Avalon High - Мэг Кэбот 9 стр.

demandingHow could you not have told me? orWhat kind of person are you?

 I should have known there wouldnt be, of course. Will wasnt like everybody else. Will

wasnt likeanybody else Id ever met before.

 Instead, he said, in that same neutral voice, Its weird. I feel like I already knew, in a

prepared for them, even. I deserved

well, not

way.

 I blinked at him. This was not what Id expected him to say. Wait, I said, thrown.

What? Really?

 Really, he said. While it was happening, I was kind of like

course.To tell you the truthI kind of felt

looked at me.Really looked at me.

 And I could see that he didnt look hurt, or devastated, or even sad. He just looked sort of

thoughtful.

 That sounds screwed up, doesnt it? he asked. That I felt relieved. That my girlfriend

and my best friend are sneaking around together behind my back. Who would feel

relieved about finding out something like that?

 I didnt know what to say. Because I knew exactly what he was talking about.

 What I didnt know was

 Maybe

deep down, that theyre meant for each other. That its

Dont get me wrongshe really does love you, Will. Lance, too. More than anything. You

can tell. But that also might be

 I glanced at him to see whether or not he agreed with thisor if he even understood it,

because I wasnt sure I did.

 Not that you and Jen didnt make a good couple, I added, because he still hadnt said

anything. I was probably babbling, but what else was I supposed to do? I mean, he had

come tome. Of all the people in the world he knew, hed come tome in his hour of need. I

had to saysomething . I mean, Jens totally nice, and stuff. But

 I could never really talk to her, Will interrupted. Not about stuff that mattered. It was

like she didnt want to hear it. Gossip and clothes and stuff. That was fine. But when it

came to talking about how I felt about thingsthings like

about, my dad, and the woods, and the widows walk

school and the mall, or whatevershe just

 He didnt add,the way you do, Elle .

 But that was okay. Hed come to me, hadnt he? He was sitting here with me. In my

backyard. Next to my pool. On Spider Rock.

 And okay, maybe he was only here because Im a virtual stranger, and its easier

sometimes to talk about stuff with strangers than it is with people you know.

Oh, yeah. Sure. Of

relieved. He took off his sunglasses then, and

well,how I knew this.

I said slowly, feeling my way. Maybe you felt that way because you know,

right? Lance and Jen, I mean.

well, why they belong together.

well, that stuff you and I talked

things outside of football and

she just didnt understand.

 And yeah, probably he only thinks of me as a frienda friend who makes him laughand

not the way I think of himas the man with whom I want to spend the rest of my life

someday.

 But thats okay. Thats totally okay. Because with Will, I was willing to take what I could

get. And if friendship was all he had to offer, well, it was more than enough.

 So when he asked what he did nextwhich was, So what are you doing for dinner

tonight?in a voice that was completely devoid of self-pity or anything, really, I said, I

dont know. I think my moms ordering pizza, in a kind of stunned way.

 To which he replied, Do you think your parents would mind if I took you out? I know a

place that makes a mean crab dip.

 Um, I said. No, I dont think theyd mind. Not that Id have cared if they did.

 They didnt. Which was how I found myself dining with A. William Wagner once again.

How I made him laugh over the plate of steaming hot crab dip we shared at Riordans

downtown, by doing what I considered a brilliant imitation of Ms. Schuler, the track

coach. How I almost made him choke on his Moose Tracks ice cream at Storm Brothers

while I told him the story of the time I stuck the red hot up my nose when I was four, just

to hear him laugh again, and then about the time I decided to cut my own hair and ended

up looking just like Russell Crowe inGladiator.

 Then, because I had trig homework, and he said he had physics, we went back to my

house and sat down at the dining room table to work together, since he showed no signs

of being ready to leave for home.

 Not that I blamed him, really. I mean, what did he have to go home to, really? A father

who wanted something for him that Will didnt want for himself, and a stepbrother whod

taken absolute glee in revealing something that, yeah, maybe had needed to be revealed

but not the way hed done it.

 My dad came in at one point while we were working and asked me if I could pull a

staple out of his thumb, because Mom was in the shower. It was only one of those mini

staples little kids use, because those are the only ones we keep around since everyone in

my family is so accident prone, so there wasnt a lot of blood. I pulled the staple out, and

my dad went away again. I started to go back to my homework, then realized Will had

stopped writing. I looked up, and caught him staring at me.

 What? I asked, lifting a hand to my nose. Do I have something on my face?

