The Roses Academy- the Entire Collection Read online

  “No, Wade. Wade with the eyes. Wade from Port Handley.”

  Alise frowned. “You remember Wade?”

  “Yeah. He helped me, I think.”

  “He’s been gone for a while, Aimes. I think maybe you’re confused. Ready?” she asked, pulling at me.

  “I think so.”

  She got me standing and dressed, with only a minor amount of pain everywhere. I wondered what Giselle had to do with me being poisoned. I didn’t like Giselle.

  Shane walked into the room, smiling at me. “Hey, Aimee, are you okay?”

  “No.” I didn’t understand what was happening in any way. I looked at my sister. “What did you do to me?”

  “I never did anything, I swear.” Her eyes were funny. She did something. I could see the guilt. Had she poisoned me? Would she do that?

  The room moved like a choppy ocean. Glimpses of the night before flitted about in my mind. I winced at Shane. “I got sick in your hallway. I’m so sorry, Shane.” My words were thick in my mouth like I might get sick again.

  He winced. “No, don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. I obviously have friends who are sleazy bastards. Someone did this to you guys, in my house. I’ll find out who it is. Right now though, I’m going to carry you to the truck, okay?” He picked me up carefully so as not to jostle me. He carried me down the stairs like I was air. It was familiar to me. Something about it was creepily similar in my mind. I remembered something about being carried on his stairs.

  When we got outside my dad was in the truck and he appeared pissed. We called it his “stress face” and it wasn’t a pretty picture. He got out when he saw us and opened the passenger door so Shane could lay me inside. “Aimee, are you okay?” He seemed terrified.

  “Need doctor,” I muttered.

  He frowned at Shane. “You, young man, are going to stay away from both of my daughters for good.” He swung around to glare at Alise with a burning hate in his eyes. “You did this to her. You conned her into coming to this when you know she isn’t like you. You get home now and don’t leave your bedroom for a month. GO!” he screamed, tearing my head apart.

  Alise turned to me with an apologetic look I had never seen on her face. My sister was ashamed.

  I would have defended them both, but I was too feeble.

  Shane handed me the bowl that had been on the ground beside the truck. “In case you get sick.”

  “Sorry,” I muttered again, drooling a little.

  “Feel better, Aimee.” He kissed my sweaty forehead.

  My dad got in the truck, slamming the door, again ripping my head apart. I groaned in agony as Shane closed my door softly. My dad never spoke the whole way. He was seething and it was better for my head if he didn’t talk. I threw up twice in the bowl on the way. It was mostly heaving and spitting. I had never been that sick in my life, even with food poisoning.

  Chapter 8

  And then there were more

  I was groggy when I woke the first time but at least I knew where I was. The beeping machines and IV were more than enough proof I was safe.

  Exhausted, I fell back into a dream-filled sleep.

  I thought I was still dreaming when I woke hearing talking in the empty black space. “Are there any effects of this on her body that we should be prepared for?” My dad’s voice was the first one I made out.

  “Yes, she will need to be extra careful for the next couple of months while we assess the damage done. This is a serious thing. The level of drugs we found in her system was extremely high,” a lady spoke. I opened one of my eyes to see the light of day, this time without the intense pain. I felt remarkably better and quite hungry.

  My dad and a lady I assumed was a doctor stood in the hallway, just outside my door.

  Shane was on the chair beside my bed, passed out. I flinched when I saw him. Even though his face seemed so peaceful, his being in my room freaked me out. Why would my sister’s boyfriend be in my room, and where was my sister? I glimpsed around for Alise but didn’t see her anywhere. She must be nearby if Shane was with me. Where was Blake? He never left me. Ever.

  I pushed the button to raise my bed to a sitting position. The movement gave me a head rush. It was nothing compared to the ones I had had the day before, when my dad checked me in.

  Shane stirred with the noise and opened one of his eyes. He yawned and smiled at me. “Hey. You’re awake now. Thank God. I guess that means you’re out of the danger zone,” he whispered, stretching on the recliner chair. He stood and put a hand on my head. He bent his face and kissed my forehead. I didn’t have a reaction for it. I froze.

