Cipher

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Knowing things between her and Troy were going to be weird, Summer waited until last minute to jet into chemistry and take her seat. Mr. Jennings started his lecture, and she had to force herself to keep her eyes glued to her notebook instead of glancing at the boy across the aisle.

“Was it worth it?” Troy whispered.

Is he talking about our kiss? She was going to ignore it, but curiosity got the best of her. “What are you talking about?” she whispered back.

“Fighting Jenna over that loser. The whole school saw it happen. I can’t believe you keep going back to him. I really thought you were smarter than that.”

Summer glanced at Mr. Jennings. Since his attention was still on the board she swiveled to face Troy. “Apparently, I’m not smart. I go for all the wrong guys. But you know what? At least Cody never kept a string of girls.”

A crease formed between Troy’s eyebrows. “That doesn’t make any sense. Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, you prove me wrong.”

Summer blew out her breath. “The fight wasn’t about Cody. In fact, I was going to walk away, but then Jenna said something mean to Ashlyn. That’s why I got into a fight. Now, I have enough crap to deal with without you telling me how dumb I am, so—”

“Troy and Summer, are we bothering you?” Mr. Jennings asked, making Summer jump. “If you have something important to say, please let’s hear it.”

Summer turned to face the front of the room. “Sorry.” She was already on probation. If he sent her to the office, she’d be kicked off the dance team for good, and nothing would convince Dad that she’d listened to his speech last night.

“Summer, why don’t you move behind Steve since you and Troy can’t stop talking.”

Ew. Not Stinky Steve. Slowly, she started to gather her belongings.

“I’ll move,” Troy said, picking up his books and heading to the other desk. As frustrated as she was with him right now, she appreciated his sacrifice of taking the seat behind Steve. It was almost enough to make her ignore all the other girls and just hope he’d narrow it down to her someday.

Almost.

Kendall and several of the other girls from the team surrounded Summer as she put her books into her locker. “You can’t dance for two weeks?” Kendall asked, her voice a couple octaves higher than normal. “Are you trying to sabotage the team?”

Summer turned around to face them. “I want to dance. You think I’d keep going to practice even though you all gang up on me if I didn’t want to be on the team?”

Lexi crossed her arms. “This is your way of punishing us.”

“Yes, I planned Jenna Cambell pushing me just to spite you guys.”

“What happened to you?” Kendall asked, running her gaze up and down Summer. “You used to be cool.”

“Yeah, when I wasn’t being myself. When I let you push me around. Look, I’m going to keep practicing the routine, I just can’t practice with you guys.” Actually, getting lost in the music and the dance moves without the girls tearing her down would be kinda nice.

Kendall narrowed her eyes on Summer. “I hope we don’t have to make any changes.”

“Then I’ll have to learn the new moves when I get back,” Summer said. “That seems like it would be a lot of extra work.”

An evil grin spread across Kendall’s face. “I guess we better pull in an extra girl in case you don’t make it back.”

Kendall was obviously watching for Summer’s reaction; Summer was determined not to give her one. “Do what you feel you got to do,” she said before moving past Kendall and the rest of the girls. She wasn’t going to waste any more time on these girls. Her real friends were in the cafeteria, waiting for her.

By the time she made it to the Misfits’ table, she’d cooled down some. It would suck to be kicked off the team, but if it happened, she’d live. Somehow.

“So guess what?” Ashlyn said as soon as Summer sat down across from her. “I have a date tomorrow night. Matt and I are going out.”

“It’s about time,” Summer said.

Ashlyn’s gaze drifted over Summer’s head. “Hey, Troy. Are you going to join us for lunch today?”

Even though Summer told herself not to look, she couldn’t help it. Troy stared at her as though he hadn’t expected her to be was sitting there. “Uh, not today. But I’ll see you guys around. Ashlyn,” he said with a nod. “Marcie, Nelson, Darren, Aaron.” Nod, nod, nod, nod. His eyes met hers, but he didn’t say her name or nod, just held her gaze for a beat and then walked away.

