“Excuse me!” she called out. It was Vanessa Moriarty, the Homecoming Queen and one of Lony’s cheerleading friends. “Can I have your attention?”
The room quieted to a low murmur.
“I’d like to take a few minutes to remember my good friend, Avalon Day, who tragically passed away in September.”
I groaned and Bryan took my hand.
“The tradition of Homecoming is one where students and alumni come together to celebrate our alma mater,” she read off an index card. “This year, Lony’s missing presence has affected us all. She was one of the nicest girls I’ve ever known, so fun and full of life. That’s why the Senior High cheer squad has put together a short memorial slide show to honor her memory. We’ll follow the show with a moment of silence.”
One of the cheerleaders rolled a projector out and shined it on a large screen hung against the wall. A shot of Lony’s sophomore yearbook picture flashed up and Sarah McLaughlin’s “I Will Remember You” started to play.
“I think I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I said to Bryan.
“Are you okay?” His concern lapping at my mind.
“I’m fine, really. I just need to walk. I’ll be back.”
Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure, Magic
Chapter 23
I slipped out the cafeteria door into the brightly lit hallway. Instead of going into the bathroom though, I headed out of the side doors toward an outdoor seating area. I sucked in the fresh night air and hugged my arms to fend off the autumn chill. Since the school sits on top of a hill, I had a pretty good view of the city lights.
A shuffle sound to my left caught my attention. I peeked around the corner of the building and saw the silhouette of a guy sitting on the grass alone, his face buried in his hands. I was too far away to judge his emotions, but I thought something might be wrong.
I walked slowly toward him. When I got within fifteen feet, he must have heard my footsteps and his head snapped up. It was Cane Matthews.
He jumped to his feet and held the wall of the school for support. He appeared to be tipsy. The expression on his face was one of shock, all round, glassy eyes and paleness. His mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out.
“Cane…” I said, not knowing what to say to him. Ever since the accident, I got the distinct impression that he hated me, or at least hated looking at me.
“Oh, Cady,” he replied breathlessly. “You scared me. You’re wearing her dress.”
For the briefest of moments, he must have thought I was my sister. I continued walking forward, but once I stepped within range of his emotions, my stomach clenched up so tightly that I almost doubled over. He was a one-man hurricane of sorrow. I would’ve expected sadness, but the overwhelming guilt shocked me. What does he have to feel guilty about? My hands shook and the muscles in my shoulders compressed.
“It hurts to look at you,” he said, stepping up so close I could smell the booze on his breath. He reached up with his finger and traced my bottom lip.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, although whether I meant I was sorry for my looks or sorry for his loss, I couldn’t tell.
“I always thought you were prettier though,” he continued, his words slurring slightly. “Bet you never knew that. You’re so natural and carefree. Lony was so…polished.” He spit it out like a dirty word.
I trembled under the weight of the icy waves coming off his skin, and his drunkenness was making me dizzy. I thought about blocking him, but I didn’t want to give myself a blinding migraine and ruin the rest of my night.
Cane tightened his fists by his sides. “Don’t get me wrong, I cared about your sister. I did. But I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t take the fighting all the time.”
“W-what are you saying, Cane?”
He didn’t answer right away. His green eyes glazed with alcohol roamed over my face as if committing it to memory. Finally, he whispered, “I did something unforgivable.”
What in the hell is he talking about? My abdominal muscles ached from the tension between us, and pressure built up behind my eyes. I put my hand on the bricks of the building to keep myself upright and allowed my mind to flick back to that night.
I could see them walking along the tracks. I couldn’t hear their words, but Lony was gesturing wildly. She kept stopping like she wanted him to also, but he never did. He kept walking ahead of her with his hands jammed in his pockets, so she would have to rush to catch up. When the headlight on the train swept around the corner, both faces looked up in shock. At that point, a good twenty feet separated them. Cane moved first, jumping off the tracks. When Lony stood frozen, he turned back yelling at her to move. Lony snapped out of it and tried to flee, but her sandal caught on a rail and she fell down. Cane ran back toward her, but he was too late.