Taming the Darkness

by Sarah Carter

  Shaking her head, Kayla whispers, “No, we eat it so often I barely notice it anymore. My parents are lucky you guys didn’t have a reaction.”

  “We wouldn’t. Anyway, I knew it was safe for you to eat, Kayla. I would never let anything happen to you.”

  Slightly taken aback, Kayla says, “Really?”

  Quickly spitting out a response, Jackson seems to cover up his words. “Well, if you kick the bucket, I would become valedictorian by default, and that’s not as much fun.”

  “You know what, you have a redeeming quality for like a nanosecond, and then you open your mouth.”

  “I don’t have any redeeming qualities. I'm a punk, plain and simple.”

  Kayla crosses her arms. “Obviously. You know, it seems like you try really hard to be that way.”

  “Only around you,” Jackson states, turning on the oven.

  “Why?”

  “It’s just better that we maintain certain boundaries with each other. You can’t get close to me.”

  “Then you shouldn’t be hanging out in my kitchen,” she growls. Jackson just looks at her. Annoyed, Kayla exclaims, “Who said I wanted to get close to you? Really? You may be hot, but your personality overshadows that!”

  “You think I’m hot?” Jackson inquires with a grin.

  Embarrassed, Kayla looks away. “Come on, you must know you're good-looking. Your ego is bigger than this town. My saying it is only going to boost it higher.”

  Jackson playfully sighs. “You're probably right. I guess if I ever need a good time, you are an option.”

  Kayla’s jaw drops. “As if I would ever give it up to your skanky ass. You have a lot of nerve to even assume I would want to have sex with you.”

  “You melted when I kissed you.” Jackson eyes her, smiling.

  “That’s your perception. I was putting on a show to piss off Jude. That’s it.”

  Leaning against the counter, Jackson laughs. “I felt your body react. It’s fine. I enjoyed it too.”

  “You did?” Kayla asks, surprised.

  “Mmhmm, you're a good kisser.” Jackson points at her. "But don’t let that go to your head.”

  Kayla nervously puts her hair behind her ear. “No one has ever told me that.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Jackson asks, “You have kissed a guy before, right?”

  “Yes,” Kayla groans. “But it was a long time ago.”

  “And it was bad?”

  With a heavy sigh, Kayla mutters, “You're going to laugh at me.”

  “Why?”

  “It was in the eighth grade.” Jackson's eyebrows shoot up in surprise as Kayla covers her face. “And it was with Jude.”

  “What!”

  “It was four years ago. He's been an ass to me ever since.”

  “Why?”

  Rubbing her forehead, Kayla whispers, “I wouldn’t do anything more with him, and it pissed him off.”

  “So…that means you're a virgin.”

  “Like that is any of your business!”

  Jackson laughs. “That’s cute.”

  “Don’t patronize me. It’s a personal choice. I’m sorry I'm not a slut like you.”

  With a snort, Jackson retorts, “It’s easy to meet a lot of girls when you travel around the world.”

  “Eventually, when I’m in college, I’ll meet a guy who I can have an intellectual conversation with, and maybe then I’ll consider having sex,” Kayla declares smugly.

  “Is that what it takes?” Jackson says, staring intently into her eyes. “Intellect?”

  Kayla opens her mouth and then closes it. “He has to be kind too, and funny.”

  “Your dream guy, huh?” Jackson says, turning to put the pizza in the oven.

  Curious, Kayla asks, “What would your dream girl be?”

  “That’s easy. She has to be accepted by my family.”

  “Your parents are that picky? They don’t seem to be that way. They were so nice.”

  Jackson smirks. “That’s because they approve of you.”

  “Me? Why me? I just met them!”

  Jackson chuckles. “You have certain traits that they look for.”

  “Oh,” Kayla whispers. “That’s good…I guess.” She shakes her head, snapping her thoughts away from the fact that Jackson's parents approve of her to be his girlfriend. "This conversation just got a little awkward.”

  Jackson laughs. “Okay, so my parents approve of you; it doesn’t mean I do.”

