by Nicole Thorn
He put his hands behind his back. “Alright. So I can do something about it.”
“You can’t.”
He just smiled. Damn it. Why is this guy so hard to shake? I feel like I couldn’t have been clearer.
“And now I’m going to prove you wrong.”
I rubbed my face. “Just let it go. You’ve got a hundred girls just dying to be your friend. Go pick one of them.”
He clicked his tongue. “I don’t want to be friends with them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Coulda fooled me.” I turned to my painting so I could start working. He stayed quiet after that and I got a break from him. I didn’t know why he decided to set his sights on me, but it wouldn’t fly.
I wish my warning had been enough to get him to step off. But maybe a few days of him being nice and trying to be my friend, only to be met with a bitch who was trying to chase him away would do the trick. Then he would hate me. I didn’t like the idea of that, but it was better than him liking me and getting himself in trouble.
I glanced at the painting Hale was working on and I couldn’t tell what it was. It just looked like a lot of grey and black and red. But I couldn’t ask. I shouldn’t even care. Not if I was gonna stay on my no friends thing. That choice wasn’t really up to me.
Class ended and we were told to leave our paintings where they were again. We were finished this time and she wanted to let them finish drying.
Hale was covered in paint and it was hard to not smile when I saw his hands. They had every color on them, even ones he didn’t use.
We didn’t walk to gym together. He went ahead of me and I ducked behind the groups of students that were walking. That way, I wouldn’t be seen.
The bathroom stalls were empty, so I was able to change there. If what happened yesterday happened again, I’d just start changing when I got home. I was lucky those girls didn’t examine me further. I should just come up with an actual explanation for the ridges. Just in case.
I went into the gym and half the class was there already. Hale was up top on the bleachers. Alone.
He was in his gym clothes today, but they weren’t like everyone else’s. He had on black pants and a school sweater. His sleeves weren’t even rolled up. Summer time must be horrible for him.
I took a seat at the bottom of the bleachers and waited for Jay to come in and order us around.
The gym was set up for a game of basketball that I wanted nothing to do with. I didn’t like any sports, but basketball was one that I really hated playing. I tended to get trampled.
“Listen up,” Jay said when she walked into the gym. She had a box of different colored vests I her hands. “You’re playing basketball today.” I cheer from the students. “Pick a team color and separate on the other side of the gym.
I glared at her and she smiled. “And for all you lazy kids,” she looked at me specifically. “You can just walk back and forth, parallel to the doors,” she pointed behind her. At least we’d be safe from getting hit.
Hale stepped down the bleachers and past me. I thought he was going for a vest, but he just stood near the door. The rest of the kids took their vests and went to the other side of the gym. All but a little handful of girls that decided they’d rather walk.
Jay was alone when I walked up to her. She said, “You know that the whole reason I have the option of walking is because of you?”
“And don’t think I don’t appreciate it,” I smiled. “I’m not social enough to play these little games.”
She rolled her eyes. “Start walking,” she pointed and I went.
I stared at the floor while I paced. I started out, counting how many times I got from one side to another. Then I started counting how long it would be ‘til I was home. Then how long ‘til the weekend.
“Don’t like sports either?” Hale’s voice coming from out of nowhere caused me to squeak in surprise and I stopped suddenly enough to bump into him. But he was right behind me. So when I bumped into him, he caught me by the waist.
I turned right around and he let go. “No,” I said coldly. Then I walked past him. And he followed me. But he stayed quiet, so I dealt with it.
I made another three laps before I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I stopped and pulled it out. I ignored that Hale stopped too.
Hadley: Heeey, Sis. So…got arrested. But I’m okay. I just made out with a cop. Then punched him. Then made out with his partner. She was pissed. Got thrown in the drunk tank. When I woke up they told me I needed someone to come get me. Pleeeeeeese? Love you!
I threw my head back. “Goddammit.”
“Problem?” Hale asked, and I ignored him.
“Jenna?” I called to her and she turned to me as I started walking. “I have to go get Hadley.”
“Drunk tank again?” she sighed and I nodded.
Hale looked curious but I didn’t explain before I left for the locker room. I quickly changed and hid in the bathroom stall so I could teleport out. I was technically ditching class, so I couldn’t be seen leaving.
There was a place by the police station that I used when I needed to pop in. Sadly, this happened more than a few times. I walked around the building and went inside and up to the desk.
“Hey, Officer O’Malley,” I said to the man behind the desk. I knew him too well. “I’m here for Hadley.”
He nodded. “I though so.” He made a call and told them to bring her out. “You can just take her. No bail or court date this time.”
“Thank you,” I said as my sister came in. She had a cop next to her and he was holding her arm. He uncuffed her and she walked over to me.
“Hey, little sis—Niece,” she corrected. “Wanna go home?”
“Wanna tell me why you punched a cop?” I asked while we were walking outside.
She sighed loudly. “Well, I was drinking and then this cop came by when I started walking to a hidey place. They were in a car and then they got out. They offered me a ride home and then some stuff happened,” she waved her hand. “S’okay.”
