Crossings: A Sovereign Guardians Novel

by Susan Collins

  Thinking about Grant and how perfect their relationship seemed to be, I said, "There's no reason to be jealous of me when you're the one with the perfect boyfriend."

  "Grant and I are great, but that's not what I meant and you know it. You can pretend with everybody else but not with me. Granger and Keller spend thirty minutes every day at lunch vying for your attention, which you seem oblivious to. It's obvious they're crazy about you and since they are both so incredibly handsome and fun and smart, I don't see how you could ever choose between them. I mean, my gosh, it's like Team Edward or Team Jacob all over again but in real life."

  I laughed out loud at her teen novel reference.

  "Faith, you can't be serious. Keller and Granger aren't crazy about me. I figured that out after the first week. I mean, I'll admit at first I thought Granger's flirting might mean something, but I realized those two just like to compete. If they aren't talking about who gets more food from the cafeteria workers, then they're arguing about whose favorite sports team won whatever game was played the night before. It's not a real interest in me. It's all a challenge for them to see who can outdo the other. And as for making a choice between the two of them? Well, that wouldn't be hard. It would be... neither."

  I could feel Faith rolling her eyes across the phone line. The sigh she gave told me she clearly didn't believe me.

  "Well, I wouldn't mind being the trophy at the end of a competition for either one of them,” Faith giggled. "Oh, and when you meet Grant, don't tell him I said that."

  After I assured her my lips were sealed, we agreed to meet in an hour. I was smiling when I hung up the phone and ran upstairs to get ready. I liked spending time with Faith. Unfortunately the only class we had together was chemistry, and it took all my concentration not to fail, which left only lunch and after school for any real social time.

  Once in my room, I went straight to my closet and pulled out a spaghetti strap sundress made of a light blue cotton fabric with small purple and pink flowers woven into the material. From under my bed I pulled out a pair of blue Keds. I didn't know how much walking we would be doing downtown, but even if we did very little, I still wasn't the high heel kind of girl. I could picture Faith wearing three inch heels tonight, and she would look fabulous wearing them. I envied her ease with fashion. I hadn't worn a skirt since the day I'd dared to wear the denim mini one to school. Faith would be thrilled to see me again wearing something besides my jeans.

  My curly hair went back in its usual high pony tail. I put on a hint of lip gloss and a dab of mascara to complete my night on the town look. There was nothing I could do about the various tendrils which refused to stay secured. I looked critically in the mirror and decided they looked fine framing my face.

  Staring at the loose curls, I remembered Keller's fingers running through my hair. My stomach did a strange flip flop at the memory.

  I shook my head, frustrated. I would not start thinking about him tonight. This was my first trip with Faith to downtown Nashville, and I was going to have fun.

  With one last glance at my reflection, I realized my look was barely a step up from what I normally wore to school. I dabbed a touch more gloss on my lips and then headed out of my room and down the stairs.

  Gran was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee as I walked in. I smiled when she told me how beautiful I looked even though I knew it wasn't true. She'd tell me I looked great no matter what I was wearing. She was that happy to have me home and to see me going out with friends.

  I gave her Faith's cell number and a quick kiss on her cheek, along with a promise to call if I decided to spend the night at one of the other girls’ houses. Then I was out the door and climbing in the truck. I quickly cranked the engine, and shifted the vehicle in gear. I was running a little early, but I didn't mind. I didn't want Faith to have to wait on me.

  Excited as I was about going out, I was also a little nervous about meeting Faith's other friends. My experiences with girls my age at the other schools I had attended had never really been positive. It wasn't that I hadn't wanted friends exactly, but I was simply never very good at making any. I never stayed around at one place long enough to keep the few I did make.

  It took very little time for me to arrive at our planned meeting place. I expertly pulled the truck into the corner lot of the store where people parked who weren't there to shop but were planning to leave their cars for a few hours. As I waited for Faith, my mind drifted back over the last few days.

  Faith had been right about one thing she'd said earlier. Granger and Keller were both incredibly handsome.

  But as for either one of them being seriously interested in me? Well, Faith was totally wrong on that one. Keller's treatment of me was certainly all the proof I needed to know how wrong she was.

  In fact, recently the two had seemed to pay me little attention unless it was to annoy me. Sure, there was that moment Granger and I had been alone in the hall at school, but that hadn't lasted long and basically the whole incident had left me really confused about what he wanted from me and why I'd acted like such an idiot and let him pull me off to the side in the first place.

  There was also still that whole mumbo jumbo thing he seemed to have pulled on Mr. McNeely. It had all felt completely wrong. The details of it were fuzzy to me now, which was weird to me, too. I'd tried to shake off the whole thing as just a moment of insanity on my part, but there were times when I couldn't stop from playing it all over in my head even though I knew I should let it go. I should focus on the time we spent together at the restaurant. Everything had been wonderfully normal then.

  Of course, having him interrupt whatever was happening between Keller and me in the truck, well, that was awkward, to say the least. I was more than a little grateful he never mentioned it.

