Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1) (8 page)

Mom
cleaned my forehead and I looked in the mirror. It looked horrible. The cut
itself wasn’t too deep, but it was swollen and already starting to bruise. I
looked like I’d been in a car accident.

I
headed to bed shortly after we put a butterfly bandage on it, but not before I
took an aspirin for the headache I was beginning to feel. I hoped it would be
gone in the morning.

I
rummaged through my nightstand drawer for my
chapstick
,
and instead found a picture of my dad, my mom and I at the beach. It made me
smile thinking about the fun that we had together, yet it also made me sad. I
knew those times happy times together were over. I drifted to sleep while
looking at the picture, my
chapstick
all but
forgotten.

I
awoke Friday morning with a start, though this time it wasn’t because of a
dream. It was because my mom was sitting on the bed next to me, watching me
sleep.

“I
brought you breakfast in bed. I thought it would be a nice treat,” she smiled.

“Mom,
you were worried about me, weren’t you?”

“Yes,”
she admitted shamelessly. “Can
ya
blame me?” she
laughed.

I
breathed slowly to make my heart stop racing. After all, the only thing she
ended up doing was scaring the crap out of me!

I
rolled my eyes. “Well, thanks for the breakfast in bed.”

“Of
course. I’m headed to work. I’m already late but I wanted to see that you were
okay before I left. Your friend Eli is going to take you to school right?”

“Yep,”
I said.

“Good,
I didn’t want you to have to walk to school after your
trip
last night.”

She
laughed at her own joke, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.. “Yeah yeah
yeah
.”

She
kissed my forehead and walked out the door.

I
sat in bed for awhile, enjoying my delicious Belgian waffles smothered in
strawberry syrup and fresh orange slices. I got ready at a slower pace than
normal—my head was killing me. I debated wearing a hat to cover the obnoxious
mark on my head, but it hurt too badly. I wished I didn’t have to go to school,
because all I felt like doing was climbing back in bed.

I
heard a car horn honk as I trudged down the stairs.

“Morning!”
I said as I climbed into his car.

“Good
morning. Oh my God—what
happened
!?” Eli practically shouted the last
word.

I
grimaced. “Oh, this?” I pointed at the cut on my forehead, “I tripped last night
on the coffee table and hit my head on the way down. It’s nothing really. It
looks worse than it is.” It was going to get undeniably old telling everyone
how much of a klutz I really was.

“It
looks terrible. Are you sure you’re okay?” He looked concerned.

“Yeah,
I'm fine,
really
, everyone worries too much.”

“I
knew there was a reason my mind was pushing to call you last night.” He spoke
so quietly that I almost didn’t catch it at all.

“What?”
I asked.

“Oh
nothing, I’ll leave you alone about it. Let me know if I can do anything.”

“Alright,
I will. I think you’re doing plenty already though, don’t you think?”

“Friends
do whatever they can for each other right?” he asked.

I
nodded.

“So
there is always more that I can do,” he stated.

I
couldn’t have asked for a better friend. He was cut from a different breed and
that was rare to find—a diamond in the rough—if you will. I smiled to myself,
thinking about how lucky I was.

We
got to school in record time, though it wasn’t necessary. I was in no hurry to
get to class for my math quiz. On the other hand, I was happy to see Pete.

Pete
was very worried about my head when he saw it. He grabbed my backpack from my
shoulder and helped me into class, as if I was having trouble walking or
something. I assured him I was fine, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
Then again, it was nice to have him fawning over me.

Bailey
was the only one that didn’t completely go off-kilter about my head. She seemed
surprised, but she didn’t freak out. She even admitted she had the klutz gene
too.

“I
hope it doesn’t leave a scar,” she worried aloud.

I
never even considered a scar, but I hoped it didn’t either. I looked at it more
closely in the mirror during a bathroom break, and it did look pretty nasty
like it might leave one, but only time would tell. I sighed, thinking of how
ugly it would be to have a scar right in the middle of my forehead.

The
entire day consisted of tests and reading, but I was lucky enough to get out of
swimming. I found a note in my backpack from my mom to my P.E. teacher,
excusing me due to my head. I hadn’t thought about it, but guessed it probably
wouldn’t be a good idea to get it wet. So I ended the day on that good note,
without any homework.

I
asked Bailey to come over Saturday so we could get ready together. She was
ecstatic and, after a call to my mom and her dad, we made plans for her to
spend the night as well. She was set to arrive at my house just before lunch. I
had no homework for the weekend, so all I had to worry about was buying the
ingredients for the homemade pizza we were going to make for lunch.

