Golden

by Leah Adams

“Hey,” He said with a small smile touching his lips. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” I said, knowing he was just trying to be nice. I hadn’t really done much to myself for this date.

  Date. I never thought I would go on a date in high school, let alone a date with one of my best friends.

  I walked all the way down the stairs and stopped right in front of him. My eyes felt heavy suddenly.

  Mary and Luria came down the steps. My mother frowned at my sister and smiled when Luria came to stand by Keith.

  “Luria, maybe when you’re older you’ll meet a nice guy like your auntie.” My mother said her voice clear with implication.

  “Come on Luria let’s get ready to go.” Mary said holding her hand out to Luria.

  Luria just frowned at Keith and grabbed her mothers’ hand. “I’ll marry Leon when I’m older.”

  Mary laughed walking with her out of the room.

  I rolled my eyes, and then paused when I saw a frown on Keith face.

  “You okay?” I asked, with a small smile, and hoping he wasn’t upset at Luria’s remark.

  He shook his head. “You ready?” He asked taking my hand.

  I just grinned at him and followed him out to his car. But I was able to catch my parent’s eyes. My mom looked pleased with herself and my dad just looked happy for me.

  “Have fun.” My parents called once we were both in his car.

  Keith pulled off and I put my seat beat on. I felt kind of nervous sitting in the car with him. I’ve been alone with him before, but this was the first time that it wasn’t us just being friends.

  I turned to look at him and saw that he didn’t seem nervous. He seemed so sure of himself.

  “Do you know where you want to go?” He asked and I shrugged my shoulders. “I was thinking that restaurant right outside of town. I hear their really good.”

  “How about this pizza place I saw before?” I asked the idea just popping in my mind. I knew most of the other students must have heard about it by now. So, it wouldn’t feel so much like a date with classmates around.

  He looked at me and shook his head okay. I wasn’t sure if he liked that idea or not. He may have read my mind and knew why I wanted to go there. But I was just happy that he didn’t say anything about it.

  I told him how to get there and he seemed to already know how.

  Once we got there I hoped beyond hope that I could find someone I knew. We walked into the pizza place that was filled with students. I was happy that I saw Beth sitting with Jonathan.

  As soon as she saw me she waved us both over. I smiled at her and grinned up at Keith.

  He didn’t seem too happy about going over there. I could see it written all over his face, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.

  “Hey, you two here on a date?” I asked sitting down in the booth by Beth.

  “I don’t know if you would call these dates anymore.” Beth laughed. “We’ve been on so many that it’s like second nature or something.”

  “So, what have you two been up to?” Jonathan asked looking between me and Keith.

  Just as I was about to answer his question, with a nothing much, the forbidden four walked into the dinner.

  Nate had a woman who I thought looked filmier on his arm. Damon was holding onto a dark blonde, who seemed like she couldn’t get enough of him. Leon was by himself, but what surprised me was Jay was as well.

  I had been waiting to talk to Jay, but seeing Leon made me feel funny, like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I rolled my eyes at that last thought. I sound too much like my grandmother.

  They walked to us, Damon had a huge smile on his face, and Nate seemed like he didn’t really care what was happening.

  I didn’t look at Jay or Leon. I felt caught in a lie. But I didn’t know why I felt that way. I didn’t owe them anything.

  “Hey Bonnie, can we join you?” Damon asked grabbing a table that was by our booth and pulling in to the booth.

  The other forbidden four grabbed the chairs and sat down. Jay sat right by me and Leon sat across from me.

  I stared at my friends and saw that Beth seemed surprised. She looked at me with this ‘You’re close with the forbidden four look’. Jonathan didn’t seem to mind, but Keith glared at Jay who just so happened to be looking at me, with a grin I couldn’t read.

  “Bonnie, where have you been hiding?” Damon laughed as if we were such great friends.

  I just knew he was trying to start something.

  “At school.” I glared at him.