  “Well, you would be the last guy on this planet that I would ever be interested in!” Kayla spits out.

  With a devious grin, Jackson looks at her and then rushes forward. He grabs her into his arms and plants his lips on hers. Kayla can’t help herself, it’s like an insane inferno explodes inside of her. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer. They stumble backwards until they hit the wall. Feverishly, they kiss each other. Jackson runs his hands around her waist and pulls her hard against him. She almost whimpers. Abruptly, Jackson lets go of her. “What in the hell!”

  Kayla gasps, “What…what was that all about?”

  “I have no idea. Trust me, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  “Wow, what a nice response. I think I’d rather kiss Jude again!”

  Shaking his head, Jackson says, “No, I didn’t mean to offend you. That wasn’t it. I was going to kiss you to prove a point and then…I don’t know what happened.”

  “We kind of got caught up in it.”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. Without warning, he spins away from her “I should go.”

  Totally dumbfounded, Kayla says, “You don’t have to run away. I'm not that revolting.”

  “I didn’t say you were. I just need to go.”

  “Whatever.”

  Jackson snags a piece of paper off the table. He scribbles something down and then hands it to her. “Here's my number if you need a ride in the morning.”

  “Thanks. That’s kind of you.”

  “True,” Jackson says. He snatches the paper back.

  Kayla lunges toward him, steals the paper, and secures it against her chest. “Really? You strive so hard to be an ass!”

  “I know,” he quips back with a smile. Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, he twirls them around his finger. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Hesitant, Kayla asks, “Do you want my number?”

  “Ummm, not really, I’m not the one who needs a ride.”

  She clenches her fists and closes her eyes. “I don’t need you to pick me up in the morning. I’d rather walk.”

  “Now, that’s a lie.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Fine, give me your number.”

  With a glare, Kayla says, “No.”

  “What are you, two?”

  “You’re so frustrating. I can’t follow your personality. Generous, yet spiteful.”

  “I know.” Walking forward, Jackson takes out his cell phone. “What’s your number?”

  Still glaring at him, Kayla says, “1-800-screw you.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll pass.”

  “Get out of my house!” she snaps, pointing to her door.

  He laughs and walks away. “See you in the morning.”

  Kayla watches him leave and then exhales sharply. She takes the piece of paper, crumples it, and throws it across the room.

  A little while later, the buzzer goes off for the pizza. Still mad, Kayla yanks the oven door open and the whole thing falls off. “What in the hell?” she yells. “My parents are going to kill me!”

  As if glutton for punishment, the front door opens. “Kayla! We’re home!”

  “Mom! Mom, I swear I didn’t do it. I don’t know what happened!”

  Her mom comes around the corner and stares at the stove. “What in the world did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything! I was kind of mad and yanked the door open, but it sure wasn’t hard enough to tear it off the hinges!”

  Her dad comes around the cor
ner and his eyebrows arch. “From now on, be careful what you do when you’re mad.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Kayla snaps.

  “Just listen to me…if you’re mad, be cautious of your actions.”

  Kayla throws her hands up. “Why?”

  “You’d be surprised what you can do when you get angry. Now, turn the oven off.”

  She spins around and obeys. Her parents tell her to leave the kitchen so they can clean up. Kayla groans and grabs her stuff. She goes up to her room, growling the whole way. Slamming her door, Kayla grumbles, “Why do I let Jackson get to me?”

  The ringtone on her cell phone goes off. She picks it up and says, “Hello?”

  “Dude, I’m dying,” Tracy coughs out.

  “I doubt that. What’s wrong?”

  Tracy groans. “I have the flu, I think. Anyway, can you do me a favor?”

  “Yeah, of course, what do you need?”

  “Sometime tonight, can you go to the library and check out a book for me? I don’t think I’m going to school tomorrow.”

  “Sure, what’s it called?”

  “The Roads of India,” Tracy mumbles. “It’s nonfiction.”

  Kayla writes the title down. “All right, I’ll go after dinner. Do you need anything else?”

  “A new body.”

  Laughing, Kayla says, “I don’t think they sell those at the store.”

