Willow (Blood Vine Series)

by Amy Richie

  The morning passed slowly enough. I didn’t have any classes with Rueben and for that I was thankful. The green-eyed girl was in every one of my classes. That was how it was in small schools, though, a lot of the faces were familiar. The girl’s name was Carlie and she was definitely on the cheerleading squad.

  There seemed to be a whisper that followed me down the hall when the bell rang. I hugged the big textbook closer to my chest, as if that would defend me against cruel teenagers. Once at my locker I had to look again at the combination the office lady had given me. “Thirty-two left,” I mumbled to myself while I turned the small dial, “sixteen right, eight left.” I pulled hard on the latch but it didn’t open. Last period I was late to class for this very reason. I knew I should have just left it unlocked. I groaned and slammed the palm of my hand against the cool metal.

  “You all right, newbie?” a low voice, sounding very amused, asked.

  I scoffed under my breath, not bothering to raise my head to look at the boy who had come to mock me. “Just peachy.”

  “The school here is cheap as hell. Pretty sure that same lock was here when Pebbles Flintstone graduated.”

  I turned my head just enough to get a glimpse of him. His face was split by a huge grin when he realized I was looking. He was short and not nearly as good-looking as Rueben, but there was something extremely attractive about him.

  His sun-bleached hair hung just below his ears and his blue eyes sparkled mischievously. He reminded me of a surfer from California, not that I had ever been to California, but he is what I imagined a surfer would look like. But we were in Massachusetts. Once I finally realized I was staring, I looked away quickly. “Yeah, it’s stuck,” I said stupidly.

  “I’m Jed Flannigan,” he inserted quickly.

  “Jed?”

  “Yep. Like Jedi, without the I.” He flashed his too white teeth and wiggled his eyebrows.

  A small chuckle rose to my lips and escaped before I could stop it. “I’m Willow, like the tree.”

  His hand rose up to offer me a handshake, as if this were a business meeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Willow,” he said stiffly.

  I noticed the way his muscles made the sleeve of his shirt cling to his arm when he raised it. “Likewise, Mr. Flannigan,” I replied in the same tone. We both laughed. My laugh sounded forced, as if my throat wasn’t used to making such strange sounds.

  “Where are you heading?”

  “Um … I have to be in Algebra.” I wrinkled my nose. Who could possibly find enjoyment in looking at numbers for an hour?

  “With Mr. Cluck?”

  “Uh …” I shuffled my papers so I could see my schedule again. That wasn’t his name. “No, it’s Mr. Cruff.”

  “Yeah,” he grinned again, “just wait, you’ll see what I mean.”

  I blinked and looked away, flustered by his cute smile. This school definitely had some potential. “That is, if I can get into my locker. Think he’ll notice if I have a psych book?” I waved the textbook from my last class.

  “Probably not.” He made a fist and pounded it into my locker in a series of punches. The door popped open.

  “Wow, I thought that lock was supposed to keep people out.”

  He winked. “I’ve been around for a while.”

  “I guess so.” I made a face that sent my eyebrows to my hair.

  He leaned in closer while I bent to switch out my books. “Can I walk you to class?” He sounded almost nervous to be asking, afraid I would tell him no.

  “Are you going that way?”

  “Absolutely.” He rose up again to stand at attention.

  “All right, but this isn’t a date, right?” I smiled widely so he would know that I was only kidding.

  “Just a walk.”

  I closed my locker with a loud bang but the door just flung back open. “Ugh!”

  “Allow me.” Jed punched the metal again, this time securing the door shut.

  “You’ll have to show me how you did that.”

  Jed stiffened when a large group of boys passed us in the hallway. I looked up and regretted it instantly when I locked eyes with Rueben. He was in the middle of a loud group that were all sporting their letterman jackets. “Hey Willow,” he called with a nod.

  I waved back at him and quickly shoved my hair behind my ears. I hoped he wouldn’t come talk to me. Then everyone would stop and stare. “Hey,” I called back weakly. My ears burned red.

