by Willow Rose
"Are you hot? Why don't you take off that sweater if you are?" I asked.
She shook her head. She sounded strained when she spoke, but she was trying hard to pretend like she was fine.
"I feel comfortable in it. By the way, I found a dog. I’m keeping it at my house. It has puppies. They're the cutest things. You should come over and see them soon…argh…"
Amy leaned forward, her eyes closed, her hands reaching for her back.
"Amy! You're scaring me! What's going on? Are you in some sort of pain?" I asked, terrified.
She forced a smile. "I'm fine. I just have a little…cramps, you know how it is."
I really didn't. I’d never had cramps that bad.
"It looks terrible, Amy. Are you sure you shouldn't have a doctor take a look at you?" I asked.
"No doctors. I'm fine. Don't worry. Now, get out of my car. I have to get home to my doggies."
"Okay, but promise me you'll tell me if it gets worse or if it doesn’t stop. I'll take you to see a doctor if you don't want to go alone."
She sighed. "I'm fine. I just need to sleep. Good night."
I came home to an empty house. Both my parents and my brother were all out roaming at night like they always were, doing vampire stuff I didn't even want to think about.
I stood in the doorway, staring at the empty living room in front of me. I couldn't believe my mom hadn't even been angry at me for getting home late. Just because I was out with Duncan, she assumed I was in safe hands.
I felt devastated, crushed, and didn't feel like going to my room. Instead, I turned around and walked back into the street. I ran across the cul-de-sac and reached Jayden's house. Knowing his family too was out, since it was past midnight now, probably running in the mountains, I rang the doorbell. It had been ages since I heard the sound of Jayden's doorbell and it brought back a ton of memories.
Jayden opened it briskly, then stared at me, startled. "Robyn? What on earth are you doing here…and at this hour?"
Chapter Thirty-Two
"Gosh, I’ve missed this room," I said and stepped inside. "It looks the same."
Jayden smiled and pointed at the wall.
"I got a new poster."
I chuckled. "You're the only sixteen-year-old who still gets posters for his wall."
"Really?"
He was smiling from ear to ear. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're here. I have been so…so frustrated and angry, and I have just…missed you so much."
"Same."
He walked to me, grabbed my face between his hands, and kissed me. I closed my eyes. He looked into my eyes when our lips parted.
"Boy, I have missed kissing you."
We sat on his bed. He started his playlist on his computer. Then we made out. It felt so strange to be able to just act like teenagers for once. I couldn't stop constantly worrying that my mother would find us somehow. That somehow, she knew where I was.
Jayden's kisses were gentle and sweet, but for some stupid reason, I couldn't help comparing them to Duncan's. Why did I do that? And why did I enjoy it so much when Duncan had kissed me? I hated that I did. I hated him.
"You want something to drink?" Jayden said when we sat up. "A soda or something?"
I shook my head when suddenly a tear shaped in the corner of my eye.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I…it's been a long night."
"It's more than that, Robyn. I know you."
"You're right. Something happened, something bad."
Jayden nodded. "Tell me."
I told him everything. Well, almost everything, since I deliberately left out the part where Duncan kissed me and declared his love for me and especially the part where I believed him and actually enjoyed his kiss. I didn't see any point in him knowing any of that since it would only make him jealous and angry with Duncan. But I did tell him about Stacy and how Duncan had tricked me into getting to her. How he had betrayed me.
"You think they killed her?" he asked with a slight gasp.
I nodded.
"Oh, my God, Robyn, that's terrible." He got up and walked back and forth. "I knew that guy was bad news, Robyn. You have to promise me never to see him again."
I nodded. "I think he knows. But I can't help it if my mother invites him over again."
Jayden bit his lip. Then he nodded. "Of course not. Just don't be alone with him. I don't trust him. I never did."
I nodded. "I promise."
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was time for her to get back to her life, to normalcy. Jazmine had actually been looking forward to going back to school and hurried out the door where Adrian was waiting for her in his car.
"There's my wild rose," he said and kissed her.
Jazmine chuckled. The sadness inside of her was still there, lingering, and she still felt like the entire world had crashed on top of her head, but somehow Adrian managed to make her forget that for just a few seconds when he looked at her the way he always did.
Like she was the most amazing creature in the entire world.
"You ready to go back to prison?" he asked and drove into the street.
Jazmine sank into the seat and put on her seatbelt, then nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
The engine roared and they turned away from the street and drove up toward the school. Kids on bikes were on the sidewalks; other kids were walking, going on scooters, driving, chatting happily, some drinking coffee, others watching their phones, annoyed that they had to get up so early, still trying to wake up. Basically, just having an everyday Monday morning. No one was crying behind a closed door or while staring out the window. No one was sad beyond comfort.
Jazmine sighed. It was all she had longed for.
Adrian parked the car in the parking lot and they got out, then walked up to the entrance. Two cats approached her and sat down on the pavement, almost bowing to her as she walked past them. She had spent the past week getting to know her powers a little better, reading her mother's big book when she wasn't looking, and it had been quite enlightening for her. She had tried a spell on the cats, and it had worked. She was now able to understand them and talk to them, and she had even managed to make one of them do what she asked it to. It wasn't easy since cats apparently had an opinion about everything and had started to argue with her as to why it had to do it. Like a young child would, she had thought to herself.
