Second Snowfall (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 2)

  Jason’s hands flew to his chest and he acted shot before falling dramatically to the floor.

  I laughed and reached down to help him up. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

  “I actually think I’m going to stay out here. I don’t have a crazy stalker’s assistant after me and I’m not the biggest fan of guns.”

  “Relax, guns aren’t a bad thing if you know what you’re doing.”

  “Well, that’s the issue. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “I’ll stick by you. You’re not going to shoot yourself in the foot or anything.”

  “Oh yeah, and what if I shoot you in the foot?”

  He turned me around, placing his hands on my shoulders, and dropped his head to look me in the eyes. “Keep the gun pointed down range and you won’t shoot me in the foot. However, even if you do, I won’t die, but you’ll have to take care of my every need for a few weeks.”

  I pushed his arms off my shoulder and rolled my eyes. “Well, there’s the motivation I need to make sure I don’t shoot you by mistake.”

  The owner came back and called us all over so he could take us to the range.

  We walked into a very long room with what looked like a bunch of little cubicles. They were facing, what I guessed, was the actual range. It was just like the movies. There were posters with silhouettes on them really far away from the cubicles. They were definitely too far. There was no way I was going to be able to hit any of them. Each little cubicle had a chest-high shelf on it and partitions that separated each spot from the rest.

  “Ladies, this is Mike, he’s the owner of this range. He’s going to give you some instructions so that you don’t kill anyone,” Jason told us as we all walked to our own cubicle.

  “All right, ladies, I’m going to show you how to load them, but before you even touch a gun, there are some things that you need to know. Always point the gun down range. Never point it at someone, even if you’re joking. Always think of the gun as loaded. It could be empty, but you should treat it like it isn’t. Fire at your own target, or at least aim in that direction. When you’re done shooting, place the gun back in the case you got it out of.”

  He gave us some more instructions and I felt my heart pounding. I was nervous about this. People died from guns. I really didn’t want to screw anything up. These partitions kept me from shooting someone else, but not myself.

  When it was our turn to load the weapons, I was barely able to open the case. My hands were shaking and I dropped it to the counter. Jason laughed and came to my cubicle.

  “Here, watch me before you kill yourself.” He took my gun out of the case and showed me slowly how to load it.

  “Stop, it’s not funny. I’m actually really afraid of that. This is not my cup of tea.”

  “No, you can do this. I’ll help you.”

  Jason stood behind me and handed me the gun. “Okay, grab the gun but keep your finger away from the trigger. I’m going to hold your hands and adjust your grip.”

  He smelled amazing and was still wearing the cologne I’d bought him. At this rate, I’d have to buy him a new one for his birthday in March. Then I shook my head and realized what was going on. This was not what Jason and I should have been doing. I tried to move, but he wasn’t letting me out.

  “Annabelle, I don’t want you to be afraid of this. Just trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Don’t you believe me?”

  I took a deep breath. I did trust him. There was nothing that could happen here at the gun range. Besides, I wouldn’t let it happen. Today was about Violet, and I also didn’t want to fight with Jason. If he thought I didn’t trust him or believe in him, then we would definitely be fighting.

  “Yeah, of course I believe you. Let’s just get this over with.” I put the gun down so I could secure my earplugs in place. Then I picked up the gun again and Jason wrapped his hands around mine. He lifted the gun up and tried to adjust my aim.

  “Okay,” Jason yelled, and moved my finger to the trigger. “So the gun still has the safety on. You won’t be able to fire. Try it.”

  I did and nothing happened. I couldn’t pull the trigger all the way.

  “While the safety is on, aim. See the little notch at the top? That’s what you use to aim. Match that up with where you want to hit. But keep both eyes open.”

  Nodding, I moved the gun slightly and aimed so that I’d get the poster guy straight in the nose.

  “Great. Now I’m gonna drop my hands and hold your hips. This gun has a bit of a kick and I don’t want you falling on top of me.” His hands slid down my arms and rested on my hips. My shirt had slid up a little and I felt Jason’s fingers on my bare skin. It was like a blast of heat radiating through me. “Take the safety off, like Mike told you, then fire whenever you’re ready.”

  “Okay, I’m ready.” I squeezed the trigger and was slammed back into Jason’s chest.

  “Easy there, slugger. Plant your feet and try again,” he shouted in my ear.

  I placed the gun on the counter in front of me and kind of shook all over. Jason lifted his hands off me for a second but as soon as I stood still, he was there again. My shake had raised my shirt up even higher and now most of his hand was on my bare stomach. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the feeling.

  It wasn’t him I wanted, but I was just too sexually energized. Holding the gun was filling me with adrenaline and it had nothing to do with being this close to him or smelling the cologne I bought him. I needed to see Kingsley and get that dealt with. I nodded with that thought and aimed at the target again. I fired a couple more rounds, and this time, I didn’t fall into Jason.

  ***

  “Not gonna lie, I’m a little afraid of you,” Violet warned as she examined my target. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before? Because I’m thinking you might need to be my new body guard.”

  “Right, maybe she’s a super spy,” Christie suggested. “Though, if you were a super spy and didn’t tell me, I’d be disappointed.”

