Chapter 34: The Crowd Went Wild

We entered the arena, bypassing the concession stands in favor of finding good seats. Toby found an empty spot, Haylee squeezed in next to him, and I sat down next to her, allowing Justin to have the aisle seat.

Grandville was a conservative town, and I had worried Haylee would stick out like a sore thumb in her flashy outfit, but as the crowd swarmed the little arena, I saw that others had dressed for the occasion as well.

I watched as people decked out in white makeup, dark clothing, colored hair, and platform boots made their way down the aisles. It was apparent that Unmasked had accumulated a loyal fan base in town.

Soon the lights began to dim and flicker, signaling to the audience that the show was about to start. Abruptly, the arena went pitch black, then the stage began to glow a hazy blue.

The crowd went wild as a hooded figure, who was only discernible from the rest of the group because of his unique mask, approached the microphone and released a long note.

I had been to goth concerts before and had expected hard notes and dark lyrics, but Unmasked took a different approach. The lead vocalist had the voice of an angel, and the crowd was mesmerized by his intoxicating lyrics.

I didn’t realize I had been hypnotized as well until the lights rose and the band announced they were breaking for an intermission.

Haylee looked at me as she clutched her stomach. “That was amazing!”

I nodded in complete agreement. Toby hadn’t bothered to hide his affinity for the band and was still clapping long after the band members had exited the stage.

“They are pretty good,” Justin said in a flippant tone, though I suspected he was as impressed as we were. “I’m going to the concession stand. Do you want anything?”

“Some water, if you don’t mind,” I replied.

Justin put out his hand. “That will be twenty dollars, please.”

“A bottle of water is that expensive?” I grumbled as I dug into my purse. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I was just joking,” Justin intervened, appearing mildly offended. “Put away your money. I’ll be back with our drinks.”

“He didn’t even offer to get us anything,” Haylee complained as she stood. Toby moved to join her, but Haylee stopped him. “I need to stop by the ladies’ room first, and someone should remain behind to keep Dharma company.”

“I can do that,” Toby said, scooting closer as Haylee abandoned her seat.

“Are you enjoying the concert?” I asked him.

“Unmasked is one of my favorites.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling in the dim light. “What about you? Are you enjoying it?”

“I can’t describe how I feel,” I admitted to him. “This is not what I was expecting. I can see why they are so popular.”

“You can stream their albums, but if you have a record player, they are selling vinyl records at one of the concession stands.”

I waved the idea away. “Those records are just a cash grab.”

Toby shook his head in disagreement. “You can’t beat the sound of vinyl.”

At that moment, Haylee returned, appearing slightly annoyed.

“Uh oh. No toilet paper?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “It’s not that. I saw Justin when I exited the bathroom. He was talking to some girl.”

A pang of jealousy shot through my heart. “Was he flirting?”

To my relief, Haylee shook her head again. “No, she looked pretty pissed off. I actually walked over there to see if I could do anything to help, and Justin ~snapped~ at me!”

“He snapped at you?” I repeated and was about to ask her for more details, when Toby interrupted.

“Was this girl short and blonde with a tattooed sleeve?”

“Yep,” Haylee said. “But I wouldn’t call that a sleeve. It still needs a lot of work.”

“Excuse me a moment…,” Toby muttered, and without offering an explanation, he sidled his way into the aisle and disappeared up the ramp.

“Is there trouble?” I wondered aloud.

“If there is, then we should be there to witness it,” Haylee insisted as she stood.

Though I wasn’t in the habit of interfering in other people’s altercations, my curiosity got the better of me, and I allowed Haylee to guide me through the arena.

When we reached the concession stands, a small blonde girl was pointing in Justin’s face, screaming.

“I hate you, Justin! I wish I never got involved with you!”

Another girl with purple hair tugged on her arm, trying to persuade her to leave. A small crowd lingered to watch the confrontation, and the blonde girl only seemed to realize when she glanced over her shoulder at her friend.

She appeared to concede, but before she turned to walk away, she threw her drink at Justin. He attempted to catch it, but the cup hit him with a wet thump before it clattered to the floor.

Toby appeared dumbfounded and stood aside idly. I released Haylee’s hand and rushed over to Justin.

“Justin, what happened?”

He gaped at me for a moment, then his eyes began to water.

“I can’t do this right now, Dharma…,” he said, then rushed away.

My first instinct was to go after him, but then I had second thoughts. People were still staring in my direction, and I didn’t want to add to the gossip about me already filtering through Grandville.

