Part 10 (1/2)

”Matt's back,” she said when Stefan asked her what the joke was.

”We missed you,” added Bonnie. Matt couldn't understand why they were all smiling at him, and it made him feel hot and uncomfortable. He went over to stand by the window.

”Itis dangerous; I won't try to kid you about that,” Stefan said to the girls. ”But it's the only chance. The whole thing's a little complicated, and I'd better start at the beginning. We have to go back to the founding of Fell's Church...”

He talked on late into the night.

Thursday, June 11, 7:00 a.m.

Dear Diary, I couldn't write last night, because I got in too late. Mom was upset again. She'd have been hysterical if she'd known what I was actually doing. Hanging out with vampires and planning something that may get me killed. That may get us all killed.

Stefan has a plan to trap the guy who murdered Sue. It reminds me of some of Elena's plans-and that's what worries me. They always sounded wonderful, but lots of the time they went wrong.

We talked about who gets the most dangerous job and decided it should be Meredith. Which is fine with me-I mean, sheisstronger and more athletic, and she always keeps calm in emergencies. But it bugs me just a little that everybody was so quick about choosing her, especially Matt. I mean, it's not like I'm totally incompetent. I know I'm not as smart as the others, and I'm certainly not as good at sports or as cool under pressure, but I'm not atotal dweeb. I'm good for something .

Anyway, we're going to do it after graduation. We're all in on it except Damon, who'll be watching Vickie. It's strange, but we all trust him now. Even me. Despite what he did to me last night, I don't think he'll let Vickie get hurt.

I haven't had any more dreams about Elena. I think if I do, I will go absolutely screaming berserk. Or never go to sleep again. I just can't take any more of that.

All right.I'd better go. Hopefully, by Sunday we'll have the mystery solved and die killer caught. I trust Stefan.

I just hope I can remember my part.

Nine.

”... And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the cla.s.s of '92!”

Bonnie threw her cap into the air along with everyone else. We made it, she thought. Whatever happens tonight, Matt and Meredith and I made it to graduation. There had been times this last school year when she had seriously doubted they would.

Considering Sue's death, Bonnie had expected the graduation ceremony to be listless or grim. Instead, there was a sort of frenzied excitement about it. As if everyone was celebrating being alive-before it was too late.

It turned into rowdiness as parents surged forward and the senior cla.s.s of Robert E. Lee fragmented in all directions, whooping and acting up. Bonnie retrieved her cap and then looked up into her mother's camera lens.

Act normal, that's what's important, she told herself. She caught a glimpse of Elena's aunt Judith and Robert Maxwell, the man Aunt Judith had recently married, standing on the sidelines. Robert was holding Elena's little sister, Margaret, by the hand. When they saw her, they smiled bravely, but she felt uncomfortable when they came her way.

”Oh, Miss Gilbert-I mean, Mrs. Maxwell-you shouldn't have,” she said as Aunt Judith handed her a small bouquet of pink roses.

Aunt Judith smiled through the tears in her eyes. ”This would have been a very special day for Elena,” she said. ”I want it to be special for you and Meredith, too.”

”Oh, Aunt Judith.”Impulsively, Bonnie threw her arms around the older woman. ”I'm so sorry,” she whispered. ”You know how much.”

”We all miss her,” Aunt Judith said. Then she pulled back and smiled again and the three of them left. Bonnie turned from looking at them with a lump in her throat to look at the madly celebrating crowd.

There was Ray Hernandez, the boy she'd gone to Homecoming with, inviting everybody to a party at his house that night. There wasTyler 's friend d.i.c.k Carter, making a fool of himself as usual.Tyler was smiling brazenly as his father took picture after picture. Matt was listening, with an unimpressed look, to some football recruiter fromJames Mason University . Meredith was standing nearby, holding a bouquet of red roses and looking pensive.

Vickie wasn't there. Her parents had kept her home, saying she was in no state to go out. Caroline wasn't there either. She was staying in the apartment in Heron. Her mother had told Bonnie's mother she had the flu, but Bonnie knew the truth. Caroline was scared.

And maybe she's right, Bonnie thought, moving toward Meredith. Caroline may be the only one of us to make it through next week. Look normal, act normal. She reached Meredith's group. Meredith was wrapping the red-and-black ta.s.sel from her cap around the bouquet, twisting it between elegant, nervous fingers.

Bonnie threw a quick glance around. Good. This was the place. And now was the time.

”Be careful with that; you'll ruin it,” she said aloud.

Meredith's look of thoughtful melancholy didn't change. She went on staring at the ta.s.sel, kinking it up.

”It doesn't seem fair,” she said, ”that we should get these and Elena shouldn't. It's wrong.”

”I know; it's awful,” Bonnie said. But she kept her tone light. ”I wish there was something we could do about it, but we can't.” ”It's allwrong ,” Meredith went on, as if she hadn't heard. ”Here we are out in the sunlight, graduating, and there she is under that-stone.” ”I know, I know,” Bonnie said in a soothing tone. ”Meredith, you're getting yourself all upset. Why don't you try to think about something else? Look, after you go out to dinner with your parents, do you want to go to Raymond's party? Even if we're not invited, we can crash it.” ”No!” Meredith said with startling vehemence. ”I don't want to go to any party. How can you even think of that, Bonnie? How can you be so shallow?” ”Well, we've got to dosomething ...” ”I'll tell you whatI'm doing. I'm going up to the cemetery after dinner. I'm going to putthis on Elena's grave. She's the one who deserves it.” Meredith's knuckles were white as she shook the ta.s.sel in her hand. ”Meredith, don't be an idiot. You can't go up there, especially at night. That's crazy. Matt would say the same thing.”

”Well, I'm not asking Matt. I'm not asking anybody. I'm going by myself.”

”You can't. G.o.d, Meredith, I always thought you had some brains-”

”And I always thought you had some sensitivity. But obviously you don't even want to think about Elena.

Or is it just because you want her old boyfriend for yourself?”

Bonnie slapped her.

It was a good hard slap, with plenty of energy behind it. Meredith drew in a sharp breath, one hand to

her reddening cheek. Everyone around them was staring.

”That's it for you, Bonnie McCullough,” Meredith said after a moment, in a voice of deadly quiet. ”I don't ever want to speak to you again.” She turned on her heel and walked away: ”Never would be too soon for me!” Bonnie shouted at her retreating back.

Eyes were hastily averted as Bonnie looked around her. But there was no question that she and Meredith had been the center of attention for several minutes past. Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face and walked over to Matt, who had lost the recruiter.

”How was that?” she murmured.

”Good.”

”Do you think the slap was too much? We didn't really plan that; I was just sort of going with the moment. Maybe it was too obvious...”

”It was fine, just fine.” Matt was looking preoccupied. Not that dull, apathetic, turned-in look of the last few months, but distinctly abstracted.

”What is it? Something wrong with the plan?” Bonnie said.

”No, no. Listen, Bonnie, I've been thinking. You were the one to discover Mr. Tanner's body in the Haunted House last Halloween, right?”

Bonnie was startled. She gave an involuntary s.h.i.+ver of distaste. ”Well, I was the first one to know he was dead, really dead, instead of just playing his scene. Why on earth do you want to talk about that now?”