Adrian held the door for her and she stared down the hallway where hundreds of students were walking back and forth, getting to where they were supposed to, and suddenly she was struck with great anxiety. She reached out and grabbed Adrian's shoulder, then held on to it as they walked inside, supporting herself on him.
"You're okay," he said as she froze when she spotted all the many staring eyes. Some even stopped and glared at her, others whispered as she passed them, but not keeping their voices low enough for her to not hear what they said.
"She just lost her father, buried him yesterday, poor thing."
Jazmine swallowed her pride and walked on into her classroom, where Adrian let go of her, then whispered:
"Just take one step at a time. That's how we conquered the moon, remember? One foot in front of the other."
Jazmine nodded, then turned to say goodbye to him, but he was already gone. She looked into the classroom where all the chatter suddenly subsided as they saw her. Amy was sitting behind her desk, looking like she was coming down with a fever, as Jazmine walked inside and took her seat. Amy forced a smile and nodded but seemed like she was lost. Jayden sat behind Jazmine. He smiled and waved a little too eagerly when he saw her.
Some kids were whispering behind her back, and someone soon came up to her. It was the two girls, Britney and Maddie, that she had never liked much.
"I'm sorry about your father," Britney said.
"Yeah, it's a drag," Maddie said and blew a bubble. "I'm sorry."
The teacher arrived, and the two girls hurried to their seats when Jazmine heard Maddie whisper to B
ritney:
"I heard he was a criminal and was shot by the police."
Chapter Thirty-Four
I couldn't concentrate on my work. My mom was explaining some algebra to me, but I wasn't listening at all. I really tried, but all I could think about was Stacy and whether Duncan had killed her or not. I couldn't believe it had all been in vain. I had saved her that night out in the forest, but for what? For her to be killed anyway?
How could I have let Duncan play me like that? How had I fallen for it? All those words about us being meant to be? Had it all been an act from the beginning? The Book Mill? The picnic? The kiss? It was all pretending on his part, wasn't it? If there was one thing I had learned it was that vampires were excellent actors. And you couldn't trust a word they said.
I had watched Jayden this morning from my window as he biked off for school and I even waved at him. The night before had been so wonderful, and I had plans to repeat it tonight. To think that I could actually be with him without fearing being seen. Why hadn't we thought about this before?
I had also seen Jazmine get into Adrian's car and drive off with him. I knew it was Jazmine's first day back since her dad died and worried about how she would do. Lastly, I had spotted Amy's truck as she backed out of her driveway. I missed being a part of that life, the everyday life. It was like torture to know that they all got to get out every day and got to go to actual classes with a real teacher and real lunch at the cafeteria.
"And that's it, Robyn," my mom chirped. "Now, you should be able to solve the rest yourself and then we'll do the essay on the benefits of Global Warming and how it can solve the issue of the overpopulation of humans on Earth after lunch."
I looked at her, not sure that was quite the angle on the topic I would be asked to write about in a normal school but didn't say anything. She was my teacher now and could ask me to write about anything she liked. It didn't really matter.
"Now, I have invited the Pritchards over for dinner this weekend," she said. "No need to thank me. I’ve seen how you and Duncan can't seem to get enough of each other. I’m happy to help."
My eyes widened. "I don't want to see him."
"Excuse me? Weren't you just with him last night?"
"I don't want to see him anymore," I said and returned to my algebra problem.
"I…I have never…now, and why is that, might I ask?" she said, putting her hands on her bony hips.
"I just don't," I said.
"Well, that is hardly a reason, honey."
She grabbed a chair and sat down next to me. She put her hand on top of mine. I didn't like this sudden interest in me. Especially not the touching. Her fingers were so cold on my skin. She looked into my eyes.
"Did you two have a fight?"
"You could call it that," I said.
"Oh, sweetie, if I would have dumped your dad every time we fought over something then…well, he wouldn't be here. Men are stupid, honey. It's just a fact of life. They say stupid stuff. Heck, it starts when you're in fifth grade. They'll pull your hair and think you enjoy it. It's because they don't understand. They're like animals, like dogs. If you don't train them, they'll never learn. You have to mold him, Robyn. Make him the way you want him to be. It doesn’t help to exchange him for someone else because the new one will just do something equally as stupid and then you're back to where you started. No, look at all the good stuff and then see if you can't move him away from the rest. Like his money. Duncan is so rich you'll never have to work a day of your life. Now, there's something. Imagine doing exactly what you want to when you want to."
"But you work. And you like it."
"Well, your dad didn't exactly come with the same luggage as Duncan does, if you know what I mean. He came from money, but not like Duncan’s. Duncan is a keeper, Robyn. There aren't many like him out there. And so what if he does and says stupid stuff? Think of the money, Robyn," she said and placed her long fingernail on my nose. "Just focus on the money, and everything else will fade in comparison."
