Discoveries

by K Swanson

  Jayden nodded, not committing to the idea, but not dismissing it either.

  CJ nudged the final gift toward Sam. “I know none of us can compete with Jayden’s gift, but you still need to open Haylie’s.”

  Butterflies filled my stomach, and I wiped my hands on my pants. Part of me wanted to look away. What if he hated it? Was it stupid? Compared to the other gifts, mine didn’t really seem that cool.

  CJ met my gaze and winked. My thoughts came to a screeching halt at the heat in his chocolate eyes.

  Tearing my attention from him, I focused on Sam again as he opened the video game thing.

  His brows rose and a small smile curved his lips. “N-never seen one of th-these b-b-before.” Did that mean he liked it? Or was he just being polite?

  The cookies were next. He gave a lopsided smile and immediately took one out of the container I’d put them in.

  After holding it between his teeth so he could open the final gift, he grinned. “It’s p-perfect,” he said, holding up the color-changing mug.

  I blushed, still trying to decide if he was telling the truth.

  As we cleaned up the mess, Nick asked, “Who has a bigger TV than Sam?”

  I glanced at the one hanging on the wall, then I imagined the media room upstairs at Min and Phil’s. “I guess my foster parents do.”

  Why was he asking?

  I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  “Movie party at Haylie’s!” Nick said.

  Lex rolled his eyes. “She should probably check with her foster parents first.”

  When I didn’t move, Lex raised a brow. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I realized what he was asking. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent off a quick text. Phil was the first to reply, saying we could use the media room.

  With that, we told Sam’s dad and uncle that we were leaving, and everyone piled into the SUV.

  Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite

  “What are we watching?” Nick asked with a hopeful expression.

  Lex rolled his eyes. “It’s Sam’s birthday. He gets to choose the movie.”

  Sam pulled a handful of movies from his bag and spread them out on the floor.

  Ten minutes later, I ended up in the middle of the couch, sandwiched between Nick and Jayden. CJ took a chair not far away, and Sam pulled up a dining chair. I felt bad for taking the couch as Lex dropped to the floor between my legs and Jayden’s, but when I offered to let him sit up here, he shook his head.

  Nick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Did we choose a movie, yet?”

  Instead of answering, Sam asked, “Haylie, what k-kind of m-m-movies d-do you l-l-l—” A grimace twisted his lips briefly. “Enjoy?”

  I shrugged. “Anything, really.” After thinking about it for a second, I added, “Except horror or tragic love stories.”

  I hadn’t seen many of either, but a few others at the institute had enjoyed scary movies. Instead of sitting in my room alone, I’d joined them, but soon I learned how big of a mistake that was. I shuddered, trying not to remember the sleepless nights or the punishments I’d received for being unable to focus.

  “So ac-ction is g-g-good?” Sam rubbed his palms on his shorts and seemed to be looking everywhere but at me. Was he nervous?

  I nodded, but in reality, I wasn’t completely sure what action was. It didn’t sound sappy or scary though.

  After grabbing the remotes and loading a movie into the player, Sam sat down in one of the bean bag chairs we’d pulled over.

  Movement from Jayden caught my attention, and I glanced over to see him yawn and rub his eyes. He blinked a few times, and each time, his eyes stayed closed a little longer.

  He must have felt my gaze on him, because he glanced at me and scowled. With a blush, I turned back toward the movie as it started.

  Nick’s arm went over the back of the couch as he crossed an ankle over the opposite knee. The movie had barely started when he gave an excited, “Yes!”

  “You like this movie?” It seemed a stupid thing to ask, but he nodded vigorously. Leaning in his direction, I softly asked, “What movie is this?”

  He gasped, putting a hand to his chest. “What movie is this? This is one of the best! Iron Man!”

  Not Harry Potter? Or that other one Sam liked?

  I stared at him blankly. Was that title supposed to mean something to me? Granted, there were a ton of movies out there I’d probably never heard of, so it didn’t really surprise me that I didn’t know this one.

  His gaze jumped to Jayden. “Please tell me you’ve at least heard of Iron Man!”