  With growing horror I watched as Rueben broke free from the crowd and approached me. “How are you doing?” His deep brown eyes shifted over to take in Jed, suddenly standing way too close to me.

  “Fine … uh ... it’s been … ” I swallowed too loudly. “Fun,” I finished lamely.

  “Yeah?” His dimples flashed. “What’s your next class?”

  “We were just heading to Algebra.” It was impossible to not be aware of the tension rolling off the two boys.

  “With Mr. Cluck?”

  I grinned a little. “I guess so.”

  Suddenly, when I looked up it was just the three of us in the deserted hallway. The bell rang shrilly, signaling the start of another class that I would be late to on my first day of Grover High. Rueben turned to fully face Jed. “Better get to class,” he said in what could have been a warning. My cheeks grew way too hot.

  “Yeah, you too,” Jed replied. All traces of his easy smile were gone.

  I looked back as Jed rushed me to class. Rueben was still standing by my locker. Why wasn’t he hurrying to class? Didn’t he care that he was late? His face was set in a hard mask of fury.

  Chapter Three

  The Boys of Grover High

  I looked up at Jed, who had relaxed now that we were away from Rueben. “Are you two friends?” I asked with a raised brow.

  “Me and football star?” He flashed his hands wide in a mocking way.

  “I figured he must play. Probably has a cheerleader girlfriend, too.”

  “Her name is Carlie.”

  I felt my breath catch. Of course it was. “I’ve seen her in some of my classes. Pretty.”

  Jed shrugged. “I don’t know, I think redheads are cuter.”

  I tried not to let a picture of Ivy flash in my mind. Had Jed seen my beautiful sister? Maybe that’s why he was being so friendly; he just wanted an introduction to Ivy. “Have you seen my … ” I started to blurt out a really stupid question but was interrupted by a teacher in the hall.

  “Shouldn’t you two be in class?” a short woman with thick black curls asked.

  “Heading that way Miss Riley.” Jed saluted.

  “I’m new here and Jed was just helping me to my next class.”

  Miss Riley smiled kindly. “All right, hurry up you two.” And with that, she bustled away.

  I looked up at Jed and winked. “You heard the lady.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Just telling the truth.”

  “And the truth shall set you free,” he quoted dramatically.

  Or get you put into a mental hospital, but I didn’t say that out loud. How would it sound if I told him I could morph into a huge hairy dog? So instead I just laughed.

  “Here we are.” He grandly held the door open for me as I ducked into an already full classroom.

  “Ah, Mr. Fl-Fl-Flannigan.”

  So Mr. Cruff had a stutter. High school boys could be so mean. “Mr. Cruff.” He nodded and quickly found his seat. The traitor just left me standing up there feeling like an idiot.

  “And who d-do we have here?”

  I couldn’t believe they let this guy teach high schoolers. “I’m Willow Bennett. Just moved here.” My confident declaration sounded more like a question than anything else.

  “Mmm.” He nodded towards the sea of students that were staring at me. I shoved my hair behind my ears and took a deep breath.

  “Uh … ”

  “G-g-go find a seat Miss. Bennett.” A few of the girls giggled and some of the boys I accidentally looked at were grinning from
ear to ear. I made a beeline for the back of the room, not even paying attention to whom I was sitting beside.

  “That was pretty good up there,” a girl whispered from the desk next to me. “That “uh” was magical.”

  “Ivy,” I hissed.

  “Hello, big sis,” she purred.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Uh,” she made her bright eyes go wide as she mocked me, “I go to school here, just moved here.”

  My face felt hot. “Aren’t you supposed to be in with the other little kids?” I whispered loudly.

  “I like math. I’ve excelled enough to be here,” was her flat response.

  “We didn’t have any classes together Friday.” She shrugged. “Ivy … ”

  “Ok boys and girls, open your b-b-books to page 27.”

  “He is such a joke.” I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t believe that my sister had gotten into one of my classes. School had always been a sort of sanctuary for me, where I didn’t have to deal with Ivy. Somehow I would have to get out of Mr. Cruff’s class.

