“A kitten?” Isaac guessed.
“A pony,” Ethan added.
“A mountain bike,” Asher joined in with a smile. I shook my head.
“The dead still camped out on my front lawn,” I announced. Everyone’s faces dropped.
“They’re not going back to their haunting grounds anymore?” Miles asked, lowering his voice. I shook my head. Zeke’s face became hard, Miles brow drew down, Asher started rubbing his neck, and the twins cursed.
“It’ll be okay guys, I’m pretty close to getting the Way calmed, I think,” I reassured them.
“How close?” Miles asked instantly. I thought about it for a minute.
“I think a couple days at most,” I said. Everyone looked relieved. The twins looked excited.
“When you do, we’ll celebrate,” Ethan announced.
“Hell yeah, anything you want, Red!” Isaac added. I eyed them.
“So, a Lexie movie night?” I asked, grinning. The guys groaned. I snickered, the guys hated when it was my turn to pick movies. My movies choices could get bad, but I had a few I wanted the guys to watch that I was sure they would like. “You said anything I wanted,” I reminded them in my sing-song voice. Zeke shook his head, Miles had a small grin on his face, Asher sighed sounding resigned, and the twins were cringing.
“You did say whatever she wanted,” Miles backed me up. I gave him my sweet smile and got one in return.
“Fine, Lexie movie night,” Isaac agreed.
“But I want cheesy popcorn,” Ethan announced. I smiled. The bell rang for first period so everyone grabbed their stuff and scattered. I went to class feeling like it was going to be a good day.
Everything went on like usual. Teachers announced state testing would start tomorrow. Yay, half days! It was the end of English and I was putting away my copy of Pride and Prejudice when Eric turned to me.
“Hey Alexis, what are your plans for the week?” Eric asked as he pulled on his backpack. It took me a second to realize he was talking to me again. He hadn’t really since the football game in October.
“Um, hanging out with my friends, MMA training, you know, the usual,” I said vaguely. I pulled my bag over my shoulder and looked up in time to see him frown. I ignored it and headed for the door. He followed me into the hall.
“Are you still friends with Blackthorn?” Eric asked in a tense voice. I gave him a sweet smile.
“Yep,” I said innocently. He nodded.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Eric asked. I stopped walking to turn to him. Eric’s opinion on my friends was getting on my nerves. I didn’t understand why he thought he needed to tell me.
“What?” I asked.
“Blackthorn’s not the most stable guy around,” Eric began his voice had a sharpness to it. “His reputation for violence goes back years.” I tilted my head as I looked at him. What was he trying to accomplish by telling me this? It’s nothing I didn’t know about him before. Zeke had never really hidden his dark side from me. But everyone has a dark side, even me, we matched. I grinned at the thought. Eric looked offended, I didn’t care.
“I’d trust Zeke with anything,” I told him bluntly. “And I don’t trust a lot of people.” Eric opened his mouth to say more when his gaze went over my shoulder.
“See you later, Alexis.” Eric turned and hurried down the hall. I shook my head then turned. Zeke and Asher were coming up the hallway towards me. I rolled my eyes, no wonder Eric ran like a scared rabbit. Zeke had a glower on his face as I reached them.
“Hey guys,” I looked up at Zeke. “You look grumpier than usual.” He didn’t chuckle or crack a smile.
“I’m just tired,” Zeke said dismissively. I really took a look at him, his face was pale. I shrugged. If something was wrong he’d tell us. Wait, no, this was Zeke, he’d keel over first.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked again. He shot me a glare.
“I’m fine,” He told me before he started walking off to his next class. I looked up to Asher.
“Wow, he is crabby. What happened?” I asked. Asher shrugged.
“I think he’s getting sick, he’s an ass when he’s sick,” Asher said. “I saw Eric talking to you. What did he want?”
“He was telling me I shouldn’t be friends with Zeke,” I admitted and shook my head. “He saw you guys heading this way and ran for it.” Asher chuckled. “I’ll see you at lunch,” I told him before walking off.
I walked to my Algebra class and got in just before the late bell. I went to my seat next to Laura and pulled out my notebook. After our lecture, I was finally able to turn to Laura.
