When Devils Sing(42)
Sam understood then which devil he was, recalling the town’s legend. There was the cicada, the crow, and the snake. It finally clicked. Whatever shred of disbelief she still had for Jack had all but vanished. He truly was what he claimed to be: a serpentine devil walking among them.
Frantically, she stripped the sheets, wadding the fabric into a tight ball, hiding the molted skin within. Without another thought, she opened her bedroom window and tossed the bedding outside, watching it fall to the ground.
Sam climbed out the window, landing barefoot on the warm grass. She carried the sheets to the trash cans at the road, then kept on walking, desperate to rid herself of the sensation of the snakeskin against her legs.
Clayton didn’t come from much, but his family owned the ten acres his trailer sat upon. It was forgotten farmland, with old buildings scattered across the property.
Taking refuge in a run-down barn, Sam relaxed into a chair she’d squirreled away for moments like these. It was made of cheap plastic that she’d been burning holes into every time she came out here. If she was gonna light a cigarette and not smoke it, she might as well entertain herself in other ways.
Except, that night, Sam craved a cigarette something awful. She’d promised Ben she would quit. But she needed one after what she’d just seen. What she’d just done. As she looked onto the shadowy flatland that spread for miles outside the barn, she placed the cigarette between her lips, hesitating for a breath. She studied the old lighter in her hand, with its worn American flag design.
It was a joke gift, one given to her by Dawson last summer. Before their fight that had ruined nearly a lifetime of friendship. Sam turned the lighter over, fingertips brushing over faded letters scrawled on one side with permanent marker.
Two words.
Call me.
Just like her brother, Dawson had once been invested in helping Sam quit smoking. The difference was that Dawson had known why she did it to begin with. To quell her ever-present anxiety. To allow herself a moment of peace when every nerve in her body was on fire. Dawson had understood that if Sam couldn’t find release in one way, she’d find it through another.
For many years, Dawson had always been there for Sam in those desperate moments. He picked up the phone every single time she called. Until he didn’t.
It was last fall when Sam began to notice the fissures growing between her and Dawson. They were walking the halls of Langley County High during lunch, as they often did. Their high school was run much like a prison, and it looked like one, too, but Dawson had a way with teachers. They’d let him roam the halls if he kept out of trouble, and she tagged along.
Just outside the cafeteria doors, a military recruiter had been setting up a table as they walked past. The uniformed man had put up signs about traveling the world on the government’s dime, as well as attending college for free in exchange for service. It was a predatory practice, not uncommon in town.
“Sumter!” the recruiter called out. “You finished up your paperwork yet?”
Dawson’s face blanched. “No, Sergeant Davis. Not yet.”
Sergeant Davis nodded. “Well, get it to me soon. The army could really use a bright fella like yourself.”
Sam waited until they were out of earshot. “Are you fucking serious?”
Dawson shook his head. “I was considering it. That’s all.”
“What about college?” Sam stepped in front of him. “I thought you’d heard back early from your picks?”
Dawson shrugged, leaning against the nearest locker. “I’m not going.”
“Like, which one? UGA? Tech?” Sam asked. “There’s still the smaller schools, right? They’re fine. You can always transfer out.”
“None of ’em, Sam,” Dawson sighed. “I didn’t get accepted into any.”
Sam blinked. “I don’t … how?”
“It doesn’t matter. I just—I didn’t get in.” Dawson scowled. “Why’re you houndin’ me? It’s not like you bothered applying.”
“School’s not for me. You know that.” Sam crossed her arms, eyeing her best friend. He looked ready to crawl out of his skin. “What’re you gonna do then? Be shipped off somewhere halfway around the world? That’s how you wanna see it, in uniform with an assault rifle in your hands?”
“Jesus, you can be so self-righteous sometimes,” Dawson fired back. “Military’s not an option anyway. My heart thing disqualifies me from even applying.”
“Oh, right.” Sam was quiet for a beat. “You deserve better than this place is all I’m sayin’.”
“I get it.” Dawson fumbled with a broken belt loop on his jeans. “I actually got a job lined up after graduation. It’s good money. Could pay for my mama’s treatment, you know. Finally get her some help.”
“Where at?” Sam asked. “Up at the lake?”
“Somethin’ like that,” Dawson said, but he wouldn’t look at her.
Sam never got the chance to ask anything else before the bell rang. They went their separate ways to class, but at the time, Sam couldn’t shake the feeling Dawson was keeping something from her.
And she’d been right, despite how much she wished otherwise.
Months later, Sam’s lighter was no longer a comfort, but an aching reminder of not only the dear friend that she’d lost, but what she’d done to him. It was bad enough to know that their stupid fight a month ago had been her fault.