I had a little-kid crush on all four of them, on Wilder with his freckles and his boyish grin, who ran so fast, and Aiden, who was so cool, and fearless Van, and even quiet, smart Reid, who used to always know what I was thinking.
But then something changed.
And then, when Aiden and Reid lost their sister, they changed. Especially Aiden. I can’t shake the feeling that something else happened that night, but I can’t ask. Aiden and I used to tell each other all our secrets, and now we feel like strangers.
Tension knots my stomach as we drive. The memories from the night before aren’t fading like dreams do. But Aiden doesn’t say anything, even when we pull into the parking lot and he cuts the engine. In front of us, kids slowly make their way to the massive school building, ignoring us entirely.
We’ve got five minutes until we need to head to class. Mr. Guarded is going to need a push or I’ll never know what he wants.
“I thought you wanted to talk,”I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
He nods, biting his lip like he’s holding back some thought. There’s something so sexy about his teeth worrying his pink, kissable lower lip. Then he asks, “How come you never ride to school with me?”
A million excuses come to my mind, but I’m too tired for any of them.
“How come you never ask me, Aiden?” I’m a bit surprised by how quiet my words come out.
He tenses, and his voice becomes defensive. “You know I’m going this way.”
“You know I’m riding the bus,” I say, not backing down.
He rakes his hand through his hair, blowing out a slow breath. “Whatever.”
And here we go. He’s shutting down, even though he’s the one that brought this up. The truth was, I gave up on inviting myself along anywhere with these guys. Wilder, Reid, Aiden, and Van fight like they’re all brothers, but the four of them are one tight-knit little unit. When we were kids, there was room for me to slip into their circle, and then, one day, there wasn’t anymore.
It was… crushing. I already felt like an outsider in my foster family. I didn’t need to feel like an outsider with them too. The people who were supposed to be my friends.
But he gave me an opening; if I didn’t say something now, I never would. “Would asking me really be that hard…”
Something unreadable flashes in his eyes, and he grips the steering wheel, shifting in his seat. “Hey. What happened last night?”
Last night. My entire chest feels tight. “With what?”
He shoots me a look, both eyebrows rising above those emerald green eyes. “I don’t know, Izzy, maybe the fucking light show over the park?”
I shake my head. No, that didn’t happen. That can’t have actually happened.
“Maybe I was high,” he mutters.
“You usually are.” I don’t know why I can’t resist nettling him.
He gets out of the car, slamming the door shut.
Feeling my own temper flare, I get out too, slamming his door even harder, and glaring at him.
When he looks at me over the roof of the car, he shoots back, “And you’re so perfect.”
“Usually nobody describes the unwanted foster kid as so perfect, but let’s go with that.” I throw my backpack over my shoulder.
“Izzy,” he says behind me.
I ignore him and keep walking.
He doesn’t run after me, and I hate that I wish he would. But I knew better than to expect that from him. Running after me would show he cared. And if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s showing people he doesn’t give a shit.
When I reach the stairs of the school, Van’s sitting on one of the concrete steps. There’s a girl in his lap, a cute blond wisp of a thing, and he leans between the thighs of a second girl, who is giving him a shoulder massage. The three of them are laughing about something--maybe it’s fucking hilarious to be rich and good-looking and have parents who want you, I wouldn’t know--but then Van sees me, and his face changes.
His lips part like he’s going to say something to me, but he doesn’t, and I walk past him. I can feel his gaze follow me, even as the girls tease him, trying to get his attention.
“Hey.” It’s a guy I don’t know who surprises me, standing on my right. He’s tall and cute, and I know him vaguely by sight. I think he plays on the basketball team with Wilder. “How’re you doing, cutie?”
I blink stupidly. Is he talking to me? Uh, he is.
This day really couldn’t get any weirder.
Then it does.
All day long, guys seem to hit on me. I keep finding Wilder or Van or Aiden or Reid staring at me, and their eyes seem to smolder when they see other men talking to me.
