by Weil, J. L.
I tried counting to ten in my head. It didn’t lessen my rising temper any. The more words she spewed, the more intense the tingles ran through my body. I felt like I was going to burst.
Speaking of burst, her jeans were suction cupped to her legs, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t wearing a bra. I had no idea how she could even move in that getup.
“Wait,” she rambled on like I gave two-shits. “Let me guess.” She tapped her blood red nail against her lip. “He found out what a freak you really are and ran for the hills.” The smirk on her face was almost enough to make me lose it.
She had it coming, she really did. She must be glutton for punishment. There really wasn’t any other explanation I could fathom. Just a little magic wouldn’t be that bad…
How much more damage could it really do, especially when she was already hell bent on slandering my reputation? Why not add more fuel to the flame? In reality not the best idea, but right then I couldn’t think straight. I wasn’t rational.
“Don’t screw with me today.” My whole body was shaking with the need to hurt her, and a haze of darkness swarmed behind my eyes.
“Ooh,” she taunted holding her hands up. “What are you going to do?” she sneered, the two insignificant girls behind her giggled.
I could smash her like a bug, crush her under my Uggs. “You could stick around and find out,” I snapped.
There was just the tiniest flicker in her golden eyes. Fear. Under all that hoochie, Rianne was afraid of me. I was small enough to admit that pleased me. She could say whatever she wanted. Spread all the nasty rumors she wanted. Just as long as she knew, there was nothing she could do to destroy me. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.
Hell-to-the-no.
Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
A wicked gleam lit her eyes. “I just wanted to see your face when you found out I was banging your boyfriend.”
That was it!
I was going to gouge her eyes with my short bitten nails. “He wouldn’t dare,” I professed barely keeping my cool.
She pursed her sultry cherry lips. “Hmm. Not yet, but he will. They always do.” Leaning in close to my ear, she whispered. “I’m on to you freak.” Spinning on her stiletto heels, she walked away like she owned the runway, leaving me gaping after her. Steaming. Pulsing. Radiating fury.
“Bitch,” I muttered under my breath. A crack of thunder split open outside with a violent wall-shaking-sound.
I jumped.
Apparently, I even scared myself. There was a hum simmering under my skin, not at all satisfied that it hadn’t been unable to unleash its full wrath on the beast. Pulling it back in was much harder than summoning it had been.
Taking a shaky breath, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever get used to this weathercasting. Worse yet, I let Rianne get to me. She wanted nothing more than to hurt me. That and probably call me out for being something unnatural. Unease snaked around my belly as I thought about her finding out what I really was.
Utterly terrifying.
The more I pondered over the idea, the more enraged I became. Dark thoughts floated through my head. She was really no match for me. I had the kind of power to destroy her, to silence her verbal assaults. Tendrils of shadowy magic coursed through my blood. It wasn’t the heady kind, but more addictive like ecstasy. It enticed me to strike out. Now, while I still had the back of Rianne and her groupie’s in sight.
“Brianna.”
Hearing my name, I whirled around. The edge of power still glowing in my violet eyes, I could feel them radiating.
Tori stood in front of me, watching me curiously. She looked like one of those private school brats gone wild, dressed in a plaid skirt, black knee highs and a tied white button up. Seeing the look of confusion on Tori’s face, like she didn’t recognized me, popped me out of the eerie power trip I’d been strolling down.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You look ready to commit murder.”
Sadly that was almost how I had felt. I nodded. “Rianne.” She must have found about my falling out with Gavin. It was the only explanation I could come up with for her lurid suggestions, that or it was just her nature.
The one word was enough for Tori to understand why I was upset. “What a bitch. Someone really needs to put her in her place for once.”
Hmm… I had been thinking the same thing, but much more violently.
And that scared me.
Who knew what I would do next.
