Not. My. Problem.
Too bad my gut won't agree with me. I've been on edge ever since I left her.
Needing something to keep my mind occupied, I grab an e-board from the front of the room and log in for class: Modern Myths and How Science Quells the Mystery Behind Them.
I click open the syllabus for the year trying to get a sense of how much work it'll be. Science is one of my better subjects, so I'm guessing the class will be a cake-walk.
The year is broken down into three trimesters: Ancient Buildings using Modern Technology, Beyond the Final Frontier and Unexplained Oddities. The first two trimesters look like more of the same-old-same-old: the explanation of pyramids and other structures humans can't fathom the poor primitive man could have built by hand. Followed by the recent discovery of other 'Earth Like' planets and how that's shaking up the science field. But the Unexplained Oddities section is strange. Dragging my hand across the board, I pull up the reading list for it:
Better off Dead? Ghosts and the Beyond;
Soul Mates in Flames – How science fails to explain
these bizarre human connections;
Vampires and Werewolves: The truth behind the
fangs; and
Why there could never be a Fountain of Youth.
One of the titles sets off an army of bells: Soul Mates in Flames. I click on the link and the file begins to download. Other students are starting to trickle in, but I ignore them. Hyperlinked throughout the file are hundreds of links to other sites on the topic. I don't open any of them though. I'm searching for something. I just don't know what.
My eyes scan the document stopping briefly on the word Soul Mates. Touching the word the definition pops up:
“A person or persons with whom your soul has met in another life: uncles, sisters, parents, occasionally lovers but this term should not be confused with it's rarer expression of Twin Flames.”
Twin Flames... where have I heard that term before?
I click on the link only to get an Error Code.
'Error-File requested has not been uploaded at this time. Please check back later.'
Cursing under my breath, I turn the board off in frustration. When I look up, the room has filled, and the front screen is on, projecting our instructor: Mr. Harper.
“Morning class,” the man on the screen says. “Welcome to Modern Myths. If you thought this would be easier than taking Quantitative Decision Making, you were wrong.” The corners of Mr. Harper's lips curl into a grin. “Those with weak study habits had best leave now.”
Behind me, two students gather their things before scooting out the door moving off to the side just as another student enters.
My gut twists. It's Jada.
Instantly my body is reacting to her presence, as hers seems to be to mine. She stands in the doorway not moving, as though she's stuck in mud.
“Please take out your tablets, log in, and review the syllabus.” Mr. Harper's voice booms across the room, shaking me back into my senses. “Any questions before we dive in?” I feel my hand shoot up into the air.
“Ah, yes, Tobias, isn't it? What's your question?”
My eyes stay glued to Jada. She has managed to slide into a chair closest to the door, as though that was as far as she could get her body to move. Her eyes don't budge from mine either. “What are Twin Flames?” I hear myself ask.
“Ah, you've been reading ahead,” Mr. Harper, says. “Well, since you asked, Twin Flames are said to be created when a soul is ripped apart by some tragic event, creating two halves of the same soul: One part male, the other female. Those half-souls, if you will, in theory, are believed to spend eternities searching for their missing half. Their souls are never complete until they are bonded together once more.”
“That sounds so romantic,” I hear a girl up front giggle.
“Romantic, perhaps, but often times tragic,” Mr. Harper cautions. Both Jada and I turn to look at him.
“Tragic, why?” the girl asks.
Mr. Harper shrugs. “There isn't a lot of scientific data on Twin Flames, but what we do have, amazingly almost always ends in some sort of dreadful demise of the reunited souls. It's almost as though there is another force tasked at keeping the souls apart.” Mr. Harper pauses, seemingly lost in thought. “In fact, there is some debate whether or not a pair of Twin Flames happened right here in Webster a few years back. But I'll save that tidbit for our third trimester. For now we need to focus on our first unit: Ancient Buildings using Modern Technology.”
He continues on with his lecture, but I don't hear a single word. I can't hear or see a single thing except her: my Twin Flame.
Jada
No, I hiss at myself. You will not fall for this stupidity. There is no such thing as Twin Flames! Now, stop looking at Tobias.
But of course, my eyes refuse to move off his. How easy it would be to fool myself into thinking that someone had been made just for me. I'll have to be extremely careful. One kiss, just one kiss from Tobias, and I could easily lose myself inside the promise of what he might bring.
A rapid string of beeps comes across the screen just then, bringing me back to reality. Principal Notices like this one are common in all schools. Most of them are trivial things – like reminding people to return school e-portals or telling us about a blocked site. But this one is a first for me. It's a weather warning.
“Good morning everyone,” a stern Mrs. Wellington says, from the screen. Mr. Harper's image has shrunk down onto a smaller screen at the bottom. He looks a bit annoyed that the announcement taking up his class time.
“As you are all aware the news has been reporting a potentially dangerous storm headed our way. Well, now it appears that it's moving faster than predicted. They think it will hit us tomorrow morning, but perhaps sooner.” She clears her throat; public speaking is clearly not her strong suit. “They are urging everyone to take proper shelter as the air quality could become dangerously low. Accordingly, we are closing today at noon in order to get you all home safely before the storm hits. Please check your notifications to see if school will be held tomorrow or not.”
