“I can carry you,” he persisted.
“No!” I pushed him. “Jesus, Dorian.”
He laughed heartily, and even Mara was smiling from across the room.
“I think she’s okay,” he said aloud.
“Don’t tease her,” Ms. Rivers chided, draping her arm across my shoulder, somehow ignoring my flinch. Was everyone who knew Dorian as tactile as he seemed to be? I just wasn’t used to that from anybody but my parents. “Come on, Margo. Nathan will get you home safely.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, that ache in my head returning as I tried to look around the room.
“I’ll go, too,” Dorian said eagerly. For some reason, that embarrassed me all the more.
On the way to the car, I noticed a group of people standing by the front gate, looking at me with suspicious gazes. Amongst them was the man who had almost caught Emma stealing the spirit board. It struck me that I was probably getting the blame for that, too. No wonder they were looking at me so coldly.
Nathan drove me home, and on the way, we passed a group of girls from school who stared at the car as though it were made of horse manure. There went even more potential friendships. After the bonfire party, Chloe and Emma had been visibly scared, blaming Dorian’s friends and swearing to cut off all contact with them. They obviously weren’t the only ones feeling the same way.
In the backseat, Dorian slid his hand across to mine, not quite touching, but close enough to somehow feel comforting. At least one person in the world didn’t completely hate me—although he hadn’t tried to follow-up on our kiss, so that probably told me volumes.
“Thanks for the lift,” I said when we reached my house. How did you even thank people for taking care of you while you were passed out? “I’ll be fine now.”
Before I could stop him, Dorian stole my phone from my jacket pocket to type in his number. “Text me if you need any help,” he said. “I’ll be there.”
I scowled at him as I snatched my phone from his grasp. “For future reference, if a girl wants your number, she’ll probably ask.” I was fairly sure I heard Nathan Evans cover a laugh with a fake cough.
Dorian’s face brightened. “You’re too proud to ask for my number.” Then his expression swiftly turned serious. “Keep the number, Margo. Just in case.”
Something about the sincerity in his voice made me nod. “See you around, Dorian.”
I got out of the car, a blast of cold breeze blowing the rest of the fuzziness away. I watched the car drive off before letting myself in. My house was empty. My parents hadn’t made it home yet.
I curled up on the sofa to rest, suddenly exhausted, and that’s when the pieces really knitted together. I had done the same thing after Dad told me his job was being put off for a while. The disappointment he’d tried to hide had almost broken me. My parents had gone shopping for groceries then, and I’d stayed home, hoping that some time alone would help them. The next thing I knew, I’d been shouting at Dorian, giving him a hard time over my father.
Thensomethinghad drawn me inside his house. The same thing I had felt on Halloween night. The same thing I had felt before I was knocked over in Dorian’s garden. There was something wrong with me, and maybe Dorian’s family, too, because I had walked in on them doing some kind of freaky ritual. I only recalled flashes, but there had been candles and hand-holding, for sure. Maybe Emma’s cult theory wasn’t so crazy after all.
“Margo!”
I sat up and hurriedly smoothed my hair, hoping I didn’t look ill.
“In the living room,” I called out.
My parents rushed into the room, crowding me on the sofa, asking if I was all right.
I forced out a laugh. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” Then why couldn’t I remember walking to Dorian’s house? Why had I fallen asleep and woken up on his doorstep, full of anger and fear?
“What happened?” Mam asked, her voice tinging on hysterical. “Do we need to take you to the emergency room?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “I fainted for like a second. I think I must be coming down with something. Maybe I need a tonic or vitamins or something.”
“Right now?” Dad asked, getting to his feet and reaching for his keys.
I hid my smile behind my hands. “Not this very minute, no. I’m fine. Sorry I ruined your shopping trip.”
“We were worried,” Mam said. “You’ve never fainted before.”
“I haven’t had much sleep lately,” I admitted. “It probably didn’t help.”
“Well, get some rest now,” Dad said.