Going Down in Flames (Entangled Teen)

by Chris Cannon

  Ivy sipped her orange juice while Clint scribbled in a notebook.

  Bryn downed half a cup of coffee.

  “Thirsty?” Ivy asked.

  “I’m trying to jump-start my brain.”

  Zavien joined them. He didn’t appear pleased. “Have you heard what Jaxon is telling everyone?”

  Mentally, she braced herself. “What’s the idiot saying now?”

  “He claims you’re trying to steal Clint from Ivy.”

  Ivy’s juice glass hit the table with a resounding smack. “What?”

  Sitting up straighter, Clint grinned. “I’m the campus stud.”

  Bryn groaned. “Why would that asshat start such a stupid rumor?”

  “The asshat is trying to undermine your reputation,” Zavien said.

  “What reputation? So far, the only noteworthy thing I’ve done is shoot a fireball at his head.”

  “Could that be the reason?” Zavien feigned wonder.

  Clint passed him a napkin. “You dribbled a little sarcasm on your chin.”

  Zavien batted the napkin away. “We need to counteract this rumor. Students believe stupid things all the time.”

  Ivy pointed at Zavien. “Kiss Bryn. Let everyone believe you’re a couple. That’ll straighten this out.”

  Holy crap. Was Ivy trying to help her or give her a heart attack?

  Fingers crossed, she met Zavien’s gaze. “Do you think that would work?”

  He sighed and ran his hand down his face. “I believe that would cause a new set of problems for both of us.”

  Disappointment settled in her stomach, or maybe it was the pancakes.

  For the rest of the morning, she ignored sideways looks and rude comments from other students. By the time she reached Basic Movement, she’d had enough and went to confront the source of her irritation. Jaxon stood in line at the joust.

  “Why are you spreading stupid rumors about me? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

  He gave her a look of smug superiority. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Fists clenched, she said, “Clint and Ivy are a couple. I’m their friend. End of story.”

  “Come to think of it, I did hear you were trying to steal that poor girl’s boyfriend. Can’t say I’m surprised. It’s no secret the Directorate won’t allow you to marry.” He laughed in her face. “You’re not fit to breed.”

  Flames crawled up the back of her throat. It would feel so good to blast him with a giant fireball. But that would be wrong. Sort of. She thought about snow, and the fire receded. Still, smoke drifted from her lips as she spoke. “My mother felt the same way about your father.”

  He moved closer, using his height advantage to tower over her. “You’re destined to be alone. It’s not like anyone would offer to be your benefactor. No self-respecting dragon would want a mutt like you.”

  “Wrong. One of your Clan already offered me a villa in Italy.” The words popped out of her mouth before her brain was fully engaged.

  Jaxon staggered back a step. Frost shot from his nose.

  “For your information, I turned him down. I don’t poach boyfriends or husbands. Say whatever you want about me. Every rumor you start just makes you look pathetic.”

  While everyone stared, she stalked off. Smoke shot from her nostrils with every exhalation. Why had she told him that? He just made her so mad.

  In an effort to burn off the anger surging through her system, she found a free treadmill and ran until her legs were numb. When class was over, she showered, dressed, and met Ivy by their lockers.

  “Are you okay?” her friend asked.

  “No. But neither is he. That makes me feel better.”

  At lunch, Zavien sat beside her and placed two pieces of chocolate cake on her tray.

  “I thought you’d be mad.”

  “You took a stand,” he said. “From what I hear, you won the face-off.”

  “I didn’t mean to mention Italy. He made me so mad that it slipped out.”

  Zavien placed an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his warmth and inhaled his summer rainstorm scent. God, she loved that smell. The knot in her stomach loosened.

  “Lots of Blues have villas in Italy. Jaxon won’t know who you’re referring to. It will drive him crazy.”

  “Asshat,” she muttered.

  …

  Friday night, Bryn went to Fonzoli’s with Clint and Ivy. Keegan and a few of his friends sat at the next table. Before long, they pushed the tables together into one noisy group. Valmont checked on them regularly and delivered a free round of lemon ice.

