by Sarah Carter
He scoffs and puts his hand to his chest. “I know I’m weird. Everyone knows that!”
“Well, that’s true,” Maddie agrees.
“See,” Connor teases. “Fine, whatever. Go gossip about how awesome I am.”
Maddie rolls her eyes. “Guess what, Connor, we aren’t going to talk about you.”
“Yeah right,” he replies.
Lexi shakes her head. “We aren’t. We have other things to talk about.”
“Like what?” Connor snorts.
“Tampons and periods,” Maddie states.
“Ah!” Connor yells. “I’m going the other way. See ya later.”
“Bye,” Lexi calls out, as he walks away. She turns to Maddie. “Have I told you today how awesome you are?”
Cocking her head, Maddie replies, “Not today.”
“Well, you’re awesome,” Lexi laughs. “So, what’s going on with you and...”
“Shhh,” Maddie hushes her, waving her hands. “Quiet.”
She looks around. “He’s not near us,” Lexi whispers.
“Still,” Maddie hisses.
Still whispering, Lexi starts to pull Maddie. “So?”
“We are officially a couple,” Maddie declares. “He asked me last night.”
“Oh my gosh!”
“Yeah,” Maddie sighs.
After looking around, Lexi asks, “Why are we whispering then?”
Maddie looks over her shoulder. “I don’t want Connor to know.”
“He’s going to find out sooner or later,” Lexi replies. “Come on, really?”
“Derrick wants to tell him,” Maddie sighs. “I’m afraid it’s going to end up bad.”
Lexi gives her a look. “It will be fine. He's not a violent person, so he’s not going to fight him or anything. He may challenge him in a duel though.”
“Pretty sure Derrick is a better shot,” Maddie laughs. “That’s not really fair.”
“Maybe they can do it with swords,” Lexi replies.
“Like Nerf swords?”
Laughing, Lexi says, “I can totally see that, for sure.”
She stops and then laughs. Maddie says, “Actually, I can totally see that, too.”
With a pause, Lexi agrees, “They would probably love that.”
“No doubt,” Maddie snorts.
“So, did you see each other last night?”
Maddie smirks, “Maybe.”
“And?” Lexi gasps.
“We kissed...a lot,” Maddie bashfully replies.
“Oooo,” Lexi teases.
She shoves her. “Oh, shut up. Like you and Connor don’t make out.”
“Really, we haven’t much yet,” Lexi says. “We are rarely alone.”
Frowning, Maddie asks, “Who have you been hanging out with?”
Her eyes widen. “Family and some of my friends.” Lexi realizes she’s not totally lying.
“Well, I think you should plan some time alone,” Maddie states. “It’s worth it.”
With a light laugh, Lexi replies, “I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon. We have plans with...people all week.”
“Are you guys at least getting along?” Maddie asks, starting to pull Lexi again.
Lexi smiles. “Yeah, we are. He’s great. Really funny.”
“That he is,” Maddie agrees. “He’s a good person.”
“So, tell me more about you and Derrick,” Lexi demands. “I need to know.”
“Well, he told me he had a crush on me for a while,” Maddie whispers. “He was just always worried because of what I went through.”
Putting her arm around Maddie’s shoulder, Lexi says, “Yeah, but you don’t have to worry about that anymore, and you can trust Derrick.”
“Yeah, I can,” Maddie replies. “I know I can truly trust him.”
“That’s a good thing,” Lexi praises.
Maddie smiles. “He says we will take our time with things. I appreciate that.”
“See, he’s a good guy.”
“I’m just worried that it won’t work out. I don’t want to lose him as a friend. We’ve always been so close, the three of us. I don’t want to mess that up.”
Lexi shakes her head. “I don’t think you will. Even if it doesn’t work out, you have too long of a history. It won’t be right away, but it will come back around.”
“I hope so.”
“Anyway, don’t plan or concentrate on it not working out. Concentrate on it working,” Lexi urges, squeezing Maddie. “You don’t want to jinx yourself.”
