She was inside the building somewhere.
Of course I wasn’t going to get the chance to see her then.
Which was okay.
First things first.
Principal Henders took me to an office where a woman was waiting for me.
I raised my eyebrow at the sight of her.
Totally geeky. Totally young. Totally tempting.
“Miss Carson, hello,” I said with a smile.
“I can stay,” Principal Henders offered.
“I’ll be fine,” Miss Carson said.
I looked at Principal Henders. “See? She’ll be fine alone with me. Nothing to worry about.”
“The second you’re done speaking with her, you leave this building,” Principal Henders said. “Understand?”
“Of course.”
“Let me make it very clear. If you don’t leave, I will call the police.”
“Got it,” I said.
Principal Henders left the office and shut the door behind him.
“Who pissed in his cereal?” I asked Miss Carson.
She wasn’t impressed by me.
Not many were.
That didn’t bother me or stop me.
I folded my arms. “So I take it you want to know if I’m sad?”
“I’d really like to know why you’re here.”
“I was told to come here. Don’t you want to see me?”
“Not here in my office. But here… like… in town.”
“Well, my brother died,” I said. “And we never got a chance to be brothers. You know? Family secrets and all. We always talked about getting to know each other better when we were older. But I guess that will never happen.”
Miss Carson frowned. “Well, I’m sorry for your loss, Elijah. We’re all still processing what happened to your brother. You know, death at any age is hard to process, but when you’re this young, it’s something you generally don’t think about. Or worry about.”
“Especially when it’s murder,” I said.
“Also very true.”
“I guess I’m wondering how safe this town is,” I said. “A bunch of rich people and murder…”
“Elijah, this town is very safe,” Miss Carson said. “As is this building.”
“Which I’m not allowed to be in,” I said.
“Same for your building,” she said. “I can assure you that Principal Harrison and-”
“I know,” I cut in. “Anything else you need here? I’d like to get to class. Find a sense of normalcy.”
“Right,” Miss Carson said. “I wanted to understand how you were processing everything.”
“Cigarettes and booze,” I said.
Miss Carson sighed. “You realize I have to report everything you say… if it’s a detriment to yourself…”
I laughed. “Listen, babe, I’m nothing but a detriment. To myself. To those around me. So write anything you want. Anything I do or say I can blame on grief. Just remember who I am. Okay? I know my father doesn’t like his dirty secret walking around Hidden, but here I am.”
“And the question of why still remains.”
“Why are you so interested in it?” I asked.
“Truthfully?” Miss Carson asked. “Revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“Your brother had a history…”
I laughed again. “No shit.”
“And now you’re here,” she said. “I hope it’s not to point fingers and stir up old trouble.”
“Ah,” I said, pointing at Miss Carson. “This is about burying more than just Ryland.”
“Excuse me?”
“You figure since he’s dead, all the fights are dead too. I mean, that makes sense. It’s sort of something good to take with the bad. The silver lining. The upside to his murder.”
“I never said that…”
“But you’re implying it. I like that angle. You should run with that. It’s good for everyone involved. I’m going to take off now.”
“Elijah…”
I reached for the door and looked back. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I am,” I said. “I’m the only son now. Maybe I’ll get all of my father’s love. And, shit, maybe I’ll actually have a chance to get to know Rosemary. See? There’s more than one silver lining here.”
I winked and Miss Carson opened her mouth.
A bell rang and I took off out of the office.
I walked to the hallway and slipped to the right to the first corner. There was a door there and I waited.
Arms crossed.
Eyes scanning the hallway.
I would never admit it out loud to anyone, but my heart raced a little.
The hallways were flooded with people.
I just blended right in.
Nobody really took a second look at me. And if they did, I just stared until they looked away. I was sure some of them remembered me. And I was sure it was known that I had been back in town. And why.
My lip started to curl when the eyes got to be too much.
But then I saw her.
Turning from the opposite hallway.
Shoulder to shoulder with her friends.
My Surfer Girl.
Her beautiful hair pulled back so messy it was like she just rolled out of bed that way. Which she probably did. Nova never gave a shit about her appearance or what anyone thought of her. She cut through me as I could never cut through her. At least not until we got to the physical stuff.
I stepped forward and two people had to jump out of my way.
“Watch out, dude,” one of the girls said.
“Keep walking,” I said without moving my eyes.
I stared at Nova, waiting for her to see me.
From the corner of my eye I felt someone looking at me.
When I turned my head, Weslee Jackson was walking from the opposite way, toward Nova.
I swallowed hard, feeling a little of the rage starting to build inside me.
He eyed me, ready for a fight.
I slowly nodded.
I’m here, motherfucker. Oh, I’m here…
Someone grabbed Wes’s shoulder and said something to him.
He grinned and kept walking.
I set my sights back on Nova.
She finally looked at me.
Her eyes went wide and she turned and started to run.
Pushing through the crowd of people to get away from me.
I moved to my left and went out the door, leaving HCH behind for the moment.