  “So touchy,” He smirked then pulled the girl with him closer. “For one so pretty.”

  She was eyeing me like she wanted me to know Damon was her’s. I didn’t care. She could have him and get her soul sucked out as a while.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” She asked Damon staring right at me.

  I saw that Damon looked at her like he didn’t know why he should. But he just signed.

  “Jamie, this is Bonnie and…..” He looked around the table his eyes staying on Beth only a bit longer than anyone else. I didn’t like that. “Friends.” He smiled looking back at Beth.

  Jamie was too busy staring me up and down she didn’t notice Damon eyeing Beth, but Jonathan did.

  “That’s Beth.” Jonathan said. “And I’m her boyfriend Jonathan.”

  Damon shrugged his shoulders and looked back at me.

  “Bonnie, you remember Kim, from the park.” Nate said, giving Kim a light kiss on the lips.

  I knew she looked filmier. I guess he did get one of those ladies there to go out with him.

  “Nice to see you again.” I smiled then frowned when Jay’s arm went around me.

  “We need to talk.” Jay whispered in my ear.

  I shrived feeling his lips brush ever so slightly against my ear. My eyes stared into his crystal clear blue eyes and I soon felt my hands start to sweat.

  It felt almost weird talking to him after all that had happened between us. My mind kept pulling me back to the fairy tale like place he had taken me to the way his lips had felt on my neck.

  I shrived just thinking about it.

  This feeling of being pure bliss came over me with him staring at me the way he was. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get through this night if he kept staring at me like he wanted me.

  My eyes soon found Leon’s and I saw that he was staring at me lightly, almost as if he was studying me. I wasn’t too sure if I liked the look or hated it. I could just tell he was thinking something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

  I couldn’t read him. He must have caught me staring because a small smile soon went across his lips.

  “Leon…..” I began not sure what I was going to say, but didn’t get a chance to response because Jay got up…..cutting me off.

  “Come on Bonnie,” He began and lightly, very easily, pulled me up. “We need to talk.”

  “Talk, since when do you talk to girls.” Damon laughed running his hand down Jamie side. She began to laugh and try to kiss him.

  “She is here with me.” Keith said standing up. “So, why don’t you let her go?”

  Jay face change into something I couldn’t read, but his brothers must have, because Damon and Nate both stopped messing around with their girls. Leon eyes stayed on Jay watching his every move.

  “I’ll take her home.” Jay told him, with a light smile. “You two are just friends, so I’m sure this won’t be a problem.”

  I could tell he was trying to tease Keith about his crush on me and I wanted to hit him for it.

  “They seem to be here on a Date.” Damon instigated.

  “Hey where’s our waitress.” Nate nervously laughed. “Jay, what did you want to order?”

  “She’s with me.” Keith let out, not smiling.

  “Guys, I would love to play alpha male with you two, but it’s really not me.” I said staring at Jay. His eyes didn’t seem right and for a moment I was scared he would do something bad to Ke
ith. “I’m not an object.”

  “Bonnie, let’s go.” Jay grinned, ignoring me.

  He began to pull me to the door quickly.

  “Man…..” I heard Keith say, but it wasn’t until we were outside did I feel Keith hand on my arm.

  “Let her go.” Keith voice seemed off.

  “I got twenty on Jay.” I heard Damon laughed. I turned around and saw that Leon, Nate, and Damon where all outside.

  I found it surprising that Beth and Jonathan didn’t follow us.

  “Keith, why don’t you go inside while we talk to Bonnie?” Leon asked staring at Keith.

  “None of you need to talk to her.” Keith replied pulling me towards him.

  I was really getting tired of this ‘she’s mine’ mess. I tried to pull my arm from both of their holds, but only got my arm back from Keith.

  He looked down at me like he couldn’t believe I had chosen Jay over him.

  “Jay, let me go.” I sighed. “I’m here with Keith.”