  Jayden glanced at the screen, then shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I haven’t seen it, but I’ve read some of the comics.”

  “It’s a comic?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking the question.

  Nick gaped at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

  CJ laughed softly. “It’s a superhero movie. If you’re interested in comics though, talk to Nick. He can hook you up.”

  Nick’s gaze shifted to CJ. “You can’t just offer up my comic book collection like that.”

  Lex leaned his head back against the couch. “No one was offering up your comic books.”

  Nick glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “You wanna read my comics, don’t you?”

  My cheeks heated, and I turned my attention back to the movie. “I’ve never read a comic book. A couple other kids had them, but they never lasted long before they were found and tossed out.”

  My mind flitted back to a memory of the kids’ handlers who weren’t all that bad. They’d brought in comics, but once one of the scientists found them, he declared them rubbish and tossed them in the trash compactor.

  Nick gave another gasp. “Tossed them out? Fine, you’ve convinced me. Obviously, you must borrow mine. I’ll be trusting you with my babies though.”

  A desert scene briefly took over the screen. I cringed as a thought occurred to me.

  “Nothing will jump out of the screen at me, will it? And this movie isn’t full of bugs, right?” One of my handlers had thought it would be funny to introduce me to the pleasures of Arachnophobia. Just thinking about all those spiders made my skin crawl.

  Lex put his hand against my bare calf, making my pulse hop. “Nope. Nothing will jump out at you.”

  CJ added, “And we’ll protect you if anything does!”

  Nick nodded in agreement, but his attention was now fully on the movie.

  I rested my right hand on the couch, nearly jumping into Nick’s lap at the feel of warm skin.

  “Sorry,” Jayden mumbled, cheeks blazing.

  I bit my lip, a little embarrassed at how badly I’d been startled by the touch of his hand. Instead of responding to his apology, I placed my hand back on the couch and slid it under his so our palms were together, then I squeezed gently.

  The color in his cheeks stayed put, but a small smile tugged at his lips, a dimple appearing on his cheek. I was a little flabbergasted. I couldn’t remember seeing Jayden do anything but scowl.

  As I turned back to the movie, the desert scene had changed to men sitting in armored cars. I slid off my shoes, pulled my knees to my chest, and covered my eyes with my hands. “Something bad’s going to happen, isn’t it?”

  Spreading my fingers slightly so I could still peek at the TV gave me a small measure of comfort. I couldn’t not watch. I wanted to see what happened next, but I also wanted to be prepared in case I couldn’t handle it.

  Gently, Nick pried my fingers from my eyes. “You can’t watch the movie like that. You’ll miss the best parts.”

  I felt as if my entire body heated in a blush as I worked hard not to pull away and cover my eyes again.

  “But I don’t want to see the bad—” I jumped as explosives started going off and slapped my hands back over my eyes. “Is he going to die?” I whispered.

  Without stopping to think about it, I turned to the closest person and buried my face into a soft chest.
/>   Nick chuckled and part of me expected Jayden to shove me away. But after a few seconds his arm wrapped around my shoulders, tugging me even closer.

  Body heat seeped through Jayden’s clothes, warming me. His heart thumped rhythmically. No one had ever held me like this before, and I found the contact comforting.

  His thumb lightly rubbed circles on my upper arm, sending shivers down my back. I practically sat in his lap with my knees resting on his thighs. Every time I made a move to cover my eyes, he stopped me, but he didn’t seem to mind me leaning against him.

  Throughout the rest of the movie, we were mostly quiet, with just a moment or two of talking every now and then. And Lex fidgeted in his seat, his leg bouncing until he finally changed the position he sat in.

  “Well?” Nick asked softly as the credits scrolled up the screen.

  “What other superhero movies are there?” My voice lit up with excitement. I couldn’t help it. Could he hear the hope in my voice? Because I desperately wanted to watch more of these!

  “Yeah. I take it you want another movie night?” The amusement in Nick’s voice drew my attention. Did he mind that I wanted more? Maybe he didn’t want another one with me?

  “Unless you’d rather not—”

  He gave a huge grin.