“So, any flirting going on with Michael yet?” I asked curious. Laura giggled.
“Yeah, a little,” She admitted.
“Dish, woman,” I hissed at her as I pretended to do my math. Pink tinged Laura’s cheeks.
“We ran into each other in the hallway on Friday, he saw my books, and asked about them. I told him and he said we should make a book club.” Laura shook her head. “I told him I’m not great with a big group of people. He kind of gave me this small smile and said, ‘Then we’d have to keep it a very small group, maybe just the two of us.” My eyebrows went up. Laura’s face turned crimson.
“Wow, really?” I asked, excited for her. “What did you say?” Laura shrugged.
“What could I say to that? I nodded and ran,” Laura whispered to me with a big smile on her face. I was so happy for her.
“Next time, don’t run,” I said, smiling down at my paper.
“It’s not that easy for me Lexie, I’m not you,” Laura countered. I snickered.
“Touché,” I admitted. We spent the rest of the class talking about Michael and how Laura could let him know she was interested without going out of her comfort zone.
When the bell rang, I told her to call me with details later. Laura just rolled her eyes with a big smile on her face.
I was almost to Chemistry when I got a text from Dylan.
Dylan: I miss you.
Well, I didn’t miss him. Sighing, I resisted the impulse to text him that and kept walking. Looking up, I spotted Darren Cross walking down the hallway. His face was bruised and he was sporting a black eye. I bit back my smile as I kept walking until he was in front of me, blocking my way.
“Well, isn’t it the little bitch that can’t mind her own business,” Darren sneered at me. I took a step back, getting into a good position to defend myself then I smiled up at him.
“Well, isn’t it the dick who won’t take no for an answer,” I shot back cheerfully. His mouth became a tight line.
“You butted in where you didn’t belong,” Darren bit out.
“If you’re that pissed about getting your ass kicked, take it up with Zeke.” I snapped as I went to walk around him. He stepped to the side and blocked me. I glared up at him.
“You have a hearing problem, Darren?” I asked, my voice turning sharp.
“No, I’ve got a problem with you,” Darren spat. “You tell Blackthorn to mind his own fucking business.” I narrowed my eyes on him.
“I’m not a messenger,” I bit out. “If you want him to know, grow a pair, and tell him your fucking self.” I went to pass him, he blocked me again. I backed up a step and sized Darren up. He was bigger than me by a head and a half, he had a lot more muscle and width. But that meant I would be faster. Darren continued to curse at me as people walked by, I kept a bored expression on my face. I watched people walk by, taking my eyes off Darren for a moment. That must have pissed him off because he stepped closer. He towered over me, clearly trying to intimidate me. I just met his eyes and gave him my shit eating grin.
“Back off or we’re going to have a problem,” I warned him politely. His eyes twinkled.
“Oh, let’s have a problem,” He threatened. He continued calling me names. I was planning how to incapacitate him when hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from Darren. Morgan stepped between us and got into Darren’s face.
&nbs
p; “You don’t talk to a girl that way,” Morgan warned his voice sharp. I blinked.
“What’s it to you?” Darren growled.
“You’re a real big man yelling at a girl half your size. Why don’t you try it on me?” Morgan said, his voice challenging. Okay, this was getting out of hand. I stepped closer to the two.
“Okay, let’s all just take a step back here,” I said in my calm voice. Morgan didn’t take his eyes off Darren.
“Please take a step back,” Morgan asked politely while he was still staring Darren down. I backed up a couple steps. Darren shoved Morgan but Morgan only went back a step. Morgan shoved Darren who stumbled back a few steps, his face surprised. Wow, Darren had to outweigh Morgan by about fifty pounds. Morgan was stronger than he looked. Darren eyed Morgan before cursing at him and walking off. I let out the breath I had been holding.
“Thanks Morgan,” I said, hating that he felt like he had to get involved.
“You’re welcome,” Morgan said quietly, his gaze still on Darren’s retreating back. He turned to me, his eyes ran over me before going back down the hall. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, just having a bad month with guys it seems,” I admitted. I looked up at Morgan. “I’m sorry you felt like you had to get involved.”