 No, Will said, with a smile. Its just

had that with anyone, let alone my dad.

the way you are with your parents. Ive never

 Because your dad is probably capable of stapling something without getting his thumb

in the way, I pointed out dryly.

 No, Will said. Its not that. Its the way you talk to each other. Like youI dont know.

Actually care about what happens to the other person.

 Your dad cares what happens to you, I assured him, secretly feeling that Id like to grab

Admiral Wagner and shake him a few times. Maybe not in the way you want him to.

But, I mean, thats the whole reason behind his wanting you to go into the military.

Because he cares about you and thinks thats what would be best for you.

 But he wouldnt think that, Will insisted, if hed ever bothered to get to know me. If

he knew me at allif he had ever bothered to stop and talk to me on the way out to one of

his millions of meetingshed know that I think that

through military force is the absolutelast way a nation ought to go about solving their

problems.

 I couldnt help feeling a stronger rush of admiration than usual for Will at that moment. I

mean, bending an enemys will by force? Problem solving? The guy was discussing stuff

Id never heard anyone close to my own age talking about before. Geoff and his friends

had always talked almost exclusively about Xbox and whatever girl in school was

wearing the shortest skirt at the moment.

 Have you ever told your dad that? I asked him. I mean, that you feel that way?

Because he might surprise you, you know.

 Will just shook his head. You dont know him, he said flatly.

 What about your stepmom? I asked. Do you two get along?

 Jean? Will shrugged. Yeah.

 Well, why dont you tell her, I suggested, what you told me? Then maybe, if you can

get her on your side, she can work on softening up your dad. He may not want to listen to

you, but hed probably listen to his wife, right?

 Wills eyes seemed to glint an even stronger blue than ever as he gazed at me.

 Thats a good idea, he said

ducked my head, hoping my hair would hide my cheeks. I cant believe I never thought

of that.

 Well, you arent used to having two parents, I said. When youve grown up with both

a mom and a dad, you learn how to play one against the other. Its something of an art.

 I cant imagine, Will said, with a grin, your dad ever saying no to you about anything.

well, that bending an enemys will

and dont think I didnt blush at his praise, although I

 He doesnt, really, I agreed. But my mom

 Then I felt something warm and heavy fall across my fingers. When I looked up, I was

surprised to see that Will had laid one of his hands over mine.

 Like you, he said.

 Im not tough, I said, thinking that if he knew how his mere touch had made my

heartbeat stagger, hed realize how not tough I really am.

 Wills fingers didnt loosen their hold.

 Its not a bad thing, he said. Its one of the things I like best about you, in fact. I

wouldnt want to get on your bad side, though.

 As if you ever could,was what I wanted to say. Only I couldnt, because I was too

stunned. Not just by what hed said about liking mehe said he likes me!but by what Id

felt, the moment his fingers touched mine, which was the exact opposite of the coldness

Id felt at Marcos toucha sudden jolt of white-hot electricity that had raced up and down

my arm

.

 I didnt know what kind of connection the two of us had, if anywhy hed thought hed

known me, when wed never met before, and why he felt he could tell me things he

couldnt tell anyone else

anything, even himself.

 But I wasnt about to question it. Especially not now that he was free. True, Im no

cheerleader. Im not blond or perky, and the only reason I turn heads when I walk into a

room is because Im generally the tallest girl there.

 But out of everyone he knew, Will had come to me. Whether hed felt the jolt when he

touched my hand or notwhether he thought of me as just a friend or maybe something

morenothing would ever change the fact thatI was the one hed come to when hed

needed someone most.

 He let go of my hand after that, and said, holding his pencil like it was a cigar, and doing

a very, very bad imitation of Humphrey Bogart fromCasablanca , Elle, I think this is the

beginning of a beautiful thing.

 Friendship, I corrected him, trying not to let him see how deeply his words had thrilled

me. The line is

 Whatever, Will said, in the same bad Humphrey Bogart imitation. Get to work. And

he tapped my homework with his pencil/cigar.

shes a lot tougher.

or why I loved him so fiercely, I was ready to protect him from

 Grinning, I bent over my logarithms. I dont think Id ever been happier in my life.

 What I didnt know then was that what hed said about this being the beginning of a

beautiful thing? Yeah. Not true.

 It was actually themiddle of something that had been going on for a long time

something that most definitely wasnt beautiful. Something that was about as ugly as can

be.

 And something that was about to snowball beyond anyones control.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 I was the first one into Mr. Mortons classroom the next morning. Not even Mr. Morton

himself was there yet. I sat down in a seat in the front row, glancing at the clock on the

wall. It was seven forty. First period started in twenty minutes.

