Мэг Кэбот - Avalon High стр 12.

nice, I said. Soothing. Soothing enough to make a girl forget why shed had to come

out there in the first place. What was I going to do about Lance and Jennifer, anyway?

 Yeah, Will said, totally oblivious to my inner turmoil. I never get tired of it. Its the

one thing that always seems to stay the same. The water, I mean. The color changes.

Sometimes its flat. Sometimes theres chop. But its always there. You can depend on it.

 Not like his girlfriend and best friend.

 But I didnt say this out loud, of course.

 I couldnt help wondering if the new Mrs. Wagner came out here much, maybe with her

morning cup of coffee. Had the irony of his houses widows walk occurred to Will? You

know, her being a widow, and all?

 Do you miss her? I asked Will suddenly. Too suddenly, I realized, when he looked at

me like he had no idea what I was talking about.

 Who? he asked.

 Your mom, I mean, I said. Your, um, real mom. I didnt figure there was any point in

pretending like I didnt know the story of what had happened with his dad.

 My mom? He squinted out across the water. No, not at all. I never knew her. She died

when I was born.

 Oh, I said. Because I didnt know what else to say.

 Its okay, Will said with a grin, I guess sensing my sadness for him, and wanting to

reassure me. You cant miss what you never had.

 I guess, I said. Do you like I paused, not sure what I should call his stepmom.

Marcos mom? was what I ended up settling for.

 Jean? Will nodded. Yeah. I like her a lot.

 Well, I said, thats good. And Marco?

 Yeah, Will said. His grin broadened. Howd you know about Marco and Jean? Have

you been asking around about me, or something?

 Maybe, I said, feeling myself start to flush, and hoping he wouldnt notice in the

relative darkness.

 If he did, he didnt let on.

 Marcos cool, Will said, with a shrug. He

to put what he said next. He didnt have a lot, growing up. Hes been in some trouble.

But I think hes starting to chill a little.

 He and your dad get along? I asked casually, but I was really curious. Would I get

along with the man whod ordered my dad to his death, then married my mom? I was

thinking probably not.

 Will looked thoughtful. Not sad, or anything. Just like he was thinking hard about what

Id asked.

 You know, I think they do, he said finally. Its different for Marco. I mean, hes not

related to my dad. So there isnt the same

between him and me.

 So I guess thats what you meant when you were talking about things being weird, I

said. About Marco and your dad and stepmom and

everything?

 I guess it was wishful thinking. You know, that the thing with Wills parents was really

what was bothering him, and not

suspect? About Lance and Jennifer? He had to. What had happened at tonights game,

with Lance not having been there for him because he was over by the sidelines talking to

and now the two of them having disappeared together

Jen

 That had to be what he meant about things being weird lately. That had to be the

explanation for the dark shadow I sometimes saw fall across his face. Didnt it? I mean

didnt it?

 I guess thats part of it, he said, looking out into the water. But it doesnt explain

everything. It doesnt explain

instead.

He paused, seeming to struggle with how

pressure between him and Marco as there is

what happened with them, and

well, the thing with his girlfriend. I mean, did Will

.

. He tore his gaze from the bay and looked down at me

 And I knewjust knewwhat was coming. I even closed my eyes, anticipating the blow.

 Hes going to ask me,I thought.Hes going to ask meabout Lance and Jennifer. What

should I say? I cant be the one to tell him. I just cant . Theyshould have to tell him.

Lance and Jennifer! Its their fault, not mine. Theyshould be the ones to have to break the

news. Its not fair that it has to be me!

 But then, to my utter astonishment, what Will ended up saying to me instead was, It

doesnt explain whats going on between me and you.

 If that meteorite Id been fantasizing about earlier had suddenly streaked down out of the

sky and taken out the Avalon High cheerleading team, I doubt Id have been as surprised

as I was by what Will had just said to me. I was stunned, in fact, into speechlessness and,

my eyes flying open, could only stare at him, my mind sluggishly repeating those last

three words over and over again

 Except thatthere was nome and you . To me, maybe. But not to Will.

 Was there?

 But before I could even begin to formulate a reply to his extraordinary statement, he tore

his gaze from mine and, looking out across the water again, asked, Do you ever get the

feeling that this cant be it?

 My brain staggered around, trying to figure out what was happening. Im afraid it was all

too much for me, and I ended up going, Um

could think of to say.

 You know, Will said, a note of urgency in his deep voice as he looked me in the eye

again. Dont you ever wonder if theres something

doing?

 Um. Okay.Okay, apparently this is heading somewhere, hopefully back to what hed

said before, about me and you.In the meantime, Ill humor him. Sure. Isnt that how

were supposed to feel? Otherwise wed never move out. Wed all just live with our

parents until we died.

 He laughed a little at that. I loved the sound of his laugh. It almost made me forget about

well, what Id seen earlier.

 Thats not what I meant, exactly, he said. Do you ever thinkhis blue eyes were very

bright in the moonlightthat this isnt the first time youve been alive? Like that you

might have done all thisonly as someone elsebefore?

 Um. I looked up into his face, wondering what hed do if I reached out and grabbed it,

.Me and you. Me and you. Me and you.

what? because it was the only thing I

more? That were supposed to be

dragged it down to mine, and kissed him. Not really.

 Never? He ran a hand through his thick dark hair, a gesture I was starting to realize

was habitual for him when he was feeling frustrated. Youve never had a feeling that

youve been somewhere beforesomewhere you know youve never been? Or read

something that you know youd never seen before that moment, but that felt familiar

anyway? Heard a piece of music you could swear youd heard sometime in the past, but

that you know you couldnt have?

