Illusions That May (Court High 2)

“Not as hard as for you, I’m afraid.” Another throat clear and his hat lowered to the side “I’m sure you have some good friends, though. The Prinze boy.”

I frowned. “I do have good friends, yes,” I said, not feeling the need to correct him. Royal had obviously been there and very vocal about wanting to know what was going on. So much so they’d guided him and the other boys away to discuss it in the sheriff’s office. I found that odd then, that Royal and the others had so much power even there, but there was so much I didn’t understand about this town. I suppose I never would. I’d be leaving soon, right after graduation.

Sheriff Ashford gripped his hat. “I’m sure it’s hard for him too and the other boys. They were good friends with your sister and to all be there that night…”

“All of them, sir?”

He looked up at me, dampening his lips. “Yes. They said they were all there hanging out that night. Well, not the whole night. Royal said they’d all been called away by his dad, who also confirmed that. I suppose they all had some event to prepare for? Something to do with the Court? Anyway, they wished they could have done something, been able to prevent what happened to your sister in some way, which they couldn’t have. Sometimes when people are troubled…”

“All due respect, sir,” I said, my hand gripping my almond milk. “My sister wasn’t troubled. She was a lot of things, but…”

“Of course,” he stated, his look apologetic. “What your sister did after they left couldn’t be helped was what I was trying to get at, and I apologize. Even still, the boys wished they could have. They cared about her.”

I didn’t know why, but I assumed it had just been Royal out there with my sister that night. I guess he never did say he was alone with her. I assumed.

Sheriff Ashford returned the hat to his head. “You take care now, you hear? Our thoughts are all with you.”

I could gratefully breathe after Sheriff Ashford left, and after paying for my almond milk and the eggnog, I headed back into the storm, thinking about what the sheriff said. His version of the events had been different than I believed, but I guess I hadn’t been really present that night. It’d been one of the worst of my life. By the time I returned to Rosanna’s, I once again wanted to push that all back to the furthest crevices of my brain. I handed her the eggnog after getting off my boots and coat, and after putting my almond milk away, I curled up on the couch with Hershey and the TV. Rosanna’s youngest were already in the living room on the floor, watching the Disney channel, and we watched together for a little while before Rosanna came out of the kitchen and pointed toward the Christmas tree.

“Your dad left you a package, December,” she said. “I brought it home from work. It’s a present. Nicely wrapped.”

My sight panned to a new present there, the paper a ruby red and tied with the same ribbon. Rosanna’s gaze on me, she clearly attempted to read me and my thoughts about said gift.

I didn’t give her much, thanking her for bringing it over before going back to the television with Hershey and the kids.

“I know it’s early,” Rosanna said, frowning. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you wanted to open it now?”

She was trying hard, wasn’t she? Being the middleman when it wasn’t her place. I appreciated everything Rosanna did for me, and I mean everything, but…

I forced a smile. “I’ll go take a look at it in my room. I mean your daughter’s room.” Her daughter was out with friends tonight, so I actually would get to sleep in the bed tonight.

I said what I did to make Rosanna smile, and it worked when I picked the present up and headed to the bedroom. I didn’t tell her about what I did once I got the box inside the room, and she wouldn’t see it in the trash either.

I made sure it was buried deep in the can.

Twenty-Eight

December

“Damn, bitch. Who you trying to impress?”

The girls picked me up for Ramses’ Christmas party outside of Rosanna’s, Shakira’s cool blue Hummer packed to the brim with not just basketball girls but boys. I recognized a few from our lunch table, along with some wrestlers.

I shook my head at what Birdie said, who was pretty much hanging out the window staring at me. I wore a nice dress tonight, red because we were on the cusp of Christmas. The annual Mallick bash was on Christmas Eve. I kept the outfit more my style with tall black boots and a leather jacket. Oh, and of course, my nose ring.

I smiled, taking the hand of a boy who offered me one to get in. Another took the trough of cookies Rosanna had given me to present to the mayor and his wife. She’d be staying at home with her kids tonight, off the hook, unlike me. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to go. I was happy to be invited and, of course, wanted to support Ramses. He’d been gracious enough to invite me, so yes, I appreciated that, but I just didn’t have the Christmas spirit much these days. It was obvious the reason why, but I was putting my big girl panties on and dealing with things. I was here, and I’d try to be as happy as I could about that. If anything, because Ramses was my friend and I did want to support him.

“Shut up with that.” I kicked the back of Birdie’s seat with my boot for her insinuation, and she yelped with a laugh.

She turned, on her head a bunch of dark curls. “What?”

“You know what.” She’d been doing that since she found out Ramses had been helping me with school. I explained we were completely platonic to each other repeatedly, but she continued to rag on me.

“Oh, she’s just messing.” Behind the wheel, Shakira wiggled her dark eyebrows, her dress a glittery white. Offsetting the umber color of her skin tone, the dress popped, and everyone was equally as festive in the back of the ride. I saw twinkling lights and even some Christmas sweaters, not gaudy enough to be considered “ugly” by any means. We were going to the mayor’s house, and no one from my Richie Rich school was pulling one of those fashion faux pas apparently.

My chocolate chip cookies returned to me, I sat with them and did have to slap away a jock hand a time or two. They all could wait until we got to Ramses’, the Hummer’s mighty wheels crunching along the salt-covered streets. It hadn’t snowed hard in over a week, so it was pretty clear.

“Fucking shit.” The shock came from me, shifting in my seat as the road was literally filled with people and cars. We were at least half a block from Ramses’ house, but the surrounding roads were already filled with people.