He got up and threw his fork in the sink with the other dirty dishes. It was a good thing Sloan had brought hamburgers. There wasn’t a clean dish in the house.
“That, my dear, could be your downfall.” Aaron fluffed her hair as he walked out of the room. She heard his footsteps going down the hall and up the stairs. Sloan had never been upstairs. Wonder what it looked like up there?
“What did he mean by that?” she asked Ray when Aaron was out of listening distance.
“I have no idea.” Ray grabbed Aaron’s empty hamburger wrapper and wrapped it in his own. “He gets in a mood sometimes. You know how he is.”
“Yeah.” She knew, but she didn’t like it. “I just don’t get it. Who knows the combination to my locker? And how would whoever it was know about the flowers I threw away and the color of my prom dress? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you tell the cops today? About the flowers, I mean,” Ray asked from next to the trash can.
“No. Donna was there, and I didn’t want to freak her out. Then I forgot it until it was too late. Figured Detective Morgan would think I was even crazier than she already does if I told her.” She wadded up her yellow wrapper and took it to the trash next to Ray. “I am crazy, right Ray? I mean, it’s a strange thing to wish for, but I did make it up. It was my imagination that saw Boyd outside my house. Right?” Being crazy was better than the alternative. Either she was crazy and imagining things, or Boyd really was up and mobile. She didn’t want to think about it. She’d take crazy any day.
Ray put his arm around her and pulled her tightly. She didn’t fight back. It felt good for him to hold her. Nice and comforting. That was Ray. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you saw what you saw.”
“But that means Boyd’s walking.”
“I don’t think that either.”
He rubbed her hair gently. “I don’t follow.”
“I think you saw something outside. What it was, I don’t know. It could have been a shadow or a person walking a dog. Doesn’t mean it was Boyd. I don’t think people get over a broken back in a few months.”
She didn’t think so either. Then again, stranger things had happened. “Five roses yesterday. Four today. It’s clearly a countdown.”
“Clearly. Countdown to what? What’s in four days?”
“Prom,” she reminded him.
“I know the prom. I wouldn’t forget that. Been looking forward to it. Anything else coming up?”
“Apparently my fall.” She moved from his side to the table and plopped down in her chair. “Whatever that means.”
“Do you think it’s a social fall or a physical one?” Ray sat next to her. He stayed out of her space, and she stayed out of his.
“Hopefully a social one. I’d take that over a physical one any day.” She tried to laugh, but it had no humor in it. She rubbed the top of her pants pocket and felt the second white pill Darcy had given her. “I need to use the restroom. Do you want to get our stuff out to work on Biology while I’m gone?”
“I can.” He stood when she did. He took her hand and spun her around to face him. “It’s going to be okay, you know. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not again. I promise.”
She smiled and walked away without a word. If someone wanted to hurt her, she didn’t see how Ray, or Aaron for that matter, could stop them.
Sloan made it to the bathroom and didn’t even bother shutting the door. Ray was in the kitchen, and Aaron was upstairs doing who knew what.
She turned the faucet on and pulled the little pill from her jeans. Without hesitation, she put it on her tongue and filled her palm with water. Drawing it to her mouth, she drank the pill down.
And it nearly shot back up when Aaron cleared his throat from the bathroom door. “What’s that?” He pointed to her mouth.
“Lips.”
“What was between them?”
“Inappropriate question.” She started past him. He put his arm out to stop her.
“Not inappropriate. Very appropriate. What type of pill did you take in my house?”
She couldn’t believe he’d ask her such a question! “Over-the-counter pain pill. I have a headache, if you can imagine that.”
Aaron had the nerve to look her over, not in an interested way, but in a We’ll see if you are telling the truth way.
“You have no right accusing me of anything. Anything, Aaron Hunter. I told you not five minutes ago that I trusted you didn’t send the flowers to me. Don’t start accusing me of being a druggie.”
“Funny. I never mentioned being a druggie. You got all defensive, and I never said a word.” He raised his brow, and she got more defensive.
“I know how you think.”
“No. You really don’t.” His voice gained bass he only used during his You’d better pay very close attention to this part times.
It was better to be mad at him than have to defend herself. “You’re right. I don’t know you. At all, apparently.”