Biting my lip, I reach for the mouse then stop. "I can't do it while she's looking at the screen, it'll totally freak her out."
Clearing his throat Dale steps back from the desk. "Let me just go make sure I've got this right." He waves the paper in the air, buying me some time and hopefully a distraction.
I wait in agitated silence as Miss Garcia potters around her desk. All I can hope is that she leaves the screen up for me to see. The phone starts ringing and she turns to answer it. I take my chance. Looking at my finger, I will it to move the mouse.
I'm sure if I was flesh and blood right now my lip would be bleeding. I am biting the crap out of it as I reach for the mouse.
My finger goes straight through the first time.
I bite my lip even harder. Glancing at Miss Garcia, I can hear her wrapping up the call and turning back to face the screen.
Please! Move!
I flick the ball of the mouse and watch it turn. The page darts to the end. Letting out a surprised laugh, I squat down to quickly memorize the last three blues I see.
Dale breezes back in.
"It's right." He raises his hands. "I don't know what Mr. Nelson's problem is."
Miss Garcia chuckles.
"I'll see if I can bend his ear." She winks.
"Thanks Miss Garcia, you're the best."
Worried I'll forget the names if they keep talking for much longer, I hold my breath and just walk straight through the barrier.
Ugh!
"Let's go." I call over my shoulder.
"Have a great day." Dale waves then pushes the door extra wide as he's leaving the room.
"Okay, Annie Spencer, blue Dodge Avenger, can't remember the registration but it starts with a five, I think. There's also Philippa Wright... she has a blue Mercury? Yeah, a Mercury Cougar." I snap my fingers.
"Any others?" Dale scribbles down the info as he walks out to the parking lot.
"Yeah... two." I hesitate. "Um... Micheal Bishop."
"I know his car."
"And..."
Dale pauses at the door. "And?"
"Adam Hutton, midnight blue Ford Mustang."
With a frown, Dale nods his head. I notice he doesn't add it to the list as we sneak down the stairs to the parking lot. Ducking behind a Jeep Wrangler, Dale checks the school entrance and windows for any teachers before bobbing up to quickly scan the cars.
"I see Michael's car. Let's check that one first."
We creep around the cars. Bobbing down by his front right bumper, we look for any damage or new paint jobs. There doesn't seem to be any.
"Looks like we can cross him off the list." Dale pulls out his pen and puts a line through the name. Dale goes to stand again but I stop him.
"Let me. At least teachers can't spot me." I stand tall and train my eyes on anything blue. "I see a blue Saturn. Is that on the list?"
"Yes, Terri. Let's go look."
Her car is fine as well.
We spend the next half hour checking every blue car we can find. They all seem totally fine. We slump back in our original spot.
"What's left?" I'm a little disheartened as Dale scans his list.
"Just Nicholas Evans."
"And Adam," I whisper.
"Nicole." Dale warns me.
"I'm sorry, but why isn't car his car here?"
"His mom has it. How many times do we have to have this conversation?"
"She doesn’t, I saw her getting into her own car in Big Bear Village today. And when we first got to school, I saw Adam getting off the bus."
Dale's head whips in the direction of my voice.
"You actually saw him getting off the bus?"
"No, not actually, but he was walking with a bunch of kids who had just gotten off the bus."
"It still doesn't mean it's him."
"No, it doesn't, but if it was... his car would probably be where?"
I can sense Dale's reticence. I don't want to push him, but for all I know those guys are driving to my spot right now.
"Please, Dale. If it's not him, we can rule him out, but shouldn't we at least check?"
He grips his school bag with a tight fist and frowns.
"Will you let me say, I told you so, for the rest of my life?"
"Of course." I grin, but it doesn't last for long.
I'm asking this guy to be suspicious of his friend. From what I know of Dale, he's loyal to a fault. This is going against everything he believes in.
"I can just do it on my own. You go to class."
"It'll take you way too long to walk there." He glances at his paper. "And if Nicholas Evans is the guy I'm thinking of, he lives even further away."
He folds away the paper with a sigh and buries it in his pocket.
"We don't have time to mess around."
"But you can't play hooky. I don't want you to get in trouble."
A soft smile brushes his lips.
"It's okay, Nicky. I can handle trouble."
"But-"
"Let's go."
He crouches from his spot and pulls out his keys. I follow him to his car and we duck inside.
We don't say anything as we make our way to Adam's house. I notice Dale's initial speed is wearing off the closer we get to the Hutton home.
"I might park a block or so away," he mumbles. "We can sneak in around the back."
"Okay." I nod and follow his direction once we park.
Shutting the door quietly, he looks to the ground and starts walking.
"Let's get this over with."
I want to hold his hand as we walk, but they are jammed tight in his pockets. We weave our way into the woods and find a small track that winds back up the hill towards the road. I listen to Dale's reluctant steps.
I shouldn't be making him do this. Adam's his only friend at school... except for Sophie, I guess.
An unsanctioned jealousy rips through me. Squeezing my fingers into fists, I try to block images of Dale holding her hand and kissing her goodnight after youth group. My mind doesn't play fair and the images keep coming back to me. The part I can't take my eyes off is Dale's happy smile. He deserves to be in class right now, acing everything. He deserves a sweet girl like Sophie who will adore him.
What he doesn't deserve is me. If he knew the truth, he wouldn't be doing this.
"Stop."
Dale halts his next step and turns to face me.
"You don't have to do this. You should just go back to school."
"We're here now. I'm not going back."
"But I don't deserve this, Dale."
"Deserve what?"
I open my mouth to tell him, but can't. Instead I feebly utter, "Life."
Dale's face drops with a compassionate frown. I close my eyes against it.
"I don't know what you think you've done to have the right to talk like that, but whether you like it or not, I'm finding you."
He slowly turns back towards Adam's house and keeps walking.
My story rests on the end my tongue, but I can't make myself tell it. Dropping my head, I follow Dale the last few steps of the track and come to rest outside the Hutton's garage.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I morosely gaze at the wooden structure. I almost don't want to know what's inside. The feeling in my gut is pulsing with strength. What if it's true? Will it crush Dale completely?
I reach for his hand and try to squeeze it, but he moves away before I can. Placing his hands on the high window ledge, he pulls himself up to look in the window, but can't quite see.