He pushed back. “No.”
She gaped at him.
“I can’t get the window open,” Barnaby explained.
Evie narrowed her eyes at him just the same and shoved up beside him. Pressing her hands on the glass, she tried to slide it upward. “Come on!” she gritted, fuming once again.
Of course… the window was stuck.
She released it and looked for something to hurl through the glass. A few feet away she spotted a bust of some historical figure sitting on a pedestal. She could swear it was mocking her. “Oh screw you,” she muttered, grabbing it and tucking the bust under her arm like a football. And just as she was about to hurl it through the glass she saw who was making all the racket. Brianna and Addison screeched to a halt inside the room; their bright eyes bulging from their sockets like they had seen a ghost.
“Ladies, ladies, calm down,” Colton said with an authoritative tone, strutting over to them like a glorified peacock.
Oh, so now he was Mister Calm, cool and collected, acting like a CSI agent. What happened to that guy earlier when she could have used some help? No, he ran as fast as he could, yelling for Chance and Barnaby to follow him to safety—leaving her completely out of the equation. Jerk. Evie was tempted to throw the statue at Colton but instead placed it back on the pedestal.
“Well thanks …ah…” She glanced down at the name on the bottom of the bust, “Ponce de León.” She exhaled. “Why do you sound so familiar?” She looked around the room trying to jar her memory and then noticed the stack of books on the desk. Then she remembered she had seen his name on one of the books. She patted his smooth stone head and walked over to the desk. There were several books actually, on explorers. Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, Lewis & Clark, John Smith, Vasco da Gama, Jacques Cartier, Sacagawea, and Henry Hudson, to name a few. She lifted up the books and finally found the one about Juan Ponce de Leon. “So Ponce, what were you famous for?” Flipping a few of the yellowed pages, she skimmed over the text. “The Spanish conquistador and explorer Juan Ponce de León and the legendary fountain of youth have been linked to one another to this day.”
A memory of her old gym teacher from High school, Coach Gibbs and his abnormally gorgeous face and sublime physique popped into her mind. He looked like a student. Actually, for most of the year she thought he was a college student, maybe earning some extra credits or something. Then one day, near the end of school she entered into the side door of the office to return one of the overhead projectors to the supply room and walked right in when the Principle was serenading Coach Gibb’s with a “Happy Birthday” song. Except this was obviously a rehearsed version because she was really taking it to another level. It was like when Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to JFK, full of unsaid innuendos like she was going to jump his bones or something and he didn’t seem adverse to it, either.
She hung out in the background, not able to cut across the room to drop off the projector until the song was over, then saw the big Five O on his cake and almost fell out!
“Margie, err, Principle Levinson, it that a joke?” she asked, gawking at the smoking candles on top of a triple layered chocolate cake.
“Nathan’s age?” she asked absently, never taking her eyes off the man in question.
“Nathan? Oh right, Coach Gibbs, is that his real age?” Evie had to ask, eyeing the candles doubtfully, thinking it was a joke.
“Oh yes,” she breathed, giving his body a long lingering stroke with her glazed over hazel eyes.
Evie frowned. “He looks really young for his age.”
“Oh yes,” she gasped like she was about to have an orgasm. “It’s his youthful vigor.”
Evie took a step back, looking at buttoned up Levinson with new eyes. Apparently, she was a freak under her bookish outward demeanor with her sensible short brown haircut, thick tortoise shell glasses, putrid colored sweaters, and skirt choices, along with her sole squeaking orthopedic earth mama shoes. She had them all fooled.
“I will be helping him release his youthful vigor tonight…anywhere he wants it,” she confided, running her unusually large man looking hand over her perky bottom.
Eww. Eww. Eww. Evie glared at Margie in shock.
Turning suddenly, Margie gave her an odd look. “You waiting for some cake?” she asked, sounding too sweet, narrowing her eyes.
“No,” she croaked. “Gotta get back to class,” she said, breaking into a fast-paced walk toward the door.