Morgan frowned down at me. “Guys shouldn’t talk that way to girls,” He stated. I smiled at him. He was really a sweetheart. “Don’t worry about it,” He told me.
“Have a good one,” I said before I turned around and headed to class. I got into class just before the late bell. I hurried to my spot next to Miles and started taking notes.
“What took you so long, Red?” Isaac whispered to me.
“I got a text from Dylan then ran into someone.” I whispered back while still taking notes. Today we were adding lithium to water to collect hydrogen gas. When the lecture was over we got to work. I started setting up the experiment with Miles while Isaac went to pick up the Lithium from the soft metals cabinet. The large beaker of water was ready by the time that Isaac came back from the cabinet.
“So, who’d you run into?” Ethan asked, resting his arms on the counter and stretching his back. I explained to them what happened in the hallway.
“Who stepped in?” Ethan asked.
“A guy named Morgan,” I answered. I watched as Isaac opened the small jar with mineral oil and a single piece of Lithium inside. Ethan frowned, his eyes unfocused.
“Morgan?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah.” I watched as Ethan shook his head.
“I don’t remember a Morgan,” Ethan said as we watched Isaac pull out the oil soaked chunk of Lithium.
“I know of a Morgan Reed,” Miles offered. “He’s a quiet guy.” I looked at Miles.
“Tall, lean, brown hair?” I asked. Miles nodded. “That’s him.” Isaac was holding the soft metal with the metal tongs and glaring at us.
“Guys, hand me the knife before the oil comes off and it starts burning,” Isaac snapped at us. I looked at the table. We forgot the knife. I looked in the drawers and there wasn’t one.
“Check your guys’ side, our side doesn’t have one,” I told them. Ethan started looking through drawers.
“So, what did Dylan have to say this time?” Ethan asked absently.
“He texted that he missed me,” I said as I watched Miles go through his drawer.
“Are you guys kidding me?” Isaac asked, getting agitated.
“Put it back in the bottle,” Miles told Isaac. Isaac dipped the Lithium back in the oil but kept it in the metal tongs.
“Did you text him back?” Ethan asked closing his drawer and opening the one in front of Isaac.
“No, I had decided that I’m just going to ignore him when I ran into Darren,” I admitted, watching Isaac get angrier.
“No knife,” Ethan announced.
“I’ll get one from the supply cabinet,” Miles announced. He got off his stool and headed across the room. Ethan walked around the counter to stand next to me.
“Maybe you should text him back, tell him to fuck off,” Ethan suggested. I chuckled.
“Screw this,” Isaac snapped and dropped the whole piece into the water filled beaker container in front of me, I gaped at him. “We’ll just collect more hydrogen,” Isaac explained. Except the metal wasn’t reacting like Lithium should, it was reacting more.
“That’s not right,” I said, dread filling me. Ethan grabbed the bottle.
“It’s Cesium!” Ethan shouted. My stomach dropped. Isaac cursed. Ethan grabbed me and pulled me away from the counter. There was a loud bang, shattering glass, screams and curses as hydrogen smoke billowed. Mr. Turner told everyone to stay calm, that the vents were on and will clear the room in a minute. Everyone started coughing as hydrogen filled the room. When my ears stopped ringing, I realized Ethan had me in his arms against his chest. His back between me and the explosion, I looked up at him.
“You okay?” I asked between coughs. He nodded as he coughed.
“You?” He asked, his amber eyes running over my face. I nodded. “Isaac?” Ethan shouted over his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Isaac called back. “You guys?”
“We’re fine,” Ethan answered. “Miles?”
“Right here,” Miles said as he found us in the thinning smoke. Ethan relaxed around me and let go, though he kept a hand on my lower back. Miles came straight to me, his eyes running over me making my pulse jump. “Are you hurt?”
“No, Ethan got me out of the way. He was between me and the explosion,” I said, looking up at Ethan. He was glaring at Isaac as he walked towards us.
“Is everyone alright? Any injuries?” Mr. Turner called across the room.
“Oops?” Isaac said cringing as he looked at us.
