"Matt!"
Green Eyes froze when he saw me. Matt swung at Green Eyes, who dodged the hit, stumbling backward.
"Stay away from her! If I see you around her again, I'll call the cops."
I grabbed Matt's arm and pulled him toward the house. He came with me willingly. Green Eyes watched us go, but he didn't leave. Matt locked the door behind us and went to the window. "What the hell is he doing?"
I joined Matt at the window. Green Eyes stared back at me. I didn't know what I'd done to make this guy stalk me like this. All I knew was I was really freaked out.
Chapter 3
"You need to call the cops." Matt said. "He's not going to leave on his own." He turned away from the window. "Jodi? Are you listening to me?"
I started laughing. I felt like a lunatic, but I couldn't help it.
Matt hugged me, somehow understanding that I was falling apart. I squeezed him until I was calm.
"Thanks." I stepped out of his arms and reached for the phone. I dialed 911. I'd never actually called the police before and couldn't believe I had a reason to now.
"911. What is your emergency?"
"Hi, this is Jodi Marshall. Um, this guy has been following me all day. He followed me home and attacked my boyfriend. He's standing outside my house, and he won't leave." I pushed the curtains back. Green Eyes was gone. "Where is he?"
"Excuse me?" the operator asked.
"He's gone. I don't see him anymore."
"Would you like me to send an officer out to your house?"
"I don't know. I guess. I mean, I don't know if he really left or if he's hiding in the bushes or something."
"What's your address?"
"118 Pine Street."
"I'll send someone out now. Please, stay in your house with the doors locked until an officer gets there."
I hung up. Matt hugged me again. I wished I could stay in his arms all the time. I felt safe there. I made us some iced tea and popcorn-Matt was hungry again-and we watched TV until the police arrived. I wasn't really watching; I couldn't focus on anything except the lunatic outside. I answered the door, half expecting to see Officer Adams. That would've been the perfect ending to my perfectly awful day. It was a woman standing on my porch.
"Are you," she consulted her notebook, "Jodi Marshall?"
"Yes, that's me."
"And you called about a stalker?"
Stalker? It sounded so awful, but Green Eyes was stalking me. "Um, yeah. Come in."
"Actually, I prefer to stay out here. You reported that the man was watching you from your yard, correct?" she asked, without even telling me her name.
"Yes, but he's gone now. I think." I leaned out, searching the yard.
"Do you know the man?"
"No, and he's not really a man. He's a student … at my school. Maybe. I don't know. I've never seen him before today, but he was in my English lit class. And he's been following me ever since."
Matt put his hand on my shoulders for support. The officer looked at him. "Who's he? Your boyfriend?"
"Yes." I felt my cheeks blush. We hadn't officially started calling each other that yet, but this was the second time today it had come up. Matt squeezed my shoulder, letting me know he was okay with it.
"Did you see this guy?"
"Yeah." Matt nodded. "He was here when I brought Jodi home. I told Jodi to go inside and lock the doors, and I went to talk to him. He got all cocky and said he hadn't done anything wrong. I told him stalking a girl and totally freaking her out was definitely doing something wrong. Then, he attacked me. He pushed me, and we got into a fight."
"Have you seen him before?"
"No. Never."
She took out a notebook and pen. "Can you describe him?"
"Dirty blonde hair, green eyes, about six feet-maybe a little shorter." I shrugged.
"Build?" she asked.
"He wasn't that muscular, or at least I couldn't tell from the clothes he was wearing. But he looked like he was in pretty good shape." I shook my head, trying to get the image of Green Eyes out of my head.
"Any distinguishing marks, tattoos?"
I shook my head and checked with Matt. "Not that I saw," he said.
She flipped her notebook closed and stuffed it in her jacket pocket. "Okay, well, I'll check the area and keep a car here tonight to make sure you're safe. If I were you, I'd ask around at school tomorrow. See if anyone knows who this guy is. If you get a name, you call me." She handed me a card and left.
