The Necklace

24: What's Missing?

I wake up the next morning and replay my dream with Calvin in my head. I didn't realize that he'd be so gung ho about having children. But I am relieved that I can't get pregnant if we were to take things further. We're both still young, so we have plenty of years to figure out if or when we picture having kids.

Overall I would say the evening went okay. I got the answers to some of the questions I had, found out Calvin is super jealous of Jesse, and got him to agree to stop spying on me. However, there is one detail that I keep getting hung up on. The last ingredient of the potion that he scribbled out. He said it was already taken care of and that I wouldn't know what it was. In the past, Calvin has not been above bending the truth to improve his odds with me. Hell, the man shackled himself in a cage to gain my sympathy. I know it might be exactly what he said it was, but I want to find out for myself.

The only person I could think to ask would be Madame Ziad. However, I don't know how to get into contact with her. Calvin told me that he burned her shop down, but I could not find any record of it happening. No police reports, no news articles, nothing. Plato beach is far, and I'm not sure if it's worth it to drive all that way for something that could be nothing. If Calvin truly did threaten her for speaking with me, then I'm not sure she would be willing to talk to me anyway. Maybe I could order food and have it sent to her to see if the delivery driver says the place is burned down.

I decide to try my plan. Worst case scenario, I end up giving a delivery driver a free treat and confirm that Calvin is homicidal. I pull up the app and order a cannoli from Joe's Pizza, which is just 2 block from Madame Ziad's shop. I set the delivery address to her shop and add instructions to text me if they have trouble finding the address.

Right as I put my phone away, I get a knock at the door. I check through the peep hole and see it's Jesse. I open the door.

"Hi! What are you doing here?" I ask, while giving him a hug. 

"I was just driving by and thought I'd stop in to see you. Last time I was here you were nearly passed out. Sorry to not text first."

"It's okay, do you want to come in?"

Jesse comes inside and we sit on the couch. He looks like he hasn't shaved recently and he's got some stubble happening. I make sure to tease him about this while he updates me on his life. Based on the temperature of the necklace, I'm going to guess Calvin is keeping his word.

"How are you El?" Jesse asks.

"I've been okay. I saw my mom and Aunt Stacy the other day."

"How has Stacy been? I haven't seen her since high school."

"She's good. The twins are about to start their freshman year."

"Holy shit, time flies. Remember when we were freshmen?" He reminisces.

"I do. I was so nervous my first day, I was relieved you were in my bio class."

"I remember that class. I had a crush on you and was happy when we got partnered for lab."

"Wait, you did?"

"Oh come on El, you knew."

"No, you never told me! I- Cannoli?" I say as I get a notification that my order has been delivered.

I open the app and see the picture of the delivery bag on Madame Ziad's doorstep. He lied about burning her shop down?

"Cannoli?" Jesse asks.

"Sorry, I just got distracted. I just sent a treat to one of my friends and I got the delivery confirmation." I lie. Jesse gets weird when I bring up Calvin.

I really can't understand what he has to gain from lying to me about Madame Ziad. He had her book, so he must have paid her a visit. I'm going to ask him about this next time I see him.

Jesse and I talk a little longer before he says he has to go. He was just stopping by on his way to watch a game at Carter's place. I'm still slightly shocked by his admission that he had a crush on me during freshman year. What I didn't tell him was that I also had a crush on him freshman year. And junior year. And during our sophomore year of college. It's been an on and off thing for years and I never said anything because I never thought that someone like him would want to be with someone like me.  With his baby blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, he looks like a ken doll come to life. He's always been this all star super popular athlete and honestly, could have any girl he wanted.

I spend the rest of the day drowning myself in job applications to distract myself from Calvin's lack of arson and Jesse's admission. By the time I finish the day, I feel exhausted and instantly fall asleep when I get in bed.

I wake up, but for the first time I'm not in the stone room. I feel cold sand underneath me and see that I'm sitting on a beach. There's a huge full moon reflecting over the water as the waved steadily crash into the sand. The air smells like salt with a faint trace of burning wood. I get up to look around some more and see that there is a little cottage overlooking the beach with lights on. The beach looks completely abandoned other than the house. I start to walk towards it and the door opens. Calvin appears in the front doorway with what looks like a blanket and a bottle of wine.