“I do want it to work,” Maddie sighs. “He's so amazing and makes me feel so special.”
“You are special,” Lexi agrees. “And he sees that.”
With a smirk, Maddie whispers, “He’s a really good kisser.”
“Ooo,” Lexi says.
“Shush,” she giggles.
“No, that means you have chemistry,” Lexi states. “I know Connor and I have it. When we kiss, it’s like BAM.”
Maddie leans in. “My whole body tingles.”
“Uh oh,” Lexi teases. “You’re in trouble.
She smiles. “I know. He makes me feel alive.”
“Connor just makes me feel like I am whole.” She puts her hand to her chest. “I know it’s so soon, but I feel at peace with him.”
“How awesome is that?” Maddie replies. “Connor has never had a real connection with anyone. It’s always been so superficial. I’m glad you guys have each other.”
“We have some major hurdles when it comes to my family,” Lexi sighs. “But, I think it’s worth it.”
Stopping, Maddie turns to her. “What’s going on with your family?”
“They think Connor and I are just friends,” Lexi answers. “I’m technically not allowed to date him.”
“Why?”
She pauses and searches for words. “Well, it doesn’t make sense to me. My parents were allowed to date whoever they want, but it’s different with me. There’s expectations and fears. So, I’m not allowed to date whomever I want. I have to be with someone who they approve of.”
“What’s wrong with Connor? He’s a good person. He’s even smart.”
Lexi shrugs. “It’s really complicated. So, Connor and I have to hide that we are together. It’s really hard.”
“That sucks. Maybe they will change their minds. Maybe if they are around Connor enough,” Maddie replies.
Shaking her head, Lexi says, “I don’t think so. It’s a pretty strict rule.”
“Well, we will just have to keep it under the radar then,” Maddie declares. “You guys can come over to my house. We can hang out at Derrick’s. It will work.”
“They like him, but I could never be with him, in my father’s eyes at least,” Lexi sighs. “So, that may be a good idea.”
“Just realized my mom is sick,” Maddie whispers. “It’s hard and sad for my family.”
She bites her lip. “Is there any hope?”
Maddie frowns and drops her head. “No, it’s MS. They don’t think she has much longer.”
“She may rebound,” Lexi replies. “Don’t give up yet.”
“Connor’s mom died. I’m just waiting. I hope she can wait until I graduate at least. It’s hard, though. To think she may not be there when I get married. She won’t be there for advice for my first kids.”
Reaching over, Lexi hugs her. “Are you close to your dad?”
“Yeah, he’s great, but it still won’t be my mom.”
“I get it,” Lexi sighs. “Just give it time. Maybe there will be a miracle.”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t believe in miracles.”
Lexi knows what she has to do. “Hey, I do. I believe in miracles. Just wait. You don’t know what’s going to happen.” She knows she has to heal her mom. Lexi just have to figure out how she is going to do it. No one can know.
“I do pray,” Maddie whispers. “I do, but I feel like it’s not going to help.”
“Just wait,” Lexi urges.
“You never know what’s going to happen.”
“Let’s not talk about it,” she suggests. “It’s sad, and I’m happy.”
With a smile, Lexi replies, “Yeah, let’s talk about your boy.”
“We have so much in common,” Maddie states. “And obviously, we have been friends for so long.”
“That’s a good thing. You should have a strong friendship. It’s the best root to a relationship.”
Nodding, Maddie agrees, “Yeah, I think so.”
Suddenly, Lexi gets a weird feeling. She turns and looks to her left. The kid with the camera is there again. “I have to go,” Lexi gasps.
The kid sees her looking at him and takes off. Lexi takes off after him. She knows she can’t run too fast. It can’t be obvious to the humans. The kid skids around a corner and runs into the janitor’s closet. She slams into the door, but it’s locked. Looking around, Lexi notices no prying eyes. She unlocks the door with her mind. Quickly, she enters and shuts it. The kid is nervously standing there.