I walked along the side of the building, reaching for a smoke to help calm my nerves.
A little too much emotion at once there with both Wes and Nova.
The lowest to the highest.
I turned the corner of the building as I took a drag and saw Nova standing against the building.
Her head back, hugging her books to her chest.
I stopped dead in my tracks and felt my throat squeeze shut for a few seconds.
I was a block of ice on a warm day just by looking at her.
Trust me, if you were able to get Nova to be just a little vulnerable, there was no way in hell you wouldn’t be able to fall for her.
I was fucked right then and there.
And I was fucked even more as I moved toward her.
“Hey, babe,” I said.
She jumped from the wall and blinked fast.
Those blue eyes pulled me right back into a thousand memories that piled onto the thousand I already had.
Nova shook her head. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I’m not supposed to be anywhere,” I said. I took a drag of my smoke. “I’m supposed to be a fucking ghost. Boo.”
“Go away, Elijah,” she said.
“No hug and kiss?” I asked.
“I swear on my life…”
“What? You got some boyfriend who’s going to kick my ass? Bring him on. Or do you have Wes running protection for you? Whatever you’ve got, babe, bring it on.
”
“Why are you really here? You and Ryland weren’t close. This is all for show.”
“And the crowd is watching and waiting to see what happens next,” I said. I tossed my cigarette away. “The way I see it, Nova, there are two outcomes. This is either a bloody, action thriller… or a sweet, romance story…”
Her nostrils flared wide.
I loved when that happened.
“Go the fuck away,” she said. “I hate you, Elijah. Hear it clear. I fucking hate you.”
The door next to her opened and out walked a girl with dark hair and a resting bitch face that was worth applauding. She looked right at me and curled her lip high in the air.
I grinned.
She was familiar.
I couldn’t put a name to her though.
“Need me to get my baseball bat?” she asked Nova.
“No,” Nova said. “He was just about to make like his brother and disappear for good.”
They both went back inside.
I touched my chest.
What a cold, rotten bitch of a thing to say to me, huh?
I put my head back and took a deep breath.
Fuck, I was still so in love with her.
Chapter 3
Nova
The sunglasses on my face hid the evidence of the jackhammers behind my eyes. I had no idea this kind of annoying pain could last so long. Somewhere in the annex of my mind, a little voice started counting how many days I had been partying, but lucky for me the jackhammering started again, and I didn’t have to deal with the voice of reason.
The devil on my shoulder had her heart broken too, and that was a deadly thing to experience. It was just me and her, navigating through some tricky waters.
I stood barefoot with the ocean water sliding over my feet.
That shitty, cloudy day from the other day was long gone.
It was traded for a normal, perfect day.
Right up until Elijah showed up at HCH.
I had heard he was being thrown into Tech. So him being at HCH was a shock I wasn’t ready for.
That led into last night.
Another ‘party’ … the word made my desire to get wasted a little easier to stomach.
“Sun’s almost gone,” Aira said to me. “Then maybe you can take those sunglasses off.”
“No way,” Emma said. “She looks like a bad ass like that. Dark sunglasses. Bitchy scowl on her face. I love this look. Like she’s going to ride a wave and then ride your boyfriend. Just for fun.”
I slowly turned my head and looked at Emma. I peeled the sunglasses off my face.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked Emma.
She laughed. “I think we’re better off talking about you, Nova. Did you tell everyone about yesterday?”
“With you know who?” Charlotte asked. “We heard.”
I pushed the sunglasses back up my face. “It’s fine. Just caught me off guard. He was in the hallway. And then I saw Wes eyeing him.”
“At least Leo pulled him away,” Kailey said. “Before shit went down.”
“Maybe it should go down,” Emma said.
“Maybe you should go down, Nova,” Charlotte said. “Just pick some guy. Get it over with. Send a message to Elijah.”
I curled my lip. “I’m not getting on my knees for anyone. Someone can get on their knees for me.”
“You ever have that done?” Kailey asked. “Standing there, looking down… never mind.”
“I see Ryker is breaking boundaries on you, huh?” Emma asked.
“Not like that,” Kailey said.
“Yeah right,” Aira said. “You two are-”
“Pathetic,” I said. “That’s the only word to describe it.”
“Hey,” Kailey said. “Fuck you.”
I rolled my eyes.
That made the pain worse.
“I love Nova like this,” Emma said.
“Good,” I said. “Everyone enjoy it. I’ll just be your entertainment until he decides to fucking leave.”
“We’re just kidding, Nova,” Aira said.
“Kidding?” I snapped. I looked at them. All of them. Emma. Charlotte. Aira. Kailey. “What the hell do you think the outcome is here? This isn’t for fun. He’s looking for answers. He’s going to do things nobody else will.”
“Like what?” Kailey asked.
“Is your brain the size of your chest?” I asked.
Kailey’s face dropped. Her cheeks flushed.
“Jesus, Nova,” Emma said.
“What?” I asked.
“Whatever,” Kailey said. “It’s not my problem.”
