St Mary's Academy Series Box Set 1

by Seven Steps

I’d never been to Disney World before and going with my friends was more than I could ask for.

  By the time Joe walked me back to my front door, I felt so giddy and exhausted I could barely see straight.

  “I had a nice time with your friends,” he said.

  “Yup. They’re awesome.”

  “I can see why you’re so close. That Ariel chick is a firecracker, huh? Did you see her try to punch that girl at the convention for flirting with Eric?”

  I laughed. “How could I miss it? If the punch had connected, we would’ve been in jail right now.”

  “I’m sure Aunt Pam would’ve loved that.”

  “Oh God, no. She’d ban me from ever talking to Ariel again.”

  “You should tell Ms. Ariel that she can’t go around punching every girl who flirts with her boyfriend. I mean, look at me. I got like twelve numbers today, and you didn’t threaten anybody’s life.”

  I smacked him on the shoulder, beating back my jealousy.

  “That’s different. I’m not your girlfriend.”

  An odd expression crossed his face before it settled into an easy smile.

  “Right. I almost forgot.”

  My heart jumped. What did that mean? Why did he keep saying things like that?

  “I’d better go. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  My brain was still fighting to catch up, but I managed a small wave before letting myself into the apartment.

  He’d almost forgotten I wasn’t his girlfriend? How did one forget something like that?

  Why was he so confusing? One minute I think I have the friend thing down pat and the next minute he’s saying things like that, making me all nervous. Ugh, he was so frustrating sometimes.

  I showered and climbed into bed, still thinking of the beautiful fireworks I’d seen. I’d only been to Walt Disney World for an hour, and already I knew I wanted to go back. Eric said he’d rent it out for his next birthday specifically so I could have the entire Disney experience. I hugged him tight after that. Eric was giving to a fault and, honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.

  I lay in bed and closed my eyes.

  This house was quiet. Too quiet.

  Mom and Quincey weren’t here to make late night trips to the refrigerator or the bathroom. There was no video game music or even snoring. There were only the smaller sounds. The creak of the floor. An ambulance from the street below.

  I squeezed my eyes and turned on my side, but that did nothing for the visions that ran through my head. In the darkness, monsters took shape.

  Michael Meyers.

  Dracula.

  Creatures with glowing eyes and long fingernails ready to rip and tear at my flesh.

  My stomach clenched so tight I winced.

  Yes. I was sixteen years old and, for the most part, I considered myself mature. Fierce even. But it was dark, and I was alone in this enormous apartment. And I was afraid.

  I felt under my pillow for my phone and slid under the blanket until it covered my head. Only then did I open my eyes and fired off a text.

  Me: I’m scared.

  Almost instantaneously, three dots popped up on the screen below my writing. Then, they went away.

  Had Joe decided he didn’t want to talk to me? Or maybe that he just didn’t care.

  The dots popped back up, then went away again.

  What was he doing? Debating whether to answer or not? Maybe he was texting Charlotte right at this very moment and my text kept getting in the way?

  I put the phone face down.

  This was silly.

  I was being silly.

  There were no monsters. I was the only one in this apartment right now.

  I shouldn’t be afraid. I was too old for that. I should just relax and go to sleep.

  The temperature under the blanket rose to nearly stifling levels. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

  I shouldn’t have texted Joe. He probably thought I was being a big baby. He was probably laughing his butt off at me as we spoke. He probably…

  The unmistakable sound of the door opening made my heart jump into my ribs.

  Someone was in the apartment.

  Oh my God, someone was in the apartment.

  My lungs turned tight.

  My heart beat wildly.

  I was here, alone, with no weapon or even a shoe to throw at them. I was defenseless and, I was pretty sure, I was about to die.

  With this new, and very real threat approaching, I threw off the covers and sprinted across the room, phone in hand. I needed to get to the closet, and fast. Once I was hidden, I could call 911.

  But I had to hurry.

  I pulled open the closet door and my heart sank. The closet was so full of shoes and clothes and boxes and there was nowhere for me to stand. Or hide. The knob of my door turned, and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but only a squeak came out. In one last desperate attempt to defend myself I picked up the only thing I could. A high heel.

  I wrapped my fingers around the shoe, holding it to my shoulder like a baseball bat even though my mind screamed it would only slow down this crazed intruder for mere moments. Not nearly enough time to survive.

  The door opened.

  A hand reached in and flipped on the lights.

  There was nowhere to hide now. The moment he stepped into the room he’d see me. Then it would be over.

  The door opened wider. Then wider.

  And then, “Sophia?”

  My entire body sighed with relief.

  Joe stepped into the room, searching until his eyes fell on me and my baseball bat shoe.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  I put down my shoe, my hand on my head. “Joe. Jeez, you scared the crap out of me. I thought you were a murderer.”

  He smirked. “And you were going to take me down with a shoe?”

  “It’s all I had.”

  “You don’t have baseball bats in New York? Or rifles?”

  I threw the shoe aside and sat on the bed.

  My fear still rode me hard, and my heartbeat hadn’t slowed down yet.

