Chapter 7
“Rick! You’ve got a visitor.” She singsonged the last part.
He grunted, his focus almost entirely on the job in front of him. “Thanks, Dani.” He clambered out from beneath the car, coming face-to-face with Nika Page, and his heart giddily skipped a beat.
“Hey!” she chirped.
“Hey,” Rick breathed, drinking her in. She’d tied her hair back, revealing her delicate features. Her lips were shiny, but he was pretty sure it was just lip balm.
“Hey.” This hey was sardonically delivered, and Rick realized someone was standing next to Nika.
A slightly gap-toothed grin was turned on him, along with freckles, twin strawberry-blond braids, and an honest-to-god cowboy hat.
Before he could stop it, the mental image of her yearbook photo popped into his head along with the sans serif font of her own personal doom: Camryn Jacobs, Most Likely to Stew in Her Own Juices.
Even worse was that his traitorous brain immediately followed it up with the horrifying words that had been printed under Nika’s picture in the yearbook: Nika Page, Head-less of the Class.
None of them had gotten off particularly light, but Nika’s had seemed especially violent.
“Camryn,” Rick said, with some surprise. He pulled a rag out of his pocket to wipe at the grease on his hands. “Good to see you.”
Her grin widened as her gaze flicked between him and Nika. Her response, when it came, was as dry as a six-month drought. “I’m sure you’re absolutely delighted with my presence.”
Dani came up behind him, her hand grasping the back of his coveralls. She eyed the newcomers warily.
Rick smiled down at her, letting her know that these two were welcome. “This is my little sister, Dani. Dani, this is Nika and Camryn.”
“How do you do?” Camryn asked, sticking out a hand.
Dani took it cautiously. “I like your hat.”
“Thanks,” Camryn said. “I like your hoodie.”
Dani was wearing one of Rick’s old hoodies that had a faded shark on it and the words I’m going to eat your face. Dani nodded at Camryn like her compliment was a given.
Rick nudged her.
“Thank you.” Dani held out her fist for Nika. “Knuckles.”
Nika dutifully bumped knuckles with her, her expression uncertain. She was silent, but only for a moment, as if once she had the words, they burst out of her. “Did you know sharks show up on the fossil record before trees?”
Dani tilted her head. “What does that mean?”
“It means they can find fossils of sharks that are older than any known fossils of trees. They came first.” Nika bit off the end of the sentence like she wasn’t sure if she should say more.
“That’s cool,” Dani said. “Did you know sharks can’t get cavities?” Her excited expression morphed into a scowl. “I wish I had shark teeth. I hate the dentist.”
Camryn hooked her thumbs into her pockets. “I didn’t know that. You a shark expert?”
“I have a book,” Dani said. “Rick got it for me from the library.” She pointed to her book bag, which was propped up against the bench. “I don’t have it with me, but I do have one about alligators.”
Nika’s brows swooped down, her tentative smile flipping into a frown. “I’m not sure I have any good alligator facts.”
Rick cleared his throat. “Ambient temperature is what decides the sex of an alligator. Cooler temperatures means lady gators. Warmer temps, male gators.”
Nika gazed up at him. “Really? That’s fascinating.”
Camryn watched them, a bemused expression on her face. “Adorable.”
Rick, panicked, asked, “What?” slightly too loud.
“Never mind,” Camryn said, shaking her head. “Maybe we should get along to why we’re here.”
Rick realized he was clutching the rag, so he tucked it away into his back pocket again. “I didn’t realize you had an agenda.”
Nika fidgeted with the strap of her bag as she shot a quick glance at Camryn. “We wanted to talk about the yearbook.”
Rick could almost hear the audible crash of his dreams hitting the ground. “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t—Martina and I didn’t—do it.”
“I didn’t think you did,” Nika said, indignant. “That’s not— I don’t—” She turned a defeated expression on Camryn. “Help.”
Camryn rocked back on her heels, seeming to Rick like she was the only relaxed person here.
“We thought, in light of Mr. Stephens being dragged from the deep and all, that it might be prudent if everyone named in the…” Her gaze flitted down to Dani for a second before she smoothly continued, “Yearbook prank got together. A meeting, if you will.”
Dani scrunched up her nose. “Prudent?”
“It means being thoughtful,” Camryn said. “Acting with care.”
“Oh.” Dani tilted her face up to Rick. “What yearbook prank?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Rick said, hoping she would forget so he didn’t have to tell her…and also knowing full well that Dani’s mind was a steel trap and the more he didn’t want to tell her something, the more she remembered it.
