by S M Olivier
“She’s already going to be hating life shortly,” Jemmy said with a sympathetic frown.
“Why do you say that?” I asked with concern; the first time I spoke since the bombs had gone off around me. Six to be exact.
“You’ll be expected to begin your physical training, and it’s no joke. Since you’re a senior, your class load is going to be crazy too. More than likely, you’ll have a lot of catching up to do, the curriculum is intense and probably more than you’re used to. Then, you’ll probably be stuck in a class of kids just coming into their gifts for your gift training.” Jemmy said with regret lacing her voice.
“Way to be such a Debby Downer,” Troy said with a laugh. “I’m sure you, Drake, Noah, and Jax can find the time to tutor her, and when Remy, Jace, and I are in town we can help out as well.”
Everyone nodded in silent agreement. I felt like I was close to a panic attack. Was it too late to change my mind? I fought the urge to flee; I didn’t want this life. If I could, I would tell them to take my gift away and shove this connection thing so far up where the sun didn’t shine.
“She shouldn’t struggle too much with school,” Mr. Jace said finally. “She was on track to be valedictorian or salutatorian, and this school system isn’t too far behind ours.”
Drake looked over at me with his eyebrows raised. “Are you in AP classes?”
I knew he wasn’t insulting my intelligence, but I was on edge and irritated that they were all talking around me like I wasn’t even there. “Why? I don’t look smart enough to be a good student? Is it because I come from a trailer park? Should I be a product of my environment? Maybe I should be on a street corner trying to score some more blow, a little Mary Jane?” I said acerbically.
Jemmy, Noah, Troy, and Jaxson started laughing at Drake as he flushed red. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the words to respond to me.
“You know that’s not what he meant,” Remy finally spoke up for the first time since we got in the car hours earlier. “Drake is extremely bright and studious. He's not used to the rest of us peons being on his level. I’m sure he was pleased that his connected wasn’t like most of the girls that pursue him.”
Drake gave him a relieved smile as if he had voiced the whole situation correctly. The others stopped laughing, and I immediately felt like a jerk for being so mean to him. It was obvious that he was shy and slightly socially awkward. I wasn’t a bully, and I hated when underdogs were picked on. I shouldn’t have lashed out at the easiest target, regardless of my own fears. He had been nothing but nice to me, and I didn’t hear him complain once when he cooked for us.
“I’m sorry,” I looked directly at Drake. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you because I’m− because of all these new changes. All my classes are AP, but I would appreciate it if you can help me when you’re available.”
He gave me one of his megawatt smiles as he pushed his wavy brown hair out of his eyes; his warm, blue eyes behind his wire-framed glasses. “We can compare schedules.”
“Dork.” Noah was clearly one of the “funny” guys in the group, as he clearly was trying to lighten the mood in the room once more. “We can compare schedules,” he mimicked in a higher pitched male voice. “Who keeps a schedule?”
“He does,” Jemmy said as she plopped herself down on Noah’s lap. “Literally, look at his calendar on his phone. Everything with a date and time is written in there. Exams, appointments, jobs, assignments, everrrythiiiiing.”
Not for the first time, I noticed the casual touching she gave the guys constantly—with the exception of Mr. Jace and Drake. It just confirmed the comfort she felt with them, and in her own body. Her confidence and beauty reminded me of the Bubble Gum Squad, minus the vindictive cattiness.
I was left wondering if she ever had, or was having, any relationships with them. She was younger than most of them, but Remy was the oldest out of the group, at twenty-four; a six year gap wasn’t too terrible in most people’s opinions. If they didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that I was younger than them, then I didn’t see them being terribly concerned with dating Jemmy.
A sudden wave of tiredness hit me, but I wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of the couch. The feeling in the room had lightened, and the group started joking and talking to each other. Will went to the piano and started playing some Beethoven, and I wondered if Jaxson was musically inclined like his father and brother. Jemmy remained on Noah’s lap, and they were discussing some movie that was just released in theaters with Troy. Jaxson, Remy, and Mr. Jace began talking football. Apparently, Remy and Mr. Jace had played when they were in school and Jaxson currently played.