  “What’s the Green dorm like?” Keegan asked.

  “The dorm is nice.” She didn’t want to gossip about the Clan who’d taken her in.

  Keegan poked her shoulder. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  “The Greens are nice, but they aren’t social. Does that make sense?”

  “Do you hang out in the lounge?” he asked. “I heard they have nice pool tables.”

  “I haven’t checked it out yet.” Inspiration hit. “Do you guys want to come back after this and play pool?”

  Keegan looked at the other Reds. “Can we do that?”

  “Clint and Ivy visit. I don’t know why you can’t.”

  The other Red dragons gave vague excuses why they couldn’t come.

  Clint glared at them. “Ivy and I will check out the pool tables with you.”

  “I’ll come, too,” Keegan said.

  When they walked into the lounge, the dark-complexioned students gave them odd looks. Several pool tables were free. It wasn’t like they were intruding.

  Keegan racked the balls. “How about Bryn and me against you two?”

  Clint passed Ivy a cue stick. “You’re on.”

  “You should know I suck at pool,” Bryn said.

  “That’s such a girl thing to say.” Keegan chalked his cue. “Guys pretend to be good at everything, even if they’re not.”

  Bryn rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’m the grand master champion of pool.”

  “Much better.” Keegan gestured toward Clint. “It’s your break.”

  Clint made a decent break and sunk two striped balls.

  When Keegan took his turn, he sunk four balls in a row.

  Impressed and suspicious, Bryn said, “Do you have a pool table at your house?”

  “My family owns a bar.” Keegan winked at her. “I’ve played since I was five.”

  Garret approached them with a curious expression on his face. “This is unusual.”

  And now it felt awkward. “It’s all right. Isn’t it?”

  “Your friends are welcome.” Garret studied Keegan for an uncomfortable moment and then spoke to Bryn. “It’s interesting that you’re able to cross Clan boundaries.”

  “She blends with all but the Blues,” Clint said.

  “Given your family history, that makes sense.” Garret pulled out a notepad and scribbled a few lines. “Are you free Sunday? We could run some trials in the afternoon.”

  “Sunday works for me, but promise me we’ll keep it low key. I’ve had enough confrontations this week.”

  “Of course. I’ll reserve the stadium so we can work behind closed doors.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Why had she trusted Garret? “You said we’d have privacy.”

  He gestured toward the dozens of students seated in the stadium. “I don’t know how they found out.”

  “Did you tell someone?”

  Garret fidgeted. “I mentioned it during dinner last night, but it was a confidence among friends.”

  “Where did you eat?”

  “In the dining hall.” He ducked his head. “I’m sorry. Do you want to try someplace else?”

  “No, they’d follow us. Let’s get this over with.”

  He pointed at a white flag on the far side of the stadium. Given the size of the structure, she estimated it was three hundred yards away.

  “That’s the finish line. Fly as
fast as you can. If another dragon joins you, ignore him.”

  “If another dragon joins me, I may accidentally veer into him.”

  “Your Red genes must be dominant.” He pulled a small, silver object from his pocket. “When I blow this whistle, take off.”

  Several Blue males lined up a few dozen yards away. They’d take flight as soon as the whistle blew. Wings tensed, she nodded at Garret. The shrill sound pierced the air. Launching herself forward, she worked at gaining speed rather than altitude.

  The Astroturf blurred beneath her. To her left, she could see Blue scales keeping pace. She pushed harder, and the streaks of Blue fell back a few feet. The joy of speed surpassed the need for victory. Ignoring the other dragons, she reveled in the wind rushing past her body.

  A whistle went off as she crossed the finish line. She allowed velocity to carry her straight up into vertical flight. When she neared the ceiling, she arched backward and glided in a looping pattern. Taking extreme care not to fall on her ass in front of a stadium of students, she drifted down to a soft landing next to Garrett and shifted. Not bad. Maybe she was finally getting the hang of this landing stuff.

  He was busy scribbling numbers on his paper.

  “How’d I do?”

  A smile lit his face. “You beat the nearest competitor by three seconds.”

