Surprise Party Read online

  THE SURPRISE PARTY

  PROLOGUE

  How easy it was. And how quick.

  The rifle popped, cracked like a cheap firecracker.

  Bye-bye, Evan.

  Pleasant dreams.

  It was so easy. And not all that unpleasant, really. Especially if you didn’t think about it.

  Especially if you locked the whole picture up in some remote corner of your mind—and thought instead about… her.

  She was so bad.

  How else could he describe her? He thought about her all the time. She was always invading his brain, pushing away what he was supposed to be thinking about, until sometimes he thought she might drive him out of his mind.

  He would do anything, he realized, for her.

  She was so bad. He wanted to crush her, crush her, crush her. He wanted her to be with him, to care only for him, to feel just the way he did.

  And now she would.

  He wiped the rifle handle off against his shirt and walked quickly along the path through the trees.

  The woods were quiet, so quiet now.

  Everything was so fresh and leafy green. Everything was so bright and cheerful.

  He started to walk more quickly, his boots crunching loudly over dry twigs and weeds. He turned and took one last look at the body.

  Would he get away with it?

  Of course he would.…

  CHAPTER 1

  SATURDAY AFTERNOON

  Meg Dalton pressed the handbrakes and skidded her bike to a stop on the dirt path. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Sure smells like spring,” she said.

  Sunlight filtered through the tall trees, with their fresh green leaves still unfurling. Dogwoods and cherry trees were already in bloom, blanketing Shadyside Park with splashes of white and pink.

  It’s so beautiful here in May. It’s like riding through a fairy-tale world, Meg thought. Her friends were always putting her down for saying things like that. She decided to keep the thought to herself.

  Her two companions, pedaling their bikes leisurely, caught up to her. “Hey, Meg—why’d you stop?” Tony called.

  “Let’s keep going to the river,” Shannon said, gliding past Meg, then turning around. “Come on. I want to ride. I’ve got to burn off some of the extra pounds I put on this winter.”

  Meg stared at her friend. Shannon didn’t have any extra pounds to take off. Her figure was perfect. With her coppery hair, blue eyes, and full, pouty mouth, Meg thought, Shannon looked just like that actress in the movies, Molly Ringwald.

  “I’ve gotta get a new bike,” Tony said. “There’s no rubber left on the pedals.”

  “Ssshhhh,” Meg interrupted, pointing to a bed of pink and purple wildflowers just ahead. “Look. A hummingbird.”

  “Are we gonna keep riding, or what?” Shannon asked impatiently. “If I knew this was going to be a nature field trip, I would’ve brought my notebook.”

  Shannon hopped back on her bike seat and pedaled away. Meg hurried to catch up to her. “Hey—wait up!” Tony called. “It’s hard to pedal with no rubber on the pedals!”

  They rode past a noisy softball game on the public diamond, recognizing several of their friends from Shadyside High. In the sloping, grassy field beyond the diamond, people were sunning themselves, throwing Frisbees, and having picnics.

  It’s like everyone has burst out of their cocoons and come out ready for fun, Meg thought. She knew her friends would put her down for that thought, too.

  Everyone was always teasing Meg for being too gung ho, too enthusiastic, too bright and chirpy. She was short and, to her constant regret, still hadn’t developed much of a figure. And with her round face, short blond hair, and big blue eyes, she was sometimes mistaken for a kid, which drove her bananas!

  A baby squirrel scampered across the path, and Meg had to swerve to miss it. “That could’ve been five points!” Tony called from several yards behind.

  “Not funny, Tony,” Meg called back. She pedaled harder and caught up to Shannon.

  “Tony seems to be in a good mood,” Shannon said, her eyes straight ahead on the path.

  “He’s done nothing but complain about his bike the whole afternoon,” Meg said with a sigh.

  “But for him, that’s being in a good mood!” Shannon cracked.

  Meg forced a laugh. She realized that Shannon was right about Tony. He had been so moody all winter. He was always losing his temper and getting angry for the tiniest reasons, or for no reason at all.

