by Rue Volley
GG nodded. “For sure.”
Liv brightened. “Oh yeah, thank the Goddess he was there, so—tell me,” he leaned in.
“What was he wearing?”
I spoke through a tart smile. “Nothing.”
“What?!” Court blurted out.
I giggled. We all leaned in closer, and the conversation dropped to a whisper. “I meant—nothing special. He had on a hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes.”
“Oh.” Liv wrinkled his nose. I nodded in agreement. I still wasn’t impressed.
“But he caught the book, right?” GG asked.
I sighed. “Yeah, he did.”
Her eyes widened. “Well, that counts for something.”
I tilted my head. “I guess it does.”
Court cupped my chin and made me look at her. “Then what?” Her eyes burned bright with a need for information.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Then, we had the most peculiar conversation.”
Liv’s muscles in his jaw tightened. “About what?”
My mouth tilted. “Mmm, well, nothing and everything, all at the same time.”
Court shook her head. “That makes no sense. How can you say everything and nothing at once?”
Liv shot her a look of disapproval. “Seriously?”
“What?” she asked with a sneer.
He rolled his eyes. “Romance, you cold-hearted beast. It’s romantic.”
Court appeared confused. It amused me. “How is that romantic at all?”
She doesn’t get it. We all read the same books so we can discuss them, but I swear she skips over the romantic parts to get to the action. That’s one of the reasons why I was shocked that she had decided to date anyone, but Liv using a word like beast wasn’t a fair description. I was just about ready to correct him when GG interjected. “What did he look like?”
“Pretty,” I said without hesitation because it was the first word that came to mind. Killian was pretty, regardless of his lack of fashionable knowledge.
The three of them stiffened. I narrowed my eyes and waved them back in.
“What?” I asked.
Liv raised his eyebrows and stared at GG, then Court. GG piped in again. “Well—you must like him a lot.”
My voice went up a full octave. “I do not!” I immediately glanced over at the librarian who was still ignoring us. That must be the best book in the world. I was tempted to ask her what she was reading, but I had a serious problem at hand.
I leaned back in and tried to calm down. “I don’t. He’s just a boy.”
Liv grinned. “Oh, really? Well, I don’t think any of us have ever heard you call any boy “pretty” except for the ones in your books.”
I sat up and stared at the wooden table. He was right. I never had. Pretty was a word I rarely used unless it pertained to a vampire or warlock. Pretty, immortal—irresistible. Perfectly imperfect. But mostly, controllable. I could pick up a book anytime I wanted to and then set it down when I’d had enough. That’s what bothered me about Killian. He’s just out there, roaming around, doing things. I don’t need all that.
“Well—he was okay, I guess.”
Court licked her lips and wagged her eyebrows.
I didn’t like it, so I stood up and grabbed my backpack.
“Hey,” she said as she reached out to me.
I shook my head. “He was annoying. Just a Middling,” I added.
GG laughed, and so did Liv. Court nodded her head. “We all know how you feel about mortals, Harper. Especially boys—except for Liv, of course, he’s immune to your hatred.”
I nodded while clutching my backpack. “That’s right. I like one type of boy, and one type only.”
They all began to speak in unison. “A de—”
“Dead one.”
I turned to see the boy from the graveyard standing behind me with a book in his hand. He had finished their sentence for them.
Liv stood up, and his chair made a terrible noise against the wood. “Hair.” He muttered. Court began to toy with her ponytail, wrapping it around her thin finger, and GG stepped right up to him and offered a handshake out of nowhere, but she’s just like that. It reminds me of my dad.
“Hi—I’m GG.” She shook his hand and then eyed Court and Liv. “And this is Oliver and Court, and you know Harper, already.”
“Harper,” he repeated.
My name rolled off his tongue like poetry, which is a ridiculously sappy way of describing it, so I apologize. Blame the paranormal romance reader inside of me.
