She nodded, hiding a giggle with her right hand. “It's fine.”
One thing was for sure—she wouldn't be able to get the Willam brothers out of her mind. They were a wonderful and welcome distraction from the rest of her classes for the afternoon. She was fully prepared to keep using them for something positive to think about during her after-school “check-in” session with Dr. Warhol, but upon arriving she found a note telling her to see Mr. Thantos right away. A wide grin spread on her face and she ran through the hall to the angel's office. She knocked on his door, ready to give him her full attention. Studying was the last thing she wanted to do, but if it got her out of anything with the counselor, she'd take it.
“I will keep this simple for you, because I am sure you have other things you would rather be doing. I know I do,” Mr. Thantos said as he handed her a piece of notebook paper. “This is a list of the pages you should familiarize yourself with by the end of the week. On Friday we will meet again to discuss the content. I would not consider them essential, but they are a part of the curriculum all the same.”
She glanced over the list and was surprised to find it much shorter than she had anticipated. “I guess I know more than I thought.”
“Yes. Did I not tell you that youths today underestimate their abilities? Do not fall into this. You are much more clever than you give yourself credit for. All the same, do not let it get to your head. Focusing on your studies is still important.”
“Thank you. Is there anything else?” she asked.
Mr. Thantos handed her another piece of notebook paper, this one smaller in size. “Yes, Anj told me to pass this on to you. I do not know why he could not do it himself, but I suppose it makes little difference. Now you may leave.”
She didn't wait for him to shoo her out. She left his office gladly and read over the note written in almost illegible handwriting. It took her more than a few minutes to figure out what it said.
“Be in the lobby at seven. We live in the same dorm. We're going out.”
Chapter Seven
From the outside, the Old Union didn’t look like much of anything. The paint on the wood lining was chipping, the bricks were crumbling apart onto the cracked sidewalk, and some rather seedy-looking individuals stood outside its doors smoking cigarettes. It didn’t look like the kind of place a group of teenagers should have been spending their time during the early hours of the evening. It was barely eight o'clock, and already Cheyenne was nervous. Thankfully, they weren't allowed to be off school grounds any later than ten.
Zes, Anj, and Jewl walked inside as if they owned the place, completely ignoring the smokers. On the inside, the Old Union was new, hip, and modern in decor. The lights were dimmed, so the entire restaurant was covered in a soft orange glow. In the center was a bar, and this was the busiest spot. In fact, beyond the customers at the bar, hardly anyone was there.
This particular evening the entertainment was a DJ. Off toward the back, she saw a small dance floor, but it was void of life. The boys escorted the group toward the first open booth they could find and claimed one side of the table, while Halyn, Cheyenne, and Jewl attempted to all sit on the other side. Jewl refused to be anywhere near Cheyenne though and kept trying to push her out of the booth. When Cheyenne refused to move away, she let out a huff.
“I'm going to grab a chair,” Jewl said. She flipped her curly hair over her shoulder before stomping off.
Cheyenne buried her head in her hands, letting her hair create a shield around her face. Zes reached across the table and touched her gently, pulling them away.
“Hey, no hiding. Ignore her. We'll take care of it,” he said, then whispered something in his brother's ear. Anj nodded.
“Take care of what?” she asked.
Zes opened his mouth to say something else when Jewl returned. Instead, he gave Cheyenne a nod before standing up. “Actually, Jewl, can I have the chair? My back's been giving me a hard time lately and I think the stiff backing will help it feel better. I mean, if you don't mind. I know Anj smells and all, but I'd love you forever if you would.”
“Fine.” Jewl stared between him and his brother for a moment and then proceeded to cross her arms in front of her chest, tapping her fingers impatiently. “But I want the end.”
“Thanks.” Zes climbed over his brother and carefully made his way out of the booth. He gave Anj a swift, hard kick in the thigh as he regained his balance on the floor again. Anj, taking this as a signal, moved toward the inside of the booth and Jewl sat beside him. She kept a comfortable distance from him, but the triumphant smirk on her face made it clear she would be closer if she could have things her way.