  As for Keller? I simply refused to think about that at all, or at least as little as I possibly could. But I also knew I couldn’t lie to myself. Whenever I was alone with him, there was a connection between us that couldn’t be ignored. So, the best way to stop the situation was to make sure that never happened again.

  So far that plan was working for me, even if I couldn’t always control the thoughts that ran through my mind late at night. Really, to keep my sanity, it was probably better if I stayed away from them both. When I did think about Granger and Keller, I realized there were things about them both that didn't add up.

  Both were new to the school, but they didn't act like two people who had never met. They spent most of their time arguing like friends who'd known each other way longer than a few months. I could only assume they were like Faith and me and had kind of bonded instantly, but did guys even do that?

  I really needed to let all of it go. Obsessive compulsive was not my best personality trait.

  Faith's car coming down the road saved me from my thoughts. I grabbed the key to the truck, hopped out, and slammed the door behind me without even bothering to lock it. I was sure Gran would be thrilled if someone stole the thing, so then she could take the insurance money and buy anything else. I wouldn't exactly be unhappy either if I had a sweet, new ride.

  Faith pulled up in a lime green Volkswagen. It was not the same car she drove to school. According to what little Gran had told me, Faith's parents were wealthy, so I wasn't surprised she'd have more than one car.

  As I walked up to her vehicle, I saw the passenger seat had been left empty. I climbed in and was immediately introduced to the two girls in the back.

  Marilyn Taylor and Summer Vaughn had been friends of Faith's since they were four, so apparently we had all started school together. I didn't remember them, and I didn't have that preschool picture Faith had. As far as pictures went, if it weren't for the few pictures my grandmother had taken over the years, there wouldn't be any of me as a child. Since my father hadn't exactly wanted me around, he hadn't been concerned about preserving my precious childhood moments, especially buying or keeping things like school photos.

  As I climbed into Faith's car, I realized
with just one look that the two girls could have been sisters, they looked so much alike. Both Marilyn and Summer had straight blonde hair and brown eyes. The main difference between the two was the way their hair was styled. Marilyn's was cut into a short angled bob that looked great on her and made me reach back and feel the length of my pony tail and think seriously about cutting off my own hair.

  Summer wore her hair long and straight, and her style made me wish my curly hair could be replaced.

  Great. Not only did I have trouble making friends, but apparently I also had hair envy issues.

  Both girls smiled and immediately put me at ease. Before long we had established that we all loved Mexican food, black and white movies, much of the same music, and we even agreed country music was cool but that living near Nashville, people shouldn't automatically assume it was all we ever wanted to hear.

  Conversation was easy with so many girls. We talked nonstop on the drive to town. The trip sped by and before I knew it, Faith was skillfully pulling her car into a parallel parking spot that I knew I could have never maneuvered into. The thought had me thanking Faith again for driving. Marilyn and Summer echoed the sentiment.

  "I'm just glad y'all could come with me," Faith said and then turned around to glance at the other girls. "Now, we'll have to see if we can get into this club even though we aren't twenty-one. According to their website, they let high school students in as long as they don't try to order any alcoholic drinks. If we can't get in for dancing, then I guess we can walk around downtown if you guys want and maybe eat at the Melting Pot or something."

  "What's the Melting Pot?" I asked.

  Marilyn answered first. "It's an awesome fondue restaurant. You get to cook each dish right at the table on your own personal fondue pot."

  Summer spoke up. "It's the desserts I love. They have these amazing strawberries dipped in this heavenly chocolate. It's kind of expensive to go to all the time. I only get to go there on special occasions."

  "The cost isn't a problem tonight, girls. Don't forget," Faith reminded us, "I've got Daddy's American Express, and he did say to have fun! What's more fun than treating my friends? As much as I'd love to do that, though, right now I really want to get into that club and dance."

  "Ya know, I heard the same thing you did, Faith, about the club I mean,” Summer assured us, “and our age shouldn't be an issue."

  We all piled out of the car as Summer finished talking. We were lucky. Faith had found a parking place near the entrance, so we didn't have far to walk.

  "Some clubs in bigger cities like Atlanta have allowed this for years," Faith explained. "I guess they make their money from the cover charge and all the nonalcoholic drinks they know we'll gulp down getting thirsty from all the dancing we'll do." She turned and smiled as she added, "I'm really excited about getting to go to Club Ville. On certain nights it's supposed to be a great place for live music, too. Maybe we'll get lucky and get to see a new band that we might hear one day on the radio."

  "I think it's crazy that just because you're not twenty-one people think you don't want to hear good music and dance. If I can get these two feet on a dance floor," Marilyn stated emphatically, "I don't have to be drunk to have some great moves."

  To prove her point, she started dancing right on the middle of the sidewalk as music wafted out on to the street from a nearby bar. A whistle sent from a group of guys sitting at an outside table only encouraged her to laugh and keep dancing.

  Faith grabbed Marilyn by the arm and steered her to the opening of the club. "Okay, Dirty Dancing wannabe, let's get you off the sidewalk and onto a real dance floor before it's time for us to go home." We were all laughing as we walked up the steps and into the club.

  Again, we were in luck. A cover charge and show of our driver's license were all they required. We each got a stamp on our hands to show the bartender that cola would be the strongest drink we were allowed to purchase.