It’s freaking weird.
And so oddly nice.
I might be having a good hair day, but no matter how I look, I’m still me. Painfully awkward me. I make small talk with everyone who talks to me and do my best to flee the scene whenever anyone asks me out on a date. Which happens three times.
Which is three more times than anyone has asked me out on a date the other three-and-a-half years of high school, by the way.
But then my last class of the day is Chemistry Lab, and it’s back to reality. First of all, my lab partner is my former frenemy-turned-straight-enemy Lexi, and second of all, Aiden is in my class, usually ignoring me in the back row while I’m in the front, so my day is about to be book-ended with Aiden. Aiden, who raises butterflies in my chest and makes me feel stupid just like Lexi does, even though at least Aiden isn’t doing it on purpose like she is.
We’re working with the bunsen burners today, and while we’re waiting for Mr. Crist to come around and light ours, I spot the microfiche slipped between the pages of my notebook. It must have slipped in there. My heart pounds, remembering the dark library and the sounds of hooves.
And remembering that this is the first clue I’ve found to discovering my sister.
“What’s that?” Lexi asks, peering over my shoulder. “Did you steal something from the library, you wild thing?”
Her voice has a note of humor, but she’s so loud. On purpose.
I shake my head, ignoring her. I don’t want to explain it. I slip it back between the pages of my notebook, reminded of the other thing I accidentally kind-of stole from the library. The book is still in there in between my math book and my paperback for Lit.
Oh, and it’s glowing.
I quickly bend beneath the table and zip my backpack shut, hoping that no one notices the eerie glow of golden light seeping out of my backpack.
That whole just-a-dream explanation is deader than my brief dream that I could be cool in high school.
“I heard the funniest thing,” Lexi says slowly.
When I stick my head out from under the desk again, she’s holding the microfilm with her long pink fingernails. She must have taken it out of my notebook.
My jaw sets. “Yeah? What’s that, Lexi?”
“I heard Aiden gave you a ride to school this morning,” she says. “My Aiden.”
You have got to be kidding me. Yes, her Aiden. The two of them have been on-again, off-again, since seventh grade. Since not that long after the Wilder Four started ignoring me.
My Aiden, she calls him. Oh my God. Something unexpected flares inside of me. Anger. Anger that this girl thinks she can talk to me like this. And anger that she thinks she can still call him that after what she did.
“I heard you broke his heart,” I whisper, because I didn’t want him to hear me. “I heard you went to a party with Aiden and then slept with another guy.”
She doesn’t deny it, but she rolls her eyes. “Please. Nobody can break Aiden’s heart. He’s got a hopeless thing for the stupidest, mousiest girl that I just can’t fucking understand.”
I stare back at her. There’s a strange, fragile hope in my chest, and I know I can’t trust Lexi. “Can I have my film back, please?”
She holds it up to the fluorescent light above, tilting her head back. “What is this, a
nyway?”
Mr. Crist stops in front of our table. “Are you two ready for the experiment?”
“Yes.” She smiles at him. She’s a pretty girl, all round-cheeked, soft, and bright-eyed.
She doesn’t look at all like the poisonous bitch I know her to be.
He lights our burner and moves on.
She leans back again, squinting at the film. “Is this you, Iz?”
“Maybe. Can I have it back, please?”
“Science experiment time.” She flashes me a grin as she leans forward, holding the film above the small, steady flame. “Which combusts first--your stupid crush on Aiden, or the stupid film?”
I turn to where Mr. Crist is working his way through the class. His back is to us.
“Uh uh uh,” she sing-songs. “You stole this, didn’t you? You really want to get in trouble for that?”
“What do you want, Lexi?” My voice comes out flat.
“Stay away from Aiden.”
“Sure,” I say. “Whatever.” He usually stays away from me anyway. But I don’t mean it. I just have to get that microfiche back from her before…
“Not convincing,” she says, and the tip of the film hits the flame.
