Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Relax," he said, loud enough for me to hear. "Time's on our side."

When we got to the top of the stairway, I heard the phone ringing and hurried into Mrs. Westington's bedroom to pick up the receiver. Echo followed me. It was Tyler.

"I'm just calling to see what happened with her," he said when I said hello.

I told him about Mrs. Westington and then about Rhona and the mess they had made with the friends they had over.

"That's a bad situation there," Tyler said. "My advice to you is to get out."

"Get out? But how can I do that? I can't leave them like this. with Mrs. Westineton in the hospital. We'll talk about it tomorrow. okay?"

"I'm not coming back tomorrow or the day after or the day after that," he said. "I promised my mother. I'm finished up there. April."

"But I thought you were going to wait until we had Echo established at least. I thought--""

"Rhona stopped in our store today."

"What?"

"Rhona stopped in our store today. She told my mother what she saw you and I doing. My mother thinks that's the only reason I wanted to go there."

"Oh. my God. Rhona's such a lowlife."

"Yeah, well, she did it. She only wants to make trouble and get rid of you. My mother was very upset. so I told her it wasn't true."

"I know. Put it out of mind. Like it never happened."

"I'm sorry, but she was too upset. I told her Rhona was lying. I convinced her when I told her that you..."

"What?" I demanded when he hesitated.

"Don't like to be with boys. I had to do it," he added quickly. "I told her what happened to you with your sister's girlfriend and I said you liked it."

"You said what?"

"I had to do it," he repeated.

He had to do it? I couldn't speak.

"You don't need me to help you anymore anyway. Just contact any school about the

equivalency exam and get yourself scheduled, if you want. You should pass."

"How could you do that, say that? What I told you about Celia was something I hadn't told anyone. Not even Mrs. Westington knew those sort of details about my feelings."

"I'm sorry. It was a way to get my mother to believe me. It doesn't matter anyway what she believes about you."

"But how can you just stop coming here?"

"I'm sorry," he said. I began to hate the sound of the word.

"But what am I going to tell Echo? Tyler, you can't just not come."

"Just tell her I have to help my mother."

"Why can't you tell her?"

"I can't." he cried. "Just do it!" he said, and hung up.