“What? How in the world would I have any control over that?”
“I know you must hate that I won. You thought you had it in the bag and now you’re being petty.”
I was floored. She was taking this to new levels of insane. “Okay, first of all, I don’t care that you won. It’s whatever. And second, the authorities in charge are the ones who made the decision. Nobody controls what they do. You’re crazy if you think I have that ability.”
She spluttered, no words coming out, only crazed sounds. Becca, who was standing behind her, put an arm around her. “Come on, Kitty. She’s not worth your time. Let’s go eat.” Kitty allowed herself to be pulled along, still muttering. Becca shot a death glare at me over her shoulder and I smiled sweetly back at her.
I let them get a head start before making my own way to the courtyard outside the cafeteria. Cam was waiting for me, sitting at one of the tables with his legs kicked out in front of him, feet clad in black boots crossed at the ankle. I melted into the spot next to him and snuggled into this side. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in closer. “Hey, you,” he whispered.
“Hey back.” He kissed the top of my head spreading happiness throughout me.
“How was your morning?”
I loved that he truly cared about things like that. It made me giggle at how soft he actually was. Everyone assumed he was a crass, tough guy, but I knew the truth. “It hasn’t been the greatest, but I’m better now… with you.”
I could feel his smile on the top of my head where his lips were still resting. “Mmm, mine’s better now, too. Your hair smells good.”
“It’s coconut scented.”
“Then I love coconut.”
My face glowed from the compliment. “How do you make me feel so good with such a simple observation?”
“I dunno, but I have a million of ’em.” He nuzzled my hair again and I closed my eyes with contentment. “So, what else happened this morning besides you being late?”
I thought about what to say. I couldn’t tell him about my conversation with Coach Anderson or my quiet standoff with Ms. Stratha. “Well, for starters, we have a huge English project. You’ll find out about it this afternoon.”
“Can’t wait. What else?”
I sighed. “Just a stupid run-in with Kitty. She blames me for all the Homecoming stuff being canceled.”
He squeezed me a little tighter. “She’s nuts.”
“I know. Like, officially nuts. She was practically foaming at the mouth. Becca had to force her to leave the room.”
“It doesn’t surprise me. She’s always been a little off. Obsessed, you might call it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it.”
We lapsed into silence as we enjoyed each other’s company. The cool air felt good on my skin and gave me the perfect excuse to stay bundled close to Cam’s side. He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a candy bar. “Want half?”
“What do you think?”
He laughed and tore into the packaging with his teeth, offering it to me with a raised eyebrow. I kept his gaze as I bit the end of it. He made a low sound in the back of his throat as he watched me chew. The creamy chocolate swirled around my taste buds and I couldn’t stop the slight moan as I savored its flavor. Cam’s eyes were bright and focused as he leaned in to kiss me. “You missed some,” he murmured against my lips. I shivered in response.
“Do I need to come back later?” An amused voice wedged between us as effectively as a stone wall. We pulled back and Harper grinned slyly at the both of us. Warmth fanned across my cheeks but I tried to ignore it. It wasn’t like she didn’t know we kissed, but I wasn’t used to displaying it around others like that.
Cam didn’t seem bothered a bit. “Hey. What’s up?”
“I just heard from Maddie. She’s coming back to school tomorrow! Isn’t that great?”
It was great. But it was also nerve-racking considering she was now part of the group I was trying to protect. I forced myself to sound cheerful. “That’s fantastic!”
She did a little shimmy before sinking down onto the bench next to us. I hadn’t seen her this happy in weeks. I was glad for it. “So, I hear Stratha is handing out a big assignment.” I groaned at the reminder. She rummaged in her backpack and pulled out an apple. Crunching into it loudly, she chewed for a second before mumbling around it. “It’ll be okay.”
“Says you.”
She grinned. “Says me.”
