by J. M. Miller
Mr. Mid-Forties finally handed me my change, unfazed by our actions. I hurried back to my table and cranked my music to drown out the room. My head already started to pound with all of the activity. And when I looked over at Ben’s table, I knew it was only going to get worse.
He was here.
“Dude, you look like shit,” Spaz said as I set my tray beside my books and took a seat at the lunch table.
“Yeah,” I replied blandly, unwrapping the ham sandwich in front of me.
He shifted his seat for Izzy’s chair to fit beside him then shook the container of tea in his hand. “Why didn’t you answer my texts? I had to call your pop to make sure you didn’t get lost in those woods you supposedly ‘know like the top of your own dick.’“
“Yeah, sorry about that. My phone’s been acting up. I think I have to shell out some cash for a new one.”
“Quit bullshitting. I’ve been around you long enough to know when you are, so don’t even try.”
“Yeah, Ben, what’s up? Are you feeling okay?” Iz asked, taking her seat.
I looked around the cafeteria for LJ, knowing I’d see her soon enough. “I just needed some time off. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you.”
“It’s cool. Is there something we can help with?” Spaz asked while chewing a bite of his burger.
“Nah.”
“Spaz,” Iz said, elbowing him in the ribs. “That’s seriously disgusting. No one wants to see your food.”
I tuned the rest of their quarrel out, scanning the room again. LJ wasn’t in her usual seat. My mind battled with both relief and disappointment, and I couldn’t tell which was winning. I’d left her alone on Sunday after realizing the curse was real. I was scared for so many reasons. My only direction was to address the most obvious concern first. So I thought about Harper the rest of the day and hit the same blank wall over and over. I could feel the love we once had from our memories together, but that final mix of emotions that had haunted me for the past three years had disappeared. The sadness was no longer crippling, the heartache no longer raw. It was as if I’d traveled forty years into the future, the passing time patching the permanent wound in my soul.
The next few days I tried to understand how it was possible, how it was real, and how it all worked. Along with hundreds of questions I couldn’t answer, a renewed hate for Janine also surfaced. She’d purposely left this property to her family, knowing that one of them could wind up bound to the well just as she’d been. To live a life that granted memories for others and, if it was true, dying without their own memories to comfort them.
It made me sick.
I didn’t know what to tell LJ or my grandfather. And I still hadn’t found any new information about the well. There were no answers, nothing I could give to LJ for comfort or support, if she was even willing to talk to me after she found out the truth.
I looked toward the lunch line and noticed LJ by the cashier. She was wearing a gray ribbed tank top today with a pair of frayed jeans that taunted me with their revealing rips, exposing slivers of her bare thighs. Adam Fisk and Ryan Stanton moved in line behind her. They were closer than they needed to be and I could see how uncomfortable it made her. Her face grew red and scrunched in anger before she whipped around and said something to them. She left the register area and carried her tray over to her table with rushed steps. Adam and Ryan watched her as they took their seats over near Emily. I glanced back to LJ and met her eyes. She held my gaze for a moment then looked into the textbook in front of her.
I didn’t want to think about what Adam and Ryan said to her. Their methods were never mild when they noticed a hot chick. Looking at her now, I was actually surprised LJ had avoided their attention this long. Strands of hair fell around her sleek neck, draping down past her bare shoulders while she read from her textbook. She was beautiful. I couldn’t stop thinking about that last kiss, her heart beating wildly against my chest and her lips controling mine.
“LJ, huh?” Spaz asked, crumpling my thoughts. “How did your ride go?”
“It went well,” I admitted, tearing my eyes off LJ to take a bite of my sandwich.
Iz elbowed him again and scrunched her brows.
“Why aren’t you over there then?” Spaz said and let out a whimper I could only guess was the result of Iz either kicking him under the table or grabbing his nuts.
I shook my head. “It’s complicated.”
