Creep

Chapter One

Eight Years Ago

Thirteen Years Old

“Just do it. Nobody’s watching you,” May whispers, daring me to match her reckless attitude. Surely everyone can hear her hissing in my ear, and I scan the room for signs that the adults —currently socializing in small circles—are onto us.

“My mom’s here somewhere, May. I don’t want to get her in trouble at work.” My heart hammers at just the idea of breaking such a serious rule. I mean, for all I know it could even be against the law. That’s, like, a thousand times worse, and it stresses me out even more.

“Oh, move over,” she says, gripping the back of my dress and yanking me so I’m backed into the corner, flush against the wall.

With a confidence I could never match, she skirts past a group of well-dressed adults talking business closer to the bar.

May has a knack for styling her long blonde hair and makeup in a way that makes her look older than our thirteen years.

She might attract glances, but it will be because she’s pretty, not because they think she’s up to no good.

I bite my lip, grateful to be tucked away, somehow both anxious for her to steal us the drinks and ashamed that I’m too scared to do it myself. That’s just how we are, I guess. Goody-two-shoes Leigh and her troublemaker best friend, May.

That sounded bitter, but it’s not. I love her for exactly the way she is. I just hate that I can’t let go the way she can.

Anxiously watching her as she approaches the corner of the bar, I side-step, blending myself in against giant wooden bookcases that make up the walls of this…

party room? Ball room? The fancy place they hold all my mom’s work events.

Now that I’m a teenager, I’m allowed to stay home from them if I want, but May said she wanted somewhere to test out the new dress she bought for our first homecoming dance.

See what kind of attention she could get wearing it. And she always gets what she wants.

Flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder, May silently plucks four shot glasses from the tray set haphazardly on the side of the bar.

The server is currently bent forward wiping a spilled drink from their shoe, completely unaware of her presence.

What a sneak. May can’t hide the devilish grin on her face as she tilts her head to the side, telling me to meet her in the hallway outside the ballroom.

I slip open the door and she steps through behind me, gleefully shrieking once it shuts. “Here. Do a shot with me.”

That is something I can do. We’ve been sneaking alcohol at our sleepovers for the past six months, so I take the shot glass she hands me and try to look practiced as I toss it back. May winks and copies the movement until we’re both shaking our heads at the awful taste, glasses empty.

“Nasty. Let’s have another one.”

I’m lifting the chilled glass when I feel it, a heavy weight on my back like I’m being watched. Glancing up at May, I peek around as she pinches her nose and drinks hers.

It’s then that I see him. Them. Two boys at the other end of the hall. One with shaggy black hair, leaning on the wall as he stares at his phone, his leg kicked back against the expensive wood paneling. Mom would have a coronary if I had my shoes scuffing the wall like he is.

The light of his phone illuminates the face of a second boy with sandy hair, standing with his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on me.

Not May, me.

Nobody ever looks at me when I’m with May.

That’s just a fact I’ve come to accept as part of our friendship.

But this guy keeps doing it, even now after I’ve caught him red-handed.

Where his dark haired friend has a loose tie and haphazardly rolled shirt sleeves, this one is neat.

Almost meticulously so. And something about that paired with his focused stare just made me feel…

A lot.

May follows my gaze, peeking her head out from behind a fake tree off to the side of the door. “Oh, shit. How did we not see them there?”

I shrug, pretending to be braver than I feel.

I mean, they are cute and secretly I hope the lighter-haired boy is still watching as I casually tip back the second shot and hide my disgust at how it tastes going down.

He’s clearly a little bit older than me, but that doesn’t mean I need to act like a little kid.

May’s green eyes widen, a smirk forming as she tucks her hair behind her ear. “He’s like, really staring at you, Leigh.”

My mouth goes dry. “Do I just ignore him? Should we go back in?” I’m starting to feel that familiar buzz, the one that helps me forget how self-conscious I am for just a little while. The one that dares me to be more like my best friend.

“Screw that, go talk to him.” Her nails sink into my arm as she grips it and spins us to walk in their direction.

“What are you doing?” I ask, panicking. My heart is flying. I can’t just talk to people I don’t know without sounding like an idiot.

“Stop thinking, Leigh. Just be hot and ask him for his number. I’ll distract the skater looking one.”

My throat clenches, and my anxiety must show because the blond boy’s eyes narrow as he watches me. I scan how his outfit shows off an athletic body, the way his sandy brown hair falls a little bit into his eyes. He’s cute. Obnoxiously so.

“Hey, guys. We couldn’t help but notice the way you were staring. My name’s May, this is Leigh.” May says, a smirk on her face because she’s never intimidated by anything.

The guy leaning against the wall pops an eyebrow in surprise at her. “Danny,” he says, watching her curiously.

The silent one that’s been staring at me has a jacket with the high school mascot on it.

Of course, he’s a jock. It makes sense since everything about him is screaming all-American boy next door, except for the way his eyes keep tracking my every move.

Like a Doberman or something, just on alert for no reason.

