Freaks of Greenfield High Page 8

  He opened his mouth to enquire how Vanessa had “behaved” but Caro rushed on. “She said she didn’t need a lift, so we checked out the new range in store and talked for a bit. And she told me everything, by the way.”

  “Everything?” He felt his face heating as he recalled how he’d ogled Jay when she’d shucked her t-shirt. And how she’d made him feel when she kissed him.

  Caro arched her eyebrows at him, trying her best to appear superior. “Yep. Everything. All about how Shawn got royally pissed when she told him she wasn’t interested, and he insulted her, and—”

  “Assaulted her, more like.” A surge of anger thrummed through his veins as he recalled the reddened mark Shawn’s hand had left on Jay’s pale cheek.

  “Huh? What did you say?”

  He debated whether to zip his lip or spill his guts. And blew out a sigh of resignation. Caro wasn’t gonna like it, but for better or worse, it was time she realized what kind of guy Shawn really was—just in case she had a change of heart and didn’t dump his ass. “Jay didn’t tell you everything.”

  She wagged her finger at him. “Oh yeah? She told me all about how you came running to her defense and Shawn ended up decorating the Dumpster. I wish I’d been there! I hope Matt got the whole thing on vid and posts it online. That’ll teach Shawn to—”

  “Shawn slapped her, Caro. Across the face. Hard.”

  His sister paled to sheet-white. “He didn’t.”

  “Yeah, he did. That’s why I went for him.”

  She swallowed a couple of times, like she was trying to digest something nasty. “Sh-she must have really provoked him, right?”

  Tyler’s heart went out to her but he wasn’t going to lie to make her feel better and help her justify Shawn’s behavior. “Yeah, she provoked him all right. Threatened to tell you what a creep he was, and try ’n convince you to dump him.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Yeah. Well, aside from that dig about Shawn’s daddy buying him a place on the team. And Shawn’s flabby ass.”

  The color had seeped back into her cheeks but she still couldn’t look him in the eye. Shawn’s shitty behavior had really knocked the stuffing out of her.

  “Jay didn’t say anything about that,” she said. “It’s like she hasn’t been affected at all. I’d have been gutted! Not to mention, angry as hell. And I’d have ripped Shawn’s freaking arm off if he dared lay a hand on me.”

  Tyler let out a breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. He’d been wondering if Shawn had ever gotten rough with his sister, and angsting over the best way to ask her. “Jay’s one tough chick,” he said.

  “Yeah, she is that.” Caro shook her head like she couldn’t quite believe what she was about to say. “She didn’t even flinch when Nessa punched her and—”

  “Vanessa did what?”

  She clapped her hands over her ears. “Quit yelling.”

  He pulled her hands away none-too-gently. “Tell me what happened. Now.”

  “God.” Caro bit her lip, staring over his shoulder at the Eric Clapton poster on his wall. “Poor thing. Talk about shittiest first day ever at a new school. I’d be begging my parents to home-school me right about now. I’m really going have to do some impressive groveling to make it up to her. And boy, am I ever gonna make Shawn suffer.”

  “Good. About time. He deserves it. Now quit trying to change the subject, Caro. Spill. What happened with Vanessa?”

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” she said. “Well, maybe it is, but—”

  He made a rolling motion with his hand.

  She slumped. “Okay, okay. When I heard Jay had her sights set on Shawn, I could hardly let it go, could I?”

  He kept his mouth shut and after a sideways glance at him from beneath her lashes, Caro exhaled a drama-queen-worthy sigh. “Nessa and I confronted her after last period. She was all, ‘Hi, Caro. Wondered when you’d show up.’ She was so damn cool I was this close—” she pinched her forefinger and thumb together and waved them beneath his nose “—to giving her hell. Not that I’d ever get physical or anything,” she added, when she noticed his outraged expression. “I’d have settled for a verbal take-down. Unlike Nessa.”

  “Vanessa really punched her? Jeez.” Vanessa was more your cheer ’em on from the sidelines, or cower and wait to be rescued, kind of girl.

  “Yeah,” Caro said, sounding subdued—guilt-ridden, even. “In the stomach. And then she yanked Jay’s hair so hard I thought she was gonna tear a hunk from her scalp.”

  “Jay didn’t mention anything about that, either.”

  “When you walked her home, you mean.” His sister’s tone was so heavy with innuendo she made “walked her home” sound x-rated.

  “It was only part of the way but— Hey, don’t try’n change the subject. What else happened with Jay and Vanessa?”

  “How do you know anything else happened?”

  “Puhlease. She’s not the type to stand there and let Vanessa punch her and yank her hair.” His brain chose that moment to visualize Jay standing so very still and calm, almost as though she was waiting for Shawn’s hand to connect with her face. “Well, maybe she would just stand there. Whatever. Tell me, okay? Dying, here!”

  He waited for his sister to elaborate. And waited.