“No!” The word tears from my lips, but I feel frozen, watching my hopes burn.
“What the hell are you doing?” Aiden’s voice is a low, taut growl over my shoulder.
He grabs the microfiche, oblivious to the fact that it’s on fire, and flings it into the sink. I rush to smother the flames, but he’s already yanking his t-shirt over his head and pounding it on top of the film, killing the flames.
Aiden is shirtless in the middle of Chem lab. I’ve seen him shirtless before, long ago, but I didn’t know about his tanned, powerful pecs, or the tattoos across his big shoulders, or the dark happy trail that starts low on his taut, chiseled abs. Holy hell. No wonder Lexi is losing her damn mind.
“Have you always been that big?” I ask, my voice strangely husky.
Aiden winks at me. And I have instant regrets--of course he’s going to find a dirty joke in the middle of this bizarre situation.
Looking into the sink, I feel a wave of relief. She only burned the corner. It’s fine. My clue is fine. Looking to Aiden, my thanks gets stuck on my lips. He really needs to put his damn shirt back on, or I’m not going to be able to form words.
Something darkens his eyes, and I feel a pull between us.
Lexi’s suddenly in my face. “Listen, you little bitch, if you think for one second--”
I shove her back. “I would think very carefully about what you’re going to say, and what it’s going to cost you.”
Where did that come from?
A smirk twists her face. “Oh, look, the kitten has claws…. Too bad you don’t know how to use them.”
I take a step closer, and she takes a step away, smacking into our table. “Playing with fire is a good way to get burned.” My voice doesn’t even sound like me. It’s low, threatening, and with a playful purr I’ve never made before.
Lexi opens her mouth, then closes it. Her eyes widen, and she whirls around. “What did you do to me?” she screams.
I stare in shock. The end of her ponytail is on fire!
“Oh my god, Lexi!” I snatch Aiden’s t-shirt and grab for the end of her ponytail, but she’s flicking it around desperately. Sparks fly from her hair.
Mr. Crist is yelling. Everyone is yelling. And Lexi is the loudest, blaming me like that is her most pressing concern, even though the girl is literally on fire. I finally manage to get the t-shirt wrapped around her ponytail and smother the flames.
She’s fine. Nothing a hairdresser can’t… okay, a hairdresser can’t fix that. But she’s fine.
But now the room is on fire. Everywhere!
Oh, hell, this isn’t good.
Aiden grabs my hand as the alarms start to go off and starts hauling me toward the door. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
My gaze scans over the frightened faces of my classmates. “We’ve got to make sure everyone gets out!”
“Fuck them!” he growls. “The school can burn for all I care, but you need to get to safety. Now!”
Unexpected anger explodes within me. What the hell has gotten into him?
“You’ve never cared about me before.” I yank my hand back from his, my need to rebel stronger than my fear.
“That’s not true.” The look he gives me is wounded.
“It is,” I say, then turn around. “Everyone, remember our fire drills. Leave your stuff. Just head for the nearest exit!”
I swear it’s like my words calm everyone in an instant. They head for the door, racing around Aiden. Smoke billows in the room as Mr. Crist tries to get everyone out.
Reid, Wilder, and Van shoulder past him in the doorway.
“What are you guys doing here?” I demand.
“Heard there was trouble,” Wilder says briefly. “Figured you were in the middle of it.”
Well, the man’s not wrong.
Chapter Six
Reid
Panic uncurls inside of me. The fire in the room is spreading like nothing I’ve seen in my life. It’s like the room is made of paper. It’s curling along the ceiling, billowing black smoke; it’s devouring the chairs and climbing the walls like the fire is a hungry beast.
“We need to get out of here. Now!” I order.
Everyone turns to me, and I glimpse surprised faces, parted mouths and wide eyes. If I wasn’t so panicked, I’d be surprised too. It isn’t often I can even be heard in this group.