  At first Meg thought maybe it was her fault. Maybe Tony was getting tired of her. They had been going together for more than two years. Maybe he was angry because he wanted to dump her and didn’t know how. But every time she mentioned it, he got a hurt look on his face and swore that nothing was wrong.

  The ground grew soft as the path began to lower itself toward the river. They had to pedal around deep puddles of rain water.

  “And how are you and Dwayne getting along?” Meg teased. It was the only thing she could ever think of to tease Shannon about.

  “That creep!” Shannon shouted, breathing hard from her rapid pedaling. “He follows me around like a sick puppy, with those dark, mournful eyes. Ugh. He’s always flexing his muscles in those tight white T-shirts he wears, you know, showing off.”

  “Well, he works out all the time. He’s really got a great bod,” Meg said.

  Shannon looked surprised. That was such an un-Meg thing to say. “Well, he’s still a creep. He’s always hanging out with your cousin Brian, playing Wizards and Dungeons in the woods. Oh—” Shannon suddenly realized what she had said. “I didn’t mean to say that your cousin is a creep. I—”

  “That’s okay. Brian is definitely a little weird,” Meg said, laughing.

  There didn’t seem to be any more to say. They rode on for a long while in silence. Meg felt a sudden chill, more from her thoughts than from the wind. It was exactly a year ago, she realized. Exactly a year ago that Brian had found Shannon’s brother Evan.

  Exactly a year ago on a spring day just like this one that Brian had found Evan—shot to death in the Fear Street woods.

  Meg shook her head as if to shake away the memory.

  At least Shannon can laugh now, Meg found herself thinking. At least she can crack jokes again and go biking in the park with her old friends.

  What a long winter.

  Meg slowed down and let Tony catch up. “How’s it goin’, slowpoke?”

  “I think my chain’s slipping,” he grumbled. He pulled off the maroon sweatshirt he’d been wearing, revealing a gray T-shirt underneath, and tied the sweatshirt around his waist. Despite the cool winds off the river, he was sweating. “I’ve gotta get a new bike,” he said, climbing off and bending down to inspect the chain.

  She loved the way he looked when he studied something closely, the way his dark eyebrows lowered and his forehead wrinkled, his frown of concentration. “You’ll be working for your dad as soon as school’s out,” Meg said. “You’ll be able to save up for a new bike.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he muttered, wiping his grease-covered hand on his jeans. “With what the old man’s paying me to pump gas, maybe I can afford a pogo stick.” He climbed back on the bike and started to pedal away.

  She followed along the curving path. Beyond a long field of tall grass and reeds, the narrow, brown Conononka River flowed quickly but silently, high on its banks, since there had been a lot of snow that winter. Meg was surprised to see Shannon down by the river at the end of the bike path, talking to two other kids on bikes.

  As she rode closer, Meg recognized Lisa Blume and Cory Brooks. Lisa and Cory had become something of a joke around Shadyside High. They had grown up next door to each other and were lifelong friends. The previous winter they had started datin
g—and ever since, they hadn’t been able to get along at all!

  Tony and Meg rode up to meet them. “We were just heading back,” Cory said. “It’s cold down here.”

  “What are you two doing tonight?” Shannon asked Lisa.

  “I don’t know. Cory didn’t make any plans,” Lisa said with the wry half-sneer that often crossed her face. “I don’t think he remembered we had a date.”

  “I thought we’d just hang out or something,” Cory said uncomfortably. He started to put his arm around Lisa, but she stepped away.

  “Tony and I aren’t going out,” Meg said. “I’ve got to stay home and work on my final report for psych. I am so far behind with it, I—”

  “Oh—I almost forgot my big news!” Lisa interrupted. “Guess who’s coming back to town for a visit? Ellen Majors.”

  Shannon gasped and grabbed for the handlebars of her bike as it started to fall. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “The bike just slipped.” She suddenly looked very pale.

  “Ellen’s going to be staying at her aunt’s,” Lisa added.

