Eve paused, not sure whether she should lead him towards the table where she normally sat with her friends or find a place where they could be alone. He might feel awkward surrounded by the science club, but taking him somewhere private might come off a little strong. She knew he saw her sitting with friends yesterday, so she decided to take him there. Her friends had a way of making people feel welcome, anyway.
“I belong to the science club,” Eve mentioned, wanting to get that out of the way. He’d find out eventually, so she might as well be honest about it. “We usually sit together, but my friends will be cool with you joining them.”
Zeph nodded with a gulp, not sure if he was ready to meet a whole group of new people all in one day. He wasn’t very good at making friends.
“Don’t worry; they don’t bite,” Eve teased with a smile that made all his worries fade away.
Eve took her normal spot at the table and motioned for Zeph to sit beside her. The conversation halted as the group noticed the new addition. Zeph blushed as all eyes turned his way.
“Guys, this is Zeph; we met yesterday,” Eve announced casually, but Zeph noticed how everyone’s eyebrows raised.
“Zeph, this is my best friend, Tara, and her boyfriend, Tyler.” Eve pointed towards the girl he recognized from the Mathlete meeting yesterday. They nodded and smiled and said hey.
“I’m Garrett.” The skinny, Asian boy practically vibrated with excess energy.
“Reggie,” a deep voice rumbled from the mammoth boy at the other end. Zeph would be afraid if it weren’t for the kind smile that radiated from the intimidating body.
“That’s Rachel and Cameron.” Eve pointed to the blonde girl and her brown-haired partner. “They aren’t part of the science club, they just started hanging out with us last year.” Zeph was not surprised. He wondered how they came to associate with this crowd. They looked like Abercrombie models, not science geeks.
“I like your name, Zeph,” Rachel replied.
“Uh, thanks,” he replied, bewildered. No one had ever said that before.
“So how’d you guys meet?” Tara gave Zeph a curious once over.
“Zeph’s into angels,” Eve replied, and Zeph noticed Rachel and Cameron turn his way with curiosity in their eyes. “I saw him reading some of my favorite books in the library yesterday.”
“I didn’t know you were into angels, Eve,” Rachel said.
Eve shrugged self-consciously. “I’ve just kinda been fascinated by the idea of them ever since my dad died when I was little. My mom told me he became my guardian angel and would always watch out for me. Ever since then, I always wanted to find out more about angels.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Eve’s friends, but Zeph’s eyes bulged in surprise. Maybe that could explain all the mixed signals! If Eve’s dad was a Celestia who had died, maybe her mom was a human who kept her in the dark, trying to give her a normal human life. If her mother never encouraged the development of her gift, maybe it just withered. That could explain why Zeph didn’t recognize it.
“Zeph, you never told me why you’re so curious about angels,” Eve realized.
Zeph’s mind went blank as everyone waited for his reply. Obviously, he couldn’t tell the truth, but how much should he lie? His first thought was to say he had to do a report on angels for a class he was taking, but he knew instinctively that would weaken his connection to Eve. The only reason she liked him was because she thought they had something in common. His heart clenched at the thought of losing her interest. Besides being the first girl who had ever paid him any mind, she was a mystery he was eager to unravel.
Instead, he devised a half-truth that hopefully she would buy. “My sister, Risse, had a near-death experience once, and she claims an angel saved her life.”
It was true he had a sister, and she did almost get run over by a car once when she was five, but the angel who saved her was their mother, not a mysterious guardian.
“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” Eve stared at Zeph with wonder and surprise. Her shiny teeth sparkled between her raspberry lips as she smiled, and Zeph licked his own unconsciously.
“What happened?” asked Cameron, and Zeph scrambled to invent a version of the story he could share.
“She ran into the street when she was outside playing one day, and a car almost hit her, but she says an angel swooped her up and moved her out of the way.”
“I would love to hear her tell about it.” Eve placed her hand on Zeph’s arm. “Was this recently?”
