HUSH part 4
"Can I help you?"
I forced myself to smile at the front office secretary, hoping I didn't look as dishonest as I felt. "I have a prescription I take at school, and my friend-"
My voice caught on the word, and I wondered if after today I would ever call Kitty my friend again.
"-my friend told me that I'm supposed to register it with the nurse. Is that right?" I couldn't believe I was standing here, about to do something illegal. As of late, I was exhibiting a lot of uncharacteristic behavior. First I'd followed Gerard to an arcade in a shady part of town. Now I was on the verge of sneaking in his student file. What was wrong with me? No-what was wrong with Gerard, that when it came to him, I couldn't stop exercising bad judgement?
"Oh, yes," the secretary said solemnly. "All drugs need to be registered. The nurse's office is back through there, third door on the left, across from student records." She gestured into the hallway behind her. "If the nurse isn't there, you can take a seat on the cot inside her office. She should be back soon."
I faked another smile. I'd really hoped this wouldn't be this easy.
Heading down the hall, I stopped several times to check over my shoulder. Nobody came up behind me. The phone out in the front office was ringing, but it sounded a world apart from the dim corridor where I stood. I was all alone, free to do as I pleased.
I came to a stop at the third door on the left. I sucked in a breath and knocked, but it was obvious from the darkened window that the room was empty. I pushed on the door. It moved with reluctance, creaking open on a compact room with scuffed white tiles. I stood in the entrance a moment, almost wishing the nurse would appear so I'd have no choice but to register my iron pills and leave. A quick glance across the hall revealed a door with a window marked Student Records. It was too dark.
I focused my attention on a nagging thought at the back of my mind. Gerard claimed that he hadn't gone to school last year. I was pretty sure he was lying, but if he wasn't, would he even have a student record? He'd have a home address at the very least, I reasoned. And an immunization card, and last semester's grades. Still. Possible suspension seemed like a large price to pay for a peek at Gerard's immunization card.
I leaned one shoulder against the wall and checked my watch. Kitty had told me to wait for her signal. She said it would be obvious.
Great.
The phone in the front office rang again, and the secretary picked up.
Chewing my lip, I stole a second glimpse at the door labeled Student Records. There was a good chance it was locked. Student files were probably considered high security. It didn't matter what kind of diversion Kitty created; if the door was locked, I wasn't getting in.
If the door was unlocked and the files were alphabetized, I would have no trouble finding Gerard's quickly. Add another few seconds to skim his file for red flags, and I could probably be in and out of the room in under a minute. Which was so brief it might not feel like I'd entered at all.
Things had grown unusually quiet out in the front office. Suddenly Kitty rounded the corner. She edged down the wall, stealing surreptitious glances over her shoulder. It was the kind of walk spies adopted in old movies.
"Everything is under control," she whispered.
"What happened to the secretary?"
"She had to leave the office for a minute."
"Had to? You didn't incapacitate her, did you?"
"Not this time. I called in a bomb threat from the pay phone outside." Kitty said. "The secretary called the police, Then ran off to find the principal."
"You what?!"
She tapped her wrist. "The clock's ticking. We don't want to be in here when the cops show up."
Kitty and I sized up the door to student records.
"Move over." Kitty said, giving me her hip.
She drew her sleeve down over her fist and drilled it into the window. Nothing happened.
"That was just for practice," she said. She drew back for another punch and I grabbed her arm.
"It might be unlocked." I turned the knob and the door swung open.
"You go in," Kitty said. "I'm going to keep watch. If all goes well, we'll meet in an hour. Meet me at the Mexican resteraunt on the corner of Penny Lane." She tip-toed back down the hall.
I was left standing half in, half out of the narrow room lined wall to wall with filing cabinets. Before my conscience talked me out of it, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, pressing my back against.
With a deep breath I slouched off my backpack and hurried forward, dragging my finger along the faces of the cabinets. I found the drawer marked Wa-Wu. With one tug the drawer rattled open. The tabs on the files were labeled by hand, and I wondered if Coldwater High was the last school in the country not computerized.
My eyes brushed over the name "Way."
I wrenched the file from the crammed drawer.
Outside, voices filled the hall.
I fumbled the file open and immediately flinched. It didn't make any sense.
The voices advanced.
I shoved the file randomly inside the drawer and gave it a push, sending it rattling back into the cabinet. As I turned, I froze. On the other side of the window, the principal stopped, his eyes landing on me.
Whatever he'd been saying to the faculty, trailed off. "Excuse me," I heard him say. The group continued forward. Except him.
He opened the door. "This area is off-limits to students."
I tried on a helpless face. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to find the nurse's office. The secretary said third door on the right, but I think I miscounted." I threw my hands up. "I'm lost."
Before he could respond, I tugged at the zipper on my backpack. "I'm supposed to register these. I iron pills." I explained. "I'm anemic."
He studied me for a moment, his brow creasing. I thought I could see him weighing his options: deal with me, or deal with a bomb threat. He jerked his chin out the door. "I need you to exit the building immediately."
He propped the door wide and I ducked out under his arm, my smile collapsing.
***
An hour later I slid into a corner booth at the Mexican restaurant on the corner of Penny Lane. A ceramic cactus and a stuffed coyote were mounted on the wall above me. A man wearing a sombrero wider than he was tall sauntered over. Strumming chords on his guitar, he serenaded me while the hostess laid menus on the table. I frowned at the design on the front cover. The Borderline. I hadn't eaten here before, yet something about the name sounded vaguely familiar.