Zes let out a soft, happy sigh as he sat down in his chair. “That's more like it.”
“I demand we get mozzarella sticks,” Anj stated while simultaneously moving closer to the wall. He propped a leg up on the booth casually, creating a natural barrier between him and Jewl. There was so much tension between the two it was almost like watching a bad soap opera. “I also demand a dance from all of the ladies at the table.”
Jewl let out a quiet snort. “You would, wouldn't you? What if I don't want to dance with you?”
“Then I suppose you'll be missing out on a grand old time.” He held up a finger to pause the conversation as the waitress came to their table to take their order. “We'll be having the mozzie sticks, the garlic cheese bread, and the mushroom poppers. Shirley Temples all around, please.”
Cheyenne didn't argue, and neither did anyone else, surprisingly enough.
He returned his attention to Jewl. “Now to rewind and replay our conversation: then I suppose you'll be missing out on a grand old time.”
“Right, because it’s every girl’s dream to have her feet plowed over repeatedly by her partner's heels.” Jewl rolled her eyes.
“That's not how I remember it happening at the prom.”
Jewl blushed, so much so, her whole face turned red. The anger in Jewl's eyes flared with great intensity.
She straightened herself and quickly regained her composure. “You and I have a bit of skewed differences on what really happens around here.”
“Regardless,” Anj stated through a tightened jaw, “I still wish to dance with all of the ladies at this table. Whether they accept my invitation or not is entirely up to them, but the offer still stands.” He stood up and stared down at Jewl, his eyes glowing blue. “This is your only chance to declare first dibs. If you decline, you can’t complain about it later. I asked you.”
“You're so difficult.” Jewl stood as well and left the table. She moved gracefully to the dance floor. She waited for him to catch up with her, lips pursed and fingers tapping against her folded arms.
Anj made eye contact with his brother as he got out of the booth. “Never say I haven't done anything for you.”
Halyn waited for the two to get out of earshot. “What's the story here, because I know it's a good one.”
Zes choked quietly on his own air, coughing a few times before shifting in his chair. “Story? What do you mean story? I don't know what you're talking about. There are a lot of stories. Did you know this restaurant has been here since—”
“I meant between your brother and Miss 'I-hate-the-world.’”
“Oh, right.” He scooted his chair forward and he leaned in toward the girls. The two young women also moved closer, in expectation. This was going to be a juicy secret, or it should have been.
“They dated,” he whispered, as if it were a sin. The girls sank back in the booth. Cheyenne was disappointed. Halyn wasn’t afraid to voice it.
“That's it? We already knew that.”
“R-right, I know, but—there isn't a whole lot to tell. They've been together for almost two years now. It's kind of on-again, off-again. She's always breaking up with him over something, and he's always begging to be taken back. Usually they're not apart for this long. It lasts for maybe a month tops. This time they've been separated since June. He's not begging. He's making
her pay.” Zes grabbed a napkin off the table. He folded it in half several times, squished the paper under his palm, and played with it. His hands’ occupation put his body at ease. His shoulders relaxed and he sank back against the chair, his head drooping slightly in concentration.
“That's an improvement,” Halyn muttered with a small pout. She tried to woo more information from Zes with wide puppy eyes. She batted her lashes at him a couple of times for added effect. “Why'd they break up? I mean, why does she keep breaking up with him?”
“It's always different. I know you're curious, but I don't like to talk about it. It's weird and complicated, and if you absolutely have to know, he'll tell you when he wants to. I don't even understand half of what goes on with them anyway.” He turned to watch his brother and Jewl on the dance floor, tilting his head in their direction as if to make a point. They all witnessed the two ex-lovers in a rather heated salsa dance.