~*~
Sophie caught me at the end of lunch after everyone had left. I had been unusually quiet and by the look on Sophie’s beautiful face she knew what was nagging me. Well at least part of it. What she probably didn’t know was that I was more worried about my almost actions than I was at Rianne insulting me.
She shifted her books under her arm. “By the way, I heard what Rianne’s been saying about you and Gavin. It’s not true,” Sophie said, her all too perceptive blue eyes studying me. I could only image what my aura revealed.
God rumors could be ugly and spread faster than the chicken pox. I shrugged trying to downplay what I was really feeling. Mortified. It was just another snag in my grand scheme of problems. “Yeah well she is Satan’s spawn. If she isn’t spewing verbal diarrhea about someone, her life would be useless. Better me than one of my friends.”
“That’s not alright,” she argued. Tiny blue flames sparked into her eyes.
When was life fair? “It’s no big deal.”
“I don’t think Gavin would agree,” she threw out there.
“Sophie,” I growled. “Don’t even think about it.” The last thing I needed was for him to go all macho like he had that night in Wilmington. Nothing good would come of it, I was certain. The warning bell rang overhead cutting our talk short. “I’ve got to get to class. Just drop it. For now,” I added when she didn’t appear convinced that was the best solution.
“For now,” she agreed. “But I am telling you, it would better if he heard about it from you than the grapevine.”
And that wouldn’t be a problem if I could get the guy to acknowledge me. Or show up to a class. She had a point though, I didn’t want to put anything between us again, and most certainly not Rianne.
She put a soft hand on my arm. “Brianna you need to talk to him. And I don’t mean just about the Rianne thing. He hasn’t been himself. I’m worried about him. We all are. His aura has been dark, filled with jealousy and hurt. I think you are the only one who can break through to him. I am afraid of what he might do.”
Every line in her face showed her concern and that concern cut straight through me. My stomach sunk all the way to my toes, and anxiety buzzed inside.
Nodding, I agreed, “I’ll try again.”
I needed to talk to him, even if I had to use unusual methods.
~*~
At the end of school I was kidnapped by Tori and Austin. Well not exactly kidnapped, but more like taken hostage for a girl’s night.
Looping his arm through mine, Austin gave me his million dollar smile. “Babygirl you are in need of some serious cheer. We got just what you need.”
Tori mirrored his action on the other side of me, securing me in their clutches and leading me to the parking lot. “Something to get your mind off Gavin.”
“Off boys in general,” Austin piped in.
I laid my head on his shoulder. He smelled like Georgio Armani. What were best friends for? Mine apparently thought I needed some kind of intervention. They were probably right. I had been mopping around for far too long.
Rolling my eyes, I could only imagine too well what these two conjured up as cheer. Someone shoot me now. “Guys I appreciate–”
“Nope,” Austin cut me off. “We are simply not taking no.”
Oh Lord. They were after all just trying to help. “Fine,” I muttered, managing a small grin.
“Hell yes!” Tori screeched.
I scrunched my nose. “That was my eardrum you just erupted.” I guess I could always
seek Gavin out tomorrow. How could I say no to Beavis and Butthead?
Chapter 11
SHUFFLING INTO TORI’S LITTLE VOLKSWAGON beetle, complete with eyelashes on the headlights, I prayed they weren’t taking me to some underground rave. Or worse, a nudie joint. With these two you just didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.
I guess that was part of the appeal.
Cranking the radio, the three of us, like silly dorks, sang at the top of our lungs, and banged our heads to the beat of some indie punk rock band. An elderly couple in the car beside us shook their heads in disgust.
We busted out laughing.
I needed this. A night out with my besties. There weren’t two other people in the world that could drag me against my will in some outlandish scheme and I actually enjoy myself.
“I’ve been thinking about dying my hair turquoise,” Tori stated, fussing with her long caramel strands. Tori driving with only one hand was dangerous. She needed to keep both hands at ten and two.
I tried to ignore the fact that her front tire just skimmed over the yellow line. “Seriously?” I asked with a tad too much judgment.
