The next day at school, Matt noticed Candy hadn't shown up. "Was it because of her injury yesterday?" he wondered, feeling vaguely uneasy. "Maybe she's just taken the day off and will be back tomorrow."
However, a couple of days later, Candy still hadn't returned to school. She didn't have a phone, nor any friends to call her even if she did, so no one paid attention to the absence of quiet little Candy Clarke except, surprisingly, Matt. For some reason her absence niggled at him, maybe due to the events immediately preceding it, he thought.
He was heading to his locker at the end of the day when he saw Gina and Nora laughing together.
"Hey, 'sup, sweethearts?" he grinned, joining them. "You gals look very happy today."
"Oh, we were just remembering that little shit Candy," laughed Gina. "The look on her face when Nora tripped her up was priceless!"
"Serve her right for not looking where she was going," Nora smirked. "I only wish I could have taken a pic!"
"Wait – Nora TRIPPED her up? On purpose?" Matt asked, taken aback.
"She deserved it, babes, and it was too good a chance to miss, especially after she showed me up in front of O'Neill like that."
Nora slid a hand up Matt's chest, but he brushed her off.
"I'm in a hurry, I need to go," he said gruffly, picking up his bag and walking off without looking at either of them.
"What's up with him now?" wondered Gina, staring after him.
Matt drove home, his mind in a whirl. True, he had taken the lead in ragging Candy from the start, but hurting her physically? That had never been on the agenda. Then why did he feel responsible? Matt spent a restless evening, escaping to his room as soon as dinner was done.
The next day Candy was still not in, and after passing an uneasy few hours, Matt decided he might as well go to her place to check on her. It was a Friday and in the normal course of events he would have been on a date with whichever girl he fancied on that day, but somehow, he didn't feel in the mood now. He didn't have Candy's address so he decided to drop in at The Cream King and ask the owner. Besides, he had the faint hope that Candy might be there, waiting on tables. That hope was crushed, however, when he went to the little café after school and saw a pretty blonde waitress there instead. Her eyes widened in appreciation when she saw Matt but for once he was in no mood to flirt.
Matt walked straight up to the counter where Mr. Benson stood.
"I'm looking for Candy Clarke," he said.
Mr. Benson's face darkened immediately.
"That girl hasn't been in since Monday now. I suppose she upped and left 'cos I docked her pay."
He took a closer look at Matt. "Hey, you were one of the kids who was here that day, right?"
"Yeah. So she's not come in after that day?"
"Nah. I had to get another girl and at such short notice – very inconsiderate of Candy, if you ask me."
"Do you know where she lives? We study together and she hasn't been coming to school either."
"Let me check – I have her address somewhere." Mr. Benson opened a folder.
A few minutes later, Matt was driving to the address Mr. Benson had given him. It was in a seedier part of town, where the houses had peeling paint and unkempt lawns. Beat-up sedans and rusty old pickups stood in the driveways for the most part, and Matt's shiny blue convertible stood out like a sore thumb in that neighborhood.
Ah – there it was – 114A was a small shabby one-story house painted mud-brown, with depressing green shutters. Matt parked and went up to the door. He rang the bell and waited. No one answered, so he rang again. After a few minutes, the door opened.
"Candy!" Matt exclaimed. She looked awful, was his first thought. Her eyes were sunken and burned feverishly, the cut on her forehead stood out angrily against the pallor of her face, and she seemed even thinner than before.
"Matt!" Candy's eyes widened.
"Can – can I come in?" he asked.
"Oh…yes, of course."
Candy led him to a small sitting room, furnished somewhat garishly.
"I just came to see how you're doing," Matt said at last, breaking the awkward silence.
Candy raised startled eyes to his.
"You came to see ME?" she repeated.
"Yeah – look, I feel kind of responsible for what happened the other day, and then you not coming to school and all."
"Oh! That wasn't your fault…it was me, as always," Candy said in a low voice. "Would – would you like anything?"
"Uh…maybe a glass of water?" Matt replied.
"Sure – I'll be right back." She walked off slowly, limping a little. Maybe she'd hurt her leg when she fell, thought Matt uneasily.
Candy returned with the water and he sipped at it.
"Er…so…how are you?" he asked.
"I – I -" Candy teetered, her face becoming even paler.
"Candy!" Alarmed, Matt moved just as she fell, managing to catch her before she hit the ground. Jesus! Her body was burning; she probably had a high fever, he thought. He carried her to the couch and laid her down on it. She weighed hardly anything, and he could feel her bones through the thin shapeless dress she wore. Matt splashed some water on Candy's face and she stirred.
"Here, drink some water," he said, slipping an arm around her to help her sit up.
"Ahh!" she cried, jerking as he touched her.
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" he asked, removing his arm hurriedly.
"No…I…it's just…my back hurts," she whispered.
"Candy, you're burning with fever – have you seen a doctor?" Matt asked.
She shook her head, not meeting his eyes.
"Are your parents here?"
"I – I live with my uncle and aunt," she said in a low voice. "My parents died when I was little."
"Oh – I'm sorry – I didn't know." Matt looked helplessly at her.
"I think you should go now," she said, struggling to her feet. "My uncle and aunt will be back any time, and – and they don't like anyone visiting me."
"Oh, okay, I don't wanna cause you any trouble, Candy, but are you sure you'll be okay?" Matt asked, reluctant to leave her alone.
"I'll be okay." She refused to meet his eyes. "I'll be back in school on Monday."
"Okay, then."
After a minute's hesitation, Matt left. As he walked to his car, he saw a dusty white sedan drive up. A huge beefy man and a sour-faced woman got out, eyeing him suspiciously. They walked up to the door, glaring back at him as he got into his car and drove off.
"Candy! Who was that boy?" Aunt Lucy grabbed her shoulder as soon as she opened the door.
"A-Aunt Lucy, he's in my class. He just came to see me because I haven't been going to school."
"Calling boys home behind our backs, are you?" Lucy slapped her hard across the face, and Candy fell down.
"Wait, honey, you'll just hurt your hand. I'll teach this little whore a lesson," Ed said, pulling off his belt. "That's for turning this house into a whorehouse," he said, striking her. "And that's for disobeying us and calling a boy here." He hit her again. Candy curled up in a fetal position on the floor as the belt struck her again and again. She made no sound nor shed even a single tear. She had learned very early in her life that crying was of no use, so she simply lay there till her uncle tired of punishing her.
"That'll teach her," Ed said with satisfaction sometime later.
He picked up his unconscious niece and carried her to the pantry, dumping her on her bed there.