I shake my head. “Nope. Everything’s cool.”
“You don’t need to lie to me. We’re old friends, remember?”
All I do is lie to you.
I imagine telling her the truth. Sitting her down and telling her what I am, who I work for, and the real reason I look the way I do. How would she deal with the revelation that I’m not the sweet, kind guy she thinks I am? Her face, warped by rage and sadness, fills my mind. Nothing could be worse than Juliet looking at me like that.
Then I think of the Stalker, sleek and black and impossibly strong, holding a detached head in its hands.
My head.
My eyes are closed, but my mouth is open. My tongue is sticking out, pink and flaccid. The skin of my cheeks is pale.
A torrent of blood gushes from the jagged stump of my neck. It falls onto my limp, crumpled body. The blood has drenched my clothes, making my white shirt cling to my muscles, showing the definition of my pecs and my abs.
That’s why I lie. It isn’t my choice. It’s what I have to do.
“You’re my best friend,” I say. “I’d never lie to you. I’m tired. That’s all.”
“Good. Because you’d tell me if something was bothering you, right? Even if it’s the smallest thing, you could tell me, like when we were kids.”
“Right.”
* * *
The day passes and Dyl still hasn’t shown up. After the final bell, Juliet stops me before I get on the bus.
“So tonight, at seven. Ignore what I said about studying—it was an excuse to get you to come over. But this is me, being brave and saying that I want you to come over. After you’ve already said yes. Anyway, do you have a car?”
“I do.”
“Well, do you want to drive or should I swing by your place and pick you up?”
“The thing is, I only got my license a few weeks ago and I’m not confident driving on my own yet. I know that sounds pathetic but … I’ll catch the bus. It’ll be fine.”
“No way, Caden. I just had an idea. Why don’t I meet you at your place and then we can walk together? It can’t be far. Plus, this way, I can show you how much the town has changed while you’ve been gone! It’ll be great, it’s so pretty at night. So are you in?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Great, see you tonight.”
* * *
I stare at my closet.
What should I wear?
Kaylee huffs. Didn’t you get my e-mail? You need to check those. Wear slacks, the black shoes that aren’t school shoes, and the white long-sleeved shirt with the white buttons. You know, the nice one. Leave the top two buttons unbuttoned, show her a little bit of man-cleavage. Is your chest still hairless?
I peek down my shirt. The skin there is smooth.
Sure is.
Good. Then maybe undo the third button accidentally or something.
You think she’ll like me if she thinks I can’t dress myself?
I think she’ll think you’re hot, and honey, that never hurts. But fair point.
I get dressed in the outfit she told me to wear. I undo only the top button.
Make your hair neater. Actually, I’ve changed my mind about the buttons, do them all up. You’re about to meet her parents, so you need to look extra presentable. Still sexy, though, like a hot businessman. Also, no pressure, but you need to make sure they like you, otherwise this whole thing is over. Juliet isn’t going to side with a Nice who her parents don’t like.
I grab a comb and run it through my hair, parting it to one side, ensuring it’s pressed down over my scalp.
Is there a script for this?
Nope, there are too many variables to predict the conversation. I e-mailed you a few conversation starters, but for the most part, you’re alone. Anyway, are you ready to go?
I glance at my phone. It’s 6:05.
We’re meeting at 6:30, Kaylee.
So? You’re a Nice, you need to show up early. Now get that fine body of yours out there and wait like a proper gentleman!
I ruffle the shirt to show off my chest. My man-cleavage. I snort as I step into the hallway. I stop, and then turn around and grab my iPod, figuring that if I’m going to wait, I may as well listen to music. Plus, the right songs will be like a last-minute pep rally for myself. I tuck the iPod into my pocket and leave my room.
In the living room, M and D are sitting in front of the TV watching the news. The sight of M makes me wonder about female Love Interests. We were kept separately, obviously, so I don’t know much about them. My guess is that they’re pretty similar to male Love Interests, only they were trained to attract men, not women.
