Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3)

by Martucci, Christopher

  “A burrito,” Paul replied.

  “Smells like shit, dude,” Scott said then lowered the window.

  “And there are ladies in the car,” George shocked her by adding in his monotone voice.

  “Oh, you mean me?” Meg chimed in as if she’d just been roused from a nap. “Oh don’t worry about me, I’m not a lady,” she smiled sweetly and a ripple of laughter swelled through the car.

  Arianna felt like an idiot for thinking Scott had some kind of insight into her psyche moments earlier, when he’d locked eyes with her and told her she was not alone anymore. How dumb could she be? What other possible meaning could his comment have had? He was a regular teenage boy for heaven’s sake! Her reading into it was proof positive that she’d spent far too long in the company of supernatural or otherwise damaged people.

  “How about you, are you a lady?” Meg asked and returned Arianna to the conversation.

  “Uh, I’m gonna have to give you a no on that one,” she said and crinkled her nose as she shook her head.

  “See George, no need to get worked up,” Meg said and Arianna could hardly imagine George getting worked up about anything, least of all the manners of teenage boys. “No ladies here.”

  “Umm, but there are some there,” Paul said and pointed to a group of girls just ahead as Scott directed the SUV to a clearing just past a drive-in movie theatre that had been closed for the season. “And fine ones at that.”

  “You’re so gross,” Meg looked to where he’d pointed and rolled her eyes.

  “Nah, just admiring the scenery,” he said and leered some more.

  This was another aspect of friendship Arianna had yet to adjust to. She’d never had girls that were friends, much less guys who were friends. She wasn’t sure how to respond. She had no romantic interest in Paul, yet felt uncomfortable with him ogling the scantily clad girls they’d pulled up in front of.

  The girls, seeing only Scott and George in the front seats, kept looking over their shoulders, directly into the light of the headlights, and tossing their hair and arching their backs. She assumed Scott was enjoying the view as much as Paul was and felt an unexpected sting of jealousy. They were not on a date, just hanging out as a group. Why she felt as she did was a mystery, an unpleasant mystery.

  “Are we ready?” Scott said and twisted in his seat to look at her.

  “Yep,” Meg answered.

  “How about you, Arianna? You’ve been kind of quiet.”

  Arianna felt the fuck you badge making its way back to her and fought it. So she was uncomfortable, big deal, right? She had been in far worse situations recently. Spending a few hours watching a group of horny teenage boys try to get lucky would be a breeze compared to all that she’d been through.

  “I’m fine,” she smiled and hoped her smile didn’t look as tight as it felt.

  Scott eyed her, his face unreadable.

  “So whose party is it?” she heard herself ask.

  “No one’s I guess,” he shrugged and she realized he was right. A party in the woods was not one person’s party usually.

  “Right, that was a stupid question,” she fumbled. “What I meant to ask was who do you know at this party?”

  “No one,” Scott answered with a straight face.

  “What? You’re kidding me, right?” she asked and felt certain he was just messing with her.

  “No. I’m not kidding,” he said.

  “C’mon! Cut it out,” she laughed. “Okay, you got me. For a minute there I believed you.”

  Scott smiled and looked at Meg and Paul. “I’m serious. I don’t know a single person here, right guys?”

  “No, he doesn’t. None of us do,” Paul said without a smile.

  “C’mon! Enough! You got me! I said it already,” Arianna waited for them to laugh, but no one did. “Meg, c’mon, they’re messing with me, right?’

  “No, we do this all the time, you know? We hear about a party and crash it.”

  Arianna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Sure, on stupid reality shows about rich kids with nothing better to do, people crash parties in mansions and it is fine. But she doubted that was the case for regular kids from Hallowed Hills. Driving an hour to crash a party in the woods was absurd.

  “You’re joking, right?” Arianna asked.

  “No, what do you mean? It’ll be cool. We do it all the time. We like to meet new people,” Scott said and smiled self-consciously. Meg and Paul nodded in agreement.