“Goodbye to you, too, Troy,” Summer said. “Thanks for the obvious snub.”

“What was that all about?” Ashlyn asked, eyes wide. “It was like he was shocked to see you or something.”

Summer threw her hand up. “Who knows with that guy? He’s in a mood, or has somewhere to be, or just…Who knows?” Yeah. That’s what she was going to stick with. Still, she kept remembering how he’d moved in Chemistry so she wouldn’t have to. How there was a flicker of…hurt? in his green eyes just now. Ugh, she needed to put him out of her mind.

Focus, Summer, focus. You’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Hmm. Bigger fish? She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Ashlyn said, “What phrase are you contemplating now?”

“How did you—?”

“You get this scrunchy eyebrow face,” Ashlyn said. “It’s either about your food choice or sayings, and you’re already eating your Doritos, so…”

Summer laughed. “You know me so well it’s a little scary, but in the coolest scary way ever. I was thinking about the ‘You’ve got bigger fish to fry’ saying. I mean, why would you start with the big fish? Wouldn’t it make more sense to go little?”

“You’re on your own with that one. I don’t like fish at all. Or this sandwich. Yuck to the eggplant turkey combo, as if there was any doubt that it’d suck.” Ashlyn tossed her food aside and reached for her Diet Coke. “So, you’re coming to my place after school, right?”

Summer grinned. “Since I can’t practice and we got banned from the ballgame, I guess I have nothing better to do.”

“That makes me feel special.” Ashlyn pointed to her heart. “Right in here.”

Summer laughed again and then turned to Marcie. “You know you’re free to join us anytime, right?”

“Thanks for the offer, but my mom needs me to help out at home. I do want to do something right now, though.” Marcie turned to Aaron and Darren. “Whip them out, guys.” Aaron, Darren, and Nelson scooted closer to Ashlyn, Marcie, and Summer. “We got bored in our art class today. So we made these.”

Aaron dropped several chess pieces on the table. “We decided to make everyone pawns.”

“See, because it works on many levels.” Darren picked up one of the pieces. “We’re all just pawns against the man. We can trade up for something better. All of us are on equal footing. Pick anything. It all goes.”

Aaron studied the pieces and passed them out. “This one’s you…that one’s you. We’ll give Troy his some other time. Here’s yours, Summer.”

Summer held out her hand, and he placed the pawn on top of her palm. They’d glued blond, curly hair on top, then drawn in her face. The Misfits was written across the bottom.

“It’s okay if you throw it away,” Aaron said after he’d passed them all out. “We know it’s nerdy, but we had fun making them look like everyone.”

Summer curled her hand around it and held it to her chest. “Are you kidding me? This is awesome, and I’m going to find a special place to show it off.”

Marcie grinned at everyone. “I think it’s nice to belong to a group, even if it is the Misfit Group.”

“I love being in the Misfit Group.” Looking around at her friends, Summer nearly teared up thinking about how lucky she was to have the supposed rejects in her life.

After another half day of classes that ticked by at a snail’s pace, Summer headed out of the school and bumped into Troy—he seemed to be everywhere. “Why is Jenna draped all over your boyfriend?” Troy asked, jerking his chin toward the spot where Jenna and Cody were kissing in the parking lot.

“Newsflash I already gave you forever ago, we broke up,” Summer said. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But you said…” Troy shook his head, the confusion on his face clear. “There was that whole comment about how psyched you were that he didn’t have a string of girls.”

“That comment was directed at you.”

Troy’s eyebrows lowered even further. “I don’t understand.”

“Think about it.” This time, Summer got to be the one to walk away without looking back.

“Is your mom home?” Summer asked as she and Ashlyn neared the front door. Since they hadn’t parted on the best of terms, Summer was a little nervous to see Pamela again.

Ashlyn shook her head. “She won’t be home until late tonight. Isn’t that great?”