  “No, I was just excited. This…I don’t know…it all got me amped up.” My pulse was pounding and I felt a little winded.

  Violet and Christie looked at each other and tried to control their giggles.

  “What?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.

  “You’re a little horny now, aren’t you?” Christie asked me.

  I blushed and shook my head vehemently. “No, it’s just…” I was at a loss for words, because as soon as Christie said it, I realized it was true. I was practically shaking with it.

  “It’s the adrenaline. It goes straight to your hooha,” Christie assured me.

  “Why are you all talking about hoohas?” Jason had just walked up and it was probably the worst time. I ducked my head and tried to ignore the pounding of my heart in my ears.

  Violet, as per usual, stepped in, but she didn’t have my back. “Well, Annabelle was just telling us how turned on she felt when she was shooting with you.”

  My head flew up and I gave her the death stare. I couldn’t believe she said that. Jason also appeared to be shocked, as he didn’t say anything. But she and Christie were snickering behind their hands.

  I quickly responded, “Well, no. It wasn’t you behind me. I barely noticed you there, actually. I was just thrilled to control that kind of power. Pulling the trigger was the best feeling ever,” I rambled, turning to look at Jason and forcing a smile. “It wasn’t you, promise.”

  “And you’d never break a promise, right?” Jason asked me. He looked at me as if I was the only one in the room and it made me very nervous.

  There was only one thing to say. “I’d never break a promise to you,” I insisted.

  Jason nodded lightly and headed to the register to talk to Mike. As soon as he was out of earshot, I slapped Violet on the arm.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What?” Violet asked, lifting her hands in the air, clearly pretending she was innocent.

  “Why would yo
u say that? I’m with Kingsley. I don’t need Jason thinking he turns me on. That’s not what happened.” I shrugged and ran my fingers through my hair. This was ridiculous.

  Christie and Violet looked at each other again and seemed to have a telepathic conversation that I was not included in. Those bitches.

  “Okay,” Violet started, and then turned around to make sure Jason wasn’t watching. “The other day, David and I told you about how we think Jason is in love with you.”

  “Right, and I told you that’s nuts. He has feelings for Janice.”

  “Yeah, and he also has feelings for you. Even Christie figured it out by watching you two today. Anyone can see the sparks that are flying off the two of you, because guess what, honey, I know.” She nodded and paused for dramatic effect or whatever crap she was trying to pull.

  “What do you know?”

  “I know that you care about him too.”

  “Wrong. He’s my friend and that’s where it ends. I don’t have feelings for him or anything.”

  “Lie to me, but I hope you’re being honest with yourself. I know you like Kingsley and I know you want it to work, but that’s because it’s neat and tidy. Jason comes with messiness and risk but he could—”

  “Don’t even say it. He isn’t the one. He is the one I’m friends with, just like I’m friends with the two of you. That’s where it ends. It wouldn’t work with Jason anyway. He is a slob, he dresses like a thirteen-year-old boy, he laughs too loudly, and he has a girlfriend. I’m not a homewrecker. What do you want me to do, walk straight up to Jason and say, ‘Hi, so, I might be in love with you, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. Leave your girlfriend of almost three years and be with me. By the way, we could possibly ruin our friendship. I also have feelings for Kingsley, so that could complicate things.’”

  Christie probed me, joining the conversation. “You told me yesterday you had feelings for him. Are those feelings actually love?”

  I felt slightly defeated. “Kind of. Okay, I was at one time. But then I realized there was no point. Kingsley came into my life and he’s good to me. He listens when I speak and looks out for me. I want to be happy with him.”

  “Well, what’s stopping you?” Violet whispered.

  My smile wavered for a second as I thought about this. I was happy, right? I wanted to be with him. I didn’t have doubts when we were together. Hell, I just gave him my virginity. No, nothing was stopping me. Actually, there was one thing. “You hoes are stopping me! Let’s get out of here so I can meet up with Kingsley.” I started walking to the door, ignoring the feeling in the pit of my stomach, refusing to label it. I turned around. Jason was still talking with Mike but Violet and Christie had started walking toward the exit with me.

  “Jason, we’re gonna leave you,” I called to him, and then walked to the door, my jacket in hand.

  Chapter 12

  I wanted to surprise Kingsley, so I was going to head over to his dorm to see him. We could give the bed a good try. That was probably where we should be hooking up anyway. I had Jason drop me off in front of my door, then turned to look at Violet before getting out of the car. “As much as I wanted to see Kingsley, I don’t want to leave you if you need me. We can get some Chinese food or—”

  “Why do you girls only ever eat Chinese food? You know that there are other types of food, right?” Jason asked. It was nice that he seemed to have forgotten our original conversation.

  “Chinese food has the right amount of grease to fill our souls,” Violet told him, and then smiled at me. “No, babe, go see your man. I’m gonna take these two to get Indian, or something that appeases this man.”

  “Okay, but do you feel like today helped?”

  “Yep, it opened my eyes and I’m looking at things a whole new way now.”

  I stared at her for a second, a little confused by what she meant, but I nodded anyway. “Call me if you need me and I’ll come straight over.”