Eli
dropped me off at home, and left as quickly as he had come. I could tell he was
as anxious for the date. So was I.

Mom
said that she would be home early, so I hurried to get an early dinner on the
table so that we could go to the store. I cleaned, poked, and threw some
potatoes in the oven, and started marinating a couple steaks. Then I went
upstairs to put away my backpack.

 Before
school had started, I was against the idea of being away from my friends.
Thankfully, things had changed completely once I started school. And now I
needed to finish unpacking all of my boxes. I wanted my room to look nice for when
Bailey arrived. Plus I needed the space for the trundle bed; unless Bailey
preferred to sleep in the guest room.

I
opened the first box, which was full of clothes. I had already unpacked most of
my wardrobe, but there were still a few boxes left. That specific box contained
my dressier clothes, and it was the precise box I had hoped to find. I would
need to pick out an outfit to wear the next day for the date that was prettier
than my normal everyday clothing. I hung each piece in my closet, and before I
knew it the box was empty.

I
checked my watch and saw that it was 5:14 p.m. I needed to get the steaks and
corn on the grill. Recently my mom taught me how to make things on the grill,
and I thought it tasted so much better that way. 

Mom
must have arrived home sometime while I was cooking outside, because she came
out onto the porch to greet me, just as I was taking the steaks off the grill.

“Hey
there! Steaks tonight?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Sounds
like a delicious Friday night dinner to me.”

“Good;
I’m glad you think so,” I said, grabbing the plate of steaks and corn. I handed
it to mom. “Can you bring these in while I shut off the grill?”

“Of
course. Anything else I can do?”

 “If
you want, you can take the potatoes out of the oven.”

Soon
enough we were sitting at the dining room table to eat.

“So
I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping we could go to the store and pick up
some groceries for Bailey and I tomorrow.”

“Sure.
We can go when we’re done eating. I’ll clean up later.”

My
mom was so accommodating, especially when it came to my social life. She always
wanted to make sure I was surrounded by friends as much as possible. She
stressed the fact that friends were important; people that stayed by your side
when you needed them. Everyone needed a little support now and again.

I
finished eating before my mom, so I began clearing the table while she finished
up. I was putting the last dish in the sink when she came in carrying her
cleared plate.

“Ready
to go?” she asked.

                  
C
HAPTER FOUR

Bright
light streaming through my window woke me from a deep peaceful sleep. I knew it
had to be late if that much light that was shining through my window. I rolled
over to look at the clock: 11:10 a.m. I had just under an hour to shower and
get dressed before Bailey arrived. I had to hustle.

I
quickly went downstairs to check if Mom had left yet. There wasn’t a note this
time, only a piece of paper with an arrow pointing to the handle of the
microwave. Inside there was some bacon and toast; a small breakfast that was
just the ticket in a time crunch. I gobbled up the little bit of food and ran
upstairs to shower.

I
was ready just five minutes before Bailey arrived. We started making the pizza
right away, and it didn’t take long to get it into the oven.

I
had felt like the ultimate girl the night before when I picked out three
outfits from my wardrobe. Of course, in typical girl fashion, I wanted Bailey’s
opinion. She had felt the same and brought her choices with her. It was
exciting thinking about the night ahead of us. After about 20 minutes of trying
different outfits, we had both decided. I was going to wear a black knee-length
skirt and a red v-neck shirt that had a shimmering, silver heart in the center.
It was one of my favorite shirts. Bailey chose a cool blue dress with sequined
flowers. It came midway down her thigh and looked beautiful on her. Eli would
be impressed.

I
heard the timer for our pizza going off and ran downstairs. Bailey was right
behind me.

“So
what do you want to do with your hair tonight?” I asked while eating my first
slice.

“I
don’t know! I was hoping that you might have an idea. I am totally lame when it
comes to doing my hair, especially thinking of new hair styles,” she admitted.
We laughed.     

“I
know a few hairstyles, and I know that I have seen you in some cute ones too.
We can experiment when we’re done eating. Either way I think we should both go
with straight hair. What do you think?”

It
was rare that I actually straightened my hair; but this would constitute a rare
occasion, so it deserved the extra time.

Girl
talk flowed abundantly with topics ranging from boys to cars to jobs. I didn’t
realize how much I missed being able to gab about all of my favorite things.
Even though I never seemed to run out of things to talk to Eli about, this was
different. 

