by Layman, Tate
She got a cup of punch and moved to where Rory was holding court with her various guys. Keeping her eyes on her target, Whit moved quickly through the crowd of dancers. Suddenly she felt someone slam into her from behind, and before she could right herself, the punch she carried slopped down the bodice of her costume. Whit heard an apology thrown her direction, but didn’t look back. Of course these things just tended to happen to her. She looked over the stain, and decided it wasn’t that bad. Thank goodness she had already drunk half the punch in her cup. She faced Rory again and continued her journey, praying that nothing else would happen before she got to her friend.
Finally she succeeded in crossing the dance floor to the group. She leaned against the wall behind them, trying to recover, and silently listened to their conversation, which centered on some type of competition that would soon start at Maverick. Entering into the discussion midway, she didn’t really understand what the competition was about, but she noticed that Rory and all the guys huddled around were very interested in participating. Whit started to tug Rory’s arm to ask for more information when she felt someone breathe in her ear.
“Be careful of the wolves, Little Red,” said a whispered voice.
Goosebumps appeared on her arms. She knew that voice. It was the sexy boxer. She immediately wondered where he had left his date. Whit chose to ignore his comment just to see what his reaction would be. She secretly hoped that he would whisper something else into her ear or just keep standing really close. And she didn’t have to wait long for the next question.
“Dance with me?” he whispered.
Before she could answer, Nolan was pulling her onto the packed dance floor. A slow song had just started, and he slipped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer. Whit placed her hands on his shoulders before glancing up into his face.
“You’re beautiful,” he blurted. Then he blushed like he hadn’t meant to say anything. Whit’s cheeks also reddened, but she pulled herself together and complimented his costume to fill the awkward moment. Then her brain started working again.
“So, where’s your date?”
“She’s dancing with one of her friends, which was good since I wanted to dance with you,” he explained with a flirty grin and a squeeze to her waist.
The dance floor was so crowded that other couples nudged against them several times. Nolan pulled Whit tight against his body to avoid any contact with the people around them. They were so close that she could lean her head on his shoulder. She knew he had a date, but she wanted to stay in his arms for the rest of the night, she thought. Without thinking about it, her fingers started sifting through the hair on the back of his neck. She thought she heard a quiet moan and glanced up to find his eyes shut. His eyes opened and drifted over her face until they came to rest on her mouth. He slowly tilted his head down to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips and knew he was about to kiss her. She shut her eyes and –
“What the hell is going on here?”
Whit snapped her eyes open as someone grabbed her arm painfully and spun her around. She came face to face with a blond she instantly recognized as Nolan’s date.
“We were just dancing Olivia. Calm down,” Nolan replied evenly. He glanced at Whit and winked before hooking his arm around his date’s waist and pulling her into his body to finish the dance.
Whit was completely thrown. Had that really just happened? Had she went from almost kissing Nolan to standing alone, watching him dance with another girl? Before she could move, she saw Nolan mouth something to her over the blond’s shoulder. It looked like ‘sorry,’ but at that point, Whit didn’t care. What a jerk! And to think she had allowed herself to like him even with his reputation. She had hoped there was more to him, but she’d been wrong. If she could just get back to her friends, they’d get her mind off that jerk.
Once Whit found Ellie and Rory, the dance became tolerable again. She danced with a few of the guys she was friends with: Mark, Christopher, and Tavis, and tried to forget the incident with Nolan, though it burned her up that he would treat her that way. She caught a few glimpses of him and his date huddled together intimately, and had to turn away before they caught her scowling at them.
As the dance came to a close, the girls spread the word through their group of friends about the get-together in the television room. The lights flickered, signaling the last dance of the night, and Whit leaned her shoulder against the wall, listening to Rory flirt with a vampire named Troy. She felt a little bad eavesdropping on their conversation, but didn’t move away since the dance was all but over.
“Sorry,” a whispered voice said from behind her. She instantly knew it was Nolan, but wasn’t feeling particular friendly, so she ignored him.
“Look, I know I’m an asshole,” he continued when she didn’t respond.
Whit looked over her shoulder, hoping she appeared indifferent. “Yeah, I guess you are.” Then without another look in his direction, she headed for the doors of the cafeteria.
She almost made it, too. But he captured her hand before she slipped out and pulled her behind one of the many serving areas in the cafeteria, which were supposed to be off limits.
“Look I’m sorry,” he said tensely. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
She growled to herself. This night just kept getting better and better. First he’d tossed her aside for another girl, and now he was apologizing. Whit was pissed and confused. She didn’t want to forgive him, but it was hard when he was half naked and supremely attractive.
“Forget it. It’s not important,” she answered sharply while trying to avoid looking at his body.
“But … but I like you,” he whispered desperately.
She looked at him for a moment and sighed. “That’s nice. But I don’t like scumbags.” She turned and hurried away before he could see the tears in her eyes.