  She agreed, I said goodbye to them, and Jason drove off. I thought about texting Kingsley and letting him know that I was coming, but then changed my mind. I wanted to keep being spontaneous. I kind of liked this version of myself. Besides, the look on his face when I stripped down to the lingerie was perfect. He liked being surprised almost as much as I hated it.

  I walked down the path to the other dorm building and took a big breath outside the door. I was almost even more nervous than the first time. What if I did something wrong? What if he realized I was still bad at it? It had only been one time, what if he expected me to have, like, learned from it? Maybe I should have paid more attention. I made a mental note to focus on what he was doing and what made him feel good instead of how he made me feel.

  I had a plan and red underwear on. It wasn’t the sexy kind, but it would do until I could get to the store. I rushed into his building and almost ran to his door, hoping I wouldn’t lose my nerve. I was about to knock when someone exited. It was the girl I had seen him with. His family friend, Karen, was leaving his dorm and her pupils were overly dilated. She looked crazy relaxed and there was a goofy smile on her face. It was similar to the face Violet walked around with after she and Berneli spent a particularly long weekend reacquainting with each other.

  My breath caught in my throat. What was going on? “Kingsley?” I called, still standing in the hallway. For some reason, I was afraid to go in.

  “Hey, babe, what’s up?” He leaned in to give me a kiss, but I dodged it and gave him the cheek. He had the same peaceful and relaxed expression Karen had.

  “What’s going on?”

  “No, no. Babe, just come inside. We’ll talk in here.” Kingsley draped his arm around my shoulder and half guided, half pulled me into the room. “How was your day? Did you have fun with Violet and Christie?”

  “Yeah, uh, we knew the owner so he really helped us out.” I sat down at his desk, letting him quickly rush around and pick things up. But I didn’t want to continue the conversation since I didn’t tell him Jason was the one who took us to the range.

  “Oh cool. Did Christie know him? That’s a good friend to have.”

  I nodded, but he didn’t see it.

  “Hmm, did they teach you to shoot? I mean, I could probably show you a thing or two. My dad’s had guns in the house since I could remember. I’m a great shot.” He smiled at me and I tried to smile back, but his eyes were distracting me.

  “Listen, Kingsley, sit down. Please don’t change the subject. What’s going on?”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t an expert or anything but I sat through health class when they went over the basics of drug abuse. His eyes were glassy and he seemed to be sweating. He told me he wasn’t going to be using anymore and he definitely wasn’t trying to fight a fire. So what was he doing?

  “Annabelle, what’s going on?”

  “Kingsley, you said Karen was giving you pills for your headache. Does she give you the Ritalin too?”

  “What? I’m not using anymore.”

  “Then why…” I started but I was having a hard time keeping my nerve. He was looking at me but I hardly recognized him. It was like he was possessed or something, but this was something I needed to know. “Then why does it look like you’re high?”

  Kingsley jerked around, rubbing at his eyes, but it didn’t seem to help the glaze blocking the eyes I’d grown accustomed to staring into.

  “I told you I wasn’t using anymore. Are you calling me a liar?”

  “No, but I know things like that are hard to quit. I mean, you mentioned you tried some harder stuff back when you were in high school. Did you, um, did you fall back into your old ways?”

  “Listen,” Kingsley said fiercely. He stuck a finger in my face for a second and then jerked it back. He started pacing, raking his fingers through his hair. The sweat on his brow increased and his shoulders seemed to shake with the effort to stay calm.

  “Babe,” he begged, standing in front of me again. “Li
sten, you’re kinda right. Something is wrong and Karen offered me an extra something. I didn’t take it and I’m just trying to fight the urge, for you. I want to be a better man, for you.”

  “What happened? You said something was wrong.”

  “So, I told you Karen and I are from the same town, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kingsley sat down on the bed. I kneeled in front of him, waiting for him to open up. Whatever was wrong must have been serious. He looked devastated.

  “Karen’s cousin died and she was really upset. I knew him pretty well, so when she told me, I got a bit emotional.” He dropped his head in his hands and let out a sob.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize…”

  “No, you didn’t. And that’s why I was hesitant to tell you about my past with drugs. People just assume the worst, right? Like I used once so I must be a user. Well, that’s not the case. I just…” He covered his face again and took a couple deep breaths. “It just scared me that I wanted to use. If I didn’t hear your voice in the hall, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me this?”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m weak or soft. Karen and I just decided to put on a brave face so no one would know something was wrong.”

  “No, I’m so sorry.” I started stroking his back as he pulled himself together.

  “I don’t know what to do.” He slurred his words a little and tried to brush at the tears. He was really upset about all of this. I quickly pulled him into a tight hug and tried to absorb all of his pain. I couldn’t believe I was just accusing him of using when he was actually this crushed.

  Then a memory flashed in my head. Violet had told me that after she was attacked, she wanted to be with Berneli because she needed a distraction. Maybe this would help him too. I nudged his chin up so that he was looking at me. Giving him a weak smile, I bent down and kissed him slightly. At the carnival, I decided I’d prove to him he didn’t need drugs to feel better or worthy. It was time to make good on that.