What do they need to tell me and why are they waiting to do so? Great, something else to worry about. And what changes? Something tells me this isn’t the type of change a kid experiences during teenage years, like a girl going through her first cycle.
Pushing that thought aside, I think about him. How did he escape so quickly? More importantly—what does he want with me?
Rolling onto my side, my eyes flutter—heavy from lack of sleep. I can’t pretend anymore. I am exhausted.
~*~
Dawn breaks, and sunbeams warm my eyelids. I roll out of bed and throw on some clothes. My window’s shut. Beth must’ve closed it last night. I glance outside, but don’t see the familiar yellow eyes watching me from the tree line. My body is sluggish, and it takes every part of me not to call the school and say I’m sick.
The whole day drags, and I don’t notice anyone—not even Benjamin. All I can think about is who the person from my dreams is and what he wants with me. How did he become a reality?
I arrive early to Geography. Jana and Blake are in their seats, looking beat.
“What’s wrong with you two?” I ask.
“We were up late,” Jana mumbles. She slumps further down in her seat, refusing to look at me directly.
“Partying?” I question.
“No,” she grumbles.
“Okay…” I don’t pursue the conversation further.
Mr. Williams walks into class. “Just to let everyone know, we’re having a fire drill, so don’t think the school is actually on fire.” He turns to the board.
Two minutes later, the red bulb above the classroom door lights up, and the deafening sound rings through the hallways. I practically jump out of my desk. Mr. Williams assembles us into a single-file line at the front of the classroom, so we can walk out “as a class.” We look stupid, in my opinion. Filing out of a high school like we’re twelve again.
Classes move outside and to the street across from the parking lot. I stand with Jana and Blake as we wait for the fire department to arrive. Each teacher checks their students’ names off of a list, noting whether anyone lags behind.
A few groups down from where my class stands are Cameron, Ethan, Benjamin and Lily. Lily plasters herself against Ben. His arm loosely drapes around her waist. I growl in annoyance. Cameron glares at me. I want to get inside his thoughts. I know he hates me—that’s apparent—but I want to know the reason.
Karma’s my only conclusion. I can’t think of anything else I’ve done to cause this. Maybe it’s from putting my parents through hell. Maybe it’s from staying in trouble. I really don’t know.
My mind’s still racing with questions, as the fire chief signals an OK and the flock of students wanders back to the school.
Chapter Seven
I decide things will only get worse—if I let them.
Benjamin talks to me in English. Nothing significant, just small talk about the stupid play we’re reading. I don’t want to get attached to anyone, especially not to him if he’s truly dating Lily. My emotions are still shattered because of what my parents did to me, and the fact that, if I’ll eventually go home, there is no way I could pull off a long-distance relationship.
“As soon as I get a job, I’ll pay you back,” I tell him, mentioning the other night at the movie theater.
He shakes his head. “Think of it as a gift.”
“For what?”
He shrugs. “Because I’m nice like that.”
“Shouldn’t that be money you spend on your girlfriend?” I ask sarcastically.
He stares straight ahead, his jaw clenches. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
I play it cool. “Really? That’s funny. Because I went shopping with her yesterday. We dropped her off at your house.”
“You were at my house?” He whips his head around to face me, his eyes growing wide.
“Yeah, why?”
He rolls one shoulder in annoyance, which matches the look on his face. “Candra, you can’t go there anymore. I’m not trying to be rude. It’s just, don’t go there, okay?”
I play with my pencil, rolling it between my fingers. “Sounds like you’re being rude to me. By the way, you might want to check on your dog. The poor thing wouldn’t stop whining.”
The bell rings, and I grab my books, already getting the hang of stacking them together five minutes ‘til. When I look back, Benjamin still sits in his desk, watching me intently. My body shudders.
I hate it when he looks at me like that.
In the hallway, I run into Jana.
“Where are you headed?” she asks.
“Lunch. But first, my locker.” I shake my books in the air.
“Ah, I see. Do you want to sit with me and Blake? We’ll save you a spot.” She bumps me with her hip.
“Yeah, go on. I’ll catch up in a sec.”
She disappears around one corner, and I disappear around the next. As I open my locker door, chaos ensues somewhere behind me. I glance over my shoulder and notice two boys fighting down the hall. One’s back faces me, while the other is on the ground, arms shielding his face. The crowd around them grows. Everyone stands back against the lockers to get out of the way.
Teachers race when they hear the commotion. They peel the two boys off of each other. One is escorted down one end of the hallway, and the other breezes past me. When he looks up, I see who it is. Cameron.
His hair is roughed up, but other than that he doesn’t have a scratch or bruise on his body. Not that I can see, anyway. His eyes meet mine and for a split second, I swear they flash yellow.
I don’t realize how intently I’m staring, until he breaks free of the teacher’s grasp and rushes toward me.
He slams me against my locker. My head crashes into it, causing a vibrating echo. The teacher tries to yank him off of me, but he’s stronger. Way stronger. He shoves the teacher to the ground, and then turns back to me.
I’m frozen in place. My mind runs through a list of self-defense actions. Kick him in the groin. Poke his eyeballs. Head-butt him.
