Chapter 89

  Post Thanksgiving Day Drive

  (Darcy Renolds)

  (2 Months Later)

  Vroom.

  The trio rested quietly amidst the thrum of Misha’s Mustang that cruised down the unmarked highways and backend roads that wove from home to campus.

  Silence.

  Even in the darkness, the trees still glowed with that faint trail of Autumn. The mix of the last vibrant greens of summer shining amongst trees that were turning various shades of yellows and oranges. The final step before all of the trees would invariably shed their last leaves of summer and prepare for a wintery hibernation. It was oddly beautiful.

  While Misha didn’t care about the radio, or what was being played, it was clear that Darcy and Jasmine both had vastly different tastes in music. Which meant that it was a lot easier to sit through silence, or the faint thrum and rumble of Misha’s finely tuned Mustang than to try to listen to music at a decibel that went over the thrum of the engine.

  As usual, Jasmine had her seat all the way back, in a fully reclined position. This used to annoy Darcy, but over the past few months of road trips and what not, this became more enjoyable. Or more accepted. Darcy had made it a goal to always go to every nearby road game that she could, especially if they fell on the weekend.

  Fortunately, this time things were different. While this was a road game for the campus, it was actually a home game that aligned perfectly with their home state. Being a rivalry game.

  Well not really, the schools were apparently in two different conferences. Something that Darcy had to look up and try to understand. For the past two months, Darcy had spent every moment trying to understand and be the best supporter for Jasmine and Misha.

  Best of all, it was clear that all of her plans and work had been paying off, for Misha always made room for Darcy. Even allowing her to drive Misha’s Mustang, a special reward reserved for just her and then if absolutely needed Jasmine. But it was mainly Darcy, well when Misha didn’t want to drive.

  Seeing the changing of the leaves, Darcy realized that very soon this moment and ones like these would be a memory of the past.

  Nervous tension filled Darcy, as she felt like she had somehow betrayed the sacred trust of the trio, that she had somehow betrayed her.

  “Congratulations on starting,” Darcy began, her tone somewhat nervous as she spoke. Almost expecting a sharp retort back about her avoiding the true subject that needed to be spoken about.

  Misha for her part just nodded in agreement.

  “Was about time coach started you. I don’t know why she was so hesitant to make the change,” Jasmine shot in, immediately defending Misha.

  For her part Misha just shook her head, “no, I deserved to be benched. I needed to earn my spot and my time.”

  “Well you did that and more, you won us the game” Jasmine continued. Then trailing off for a bit she paused before adding. “Though it was nice of her to let you start the game in your home state. Almost a sign of letting the opponent know what they missed out on.” With that Misha again nodded. Of the three of them, it would have appeared that Misha cared the least of the three about the perceived sleight that had occurred thus far.

  “With that win, you are now six and eight, any chance you can make it?” Darcy found herself asking. She was of course referring to the big tournament thingy, one that was held in March.

  “Yeah we can make it,” Jasmine replied with confidence.

  “Even with a losing record, I mean don’t you have only half your games left?” Darcy pressed, still trying to understand. But from what it seemed, the team did poorly at most aspects of the game. Bad on defense, bad on transition when they gave up the ball, and they were particularly bad about keeping the ball for their possessions. Everyone but Misha and Jasmine, though Darcy was willing to admit she might be a bit biased towards those two.

  “We still have the conference tournament at the end,” Misha noted.

  “There is that, an automatic seed regardless of our record if we win the conference tournament,” Jasmine doubled down.

  “Okay,” Darcy noted, trying to make sure she paid as much attention to Misha whenever she spoke, which was seemingly rarely.

  “It was great to be home and see everyone,” Darcy threw it out there, trying to see if she knew or at least suspected what had happened.

  “It was nice to be home, glad they could come to the game,” Misha nodded in agreement.

  Watching her from the rearview mirror Darcy tried to gauge Misha’s expression. Could she tell? If she could, would she be mad? It was one moment of indiscretion. Well multiple moments of indiscretion that she somehow hoped would get better, but didn’t. Then as if reading her thoughts, Jasmine went in for the killing blow.

  “Speaking of, how was Ryder?”

  “What? Who?” Darcy replied, her mind trying to reel in her emotions and see what Jasmine knew. Did she know? She likely would and would use now of all times to drive in the wedge. They had spent Thanksgiving together, and one thing had lead to another.

  “You know Ryder, wasn’t he there with you and Phil?” Jasmine asked, her cheeks blushing slightly at the topic.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Phil?” Darcy asked, trying to recognize the name, but failing due to everything that was going on. Her mind literally slamming to a halt with guilt, a bad sign.