“Who are you?”
“No one,” the guy stutters. “I work for the school newspaper.”
“Why are you taking pictures of me?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” Lexi growls. “Tell me why.”
“I can’t tell you,” the guy states. “I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“You’re not with the school paper. Connor didn’t recognize you. The school isn’t that big.”
The guy shifts his weight. “The future isn’t what you think it is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lexi says, feeling very confused.
“The future,” the guy replies. “It’s in turmoil.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Are you telling me you’re from the future?”
“I can’t say,” the guy declares. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you. It will cause a time shift.”
“Those don’t actually exist,” Lexi replies.
“They do,” the guy states. “Just not now. Your fate isn’t what you think it is. It’s shifting.”
“My fate is shifting,” Lexi laughs. “Okay.”
Stepping forward, he says, “My name is Adam. I have to warn you. There's more to this picture than you know. There’s more than one group.”
“What?” Lexi gasps.
“Things are going to change,” Adam says. “Everything is shifting. You have to stop them.”
Lexi shakes her head. “I don’t get what you mean.”
“You can’t say anything to anyone,” Adam urges. “Not to Connor, not to Jenkins, not to your father. You can’t breathe a word of this. To anyone. It will shift things even further.”
“You’re telling me you’re from the future,” Lexi slowly says.
He looks around. “I already have said too much. You must keep on this path. You have to stop them.”
“We are, this weekend,” Lexi states.
This time Adam vigorously shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t end there. You can’t let the path go as it does now.”
“Tell me. Tell me what I have to do,” Lexi exclaims.
“I have to go,” Adam says. “Just be careful. Don’t tell Ashe.”
“You know Ashe, too?” Lexi replies.
Adam nods. “He's my father. You can’t tell him about this. They sent me back.”
“To do what?”
“Document,” Adam says. “To see what we can change.”
Her eyebrows go straight up. “The council is letting you do this? Seriously?”
He gives her a look likes she dumb. “Of course not, since when do we ever listen to the council?”
“I do,” Lexi snaps.
“Really?” Adam laughs. “What are you doing right now?”
That shuts her up. “Okay, good point.”
“The council is full of good people,” Adam replies. “They just don’t get what we are doing. We can’t have too many people involved. It could shift time more.”
“So, something is happening that is shifting my fate,” Lexi says.
“You save the world,” Adam states. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Lexi starts to laugh. “I save the world.”
“You do, but the paths are changing. You have to stop them. You have to stop them all. The world will come to an end if you don’t.”
“Humans will destroy the world?” Lexi asks.
He shakes his head. “Others.”
“Other aliens?”
“I can’t tell you anymore,” Adam says. “I have to go. Goodbye Lexi.” With that, he disappears in a haze.
“That’s just like Ashe,” Lexi exhales in shock. “This is crazy.” She stands there for a while, staring at empty space. She wants to go tell Connor, but for some reason, she feels like she can’t. “If time shifts really can happen, I have to be careful.” Sighing, she leaves the janitor’s closet. Unbeknownst to her, the bell had already rung. “Why didn’t I hear that?”
Quickly, she makes her way to class. Opening the door, she steps inside. Everyone turns and looks at her. The teacher says, “Miss Blakely, you are two hours late.” Lexi looks at the clock and gasps. It’s already 10:30. “Aren’t you supposed to be in another class?”
“Yeah,” Lexi exhales. “Sorry, I was sick this morning.”
“You will need to be excused,” her teacher replies. “You should get to class.”
Lexi can only nod and shuts the door. Slowly, she turns around. “What the hell?” Lexi knows she still can’t tell anyone.
The bell suddenly rings, and she jumps. Students start to clear out of their rooms. Shaking her head, Lexi darts to her locker. Her heart is racing. She doesn’t understand how two hours disappeared. She was only in that closet for a few minutes. Taking deep breaths, Lexi calms herself down. When she gets to her locker, she sees Connor standing there.