  Lex stood, stretching his arms above his head. “You’ve made a best friend for life, I’m sure. Nick has a large collection of superhero movies, and he probably wouldn’t find it a hardship to watch them with you.” He took a drink of the soda he had sitting on the coffee table. “In fact, I insist the two of you make movie plans. Maybe I won’t be roped into watching them anymore.”

  With a scowl, Nick pulled me away from Jayden, who I was surprised to see was still awake. “She’d make a better movie buddy than you. At least she mostly sits still.”

  CJ stood, yawning into the crook of his elbow before announcing he needed to ask Min something.

  “Should I be worried about whatever CJ’s talking to Min about?” I asked as I glanced at Jayden again. He yawned for the fourth time in as many minutes.

  “Nah.” Nick lazily ran his fingers along my upper arm, making me shiver.

  “P-probably,” Sam muttered at the same time.

  I frowned. Which was it? Surely CJ wasn’t doing something stupid, right? And he was nearly an adult. But somehow, that didn’t make me feel any better. I’d seen how he was at school. He would flirt with nearly anyone, including Mrs. Paige, our study hall teacher.

  Min would be off-limits though. Right? I could just imagine what CJ was doing or saying to my poor foster mom.

  “C-can I s-s-see your ph-phone?” Sam held out a hand, tilting his head inquisitively.

  He wanted my phone? Why? Did it have something to do with the text I’d received earlier? Well, it wasn’t like I had much on my phone, so he couldn’t do much harm. I handed it to him and he nodded his thanks.

  After a few moments of indecision, I finally stood just as CJ came back into the room.

  “Who’s awesome?” CJ asked.

  Was he looking for praise? Or had someone else done something awesome lately?

  “Me!” Nick announced.

  Sam’s brow rose, although he didn’t take his eyes off my phone. I had no idea what he was doing or what he hoped to accomplish. I noticed he kept blinking slowly, and periodically his fingers massaged the bridge of his nose or his temple.

  “No, asshat, I’m awesome,” CJ said. “You’re just moderately cool.”

  Nick scoffed. “I’m awesome.”

  Throughout their entire exchange, I listened with half an ear as I studied Sam. I couldn’t be completely sure, but he looked pale, even in the dim lighting.

  “Are you okay, Sam?”

  He jumped, as if completely surprised I’d spoken to him.

  “Uh, y-yeah. H-h-headache.” His voice broke and color infused his cheeks, but he didn’t look at me.

  Lex stood, swiping the phone from Sam. “Enough.”

  Sam didn’t even protest as he released the phone.

  After handing my phone back, Lex asked, “Why are you awesome?”

  Grinning, CJ replied, “Because we’re having a sleepover tonight!”

  Nick sat forward, shifting his weight enough that the cushion under me dipped. I let out an undignified squawk and fell into him. He smoothly wrapped an arm around my waist as he replied, “Yes! Whose house are we crashing at?”

  CJ smirked in my direction. “Haylie’s.”

  My gaze jumped to his. “Wait, what?”

  He nodded and seemed quite pleased with himself, especially when he added, “And we’re kidnapping Jayden. He can’t say no.”

  I glanced at Jayden as Sam murmured, “He l-looks t-t-too t-tired t-to put up m-much of a f-f-fight.”

  I was a bit stunned. The guys would be sleeping at my house?

  “We’re sleeping here?” Lex asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Yep. I even promised Mrs. Reid we’d be good. We’ll be sleeping out back by the fire pit near Mr. and Mrs. Reid’s bedroom door.”

  Jayden came to his feet, shaking his head. His dark hair flopped over one eye. “I, uh… I can’t…”

  With a grin, Nick replied, “We’re kidnapping you. Didn’t you hear that part?”

  So fast I nearly didn’t see it, terror filled Jayden’s gaze before he masked it. “It’s really not the best—”

  Lex interrupted, “We can’t make him stay against his will, Nicholas.”

  Crossing his arms, Nick replied, “Well, I could.”

  My phone vibrated, drawing my attention. Another text? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do at your little slumber party.

  A chill went down my spine and I spun in a circle, my gaze darting everywhere.