  “What?”

  “You and Giselle were given some crazy homemade date-rape drug. You saved Giselle’s life by drinking half the glass. She’s still out. No sign of her waking up anytime soon either, and with these things, apparently, the longer you sleep the worse it is.” He turned toward the doctor who was pointing in my direction, through the doorway.

  “Huh?”

  “You’ve been here for five days, Aimes, in and out of sleep. Giselle hasn’t even stirred. The doctor said she has brain activity but she isn’t waking. They’re Life Flighting her to Children’s in the city, tomorrow I think, if she doesn’t wake up.”

  “Oh my God.” I covered my eyes and thought for a moment. None of what he’d said made sense in my fuzzy head. “Let’s start again. What drug? Giselle? What?”

  “You remember how those girls were drugged in the last couple of months? The ones who were super sick? That Angela chick is still in the hospital in the city. She isn’t getting much better. They were drugged too. The other girls have gone home but Angela is in bad shape. They think it’s the same person.” He brushed hair from my face. He was touching me and standing so close the warmth of him made me shudder.

  “Like how drugged?” I needed more description. The blanks in my memory were brutal.

  “Very.” He spoke softly, “We found you guys upstairs—each in a pile of puke, Aimes.” He said my nickname, Aimes. “And Giselle was already in this coma. You are the last person to see her awake.”

  I tried to be cool and stay engaged. “How did I get to bed at your house? I remember only that I woke up naked.” My cheeks flushed as I prayed for a really good answer.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “While we were getting Giselle in the ambulance and everything, we left you upstairs. We came back and you were in bed and there was a giant pile of vomit at the top of the stairs.”

  “Wade helped me.” I said it before the memory even flitted through my mind.

  “I don’t know about that. Wade was gone long before this happened. His girlfriend freaked on him for talking to your sister, and she made him leave. I was right there. I think you got yourself cleaned up, before the drug hit too hard.”

  “He was there. I saw him.” I remembered Wade—I remembered him carrying me. I wasn’t wrong. “My ring is gone.” I held my hand out, trying not to think about Wade potentially date raping me while robbing me.

  “No, I got it.” He reached into his pocket. “I found it in the pile of vomit—well, on top. It was shiny and clean but sitting at the top of the pile. I grabbed it and washed it for you. I know how important it is to you. It was your mom’s, right?” He passed it to me. I put it on and tried to ignore that it slid on too easily. I had clearly lost more weight.

  “How did you know it’s my mom’s?”

  “I pay more attention than you’d imagine, Aimee.”

  The heat in my face got stronger.

  He smiled. “It’s nice to see you have color again.”

  Unsure where the conversation was going, I peered around. “Where’s Alise?”

  “I don’t know.” He blushed. “With Blake maybe. What do you remember?”

  “It’s a haze right now. Mostly I remember Wade.” I lay back down on the bed, ready for some more sleep. His words came crashing back at me as I yawned. “Why is she with Blake?”

  “Oh.” He seemed preoccupie
d and lost in my question. “Uh, I think it’s Blake and Alise’s job to tell you about what happened with them.”

  “Okay.” I frowned, wondering why he hadn’t answered me. The doctor and my dad came into the room before I could force it out of him. I wanted the answer to my question, but my eyes got so heavy. I blinked and Shane was gone from the room.

  “So you’re awake?” The doctor put her cold hands on my wrist to check my pulse.

  “Barely. I think I need more sleep.”

  “I agree. A few days maybe and you can go home. Right now though, we need to keep you for observation. You’re a very lucky girl.” Her tone was annoying.

  “I don’t feel lucky. I went to my first party ever and was drugged and woke up naked. Not so lucky, I think.” I kept my eyes closed. They were too heavy to try to lift.

  My dad grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. “Well, the important thing is you’re going to be okay.”