Zeph was rendered speechless for a moment by the feel of her skin on his. Her hand was soft and warm, but it felt like a branding iron against his flesh. “Uh, no, this was when she was little. She’s a sophomore now.”
“Risse — like Risse Arella?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah, that’s her.” Of course they would know who his sister was.
“Do you know her, Rachel?” Eve asked.
“Well, not personally, but I’ve watched her online. She has this beauty blog. She’s really cool. She had this one video about ways to upgrade your ponytail and it was, like, amazing. Remember that, Tara?”
Zeph noticed Cameron rolling his eyes, and he chuckled. “Scintillating, right?”
“Don’ tell me we gonna start talkin’ about beauty products now, please.” Reggie groaned, and the boys all laughed.
Rachel flicked her hair and rolled her eyes. “You may not care about the process, but I’m pretty sure you like the effects. Right, Tyler?”
Tyler nodded sheepishly. Rachel had been teaching his girlfriend, Tara, some beauty tricks, and he had to admit he appreciated the results. He had always been attracted to Tara for her personality, but, thanks to Rachel’s suggestions, Tara’s appearance was becoming just as appealing.
Tara blushed and decided to change the subject. “Hey Eve, have you seen any episodes of that new show, Wings?”
“Yes! And I really like it. I was telling Zeph about it yesterday.”
“I heard about that. Cameron and I started to watch that last week, but we got… distracted.” Rachel shared a private grin with her boyfriend.
“Is that code for making out?” Tara teased, and Rachel and Cameron smirked.
Zeph realized the show might be an opportunity to spend more time with Eve, but after Tara’s comment, he was too embarrassed to ask her if she’d like to watch it with him.
“Zeph, maybe you should invite Eve to come over and watch it since you’re both into angels.” Tara winked. “It sounds really… inspiring.”
Eve gawked at her friend who folded her arms and leaned back in her seat with a Cheshire grin.
“Thanks for the suggestion, Tara,” Eve croaked, shielding her eyes.
“I actually was going to invite you, but now it’s just awkward,” Zeph mumbled into Eve’s shoulder, heaving a big sigh.
Eve blushed and whispered back. “How about if I invite you instead? Do you want to come over tomorrow after school and watch it with me?”
“That’s sounds cool.” Zeph gave a shy smile. “Can I have your number?”
Eve nodded and rattled off the digits while Zeph punched them into his phone then texted her so she would have his.
“I don’t think we have any classes together, so I guess maybe I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch?” Zeph’s eyes were hopeful.
Eve nodded. “Would you like to sit with us again?”
“Sure, you’re friends are pretty cool,” Zeph replied with a cheeky smile. They had helped him ask her out, after all.
Chapter 5
Zeph honked the horn, trying to motivate his sister to get in the car already. Charisse’s beauty routine had become entirely too lengthy over the summer, and now she was on the verge of making them late for school.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she apologized, folding her gazelle-like limbs into the front seat. Zeph raised an eyebrow at the 3-inch platform heels that made her knees touch her chin in the compact car. The tiny, silk shorts she was wearing made her legs look even lon
ger, and Zeph wondered if she was taller than him yet. She surpassed him in every other way, so he figured she’d probably outgrow him, too.
“Geez, Risse, you gotta cut back on the makeup routine if you can’t paint it on and still be on time for school,” Zeph complained.
“Oh, I was ready a while ago; I was just polishing Daddy’s shoes for him. He has an important meeting today, and I noticed some scuffs. Shoes are the first thing people notice about your outfit, you know.”
Of course. He couldn’t even be mad at her for running late when she was just caught up in being thoughtful. Zeph rolled his eyes but offered her a smile. It was hard not to love his sister.
“So how’s your senior year going so far?” Risse asked, always mindful of others.
Zeph paused. Should he tell her about Eve? Since he’d already told Eve a made-up story about his sister, it would probably be a good thing if Risse was aware of it, just in case Eve happened to talk to her.