I gave her a look, one that said, “Remember when we saw Stratha watching us right before we were nearly killed in my car?” She returned it with one of her own: “Calm down, it’s only an English assignment.” Cam watched us with interest.
“So, y’all are telepathic now? I knew you two were close, but if y’all are on the mind reading level, I’m gonna feel left out.” He was teasing and I took the opportunity to focus on him and the happiness I was feeling a few moments earlier.
“Eh, you know how girls can be. We sync up and stuff.”
Harper made an “ew” face as I realized what I’d said. My cheeks burned. Cam’s soft chuckle only added to my embarrassment and I hid my face in his shoulder. “You know what I mean,” I mumbled into his jacket.
“Ohh, yeah. I do.” There was still laughter in his voice and I punched him in the arm. Raising my head, I gave him a mock glare. He feigned a serious look before dropping a kiss on my forehead.
“I gotta run. Need to talk to the counselor before next period.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just picking up some study materials for the PSAT test.”
“PSAT test?”
Cam looked over my head to Harper. “Will you explain it to her for me? I’m going to be late.”
She nodded. He gave me another kiss and bounded away. I watched his lanky form disappear inside the building and sighed. He was so yummy. I pictured us back in the park in our spot, listening to music and kissing. I sighed again.
Harper snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hey, you with me?”
I reluctantly left my daydream. “I’m here,” I said with a hint of resentment. She was still crunching on her apple and happily tapping one foot on the ground. She wore a dark gray dress with a slim silver chain belt around her waist. A short black sweater and black high heels finished the look. She was stunning.
“Harper?”
“Hmm?”
“Since we found all this stuff out about ourselves… do you ever think about your birth parents?”
Her foot stopped moving and she stilled. “Why do you ask?”
I stared off into space. “I dunno. I always thought my parents were my parents, ya know? I had no reason to think differently. Sure, I was the odd man out, but it never crossed my mind I actually wasn’t their biologically created daughter.” I paused and thought about it for a minute. “I guess that was naïve. Looking at the situation now, I don’t see how I could ever have believed I wasn’t adopted.” I shifted on the bench. “I’ve been wondering stuff about my real parents.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Oh, you know. What they look like. If I get my clumsiness from them. Stuff like that.”
“And?”
How did she always know there was more? “And where they are. What they’re doing… if they ever think about me.” My voice sounded small, like a child’s.
She was quiet so I looked over to see what she was doing. Her head was bent. She dragged her shoe back and forth across the concrete. Scritch, scritch. Over and over again until I wanted to cover my ears and tell her to stop it. She finally looked up and fixed her eyes somewhere in the distance.
“I used to think like that. For a while, after I found out I was adopted. I even tried searching for them, but there wasn’t much to go on.” She chewed her lip. “Now I know why. With the vampire business, they had to make any evidence of how I came to be difficult to trace.” She sighed and shrugged. “I gave up long ago. My adoptive parents are awesome. I�
�m happy with them. Thinking about my birth parents doesn’t do any good.”
I listened with a heavy heart. What she said made sense, but I could tell she wasn’t being honest with herself. I heard the small yearning in her voice. It was the same yearning that had been building inside me.
CHAPTER FIVE
The rest of the week slid by in a dreary blur of school, home, and overall worry. When Saturday finally arrived, I was ready for some date time with Cam. We’d been planning to get together and maybe go bowling or some other equally cliché activity. But when my phone rang while I still snuggled under the covers, I knew my day was suddenly blown. And I was right. Cam was stuck with family obligations he couldn’t avoid. His aunt and cousins had arrived in town for a surprise visit. I secretly hated them for ruining our day. I think Cam did, too. So instead of listening to the clack of balls hitting pins and the background noise of arcade machines and pool balls clicking, I lay in bed listening to what I’d secretly dubbed “Cam Music,” which was a lot of Green Day.