“Sure, why not?” she shot back, overcorrecting the little car. It tossed me to the other side of seat.
I frowned at her in the rearview mirror.
Austin turned in his seat towards us. “I say go for it. I am all about freedom of will, be who you are, and all that blah, blah, blah.”
I hit him from the backseat. “Knock it off. Don’t you dare encourage her. You know that she will do it.”
He smirked. “Isn’t that the point? Besides, she would look posh in turquoise. It would compliment her complexion.”
I groaned in the back, thumping myself on the head. “Great,” I muttered. “Next she is going to be covered from head-to-toe in pierces and run off with a drummer from Oz.”
“Whatever you say Mother Goose,” Austin smirked.
I glared at him. “Funny.” How he could even think with all that gel in his hair was beyond my comprehension. There should be some kind of ban for overuse of hair products.
“I live to entertain,” he said, grinning over his shoulder.
Five minutes later, my destination revealed itself.
They had hijacked me to the zoo, and I actually embarrassed myself by getting a little misty. My emotions today were on overdrive, and it wasn’t even that time of the month.
The zoo was in every childhood memory I had of Tori and Austin. For as long as I could remember, we’d spent multiple days of our summer vacation at the zoo.
Stepping through the iron gates with Tori on one side and Austin on the other was like traveling back in time. It had been so long since the three of us had been here. Too long.
“You guys, this is awesome. Seriously.” I couldn’t help but think that life before boy troubles had been so much simpler.
“B, you know you can count on us to pull you out of your boyfriend blues,” Tori vowed, pushing her light brown waves out of her face. Stopping, the three of us stood in a circle just inside. “Let’s make a pact. Today there will be no mentioning of boys. Period. Just us,” she spread out her long arms. “And the wildlife.”
On cue a vivacious roar ripped over the massive grounds.
“Deal,” Austin and I echoed grinning.
I eyed Austin in his Michael Kors jeans and Dior shoes. “Are you sure you are dressed appropriate for the zoo?”
“Please.” His hand touched the top of his dark head. “Don’t you think animals appreciate quality too?” The lens of his round glasses glinted of the slowing fading sun.
He really was something else – a one in a million. And that was putting it nicely.
We leisurely strolled from exhibit to exhibit talking about nonsense, laughing at the animals, but mostly ourselves. I was having the time of my life, and I hardly thought of Gavin. Well just a little.
Venturing into the snake house I got the willies, as usual. It had nothing to do with anything unnatural, just my aversion for creepy, scaly, slithering things. They freaked me out.
“God. This place still gives me the creeps,” Tori said.
Amen sister.
There was this huge python that just stared at us through the glass and I couldn’t help but think of Harry Potter. As cliché as it sounded, I wondered… Being a witch myself, could I speak in different tongues?
Hey it was worth a shot.
Staring intently at the colorful python, I tried to look inconspicuous. Minutes past.
Nothing. Dead silence.
“What are you doing?” Austin asked.
Breaking off my concentration, I looked at them. They were both eyeing me with twin smirks. “Nothing,” I muttered, casting my gaze to the ground.
“BS,” he called me out. “You were wondering the same thing we were. Maybe I could speak parseltongue.”
My violet eyes widened. Holy shit.
“Admit it.”
I glanced to Tori. She nodded her perky head grinning. “Yep.”
I grinned back. “I will admit to no such thing.”
“Liar,” Austin said bumping my shoulder with his.
“I guess you’ll never know.” It drove them bonkers when I withheld anything, even something as stupid as talking to a python, which I couldn’t do.
My mind leaped swiftly from Harry Potter to Gavin and my smile slowly faded.
“I know we said we wouldn’t, but you are my best friend B. So I have to ask. Do I need to kick Gavin’s glorious ass?” Tori volunteered, reading the crestfallen expression glittering in my eyes.
