It was the last day of our vacation, and he still hadn’t tried anything. I was furious and felt deflated and more insecure than ever. He doesn’t like you April. He feels sorry for you. Who would want someone like you? You are nobody, and you’re always just going to be the friend. I don’t know what you were thinking.
We left Las Vegas and made our way back home to Texas. I don’t think I mentioned that I lived in Texas, have I? Yeah, well nothing important happens there. I swear it’s just a black hole. I started to have an itch after a few weeks, so I went to have a serious conversation with my mom. “Hey. I was wondering if you would consider moving.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“Would you totally be against moving to Vegas?”
I must have had a look on my face because it took her a while to answer, so I continued talking. “I mean you have family there, and I don’t really have anything keeping me here other than my brothers. If I keep taking care of them, Tiffany and Dad are never going to learn. I want to start somewhere new, where no one knows me.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’ve been thinking about moving for a while, so okay. We can move soon.”
I was so excited. We started saving money and looking for houses. We were just so blissed out and chipper. I bet you are wondering what my rush was. Well let’s just say I was running away. Brian was doing his own thing. By that, I mean he got a girlfriend. It hurt, but I wasn't surprised. Brian was good looking, sweet, and thoughtful. He was far from perfect, but that’s one of the things I loved about him. He never tried to be anything other than himself. I envied that. I used to have this idea of who I was going to be and what I wanted to accomplish in life, but it didn’t happen the way I hoped it would. I’ve spent so much time being what everyone wanted me to be and doing things they wanted me to do. I was tired of pretending to be someone that I wasn't. Why not start over somewhere else? So that’s what we did. It took us about a year to get everything ready and save enough money. I spent some time surfing Myspace during that time looking for new people that I might hit it off with. Then I got a friend request from this guy in Vegas.
The week I was there on vacation, my mom and Brian were gambling, so I went off on my own to find the restroom. While walking I was texting someone on my phone and not paying attention to where I was going. Bam! I stumbled into some guy. I looked up, and my breath was taken away.
“Excuse me.” I tried to move around him, and he stepped back in front of my path again.
“Hi.”
His voice was deep and a little raspy. It caught me off guard. I stared up at him deliriously. He was so tall I had to look up to see his face, and when I did I noticed his amazing blue eyes. I must have been ogling him for a long time because he got this sexy smirk on his face. I shook my head to clear out the fog that had rolled in so I could form some sort of words and not look totally stupid in front of this hot guy in front of me.
“Hey.”
“Tourist, right?”
“Umm yeah. Is it that obvious?”
“A little.”
There was the smirk again. How did he expect me to focus if he was going to be looking that sexy? “Not to be rude, but is there something that you wanted?”
“Yes there is.”
I wait for him to say something, and when he doesn’t add anything further, “Okay. Would you care to share?”
“Your name?”
“You want to know my name?”
“Yes.”
“Really? You got in my way just to ask my name? It’s April, and if you will excuse me, I need to go in there.”
Pointing in the direction of the bathroom, I made a quick escape while his attention was diverted. I made it into the bathroom to handle my business, texting my friend as I was walking out to tell her what just happened. Then, what happened? I ran into a solid chest again! I sighed and looked up, getting ready to apologize. I really needed to start looking where I was going.
“We have to stop meeting like this.”
Ugh, really? Did he seriously just try that line? “Does that line usually work on girls?” I was surprised to see a slight blush tinting his cheeks. He chuckled softly, looking embarrassed. “Actually you’re the first to call me out on it.” “Ah. Well as fun as this has been…” I trailed off, hoping he would get the idea. Apparently he didn’t because he continued talking. “My name is James, and I’ve been watching you hang back from that guy at the table. Is he your boyfriend?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no he’s not.”
“Good. Hopefully I’ll see you around before you head backhome.”
“Doubtful, but have a good day.”
I walked away quickly, straight to Brian who had his head turned with a strange look on his face. “What?”
“Who was that guy April?”
“I don’t know. Some local who introduced himself. Don’t worry about it. He seems harmless.” “Hmm.”
As the memory faded, I was sitting there looking at the friend request from James himself. How did he find me? It’s not like he even knew my last name. Deciding to be the new daring April, I accepted him. It couldn't hurt, right? At least I would know one person in Vegas, one extremely hot friend. We hit it off so well that we started talking every day. It’s really crazy how much we hit it off considering we had only seen each other once. I didn't know whether this was going to become a friendship or something more, but I decided to let it play out. What better way to get a fresh start than to begin a new relationship?
“It’s Our Choices, Harry, That Show
What We Truly Are, Far More Than Our Abilities.”
-JKR
Chapter 10
Logan It had been a month since Deandra moved and about two weeks since I had my talk with Mom. The one good thing that came of our talk was that she started to be around more than usual. In a way, I was happy because I really missed her. It used to be us against the world. Ironic, right? At the same time, I felt like she was only around because she was trying to protect me. I know that’s what parents do, but this was bigger than the both of us.