She turned and walked away.
There was silence.
My eyes met with Aira’s. She was hurt and pissed.
Join the club, bitch.
I took a deep breath and peeled the sunglasses off my face for good. “Look, he’s here for answers. And he’s going to blame Wes. Let me say that again. He does blame Wes. And he’ll do anything to get what he wants.”
“Wes didn’t do anything,” Aira said.
“And Elijah’s going to want proof,” I said. “And Wes isn’t going to give proof. They’re both too stubborn.”
“It’s not Wes’s job to give fucking proof,” Aira said, her face scowling.
“Exactly,” I said. “And to Elijah, that’s guilt.”
“Well, fuck him then,” Aira snapped.
I felt the tension between Aira and I growing.
“Okay, everyone breathe,” Charlotte said. “We can figure this out. Or just let things happen as they will.”
“And have someone else killed?” Emma asked.
I looked at Kailey.
Standing a little bit away.
Hugging herself.
Looking down.
I walked away from Aira, Charlotte, and Emma and went to go put out the fire I threw at Kailey.
It wasn’t her fault.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault.
“Put your hands down, Kailey,” I said to her.
“What?”
“Just do it.”
I was facing her.
She slowly put her hands down.
I reached for her chest, my hands cupping her.
“You’re perfect the way you are,” I said. “Anyone who doesn’t see that is a fucktard. And they don’t deserve you. I love you the way you are. My heart is messed up right now. You were a target for a second and I was a dumb bitch who took advantage of that.”
Kailey nodded. “Can you move your hands now?”
We both smiled.
“Right,” I said.
I moved my hands and we kept staring at each other.
“What can I do to help you?” she whispered.
“Were they just feeling each other up?” a voice cried out.
I turned my head and rolled my eyes. “Shit.”
Wes, Leo, Flynn, Walker, and Ryker were approaching.
Well, Wes was taking off after Aira. Flynn after Charlotte. Leo and Walker hung back while Ryker had that glittery look in his eyes as he stared at Kailey. He either loved her or loved that I had touched her chest. Or probably both.
“What did I miss?” Ryker asked.
“Everything,” Kailey said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Should have come faster…”
I leaned in and kissed Kailey’s cheek.
She wiggled her shoulder and started to laugh.
Ryker’s face looked flustered. “Wow… I… wow…”
I put my hand out. “Easy. Don’t mess yourself.”
Ryker looked down.
Kailey and I laughed.
Wes swept Aira off her feet for one of their endless fucking kisses. Flynn almost tackled Charlotte in some awkward way.
My lip curled.
Time for a drink.
“Hey, Nova,” Ryker said. “Just so you know… he was there today. All day. Stayed there.”
“Okay. Thanks. Did he talk to anyone?”
“You
have Ryker doing your dirty work now?” Kailey asked.
“Shut up,” I said to her.
“If you touch her chest again, I’ll tell you more,” Ryker said.
I made a fist and showed it to him. “Want to know where I’m going to stick this?”
“I can only imagine,” he said.
Kailey slapped him across the face.
It caught me off guard.
“Whoa,” I said.
“Perv,” Kailey said.
Ryker rubbed his cheek. “Damn. Fine. Okay. No. He didn’t talk to anyone. He never does. He’s just there. I honestly have no idea why he’s even there at all. I can dig around a little more for you if you want.”
“No,” I said. “Just as long as he stays there.”
“You sure?” Ryker asked.
“I’m sure,” I said. I looked around. We had about five more minutes of daylight. “Let’s get out of here. Where are we crashing tonight? I need a drink.”
“A drink?” Kailey asked.
“Why not?” I asked.
Kailey looked back at everyone else.
Wes and Aira were in their own world. Flynn and Charlotte the same.
Emma looked bored and annoyed.
I pointed to her and nodded.
“What?” she asked as she approached.
“Ready to get out of here?” I asked. “Find some fun?”
Emma eyed Kailey.
“What?” I asked.
“Not tonight,” Emma said.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“I was going to take Kailey somewhere,” Ryker said.
“What about them?” I asked and nodded toward Leo and Walker.
“You want to hang out with Leo and Walker?” Emma asked me.
Yeah, I realized then how stupid that sounded.
“No,” I said. “That’s fine. I’m going to head home and call it a night anyway. I could use the break.”
“You should take a break,” Kailey said. “Honestly. Go crash.”
“Want me to come over?” Emma asked.
“Take pictures,” Ryker said.
Kailey lifted her hand and Ryker fell to his ass in the sand, covering his face.
“Damn,” Emma said. “That’s power.”
“I might be little, but I’ll beat down a motherfucker,” Kailey said.
I elbowed her. “See? Told you you were awesome.”
“I know I am,” she said. She looked down at Ryker. “Get up. You’re making me look bad.”
“Crack that whip,” Emma said.
“You enjoy that,” I said. “I’m out of here.”
HIDDEN CREEK AGAIN: a hidden creek high novel Page 3