Chapter 17
After the debacle at the dance, Whit tried to avoid Nolan as much as possible, but he was determined to gain her forgiveness. She told Ellie and Rory what happened and both girls blocked or intercepted him whenever possible. There were times though she had to tolerate his presence, like in Biology, where they were lab partners, but she worked hard not to let him back in. He had apologized about fifty times and tried to use his charm to get her to like him again. He didn’t seem to understand why she didn’t want to be around him. He didn’t grasp the fact that he’d hurt her. And as far as his confession about liking her, she believed that actions spoke louder than words, and he hadn’t changed a bit. He still flirted with everything female, and she’d seen him with different girls all week. Her heart though, didn’t seem to understand, and pounded whenever he was near.
If only she could’ve had a vision about him, so she would’ve known to stay away. Not that she’d needed a vision. What was she thinking? She knew he was a man-ho, and had let him charm her. She had been such an idiot.
On top of that whole situation, Mrs. McFaddin had talked with Whit after Mind a few days earlier, expressing her disappointment in the level of concentration Whit was applying to developing her skills. Whit knew she needed to focus on controlling the dreams more, but they had slacked off a bit since the playground vision and she had wanted a break. She tried to explain that to Mrs. McFaddin, but clearly that was just an excuse for laziness, according to the teacher.
To relieve some of her stress, Whit called Mona to gripe and complain. Mona offered some comfort and support, but ultimately agreed with Mrs. McFaddin. She told Whit she really needed to work harder at getting her ability under control.
Finally she reached the breaking point. It was a Friday and had started off pretty well. She’d scored a 97 on a math test and her English teacher had complimented the creative writing assignment she turned it. To top it all off, in History of Specials they were finally focusing on vampires instead of the Redeemers. Thank goodness. Those Redeemer guys scared the shit out of her, but learning about the vamps was really interesting. She was actually enjoy
ing the day.
Biology was when the day took a downward turn.
Whit got into class early so she pulled out her latest Stephen King novel and started to read to pass the time. Before she knew it, a familiar muscular body settled into the seat beside her. She turned her body away and focused on the book. She tried to concentrate, but could feel him looking at her. Why couldn’t he just stop? It had been almost a week since the dance and she wasn’t cracking. Why wouldn’t he just give up? Then she understood. She was a challenge. He was used to girls flinging themselves at him, not ignoring him and running away. He was even more intrigued now than he had been.
As the silence continued, Whit started to feel like a bitch. Maybe a week of avoidance was enough. She knew she didn’t want to like him and certainly didn’t want to be involved with him, so it didn’t make sense to make herself more intriguing. She wasn’t going to let him in, and talking to him wasn’t as dangerous now that she’d decided on that. Maybe it’d be best to let her bitterness go, not that she would forget the type of guy he was. She could be nice and distant at the same time. It’d take less energy, that was for sure. By trying to get over it, she could move on and not feel so angry all the time.
She placed her book on the table in front of her and turned to face him. Before he could speak, she just blurted out her new plan of action. “Okay, here’s what I think. I don’t want to waste my energy being angry with you, so I’m getting over it. When I have to, I’ll endure your company and be nice. That’s it, though. Outside of class, I don’t want to be around you. You have no respect for girls or their feelings. All you care about is yourself and getting what you want from them. That’s not the type of person I want to be friends with, much less anything else.”
Whit watched and waited for Nolan to react. When he just sat there in silence, she peeked at him from the corner of her eye. His mouth was puckered like he was thinking.
Mr. Shepherd came in before Nolan could respond, if he was going to, and immediately started giving notes. The man did love to lecture, that was for sure. Whit gave her undivided attention over to the Biology teacher and tried to forget the guy sitting less than a foot away.
Unexpectedly, Nolan slid a scrap of paper onto her notebook. She quickly read the hastily scribbled note and felt like her head might explode. The note jokingly said that he didn’t realize she could be such a bitch. She shot him a look of hatred, then went back to taking notes.
At the end of class, she just wanted to get away from him. Whit’s seat at their table was against the wall, though, while Nolan’s was next to the aisle, effectively blocking her exit. She stood beside his chair and glared at him until he finally faced her. Then he just looked at her, saying nothing.
Whit’s anger was getting explosive and she knew if she didn’t escape soon, she would start yelling. The longer they stood looking at each other, the hotter her rage got. If the sneer on his face was any indication, he was upset too. She went to push past him, only to have him slam her up against the wall. Whit glanced around the classroom for Mr. Shepherd, but he was gone and the room was empty. She should have felt fear, but she didn’t. She knew he wouldn’t physically hurt her. The fact was that she was getting turned on by this aggressive side of Nolan and she absolutely hated it. Lord have mercy, he was hot. Nolan lowered his head so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek.
“I’m done apologizing to you,” he snapped right before his mouth closed over hers. She gasped in surprise, which gave his tongue the entrance it was seeking. Whit’s hands went to Nolan’s chest with the intent of shoving him away, but instead she found herself running them up to his shoulders. Nolan nibbled on her lower lip and Whit sighed. His hands skimmed down her arms, then around her waist, holding her close. As the kiss deepened, Whit felt Nolan’s fingers glide over the skin of her lower back.
