Chapter 10 Then
Then
“There was a dark car parked down the street from my house this morning. Did you notice it during carpool?” Beau and I sat on the top row of the bleachers at the school track, waiting for Caroline to finish her cross-country race.
The team started on the far end of the school, did a few laps around the big block, and would end up here.
Ava was standing on the bottom row cheering, even though we couldn’t see her yet.
“A dark car?” Beau asked. “Parked? No, I didn’t notice it.”
“Yeah…”
“Should I have?”
“I’ve just never seen it before, and I’ve seen it a few times this week.
Sometimes there’s a woman sitting inside.
” I’d first seen it that night up in my room.
I’d thought it was a DoorDasher, but ever since then it sat too long for that to be true.
I felt paranoid, and his skeptical look wasn’t helping.
“Don’t you think someone is probably just visiting your neighbor or something?”
“I mean, logically, yes.” He was right, it had to be that. I was just on edge because it felt like everyone in my house was on edge. I was trying to assign a reason to it without having enough facts.
“And not logically?” he asked, shifting toward me.
“I don’t know. Nothing.”
“Point it out to me on Monday if it’s still there.”
His taking it seriously made me even more convinced that I was overreacting. “I’m sure it won’t be. Oh! There’s Caroline.” I jumped up and joined Ava at the bottom of the bleachers. She was cheering even louder now.
Beau settled in on my right, his hands in the air. “Go, Caroline!”
“That’s our girl!” Ava shouted.
There was a small smirk on her face as she passed us, but she didn’t look our way. Her cheeks were pink, and even though it was mostly from exertion, I knew at least some of it was from embarrassment at our loudness.
She crossed the finish line and I said, “I’m going to buy her a Gatorade at the snack bar.”
Beau and Ava nodded, and I walked around the bleachers to the back side, where a small building stood, the metal grate on the front of it rolled up to create an open window.
I bought a drink and turned to rejoin my friends.
The sound of a skateboard caught my attention from the sidewalk on the other side of the fence surrounding the track.
I walked over to see Cody standing on his board under a tree, practicing some kind of jump.
“Don’t kill yourself, Cudy,” I said.
He turned to face me. “Oh hey, it’s the praying mantis.”
“In her human form,” I said.
“What?” he asked. I thought he’d get the joke, since he was the one who’d started it.
“Out of costume?” I clarified.
“Oh, right.” He jumped and landed on the board. Over his shoulder, parked on the street, was a dark sedan. It wasn’t the same one I’d been seeing…or was it? Nobody was sitting inside. No, it wasn’t the same. Why would it be?
Another jump caused Cody to lose his balance and he ran forward, propelling his arms to keep himself from falling. The move brought him closer to the fence. He gave me a slow smile.
A woman, in yoga pants and a high ponytail, and a kid, carrying a backpack, got into the dark car I’d been suspicious of moments ago. It wasn’t the same woman I’d seen in the other car, which made me sigh in relief. I was getting in my own head.
“You know them?” Cody asked, nodding to the woman and kid.
“No,” I said.
“The look on your face made it seem like they killed your cat.”
“I don’t have a cat.”
“Because they killed it?”
I rolled my eyes but laughed.
“Indy!” Ava was waving at me from the top of the bleachers, where she was peering over the back side.
I held up the Gatorade.
“Coming!” Back toward Cody I said, “See ya.”
“Will you?” he asked.
“Bring it, then!” she said.
“Maybe.” I backed away, then ran to join my friends.
“You flirting with the skater again?” Ava asked as I handed the bottle of Gatorade to Caroline.
Beau, who stood next to me, tilted his head as if listening for my response as well.
“No,” I said, but didn’t explain. “You did so good, Caroline. Congrats!”
“Thank you.” She held up the drink. “And thank you.”
Beau nudged my shoulder with his as if he was waiting for the real answer to the flirting question. I thought I’d given the real answer.