Sunday, Jennica and I went to the mall and then got sundaes at Brigham’s. We talked about guys, and for the first time in ages, I had something to contribute. I told her what Sydney had said earlier in the week, and she reassured me that Sydney was just jealous and mean. I knew this, but even with Jennica’s words of comfort, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Sam didn’t call on Sunday night, which was weird, because he had started calling me every night so that we could wish each other sweet dreams. But I tried not to read into it; he was probably just busy.
On Monday morning, though, he wasn’t in first period. As the final bell rang, and his seat remained ominously empty, a funny feeling settled over me.
“Where is he?” Jennica mouthed as she glanced at Sam’s seat, then at my confused face. Mrs. Bost had already started class and was babbling something about vectors, but I couldn’t seem to tune in.
“I don’t know,” I mouthed back.
My phone vibrated a moment later, and I snuck a look. Jennica had texted im sure theres an explanation. I nodded and looked away, trying to focus on Mrs. Bost. But I had a feeling that something was wrong.
At lunchtime, I snuck outside to call Sam, but his voice mail picked up on the first ring. We weren’t supposed to talk on our cells at school, but I left him a quick message asking him to call me when he could.
He wasn’t in sixth period either, and he hadn’t called back. I tried him again as I was getting my books out of my locker after school, but his phone still went straight to voice mail. I was so busy agonizing over the reasons behind his absence that I didn’t even notice Cody approach until he was right in front of me.
“Hey,” he said. His hands were jammed in his pockets, and he looked nervous.
I stopped at my locker and looked at him. “Hey.”
“So, um,” he began. He coughed and looked down. “Are we on for tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
“Well, it’s Tuesday, isn’t it?” he said. “Are we still having a meeting?”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling good for the first time today. “What do you want to do?”
Cody shrugged. “I dunno. I’m supposed to watch my sister, Sarah, tomorrow afternoon. She’s ten. Think we could go somewhere where I could bring her?”
I nodded. “Sure. I’ll talk to everybody.”
By that evening, I had gotten in touch with Kelsi and Mindy and we had agreed to meet at the ice rink at Plymouth Center.
I told Logan, who reluctantly agreed to try to come, even though we were barely talking to each other, and I asked my mom if I could take Tanner, too, since Cody’s sister was about his age. I thought it might be good for my little brother.
“Whatever you want,” my mom said with a shrug. I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure she heard me.
That evening, I called Sam once more and left another message. And then, because I didn’t know whether I should be hurt or worried, I went onto our local newspaper’s Web site to check for traffic accidents. There hadn’t been anything serious enough to be covered. Sam wasn’t lying by the side of the road somewhere. Just to be sure, I searched the site for his name, but nothing came up.
I swallowed my pride and sent Sam an e-mail, telling him that the group was meeting the next day at four at the ice rink if he wanted to come.
The next morning, I checked my e-mail as soon as I got up, but there was no reply from Sam. He wasn’t in school all day either. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong or why he couldn’t call me back. Why was he avoiding me?
After school, Sydney drove me and Logan home, and we picked up Tanner to take him to the ice rink. Cody, Kelsi, and Mindy were already waiting for us when we got there. Cody’s little sister Sarah turned out to be a tiny girl with long, frizzy hair. She talked a mile a minute and sounded like a miniature adult.
“Hi, you must be Lacey,” she began rapid-fire, without taking a breath. “I’m Sarah and my brother told me about you and I love ice skating, so he thought I’d want to come along, and my dad died, but it’s not like we have to just talk about that, because there are lots of other interesting things we can talk about too, like ice skating or school or sports or something, and is that your brother over there?”
She finally paused for breath and cocked her head inquisitively.
I followed her eyes to Tanner, who was hanging back from the crowd. He had brought his own knee pads and helmet and didn’t seem the slightest bit worried about appearing dorky. The only thing I’d been able to get out of him when I asked why he’d come prepared was, “Dad always told me better safe than sorry.”
I nodded at Sarah. “Yeah, his name’s Tanner,” I said. “He doesn’t talk much, though.”