Aiden grabs Izzy by the arm. “That’s what I was just telling her.”
She shakes him off. “I need my film first!”
“Film?”
And then, suddenly, she turns and races back into the billowing smoke. Aiden’s face fills with rage, and he takes off after her.
My jaw drops. What the hell are they doing? I’d expect this kind of recklessness from my brother, but from Izzy? They’re going to get us all killed.
I take a step into the room, shocked by the wave of pain that streaks through me. Images of my life flash through my mind of my siblings and I. Of laughter. Of moments that are burned into my memories forever. And then I imagine Aiden fading away, lost to me forever.
I think of Izzy. She’d come into our lives like the changing of the seasons. One moment she wasn’t there, and the next she was just a part of us and our lives.
What if she doesn’t make it out?
Fear burns through my veins,and I grit my teeth until they ache. Taking another step forward, I know that I’d die before I let anything happen to Izzy and my twin.
But where are they? I ask myself, squinting through the flames.
Someone beside me is coughing. He grabs my shoulder, and I’m suddenly face-to-face with Mr. Crist, our chem teacher. “Head for the fire exit!”
“Not without them,” I say.
He shakes his head, coughing hard, putting his hand in front of his eyes to shield himself from the smoke. I think he’ll say more, but he turns and runs out into the hall.
I take a step forward and the smoke presses around me, but it doesn’t make me choke like everyone else. I take a deep breath, aware of the smoke, but not struggling in the least to breathe. Weird.
I squint into the flames. Where the hell are Izzy and Aiden? I keep going forward, and suddenly, Izzy crashes into my chest. Aiden is right behind her. He should be terrified--he should be half-dead--but he just looks as pissy as ever. Which is kind of a relief, because it means he’s okay.
“You shouldn’t have waited for us!” he shouts at me, his eyes wild.
“I’m not leaving you!” I call over the sound of the crackling flames.
A look of pain flashes across his face. If things were different between us, I’d tell him not to worry. That he won’t lose me like we lost her. But the words stick in my throat. Instead, we turn away from the flames, facing toward our escape, keeping the words left unspoken.
We rush out into the hallway. We’re at the back of the school, and there are hundreds of milling kids and teachers between us and the exits. In front of us, all the doors are open and students and teachers alike pour out into the hall. They’re rushing, but everyone seems calm.
Good. We don’t need anyone getting trampled.
“Come on!” Aiden yells at Izzy.
She jerks back, and I see a look on her face that I’ve never seen before. “I’m tired of this shit! You’re all acting like it’s your personal responsibility to make sure I get out safely. Well, guess what, it’s not. I can take care of myself. Just like I have been for years.”
“Is that what you think?” Aiden’s voice holds a challenge. ‘Maybe you weren’t there in the Chem lab, but it didn’t exactly seem like you had your life together. And--”
“Not now,” Van tells him, but Aiden doesn’t seem to hear him.
“Oh, it started this morning. We need to talk, Izzy.” She does a pretty good imitation of Aiden’s low, rough voice. “All of a sudden, you want to act like you care about me?”
“I’m sorry if we haven’t been falling over ourselves for you. That’s what you want, right?” Aiden’s face is tight with fury. “We were friends before we met you, and you came along and made everything so goddamn complicated, and it still wasn’t enough—“
I glance at the door of the science lab. The fire is licking along the walls at a furious pace. Smoke races ahead of it, rushing out into the hall.
We need to have this conversation. But not now. Definitely not now. “Guys—“
Izzy cuts me off. “Yeah, sure, I’m that girl. The one who needs guys falling over her!”
Aiden advances on her, towering over her smaller form. “You are that girl. Look at you today! How many guys did you flirt with?”
Suddenly, lightning explodes from around us, crackling out in all directions, but not touching us. I stare in shock as the impossible unfolds before me. At the storm that seems to be unleashing inside the building.
Magic For Dummies: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (God Fire Reform School Book 1) Page 4