  No one said anything.

  Meg knew they were all thinking the same thoughts, all thinking of a year ago, all thinking of Shannon’s brother Evan.

  Ellen Majors and Evan had gone together since junior high. Ellen, Meg, and Shannon had been inseparable best friends for even longer.

  Then when Evan died, it all fell apart.

  Ellen moved away a few months later. No one had heard from her since. Until now.

  “It will be great to see her,” Meg said brightly, breaking the silence. “It’s been so long.”

  “Yeah,” Lisa added, trying to copy Meg’s enthusiasm but not quite pulling it off. She and Ellen had never been that close.

  Shannon didn’t say anything. She was staring at the river, a distant look in her eyes.

  “Maybe we should have a party for Ellen,” Meg said. She looked at Tony, who looked away.

  “Yeah,” Lisa repeated.

  “Why?” Shannon asked sharply.

  “To… uh… welcome her back,” Meg said, surprised by Shannon’s hostility to the idea. “To show her that we still care about her, I guess.”

  “Evan’s still dead,” Shannon muttered, not looking at them.

  “But we’ve got to show Ellen that we don’t blame her,” Meg said, surprised at all the strong feelings she suddenly had. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed Ellen all year.

  “I guess.…” Shannon said unconvincingly, her voice barely audible over the gusting wind.

  “I think a party’s a great idea,” Lisa said, climbing back on her bike. “A surprise party maybe. You know Ellen. She probably wouldn’t come if she knew about it in advance. I’ll help you two get it together. In fact, I’ll start telling everyone about it right away!”

  “Count me in,” Cory said.

  Meg looked back at Tony. He was staring at the ground. “Tony—are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Well, what do you think of the party idea?”

  “Good. It’s okay.”

  “We’ve gotta get going,” Lisa said, starting up the path. “See you later.”

  Meg, Shannon, and Tony stood watching them ride off till they disappeared into the trees. “Guess we should be getting back, too,” Shannon said. The color still hadn’t returned to her face. She looked washed out, drained.

  “I don’t believe it!” Tony screamed.

  Both girls were startled. “Tony—what??”

  “I’ve got a flat tire!” He lifted the bike up into the air with both hands.

  “Tony, don’t—” Meg said.

  He started to slam the bike to the ground, then thought better of it, and lowered it slowly to the grass.

  “Tony, it’s just a flat. You can walk it back to—”

  “Just go on without me,” he muttered. “Go on ahead. See you later.”

  Seeing that he meant it, the two girls got on their bikes and rode off. When they reached the trees, they could hear him kicking the bike, cursing it loudly.

  “What’s his problem? Too much raw meat for breakfast?” Shannon asked.

  “I don’t know,” Meg said with a sigh. “Sometimes he just loses it.” She wished she did know what his problem was. It wasn’t normal to get that angry at a bike—was it?

  * * *

  That night up in her room, Meg was trying to concentrate on her psych paper, but she found her thoughts drifting to Ellen. Ellen with her tall, lanky, blond good looks. She looks so much like Daryl Hannah, everyone always said. Meg wondered if Ellen still looked the same or if she had changed.

  A surprise party was a terrific idea. Meg could already see the shocked look on Ellen’s face. How happy they all would be again.

  The phone rang.

  She picked it up, grateful for the interruption.

  “Hello, Meg?” A whisper. Like wind blowing into the telephone.

  “Who is this?” she asked, a funny feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. “We have a bad connection.”

  “This is a friend.” Still just a whisper.

  Who could it be?

  “I’m warning you. Don’t have a party for Ellen.”

  “Now, wait a minute—” Meg cried, surprised by her own high-pitched voice, by the fear rising within her. And the anger.

  “I’m serious. Dead serious. Don’t have a party for Ellen. Don’t force me to show you how serious I am.”

  “Who is this? What kind of a stupid joke—”

  She heard a click. The dial tone returned.

  She dropped the receiver back onto the phone. The room was silent now. But the whispered voice remained, repeating its threatening message in her ear, the whispers growing louder and louder until she held her ears and forced them to stop.

