Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  I held up a blue dress and it got a head shake in response. I replaced it on the rack. “We? You and Asher?”

  “Yeah. He doesn’t want to go to college either. It’s kind of romantic to run away together, right?”

  “As long as you know what you’re doing. You can’t live on the streets or anything,” I pointed out. Although, I knew Lola and Asher were smarter than that. They weren’t the type to be so foolhardy. If they ran away to L.A. they’d do it right with connections and plans in place. It wouldn’t be an overnight whim.

  “Asher’s got a cousin that lives there,” she replied, confirming my theory. “Nothing’s set yet though. We’ve got all summer to think it through. You never know, maybe our Rockapalooza performance will go viral and we’ll be mega superstars overnight.”

  “I’m sure you will.” I kind of really did too. The Hooded Roses were starting to absolutely rock.

  “So what are you going to do? You know, now you’re free of Big Brother and all,” Lola asked.

  I hadn’t given it any thought. Like I said, I didn’t have a choice before. Now it was like all those choices before me were overwhelming. Normal people got to spend their senior year, or even longer, thinking about what they were going to do. It appeared I had a summer, or less really, considering application times and deadlines. I’d probably missed most of them already.

  “What do you think I should do?” I hoped Lola would have all the answers for me.

  Apparently I was wrong. “You should come to L.A. with us! It would be awesome. You could go on all the talk shows and tell your story about being an alien on Earth. People would totally lap up that stuff.”

  “You’re forgetting that all interview requests must go through Krom and he only approves the ones where he is the center of attention.”

  Lola pretended to slap her forehead for forgetting. “Damn. Of course. My bad. Maybe you could go work for Krom then, be his fashion advisor or something.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. “Krom would probably prefer I take a job where he didn’t have to see me… ever. Actually, maybe he would pay me to stay away from him? Now there’s an idea.”

  “You could be an FBI agent like your parents,” Lola suggested seriously. I momentarily pictured myself walking through the corridors at the Department like the agents I’d grown up seeing. For a moment, I could kind of picture it.

  But then I regained my realism. “Can’t. You have to be a human, it’s in their charter or something.”

  “Bummer.”

  “I guess I’ll keep thinking about it.”

  “And I am going to try on these awesome clothes. Come with?” Lola didn’t give me a chance to answer as she strode toward the change rooms. I tagged along after her, my arms holding half of her selections.

  It took all afternoon, thirteen stores, dozens of outfit changes, and four tired feet before Lola found her perfect stage costume. By that time of the day I was agreeing with everything she put on in the hopes she would settle for one of them.

  In the end, Lola chose a dark navy dress that was almost black. At least it wasn’t black black, right? She had made some progress in the fashion department. More importantly, she looked great in it so I legitimately approved of her choice.

  Going home, the thought of doing some couch camping for the evening was looking more and more attractive. Comfy jammies, maybe some ice cream, a good movie, and my night would be complete. Heaven.

  Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was craving some R & R. When I walked through the front door, all I could see was Garrick sprawled out on the lounge suite, surrounded by popcorn, chocolate, and a vanilla milkshake.

  “Some people have the life,” I teased as I dropped my bag on the floor, shoved his feet off the end of the lounge, and sat down.

  “I can’t help it if your parents like me more than they like you,” he retorted in the same light-hearted tone. He sat up and placed the popcorn bowl on his lap, waving it under my nose first to see if I wanted any. I didn’t.

  “Garrick, sweetie, do you feel like some of those chicken wing things?” Birth Mom asked before finally noticing my presence. “Amery, you’re home too. Can I get you something to eat? There’s plenty to go around.”

  “Chicken wings sound great, thank you,” I replied.

  “I’ll get you both some.” She flashed us a smile before leaving just as quickly as she had popped in.

  I spoke again only when I was certain she was out of earshot. “What have you done to the parentals?”

  Garrick shrugged, acting all innocent. “I have no idea what you mean.” I waved at all the food he had so obviously been pampered with. He was apparently the new prince of our house. “Maybe your parents always wanted a son.”

  I pushed him playfully. At least he seemed happy, it was a state I rarely saw him in. “Save my space, I’m going to have a shower.” I hurried upstairs to clean up and change into my pajamas before dinner was ready. My plan for lounging about all evening was looking like it might actually come true.

  CHAPTER 8

  The chicken wings were good. I had no idea what they had eaten on Trucon, or whether they actually had chickens up there, but Birth Mom had some serious cooking skills.

  Garrick and I were left alone in the living room to watch a movie as all my parents found other things to occupy their time. Garrick had chosen a slasher film, it wasn’t the best choice considering the circumstances.

  “This is so predictable,” I started. “The beautiful cheerleader is going to run upstairs, get trapped, and then killed. Why do they always run upstairs?”

  “It wouldn’t be much of a movie if she ran next door and they called the police, now would it?” Garrick replied.

  “No, but more believable.”

  “It’s art, don’t judge.” He smiled, so wide I could actually see his teeth. That was new.

  “It’s nice to see you happy tonight.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hoped it wouldn’t instantly put him in a bad mood like my words so often did.

