Blood and Sympathy by Lori L. Clark Page B

history of Hensteeth
High. Most of my classmates had attended school here every year from kindergarten
through the twelfth grade.
    Having the last name Copeland earned me the good
fortune of being one of the first students to cross the makeshift stage and
accept my diploma. Being in front of a group of people made me nervous as hell,
and the warm sun beaming down didn't help matters. I shifted in the metal
folding chair, trying to blot the bead of sweat trickling down my spine.
    "Claire Copeland," Everett McLaughlin, the
high school principal, bellowed with his baritone voice. I swallowed and prayed
I wouldn't fall on my ass in front of the whole town as I made my way up the
stairs to collect the tiny piece of paper that said I'd made it. Finally, I was
free.
    Dad and Olivia were the only two people here on my
behalf. Other than a few stray cousins somewhere in parts of the country
unknown, they were my only family. I sought them out when I had my diploma in
my sweaty little hands, as if to tell them, "See nothing to worry about, I
made it after all."
    Dad wore an expression that may have been a smile.
I wasn't entirely sure, since it was something he seldom did for my benefit.
Even my sister the drama queen dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a tissue
and gave me a thumbs up. She mouthed, "I love you," which almost made
me misty-eyed.
    As soon as the ceremony was over, I ditched the
cap and gown and changed into something more comfortable. My graduation party
was held in the basement of Friend's Church. I stuck around long enough to
satisfy my dad, and went to get the keys to the SHO from Olivia.
    "Now, I don't have to remind you not to drink
and drive, right?" Olivia asked, dangling the keys in front of my face
like a carrot on a stick.
    I snatched them from her and said, "You know
me better than that."
    "I do, and that's why I asked."
    "I'm taking my sleeping bag. It's warm enough
to sleep in the car if I get too drunk to drive."
    It was a tradition to make the rounds, stopping at
every classmate's house to congratulate them before moving on to the next
place. Good thing it was such a small class, or it would seriously cut into my "fuck
school let's get drunk" plans for the night. The last stop for everyone
was Trevor Mills' place.
    Trevor's parents owned half the county, and they'd
agreed to have a party on their property, but there were rules. Once you drove
through the front gates, you couldn't leave unless you were totally sober or
you had a designated driver to take you home. Since I didn't plan on leaving
until the sun came up, it wouldn't be a problem for me.
    I'd maybe had two cups of beer, three tops, and I
was ready to make my way out to the Mills' party.
    "Claaaiiirre." I recognized that voice. The
way he drawled it out, making it sound like "Clay-air," annoyed the
fuck out of me?
    I turned toward him. "What do you want,
Alistair?" He was completely shitfaced and leering at me like a dog eyeing
a t-bone. I reached into my jeans for the car keys, ready to make a hasty
retreat if he decided to do something ignorant.
    "Talk to me, Clay-air," he said,
grabbing his crotch. "You know you want some of the snake."
    "Fuck off, Alistair," I said evenly. I
began walking again, and thankfully, he didn't follow. Once I was in the
driver's seat of the car, I locked the doors, turned the key in the ignition,
and breathed a huge sigh of relief when the engine fired up on the first crank.
    I hadn't driven very far when I noticed headlights
in my rearview mirror. At first, I didn't think anything of it, as there was
bound to be a lot of traffic going this way to reach Trevor's house. The twin
beams gained on me in a hurry, and when the truck was riding my back bumper, I
realized it was Alistair. "Fucking asshole," I muttered.
    His four cylinders would never be able to keep up
with the SHO--I knew I could outrun him--but we were on a curvy gravel road
that had just been graded. If my wheels got into that loose gravel, I would