'It was,' I said with mock seriousness. 'It really was.' 'Well, happy birthday, Nikki.' He leaned closer and kissed me.
I was kissing Chris Sanders. I'd dreamed about this so many times since I'd moved here, but never thought I'd actually get the chance.
Kissing him. In the public hallway at school.
I could die happily now.
When he leaned back from me, I was about to say something-I wasn't even sure what-when Chris glanced to his left.
'Can I help you with something?' he asked with a frown.
I swiveled around to see that the same guy who'd been staring at me earlier in the cafeteria was down the hall from us.
Staring at me.
Creepy.
He didn't reply to Chris's question. Instead, after a short hesitation, he turned and walked away, exiting the school completely through the doors at the end of the hall.
'He totally interrupted us.' Chris looked down at me with a grin. 'That's just rude, don't you think?'
'Very rude,' I agreed, deciding to put whoever he was out of my mind immediately.
'Now, where were we?' he asked.
'Before or after you kissed me?'
'I'm thinking… during.' He bent his head to mine again for another quick kiss before the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over and I had to head to my next class.
By then I had a permanent smile on my face.
I was finally sixteen years old. I had the coolest best friend. A gorgeous, popular guy had just asked me to go to the school dance. And he'd kissed me!
Everything I'd ever wanted in life was coming to me. I seriously couldn't have asked for anything more.
Now I just had to make sure that nothing spoiled it.
I stayed after school to study for an English test I had the next day on Romeo and Juliet. When I left at five o'clock it was already dark outside, but I didn't hurry home since I knew nobody was there. Mom and Robert were at his company's Christmas party and wouldn't be back before midnight.
I'd forgotten to wear the hat, gloves, and scarf Mom had given me yesterday as part of my birthday present. The winter chill bit deeply into me as I left school property, but I was in too good a mood to let the subzero temperature bother me.
Well, not much, anyway.
It was a fairly short walk home. Twenty minutes if I went the regular way-up a hill and through a maze of well-populated streets. If I wanted to, I could even hop on the bus that went right past the mall on the way to my new neighborhood. But I'd found a shortcut by walking through a park nicknamed Hungry Hollow, which was at the bottom of a deep ravine and shrouded by thick trees. If I crossed a bridge over a narrow, meandering river, went past a parking lot-empty at this time of year since it was meant for people using the soccer field during the warmer months-and past a small kiddies' area with swings and a seesaw, then up the equivalent of three flights of wooden stairs to get to ravine-set houses, it was only ten minutes from school to home. Twelve if I took my time.
I'd walked the same route for two months and hadn't run into a single problem, except for the odd monster snowdrift. I always made sure I was fully aware of my surroundings. You never could be too careful.
Unfortunately, today was going to be the exception. I was in such a good mood after what had happened with Chris, and I was so caught up in wondering what I was going to wear to the dance, that I didn't notice somebody was following me until after I'd fully entered the poorly lit park. And by then it was too late to change my mind about the direction I was going in.
With a sick, sinking feeling I realized it was the weird guy who'd been staring at me in school that day. I recognized the sweatshirt after a quick glance behind me.
Who was he? What did he want?
Maybe nothing, I thought. Maybe he's just taking the same route as me. Coincidence only.
If that was the case, then fine. But if it wasn't. .
I swallowed hard and picked up my pace. I had a ways to go before I got to the wooden stairs, but first I reached a big oak tree and a patch of thick foliage that stood in the center of the park. As soon as I knew I was out of sight from the main path, I ducked behind some snow-covered bushes.
The guy stopped in front of the huge tree and turned around with an expression of confusion showing under the dark hood of his sweatshirt. He craned his neck to see where I'd disappeared to. When his gaze reached the bushes, he paused.
He could clearly see my hiding spot. A sharp stab of panic went through me.
He squinted at me. 'Nikki Donovan?'
I felt a flare of anger push past my fear. 'What do you want?'
'Why are you down there?'
I hissed out a breath and watched the air freeze in front of me. My heart was thudding wildly against my ribs. I didn't want to be the kind of girl who hid from danger or got pushed around. I'd much rather be like Melinda in the cafeteria today-the sort of girl who confronted things head-on without fear. But yelling across a crowded room was one thing. Being followed into a deserted park was another one altogether.
A quick head-to-toe scan of the guy confirmed that he wasn't carrying a knife. Or a gun. In fact, he didn't have anything, not even a winter coat or scarf to keep him warm. I forced myself to stand up and shuffle away from my protective area-which I now realized wasn't very protective at all.
I crossed my arms tightly in front of me. 'You shouldn't follow people into dark areas.'
'Sorry. I… I didn't mean to scare you.'
Naturally, I wasn't convinced.
'What do you want?' I asked again, glancing over at the wooden staircase. I could get to it in less than thirty seconds if I ran fast. I wished my backpack wasn't so heavy, but it was filled with books I needed to finish cramming for my Shakespeare test tomorrow.
'I need to talk to you,' he said. 'It's urgent.'
I swallowed hard. My guard was still up. Way up. 'Who are you?'
He looked confused. 'Who am I?'
'It's not a trick question. What's your name?'
For a second I didn't think he was going to tell me, but then, 'Michael. My name's Michael.'
I'd been nursing a headache since having the chocolate cake last night and I'd gone all day without any Tylenol. My head was pounding now and getting worse by the minute. 'Why are you following me, Michael?'
'I have to talk to you. I tried to earlier, but there were too many people around.'
My hands felt like they were freezing into two solid blocks of ice. Maybe it was the cold that was helping to numb my fright a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.
'You should have talked to me at school, anyway. I have to get home now.' When I turned to leave, I felt him grab my arm. I froze, and not just with the temperature. I turned to face him, my eyes wide with fear. 'Let go of me.'
He let go of me immediately and took a step back. 'Sorry. It's just that I have to talk to you. There's no time.'
'You need to leave me alone.'
His jaw tensed. 'I can't do that.' He stared at the ground and then pushed the dark hair off his face. I finally got a glimpse of what he looked like underneath. I don't know why I'd expected him to be ugly. The fact that he was attractive surprised me, but didn't ease my mind at all.
He wasn't as thin as I'd thought at first glance, more lean and athletic under the ill-fitting clothes. Which