“I like that,” he added while Court glanced over to Liv, and he bit his lip. Then he decided that this boy needed more information.
“Harper J. Ellis,” Oliver added. “She’s going to be a famous writer someday.”
My cheeks felt flush.
“Well, we should—” Court spoke while eyeing this boy. He looked even better now. I don’t know why or how, but he did. Pretty, definitely pretty.
“Yep, we’ve got lots of things to do,” GG added as she thumbed behind her.
Liv wound his arm into Court’s and drug her along. “Um—I think we should all get together tonight for coffee!” she called out as Liv pulled her toward the exit.
I reached up and fidgeted with my collar. I had chosen to dress like Wednesday Addams today. It was just much easier than sitting at my desk with all that tulle under my skirt. I glanced down at my flat black shoes with the cat whiskers painted on the top. I felt very underdressed compared to how I looked when we first met in the cemetery.
I didn’t know what to say next, but he chimed in, forcing me to look in those bright blue eyes. My lips fell slightly agape. I must’ve looked somewhat ridiculous. Shell shocked.
“Killian Porter.”
“What?” I asked with the tilt of my head while my gaze lingered on his mouth. His lips look soft. I wonder if they are. I mean, they must be.
He grinned and pointed to himself. “That’s my name.”
“Oh, okay.” What a terrible response. I cleared my throat. I could’ve asked the origin of his name, or why—anything but oh, okay.
He tucked his hair behind his ear. My eyes followed. His movements drag me along like gravity. It’s annoying, and yet I can’t stop. He intrigues me. “People usually just call me Ian.”
“I like Killian.” I was relieved that I said something that sounded somewhat intelligent. “And I’m not people, I mean—usual people. I’m unusual.” Well, that went downhill quickly.
“No—no, you aren’t.” He lowered his hand and shoved it in his pocket. He was still wearing a hoodie and jeans. I think they may have been the same ones he had on in the cemetery, but honestly it didn’t matter. He was standing right here in front of me now.
I felt like I may be sweating. Is that normal?
“You can call me whatever you like, Harper J. Ellis.”
The heat spread across my cheeks.
“Well—I, I should get going. I have another class starting soon.”
“Me, too,” he said.
That’s when it hit me that he was in my school. Why was he here?
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He smirked. “Getting an education.”
“I don’t mean that. I know why you’d be in school, but why are you in my school?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Why I noticed was annoying. My nerves kicked in.
“I didn’t know it was yours.”
I placed a hand on my hip. “Are you always so elusive?”
He laughed, then glanced around the room. “Are you always going to be so mad at me?”
I parted my lips as the bell rang. It saved me from answering him, so I rushed out, leaving him in the library, but just as I slipped into the hallway, I caught him staring at me. I put my head down, and half jogged down the hallway toward my next class.
But I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus the rest of the day.
I shouldn’t like him, but I do.
H
e shouldn’t bother me, but he does.
In every single way.
Chapter Five
I sat on the front steps waiting as patiently as I could. A few kids passed me by, chatting away, but none of their conversations held any interest for me. They ignored me as expected, acting like I wasn’t even there. I never take it personally. I really don’t. I think it’s human nature to find a tribe, whether big or small, and stick with it.
My mind wandered. I thought about him as he was perched on top of that tombstone with the sun to his back, and then again, as he stood before me in the library. I fingered at my throat. The ache remained, but the thoughts of him seemed to soothe it better than any medicinal concoction of herbs, could.
Those eyes.
His eyes.
Bright blue, oceans deep.
Why couldn’t I shake him? Part of me wanted that more than anything, but the other part—the hidden part, it wanted more, when I knew I shouldn’t.
I don’t know him, and yet he feels so familiar. How is that even possible? This is the type of thing that happens in a book—not in real life. I once scoffed at girls who fell for boys this way, tumbling like Alice down the rabbit hole. This isn’t love. This is obsessive infatuation, which isn’t sustainable.