Since I saw the guy in black
standing outside my house, I kept looking over my shoulder. It was like when we were on the run from my dad, always worried and never able to sleep well. It was a little different this time though. Instead of fear, I felt intense anger. It was something I needed to work on. If what the man said was true, this anger would only speed up the process, and I didn’t need that.
I was so confused with everything that was going on. I thought time would help me, but I was so utterly lost, it didn't matter. Between finding out about my family’s history and the constant battle raging within me, I just felt like the world was crashing down on me.
I started avoiding everything. Unless it was going to school, which I had to, I would stay home. I figured if I stayed at home I would have less anger; less anger meant a longer time frame. At least I hoped it did. I missed Deandra crazy. With her here, at least I would have had some company and not been so bored. I had watched so many movies that I started making my way back through the ones I had already seen.
“Logan, your t ask isslowly
approaching. You’re going to have to be strong. You cannot dwellon the past; you cannot change it. You must let it gowhen the time comes and fight against it.”
“Who are you? The last time I was able totalk inside my head withsomeone was when the guy inblack wasoutside my house. He told me Iwas theirs. Whoare they?”
“ We’renotlike the man you speak of.We’rehisopposite, andwe speak to you in your dreams. You’re destined to helpsomeone whoisimportant,but only if you choose to.”
“ Wait. What doyoumean when you say I’m destined to help someone? Who is it?How doIknow if the pathIdecide on isthe rightone? When willImeet this person?”
“Logan many fights are ahead of you. There are tasksyou must facebefore the pathwillbe revealed toyou. We cannot say more. W
e’ve already interfered toomuchfor the bothof you. You will know when the time is right.”
“Who are you?”
“We’re everything Logan. We’re the grassyou are standingon,the air that feedsyour lungs, the sunthat shines, and the rain that falls.”
“So you are basically the universe, right?”
“Yes. Be strong Logan. Do not doubt yourself. You are important.”
I sat up and looked around. The credits were rolling on the screen from the movie I thought I was watching when I was actually falling asleep. I had this odd sensation of calmness sweeping over me. It was like the dream came into reality. Maybe it was real. Did that mean I spoke to the universe? I finally had a spark of hope.
It was a new day, and I felt great. I got up to put on some basketball shorts and a black beater. I put on my Nikes, grabbed my iPod, and headed out for a long run. I wasn’t going to let whatever was coming change me. I had to be strong. That was the one thing everyone kept telling me. Stay strong. Starting then, I was going to get ready for whatever came my way. Four miles later, I was walking back in the front door when I heard the phone ringing.
I picked it up, “Hello?”
“LOGAN! What are you doing?”
“Hey D. I just got back from a run. What are you doing?”
All I could hear was laughter, “What’s so funny D?”
“I’m sorry. I thought you said you just got back from running, but that can’t be what you said because you don’t run.”
“Wow! Thanks for the support,” I bite out sarcastically. “Actually I did go running. There are some things going on, and I’m just getting ready.”
“What do you mean? What are you getting ready for, and why haven’t you called me to tell me something is going on?”
Crap! Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut? She would worry after me saying that.
“It’s nothing major, I promise, but if something or someone, like my dad comes after us, I want to be ready. I don’t ever want to feel as helpless as I did that day.”
“Oh okay. You had me worried. You have to call me if something is up. How am I supposed to help you get through things if you don’t tell me about them?”
“I’m okay, really. You don’t have to worry. If something major is about to happen, I’ll call you. How’s everything going with you?”
“Well that’s actually why I’m calling you. So I might be coming down next month to spend Christmas with dad, so get ready to go out and have some fun!”
“That’s great D! How long will you be here?”
“Well, break is for two weeks. I’ll spend the first part with mom and the rest with dad, so about 8 days, unless mom gets tired of me and sends me sooner.”
“Good deal. I don’t think we’re doing anything, so I’ll be here.”
“Are you sure everything is okay? You sound off.”
I should’ve known she would be able to tell something was wrong. I hated lying to her. She was my best friend, but I couldn't tell her the truth. I thought that might be breaking some kind of rules.
“Yeah. Everything is fine. I've just been having those nightmares again. My birthday is coming up soon, and they come back full force as it gets closer.”
“That’s right. It’s about three months away, right?”
“Yup, February 16.”
“Well I won’t be able to be there for your birthday, so we can celebrate early!”
“Sure thing. Hey Mom just got home, so I have to run.”
“Okay Logan. Be safe, have fun, and call me if you need anything!”
“Alright. Bye Deandra.”
“Bye.”
It was getting harder and harder to keep everything a secret. I didn’t know how much I was allowed to say. Plus, I didn't want to put anybody in danger. Maybe it’s better to keep it to myself. Lies were starting to pour out of my mouth like its water. Oral diarrhea, I hated it. Lies are like spider webs. You keep
weaving and weaving, but eventually something gets tangled. It’s usually the liar.
