The Nexis Secret: YA Fantasy Romance (The Nexis Angel Series Book 1)

by Barbara Hartzler

  Mindy topped her salad with piles of veggies. I loaded up my sandwich with the final touch, honey mustard, and scanned the tables for Shanda. No luck. The crowd pushed me to the checkout line, separating me from Mindy.

  After I swiped my card, I spied a couple of red-heads lounging at a big table by the front windows.

  Felicia motioned me over, a small gesture that pulled me out of my inner ramblings and back to the real world like a lifeline.

  I set my tray down across from her, next to Laura. “Hi, girls.”

  “Lucy, I’m so glad you found us.” Laura put down her sandwich and flashed her warm hostess-with-the-mostest smile.

  Felicia munched on her hot dog, her green eyes bright and friendly. “Me, too. I can’t wait to hear about your class today.”

  “Really? It’s just a class.” I swung my bag off my shoulders. “Okay, maybe a little weirder than normal.”

  “Wait.” Laura held up her tiny hand. “Don’t say any more till the rest of the crew gets here.”

  “Why?” I scrunched my eyebrows at her, stuffing my turkey sandwich into my mouth to keep from saying something rude. The deli turkey was salty and delicious, especially paired with the juicy tomato and crisp lettuce. I could still make a mean sandwich, even if I had no idea why everyone cared so much about my Western Civ class.

  Laura shrugged her red-orange curls off her shoulders. “So you don’t have to repeat yourself. They’ll want to hear about it, since it’s everyone’s favorite class. I know I’d hate having to tell the same story over and over again.”

  “Good call.” I nodded at her, unscrunching my eyebrows. Still, the imminent threat of retelling Harlixton’s much-anticipated flood lecture had me on edge. I twirled my silver ring around my finger, hoping that rubbing the family heirloom would suddenly make everything clearer. Did I really see some strange guy kneeling before God? Better keep that part to myself, or the school nurse would pack me up and ship me off to psycho-land.

  Mindy wandered among the tables and I waved her over. She settled herself in next to Felicia.

  “This is my suitemate, Mindy Donovan.” I introduced her to Felicia and Laura.

  The gingers exchanged odd looks. What was that about? I opened my mouth to ask, right as the guys yelled at each other across the cafeteria, heading to our table. I bit back my question and glanced up into those famous eyes. Bryan closed his trap, while Tony cocked his head at Lenny.

  That made two things I’d have to ask about later.

  Tony pulled out the chair next to Mindy, and Lenny plunked down beside him. That left one chair for Bryan, the one next to me. His lips twisted, not exactly a frown, but not really a smile either, until his shoulder grazed mine. I scooted closer to Laura and we all munched in silence.

  “Hey, girl.” Shanda waved at me across the dining hall.

  Bryan snagged a chair from another table, sliding it between us. My jaw clenched as if he’d dissed me. Where’d that come from? I stuffed my sandwich in my mouth to distract myself from any more hormone-induced silliness. Maybe he just thought we’d like to sit together since we roomed together.

  “Thanks, Bryan.” Shanda plopped into her seat next to me. “What’d I miss?”

  “Lucy was going to tell us all about Harlixton’s class.” Laura nudged me and I put down my turkey and cheese. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. My face flamed.

  I took a cool sip of iced tea. “There’s not much to tell really. It was a little odd, that’s all.”

  Mindy coughed. “Odd is an understatement.”

  “Really, how interesting could this class be? Western Civilization sounds like such a drag.” Shanda slurped her smoothie.

  “Thank you.” I nodded at her. “Except this time it was anything but boring. He asked to see me after classes.”

  She cackled loud enough the whole lunch room could hear. “Uh, oh, you must be in trouble.”

  The warmth from my cheeks burned down my neck. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. I said that I had no idea what he was talking about. I think I’m just behind and he wants to help me catch up.”

  Bryan cracked a huge grin that lit up his whole face. “You’re serious? You’ve never heard about the other angles of Genesis six?”

  “Not really. It was all kind of strange.” I shook my head at him, but his smile only widened. What an odd thing to smile about.

