It had been almost a week since she spoke to Ryan, even though he tried to get her attention every night since she returned from her escapade on Tuesday. As she put the final touches on her makeup Friday night, the clinking of rocks against her window began to annoy her, so once she was satisfied her eyes looked nearly the same as they did when Zoey did them, and she was otherwise ready to step out the door, she took a deep breath and opened her blinds. The pebbles stopped as she tugged her window open, and he was sitting there staring at her, a relieved look on his face.
“What do you want, Ryan?” Beth crossed her arms and bent over so she could see without sitting on the floor, cursing her low framed windows.
“Hey, Beth! Wow—you must be going out tonight.”
“Yeah, I am. Soon. Did you need something?”
“You, uh, look different.”
She inhaled sharply through her nose. So that’s what this was all about. He’d caught sight of her the other day—she knew that. Now, suddenly he wanted to be friends again? “Yeah. What do you want?”
“Oh, I, uh… I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you the other day. It was totally uncalled for, and I’m sorry I got so angry.”
Beth stared at him for a long moment, remembering the stupid argument they’d had. She hadn’t wanted to stay mad at him too long either, but he had said some pretty hurtful things. Of course, so had she. “It’s fine, Ryan. But Carly’s going to be here in a minute, so I gotta go.”
“Oh? Carly? That’s… interesting.”
She didn’t have time to justify her choices to anyone else. “Yeah. She’s pretty cool. Have a nice night….”
“Actually, my mom said I can go downtown tonight, too. For a little while. Michael’s going to stop by and get me in a little bit.”
Once again, Beth found herself in a stupor, her eyes glued to his face, unsure what to make of his declaration. “Really?” she finally asked. She couldn’t believe his mom was allowing him to go out at all, let alone so late. And Michael? Were they even friends? Why not Jeff or someone else who ran in their circle? Beth decided she didn’t need to care anymore. “That’s cool.”
“Yeah, I’m excited. Maybe I’ll see you on the square.”
“Maybe. I really have to go. I need to finish fixing my hair before Carly gets here.” It was a lie. She could always add more hairspray to her hair, but she didn’t have to.
“You look great how you are, Beth. You always do.”
She wasn’t sure if his comment meant she always did now that she’d embraced this new version of herself, or something else, but she merely said, “Thank you. See you later,” and began to push her window closed.
“I met Halley.”
Beth froze—not only unable to move, but chilly all of a sudden. Goose flesh rose up on her arms. He may as well have just told her he’d been communing with the dead. “What’s that?” She pulled the window back open. “You met Halley?”
“Yeah. I was out for a walk the other night and bumped into her. She’s really nice.”
“Halley’s nice?” Beth felt her stomach lurch at the same time her knees wanted to buckle. Of all of the adjectives she could think of to describe Halley, nice wasn’t one of them. The idea of Ryan spending any amount of time with her whatsoever felt so wrong…. Not only did she feel as if Halley had invaded her personal space, something else was rising up inside of her, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. She recognized the emotion though. It had tingled deep inside of her every night since she moved to this house, since she’d had to climb that stairwell in the pitch black. It was fear.
“Yeah. Michael’s giving her a ride, too. So… maybe we’ll see you up there.”
The fact that Michael was getting himself further entangled with this mysterious new girl also made Beth uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the fear she felt for Ryan. “Do you know where she lives?”
“No, she’s going to walk over here for Michael to pick us both up. She said she lives around here, but her parents don’t like people hanging out at their house.”
“That sounds really weird, Ryan. Why wouldn’t she want anyone to stop and pick her up at her own house? Picking someone up isn’t hanging out.”
“Yeah, I thought it was strange, too. But… I got the impression something isn’t quite right, Beth. We talked for a while, and she seems like there’s something bothering her. Just because she’s beautiful and has a charming personality, that doesn’t mean she’s perfect.”
Again, Beth struggled with his terms. Beautiful, she’d give him. But charming? “Well, be careful, Ryan. We don’t even know this girl’s last name.”
“It’s Night,” he replied quickly. “She told me when I introduced myself.” He shrugged like that meant they now knew everything about her.
“Okay. Well, we don’t know anything else. For all we know, the reason she doesn’t want anyone at her house is because her dad’s a mobster. Or a drug dealer.”
“You think? I know some pot heads who’d be very interested in that information.” He chuckled, and Beth couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
The sound of a car out front caught her attention. She checked the time and knew that was Carly. She didn’t want to keep her new friend waiting. “I’ve gotta go. Be careful, Ryan. Seriously. I don’t trust her.”
“Got it, Beth—or whoever you are.” He winked at her, and Beth couldn’t help but flash him a crooked grin. If anyone recognized who she really was, it was him.
Realizing she hadn’t apologized to him, she hastily said, “I’m sorry I was such a bitch the other day, too. If you wanna be nice to Craig and the other Phoebes, then that’s not for me to judge. I was just afraid he was going to show up here.”
“I know, Beth. But you don’t need to be afraid of Phoebe’s residents. They’re not dangerous.”
“Right. I’ve gotta go. See you.” She closed the window but kept her eyes on him as she lowered the blind. He definitely looked different, too, but not in the same drastic way she did. Instead, he looked hopeful, more alive than she’d seen him in years. She thought maybe it had more to do with the fact that he was leaving the house to go hang out with people his age than who he would be spending that time with, but as Beth hurried down the stairs, she was leery of what might happen if Halley sunk her long red fingernails into her vulnerable, naïve best friend.