“Um, well, I actually met this girl—”
“EEEEEEEE!!!!! I knew it!” Risse grabbed her brother’s shoulder and shook him.
“Uh, driving here, Risse.”
“Sorry!” Risse dropped her hands in her lap and turned in her seat so she could face him. Her knees wiggled with excitement.
“Sarah said Kayla said her sister Kylie saw you talking to some red-headed girl in the library Tuesday, and yesterday I noticed you were eating lunch with a bunch of people I’ve never met, including a super cute girl with the most gorgeous red hair I’ve ever seen — is that natural? It’s almost impossible to maintain that color from a bottle unless you go to the salon like every two weeks, but I noticed she didn’t really style it, so I doubt she’s putting that much effort into her color, but you never know, she did have a really pretty dress on, so she obviously cares a little bit about her appearance—”
“RISSE!” Zeph shouted, trying to halt the flow of her jabbering.
“Sorry.” Risse smiled with a shrug.
“Yes, I met this girl Eve in the library the other day. She noticed I was reading a book about angels, and I guess she has a thing for them.”
Risse raised her eyebrows but managed to keep her mouth closed. This was more personal information than her brother usually gave her in a month, so she didn’t want to jinx it.
“We talked a little bit, and the next day I saw her in the cafeteria, and she invited me to sit with her and her friends.”
“Zeph, that’s so awesome!” Risse exclaimed, unable to maintain her silence any longer. “Do you like her? Does she like you? Are you going to see her again? So, she’s into angels? That’s so perfect!”
Zeph smirked and shook his head at his sister’s rapid-fire questions. “She’s… cool.”
His mouth turning up in an uncontrollable grin at the thought of her. “And yeah, I made plans to hang out with her tonight.”
“Oh my gosh, Zeph! I’m so happy for you! What are you guys going to do? Are you bringing her here? When can I meet her?” Risse’s long, loose, blonde curls bounced as she jiggled in her seat, and she offered a string of tiny claps with her manicured hands.
“We’re going to her house to watch some show about angels that she likes, and as much as I totally do not want to introduce her to you and risk you going all bubbly psycho-sister on me,” Zeph playfully bugged out his eyes and rolled them around in his head, “I kinda… embellished a story about you, and I think she’s anxious to meet you.”
“What!? What kind of story?”
“Well, she asked me why I was so interested in angels, so I told her it was because you almost got hit by a car when you were little, but an angel pulled you out of the way.”
“Mom pulled me out of the way.”
“I know! I panicked, okay? I didn’t know what to say. Anyway, she said she’d like to hear your side of the story, so can you cover for me if she asks?”
“Of course, Zephy. You know I’d do anything for you.” Risse gave a kind grin that she covered with her fist when it grew mischievous. “I’m so happy for you, Bubby.”
Zeph grinned and dropped his gaze to his lap. “So, do I look okay?”
“You look great,” Risse assured him, smoothing imaginary wrinkles in the outfit she had given him for Christmas. If she could do nothing else for him, she always made sure her brother was well-dressed.
Zeph lingered near the door to the cafeteria, hoping to catch Eve before she got in line. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and scanned the crowd, making sure she hadn’t already arrived. He wished he knew where Eve’s locker was; he would like to have met her there, but their schedules didn’t seem to intersect at any time other than lunch, so he had yet to see her in the halls.
It still surprised him that he had never seen her at this school before two days ago, and he wondered if she was new or had really been there all along. She had to have been there at least one year — she already had a full social life. Zeph wished he could have known her all this time. How different might his high school career have been if he had met her as a freshman instead!? Zeph shook the thought from his head. What was he saying? He’d only known the girl for two days. Why did he assume she would change his life?
Because she already had, he realized. The old Zeph would still be eating lunch with the Engel twins and counting down the days till he could graduate and move on to a better life. The new Zeph had a date tonight. The thought made him smile.
“What’s that about?” Eve asked, catching him in his moment of happiness.
“Oh, hey! I was just looking for you.” Zeph transferred his smile to her and she replied in kind. “Wanna get in line?”