  “What?” He asked, staring at me like I lost my mind. “Your mine, I marked you.”

  I not sure how many moments passed between us before I was able to speak.

  “What the hell did you just say to me?” I yelled as Jay looked like he didn’t mean to say what he just had.

  “Keith, go back inside.” Nate began. “Bonnie is fine.”

  “Okay.” He said automatically.

  My eyes watched as Keith walked back into the pizza place, I knew that Nate had used his dust on him, but I was to mad at Jay to say anything to him.

  Once Keith was completely in the restaurant, I took a deep breath and tried to calmly talk to Jay about him marking me. But as soon as the thought of him marking me came to my mind, I lost myself.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” I yelled at him my eyes completely filled with anger.

  “I did it for your protection.” He reasoned.

  “You are so full of bull!” I yelled. I had never been angrier in my life. I had never even spoke like this to anyone before, but I just could not stop myself. “You were only thinking that I wouldn’t choose to be with a jerk like you, so you had to make a choice for me.”

  “Oh, come on Bonnie.” Damon laughed. “Lighting up, this is kind of funny.”

  “Shut the hell up, Damon.” I yelled turning to face him, briefly.

  Before I could turn all the way around I caught Damon staring hardly at me, then he looked at me, admirably.

  “I understand why they like you.” Damon grinned, but I ignored him.

  “Bonnie, look Jennifer is after you.” Jay explained. “She is moving faster than before. My sister told me she heard that…..”

  “I don’t care.” I yelled. “You tricked me and then marked me. I thought I could trust you, but I can’t.”

  I felt so foolish for even letting him touch me. My hand went to my neck and I wanted to yell at him some more. How had I let him get so close to me? How had I even believed for a second that I and he could even kind of be friends?

  “I used dust on the girls and your friends, Bonnie.” Nate began nervously. “But not on everyone in the place. So, how about you two take this someplace else.”

  He wasn’t really asking, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going anywhere with Jay. I wanted to be alone. I needed to think about what I was going to do.

  I needed to understand why I was so angry.

  Was it because he had lied to me, by marking me behind my back or was it because I trusted him and was kind of starting to let my guard down around him?

  Or worst…..I may have started to even like him…..if only he had allowed me try to make that choice.

  “Bonnie….” Jay began, but I cut him off again.

  “Leon,” I began turning to look him in the eyes. “Can you please tell my friends I needed to leave?”

  I knew he knew what I meant. I needed him to use his dust on them. I didn’t like doing that to my friends, but it would be better for all of us, if he did.

  Leon eyes briefly looked at Nate and then his eyes came back at me.

  “Of course,” He whispered and started walking back into the dinner.

  It felt almost like he knew I needed to be alone and he wasn’t going to push me on that. I started to like him even more for it.

  He understood me, the way Jay seemed not to.

  Soon Nate and Damon followed, but Jay stayed outside.

  “I can’t let you go home alone.” Jay told me just as I started to walk by him. “She is waiting for you. One of her little drones dust was all around your house last night. That’s way I did it, so soon. I even had to talk to your sister to see that you were safe.”

  “You talked to my sister?” I asked, and then looked hardly at him. “Or did you talk to my sister?”

  He didn’t answer. So, I knew he had used dust on her. My sister wouldn’t have given him any information otherwise.

  I let of a scary laughed slip out of my mouth. “Jay, just stay away from me okay.”

  “Bonnie, it’s not how it sounds.” Jay yelled and even chuckled. “You’re making this into a big deal, when it’s not.”

  “I’m making this into a big deal!” I began yelling, about to tell him off, but I paused. Something came over me and I stared hardly at him.

  “I can’t do this.” I said staring at the ground. “I can’t do this.”

  “Can’t do what?” He asked pulling my head up to look at him.

  “Whatever this is?” I said. “I’m human and this stuff isn’t supposed to happen to me.”

  His eyes looked at me as if he was staring past me at someone else. I shook at his glaze.