We stopped when we got to a clear area. She put her elbow on my shoulder and we popped down to Hell for a second, then back to our living room. Mom was sitting on the couch reading.
“You’re home early,” she said to me. Then she looked to Hadley and narrowed her eyes. “And you’re late.”
“Sorry,” she shot her a toothy smile. “Long night.”
Mom shook her head. “Yeah I bet it was. Did your sister have to go and get you from somewhere?”
Hadley looked to me and bit her lip. “Kinda. But she was just in gym class. She didn’t miss anything important.”
She actually saved me from having to keep talking to Hale. So maybe I should be thanking her. That didn’t make up for the worry I had about her being gone so long. Anything could have happened. But she was too free spirited to ever be tied down by anything. Even a worried little sister.
“Oh,” Mom said. “Gym is quite stupid.”
“I agree. But Jay teaches it, so it’s the only class that I don’t hate.” Except these last couple days.
“Sorry,” Hadley said. “How bout I make you some cake? Will that make up for it?”
“Double chocolate?”
“Of course,” she said like she was shocked I could ask for anything else.
“Sounds good,” Mom said. “Hop to it.”
And we did.
Chapter Four: Sage
Oh, sweet, sweet Friday. It was here and that meant I could sleep in tomorrow. And that was the greatest thing of all. I had grand plans of not getting up ‘til noon and then eating the rest of the cake that Hadley made the day before yesterday. She was a troublemaker, but she was amazing at baking. And no one could take that from her.
My biggest problem seems to have taken care of itself. Hale didn’t say a word to me the entire day. He didn’t sit with me at lunch and he didn’t try and strike up a forced conversation.
He was done with me. And that was okay.
I got ready for school
and picked out something that went with the warm weather today. So I chose shorts and a tank top. Both different shades of blue. I decided to go with boots today. I shoved my normal shoes in my backpack so I could use them for Gym.
I walked out of my room and nearly stepped on the cat. Who was lying completely flat on the tile outside of my room. He was staring up at me like I was the one out of place.
“Are you guarding my door, Brom Bones?” I asked him. “Surely you realize that you’d be no match for an intruder.”
He meowed loudly at me before biting my boot and leaving. I hate that cat.
I didn’t get anything to eat before I left for school. I opened my eyes when I got to Hell and was slightly thrown to find myself in a crowd of people. I backed up and sat on the bench while they whimpered and cried about how scared they were and how they didn’t understand what was happening. I couldn’t understand the language most of them were speaking, but I recognized the tone.
“Sorry,” I heard from beside me. I turned to see the homeless man grimacing at the people. “I try and have this place cleared out around this time, but it was a busy night in Moscow.”
“Ah,” I nodded just as a purple double-decker bus was pulling up to the stop. The driver was someone I’d seen a few times before. He was blonde and I was pretty sure he was one of my brothers.
“He is,” the homeless man answered the thought in my head. He had a tendency to do that.
The people shuffled onto the bus and then the area cleared. The bus driver waved to me and I waved back before he took off.
“I like his hat,” I said. It had little devil horns on it.
“Yes, he finds it amusing,” the man said. “I believe he does it to try and get a rise out of his father.”
I blinked. “I doubt our father cares much about what we do.” I bet he didn’t even know most of our names. In that infinite head of his…I bet there was just no room for us.
“I don’t think that’s true. I think your father is a busy man and couldn’t care for a child if his life depended on it. So he lets other people do it for him.”
I stood up and put my backpack on as I turned to face him. “Do you think he loves us? At all?”
The man’s eyes went up to the purple sky. “I think that the man is capable of many things. But I’m not quite sure that love is one of them. Not anymore. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a soft spot for a few of his favorites.”
I smiled sullenly. “He has favorites? How, if he doesn’t pay attention to us?”
“He sees more than you know. And he gives attention to those of you who he likes. Don’t doubt that.”
Great. So my father just doesn’t like me. “I see,” I dipped my head. “I’ll see you later,” I said.
“You will. I quite enjoy these little chats we have. Oh,” he said and I looked up. “It’s going to be quite the day for you. So good luck today.”
My brow furrowed. “Why do I need luck?”
He waved his hand and I wasn’t in Hell anymore. I was in the school parking lot. There weren’t any students around to see me. Well, almost.
I was behind a rusty looking truck. I was staring at Hale’s back as he was getting something from his car. He turned before I could leave. And he smiled. He smiled like I mattered.
“Rory,” he greeted me, then his smile faded. “Are you alright? You look like you don’t know how you got here.”
I don’t. “I’m fine.”
“Good,” he started walking forward and I took a step back. He noticed. Then he stopped moving. “I wanted to ask you something. Now is as good a time as any.”
Uh oh. I thought he took the hint. I thought I was in the clear. “I’m actually gonna be late for class,” I moved back. “Sooo…”
“Me too. But this won’t take a minute. I just wanted to—”
“I really have to go,” I took another step backwards and stumbled. I reached for the truck for balance but it was too late. I fell flat on my ass and it hurt. I looked like a total moron.