Drake had taken a seat next to me and took out his notes from one of his classes and began studying. He pulled out his iPod and put an earbud in and gave me an inquiring look as he held the other earbud out. I nodded with a smile and stuck it in my ear, moving closer to him so the cord wasn’t stretched too far.
Soon, I felt myself drifting off to sleep as a crazy mix of Drake’s eclectic taste in music filled my ear. Drake listened to a wide variety of music: classic country, bluegrass, pop, classical, classic rock, R&B, rock, hip-hop, and more. It kind of surprised me, and I had a feeling this was his way of letting me get to know him.
I was vaguely aware of slumping even closer to him, and his strong, long arm wrapping around my shoulders as my head rested against his chest. His scent was subtler than the others that I had smelled, but pleasant nonetheless.
I really needed to stop making a habit out of being carried into my room. I was rudely awakened by Jemmy and Ella the next morning. They were entirely too perky and awake for the early hour. Ella was bouncing on my bed and chirping for me to wake up as Jemmy opened all the curtains in my room, the sun glaring in.
“Rise and shine,” Jemmy said in high pitched sing song voice.
“Ugh,” I groaned as I looked down at my watch. It was seven, later than I normally slept, but the emotional and physical days I had recently must have drained me more than I thought they would. “One more hour.”
“I have coffee,” Troy said from the doorway.
I sat up self-consciously and blinked at him. I know I must look like a hot mess. My hair was standing on end, and I was still wearing the clothes from the night before.
He looked entirely too groomed and well put together as he came into the room wearing a black polo, khaki pants, and black shoes. The black looked great against his olive colored skin, and as he stepped closer with the coffee, I noticed he had a little red logo on his polo. I assumed it was the name of the security company he owned.
I gratefully accepted the coffee and groaned. It was exactly as I liked it: light and sweet. “Mmm, thank you,” I looked up at him in surprise. “How did you guess?”
He gave me a roguish smile, “I took a guess that you liked it sweet, like yourself.”
I snorted at him. “You must not know me well enough yet, I’m far from sweet.”
“Liar, liar pants on fire,” Ella said indignantly. “I told him what you liked,” she stuck a tongue out at him. “Just like you order it at Grub Hub: hazelnut coffee, extra cream, extra sugar,” she recited with a proud look on her face.
I smiled at her. It looked like Jemmy had already gotten her dressed and did her hair for the day. Her hair was in a high sock bun; the tight, pulled back style accentuated her large blue eyes.
“Nark,” Troy grumbled good-naturedly as he sipped on his own coffee. “Drake left us some cinnamon buns. Jace, Remy, and I are getting ready to leave for the day. Remy and I should be home by Monday, so we will probably have dinner Monday night.”
“What about Noah, Drake, and Jax? Are they still here?” I asked politely as I blew on my hot coffee.
I didn’t know if I liked this connection thing, or even if I could wrap my head around it yet, but I know it would be important to get to know all of them.
“They already left,” Troy explained. “Now, hurry along so we can have breakfast. You h
ave a long day ahead of you, Princess.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the nickname he gave me, but I decided not to take it up with him just yet. I wasn’t functioning quite yet, so I decided to hop in the shower and get this day going. It didn’t look like I had a choice.
I came down to breakfast wearing one of my oversized hoodies, jeans, and Converse. I knew I had a busy day ahead of me. My stomach was filled with butterflies as I topped my coffee off and headed into the dining room. It was a cozy scene. You could tell they had been together for a long time; they were so relaxed and…normal. I don’t ever remember normal. Even when my dad was alive, he had attempted normal, but it was just me and him; I would be lying if I said I hadn’t dreamed of a full family. I wanted a loving mother and siblings. I had Ella now, but no dad, and my stepmom had been horrendous.