  Pride suffused her system. “I did?” She glanced over at the group of Blues huddled together. “How many of them flew against me?”

  “Ten,” Garret answered. “The one who stayed closest to you was Jaxon.”

  Laughter bubbled out of Bryn’s throat. She resisted the urge to call out a childish taunt. Jaxon must have sensed what she was thinking. He turned in her direction and sneered.

  “Want a rematch?” she yelled.

  He stormed over. “That was not a scientific test. It proves nothing.”

  She gave him her best smart-ass grin. “It proves you’re a sore loser.”

  Sleet shot from his nose.

  Was it wrong to take joy in his misery? Probably, but she couldn’t help it. In an effort to take the higher ground, she offered him an olive branch. “Let’s have Garret and his friends set up a real start and finish line. We can race again.”

  Anger and confusion showed on his face. “Why would you race again? You won.”

  She pointed out the obvious. “Flying is fun.”

  His face turned the color of a tomato. “This isn’t about fun. It’s about honor and pride.”

  “Is it?”

  “Of course it is,” he bellowed.

  “That’s a shame. I’m here to have fun.” She spoke to Garret. “Are you having fun?”

  “I’m having a wonderful day. Let me finish my notes, and I’ll coordinate another race.”

  Bryn cleared her throat. In a loud voice, she called out, “We’re going to race again if anyone wants to join us.”

  Several Red dragons put their heads together. Keegan was among them.

  “Keegan, get out here.”

  He waved. “Give me a minute. We’re trying to figure out a way to cheat.”

  She laughed and walked back to the starting line. Rhianna sat in the stands, reading a book. Jaxon must’ve dragged her along to witness his victory. That hadn’t worked out how he’d expected.

  “Rhianna, race with us.”

  The blond girl strolled onto the field. “I’ve never been in a race. Father didn’t approve.”

  Poor girl. “From one controlling male to another.”

  By the time Garret was ready to start the race, there were dragons of every color waiting for the whistle.

  “When you reach the finish line, be careful. There are only a few yards between yourself and the next dragon. Loop up like Bryn did, or use your wings to slow down. If you do anything fancy, you’ll run into your neighbor,” Garret said.

  Keegan stood to Bryn’s left and Rhianna to her right. The whistle blew. Bryn took off, keeping her altitude low. Keegan fell behind first. Rhianna kept close. Bryn pushed hard at the end and shot straight up toward the ceiling. Rather than doing multiple loops, she used her wings to slow her flight. There was less clear space to land since so many people were near Garrett. She did her best to land softly, but stumble-stepped a few times before she could shift.

  Garret didn’t seem to notice. He looked beside himself.

  “How’d we do?” Bryn asked.

  “You won by four seconds. Guess who came in second?”

  “Keegan?”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Keegan said between panted breaths. “But I can’t keep up with you.”

  “Did you have fun?” Bryn asked.

  He nodded as he leaned forward and continued to catch his breath.

  “Rhianna came in second, and Jaxon came in third.” Garret smirked.

  Bryn turned to find Rhianna beaming. “Look at you.”

  “That was so much fun.” She jumped up and down.

  Bryn grinned and sidled closer. “How badly do you want to taunt Jaxon?”

  “That wouldn’t be wise.” Rhianna ducked her head and laughed.

  “Hey, Bryn,” Keegan said.

  She faced him. “Yeah?”

  “Some friends and I are going to Dragon’s Bluff for a late lunch today. Want to come?”

  Keegan was much easier to be around than Zavien. He treated her like an equal, and he looked good in a sweaty T-shirt. “Sure.”

  “Good.” He grimaced. “We’re taking the shuttle bus because my legs are killing me.”

  She didn’t bother hiding her laughter.

  Bryn sat out the third race, chatting with Keegan and his friends about lunch.

  “It’s either Italian food at Fonzoli’s or burgers at Snacks Galore. Can you be ready in thirty minutes, or are you high maintenance?” Keegan asked.

  “I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”

  “I need thirty minutes,” one of the Red females said. “My hair takes forever to dry.”

