Part 13 (2/2)

But Im not fourteen and living with my parents.

Could someone, Steven asked, explain what were doing here? I thought we were trying to find my mother.

We are, I a.s.sured him. Come on.

I looked at Frida and her friends dispa.s.sionately. You guys cant come to our party. Youre underage. Come on, Lulu. I grabbed Lulus arm and began steering her away. Too late, however, since I heard an all-too-familiar voice call Nikkis name, and a second later, Whitney Robertson was upon us, her alter ego, Lindsey, and boyfriend, Jason Klein, not far behind, oozing Axe body spray.

Nikki, hi. Whitney was eyeing Steven hungrily, not even bothering to hide her interest in him for Jasons sake. Their relations.h.i.+p had always been full-on dysfunctional, however, if you ask me. Which wasnt that unusual, considering Id long suspected Jason of being a cyborg. I didnt know it was bring-a-hunk-to-school day.

Steven looked appalled. I didnt blame him. Whitney was like tooth decay: You didnt have to know her more than five seconds before you started to realize she needed to be removed.

Accordingly, I ignored her and kept going, heading toward the computer lab, even though I could hear Whitney crying, Nikki? Nikki! in the distance. Lulu followed me, making sure Steven stayed close beside her by keeping a hand clamped on the front of his jacket. Steven didnt appear to notice.

What are we doing here? he asked again. How can”

But Id already reached the doors to the lab, through which Christopher was just leaving to get to Public Speaking before the bell rang. As always when I saw him, my heart skipped a beat. Today he was wearing a black Ramones T-s.h.i.+rt under his leather jacket. His hair was still a little damp at the ends from his morning shower, and his jeans were as form-fitting as ever.

To say he looked surprised to see me would be an understatementand then I was followed by Lulu, whom he surely recognized (he was as upset with her father for butchering the direction of the Journeyquest movie as I was), and a moody, six-foot male blond version of me. Christophers jaw sank nearly to the floor.

Uh, hey, he said.

I need to talk to you, I said. It was difficult to get the words out when my heart was hammering so hard in my chest. But I managed.

Now? Christophers gaze drifted past me, toward the clock hanging in the hallway. Cla.s.s is about to start.

Yeah, I said. I reached out and took his arm. I knew he didnt feel the electric pulse that leapt from my skin to the leather of his jacket. But I sure did. We arent going to cla.s.s today. We have to go to your cousins house.

Christopher s.h.i.+fted his backpack from one shoulder to another, looking from me to Lulu to Steven, then back again. His expression was impa.s.sive.

Look, Nikki, he said. If this is about your mom, I thought we”

I have that thing you asked me for, I said. The pa.s.sword? So lets just go, okay?

His blue-eyed gaze swept over me searchingly. I expected him to ask about finals. The old Christopher would have. The old Christopher would have said, But this is first semester of our junior year. Colleges will be looking at our grades this semester. If we screw up, it will be held against us. McKayla Donofrio is already a National Merit Scholar. We cant mess this up.

But this wasnt the old Christopher. This was Supervillain Christopher.

He looked me right in the eye and said, Lets go.

And then we were heading for the nearest exit, even as Frida, who it turned out had been trotting behind us the whole time, was crying, Wait! Where are you going? You guys? The bell is going to ring. You guys cant just leave.

Grab a cab, I said to Christopher, and tell it to wait. Ill just be a second. I peeled off from the group and swung around to grab Frida by the shoulder.

Then I pinned her to the nearest locker with one hand.

To say that she looked surprised by this turn of events would have been the understatement of the century. But this was too important to play the kindly big sister. I couldnt let her mess this up for me. I had Steven to think of.

Go to cla.s.s, I told her. Forget that you saw me here today.

Where are you guys going? she wanted to know. You cant cut cla.s.s this week. Its finals. Youll flunk!

I mean it, Frida, I said. Tell your friends the same thing. None of you saw us.

Whats going on? Frida was starting to look scared now.

And you know what? She had a lot to be scared of.

Where are you taking Christopher? she asked.

But Id already turned and was jetting down the hall and toward the doors through which Lulu, Christopher, and Steven had just bailed.

Im gonna tell, I heard Frida calling after me. I mean it, Em! I mean, Nikki! Wait!

Her voice was cut off by the heavy metal doors to the school slamming shut behind me as I hurried down the side steps, into the bitter cold and drizzle, to the waiting cab.

SIXTEEN.

LULU WAS SHOUTING HURRY! TO ME”as if the taxi she had just climbed into might take off without me.

Im coming, Im coming, I told her. Christopher was waiting on the corner with his hand on the open taxi door. His face had settled back into impa.s.sivity again, as if he were used to being pulled out of school every day by supermodels and their entourages.

Where, exactly, Steven wanted to know, as I slid into the backseat where he was sitting next to Lulu, are we going?

This guys cousin is a computer genius, I said, pointing at Christopher, who was seated up front next to the driver. I was pretty sure Christopher couldnt hear what we were saying through the thick bulletproof barrier separating the front and backseat. The driver had the Bollywood music turned up pretty loud. He says he can find your mom.

Steven looked confused. Hes with the NYPD? What was he doing in your high school? Is he a narc?

Um, I said, beginning to see some inadequacies with my plan. No.

Did you see that girls top? Lulu wanted to know. She was, apparently, talking about Whitney. It was sotrying too hard.

But hes with the government, Steven said. Tell me hes got some kind of connections with a governmental agency.

Not exactly, I said to Steven.

I mean, Lulu went on, it was practically see-through. And not in a good way. You didnt like that top she was wearing, Steven, did you? That girl back there?

Are you telling me, Steven asked, ignoring Lulu as Cosabella, whom Id let out of my tote, pranced on his lap, peering excitedly at the traffic all around us, that hes really just a high school student?

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