Night games, p.1
Night Games, page 1
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THIS WINTER
1
Whoooa!” I stopped and grabbed Lenny Boyle’s arm. “Check it out!”
I had to shield my eyes against the harsh, bright lights. Lenny laughed and pretended to stagger off the sidewalk.
Cassie Wylant and Jordan Townes were half a block back, arguing again. They had been fighting all night, even while they were dancing. Sometimes I wonder why Cassie and Jordan are dating. They’re always breaking up, then making up, then breaking up again.
“Hellllooo!” I called, trying to get their attention. “Take a break, guys. You’ve got to see this!”
They stopped and gawked at the amazing sight. Even Cassie had to laugh. It’s hard to get Cassie to laugh. She’s a great friend, but she really doesn’t have much of a sense of humor.
In fact, she’s the most serious person in our crowd. Always study, study, study. It was great seeing her lighten up and dance at Red Heat tonight. Her copper-colored hair was flying. Her hazel eyes reflected the flashing lights.
If only she and Jordan didn’t fight all the time.
He’s so good-looking—and he knows it. And he’s always coming on to other girls. I think that’s what starts most of their fights. I don’t know for sure.
Cassie and I are good friends. But Cassie sort of keeps herself tightly wrapped up. She doesn’t reveal what she’s really thinking—not even to me.
But now, walking home from the dance club, we were all thinking the same thing: How could Mr. Crowell do this to his front yard?
All four of us stopped and stared at the brightest, ugliest, craziest, tackiest display of Christmas lights we’d ever seen! Red and green lights blazed from the roof, around the windows and doors, along the gutters—and in all the trees!
Mr. Crowell had two Santas facing each other in identical, glowing sleighs. Reindeer with flashing red noses, elves, gremlins, Santa’s helpers, bright purple mice, bright white snowmen, neon animals I didn’t even recognize—and twinkling, flashing, glowing lights everywhere!
“It’s brighter than the dance club!” Jordan declared, shaking his head. His dark eyes twinkled too, reflecting the red glare of the lights.
“He’ll need a calculator to add up his electric bill!” I chimed in.
Everyone laughed. You see, Mr. Crowell is our math teacher. And he doesn’t allow us to bring calculators to class.
Lenny scowled. “We should smash them,” he muttered.
Mr. Crowell is not Lenny’s favorite teacher.
In fact, Mr. Crowell isn’t anyone’s favorite teacher.
Every school has at least one teacher that everyone hates. At Shadyside High, Mr. Crowell wins that prize.
I’m so easygoing and sensible, I get along well with all my teachers. All except Mr. Crowell.
Diane Browne, please complete this equation to the fifth decimal. I can hear his high, shrill voice. It always gives me chills, like chalk scraping on a blackboard.
I snuggled against Lenny. We were both glowing from the lights of the front yard. The tiny stud in Lenny’s ear sparkled like a star. I kissed his cheek.
Poor Lenny. Mr. Crowell was toughest on him.
All the teachers were tough on Lenny. I guess because Lenny doesn’t care much about school. Because he doesn’t play the game. Because he’s kind of tough-looking.
Why do I go out with a guy like Lenny? A quiet, sensible girl like me?
Because I know him well enough to get past his surface cool. Because I know he’s a really good guy underneath. He acts tough—but he’s really a marshmallow.
Actually, I’m surprised that Lenny wants to go out with me. I’m not as pretty as a lot of girls. I mean, I’m not as pretty as Cassie, for example. My blond hair is kind of scraggly and my nose is a little crooked. And I can’t afford really nice clothes.
But Lenny and I have a good time together. When he’s not in one of his angry moods. Those times when he gets low, there isn’t much I can do. Just wait for him to come out of it.
“I can’t believe that a total grump like Crowell has so much Christmas spirit!” Cassie exclaimed.
“Did you ever see anything so ugly?” Jordan demanded, grinning. “I love it! I want to do this in my front yard. I’d keep it going all year!”
I laughed. Cassie shook her head disapprovingly. “You have no taste,” she said softly.
“I know,” Jordan shot back. “That’s why I go out with you!”
Cassie shoved him into a hedge.
“No. I’m serious.” Jordan grinned. “Mr. Crowell should win an award for this.”
“He should be arrested,” Lenny muttered bitterly.
Jordan laughed. “Excuse me? Arrested? For what?”
Lenny shrugged. “I don’t know. Littering, maybe.”
We laughed.
“I’m serious!” Lenny insisted. “I really think we should get my dad’s Jeep, come back here, and drive it back and forth over all these stupid lights and Santas and reindeer. You know. Crunch them all to bits.”
“Whoa,” I murmured. I took Lenny’s arm. “Take it easy,” I whispered. “We all hate the guy. But—”
“Not as much as me,” Lenny cried.
“Hey, we all have Crowell stories,” Cassie added. “Remember the time I lost my math notebook, and he dropped my grade a whole letter? And then I found the notebook at the bottom of my locker. I brought it in to show him—and he still wouldn’t change my grade!” Cassie tossed back her coppery hair. “Remember that? And I’m his best student!”