  “Yeah, he was there, along with Misha’s mother and her beau. Remember our parents all went in the away section. Your dad made it out like it was a big inconvenience, but you could tell he loved it,” Jasmine responded. Hearing Jasmine retell the story, Darcy did remember the stink her father had made about having to wear Orange at the college game. His words were particularly harsh, if entirely accurate.

  “Fortunately, it is early enough in the season, so our reputation wouldn’t be too slandered by supporting the hometown heroes.” Her father had joked, at least Darcy hoped it was a joke. The only thing that had saved her was that her father really respected Misha. Even going so far as to have a few conversations with the girl, while Darcy was otherwise preoccupied with Ryder.

  Ryder, that was a headache that somehow didn’t go away. He too had been home for the holiday break, and rather than doing nothing, her father had invited the boy to go along with them to the game. A game that Misha would take her own vehicle back to spend time with Phil and her family for a late Thanksgiving Day dinner, which actually happened on Saturday. Now on Sunday, they were all heading back to campus together.

  “Well?” Jasmine pressed. Hearing the words, Darcy’s mind raced trying to figure out the context.

  “Well what?” Darcy asked.

  “How was it, was it your first time?” Jasmine asked a note of curiosity filling her words as she sat up and stared directly back at Darcy. For her part, Darcy felt slightly cornered by the sudden topic change.

  “Oh come on, you know he spent all day yesterday bragging about it, so how was it,” Jasmine pressed.

  “He what?”

  “Come on, you know guys can’t keep their lips together after they get a girl to do the same with their legs,” Jasmine pressed.

  Embarrassment.

  At that, Darcy felt her whole world twist around her as she stared and looked at Misha in the rearview mirror. Darcy had of course known about this, she had heard about his bragging almost immediately after it had happened. Feeling only partially vindictive, Darcy decided to get back at Ryder. By doing the one thing the boy likely never thought would happen, by her telling the truth. That was the only way she could tell the true narrative, and hopefully get her to forgive her, or at least for her to understand.

  “Honestly?” Darcy began.

  At that Jasmine nodded, while Misha just shrugged as if to say, it was up to you.

  “Yeah!” Jasmine piped up, her response almost demanding a reply.

  “I would rather not talk about it,” Darcy began.

  “That’s fair, I can’t say mine wasn’t much better,” Jasmine responded.

  “You also tried it with Ryder?”

  “Eww no, another boy years ago.”

  “Wasn’t that good?” Darcy asked.

  “It was fine, but what happened afterwards wasn’t great, for he also bragged the day after. That is until I told him in no uncertain terms that he was terrible and he probably didn’t want me to have to respond about his performance or lack thereof.”

  “Ouch, what happened?”

  “He got embarrassed and eventually moved away that summer. Never had to deal with him again. From that point on, I decided if I was to try another man, they would be sophisticated.” Jasmine responded, as she did her eyes seemed to trail off in a sort of dreamy state as if she was imagining someone.

  “Wait, are you thinking of someone right now?” Darcy asked, trying to change the subject from her mistake and put the spotlight back on Jasmine.

  “What? No…” Jasmine responded a bit too nervously. Hearing the sudden weakness in her tone, Darcy knew that there was someone, but who?

  Thinking back, Darcy tried to recall everyone that Jasmine had spoken to recently. No one from campus truly met the definition of sophisticated, that or if they did Jasmine never seemed to show a physical reaction. Then her mind went back to the game where she saw Jasmine and Misha both come over to the away section to talk with her and the family.

  While Jasmine’s family had also been in attendance, Darcy couldn’t help but recall seeing her blush there as well. At the time the reaction had been odd, but Darcy was in the middle of her own drama as her father was desperately trying to pair her with Ryder, for whatever reason. Almost as if he felt this was his last chance to change her. There were still feelings there, but nothing more than the odd feelings one might have for a dear friend who persevered through a harrowing time of your life, right beside you.

  Darcy was still trying to place the how and why everything seemed odd and off with Jasmine and their interaction, which Misha declared.

  “Oh, and before I forget, I was told to tell you all that Pops will be making the move down to campus.”

  “Wait, your grandfather?” Darcy asked, clarifying that the Pops in question was in fact Phil, her grandfather.

  “Yes, he wanted me to let you all know,” Misha began, then turning her head slightly to glance at Jasmine she added, “both of you.”

  Blush.

  There it was, Jasmine went beat red at that announcement. It took Darcy a moment to realize why, but then stark realization hit her as her mind put together all of the clues.

  “Wait,” Darcy began but was cut off.

