The Peregrine Passage

Chapter Five, Part Two: Adam

 After the final bell rings, I hurry out the doors and into the parking lot. I know that Hazel knows what Sawyer looks like, but I still feel like I have to be stationed in front of the truck so she won't miss me. My stomach starts to rumble and I realize that I haven't eaten since lunch, which isn't remotely sustainable. Hopping into the car, I check the glove compartment for my emergency granola bar and find it faithfully tucked under sunglasses and loose change. I pull it out of the crinkly wrapper and begin to munch, trying (and failing) not to get crumbs all over the seat. A couple of minutes pass and I'm finished with the bar but there's still no sign of Hazel. In an effort to kill time, I turn on the radio. I check my reflection in the rearview mirror, which reveals the black eyeliner I'd put on this morning completely smeared down my face and a mouth covered in crumbs. I do my best to wipe the eyeliner off with my sleeve before remembering that I borrowed Piper's white blouse. Looking at the sleeve, it would appear that black eyeliner rubs off pretty easily. Maybe I should worry more about Piper killing me than any sort of ghost incident occurring tonight.

"A little dishwashing detergent and some cold water should get that out, don't worry. First time with eyeliner?" I jolt once I realize Hazel is sitting in the shotgun seat. How long has she been there?

"Hazel, what the hell?"

"The music must've been too loud for you to notice me," She shrugs before continuing.

"Have you thought about getting your hearing checked? Maybe your brain, too. I've heard football players are concussion prone."

I turn the music up louder. She turns it back down and I glare in her direction before remembering the smeared eyeliner and crumbs on my face. Swiping the crumbs away, I respond to her earlier statement.

"Will the cold water thing really work?"

"It should. Why, are you planning on wearing that shirt again? It's definitely a statement piece." I try to pull it down, but the linen still hugs my abdomen and it seems like the further I pull it down, the deeper the V-neck is. I sigh.

"It's my sister's. The eyeliner is hers too."

"Something told me that the shirt wasn't yours. I think your cleavage is more suited to a sweetheart neckline. This is doing nothing for your curves." I shake my head and put the truck in drive.

She impatiently taps the dashboard for a minute before speaking up.

"Where are we going? I'd better not be getting kidnapped."

"Like I said, we're driving through town. Are you sure I'm the one with the bad hearing? Anyways, we're going to look at the pretty lights and decorations and you're going to enjoy it. Or else."

"Somehow I don't feel very threatened by you."

"Just a second ago you were worried about me being a kidnapper. What changed?"

"The eyeliner really softens your features. I feel so safe."

"I'll make you walk home."

"I think I'll be able to manage walking a half-mile. Your athlete god-complex is kicking in again."

"Fine, but won't you be lonely?" I shoot a quick grin in her direction.

She smiles and shakes her head at me before staring out the window. A quietness settles over us as I slowly drive on Main Street through downtown Maple Ridge.

My eyes light up as we pass the Boxcar and its cobweb-covered windows. Fake skeletons are dangling from the doorway, each one wearing a paper chef's hat. I can hear the Monster Mash blasting through the diner's speakers, even from inside the truck. I wonder if Piper is working and slide down a bit in the driver's seat just in case she happens to catch a glimpse of my eyeliner-covered sleeve through the window.