  Jed waited for me after the bell rang. He had a black bag slung over his shoulder and no books in his hands. I, on the other hand, clutched tightly to my algebra book. “You know her?” he motioned to where Ivy stood, surrounded by a flock of boys.

  “No.” I turned quickly for the door. “I’m glad it’s finally lunch, I’m starved.”

  He was still looking at Ivy when I began marching from the room, so he had to hurry to catch up. “How d-do you like M-Mr. Cluck?” he asked with his customary grin.

  I let my mouth drop open but I couldn’t help my small giggle. “You are so mean. I’m not sure we can still be friends,” I told him in my best serious voice.

  “Oh, don’t break my heart.” He clutched his chest and dropped to his knees right there in the hallway.

  “Jed,” I hissed. “I’m going to lunch.” I half ran to my locker, expecting Jed to follow me, but when I turned around he was gone.

  I felt a twinge of disappointment but I squared my shoulders and took a deep calming breath. He probably joined the crowd around Ivy, I thought with no small amount of bitterness.

  The cafeteria wasn’t hard to find, I just followed the noise and my nose. My stomach growled impatiently, reminding me that I had skipped breakfast that morning. Bella had given me the choice of a hunt or going hungry. I chose the latter. Ivy had come back covered in blood and laughing merrily, making me regret my decision. My mouth watered and my stomach lurched again. Maybe I would hunt tonight. It had been weeks since I had …

  “Hey,” a pitchy voice cut my thoughts off abruptly. I looked up quickly, trying not to let my irritation show. Two boys stood in front of me wearing matching grins and both pairs of brown eyes shining with excitement. They both had brown hair buzzed short to their heads and naturally tanned skin. Definitely brothers, maybe even twins. One of the boys was an inch shorter than the other and this one blushed red at my stare and ducked his head.

  “You’re Willow right?” his taller brother asked in a rush.

  “Yes.” I narrowed my eyes. Who was this? Muscles rippled across his chest as he stood tensely watching me. There must be a steroid machine on the boys’ bathroom. “And you are?”

  “I’m Colby Thacker and this is my brother, Tyson.” Tyson dipped his head and laughed.

  My eyes widened slightly. Definitely too many steroids. “How did you know my name?”

  “Everyone knows who you are.”

  “Oh. I was going to go to lunch,” I said, pointing behind me to the overflowing lunchroom.

  “Ok, we’ll see you later then.” Colby waved and Tyson looked as if I’d killed his favorite puppy.

  “Do you guys want to … ?” I let my invitation trail off, not really sure if they wanted to sit with me or not.

  “We can take you to lunch.” Tyson’s face lit up. He grabbed my arm roughly and began dragging me to the end of the lunch line.

  “Slow down idiot,” Colby said meanly, “you’re going to pull her arm out.”

  I shot a grateful smile at Colby who smiled widely back and took my other arm. I could only hope that the two were going in the same direction. The boys didn’t let go of my arms all the way through the lunch line and to an almost empty table. Maybe they were afraid I would change my mind and sit with someone else. They had little to fear. I didn’t know anyone else, except Jed, and he’d deserted me.

  I sat heavily in the chair that Tyson pulled out. He started to open my milk carton for me but I held my hand over it to stop him. “I got it,” I snapped. His animated face fell and his shoulders hunched. “It’s fine,” I said with forced softness, “I actually may need your help with this after all.” I held up the carton but he refused to look at me. His huge hands were shaking and he blinked rapidly.

  I turned searching eyes to Colby, who looked almost as hurt as Tyson. “I’ll open it,” he offered. Before he could even reach for it, it was plucked from my hands. Tyson bit his lip shyly and set the milk back on my tray.

  I tucked my hair back behind my ears and scanned the tray. Spaghetti and salad. Not my favorite, but it would do. Without taking my eyes off the food, I unwrapped my fork and took the first bite. No way would I make eye contact with either brother, they might think I needed help holding the fork. I was relieved to hear the clank of silverware as they too began to eat.

