Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy Read online

  I bent to look her in the eye. “Guess we’re going to have to go dress shopping soon, huh?” I put on the best enthusiastic smile I could, eyes and all.

  Chapter 6

  There was Sam, smack-dab in the middle of the auditorium doing the chicken-wing like there was no tomorrow. She looked like she was about to take off any second. Zoom! Right out of the building. It’s a bird. It’s a plane! Nope, it’s just Sam. Goofy, lovable Sam.

  I’d managed to convince my mom to let me go to the dance. Sam and I had bought beautiful, glittery dresses at the mall. Mine had cap sleeves and a full-length princess style skirt in cascading gradients of pink and teal. Not Christmas-y, but I wanted something that—if growth spurts allowed—I’d want to wear again.

  Elegant. Magical. Didn’t fit in with all of the green and red streamers hanging from the ceiling, but that didn’t matter.

  Sam had paired her knee-length—even in winter—red-velvet, rhinestone accented party dress with black tights and matching flats. She’d told me she didn’t want anything to get in the way of her dancing. I wasn’t at all concerned with the dancing part. Sam had basically paid for my evening’s worth of snacks and punch in return for tagging along and playing dress up. All I had to do was stand on the sidelines and keep an eye on her.

  “Hey, Alice.”

  The voice startled me and I jerked my head toward the sound.

  Oh my God. I should have worn nicer shoes.

  Should have done my hair up.

  Should have…

  “Hi, Brian. I… I didn’t even know you’d be here.” My cheeks grew warm.

  He looked nice, donning a black suit and navy-blue dress shirt. No tie, but it worked in his favor. His brown hair had been swept back out of his face and tucked behind his ears. He had been cute before, but now…

  My pulse raced and a lump formed in my throat. My hands got cold. I clasped them together.

  “Nice dress.” He skimmed over it. “Sparkly. It’s very New Years… esq.”

  “That’s what I was going for,” I stammered, lying.

  He had two plastic cups of pink punch in his hands and offered me one. I went to reach for it but hesitated.

  “Something wrong?” he asked, looking down at the cup. “Did you not want anything?” He glanced at my empty hands.

  “No, it’s just that…” The voice of reason—Mom’s—reminded me not to take a drink from someone when I hadn’t seen where it had come from. He seemed trustworthy.

  “Oh, wait. I get it. I’ll get you another one if you want to come with me. I just… well, it’s getting kind of stuffy in here and I wanted to ask if you cared to step out for a few?”

  “Don’t worry about the drink.” I snatched the cup from him and smiled with my eyes. Something inside kept pushing me to trust him. “I need some air myself. Of course…” I glanced at the exit. “There is Mrs. Prather.”

  She stood in front of one of the exits, arms crossed, carefully guarding the door like a Doberman. Her beady eyes locking on to anyone who passed.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said, and headed over to her. I couldn’t hear what they said, but she looked really concerned, narrowing her eyes and nodding. A few seconds later, she darted through the crowd, whooshing right past me at record speed.

  Brian jogged back over. “Come on.” We scurried toward the gym exit. He propped the door open just enough for me to get through. The door clicked shut behind us and the music muffled.

  “Oh my God, we didn’t just dodge Mrs. Prather? Did we?” The brief adrenaline rush had me shaking. I laughed. “She’s gonna be soooo mad!”

  “Maybe, but it was worth the risk to spend time with you alone.”

  “Alone?” I brushed a stray curl behind my ear and smiled shyly.

  “Uh, I meant… to talk to you,” he stuttered. “Really. I…”

  “I’d love to see snow someday,” I said, changing the subject. “Do you think we’ll ever have snow for Christmas?” I shuddered. The temperature had gone down since we had arrived. The crisp smell of winter drifted through the air. I rubbed my forearms.

  “Don’t know,” he replied. “But up in Montana, winter is freaking fierce.” He set down his cup on the concrete and slid his arms out of his coat. “Here.” He draped it over my shoulders and tried to stifle a nervous chuckle. “I know it’s stereotypical, but… you don’t need to freeze because of me.”