The sound of giggling returned Whit’s sanity. She pulled away from Nolan and immediately thumped her head against the wall for clarity. Why had she let him kiss her? Why had she kissed him back? She knew her cheeks were blazing and wanted to delay the moment she had to see Nolan, but the noise level in the classroom was increasing and she knew they were no longer alone.
With a burst of embarrassment, Whit pushed Nolan away. Then with her head down, she grabbed her bag and darted by him towards the door. Once in the stairwell, she sank down onto a step and leaned back against the wall. She closed her eyes and immediately replayed what had just happened. She knew she was going to be late for Mind Study, but currently her mind wasn’t working at 100 percent, so what did it matter?
Eventually, she was able to pull herself together and continue up the stairs to Mind. The door was shut and Whit knew Mrs. McFaddin disliked interruptions, but there was no way to avoid it unless she wanted to skip class completely. The thought of going back to her room was tempting, but that would only lead to obsessing over the kiss. After mentally preparing herself for her teacher’s anger, she raised her fist and knocked softly.
The door swung inward and Mrs. McFaddin filled the space with a look of annoyance. “I’m glad you decided to grace us with your presence, Whitni,” she said irritably. “Care to tell us why you’re late?” she asked with a smirk, like she already knew.
Whit apologized profusely and slipped into her space in the circle, hoping the attention would shift from her to someone else. She could feel everyone waiting on her to respond and becoming more curious the longer it took. Avoiding eye contact, Whit quickly explained that she hadn’t been feeling well and on the way to class had needed to sit down for a moment. The room remained silent for a moment before the lesson underway resumed.
The remainder of class was spent discussing dream journals, along with any new developments in powers. Whit felt ill prepared and knew Mrs. McFaddin’s earlier disappointment had increased during this class. Throughout the class, Whit felt her teacher’s eyes watching her, but she still felt too frazzled from the earlier incident and to concentrate on the class. By the end of it, Whit found it hard to recall what exactly had been said.
Movement Performance was a struggle as well, because Nolan was in the room with her. She could feel his eyes following her as they played volleyball. Thank goodness they were on different teams, in different parts of the gym. She didn’t know how she felt about him or the kiss, and needed time to process and figure it out.
Rory, of course, immediately noticed that something was up. After badgering Whit on the entire walk back to the dorm, she finally got her way. Whit gave in and related what had happened in Biology. Rory stood silently, with a puzzled expression on her face when Whit finished.
“So he just grabbed you and kissed you?”
“Yeah.”
“Good lord, that sounds like something straight from a romance novel,” Rory sighed. “Why can’t that happen to me?”
“I don’t know what to do,” Whit said warily. “Nolan was a complete asshole to me at the dance. I don’t trust him, but that kiss was … something.”
Rory squeezed her shoulder and advised that she just needed some time to figure out what she wanted. Whit totally agreed with that.
Once in her dorm room, Whit collapsed on her bed and shut her eyes. She replayed the kiss, trying to figure out how she felt about it, but her emotions were everywhere. She felt rage and excitement, but most of all confusion. Most of the time Nolan annoyed and infuriated her, but sometimes she would glimpsed the sweet Nolan that she had started to really like. Her emotions felt out of control, and her body felt restless for some reason. Stretching out relieved some of the pressure. To distract herself, she grabbed her IPod and tried to escape into the music. The music was so soothing that she closed her eyes and dropped into a deep sleep.
Chapter 18
The trail through the woods was dark, but someone nearby carried a flashlight. Rory and Ellie were walking in front of her and talking excitedly. Most of their conversation was about the upcoming competition and the need for a team meeting. Whit heard her voice say some
thing about making plans to get together sometime the next day to talk strategy.
She realized immediately that she was seeing the vision from someone else’s perceptive, because she could see and hear herself talking to Rory and Ellie. The person was hiding behind some bushes in the woods that surrounded Maverick, but silently followed the three girls as they moved further into the forest. The sound of talking and laughing increased as a small clearing came into sight. It looked like a party around a fire pit. The stalker watched the entire group around the fire with hatred.
Whit had never felt the emotions of a person during a vision, but she felt this person’s revulsion toward the students. Glancing around at the attendees of the party, Whit thought if she could see who was missing, maybe she could identify the person watching them. There were Nalini and Darby, roasting marshmallows, while Nolan and Mark talked to a couple of girls she didn’t know. Rory, Tavis, and Christopher were laughing about something. The hatred started to feel overwhelming, and Whit just wanted the vision to end.
The dream started to fade immediately and eventually disappeared altogether, to be replaced by what Whit recognized as the warehouse area the school used for the hide and seek game. There were torches mounted along the wall in several areas, and large shapes scattered throughout the room. Whit peered intently at the shapes, trying to figure out what awaited her within the room. She moved into the room slowly, and ducked behind a large box pushed against the wall to scout out the room further. Out of the corner of her eye, she detected movement. As she turned to investigate the motion, pain burst through her head and everything went black.