He frowns. “Where were you?”
“Umm, something came up,” Lexi answers. “Something we can’t talk about.”
“Is everything okay?” Connor asks.
She nods and smiles. “Yeah, it’s fine. I just can’t talk about everything.”
“I understand,” Connor replies. “I thought maybe you went and did what you were going to do.”
“No,” Lexi states, shaking her head. Opening her locker, she throws her books inside. “That won’t be until after school. I already will have to explain to my parents why I missed two classes.”
Connor says, “Tell them you got sick.”
“I don’t get sick,” Lexi sighs. “They would freak if I did.”
“Just say I got sick,” Connor suggests. “Say you had to drive me home to get medicine.”
Lexi bites her lip. “I will try. I don’t lie to them, so they may believe me.”
“Well, or just ignore it. Maybe they won’t say anything.”
With a nod, Lexi says, “Maybe.”
“So, what should our plan be?” Connor whispers.
“Not in school,” Lexi hisses. “We will go somewhere after we get out.”
“All right,” he chuckles. “Secrets.”
She shoves him. “Shut up. We have to be careful.”
“Yes, I know,” Connor groans. “You repeat yourself a lot. Do you think I don’t know we have to be careful?”
Rolling her eyes, Lexi says, “Whatever, Connor. I’m not used to this. I’m not all spy like.”
“It’d be cool if you were.”
“You make me want to roll my eyes all the time,” Lexi snorts.
“I hear that a lot,” Connor says, rubbing his chin.
Lexi smacks him on the butt. “I have to get to class. Go, be productive.”
“I just wanted to check on you,” he murmurs. “I was worried when Derrick said you weren’t in class.”
“Just had to go deal with something,” Lexi says. “No need to worry.”
He reaches over and hugs her. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Pret
ty sure that nothing can really happen to me,” she laughs. “Think about it.”
“I guess, but now you don’t know,” Connor points out.
She grimaces. “Yeah, that’s true. I doubt they would try anything where there are witnesses. I mean, like it or not, someone is always keeping an eye on me. Not while I’m in school because there are so many people, but when I’m alone. There are always eyes on me.”
Connor jerks back. “Aren’t you afraid someone will tell your dad?”
“I would sense them,” Lexi replies. “They don’t stay that close. Anyway, my parents realize not much can happen to me. My poor siblings will have a whole different detail. They won’t be able to defend themselves, so they will have people following them all the time. I would find that annoying.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh yeah, especially my little brother since he will rule,” Lexi whispers ever so quietly. “He will have a constant detail. My dad did. He found it super annoying, too.”
With a chuckle, Connor says, “I bet.”
“Well, I have to get to class,” Lexi states. “I can’t miss another one.”
“Yeah, I will see you at lunch. Try to not get into trouble.”
“I will try,” Lexi says sarcastically.
He brushes his fingers down her cheek. “See you later.”
That touch sends tingles down her spine. It’s soft but so intimate. She can’t help but smile. “See you later.”
Connor smirks and then leaves. Lexi turns and walks quickly to class.
Chapter 16
“So, you want me to wait at the park?” Connor asks.
“Yeah, just pull in there,” Lexi replies, pointing to a wooded area. “It’s secluded. We are also close enough for me to jump to the ship.”
“Are you sure you’re not going to get caught?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I, honestly, don’t know. I have to come up with an excuse. If I don’t show back up in an hour, go home. This shouldn’t take that long.”
“Then we have to drive to Jenkins,” Connor states.
“Yeah,” Lexi says.
“Okay, give me a kiss for good luck,” Connor teases.
Lexi smirks. “You just want a kiss.”
“Umm, yeah,” he responds.
He leans forward, and she gives him a good, deep kiss. Connor deepens it, and for a minute, Lexi gets lost in him. Finally, she pulls away. “I have to go do this. It’s shift change.”