Golden: A Paranormal Romance

by Ellis Marie

  A chorus of laughter erupts, and I have to join in, acting like it’s all just fun and games, even though my heart feels like it’s about to pound its way out of my chest. I turn away from the table as Matt’s smirk and Tracey’s glare follow me the entire way across the room. I sigh once I’m far away.

  Looking across the room, I can see Kristie sitting laughing. All I want to do is walk over and take a seat next to her, but I stay back and watch from afar instead as my heart burns in jealousy at the light conversation I can’t quite hear.

  I feel eyes on me and quickly turn to the food section, knowing full well that the eyes watching me are Matt’s. Somehow, he always finds me.

  Well, I suppose that could be one thing I could hope for with all these new arrivals. Maybe I would be able to hide from Matt a little more, not constantly feel like I’m under surveillance.

  I smile at the cafeteria worker on the front today. She smiles back softly, passing me a salad and a burger without me even asking. I pay for it along with a bottle of water and then turn and walk back, politely smiling at people as I pass but not wasting any time in trying to talk to anyone; Matt wanted his food.

  As I get back to the table, I’m grateful that there’s now a free seat next to Matt instead of on him. I quickly take it, passing him his food. He smiles, pecking me on the cheek before turning back to the football team and continuing his conversation about their strategy for the upcoming game. I internally groan as I realise I’m going to have to make conversation with the three witches.

  Talk about drawing blood from a stone.

  Our table is what you would call the “popular table”—filled with jocks, cheerleaders, and social climbers. I turn to look at my ‘friends’ and they smile back at me.

  “Have I told you that I just absolutely love your hair, Anna?” Nancy exclaims, her voice sounding like cats with their tails trapped in a door.

  “Oh no, but I totally love your dress. Definitely a top pick for fashion season,” Amy adds while scanning me over. “And the shoes match amazingly too!”

  I smile at her even though I hate it, and I know as soon as I’m gone, they will talk about the way it isn’t totally flattering on my hips and makes my arms look bigger than they are.

  “Did you pay for it yourself? Or is that another one of Matt’s charities . . . oh sorry, I mean gifts.”

  The smile flickers off my face as I take a deep breath and turn to look at the spawn of Satan himself.

  Tracey.

  Her blonde hair looks like it seriously needs deep conditioning and her eyelashes are weighing down her eyelids, but it’s not as if I can openly criticise her. I mean, for starters, she’s one of my ‘best friends’, and secondly, our outfits could be from the same store, except she willingly chose them. I smile a sickly-sweet grin and giggle, leaning into Matt as I do. He turns around expectantly, looking at us all.

  “Yes, I have to confess it was another gift from Matty.” I lean up and kiss him quickly, making him grin. He smiles at me softly.

  “Anything for the most perfect girl in the world.”

  I adoringly clutch onto his arm as the girls gush while the boys laugh, shouting ‘whipped’ playfully. Matt turns back to them, and they pretend to fight, their voices soon going back to football. It takes everything in me not to glare at the three musketeers surrounding Matt, making me scoff.

  They go by the names of Luke, Andy, and Carter. I have to admit that if I didn’t have to be friends with them, then I would be avoiding them with at least a half-mile radius.

  Who knows what you could catch.

  Luke is your typical jock, dating a new cheerleader every other week and using his place on the football team as a technique to pick them up. The number of ‘girlfriends’ he’s had and then cheats on is unbelievable. I don’t understand how any girl still gives him the time of day. Nancy is hopelessly in love with him, and I feel for the girl. She gets her heart broken monthly. Whenever he wants someone easy, he has her within a day, but despite whatever he does, she just can’t say no. He has her wrapped around his finger.

  I know the feeling.

  Next is Andy, and out of all of them, he is the least horrific. He’s known for swooping down and grabbing vulnerable girls—those who Luke has usually just dumped will fall straight into his arms, which is disgusting on a whole new level, but I guess he’s never done anything too horrible. Girls know what he’s like, so there’s never any surprise in the way he acts.

