Tighter by Adele Griffin

Author:Adele Griffin [Griffin, Adele]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-89643-9
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: 2011-05-10T04:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Sebastian drove a motorcycle. It looked like nothing I’d seen before.

“A Triumph Bonneville T120,” he explained. “Otherwise known as Bonnie. She’s about fifty years old.”

“Sweet.” It was a pretty bike, slender and compact. “So is this where your driving goggles come in?”

“You’re quick, detective.” He opened the seat and pulled them out, along with a couple of vintage leather helmets. He then carefully fit goggles and helmet onto my head, adjusting the eye and chin straps.

“I feel like Amelia Earhart. Or maybe Snoopy.” I yawned. “Snoopy, Dopey, and Sleepy.”

He peered at me. “Hold on tight, and I’ll get you home slow and safe.”

“Yessir.”

We left the club in a roar. The open breeze kind of woke me up and made me feel better. I tied my arms around Sebastian’s waist and leaned forward to press against his back. My jumbled mind hummed nursery rhymes, and my hands held a locked grip at his waist; I was terrified that my body would spontaneously go limp as the pill continued to sneak its way through my system.

We rounded the bend, off Bush Road, and then up the drive, the tires grinding sand as Sebastian downshifted. Midway, the bike sputtered, and I thought we’d lost traction. Quickly, Sebastian rose up and pushed his weight over the handlebars. The engine growled and the wheels spun and coughed like a tired beast, and then we shot up the hill in a jet of speed and noise that I figured would wake up everyone.

But the house stayed dark. Sebastian cut the engine and we got off. I pulled free of my heavy helmet and goggles. My head felt mushy as an overripe melon. I wished I could slice it open and let the sleeping pill ooze out like syrup. And I didn’t want to go inside the house.

“This has been such a strange experience,” I blurted.

“You mean Bonnie? She looks delicate, but she’s fairly durable. But I gotta admit, there’ve been past complaints about her parting gift of helmet hair.”

“No, I meant …” Sebastian was listening intently. I had a feeling he knew what I was going to say anyway, so I kept going. “I meant, being here. At Skylark. It’s like there’s this built-in connection, this way that people have forged me with Jessie Feathering. You must have noticed the way kids look at me but really see her. And considering what happened to her, it’s all kind of a lot for me to handle.”

“Yeah, sure. I hear that.” Sebastian walked me up the porch and dropped into the wicker love seat, pulling me down next to him, and when I swung my legs over so that they bridged his lap, it seemed effortless and natural, a perfect moonlight moment, despite the fact that I was barely awake enough to register it. “And I gotta confess, I listened to the gossip. The Jessie look-alike at Skylark for the summer,” he said. “Then when I saw you … yeah, I had that moment, too. Like everyone else.” He drew a breath.

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