One Hundred Candles [2] Read Online Free PDF Page B

he was only doing it so he wouldn’t lose me in the crowd.
    Noah had arrived at my house earlier in the evening with his mom in tow. Trisha was there to see Shane, of course, and Noah was meeting me and Avery so we could drive to the party together. I wanted to run over and give Noah a hug, but held back. I wasn’t sure if we were the kind of friends who did that, and I didn’t want to create any awkwardness between us.
    When Noah saw my arm in a sling, he smiled. “Rough Christmas?”
    Dad used the opportunity to tell his side of the story once again, emphasizing Zelden’s rudeness and describing Marcus as a thug. His version was much more intense than my recollection, but Trisha and Noah presented an interested audience. When Dad got to the part where Marcus attacked me, I quietly left the room to apply my lipstick. When I returned, Dad was recounting our trip to the emergency room.
    “And now Charlotte has to suffer for five more weeks until her arm heals,” he was saying.
    I didn’t consider myself to be suffering too terribly, although getting dressed took longer and required cautious attention. I didn’t contradict Dad, though. He was on a roll. While he droned on about meeting with his lawyer, I went over to Noah.
    “Ready for tonight?” I asked. “Avery says it’s going to be huge.”
    Noah just pursed his lips and nodded in response. I guessed he was as tired of Dad’s lengthy story as I was.
    “There should be consequences when a child is assaulted,” Dad proclaimed.
    I winced at his referral to me as a child. “Okay, Dad. Can we drop it, please?”
    All I wanted was to go to a party with my friends, not relive the attack. And Dad’s attitude that he was somehow embarking on a crusade for justice was getting to me.
    “Charlotte.” Dad walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. “I understand that you’re scared, and that’s okay. Let me do the worrying for you. I know how Zelden operates.”
    “I told you, it wasn’t Zelden! It wasn’t even Marcus.”
    Dad shook his head. “You don’t get it, and that’s fine.” He offered a rueful smile to Shane and Trisha. “Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.”
    “You’re saying that I’m ignorant?” My voice rose an octave.
    Mom hurried over. “That’s not what your father is saying.” She gave Dad a disapproving glare. He shrugged and went to the kitchen. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over, but my anger at being treated like a child was only beginning to boil.
    “You okay?” Noah stood in front of me with his hands shoved into his pockets. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.
    “My dad acts like he was the one who was hurt. He didn’t see it happen. He doesn’t know.” A car honked in the driveway. “Avery’s here,” I said, walking to the front door. “I need to get out of this house.”
    Noah said good-bye to his mom while I bounded down the front steps and flung open the passenger door.
    “Ready to welcome the new year?” Avery asked.
    “More like ready to say good-bye to the old one.”
    More than half the school appeared to have shown up for the party, which was being held at Harris Abbott’s massive, Tudor-style house that overlooked the ninth hole of a golf course. His parents were away, Avery explained, and as long as we volunteered to help clean up the following afternoon, it was ours.
    Avery made her way to the kitchen, where a group of guys wearing blue football sweatshirts circled a shiny keg. She greeted each one of them by name, then stepped slightly to the side. “This is Noah, and you guys know Charlotte, of course.”
    Thanks to my parents’ documentaries airing throughout the month of October, everyone in town knew who I was. Meanwhile, I was still struggling to remember the first names of all the people who sat at my lunch table.
    The football players handed us oversized plastic cups filled with warm, foamy beer. Avery started talking to a few of the guys while I tried to have