D turns in his seat. “Where are you going?”
“Juliet invited me over.”
“Use a condom.” He scratches his chin, which is covered in prickly regrowth. A river of dried pasta sauce runs from the corner of his mouth to his jaw. “Or don’t. Knock her up for all I care. That’ll probably force her to pick you. And that’s all you want, isn’t it?”
M doesn’t even look up from the TV.
I stop in front of the door and wave. “Bye.”
They ignore me.
Outside, I tuck my hands into my pockets, protecting them from the slight chill in the air, and jog through the front yard. She’s not here yet, obviously, so I sit down and lean my back against the streetlight outside my house. The metal is cold and the grass is damp. I pull out my iPod and put my still-slightly-tangled headphones in. I go straight to pop Nicki, because while I like her other stuff, I need something upbeat and energetic right now. The song I choose is “Va Va Voom,” because the beat is so fast and it’s so good and it always makes me feel unstoppable. It’s a hit of sugar, a sip of soda. It’s sweet, delicious musical candy.
The chorus hits and I lean my head back. So this is it, my first maybe-date with my Chosen. My whole life has been leading to this moment. All my training, everything I’ve gone through, it’s all been to turn me into a guy who can sweep Juliet off her feet. I …
Hang on.
Across the road, about five feet away, are three sleek black vans. I’ve never seen them here before. I stand up and glare at them. Something shiny catches the streetlight, drawing my eye. I tilt my head and peer through the gap between the vans. Oh no.
Behind them is a motorbike.
This is it. This is Dyl’s big entrance.
SHIT!
I take my headphones out, then jog across the road to the vans, imagining Dyl and Judy huddling inside one of them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“I see you,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “Get lost!”
The vans remain still. In the distance I can see Juliet walking down the street. She has headphones in and is looking down at the ground, so, thankfully, she hasn’t noticed me yet.
I sprint back across the road to my position. But I don’t take my eyes off the vans, and my clammy hands are balled into fists. This is it!
Juliet reaches me and waves. Her face is pale and her hair is slightly frizzy. She’s dressed in a knee-length jacket, tight pants, and brown boots. A royal-blue scarf is wrapped around her neck, and a brown handbag is slung over her shoulder. I’m not a robot or anything; I can tell that she looks überpretty. Yet my heartbeat remains steady, and nothing even remotely primal pumps through my blood. Why?
She stops in front of me. A vanilla-like scent fills the air. “You’re early.”
I shrug. “What can I say, I was excited. And I was thinking that maybe I could drive. It’s dark, and it could be unsafe.”
“Dude, it’s barely even dark and I walk by myself around here all the time. We’ll be fine. Come on, it’s not far, and it’s exercise! Plus, I frigging love the way the town looks at night.” She looks past me at my house. “Is that your place? It’s…”
Did she just say frigging? My favorite fake swearword? Be still, my beating heart.
“It looks like shit,” I say. “I know.”
She shakes her head. “
I was going to say it’s quaint. I like it.”
“So are you ready to go?”
Don’t boss her around, Caden. She’s in charge, remember.
Luckily, she nods. “I am. Let’s go.”
The streets are quiet and empty, so we walk in the middle of the road. Her shoes click against it. Our path is lined by parked cars. The moon and the stars are out in force, and the houses give off a golden glow. She was right, the town is beautiful at night. I frigging love it.
Every now and then I peer over my shoulder, checking on the parked cars.
“I’m really glad you’ve come back, Caden.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Just this walk, I guess? It’s not a big deal or anything, but before you came back I’d accepted the fact that you weren’t a part of my life anymore. I didn’t like it, but I’d accepted it. So this … um, it’s hard to explain, but it feels like a bonus? Like the movie of our relationship ended, and now I’m in this weird little future-bubble that includes you. And I like it. I’m so happy that I get to have small moments with you again.”
“I like being back too. I finally feel real again.”