“Remember when I got caught passing that note to you?” I asked Lenny. “It was sort of a mushy love note. And Mr. Crowell grabbed it and called me up in front of everyone, and made me read it out loud?”
Just thinking about it made my face go hot. “That was the most embarrassing day of my life!” I declared. “I wanted to murder Mr. Crowell!”
“Me too,” Lenny muttered.
Jordan tugged Cassie toward the street. “Let’s get out of here. I’m getting a sunburn from all these lights!”
Lenny and I followed them across the street, then down the block. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. None of the other houses was decorated.
A strong, cold breeze fluttered my hair. I pulled my down jacket tighter and snuggled against Lenny as we walked. “What time is it?” I yawned.
“Not too late. A little after midnight,” he replied.
Up ahead of us, Cassie and Jordan were arguing again.
“I’m really tired.” I sighed. “I worked all afternoon at the mall. Then it was so hot in the dance club…”
“That was fun,” Lenny said, kicking a soda can across the street. “It felt good to kind of let go and just dance. You know?”
I nodded. “Yes, it did.” I snickered. “Jordan thinks he’s such a great dancer,” I whispered. “But he works too hard at it, don’t you think? He tries to be so cool, but—”
I stopped with a sharp gasp.
I saw something. A shadow. Something moving on the side of a house.
“Lenny—look!” I grabbed his arm.
He saw it too.
A dark figure. Climbing out of an upstairs window.
“He—he probably robbed the place!” I sputtered.
All four of us stared at the figure as he jumped to the ground.
“Quick—let’s get out of here!” Cassie whispered.
Too late.
The burglar climbed quickly to his feet, spun around—and saw us.
2
Why didn’t we run?
I’m not sure.
My heart was pounding, and my legs suddenly felt so rubbery. I’m not sure I could have run!
“Hey!” A hoarse cry escaped my throat as the figure ran toward us. He was dressed entirely in black—a black sweatshirt over black jeans. He had a black baseball cap pulled down low over his forehead, blocking his face from view.
Cassie shrank back beside me, her hands knotted in her coppery hair. Lenny and Jordan stepped forward, as if protecting us. But I could see the fear on their faces too.
And then their expressions changed.
Lenny slapped the dark figure a high five.
Jordan cried out happily, “Hey—Spencer!”
“Huh?” I choked out. I squinted into the pale light of a streetlamp. And recognized Spencer Jarvis’s surprised face.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“What are you doing here?” I shot back.
He turned his gaze on me and smiled. “Hey, Diane—what’s up?”
“I haven’t seen you in almost a year!” I cried. I rushed forward and hugged him. He took off his baseball cap and returned the hug. His cheek felt burning hot against mine. Spencer and I had been really good friends. Until I started going out with Lenny.
“Hey, Spencer—what’s up with you?” Lenny stepped between us. He pointed to the house. “Why were you climbing out that window?”
“Wow,” Jordan muttered. “Did you just rob that house?”
Spencer’s grin grew wider, and he nodded. “Yeah. That’s why you guys haven’t se
I swallowed hard. Spencer had always been such a good guy.
“I’m rich,” Spencer boasted. “I’m the best house burglar in Shadyside. In and out in a flash.” He winked at me. “Never been caught. Never will be.”
“But, Spencer—” Cassie gasped.
Spencer burst out laughing. “I’m kidding.”
“Huh?” Cassie and I both cried.
“Just joking,” Spencer said. “You guys are still stupid, I see.”
“Yeah. We’re still stupid,” Lenny agreed. He shrugged. “I never could tell when you were joking.”
“You’re not a burglar?” Jordan chimed in.
Spencer shook his head. “No way.” He pointed. “That’s my house. That’s where we live now.”
Lenny eyed him suspiciously. “You were climbing out the bedroom window of your own house?”
Spencer nodded. “Yeah.”
“How come?” I asked. “Why don’t you use the door like most humans?”
“I’m not human. I’m an android,” Spencer replied. It was never easy to get a straight answer from him. Sometimes he used to drive me crazy!
“I was sneaking out,” he added. “Sometimes I like to sneak out after midnight.” He grinned. “You know. Have some adventures. I call them Night Games.”
“Games?” I asked.
“Don’t your parents wonder—” Cassie started. Cassie was terrified of her parents. I couldn’t imagine her ever daring to sneak out of the house.
“What my parents don’t know won’t hurt them,” Spencer sneered.
I studied his face. He’d changed a lot in one year.
He had let his white-blond hair grow long, down to his shoulders and parted in the middle. His face had thinned, and he had a stubble of blond beard. Spencer had always been a little chubby. Now he looked muscular, athletic.
I saw that his black sweatshirt was inside out. Same old Spencer, I thought. He was always more than a little weird.
“What happened to you last year?” I asked him. “I called you a million times. I kept getting an automated message that the line had been disconnected.”
He narrowed his pale eyes at me. “Didn’t you get my letter?”
I shook my head. “No. I never got it.”
I glimpsed a frown on Lenny’s face. He never understood that Spencer and I were just friends. I think Lenny has always been a little jealous of Spencer.
“I sent it to explain why I left in such a hurry,” Spencer continued. “Why I left without saying goodbye to anyone.”
