Super Dark 1 (Super Dark Trilogy)

Chapter 6 - Omen

I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Becky again. I knew she’d want to discuss what happened at Taffin Carter’s party, and I still hadn’t gotten my story straight. Sure enough, she made a beeline for me first thing Monday morning, as the class waited for Mr. Maine to arrive.

“My god, Sam, where have you been?” she demanded. “I’ve been trying to get through to you all weekend!”

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I was a bit hung over, so I switched off my phone.” I glanced at Frasier’s empty desk. I hoped he was okay. “So how’s your migraine?” I asked, changing the subject. “Hannah said you weren’t feeling well.”

But Becky wasn’t letting me off that easily. “Never mind about that. Hannah said she saw you dancing with Lee at the party. How could you do that to me? You know how much I like him!”

“Hannah’s lying,” I snapped. “We just talked, that’s all, for about ten minutes before Frasier’s accident.”

Concern shadowed her face. “Oh my gosh, I heard about that. He fell down the stairs, right? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. At least, I hope he is,” I said as I glanced again at his seat.

Frasier was now seven minutes late. It was so unlike him that I began to worry. I opened my bag and began unpacking my books and a pen. I could feel Becky’s eyes boring into me like an electric current.

“So, are you saying that you didn’t dance with Lee?” she probed.

“Yes! I don’t know why Hannah told you that. She must be trying to stir up trouble.”

Becky’s face broke into a smile. “It’s all right, Sam, I believe you. I just needed to be sure you were still on my side.”

A wave of relief washed over me as I realized she’d been bluffing the whole time. With all the other crazy stuff going on in my life, the last thing I needed was a major fall-out with Becky.

“It’s a shame you didn’t come to the party,” I said. “It was fun, until Frasier’s accident.”

“I know, I’m so sad I missed it,” she pouted. “I was ready to leave my house when suddenly I got this terrible headache. Honestly, it was so bad that I had to lie down the rest of the night. In the morning I felt fine again. It was so weird. I’ve never had a migraine before. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“I guess not,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. Then I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, “How are things going with Lee anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” she sighed. “He’s so hard to read. Sometimes he acts like he’s really into me and then he suddenly goes all cold. For example, I’ve asked for his number many times, but he keeps putting me off. He says he lost his cell and is waiting for the phone company to send him a replacement. That was two weeks ago, so I’m not sure I believe him anymore.”

“Yeah, that does sound a bit strange,” I agreed. My thoughts took me back to the party and I distinctly remembered seeing Lee use a cell phone to dial the taxi. So Becky is right. Lee is lying to her. But why?

Perhaps this was how he got his kicks. Perhaps he enjoyed flirting, playing hard to get, and pitting one girl against another. Whatever his game was, I decided I wasn’t going to play it anymore.

At that moment, Mr. Maine hurried into the classroom carrying a bunch of folders under his arm. His hair was windswept and his clothes disheveled.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I had to do some photocopying, but I have some good news—at least for some of you. Your grades are back for the Tennessee Williams project.”