  “Mmm, whatever. Call me when you leave the library.”

  “Okay, feel better.” All she hears is a grumble before Tracy hangs up the phone. Kayla shakes her head. Sitting down, she grabs her calculus book and starts her homework.

  When dinner is finally done, and she leaves the house, the sky is already darkening. Kayla skips down the steps to her dad’s car. After getting in, she plugs in her iPod and presses play. The band that Jackson played earlier comes on. Not needing the reminder, Kayla presses the skip button multiple times.

  The library parking lot is nearly deserted when she gets there. She grabs her purse and heads in. It takes her a while, but she finally finds the book for Tracy. Deciding to get herself something, Kayla walks over to the fiction area. While she searches the shelves, she begins to feel like someone is watching her. Kayla whirls around. There’s no one there, but it doesn’t make her uneasiness pass. She tucks her book under Tracy’s and heads to the check-out desk.

  Pushing the front door open, Kayla quickly texts Tracy that she’s on her way. Kayla walks toward her car, not really paying attention to her surroundings. From behind her, she hears, “Ugh, I thought I wouldn’t have to look at your face anymore today.”

  Kayla turns around and sees Jude. She rolls her eyes. “I was hoping for the same thing.”

  “Where’s your boyfriend? Did he dump you already?”

  “Jackson is not my boyfriend. I have better taste than that.”

  Jude takes a few steps forward. Instinctively, she backs away from him. “What book do you have, a stupid romance novel?”

  “Um, no, it’s a mystery.”

  “Of course, what was I thinking?” Jude sighs. “You would have to actually be interested in sex to read romance.”

  Glaring at him, Kayla says, “Piss off, Jude, you’re just annoyed that I don’t like you.”

  “Kayla,” Jude retorts, stepping closer to her. “You’re going to have to settle for some loser because no guy is ever going to want you.”

  “Shut up,” Kayla yells. “Just because I find you revolting, doesn’t mean I’m unattractive to other guys.”

  Losing all humor, Jude says, “I rejected you. Don’t get those facts mixed up.”

  “That’s not how it happened, and you know it.”

  Jude steps forward and grabs her arm. “It would be wise to keep that to yourself.”

  “Let go of me! It would be wise to keep your hands off of me before I knock you on your ass.”

  “You start spreading rumors about me, and I will be your worst nightmare.”

  “Let go of me, Jude!” Kayla cries, trying to twist out of his grip.

  Jude opens his mouth to say something when they both hear a deep growl. They slowly turn to see a huge, brown dog stalk around the front of Kayla’s car. Its hackles are raised up high. Jude lets go of her and steps back. Kayla’s heart nearly pounds out of her chest. The dog looks at her, and then turns its gaze to Jude. Kayla backs up, pressing her body against the car. The dog walks in front of her, continuing to growl at Jude. Jude pales.

  “Jude,” Kayla whispers. “Don’t move.”

  “Shut up, Kayla,” Jude hisses. “Don’t say anything, you may startle it.”

  The dog lunges at Jude. He immediately turns and darts across the parking lot. Kayla drops her books and races to the library. Her heart beats rapidly. When she gets to the doors, she yanks on the handle. They don’t move. It dawns on her that the library just closed, leaving her stranded outside with the killer dog. She starts banging on the door and yelling.

  Something touches her arm and she spins, screaming.

  “Kayla! Stop! Calm down!”

  Her knees weaken as she looks at Jackson and clutches his arms. “There’s a dog, a huge dog. He went after Jude. We need to get help!”

  “No, I just saw Jude fall. The dog ran past him. He’s fine. You need to calm down,” Jackson says. Kayla crumbles to the ground, crying. Jackson squats down next to her. “Kayla, breathe. Calm down.”

  She puts her hand to her chest and starts to choke on her breath. “I was so scared.”

  “You’re fine now. The dog is gone. Relax.”

  Kayla starts to take deep breaths. After a few minutes, her heart finally stops pounding. “Okay. I’m okay.”

  “Good,” Jackson replies. “Come on, stand up.” He grabs her and lifts her with ease.