Sunday was gloomy, with gray, swirly clouds and a steady rain falling. Since Cam still couldn’t escape his house, Harper and I decided to spend the afternoon at the library to do research for our English projects. I hadn’t even thought about who to write my paper about and contrary to my bravado, I was getting pretty nervous about being so behind. Most of the other kids had already finished their rough drafts and were moving on to the final edits. Even Cam was nearly done, which wasn’t that big of a surprise. Beneath his tough exterior was a smart guy intent on going to college.
When we arrived, a lot of the tables were already filled with classmates who’d had the same idea. The only empty spot was right in the middle of everyone. I inwardly sighed as the plan of nabbing a quiet corner table evaporated. I looked at Harper and she shrugged. Resigned, we took our seats and started spreading our stuff out. In seconds, it looked as if we’d been there all day with our stuff scattered everywhere. I found the instruction sheet and looked it over. The assignment was to write a paper about a famous inventor. It required all the basics—early life history, important achievements, and so on. Yawn. Ms. Stratha had given us a list of people to give us ideas. I scanned down the column of names until one popped out at me.
“Hey, who are you doing your paper on?”
Harper looked up from the index card she’d been scribbling on. “Nikola Tesla.”
“Oh. That’s a good one.”
“Yeah, nobody else had grabbed it yet and there’s a lot of information about him. Should be easy enough. What about you?”
I sighed. “I think I’m going to do Eli Whitney. He’s the only one on here I’ve never heard of. I’m sure it’s a safe bet the other names are already taken.”
“Hmm. Yeah, you’re probably right. But Eli Whitney is good.” Her fake confidence sent butterflies swarming in my stomach.
“I hate that she’s requiring us to cite sources we can only find in actual books. This would be so much easier if we could use all online resources.” I was complaining but didn’t care. I had no patience for schoolwork. Trying to stay alive and help warn others in my same boat was kinda taking precedence at the moment. But seeing as Ms. Stratha was probably one of the bad guys, I didn’t need to do anything else to make her single me out. And not doing the assignment would definitely do just that.
“I know. I don’t like it much, either. But I don’t think it’ll be that bad.”
“Says the girl who got Tesla.”
She laughed. “True that.”
“I’m gonna go see what I can find. If I don’t return in fifteen minutes, send a search party.” I was only half kidding. For all I knew, Ms. Stratha had a posse hiding in the stacks ready to take me out.
She waved a hand at me, her attention already back on her index cards. I grumbled and wandered toward the bank of computers near the front desk. After carefully typing my subject’s name in the search field, I was presented with a dismally short list of books. Muttering obscenities under my breath, I pressed the print button, anger at my procrastination boiling like thick, soupy yuck in my gut.
A quick glance around the immediate area revealed no printers. My bad mood intensified as I realized I had no idea where they were. Sighing heavily, I approached a teenage girl tapping away at a keyboard behind the information desk.
“Excuse me.”
She held up a finger and continued typing with the other. I tapped my foot—thud, thud, thud—and glanced at the large, ornate clock hanging on the wall behind her. She ignored me for another minute before giving a high-pitched giggle and looking up.
“Okay, how can I help you?”
You could start with an apology.
But instead of saying that, I gave her my sweetest smile. “Where is the printer located?”
She was already absorbed in her computer screen again and I knew without even looking that faint shadow veins were slithering across my cheeks. I concentrated on regulating my breathing and pictured an empty beach stretched out before me. I imagined the sound of crashing waves and squawking seagulls and felt each grain of sand between my bare toes. The entire scene was so real in my mind I could have sworn I smelled a hint of salt in the air. I breathed deeply and forced my muscles to relax.
When I was calmer, I asked again. “Hello? The printer?”
“Oh… yeah, sorry. Um, let’s see. I’m just filling in today, so I’m not exactly sure…” She trailed off and started shuffling papers and binders around. My foot tapping increased, my fingers curling in my palms as I suppressed the urge to reach across the desk and throttle her. “Aha!” She finally held up a binder in triumph and waved it at me. “Found the map!” She paused, and I wondered if she was waiting for a victory clap. When it became apparent I wasn’t giving her one, she flipped through the pages until she found what she wanted.
