Airel - Aaron Patterson [42]
I didn’t want to think…just feel…Feel. The word rolled through my mind like a summer thunderstorm. Feel…
I heard the flutter of wings in the back of my mind.
Opening my eyes, I saw Michael Alexander pulling in next to my Honda. My heart jumped into my throat but I downed the last of my coffee anyway.
Michael slammed the door to his truck, leaned down, looked through the passenger window and waved at me. I smiled as he opened the door. “Hi, what brings you here so early?” I even sounded like a normal person, unlike how I felt inside—wind, waves, and butterflies.
Michael’s eyes lit up and he shot me that smile. “I just had a feeling you would be here before everyone else.And here you are.”
My heart did flip-flops in my chest as Michael slid into the passenger seat. I could smell his shampoo. There was also the faint odor of bacon and eggs lingering on his breath. Coming from literally any other person, I would have thought it was nasty, but on him it was magical.
I looked at him without looking at him, and he smiled and stared at me. It was as if he didn’t mind me knowing that he was interested in me, or maybe I was imagining it and he was just being a nice guy. I was running out of excuses.
“So, you hear anything from the police about that murder?” Michael asked. I was a bit shocked that I had forgotten all about it, but maybe it wasn’t so surprising with everything else that was going on.
“Uh, no. I think they’re still looking for the guy. Kinda weird being there in the theater when it happened.”
“Yeah. Not every day you get to be in the middle of real live action like that.” Michael sounded excited, as if he enjoyed the experience. Then again, he had not been hiding in a bathroom stall about to be attacked and cut to pieces by a psycho killer. “It was just like in the movies! All the police cars and everyone screaming and running all around…”
“You sound like you enjoyed it. Personally, I could have been killed. And then what? Would you have been all excited that you knew the girl who was murdered?” I was getting mad at his happy-go-lucky attitude and the lack of fear he seemed to have.
“No, no, I’m not happy! I uh—come on, Airel—it’s just that it was crazy, ya know... and you’re alive. Besides,it wasn’t just a random murder. They even said that the victim was a serial killer.” Michael’s eyes lit up like blue embers.
“What? Where did you hear that?”
“What do you mean, ‘where did I hear that?’ It’s been all over the news. They’ve identified the body as some child killer from Vegas. He killed like ten kids and even made it onto the top ten Most Wanted list. I guess they’re hunting their own kind now. Killer killing killer.” Michael shook his head in amazement and said, “Anyway, where have you been? The whole school is talking about it. You’re like the local celebrity... the girl who got away.”
“Great. So much for flying under the radar,” I muttered under my breath. I didn’t want to be famous for anything. I just wanted to get through high school and maybe go to college. I got lost in my own thoughts for a second when I looked past Michael to his truck. I noticed movement. James was sitting in Michael’s truck drinking a Red Bull and staring out the window as if lost in a deep dark dream. I was so confused that I didn’t say anything for a minute.
Michael followed my gaze and laughed. “Oh, James needed a ride this morning, so I picked him up. He didn’t want to be the third wheel, so he stayed in the truck.”
“Wow. I didn’t see him, so it kind of freaked me out. You two are becoming fast friends, I see. Gonna go out for football?” I didn’t know what to think, but the James thing made something in the back of my mind twitch. I wondered what it was. Maybe it was just my conscience being over-sensitive, or maybe a sixth sense, like in the theater.
“Well…” he laughed. “James is a cool guy. He’s going to talk to the coach for me, since the season has already started. I’m not that into it but it could be fun.” Michael ran a hand through his perfect