Instead, I returned to Haylee and asked, “What just happened?”

Haylee shrugged and extended her hands helplessly. “I have no clue, but I know someone who might have an inkling.” She paused as her gaze drifted to Toby.

I turned to him as well. He appeared conflicted.

“Come on, Toby,” I urged him, linking my arm through his as Haylee followed my lead and clasped his other arm. “I think this is our cue to leave.”

“But the show isn’t over!” he complained.

I regretted having to cut our time short as well, but I doubted that I could resume enjoying my night after what had just happened.

“Next time they are in town, I will buy the tickets,” I promised.

When we arrived in the parking lot, Haylee gazed at the empty space next to my mother’s Rav.

“It seems as if Justin took off already,” she said.

Once we were in the car, I contorted my body in the driver’s seat so I could speak to Toby. “Who was that girl, and why was she so upset?”

Toby threw his hands up protectively. “I really don’t want to get involved.”

“Why?” Haylee taunted him. “Are you afraid that Justin is going to beat you up?”

“No,” Toby fired back. “You don’t know his dad. Andrew Jones isn’t someone you mess with.”

Haylee and I exchanged a knowing look.

“We are aware of how vindictive Justin’s dad can be,” Haylee said. “We will keep anything you tell us to ourselves, but Dharma has a right to know what she is getting herself into.”

“Dharma does have the right to know,” Toby admitted, then turned to me. “But you are not going to like what you are about to hear, and you have to swear you won’t breathe a word, because he will know that you heard it from me.”

“I won’t,” I pledged. “But I will wrangle the truth out of him.”

“That girl is Sienna Hagarty. She and Justin dated last year. Rumor has it that she became pregnant, and she had to give up the baby for adoption.”

“That poor girl!” I cried, clutching my chest. “I can understand why she is hurt, but surely her circumstances forced her to give the baby up, not Justin.”

Toby shook his head. “I think she gave up the baby willingly. According to Sienna’s friends, she claimed he had intentionally impregnated her.”

“She can’t honestly believe that,” I spouted, looking at Haylee. I’d expected her to mirror my outrage, but her brow was furrowed, as if she was contemplating something.

“If you two don’t mind, I would like to return to the show,” Toby said, and before I could object, he said, “You don’t have to come along. I saw a few familiar faces in the arena—I’ll catch a ride home.”

I nodded. Just because my night was spoiled, I didn’t have to ruin it for everyone.

“Haylee, would you like to remain as well?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I would rather stick with you.” She then turned to Toby. “Thank you for inviting us. I’m sorry you’re having such a rotten time.”

“Maybe you can make it up to me,” Toby said with a wry smile. “There’s a bash at Make Out Point tomorrow night. It’s a party that the incoming seniors throw for the departing class each year. It couldn’t hurt my reputation if I showed up with two hot chicks.”

Haylee looked at me for confirmation, but I had to put a damper on their plans.

“I doubt my mother will lend us her car so we can attend a kegger.”

“I know a shortcut to Make Out Point,” Toby said. “We can rendezvous at the bus stop at the end of your block and walk the remainder of the way.”

“We’ll see,” I told him, uncertain that I would feel like partying after tonight.

“Text me later,” he called out as he grabbed his bookbag and exited the car.

Once he was gone, I turned to Haylee. “What has the wheels in your head spinning?”

“I was suddenly reminded of something,” she said, pausing so she could rifle through her purse. After a moment, she produced the morning-after pill she had purchased at Conners’ Pharmacy.

“When I showed you this pill,” she said, “you insisted that the one you had taken was oval. I googled the other brands, and none of them are oval shaped. It was a detail I took note of for your contamination report, but when Toby was talking, I had another thought.” She paused, nibbling on her lip.

I watched her carefully. “Continue…”

“You told me that Justin opened the packaging and handed the pill to you. Am I recalling that correctly?”

I gasped, because I immediately knew where she was going with this. “Are you suggesting that Justin swapped out the pills?” I said in disbelief. “Why would he poison me, and how would he have known that I’m allergic to aspirin?”

“I’m not accusing him of poisoning you,” Haylee said. “I’m saying he swapped out your pill for something he assumed was harmless.”

“You think he sabotaged my birth control?”

“In light of what we just learned, don’t you think it’s a possibility?” Haylee posed.

“That is ~absurd~,” I claimed vehemently.

But as I said it, I envisioned Justin handing me the pill, and I wasn’t so certain Haylee was wrong.