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by Lauren Barnholdt

  Natalia

  So when I get to school on Monday, Raine’s waiting for me at my locker. Along with Becca and Teri. So not what I wanted to be dealing with first thing on a Monday morning. Actually, if I’m being honest, so not what I wanted to deal with, like, ever.

  Especially after texting with Cam all last night. And especially after kissing him on Saturday. The thought of it makes warmth rush to my lips.

  “Hey!” Raine yells, waving me over. “Natalia! Come here!”

  I look around for Cam, since he promised he was going to be the one dealing with this, but he’s nowhere to be found. For a moment, I wonder if maybe he’s already told her, if now her and her friends are inviting me over so that they can kick my ass.

  But when I get there, they’re still all smiles.

  “So Becca was just talking about how we should all go get our hair cut after school,” she says, smiling. “Her aunt owns this, like, amazing spa.”

  “Seriously, it’s amazing,” Teri agrees. “And she gives us whatever we want for ridiculously cheap.”

  “Wow,” I say slowly, twirling the combination on my locker and trying to stall for time. “That does sound amazing.” It actually kind of doesn’t, since spas kind of intimidate me. Not that I’ve ever been to one. But from what I’ve seen on TV, they seem super ritzy.

  “You can come,” Becca says, not really sounding that thrilled about it. Her hands are flying over her phone as she texts someone.

  “Well, that’s really nice, you guys,” I say. I’m about to make up some excuse about why I can’t go when I see Cam walking down the hall. Our eyes meet, and sparks fly from mine to his. I know that sounds completely overdramatic, but it’s true. His eyebrows shoot up, questioning, like ‘what the hell are you doing talking to Raine?’ and I give him a look, like ‘no, don’t come over here.’

  He needs to talk to Raine in private, and not while she’s standing at my locker.

  Who knows what this girl’s going to do? If she decides to go postal, the last thing I want is to be in striking distance.

  “So you’ll go then?” Teri asks. I realize I forgot to make up an excuse.

  “Um, well… ”

  “It’s settled!” Raine says, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. “We’ll meet you after school in front of the gym doors.” She reaches out and picks up a strand of my hair, turning it over in her fingers. She wrinkles her nose. “You are definitely getting highlights.”

  And then the three of them are chattering away about the different kinds of highlights you can get, partial foil versus full foil, and how the regenerating facial is better than the cleansing one. I turn around to look for Cam, and when I spot him, he’s over on the other side of the junior hall, talking to Brody. Brody? What the fuck? I wonder if he’s telling him about what happened. But as I watch, the two of them are laughing away like old friends, and my heart sinks into my shoes.

  “Come on,” Raine says, grabbing my hand. “Walk with us to homeroom.”

  And before I can protest, she’s dragging me down the hall behind her.

  ***

  I spend the morning hoping Cam will text me, even though I know it’s probably a ridiculous hope. He’s turning out to be an asshole, just like every other guy I’ve known.

  I should have known better than to believe him when he said he would take care of everything. It’s obvious from the way he was acting with Brody that he has no intention of doing that.

  At lunch, I fill my tray with salad and an apple from the lunch line, and then look around the cafeteria, having no idea where to sit. I see Raine over in the corner, holding court at her table, but she doesn’t see me. Brody’s not there yet, and neither is Cam, and besides, I really don’t want to be sitting with either one of them.

  So when Adrianna yells, “Hey, Natalia! Over here!” I gratefully make my way through the caf and plunk down at the table, across from her and Chelsey.

  “What’s up?” Adrianna says, “How was your weekend?”

  “It was fine,” I say, opening up my Diet Coke and hoping she doesn’t ask for too many details. I have a feeling she’s not going to think it was the best idea that I was hanging out with Cam and Raine. And honestly, she’s probably right.

  “Did you do anything fun?” Chelsey asks.

  “Not really.” I shrug.

  And then, out of nowhere, Raine stands up and starts screaming my name. Like, seriously screaming it across the cafeteria. “Natalia!” she yells, “Natalia, we’re sitting over here!” Becca and Teri look up from their cell phones, give me half- waves, and then go back to texting.

  Adrianna and Chelsey’s mouths drop open in unison.

  “Please tell me you didn’t become friends with Raine Marsden,” Adrianna says.

  “She’s so super toxic,” Chelsey adds.

  “I’m not friends with her,” I say, giving Raine a wave and pretending I can’t hear her, even though she’s screaming her face off. “We just hung out a little bit this weekend.”

  “You just hung out a little bit this weekend?” Chelsey says. “You don’t just

  ‘hang out a little bit’ with Raine Marsden.”

  “We did,” I say, shrugging like it was no big deal. “We just, you know, hung out and um, probably we won’t ever talk again.”

  “Hi!” Raine says. I turn around and there she is, standing at the head of our table, looking perky. She sits down on the bench next to me, then reaches over and grabs a carrot off of my salad and pops it into her mouth. “How come you’re not sitting with us?”