“I’m actually brown-bagging it today.” Eve held up her lunch bag, “but I’ll wait with you in line.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” Eve ducked her head as she smiled.
“My sister always packs her own lunch. She says the food here is terrible for her complexion.” Zeph smirked.
“I prefer healthier fare, myself.” Eve nodded, wrinkling her nose at the mystery meat the lunch lady slapped on Zeph’s plate.
A few minutes later, they made their way to Eve’s usual table, where all her friends were already eating.
“Hey Zeph,” several voices rang out as he pulled out a chair. They seemed genuinely happy to see him. I could get used to this whole friendliness thing, Zeph thought to himself.
Just then, Zeph’s sister walked by and just so happened to notice him. “Hey Zeph, who’re your new friends?” she asked, her perky voice like a wind chime.
Zeph rolled his eyes. “Hey sis, this is Eve, and these are her friends.” He waved his hands across the table.
“Hi, I’m Charisse!” she announced, sticking out a hand. “But you can call me Risse, everyone does. I’ve heard SO much about you, Eve!”
Zeph’s eyes bugged out, and he tried to motion for her to be quiet, but once Risse got started, there was no stopping her.
“Zeph says you guys have a date tonight! You’re gonna have such a good time. My brother’s just the best guy ever…” Risse chattered, waving her arms and flipping her hair and grabbing Eve’s hands.
Eve just smiled at her, threw Zeph a wink, and let Risse speak her mind.
“Hey Risse, I love your blog!” Rachel interjected, taking the heat off Eve. “Your last post about lip gloss was really informative…”
“Sorry,” Zeph whispered to Eve once Risse was distracted. “She’s easily excited.”
“I like her,” Eve said, and Zeph’s heart melted a little bit.
“So about tonight — what time should I come over?”
“You can just follow me home from school if you want. I mean, the show doesn’t start till eight, but…” Eve suddenly grew shy.
“That would be great, if that’s okay with you.” Zeph gazed into her bright green eyes. The acceptance in them made him forget his own awkwardness.
“My little brothers will be there, but hopefully they won’t
be too much of a pain.”
“Brothers are okay; it’s sisters that’ll drive you crazy,” Zeph said, not intentionally loud enough for Risse to hear, but she did anyway.
“So Eve, Zeph tells me you’re into angels,” Risse said, the jibe drawing her attention back to her brother and his new friend.
“Yeah, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of them. Zeph said you had an encounter with one.” Eve leaned forward with wide eyes.
Risse proceeded to make up a dramatic angel-rescue story on the fly that had the whole table mesmerized for the next five minutes. When she was finished, Zeph almost expected applause.
“That’s really incredible, Risse. I know science can’t explain it, but I’ve always believed in angels,” Eve said.
“They walk among us all the time, right Zeph? My brother is an angel in disguise.” Risse winked, giving his shoulders a squeeze.
Chapter 6
After school, Zeph scanned the row of lockers in A Hall, looking for number 164. The mane of red hair peeking out from behind one of them gave him a hint which one was Eve’s. He casually leaned up against the one next to it, hidden behind the open door, and waited for Eve to notice him.
“Hey Zeph,” she greeted him without looking.
“How’d you know it was me?”
Eve closed her locker door and turned to face him, a happy grin lighting her face. She shrugged then slung her book bag over her shoulder and tugged a strand of hair out from beneath the strap. “Some people are just more noticeable than others, I guess.”
Zeph beamed at the idea of her noticing him, but then he realized it was probably just her Celestia senses recognizing one of her own, and he shook his head at his own narcissism.
As they walked towards the parking lot, though, Zeph felt like a spotlight was shining on him. People who knew him but never paid him any mind took a second glance when they noticed he was walking side by side with Eve. Maybe it was the pride and happiness glowing from him like bioluminescence that caught their eye. He felt like a spectacle, but this time he didn’t mind the attention.
Date with Destiny Collection: Angel Romance Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 3