  “Cut it short,” Bryn said.

  “No.” The Red male by her side reached out and ran his fingers through the girl’s thick, auburn hair. “That’s a terrible idea.”

  The girl frowned at him.

  “I love your hair.” Adoration was clear in his voice.

  The girl leaned into him.

  Keegan coughed. “Let’s get moving before he starts spouting poetry.”

  The other boy punched Keegan on the arm.

  Bryn was used to this sort of physical play. It felt comfortable.

  After a quick shower, she dressed in her nicest pairs of jeans and a green V-necked shirt. Using Quintessence, she darkened her lips and cheeks.

  Keegan and his friends waited at the shuttle stop. When he saw her approaching, his smile widened. He stepped back and made room for her in his circle of friends. On the shuttle ride, they talked about classes while everyone around them discussed the dance.

  “Let’s go to Snack’s Galore,” one of the girls said. “I want caramel corn.”

  The shop was busy, so they crowded six chairs around a table. Bryn and Keegan kept bumping arms. After the first few times, they stopped apologizing.

  “What’s it like to be so fast?” Keegan asked.

  “It’s fantastic. I love flying. There’s something about it that’s so—”

  “Freeing?” He finished her thought.

  “Exactly.” She was glad he understood. Did all dragons feel that way?

  “Plus, you get to beat Jaxon at something after he’s been such a dick.”

  Bryn tossed a piece of warm caramel corn in her mouth. “There is that.”

  After lunch, they browsed in a sporting goods store. Bryn checked out yoga clothes while Keegan examined a weight rack. Footsteps sounded behind her. She turned, expecting to find Keegan. The sight of Jaxon threw her off guard.

  “He won’t ask you,” Jaxon said in a smug tone.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Keegan won’t ask you to the dance.”

  Sh
e knew he was trying to annoy her, but that didn’t stop it from working. “Why are you bothering me?”

  He placed his hands in his front pockets. “He might want to hook up with you, but he won’t ask you—”

  “Stop saying that,” she growled.

  “I’m trying to give you a little helpful advice.”

  Her temper spiked. “As if you’d ever try to help me. If I were bleeding to death in the middle of the road, I’d expect you to walk by and applaud. Don’t tell me you’re trying to be helpful.”

  “Believe what you will.” He turned and walked off.

  Fists clenched, she stood in the aisle, fuming. Smoke flowed from her nostrils while she mentally called Jaxon every vile name she knew.

  “What’s wrong?” Keegan came toward her down the aisle.

  She shook her head to signal she needed time. Closing her eyes, she thought of lemon ice from Fonozli’s, and the fire in her belly died.

  “Jaxon stopped by to taunt me.”

  “What’d he say?”

  It would be stupid to tell Keegan what Jaxon said. It would either force him to ask her to the dance or cause him to scurry away like a frightened chipmunk. “It’s not important. He was trying to annoy me. It worked.”

  “You need to develop a thicker skin. He isn’t worth worrying about.”

  “Is it wrong that I fantasize about setting his hair on fire?”

  “I’d say that’s healthy. If you actually follow through with it, that’s another matter.”

  She put on a fake pout. “Fine. What’s plan B?”

  He reached for her hand. “Let’s find him and recount the race in loud voices.”

  She laughed as he pulled her down an aisle. When they couldn’t locate their prey, he stopped walking. “On to plan C?”

  She surveyed the aisle. Baseball equipment lined the shelves. “What’s plan C?”

  “This.” He leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. His lips were soft and warm. A frisson of excitement ran down her spine as his hands came to rest at her waist.

  “Keegan, let’s go,” a masculine voice called.

  He pulled away from her and sighed. “Remind me to punch him later.” Still holding her hand, he led her toward the door. She concentrated on not tripping over her feet while she tried to figure out how she felt about the kiss.

  They browsed a few more stores. Keegan continued to hold her hand. It was comforting and exciting at the same time. When they returned to school, he walked her to the Green dragon’s dorm. Butterflies flew around her stomach as they stood by the front door.