  CHAPTER 2

  SATURDAY NIGHT

  Meg sat at her desk, staring at the phone until it became a white blur. How did she feel?

  Scared? No.

  Angry? Yes, that was it. Angry and insulted.

  Did the caller really think he could frighten her with that stupid, hoarse whispering?

  Whoever it was had seen too many bad horror movies, she decided. Halloween V! Freddy Returns! Friday the 13th, Part 400! How dumb. Girls in those films were either traitors or frightened idiots. They’d get one scary, whispered phone call and fall to pieces, frightened out of their wits.

  Well, this was real life, not a dumb movie. And whoever it was certainly didn’t know Meg very well. Maybe she was small and young looking. Maybe she wasn’t as sophisticated as a lot of kids at Shadyside. But she wasn’t easily pushed around. She had a stubborn streak a mile long. At least that’s what her mother always said. And Meg took that as a compliment.

  She realized that her heart was pounding. Okay, she admitted to herself, maybe I am a little upset.

  She picked up the receiver and pushed Tony’s number. The line was busy.

  That was annoying. Who could he be talking to?

  She wanted to talk to someone. Her parents? No. They’d make too big a deal about it. They’d probably call the police right away, make a big fuss, forbid her to have the party.

  And the call was probably just an obnoxious joke some kid from school had decided to play.

  She pushed Tony’s number again. Still busy.

  She hung up and tried Lisa’s number. Lisa picked it up after the first ring, and said, “Where are you?”

  “Huh?”

  “Cory?”

  “No. It’s Meg.”

  “Oh. Meg. I’m sorry. I thought it was Cory. He’s a little late. Like an hour.”

  “Sorry,” Meg said.

  “It’s not your fault,” Lisa said quickly. She sounded really angry. “I’m trying to look on the bright side. Maybe he was run over by a truck.”

  “Right. Keep it light.” Meg laughed.

  “What are you doing? Waiting for Tony?”

  “No. We’re not going out tonight. I’m supposed to be writing my psy
ch paper.”

  “But…”

  “How’d you know there was a but?”

  “I’m a mind reader,” Lisa cracked.

  “But I—”

  “See? I told you.”

  “I just got this creepy phone call.”

  “Really?” Lisa started to sound interested. “Was it a breather? I got a breather once. I couldn’t believe it. It was so gross.”

  “No. This was a whisperer.” Meg was beginning to regret telling Lisa about the call. Lisa would only make endless jokes about it. She had such a dry sense of humor. She never took anything seriously.

  “What did he whisper?” Lisa asked. “Sweet nothings?”

  “No. He told me not to have a party for Ellen.”

  “He what!?”

  “You heard me. He warned me not to have a party.”

  “Well… who do we know who hates parties?”

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t recognize the voice. It was such a strange, hoarse whisper. I really couldn’t even tell if it was a boy or a girl.”

  “I’ll bet it was Cory,” Lisa said. “He’ll do anything to keep from getting over to my house on time.”

  That was supposed to be funny, but Meg didn’t laugh. She felt annoyed that Lisa wasn’t taking it more seriously. “It was kinda scary,” she told Lisa. “How many kids have you told about Ellen and the party?”

  “A lot,” Lisa said. “After I ran into you in the park, I went to the mall. I ran into a lot of kids from school. And then I called some kids tonight while I was sitting around waiting for you-know-who. Hey! There’s the bell! That’s probably him. Gotta run. Later, Meg.” She hung up before Meg could say goodbye.

  Meg found herself smiling. Lisa complained nonstop about Cory and was constantly putting him down. But when the bell rang, she went running. She really was crazy about him.

  Without realizing it, Meg had pushed Tony’s number again. This time it rang through. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Tony. It’s me.”

  “Oh. Hi.” He sounded strange, sort of far away, confused.

  “I just got the creepiest phone call. Someone warned me not to have a party for Ellen.”

  “Me too!” Tony exclaimed.