  I knew a lot of kids our age were big into sneaking out and getting drunk on the weekends, but not being able to buy alcohol wasn't a big deal to me. I had spent too much of my life trying to keep myself together and not fall apart that the idea of voluntarily losing control was an idea I wasn't crazy about.

  Faith squeezed my arm to get my attention. The music was loud but good, and she had to lean in close so I could hear her.

  "Let's grab a seat before we all get separated."

  I nodded my agreement, and the four of us headed to a table tucked away in the corner. The chairs were more like bar stools, and I slid in and took a seat right as the waiter came to take our order.

  Everyone asked for some type of cola. Then Marilyn and Summer disappeared together into the throng of dancers. Faith was texting on her phone; I assumed it was to Grant. He was supposed to be meeting us, but he hadn't been sure what time he'd get off from his job at the golf shop where he worked on the weekends. The unexpected minute to myself gave me time to look around.

  The dance floor was large but packed. Most of the crowd looked like they were near our age, but there were a lot of older kids as well. I guessed some of the students were from the local campuses like Vanderbilt or Belmont, but of course, I couldn't be sure. No one was sporting any of their college gear tonight. The dress code for the club seemed to be a step up from regular day wear, and I was glad I'd opted to wear a dress. The room was dim except for the flashing lights on the main floor which were strategically placed so the effect made everyone look like they had flawless dance moves.

  I didn't recognize the band that was playing, but I liked the beat and the music was fast enough that I knew we wouldn't look out of place dancing with a group. Faith had told me on the nights they had live music there would be a band playing part of the evening, and the rest of the night would be recorded music from various pop artists.

  It didn't matter to me. I liked almost all music. Over the years I'd found it was a great way to escape. I could put in my ear buds, crank up my music, and block out the rest of the world.

  Faith put her phone in the back pocket of her miniskirt and motioned for me to follow her out on the floor. The drinks arrived right as she walked away, so I took a quick sip of mine and hurried to join her.

  It didn't take us long to find the rest of our group and join in the dancing. I realized from all the smiles and waves going on around me that Faith and the other girls knew a lot of people in the crowd. It didn't surprise me either that so many people from school were here. There was no major sporting event going on tonight at the high school, so it left all the students, including the athletes, free to enjoy a night on the town. With Jasper having little to no nighttime entertainment and Nashville being so close, this club was bound to be a hit with the high school crowd. A few familiar faces smiled and waved at me and not just the other girls. Maybe my senior year at Jasper wouldn't be so bad after all.

  We continued to dance as the band played several songs before finally taking a break. After the musicians left the stage, the music that flowed from the speakers was all current pop. I knew most of the songs, and since no slow ones ever seemed to rotate through the play list, we all kept dancing.

  We had been on the dance floor for quite awhile when I heard Faith's squeal of delight. I turned to see her hugging a sandy blonde-headed guy who I immediately recognized as Grant from the many pictures of him I'd seen. Or, at least, I certainly hoped it was Grant with the way she'd attached herself to him. If this guy wasn't her boyfriend, that was definitely a move he wouldn't want to witness.

  Faith pulled him by the hand through the crowd and onto the dance floor and then attempted to shout introductions. Both of Grant's arms were wrapped around Faith as she leaned back against his chest, so he simply smiled and nodded his head. It was really too loud for conversation, but I smiled back and motioned with my hands for the two of them not to worry about me and to go dance.

  When I turned back around, Marilyn and Summer were both still dancing with some guys I recognized from my science class. So far I
'd been approached by several guys asking me to dance, but I'd managed to avoid having to really say no by pointing out I was with my group of friends.

  Now with everyone occupied, I was feeling a little nervous. I didn't want to be approached by a stranger, and honestly, I was starting to get a little tired. I couldn't remember when I'd danced this long. The schools I'd attended had held dances periodically, much like the one we'd hosted for the underclassmen, but those were only a few throughout the year, and I normally was in trouble at whatever boarding school I was attending and couldn't go to after school functions, even if I'd wanted to.

  As the lights flickered and the music blared, our secluded table in the corner was looking pretty good to me. From there I'd still be able to watch the dancing and enjoy the music, but I'd also have a little bit of alone time.

  I made my way back to the corner, slid onto one of the stools, and took three huge gulps from my drink. It only took about two minutes before I realized my plan of being by myself was not going to go the way I'd intended.

  A guy I'd never met was suddenly leaning against the small, round table where I sat. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a green pullover shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. He wasn't bad to look at, but he wasn't in the same league as Granger or Keller.

  Now, where had that thought come from? Could I not do anything without those two popping into my mind?

  I looked again at the guy standing beside me. I definitely didn't recognize him from JHS, and besides, he looked too old to be in high school. Maybe it was simply because he had invaded my space, but there was something about him that I didn't like.

  "I'm Brian," he said over the noise of the music.

  "Hi," I said back, but I didn't add anything else. I certainly wasn't giving him my name if that's what he was waiting for. I looked at the dance floor instead of at him, hoping he'd take the hint and leave, but when he didn't move I knew subtlety wasn't going to work.