“Ms. Harrington,” Margie called out once more. This time she sounded more like a chirping bird, a very singsongish tone to her voice. She didn’t know why but it scared the hell out of her.
“Yeah, Principle Levinson,” she said turning around slowly about to have a crap fit.
“Aren’t you going to put that projector away?”
Shit! “Right. On it.” She grabbed the cart, and whizzed past Margie and the rest of the office gals who all looked a bit too glassy eyes swarming around Coach Gibbs like they were stalking prey and he was just that…their prey.
“Evie,” Barnaby said, walking up to her and stopping on the opposite side of the desk.
Her mind came back to the present at the sound of her name. “Yeah?” she said feigning disinterest, remembering a bit too clearly his desertion earlier. Nervously she flipped the pages of the “World Almanac of Explorers” back and forth.
“Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “I ah, wanted to come over and say sorry for leaving you high and dry and all. I don’t know why I did that.”
“Oh…whatever,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s over and done with now so…” She dropped her eyes back to the page but the words were blurring in front of her eyes.
Barnaby rubbed his face with his hands and then sighed. “Evie…” he began.
“Hmm,” was all she could manage to say. She felt like she was going to cry. Stupid dumb tears, they always pulled that shit when she least expected them to show up, which sucked cuz somehow she never managed to cry when she actually should be crying. Apparently her tear ducks were broken…like the rest of her.
“I want you to know I won’t do that again…okay?” He dipped his head down to get a look at her face.
She quickly turned her head and swiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Sure, sure—whatever,” she said.
“Are you crying?”
She laughed, it sounded fake. “What?” She shook her head vehemently. “Puhlease how stupid would I be…right. It’s these stinky books.” She made a face. “They really mess with my allergies.”
“I am serious though, I promise. I won’t leave you again.”
She gave him a doubtful look. “Well let’s hope we won’t have to find out.” She tried to smile but it was forced.
“Hey Barnaby,” Colton called.
Barnaby tensed. “What?”
“C’mere, I got to show you something.”
Barnaby rolled his eyes. “We good?” he asked leaning forward.
“Yeah sure,” she said.
“Barnnaaaaaahby,” Colton singsonged.
He leaned down and looked pointedly at Evie. “You sure we’re okay?”
“Yep. Positive.” No, we’re not.
“I better go see what he wants.”
“Yeah, okay.”
He gave her a small smile and muttered something under his breath as he walked away.
Her chest tightened a little.
ODDITIES AND ABSURDITIES
SATURDAY * 11:29 PM
The back of the room smelled like wet dog. Barnaby wrinkled his nose and walked behind the wrought iron staircase to the back of the room. It was pretty dark since the balcony to the second level protruded out about ten or so feet above. Colton stood there in the back with his arms crossed.
Barnaby walked closer and the smell of wet dog that rolled in something foul became even more prevalent. “Gross dude, what is that smell?”
Colton turned and shrugged. “I don’t smell anything.”
Colton lifted his shoes and checked the soles. “Nah, they’re clean…see.” He lifted his leg in the air showing off the bottom of his shoe.
Barnaby lifted his own feet and looked at the bottoms of his shoes. Nothing was there. He looked back at Colton who had turned back around once again. “Come on man, what do you want? I can’t take this smell.”
Colton stepped away and pointed his finger toward the darkened corner. “What the hell is that?”
Barnaby jumped a little. A life-sized statue was in the shadows. The face distorted and the body exaggerated like a monster.
“Well…” Colton prodded.
“How the hell should I know?”
“Cuz your mom is like an expert on all this weird shit…isn’t she?”
“It doesn’t mean I pay attention to her.”
“Well you should?” said Colton.
“Why?”
“So you could tell me what this thing is man. I could seriously mess with some people.” Colton walked around the side of the statue.
“Well whatever it is, it’s really old so…”
“Yeah right,” Colton snickered.