“It shouldn’t have to be,” Iz finally spoke up, abandoning her attempt to avoid an uncomfortable topic. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
“Nah. I think I can handle it, thanks. I just need to work some things out first.” I couldn’t talk to LJ about everything here. There was no time, and too many people. Waiting until we were back on Stockton Estate was the best option. Plus it gave me time to think about what to say and how to say it without getting punched, or worse, killing whatever was happening between us.
I looked back toward Emily’s table. Adam and Ryan kept tilting their heads, stealing glances of LJ. Emily looked at me once and I wondered if she was feeding info about LJ to her masters in order to gain more favor inside the group.
A while later, Adam and Ryan stood up and weaved around the tables, heading toward LJ.
Shit. They picked one hell of a day to notice her.
She glanced up at the clock on the wall and caught sight of their approach. Her face dropped back to her book in a last attempt to shut them out. It didn’t work. They pulled seats up beside her and started talking. That’s when Emily got up, too.
“Uh, Ben? What the hell is that about?” Izzy asked, watching LJ squirm in her chair.
“I don’t know, Iz.” My legs started to shake anxiously as I watched. I wanted to jump up and cut in, but I was the one who walked out on her on Sunday. She probably hated me.
Emily made her way over to them, carrying her jacket and purse.
I stood up when I noticed LJ stand. Her hands packed her books quickly, nervously. She needed an escape. I’d give her one.
“You going over there?” Spaz asked, standing beside me.
“It doesn’t look good, so yeah, I’m going,” I said without a backward glance as I started to walk.
When I got to the table, LJ was making every effort to leave, but Adam and Emily had her blocked in. LJ’s eyes met mine. Her brows lifted and her green eyes softened, but I could still see the pain I’d left behind them.
“What’s up, Benj?” Ryan said from his seat. He had made no effort to block LJ because Adam had done it for him. He was always the good cop in their sick scenarios. Emily, though, she wasn’t here to play any games. She wanted to squash LJ before anyone decided to bring her in, and I knew she’d do it in any way possible. Adam and Ryan knew that as well, they just didn’t care. At the very least they’d get to see a girl fight. Then, if Ryan still wanted to, he’d try to comfort LJ after. I knew their MO; I’d seen them work it before.
I tipped my chin to him with my jaw clenched. Then I looked at LJ. “You okay?”
“Just some headaches,” she quipped. I grinned even though I knew her joke was more than a simple way to burn them. Her eyes told me she was literally in pain.
“She’s fine, Shadows,” Adam interjected beside LJ. “Emily tells us that LJ’s going to be the new owner over at the Stockton Estate. Man, Shadows, you’re one lucky guy. I wish I could have a boss as fine as this.”
LJ glared at him. He lifted his hands to his chest mocking her, like she’d just shot him.
“Shut it, Fisk,” I replied. From my peripheral vision, I noticed Spaz and Iz walk up beside me. “LJ, you ready to go?” I asked. But when LJ shouldered her bag and went to scoot around the table, Emily stepped closer. “Move, Em,” I growled.
“Easy, Benj. We were just talking,” Ryan said, standing from his seat and shoving his hands into the pockets of his khaki shorts.
People at nearby tables started shifting their views and pulling their phones out. They felt the tension as much as we did and
they wanted to be ready to record the chaos.
Emily stayed in front of LJ. “You know you really don’t belong here, right?” she whispered. “You should do yourself a favor and homeschool.”
LJ glared at Em, but didn’t say anything. She turned her body sideways to slide around the table, but Em snatched her arm and spun her around.
I moved forward, but LJ’s other hand shot back to me, pressing lightly on my chest to stop me. Then she thrust her other arm down, escaping Em’s grip.
“Ooh,” Adam said, swaying his wide body with excitement. “Things are heating up.”
The two girls stared at each other, but LJ spoke first, whispering as low as Emily had. “I’m giving you a chance to back up. If you think this is something I’ve never been involved with before, you’re sadly mistaken. You have no clue who I am. But I have a pretty good idea of who you are. So, you should do yourself a favor and get out of my way.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I guess so, since that’s pretty much the same thing you’re doing to me.”
