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“Naw,” he said. “It’s a virus.”
I blinked at him. “What is?”
“Yeah,” the red-skinned boy’s friend piped in. “Arthur here caught it a few days ago. Made him real crazy. Started throwing punches at me.”
Arthur’s blue eyes dimmed and he hunched his shoulders. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“You got in-school suspension,” his friend said.
My shyness wanted to let them continue talking and just listen in, but I didn’t want to lose the chance to learn something. “So, you don’t think it’s a drug? How is it a virus?”
“A doctor tried to ask me about it,” Arthur said. “They said I must have taken some crazy weed. I don’t think they believed me when I told them I was clean. They just assumed I did.”
“You’ve never taken anything?”
“No,” he said, with a little more confidence. “I’ve never even smoked a cigarette. Hate that stuff. Besides, there was a fever and I don’t even remember half of that day. But I was real sick.” He rubbed a palm over his forehead. “Still kind of feel weird. I don’t think I’m contagious anymore.”
“You better not get me sick,” his friend said.
“I told you,” he said. “I was at home yesterday and no one in my family got sick. I think I’m over it.”
If Dr. Green asked him if he took drugs, and Arthur said no, then how was this JH14 involved? “Maybe this John has it?” I asked, testing his theory. “Do you know him?”
Arthur shook his head. “I don’t know anyone on the football team. I don’t think I share any classes with him. But yeah, he could. I mean it could be drugs for him but I know I didn’t take anything other than Tylenol that day.”
“Maybe it was the Tylenol,” his friend said.
“Tylenol doesn’t make you sick,” Arthur said.
They continued to talk but I kept quiet this time. I couldn’t help but look back at Nathan, and when I met his eyes, I tried to tell him silently that I learned something and I needed to talk to someone.
He seemed confused for a moment but then gestured with an index finger toward the start of the stands.
I followed his direction, spotting Kota, Luke and Gabriel coming up. They were scanning the crowds.
I waved to them, eager to get out of this mess of students.
CAN’T RUN AWAY
FROM A FIGHT
Kota plopped down next to me on the bench. Luke sat on my other side. Gabriel went to join Nathan.
My heart finally settled down out of my throat and my shaking eased. This was so much better. I didn’t want to be apart from any of them again.
The football team had lined up for another play and the crowd began to settle back into their seats.
“Whew,” Luke said. “Mr. Morris didn’t want to give up.”
“Did you find out who the other driver was?” I asked.
“Another teacher,” Kota said. He checked around us but Arthur, Mike, Jer and the other students were caught up talking or watching the game. With the sudden appearance of Kota and Luke, they all seemed to have distanced themselves from me. Did they not like them?
“Who?” I asked him.
“My biology teacher,” Luke said. “Which was weird. I wouldn’t have suspected her. She’s a real snore.”
“Maybe she’s like Mr. Morris. She needs the money.”
“I think there’s something else to this,” Kota said. “They were way too obvious and they’re clearly inexperienced. They’re not even trying.”
“Because Mr. Hendricks wants you guys to know you’re being followed?” I asked.
Kota shook his head, his green eyes darkening, but he didn’t say anything else about it, instead he shifted on the seat and turned to the game. “Where are we? Catch me up.”
I quickly went over what had happened with John. I checked over Kota’s shoulder for Arthur, who was distracted with talking to his friend. I leaned in toward Kota to whisper the rest into his ear. “And that kid who Dr. Green and Mr. Blackbourne thought had taken drugs swears he never did. He thinks it’s a virus.”
Kota turned his head, bumping his cheek into mine because I was slow to move. I backed my head up, heat flooding my face.
He smiled a little and then leaned in, whispering in my ear. “You don’t think he’d lie?”
I backed my head away, shaking my head. “I really don’t think so,” I said, feeling okay with talking out loud now since we weren’t using names.
“That complicates things,” Kota said. He nudged at the corner of his glasses, a reflex I was starting to understand meant he was thinking.
“How?”
“It may be like North,” he said. “Maybe taking the drug wasn’t voluntary.”
My fingers covered my lips, trying to hide my dropping mouth. “I told North I thought it was Jade. Is she doing it?”
He shrugged. “Or someone else. North told me what you thought. Could be her. Could be Rocky. Could be anyone. We don’t know for sure.”
I thought I did. Jade seemed to be the most likely suspect. Kota was right, though, as was North. We shouldn’t trust anyone.
Luke sat up sharply and then reached for his phone in his pocket, checking the messages. He squinted at it and then turned to look over his shoulder.
I turned instinctively. Nathan and Gabriel were pointing at me at the same time and then at Luke. Gabriel tugged at the jacket he was wearing.
I didn’t catch on but Luke did. He unzipped his blue jacket and passed it to me. “Put this on,” he said.
I’d been so busy with all the investigating that I’d forgotten about the chill. I reached for it gratefully. “Won’t you get cold?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said.
I tried to hide my secret smile at how Gabriel and Nathan were looking out for me from the distance, insisting Luke give up his jacket.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Mike bellowed from where he was sitting next to Jer. He was so loud, I wanted to cover my ears. He pointed to Luke. “Don’t go flirting with her. She’s going out with Silas.”
Not this again. I wanted to groan.
Luke and Kota both turned to him, looking confused.
We weren’t usually called out like that for anything we did together.
“Just giving her something to wear,” Luke said to him. “She’s cold. It’s not a proposal.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Kota said quieter so only Luke and I would hear.
Mike laughed. “I haven’t done that in ages.”
That bit of humor seemed to diffuse the tension and people started talking again.
The game went on and our team had scored but they still lost by seven points. Karen and Derrick never returned.
When the game was over, Kota started tapping at his phone.
“What now?” I asked. I was tired of this show and was very eager to go home and relax for the weekend. I would have wanted to leave earlier if it wasn’t for Silas and North playing the game and my wanting to support them.
“Let’s wait until the crowd clears out before we leave,” Kota said. He showed me his phone, a screen showing Marie and Danielle in the living room. They were watching TV. Both appeared to be dressed now. “Are you sure they’re planning something?”
“They asked me if I was going to be away for the weekend. Maybe they meant to have people over tomorrow.”
He nodded and turned his phone off. “Well, nothing is going on tonight, it seems. They’re by themselves.”
“Still not a good thing if they have anyone over at all,” Luke said.
Kota sighed. “Let’s hope Marie knows better than to confess to anyone else that her parents aren’t going to be around for a while.”
Luke shook his head, leaning back a bit. “I can’t wait for this school year to be over.”
I frowned. “I’m not looking forward to next year,” I said. Without the guys around, I couldn’t imagine going to Ashley Waters again. I didn’t mean to sound bitter, but if I had an alternative, I think I’d prefer the Academy. Or anywhere else. With no Silas to hide behind, or Mr. Blackbourne’s office to run to, what would happen to me?
Luke and Kota looked at me briefly and then over my head to silently talk to each other. I stared at the field, unsure if I should say anything. I shouldn’t have brought it up at all. This was only October and we had months to go before the year was finished. Thinking about next year only added to the mountain of stress I was under now.