Shakespearian. Unhealthy.
But who’s to say what is and isn’t healthy if you feel happiness?
I need to stop. I need my friends. I need viable distractions.
I hadn’t seen GG, Court, or Liv since we had study hall in the library. I sat at the back of class without any interaction. Silent, thinking. Lost, really. No one looked at me, which was fine. I usually move around without detection. I prefer it that way. If I want to talk, I talk. But usually I have my nose buried in a book.
But everything seemed odd now. Changed. He changed things—changed me. I wasn’t reading a book—I felt like I may be in one.
The thought of it excited me and had my lips curving once again.
Murmurs turned to full-blown noise as kids rushed out the doors and plunged down the steps. I stood up and waited. Not a single one of them looked at me. I’m nobody, but not to him. Not to Killian. Heat curled down my spine. I tried to shake it off.
My friends should be coming, but as the crowd thinned, I started to feel restless. The last thing I wanted was to run into him. But am I being honest? No—not really.
A nervous grin spread across my face as I rubbed the side of my neck. I could hear my breath hitch when the door opened again. I expected to see him as the hairs rose on the back of my neck. Then a butterfly fluttered by my face. My eyes locked on its beautiful wings. Bright orange with specks of black and white. It’s late in the season for them. They usually swarm at the end of Summer, right before the season changes, but then again, this is Juniper Hollow, and we’re not normal. I reached out, and it slowed. I thought it would land on me, but it didn’t. My vision blurred, then sharpened, and I spotted GG and Liv walking hand in hand. They approached me, but I didn’t see Court. Liv stepped up to me and grinned. GG wound her arm in mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. The butterfly was now long gone like it never existed at all.
Liv parted his lips, but he was silenced when Court exited the front doors. “Um—girl. So that was the guy, huh? SO CUTE!” I shrunk about half an inch. Why did I think this would go away? Of course, it won’t. That boy would haunt me whether in person or not. My friends would see to that, and yet I couldn’t stop staring at the doors just waiting to see him exit the building. But he never did. My eyes lingered. I started to feel foolish. I wanted to see him, didn’t I?
GG tightened her hold on me, and Liv nodded in agreement. “Hot is more like it,” he added while buttoning up his black jacket.
I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he made me feel so vulnerable or if I didn’t want to share him. I guess it may have been a little of both. I might be selfish in that way. Killian was—or I mean is special. I know it. I can feel it deep in my chest, like a slow and steady rhythmic reminder.
Court did a handstand in front of us, but that didn’t deter her from talking. Oh no. She can do it all.
“Seriously, if you don’t take advantage of that situation, then I will.” Her face had turned red. My brow furrowed and she giggled. “I’m kidding—sort of. But seriously, he’s adorable.” She likes to toy with me, always has. I remember when I first met her. She was picking her dodgeball team from a ragtag collection of kids. I was hiding off to the side, and she picked me first. Me. I was stunned. I still remember when she whispered “get behind me” as the balls came whizzing by our heads. She took pity on me that day. I really don’t know why, she never told me, but that started a friendship that remains to this day. I should’ve never doubted that she’d stick by us, even after becoming a cheerleader. That was shallow of me. Lesson learned. Court was not going anywhere, but maybe a few feet ahead of us as she landed a backflip out of nowhere. Her arms shot up, and she nodded, swinging that fire engine red ponytail of hers back and forth.
I blinked when Liv chimed in with eyes locked open.
“Hot,” Liv crooned.
GG laughed as we began to walk. “I agree with Liv. He’s hot.”
Thanks, I get it, guys! Everyone thinks he’s cute.
“Awe, GG, you haven’t called me Liv since we were in elementary school.”
Court cocked her head and stared him down. “I call you that all the time.” He ignored her on purpose. Liv can be so bratty sometimes. He likes to mess with her, and I’m not sure why. Well, maybe I do. He had tried out for cheerleading and wasn’t chosen, but that’s not her fault. He just wasn’t any good at it, but no one would dare tell him. Besides, he’s plenty good at so many other things, like putting together a killer outfit.
