Free For Ever by C. J. Valles Page B

I’d see you here,” a voice says
from behind me.
    I turn and try to keep my features impassive
as I look up at Jeff the Jerk. My mouth twitches at the
alliteration.
    “Hi.”
    “Where are your friends?” Jeff asks
mockingly, looking around.
    He’s thinking that I came to the movies by
myself hoping I would run into him. I frown. I’m really starting
not to like him.
    “They’re in the bathroom,” I lie.
    “So, we’re going for pizza. You should come
with. I’ll give you a ride.”
    Across the lobby, I see a tall girl watching
us with a look of unmistakable scorn painted on her features. She
whispers something to the girl next to her and then laughs.
    “Come on,” he prods.
    He throws an arm around my shoulder and
begins steering me across the lobby, but my lack of enthusiasm
slows his progress. Catching sight of Ashley, I wave furiously at
her. She rushes up before screeching to a halt when she sees my
company. Shrugging out from under Jeff’s grasp, I begin to hurry
toward her. Behind my back, I hear Jeff mutter something
indecipherable but obviously nasty. Charming when he gets what he
wants, a cretin when he doesn’t. No surprise there.
    “I was afraid you guys left,” I sigh.
    “Where’d you go? We’ve been looking all
over.”
    I nod over my shoulder.
    “Sorry. I couldn’t take any more blood and
guts.”
    “Yeah, it was a bit of a gross out. But what
were you doing with him ? I mean, you know he’s going out
with Emily, right?”
    I nod, even though I’m pretty sure Emily
dumped Jeff, and I’m starting to think he deserved it. That, or
they deserve each other.
    “He’s in my Chem class.”
    “And? What did he want?”
    “He asked if I needed a ride.”
    Ashley snorts.
    “Good thing I found you.”
    Lindsay and Taylor join us, both of them
gasping.
    “Oh … my … god ! You guys missed it!”
Lindsay says breathlessly.
    “Missed what?” Ashley says, motioning for
them to spit it out.
    Taylor points outside, eyes wide. “Ever
Casey.”
    “Weird, huh?” Lindsay says, raising an
eyebrow. “He was just standing out in the parking lot.”
    “It looked like he was waiting for someone,”
Taylor muses. “I’ve never seen him outside school before.”
    I catch Taylor’s eye, and my heart stutters
when I see a blurry image of him leaning against a black car.
Trailing behind the others, I can’t help feeling a surge of
anticipation that makes my stomach tighten. But there’s no sign of
him outside—only Josh and Marcus waiting for us at the curb.
    “Ash, can I get a ride home?” I whisper as we
approach them.
    She nods, and when everyone splits up, I
follow her, still preoccupied by the hazy image of my strange
classmate. I try to match it with the form I saw in the parking lot
before the end of the movie, but it’s hopeless. Pausing as Ashley
unlocks the car, I try to think of how to pose my question without
sounding like a stalker. Then I exhale and settle for sounding like
an obsessive crazy person.
    “Has anyone heard anything about why Ever Casey is so … you know?”
    “Out there?”
    “I mean, is he on medication or something?
Jeff Summers said he was in,” I pause, horrified that I’m taking
any stock in information from Jeff, “a mental hospital.”
    Ashley shakes her head and rolls her
eyes.
    “Don’t listen to him. Jeff’s had a thing
against him for months, even before Emily tried hooking up with
Ever.”
    My eyes bug out of my head, and I can’t help
laughing.
    “Seriously?”
    She nods and giggles.
    “It was pretty hilarious. She and Jeff were
still technically going out, and then one day she just walked right
up to Ever in the cafeteria. He totally ignored her, and everyone
saw it. She was speechless. And that’s how everybody found out
something wasn’t right, because he just sat there, didn’t even look
at her. People just assumed he wasn’t all there. Know what I mean?
Wicked hot, but nobody home upstairs.”
    She taps her forehead.
    “But you