Chapter 5

At the mention of his ass, I willed myself not to look at it even though I wanted to. Absolute boredom seemed to have replaced his sudden interest in me, but curiosity still fizzed on the surface of my skin. To focus my attention elsewhere, I admired the jewelry cases on the counter while the twins took Jo's money.

I skipped over the one filled with rings that resembled mangled bugs in pain. They were too creepy, even for me, because I'd never been a fan of anything with more than four legs.

A silver ring in the next display over caught my eye. I ran my thumb over the engraved design, which looked like lilacs. Mom would've adored this ring just as much as her lilac blooms.

Pain tugged at my heart. I wanted to go back home and bury my nose in those purple flowers. I could sing to them and hope my touch made their petals spring open, but I knew I wouldn't be enough for them. Withdrawing my thumb from the cool metal, I put my new-used shirt on the counter.

"Did you want the ring too, honey?" one of the twins asked, her gray eyes shining eagerly.

"Umm, no. I was just looking at it."

"It might make a nice gift," the other twin said.

I said nothing while one of them pecked at the cash register and the other folded and patted my shirt into a plastic bag.

Old picture frames covered the wall behind them. Some had pictures, others bordered the chipped wall in decorative wood and metal. The picture in the middle of the pretty red-head with bright blue eyes always stood out. She was looking down at something unseen, her happy smile captured in a single press of a button. Even though she had red hair, she kind of reminded me of Mom. I looked away and slid some money across the counter.

When the shirt was officially mine, the twins, Jo, and I waved goodbye, all of us in perfect synchronization like we were performers in some strange interpretive windshield wiper dance.

Outside, the sun was shining. Stray dark clouds drifted away as if their work here was done. In an hour or two, the sky would probably drop a blizzard on us. That's freaking Kansas for you.

As a squad of news vans zoomed down the street, we jumped puddles to reach Callum's car. He sloshed through them a few seconds later and joined us.

"I wonder what that's all about," Jo said, nodding toward the news vans. "Hair dye next, Cal. My roots are showing."

Callum shook his head and sighed as he unlocked the doors with a push of a button this time. I guessed he didn't want to open my door for me again.

Jo climbed into the backseat. "Some of the stuff I found back here can warp your brain."

Callum glanced at me before shooting a glare at Jo. "Shut up."

When we got to the drugstore, we found Jo's VeggieColor in red, though it was more of a brassy orange on her. I preferred my blonde tresses to anything bottled.

The blue-smocked store clerks didn't see us - or chose to ignore us - as we stepped up to the cashier's desk. Three of them huddled together, whispering, their eyes wide. The dark make-up around their eyes reminded me of mud. I pushed that thought out of my head.

"How could something like this happen?" one of them asked.

Another one crossed herself. "It's a miracle."

Jo put the dye down on the counter and waited for their attention, but they still didn't notice us. I picked it up and slammed it back down with a satisfying whack. Attention was received. As soon as Jo exchanged money for the now dented box, the three clerks huddled once more.

"It must be National Distracted Day and someone was too distracted to tell us," Jo said as we stepped outside. "Maybe that's why all those news vans are here. To interview all the distracted people."

I shrugged. Whatever was on the minds of our fellow Krappers, it was probably the kind of small drama that Jo and I never concerned ourselves with.

The drive back home was uneventful except for even more news vans racing down the street, this time from TV stations that didn't look familiar, and Jo's continued sermon about proper recycling procedures. Callum said nothing and neither did I. He was busy stealing glances at me. I played cool and pretended not to notice.

When we entered Jo's house, the phone was ringing.

"It's probably Mom and Dad checking up on you, Cal," Jo said, racing to answer it.

I looked into the dark mouth of the basement and the palms of my hands grew sweaty. Jo's bedroom was down there, and I wanted to try on my new-used shirt. I'd been in the basement hundreds of times. My hallucinations of dead Sarah were turning me into a wuss. I flicked the light switch and sighed my relief at the familiar surroundings.

Callum cleared his throat behind me. "Leigh."

"Hmm?" I said and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry. About...your mom." He looked in every direction but mine while he spoke.

There was the inevitable awkwardness I hadn't missed.

"Thanks." I toed at some mud on my boot and sighed.

"I...uh...got you something." He searched the pockets of his jeans. A small silver circle engraved with lilacs lay in his outstretched hand.

My mouth dropped open, but I couldn't breathe because my lungs were being crushed by a swell of emotion.

"I saw you looking at it, so I thought maybe you'd like to have it."

All I could do was nod. I couldn't even bring myself to touch it.

"Leigh?" His voice was just above a whisper, his hand still outstretched. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I forced myself to look away from the ring, to look at him. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever given me."

My feet moved forward on their own, and I ended up in Callum's personal bubble. The warmth of his eyes made me think he didn't mind I was so close to him. This made me bolder, more than I usually was with boys. I brushed the torn fabric at his neck with my fingertips, preparing myself for what I was about to do. Both my arms slid around his neck, and I pressed myself against him in a hug. The electric current between us was immediate.

Maybe that's why he hugged me back.

I rested my head in the crook of his neck, amazed at how solid he felt. Every muscle inside him molded itself to me but still stayed firm. A girl could get used to this.

But I didn't get used to it because he pulled away from me. He took my hand and pressed the ring into it. I wasn't willing to let him go yet so I grabbed his hand. The silver circle rested between our palms.

"Uh..." Jo shuffled into the entryway, her face pale.

Callum pulled his hand away from mine so quickly that the ring almost fell. In that moment, I was aware of two things: the sudden absence of Callum's buzz touch and something was wrong with Jo.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You might want to sit down for this," Jo said, sitting on the small bench just inside the door.

We didn't sit.

"What?" Callum demanded.

"That was Miguel from Spanish class. I don't know what happened. But Sarah? Suicide Sarah from school?" Jo shook her head. "She's not dead. She's back."