  The worst of them is Carter.

  Even his name makes me shudder to my core, goose bumps rise on the skin of my arms. He is the worst of the worst, the guy that people know whether you’re at the school or not, the one that the rumours follow around and your parents tell you to stay away from. He has no morals and no dignity. Anything bad that you could imagine an eighteen-year-old boy doing in high school, he’s done it. Whether it’s stealing the principal’s car, beating up younger kids, or always somehow managing to get a girl at a party to leave with him despite her state, he gets away with it with a wink and a slip of cash donated by his parents.

  It’s one of the reasons I’m grateful for Matt. He will never touch me as long as I am with him; he idolises Matt and the number of times I’ve heard ‘bro code’ get used between them is exhausting.

  Green eyes lock on to mine. I feel their venom quickly flow through my veins, my stomach turning as he winks at me. I look away with my heart racing in my chest. He just loves to put me on edge. Carter makes bile rise at the back of my throat whenever he looks at me, and it’s hard not to miss the way he looks at me.

  “So is everyone really excited about the newcomers tomorrow?” Nancy asks innocently. Her brown eyes are soft as she puts a sandwich in her mouth, the filling falling out without her noticing. She really is oblivious.

  “Oh definitely!” Amy grins. “I heard they have a lot of guys at that school, and Josie from algebra said that she once drove through there by accident and saw a bunch of cute guys, and they might be in like a gang or something.”

  Tracey scoffs, rolling her eyes. “And what the hell would Josie know? Her mother is a waitress, she wears green with purple, and not to mention no one is stupid enough to accidentally drive to East Bay.”

  Her eyes drift her side and she smirks. “Well, except for maybe Nancy.”

  I scowl at Tracey’s happiness in hurting someone that’s meant to be her friend. Nancy might be a bit of an airhead, but I’ve never seen her do anything horrible, although I suppose she just stands by and watches Tracey torment people. Still, the constant stabbing comments are a little unnecessary.

  But that’s Tracey. She’s like the female version of Carter except she isn’t so open about it all the time. Most of her handiwork is done in the shadows as people’s secrets suddenly being known and boyfriends betraying girls that you never thought would. She has a way of getting into people’s heads and finding weaknesses.

  It’s why I’m so careful around her. Although she acts like my friend, I know she will stab me in the back at the first sign of an opportunity, but if she did something to me, then she would hurt Matt too. That’s something she wants to avoid. I look at her and almost choke when I notice that her dress is having a hard time containing her very generous chest.

  “Um . . . Tracey,” I say politely, batting my eyelashes. “I think your dress might be caught on something. It seems to be pulled quite a bit.” Her eyes turn sharp. She glances down, clearly seeing how much she’s exposing.

  “I think it looks good,” she retorts with an evil glint lighting her face. “What do you think, Matty?”

  Rage grows in my stomach as Matt stops his conversation to turn to her, giving her a once-over. I want to scream when I see him smirk at her chest, which is obviously much bigger than mine.

  “I think you look great.” He grins, and she smirks at me, straightening with pride. “But I think you should probably pull it up a little before you set off every hormonal freshman in the room.”

  Her smil
e falls as she huffs, yanking the dress up to make it more modest. I finally feel like I can look at her without feeling like I’m seeing her naked.

  She starts the conversation again, talking about how her father had bought some boat or something during the weekend and something about wanting to throw a back-to-school party, but I can’t get my mind off Matt and the way he looked at her. For me being ‘perfect’, he sure seemed to like her body more than mine. I glance down at my own chest, which is covered by the material, and I frown.

  Maybe I’m not sexy enough for him? Maybe he’s getting tired of my body?

  I already have quite big assets, but maybe I need to show them off more, make him want me?

  “Everything okay, princess?” Matt’s quiet voice interrupts my thoughts. I look up at him with a seductive grin.

  “Everything is perfect,” I purr, leaning towards him.

