With those parting words and feeling quite proud of myself, I spun on my heel and disappeared to replace the clipboard and whistle and to snag my belongings from where I’d stashed them inside the girls’ locker room. Two minutes later, with a sheen of sweat still sticking to my forehead, I was waiting outside of the back entrance to the boys’ locker room.
My spot overlooked the vibrant green football field, which, now that it was no longer football season, was being occupied by members of the track team busy running their one-mile cooldown. So much had happened in Hollow Pines this year. I knew the town that I’d worked so hard to master had been changed for good.
But staring out at the field beneath the glow of stadium lights, with the breeze cooling my flushed skin, I caught a glimpse of the Hollow Pines I used to know. Simple and safe. And I wished I could freeze time to keep it.
The door of the locker room swung open and a few members of the basketball team began to trickle out toward the student parking lot. I spotted the back of Liam loping away, his gym bag slung over his shoulder.
“Hey!” I moved from the wall and jogged after him. “Wait up!”
He turned. His smile was easy. He’d parted his wet hair to the side and I could smell the damp scent of fruity shampoo from several feet away. He waved a few of his teammates on and told them he’d catch up with them later. “Everything okay?” he asked and, by the way he glanced at the door to the girls’ locker room, I knew he was referring to the squad’s would-be coup.
“Crisis averted.” I fell in beside him and we walked down the paved sidewalk.
“Good to hear.” We continued along side by side. Liam didn’t volunteer anything further. If this were a guy I was interested in, that alone would have driven me crazy, but since he wasn’t, I found myself envying how carefree and unflustered he always appeared. Maybe things were always easy when you were that gorgeous.
Then again, people used to think that about me.
“I need more,” I volunteered at last.
He fished the keys out of one of the many pockets on his gym bag. “How much more?” He clicked a couple buttons when we arrived at his car and threw the bag into the backseat. Night was falling, turning the air hazy between us, and I found myself growing antsy, although I didn’t know for what.
“I don’t know,” I said, shifting my weight. “A lot, I guess.” I hoped I didn’t sound overeager, like some kind of junkie. But Sunshine wasn’t a normal drug. I viewed it as simply a boost. That was it. The fact that I had gaps in my memory? Worrisome, sure. But were they so bad that I’d give up my newfound happiness? No way. I had enough bad memories that I could certainly spare a few. “How much can you give me?”
He gestured me around to the other side of the car and told me to sit in the passenger seat. He dropped into the driver’s side next to me and reached over to pop open the glove compartment. He pulled out a zipped leather sheath that looked like it’d contain a car manual. Once open, I saw that instead it held a number of plastic bags, no bigger than the size of a credit card. He sifted through the bags. I knitted my fingers together anxiously and stared out the bug-splattered windshield. “I can give you a couple pills,” he said. “I’ll need to call my brother for more next week. You’re not my only customer, you know.”
I pivoted in my seat and leaned just a fraction of a degree forward. I was still wearing only my sports bra and yoga pants. “But I’m your prettiest, right?” I joked.
He pressed his lips together and appraised me. “You’ve got that right. Okay, fine. I can do a week’s worth, but that’s it. Deal?”
I nodded. My fingers were jittery as I pulled my own gym bag onto my lap and dug around for my wallet. I did some quick math in my head, counted out eighty dollars, and held it out for him. “Discount for buying in bulk,” I said.
A dimple cut into his cheek. “Whatever you say, captain.” He passed me two of the miniature plastic bags and I quickly stowed them in my bag. Members of the Oilerettes were beginning to make their way into the parking lot.
“I should leave,” I said. “Thanks for this.” I popped open the door and climbed out.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Cassidy Hyde.” He gave me a salute and, as soon as I closed the door, he was peeling out of his parking spot and away from the lot.
I stood there in the dust left behind from his tires spinning in gravel. I waved the cloud away, coughing.
“Cassidy!” someone called from a car nearby. “Cassidy, over here!”
My eyes strained against the darkening backdrop. I searched, following the voice, until at last I saw a hand waving through an open car window. I couldn’t make out the face inside.
My shoes crunched the gravel of the parking lot. I walked slowly over to the other car, an old VW Bug, painted an uneven blue, as though that hadn’t been the original color. A girl got out and stood kicking her toe into the ground. I didn’t recognize her. She had thick, dark bangs, wide eyes, and wore a jean jacket that was too big for her.