“So
do you know how to like surf and stuff?” Bailey asked.

“Well,
of course. You don’t live in California and not take full advantage of the
beach!” I exclaimed. 

“Wow,
that’s so cool. I’ve never been to the beach,” Bailey admitted.
         

I
had just finished straightening Bailey’s hair when the phone rang. It was my
mom checking in. After hanging up I went back into the bathroom.

“Was
that your mom?” Bailey asked.

“Yeah,
she was just checking to see how we’re doing.”

“That
was nice of her. My dad doesn’t think of doing that kind of thing.”

“What
about your mom?”

“My
mom died when I was four.”

“Oh,
I’m sorry. I didn’t know. How did she die, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Car
accident. Someone ran a red light.”

“That
must have been so hard.”

“I
don’t really remember anything from back then. I don’t even really remember
her, just little images here and there. It was harder on my dad of course. I
can see he still misses her, he never dates either.” Her expression was somber
as she fiddled with the clips and hair ties in her hands.

“I
couldn’t even imagine.”

“What
about your parents?”

“Divorced.
My dad lived in California, where we just moved from.”

“When
did that happen?”

“Officially?
About a month ago, but it was six months ago that they separated.”

“How
do you feel about it? I’ve heard divorce is really hard.”

“It’s
been a little hard adjusting, but I’m okay with it as long as my parents are
happy. They hadn’t been happy for a quite a while. I just wish I didn’t have to
move out away from my dad. I am going to miss him the most.”

After
my hair was straight, Bailey started trying a hairstyle on me that I remembered
seeing her wear on the first day of school.  It was about an inch of hair
from the front of each side pulled back with a clip. It was simple yet elegant.
I had a beautiful black clip with rhinestones that made it even better.

      
“It’s perfect. I think it was exactly what I was looking for. You need to give
yourself a little more credit,” I said encouragingly. “Let’s get started on
your hair.”

I
wanted to take her side-swept bangs and pull them back to give her some volume.
I always thought that it was cute, but I had never been able to pull it off on
my own hair. Back in California, a friend showed me how to do it with another
friend’s hair, so I was sure I could pull it off on Bailey. I started working
with her hair, and before long I was finished. It looked fantastic and turned
out exactly as I hoped it would.

“Finished.
Do you like it?” I asked.

“I
love it! I haven't been able to figure out how to do this on my own.”

By
then we only had an hour and a half before the boys were going to pick us up.

I
applied shimmering silver eye shadow on Bailey that matched her dress, along
with mauve berry-colored lipstick. After seeing Bailey’s finished makeup, I
decided that my make up should be done the same.

My
forehead hadn’t healed yet, but was looking a little better. I helped Bailey make
it look less noticeable by dabbing the make-up around it so she didn’t hurt me.

We
were ready with 30 minutes to spare, so we went downstairs to watch TV and wait
for the boys.

“I’m
so nervous!” Bailey squealed.

“Sounds
like you’re excited too though,” I giggled.

She
laughed. “Yeah, that’s true too.”

“I’m
right there with
ya
!”

A
knock sounded on the front door. My stomach flopped.

“They’re
early!”

I
answered the door. It was Eli. I assumed it was him when I heard the knock so
early. He was such a worry-wart and had to be there before Pete, even though he
knew Bailey was here too.

He
was wearing a button-up blue, red and gray plaid shirt with dark blue denim
pants and black shoes. He was holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers. He looked
amazing.

“Hey
Eli! Those are beautiful, Bailey will love them.”

“You
really think so?” he whispered.

“Of
course she will,” I said reassuringly. He seemed nervous. “Bailey, Eli's here,”
I called.

As
soon as the words left my lips, she glided around the corner and I could see
Eli’s face  light up.

“You
look beautiful,” he said shyly.

“Thanks,”
she said, blushing.

Everything
between Eli and Bailey seemed to be working out well so far. I thought he
seemed to really like her, though it may not have occurred to him until he had
actually asked her out.

Another
knock sounded on the door; Pete was early, too. What was with these eager
beavers? Didn’t they know that women typically ran late? It was a good thing we
had both been ready. I answered the door quickly.

“Wow that was quick! You must
have been standing there waiting for me,” he teased.

I
shoved his shoulder as I laughed.

“Eli
got here just before you did.”

“Sure
he did,” he winked. “You look nice.”