Barnaby glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“And here I thought you were the smart one,” Colton taunted.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Take another look at ugly here. If it is so old then why is it holding a can of soda?”
Barnaby stepped forward, looked, and sure enough clenched in the right hand was a Diet Dr. Pepper can. “Obviously someone put it there, Colton,” he explained. The can was just that, a can, the statue however was made from marble or stone.
Colton reached over and tried to remove the can from the hand. “Yeah right man, that shit is made like this. See.” He hung his body weight on the hand, lifting his feet. He dropped back down again. “See, there is no way someone could have put that there. The fingers don’t move.”
“What’s he hanging on that statue for?” Chance asked, walking up beside Barnaby.
“He’s trying to get the can of soda out of its hand.”
“Huh.” Chance crossed his arms and stroked his chin. “It’s weird they would put a grotesque in here. I thought they were mostly used for gardens and on buildings.
Barnaby gaped at Chance. “How’d you know that?”
Colton overheard Chance and let a big whooping laugh. “Ha, Barnaby and here you thought you were so smart, looks like you got some competition.”
Chance looked over at Colton. “Hey, I only know cuz my mom gets this Toscana Magazine in the mail and leaves it in the bathroom. I look at the stuff inside for something to do while I’m dropping the kids off at the pool.”
Barnaby and Colton both laughed.
***
Dragging her feet, Evie walked to the other side of the desk and sat down on the edge. One of the books slid off the stack, making a loud thump as it hit the ground. She bent over to pick it up, ready to kick it across the room and then something strange happened. All the angst she had been feeling evaporated immediately. The very air became charged, like electric currents were pulsing. She looked for the source and then a lone silhouette coasted inside the room.
“Ladies, ladies, ladies…no need to fear, Simon is here.” He swaggered into the room like he owned the place.
“Hey, there are guys in here too,” Colton complained, his eyes narrowing.
Simon paused in mid-stride and angled his head towards Colton. “Ha,” he laughed. “That’s funny. I thought only girls yelled like that.” He shrugged, lifting his brow. “Of course, had I known there were big strong guys like you in here, I would not have hurried inside to help…you know… to save the day.” He smiled. Briana and Addison swarmed to his side, like the glomers they were.
Colton shook his head and turned away, mumbling something under his breath.
Evie was sure, whatever it was, was rude and nasty. It was just like Colton. She glanced over to see how Moriah was taking the appearance of da-da- dah “Simon,” but she kept her gaze trained out the window. Evie was dying to know what happened between her and Kingston—since obviously something was up. She glanced over at the guy Simon. He did have black and white hair…so maybe he was the guy Barnaby was talking about. Evie watched him animatedly chitchat with Addison and Briana, and had to admit he was pretty cute. He was shorter than she thought he would be, since Kingston was at least six feet tall. Simon looked small in comparison. But there was something about him that held her attention. Whatever it was… it was distracting. She had to force herself not to gawk at him, even though she was finding that act pretty hard—not to do. There was a weird feeling in the air, like magnetic currents. Except he was the Uber magnet and she was the insubstantial piece of metal. On top of that, she noticed there was something else about him…something she couldn’t place her finger on…yet.
What she really wanted to know was where Adriane was? She wondered if the guy Simon knew who he was. She didn’t know why she thought that, but for some reason she thought he might know him. Maybe it was because of the insubstantial metal/ Uber magnet thing. She had felt the same freaky pull to Adriane… except it had been a million times worse. What if Adriane was already gone?
***
“Aren’t you even going to talk to me?” Kingston asked and shoved his hands through his hair, pushing it away from his face.
Moriah stiffened. “What?” she asked, secretly hoping he would say everything was okay, but he didn’t’. He merely stared off into the room, like he had a million other things to look at besides her. When his gaze finally settled, she followed it and he was looking right at Heather. Asshole. The thing that surprised her most was that Heather was not looking back at him, like she usually did. Instead, she was looking out the doors into the foyer like she was looking for someone else. She lifted her hand and smacked him in his arm.