A lead weight formed in Summer’s gut. Not wanting to see her was one thing; it being impossible for her and Ashlyn to interact at all was another. With each passing day, the sick sensation taking over Summer’s stomach got worse. Her stupid instincts told her that she needed to hurry.

When they got to Ashlyn’s room, she pulled out her drawer of CDs—it was beautiful, all those colors and titles, the hours of musical possibilities. “So what should we listen to today?”

“Whatever. I prefer something with a strong beat, but I trust your taste in music.”

“Okay, I’ve got a confession. It’s my darkest secret, and if you ever tell anyone, I’ll have to hurt you.”

That certainly caught Summer’s attention. “Spill.”

“I’ve got a secret stash of pop and hip-hop. Usher, Rihanna, and—cough—3OH!3. I don’t even put them on my iPod because I’m afraid someone will see it and accuse me of not being as cutting edge as I think I am.”

“Oh, Ash. A boy band with an exclamation point in the name?” Summer shook her head, mocking disappointment. “You don’t have Jonas Brothers in there, too, do you?”

“Of course not!” Ashlyn bit her lip. “But I do have…” She lifted a CD out of the drawer. “Selena Gomez. I bought it in junior high—I can’t be responsible for my lingering Wizards of Waverly Place love. It’s a sickness, really.”

“Actually, I have a couple of songs from that album on my laptop—it’s catchy as hell. I say throw on the 3OH!3, already. We can’t be cutting edge all the time. And really, it’s for the love of dancing. That makes semi-stupid lyrics okay.”

Ashlyn got the music running and turned it up loud.

Summer bobbed her head to the beat. “Troy would be so disappointed in us right now.” She didn’t want to think about him, but she couldn’t help it.

“What’s up with you and Troy anyway?”

Summer shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s a hard person to figure out sometimes.”

“Probably even harder to figure out if you like him.” Ashlyn sat next to Summer. “You do, don’t you?”

“I think I do.” Her chest tightened. “No, I don’t think. I do. A lot. I think about him all the time, and when he’s around other girls it makes me crazy.” She bit her thumbnail. “Time for my confession…” She looked into her best friend’s pretty face, so glad she could finally talk to her about this. “I kissed Troy a few days ago.”

Ashlyn’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! So?” Her eyes lit up in that same way Kendall’s used to when they used to gossip, but she’d never tell Ashlyn that, because she wouldn’t understand it was okay they had some similarities. “You kissed him and then what?”

“And then I saw him flirting with that girl he’s always with,” she groaned, flopping dramatically back on the bed. “I was the one who initiated the kiss… And now I feel like an idiot. It’s obvious he doesn’t like me like that, and it’s all awkward and messed up. After witnessing the fight at the pep rally, I guess he thought I was back with Cody, and since he hates the guy, we had a fight about it in chemistry. Then there was lunch. You saw how that went.”

“Summer, you idiot, Troy likes you.” Ashlyn grinned at her like she hadn’t just insulted her. “Not just likes you, but he’s crazy about you. I can tell by the way he acts whenever you’re around.”

“We’ve been friends for a while, though, and nothing’s ever happened. Even if he does like me, he’s always flirting with other girls, and I refuse to stand in line. If he wants to do something about it, he will. If not, I’m not going to.”

Ashlyn tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “But if you haven’t told him how you feel, then how will he know?”

Summer pushed herself onto her elbows. “Ash, I kissed him. I basically threw myself at him, so trust me, he knows. Now enough about me. Let’s talk about what you and Matt are going to do on your big date tomorrow.”

A dreamy look crossed her features. “I’m not sure what exactly we’re doing, but I’m pretty excited. And a little nervous. Then I tell myself not to get my hopes up.”

“I say get your hopes up. If he’s even kind of smart, he’s going to fall so hard for you.” The second she said it, an icy bucket of realization doused her happiness. And then there will be one more person who’s crushed when you die.

No. Because I’m gonna stop it.

No matter what it takes.

Summer felt it coming seconds before it happened. “Hah!” she shouted as Gabriella materialized in her bedroom.