  “Um, I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t – ”

  “Are you avoiding Brody?” she asks. “After he kissed you?” I open my mouth to protest, but she rolls her eyes like there’s no use denying it. “You don’t have to worry.

  He left school early today. Something to do with his older sister.”

  “His older sister?” I repeat. Across the table, Chelsey and Adrianna’s mouths are practically on the floor.

  “Yeah, she’s a total nut job,” Raine says, “Like, always in and out of rehabs and stuff. His parents are completely wrecked about it.” She helps herself to another carrot.

  “Anyway, we’re cutting out to go to Taco Bell. You want to go with?”

  “Um, no thanks,” I say, and resist the urge to ask her if Cam’s going, too. “I don’t think I should be getting in trouble on my second day of school.”

  She shrugs. “Suit yourself. See you after school!” She flounces out, not once acknowledging Adrianna or Chelsey, who exchange a look after she’s gone.

  “Okay, look,” Adrianna says carefully, “We hardly know you.”

  “And you hardly know us,” Chelsey adds, “But you should know that Raine Marsden – “

  “--- is not the kind of girl you want to be hanging out with,” Adrianna finishes.

  “You guys,” I say, “Trust me, it’s fine. I’m not going to be hanging out with her.” Especially not after I kissed her boyfriend.

  “All right,” Adrianna says skeptically, exchanging another one of those looks with Chelsey, “But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

  ***

  When the bell rings at the end of the day, I grab the books I need for my homework and think about how I’m going to get out of this whole spa excursion. I decide to just head home, and then text Raine later, claiming I was sick.

  I rush outside to the student parking lot and am about to get in my mom’s car --which she let me borrow since she had the day off--when someone comes up to me from behind. Cam.

  “Hi,” he says. He has on the same baseball hat from the other night, and his blue eyes look droopy and sexy. His face is a little scruffy, and he’s wearing jeans, a plain long-sleeved gray t-shirt, and scuffed up sneakers. He looks amazing, and I think again about how it felt to kiss him. But I’m pissed. Too pissed to let my hormones take over.

  “Leaving,” I say, hitting the button on the key fob to unlock the car doors.

  “Hey, wait,” he s
ays, stepping in front of me. “What’s going on? You didn’t text me all day.”

  “Ohh, no,” I say, “Don’t put this on me. You didn’t text me all day. And you weren’t in study hall.”

  “I had a football meeting,” he says, “And no, I didn’t text you. Not after I saw you talking with Raine this morning.”

  “Hmm,” I say, crossing my arms in front of me. “Was that before or after you and Brody become bosom buddies in front of his locker?”

  “Did you just say ‘bosom buddies’?” he asks, the side of his lips tugging up into a grin.

  “Don’t try to change the subject!” I say.

  “Look,” he says, “I thought I’d wait for you to tell me how you wanted to handle things. I saw you with Raine, and then me and Brody made up, and I just thought… I don’t know, that it might not be the best idea for us to tell them.”

  I can’t believe he just said that. He wants to have his cake and eat it too! It’s so typical, it’s almost sad. “Again, leaving,” I say, trying to step around him. But then I remember something. “Actually,” I say, “I’m not.”

  “You’re not what?” Cam asks, looking confused.

  “I’m not leaving. I’m going to the spa with Raine.”

  “You’re going where with who?”

  “You heard me,” I tell him. Ha! He’s not the only one who can have a bosom buddy. Or whatever they’re calling them these days.

  I’m hoping to see his face crumple up with sadness, but instead, he’s looking over my shoulder, alarmed.

  “What is it?” I ask him, whirling around. I half expect to see Raine and Brody walking across the parking lot together, maybe followed by Teri and Becca and some guys from the football team, ready to confront me and Cam about our kiss. But it’s not an angry mob I see. It’s just one person. One guy. Derek.

  He’s loping across the lot, his long legs covering the distance between my car and his in about ten seconds. There’s nowhere to go. He’s already seen me. Cam steps in front of me, but Derek ignores him, his gaze landing squarely on me.

  “Hey, Natalia,” he says, “Can I talk to you?”

  Before I can answer, Cam takes a step forward. “No,” he says, and his tone sounds like a warning. “You can’t.”

  RUMORED

  (The Witches of Santa Anna, Book Three)

  by Lauren Barnholdt & Aaron Gorvine

  Copyright 2011, Lauren Barnholdt and Aaron Gorvine, all rights reserved This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

  Chapter One

  Natalia

  Derek looks at Cam like he can’t believe it. Honestly, I can’t really believe it either. I mean, Cam’s acting like I’m his property or something, telling Derek he can’t talk to me. Which is ridiculous given the big fight Cam and I just got into. Well, if you count Cam trying to talk to me and me telling him to leave me alone a big fight, which I do.

  “Who says I can’t talk to her?” Derek asks, moving closer to Cam.

  “I do,” Cam says. And then he takes another step.