  Arianna felt her cheeks burn. She did not want to insult them. Maybe this was what everyone did, what normal people her age did. Who was she to judge? Normal was a term she’d never used to describe herself or anyone she’d ever known.

  “Yeah, you’re right I guess,” she said then chewed her lip nervously. “Sounds like fun.”

  In truth, it did not sound like it would be fun at all. Arianna was about as outgoing as a turtle and would just as soon find a shell to dive under then saunter up to a group of strangers and start chatting.

  “Great, so you’re in,” Scott said then opened the driver’s side door and slid out. George followed suit, as did Paul who was followed by Meg. Reluctantly, Arianna gripped the handle and took a deep breath before opening the rear door she sat beside. As she did, another car pulled up alongside them. The driver’s side door opened and the light inside revealed that Chris was the driver and Kit his passenger. Josh and Jess were in the back seat.

  “Hey,” Chris said to her as he climbed out then added shyly, “Glad you came.”

  She would have mumbled, “That makes one of us,” if he hadn’t seemed as timid as she felt, and if she weren’t trying desperately to fit in. She’d been enjoying their company so much and didn’t want to screw things up by reverting to her former ways. So she smiled and said, “Thanks, me, too,” instead.

  Jess swung the back door open and jumped out. “Yay! This is going to be so much fun,” she said and linked arms with Arianna.

  Arianna wasn’t sure how to react and stiffened a bit. Walking arm-in-arm with a girl was not something she was used to doing, though Beth would likely beg to differ. But Jess was so bubbly and talking so excitedly, she found herself relaxing and falling into step with her.

  “I can’t wait to get back there and have a few beers,” Josh said as he hurried to join Scott, Paul and Meg who’d begun talking to the girls they’d pulled up near.

  Seeing a girl with short, blonde hair and an equally short skirt laughing with and touching Scott made Arianna bristle. She did not know why she felt jealous. Scott was not her boyfriend. She’d just met him. But for reasons she could not explain, she felt like marching over to them and forcing herself between them, either that, or punching the short-haired blonde right in her perky nose.

  “Arianna, Jess!” Scott called to them and motioned for them to join his group. “Come and meet some great people.”

  She rolled her eyes and was thankful Jess had been talking to Kit with her head turned and had missed it.

  “Looks like Scott has made some new friends already,” Jess said and did not hide the acid in her tone.

  “Yuck, that chick he’s talking to looks like a skank,” Kit added.

  Arianna would have loved to chime in, but felt it was too soon. “Hmm,” Arianna uttered instead.

  “Oh don’t worry, Arianna,” Jess said and looked worried. “He’s into you, not the skank.”

  Jess nudged Kit in a not-so-subtle way and Arianna smirked. Jess was not particularly sly, but her effort was commendable.

  “Yeah,” Kit added nervously. “He just likes to meet people.”

  “Unfortunately, some of them look like tramps,” Jess mumbled and Arianna was beginning to really like her.

  They approached the group and she watched as Jess put herself between Scott and the skank. Other guys, seeing Jess, joined and soon, she held most of the groups’ attention. She spoke animatedly and told a story about the last party they’d been to in a nearby town and how they’d thought a drunken man
was a cop and took off only to come back and find the man naked, sitting on their keg. Laughter erupted and Jess had turned her back to the blonde, effectively edging her out of the group. Jess glanced over her shoulder casually and watched as the girl left with her friends then looked to Arianna and winked.

  Arianna had never needed anyone’s help get rid of an unwanted person in her midst. Of course, Jess did not know that and clearly felt as if she’d done Arianna a service. The thought warmed her. She had a friend, a real, normal friend. Her heart swelled and felt two sizes too big for her chest. Scott’s hand on her elbow nearly stopped it from beating, his touch bolting up her arm like lightning.