  “Awesome.” Tony pumped his fist. The small gesture lightened the tension at the table. They all stared at me like they’d just won the lottery, all except Mindy and Shanda.

  “Really?” Such a strange reaction, especially from the guys.

  “I don’t get it.” Shanda turned to me.

  “You and me both,” I whispered to her.

  “What’s not to get? There are two sides on this campus and you have to choose one. If your family didn’t already choose it for you.” Mindy pounded her cup down so hard the table shook. All the grins evaporated. “What? It’s true.” She crossed her arms over her body and glared at me.

  “What are you looking at me for?” That strange damp odor hung in the air, like a shadow over my head, threatening to suffocate me with accusations and implications.

  Something must’ve happened, something major.

  Whispers swirled around me. “It’s your fault. It’s all your fault.” Yet no one at the table opened their mouth. They just stared at Mindy.

  How could it be my fault? Worse, what if the whispers were right? Did this have something to do with James?

  I propped my elbows on the table. “You mentioned something about family in class, my family specifically. Does this have anything to do with my brother?”

  Mindy flinched like I’d slapped her. Those goggle-sized eyes told me I’d missed a step. “You mean he never told you what happened here?”

  A bitter laugh escaped my throat. Shadows from the storm outside dappled the tray in front of me. “Please, after graduation James jetted off to Europe. No phone calls, no emails, no communication of any kind. He practically abandoned the family, abandoned me.”

  “Lucy.” Her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I always thought ...”

  “You thought what?” I snapped at her with more venom than I intended. Too much talk about James always brought out the worst in me. I’d be happier if Paige had been the one to take off without a word. But not James, my big bro, my confidant, my grounding influence. His absence carved a hole in my life that could never be replaced. My insides ached.

  Her eyes glistened with tears. “Maybe we should talk about this later.” With that she bolted out the door, straight into the rain. It must be a big deal for her to ruin her hair like that.

  Something was wrong, seriously wrong. No one around here even knew James very well, except Will. Could I really talk to him about it, especially if he was mad at me right now? But where else could I turn?

  * * *

  The clouds parted and splatters of sunshine washed onto Shanda’s forehead.

  “What was that about?” She hissed in my ear, sending a chill up my neck.

  “I have no idea.” I clawed through my long hair, wrapping it into a bun. Anything to clear the what-if thoughts from my head. When I let go, soft waves feathered down my back. I stared out the window as the raindrops petered out. The rest of the crew mumbled things behind me, but I tuned them out.

  Suddenly I felt like Switzerland, stuck between two sides. Even though I’d just met Mindy, she was quickly becoming one of my favorite people. Had I misjudged her so badly? I’d misjudged Jake, and look how that turned out.

  James could’ve told me what happened anytime in the two years since he’d left me in the lurch. Especially if it involved Montrose. He knew I might come here someday. I missed that lopsided smile of his, the way it somehow made everything better. I’d always figured he wanted to rebel against Mom and Dad and their ridiculous Ivy League, high-society expectations. Maybe there was more to it.

  Shanda’s ebony fingers filte
red the light into confetti before my eyes. “You okay?”

  I nodded at her, but I didn’t dare meet her eyes, or anyone else’s in the group. Then a familiar smell wafted across the table, soapy with a hint of spice.

  Will plopped himself in Mindy’s spot and turned his gray eyes on me. I forced a smile.

  Kevin scraped up a chair next to him. “Hi, guys, mind if we join you?”

  Tony scooted away from him. “Whatever.”

  My sandwich lay half-eaten on my plate. The sight of it made my stomach flip-flop, like it couldn’t take any more stress. “I’ve got to get to English. I’ll see you guys later.”

  “Bye, Lucy.” Bryan’s concerned expression did nothing to calm my nerves. Until he edged closer and whispered, “Don’t forget our deal.”

  I nodded. His smile almost looked genuine, but was it for Will’s benefit or mine?

  “I’ll come with.” Shanda palmed her smoothie, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

  Outside I inhaled a giant gulp of damp air. The rainclouds thinned out now, but water still clung to the trees, the grass, the cobblestone.

  “Wait up.” Will’s voice called out. More footsteps sloshed behind me.

