Failing Test: Book One of The Shadow Series

by J. M. Pierce

  She slowly leaned towards him, her hair now falling back down over half of her face. Test turned and leaned towards her as well. He brushed her hair to the side, and softly they kissed.

  In the moment, everything else went away. For Test, the night before, the powers, the fight with Ted and Bobby; all of it disappeared, drowned out by her kiss.

  For Nicole, she wasn’t thinking about what Heather and Tracy would say, she knew now who she was and who she wanted. Nothing else mattered. Slowly they parted; their eyes remained locked together in a magical stare.

  She looked at him, her face still only inches away from his, and with a glowing smile, said, “I want you to show me.”

  “Show you?” asked Test.

  “I want to know the real you. If that means the you with powers,” motioning with her hands in a silly gesture, “then I want you to show me what that is.”

  He shook his head and smiled. Gently, he reached his arm around behind her and held it about six inches away from the small of her back.

  Instantly, she felt gentle heat and a touch of pressure. Slowly, she swung. It was magical. Her fear had melted away and had been replaced by wonder.

  “Can you make me go higher?” she asked.

  “How high do you want to go?”

  In a soft and amorous voice, she replied, “No farther than you can fly to catch me.”

  Chapter 6

  Public Affection

  Test hadn’t slept all night. The goodbye kiss was something that he couldn’t stop thinking about. She was the perfect girl. Nicole was everything that he dreamed of, and she was finally his.

  He stepped out of his bedroom anxious to meet the day. He had spent more time in front of the mirror this morning than he had in his entire high school career. Last night, Nicole had agreed to meet him in the parking lot before school started. It was a tradition that everyone hung out in the parking lot as long as they could before the bell sounded for first period. Test had never done this before. He always got to school just as the bell was ringing. He had never really had a reason to hang out.

  As he walked down the hallway, he could hear dishes clinking in the kitchen. He walked through the hallway and into the living room. There was Maggie in the kitchen, standing with her back to him in her fuzzy blue bathrobe that was about a foot longer than she was tall. The toaster was out on the counter, and a stale loaf of bread was sitting beside it. He stood quietly with a confused look on his face.

  “Morning, Mom,” he said, trying not to sound too surprised.

  Startled by his voice, Maggie spun around quickly. “Good morning, Test. You’re up and around kind of early this morning, aren’t you?”

  “I suppose,” he replied. “What about you? I haven’t seen you up this early in years. Actually, this is the first time you’ve even been home in the morning for weeks.”

  In the midst of spreading butter on a piece of hot toast, Maggie stopped and looked to him. “I just thought.” She paused. “I just thought that maybe . . .” She stopped again and turned her back to him.

  “What’s on your mind, Mom?”

  “Is everything okay with you?” asked Maggie with her back still to him. “The last couple of days have had me worried.”

  “No offense, Mom, but for the last year you haven’t given a shit about anything that involved me. Why do you care all of the sudden? On top of that, what makes you think that I want to talk to you about anything? Besides, I’m fine, better than I’ve been in a long time.”

  Maggie turned around, visibly upset at Test’s hostility. After a deep breath, she walked towards him.

  “Test, I know I haven’t been a mother to you at all for some time, but guess what, I still worry about you. I still care about you, and believe it or not, yes, I still love you. Now, two nights ago I came home to a living room that had pretty much been destroyed. You lied to me and told me that you didn’t know anything about it. I know that you’re lying, Test. I’ve always been able to tell when you’re lying.”

  Test looked around at the living room. The broken television was gone. Its absence left a void in the middle of the second-hand entertainment center that accentuated its poor condition. The coffee table was gone as well, and someone had put a piece of plywood over the hole in the floor and then shifted the couch to partially cover it up. Overcome with anger, he looked back to his mother and spoke with cruel intent.

  “I don’t know what to say, Mom. I had a really bad night that night. I guess I got mad and did some stuff I shouldn’t have. Maybe it’s genetic?”

  Maggie stared at her son with a deep amount of hurt on her face. She flipped open the trash can lid and threw away the toast that she had been holding for the last few minutes. Pulling her robe around her tightly, she walked past him without making eye contact and entered the hallway. As she reached for the door knob on her bedroom door, she paused.

  “There’s something that we’re going to have to talk about, Test. Love me or hate me, you need to know.”

  Silently, he watched her disappear into her room. He wanted to apologize, but the anger and resentment in him wouldn’t let the words out. He knew that he had gone a little too far, but he also knew that he didn’t have the strength or patience to deal with this situation. Then he remembered Nicole. He looked at the clock and realized that he had only ten minutes to get to school and meet up with her. With a sigh and one last look at his mother’s bedroom door, he quickly walked out the door.

  *****

  Nicole pulled into the school parking lot a little earlier than usual. She was hoping to get there before Test. More importantly, she was hoping to get there before Heather and Tracy. She wasn’t worried about what they thought, but she also knew that there was most certainly going to be some consequence for her choice of Test. Quickly, she drove to the back of the lot. Heather usually parked in the middle of the parking lot with all of the other students who drove the nice “look what Mommy and Daddy bought me” type of cars. Nicole used to think that is where she wanted to be, but now she was somewhat disgusted with herself at her need to be accepted. As she neared the end of the back row, she found two empty spots, side by side, and pulled into the space furthest away.