I closed the door behind her. Matt put his arm around me and led me to the couch. He pulled me closer to him, and I breathed in his scent. I wanted to get lost in him and forget about the rest of my day, but since we had never officially done anything, that was a little tough. I tilted my head back and looked him in the eye. He stared back at me for a minute before leaning his face toward mine. I closed my eyes and reached my hand to his cheek.
"Jodi!" Mom yelled, bursting through the front door.
I jolted back in the seat, and Matt dropped his arms to his sides. "Mom." I stood up and motioned toward Matt. "This is Matt. I've told you about him."
She looked at Matt for a second before turning her attention back on me. "I was just stopped by a police officer. She said she was called here about a stalker." She looked at Matt again. "What is going on?"
She'd given me an out for having a boy in the house when she wasn't home. It was one of her rules. No Mom, no boys. "Matt and I grabbed some lunch because they let us out of school early. He brought me back here, and this guy was following us. Well, actually he'd been following me all day, starting with lit class and then again in the hallway after Ms. Steingall-Oh my God, did you hear about Ms. Steingall?" Yes, I was a babbling idiot, but Mom was looking at Matt like he was the one I'd called the cops on.
"Maybe I should go," Matt said. "It's been a crazy day, and you two probably need to talk."
Mom looked at Matt and nodded. "I think that would be best. Thank you."
Matt smiled at me and headed for the door. I followed him, with Mom glaring at me. "Sorry."
"No problem. Stay safe, okay?" He squeezed my hand quickly before stepping through the door.
"Thanks for everything," I called after him.
"Jodi?" Mom called.
I shut the door and plopped down on the couch.
Mom took her coat off and motioned to the iced tea on the coffee table. "How long was he here?"
Seriously? I'd hit a deer, wrecked my car, had my school nurse die moments after I was in her office, and been stalked by a creepy guy, and she was asking me about Matt? "Mom, Matt didn't want to leave me home alone with that guy staring in the window. He was seriously creepy. Besides, I told you about Matt. You know we're just starting to date."
"Yes, I do know, and that's what worries me."
I sighed.
"But," she paused and let out a long sigh, "given the circumstances, I guess I'm thankful you weren't home alone." She sat down and wrapped me in a hug.
"Thank you."
"Do you have any idea who this guy is? The one who's been following you?"
I took another sip of my tea and shook my head. "I saw him in class for the first time today, and he's been following me ever since."
Mom slumped back on the couch. "It's been some day, huh?"
"You have no idea."
"How about pizza and a movie? A quiet night at home."
"Sounds good. I think I'll go shower while we're waiting for the pizza. I need to get the awfulness of the day off my skin." I stood up and Mom did the same. She pulled me into another hug.
"You want to go back to homeschooling?"
"No," I answered without any hesitation. "I like being around other people my own age. Sure, things are crazy in high school, but I'll deal with it."
She nodded and went for the phone. I climbed the stairs, heading for the bathroom. I took the hottest shower I could ever remember taking. I couldn't seem to wash the events of the day off of me. Finally, I gave up and headed to my room. I listened to music while I slipped on my pajamas and combed my hair. As the song ended, I heard a thump outside my window. I froze with my comb halfway down my head and listened. Nothing. When the next song started, I put the comb down and slipped over to my window. I didn't want to turn the music off in case Green Eyes was lurking. I wanted to catch him off-guard. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the number on the card the officer had given me. I didn't press send though. I just wanted to be prepared in case I had to make the call.
I stood to the side of the curtains, out of view. I didn't really have much of a plan. Take a quick peek and hit send if I needed to. I counted to five and swung myself in front of the window. A brown bird was perched in the tree, looking dazed. It must have flown into the glass. I unlatched the window and raised it slightly. The cool air rushed into my room. I reached out toward the branch and shook it gently. The bird didn't move. It had to be alive though. It couldn't stay perched there if it were dead. I reached further and did something really stupid. I poked the bird with my finger.