  Who was he trying to see?

  Elizabeth. My mind screamed.

  I hadn’t thought of her in what seemed like forever. But I began to wonder if this was how it was with her and Leon.

  Was this the reason why she said those hateful things to Leon, because even if she did love him as much as he seemed to her they would forever be in danger….as well as her family and friends.

  Is that why she said her words, to make him let her go?

  No. The word came into my head like a lions roar. I wasn’t like Elizabeth. I wasn’t. She had Leon and he wasn’t anything like Jay.

  I stared up into Jay’s blue eyes and watched as they started to turn gold.

  “If I could I would make you feel better.” Jay said pulling my hair from my face. “I would use my dust on you, but it seems it doesn’t work on you.”

  “You would use your dust on me?” I asked.

  “Yeah, so you would feel better about all of this.” He said to me honestly. “So you wouldn’t have to live in fear.”

  I didn’t know if I should be mad at him for telling me that or happy that at least he was honest or even feel sorry for him. He didn’t know he had walked right into a trap.

  “That’s sad.” I told him shaking my head. “You would really change my emotions if you could.”

  “Only so you wouldn’t be angry.” He pleaded.

  “I’m mad at what you did!” I screamed. “Why can’t you see that?”

  He just looked at me, like he didn’t know why I was so angry, but wasn’t going to say it, anymore.

  “Jay, right now, just stay away from me, okay.” I said folding my arms.

  “Bonnie, come on.” Jay whispered. “Why are you so mad about this?”

  I wasn’t sure what had come over me, but I snapped.

  “What do you mean why am I so mad! Why can’t you just understand?” I stared blankly at him then shook my head. “You won’t ever understand will you?” I laughed with no humor.

  “I want to….I can at least try.” Jay whispered, pleaded.

  “I don’t like you.” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I mean I have said this before, I have even thought this before, but maybe I have to be more direct.” I told him walking closer to him.

  He smelled really good. He looked even better as the now nightlight hit his beautiful e
yes.

  “I thought I saw something else in you, but I was wrong.” I frowned. “I don’t ever want to speak to you again. Ever since I have bad things have happened to me and I know it’s partly my fault. But I want to put an end to all of this. I hate you Jay and I wish I didn’t have to ever see you again.”

  I didn’t wait to see what he had to say to that or what his face looked like. I just turned around and ran. I didn’t hear him following me.

  Even with no one dying this date had still been killer.

  Chapter 17

  Flirting with Death

  I don’t know how long I walked or where I was walking to. All I did know was I felt bad.

  I shouldn’t have acted like that. I should have talked it out with him. I should have done so many different things than what I did to him.

  Jay had been trying to protect me, but it was the fact that, I knew, he had also done it so he could claim me as his, that made me react that way.

  He didn’t even let me have a say in it. That was why I was so mad, but what I said to him….

  I could feel tears in my eyes and I tried to push them back. I didn’t want to cry over something like this. I wouldn’t cry over this.

  I hate you!

  Stop it! I screamed in my head. Stop thinking about it.

  I kept walking until I saw a small corner store. I saw some people who looked around my age going in and out of the place.

  Water. I thought. I could use some water. My mouth was so dry, after what I had said to…..

  I shook my head, not allowing myself to think the rest.

  My legs moved to the store and I watched as some guys eyed me. But I eyed them right back. After everything that had happened to me, being afraid of a few guys seemed stupid.

  Once I was inside I saw that there was a man behind the counter, watching TV. He looked at me then gave me a warm smile. I smiled back then he went back to looking at his TV.

  I walked to where the waters were and grabbed one. Once I got it I saw a guy and a girl walk it.

  They looked really beautiful and ready to party. The girl’s long red-black hair was in twists. The guy that was with her was looking at me, smiling. He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes.

  “Are you buying that?”

  I turned my head and saw that the clerk was smiling at me. I shook my head yes then went for my bag.