 So where was Lance?

 When Mr. Morton rolled in, at seven forty-five, Lance still hadnt shown up. Mr. Morton,

neat in his bow tie and herringbone jackettoo warm, I thought, for Annapolis, this time

of yearput down his steaming mug of coffee, his newspaper, and his briefcase, and

pulled the chair out from behind his desk.

 He sat, but didnt open the paper or sip his coffee. Instead, like me, he stared at the clock.

 Though I doubt Mr. Morton was thinking the same thoughts I was. I was having a not

unpleasant time remembering the evening before

homework, had leaned over and swiped mine and started doing logarithms for me. The

way hed smiled when my dad had finally come downstairs and said, Kid. Its eleven

oclock. Go home already, will ya? The way Will had said, See you tomorrow, sir, to

which could only have meant he was planning on coming over again.

my dad

 Seven fifty.

 You told him, didnt you? Mr. Morton wanted to know. Mr. Reynolds?

 Of course I did, I said. Hell be here.

 Except that I was beginning to think that maybe he wouldnt. Maybe hed forgotten. So

the way Will, done with his own

much had happened since the day before

he may have gained a girlfriend, but hed also lost his best friend

thought, anyway, since I assumed Will hadnt called him up and said,No hard feelings,

buddy .

 At least, as of eleven oclock last night, he hadnt.

 Not that Will wasnt going to. Hed talked about it the night before, between logarithms.

He didnt feel he could exactly hold a grudge against Lance and Jennifer if all hed felt,

upon hearing that the two of them were involved, was relief. Id commented that this

would be a grave disappointment to the rumor-mongers of the schoolLiz, in particular,

though I didnt mention her by namewho would be expecting some dramatic snubbing

in the cafeteria.

 Will had just laughed and said that he would never do anything that might deprive the

student population of Avalon High of their right to be entertained, so maybe hed wait a

day or two before publicly forgiving the pair.

 But Lance, of course, didnt know this. I knew he cared about Will, and that the guilt

over what hed done to him had to be eating him up inside.

 Considering what had to be going on inside his head at the moment, it wasnt likely

Lance was going to remember a meeting with a teacher.

 Maybe I should have called to remind him, I said apologetically to Mr. Morton. Hes,

um, got a lot on his mind right now.

 What hes going to have, Mr. Morton said severely, is another flunking grade in this

class, to match the one he got in it last year.

 Oh, dont do that, I couldnt help crying out. Hes having a really hard time right now.

 Im not interested in hearing about the trials and tribulations of Avalon Highs star

guard, Mr. Morton said, in a tired voice. Im sure hes very sorry for what he let happen

to Mr. Wagner during Saturday nights game, but that isnt any of my affair.

 Im not talking about that, I said. I mean, there was this whole blowup with his best

friend and his girlfriend, and

 I would imagine any blowup between Mr. Reynoldss best friend and his girlfriend

would hardly be any of Mr. Reynoldss concern. Mr. Morton raised one gray eyebrow.

And certainly would not excuse his absence here.

 Thats just it. I felt stupid telling a teacher stuff that really wasnt any of his business.

On the other hand, I really did feel Lance had a legitimate reason to have forgotten our

not just to me, but to Lance, as well. After all,

or so he probably

meeting. Hecaused the blowup. Lance did. I mean, its not really his faultwell, I guess

it sort of is. But I dont think he could help it any more than Jen could. Then, seeing that

Mr. Morton was staring at me sort of incredulously, I realized I was babbling, and said,

Look, the whole things this huge mess, and he probably just forgot. Is there any chance

we could reschedule for tomorrow? I swear Ill

 I broke off, because Mr. Mortons face had suddenly gone as gray as his beard.

 He looked like he was going to be sick.

 Mr. Morton? I rose from my desk in some alarm. Are you all right? Do you want me

to get you some water or something?

 Mr. Morton had risen from his chair. Now he stood clutching the edge of his desk like it

was the only thing keeping him upright, murmuring something. When I hurried up to him

and leaned closer to hear what it wasI thought maybe he was whispering for me to call

nine-one-oneI was surprised to hear him saying, Too late. Started

idea. Were too late. Entirely too late.

 I glanced at the clock.

 Were not too late, Mr. Morton, I said confusedly. There are still five more minutes

until the bell

 Then he looked up.

 And I stumbled back a step. Because I had never seen as much despaircoupled with a

strong dose of fearin anyones eyes as I saw in Mr. Mortons at that moment.

 Its happened already, hasnt it? he rasped. Shes with him? With Reynolds?