  When she finally got around to describing Jay’s stunt, her voice was hushed with admiration—something Tyler didn’t hear very often coming from his sister. Caro was usually the one inspiring the admiration.

  “She’s way flexible. Do we ever need that girl on our squad. And when she dropped Nessa on her ass and walked off? Priceless!”

  “Sounds like Vanessa lost the plot big-time.”

  “She sure did,” Caro agreed. “I reckon Jay’s right: Nessa’s jealous.”

  “Vanessa? Jealous? Why?”

  Caro reverted to her classic eye-roll. “You are so clueless. Which is why you’re so lucky to have me as your sister.” She bounced up from the floor, stretched out the kinks in her back, and made a production out of checking her watch. “Goodness. Is that the time? Hey, what’s for dinner? Hope there’s enough for an extra person.”

  Tyler groaned and tried to pull off a Caro-style eye-roll. “Please tell me you haven’t invited Vanessa. That’d really put me off my food.”

  “I haven’t invited Nessa.” She grinned at him in that smug way which never failed to irritate him and reminded him of a cat that’d just helped itself to a bowlful of cream.

  Oh no. This could not be good. He had a bad feeling about this. He made a grab for her leg before she could disappear on him. “Who, then?”

  She swatted his hand away. “Easy on the old knee-joint, bro. I landed hard during practice and it’s still a bit tender.” She swung her leg back and forth experimentally, still smirking at him.

  He lunged, and managed to squeeze her knee before she scooted out of reach. Not too hard—she was his sister, and for all intents and purposes, a girl—but hard enough to make a point.

  “Ow!” Caro rubbed her leg. “You’ve gotten real mean, you know that? It’s hardly surprising you’ve got no friends anymore.”

  He regarded her sourly. Her comment hurt, but no way was he going to let on how bad. His sister didn’t know the full story of why he’d dropped out of the in-crowd. And if he had his way, she wasn’t going to know, either.

  She stood hands on hips, giving him the “You are a lower life form and therefore beneath my notice, but just this once I’ll oblige you” glare. “I invited Jay for dinner,” she said.

  “You did what?” He looked around his room for something to hurl at her. “What the effing hell were you thinking?”

  “Chill, bro. Jay turned me down flat when I asked her to try out for the squad, and I want to work on her some more. Plus, I’m feeling real crap about giving her such a hard time about Shawn. So I figured I’d extend the hand of friendship and invite her over.”

  “That’s the biggest load of BS I’ve ever heard.” He snatched a
pillow from the bed and lobbed it at her.

  She ducked the ineffective missile. “Okay, you got me. My own personal feelings aside, I figure she must really like you or she wouldn’t have hung around after you upchucked over her. And I know it’ll be a cold day in hell before you get up the nerve to ask her out, so I invited her over. What’s wrong with that?”

  He plucked a tennis ball from the floor and menaced her with it. “What’s wrong with that? Everything’s wrong with that! Keep your nose out of my love-life, Caro. Your last little effort to hook me up with Ashlee was a fricking monumental disaster. Butt out. That clear enough for you?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Crystal. Not that you even have a love-life for me to butt out of. Yet. You can thank me later.”

  He ground his teeth and fought the impulse to strangle his matchmaking sister. “You can just un-invite her, okay?”

  In a corner of his mind he noted she was smirking like an idiot. What the hell did she have to smirk about? Didn’t she realize how pissed he was with her right now? “Ring her and—”

  “Oops,” Caro said, pressing her fingers to her lips. “I don’t seem to have her number. But you feel free to tell her what an interfering beyotch your sister is, and how you’re rudely uninviting her, just as soon as she shows up. Which will be in, oh, fifty-five minutes or so.”

  Before he could open his mouth to scream at her some more, she dived for the door. He threw the ball and missed—much to his disgust. “You’d better get a move on with dinner!” he heard her yell as she sprinted for the safety of her room.

  By the time he reached Caro’s room, she’d already locked her door. He battered it with his fists. “C’mon out, you freaking coward!”

  “Nuh uh,” she called. “I’m staying right here ’til Jay arrives. Which should be in about, let me see, fifty minutes and counting. The same time Mom’s due home. Isn’t that a happy coincidence? What’re we eating, by the way?”

  “Aaargh!” He howled his frustration. “You are so gonna pay.”

  “In your dreams,” came the muffled response.

  Her voice sounded wobbly, like she was….

  She was laughing at him? The cow! When she unlocked that door he was so gonna—

  “By the way, I wouldn’t mind knowing what zit cream you’re using.”

  “Huh?” He leaned his forehead against the doorframe as he tried to make sense of the lightning-fast subject change.

  “That huge spot you had on your chin this morning has completely vanished. It must be damn good stuff, bro.”

  He ran his fingers over his chin. And for good measure, probed the area with his forefinger. Huh. Zit-less. At least something was going right for him today.

