“I’m not going to do that! Can you imagine how that would ruin everything? You would be making me start all over again.” I ignored her comment and looked toward the man standing across from her.
My heart seized in an uncomfortable fear. The man who had been following me around campus stood right there, his bright blue eyes burning into mine. Now that I was close to him, I couldn’t help but notice how familiar his eyes were, like I had seen them somewhere before. My mouth just hung open in a sterilized panic that I couldn’t quite bat away.
“You know him?” I rounded on Wyn after my brain clicked back into place. She knew him. I mean, she stood here talking to him.
“Who?” Was she joking? He stood right here. She was talking to him.
“Him! My Stalker.” I motioned toward him, my heart falling into my stomach to see him staring at me with an amused smile on his face.
“Hello, Joclyn.” He spoke smoothly, his voice laced with some deep, throaty accent I couldn’t place. His deep rumble vibrated through me, sending a shiver up my spine.
“Oh, great! You could have at least told me she saw you. I told her you were a janitor!” Wyn’s voice sounded almost hysterical as she shrieked. The tall man turned toward Wyn, glaring down at her. Wyn bowed her head, her lips moving in some form of apology I couldn’t understand before lowering in an unmistakable curtsy. That wasn’t normal.
“Will someone please explain to me what’s going on?”
“Joclyn, Ilyan. Ilyan, Joclyn,” Wyn introduced. “Ilyan is my brother, Jos. And, apparently a big jerk. Sorry; if I knew it was him you kept seeing, I would have told you.”
Ilyan turned on her again, but this time, Wyn stood her ground. They stared daggers at each other for a minute as if engaged in some form of silent conversation. Definitely brother and sister.
“I’m so sorry if I scared you,” Ilyan began, his accent rolling his vowels in odd ways. “I am working on my thesis concerning high school peer groups and how they affect the grades and future outcomes of children and adolescents. I have been conducting my research here.”
“Ummm.” I didn’t really understand all that just came out of his mouth. “So, not a member of a cult then?” I spoke my thoughts aloud without thinking, and my hand flew to my mouth in embarrassment.
Wyn and Ilyan only burst out laughing.
“No, no cult,” he lilted with a curious half smile.
I let out a big sigh of relief. Good, maybe my dad hadn’t acted on his craziness yet. I couldn’t stop looking at his eyes; they were just so familiar… Wyn cleared her throat. I guess I had been staring too long.
“So, what are you named after? Ilyan isn’t a very common name.” I spoke the first thing on my mind, hoping to end the rather awkward silence. “Are you named after a king or something; I know Wyn is named after a queen.”
“I guess you could say that,” Ilyan laughed with a rich, happy sound that seeped through me. Even Wyn joined into the joke. I must be missing something.
“What?” I asked, looking between them. They shook their heads in unison; the joke, one they didn’t want to share. I looked away in irritation to see the school grounds devoid of inhabitants.
“Oh, gosh! We are going to be late!” I whisked Wyn away from her brother without even bothering to say goodbye.
We parted ways at Wyn’s locker and I kept running, thankful that it was an A-day and I had gym, instead of French with Madame Armel, who would notice my tardy. Hopefully, I would have time to dress down before class began.
I ran into the locker room, my heart plunging to see it empty. Even if I dressed and went in, the teacher would make me run the mile. No, thank you. I sat down on one of the many metal benches. I was not having a very good track record—first, two classes yesterday and then, gym today. My mom was going to kill me.
I leaned against the locker, intending to sleep through the hour long block. For some reason, sitting still caused the smell from Ryland’s hoodie to increase. I didn’t move, letting the delicious scent waft around me. What was I going to do about him, or even about me, for that matter?