  “You girls walk fast.” Kevin puffed as he sidled up to Shanda. “How you been?”

  Shanda’s usual cackle teetered into a giggle.

  Will caught up with me as I lagged behind the flirting spectacle in front of me.

  “Kev’s always good for a laugh.” He stayed by my side as we headed to Salinger Hall where all the lit and art classes were held.

  “I can see that.” If Shanda’s ebony cheeks could turn bright red like mine, they’d light our way to class like Rudolph’s shiny nose.

  Will tilted his jaw my way, with that cleft scrunched into his chin. Oh, to have such perfect genes. “You okay? You seemed upset back there. If it’s about the other night, I’m really sorry. I hope you know I wasn’t talking bad about you, just religious nuts like that Bryan kid. He gets to me.”

  “No, it’s not about that. I feel kinda dumb for overreacting. Believe me, I’ve got bigger problems.” Yet his comments about Bryan drew a hot breath from my lips. Figures they’d both be territorial, a typical guy thing. “My suitemate brought up my brother, kind of a sore subject.”

  “You’re not dumb, but I’m glad we’re cool.” His gray eyes wrinkled like a smiling cat, as if he really meant it. “I wonder how your brother is doing.”

  Could such a gorgeous guy have a deeper layer of meaning? Before Jake, I always took things at face value. Now I had no clue.

  “How well did you know James?” I jumped a puddle and planted my feet on the sidewalk.

  He turned to face me. “I was only a freshman when he was a senior. He was president of Nexis then, always the life of the party.”

  A picture of James sliding down the dorm’s grand banister in his PJs popped into my head. His shaggy hair mussed up, that goofy grin all over his face.

  I cracked a smile. “That’s definitely James. He’s probably the life of the party wherever he is now.”

  The grit of rough fingers brushed the hair off my cheek. A chill crept down my spine at his touch. I stopped and fixed my eyes on Will’s. They held me in place. “Someone so beautiful shouldn’t be so sad.”

  Tears rushed to my eyelids. One spilled over, trailing down my cheek.

  With his index finger he wiped it away. “I’m sorry. I know you said it’s a sore subject.”

  “You can say that again.” I wiped my eyes and studied the wet toes of my canvas Toms. I hadn’t even noticed before.

  He nudged me with his shoulder, out of my thoughts. “Hey, I’m sorry I can’t make the double date thing on Saturday. I’ve got a Nexis council meeting. It’s kind of a big deal.”

  “What double date thing?” Did my heart just stop?

  “Shanda didn’t tell you? She and Kevin were trying to do some sort of double date thing this weekend. I thought it was your idea.”

  “Right, I forgot about that. I was trying to distract Kevin.” I bit my lip, peeking up at him behind my lashes. Wasn’t the double date supposed to be with Bryan, not Will? But I couldn’t ask him that. Already, this was getting too confusing.

  “Yeah, don’t take it personally. He hits on everyone.” He turned those gray eyes on me full force, running his hand through his sandy mop. “But if you’re free next weekend, I’d love to take you out. Just us.”

  “Really?” For the first time today a surge of warmth flooded through my body. He didn’t mention the word date, so maybe he actually wanted to hang out. Because hanging out would be okay. But dating was definitely out of the question. “I think that’d be fun.”

  “Great, let’s get you to class.” He pressed his hand against the small of my back, leading me to Salinger. Strange, how the warmth of his hand comforted me and sent chills up my back, all at the same time.

  Chapter 7

  Humid air pressed down on me, clogging my lungs as I pushed open the glass door to Nelson Hall. The gray heaviness outside had somehow seeped into my dorm, my thoughts. Had Will just asked me on a date, or was it some sort of friendly Nexis way to get me to join up? Maybe it was somewhere in the middle. Questions swirled around in my brain, colliding headlong into what Bryan had offered the other night. Sure, I could be friends with guys, but probably not just with guys like Will or Bryan. They were both way too charming to be any girl’s friend.

  “You got a sec, Lucy?” From behind the giant mahogany desk the forty-something dorm mom waved at me, her frizzy fake-red curls bouncing. “I haven’t talked to you much. I hope you’re settling in all right.”