  “And don’t forget dessert,” his sister called. “If you have time to make it before she gets here, that is!”

  “You… you…. Crap.” Beaten—for now—he sprinted downstairs, all thoughts of vengeance and magically vanishing zits smothered by panic.

  He glanced at the kitchen clock. Crap! Jay was gonna be here soon. And he felt wired to the max, like a guy going on his first date with a girl he really liked, terrified he was going to screw up and come across a complete loser.

  He hadn’t the slightest idea what he was going to say to her.

  Or feed her, for that matter.

  ~~~

  After her second, far more pleasant encounter with Tyler’s sister—if one didn’t count Vanessa’s glowering, sulky-faced presence shadowing them around the store—Jay had climbed the stairs to her apartment and settled in to do her homework. Some of her teachers had assigned extra work to catch her up with the rest of their students. Regardless, completing her assignments took very little time, leaving her forty-eight minutes before she was due at Caro and Tyler’s house.

  She decided to head to the main shopping district and investigate the only electronics store in town.

  Eric’s Electronics was stocked with the bare minimum of basic components, just as she’d expected. But it wasn’t a completely wasted excursion. Many of the students at school owned iPods. Perhaps owning one of the gadgets would help her to fit in.

  She hesitated over the available selection. Knowing she was expected to choose a color that pleased her didn’t help matters. Color was primarily a result of absorption and scattering properties of various materials, and the varying incoming wavelengths of the light that illuminated those materials. It neither pleased nor displeased her. It was simply color.

  “Excuse me,” she said to a female shop assistant stocking the shelves. “I’m trying to pick an iPod but I’m having difficulty choosing a color.”

  “For you?” the girl asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Easy. What’s your favorite color?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  The girl blinked but was too polite to comment.

  “What’s your favorite color?” Jay asked.

  Taking the request seriously, the girl scanned the shelf. “Ummm, I quite like this purple one. Pink’s too little-girly, you know? Purple’s still feminine but more stylish.”

  “I appreciate your advice. I’ll have the purple one, then.”

  The girl unlocked the cabinet, grabbed the iPod and escorted Jay to the counter. “Rob’ll sort you out.”

  “Thank you.” Jay scanned the girl’s nametag and remembered to smile. “Michelle.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The assistant named Rob shot her numerous not-so-surreptitious glances while he rattled off the store’s return policy and the item’s warranty conditions. As he rang up her purchase, Jay detected his elevated pulse rate, dilated eyes and flushed cheeks. She wondered whether he might be coming down with a virus.

  “Here you are.” He handed over her receipt and the bag containing her purchase. And then he leaned over the countertop to press something else into her hand. “Be seeing you.” He threw her a sly wink before turning his attention to his next customer.

  “Thank you.” Jay left the counter. She extracted the iPod from its packaging and slipped the tiny device and the ear buds in the back pocket of her jeans. The recharger went in the nearest bin, along with the copious packaging. It would be far more convenient to charge the item by having her body emit a low level electrical current whenever she handled the device.

  As she exited the store, she examined the business card the assistant had given her. He’d scrawled a cell phone number on the back. She could only surmise it was his personal number. And that he’d been flirting… with her.

  His behavior indicated he found her attractive and would like her to contact him. But why single her out, when there had been two other girls waiting in line behind her?

  Tyler had responded to Jay’s physical form in a similar fashion. So had Shawn, and many of the boys in her classes. But she hadn’t deliberately secreted pheromones or groomed herself to attract the attention of young males. What was it about this form that made it so attractive?

  It was all very confusing. So confusing, that if she’d been human she suspected her head would be aching right now.

  As she walked the couple of blocks to Caro’s house, she continued analyzing the incident with the young male in the electronics store, observing and processing new information about the town she’d chosen to hide in, reviewing her class schedule for tomorrow, and pondering the mysteries of human social customs.

  Pretending to be human was far more difficult than she had predicted. Nothing in her titanium skeletal structure overlaid with human tissue, her artificial organs and implants, or the complex synthetic neural network that drove her ability to reason, could assist her. She’d been given the capability to alter her outward appearance, to appear to grow and age like a normal human if necessary, but in truth she was nothing more than a super-computer given human form.

  A startling conclusion smacked her, and her head jerked as though she’d been struck in the jaw by some iron-fisted assailant. She was programmed with vast tracts of information about ever
y imaginable subject, and could use the wireless networks to instantly access a huge variety of information. It shouldn’t be possible for her to be confused. But she was. The male-female dynamic confused her at every turn.

  And this all-too-humanlike confusion was not the only anomaly she’d been suffering lately. The unidentified feeling, for lack of a more accurate description, was always there, hovering on the edge of her conscious awareness, waiting. Always waiting. But for what? Some catalyst, some pivotal situation that would provoke a particular action, or reaction, from her?