That got his attention.
He turned holding his arm. “What?” he asked, sounding wounded with a blank look on his face like he had no idea what he did wrong.
Ohmigod! She wanted to kick him in his shin. “How bout this…when you actually want to talk to me, try looking at me.” And with that, she stormed off across the room.
Kingston stared after her. He didn’t know what his problem was. He had no idea why he was acting like such an ass towards Moriah. His stomach twisted in knots. She was the love of his life and she was pissed at him. Heather usually fell all over herself to talk to him and now she didn’t even act like she cared anymore. They both were wreaking havoc with his emotions. Now that dick Simon was here and neither of the girls that were supposed to be into him were giving him the time of day. He couldn’t take it. He walked away to see what Barnaby was doing on the second level.
“What’s up with that?” Evie asked nodding her head towards Kingston as Moriah walked up beside her.
“Nothing,” she said, being tightlipped once again.
“Puhlease, you forget who you are talking to.”
Moriah smiled sadly. “I know… it’s just not worth relaying right now.” She sighed and reached down flipping the pages of a book absently.
“Well it looks like we’re going be here for a while,” Evie said. “If you care to explain…’’
Moriah flipped more pages back and forth, not really seeing what was in front of her. She watched Kingston climb up to the second level. Barnaby was there and started to talk animatedly with him about something, capturing his attention completely. It seemed like a safe time to sneak a quick peek at Simon. Once she did, she wished she didn’t. She sucked in a sharp breath feeling the familiar tingling sensation begin to spread over her body. He was looking directly at her. She shifted on her feet as his dark gray eyes sparkled enigmatically at her from across the room.
The more he stared at her, the hotter she became. She knew she should turn her head and look away but she couldn’t seem to find the strength to do so. It may have been
different if Kingston wasn’t acting like an ass…well, that was the excuse she was using at the moment. It may have been something more…
something she was not quite ready to admit just yet.
She glared at Addison and Brianna. They were holding on to both his arms, petting him. They looked like dogs trying to hump his legs. She had the inexplicable urge to storm over and knock them away so she could claim him for herself. She gave him what she hoped was a shy innocent smile instead. Fine. It wasn’t very innocent but it was a smile.
He gave her that knowing smile of his and mouthed something to her…
She shook her head. “I can’t hear you,” she mouthed back and then smiled at him.
He lifted his brows and directed his eyes to the door under the balcony.
She shook her head and held onto the desk more securely to fight the urge to follow him. It seemed to only make him smile even wider.
“Moriah what are you doing?” Evie whispered fiercely leaning towards her.
“Nothing,” she bit back too defensively, startled, ripping her gaze from Simon.
“Well it doesn’t look like nothing. You better stop,” Evie warned.
“I am not doing anything Evie. You stop,” she complained.
“For God’s sake Moriah, you are in LOVE with Kingston, remember?” Evie reminded her.
“What the hell Evie? Whose friend are you?”
“ You know whose friend I am.”
“Well it doesn’t feel like it.” Moriah stared at the ground.
“Hey, I am trying to stop you from making a mistake.”
“What mistake? He has been checking Heather out all night and acting like I don’t even exist,” she complained, her face turning red with embarrassment or guilt she wasn’t sure which.
“Yeah, but you’re better than that.” Evie said and then sighed. “Listen, I am not trying to be a prude or anything. I get it. You are hurt and angry that Kingston is acting like an asshole.” She put her hand on Moriah’s and squeezed it, trying to make her feel better.
Moriah jerked her hand away, like Evie had cooties or something. Evie glared at her. “Fine, you do what you want, but you better think long and hard before you do anything stupid. Once you cross over, there isn’t any going back.” And with that, she walked away from Moriah and was surprised to find herself walking towards Heather.
Gargoyle: A Reawakening (Briarcliff Series, #2) Page 14