A short laugh escaped my lips at the image of Tori going up against a witch, her with her designer jeans and manicured nails. She meant well. “I wouldn’t go that far,” I assured, leaning against a railing.
Her hands went to her hips. “It’s oblivious he hurt you, and in my book, that calls for a good ass whooping.”
“So this fight is pretty serious?” Austin asked his face sobering.
“Serious enough for douche to skip school. What?” Tori asked when Austin poked her in the ribs and I scowled in her direction. “He hurt you. Anyone who causes you pain is automatically a douche. It’s like girl code. B, you couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Tori, I am not a saint. Trust me. This isn’t his fault.” That belonged mostly on my shoulders.
Austin put his arm around me. “Whatever it is Babygirl, we still love you. That will never change.”
I was counting on it. When and if they found out my secret, I was really counting on that devotion.
I needed it.
“By the way…” Tori nudged between us. I could immediately tell by her grin that I wasn’t going to like this. Not one bit. “Since we are getting all mushy, I need a favor.”
Instantly, I groan loudly. Whenever Tori started a sentence with “I need favor”, I either end up taking the blame for some harebrained idea of hers or…she was having a party.
“I’m throwing a Christmas party at my house after Thanksgiving. I expect you there,” she finished, ignoring my extreme protest.
Bingo. Called it.
Ugh. Just once, couldn’t she have a different kind of favor?
Tori could throw epic parties. No matter how stellar they might be, I hated parties. Just the thought of all the crowds, loud music, and the amount of groping that went on in the dark, made me shudder. Oh and don’t forget the dancing. An act of God couldn’t get me there.
She laid her head on my shoulder giving me a look of pity. “It will be fun. Promise,” she tempted like it was a piece of Godiva chocolate. “Everyone will be there. And what you need is to let loose, have a little fun. Let’s show Gavin what he is missing.”
Keyword in that sentence was Gavin. Or in this case, a petty chance to see Gavin. Yeah, I would even suffer the agony of one of Tori’s parties for Gavin.
“Fine. I’ll go. But don’t expect me to enjoy myself,” I muttered.
Her soft pink lips broke out into a generou
s smile, and she threw her arms around me.
Chapter 12
IT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT AND like the lame, lazy bum that I was, I was spending the evening on the couch with a sappy chick flick. The clicking of heels on the tile floor had me turning my head, and the remote control slipped from my hand.
There stood my aunt looking sexy as hell in a little black number that even made me blush. She set a glitzy wristlet on the counter before facing me. Smiling, she seemed pleased with herself. My eyes might have bugged. It wasn’t every day my aunt looked like a sex kitten.
“Whoa. And where do you think you are going looking like that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
“I have a date,” she replied happily and looking a little dreamy.
A date? My aunt never dated.
My brows drew together as I assessed how this made me feel. It was pathetic that she had a hot date on Saturday night while her teenage niece sat at home vegging out on triple chocolate ice cream? And looking homeless nonetheless.
I licked the chocolate goo from my spoon pondering.
“Yes a date,” she confirmed. “I know it’s unheard of.” She had a luminous luster to her skin. She was glowing.
My rainbow knee-high socks padded on the kitchen floor, as I set the carton of ice cream on the counter, leaning on my elbows. “It’s not that. It’s just… unexpected.”
“It is isn’t it? And probably long overdue.” She brushed a hand down her short black shirt, wiping away at invisible wrinkles. “I must be crazy. Me dating? I don’t even know what to do on a date.”
A small smile crept on my lips. “Be yourself,” I repeated back the words she had said to me a few months ago.
“Hmm. My own words coming to bite me back in the ass, even if it was good advice.” She leaned a hip on the counter. “You’re right. If he doesn’t like what he gets, he isn’t good enough for me.”
“Any guy who isn’t into you is just plain out an idiot.”
“Thanks… I think.” She straightened up and asked, “So how do I look?”
I gave her a quick scan. “Like sex on a stick.”
She gave a short laugh. “That’s good right?”