He
hadn’t brought me flowers like Eli, and I couldn’t help but feel a little
jealous of Bailey, even though I knew she had nothing to do with it. Why hadn’t
Pete been as thoughtful as Eli? I tried not to let it bother me.

“Shall
we go?” I asked.

“Sure,”
Pete, Eli and Bailey all said in unison.

“Where
are we going?” Bailey asked.

Pete
jumped to answer the question. I figured it was only fair that he planned the
date since he had been the one to suggest the date in the first place.

“I
know I mentioned going to a movie, but I figured that we wouldn’t be able to
talk much. So I was thinking we could grab something to eat and go
mini-golfing.”

“That
sounds like fun!” Bailey chimed in.

“What
about pizza?” I suggested. Even though Bailey and I had eaten it for lunch, I
still thought it sounded good. I hoped Bailey thought so, too.

“That’s
actually what I was thinking. I know a great place,” said Pete as he smiled and
winked at me. “Great minds think alike.”

He
slid his hand around my back, guiding me through the doorway. He kept his hand
resting there as we waited for Bailey and Eli to exit the house so I could lock
up. Eli and Bailey were a little more shy towards each other. They didn’t touch
the whole way to the car.

We
left in Pete’s Honda since Eli’s
Camaro
was only a
coupe. I sat in the front seat with Pete, while Eli and Bailey sat in the back.
I glanced back at them after we headed to the restaurant, and saw they were
holding hands. I felt another twinge of jealousy and couldn’t understand why. I
brushed it off, figuring it was probably because I wanted Pete to hold my hand
too. Of course he couldn’t at the moment, because he was driving.

Pete
took us to a small casual restaurant I hadn’t heard of called
Rosali's
. We ordered two medium pizzas to split between the
four of us. I was impressed by how quickly the pizza was ready.

“I
have never been here before, but this pizza is so good!” I said after a few
bites.

There
was only one pizza place that even came close, and it was my favorite spot back
in California.

“I
love eating here. It’s one of my favorites,” Pete said.

Bailey
and Eli were engrossed in their own conversation.

“I
enjoy going to these types of places; you know the kind that aren’t like big
chain companies. I think they usually have the best food,” I said, chewing
thoughtfully.

“I
completely agree.”

I
smiled and our eyes met. It was one of those moments you only see in movies.
The intensity of it made me blush and I had to look away quickly. Moments later
I looked up at Pete through my eyelashes, hoping he wouldn’t see. He was
looking down at his plate smiling to himself, and a moment later I found myself
doing the same thing. 

As
we drove to play mini-golf, everyone was in great spirits. Pete turned up a
popular rock song and we were all singing along. Nothing could compare to the
freeness we felt in that moment. We were having the time of our lives.

We
came to a stop at a red light, and Pete took that moment to lean over and place
the most gentle kiss on my cheek. Self-consciously, my hand came up to touch
where his lips had just been. I looked up at him, our eyes met, and time seemed
to stand still.

Then
we heard screeching tires.

Before
we even knew what was happening, we felt an impact jarring us forward as a car
slammed into us from behind. Luckily, we were all wearing our seat belts.

Pete
turned to me, immediately concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I...
I think so,” I stammered, scared from the impact.

“You
guys?” He turned to face Eli and Bailey.

Eli
spoke for the two of them. “I think were alright, just a little shaken up.”

Once
he knew everyone was okay, Pete’s anger started to boil over. “That moron! He
could have hurt us all with his carelessness. I can’t believe how stupid some
people are...”

As
his outburst continued on, Eli interrupted. “Bailey, Abby—I think we should get
out of the car to see if everyone else is alright and give Pete a moment alone
to collect himself.”

The
fact that Eli was pointing out he was acting inappropriately made Pete
embarrassed, and then even more angry.

“I
don’t need a moment alone, thank you!” Pete shouted sarcastically as he jumped
out of the car. “What in the world were you thinking?!” He continued to shout
at the driver of the other car.

Pete
was already at the back of the car by the time the rest of us got out. I
started heading towards him, but Eli grabbed my arm and held me back.

“I
think you and Bailey need to stay here. Pete is out of his mind right now and I
don’t want you two to get the brunt of it,” he whispered.

I couldn’t
say that I disagreed with him; it scared me to see him that way. I willingly
stayed behind with Bailey, who was slightly panicked. She had borrowed Eli’s
cell phone and was talking to her dad to let him know what happened and that
she was fine. I didn’t even know Eli had a cell phone or I would have called my
mom too. Unfortunately I didn’t know the number for where she was.