  “Let’s go,” Scott said and nodded toward the opening in the sparsely wooded area. He held out his hand for her to hold. She noticed his long, elegant fingers and compared them immediately to Desmond’s hands. Desmond had large, capable hands, hands roughened by doing god-only-knew-what. She tried to force him from her mind. Thinking of him only brought her pain where it had once brought her comfort and happiness. She slid her hand into Scott’s outstretched hand and he clasped it tightly. She felt an unexpected jolt like electricity rip though her. Her eyes snapped up to him as she jumped, surprised by what she’d felt. She swore he grinned at her start and felt a shiver sweep up her spine.

  As if sensing her reaction, Scott gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she realized how remarkably soft his hands were. He held her hand and led her into the woods. Not surprisingly, George appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and followed less than two steps behind them. When she slowed unexpectedly, she worried he’d slam into her back as the smell of burning leaves hit her and nearly staggered her. She now associated it exclusively with Kane and his church, with her mother’s death. She squeezed her eyes shut, battling the anxiety rising inside her and breathed deeply. The air was chilly, yet she suddenly felt overheated, memories and nerves uniting against her.

  With her emotions feeling as volatile as they felt, she wondered why her fingertips hadn’t begun to tingle, why all the hate and angry energy she felt toward Kane did not begin to bleed from her. She did not want to frighten Scott, or even creepy George, with a sudden display of her powers and hoped she’d unknowingly learned to control them better.

  Scott gave her hand another squeeze and returned her attention to the party. People passed her and Scott holding plastic cups which meant the keg was somewhere close. She studied the clearing and did not see it, but saw, instead, the source of the smell that seized her seconds earlier. A large, metal trashcan had been filled with leaves and brush and lit as a makeshift bonfire.

  “Shit, I hope there’s no poison ivy in there,” Scott leaned in and said into her ear.

  Arianna laughed and shook her head. “That would not be good,” she agreed and saw that George nodded cheerlessly just inches from them.

  She groaned silently and spotted Jess and the others approaching behind George.

  “This party is off the hook!” Paul exclaimed as his eyes followed a pair of girls. “Hey, what’s up ladies? My name’s Paul. This is Arianna, Scott and George.”

  The girls stopped and introduced themselves. One was named Gina and the other Sarah. Gina had white-blonde hair that skimmed her shoulders and Sarah had short, curly black hair. They went to Jettison High School and were seniors, just like Arianna and the others. After pointing them to the keg and promising Paul they’d meet up with him later, Gina and Sarah exchanged tipsy pleasantries and moved along.

  “See what I mean? Off the freaking hook,” Paul nodded to her and Scott. “Now, let’s get some beer.”

  “Paul is behaving himself tonight,” Jess said more to Scott than anyone else.

  “For now,” Scott smirked.

  “I wonder if the cops ever come here,” Arianna said to Jess as she examined the clearing again. She noticed that it was not only a wide-open space off of a main road, but that it lacked any kind of real coverage, as well. Few trees shielded the area from headlights and the fire they had going worked against what little protection they offered.

  “I have no idea, but I’ll find out right now,” Jess said then spun and grabbed the sleeve of the first boy that passed. He was tall and wore a brightly colored winter hat.

  “Oh Jess you don’t have to,” Arianna began, but was interrupted by Jess speaking to the boy whose sleeve she held.

  “Hi there, I’m Jess.”

  “Hey, I’m Jeff,” he replied and did not even seem to notice the unusual way she’d gotten his attention.

  “Hi Jeff,” she purred. “My friends and I were wondering, do the cops come by here a lot? We don’t want to get too comfortable if we’re going to have to run off any second.”

  “Cops? Are you kidding me? There are, like, two in this town, and they’re probably at the doughnut shop in the square.”

  “Ha! Funny. I like you, Jeff!” Jess said and released his sweatshirt, but took hold of his forearm instead. From what little Arianna had seen of Jess, she never would have imagined she’d be so flirtatious. But beer often did that to a girl, transformed her from silly and girly to flirty. No one else seemed surprised by her change so Arianna dismissed it.

  After a few moments of talking, Jeff went on his way and Jess bounded back to them.

  “I see you worked your magic,” Scott teased her.

  Jess tossed her flame-red hair over her shoulder with exaggerated attitude and both she and Scott laughed.