Kitty came up behind me and sat into the opposite seat. Our waiter on her heels.
"Four chimis, extra sour cream, a side of nachos, and a side of black beans." Kitty said without looking at the menu.
"One red burrito," I said.
"Separate bills?" he asked.
"I'm not paying for her." Kitty and I said at the same time.
After our waiter left, I said, "Four chimis? I'm looking forward to hearing the fruit connection."
"Don't even start. I'm starving. Haven't eaten since lunch."
Kitty is voluptuous, with fair skin, and in an unorthodox way, incredibly sexy. There have been days when our friendship was the only thing standing in the way of my jealousy. Next to Kitty, the only thing I have going for me are my legs. And maybe my metabolism.
"He'd better bring chips soon." said Kitty. "I'll break out in hives if I don't eat something salty within the next forty-five seconds. And anyway, the first three letters in the word diet should tell you what I want it to do."
"They make salsa with tomatoes. That's a red. And avocados are a fruit. I think."
Her face brightened. "And we'll order virgin strawberry daiquiris."
Kitty was right. This diet was easy.
"Be right back," she said, sliding out of the booth. "That time of the month. After that, I want to get the scoop."
While waiting for her, I found myself concentrating on the bus-boy some tables away. He was hard at work scrubbing a rag over the top of a table. There was something strangely familiar about the way he moved, about the way his shirt fell over the arch of his back. Almost as if he suspected he was being watched, he straightened and turned, his eyes fixing on mine at the exact same moment I figured out what was so familiar about this particular busboy.
Gerard.
I couldn't believe it. I thought about slapping my forehead when I remembered he'd told me he worked at the Borderline.
Wiping his hands on his apron, he walked over, apparently enjoying my discomfort as I looked around for some way to escape, finding I had nowhere to go but deeper into the booth.
"Wow," he said. "Five days a week isn't enough of me? Had to give me an evening, too?"
I rolled my eyes, refusing him to see my annoyance.
He slid into Kitty's seat. When he laid his arms down, he reached for my glass, twirling it in his hands.
"All the seats here are taken." I said. When he didn't answer, I grabbed my glass back and took a sip of water, accidentally swallowing an ice cube. It burned the whole way down. "Shouldn't you be working instead of bothering customers?" I choked.
He smiled. "What are you doing Sunday night?"
I snorted by accident. "Are you asking me out?"
"You're getting cocky. I like that, Angel."
"I don't care what you like. I'm not going out with you. Not on a date. Not alone." I wanted to kick myself for wondering what a night alone with Gerard would be like. He didn't mean it. "Wait, did you just call me Angel?"
"If I did?"
"I don't like it."
He grinned. "It stays. Angel."
He leaned across the table, raised his hand to my face, and brushed his thumb along one corner of my mouth. I pulled away, too late.
He pulled back, rubbing lip gloss between his thumb and index finger. "You look better without it."
I tried to remember what we'd been talking about. "It doesn't matter. I'm not allowed to go out on school nights."
"Too bad. There's a party on the coast. I thought we could go." He actually sounded sincere.
I couldn't figure him out. At all. Time alone with Gerard would be intriguing, and dangerous. I wasn't sure how exactly, but I was trusting my instincts on this one.
I faked a yawn. "Like I said, it's a school night." In hopes of convincing myself more than him, I added, "If this party is something you'd be interested in, I can almost guarantee I won't be. Besides, why're you asking anyway?"
Up until this very moment, I'd been telling myself I didn't care what Gerard thought of me. And even though it would probably come back to haunt me, I was curious enough about Gerard to go almost anywhere with him.
"I want to get you alone." Gerard said. And just like that, my defenses shot back up.
"Listen, Gerard, I don't want to be rude-"
"Sure you do."
"You started it! And no, I can't go to the party. End of story."
"Because you can't go out on a school night, or because you're scared of being alone with me?"
"Both."
"Are you scared of all guys...or just me?"
I rolled my eyes.
"I make you uneasy?" He looked as if it was difficult to hold back a smile.
Yes, actually, he had that effect on me. He also had the tendency to wipe all logical thought from my mind.
"I'm sorry." I said. "What were we talking about?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Your personal life."
I laughed, unsure what other response to give. "If this is about me and the opposite sex Kitty already gave me this speech. I don't have to hear it twice."
"And what did wise old Kitty say?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I can't imagine why you're so interested."
He shook his head. "Interested? We're talking about you. I'm fascinated." He smiled, showing his tiny little teeth.
"I think you should get back to work." I said.
"For what it's worth, I like the idea that there's not a guy at school who matches up to your expectations."
He studied me in a way that made me feel transparent. "You're not shy. You just need a good reason to get to know someone."
"I don't want to talk about me anymore."
"You think you've got everyone figured out."
"That's not true." I said. "I don't know about you."
"You aren't ready to know me."
"I looked in your student file."
My words hung in the air for a moment. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal." he said calmly.
"It doesn't matter, it was empty anyway."
He didn't even pretend to look surprised. "And you're telling me this because you're afraid I might cause an outbreak? Measles or mumps?"
"I'm telling you this because I want you to know that I know something about you isn't right. You haven't fooled everybody. I'll find out what you're up to. I'm going to expose you."
"Looking forward to it."
I blushed, catching the innuendo too late. Behind Gerard, I could see Kitty weaving her way through the tables.
"Kitty's coming. You have to go."
He stayed there, eyeing me.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He tipped forward, about to stand. "Because you're nothing like what I expected."
"Neither are you," I said. "You're worse."