  Looking at him, Kayla whispers, “Wow, you’re strong.”

  “Umm, thanks, let me get you to your car.” He gently puts his arm around her back and ushers her forward.

  “The dog was huge! Did you see that thing?”

  Jackson laughs. “It was a bullmastiff.”

  “It’s not funny,” she says, smacking him on the arm. “And how in the world could you tell what kind of dog it was?”

  “Actually, it is kind of funny.” The smile fades from his face as he continues. “I saw Jude grab you. The dog did what I wanted to do.”

  Thinking about it, Kayla exhales. “It was almost perfect timing. I never thought Jude would be aggressive.”

  “Remember, scrape the inside of your foot down his shin. It really does hurt.”

  Kayla nods. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  A weird look passes over Jackson’s face. “What do you think I was doing at the library?”

  “Stalking me.” Kayla giggles. “I’m only joking.”

  “Yeah, I had nothing better to do, so I thought I would follow you.”

  They walk quietly to Kayla’s car. Jackson bends down and picks up her books. He hands them to her. “Thanks,” she says.

  “Jude and I are going to have a long conversation tomorrow,” Jackson says.

  “Jackson, leave it be. He’s an idiot.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Jackson snarls, “He put his hand on you. Now he’s going to lose it.”

  “I didn’t think you would defend a girl you hated so much.”

  “I-I don’t hate you,” Jackson stutters. “Why do you think I hate you?”

  Pulling her books close, Kayla replies, “Okay, you don’t hate me, but you aren’t a huge fan of me either. I think you tolerate me.”

  “Well, that’s true.”

  Kayla rolls her eyes. “Whatever, Jackson, next time just leave me alone.”

  “Relax, I don’t hate you, and I do more than tolerate you.”

  “No, you kiss me and then feel the need to bolt. That pretty much defines repulsion.”

  With a frown, Jackson says, “I didn’t bolt.”

  “Um, yeah you did, but whatever. Like I said, we’re oil and water.�
��

  “No, we are both oil, and the rest of the world is water. You’ll learn that one of these days.”

  Confused, Kayla says, “What in the world is that supposed to mean?”

  “You and I are more alike than you could ever imagine,” Jackson mumbles.

  “I see. Well, thanks for being so nice. I know it must be hard for you.”

  Jackson looks at her. “There are reasons why I behave the way I do.”

  “Yeah, so that I don’t like you.”

  “There are reasons for that too, but I won’t get into them.”

  Crossing her arms, Kayla declares, “Fine, I promise not to get attached, just stop being mean to me.”

  Chuckling, Jackson states, “If I stop being mean, then you aren’t kept on your toes. Anyway, I’m way too charming to resist if I don’t come across as an ass.”

  “I think I can resist.”

  “I would prove you wrong, but that didn’t work out very well last time,” Jackson says under his breath.

  Kayla snorts. “No, the problem was that it got us too far.”

  “Mmm, well, you better get home.”

  “I have to take this book to Tracy, and then I will,” Kayla says, as she unlocks her car. “Thanks for helping me.”

  Jackson smirks, “Do you need a ride in the morning?”

  Kayla rolls her eyes and grimaces. “Yeah, kind of. My dad is a little embarrassing when he takes me in.”

  “All right, I’ll pick you up at seven thirty, and I’ll bring brownies.”

  “What is with you and those things?” Kayla says with a laugh.

  A smile spreads across Jackson’s face. “They’re good for us. You should eat them more often.”

  “You and my parents are crazy. All right, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Try to stay out of harm’s way until then, okay?”

  Laughing, Kayla replies, “I’ll try.” She gets in the car, and Jackson shuts her door. She looks at him and smiles through the window. He gives her an almost thoughtful look back. As she starts the engine, Jackson turns and walks away. It’s then that Kayla notices his car isn’t in the parking lot, but before she can question him, he disappears. “What in the…” Kayla turns around and looks for him in the shadows, but he’s nowhere to be seen. She shakes her head, thinking there has to be a reasonable explanation, and drives away.