Touch

23

Instead of father-daughter chatting with Dad after dinner, I tell him that Hanna's in crisis mode and wants me to come over, pronto. Luckily my parents don't give me a hard time, which only makes me feel worse.

I honestly hate having to lie to them like this. To compound the guilt, Mom even packs me up a care package, complete with granola-flaxseed bars and carob-walnut cookies (it's the thought that counts), and then drops me off in front of Hanna's house.

Hanna is one big question mark when I show up on her doorstep ,one big green question mark, I should say.

There's a thick layer of olive green mud mask on her face and, oddly enough, she's wearing a pair of matching green footie pajamas, whether to coordinate or by coincidence, I have no idea.

"Did your mom tell you I was coming?" I ask, noticing Tyler camped out on the stairs to eavesdrop, a notepad and a pencil in his hands.

She shakes her head, her wet hair swept up in a towel. "Well, I needed to talk, and I told your mom it was an emergency. You were in the shower."

"Say no more." She grabs me by the arm and ushers me past Tyler. We head up to her bedroom, and she closes the door behind us. "So, what's up?" She takes a seat on the corner of her bed.

"Something really weird is going on," I say, plunking down beside her. "Weird as in Ethan Hawke asking you for my number? Of course, that probably wouldn't be too weird, would it? The boy did lend me a brand-new, sharpened, number two pencil in English yesterday."

"Can we please forget about Ethan Hawke for five measly minutes?" Hanna's mouth drops open, as if the idea of it appalls her.

"Did you notice anyone following us at the mall the other day?" I continue. "No, why?" She furrows her eyebrows, creating cracks in the mud mask.

I pull the pajamas from my backpack. "Wait, are those granola bars ?" Hanna spots the Tupperware containers Mom packed in my bag. "Focus," I say, showing her the gift-packaging.

"This is the same outfit I picked out at the store. Someone left it outside my bedroom window."

"Someone, or Luke?"

"Why would Luke buy this for me?" Hanna shrugs, inspecting a granola bar. "His family has way more money than they know what to do with, hence Luke's staggering allowance. Maybe he was trying to be nice. Are these hazelnuts?"

"Then, why not just offer to buy it for me?" I ask. "Why leave it outside my window?"

"Maybe he has a crush on you and wants to be all mysterious."

"That's doubtful."

"It's possible," she says, correcting me. "It wasn't you, right?"

"I'm not that generous," she says, looking at the seventy-dollar price tag. "There's more," I say, taking a deep breath. I pull the note from my pocket and hand it to her.

"This is our little secret," she reads. "Do you think it's a threat?" Hanna's mud-slathered face goes blank, like she doesn't know what to say.

"Some guy called me tonight, too," I tell her. "He said he's watching me. He said he's everywhere I am."

"Wait, what?"

"It's true." Hearing myself say this all out loud makes me feel even more freaked out. "Did he say he left something outside your window?" I shake my head.

"Okay, so slow down. There's no need to assume that whoever pranked you today is the same person who left this stuff outside your window."

"Why wouldn't I assume it? Have you forgotten about the photograph in my mailbox?"

"A joke," she reminds me. "For all you know, this could be two different people, a jokester and an admirer."

"Or a psycho and a psycho-er." Hanna laughs.

"That totally sounds like something I would say."

"Hanna, somebody's following me. He said his phone call was to warn me."

"About what?"

"To be a good girl." My voice is shaky. "For all I know, he's been inside my bedroom."

"Okay, let's not get all paranoid . We'll call Luke. We'll find out if he's behind any of this. Are you sure the guy who called didn't sound even a little like him? The boy's got more voices than I've got vintage handbags."

"Wait," I say, letting out a breath. "It gets weirder. Zayn said I was in danger."

"And why am I only hearing about this now?" I tell her everything, how he showed up at my house tonight, and how he finally admitted to pushing me out of the way in the parking lot behind the school, and how he said I was in danger.

"Um, hello, so there's your answer." She pretends to knock at my head.

"Creepy boy who watches you from afar, then shows up at your house shortly before he calls you..."

"Yes, but if he's the one who's doing all this, why would he warn me I'm in danger? Why would he show up at my house on the same day I get a bizarre phone call and a mysterious gift left in the flower box outside my window?"

"I don't know. Maybe to keep you guessing, so you don't suspect him."

"He said that at first he didn't want to believe I was in danger, but now, after today, he's sure of it."

"So, what happened between your date and when he showed up at your house?"

"Or, maybe the better question is what happened on my date. I mean, things were going perfectly fine until I kissed him."

"What does kissing him have to do with you being in danger? Does he have a killer case of herpes or something?"

"He said he wanted to help me," I continue. "He gave me his phone number and said I could call him."

"And did you?" I shake my head. "I was tempted to, but then, I don't know. I called you instead."

"Wise choice." Hanna pulls the towel from her hair and fingers the jet black layers. "This is probably just some scheme he's got going to get close to you."

"But then why pull away when I kiss him?"

"Cold sores?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I," she says. "Ever have one? They're a bitch."

"Maybe I should call him."

"Him as in Zayn? No way."

"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" I ask. "That was Luke's T-shirt. Mine says, 'Killers suck and they belong behind bars, not dating my best friend.'"

"I thought you didn't believe the rumors." Before she can respond, there's a knock on her door. "Who is it?" Hanna shouts. No one answers. She rolls her eyes and gets up to open it.

It's Tyler.

He falls into the room with a thud, having been leaning up against the door, listening in on our every word. "You're such a lame little loser!" Hanna shouts, ripping the notepad from his clutches.

She tears the pages out and flushes them down the toilet in the bathroom across the hall.

"Kiss it good-bye, Encyclopedia Brown!" Tyler lets out a scream, gaining the attention of Hanna's parents, her older sister, and her grandmother, who lives in the downstairs apartment. Even the dog starts barking at all the commotion.

Definitely my cue to leave.

· · ·

Omg ya'll seriously need to check out a book called Dust Bones.

It makes me cri.

Harry has a tattoo on his neck

Brownfield

DBSKDHSK

~ Malum