  “You all right?” He came to stand in front of me, camo hat on his head, hands in his pockets.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You said you were scared.”

  “I was.”

  “Of what?”

  I groaned. “I don’t know. I was just… scared.”

  This was stupid. Why was I being so stupid?

  The bed sank beneath his weight as he sat next to me.

  One arm snaked around me.

  “Come here,” he said. He pulled me close, and I allowed myself to clasp onto him.

  Honestly, I didn’t think I could let him go if I tried. At least, not until the sun came up.

  “You’re all right, Jelly Roll,” he said, hugging me close.

  “Stay,” I whispered. “Please.” I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  He frowned, his eyes hooded. His gaze dropped from me, to somewhere farther beyond. After a moment, his eyes returned to mine and he gave me a brief glimpse of a smile.

  “Okay.”

  I let out a breath and hugged him harder. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll just set up camp in the living room,” he said.

  “Can I come?”

  The question blurted from my mouth before I could stop it, but I knew I didn’t want to take it back. I was afraid, and I didn’t want Joe out of my sight. At least not until sunrise.

  He jerked his chin toward my bed. “Grab your pillow and your blanket.”

  I moved quickly, grabbing my pillow and blanket and trailing after him like a lost puppy. He stopped over in the spare room my mother had designated as his and grabbed a pillow and blanket for himself. Then we both made our way into the living room. I took the couch across from the television while he took the couch to the right of me.

  “Won’t yo
ur uncle Bart mind?” I asked.

  “Nah. I told him I’d be up here tonight. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  I laid my head on my pillow, my head sinking into the soft down.

  “Thank you for coming,” I said.

  “Of course I’d come. Did you think I wouldn’t?”

  “Honestly, I didn’t know what to think.”

  “Jelly Roll, I’ll be there whenever you need me. Day or night, rain or shine.” He lifted his head and I lifted mine. We peered at each other over the arms of the couches. “You know that, right?”

  I nodded sheepishly. “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  We both lay back down, silent in the darkness.

  “Joe?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you help me find out what happened to my dad?”

  He was silent for a minute.

  “Okay.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yeah. I promise.”

  With those simple words, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I sighed, lying flat on my back, staring up at the dark ceiling. I was still afraid, but it was less now. As if Joe’s very presence had beat back the monsters.

  My lids grew heavy, my conscious fading into sweet sleep. Right before I slipped away, I felt a set of strong fingers brush my own. They interlaced with mine, gave a small squeeze, then fell away.

  Or maybe it was just the start of a beautiful dream.

  34

  "I go, I go, look how I go. Quicker than an arrow from Cupid's bow!"

  Shawn Mogul, our resident Puck/Robin Goodfellow struck a dramatic pose, but I was only halfway paying attention from my spot in the stage’s wings.

  My mind was too wrapped up.

  Finding my dad.

  Josiah’s fingers wrapped in mine while he slept.

  Waking up and finding him sleeping on the floor, directly below where I slept.

  Us cooking breakfast together.

  We’d stayed in the living room hanging out for as long as we could. When Mom texted me that she was on her way, Joe left, and I cleaned up all traces of him ever being there.

  Mom loved Joe, but I had a feeling if she found out he’d slept over when she wasn’t home, she’d have something to say about it.

  I bit the nail on my thumb, trying to wrangle my thoughts, when someone crashed into me. The impact sent me spiraling to the ground, with a heavy weight on my chest.

  What the heck was that?

  "I am so sorry."

  Shawn’s heavy weight released me, and he held out his hand. "I didn't see you standing there."

  I took a mental inventory of my body. Nothing was broken as far as I could tell. My back felt sore but okay, as did my legs and arms. My pride, however, was another story.

  "You all right?" Shawn extended a hand to me, and, for the first time, I took a good, hard look at him. His toffee skin was smooth and unblemished. His lips full, his eyes light brown. He wore pencil thin dreads pulled to the top of his head in a ponytail, but the back was shaved, giving him an edgy look. And a kind of hot one.

  I accepted his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet.

  “I'm sorry. I usually look where I’m going.”

  I brushed off my jeans and long-sleeved purple T-shirt.

  “It’s okay. I should have seen you running toward me.”

  “No, it was my fault. Pedestrians always have the right of way, right?”

  I scoffed. “Yeah.”

  “How about you let me make it up to you,” he said, finally releasing my hand. “Let me buy you a cup of tea.”

  Tea? I wasn't a huge tea drinker. But where there was tea, there was coffee, right?

  I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again when I caught Josiah's watchful eye upon me. He did not look happy.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Was he really giving me the stink eye right now? Shawn seemed like a nice guy and a good friend. And Joe had already told me, on numerous occasions, that he and I were only friends. Weren’t friends allowed to grab tea with other friends? And, if so, why did these other friends look so murderous?

  "Can I let you know?" I asked. "I just have to check a few things."

  Shawn followed my gaze to where Joe was openly staring at us.

  "I mean, if you have something going on with Walker, it’s cool. I didn't know you guys were a thing."

  "We're not a thing," I corrected him. "We're just friends."

  "Does he know that?"

  "He's the one who told me."