  “No complaints so far, Miss Sherry.” I edged toward the stairs. Couldn’t she see the dark cloud hovering over my head?

  Her hands cinched her plump hips. “Now don’t be shy. I’m sure a pretty girl like you has lots of friends and lots of guys chasing her.”

  Flames fanned up my neck, but I mussed my hair to cover it. Time to pull out one of those homecoming queen smiles Mom taught me. “Well, that’s very nice of you to say.”

  She motioned me toward the front desk. “Since your dad’s on the board, we all figured you’d start as soon as your brother graduated. But after what happened to the Donovan girl, you can hardly blame them. So sad really.”

  “You mean Mindy? What happened to her?” I looked around the room as if she were hiding behind the couch, plotting this whole thing. But the lobby was strangely empty.

  The desk dug into Miss Sherry’s belly as she leaned forward, lowering her voice a notch or two. “No, this was before Mindy’s time. I meant her sister of course.”

  “Say what?” All I could do was stare blankly like an idiot.

  She laughed. “Your face is too funny, like someone kept it a secret from you on purpose.”

  “Right.” Somehow, my head bobbed, but I couldn’t feel it. My whole body felt numb. “Why wouldn’t they tell me?”

  “I’m sure your parents just wanted to protect you.” She shrugged like it meant nothing, yet somehow I knew it meant everything. “I’m sorry I brought it up, me and my big mouth. I never meant to upset you.”

  She ran her fingers through her short fluffy hair, her dark eyes surveying my face.

  “So what happened—?”

  A flash of blonde hair appeared at my side, and I turned to see Monica’s white smile. “Hey, Lucy, don’t let me interrupt something. I’m just here for my weekly check-in with Miss Sherry.”

  “Don’t worry, sugar. Everything will be fine.” Miss Sherry’s bracelets jingled as she patted me on the shoulder.

  I could only nod at her. She clomped out from behind her desk and herded Monica into her office.

  Okay, maybe I was totally paranoid, but something weird was definitely going on there. All I could think about was Mindy, how something bad had happened to her sister. But what did it have to do with my brother? Maybe I didn’t want to know.

  I shuffled up the stairs and down the hall unti
l I reached Mindy’s door. Muffled noises seeped under the cracks, crying noises. I raised my hand to knock, but chickened out and tiptoed to my room instead. She probably needed to be alone, and so did I.

  As soon as I closed my door, I headed for the window and curled up in my little nook. Rain pattered against the glass, a random lull that soothed the questions away.

  “There you are, I’ve got something to tell you.” Shanda burst into the room, plopping her stuff on her bed and opening her laptop. “Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later.”

  “Famous last words.” I hugged my legs, resting my chin on my knees.

  “Aren’t you just precious?” Shanda closed her laptop and perched on my bed, curling up her legs too. “You know, Bryan’s not exactly cute, and he’s only a junior. What about Will? He’s so much hotter, and a senior, too. They’re both completely into me.”

  “Is that your best Lucy impersonation? I do not sound like that!You need to keep practicing.” I pressed my fingertips against the cool glass, tracing the droplets. “And you’re wrong about Bryan. I think he’s cute.”

  “Cute, but not hot, right? At least not as hot as Will. He’s super fine. You’ve got to admit.”

  I just shrugged at her. “So what if Will is hotter? I still think Bryan’s cute, too, but it’s not all about looks for me. I’m attracted to who a guy really is, and no amount of hotness can make a jerk attractive to me.”

  “Don’t I know it?” She snapped her fingers in my ear. “Girl, you’ve got it. Two guys after you in a matter of weeks, and you already got them texting you? It’s not even homecoming yet.”

  Suddenly the air stilled—even the raindrops practically froze in mid-air. “There’s a message on my phone? I didn’t give either one of them my number.”

  The window ledge couldn’t hold me as I tumbled onto the bed, plowing into my nightstand. Tremors seized my hands, but somehow I gripped my cell. Sure enough, a text appeared from Jake. Miss you babe. Let’s meet up before you leave. Hope it’s not too late. Call me.