  Anxious, she stepped out of her car with the morning air softly touching her face. The morning sun was gentle and warm on the back of her neck. She was wearing another sundress, this one gray with thin straps on her shoulders. She had always liked the way Test stared at her when she wore the sundresses. The more she thought about him, the more she couldn’t wait to see him. She closed her eyes and bathed in the happiness that was this morning. She felt so very much at peace.

  She, like Test, hadn’t gotten much sleep. The previous night had been like a dream. In driving to his house, she had hoped to apologize to him and to tell him how she really felt. How could she have known what the night would bring? She played the scene of Test coming to her rescue over and over in her head. He was like her knight in shining armor; her very own superhero. And then there was the park. Everything seemed so magical, so surreal.

  As she continued to daydream in the early morning sun, Test pulled into the parking lot. He cruised down the front row, looking first to his left and then to his right. He was in part looking for Nicole, but also checking out the scene. This was all new to him, and he wanted to soak it in. He had a newfound confidence and pride that showed in every move he made. He hadn’t thought about his powers for the entire ride to school. He was thinking only about the fact that he was going to be walking into school holding Nicole’s hand. He drove from the first row to the back row, and as he rounded the corner, she was there waiting for him. Waving as he pulled up, he marveled at her simple beauty. Of course he noticed the sundress, but it was her smile that always made him melt; the way her lips barely parted and turned lightly at the corners was intoxicating. He pulled into the space beside Nicole’s, turned off the engine, and stepped out of the car.

  “Hey!” he said anxiously.

  He couldn’t
get out of his car and around to her fast enough. He didn’t have to wait. She came around her car and met him halfway, greeting him with a soft kiss and a hug.

  “Hey, handsome! Sleep good last night?” she asked.

  “Not hardly. You?”

  “No. Me either.”

  He put his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently. “No one would ever know. You look beautiful this morning.”

  “You don’t have to lay it on so thick you know; you’ve got me,” she said with a smile and rolling her eyes.

  He looked at her confused. He felt a wave of embarrassment come over him and didn’t know quite how to react.

  With a giggle, Nicole took his hands into hers and shook him. “I’m just kidding. I could never get tired of hearing you say those things.”

  He stood grasping her hands and swung them back and forth as he replied, “That’s good, because I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to gooshey stuff like that. I just kind of open my mouth and out it comes.”

  With a smile, Nicole replied, “So, are you ready for today?”

  With a puzzled look on his face, Test replied, “What do you mean?”

  Nicole glanced to the ground and then brought her gaze up to meet his. “You know that Heather and Tracy are going to eat this up today, right? And I would assume that Chad and Justin will be the same.”

  Agitated, he quickly looked away from her. “I’m trying not to think about that.”

  “Okay. What about . . .” She paused.

  He focused his attention on her face. The smile was gone, and he didn’t like the direction this conversation was heading. “What is it, Nicole? You can’t start a question and then not finish. Ask me.”

  “You’re not going to go . . .” Again she paused with a touch of fear on her face.

  “Use my powers?” he asked bluntly.

  Nicole hesitated. “Yes,” she replied, ashamed.

  “No! No one can know, Nicole,” he said as he put a hand on each of her shoulders.

  “I know, I know,” she said in a reassuring and gentle voice. “I promised you that I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I meant it. It’s just, well, you used them last night in the heat of the moment, and I wanted to make sure that you could control it.”

  She was right, and now he was terrified. He looked over her shoulder to all of the people in the lot. He really wasn’t sure if he could control it or not. What if he couldn’t? His pulse raced. Suddenly, he was snapped back to the moment by Nicole’s hands on his face. She pulled his eyes to hers.

  “I didn’t mean to make you upset.” As she talked to him, she ran her fingers through his hair. “I know you can, and I know that you’ll be fine; we’ll be fine. We just have to look out for each other.” She reached up to him for one last kiss before they turned to walk into school.

  She slowly released her lips from his. The tension on his face melted away. She turned away and, taking his hand in hers, led him proudly through the parking lot and to the front doors.

  Test walked through the doorway feeling as if it was the first time he had ever done so. Time had taken on a different reality. Though he had missed only one day, the many events of the previous day made it seem as if he’d been gone a lifetime. Everything seemed so new and fresh. The first person that he hoped to see was Mark. Test couldn’t wait to see the look on Mark’s face when he saw Nicole’s hand in his.

  As the couple walked by the first row of lockers, they both noticed people staring; neither one cared. Standing beside her, Test gently ran his fingertips up and down her back. He wanted to live in this moment for the rest of the day, but knew that the bell was about to ring. Grabbing her elbow, he gently turned her towards him and brushed her hair from her face.

  “I suppose I should get going,” he said reluctantly. “See me between classes?”

  “No question,” she replied in a sultry tone.

  She slowly embraced him around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose into her hair. He inhaled deeply and savored her scent.

  “All right, I have to go. I’ll see you in an hour,” he said as he released her.