 I swallowed. Id expected there to be some gossiping about what had happened between

Will and Jennifer and Lance. When Id climbed onto the bus that morning, Id heard a

few people murmuring that Avalon Highs It Couple had broken up, although no oneat

least if Lizs very direct questioning of me was any indicationappeared to know why.

 But for a teacher to take such an interest in his students love lives? It seemed a little

bizarre. Mr. Morton looked positively suicidal. His pale gray eyes, peering out from

beneath slightly craggy brows, had a beaten look to them, as if theyd seen something

almost too heartbreaking to bear.

 Um, I said. Do you mean Jennifer Gold? Because she and Lance are

together now. And then, because it was what Id told Will he should say to everyone, if

he wanted to prove he really was relieved, like hed said, about the two of them being

together, I added, And Will is really happy for them.

so soon. I had no

well, theyre

 But this didnt seem to have the desired effect, since Mr. Morton blanched even more.

 He knows, then? About them?

 Well, I said. I couldnt, for the life of me, figure out what was going on here. Since

when did a teacher care so much about whether or not a high schools It Couple had

broken up? Then again, this was Mr. Morton, the most beloved teacher in the schoolto

some people, anyway. The ones who didnt want to kill him, the way Marco had.

 Um, I said. Yeah. I mean, yes. Will knows. He found out yesterday. ButI added

hastily, when Mr. Mortons face crumpledhes fine with it. Really.

 Mr. Morton sank slowly back into his desk chair. He sagged there, a look of hopeless

desolation on his face.

 Were doomed, he whispered, to the wall.

 Which was when I decided that this? Yeah, this was probably not normal. Even for Mr.

Morton.

 I didnt know what to do. Mr. Morton appeared to be having some kind of breakdown

right in front of me.

 But why? Why should Mr. Morton care so much about who Jennifer Gold was dating?

 Then I remembered where Id last seen Mr. Morton. At the game.

 And suddenly, it all made sense. Well, sort of.

 Really, Mr. Morton, I said. I think youre overreacting. Lance and Will are good

friends. Theyll probably only emerge stronger because of this. And, you know, you really

shouldnt worry so much about it.

 Mr. Morton lifted his head to look at me. His lips, I saw, were moving, but no sound was

coming out. Then, slowly, he seemed to find his voice.

 I tried, he wheezed, his face as white as the chalk marks on the board behind him.

They cant say I didnt try. I did my best to bring the two of you together. But we were

simply too late

 His expression was one of the bleakest I had ever seen.

 Theyve won, he continued. Theyve won again.

 Mr. Morton, I said, in what I hoped was a soothing voice, I really think youre making

too big a deal out of this. Avalons still got a very good chance at making the district

too late

.

football finals. Will and Lancell work it out. Youll see.

 I smiled at him brightly

but my smile faded as he stared at me coldly.

 Um, I said. Youare talking about football, arent you, Mr. Morton?

 Football? Mr. Morton looked as if he were about to choke. Football? No, this isnt

about football, you stupid girl. This is about the never-ending battle of good versus evil.

Its about one man, born with the capability of saving this planet from ultimately

destroying itself, and the forces of darkness that are keeping him from doing so.

 I had no idea whatsoever how to respond that. Mr. Morton had leaned forward. His gray-

eyed gaze seemed to hold me transfixed. I couldnt move. I couldnt speak. I couldnt

even breathe.

 Its about all of us being plunged once again into the Dark Ages, Mr. Morton went on,

in that same raspy voice, and this time having no light to lead us out again. Its about us

being forced to stay there until another can be born, grow, and rise to take his place

we can get to him before they do next time, that is. Its aboutfailure , Miss Harrison.My

failure. For which everybody else on this planet will suffer for the rest of their lives. That

is what its about, Miss Harrison.Not football .

 I blinked.

 Oh, I said.

 Well, what elsecould I say to all of that?

 Mr. Morton sagged back in his seat and dragged his hands over his face.

 Get out, Miss Harrison, he said through his fingers. Please. Just go away.

 I picked up my backpack. I didnt know what else to do. He obviously didnt want me

there. Whatever he was going throughwhatever he was talking aboutit didnt have

anything to do with me. It was likely it didnt have anything to do with anyone

but Mr. Morton and whatever he was keeping in a bottle in his bottom desk drawer

 Because he was clearly unhinged, poor man. Nobody in his right mind talks about the

forces of darkness taking over the planet. Nobody.

 Except that

 Well, hed seemed so sane up till then.