“Oops,” Ethan said, his voice boiling. “You could have hurt Lexie, what the hell were you thinking?”
“Didn’t you look at the label?” Miles demanded. His voice cold, Isaac winced.
“It was the periodic label. I can never remember those initials,” Isaac admitted.
“You fucking idiot. Wait 'till Zeke hears about this,” Ethan snapped at Isaac.
“You’re going to learn them now,” Miles told Isaac, his voice still like ice. “Tonight.” Isaac winced. “Or we’re telling Zeke you almost hurt Lexie,” Ethan added. Isaac’s face went pale.
“I’ll memorize them tonight,” Isaac agreed immediately. The room was finally clear of smoke when Mr. Turner came over.
“So, who dropped that much Cesium in the water?” Mr. Turner asked pointedly. Isaac sheepishly raised his hand and Mr. Turner sighed. “The lab was to put a small slice of Lithium into water, not a whole chunk of Cesium. What happened?”
“I forgot what the periodic abbreviation was for Lithium,” Isaac admitted. “I’ll have them memorized by tomorrow.” Mr. Turner nodded still frowning at Isaac.
“You better, because after school you’ll be in here taking a test on it,” Mr. Turner said. “And if you fail, you won’t be allowed to participate in labs, which as you know, is half your grade.” Mr. Turner looked at the shattered glass. For the first time, I looked at where I was standing and my stomach knotted. The beaker had shattered, glass was all over the counter, the floor, and even on my stool. If Ethan hadn’t pulled me away, there was no doubt I would have gotten cut up in the blast. I leaned my head against Ethan’s shoulder. His arm wrapped around my waist and gave me a squeeze. Mr. Turner gestured to the mess. “Clean this up Isaac. Ethan, good job of getting her out of the way. You three will get credit for today’s lab.” With that, Mr. Turner turned and went to another group to check their work.
“Thanks Ethan,” I said quietly. Ethan kissed my forehead.
“Always,” he whispered to me before letting me go to help Isaac clean up. The rest of class went on as usual. No one else made the mistake that Isaac had, thankfully.
When we walked out of class Isaac was quiet, his face drawn. I dropped back to walk with him as Ethan talked to Miles about the best
way to blackmail Isaac. I grabbed Isaac’s wrist and gave him a shake. He looked down at me, his face dark. I gave him a smile.
“It’s okay, Cookie Monster,” I told him softly. He shook his head and looked at the floor of the hallway again.
“It’s not okay, Red,” He said gruffly. “You could have seriously gotten hurt. All because I’m an idiot.” That irked me. I smacked his shoulder.
“You don’t get to call yourself that,” I snapped. “You made a mistake, you’re not an idiot.” He scoffed.
“I’m an idiot, I should have just put the chunk back in the bottle and waited until Miles came back,” Isaac groused.
“And you will next time,” I countered. “And you’ll double check the initials, right?” He gave me a smile.
“Triple check,” He agreed. I gave him a big smile and wrapped my arm around his waist. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around my shoulders. “I’m sorry, Lexie,” He said softly. I gave him a big squeeze.
“It’s okay, I’m fine, everyone is fine. The only damage was to the beaker,” I reminded him. He sighed then leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Love you,” I said in my cutesy voice. He snorted.
“Love you too,” He mumbled as he straightened.
When we reached the Cafeteria, Isaac let me go. We walked inside and everyone started to applaud, there were even a few cheers. Isaac’s face became beet red.
“Zeke might already know,” Miles observed. This wasn’t good.
“One way to find out,” I offered as we headed for our table where Asher, Zeke, and Riley already sat. Zeke’s gaze found me, he immediately looked me over. Oh yeah, he knew. I reached the table before Isaac who was now walking behind Ethan.
“You okay?” Zeke asked. His voice deeper than usual.
“Yep, perfectly fine, not a scratch.,” I said quickly. Zeke looked at the others.
“How about you guys?” Zeke asked.
“We’re fine,” Miles answered for them as he sat down next to Zeke. Zeke took a breath and looked at Isaac.
“What happened?” Zeke asked, almost calmly. Well, calm for him at least.
When To Fear The Living Page 14