  His face lights up like he’s won the jackpot, following my movements and connecting his lips with my own. I push my body into him, running my hands through his hair. I feel his smirk against my lips as he grabs my ass, devouring me. Suddenly, his tongue feels heavy and a little slimy in my mouth. I grow slightly uncomfortable. I pull away, not wanting to look at the boys who are wolf-whistling and cheering him on.

  Matt chuckles, his blue eyes sparkling as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “And that, boys, is why this girl is my girlfriend.”

  “You better watch it, Daley,” Carter counters, walking towards us with confidence. “If you’re not careful, I might want a piece of that action for myself.”

  He winks at me and my skin crawls. It gets even worse when I hear Matt beside me, joining in on his laughter. I quickly force out my own light and airy one, hoping to fool them into thinking that his words don’t completely terrify me. Instead, all I do is feel them weigh me down like an anchor at the bottom of the ocean.

  “Maybe one day, Gacey,” Matt teases, punching him in the arm. All the tension seems to leave the room at his actions, the conversations starting again. This lets me sink into the background and eat my salad without having to force conversation with people that make my stomach churn and blood boil, giving me a break from putting up the façade as the ‘perfect’ Annabelle Williams.

  The rest of the day goes by quickly, my mind whirling with thoughts about Matt and the new people arriving tomorrow. I still can’t work out why I feel so on edge; it’s not as if they will have any effect on me. They probably won’t even be allowed within a five-foot radius of me if Matt has anything to say about it.

  The bell rings, announcing the end of class. I quickly pack up my things, rushing to meet Matt at my locker.

  He hates it when I’m late.

  There’s someone already waiting for me as I arrive, but it’s thankfully not Matt.

  “You’re safe. He’s not here yet,” Kristie states, rolling her eyes and slumping against the locker beside mine. “I passed him; he was chatting with some football guys, so you’ve still got time.” I smile gratefully at her as I start collecting my things, making sure to keep an eye out for the blond head of hair.

  “So what are your plans tonight?” she asks. I close my locker door, shrugging.

  “Honestly, probably just have dinner with Matt and then have a discussion about tomorrow. My dad is home, too, so it’s not like I’ll be doing anything fun.”

  Kristie’s hand lands on my arm, and she squeezes it comfortingly, her soft brown eyes swirling with pity. It makes me feel sick. She goes to say something, but her eyes flick behind me and her caring face drops to a glare.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” I nod. She hugs me quickly before straightening up at the sound of footsteps right beside us. “See you tomorrow, Matt,” she half-spits.

  Matt smirks at her, resting his arm around my neck. “See you later, Kirsty.”

  She scowls but doesn’t bother correcting him. He called her that for three years, it isn’t about to change now.

  I don’t get the chance to say bye to her because Matt has already dragged me away, through the crowds and out the front door before I realise.

  “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re still friends with her,” he murmurs, guiding me into his pick-up truck. “She’s not even that attractive.”

  I jump onto the seat and the door slams behind me. I don’t say anything back or begin to try and defend Kristie. I would be wasting my breath on him. Matt jumps in the car and we pull out of the school’s parking lot. He takes the time to roll down his window and shout at some of his teammates as he does. I have to physically stop myself from groaning. I just wanted to go home.

  “Did you have a good day?” Matt asks as we drive home, his hand coming over and resting on my thigh, causing me to smile.

  “It was alright. The same as usual. History was quite fun though. We’re looking at ancient civilisations and how their government worked and how they managed to—”

  “I asked if you had a good day. I didn’t ask you to bore me to death with the information you learnt.” Matt’s voice is cold as he speaks. His eyes are not moving from the road, but his fingers dig into my thigh slightly.

  A warning.

  “Sorry,” I mumble, looking out the window and watching the trees fly past us in a blur of green and brown. “It won’t happen again.”

  We arrive at my house, and I step out of the car, cringing at the sight of my father’s old Toyota parked in our driveway. I hated when he was home. I wait for Matt to walk around the side of the car, knowing not to go into the house without him. He walks straight past me, opening the door like it’s his house and not mine.