Without any warning, a vision of our bodies intertwined filled my mind. His heavy muscular form pushing against me as he wrapped his arms around me in a passionate… what was I doing? I shook my head in frustration, emptying the fantasy from my mind. It was obvious he wanted to kiss me, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I wanted to kiss him. My mom was right; we were both hormone-driven teenagers. What harm could one kiss do, though? He was leaving after all; I might as well make the most of it…
I slammed my head into a locker. Even with all my rationalization I still had made my mother a promise. As much as my heart broke, and as many times as I would have to repeatedly convince myself of it, I had to keep that promise. Until Heaven and Hell broke loose and we could somehow be together, I would keep the promise.
My mind jerked out of its heartbreaking reverie as my phone buzzed in my pocket.
How’s the hoodie?
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
Large, warm, and very hideable. Thanks.
I tucked the phone in the pocket of the hoodie and leaned my head back again. He must be ditching class, too, because the next message came right away.
Hideable?
It’s a word! I knew it wasn’t, but it should be.
Uh huh… I guess it’s good you are a junior, because you obviously still have some leprosy to deal with. ;)
Leprosy? My loud laugh echoed around the walls of the locker room. I covered my mouth, scared I would get caught ditching gym.
Spell check! I meant learning.
Right; and I’m the one who needs extra ‘learning’? It took a long time for him to reply, and by the time he did, students were already making their way back into the locker room, so I stood and made my way out of the room before I was discovered.
Be warned, we are doing pie tonight.
Pie.
We hadn’t done pie for months. Although it wasn’t as cool as it sounded, “pie” simply involved taking a chocolate crème pie—my favorite—up the canyon and hanging out at the fire pit. Normally I would be excited for pie, but right now, it just seemed like a bad situation that would end in forbidden kissing. My heart sputtered and my stomach swooped. I would keep my promise to my mom. I had to.
I can’t, there is no way my mom will let me. I typed as I slid into my desk in my next class.
I’ll take care of your mom. She will let you; don’t worry.
It had taken quite a bit of compromise to get permission for the movie on Saturday; I doubted it would happen. Then again, she had already gotten me into a regular, old t-shirt.
I can’t. I have lots of homework. I lied, knowing he would see right through it.
Why are you avoiding me, Jos?
I stared at the screen, knowing that class had already started and I wasn’t paying even a scrap of attention. What could I say to him? It wasn’t like I was doing it on purpose. There was just so much I couldn’t tell him, no matter how much I wanted to. There were so many times I wanted to kiss him, to let him kiss me, but I couldn’t. Just being his friend was going to be harder than I thought.
Fine. We’ll do pie.
I put my phone away and attempted to focus on class, ignoring the continual buzzing from my pocket. My next classes passed in quick succession, and I worked hard to finish as much of my homework as possible.
My phone finally stopped buzzing as I slipped into my normal spot in the cafeteria, content to disappear for the rest of the day.
“I am so sorry about my brother,” Wyn said as she dropped into the seat opposite mine, her tray laden with enough food to feed a group of girls. “He’s an idiot,” she continued without waiting for me to respond. “If I had known it was him you thought was following you, I would have told you. He’s an idiot,” she repeated and then bit into a French fry.
“Hey, I’m just glad to know I’m not going crazy anymore.”
“Nop
e, not crazy. He is, though.” She rolled her eyes. “Speaking of crazy, what’s with that cult comment?” Wyn raised her eyebrows at me, but I just waved her off.
“Just something my dad said once.” She kept waiting for me to elaborate, but I kept staring at my food, hoping she wouldn’t pry.
“Well, anyway,” Wyn began in an odd attempt to break the silence, “can you come over tonight? We never got to watch our movie from Monday, and Ilyan will be home so you can see how non-freaky he is.”
“I can’t. I’m doing pie with Ry,” I said. I was sad I couldn’t go. As much as I was looking forward to the evening with Ryland, I was still terrified at what might happen.
“Pie? Is that code for something dirty?”
My voice rang out in noxious laughter at Wyn’s comment. I was so happy we were in the middle of the lunch room where no one would notice the high pitched noise I had just emitted.
“No!” I said through giggling. “It’s just pie.”
Wyn stared at me in confusion.