May steps toward the wall like a seasoned wing-man, so that Danny’s head follows. He looks at her like she’s a fascinating animal though, how you might watch a cute dog more than a cute girl. Maybe he’s smarter than the adults in the other room and has caught on that we are only thirteen.

I hate it. I hate being looked at like I’m a little kid.

Now me and the Doberman friend are looking at each other like we’re not sure how we ended up here.

The May effect. I should be used to it by now.

“Um, hi. I’m Leigh,” I say again, like an idiot.

His eyes scan me, giving nothing away as they reach my face again. “Hi, Leigh.”

I swallow. He’s either not a talker like me, or he is completely willing to watch me flounder for his entertainment. “So, what are you guys doing here?”

“I should be asking you that. Or does the law firm know you two are stealing drinks from the bar?” His eyes flick with the first sign of life as he calls us out.

My stomach sinks. Instead of sounding conspiratorial, like we’re all in on a fun secret, that stone cold look on his face makes it feel abrasive. It’s impossible to read his tone, and his expression gives nothing away.

Maybe he’s a psychopath.

“Um, May?” I turn to her. She’s got her signature sunshine smile bright on display for a seemingly unaffected target. Danny’s brow is furrowed like he’s unsure what to do with the girl in front of him.

She looks over at me, immediately noticing my discomfort.

If there’s one thing I can always credit her for, it’s how overprotective she is of me.

Her green eyes narrow, cutting to the boy in front of me as if he’s to blame for my anxiety.

Taking my hand in hers, she starts to pull me back toward the ball room.

“‘Kay strangers, it’s been weird as hell. Bye.”

I let her direct me back toward where the adults mill around, shaking hands and clinking glasses together.

“So did you get his number or something?” I ask, trying to sound normal.

I can’t figure out why talking to that boy makes me feel so…

off. I’m used to being socially awkward.

That is familiar territory. But this was something else.

She flips her hair. “I think he’s gay. I don’t know.”

I bite back a laugh, and peek over my shoulder. He’s still right there, watching intently as we disappear around the corner, and I realize he never gave me his name.

“There you are!” I hear my mom’s voice call as soon as we reenter the party.

She rushes forward, arms outstretched toward us as my eyes widen.

For a second I think I’m in trouble, but it’s her giddy smile that finds me instead.

Mom looks stunning in her little back dress and matching pumps, but my eyes latch onto the man at her side.

A stranger, but he looks at her fondly. Maybe he’s her boss.

“Leigh, I want you to meet someone. This is Jason Wilde.” Mom says, taking my hand and pulling me to her side. He has a friendly face—graying hair and a beard that matches, and warm eyes that put me at ease.

He reaches out a hand for me to shake. “You can just call me Jason. Nice to finally meet you.”

I blink up at him, confused. “Um, hey Jason.”

Mom slides her hands up to my shoulders and squeezes. “Honey, this is a friend of mine from work.”

Jason quirks a brow, smiling, and I feel her melt. “I thought we agreed she was old enough for us to break the news.”

My throat dries. “What’s the big news, Mom?”

But now it's obvious as I look at the two of them. Jason watches her as she speaks. “We did! Leigh, baby, Jason is the man I’ve been seeing. For a while now actually, and I thought we should tell you the news. We’ve—”

She claps her hands over her mouth and bounces. “We’ve decided to get married. He asked me to be his wife!” Grinning, she juts her hand out so I can spot a diamond sparkling on her finger.

Good god, how did I miss that giant rock?

My heart skips, my eyes snapping to hers. They glisten, shining as if she’s emotional just thinking about sharing this moment with me.

I’ve always been perceptive to the emotions of other people, of what they are saying with both their words and their actions. Mom’s an open book, and her excitement is tempered only by how she watches for my reaction.

May breaks the silence. “Congrats, guys! Aw, how sneaky of you, Teresa. But so exciting! I’ll be your bridesmaid right?” She hugs my mom, who squeezes her back. We’ve been friends for so long that we’re basically May’s second family.

I look back up at Jason, and his kind eyes scan the room around us, giving me a moment to take him in. He looks okay…he’s handsome, maybe a little bit older than my mom. But that’s fine, and the grin on her face says that this news means the world to her.

I decide that’s enough for me and I smile back at her. “That’s so exciting, I can’t wait to help you plan the wedding.”

“Hmm, I can’t seem to find Chase. I know him and Danny are around here somewhere,” Jason says, still looking around the room.

“I wanted to tell him the good news while we were here.” Shrugging, he grins back at us.

“We can have dinner tonight at our place, get to know each other. I make a mean pizza.”

My mom smiles like a schoolgirl, but I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Is Chase your…son?”

He nods, “Yes, just a few years older than you actually. He’s in his last year of high school now. You’re a freshman, right?”

“Next year,” I say faintly, the news slightly overwhelming. I roll my lower lip under my teeth, nervously biting it to stop myself from picking at my nails.

“There he is. Chase! Danny! Over here,” Jason says, waving across the room.

“Oh, shit,” May whispers beside me, and I know what I’ll see before they come into view.

Heading our way, eyes locked on me, are the boys from the hall.

I swallow. Danny, the grinning friend, and Chase, my soon to be step-brother.