  “I feel kind of happy. I guess this is what happy feels like, anyway.” He kept his gaze fixed on the screen. It wasn’t normally a conversation he would participate in.

  I, on the other hand, was bursting with curiosity. “Did something happen today?”

  “I hung out with Kyle. He’s actually a pretty cool guy when he’s not being told what to do by Krom.” Ah, so Kyle had actually kept his promise to me. That was nice of him.

  “What did you talk about?”

  “The case, mainly. He says Krom is organizing a really good lawyer for me so we can defend the charges. He explained everything about the legal system and what they have to do to convict me.”

  Kyle had really excelled himself. I thought he might merely have a quick chat with Garrick to cheer him up, let him vent a little, maybe. I seriously needed to thank Kyle for going above and beyond.

  “That’s really great news,” I replied honestly.

  “It is. But you don’t seem surprised that he dropped by,” Garrick said, almost accusingly. I merely shrugged in response. The last thing I wanted to do was be accused of interfering – again. “Oh my God. I should have known. You sent him here, didn’t you?”

  “No. I’m not the boss of Kyle. I haven’t even seen him in ages.” I felt like a liar, I was a liar, I hoped I didn’t look like one too.

  “You did, admit it.”

  “I didn’t do anything, I swear.” Avoiding a possible argument was enough of a good reason to lie, right? I think the lines had blurred there somewhere.

  He bumped me with his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “You know for what, even if you don’t want to admit it.” His attention went back to the movie where the same girl had indeed run upstairs and was now screaming for her life.

  I secretly smiled. At least my interfering paid off sometimes. Garrick seemed so much lighter, like the world wasn’t resting on his shoulders that e
vening. The feeling probably wouldn’t last for long, but it was worth it for one night. I owed Kyle big time.

  By the time the credits rolled, I was rested, relaxed, and very comfortable on the couch. Garrick flicked the movie off and flicked around the television channels until he found a funny sitcom to leave on.

  Considering he was in such a good mood, I figured he might actually be able to help me with my pressing problem. “Hey, what would a typical teenage guy consider a perfect date?”

  He gave me a look to see whether I was being serious or not. I raised my eyebrows in response, letting him know I was indeed serious. And desperate for an answer.

  “I don’t think it takes much of an imagination to get into a teenage boy’s head and know what they would want to do,” he replied, raising his own eyebrows to convey his meaning.

  “No, besides that. Like a real date.”

  “A first date?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “What’s this about, Ame?”

  “I told Lochie I would plan a perfect date for us. Except I have no idea what to do for it.”

  Garrick sighed and his gaze went to the ceiling as he thought it through. At least, I hoped he was thinking it through. I waited patiently until he swiveled his head back my way again. “If I was Lochie, a perfect date would be anything that involved you.”

  I wanted to roll my eyes at the fact he wasn’t helping. But his response was actually really sweet so I couldn’t do it. In fact, I couldn’t do anything for a moment except blush.

  I turned away to face the television, unable to hold his gaze any longer. “I’m sure Lochie would want to do something,” I muttered. The silence lingered, growing more uncomfortable by the second. I grappled for something to say. “How about bowling? Guys like bowling, right?”

  “It’s not exactly perfect date material. What has he done for you in the past? You have to beat that. Which probably isn’t hard, considering he’s such a dropkick.”

  Garrick was right, but not about the dropkick thing. Lochie had done so many romantic things for me in the last few weeks that I needed something better than plain old bowling. I was going to need to get creative.

  “He once set up a scavenger hunt for me that went all over town to my favorite places. At the end was this amazing picnic he’d set up in a park that overlooked the entire town,” I replied, the memory still vivid in my head. Of course, he had then popped a bottle of non-alcoholic wine and the cork hit me in the head. But my vision eventually returned.

  “He’s such a sap.”

  “He’s romantic, not a sap.”

  “There’s a difference?” Garrick looked at me as if that was a serious question. I swatted him on the arm for his effort. “Owww.”

  I ignored his protests. “So no ideas then?”

  “None. He’s a stupid jock, take him to McDonald’s and show him a football, that’ll keep him happy.”

  “He plays basketball, not football.” Garrick just shrugged in reply. Clearly I wasn’t going to get some amazing insight into the teenage male brain from him. Damn it. I changed the subject to the other problem on my mind that evening. “Did you have any plans for after the summer? You know, before the arrest and all.”

  “Why? You asking me to go on a cross country road trip to discover ourselves?” He joked. I pushed him again.

  “It seems everyone has a plan but me. Lola is going to L.A., Lochie is going to Starton University. And I’m completely clueless.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Garrick confessed, serious now. “I had hoped the laboring job would work out so I could keep doing that. At least if I was making money, I wouldn’t have to think I was wasting my life by not doing anything else.”

  “It’s weird having to make decisions now.”

  “It sure is.”

  We both sighed with the thought. Before Project Integrate ended, I would have imagined having choices was awesome. Now, it seemed like a burden. The Department hadn’t exactly conditioned us to have our own lives.

  “Have you thought about going to college?” I asked.

  “School’s not really my thing. I couldn’t stand the thought of doing it for another four years. What about you? I thought you were all set for the college experience.”