Just like that, her image is gone and Mr. Harper's comes back to the full screen.
There is an excited buzz flying around the room, but all I feel is panic. If they're letting us out of school because of the air quality, it means Tobias' health is in danger.
Although no one else would be able to tell, I notice Tobias' jaw harden. He's worried, and now, so am I.
As soon as the clock hits 10:00 the overhead bell dings, and Mr. Harper releases us to our next class. Everyone but Tobias and I, head out the door. His eyes are boring holes into his desk. His body has become rigid, almost as though he doesn't trust himself to move.
I know the feeling. My limbs seem to be disobeying me at the moment as well. I should be walking out the door like everyone else, instead of walking right up to him. My feet just won't listen to me. They stop right in front of his desk – practically pinning me there.
“Hey,” I mumble. Hey? That's the best you've got? “So I was just making sure you were all set with the storm and all.”
“I'll be just ducky,” comes his clipped reply.
His hostility towards me is completely unnecessary. “What’s your problem? I was just trying to be nice!”
“Yeah, well I don't think Hawk would approve of you talking to me, so you'd better run along.”
“Hawk? What does he have to do with this?” He is making no sense.
Tobias glares at me. “Everything,” he says, pushing out of his chair.
“I don't understand.”
He gets about a step away from me before he stops. “Let's just say he wasn't happy that I brought you home last night.”
My mouth goes dry.
“Wait. You took me home?” My head is desperately trying to remember, but its coming up blank.
For a moment, he's the one who looks confused. Other students start filtering into the class. “We can't talk here
.” He looks over his shoulder. “Follow me.”
He storms out of the room and I have to struggle to keep up with him. His head bobs in and out of a sea of students pushing to get to their next class, but I stay with him until he disappears into an unused classroom.
Following after him, I give a quick look behind me just to make sure we weren't seen. As soon as I'm inside, he closes the door. Standing face to face with him, I can feel the heat rolling off his body. My mouth waters looking at the soft curve of his lips. Pinching his eyes closed, he backs away from me a bit and I have to work hard not to follow after him. The urge to be closer to him is potent in a close space like this.
“What sort of game are you playing?” he snaps at me.
I blink. “Game?”
“Last night... ” he begins, but then stops himself.
“Where you there?” My voice is terribly small. I sink down into one of the chairs, not sure if I'm prepared to hear what he's going to say.
“Was I there? Are you serious?” He sounds angry at me.
Suddenly, I'm embarrassed. I'm going to have to tell him the truth.
“Look, this isn't something I'm proud of but I slipped a few of my dad's pills last night — for my nerves. All I remember is going into the woods to cool off and then waking up with a really bad headache.”
His mouth opens and then closes. “Are you telling me you don't remember what you did last night?”
I start shaking my head. “What did I do?” The panic is evident in my voice.
Tobias looks like he's about to fall apart. “I don't know.” He swallows. “But I found you alone. In the woods.” He clears his throat. “Naked.”
I start pacing. My fears are being confirmed and I'm having a really hard time processing it. “No. No. That was just a dream. That didn't really happen.” If I say it enough it will be true.
Tobias takes the smallest of steps closer to me. “Jada, what do you think you dreamed?”
The intensity in his eyes makes it impossible for me to lie.
“That I was kissing you.”
For a second his eyes brighten and then they cloud over just as fast.
“Well it wasn't a dream,” he says, walking towards the door. “And it sure as hell wasn't me.”
I feel like I've been punched in the gut. The look on his face – he thinks I'm a whore. Hell, maybe I am? Holding back the tears that are burning just beneath the surface. I try to push past him, but his hand juts out stopping me.
“I'm sorry. That was a dick-headed thing to say.”
“Yeah, it was.” I fumble with the edge of my shirt, wishing I could dissolve into its darkness. “Did I... ” I swallow hard. “Did I sleep with him?”
“I don't know.”
I hang my head even lower.
“But I don't think so. At least from the story he gave me.”
“What did he tell you?”
His face shifts. “I asked him if he... took... advantage of you. He said no and then proceeded to punch me in the gut.”
“What?” I gasp.
He takes a tiny step closer to me, and it makes me shiver.
“Be careful, Jada. He's changed. It's like a switch has gone off since he met you. He's not the Hawk I grew up with. He seems... ”
“Dangerous,” I finish.
Tobias stiffens. “Did he do something to you?”
The protectiveness of his question is jarring so I try to soothe him. “I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“Like you did last night?” he snaps.
My mouth drops open, but no words escape my lips. That’s the second cruel thing he's said to me.
I push past him and out the door, ignoring both the pull of him and his shouts of apology.
Screw him.
I don't need this. Any of this. Rounding the corner of the hall, I decide to just cut my losses and go home.
That was my plan until I round the corner and plow right into him.
“Whoa, shouldn't you be in class?” Hawk grins, pulling me into his arms. The way he's looking at me renders me speechless, but I do manage to take a few steps away from him until he backs me straight into the wall. Hawk looks at me, waiting for an answer to the question he asked me.
“I got lost,” I whisper.
