Monday Evening, Continued
Benji’s Dad let us in. “Thanks for coming over. Benji’s in his room,” he said, and he shuffled aside so we could walk up the stairs. He stood in the entrance of what was the office of my house, but had been turned into a ground level bedroom at Benji’s after his father’s first heart attack two years ago.
I followed Gin up the stairs, glancing around as we climbed. Photos of Benji and his family were spaced evenly up the staircase. Benji and Alex as kids. I paused by one of Benji and his mom visiting her family in London, posing in front of Big Ben, with big smiles splashed across their faces.
Benji sat on a dark blue loveseat in his room, his head in his hands. When he looked up, his eyes were red, but he wasn’t crying.
“Hey guys.” His voice was hoarse, but steady, and his hands shook as he picked up a mug from the small table next to him, but then he put it back down without taking a drink.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” Benji darted to his attached bathroom.
I glanced around Benji’s room, digging his seating area with decked-out TV, love seat, and mini-fridge. Wonder if I could convince my parents to do something similar in my room? The other side of his bedroom had a typical single bed with blue plaid comforter. A half-open door led to a walk-in closet. Standard boy room with an identical layout to Daniel’s room at home.
Why was I thinking about this, when I’d never see Paisley again?
I dropped into the navy blue beanbag chair opposite the love seat, almost elbowing his Xbox in the process.
“Watch out,” Gin said. He folded himself onto the floor next to me.
I shrugged. “Good thing I didn’t take it out. He’d never recover from losing his girlfriend and his Xbox in one day.”
“Harper—“ Gin looked ready to argue but there was a knock at the door. A sliver of guilt snaked through me.
Benji’s mother bustled in with a tray. “I brought you tea,” she said and put it down on the table by the love seat. She handed me a ceramic mug filled with a brown liquid. I took a sip. Sugar exploded on my tongue.
“I sweetened it ’cause you’ve all gone through a shock,” she said. “Poor dears.”
“Thank you,” Gin said as he accepted the cup of tea. Benji rejoined us, sinking into the love seat while staring at the dark gray cross-trainers on his feet.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she said, and paused a moment, staring at Benji for a moment She looked like she wanted to hug him, but she walked out instead.
I glanced at the tray, eyeing the plate of cookies, as I took a sip of the tea. It tasted like it was three parts sugar to one part tea.
“Is that an English thing? Tea in times of tragedy?” I asked after she left, staring down in the murky brown depth of my cup.
“In my mom’s world a cup of tea solves everything. Especially if it’s laden with sugar for shock,” Benji said.
Gin’s smile was too grim to really look like a smile. “If only it was that easy.”
“Are Paisley’s parents back yet?” I asked.
“Flying home tonight.” Benji stared at his carpet. “I should have driven her today.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” I studied his downcast face. He must have the pattern on his gray-and-blue area rug memorized by now from the way his eyes studied it. But maybe he was seeing without thinking. Maybe his mind was filled with something else. Like visions of Paisley. The bright tone of her laugh, and the way her hair swished when she giggled. How she always had a smile for everyone. How her humor would bubble out when you least expected it.
How she was such a great friend.
How much he would miss her.
“Is there any chance Paisley’s wreck really wasn’t just an accident?” I asked.
Gin shrugged at me. “I don’t know. I don’t see how it couldn’t be an accident. How could Alex have caused it? Why would he do it? But it’s such a coincidence.”
“He helps his dad rebuild cars, right?” The flashy red car that had been parked in Alex’s driveway last summer flashed through my mind.
“He does. He’s good at it, too,” Benji said. “I had to hang out with them talking carburetor and head gaskets last summer when my dad was in the hospital and I stayed with Alex.”
“So maybe he messed with something in Paisley’s car. Brakes, maybe? Something that would cause her to crash.”
“But how could he have…” Gin’s voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
“There’s no way to, well, make sure she died.”
It was my turn to shrug. “Maybe that wasn’t planned. Maybe he just wanted to scare her, scare us.”
“You sound so callous,” Benji said.
I told myself to stop talking as I remembered why we were here. First Sarah, now Paisley. Two girls I’d been around my whole life and I’d never see them again. My friends.
I turned to him. “I’m sorry, Benji.”
His shoulders shook, like he was sobbing. But then he made a strangled gurgle of laughter. “If Harper Jacobs is being nice to me, I better take note,” Benji gasped.
“I think we all know what to do,” Gin said. I looked him straight in the eyes and he stared back without blinking. His brown eyes beamed resolution mixed with sorrow. Something within me answered. We needed to do what was right.
“Talk to the police?” I said. “Should we call them now?”
“Do you still have that detective’s business card?” Gin’s hand found my own. I gripped it back.
“Yeah, but it’s in my backpack at home.”
“Let’s get it and then call him.”
Benji’s voice sounded hoarse again as he rejoined the conversation. “Let’s do it tomorrow morning. I’d rather talk to him at school. I don’t want to talk to him here. I can’t disappoint my parents, not on top of them being sad about Paisley. They loved her. She helped my mom a lot, bringing groceries over and even helping with laundry.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said, my voice small. I could picture Paisley bustling around the Conways’ kitchen. She probably made retro food to match her style sense. She’d mentioned pimento mac and cheese once, although I’d never heard of pimento.
“So we’ll call the detective once we get to school?” Gin asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Images of my father trying to stare down Detective Parker flashed through my mind. “Agreed. It’ll be easier at school.”
“So we’re decided?” Gin’s steady gaze moved from Benji to me to back to Benji as we both nodded. “I’ll call the detective in the morning after we get to school.”
“I’m sure we can use the principal’s office to meet with him,” I said.
“Since you’re the principal’s close personal friend and all.”
I turned to glare at Benji.
“What?” he said. “I thought you two exchanged Christmas presents. You’re in there so much.”
“Is this really the time to make jokes?” I asked. My control started to melt into anger.
“As if you’re the one to criticize inappropriate comments.”
“Your girlfriend just died.”
“Both of you shove it,” Gin snapped at us.
“You’re right,” I said to Gin. I stood up. “I should go. Benji—I’m really sorry about Paisley. Really.”
“I know, Harper,” Benji stood up and gave me an awkward hug. I patted his back twice before pulling away.
“Let’s all ride to school together tomorrow,” I said.
“Let’s meet here,” Benji said. “I’ll need help convincing my parents I should go to school. They’ll probably want me to stay home.”
“Should we talk to them now?” Gin asked.
“Since sweet-talking parents isn’t my super power, I should go home.” I stood, and Gin mirrored my movements. He tried to smile at me as he climbed to his feet.
I stepped up on my tiptoes and kissed him.
“Tomorrow,” I said. “This ends tomorrow.”
The words were a relief.