Jemmy looked up, a cinnamon bun poised in front of her mouth. “Those clothes really won’t work any longer.” She screwed up her face, but it was said in a way that I wasn’t offended.
I snorted. “Whatever. It…worked, for its purpose.”
There was no way I was going to explain to her that I had hidden behind my clothes for so many years. That I had felt safer hiding my curves. That my life wasn’t like hers; I had to survive.
“Good luck,” Troy said with a grin at me. “You’re going to need it.”
I sighed, took a bite of my cinnamon bun, and moaned as it melted in my mouth. I saw Mr. Jace’s, Troy’s, and Remy’s gazes on me. “What?” I asked, mystified. “This is really good.”
“I need to learn how to cook,” Troy muttered as he drank his coffee.
Jemmy started to giggle and turned to the guys. “It’s so cute that she doesn’t even realize how cute she is.”
I rolled my eyes and continued eating my cinnamon bun. “You need to text Drake and tell him his cinnamon rolls are phenomenal.” I ignored her comments.
Mr. Jace handed me a phone. “All our numbers are already programmed in there. You can text him yourself.”
I gaped at the brand-new iPhone. This could have fed Ella and me for a month. It could have paid our rent and then some. “I can’t accept it,” I stuttered.
“You can, and you will,” Will said sternly, but there was a smile on his lips. “You need to be able to reach the guys, and they need to reach you.”
“I have a phone,” I held up my battered burner phone.
He shook his head. “Which has seen better days. You’re a part of the Bell clan now, get used to it.”
I should have bristled at his/their audacity, but I knew resistance was futile. There was no use trying to fight them. I would have to save my energy for bigger issues.
Soon it was time for the guys to get going. Troy hugged me first and promised to see me soon. Remy gave me a surprisingly gentle squeeze before jumping into his Land Rover and driving off.
“I have an assignment this weekend,” Mr. Jace said as he came up to me. “So, I will probably see you next weekend, but text or call me for anything, okay?”
I nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Jace.”
He gave me a rueful smile. “I’m not your teacher anymore,” he grabbed my chin gently, “maybe you should start calling me Jace.”
My breath hitched at his gentle touch. How quickly things had changed. He went from my childhood friend to a teacher to one of my connections. “Okay…Jace,” I said softly.
He smiled once more and stroked my cheek before turning. He didn’t attempt to embrace me, which left me strangely bereft as he left as well.
“Well, we have some shopping to do!” Jemmy said with enthusiasm. “I googled the best mall around here, and there’s one thirty minutes away.”
I knew what mall she was talking about, but I had never been. It was a high-end mall, and I had never had the money to even bother window shopping there. I knew my lane, so I had stayed in it.
“Be safe girls,” Will said fondly as he handed keys to Jemmy.
“Thanks, Pops,” Jemmy placed a kiss on his cheek before skipping to a red BMW convertible I hadn’t seen before. So, I assumed there were more cars in the garage.
“See you later,” I said awkwardly, not sure if I could ever break out of this shell I had put myself in.
Even though Will had put me through a lot as a child, I knew he had changed, and he had done a lot for me and Ella already.
I climbed into the beamer and made sure Ella was buckled in before I buckled myself in. Jemmy turned on the stereo and cranked up the music. I tried to catch Jemmy’s enthusiasm, but I was struggling.
I opened my new phone contacts and figured I would text Drake. I may never decide to make these connections, but I could at least try to get to know them. He was so endearingly shy, but I had a feeling still waters ran deep.
Me: Your cinnamon buns were amazing. Thanks :)
It didn’t take long for my phone to vibrate in my hand.
Drake: You’re welcome. Good luck with my sister today.
I giggled out loud.
Me: Thanks. I have a feeling I’m going to need it :-/
“Who are you talking to?” Jemmy gave me a playful smile.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I joked back.
“Well, I can take six guesses,” Jemmy said tongue in cheek.
“Yada, yada, yada,” I playfully sulked.
Soon, it was her phone going off. She took it out of her purse and threw it at me. “Can you read that for me?” she asked.