  Shawn nodded slowly. "Oh okay. Well, let me know. I'll be here."

  He smiled at me. I liked his smile. It was so boyish and sweet.

  Shawn went to the other side of the stage to await his next cue, and, when he was gone, Joe showed up in his place.

  "What did Mogul want?" he asked.

  I shrugged. "Nothing much."

  "It didn't look like nothing."

  "Were you looking?"

  "Of course I was looking. You saw me looking."

  I shook my head. "Shawn just asked me if I'd like to go grab a cup of tea."

  "What? Why?"

  I turned fully to him, my hands on my hips. "Seriously?"

  "Not. I didn't mean like that. I meant, why would he ask you specifically?"

  I scoffed. "Oh, that’s better."

  He growled. "That's not what I meant.”

  "So, what do you mean, Joe?"

  I raised my eyebrows at him and watched him squirm.

  “I just don’t think you should be seeing other guys right now. You should be focused on your grades and the play. Guys are just a distraction, and you don’t need that right now. That’s all I was saying.”

  I laughed at him. Loudly.

  Was he actually saying this to me right now? He sounded like my mom and Quincey.

  I pushed past him, found a seat, and sat in it.

  “Whatever, Joe.”

  “Come on, Jelly Roll. Don’t be that way.”

  My anger blazed. Just because Joe didn't want me, didn't mean other guys wouldn't want me. Yes, I wasn't the player I used to be. I dressed differently and acted differently around boys. I wasn't my flirty self anymore. But I still looked the same, and guys liked that I was funny and cool and not nervous all the time like the freshman girls. Did Joe think no one would want to hang out with me besides him? Before he got here, I was dripping with guys, and just because he didn't want me, it didn't mean that some other guy wouldn't.

  I tapped my foot on the floor, stewing.

  I wasn't required to hang out with Joe twenty-four seven. Especially since he had made it clear that I was not his girlfriend. We were just friends. He'd told me that a million and one times. Maybe I was just hanging onto the idea that we could be more? Maybe I was hanging onto the past? In any case, Joe would never be any more than my cousin's best friend. No matter how much I wanted things to be different.

  Maybe it was time to move on?

  No, not maybe. It was definitely time to move on.

  Besides, it wasn’t like this was a date. I was just grabbing tea with a friend. That was allowed under the boy ban, wasn’t it?

  I made up my mind. I would have that tea with Shawn.

  And I didn't care what Joe thought about it.

  35

  "Are you sure you know where to go?" Shawn asked for the third time.

  I smiled. "Yes. I know where it is."

  We’d finished rehearsal and now Shawn and I were standing in the school lobby.

  He’d told me that the tea shop, called The Tea Leaf, was owned by his mom. It was super trendy, and only a few blocks away from the school. Apparently, the customers drank their tea to a background of musical chimes and bird calls. Shawn said the place was usually packed, but his mom would hold a table for us.

  "Okay. Well, if you get lost, call me. Or text me. But not while you’re driving. That's dangerous."

  I liked Shawn. He was sweet. The type of guy who was very concerned
about a girl’s well-being. Plus, he was cute, and that always helped.

  "If you want, I can ask Mom to warm us up some scones,” he said. “They go great with the tea."

  He seemed psyched about grabbing tea with me. I loved that. It was hot when guys were enthusiastic about the girl they were hanging out with. It showed that they cared.

  "I love scones," I replied.

  "Me too. What's your favorite flavor?"

  "Orange cranberry."

  His grin widened. "Mine too. And Mom makes the best orange cranberry scones on this side of the planet."

  I bounced a little on my toes. "I can't wait to try them.”

  He nodded, then looked down at his shoes. I saw him trying to get his smiles under control. He was nervous, and it was adorable.

  "I'll see you there, Sophia."

  "Okay. See you in a bit."

  We waved at each other, then he headed out the door to his car.

  We needed more nice guys like Shawn in the world. Guys with cute smiles and kind souls.

  I bit my lower lip and headed up the aisle to the parking lot.

  "Hey, Sophia. Hold up."

  I was just stepping into the hallway when Joe caught up with me. He'd been acting weird the entirety of play rehearsal. Every time I turned around, he was there, trying to drum up a conversation. And he hadn’t spoken to Charlotte once.

  "So, I was thinking we can look online tonight. See if we see anything about your dad."

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  "Cool. So, I'll meet you at your place in an hour?"

  "Make it two. I'm going to grab some tea."

  "You don't drink tea."

  "I’m trying new things."

  "Trying new things alone or with someone else?"

  I narrowed my eyes and leaned on one hip. "What are you asking me?"

  "Just wondering if you were drinking tea alone. That's all."

  I shrugged. "I'm drinking tea with Shawn."

  He nodded slowly. "Any particular reason?"

  "Do I need a reason to drink tea with someone?"

  "No, you don’t. You can drink tea with whomever you want."

  "Yes, I can."

  He took off his hat, ran his hands through his hair once, then put his hat back on. "So, you like this guy?"

  I shrugged. "He's nice."

  "Nice, huh?"

  I scoffed. "Yes, Joe. He’s nice."