The Link 2 - The Hunted

Chapter 3 - Caleb

I got myself out of there as quickly as I could. For once in my life, I didn't overstay my welcome. Gene Haverston himself called me his new best friend. I knew he meant it in jest, but it was a good thing to hear him say out loud. People like him usually didn't give people like me the time of day. Maybe, we're all just getting older.

I made Teegan Fuller smile. That, above all else, was my greatest victory. That, and she didn't have a date for prom. I had trouble not grinning like a fool as I made my way to my car. I actually talked with her and she was coming to see me perform. It was like a dream come true. My mother had told me that my senior year would be the best. I never believed her, since the previous years were misery compounded. I always thought people were stupid, and I a fool when I tried to lower myself to their level. Today, I found out people weren't stupid. They just thought differently, and I was the fool for not accepting it.

Fate. That is the only word I could put to the events of the day. I had thought the dentist appointment the day before a chore, and instead, it was a blessing. The waiting room was backed up, and I read that old copy of GQ out of boredom. I never thought an article on tuxes would be of any importance in my life. I never even envisioned going to the prom.

I made a joke and Teegan laughed. I was almost an idiot and corrected the implied tux expertise, but something stopped me. Something told me to let her laugh. To let her enjoy herself. I couldn't believe how good it made me feel to hear her laugh with me.

About two blocks away from the mall, an insistent tone broke into my thoughts. I had forgotten to buckle my seatbelt. I laughed. Teegan was filling my mind, and everything else was blotted out. I almost told her twice. Twice, I held my tongue. Now she was coming to hear me play. I was so happy I kept my mouth shut.

I drove the whole way home with the seat belt warning going off. No desire to follow the rules, I turned up the radio and let the music drown out the warning. For the day, I was a rebel, taking chances and acting smooth.

"Did you pick up socks?" My mom asked as I entered the house.

"Nope," I replied. I accomplished nothing I set out to do. I accomplished everything I desired to do. I walked over to the couch and returned the forty dollars Mom had given me. The lost expression on her face pleased me. I couldn't remember the last time I didn't do what was expected.

"What are you going to do without socks?"

"Go barefoot," I replied and headed quickly to my room. I was bolder. I couldn't believe I stood up to Gene in the mall. It was no different than any other comment I had taken meekly in the past. This time, Teegan was there. The first time she had been watching me. I thought for sure he was going to punch me. Instead, he laughed, and we were somehow more equal. Teegan did that.

I knew I hadn't mastered anything yet. I was no social expert. It was the main reason I left them when I did, before I could make some fatal error. For years, I have looked at Teegan from afar. Her perfection had befuddled me. Most people never saw it. The way she moved, the way she looked at people, the way her voice sang so differently than anyone else's. Everything about her was special.

There was only one entity that knew my obsession. Such a bad word, obsession. I never stalked her. There is just something about her that clutters my thoughts. I only had one 'B' on a test this year. Only one, and I knew the cause. I had bumped into Teegan on the way out of class, and we traded a quick sorry. Silly as it was, all I could think of during the test was her arm touching mine.

I set the alarm on my phone for three hours. I didn't want to send out the concert information too quickly. My desire must always be kept at a distance from Teegan. If she didn't feel the same, then I certainly didn't want her to be weirded out. My obsession had sanity. It would be two-way or no-way. A little fear began to creep over my thoughts. I was about to find out if it was two-way. If it was one-way, I was sure my heart would suffer irreparable damage.

My diary was hidden well. My parents didn't even know it existed. I pulled the grate off the floor's central-air outflow. I reached in and pulled out my book of secrets. For the last three years, I had kept a journal of my life in the book, barely missing a day. A lot of it was mundane, but most concerned a girl of impeccable perfection. The book was the one entity that knew my secrets.

I opened to the first blank page and wrote the date. I wasn't sure how to start. I turned back to previous days and looked at the entries. Teegan sightings mixed with other events of the day. I went back further, where I began to describe what I felt about her. The words were silly and accurate. I went to the first page and read the first entry:

I saw her today. I don't have the courage to speak with her, so the outcome may not be as I wish. It's confusing. No other girl affects me this way. I can see the beauty in other girls, desire their contact, but Teegan Fuller is singularly special. She has a spell on me.

Closing the book, I thought on what I'd written. All those years and only now had I spoken more than one word to her. It was time to find out the truth and stop my childish ways.

My mother was a little surprised when I opened the flue to the fireplace. I wadded up some newspaper and stuffed it under the grate.

"A little warm for a fire," Mom said. She had only ever seen the rational me. I knew she wouldn't stop me, but I could still hear the concern.

"It's necessary," I said as I placed the diary on top of the grate. I pulled a match from the tinderbox and struck it.

"What are you burning?" Mom asked, sitting up with surprise.

"My diary," I replied. The flames quickly claimed the newspaper and the book began to burn. I sat on the rock ledge that stuck out of the front of the fireplace. The flames first turned a strange blue as the cover caught fire, then they went bright orange.

"What's wrong?" My mother asked, moving toward me. The socks were only the tip of the iceberg. Now I was doing something else strange that confused her.

"I'm in love," I told her. "This weekend, I find out if it's for real." I felt my mom's hand on my shoulder.

"What if it isn't?" Mom asked.

"Then I'm lost," I said, "and have to start over."