Anonymous Encounters(28)

Mr. Grimes paused in his lecture, frowning as he took a slip of paper from the first man.

"Blake Hanson? Bryan Hanson?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's us," drawled the first one. "We just moved here from New York, mid-semester transfers."         

     



 

I could hear Christine gasp beside me, along with most of the other  girls in the room. School had just improved a great deal and life was  going to be a lot more interesting from here on out.

"Take a seat, gentlemen," directed Mr. Grimes. "Right there, next to the  window. We'll get textbooks and all that sorted after break."

And wouldn't you know it, but the two-person table next to Christine and  I was empty. When Mr. Grimes turned back to the blackboard, I could  feel Christine furiously scribbling something in her notebook, only to  tear it out and pass it my way.

I looked down, figuring it'd be something like a sappy picture of hearts  and arrows or something, but she'd gone further this time. Already,  there was a folded note with the name Blake written on top.

"Chrissy!" I whispered aghast. "We don't even know which one Blake is! How am I supposed to get this note to them?"

"Who cares?" she whispered back. "They're twins, it doesn't matter, they'll figure it out."

"But what does it say?" I asked again. "I mean, these guys just got  here, what could you possibly have to say to two new transfers who just  showed up at Canterdale High?"

Christine rolled her eyes. "I swear Callie, you're so unimaginative  sometimes. Who cares what the note says? We just want to strike first  before any of the other girls here get to them," she said, jerking her  head backwards to indicate the rest of the class.

I almost started laughing out loud. Sure, there were a lot of pretty  girls at Canterdale but Chrissy had to take the cake for most  aggressive. Just last week, she'd concocted some scheme to hold a wet  Speedo contest in the gym  –  to the horror of the PTSA.

So with a sigh, I did as she asked. With a slip of my hand, I tossed the  note onto the twins' desk, to be met by a smooth look from the one  closest to me. God, he was handsome. Up close, his eyes were a deep blue  and unexpectedly a dimple flashed as he smiled at me, his hand swooping  out to cover the note in a swift flash.

Slowly, the man opened it, glancing at the contents, only to casually tuck it into his back pocket before turning to grin at us.

"Oh god Chrissy," I whispered. "What did you put in that note?"

"You'll see," she said airily. "Nothing bad, don't worry  …  just something to kick things off, that's all."

Internally, I groaned. I was boy crazy too but I had a feeling my friend  had gone overboard this time. What could she have possibly written?  Hopefully something not too embarrassing. I groaned internally again.  Fortunately at that moment Mr. Grimes spoke up.

"Alright, everyone to your stations. Blake, Bryan, why don't you join  Chrissy and Callie at station eight. You'll have to share a cat, I  didn't order enough for another team, but it's fine. We'll get you your  own animal to dissect by tomorrow."

"Eee!" squealed Chrissy. "They're our lab partners, perfect!"

But as much as I was looking forward to getting to know these two men, I  was already feeling queasy from the task at hand. The smell of  formaldehyde was rising in the classroom as people pulled out dead cats  from the fridge, the sad, stiff bodies wrapped in plastic tarp. It only  became worse when people started unwrapping the saran, the fumes almost  overpowering.

We made our way to the station which was equipped with a sink and a  range of sharp-looking tools. Blake and Bryan strode our way as Chrissy  got the cat ready, softly stroking its matted fur, the dead googly eyes  glazed and lifeless.

"Thanks for the note," said one of the men. "I'm Blake, this is my brother Bryan," he noted with a lopsided grin.

That smile got to me. From someone who looked like an Adonis, I wasn't  expecting anything but a dazzling flash, the kind that movie stars  routinely show with capped, too-white teeth. But his smile was genuine,  reaching his eyes, the kind that could make you melt.

And disappear into a puddle Chrissy did.

"Oh hi," she said breathily. "I'm Chrissy, this is my friend Callie.  Where are you guys from? We're so excited to have you join Canterdale.  Just ask if you have any questions," she burbled. "Callie and I have  been here forever."         

     



 

"Thanks," growled the other twin. "Yeah, we have a ton of questions, it  was kind of an unexpected move as senior transfers and all that  …  but is  your friend okay? Callie? Callie?" he said urgently, his voice fading  in volume.

Because despite my best efforts, I was losing it.

"Um, I'm fine," I said weakly, gripping the lab countertop. "Welcome to  Canterdale." But I wasn't okay at all. With a loose sigh, I began to  topple, the world moving in slow motion as dizziness overcame me, images  blurring at the edges.

I was just lucid enough to feel a pair of strong arms catch me before dropping into a daze, the haven warm and reassuring.





CHAPTER TWO


Callie




I woke in the nurse's office, my body stiff, my head spinning.

"There, there," clucked Nurse Jane. "You're going to be fine, it was just anatomy class."

Just anatomy class? I groaned internally. More like we'd been in a  confined space with a bunch of dead animals, their innards pumped full  with poisonous antifreeze.

"I can't go back," I said weakly from my prone position, not even trying to get up. "I just  …  can't," I finished weakly.

"Shhh," said the nurse. "Nobody's making you go back, you had a scare.  I'll let Mr. Grimes know that you're under the weather and won't be back  today. In the meantime, you can thank these two young men for carrying  you over," she said with a beaming smile, nodding to the corner.

And I turned slightly to look over my shoulder. There, like twin  sentries, sat the Blake and Bryan, gazing at me with quizzical frowns.

"You okay?" drawled one. "You had us worried there for a sec."

"Yeah," added the other. "Your friend started screaming and it was  pandemonium in room, everyone scrambling trying to get you help."

I shook my head tiredly. Oh god, no. Just what I didn't want  –  a ruckus.  You see, I'm somewhat allergic to scandal and crises. My family is so  messed up that I try to stay under the radar as much as possible,  drawing as little attention to myself.

But I didn't want to seem like a weakling, some incompetent girl unable  to take care of herself. So I struggled to sit, to get up a bit and look  alive.

But it was fruitless. I was just too weak, too dazed from the chemical smells and ghastly presence of dead cats.

"Try to rest," clucked Nurse Jane. "Don't get up, these nice young men  will keep you company. In the meantime," she said. "I'm going to update  your records, I need to log this in our system," she said kindly before  stepping out.

"Um, thanks for your help," I said shyly, looking at the twins. God, I  hope I didn't look terrible. I patted my hair self-consciously and was  relieved to feel the brown curls more or less in place. I flushed when I  realized that the boys were observing me closely, the edges of their  mouths lifting slightly.

"No worries," said Blake  …  or was it Bryan? "We wanted to make sure you  were okay, it was lucky that we were there otherwise you might have  fallen and hit your head. Is Canterdale always so accommodating?" he  asked casually.

"What do you mean?" I said confused.

"Well, where we're from," he said slowly. "People take care of themselves."

"We're lucky if there's even a nurse on campus," his brother added  dryly. "You guys got a lot of bells and whistles around here."

I shook my head in confusion again. Having a nurse on campus was an  extra amenity? I mean, Canterdale was a private school but I'd never  thought of it as anything fancy. Most of us were here because the local  public school was atrocious and our parents couldn't stand to send us to  a place where we'd have to go through metal detectors each morning.

"Um, I guess so?" I said softly. "I mean, I'm a scholarship student so  I'm not exactly like everyone else, but I guess the school does okay."

And it was true -- I was here through the generosity of some rich  donors. My mom had always struggled as a single mom to four girls, and I  was the baby, the last one to leave the nest. But our situation was  changing because Mom was recently engaged to Harold Sterling of Sterling  Pharmaceuticals  …  hopefully, financially things would be looking up in  the near future.         

     



 

But I was getting ahead of myself.