“You know,” I prompted, “we get together, we eat pie, and we talk.”
Wyn sighed as if that was the stupidest thing she had ever heard.
“We have done it for as long as I can remember. When we were little, it was just a way for him to get away from his dad, and we would hide in the bushes behind the pool.”
“How romantic,” she grumbled.
“Not my boyfriend,” I reminded her.
“So you hung out in the bushes with a boy who may or may not be your boyfriend?”
I decided to let that one slide.
“I was six and bushes were cool.”
“Well, if I ever see a cool bush, I’ll point it in your direction.” Wyn gobbled up a handful of fries in an obvious attempt not to laugh at her bad joke.
“Gee, thanks. Anyway, once he figured out how to drive, we started going up the canyon, which is where I’ll be going tonight.” Not to have a make out session with my best friend, I reminded myself.
“So, you’re going up the canyon to have pie with your boyfriend…”
“Not my boyfriend,” I grumbled.
“Whatever. So you’re going up the canyon with Ryland to eat pie. What a romantic date.”
“It’s not a date either, Wyn.” She stared at me as if waiting for me to admit it.
I shook my head at her in frustration. No matter what she thought, this was not a date; it was only pie, which was still part of the problem.
“Well, how about tomorrow night then? We could even make it a sleepover!” I had never had a sleepover before, and the idea got me excited; but, I knew with all I had to barter for to get permission for Saturday, and now pie, a sleepover was out.
“I can’t do a sleepover, but I can come over for a movie.”
“And dinner,” Wyn added.
“And dinner. We better get going,” I said. “They are supposed to run through Act Two today with the set pieces.”
“Do you think if we write ‘Cynthia McFadden wears boys’ underwear’ on the side of the castle, she would get offended?”
“I doubt it, but all the boys might get in a fight trying to figure out whose underwear she’s sporting.”
“So, still worth a show then?” Wyn wagged her eyebrows at me in excitement. I knew she wouldn’t, but part of me hoped she would. I could do with the laugh today.
It was the first time I would be seeing Cynthia since our bizarre altercation in the hall. After the first few days, the terrified stares and catcalls from the students had died down. I hadn’t seen Mr. Ray since then either.
I opened the door, expecting the worst. Class had already begun. The actors were already in their costumes, so Wyn and I went right into action. Wyn, Jamison and I moved set pieces on and off the stage as the cast worked through their lines and blocking. At least once in every line, Cynthia would forget something, giggle like a maniac, and then proceed to mess up the rest of the line. It wasn’t even worth it to mention that I knew the whole show by heart.
I had thought I was in the clear; the show was almost over and the last of the royals were dying rather poorly acted deaths in the middle of the stage.
“I know what you did, you little freak.” I spun around to face Cynthia, her face almost maniacal in frenzied excitement.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.
“I think you do. You’re a freak. I’m going to find out why, and make sure everyone knows.”
I just froze, her acidic voice washing around the space.
“Knows what?” Wyn bounced into the conversation. I could have kissed her for arriving with such perfect timing.
Cynthia flinched a bit, her resolve lessening at my added support.
“Freak,” she repeated before strolling off to join the cast for the curtain call.
“Ugh. She bugs me,” Wyn spat. “It’s like she thinks she owns the world.”
“Yeah, well, maybe she does,” I whispered to myself before going to remove a large wooden throne.
When the bell rang, the cast and the rest of the class stormed out of the room, leaving Wyn and me to finish putting the set pieces away. Even the teacher had disappeared.
“You were right, by the way,” Wyn spoke out of nowhere. “Cynthia McFadden is an atrocious Ophelia. How do you think she got the part?”
“No one would pay the price of admission if there were a whole bunch of nobodies in the cast.” It was honest, that’s how all high school shows were cast.
“I bet you know every speech by heart, don’t you?”
I paused, holding a large foam block in my hands and looked around me.
“Do you think everyone is gone?”
“Ooooo, yes!” Wyn’s eyes glittered as she dropped what she carried and ran to the first tier of the audience space.