  Honestly, it feels like it.

  “Mr. Williams, we’re home!” Matt calls as we step through the front door. His voice echoes through the house, the cold tiles tapping as I step on them.

  “In the lounge,” a rough voice calls back. Those three simple words make my heart start to pound, a cold sweat running down my back.

  We walk through the hall as Matt takes the lead and I follow behind in silence, looking down at the floor and hoping that the state we are going to find him in isn’t too bad.

  The sound of the television greets me as Matt enters the room, leaving me in the hall. I listen to him chat with my father, their voices a harmony of laughter and friendliness. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, preparing myself to face him. If I stayed out here any longer, it would only make him annoyed. I wanted nothing more than to have no drama tonight and simply eat and disappear to bed. I enter the smoky room, and my nose involuntarily wrinkles at the sight of beer cans and cigarettes littering our rug. No doubt I would have to clean it up.

  “Annabelle, so nice of you to join us,” my father sneers. His beady eyes make my skin prick as he gazes at me, not hiding the fact that I disgust him. His hair has a layer of grease on it, making the dark colour even darker, and his skin is a yellow tint, which seems to go with the sickly aesthetic of the room.

  “Hello, father,” I reply politely, trying my best to give him a smile even if it is tight. “How has your day been?”

  He laughs at my question and turns back to the TV. “Make us dinner. There’s chicken in the fridge.”

  I glance at Matt who is sitting on the couch opposite, accepting one of the beers that my father offers. “And mashed potatoes too,” he adds without looking at me. Instead, he leans back and props his feet up across from him with his eyes glued to the TV. “Did you see the game last night, Mr. Williams?”

  Without saying a word, I leave the room. A breath of relief pours out of me as I make my way to the kitchen, blood pumping in my ears.

  Opening the fridge, I’m confronted with the sight of shelves of beer. I have to move some out of the way to reach the chicken right at the back. I find it almost amusing that he’s telling me what is in the fridge when I was the one that bought it. The only reason he probably knew it was there is because it was taking up ‘beer space’.

  The cupboards are pretty empty, but one is filled with some nece
ssities that most dishes need, as well as a large bag of potatoes, which look like they are going to go out of date. I sigh and grab them, opening the bag and beginning to wash and peel them, mumbling to myself as I go. After that, I boil them in water and then begin slicing the chicken. My mind is taking me to its own safe space that lets me relax.

  “Going okay, babe?”

  I jump in surprise and the knife slips as I do. The blade cuts into my skin. I sharply look at Matt and smile, trying to not grimace at the pain waving through me and hiding my hand behind my back. “You scared me.” I breathily laugh, squeezing my finger in the hopes of stopping the bleeding. “Everything alright?”

  Matt looks at me strangely, opening the fridge door. “Yeah, just grabbing more drinks for me and your dad.” He closes it with his foot and looks me up and down. “You sure nothing’s wrong?”

  Shaking my head, I turn and carry on with cutting the chicken. My eyes widen at the blood on my hand, and I grab the dish towel, covering the sight.

  “No, nothing!” I smile. “Dinner should be ready in thirty minutes.”

  He smirks, heading for the door. “Your dad wants it in twenty.”

  The usual family dinner, which I assume most people have, includes chatting, laughing, and comfort while the food is being eaten. Although that may be the case for my father, it was not the case for me. I would only speak if spoken to and made sure to keep my eyes down during the meal. I don’t want to upset anyone. The rules have been drilled into me for years now, so it’s easy enough to follow them. I enjoy listening to my own thoughts as long as I pay attention to what they are saying in case I’m suddenly wanted.

  “Annabelle,” my father begins, and I look up expectantly. “The chicken was dry. I thought we’d gotten past this.” He sighs, closing his cutlery together and leaning back in his chair. He rests his hand on his swollen stomach. “I hope we don’t have an issue again.”