Which totally surprised me; she struck me as a person that would text and drive. I also was surprised that she would trust me enough to read her messages.
She gave me a huge smile. “We’re going to be best friends. Heck, we’re almost sisters. I never had a sister. I like it!” she said as if she read my mind.
“Can I be your sister too!” Ella exclaimed from the back seat.
“Of course,” Jemmy grinned at her from the rearview mirror.
“Yay!” Ella smiled.
I looked back at Ella and smiled at her. I had never seen her so happy, I realized. This constant turmoil surrounding me was well worth it to make sure she stayed that way. She would never have to worry about our next meal. She would never be scarred by her mother’s actions any longer. She would never be put in harm’s way, ever again. I just needed to suck it up and figure this all out. I needed to make this work.
Jemmy’s phone went off once more.
I opened her messages and saw she had three missed messages.
The first one was from someone named Tamara, “Hey girl, why is Jax acting all sketchy?” I read aloud.
Jemmy cursed under her breath, and I raised a brow at her.
I continued, reading the other two. “Tamara: Can you tell me where Jax was the last few days? Stacey: Why isn’t Noah answering my text? He isn’t talking to me!”
“So, you can’t get mad, but Tamara and Stacey are their girlfriends,” Jemmy said quickly.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit it bothered me, but what had I expected? These guys were hot. I wouldn’t expect them to be single. Plus, this couldn’t be any easier on them. They had guessed that they may have a connection out there, but how were they to know when they would meet me, or if they would? It would have been preposterous for them to keep their lives on hold forever.
I shrugged. “I’m not. They have lives. I don’t expect them to put them on hold for me. I mean, what happens if we don’t connect? A connection doesn’t guarantee a true bond, right? Does it guarantee I can love them, or they can love me…eventually? This is crazy!” I laughed a bit hysterically.
Jemmy looked pensive for a moment. “I mean, I’ve heard of some people denying their bonds, but it never ended well. Imagine that you are a cell phone. You go on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and make phone calls constantly. Eventually, it would die unless you plug it in. When we use our powers, we are essentially tapping a power within us. People with connections need to connect, or their power gets depleted. They basically become useless. For some gifted, they
don’t care. They don’t want their gifts any longer, but they are not only sentencing themselves to a life of no power, but also sentencing their connection to a life with no power.”
“Wow,” I breathed, not realizing the gravity of the situation. “What happens if—and I mean a big if— I were to connect with them. Can they continue living their lives normally without me? Like can they date other women, marry other women?”
Jemmy laughed dryly. “I’ve heard of a few people able to pull it off, but it’s really rare. There are not many men or woman willing to know that their partner needs another person in their lives or they become giftless. Honestly,” she frowned “I only know of Brian, Heather, Harry, and Caitlin that make it work but Harry and Caitlin are weak. They can care less that Brian and Heather are connected. They are willing to fit anywhere into their lovers lives that they can. It’s not easy, but they manage.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, and then I pulled out my phone to send a group message to Jax and Noah.
Me: I don’t think you should be so quick to throw out your existing relationships.
I looked over at Jemmy. “Are any of the other guys dating?”
Jemmy looked over at me, looking torn between telling me the truth and lying.
“Lay it all on me,” I urged her. “There’s no use keeping secrets. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”
She sighed. “Well…as long as I’ve known Remy, I’ve never seen him in a relationship per se. I’m not stupid, I know he’s not celibate, but he’s extremely private about his bedroom activities. Jace and Troy are his best friends, and I know they are privy to his sex life, but they won’t ever divulge his secrets.
Jace has had an on-again, off-again girlfriend since he was a freshman in high school. Molly is very sweet, but very busy. He won’t commit to her,” she looked over at me. “And now I know why they are currently off again, but she’s also one of his good friends, so,” she grimaced at me, “don’t be surprised if you see her around.
Troy is a notorious womanizer. He loves his women. He has a theory of work hard, play hard, but he’s never lied to any of them. He always made it known that he wasn’t in for the long game.