“Do you really think it’s a good idea to be here with that Sean guy? I mean, what do you even know about him? What is he even doing here?”
“He wants to help me,” I say. “And at this point he is the only person in my life who is willing to.”
“Are you sure about that?” says Amanda.
“About what?”
“Are you sure that his intentions are really so pure? That he just wants to help you?”
“What else would he be here to do?”
“I think all he wants to help you with is taking your pants off.”
I just shake my head. I don’t know what to say to this, but I know I don’t want to be in the water anymore. I swim over to the side of the pool, get out, and wrap myself in my towel. I can feel Amanda watching me. I turn around.
“Helen’s nephew said he was a total stalker freak!” Amanda’s arms are crossed over the side of the pool.
“Don’t talk about him like that!”
The wind blows and I feel goose bumps rise on my wet skin. I wrap the towel tighter.
“So what happened exactly? You met him at the party and you told him you don’t know where your sister is and he just said, ‘Great, okay, girl who I don’t know, I’m going to volunteer to drive you across the country with no ulterior motive whatsoever?’ I mean, who does that?”
“Someone who understands,” I say.
“Oh, so he ‘understands’ you? And how is that exactly?”
“Because he’s just like me!” I’m yelling now.
“You’re nothing like him!” She’s yelling, too. “He’s a freak!”
“No,” I say. “He’s not. And he gets what it’s like for me, with Nina, in a way no one else does.”
“And what makes him so special?”
“His brother is dead,” I say. My tone is cold now and I’m speaking softly. “That’s why he’s here and that’s why he’s helping me. Because he understands what it’s like when someone is there one day and the next day they’re not. And how that’s not something you can get over. So if you think he’s weird or you think there’s something creepy about him, it’s only because you don’t understand. And lucky for you that you’ve never had to.” And then I stop. I can just barely make out Amanda’s face across the water. I can’t see her expression.
“And you believe him?” she asks. She doesn’t sound ashamed the way I figured she would, or even the slightest bit sorry in fact.
“What?!” I say. I spit the word out, hot bitter acid right at her face.
“How do you even know he’s telling the truth? How do you know this isn’t just some dramatic story he made up to get close to you and to get you to go on this insane road trip with him? Let me ask you a question, did he tell you about his dead brother before or after you told him about your sister?”
I don’t say anything.
“And what did he say this brother of his died of ?”
“I didn’t ask!” I don’t know why I’m even still answering her.
“Well, I bet he made it all up,” she says. “I bet he never even had a brother.”
“Shut up!” I shout. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!!” And when I stop, she is silent. I hear the sound of footsteps behind me, someone running toward the elevator. I turn and see Sean’s back. He’s pressing the button on the elevator and then stepping inside. A look flashes across his face, just as the doors are closing, a look of such anguish tears spring to my own eyes in response. “Sean!” I call out. But he’s already gone.
“What the fuck did you do?” I turn toward Amanda.
And she just opens her mouth into the shape of an O. I run toward the elevator. I hear her behind me.
“Ellie, wait!” she calls out. “Ellie, wait!” I just keep going.
There is a stairwell next to the elevator. I push through the door and start running down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. I hear Amanda behind me, panting. Down, down, down we go. Around and around. My legs are burning as my wet bare feet slap against the floor. Finally, thirteen stories later, we are there. We both emerge panting into the hallway. The door to our room is cracked open. We enter.
The room is dim, illuminated by one tiny bedside lamp. Sean is crouched on the floor, leaning over his black leather bag, his back to us.
When he hears us enter, he closes the bag and clicks the lock shut. He stands up slowly. He’s holding something in his hand. He walks over to the desk near the doorway and drops something on top, a square of newspaper, slightly yellowed. Then he stands back.
“I would never lie to Ellie.” He doesn’t sound angry, just very sad and very, very tired. And the three of us just stand there staring at the desk. “Go ahead,” Sean says. “Read it.”
Amanda looks at me, then looks at him, and walks forward. I’m behind her. She picks up the newspaper article and I read the headline over her shoulder.
“Elm Falls Teen Dies of Drug Overdose.”