  The spaghetti slid down my throat in large clumps. I hated chewing. It was hot, but I barely noticed as I scarfed it down. I had to fight my urge to lick the plate clean, choosing instead to use the bread to clean it up.

  “You want some more?” Tyson asked eagerly. Colby was staring at me with appreciation.

  Suddenly realizing how bad I looked, I dropped my fork back on the tray and cleaned my mouth clean with the napkin. “Nope, I’m good.” I took two quick gulps of my milk before my tray was snatched off the table. Tyson loped across the lunchroom with our trays. I bit the inside of my cheek, wishing I could have finished the salad, too. He returned before Colby had a chance to say anything.

  “Well, what’s this?” asked a familiar voice. Rueben Massie had stopped in front of my table, flanked by half the football team.

  “Just eating lunch.” I blushed furiously. I hoped he hadn’t seen me devouring my food.

  He looked angry for a moment and my heart went into overdrive. What could he possibly be mad about? Very subtly, his smoldering eyes shifted to my lunch dates. “Are you heading to your next class?” His voice sounded forced.

  A sound erupted from Tyson’s chest. Was that a growl? My mouth fell open as a very audible silence filled the space around us. “Yeah,” I breathed, “all finished.”

  His top lip flipped up slightly, changing his handsome features. My gasp brought his attention back to me. “Can I walk you to class?”

  Mouth still gaping wide, I looked around the lunchroom. No one else seemed to notice the tension around me. Everyone was still eating and laughing as if nothing had happened. “Umm … ”

  Tyson shot up out of his seat before I could form words that meant anything. “I’m walking her to class,” he announced through clenched teeth. He grabbed my arm just below my shoulder and yanked me up beside him. He practically dragged me from the room like a caveman.

  I skidded to a stop just outside the door. “Geesh! I wasn’t planning on using that shoulder any more today,” I jerked myself free of his vice-like grip, “but I would like my arm to stay attached to my body.” I gently massaged my injured shoulder.

  “Did I hurt you?” he sounded alarmed.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “And I’m walking myself to class.” I whirled away from him before his disappointment could make me feel bad.

  I was still breathing heavily by the time I reached my locker. Rueben being there didn’t help. He was talking in hurried whispers to a boy dressed completely in black. Even the boy’s hair was dyed an unnatural black - so black it was almost blue. His dark eyes looked like they were outlined i
n black. This boy looked like he belonged in a rock band or on a motorcycle, not friends with a football star. By high school standards these two should hate each other. So what were they whispering about?

  I approached the two with a bit of apprehension. “Rueben? How’d you get here first?”

  He whirled around at the sound of my voice. “Willow.” I bit my lip in irritation. Why was he acting so surprised to see me? He was standing in front of my locker.

  My gaze flickered to the boy in black. “Rodney,” he answered my questioning look.

  “Huh?”

  “My name’s Rodney.”

  Rodney was just as muscular as Rueben, but he obviously wasn’t a football player. “Can I get to my locker?”

  “I was just leaving.” He stared at me for a long moment before sauntering off down the hall.

  “Friend of yours?” I had left my lock unlatched so I was able to open my locker easily.

  “Rodney?” He seemed to have collected himself. “No.”

  “You two seemed a bit … intense.”

  “We were just talking about biology homework.” He avoided my eyes, a sure sign he was lying.

  I nodded anyways. “Oh.”

  “Where are your bodyguards?”

  My temper flared up my neck but I bit it back. “Who?”

  “Colby and Tyson.” He stared me down with a half amused expression but I could still see his anger showing in his brown eyes. “Not really the brightest crayons in the box, if you know what I mean.” I couldn’t really understand my sudden urge to wipe the smirk off his handsome face.

  “They seem nice.” That was probably the safest thing to say.

  He finally seemed to catch on to my mood because he suddenly flashed a heart-stopping smile. He leaned close to my ear and said softly, “I’m glad you’re making friends.” He leaned back, but his face was still way too close to mine. So close that I could feel his hot breath on my face. Breath that smelled strangely of … fresh kill.

  Geesh, I really needed to hunt.

  “You need help finding your next class?”