I was going to be eighteen soon, and I already felt like I was thirty. Everything was starting to take a toll on me. I was being deceitful and not getting any sleep from the nightmares and dreams from the Universe. It’s like my body was rebelling against itself. I couldn’t catch a break. I was hoping when that my life would change once I met Deandra a year and a half ago. This was more than I had bargained for.
Chapter 11
April It was New Year's Eve. My twentieth birthday was only four months away. It was only eight months until we would make our move. I was out at the mall with Ashley and Mia shopping for our outfits for the night's festivities. Ashley is a new friend I made in college. She’s the sister of a girl I worked with at the water park, and we hit it off. Mia knew Ashley from school, so we formed this little group. Ashley is beautiful, but if you told her that she would find 100 reasons why she’s not. While Mia isn’t that pretty, her personality makes you look past it all.
“So tell us about this guy that has you smiling like an idiot," Mia said.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Mia.”
“Oh come on. Spill it," Ashley said, continuing what Mia had started.
“Fine Ashley. We ran into each other when I was on vacation in Vegas a year ago, and when I say we ran into each other, I mean that literally. Well he found me somehow on Myspace later on, and we’ve been talking ever since then."
“Is he hot?”
They laughed, and I had to join in with them because he totally was. He reminded me of Channing Tatum the first time I saw him, but I didn't tell them that.
“Oh she’s smiling Ash, which means he definitely is hot.”
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. For the first time ever I was deliriously happy. I knew it was crazy to feel that way because he lived a million miles away from me. I didn't care though. We weren't even together, and he still made it his mission to make me smile. Alicia Keys' song “Fallin” started playing from my phone (his ringtone). I swear it’s like he knew when I was thinking about him.
“Hey!”
“Hey babe, what are you doing?”
I know it’s totally weird that he called me babe when we were not even dating, but I have to admit I loved it. It sent butterflies all through my stomach and gave me this natural high. It’s like he knew exactly what to say to chip away at the walls I had built.
“Some girls and I are at the mall trying to find something to wear to the party tonight. What are you doing?”
“I’m a little jealous you’re going to a party tonight without me. What if someone kisses you?”
I like when he got jealous. It meant he cared, right? We had not had that conversation, the DTR (define the relationship) one. It seemed so childish. We had this unspoken thing that we did to show we cared. First clue, jealousy.
“Well, isn’t that the idea? Go to a party, check. Find a hot guy and geta hot kiss at midnight?”
“So you’re saying you’re going to kiss someone tonight?”
Got him right where I want him. "Duh. I mean that’s if you don’t call me at midnight.”
“That’s my girl. I’ll make sure I call at midnight my time and midnight your time, so you can have 2 kisses. I have to go though. I was on break, but I needed to hear your voice.”
“Awe that’s sweet. Okay. I’ll let you go. You better call me, or I’m going to find someone to kiss.”
“Babe, you know you won’t, but I’ll call you to make sure. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Be careful tonight. Bye love.”
“You too. Bye babe.”
Walking down the mall, I felt lighter than air. Nothing could spoil my mood.
“April, HELLO, are you still with us?”
Apparently I block everything out when I’m in my bubble, because it’s obvious Mia and Ashley had been calling me for a while.
“Duh, we have to find something nice so we can take some hot pictures.”
&nb
sp; “Oh my god, you’re in love with him!”
Mia had this look on her face that I can’t even describe. It was a mixture of shock and awe. Was she right? Was I in love with James? My emotions were raging inside of me. I couldn't be in love with him when I loved Brian, right? There was still nothing going on the front with him. He was still MIA. No, not love, infatuation with James, yes definitely. Yes I was infatuated with James.
“Mia, please, I’ve met him in person once. I can’t be in love with him. I can say I’m infatuated with him. James makes me smile. He doesn’t make me feel like I should be something I’m not.”
I felt a little conflicted. I fully believed that Brian was my soul mate, but maybe we weren’t ever going to be together. Can you be soul mates with a friend? It was going on two years of knowing Brian. If he felt anything more, it would have happened by now. Feeling justified, I allowed myself to be happy. Maybe I could have a future with James. Forgetting about boys, I put all my focus into finding a cute outfit and getting pumped for the NYE party.
We walked into Vanity, and I immediately spotted these awesome jeans that I just had to have. Okay, I just needed to find a shirt. I started looking through shirts, and just when I didn’t think I was going to find one, I did. It was usually not my style, but it was so perfect that I didn't care. I bought it immediately.
The party had started off great. I was having a lot of fun, but then midnight rolled around. No call. I made a quick call to my cousin because he’s blessed with having his birthday on New Year’s Day, and then I waited outside for a little while since its quiet. Still no call came through. It made me feel insecure and hurt that he didn't call. I pushed it to the back of my mind like I did with everything else and went back inside.
Entrelacen Page 7