“Okay, if you head back toward the foyer, there’s a small room on the right. It should be in there.” She smiled, proud of her achievement, and I caught myself before I rolled my eyes.
“Why are they in a room across the building from where the computers are?”
She floundered, opening and closing her mouth several times. “I’m new and…”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry. I didn’t really expect an answer.” Sadie, cut it out. She’s trying to be helpful. Slightly ashamed of myself, I managed a tight smile. “Thanks for the help.”
“Sure, no problem! Let me know if I can do anything else for you!”
I shook my head as I turned to walk toward the front doors and noticed she was already back in her own little world of whatever she was doing. I found the room easily enough. There were two printers, a huge copier, and a fax machine. I grabbed my pathetic list of references and started for the door when a bright red light grabbed my attention from the foyer. A soda sounded really good so I let the machine pull me into its inviting array of choices. I snagged a dollar bill from my pocket and tried to smooth out the wrinkles on the edge of the machine, my sudden thirst making me impatient. Shoving the bill into the slot, I prepared to make my selection, but the machine had other ideas. The whine of the dollar bill feed spitting my money back at me filled my ears with disappointment. I tried again, but it came right back out. I held in a screech as I tried one more time, only to be rejected again.
“You having trouble there?” A melodious voice drifted in the air behind me. I turned and came face-to-face with a stunning girl around my age. Long dark hair fell in waves to her waist, held back by small blingy barrettes. Bright blue eyes studied me curiously, her burgundy lips pursed.
“Ah… yeah. The machine won’t take my dollar.” I looked at the floor, trying not to stare at her beauty.
“I have four quarters. I’ll switch with ya.” She offered a brilliant smile, turning her face into a work of perfection. I stood in awe, unaware that she was still speaking to me until she waved her hand in front of me. “Hello? Are you with me?”
Heat poured over my face like molten lava, washing down my body f
rom head to toe. “Mmmyeah,” I mumbled. “Sorry, I got lost for a minute. Distracted.” Idiot! She’s gonna think you’re a moron if you don’t act normal! “Um, anyway, my name’s Sadie.”
Her eyes gleamed for a second before she handed over the coins. “I’m Carmen. It’s nice to meet you, Sadie.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” I fed the quarters into the slot and pressed a button. A frosty cold can of Dr. Pepper rolled out. “So, are you new in town? I haven’t seen you around school.”
“No, I’m not new exactly. We moved away a couple of years ago, but now we’re back. I start school on Monday. Tomorrow. I’ll be a senior.” She flashed me another smile.
I tried not to be dazzled. “Cool. I’m a sophomore. This is my first year at Jefferson High.”
“Oh, so you’re new to town? How do you like it? We moved to a big city when my dad got a promotion, but I’ve always loved small towns.”
“Well, actually, I’ve lived here my whole life. I was homeschooled until this year.”
Her eyebrows pulled together, transforming her face from curious to confused. “Really? I can’t believe I never saw you until now. In a town this size, even if you were homeschooled, you’d think we’d see each other in public at some point.”
I forced a laugh, but it came out more nervous than anything. “Yeah, you’d think. I’m sure I would have remembered you if we had met.”
This time her smile changed a little, and I was suddenly reminded of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. “Likewise.” She held my gaze a second longer than was comfortable before glancing at her watch. “Well, Sadie, I gotta scoot. It was nice meeting you. I’m sure we’ll see each other at school.”
“Yeah, you too. And thanks for the change.”
“Of course.”
I watched her sashay out the front doors, a little awestruck and a whole lot nervous. Something about her seemed off. Clutching the soda can, I rushed back to our table, where Harper was still methodically filling out index cards.
“Guess who I just met?”
Caught Between Worlds (The In-Betweens Book 3) Page 6