anyone over the weekends?”
“ I’ll be hanging out with you this Saturday,” he said with a silver glint in his eyes.
“ Really?” I grinned mischievously. “I don’t know. My Mom might have a cow; she is real strict.”
I wore pink lipstick. I never wore make-up. But I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him. He was worth it. Worth the extra ten minutes in front of the mirror each morning, the superficial coloring on my face. I had even added a splash of blush to my cheeks.
“ I’ll stop by ’round six?” His eyes were unreadable.
I shrugged, unsure whether Mom would allow this bold move.
Then the bell rang. Just as he headed out the door I tugged on his shoulder. “Don’t you need my address?”
“ Sure, hand it to me tomorrow.”
“ K...but what about lunch?”
“ I’ve got something I have to do. See you later.” He and his black leather jacket disappeared down the hallway of bobbing heads. He always left just as abruptly as he came into my life.
So at lunch I sat with Kian’s click. Not my first choice, but Jennifer and Molly sat there. They seemed comfortable enough, despite Krysta and the one ongoing rumor that the newbies smoked weed. If Jennifer could sit with them, I certainly could.
“ Nice you could join us.” Kian raked his fingers through his copper-blond hair while his eyes narrowed in a glare. “What, lover boy couldn’t make it today?”
“ Something like that.” I sat beside them on the lawn with my legs crossed.
“ What did you get?” Molly’s nose hovered over my tray of food.
“ Just the meatloaf.”
“ Yum, that stuff is so good!” Mol licked her lips, and Jennifer and I spent several seconds too long staring at her in that you’ve-got-to-be-kidding kind of way. “Well, it is.” She shrugged and dug into her beef tacos.
“ Mom not feeding you at home?” I teased, and Mol just rolled her eyes before returning her undivided attention to her food.
“ So, what has everyone been up to?” I probed. At the very least, I should sound interested in my new friends. Nathaniel didn’t seem so bad. And if Kian wasn’t hell-bent on keeping Dameon and me apart, he might not be so bad either. Krysta was another story altogether.
“ Maybe you’d know if you weren’t so obsessed with Daemon,” Krysta retorted, twisting her lip into a snarl.
“ Well, I’m here now.” I matched her eye-to-eye.
“ Convenient. Are we your consolation prize?” Krysta argued further, and Kian kicked her with an out-stretched heel.
“ Let us just have a civil meal.”
“ Agreed.” Nathaniel nodded, his head lowered over his tray. But his skin still glowed like embers.
I desperately wanted to ask Kian what he meant on the rooftop that day when he said Tommy’s death wasn’t suicide. That a what was responsible. I wanted to know how he knew that and what ‘what’ meant. What danger meant. And if he was looking out for me, why I never saw him except whenever Dameon was around.
But I couldn’t just blurt out everything. I had to have my talk with Jennifer and Molly over the weekend first, catch them up with the latest details. I had to have time alone with Kian, without Krysta over my shoulder hanging on to my every word, or I’d never get a word in.
“ What’s on your mind? You look contemplative.” Jennifer nudged me.
“ Nothing. I’ll talk to you about it this weekend,” I responded in whisper.
“ Maybe Sunday? I’m busy with my family Saturday,” Jennifer told us.
“ Sure. What do you say, Mol?” I asked aloud.
“ What?”
“ About coming over to my place Sunday?”
“ I’m there. Make sure your mom cooks chicken.” She winked.
Before we finished lunch, I pulled Kian aside. Dragging him behind a tree just feet away from the group, I did my best to look serious. Students scattered left and right behind the window. The bell would ring soon. Jennifer and Krysta kept a watchful eye on me.
“ What?” Kian leaned against the tree, his
“ I’ll be hanging out with you this Saturday,” he said with a silver glint in his eyes.
“ Really?” I grinned mischievously. “I don’t know. My Mom might have a cow; she is real strict.”
I wore pink lipstick. I never wore make-up. But I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him. He was worth it. Worth the extra ten minutes in front of the mirror each morning, the superficial coloring on my face. I had even added a splash of blush to my cheeks.
“ I’ll stop by ’round six?” His eyes were unreadable.
I shrugged, unsure whether Mom would allow this bold move.
Then the bell rang. Just as he headed out the door I tugged on his shoulder. “Don’t you need my address?”
“ Sure, hand it to me tomorrow.”
“ K...but what about lunch?”
“ I’ve got something I have to do. See you later.” He and his black leather jacket disappeared down the hallway of bobbing heads. He always left just as abruptly as he came into my life.
So at lunch I sat with Kian’s click. Not my first choice, but Jennifer and Molly sat there. They seemed comfortable enough, despite Krysta and the one ongoing rumor that the newbies smoked weed. If Jennifer could sit with them, I certainly could.
“ Nice you could join us.” Kian raked his fingers through his copper-blond hair while his eyes narrowed in a glare. “What, lover boy couldn’t make it today?”
“ Something like that.” I sat beside them on the lawn with my legs crossed.
“ What did you get?” Molly’s nose hovered over my tray of food.
“ Just the meatloaf.”
“ Yum, that stuff is so good!” Mol licked her lips, and Jennifer and I spent several seconds too long staring at her in that you’ve-got-to-be-kidding kind of way. “Well, it is.” She shrugged and dug into her beef tacos.
“ Mom not feeding you at home?” I teased, and Mol just rolled her eyes before returning her undivided attention to her food.
“ So, what has everyone been up to?” I probed. At the very least, I should sound interested in my new friends. Nathaniel didn’t seem so bad. And if Kian wasn’t hell-bent on keeping Dameon and me apart, he might not be so bad either. Krysta was another story altogether.
“ Maybe you’d know if you weren’t so obsessed with Daemon,” Krysta retorted, twisting her lip into a snarl.
“ Well, I’m here now.” I matched her eye-to-eye.
“ Convenient. Are we your consolation prize?” Krysta argued further, and Kian kicked her with an out-stretched heel.
“ Let us just have a civil meal.”
“ Agreed.” Nathaniel nodded, his head lowered over his tray. But his skin still glowed like embers.
I desperately wanted to ask Kian what he meant on the rooftop that day when he said Tommy’s death wasn’t suicide. That a what was responsible. I wanted to know how he knew that and what ‘what’ meant. What danger meant. And if he was looking out for me, why I never saw him except whenever Dameon was around.
But I couldn’t just blurt out everything. I had to have my talk with Jennifer and Molly over the weekend first, catch them up with the latest details. I had to have time alone with Kian, without Krysta over my shoulder hanging on to my every word, or I’d never get a word in.
“ What’s on your mind? You look contemplative.” Jennifer nudged me.
“ Nothing. I’ll talk to you about it this weekend,” I responded in whisper.
“ Maybe Sunday? I’m busy with my family Saturday,” Jennifer told us.
“ Sure. What do you say, Mol?” I asked aloud.
“ What?”
“ About coming over to my place Sunday?”
“ I’m there. Make sure your mom cooks chicken.” She winked.
Before we finished lunch, I pulled Kian aside. Dragging him behind a tree just feet away from the group, I did my best to look serious. Students scattered left and right behind the window. The bell would ring soon. Jennifer and Krysta kept a watchful eye on me.
“ What?” Kian leaned against the tree, his
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