  “Why now?” Jasmine asked, her face still flushed, but she was doing a masterful job of covering up her emotional state.

  “He says it was so he could have something to do, as he feels confined to his own house with mother and her beau moving in. As such he wanted an excuse to leave.”

  At this, Darcy felt a smile cresting her lips as she then pushed for a deeper answer. “But you don’t think this is the real reason why he is coming, do you?”

  Mish just shook her head no, “no, I think he is concerned about the missing girls.”

  “That and your own accident,” Darcy pressed.

  “Yeah, one he didn’t know about, until someone told him,” Misha replied while turning to face Jasmine. At this Jasmine looked visibly flustered.

  “What? You were in the wrong for not telling him that you nearly died and sent out a statewide alert to your rescue location,” Jasmine responded.

  Hearing that, Misha could only reluctantly shrug her shoulders and nod at the admonishment. While school life had been relatively quiet since then, there were still a lot of issues. For instance, ever since that point Darcy could swear she felt faint traces and surges of power coursing through her. Surges that seemed like they were near to bursting out of her one second, only to fizzle out when she tried to show off her powers to Misha.

  Flicker and pulse.

  Even now she could feel her powers cresting just under the surface of her skin every time she got emotional. Oddly, it was only this break that she felt that the powers wouldn’t hide from her. They were there, yet every time she tried to show them off to others, they never appeared. That or, there would be simple ways to explain the lights that were produced, either the flickering of electricity, the passing of a car with their high beams on. Many things could and did happen, after which she would never be able to reproduce those same effects.

  This would have been mortifying, had it not been for Misha. Misha never judged or looked at her like she was crazy, in fact rather than seeming dismissive of her claims. In fact, Misha was always her greatest supporter, “calm down. I know you will do magic, but only once you are ready. You don’t want to force yourself to awaken early.”

  Perhaps the greatest proof of her powers manifesting was the moment she felt the energy around her change. It was a moment that both proved who she was as a person, that she was going to be a magi, but also proved that she had been wrong about Ryder.

  Moments after the act happened, when Darcy was evaluating herself trying to see what had changed. All the talk of womanhood, it was empowering. Perhaps that was what she had felt at that time. For she felt the thrum of electricity come to life as her phone began to act differently. One moment she was listening to her playlist and centering herself. Focusing on that deep little spark of fire that was trying to erupt from her hand. Then the next, her Bluetooth ear bud whirred to life, clearly changing signals and catching the start of a private conversation.

  Pausing long enough to realize something odd had happened, Darcy was about to try to fix her earpiece, but only then did her power truly manifest as she heard the voice of Ryder talking to some unknown person erupt in her ear, causing her to pause just long enough to hear the conversation.

  “Yeah, she’s apparently gotten into some hoodoo stuff while away at college. Completely crazy, but you know what they say…” Ryder’s voice called out over her earbud. For a moment Darcy wondered if she should turn off the earbud, this was a personal conversation after all, but then again it was a conversation about her.

  “Yeah, a freak on the street, a freak in the sheets…” the other end of the line spoke up in an overly bro way. Darcy had never heard this person’s voice before, but figured it was either Ryder’s new roommate or someone he met while at college.

  “Exactly, she’s crazy, but she has a nice body.”

  “You going to stick with her?”

  “Nah, this was just a final conquest. You know closing up all the high school fantasies so I can focus on the future, besides you know things are getting serious with Wren,” Ryder stated.

  At that, Darcy felt her lowest.

  Toss.

  Then before she realized what had actually happened, Darcy threw the earbud out in disgust, as her playlist came back. After that, Darcy didn’t know what was said, nor did she care. For at that moment Darcy knew what she needed to do.

  Then almost as if on cue, the lyrics to one of her playlist songs came to her in her one remaining earbud, the one that had apparently gone quiet during the whole process.

  “I’m a notch in your bedpost, but you’re a moment of my regret, one I’ll soon forget…”

  That was how Darcy knew things were truly over, and what she truly wanted.

  “You okay?” Misha asked, her voice filled with concern.

  “What? Huh, yeah…” Darcy replied her mind being pulled back to the present before she forced a tired smile. “I think I’m done making mistakes.”

  “Mistakes are fine to make, so long as you learn from them,” Misha replied.

  “Yeah, I’ve learned a lot…” Darcy began, but was quickly halted by Misha who held up her hand in a stop talking gesture.

  “Wait,” Misha replied before reaching down to turn on the radio.

  Not even missing a beat, the radio switched on and with crystal clarity, an announcer spoke.

  “This just in, police have found the body of one as of yet unidentified woman believed to be missing student…”