  “Thanks, Brian. I brought a shrug, but left it on the coat rack inside. A lot of good it did me, huh?”

  “That jacket was getting a little warm anyway.” He picked his punch cup up off the ground.

  His body heat along with a hint of his pleasant scent lingered on the coat. Although a bit big, it helped and I’d stop shivering already.

  The school baseball field was illuminated as if it were a game night, only the bleachers were empty. I’d taken for granted how pretty it could be without screaming cheerleaders and jocks running around, kicking up dust everywhere. No megaphones. No noisy billboards.

  I lifted the cup up in a toast. “To…” I thought fast but nothing came. “Something awesome.” I giggled, making him crack a smile.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “To something awesome!”

  I tried the punch and my lips pursed. “Ew. This is sour!” I coughed. “Bleh!”

  He took a sip and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Yeah. The punch is pretty terrible here, isn’t it? Here, let me get that.” He reached for my cup and then tossed both of our drinks into a nearby trash can.

  “It’s kind of pretty out here with all the seats empty,” he said, staring off past the field. “Seems staged almost. Like something out of a movie.”

  We sat down on the concrete steps just outside the auditorium doors.

  “I guess so.” A bright white, almost-full moon lit up the sky. Shimmering stars flecked the deep blue nothingness. It felt like something out of a movie… One of those cliché boy-and-girl-at-prom scenes. I kept telling myself not to get nervous. Nothing was going to happen.

  This wasn’t a movie…

  “What is it?” he asked.

  I’d faded out. “Nothing.” I cupped my hands together to stop myself from fidgeting. “You want to talk about anything?”

  He shrugged.

  I went back to watching my hands and we sat in silence.

  Bass vibrated below our feet. The music playing inside—softer and distorted—was still audible. We’d barely escaped from the Electric Slide. Then a slow song started, the melody of a saxophone teased my ears through the concrete walls and the bass quieted below our feet.

  I felt Brian’s eyes on me.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  I turned toward him. The stadium lights cast a shadow over half of his face but I could see a small smile curling his lips. “For the encouraging things you’ve said about my art. It’s really helped me push myself to work harder. In school and… at home.”

  I had butterflies in my stomach and my face felt flushed.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied. “You don’t have to thank me, though.”

  “It was hard to make friends with all of the moving around we used to do, but I’m glad the teacher made me sit next to you.” He fell quiet for a moment and looked back toward the auditorium. “Hey, the music’s gotten a little better. Do you want to at least pretend we’re here to dance?”

  I glanced anxiously at his hands and then back into his eyes. Just thinking about touching him made my stomach knot up. Not that I didn’t want to be closer to him. I did… I really did, but…

  Oh, forget it.

  I took a deep breath. After all, it wasn’t the first time I’d wanted to touch him.

  He stood and reached down. His warm hands cupped mine carefully. Then, he pulled me to my feet and I almost tumbled into his arms.

  I swallowed hard and straightened up, smoothing down my skirt with flattened hands. Nervous, I rested one hand onto his should
er as he entwined fingers with my other. He hesitated before placing a hand on my waist. We were both trembling, but I liked that. Brian’s anxiety was genuine. Reassuring.

  I didn’t know a thing about dancing. I’d figured it wouldn’t matter since I hadn’t planned on actually dancing. Brian didn’t know much about it either, but I didn’t care.

  We made it up as we went along and simply swayed to the music. He stayed vigilant, not stepping on my toes while I made sure I didn’t smack him in the face when he let me go to twirl. We danced to a gentler, distant version of the music.

  “You’re really pretty, Alice,” he said, gently squeezing my hand.

  The bright golden glow of the stadium lights washed over his face, making his eyes sparkle. My heart thumped in my chest, fluttering like a hummingbird, drowning out the music. We stared into each other’s eyes. Still as statues.