“Good thing I found you then.” His smirk turns dangerous as he lowers his lips to mine, blocking out my protest. His weight pins me to the wall. I'm helpless to push him off and he knows it and just leans in harder.
“I missed you,” Hawk smiles down at me, tracing the edge of my jaw with his thumb. I can't help but remember earlier when he held my face prisoner with those same hands that now show such tenderness. Maybe I mistook his rage for passion?
A greasy haired kid bumps into my shoulder pushing me further into his arms and something clicks inside me. Hawk will take care of me. Love me. I wouldn't have to be alone anymore. Better still, I can look him dead in the eyes without my insides melting, like they do with Tobias.
I snuggle into his chest as his lips touch my head.
Hawk is perfect for me.
Chapter 10
Tobias
After being a dick to Jada, I duck into the bathroom to splash cold water over my face. How could I be so mean to her? I all but called her a slut, and for all I know Hawk could have taken advantage of her.
Gah, I'm such a prick!
I'm so ashamed of my behavior that I can't even risk her seeing me when the final bell rings, so I hide in the bathrooms until a janitor finally kicks me out so he can lock up.
I drag my feet down the steps of the school, beyond ashamed of what I've done to her. I was so cold to her. The last look she gave me is burned into my brain. I had let her down. I hate myself for it.
The road is deserted as I walk home and I'm thankful for the quiet. I deserve to be alone right now. Maybe forever. Peripherally, I check in on the sky. The clouds have started to form, but they are still far enough away that I can make it back home and plug into my nebulizer well before the rain even thinks of starting. To be safe though, I reach into my bag to grab my inhaler, but it's not there.
Hmm.
I pat my jeans, expecting to feel it there, but it's not. Where the hell is it? Stopping, I dump everything out of my bag. No inhaler. I must have left it inside the school, which is probably locked up by now. Cursing under my breath, I check the sky again. The clouds have taken on an odd yellowish-green tint.
A wave of dread runs down my spine. This storm is coming faster than I thought. What if I don't get home in time?
My heart starts to thunder along with the sky above. My breath starts to become labored from panic. Trying to calm down, I exhale deeply. I just need to focus. Just get your ass home before it rains, Tobias. That's all you need to do, I chant.
I start to walk along the dirt road willing myself to both go faster and yet not push myself. I can't risk having an attack without an inhaler on me. Not with what's coming.
When I reach the halfway mark, I slow my pace a touch. So far the rain has held off. The air has gotten markedly thinner, making it harder to breathe, but it's the rain that's gonna be the bitch. Because of that nuclear plant meltdown last week overseas, the oxygen count is expected to drop well below my lung capacity, which I had a hard time believing up until this very second. Already I feel like I'm breathing through oatmeal.
Guilt washes over me. Ma is probably worried sick about me right about now. I should have been home an hour ago. My e-port is dead so I can't even send word that I'm okay. I'm actually sort of surprised that Hawk hasn't come looking for me. I guess our friendship really is over.
Frustrated, I stop and rest. Placing my hands on my knees, I do my best to take deep breaths.
In. Out. In. Out. Almost home, Tobias.
That's when I hear it. If I didn't know better, I would swear it was a crowd going wild at one of Hawk's football games, but my gut knows exactly what it is. Slowly, I look over my shoulder and see it for myself. A giant wall
of rain has begun about a mile down the road – and it's headed straight for me.
Run!
My feet propel themselves forward. With only seconds to spare, I duck into the woods, praying I can find shelter with a pocket of breathable air before it's too late.
Jada
The house moans as the wind from the storm slams against the siding. Not to be outdone, the rain throttles the tin roof, causing the power to flick on and off. A few more gusts like this and it will be out for the night.
Since Dad's passed out on the couch, a half a bottle of vodka gone, I do what I can to keep out the rain: lock the windows and doors and pray the roof holds.
As I'm dead-bolting the front door, I drop to my knees in pain.
The hairs on my arms raise... my gut twists.
Tobias.
My stomach churns again making me gasp. He's hurt.
Hurry, the wind seems to howl.
Without a jacket, or even shoes, I fly out the door and down the porch steps. The screen door bounces wildly against the house with the wind. I only hope it doesn't wake up Dad.
I'm drenched in a flash. Cold rain pelts against my skin so hard it feels like tiny shards of glass cutting into me. Numb to the pain, I run down the driveway and out onto the road. I look around frantically for signs of Tobias. It's raining so hard that I can't see more than a few feet in front of me. When the lightning flashes, I'm able to see for a fraction of a second. My feet feel like ice. I'm standing in a pool of water that has already begun to flood the road. A sense of dread slams into my chest. I'm never going to find him in this.
Desperate, I do the only thing I can think of: I yell out his name, over and over. Each time more frantic than the last. I scream until my voice cracks. The woods around me happily absorbs my cries.
The woods.
He's there. I know it.
“Tobias!” I screech. “I’m coming! Hold on!” I run as fast as I can across the mud-filled road and crash through the overgrowth lining the woods. I ignore the pain from the scratches the low branches carve into my skin.
Pulled Back (Twin Flames Series) Page 8