Anj's eyes were an intense blue. He stared down into Jewl's gray eyes with anger, passion, desire, love, frustration, and so many more emotions in just the one gaze that Cheyenne could see the couple's past play itself out in her mind. Couldn't this girl see how much he longed for her? How much he needed her and cared for her? Why did she continually reject him when it was so clear he only had eyes for her?
And when Cheyenne watched Jewl's eyes to see what the answer would be to all of those questions, everything Jewl was feeling was communicated into one word: fear. That was the only emotion present in her gaze. Cheyenne didn't know enough about either of them or the situation to understand what it all meant, but she made it her new goal to find out.
She was disappointed, however. Over the short period she had known Anj, she couldn't deny they had chemistry. She felt like an idiot for even considering being attracted to him. Entertaining those thoughts only proved Dr. Warhol's point from their last session. Still, it was better to be honest with herself. It would be easier to smash down any feelings threatening to arise.
Despite the letdown of it all, there was some hope as well, because it made choosing between the twins easier. After all, they were identical, and Zes was certainly sweet. She could redirect her affections toward him easily.
Stop it, Cheyenne. You haven't even known them for a week! Why are you so boy crazy all of a sudden? The boys weren't this cute back home, and they didn't want anything to do with you, but that's still not an excuse. Slow down. Slow down now before you hurt yourself. But her thoughts were easy to ignore. The boys were good-looking and—dare she even think it?—they were sexy.
“I don't know, do you think we should worry?” Zes asked, though his voice seemed far off while she daydreamed. “Try poking her a few times.”
Halyn shrugged. She then proceeded to prod Cheyenne's arm a couple of times. “Are you in there? Are you okay? I don't know, Zes, she's awfully red. You don't think something is seriously wrong, do you?”
Cheyenne rubbed her arm. It hurt more than she had anticipated. When her roommate tried to do it again, she swatted at the girl's hand. “I'm fine. I just had a random thought. I'll try not to think so much in the future if you two are going to worry about it.”
“But I like it when you think,” Zes protested. “We didn't mean anything by it. You were away in your thoughts for a long time and we didn't know what was going on. You looked so hot, I mean in the warm way. Not that you shouldn't have the compliment because you are hot, but—”
“I think what he's trying to say is you didn't look well physically. We didn't know if you have some weird unknown disease or something,” Halyn said through her giggling. She briefly winked at Cheyenne, making sure Zes wasn't paying attention when she did. “You can tell me about it later.”
She nodded at her roommate absently as her eyes focused on Anj and Jewl. They were skilled and graceful as they turned and dipped and made their way across the floor. The two must have danced a lot. Cheyenne could only dream of one day being able to move the way Jewl could, and she made it look so easy. She sighed as she watched, once more getting lost in her own thoughts and daydreams while idly sipping on her soda.
“I'm guessing she does this a lot.” Halyn said.
“I do,” Cheyenne admitted. “I can't help it. I'll try to be more aware of it in the future.” How was she supposed to say to them it was because she had never had friends of her own before? She’d always had to provide her own entertainment in the past. More important, how was she supposed to say it without sounding like a nut case? There was enough of a blood rush to her face from all of the embarrassment to give her a headache. She took this opportunity to stand and politely excuse herself from the table before something worse happened. Already she could feel her chest tightening again, and the last thing she wanted was for them to see her having a panic attack.
She refused to cry. The disappointment in her heart was almost too great to hold in though. She had been doing so well up until this point. She made her way to the bathroom so she could freshen up. All of her hopes of having a normal evening were shattered as she felt a pair of familiar green eyes watching her from afar.
“Felt” was the perfect word for it too, because his eyes only made her feel one way. The coldest of shivers rippled down her body and combined with a warm, pleasurable, tingle in her stomach. The whole experience unsettled her deep in the gut, and when she searched to find where the source was, her heart began to pound wildly.
