Fade

They chitchat a little about the party and about the chem. fair, and when the bell rings, Stacey hustles off. Janie peers between the bookshelves and, after the library empties out, sneaks over to where Cabel’s sitting.

“Are you okay?” she whispers, giggling.

“Me? Oh sure. You might have to carry me out of here, though.”

“What happened?”

“I created a distraction.”

“I gathered that.”

“Step stool, encyclopedias, floor.”

“I see. Well, I can’t thank you enough.”

“Sure you can. Help me flunk enough tests, so I drop out of the ’torian range.”

“Can’t you just tell Abernethy that you have a reputation as a dumbshit to keep up, and you don’t want the attention?”

“Flunking is more fun.”

Janie shakes her head and laughs. “Maybe the first few times. But I bet you won’t be able to handle it after that.”

“I’ll take that bet.”

Janie puts her hands on her hips. “All right. After the fourth flunk of something quizlike or weightier, you will struggle and fail to flunk number five. That’s my prediction. Winner pays for our first real date.”

“You’re on. Start saving your money.”

SHOWTIME

March 3, 2006, 10:04 a.m.

Chem. 2 is buzzing with excitement, and the students goof around more than anything else. Mr. Durbin lets them. They all did relatively well on the most recent test, the chemistry fair garnered them higher-than-expected results, and everyone is jazzed for tomorrow’s party. Mr.

Durbin is practically giddy himself, and when Coach Crater stops at the door, because of the ruckus, he pokes his head in.

“Must be a Chem. 2 party coming up,” he remarks, eyeing the students one at a time.

“Tomorrow night, Jim,” Mr. Durbin says. “Stop by, if the wife will let you out.” They chuckle.

Janie’s eyes narrow at the comment, but she goes back to her text book. She’s looking for a formula—the formula for date-rape drugs.

Not that she’d find it in a high-school text book. There’s a recipe for disaster. Yet maybe a clue lies within.

But when Mr. Durbin starts walking around to the various stations, she flips her book to the current lesson page and pretends to read. Mr.

Durbin pauses for a moment behind her, but she ignores him. He moves on.

In PE, they’re in the weight room for four weeks, learning the machines and proper free-weight stance. Dumbass calls Janie up to the front to help demonstrate.

“How much weight do you want, Buffy?”

Janie looks at him. “Well, sir, I guess that depends on the exercise you’d like me to demonstrate.”

“Right!” he says, like it was a teaching question. Janie’s expression doesn’t change. “How about the bench press,” he says.

“Free weights or machine?”

“Oooh, aren’t you smart? Let’s start with free weights.” She gives him a long look. “Are you spotting me or not?” He chuckles for the audience, like he’s doing a magic trick. “Of course I’ll spot you.”

Janie nods. “All right, then. One-twenty’s good.” He laughs. “How about we start at, say, fifty or something.”

“One-twenty is fine for a single lift.” She bends down and starts adding the weights herself. The students are highly amused, at the encouragement of Coach Crater.

Janie tightens the caps and lies down on the bench, the bar above her chest. “Ready?”

She waits for him to get into spotter position, and grips the bar. Closes her eyes. Concentrates, breathes, until she no longer hears the distraction around her. She pushes up on the bar, holds it a moment, then lowers it evenly to just above her chest and presses upward with all her might. She holds it for a few seconds, and then lets it down slowly in the cradle. “Eighty-five for reps,” she says, making the proper adjustments. She presses eight reps, replaces the bar when she’s finished, and only then does she tune back in to the room. It’s pretty quiet.

Coach Crater is standing, looking down at her, amazed, stupid grin on his face. Janie turns to her side and sits up on the bench, and then walks to the back of the room. Later in the class, she’s getting in half her workout for the day. Bonus.

“Asshole,” she mutters to Coach Crater as she leaves at the end of class.

“What?”

She keeps walking.

Five minutes into study hall, a paper wad from Cabel hits her in the ear.

She rolls her eyes. Opens it up.

Stacey, it says.

Janie looks up. Stacey’s head is on her books. Her eyes are closed.

Janie bites her lip and nods at Cabel. He gives her an encouraging smile.

Her blood is still pumping from PE. She feels strong. She slept well, ate well…has everything going for her. Now all she needs is for Stacey to—

She grips the table, and they are in Stacey’s car. Stacey’s driving furiously, as before. From the backseat, the growl, the man, his hands gripping Stacey’s neck.

Janie wonders if this is the best shot she’ll have or if she should wait.

She decides to take it, in case Stacey wakes up before they get to the woods.

Stacey’s driving erratically. Janie concentrates and squeezes her hands into fists, pumping them before they become numb, focusing on pausing the dream. It’s slowing, and Janie tries to turn to look at the man. But the dream speeds up again. She can’t do both things at once.