Emily flipped her long red hair from her shoulder. “Do you think I’m afraid of losing my stupid job? Simone still runs that place for now so there’s nothing you can do to me.”
“This has nothing to do with the job. Sure that might be an issue later, but what I’ve got on you may ruin your precious rep. So again, back the eff up.” LJ smirked at her and took a step toward me. I couldn’t help but to smile at her. This was the confidence I’d seen when we first met. I knew the headaches were probably killing her, yet she was able to contain it all and shut Em down with no problem. At least, I thought Em was shut down.
Em grabbed LJ again, egged on by a snide whisper from Adam beside her. LJ spun around, but this time she snatched the jacket from under Em’s arm. It wasn’t something I’d seen coming, neither had Em, or anyone else for that matter. I was expecting her to throw a punch.
“It’s still a little warm for this twill pea coat isn’t it, Emily?” LJ asked with a bright smile and a slight head tilt.
Emily sneered at her. “What are you going to do? Steal my jacket in front of everyone?”
“Just remember that you decided this when you chose not to leave me alone,” LJ said in a low voice.
Ryan watched, stunned along with the rest of the audience that had magically appeared. Not too many voices were floating around the cafeteria. Most people were focused on our discussion in the back corner, waiting for something to happen.
“Are you going to just let her take your coat, Em?” one of the cheerleaders shouted from a few tables away.
“Yeah, Em,” Adam jeered. “Don’t just let her take it.”
Emily reached out for the coat, but LJ pulled it away. “I have no intention of stealing this beautiful, Burberry twill pea coat,” LJ announced, louder than necessary, as she petted the jacket. It was like she was addressing the entire school. “Do you know why I wouldn’t want this wonderful coat, Emily?”
Emily glanced around at everyone, probably wondering if she was being pranked. She didn’t respond; she simply crossed her arms and waited.
“I don’t want this coat because I already owned it once,” LJ said.
Now everyone was glancing around, wondering what her words meant. The only person who wasn’t was Em. Her face turned as red as her hair and she stared at LJ with something more than anger. Fear? Confusion?
“Yeah, that’s right!” LJ called out a little louder. “This Burberry is from last season, contrary to what you may have been told and …” she paused, grabbing the bottom of the coat and ripping a stitch along its seam despite audible gasps from several surrounding females. She plucked something from the material and held it up. “This is my initial. ‘L’ for Lila. I stitched it in last year after I bought the coat from Saks in the Fashion Show Mall in Vegas. I sold this coat at the Mega Thrift for thirty bucks after I moved here a couple of weeks ago. She probably bought it for forty.” LJ threw the coat at Em, leaned toward her, and whispered, “I wonder how much you would’ve paid to lie about my double-breasted Chloé cape. I gave you a chance. Remember that because it won’t happen again.”
The bell rang, jarring everyone out of the momentary shock. LJ turned and started moving for the door with the crowd. Spaz and Izzy laughed along with some other bystanders. Before I was able to stop LJ and sort out what had happened, Emily barreled past some people and tackled LJ from behind.
I grabbed Em’s arm and pulled her off LJ before someone slammed into my back. The hit forced me to lurch forward, but I regained my balance and turned to see Adam, smirking. I stepped to him, but Spaz got there first, landing a punch to Adam’s fat nose with an audible crack. LJ popped up off the floor and yanked Emily away from a new altercation with Izzy, swinging Emily’s body into a guy videoing the fight with his cell.
Phones were out and people were cheering. I was so focused on getting over to LJ that I didn’t see Ryan throw a punch, I only felt it connect with my jaw. Shots of pain tore through my face, ricocheting inside my head like a million bullets. Dammit, it better not be broken again! I spun on my heel and countered, landing a jab to his left eye. He stumbled backward. Teachers yelled through the crowd and everyone started to scatter.