GG winked at him and then offered me a fierce smile. “So, what did he say after we left?”
I sighed as we all walked down the sidewalk toward my house. “Nothing and everything, but more nothing, again.”
Court did another cartwheel and raised her hands in the air. “You have a terrible way of describing things, Harper.”
Liv shoved his hands in his jacket as the chilled wind swirled around us. “Especially for a writer.”
I leaned forward to glare at him while we strolled along together. “Aspiring writer.”
We all stopped dead as a car drove past us and I saw Angel and his friend Max in the front seat. We turned to watch it roll down the street and then around the corner.
Court raised a hand. “And what the H was that?!”
She doesn’t curse, but she’ll always utilize that first letter of whatever bad word she really wants to say. I find it endearing.
I sighed. “Hunters.”
Liv shook his head. “What?”
My eyes narrowed. “Ghost hunters. They’re—well, they showed up last night when I was leaving the cemetery, and I brought them back to the house.”
Court’s attention landed on me. “You did what?”
GG cocked her hip and placed a hand on it. “As in your house?” she asked me.
“Yes, mine, and yes, I did. I should’ve never—”
Court interrupted me. “You took them home like stray cats?”
I hid a smile behind my hand. “That’s what my mom said, and well, I had just met that boy,”
Liv leaned in. “Killian—Killian Porter.” He stared off like he was dreaming.
I rolled my eyes, “Yes, Killian Porter, he was in the graveyard, my favorite one, favorite spot, and then I saw those two getting out of their car. When they came up to me, I was—well—I was flustered.”
“Oh,” Liv spoke up, and I winced.
“Mad—I was mad, Liv, but anyway, they assumed I was in some religious group and had no electricity or television, and it annoyed me, so I took them home to teach them a lesson.”
“And they stayed the night?” Liv asked.
GG scrunched her nose and waved a hand. “So, they w
ent to your house and slept there, and got food, and that was punishment?”
My eyebrow rose. “Shush, GG. Clearly, I didn’t think it through.”
“Clearly.” Liv retorted.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Anyway, it looks like they’re leaving now, so—”
Liv looked me over. “I doubt that! This is Juniper Hollow, Harper, and you gave them everything they wanted. We all know how haunted your house is. We all stayed there when we were little, remember?”
My stomach tightened. My house was a hotbed for unexplained noises—even the occasional shadow darted from one area to another. We’ve never been bothered by it, but I’m sure they had a field day as we slept.
“Well, they were gone when I got up, so that’s that.”
Liv just had to upset me. “You hope.”
I turned to glare at him. “I feel bad enough, okay?”
GG pulled me into her side. “He’s just messing with you.”
I knew he was, but what little color I had drained from my face. We had spent our entire lives avoiding this type of thing. Ghost hunters were not allowed in Juniper Hollow for a reason. No one wanted for our homes to become tourist attractions.
I blinked when Court took off running down the sidewalk, and Liv followed, then GG. I moaned. I don’t like to run. If that’s happening then you best believe something is chasing me, but I wasn’t going to be left out again now that I had my friends back, so I ran, as awkward as ever. Arms up at my side, white-blonde curls were bouncing off my shoulders, hoping that I wouldn’t fall down.
A ridiculous sight, I’m sure.
I reached the corner of the brick wall and crept up behind the three of them. Oddly, I wasn’t out of breath at all. That was new. The three of them were busy peeking around the corner, spying, so I joined them.
“They said their car wasn’t working.”
Liv narrowed his eyes. “Well, it looks like it’s running just fine to me.”
“Liars,” I added without restraint. I coughed again, covering my mouth with the side of my arm. This wouldn’t get any better as we moved from Summer into Fall. All of the falling leaves brought with them mold spores. I cleared my throat then followed it with a sneeze.