  “I want to mingle more,” Jess said. “Come on! We can all go together!”

  The thought of mingling made Arianna want to scream, but since everyone they’d met so far had been friendly, she could not find a legitimate reason that it made her want to scream. The kids of Jettison seemed as nice as the kids from Hallowed Hills.

  Led by Jess, she and the others moved from group to group and got to know a variety of people. Everyone was drinking and laughing and having a good time, and while Arianna was not intoxicated in the least, the atmosphere was intoxicating. She felt alive and light, unlike she’d ever felt before. Time was flying, as well, and she nearly dropped her phone when she glanced at it and saw that it was close to one o’clock in the morning already.

  As they worked their way through the crowd, Scott continued to look at her strangely, as if he had something to say. Finally, when they’d left a group of particularly rowdy football players, he leaned in and said, “Want to go somewhere a little more private?”

  She wasn’t sure what he was getting at and hesitated. She was not going to go off into the woods with him and hook up. She worried that if he tried anything, she would lose what little restraint she had and incinerate him.

  “I just want to talk to you for a while, just you. I promise, no funny business,” Scott said as if he’d read her mind.

  “Okay,” she replied cautiously.

  “C’mon,” he said and heard the doubt in her voice. “Where’s the trust?” He reached out his hand and she took it, but not before looking over her shoulder for George. When he didn’t follow, she felt a bit relieved. Something about George got under her skin. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was that irked her but felt uncomfortable around him.

  They walked until they found a pair of tree stumps close together. They sipped their beers and talked a bit as the party wound down and people began to leave. The conversations turned from lighthearted to serious.

  “I like you, Arianna,” Scott blurted out unexpectedly.

  Arianna wasn’t sure what to say. “Uh, thanks,” she fumbled awkwardly.

  “Ouch,” Scott said and screwed up his features. “I got the old ‘thanks.’ That’s never good.”

  “I didn’t mean to, well, you know, dammit, I’m just not good at,” she stammered. “Shit. Can you tell I’m not good at this?”

  “Not at all,” he said with playful sarcasm.

  Arianna shook her head and raked her hand through her hair. “It’s not that I don’t like you, I’m just not ready to start anything up right now,” she admi
tted.

  “Arianna, I’m not asking you to marry me. I just want to hang out with you.”

  By hang out, she assumed he meant make out.

  “So, what, you’re looking for a friend with benefits to mess around with when you feel like it?” she asked and could not keep the sharpness from her tone.

  “What? No! Nothing like that. I just meant that I want to get to know you, see what happens, that’s all.”

  “Hmm,” she eyed him warily.

  “I’m serious. If I were looking for what you said before, I could get it, trust me. But I don’t want that with you. You’re different,” he said sheepishly and dropped his gaze to his feet.

  She did not know what to make of his admission. He’d basically told her that if he were looking to fool around with some random girl, there were plenty waiting in the wings to do so. But he did not want them right now. He wanted her. She found that point interesting, and kind of flattering. He thought she was different. He was right. She was different. If he knew just how different she was, he would run from her, or worse, get himself hurt just like everyone else had. She needed to end things before they had a chance to begin.

  “Trust me, you don’t want to be with me,” she said honestly.

  “Why would you say that?” he asked softly.

  “Jeez, you want the list. It’s pretty long. It’s a good thing you don’t have a curfew,” she said and looked away from him as she shifted her weight from one leg to the next.

  Scott gently placed his hand on her cheek and turned her face toward him. Her legs stopped moving.

  “Hey, I don’t believe that for a second,” he said and watched her with intensity so fierce it made her want to giggle. Yet despite the bizarre way he concentrated on her, the air between them seemed to crackle with energy. She wasn’t sure why or what had caused it, but it was there. He tipped her chin up and she had no choice but to look into his eyes.

  In the darkness, his eyes caught the light of the fire that had been started in the trash can and looked as though they were glowing in an eerie shade of gold. The color pulled her in, almost hypnotized her. He brought his other hand up and stroked her hair back. No one had ever petted her as he did now. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it.