Chapter 9: Can't Wait Anymore…
After their talk in the greenhouse, the gang decided it would be best for Verity to stay away from Speed and the others for a while. They were going to test to see if there was something the bullies were doing to make Verity hear the voices. Verity had gotten her mother to sign a note that let her out of school for a couple of weeks. Then she had told her to not let Speed in no matter what. Will, Layla, and especially Warren, were happy to learn that Mrs. James didn't really approve of Speed and was actually glad Verity didn't want to see him anymore. She happily agreed to send him away every time he may have shown up.
Verity would call or text Warren to let him know if the voices were back, and how bad they were. For the first few days, nothing happened. Speed stopped by a couple of times, but Verity's mother sent him away and Verity was fine. By the fourth day, not being able to even see her was taking its toll on Warren. He'd received a couple of messages by noon, each of them saying the coast was clear and she still loved him. His heart flip-flopped at the little 'love you's at the end of each message. He had to see her.
Warren formulated a plan and headed to Principal Powers' office. He smiled at the secretary as he entered, walking right up to the service counter. "Hi, there. I was wondering if I could get Verity James' homework to take to her. She's going to be absent another week and I don't want her falling too far behind." As far as Warren knew, no one had asked for the girl's homework, not even Verity. When he talked to her at night before bed, she'd complain about the stupid talk shows and soap operas she'd spent the whole day watching and how she missed classes and him…and then she'd start saying really dirty things softly into the receiver that burned through him like his fire burned others…it really wasn't fair.
The secretary smiled at him. "Well, Warren, I'd have to get her teachers to gather it together. Come pick it up at the end of the day, ok?"
Warren thanked her and left, extremely happy that it had gone so well. As he headed to his next class, he was blocked by Speed, who was standing in his way, arms across his chest. Warren glared at him angrily; he'd like nothing better than to rip the kid's head off his shoulders, but he didn't want to start something so close to the office.
"Where is she, Peace?" Speed looked just as angry as Warren.
"At her house. Duh." Warren tried to take a step around him, but he cut him off. "Move."
"I'm not done. What did you tell her? Why is she avoiding me?" Speed looked hurt, which surprised him.
"I didn't tell her anything. She's avoiding you because you keep trying to push her to be your girlfriend and she doesn't love you." Warren smiled sadistically. "She loves me."
Speed's face fell, making him look more melancholy. "If I'd only gotten to her before you…the plan wasn't supposed to work like this…I wasn't supposed to fall like this…" he was mumbling to himself, but Warren picked up every word.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Speed snapped back to reality and glared at Warren. "Why don't you not worry about it? I'll be on the right track soon enough and Verity will be with me." With that, the other kid turned and walked away.
Warren went the rest of the day wondering what Speed had been talking about. A plan? That involved him being with Verity? What was going on? He walked silently to the office after the final bell and picked up Verity's homework. After the short bus ride back to Earth, he headed down her street.
Warren was only a little apprehensive as he walked up the sidewalk to the front door of her two-story colonial. It was painted a sunny yellow with white trim and had some small flowerbeds in the front. Warren had never actually been to her house, let alone met her mother, so he was really concerned about making a good first impression. He sighed heavily and rang the door bell.
A slender, petite woman with dark hair answered the door; she looked like an older version of Verity, but they had different eyes, the woman having dark brown ones. She smiled warmly at Warren and held out her hand. "You must be Warren Peace. Verity's told me so much about you."
Warren shook her hand and smiled awkwardly back. "Hi, Mrs. James. It's nice to meet you." He stepped inside as the woman ushered him in. "I brought Verity her homework. I didn't want her to fall further behind."
Mrs. James' smile widened. "How considerate of you! Verity's upstairs in her room, listening to God knows what." She rolled her eyes at her daughter's choice in music. "Why don't you head on up and then you can stay for dinner? If you need to call your parents, the phone's in the hall, by the stairs." Her smile returned as she headed down the hallway. "Stairs are this way."
Warren followed slowly, taking in the comfortable looking living room with bookcases and the dining room with a small dinette set. An open door off the hallway on his left revealed a TV room, and a bathroom the size of a closet was on his right, taking up a little space between the dining room and the kitchen, which were connected by a doorway. The stairs were just past the TV room along the back wall of the house and the kitchen led outside to a deck and a large yard. Mrs. James gestured for Warren to head upstairs.
"I'm just so glad Verity's met a nice boy. I really disliked that Speed boy…There just was something off about him." She wrinkled her nose in distaste while Warren contemplated how he could be considered a good boy, considering what he wanted to do with this woman's daughter. "I just took some homemade cookies up to her, so feel free to a have a few. Dinner will be at six-thirty." With that, Mrs. James left him and headed back into the kitchen.
Warren walked slowly up the stairs, nervous at the prospect of being alone with Verity in her room. They hadn't been truly alone since the day in the Detention room and Warren's heart raced at the memory of the encounter there. He took a deep breath and rounded a corner, entering the short hallway of the upstairs. Verity's room was right down the hall, her name on the door in pretty calligraphy. Music was blaring from underneath the doorway; from the sound of it, it was some horrible Britney Spears song. Warren stifled a grimace. He didn't really get into the pop music scene, but unfortunately he knew every single word to the song now playing. It was "Baby One More Time," and he vaguely remembered stopping on MTV one day when the video for the song was on, wanting to see how cute the blonde in the short skirt was.
Warren stopped in front of the door and knocked softly. The music continued and no other noise could be heard. Warren wondered if he should just enter the room or try again. He hesitated only a moment before slowly reaching out and turning the handle, pushing on the door gently.
Verity's room was sky blue with giant fluffy clouds on the ceiling. She had two windows that looked out over the backyard with white blinds and lacy curtains drawn tightly, letting in little of the afternoon light. There was a desk in one corner with a laptop on it, some bookcases with various stories, a window seat built into the wall under the windows, and a queen size bed on a four poster frame with a blue comforter on it. And there, right in the middle of the room, dancing in front of the open closet door, was Verity.
Warren tried not to laugh at her. She was copying the moves almost exactly from the video, which he noticed was playing on the TV on a set of shelves opposite the bed. She was pretty good, but it still was a funny sight for him to see: his tough girlfriend jamming to Britney Spears.
He cleared his throat loudly, leaning on the open door, crossing his arms across his chest and smiling softly. Verity looked up suddenly, saw him in the reflection of the mirror, and turned bright red. She whirled around, grabbing a robe from the corner of the bed and throwing it on over her short shorts and sports bra; Warren guessed it was her work-out outfit for home. She brushed a hair out of her face and looked at the ground.
Warren walked into the room and shut the door behind him…