Gabriella stumbled back, bumping into Summer’s dresser, her hand over her heart. “Goodness, gracious!”

“Now you know how it feels. I sensed it this time before you could scare me.”

“I was never trying to scare you.” Gabriella took a few deep breaths and straightened, running her hands down her skirt. “I’m glad you’re sensing it, though. It shows improvement.”

“I think that’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me.

Gabriella sat on the bed next to Summer. “We need to talk.”

“I know it’s getting closer, and I’m trying,” Summer said. “I’ve had a few setbacks, and Pamela wasn’t even there tonight, but I swear I’m working on it. Just give me some more time.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about the talk you had last night with your dad.”

“Oh, that. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t sure what I all I could tell him. I didn’t mention you, and my mom had already told him enough that he kind of knows what’s going on, so—”

“Summer Dear, just be quiet and listen for a second, okay? This is really important. I should’ve put it together when I talked to you the other day, but I was preoccupied. There had been this mix up, and I missed an ‘I’ in one of the names and she almost…” Gabriella shook her head. “Never mind that. What’s important is…” She reached out and took Summer’s hand. “Your mom didn’t die because of anything you did or didn’t do. Once you get those visions, you can’t change them. You getting them means that person is already on their way to the other side. You can’t stop it.”

“But if I would’ve told her about it, at least we could’ve said goodbye.”

“Most Ciphers don’t actually see the deaths like you do. It’s a very rare gift. Doesn’t it seem like it’s happening more and more?”

Summer thought about the guy falling asleep at the wheel. The man breaking into the house. “It’s starting to get overwhelming. The nightmares are the worst.” A chill ran down her spine, and she shuddered.

“You’re drawn to those people,” Gabriella said. “Without even meaning to, you find people who are near the end. In time, you might learn to simply offer an encouraging word—nothing to change their paths, just a warm smile or kind word before they die. Your great, great grandmother had that same gift. Your mom only sensed it coming. Debra got her message to go help, and she had great intuition about how to fix the situation, but she didn’t usually stay until the end. She resolved it and then moved on. Sometimes—like on her last case—Debra met the people only days before the end. That was her gift, to work fast. Yours is to see what’s coming.”

“I don’t want it. It makes me feel awful.”

“When this is over, we’ll try to figure out how to help you deal with that. Right now, we’ve got to keep focus. Just know that it was your mom’s time to go. You couldn’t have stopped it. Okay?”

“Okay,” Sumer said, still feeling like it wasn’t.

“What’s your gut telling you?”

“That I can’t think about anything else until Ashlyn and her mom reconcile.”

“Good. Go with that. You know what to do.”

The minute the idea popped into her head, Summer decided it was the only way. “I’m going to tell them it’s coming.”

Gabriella’s face dropped. “You can’t. That’s not how it works.”

“Why not? It’s simple. I’ll tell Ashlyn and her mom what I know, and they’ll have to make up.”

“I’m telling you that you can’t do it like that.” Gabriella’s voice took on a frantic edge. “If all of our Ciphers told their charges they were going to die, it would be total chaos. People need to have faith. Hope.”

“You keep saying it’s my job, and I’m gonna do it however I can. I’m not letting Ashlyn down, even if I have to scare her and her mom first.”

There was practically glittery steam coming out of Gabriella’s ears. “You think you know better than thousands of years of experience?”

Summer shrugged, determined this was the way. “Maybe things need to get shaken up.”Gabriella’s watch chimed, and Summer was actually glad for the interruption this time. She didn’t want to listen to Gabriella go on and on about what she was supposed to do. It had never helped her before.

“You know that means I’ve got to go, but this is the wrong way to approach the subject. If you simply realized that I know what I’m doing, we’d avoid a lot of this stuff we don’t have time for. I’ll explain more later, but you can’t tell Ashlyn or her mom that she’s going to die.”

Oh yeah? Watch me. Tomorrow morning after she and Ashlyn went surfing, she was going to tell her and Pamela the truth. Then they’d have no choice but to talk to each other.