  “I was. But I think that was only because the Department told me to. Now, I’m not so sure.”

  “Didn’t you say lover boy is going to college?” I nodded sadly. “Well then, isn’t the fall a good time to do your own thing? You’re smart enough to do anything you put your mind to.”

  “You really think so?” I wasn’t as convinced. Going to college alone, moving away from everyone I loved, it all seemed like a daunting task. It was different when the Department was calling the shots, I didn’t get an opportunity to think about it, I just had to do it. That took a lot of the stress away. What if I made the wrong decision?

  “Amery Jones, you led a rebellion against the freaking government. Trust me, you can do anything – even going to college. I’m sure it will be a breeze for you.” Garrick looked at me and I knew he believed in what he was saying.

  For the second time that evening, I was overwhelmed with how sweet he was being. I really liked this happy, nice Garrick. It was like he had kidnapped, tied up, and gagged the grumpy version of himself. I kind of wanted to lock him up myself so he could never be found again.

  I suddenly grew embarrassed. “That’s nice of you to say. For what it’s worth, I think you can do anything you put your mind to as well. Remember, it wasn’t just me who fought back against the Department. You helped.”

  “No, I sided with Krom and followed orders like a good little boy. It was you that changed things.”

  “With your support.”

  Silence threatened again as we looked at each other. It was like a spark of electricity went between us, gluing our bodies in place and unable to move. I never noticed how nice his brown eyes were before. But being so close, I could clearly see them.

  And then things got awkward. For a moment, just a moment, I thought we were going to kiss. That jolted me into moving. I leaned back quickly, regaining the brain that had apparently temporarily decided to have a meltdown.

  “I’m tired, I think I’ll go to bed,” I said as I stood. “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “’Night.”

  I left him there and headed for my room, as quick as I could go without running. I had no idea what had just happened in the living room but I didn’t want to think about it ever again.

  Things were kind of weird between us for days afterwards. I made sure we weren’t alone again after our little incident. Neither of us spoke about it again which hopefully meant nobody else would find out about it. Including Lochie.

  Especially Lochie.

  Unfortunately, Garrick’s good mood didn’t stick around for long. It had pretty much worn off by the next morning. Three days later and he was definitely back to his old self.

  Which was why he needed to get his party pants on. “Come on, already. Can you at least try not to scowl?” I leaned over the front seat of the car, ready to give him a lecture. He had his arms crossed and his lips were pouting. Typical Garrick.

  “Yeah, it’s a party,” Lochie added sarcastically. Apparently I was the only one who wanted to attend Ella’s party.

  “I don’t know these people,” Garrick huffed. It was a miracle to get him into the car, and now we were parked outside Ella’s house, it was going to take another miracle to get him out of it again.

  “You went to school with most of these people for a few weeks.”

  “Oh, you mean for the few weeks where they all hated me?”

  “Yeah, then,” I said happily, trying to infect him with my party spirit. I don’t think it was working. “Come on, just stay for a little while and then you can leave. I will personally drive you home if you hate it.”

  We had a stare off as Lochie tapped his fingers on his leg while trying to be pat
ient. He was trying really hard, bless him.

  Finally, Garrick caved. “A little while and that’s it. But I would like it to go on record that I think this is a bad idea.”

  “Noted.” I leaped out of the car before he could change his mind, followed by my two sad sacks. It was going to be some party with them by my side. Not.

  We entered anyway. The music thumped throughout the crowded house as people mingled and danced in every available space. Ella must have invited the entire grade and everyone she knew too. We wound our way through, getting our bearings.

  “Oh look, the aliens have arrived,” Mack chuckled to himself, making sure he said it loud enough so all his lackeys could laugh too. “Now it’s a real party.”

  “You got that right,” I replied. I was so used to Mack’s lame attempts at hurting me, I barely noticed his hostility anymore.

  “Oooh, tough girl alien. Tell me, conquered any humans lately?” He continued, rallying more support from his friends by the minute.

  “Back off,” Lochie warned, stepping between Mack and I. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was to keep Mack away from me or to stop me from lunging at him.

  “I guess I got my question answered,” Mack muttered, causing a new round of laughter. “Tell me, Lochie, what’s it like being an alien lover? Is it out of this world?”

  “Walk away,” Lochie warned again, clenching and unclenching his fists. His anger was seething, threatening to boil over at any point. He was so far doing a good job of keeping his temper in check. But it wouldn’t last for long, I knew that from experience.

  Mack clearly wasn’t in the mood to back down as he continued relentlessly. “You know the aliens are only here to breed, right? I’m surprised you haven’t knocked her up already. They’re trying to get rid of pure humans. We’re all going to end up as half breeds. Mongrels.”

  Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone ran for Mack and tackled him from the side. The two bodies collided and crashed to the ground. Everyone had to hurry to get out of the way or else they would have ended up on the floor too.

  The two guys wrestled on the ground as they tried to throw punches at one another. My stomach tied up in a knot when I realized Garrick was one of them. It had been him that had crash tackled Mack and was now trying desperately to knock his head off. It wasn’t going to end well.