  As he walked away, they both outstretched their arms to prolong the touch of their fingertips as long as possible. That was when he realized how long of a day it was going to be. He hadn’t yet been away from her for a minute, but he missed her already. He arrived at his locker and reached for the combination lock. He looked around to see if anyone was looking at him. Not seeing anyone, he raised his right hand, holding his palm inches away from the locker. The dial spun right and then left. Thirty-three, thirteen, three, he thought. Then with a click, the handle lifted, and the door opened.

  It’s going to be a good day.

  ****

  Into the orchestra room Test strode with his head held high. Immediately, he heard Mark’s voice.

  “What’s going on with you?”

  Test turned to his left. Mark was pulling his books out of his book bag with a pissed-off look on his face.

  “Hey, Mark. What’s up with you?” replied Test.

  “Oh I don’t know. Two days ago, my best friend is talking to me about a date he’s got with the girl of his dreams and then—”

  Test interrupted, holding his hands up defensively as he spoke. “Hold on, buddy. I know I should have called you, and I’m sorry. My head’s been jacked up the last few days. I’m really sorry.”

  “Damn right, you should be. Nicole came to me and Marcy yesterday all worried about you. Then you pulled a no-show at school. I was worried as hell, man.” Mark’s face was red with anger.

  “You’re right, okay. I’m an ass and I’m sorry. I don’t know what more to say,” replied Test.

  Mark looked to his right, away from Test. “What happened to you yesterday? Nicole told me and Marcy about what happened at her place. That was a pretty jacked up thing she pulled.” Looking back to his friend, he continued. “Are you okay? Did she ever find you?”

  “Actually, yeah. It’s kind of a long story, but . . .” he paused while scratching the back of his head, “well, we hung out last night, and I, uh . . . met her in the parking lot this morning,” Test replied, choosing his words carefully.

  “Seriously?” replied Mark.

  “It’s all good, my friend. Today is a new day, and I’m happy, happier than I’ve ever been before. I am really sorry about leaving you out of the loop. Still buds or what?”

  Test held out his right hand, and without hesitation, Mark shook it.

  Sarcastically, Mark replied, “Just keep me in the loop on this stuff, huh? No secrets. I thought you might have done something stupid!”

  Test suddenly flushed. The words “secret” had never been so large a word in his vocabulary as it was now. He couldn’t tell Mark, not right now anyway.

  “Hey, where’d you go? Are you okay?” asked Mark.

  Test frantically searched for the words. Quickly, he spit out the first thing that came to his mind. “Oh, I had a run-in with my mom this morning.”

  “This morning?” replied Mark. “She was actually home?”

  “Yeah, she was trying to play the role of my mother. I was actually kind of a jerk to her, but she caught me off guard,” he replied.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’s already forgotten. I’m sure Tommy will make it all better for her!” he said. Mark pulled his legs into a fetal position and laughed.

  “Ha, ha, jerk!” replied Test as he clenched his fist and reached back to punch Mark in the shoulder.

  “WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!” Mark yelled. He quickly stood and took a couple of steps away from Test. “Man, the last time you smacked me you bruised the crap out of me. I was just playin’. I take it back!”

  Test held up his fist and remembered what had occurred a couple of days before. It suddenly made sense. It was his power. How many times had he used it before and not realized it? Maybe this wasn’t going to be as simple for him as he had thought it could be.

  “So, on a brighter note, now
that you and Nicole are a thing, you’re going to go to the pasture party tonight, right?” asked Mark.

  Test was still deep in thought when he realized that Mark had just asked him a question. He blinked hard a couple of times and then shook his head.

  “What? Sorry, zoned out there,” he answered.

  “The pasture party, you and Nicole are going tonight, right?” Mark asked once more.

  “Yeah. I mean, I need to ask Nicole, but I want to.”

  “Well, find out. Maybe you and Nicole could follow me and Marcy, and then we could park next to each other?”

  “Yeah, sounds good to me,” Test replied, not really having paid any attention to what Mark had just said. The only thing that Test could think about at the moment was the enormity of his secret.

  ****

  Nicole stood up as the bell rang. First period was over, and now all she wanted to do was rush to her locker to see Test. As she took her first step towards the door, she felt a tap on her back. She quickly turned and saw Marcy standing behind her with a smile on her face.

  “Hey, Nicole!” said Marcy.

  “Hi, Marcy. How are you?” replied Nicole.

  Marcy stood with her arms crossed and had a strange look on her face. “I’m good, I’m good,” she replied. She asked, “So did you ever talk to Test?”

  “Actually yeah, I did.” Nicole anxiously looked back to the doorway and then back to Marcy. “You know what? I’m actually kind of in a hurry to see him. Can I hook up with you at lunch? I want to fill you in on everything!”

  “Yeah, absolutely!” Marcy replied excitedly. “I’ll save a spot for you.”

  “Thanks, Marcy.”

  Nicole turned away from Marcy, swung her backpack to her shoulder, and walked briskly out the door. As she entered the main hallway, she saw Test ahead.

  “Test!” she yelled to the annoyance of those directly in front of her.