The teachers filed in, splitting numerous people apart, including some of the crowd. The simple fight had morphed into a melee, involving more people than the original group around LJ’s table. As the cafeteria cleared, the teachers ushered fourteen of us out into the main hallway and spaced us out in a single line.
Ms. Mitchell walked around the corner a minute later. The clacking of her heels echoed around the silent hall. She glanced at all of us and shook her fluffy head of hair. “Everyone bleeding or broken, follow me. Everyone else, go see the principal.”
She went back the way she came, followed by a few crowd members who had joined the fight, and Adam. I glanced at LJ. Her nose was bloody.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked, walking beside me on the way to the Ms. Mitchell’s office.
I pinched a tissue to my nostrils. “I think so. You?”
“I’m all right. Ryan either hits a lot harder than he used to or my jaw is weak,” he joked.
I looked sideways at him. “Someone hit your jaw?”
“Yeah,” he replied then opened his mouth and worked it in a circle. “I think it’s okay though. I can still move it around.”
Looking at him was torture. I was certainly stunned he’d come over to interrupt the drama with the two jerks and Emily, but that only left me feeling more miserable about our situation.
“You used to hang out with them, huh?”
“Yeah, not part of my finer accomplishments. Definitely part of those douche qualities we were talking about.” He laughed lightly and I smiled at his attempt to humor me.
We were the last to arrive at Ms. Mitchell’s office. When we got to her door, two students were exiting. Adam walked out next, knocking shoulders with Ben while he eyed me around the ice pack pressed to his swollen face. “See you around, LJ.”
Ben threw back his shoulders and stepped to Adam with more energy than a cheap bluff. He was willing to fight again.
Adam flinched then flipped Ben off as he walked backward down the hall. “Suck it, Shadows.”
“Knock it off out there,” Ms. Mitchell called from inside the room.
I gave Ben a tentative grin after Adam disappeared around a corner.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned back, melting me a little with the crinkle of his brown eyes and the easy curve of his lips. Why did this have to happen? I didn’t want things to be over with him.
He leaned against the doorframe, propped a foot under his butt, and tilted his head back. His jaw clenched and relaxed several times while he stared at the drop ceiling panels above him. I watched his chest rise and fall with shallow breaths, and I wondered what he was thinking. The way he was ignoring me now had to indicate that his earlier actions were only meant to be chivalrous. He probabl
y felt obligated since I’d be his boss soon.
Ugh. I dropped my head and stared at my feet. My head still hurt badly enough that it wouldn’t let me consider anything else. I was spent. During the fight, the headaches had worsened and I’d heard so many voices that I couldn’t think. The next thing I knew, I had a bloody nose. If the sequences were accurate, someone had a wish answered today.
I glanced back up and caught Ben’s eyes roaming my body. It sent a shiver through me that I thought I’d never feel from him again. I tucked some loose hair behind my ear and stood up straighter. A long sigh passed over his lips and he let his foot fall back to the floor.
“LJ, we have to talk later,” he said. His expression and voice were stoic.
“Yeah, we do,” I agreed somberly.
When the last person exited, Ms. Mitchell called us in. “Ben,” she greeted him after we ducked around the divider curtain. She pointed him to the bed opposite her chair. “LJ, have a seat on the next bed. Anything feel off, Ben? Your face is a bit red.”
“My jaw got a little rocked, but it feels okay now.”
She had him open his mouth and move his jaw to prove what he’d said. “This was wired for a while, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Keep an eye on it. If anything seems wrong, you’ll need to see your specialist or go to an ER.” She turned to her keyboard and punched a couple of keys.
“Okay,” he agreed.
“Get to the office. I’m sure they’ve already contacted your grandfather,” she said to him, and then moved in front of me.
Ben’s eyes were on me until he disappeared around the curtain. They were impossible to read. What did he want to say to me later? Was he giving whatever we had an official end? It’s not what I’d want, but I supposed closure would be better than the last few days of silent torment.
“So, LJ,” Ms. Mitchell looked into my eyes. “Were you hit?”
“No, ma’am.”