“Why?” Cassie asked.
“Well, you remember that my dad’s store closed?” Spencer replied. “A few weeks after that, my grandmother in Washington got really sick. Well, she needed someone to take care of her after her operation. So, my dad decided to move us all to Washington. It was, like, a sudden thing.”
“I remember your grandmother,” I told Spencer. “Is she okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Pretty good. That’s why we came back to Shadyside. My dad thought it would be easier to find work here.” His silver-gray eyes locked on mine. “It’s great to be home again. I missed you guys.”
“Why haven’t we seen you in school?” Jordan asked, pushing back his wavy, black hair.
“My parents sent me to St. Ann’s,” Spencer replied, lowering his eyes.
“Wow. Public school isn’t good enough for you anymore, huh?” Lenny demanded. He meant it as a joke, but it didn’t come out that way.
“I really did miss you guys,” Spencer repeated. “Why don’t you come along with me?”
“Come with you where?” Cassie asked suspiciously.
Spencer grinned. His eyes lit up. “For an adventure. A Night Game.”
“What kind of adventure?” Lenny sneered. “You hunt for squirrels and bunny rabbits?”
Jordan laughed. “Yeah. What could be so thrilling in Shadyside?”
“Why don’t you come find out?” Spencer challenged.
I turned to Cassie. She took a step back. Her arms were crossed in front of her parka, as if to protect herself. Cassie is not the adventurous type.
Neither am I. Besides, I was really tired from working all day and dancing all night.
But I didn’t want Spencer to think I’m a wimp.
“What kind of adventure?” Lenny insisted.
“You don’t do anything stupid, do you?” Cassie asked. A gust of wind fluttered her hair. She shivered. “I mean, you don’t do anything illegal…?”
Spencer’s grin widened. “I have adventures,” he replied. “Some nights it’s hard to sleep. My head feels so crowded. So I sneak out for some Night Games. Quiet little adventures… in the dark.”
He turned, putting on his cap. Shoved his big hands into his jeans pockets. “You coming?”
I nodded to Cassie. She shrugged. Lenny and Jordan were already following Spencer.
“Yeah. I guess we’re coming along,” I said softly.
We trailed Spencer down the dark street.
We didn’t know it. But the Night Games had already begun for us.
And so had the terror.
3
We followed Spencer down the street. The houses were all dark. Streetlamps made our shadows stretch eerily in front of us.
Cassie clung to Jordan as we walked. Lenny bobbed his head in rhythm as if listening to silent music. Our shoes crunched over fallen leaves.
None of us spoke. As we all rounded the corner, I wondered if Spencer knew where he was going. Or if he was just wandering.
What was he searching for?
He stopped suddenly, holding up both hands to signal for us to stop too. Lenny and I stepped up beside him, and I saw where Spencer was staring.
At a white Taurus. Parked at the bottom of a driveway.
The windows were fogged, but the glare of a streetlight showed us the silhouettes of two people in the front seat.
A couple. Making out.
I saw a gleeful flash in Spencer’s eyes. He raised a finger to his lips, motioning for us to be silent.
He pulled a flashlight from his back pocket. And tiptoed rapidly up to the car.
“What on earth…?” Cassie whispered.
Lenny and Jordan were both grinning. We followed Spencer. My heart started to thud.
Spencer stood over the car, too close for the boy and girl inside to see his face. Without warning, he pounded loudly on the driver’s window. He pounded so hard, the car rocked from side to side.
“You’re under arrest!” he bellowed. Spencer has a deep voice. He sounded very convincing, even to me.
We heard gasps and startled cries from inside the car. I saw the boy and girl pull apart.
Spencer aimed the flashlight into the window, flooding the car with light.
“Hey!” the boy inside cried.
“Come out with your hands raised!” Spencer ordered.
“What did we do? What did we do?” the girl shrieked.
“Officer, we were just leaving,” the boy called out in a trembling voice.
“But I don’t get it!” I heard the girl cry. “What did we do?”
“I’ll think of something!” Spencer boomed.
The car door swung open, pushing Spencer back. A boy with spiky black hair started from the car.
Spencer shone the light into the boy’s eyes. “Hey—you creep!” the boy protested.
Spencer placed the flashlight under his own chin. He twisted his face into a grimace and let out a long, evil laugh.
“You’re dead meat!” the boy shouted furiously.
Spencer’s evil grin grew wider. His eyes flashed excitedly. “Let’s go!” he called to us.
Spencer spun around and started to run. His black cap flew off, but he didn’t stop to pick it up.
I felt frozen to the spot. I wanted to get away from there. But I couldn’t get my legs to cooperate.
Lenny grabbed my hand and tugged me off the grass. And before I realized it, we were running. All five of us. Running through the night. Our hair flying. Our shoes thudding heavily on the pavement.
I glanced back and saw the boy and girl standing outside their car. The boy was shouting and shaking his fist at us.
But he didn’t chase after us.
Lenny and Jordan congratulated Spencer as we ran. They slapped each other high fives and celebrated as if they’d won some kind of victory.
Spencer tossed back his head and let out a long hyena wail.