  I pried open my eyes. “Dad, you can’t blame Alise for this. It wasn’t her fault at all. I wanted to go to the party. Or Shane, he’s a really nice guy.”

  “I apologized to her, don’t worry. I was just so mad. I know Shane’s a good guy. He’s been here every day. He sleeps and eats here. I’ve asked him, your sister, and Blake to help out. I want them to find out who did this to you. You kids will hear more than the adults. The cops have nothing and this is the fourth case of this date-rape drugging in the last couple of months.”

  “Fourth case? Seriously?” That was what Shane had been talking about.

  “Yeah. One girl was in Port Handley, but she was from there.” He looked funny. “It happened to the other girls here. The last one is still in the hospital in Seattle.”

  “Oh my God. And the police have nothing?”

  “No. But you kids all talk. Someone will figure this out.”

  “Hmmm.” I closed my eyes and thought about who would want to drug Giselle. The list was endless. She was beautiful and fairly dumb. The combination would be hard to resist. The list would consist of who would date rape someone. In my sister’s group of friends, again I figured the list was endless. She had friends who had been creepy when we were in kindergarten. Senior year, they were serial killers waiting to strike. Then again, I was biased. They had all been mean to me on more than one occasion.

  No one from my nerd table came to mind. All of them had the capability and intelligence needed to make a homemade date-rape drug, but none of them would have done it. And they sure as heck would have made something of higher quality.

  But again, how the hell was I drinking with Giselle?

  That was the question.

  I had never been friends with her so I didn’t understand how I’d gotten drugged with her. Undoubtedly, something must have happened to make me even consider drinking. Giselle must have conned me into it. Or Alise.

  Slowly but surely, the doctor and my dad left, and I was alone to drift off to sleep again.

  Chapter 9

  Et tu, Alise?

  “Aimee.”

  I opened my eyes but no one was there.

  I sat up, gazing around. My stomach hurt. Thankfully, my pounding heart seemed to supply me with the energy I needed to sit.

  “Aimee,” the woman called me again. I was sure it was Giselle’s voice.

  I swung my legs and stepped off gingerly, hoping I wouldn’t fall and reveal the opening in the back of the gown. Hospitals were cruel with their open-backed gowns, and the wind blowing in the backdoor of this one told me the gap was a good one.

  Reaching around, I held the gap closed and started to walk from the room, not noticing the IV. I made it two steps, before sensing the stab of the moving needle. I stepped back and leaned against the machine. My hand burned where the needle went into it and I closed my eyes for a few seconds to let the throbbing stop.

  Taking the IV machine with me, I started my slow progression down the hall in search of Giselle’s room, still clutching my gown closed. I didn’t know which room she was in, but there were only so many so it wouldn’t be a hard find. My body ached and the IV machine didn’t seem happy about the trek either as it squeaked the entire way.

  I saw her through a doorway after I had walked past some rooms, peeking in. She was alone in her room, but it seemed as though the gardener had been by. Every shelf and even the windowsills were full of flowers. We clearly had different friends.

  “Hey, Giselle,” I whispered. I didn’t really need to whisper, thanks to the loud squeak from my IV cart.

  “Hey.” She turned her head, bewildered. “Aimee, you’re here. I knew you were here.”

  “How’s it going?” I sat on the end of her bed, sighing from the excursion.

  “I don’t even know. I don’t remember anything. Do you?”

  “No. They said someone got us good, drugged us both the same way Angela and those other girls were. This is my first time walking in almost a week.”

  “No, you were here before. I saw you. You held my hand.”

  “Maybe Alise came by to see you. With a ponytail and no makeup she can look like me.”

  “Maybe,” she spoke as if her mouth were dry. I pushed the button to bring her to a slight incline so we could look at each other.

  “Did anyone say what happened?” She was obviously fearful. “Like did they hurt us?”

  “I don’t know. Everyone says we were drinking together and then we were throwing up. They brought you here right away, I think, and me in the morning. They tested us and we have some crazy date-rape drug in our systems.”

