Chapter 9

The Storms arrived in a monster jeep that crunched gravel as it rode to a barely free parking space where it stopped. First to hop out was Mrs. Storm, tall and shrouded in a thick sweater and black wool skirt. Behind her was Kayla dressed in black jeans and a dark red sweater. 

The only similarities between mother and daughter were the height and gracefulness, the similarities ended there. 

Mrs. Storm climbed the low pavement that led to the shop and went in to speak to the owner. Kayla stood with her back resting on the jeep while Silver jumped out of the driver's seat to join her.

The two of them stood in the shadows away from the rest of the group and seemed to watch and observe the crowd of students like they were searching for something. 

Something about the cold calculated way they observed the crowd seemed odd to me. Silver, who from all Cara said about her and my short encounter with her was easy to smile and outgoing, was stone-faced. Kayla was the same beside her. Her dark eyes darted from one face to the next with such concentration that it almost looked as though she was searching for something. 

There was that feeling again I experienced at the cafeteria. The urge to talk to her. This magnetic pull I feel in her presence is overpowering my senses. 

Cara was still clinging to me, holding on for support. Her tears were down to sniffles now. I needed to go over to the Storms but leaving Cara when she needed emotional support would be insensitive. 

It was a couple more minutes because she finally pulled away, wiping at her nose with a tissue. She looked up gratefully at me with a small smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded, sniffing and cleaning her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," I interrupted. I was beginning to feel like an ass for thinking of leaving her to meet Kayla who I may or may not even know and here she was thanking me. 

"I need to get something to drink," Jeff muttered. He glanced briefly at Cara then looked away to the rest of the crew. "Anyone needs anything?"

"I need water. I'll come with you," Cara replied. 

Relief washed over his face and mine. With a pointed glance at me, he held his hands out for Cara and left with Kelly and Liam. I tried not to look too relieved as they walked off. Nora and Moira barely glanced at me as I edged away from the car and started walking towards the edge of the parking lot where the Storms were. It took a while in the crowded space to finally stumble my way over to them. 

I was only a few feet away when Kayla's head whipped around with such swiftness that her red hair covered her entire face. She pushed the hair from her face quickly, huffing a sigh. 

Silver laughed beside her. "What the heck?"

She looked past Kayla and saw me approaching, the hard look on her face disappeared replaced with a flirty smile. "Pretty boy," she called out. 

"Hi," I said lamely, suddenly at loss for words. 

"Terrible welcome to town eh?" Silver asked as she pushed away from the jeep. "This is my sister Kayla."

"Hi," I repeated and reached my hand out to Kayla. She glanced down at my hand a long moment then raised her head, her green eyes flashed gold and she smiled. 

"It's a bit cold for a handshake don't you think?" she said in a richly airy voice that did something to my insides. So much for staying away from girls if I'm attracted to this one just by looking at her. 

Now I feel stupid. She obviously doesn't know me. My raging teenage libido had just thought she looked familiar. I started to draw my hand back when Silver grabbed my hand in an iron grip pumping it up and down. 

"I'll do the honors, pretty boy."

Her touch was hot, almost scorching even in the icy night. The strength of her grip was enough to fracture my wrist. 

"My name is DeShawn. Shawn for short."

"Silver, Kayla," Kayla introduced. "Even though your friends already introduced us to you." She jerked her head in the direction I was coming from, over at Jeff's car. Both Cara and Jeff were now drinking hot chocolate drinks in Choc-It shop monogrammed mugs. 

"Yeah...they did."

Silver withdrew her hand to the pocket of her tight black jeans. "Tessa's death is not much of a fancy welcome party for you is it?"

"No, it's not. But I can't complain, everyone is grieving."

Kayla pulled the neck of her sweater to cover her nose. The neon lights made it nearly impossible to see clearly but I could see her watchful eyes. 