“What do you mean?”
“I always wanted to come back. Always. Everything that happened between saying goodbye to you and now doesn’t feel like it really happened. Like the boy who did those things wasn’t me.”
“Do you ever think about the last time we saw each other? It’s sort of immortalized in my things-I-think-about-before-bed bank.”
I nod. “I think about it all the time.”
You’re digging yourself into a hole.
She places her hand in her pocket, then pulls it out and scratches her arm. “What do you remember about it? Like, what’s the image you think of when you think of it?”
“Uh …”
Up ahead, a black van screeches around the corner and starts speeding toward us. Juliet grabs my wrist and pulls me forward. Together, we leap from the road onto the grass.
“What the hell?” Her face is scrunched up. “What a dick!”
The van reaches us and slams on the brakes. Torrents of gray smoke billow from under the van and the smell of burning rubber tickles my nose. The door swings open, and three rough-looking guys clamber out. Their faces are narrowed in identical sneers, and their hands are tight fists.
One of the guys steps toward us. He’s bald, and his compact body is dressed in a leather jacket. He cracks his knuckles. “Well, hello. That’s a lovely bag you have there, miss. It’s worth a lot, am I right?”
Juliet grips her bag tighter. I step in front of her and shield her with one arm.
The man laughs. “Oh, and you’re going to stop me?”
This is Dyl’s big entrance, Caden! Derail it!
He steps forward and takes a wild grab at Juliet. She jumps out of the way. If I do nothing, Dyl wins. I clench my hands into fists. This is the one time breaking character is a viable option, because I need to make sure I don’t play along with Dyl’s plan. He’ll expect me to play Nice, and I can’t do what he expects me to do. Then again, Juliet is in danger, and a Nice would turn to violence to protect her. It’s the only time a Nice ever would. From the corner of my eye I see a single beam of light, a motorbike, coming toward us. Dyl, on his way to “save” us.
Screw that noise.
I step forward and punch the guy right in the face.
His nose cracks as a bolt of pain shoots from my knuckles to my wrist. He staggers backward, pinching his nose, which is pumping blood. Pure pain sings under my skin. I wave my hand through the air, biting my lip to stop the scream that’s turning my chest to meaty shreds.
The guy I punched is glaring at me. “Kill him,” he barks.
Shit!
The two others leap toward me. I bring my hands up to protect my head. Hits come from everywhere and I fall, hard, to the ground. A steel-toed boot digs into my stomach, sinking in so deep his toe touches my spine. I roll onto my back. A boot stomps down on my chest. I grab his foot and try to trip him, to bring him to my level so I can punch him somewhere soft, but another kick hits my ribs and my arms go slack. That’s it, my ribs are broken. I curl into a ball. Juliet flings herself at one of them, getting in a strong punch. She’s clinging to his back, hitting him in the face, scratching at his cheeks. He throws her away with one hand. She tumbles and falls.
Right into Dyl’s chest.
Dyl shoves her away and pushes up his sleeves. He punches the guy kicking me, and it’s a perfect punch. It hits the guy in the jaw and then his fist carries on downward. The goon spins and falls. The other guy charges, but Dyl recovers and sends a quick jab into his throat. The man coughs and splutters, then stumbles backward and falls to the ground.
Dyl straightens up, his chest heaving. In and out, in and out. He raises his hand, sweeping a few strands of dark hair back into place. Someone must’ve pulled on his collar in the chaos of the attack, because now a jagged line is cut into his shirt, revealing his collarbone and a small, but definitely noteworthy, stretch of skin. He doesn’t seem to have noticed it, but I can’t look away. Was it on purpose? Did Judy do it to show off his body? I stare at the exposed part of his chest and my mouth goes dry.
Dyl turns and steps over me to reach Juliet, who is sitting on the grass. He looks like a freaking badass superhero. And he saved me. I was hurting and he stopped it. All I want to do is thank him, but Juliet is right there, so I can only watch.