  He tugged me closer and I gasped. Our bodies touched and his warm scent drew me in, stronger than before. I lost focus, captivated by his lips.

  Goose bumps rippled across my arms and the hair on the back of my neck stood. A surge of warmth swept through me, making my fingertips tingle.

  Brian flinched and his grip loosened.

  “Brian?”

  He froze, blinking. Dumbfounded. Lost.

  He shuffled to the side, the lights illuminating the whites of his eyes. “Maybe… we should sit this one out,” he said and then stumbled backwards and let go of me.

  “You okay?” I stepped toward him and took his arm.

  “Yeah.” He sat down on the steps and coughed. “I…” He coughed again. “I can’t… breathe well all of a sudden.” He undid the top button of his shirt and stretched open his collar, clearing his throat as he did. “Probably the cold or…” He shifted as though he couldn’t get comfortable.

  He fell silent, staring off at nothing.

  My heart plummeted.

  “Shit.” Brian doubled over and clutched at his chest.

  “Brian!”

  “I… ugh.” He grimaced, gritting his teeth.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” I grabbed his shoulders. “Look at me!” A faint, intermittent beeping sound came from somewhere on him. “Brian!”

  “I… ah, God! Al…” He gasped for air. Short, strained choking breaths. “Alice, call 9-1-1!” His terrified eyes finally met mine. “Now.”

  I stopped breathing, too. So scared, I thought my heart might explode from beating so fast.

  “Uh, okay.” I pulled out my cell and kept watching him. My hands shook. I tried to remember three stupid numbers. Clumsy from panic, I tried twice to get it right.

  “9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

  “Uh, I don’t know. I’m with my friend and he looks like he’s in a lot of pain right now.”

  Brian grunted hard and looked up at me, his breathing still labored. He pulled at the collar of his shirt hard and stretched it to reveal his skin. There was a small lump in his chest just over his left pec and a thick scar line above it.

  “Oh my God! You have a pacemaker!” A lump formed in my throat.

  “Ma’am?” The 911 person waited for a reply.

  “Uh, yes. I think he’s having a heart attack. He has a pacemaker and his chest is hurting. I’ve never seen him like this. Please. Please help us!”

  The 911 person—who said his name was James—asked me if Brian was still breathing and if he was conscious. “Yes. Yes.” He was, but he looked like he might pass out any minute now. James informed me that the beeping noise was coming from the pacemaker—an alert that something had gone wrong.

  I moved with Brian to help him bring his knees closer to his chest, just as James had suggested. I had to keep him alert until the ambulance came. James stayed on the line but I set my phone down beside us and put it on speaker.

  “Brian?” I took his hand and held it tightly, scared I might hurt him further but more frightened of him slipping away without me there. That stuff inside me. It must have hurt him somehow. Shorted out his pacemaker. Just like Sam’s tablet.

  “Stay with me.” I cupped the side of his face. It had become deathly pale. His skin colder than it was before.

  His grasp on my hand tightened while his other hand rubbed the center of his chest. He took slow breaths, trying to steady his pulse.

  “Help will be there soon,” James said, and then asked me again how Brian was doing.

  “Still conscious.”

  I wasn’t much of a religious girl, but right then and there, I squeezed Brian’s hand and prayed harder than I’d ever prayed in my entire life.

  God, please let this not be our last dance…

  Chapter 7

  I awoke in the hospital lobby, my face nestled against Mom’s shoulder.

  “Brian?” I jumped up from my seat and my head swirled. Dizziness overwhelmed me and I plopped back down.

  “Don’t get up so fast,” said Mom, rubbing my arm.

  “Is he okay?” I held my forehead in my palm. It took me a moment to get my bearings and remember what had happened.

  “He’s fine”

  “Thank God.” I exhaled. “What time is it?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, answering my own question. 8:32 AM.

  Apparently I’d put up quite a fight last night and wouldn’t let Mom take me home. I didn’t remember most of it because I’d been in such a panic, but I was glad she had stayed with me.

  Then I remembered.

