annabelle flushed as both boys stared at her, straightening in alarm as she looked between the two of them. She was embarrassed at being caught staring, but Will was still smiling, and Trevor just had a look of agitation on his face.

Will said something else to Trevor, who quickly pivoted to look at him again, Annabelle finally forgotten. Then Will deliberately stepped away from his older brother, a polar opposite in just about every way, and joined Ebony in the line. Trevor turned back, looking tired, and flashed a weak smile at Annabelle before he rejoined them at the table.

“Is everything okay?” Claudia asked, a syrupy tone of concern in her voice. Annabelle watched as her long, slender fingers, topped with perfectly manicured French nails, landed on Trevor’s arm. Beside her, she could feel Claire tense, and silently, Annabelle pleaded with Claire to just let it go.

“Yeah,” Trevor told her, smiling and looking chagrined. “That brother of mine… He’s doing whatever he can to kill our mother, I swear it.”

Annabelle said nothing, but his words reminded her of the ones she had also said to Will the night before when she had caught him climbing into his window. Briefly, she toyed with the idea of telling Trevor about her fleeting meeting with Will, but decided against it. If she did tell him, she would tell him when they were alone—not in front of a crowd. She didn’t want to announce his personal business to everyone.

Claire nodded sympathetically. “Your mother always talked about him at tea,” she said sadly. “This has to be really hard for her.”

Trevor nodded, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles were white. Annabelle wished for the right words to smooth the situation over, but she didn’t know what to say. “My mom’s weak enough. Who knows what will push her over the edge.”

“Someone needs to teach that boy a lesson,” Claudia agreed, looking over at Will and Ebony distastefully. “Your mother is dealing with far too much to have to put up with his childish antics.”

Annabelle frowned, wishing the conversation would just end. Even though she knew the others were right, it was still hard listening to it, and it just seemed to be feeding Trevor’s anger. She didn’t want Trevor to be angry. She wanted him to be happy. She didn’t want Mrs. Scarlett to be ill anymore, either, but there was nothing she could do to whip Will into shape just for his mother’s sake.

Blessedly, there was a ringing around the table, interrupting the conversation. With an embarrassed smile, Claire pulled the ringing cell phone out of her purse. “Excuse me,” she said to the table, then answered the phone. “Hello?” She was silent for a moment. “Mary!” she greeted enthusiastically. “We’re in the food court.” She was quiet another moment. “Okay, see you soon. Kisses!” She hung up the phone, and turned to the others, smiling affectionately. “Mary’s hair is done. I can’t wait to see it.” She stood from the table, the other girls quickly following suit.

“We’ll see you guys tonight,” Claudia purred to Trevor and Zach. Zach smiled wolfishly and made some comment that made the other girls laugh, but Annabelle was too distracted by Trevor to hear it. He was staring at his food as if he were no longer hungry, looking exhausted and worn out. Her heart went out to him, and even as Claire practically dragged her away, she couldn’t resist looking out across the rest of the large room for the younger Scarlett brother.

She spotted him at one of the corner tables with Ebony, laughing with a wide, mischievous grin on his face. His dark eyes twinkled in merriment as he spoke rapidly, the girl’s peals of laughter ringing through Annabelle’s mind even as they left the food court.