Rick had a bunch of questions he really wanted to ask, none of which he should spout off in front of Dani.
It would only draw more of her interest. One question, however, bumped to the top like a persistent helium balloon careening for an oscillating fan.
A question he could ask safely in front of Dani.
“Why come here?” He crossed his arms. “You have my number.” He held his breath, even now hoping that her answer might be, I wanted to see you.
Or maybe even, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather spend my time with, I’m madly in love with you, let’s go on a date.
Unlikely, but that was what made them hopes.
His heart sank as Camryn answered. “We’ve learned it’s easier to get people to agree if we’re in person.”
“Texts can be left on read,” Nika said. “People, not so much.”
Camryn nudged her. “If Kylie doesn’t want to talk to us, we can’t make her.”
“I know,” Nika sighed.
His mouth twisted in disappointment, which Rick hoped looked more like he was thinking. “Got it. Let me know when and where.”
Nika touched his arm. “Thank you.”
“You’ll bring Martina?” Camryn asked.
“Yeah,” Rick said. “Of course.”
There wasn’t much to say after that. Both of them took a minute to admire Dani’s alligator book, which made his sister ecstatic and pleased him as well.
Then they were gone and Rick was once again left with his own thoughts, which were pinging unhelpfully between the letter he’d received, the image of Mr. Stephens’s car coming out of the lake, and all the yearbook’s nasty predictions.
By the time they decided to settle on Nika and every embarrassing thing he’d said in front of her, it was almost a relief.
They were still the worst, but it was a flavor of worst that he was very used to.
—
Several hours later, night had fallen and Rick and Martina found themselves standing outside the battered husk that was the closest Denny’s.
“As clandestine meetings go, this is a real weird setting,” Martina said.
He smiled down at her, amused. “I think they picked it because it’s open twenty-four hours, not because it has the right vibes.”
“I mean, it’s not even the good Denny’s.”
“No one wanted to drive an extra ten minutes over to Port Haines.” Rick stuck his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. The temperature had dropped a few hours ago, his breaths now coming out in white puffs.
“I just don’t want my last meal to be in the bad Denny’s,” Martina said. “I deserve better. That’s not the life I led.”
Rick threw an arm around her shoulders, shepherding her to the entrance. “I don’t think this will be your last meal.”
Martina made a scoffing noise. “You don’t know. You can’t predict the future.”
“No,” Rick admitted as he swung the door open for her. “But I don’t think either of us can actually afford a meal.”
“Oh.” Martina considered this as she walked past him. “Good point. My last hot chocolate, then.”
“I think if we stay away from anything to do with homecoming, we’ll be okay.” Rick followed Martina as she waved off the host and weaved her way through the restaurant toward a couple of pushed-together tables in the back.
Everyone had gotten there before them. Nika and Camryn sat at the far end of one table.
Zara sat next to them and was studying the menu like she might write an article about it for the Wildcat Roar later.
Then Bryce, who was playing with his straw while flashing a smile at a pretty girl at a different table.
When he caught sight of Rick and Martina, he winked at them, causing Martina to recoil in horror.
There was a gap on the cushioned bench between Bryce and Landon, who had his arm around Alexis’s shoulders as she sipped her water.
She was wearing a Meadowvale High football team hoodie while Landon wore the warmup sweats from cheer, and Rick wondered if they’d done it on purpose.
Then he realized they’d probably both just come from practice and hadn’t meant to match.
The only one sitting on the other side of the table in one of the chairs so far was Paxton. Martina took the seat next to him, throwing Rick a stern look. She didn’t exactly want to sit next to Paxton, but she hadn’t been pleased about the fighting, so she was volunteering herself as human buffer.
“Oh good, we can finally start this bullshit meeting now,” Paxton said sarcastically.
“If it’s bullshit, why are you here?” Alexis asked.
“Might make a good story.” Paxton held his hands out like he was framing an imaginary headline. “I had dinner with Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Who?” Landon asked.
Paxton slouched back in his chair. “God, it’s true what they say about cheerleaders, isn’t it?”
“Cut it out, Paxton,” Zara said, scowling, before turning toward Landon. “Bonnie and Clyde were a young couple that went on a crime spree.”
“We are neither a couple nor have we embarked on a life of crime,” Martina said. “I’m mostly here for the hot chocolate and possibly some fries.”
The waitress came by, taking their orders. Rick got a cup of coffee because it was the cheapest thing on the menu.