My confidence shuttered for just a moment before coming back tenfold. Wyn’s excited face supercharged me. I moved to center stage and dropped my head. I ran through the entire piece in my mind before I began. I knew how I wanted to hold my hands, how I wanted my voice to sound. I just hoped it came out right.
“O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! The courtier's, scholar's, soldier's, eye, tongue, sword, Th' expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form.” I recited each line with all the purpose and emotion I felt, my body and hands moving as I pleaded to myself and the invisible characters around me. Even though I was no good, my body still felt alive.
“That unmatch'd form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me. T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!”
I finished as I was taught, head down, arms to the side; but I was jolted out of my closed position by not one but two pairs of clapping hands. My head jerked up just as Wyn’s hands stopped their furious applause to see Ryland. My heart calmed for just a moment, glad that it wasn’t Cynthia or some other irritating senior, before going into turbodrive at the sight of Ry standing in the doorway.
“See! I told you! You were amazing!” He rushed in and swept me up in a giant bear hug, his arms crushing me against his chest. “Wasn’t she amazing?” He turned enthusiastically to Wyn who only nodded at him.
“You must be Wyn.” He dropped me before rushing over to her, his big hands outstretched.
“How did you know about Wyn?” I asked, interrupting the enthusiastic handshake Wyn had been sucked into. I hadn’t mentioned her to him at all.
“Well, see, someone has been avoiding me all week, and I have to hide from my father somewhere, which means that your mother and I have become the best of friends. And, I know where the cups are kept in the kitchen now.”
“No!” I shrieked, my hand flying to my chest. Wyn stuffed her hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh.
“Yes, it’s true. I can now tell you where cups and plates are to be found in my own kitchen. I know it’s a shock, but soon I may even be able to locate a bowl.” Ryland spoke seriou
sly, like he was announcing a death, his voice causing Wyn’s laugh to come unplugged.
“It’s a scandal,” Wyn said between laughs.
“Not about that! Have you really been talking to my mom this whole week?”
A wide smile spread across his beautiful face, verifying the truth. My mom knew that Ryland had been calling me without even looking at my phone. She was up late this morning on purpose, knowing that Ryland was going to take me to school. I don’t know why this bothered me so much, but it did.
“No,” I whispered. “What did she tell you?”
“Absolutely everything! She even showed me your naked baby pictures.” I yelped in horror and did what any other logical girl with a crush would do; I slugged him in the shoulder. Unfortunately, my hand was weak and his shoulder was very strong. My hand exploded in pain as the muscles and bones separated from the rough impact.
“Ouch! Darn it, Ryland! Not fair.” I shook my hand, waiting for the sting to go away, stomping my foot in the attempt to distract my mind from the centralized pain.
“Oh, you’re such a baby. Come here.” Ry grabbed my hand and placed it in between his big, warm ones. The warmth of his hands grew and moved into my hand as the pain melted away. It was comforting to have him hold my hand so tightly, his warmth moving through me like it was something tangible.
“Better?” he asked. I could only nod.
“So, Wyn,” he didn’t release my hand from his grasp as he turned to her, his wide goofy grin back in place, “are you coming with us? Pie in the mountains?”
“I take it my mom said yes?” I asked, perfectly aware that my hand was still clasped inside his.
“Of course, she did.” He flashed me a wide, perfect smile before turning back to Wyn, waiting for an answer.
“I probably shouldn’t.” I could see the reluctance on her face, but I also saw a way out of being alone with Ryland.
“Please come, Wyn! It’ll be fun!” I removed my hand from the warmth of Ryland’s grasp to move toward her. I tried to make my eyes as pleading as possible, but having never done it before I wasn’t sure the attempt worked. I stared her down for a few moments longer, pleading until she sighed in defeat. I jumped in the air in celebration as she nodded her head in agreement.
Imdalind Ruby Collection One: Kiss of Fire | Eyes of Ember | Scorched Treachery Page 13