  “Relax, dude,” Derek says, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I just want to have a conversation with her, that’s all.”

  “Right,” Cam says sarcastically, “She told me about the shit you did. Now get the fuck out of here.”

  “Don’t stick up for me,” I say to Cam. “I don’t need it.” As much as I don’t want to talk to Derek, after what Cam did to me – kissing me on Saturday, then texting me last night and telling me how much he liked me and how he would take care of everything with Brody and Raine, then totally going back on it today – he doesn’t have the right to be sticking up for me. He’s just as bad as Derek.

  Cam turns and looks at me, his eyes hurt, but he doesn’t say anything.

  “You heard her, man,” Derek says, “She doesn’t need you.”

  Cam glances at him, then back at me. He still looks hurt, and for I second, I want him to stick up for me. I want him to pull me close, to usher me into his car, to drive me away and kiss me the way he did on Saturday night.

  “Natalia,” he says, “I’m not leaving you alone with this guy.”

  My heart feels like it’s being torn in two. As much as I want him to stay, I know that when it comes down to it, thinking I can depend on Cam is just going to hurt more.

  “You should go, Cam,” I say, forcing my chin into the air. “This is none of your business.”

  He keeps his gaze on me for a long moment, and it takes all my self-control not to tell him to stay. But I stand my ground, and before I can change my mind, he turns on his heel and walks away. He doesn’t look back. He doesn’t say anything. He just keeps striding across the parking lot, leaving me alone with Derek.

  “That your boyfriend?” Derek asks, leaning back against my car.

  “No.”

  “That other guy was? From the weekend? Body Dickhead the Fifth or whatever?”

  “No.”

  “Listen,” he says, “I didn’t come here to be an asshole.”

  “Really?” I say, “Because showing up at someone’s school and accosting them in the parking lot seems pretty assholeish to me.”

  “Natalia,” he says, “I wanted to say I’m sorry. What I did, that was…” He trails off, like he wants me to say something, but I don’t. I don’t tell him that what he did wasn’t that bad, I don’t tell him that I forgive him, I don’t tell him it was just stupid high school bullshit. In fact, I want to hear him to say how horrible it was. I want him to take responsibility for what he did.

  But before he can, Raine’s voice comes trilling across the parking lot. “There you are!” Becca and Teri are trailing behind her, their usual bored looks replaced with ones that fall halfway between boredom and annoyance. “We said to meet in front of the – “

  She stops when she sees Derek. “Ewww,” she says, “What is he doing here?”

  “I came to talk to Natalia,” he says. He looks her up and down. “Nice shoes.”

  Raine’s eyes narrow into two little slits. “These shoes,” she hisses, “Are Christian Louboutins. Although I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand what that means.”

  “Save it,” he says, shaking his head like he can’t believe how ridiculous she is.

  “Natalia, can we get out of here? Go for a coffee or something? Please? We need to talk.”

  Raine walks over and slings her arm over my shoulder. Becca comes to stand on the other side of me, and Teri stands on the other side of Raine.

  “Natalia?” Derek pleads.

  “I can’t,” I say, “I have plans.”

  “She has plans,” Raine repeats, talking in that same slow voice she used the other day at the restaurant when she asked me if I’d kissed Brody. “And she doesn’t want to talk to you. So now you’re going to walk away, and leave her alone.”

  Derek opens his mouth, like he’s about to say something, but then he shuts it.

  “Fine,” he says. And then he turns around and walks away.

  “Wow,” I say, impressed. “How did you do that?”

  “I really do not like that guy,” Raine says, ignoring my question. She shudders.

  “Is he, like, your stalker?” Becca asks.

  “I like his tattoo,” Teri adds. “It’s kind of sexy.”

  Raine glares at her. “Come on,” she says to us. “We’re going to be late for our appointments.”

  ***

  The spa turns out to be just like I pictured it, with lots of white walls and open spaces. Modern art in shades of turquoise and green adorns the walls, and huge white vases filled with purple orchids sit on glass tables. A woman with smooth black hair and perfect skin doesn’t even ask who we are when Raine tells her we’re all going to start with pedicures – she just whisks us back into a private room where there are four massage chairs set up in a circle.

  We all sit down, and two gorgeous women with the same smooth hair and flawless skin start
up the whirling foot baths, adding salts and potions to the water. I slip my feet into the warm, delicious bubbles, letting them swirl over my skin. A magazine is slipped into my hands, a glass of water with cucumber placed on the table beside me.

  Everything feels so good that I’m starting to think it might be worth it to be here, even if it means spending time with the Triad.

  “So why does that guy keep following you?” Raine asks, flipping through an US

  Weekly. “Is, he, like, in love with you or something?”

  “You must be really good in bed,” Teri says, giggling.

  I feel my face flush red, and I shrug. “He’s just an ex-boyfriend,” I say, “He was a jerk, and when I broke up with him, he couldn’t handle it.”