  “School!” I leapt up again.

  “It’s winter break, sweetheart.”

  “Oh…” My head was so foggy.

  “They said he’s stable,” Mom added, while sending someone a text on her phone. I couldn’t see who the recipient was. “Alice. You did the right thing. I’m proud of you for reacting the way you did.”

  I smiled stupidly big. Her words gave me the warm and fuzzies inside.

  “You can see him if you want.” She motioned toward the receptionist’s desk. “By the way, what were you doing with him last night? I thought you and Sam had gone together to the dance?”

  “We did. I didn’t know he was coming. We stepped outside for some air and… that’s when everything happened. It was all so fast.”

  Her brow wrinkled as if she suspected something, but then she took a breath and let it go with a little shake of her head.

  “Oh, alright.”

  I was glad she wasn’t going to ask any more questions.

  A nurse escorted me to Brian’s room and let me in, then pressed her clipboard to her chest and scuttled off down the hall.

  I crept inside, my heart racing, unsure of what I might see.

  “Don’t be scared, Alice.” Brian sat up in his hospital bed when he saw me. “It was a heart attack, not a lawn mower accident.”

  The thought made me shudder.

  There was an IV taped to the inside of his wrist and something else hooked up that tracked his heartbeat. I watched the colored line bolt up and down steadily.

  “How are you doing?” I approached. My hand gravitated toward his. I stopped myself and rested it instead on the cold metal bed railing. I didn’t want to risk messing up one of the nearby machines.

  “So, Alice, I’m curious. Who did you tell the nurse you were?”

  I looked away and bit my lip. “That… I was a cousin.” I said it so quietly, I barely heard myself.

  “What?” He tilted his head to the side and grinned. “Really? And they believed you?”

  I shrugged.

  “You could have told them you were my girlfriend. That’s what I told them.”

  “Oh.” Girlfriend? My cheeks got warm.

  Please shoulder, don’t act up now. Not here. Electrical equipment surrounded me. I clasped my hands together and pressed my arms close to my body to avoid bumping into any nearby machines. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him by shorting something else out.

  “Being my cousin makes last night kind of weird though, do
esn’t it?”

  I chuckled nervously. “Yeah. Kind of.” After everything that had happened last night, he hadn’t changed a bit.

  “Sorry I didn’t tell you about the whole heart thing,” he said. “It’s not exactly a weakness I need the whole world freaking out about. Especially you. And I’ve got a reputation to keep up. Would you have been intimidated by a guy with a messed up heart?”

  I stared at him with pity. “That’s the real reason why you can’t be in the military, isn’t it? And that’s the reason you had problems with your dad. He couldn’t accept it.”

  “Yeah, well, I showed him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t even need it anymore.”

  “Need what?”

  He peeled down the collar of his hospital robe to reveal a fresh line of stitches and bright pink, inflamed skin. I grimaced at first, overreacting, and then forced myself to take a second look. It wasn’t that bad.

  “The pacemaker.” He pointed to the place where the lump had been last night. “I don’t need it anymore. Whatever happened to me last night was a miracle. It shorted out the pacemaker but the arrhythmia went with it.” He smiled big and reached for my hand. I pulled away.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’d been living every day in constant fear that I’d drop dead at any moment because of my heart. Whatever happened yesterday—whatever you did to me—saved me.”

  “I didn’t do anything, Brian.” I sat on the edge of his bed and rested one knee over the other. “Why would you say something like that?”

  “Because I saw it.”

  I tried to act unaffected. “Saw… what exactly?”

  “The light. The green—”

  “Shh!” I touched my fingers to his lips. “No. Don’t say it.”

  “Then I wasn’t seeing things,” he said as my fingers slid off his mouth, grazing his chin.

  “You can’t tell anyone!”

  “I won’t. Alice, I’ll keep any secret for you. I’d die to keep your secret if I had to, but you have to promise not to keep secrets from me. Okay? Not if we’re going to be friends. Or… more than that.”