"It's a small town. We basically grow up next to each other, go to the same school and get the same jobs here in WhiSare. It's like a close-knit family," she said. 

"Yeah, I suppose it is." I looked away from her eyes to concentrate on Silver who raised her brows multiple times with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I looked away from her too. I should say something else. I did walk over to finally talk to them so why am I tongue-tied? 

"So pretty boy, do you think it's suicide like everyone else?"

I thought hard about the question. I didn't know the answer because I'm new in town. I never met Tessa, never knew her or her boyfriend well enough to make my judgment so I shrugged. "Some people seem to think it is. Although my friend Cara denies it."

"Cara Evan?" Kayla asked, her voice muffled by the sweater. 

Silver scoffed. "Of course, she would. She had a fight with Tessa over that mysterious boyfriend before Tessa left. It was a strange love triangle."

That took me aback. No wonder she was hysterical about the whole thing. She had mentioned regretting a fight she had with Tessa. My curiosity heightened.

"What about that? The fight I mean."

Kayla glanced at Silver quickly. A silent conversation passed between them.

Kayla crossed her across her chest, the action pulled the sweater away from her nose. "I think that's a question for your friend," she replied in a firm voice. She was smiling but it didn't quite reach her eyes, there was a silent warning in those eyes, and hell if that doesn't make me more curious. 

I was about to probe her about it when Mrs. Storm's voice broke through the night. "If I may have everyone's attention."

Heads turned to the front of the shop. The neon lights transformed her gentle features, giving her an ethereal otherworldly look. 

"I sympathize with close friends of Tessa. It is not news that we as a community of students were devastated by her disappearance. The news of her death has no doubt dealt a heavy blow to our community. We mourn her death but for the sake of our own security the mayor has imposed a curfew and a day off school tomorrow."

The night was silent. Silver frowned and glanced off to her far right. I followed her gaze. Sam and Gabe were quietly celebrating the last part of Mrs. Storm's news. 

I was filled with disgust at the fist bumps they shared. Apparently, Silver felt the same way because a heavy scowl fell over her face. 

"Bitch," she muttered under her breath. 

"A funeral has been arranged. Tomorrow evening there will be a candlelight service with a procession from the town hall to her parents' house. It would mean a lot to her parents if friends from school came to support them," Mrs. Storm continued. "For now, I will advise that everyone stays security conscious until the funeral."

She made no further statements. She climbed down the curb to weave her way over to us. 

It made no sense to be security conscious since Tessa's death was ruled as a suicide. 

"I think there's more to Tessa's death."

Kayla raised a brow. I swear her eyes glowed when she looked at me. That magnetic pull was stronger than ever. It was almost hard not to cup her face and run my fingers through her hair and capture her perfect red lips. I must be sick. Amid death and a body, I was thinking of kissing a total stranger. 

I cleared my throat but it did nothing to ease the urge rising in me.

"Why do you say so?" She asked.

"The grown-ups are hiding something from us. Almost everyone thinks Tessa threw herself off the cliff in despair but the mayor wants us to stay security conscious? I think there is a cover-up."

Her emerald green eyes with their gold flecks studied me unblinkingly then she heaved a sigh. "The mayor is our father. But I can't deny that you may be right. How do we prove that?"

The question was simple but it sounded multifaceted like there was a hidden question within it. Before I could figure it out, however, Mrs. Storm reached us, and with barely a nod in my direction, she climbed into the driver's side of the jeep ahead of Silver. 

"Let's go," she said in a tight voice to Silver and Kayla. It was only then I realized that Miles was missing.

Kayla pursed her lips. "We can only speculate, eh? I have to go now. See you around Shawn."

She turned, climbed the jeep, and settled in the back. She watched me watch her until the jeep drove into the high road. 

Around me, students were climbing into their cars or strolling away from the parking lot. 

"Shawn!"

It was Cara. She was waving me over.

With one last look in the direction of the Storms route, I joined Cara and Jeff.