He offers Juliet his hand.
And she takes it.
“Thank you,” she says. “Who are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Are you all right?”
She bobs her head up and down.
“Good. It was stupid of you to be out here alone. Don’t do it again.”
He walks away, ignoring her flabbergasted expression, and grabs his bike, lifting it up from where he ditched it. He swings his leg over it and sits down.
“Wait,” she says. “Don’t talk to me like that. And I wasn’t alone, obviously. Caden is right there! So are you blind as well as rude?”
Dyl looks down at me and sneers. “Close enough. Do you go to Mapleton?”
Close enough? What the…? I breathe in through my nostrils. It’s not him, not really. This is the Bad version of Dyl. He doesn’t mean what he says. He’s acting. My heartbeat slows.
“I do.” There’s a definite edge to her voice.
Good, I think. He didn’t get away with insulting me. I’m glad, because if she hadn’t said anything I might’ve, and that would be way out of character.
“Great,” he says, his voice rich and deep. “I start there tomorrow. Maybe you could buy me lunch or something. You owe me for saving you.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.” He spins his shiny black helmet in his hands.
Juliet scowls as Dyl puts the helmet on. He revs the throttle and then, without another word, rides off into the night. Juliet stands in his exhaust fumes, her hair a mess, her chest heaving.
I push myself up off the road and make my way over to her, pinching my nose to stop the bleeding.
“Oh my gosh, Caden.” She rushes toward me and places her hand on my face. “Are you okay? Wait, I’ll call an ambulance.”
“There’s no need, Juliet, I’m totally fine.”
I need to get control of this, because spending tonight in the hospital is the furthest thing from romantic. Plus, I need to show her that I’m dependable and safe. I need to show her that if she makes plans I’ll be there for them.
“It doesn’t hurt that bad. And, honestly, hospitals freak me out. I’ll heal better away from there, trust me.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call one for them, though, just to make sure they’re okay.”
They got what they deserved, but I figure a Nice would care about them no matter what. The guy I punched lets out a moan that almost makes me feel bad for him. The key word being almos
t: I’m pretty sure he’s the reason my left kidney is currently stabbing my other organs. I pretend to dial 911, then tell the “operator” what happened and our location. If I thought they actually needed help, I’d call the real line, but my guess is that they’re just pretending to be injured. Even if I called the real number they’d clear out of here before the ambulance arrived.
Once the “call” is over, I make my way over to Juliet. “The ambulance is on the way. We don’t have to hang around, though.”
“Really? Won’t they have questions?”
“They said it’s fine, they’ll call me if they need more info. We can leave.”
That’s a lie, but luckily she buys it, and we head toward her place.
Once we reach her house, Juliet opens the door. A woman, presumably her mother, is in the foyer. She’s dressed in a dark-green wool turtleneck.
Her name is Daphne, call her that. She’ll be surprised you remember. Also, shake her hand. She likes professional greetings.
“Daphne,” I say as I offer my hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
She shakes my hand, then turns to Juliet, her eyes narrowing. Did I do something wrong?
“Don’t stress,” says Juliet. “We’re fine.”
Daphne spins and glares at me.
I raise my hands in surrender. “I’m fine. Honest.”
“You don’t look fine, Caden! You’re going to bleed all over my carpet! Juliet, I need answers. Right now. What happened to you?”
“Fine, Mom, on the way over some guys tried to take my bag. Caden and a bystander stopped them. It’s not a big deal, even Caden thinks so.”
“It most certainly is a big deal!” She pulls a phone from her pocket. “I need to call the police. Do you remember what they looked like?”
“Mom, please listen to me, they ended up a lot worse than we did. If we call the police Caden could get in trouble. And all he was doing was protecting me, so I don’t want that. Plus, if Dad finds out about this he’ll never let me go out. Like, ever. So can we please drop this? Trust me, it’s what I want, and it’s what Caden wants as well.”
The Love Interest Page 8