Secrets, Lies and Dragonflies

Chapter 29

"I'm sorry, what were your names again?" Aunt Amy asks.

"I'm Christina Phillips, ma'am. And this is Billy and Monique."

"Are you up for some more company, sweetheart?"

I shrug, sending Aunt Amy a look of complete confusion. "Yeah, sure. As long as they don't mind the mess."

Christina steps in, holding a fluted pitcher of flowers.

"Let me see if I can find a place for those." Aunt Amy clears the tray of empty dishes off the dresser to make room for the vase. "I'll be back up with some goodies for your friends."

"Goodies? I like the sound of that." Billy Buchanan ducks under the doorway. "Holy cow, Mac Attack," he says. "What have you gone and gotten yourself into?"

"Hey, Mackenzie," Christina says, her face full of concern. "We heard about your accident. Hope it's okay we came by."

"Yes. Of course." I say, trying not to sound baffled by their presence.

Billy scratches his head full of curls. "So I guess you're gonna be out for this week's game, I take it?"

"Stop being so silly," Christina says, punching him in the arm. "Oh, and Mackenzie, this is my best friend, Monique Wilson. Monique, Mackenzie."

"Hey," Monique says with a warm smile.

"Hello," I reply, searching my foggy memory bank. "Sorry. My brain is complete mush right now, but you look super familiar. I can't remember how I know you?"

"Hmmm." She's examining me, but then shakes her head. "I don't know. Maybe at one of the football games? Do you cheer with Christina?"

"Nope. Not this one," Billy says. "Plays volleyball for Landry. She's our ace."

The heat coming off my neck means I'm probably turning tomato red, a common reaction when too much attention is focused on me. "Hardly, but thanks for the vote of confidence. Oh, and for completely embarrassing me the other day in the courtyard."

Christina places her hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it personally, Chica. He sees it as his civic duty to properly and publicly embarrass any fellow athlete. It's a sign of affection."

"Embarrass?" Billy gushes. He flashes a crooked grin toward Christina. "Clearly my talents are going unappreciated. I just like to make sure my peeps get the proper recognition they deserve. Tell you what, when you're up and at it again, Mac, I'll be sure to highlight those knock out performances in an extra special kinda way. Now that's a promise."

"Oh boy. Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind," I say to the supersized jock standing at the foot of my bed, noting how incredibly unusual this entire scenario is. Never in a million years would I have predicted that Christina Phillips and her boyfriend would be the kind of people who personally delivered flowers to the common folks of Landry High. Eyeing the floral arrangement, I be sure to thank Christina. "They're so pretty. You shouldn't have gone through the trouble."

"I'd like to take the credit, but Coach Jordan is the responsible one. She's the unofficial flower-orderer I'd say. Anytime someone from school ends up in the hospital, she's on it. We just offered to be on the delivery team." She places an envelope next to the vase. "And here's a card from your volleyball team, too"

"Gosh, that's so nice. I really appreciate you guys going out of your way like that." I quickly redirect our conversation. "So, Monique, maybe I've just seen you around school?"

"No. Actually I don't go to Landry," she says. "My mom, she works in Gastonia, so she takes me to a school in North Carolina. It's about an hour away from here."