 Well, I said. It would be wrong to kiss him. He might freak. Guys dont like it when

girls make the first move. At least according to Nancy. But how would she even know?

Its not like she ever had a boyfriend. Sure. But theres a name for that. Its called déjà

vu. Its a totally common

 Im not talking about déjà vu, he interrupted. Im talking about knowing youve met

someone beforethe way I feel Ive met you beforeeven though theres no possible way

we could have met before. That kind of thing. You dont feel it? That theres

something

 Oh, I felt there was something between us, all right. It just wasnt, I was pretty sure, what

Will was feeling. I mean, I didnt feel like Id met him before. Because if I had, I forsure

would have remembered.

 Although therewas that

wanted him to be mine, but at the same time, I also wanted to protect him from the hurt I

knew he was going to feel when he found outand hewould find outabout Lance and

Jennifer. These werent the kinds of feelings that stem simply from a guy being nice to

you, and buying you a cup of lemonade, and giving you a rose.

 These were far, far more than that.

 Could there be something to what Will was saying? Could we have met before? If not in

this lifetime, then

 But before I could admit that I knew where he was coming from, Will sagged a little

against the railing of the widows walk, and shook his head.

 Listen to me. Maybe Lance and Jen are right, he said, in a self-mocking voice, and I

really am going nuts.

 Just hearing that Lance and Jennifer had said something like that made me jump to take

the opposite stance. Maybe Lance cared about what happened to Willdespite the fact

that he was carrying on an illicit love affair with his girlfriend behind his back. I mean,

hed kind of proven that he cared by concussing that guy whod tackled Will. That

showed that he at least felt a little bad about what was going on.

something between us?

my feelings for him, and the strength of them. The way I

in another?

 But I had seen no such signs of remorse from Jennifer. In fact, just the opposite, given

the way shed grilled me at my locker about Wills dinner at my house. It was clear that

shed just been pumping me to see if Will suspected anything about her and Lance.

 Youre not going nuts, I said emphatically. Things

too, lately. But I just thoughtI mean, I just figured its a normal part of being a teenager,

or whatever.

 I dont know. Will looked dubious. I thought teenagers are supposed to think they

know everything. And Ive never been more sure in my life that I dont know anything at

all.

 Oh, I said. Well, thats probably just a symptom of the massive brain tumor youve

got growing inside your head, the one no ones told you about yet.

 Then I wanted to kick myself.What is wrong with me? Why do I have to go and make

jokes whenever things looklike theyre about to get serious? Nancy is right. Im never

going to get a boyfriend at this rate.

 But Will, instead of goingas he probably should have Whatever you say, weirdo, just

looked at me for a minute. Then he threw back his head and laughed.

 And laughed some more.

 And really, what choice did I have but to laugh along with him? At least until a sudden

breeze sent a strand of my moussed-up hair flying across my eyes. Then, to my surprise,

before I had a chance to push it aside, Will reached up and brushed it back for me with

his fingers.

 And I froze. Because he was touching me. He was touching me.He was touching me.

 Youre all right, Ellie Harrison, he said softly, his gaze on mine, his voice unsteady.

And, you know, I think Id like you even if I wasnt sure Id already met you in a past life,

and liked you then.

 Theres really no telling what might have happened next. Not that I imagined he might

have suddenly wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, the way Id seen Lance

kissing Jennifer in the spare room below us.

 But you never know. He might have.

 If it hadnt been for two things

CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The first thing that happened was that a cloud went skittering across the moon, blocking

out the only light wed had to see by.

 The second was that the door to the widows walk suddenly burst open, and then

Cavalier came rushing up toward us, closely followed by someone else of the human

variety. I wouldnt have known who it was if it wasnt for the light from the stairs spilling

out behind him from the open doorway.

 There you are, Marco said, when he saw Will. He could not have missed the way Will

jerked his hand from my hair and moved it to pat his panting dog, instead. Ive been

looking for you everywhere. I wouldnt have found you, if it hadnt been for that damned

dog. Didnt you hear her barking?

 Will gave Cavalier a final pat, then straightened up. No, he said. His voice, which had

been unsteady with emotion just seconds before, now sounded totally normal. It was

impossible to tell if he, like me, resented his stepbrothers intrusion. Why? Whats up?

 I need to find Jen, Marco said. Her car is blocking one of the neighbors driveways.

 Will shook his head the way someone whos just come up from a dive into very deep

water does when he breaks the surface. I tried not to think what that meant vis-à-vis

well, me.

 What? Will blinked a few times. Jen?

 Yeah. Marco looked at me. Not accusingly. Just speculatively, like he was wondering

who I was and what Id done to make his stepbrother act so dopey all of a sudden.

 I could have told him in three words. No one and nothing.

 Or is that four words?

 I thought Jend be with you, Marco said.Now he was starting to sound accusing.

 I havent seen Jen since she went to go put lipstick on half an hour ago, Will said. But

not like it bothered him.

 Well, shes got to move her car, Marco said. Mrs. Hewlitts blocked in and is

threatening to call the cops.

 Will said something under his breath that sounded like a swear word. Then, to me, he

said, Sorry, Elle. I have to go find her.

 Thats fine, I said hurriedly, hoping my disappointment over the interruption didnt

show. Hed called me Elle again, after all. I should go, anyway. Liz and Stacy are

probably wondering where I went.

 Will looked for a second like he didnt know what I was talking about. Then he nodded