 Then, just as I reached the doorway, something that hed said struck mereminded me, in

a strange way, of the words of another

 I turned to look back at him.

 Mr. Morton, I said.

 When he glanced at mehis face still a mask of utter despairI went on. Does this have

anything to do with

 Ill never forget the look that came over his face then. Never for as long as I live.

 Howhow did you know about that? he breathedso raspily, it was clearly an

enormous effort for him to speak at all. Who told you?

 Um, I said. Im doing a report on her. Remember?

 Mr. Morton looked visibly less tense. At least until I added, And, uh, Wills stepbrother,

Marco, mentioned something, too

 And there went the color from Mr. Mortons face.

 The stepbrother. He shook his head, looking bleaker than ever. Of course. If only

only

 And then, I could have sworn he said, If only I had stopped him when I had the chance

.

 Stopped who, Mr. Morton? Except that I knew. Or thought I did, anyway. Marco. He

could only be talking about Marco.

 Except that I thought hehad stopped Marco. Stopped Marco from trying to kill him. Isnt

that how the rumor went? That Marco had been trying to kill Mr. Morton, and Mr.

Morton had stopped him?

 Mr. Morton. I stood irresolute in the doorway. What was happening? What was going

on? It was true I had fantasized the other night that Jennifer was Guinevere and Lance

was Lancelot, and that Will was Arthur, and Marco was Mordred

 But that was only because

Astolat. Not to mention the fact that we all go to Avalon High, home of the Excaliburs. I

hadnt thoughtI hadnt even dreamedit could be remotelyreal .

 Because it couldnt be. All of that had happenedif it had really happened at

allhundreds of years ago. As the daughter of two historians, I know better than anyone

that history canand often doesrepeat itself.

.

with the Lily Maid of Astolat?

.

.

well, of what Marco had said about me being Elaine of

 But not likethis .

 And no oneno one in his right mind, anywaywould believe it could.

 Except

 Except for a member of the Order of the Bear, the group I read about who believe King

Arthur is destined to be reincarnated one day, to lead the world from the dark ages

 But Mr. Morton couldnt be part of something so ridiculous. Hes ateacher . A good one,

from everything Id heard. Teachers dont believe in silly things like that a medieval king

is going to be reborn and save the world.

 I was letting my imagination run away with me while Mr. Morton, over by his desk, was

still suffering. There had to be something I could do for him. The poor man was clearly in

need of

something.

 Mr. Morton, I said. Wont you

I think you might be sick.

think

 Mr. Morton did something strange then. He lifted his head and smiled at me. It was a sad

smile. It didnt come easily, either.

 But he smiled, just the same.

 Im not sick, Elaine, he said. Except at heart.

 I fingered the strap to my backpack. Wont you tell me why? I might be able to help,

you know. I had no idea how, of course. But I had to ask.

 Mr. Morton seemed to understand, since he spoke more kindly than hed ever spoken to

me before.

 Its too late, Elaine, he said, in the same defeated voice. Thank you all the same. But

its far too late. And better for you, in the end, not to know. After all, your part in it was

over before it could even begin this time.

 What do you mean this time? I shook my head. What do you mean by my part in it?

 But just then the bell rang.

 And Mr. Morton sighed tiredly and said, Youd better get along to class, Elaine.

 But what about Lance? Dont you want to reschedule?

wont you let me get the nurse? You dont look well. I

 No. Mr. Morton took the newspaper from his desk and dropped it, unread, into the

trash can. His tone, when he spoke again, had a knell of finality to it. It doesnt matter

now, you see.

 And with that, I knew I was dismissed.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

 I told myself I was being crazy. I told myself I was being ridiculous.

 I told myself lots of things.

 But I did it, anyway. Instead of joining Liz and Stacywhod informed me my

initiation had been scheduled for the upcoming weekendfor lunch, I did what I always

did when I didnt know what else to do: I called my mother.

 I didnt want to. But after my strange meeting with Mr. Morton, Id moved through my

morning classes in a sort of daze, feeling more and more uneasy with every passing

minute.

 Your part in it was over before it could even begin thistime. Mr. Mortons voice rang

inside my head.My part?This time?

 If only I had stopped him when I had the chance

from doing what?

 None of it made any sense. It was like the ravings of a lunatic.

 But Id looked into Mr. Mortons eyes, and I hadnt seen a hint of insanity. The only

thing Id seen in them was despair.

 And fear.

 It was stupid. It was impossible.

 But when the lunch bell rang, I was on the nearest pay phone anyway.

 The Order of the Bear? my mother echoed wonderingly. What on earth