  My heart raced as I tried not to get sick. Who was watching me? Someone removed my phone from my hand, and my head flew up as Sam sank down on the couch and fiddled with it.

  CJ was the first to realize we were no longer paying attention to the other three. “What’s up?”

  Sam rubbed his forehead. “Another text.”

  That seemed to put CJ on the alert. “What did the fucker say this time?”

  Jayden scowled. “Another text?” With a sigh, he closed his eyes, then he looked at the large black watch on his right wrist before running his fingers through his dark hair. His tongue darted out, the metal in it colliding with the piercing on his lip before he groaned. “I’ll stay.”

  “Just like that?” Nick asked, head tilting.

  Jayden rubbed his eyes with his palms. “Yep.” With a muttered curse, he glanced into his mug. “Dammit.” He tilted the mug up, draining the last of it. “I’m going to need more coffee.”

  “More?” I asked. Surely he didn’t plan to stay up all night. He looked as though he didn’t get enough sleep as it was.

  “Yeah.” He tilted the mug in my direction, showing me the lack of content.

  “I don’t think—”

  Nick covered my mouth with a hand. “What she means to say is—” He cleared his throat, then made his voice high-pitched. “Help yourself, Jayden. There’s plenty of coffee in the kitchen.” In a mock whisper, he added, “We want him to stay, and that means making him happy. I think coffee makes him happy.”

  Jayden rolled his eyes and headed downstairs, ignoring the rest of us.

  CJ glanced at Sam and my phone with a frown. I fidgeted and looked up as Min entered the room.

  “I have agreed to allow this slumber party thing. Few rules. You’ll be sleeping outdoors not far from my bedroom. I have a door leading out back that will be open, and Phil is an incredibly light sleeper. Do not break our trust.” She leveled a stern gaze at us. Why had she agreed to the sleepover?

  “What if it rains?” I couldn’t stop the question from popping out, but I shrank back when everyone in the room looked at me.

  Min blinked. “I highly doubt it will rain since there’s none in the forecast and it hasn’t rained in a couple of weeks. If it do
es rain, I guess we’ll all be camping on the living room floor. And Phil and I will get the couches.”

  With a frown, I considered her words. It had rained earlier today at Sam’s. Had the clouds been centered over his house? He didn’t live all that far away, so shouldn’t they have gotten rain here as well? But when I thought about it, the ground hadn’t been wet when we arrived.

  Well, I supposed it didn’t rain everywhere in the world all at once, so there would have to be places where it was raining in one spot, but not nearby, right?

  Lex leveled his stare at Nick and CJ. “Sam and I will make sure everyone behaves.”

  “Hey! CJ and I know how to behave!” I couldn’t tell if Nick was really disgruntled or if it was all for show.

  “Fu—” CJ stopped mid-word, cringing as he glanced at Min. “—dge, yeah!”

  “Then you just choose not to?” Lex raised a brow.

  With a roll of his eyes, Nick replied, “Whatever. Let’s go set up camp! I call dibs on sleeping next to Haylie!”

  Scowling, CJ shook his head. “No fair.”

  Before anyone could respond, Nick lifted me in the air, his gaze darting around wildly. “Onward!”

  When we reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, he asked, “Which way to the back door?”

  I giggled, pointing toward the kitchen.

  Nick dashed toward the door, startling Jayden as he headed back toward the stairs. A shout echoed from behind us as CJ gave chase, spurring Nick to run faster.

  Once outside, we stopped not far from the door leading to Min and Phil’s room. Only the back deck stood between us and the house.

  “Here?” Nick asked.

  At my nod, he dropped me back to the ground.

  CJ caught up to us, slightly out of breath. “I’m gonna head back to my house to grab shit. I’ll take Sam with me.” Then he narrowed his dark eyes at Nick and me. “Stay out of trouble.”

  “Aw, man, as if we’d ever get into trouble.” Nick pulled me closer, draping his arms over my shoulders so my back was pressed against his chest.

  With a snort, CJ rolled his eyes, then headed back inside.

  Nick glanced around. “Think your foster parents will mind if we move their fire pit?”