Free Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

while I’m out of town this week, maybe it’s best to keep your distance.”
    “You don’t trust him?”
    “We don’t know him very well,” she said carefully.
    “But Scott and I used to be best friends, remember?”
    She looked at me emphatically. “That was a long time ago. Things change.”
    My point exactly.
    “I would just like to know a bit more about Scott before you go spending too much time with him,” she continued. “When I get back, I’ll see what I can find out.”
    Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. “You’re going to dig up dirt on him?”
    “Lynn and I are good friends. She’s under a lot of stress. She may need someone to confide in.” She took a step toward my dresser, pumped a dot of my hand lotion into her palm, and rubbed her hands together. “If she mentions Scott, well, I’m not going to
not
listen.”
    “If it helps build your case that he’s still up to no good, I thought he acted really weird at dinner.”
    “His parents are coming off a divorce,” she said in that same carefully neutral tone. “I’m sure he’s going through a lot of turmoil. It’s hard losing a parent.”
    Tell me about it.
    “The auction ends Wednesday afternoon, and I should be home by dinner. Vee’s staying over tomorrow night, right?”
    “Right,” I said, just now remembering I still needed to discuss this with Vee, but I couldn’t imagine there’d be a problem. “By the way, I’m thinking about getting a job.” Better to toss it out in the open, especially since with any luck, I hoped to have employment before she returned home.
    Mom blinked. “Where did this come from?”
    “I need a car.”
    “I thought Vee was fine with giving you rides.”
    “I feel like a parasite.” I couldn’t even run to the store for emergency tampons without calling Vee. Worse, I’d come
this close
to having to hitch a ride to school today with Marcie Millar. I didn’t want to make unnecessary demands on my mom, especially when money was so tight, but I didn’t want a repeat of this morning, either. I’d been longing for a car ever since my mom sold the Fiat, and seeing the Cabriolet this afternoon had pushed me to action. Paying for the car myself seemed like a good compromise.
    “You don’t think a job will interfere with school?” Mom asked, her tone telling me she wasn’t wild about the idea. Not that I’d expected her to be.
    “I’m only taking one class.”
    “Yes, but it’s chemistry.”
    “No offense, but I think I can handle two things at once.”
    At that, she sat on the edge of my bed. “Is something the matter? You’re awfully snappy tonight.”
    I took an extra second to answer, coming very close to telling the truth. “No. I’m fine.”
    “You seem stressed.”
    “Long day. Oh, and did I mention Marcie Millar is my chem partner?”
    I could tell by her expression that she knew just how deeply this cut. After all, it was my mom I’d run home to for most of the pasteleven years after Marcie had had her way with me. And it was my mom who’d picked up the pieces, put me back together, and sent me back to school stronger and wiser and armed with a few tricks of my own.
    “I’m stuck with her for eight weeks.”
    “Tell you what, if you survive all eight weeks without killing her, we can talk about getting you a car.”
    “You drive a hard bargain, Mom.”
    She kissed my forehead. “I’ll expect a full report on the first couple of days when I get back from my trip. No wild parties while I’m gone.”
    “I make no promises.”
    Five minutes later, my mom steered her Taurus down the driveway. I let the curtain drop back in place, curled into the sofa, and stared at my cell phone.
    But no calls came in.
    I reached for Patch’s necklace, still fastened around my neck, and squeezed it harder than I expected. I was struck by the horrible thought that it might be all I had left of him.

CHAPTER
4

    T HE DREAM CAME IN THREE COLORS: BLACK, WHITE , and a wan gray.
    It