Part 11 (1/2)

But before I could admit that I knew where he was coming from, Will sagged a little against the railing of the widow's walk, and shook his head.

”Listen to me. Maybe Lance and Jen are right,” he said, in a self-mocking voice, ”and I really am going nuts.”

Just hearing that Lance and Jennifer had said something like that made me jump to take the opposite stance. Maybe Lance cared about what happened to Will-despite the fact that he was carrying on an illicit love affair with his girlfriend behind his back. I mean, he'd kind of proven that he cared by concussing that guy who'd tackled Will. That showed that he at least felt a little bad about what was going on.

But I had seen no such signs of remorse from Jennifer. In fact, just the opposite, given the way she'd grilled me at my locker about Will's dinner at my house. It was clear that she'd just been pumping me to see if Will suspected anything about her and Lance.

”You're not going nuts,” I said emphatically. ”Things...things have been weird for me, too, lately. But I just thought-I mean, I just figured it's a normal part of being a teenager, or whatever.”

”I don't know.” Will looked dubious. ”I thought teenagers are supposed to think they know everything. And I've never been more sure in my life that I don't know anything at all.”

”Oh,” I said. ”Well, that's probably just a symptom of the ma.s.sive brain tumor you've got growing inside your head, the one no one's told you about yet.”

Then I wanted to kick myself. What is wrong with me? Why do I have to go and make jokes whenever things look like they're about to get serious? Nancy is right. I'm never going to get a boyfriend at this rate.

But Will, instead of going-as he probably should have-” Whatever you say, weirdo,” just looked at me for a minute. Then he threw back his head and laughed.

And laughed some more.

And really, what choice did I have but to laugh along with him? At least until a sudden breeze sent a strand of my moussed-up hair flying across my eyes. Then, to my surprise, before I had a chance to push it aside, Will reached up and brushed it back for me with his fingers.

And I froze. Because he was touching me. He was touching me. He was touching me.

”You're all right, Ellie Harrison,” he said softly, his gaze on mine, his voice unsteady. ”And, you know, I think I'd like you even if I wasn't sure I'd already met you in a past life, and liked you then.”

There's really no telling what might have happened next. Not that I imagined he might have suddenly wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, the way I'd seen Lance kissing Jennifer in the spare room below us.

But you never know. He might have.

If it hadn't been for two things....

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

But in her web she still delights

To weave the mirror's magic sights,

For often thro' the silent nights

A funeral, with plumes and lights

And music, went to Camelot:

The first thing that happened was that a cloud went skittering across the moon, blocking out the only light we'd had to see by.

The second was that the door to the widow's walk suddenly burst open, and then Cavalier came rus.h.i.+ng up toward us, closely followed by someone else of the human variety. I wouldn't have known who it was if it wasn't for the light from the stairs spilling out behind him from the open doorway.

”There you are,” Marco said, when he saw Will. He could not have missed the way Will jerked his hand from my hair and moved it to pat his panting dog, instead. ”I've been looking for you everywhere. I wouldn't have found you, if it hadn't been for that d.a.m.ned dog. Didn't you hear her barking?”

Will gave Cavalier a final pat, then straightened up. ”No,” he said. His voice, which had been unsteady with emotion just seconds before, now sounded totally normal. It was impossible to tell if he, like me, resented his stepbrother's intrusion. ”Why? What's up?”

”I need to find Jen,” Marco said. ”Her car is blocking one of the neighbors' driveways.”

Will shook his head the way someone who's just come up from a dive into very deep water does when he breaks the surface. I tried not to think what that meant vis-a-vis...well, me.

”What?” Will blinked a few times. ”Jen?”

”Yeah.” Marco looked at me. Not accusingly. Just speculatively, like he was wondering who I was and what I'd done to make his stepbrother act so dopey all of a sudden.

I could have told him in three words. No one and nothing.

Or is that four words?

”I thought Jen'd be with you,” Marco said. Now he was starting to sound accusing.

”I haven't seen Jen since she went to go put lipstick on half an hour ago,” Will said. But not like it bothered him.

”Well, she's got to move her car,” Marco said. ”Mrs. Hewlitt's blocked in and is threatening to call the cops.”

Will said something under his breath that sounded like a swear word. Then, to me, he said, ”Sorry, Elle. I have to go find her.”

”That's fine,” I said hurriedly, hoping my disappointment over the interruption didn't show. He'd called me Elle again, after all. ”I should go, anyway. Liz and Stacy are probably wondering where I went.”

Will looked for a second like he didn't know what I was talking about. Then he nodded and said, ”Oh, right. Well, come on. I'll walk you out.”

He started for the door to the stairs, Cavalier close at his heels. I followed, with Marco tagging along behind me. As we headed back down to the second floor, Marco asked, ”Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?” in a voice I didn't really like all that much...though I couldn't say why.

”Oh, sorry,” Will said. ”Elaine Harrison, my stepbrother, Marco Campbell. Marco, this is Ellie.”

”Hi,” I said to Marco, over my shoulder, as we entered the hallway.

Marco grinned-one of those grins I've sometimes seen described as wolfish in books.

”Pleased to make your acquaintance, Elaine,” he said. Then, to Will, he said, ”I think someone said they saw Jen go through there.” He nodded toward the door behind which I'd found Jennifer and Lance making out.

”Oh, great,” Will said.