Paranoia was not helping her social anxiety. Get a hold of yourself. There's nobody watching you. Not even her friends from the table were staring at her. When she looked up again, she could see Denver Collins approaching her with a proud smirk. He was stealthy in his movements. They were so fluid and fast.
Soon enough, she could feel his breath on her neck. So warm, and she could even smell a slight hint of beer coming from it. She wasn't a big fan of the smell of alcohol, but something about it in this moment was appealing. Though she could easily blame it on the whole delusion Denver created for her.
“I smell something sweet and sexy,” he whispered in her ear. “What are you doing up in my neck of the woods? Did you hunt me down for another go? Or are you wanting even more now?” He lightly traced his fingers over where he’d bitten her barely a week ago, and she didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling. “It's still fresh.” His fingers moved away as if she’d burned him.
Cheyenne faced him. She hadn't expected to ever see him again. Never did she think she would ever get a chance for justice on her attacker. Now he stood in front of her, just as real as ever. When he mentioned the opportunity for another chance, it was difficult for her mind to tell her body no. She wanted more. The same attraction from the night at the club was still present. When she saw his face, she was surprised to find his eyes wide with fear.
“What's still fresh?” she asked. “Your love bite? It doesn't want to heal over. It's embarrassing actually, but I wouldn't think you'd care.”
“What are you?” he asked her, ignoring her questions. “What are you doing here? You're not human. You're...you're even more freaky than I am.” He backed away from her. Before she could give him an answer, he was gone.
Patrons were starting to stare at her. It got unbearably quiet as well, as the music inconveniently broke between songs. Her first instinct was to leave, but she had no way to get home since she didn't have a car. Zes had driven the group, and she didn't want to burden them with this problem.
Take a deep breath and try to relax, she instructed herself. Good, now go to the bathroom, freshen up, and no one has to know anything happened.
It took her ten minutes to calm down. When she returned to the table, it appeared that no one realized anything had happened, because they didn't say a word. Slowly, she sat back down in her seat. The difference this time was Halyn was gone, and Jewl had returned to the table.
Jewl's eyes followed Cheyenne's every move for a minute before she returned to staring at the dance floor. She was slouched in the corner of the booth, her knees pulled up to
her chest as she watched Halyn, who was busy dancing with her ex-boyfriend. Jewl didn't appear to be bothered, but she had little reason to. Anj's movements with Halyn were far more innocent and relaxed than what he and Jewl had shared.
“So, what took you so long in the bathroom? Did you fall in or something?” This was the first time she’d actually spoken to Cheyenne instead of about her as if she didn't exist.
Zes shot Jewl a cold glare and opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't quite spit out whatever was on his mind. “Pass the water,” he managed at last. Cheyenne handed him the pitcher. He chugged down his glass before making a reach for the food. He especially gorged on the mushroom poppers.
“So, did you?” Jewl asked.
“No,” Cheyenne said as her jaw tightened. I must not say something mean, she chanted inside her head. She’d be nice to this girl even if it killed her. “I actually ran into an acquaintance of mine and we had some brief catching up to do.”
“Is that so?” Jewl played with the straw in her glass, spinning it in small circles. The ice in the glass made a light jingling sound as she tossed it with the straw. “How lucky for you.”
“Yes.” She wasn't sure what to say next, at least not when it came to anything nice. She couldn't decide which was worse: making mindless small talk filled with constant and subtle attacks, or simply being silent and following Zes's example and using the time to occupy her mouth with food.
“Pass the mushrooms,” Cheyenne mumbled. Zes's eyes fell to the plate, now nearly gone, before giving her an apologetic smile. “We can get some more.”
He sighed and then slid it across the table so she could indulge in what remained. “They're good.”
They were. She couldn't blame him for wanting them all. After she had eaten four or five, Anj and Halyn graced the table with their presence.
“I don't know about everyone else, but I'm kind of tired. It's been a long day,” Cheyenne said quickly. The idea, of course, was to encourage an exit without seeming eager about actually leaving.
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