Okay, maybe that last one won’t work.
He looks at me in a way that nobody should be looked at, with pure hatred and evil. I’m certain he detests me, for whatever reason.
“Got a problem?” he asks, finally getting around to his point.
His eyes are dark, filled with no hope. Looking into them depresses me.
“N-no problem,” I stutter, shaking my head.
“A staring problem, maybe?” he suggests.
I shake my head again. He’s in my face now. I can almost taste his humid breath.
The kids in the hallway observing the previous fight inch nearer to the tiny cluster around him and me. It seems like, in one collective breath, they’ve sucked the air out of the hallway as they wait for one of us to make the next move.
Adrenaline swims through my bloodstream, causing a temporary high. Every hair on my body prickles to a fine point. My hands clench tightly at my sides, but I’m almost numb to my fingernails digging into my palms. Closing my eyes, I attempt to push aside nausea churning in my stomach.
It doesn’t work.
Whispers circulate the hallway, burning my ears. Nobody believes in me. Everyone has his back.
Foolishly, I think of clicking my heels, but know that won’t work. I won’t magically be transported home. I’m here to stay away from trouble, I tell myself.
But trouble just found its way back to me.
“I’m not going to fight you,” I tell him, my voice shaky even while I try to control my nervousness. Opening my eyes to look into his, I have to show him I can stand my ground.
He doesn’t say anything at first, only watches me. His eyes lighten, as a rich chocolate brown replaces the black, but they still hold a threat. “You won’t last here,” he says.
“Excuse me?”
He cocks his head to one side, running his eyes up and down my face. They land on my neck. I’m scared. Like really, really scared. He leans in close…and
sniffs me. Gross. Who does that? I try to duck under one of the bridges his arms make against the lockers, but to no advantage.
“Get out of my face,” I command, wanting so badly to shove him away from me.
He laughs. “You need to go far, far away, little one.”
Déjà vu. Didn’t think it existed, but apparently it does. Just like my dream.
“I’d love to go home, but until I graduate, I’m stuck here.”
He tsks me, shaking his head.
“What is your problem? I mean, what did I ever do to you?” I blurt.
“Long story.”
“But I haven’t been here that long.”
“Oh, Candra, it’s painful how little you know. You have no idea what’s about to happen to you, yet everyone around you does.”
“You kicking my ass?” I guess.
He belts out a laugh. “Not even close.”
“So, wait…you’re not going to kick my ass? I’m confused.”
He only smiles at me, sucking in a deep breath, and then exhaling. Nothing more is said when he brushes past the circle of people. He glances over his shoulder and says, “Tell Randy and Beth we’re coming for them. Soon.”
My head feels like it’s full of helium. The incessant tick, tock of the clock on the wall drives me insane. I grit my teeth. Like I don’t have enough to deal with right now… My chest feels fuzzy and an electric vibe pulses through my arms and legs.
“We’re?” I ask, my teeth clenched so tightly I think they’re going to crack into hundreds of pieces.
With his back still turned to me, he says, “Oh, yes.” He acts like going after my family is an easy task.
“Stay away from them. I don’t know what you’re up to, but you won’t get away with it.”
He wheels around to face me, and the corner of his mouth curves into a conniving grin. He closes the distance between us. “I can get away with anything. Neither you nor that pathetic aunt and uncle of yours can stop me.”
“The police could,” I say.
Laughter spews all around us. I forgot he has a fan base.
“You really are new,” he says.
Then I remember what Jana said about his family being in with people of authority.
“It’s not right.”
“Call the cops.” He throws his hands up and parades around the hallway, only causing more laughter at his charade. “I surrender.”
My fingertips tingle.
“I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ll do everything in my power to stop you from going near my family,” I tell him.
“I’m shaking. Really.” He steps closer to me and whispers, “Plus, I’d like to see you try.”
Tears well up in my eyes, not from being scared, but because I’m so fed up with arguing. He’s like talking to a kid. The clock on the wall won’t shut up. I do the only thing that comes to mind, which is childish in itself.
Tick, tock.
I push him. Not hard enough, in my opinion.
Tick, to—
The surface of his body, for the nanosecond that I touch him, feels like concrete. He’s airborne the moment before his body crashes through a window across the hallway. Everyone’s faces are plastered with shock.
There’s no way I can generate enough force to cause a seventeen-year-old boy to fly across a room. Screams are somewhere distant, but I hear them. Voices are deep, delayed. Students scramble in the hallway. The floor is covered with glittering glass debris. A gaping hole now resides in the window.
They’re terrified of me, I think. What have I done?
Glancing up, I see the clock on the wall stopped at the exact moment Cameron hurled through the window. That’s not possible. It’s not right.
My feet are glued to the floor; it’s like another force holds them in place. I glance at my hands, and then back up at the students running past me. There’s an exit door nearby, and I bolt out of it. I don’t stop until I reach the parking lot. My breathing is intense and labored. My mind has all these crazy thoughts repeating over and over about what just happened, how it happened. The world swirls around me.
“Candra, wait!” someone yells.
I hear them, but don’t see them. I’m seriously not in the mood to talk, and I sure as hell don’t need them asking me what happened, because I have no freakin’ idea.