  Her fear seemed to grow in intensity. “Who would do that?”

  I pressed my lips together. “That’s just it, no one knows. The party must’ve had over a hundred people at it. People from all the close-by schools and whatever.”

  “How long have we been here?”

  “You, seven days. Me, six. I spent the first night at Shane’s house.” I winced when I thought about it. “Giselle, don’t tell anyone, but I know I didn’t put myself to bed. I was naked when I woke, and clean. I’m scared someone did something and then cleaned me up. But I can’t remember.”

  “Oh my God.” She cringed. “What’s wrong with people? Dude, I hate to tell you this, but you need to get the nurse to do a check. She can check and make sure you’re still a virgin. I have to say though, like, if you weren’t a virgin anymore, you would be sore down there. I was super sore when I lost mine.” She peered up at the ceiling and exhaled. “This is such shit.”

  “Yeah.” I glanced down at her arm where the IV was poking in. “I wish my mom was here.” I hadn’t said those words in a long time. But this moment seemed harder than all the others I had gone through without her.

  “Me too.”

  “Huh?” I was confused. “Where’s your mom and dad?”

  “I don’t know where my mom is.” Her lower lip quivered as tears flooded her eyes. “She left. A month ago, she just left. My dad doesn’t know what to do with his life without her. He works, like nonstop. He doesn’t come home sometimes, just sleeps at the office.”

  “Oh my God.” I put my IV-free hand out on the blankets. “I am so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “No, no one does. She told us she was going to visit her sister so we didn’t think anything, but then she didn’t come home. Dad has a credit card he can track her spending with. It’s joint or something. I guess she’s been in Mexico for a week, paying for two people. My dad’s a mess.”

  “I know that feeling.” I bowed my head. “My dad’s a mess too. He’s not taking Mom’s death very well, or at all. He doesn’t even exist really. Just haunts the house.”

  Giselle’s huge dark eyes glistened. Her long, silky black hair framed her perfect oval face. Her skin was an olive color, with naturally pink full lips and eyes so dark the pupils were not visible. Even heartbroken and horribly sick, she was stunning.

  “We have each other.” She gripped the hand I had given her.

  “Yeah, I’m just down the hall.” I press
ed the button for the nurse.

  She came running in, breathless. “Oh, thank heaven, you’re in here. I thought—never mind. I’m glad you’re all right.” She eyeballed Giselle. “Did she wake up? Did she say anything or change at all?” She said it, staring straight at Giselle who was staring back at her.

  “Uhhhhhh.” I turned to Giselle who shrugged. “Yeah?” I said it more as a question.

  “Did she wake or just stir and go back to sleep?” She sounded genuinely convinced.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Oh my God, Aimes. I’m dead.” Giselle panicked, gaping around.

  “No, you aren’t,” I snapped.

  “I’m not what?” The nurse cocked her head, her sweet smile fading.

  “You can’t see she’s awake?” I pointed at Giselle.

  “Aimes, I’m dead. You’re seeing me and I’m dead.” She started to cry.

  The nurse sighed as if defeated. “Honey, you need to go back to bed. You’re very sick. And your friend is very sick too. I’m sorry.”

  “Okay, but I was wondering if we could share a room. I don’t want to be alone.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  The nurse nodded at me. “I’ll have your stuff moved over right away. I can’t believe you walked all that way, hon. It’s a long way for a sick kid.”

  I patted my trusty IV cart. “It helped me the whole way,” I joked to lighten the whole “she couldn’t see Giselle” mood.

  The nurse laughed at me and turned toward the doorway.

  When she had left I gave Giselle a look. “You’re in here, not the morgue. They have you hooked up to the machines and the machines are making noise. I can see you. You’re not dead.”

  “Then what?” She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

  “I don’t know.” I sat down on the chair and waited for my stuff to be brought in. All the brain cells I had left from the drugging were desperately trying to solve the reason the nurse couldn’t see her.

  “Do you think I’m like in a coma and you can see me, but she can’t?”