She paused, satisfied with her own little speech, then smiled. "Now, what do you suggest I make for dinner? I was thinking something with chicory. I just read about it in Eat This, Not That! They say it's the new superfood, even better than kale."
Chapter Thirty-Five
She had thought it would be an escape from all the bad stuff, but as it turned out, going to school just made everything worse. She had thought getting away from her mother's sadness would make her feel better; she had believed that getting out with people who were still living their lives, who hadn't just lost someone would make her forget, but that was not the case. That was so not the case.
Because no one would let her forget. Every time she met someone, she knew they would ask her how she was doing, if she was all right, and say stuff like, "I am so sorry, Jazmine,” and, "so sad to hear what happened."
They usually wouldn't even say what they were sorry about; it was like they couldn't even say the word.
He's dead. My dad is dead, she felt like screaming. Just say the darn word already.
No, they wouldn't say it to her face, but they would whisper about it behind her back. So many of them did that, and it was usually not the nice stuff. Apparently, the rumors had been swirling across the school all last week about Jazmine's father and how the police gunned him down because he was trying to run away. The stories varied a lot from him being an embezzler who had stolen millions from the company he worked for (a paper company that probably didn't have millions for him to steal!) to he was part of the mafia and had killed someone. Jazmine even heard someone say that her dad was a serial killer and probably the one who had killed Natalie Jamieson, Blake Fisher, and Mrs. Sharpe, the art teacher at the elementary school.
As the day went by, Jazmine could sense how her anger and anguish grew inside of her to a point where she found it almost unbearable to be anywhere in the school.
At lunch, she pulled up her hoodie and sat by Adrian, who also hid inside of his. They ate in silence. Amy came up next to her, but she didn't say a word. She hardly even ate, which was very odd for her, but Jazmine really didn't have the energy to worry.
Only Jayden seemed normal when he came and sat with them. He even seemed happy, and that was like torture for Jazmine at this moment. She spoke mostly with Adrian, who was an expert at not caring what people were saying or that they were staring at him.
"It's easy," he said once when she asked him about it. "I don't look at them; I don't listen to what they say, and if I hear something, I just laugh. They don't know anything. They're just morons who think the world out there is just like high school. They’ll have the time of their lives now, and they will always look back at high school as the prime of their lives, whereas I have mine ahead of me. For years and years to come. "
Jazmine liked that thought and she tried his tactic just to block it all out, to not let it get to her, but as she ate her sandwich, she could hear the girls sitting at the table behind her talking about her.
"I feel so bad for her. Poor her," one said.
Jazmine turned her head and looked at them. It was Britney and Maddie again along with their gang of cheerleaders. Jazmine had never cared for any of them.
"I don't," Maddie said. "The guy deserved what he got. He was a criminal; that's what my dad says."
"I heard that too," Britney said.
"How does your dad know?" another girl asked.
"He's a lawyer, duh. He knows these things, and he says the police wouldn't kill someone in his driveway unless he was very dangerous."
"But they said he had a heart attack," the girl said, trying to whisper but not doing a very good job.
"That's just to protect his family," Maddie said. "But fact was that there were several witnesses who saw him get shot. There is no doubt, the guy had it coming to him."
Jazmine held onto the table to not burst into anger, but it didn’t help much. The anger didn't go away. It grew and grew inside of her, and she felt like she was going to explode
.
"Remember, they're morons," Adrian whispered to her. "Nothing but high school idiots."
"I know," she said. "I know they are. Nothing but morons. Nothing but freakin' morons who are never going to amount to anything."
She closed her eyes and held onto the table, repeating what he had told her, but she couldn't stop it. And she couldn't help herself. She heard Britney scream and opened her eyes.
"What's happening to your eye!?" Britney said. "What the heck is happening to your eye?"
"What do you mean?" Maddie asked, fear emerging in her voice. "What are you talking about?"
"Something is coming out of it!" someone yelled.
"What? What is coming out of it?" Maddie asked, panicking. "Aw. My eye. It hurts! Help me!"
Britney shrieked and got up from her seat. "It's moving. What is it? What the heck is it?"
"I don't know," Maddie said. "Help me, please help me."
Britney approached her and took a closer look, then screamed again. She pulled back in disgust.
"Is that…is it a…worm?"
"It is!" someone else yelled, grasping her face between her hands in terror. "It's a flippin' wiggling worm!"
"It's crawling out of her eye!"
As the screams and chaos erupted in the cafeteria, Jazmine took another bite of her sandwich, now smiling for the first time since she got there. Adrian noticed, then laughed.
"You're bad, girl. Oh, you are bad."
Chapter Thirty-Six
Amy popped the lid off the painkillers and swallowed two pills. She sat down on a chair, waiting for them to kick in, bending forward, strained in pain. All day long it had been bothering her. She had hardly been able to focus on anything in school.
She had seen, though, what Jazmine did to Maddie P. Now, Amy had never liked her and her gang much, but still. It was truly terrible what Jazmine had done. The girl had ended up being taken away in an ambulance, screaming in terror. Her friends had been horrified…all of them anxious that they too might be infected with this strange worm.