“Candra!” yells the voice again.
Propping myself against a car for support, I silently pray that everything will stop spinning. Someone grabs me and shakes me. Looking up, I see a figure shrouded by the sun.
An angel.
But it moves, and I see that it’s Benjamin.
“Talk to me,” he says. “Say something.”
“Something,” I mumble.
He grins.
“What are you doing here?” I wheeze.
He glances toward the school. “I have classes here, in case you forgot.”
I want to punch him, but I’m too afraid I’ll send him flying into a windshield or dent a car.
He drops the joking. “You’re going to be okay,” he says.
“No. Something’s seriously wrong with me. I need help.”
He pulls me into his arms, so my head lies against his warm chest. I need to be calm and collected, but it’s hard when the person I thought avoided me for no reason decides to be my savior during a crucial time. The fibers on his shirt tickle my cheek. Everything gradually stops whirling.
“Your brother,” I mumble.
“Mmm?” His hot breath tickles the tip of my ear.
I can barely breathe out the words, “He’s probably cut up pretty badly.”
“Cameron will be fine.”
I jerk my head away from his chest, but he doesn’t let go of my arms. “Fine? The guy went through a window! I’m sure he has glass stuck in him and is bleeding everywhere.”
“Why are you so worried about him? He threatened your family.”
“You saw everything?” I cringe. “I only meant to make an impression, not, well—you know.”
“C’mon, I’ll show you he’s okay,” he says, motioning for me to follow.
“I can’t go back in there. I saw the look on everyone’s face. They think I’m a freak.”
Benjamin smiles. “No more than I am.”
Deep down I know not returning to school isn’t an option. I’ll have to find out the extent of Cameron’s injuries. I’ll be sent to a boot camp for girls once my family hears about this.
I trail behind Benjamin. Pandemonium occurs throughout the school once word travels about my encounter with Cameron. Mr. Garrison, the principal, stands in the hallway speaking to a few other teachers. Eyes fall on me and he turns around to see what the fuss is about. His hands are firmly stuck to his hip bones and his lips form a thin, straight line. The hands drop, along with his face. He immediately walks over to me.
“Candra, come with me,” he says.
I oblige. Maybe I’ll be sent back to Charleston…or an alternative school. Any place other than here would be good for me. Hell, I’d take prison over this.
Mr. Garrison’s office is in the very back of the main office. He paces the floor behind his massive desk. I take a seat in one of the two brown leather chairs facing him.
His desk is bigger than any teacher’s desk I’ve seen. It’s made of wood, and not the fake kind, either. Picture frames with black-felt backs adorn both sides, and a gold-stemmed lamp lights one corner. School memorabilia—mostly sports—sit on bookshelves against the wall to my right.
Mr. Garrison fiddles with a few papers on his desk, not really reading them. “Ah, where to begin,” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. Loose change clinks every time he moves a finger. He doesn’t really speak to me—his eyes are fixed on the ceiling.
“I don’t know what happened. I swear,” I say.
He glances at me this time. “No, I imagine you don’t. Um,” he begins, rubbing the scruff underneath his chin, “I remember when I was your age.”
Oh,
God.
He continues. “Nothing was easy, and it’s even tougher today. There’s always going to be those kids that bully you, but you don’t have to take it.”
“But I—”
He holds his hand up to stop me from finishing my sentence. “I know. Not your fault. Cameron’s a rock. His family is favored. And you’re shit out of luck.”
My eyes bulge. Did he just say that to a student?
“You have a lot to learn about living in this town. Most of which you won’t like. But I will tell you that I’ve never cared for the Conways. I do, however, care a lot about your aunt and uncle. They’re good people.”
I nod, still confused at what his point is. Or if he’s ever going to reach it.
He exhales through his nose rather loudly. “I think good runs through your veins, so I’m letting you off on this one.”
“Whoa. Really?”
“However,” he says, pointing a finger at me, “nobody is to know of this. If anyone asks, you got suspended. Think of it as a mini vacation. You need time to collect your thoughts and time to talk to your aunt and uncle about what happened today. School doesn’t need to interfere with that. I’ll write it off, so it doesn’t count on your record.”
“This is awesome,” I mumble, not sure if I’m still in la-la land or not.
“Now, get out of here. Go home. I’ll see you next week.” He winks.
I stand and basically stumble toward the main office door.
“Tell Randy and Beth I said hello!” he calls behind me.
I sort of nod and traipse through the door, my mind in a haze. The whole day has been a blur, really. Nothing makes sense. I can’t get past the weird things that continue to happen to me.
Cameron tries to stop me outside. Him and his little posse. They jeer and snicker at me, because they think I got in trouble. Ben was right—there’s not a scratch or cut on him, from what I can see. I know what I saw, though. He went through the glass. So how can he walk away with no harm done?
I sulk and ignore them, acting like it ruins my week. Idiots.
In the parking lot, Benjamin catches up with me, falling in sync with my step. I stop long enough to hear him out. He apologizes for my suspension and for the way his brother’s been acting.
Silver Moon (Silver Moon, #1) Page 5