“Earth to Lilly. Ben is not God.”
Lilly felt her face go hot. Griffen broke in. “Haley, let’s just stick with the plan, and when he comes back, we’ll all go to the library, okay? Let’s just take a break and—”
“I have way too much work to take a break, okay?”
“Jesus! Sorry!” Griffen threw up his hands. The truck continued to beep every time it backed up into the roadway.
“I’m sick of Ben saying jump and we say how high. I’m going with or without you.”
Lilly said, “Haley, you know that if you go, then we all have to go.”
“So come with me. You know . . . like, strength in numbers.”
Griffen said, “You’re not worried even though this guy has killed other girls?”
“If it’s the guy Ben thinks it is—and there’s no proof of that yet—he killed in three other cities. It’s been three years. He’s not coming back here. It would be stupid.”
Lilly said, “What about Ben’s slashed tires?”
“It was probably a prank.”
“Haley, no one slashes four tires for a prank.”
She shrugged. “I don’t see why I have to rearrange my life just because Ben says so.”
“Because it makes sense? Why are you picking now of all times to be rebellious?”
“I’m not being rebellious.” Haley zeroed in on Lilly. “Ben is not my father and I’m not his child. Stop insulting me.”
“Could everyone just chill?” Griffen said. “You’re just fighting because you’re tense. That’s normal—”
“Stop psychoanalyzing me, Griff. It just makes me even angrier.” Haley was red-faced with moist eyes. She scooped up her books. “This guy has destroyed my family. I’m not letting him destroy me. I’ll see you all later.”
Griffen picked up his laptop. “We’ll all go together.”
“Fine, we’ll go together,” Lilly said. “You should call Ben and let him know.”
“Later.”
“Haley, stop acting stupid.”
“Excuse me?” Haley glared at her. “I certainly know whose side you’re on.”
“I’m not taking sides. This isn’t an election.”
“I am so gone.”
“Wait, wait.” Griffen took her arm. “Just wait, okay?”
“Fine.”
Haley tapped her foot until Griffen and Lilly had gathered up their belongings. Within minutes, they were out the door and on the street. The first day of summer had turned out to be spectacular. The sun was strong, the sky was a rich teal blue, and the air smelled of lavender and roses. The trio walked down the hillside, the mountains in the distance boasting an array of colors from deep greens to earthy rusts. Birds had roosted in the treetops and bees flitted from sage plant to sage plant.
With the warmth on her face, Haley felt better. The trip to the library was an easy walk, and fifteen minutes later the group reached the building without incident. They found an empty table, sat down, and Haley settled in, taking out her laptop and her books. Griffen sat next to her and Lilly sat across the table from them.
Lilly whispered, “Before you forget, you should text Ben and tell him where we are.”
“You do it.”
Such a baby, Lilly thought. “Fine, I’ll do it.” She texted him, then put her phone ringer on vibrate and slipped it in her purse. Finals would be over in ten days along with her first year of high school.
How time flies.
Chapter 11
The lineup was in alphabetical order, which would have been great if Ben had actually been at the back. Instead, because he was salutatorian—a title akin to the country’s vice president and equally meaningful—he had to march in the front of the line, but behind JD. The order of importance was not lost on JD’s ego and he ribbed Ben mercilessly.
At the beginning of lineup, the boys’ VP made the announcement to turn off all cell phones, that anyone caught disobeying the edict would miss graduation—clearly an incentive for Ben to keep his phone on the loudest ring possible. Instead he played the semigood citizen and put his phone on vibrate and in his pants pocket, where he could check it at regular intervals.
The rehearsal was clearly not going to be an hour. After thirty minutes, the faculty was still arranging the students. The sun was hot and everyone was sweating and fanning themselves with their hands. In the chaos, Ben sneaked a glance at his phone messages.
The text message from Lilly set his heart racing.
SHIT!
He pulled out his phone. JD said, “What are you doing, Vicks? Put that away.”
Ben heard his voice but not the words. He read Lilly’s message. “FUCK!”
Heads turned in his direction.
“What’s wrong?” JD said.
The boys’ VP said, “Vicks, what are you doing? Put that phone away.”
“I’ve gotta go, sir.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I . . . have to pick up my sister at the library.”
“Can’t someone else do it?”
“No! No one else can do it. I am the only one who can do it and I have to go now!”
“Is she sick?”
“No, she’s just very stupid.”
“This is very poor timing on your part,” the veep told him. “You know if you miss rehearsal, you can’t attend graduation.”
“With all due respect, sir, screw graduation.”
He jogged away, trying to call Haley and trying to find Ro at the same time. “Answer the phone, you stupid idiot!” Her cell rang twice and then went to voice mail. At that point, Ben’s head got fuzzy. He didn’t know if it was heat or fear, but his knees buckled. He managed to catch himself before he hit the ground. Ro came over to him. “Ben, what’s wrong?”
“I need your car keys!”
“What?”
“Haley went to the library. I can’t reach her. Give me your fucking keys!”
“You’re in no state to drive—”
Ben grabbed her purse and rooted through her belongings. She was pulling it back by a strap. “Vicks, you have to calm down.”
“Don’t tell me that!” He yanked her purse away from her, catching her off balance. She stumbled back and fell to the ground on her butt. He pulled out the keys and tossed her back her purse. “I knew I should have stayed back.”
He took off, but she ran after him.
“Vicks, wait! Wait! . . .” A pause. “WAIT.”
When he got to Ro’s car, the temptation was strong to just hop in and speed away. But she looked so pathetic, panting and wheezing. He threw open the passenger door and dove into the driver’s seat. He took off before she could fully close the door. “The kids went to the library.”
“What? Why?”
“’Cause they’re idiots. Call up your brother.”
She already had her phone out. “It’s going to voice mail.”
“I can’t believe how fucking stupid they are. Call up Lilly.”
Ro went through the contact list until she found the number.
“Voice mail.” Ben saw Ro wipe her eyes. She said, “He couldn’t have kidnapped all three. Goddamn them! How could they do this! How could they be so damn stupid!”
Ben glanced at her. It was rare for Ro to swear. She was red-faced, sweating and crying at the same time. She was texting with shaking hands. By leaving with him, Ben knew she’d miss the graduation ceremony. She was as upset as he was and that made him get a grip. She said, “Should I call Shanks?”