A shy sense of pride widened his mouth as he helped us to our feet while the cops took Thea away.
I was still confused. Eidolon couldn’t possibly have possessed Thea. As a god, he was too powerful. She would only have lived a few hours. A couple of days at the most. Then how did he get to her?
“I didn’t spray-paint her mom’s car,” Amber said to Ubie.
“Smidgeon, you think I don’t know that?”
Just then, Cookie ran up out of breath and took Amber into her arms.
“Where you been?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“I got lost,” she said between pants. “I hate malls.”
I coughed to camouflage an inappropriate laugh. Uncle Bob did the same. Then he wrapped his arms around both his girls. Cookie leaned into him and Amber buried her face in his lapel.
“Are you sure you’re okay, smidgeon?” he asked her, smoothing her hair back.
Amber nodded. “I can’t believe that happened to my friend.”
“Can I put a picture on my InstaBlog?” Brandy asked, finally braving the crowd. When she raised her phone to snap a shot of the cops escorting Thea away, I gently coaxed her arm down.
“What?” she asked, suddenly self-conscious. “Everyone does it.”
“I don’t,” Amber said, clearly upset.
Brandy had the decency to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Am. This is beyond serious, and I’m just … I’m being stupid.”
“Brandy,” I said, getting her attention. “Just out of curiosity, do you know who spray-painted her mom’s car?”
Brandy suddenly became fascinated with her shoes. “No.”
“Brandy, I’m sensing a lot of guilt.”
“It’s just, I saw a can of paint in Josie’s car. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”
Amber put a hand on Brandy’s arm. “If it really was Josie, I don’t blame you.”
“And who’s Josie?” Cookie and I asked at the same time.
“Only the toughest girl in school.”
Interesting.
“She has, like, this whole gang,” Amber added.
“Who are these girls?” Cookie asked. “I want full names and contact information.”
“They’re just girls, Mom. The local bullies, but they usually leave us alone.”
Brandy nodded. “Because we don’t give them a reason not to.”
“Well, maybe someone needs to talk to the—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” I said, holding up a hand. “This has to be handled with care. If those girls think Amber and Brandy went to the principal about them, things could get bad. They could retaliate.”
Uncle Bob’s temper flared. He squeezed his girls tighter. Helplessness sucked, but there wasn’t a whole lot he could do in this situation without potentially making things a lot worse for Amber. For his daughter.
Brandy’s mom rushed up then. “Is it over?”
I nodded.
“Did you catch him?” she asked, but before I could answer, she went on a rant. “See where this gets you?” she asked Amber. “You girls flirt with boys and wear spaghetti straps and short skirts and think there won’t be any consequences. You only have yourself to blame.” She pretended to be talking to both girls, but her remarks were aimed directly at Amber.
“I beg your pardon,” Cookie said.
“Mom,” Brandy said, “it wasn’t even a boy.”
“You’re gay?” she asked Amber, appalled.
That was it. I turned on her with a growl a microsecond before Osh saved me from a moment that would forever live in infamy. It could’ve gotten ugly fast. Instead, Osh plowed into the woman with his skateboard.
The woman whirled around and glared at him.
“Sorry,” he said, having way too much fun. He stepped on his skateboard and caught it in one hand. It was kind of magical.
“This is a sting, Osh. You aren’t supposed to enjoy it.”
He laughed and lifted his chin toward Cookie and Uncle Bob.
“This … boy is with you?” she asked.
“Mom, let’s just go,” Brandy said, now humiliated if the shade of her face were any indication. She clearly liked “this … boy.”
Osh sidled closer to Amber. Dipped his head to look her in the eyes. “You okay, kid?”
She nodded, her smile shy when he tweaked her chin playfully. Then she waved good-bye to Brandy as her mother dragged her off.
“Finally,” Osh said, easing closer to me. “I thought we’d never be alone.”
“Oh, my God, what is it with teenaged supernatural beings?”
He flashed me a wicked grin, then leaned in. “She’s okay.”
Beep. Beep was okay. When I almost collapsed in relief, he winked and rolled off. Mostly because security had spotted him.
I tapped Uncle Bob’s shoulder as I watched Osh glide in and out of the throngs of shoppers. “Did you clear up that whole shoplifting thing yet?”
Ubie chuckled. “I’ll get right on that.”
I stepped to Amber. Put an arm around her waist since Ubie had claimed her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, hon.”
“People suck.”
“Yes, they do,” Osh said as he raced past us again. Kid was so going to get arrested.
But it did the trick. Amber laughed. There were tears in her eyes when she did it, but she laughed nonetheless.
I’d take it.