The bright side being there was no way Hale would want to keep talking to a loser like me. He’d laugh and be done with it.
But he didn’t laugh. He knelt down and leaned into me. “Are you okay?” his hands quickly touched me and moved on. First my legs, then hips, the side of my face.
“I’m fine,” I rubbed the dirt off of my arm and he stood up. He held his hands out for me to take. I did.
He hauled me up and to my feet. “Thank you,” I said as I brushed the dust off of the rest of me.
“So, anyway,” he said. “I was going to ask you—”
I didn’t know what else to do. So I just ran away.
I got into the building and there were a few students staring at me as I caught my breath. I felt so stupid. But I couldn’t let him finish that sentence. So I did all I could.
I went into math class just before the bell rang. I sat in my seat and buried my fingers in my hair.
My brain turned while the possibilities of what he was going to ask me ran into my train of thought. I knew it couldn’t have been anything good. This whole situation was trouble for me.
The only option I had at this point was avoidance. He didn’t take no for an answer, so I would need to just flat out ignore him. Some part of me knew that wasn’t going to work.
He got to class early today. Even before I did. Hale was sitting at our table staring up at the door expectantly. The second I walked through it and saw him, he straightened out and grinned at me like he won something.
I slowly approached the table and took my seat. I didn’t look at him. I just pulled out my notebook and pretended to go over my notes from the day before.
“And now,” he said as the bell rang, “you can’t run from me.” He scooted closer and leaned on the table.
“You didn’t take the running as a hint?”
He swept my hair over my shoulder and twisted a lock around his finger. “No. I don’t really buy that.”
I looked at him and he was still playing with my hair. “What? Rejection?”
He dropped the lock and it remained curled. “Forced rejection. I don’t think you wanted to run.”
I laughed through my nose. “I don’t do things that I don’t want to do.”
“Liar,” he accused me of being. Before I could just leave, he said, “I want you to spend tomorrow with me.”
Oh no. That was what I was afraid of. I’d never been asked out before, so I had no clue how to let someone down easy. Or at all.
“I can’t,” I said in a weak voice.
“Why’s that? Busy”
“No. I told you before, I don’t want a friend. And spending a whole day with you seems too friendly for me.”
He turned his whole body to me and looked me in the eye like I was his sole focus. “Well then I guess it’s good that I don’t have any intentions to be your friend.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Then why the Hell do you want to spend the day with me?”
Both of his eyebrows went up. “Do you not understand what I was asking you?”
“I guess not,” I said with hostility.
“Ah, I think I understand. Since your strange little rule against friends is in place, I take it you don’t go out with people, ever. You don’t date?”
“No,” my voice was flat.
He looked pleased. “Have you ever?”
“Personal question.”
“It is. Answer it,” he ordered me in the most alluring voice I’ve ever heard.
“No. I’ve never dated.” Number one on my list of do nots… dating. Worse than losing a friend was losing someone I might be in love with. So I simply didn’t take the chance.
“Good.”
I tried not to sound angry when I said, “Why?”
“It means I was right about you. Because that means no one’s touched you.”
My body got goosebumps with the possibilities of why that would make him glad. But I shut it dow
n.
“How do you know that?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Lamb, I know innocence when I see it. Everything about you screams purity.”
I held back a loud laugh at that. My father is The Devil…nothing about me is innocent.
“More proof that you don’t know me at all,” I turned away from him. “You are more wrong than you’ll ever know.”
“That’s not my fault. You keep thwarting my attempts to get to know you.”
I turned to look at him and I knew my face looked pained judging by the way he was looking back at me. “Hale, if I were to let you…” I stopped to try and figure out how to put it. “Once you get to know who I am, you won’t like what you find there.” I stared down at my hand that was flat on the table.
“I believe that’s my decision to make,” he said, quiet and calmly. “Not yours.”
“Too bad.”
His hand moved close to mine but he didn’t touch me. “Have you ever considered that you’re wrong?”
“Not for a second,” I whispered. I know what I am and I know how humans react to things like that. I know that when their beliefs are set, they aren’t always open to change them. They try and rationalize or deal…but it always ends with them running.
He closed the distance between our hands. He laid my hand out flat, with my palm facing up. Then he put his hand over mine. “I’m very sorry you think that, Rory. Will you tell me why you do?”
I looked in his sad grey eyes and saw my own pain reflected back at me. “I can’t.”
He moved his hand back so he could trace my palm with his fingertips. His hands had paint on them, but I knew it couldn’t have been from yesterday’s class. It had to be newer. “That’s alright. I’ll know one day. And I can wait until you’re willing to tell me. I knew you’d say no to tomorrow before I even asked.”
“Then why did you?”
He laced his fingers together and rested them on the table. “Had to take the chance. You are far too interesting to just give up on.”
“Again, you don’t know me. And you don’t know me enough to find me interesting.”
He shook his head. “Just takes one little thing to make a person real. And you’ve done several.”