Lions and Tigers and Boys

by Tawny Stokes

  “You know it wouldn’t be so bad being in Maggie’s circle. She knows the professors well, and she hangs with all the cute boys.”

  “Yeah, but you’d have to make sacrifices of blood at her altar to appease her. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  She looked at me. “You know you’re very judgmental sometimes.” She picked up the headphones on her side table and slid them on, then pressed play on her phone.

  I guessed our conversation was officially over. This was okay with me, because I really didn’t want to talk about Maggie anymore, not when I had to do her math assignment and get it to her before lights out. The less I had to think about her, talk about her, and deal with her the better.

  An hour later I had finished both my and Maggie’s math assignments. It was a lucky thing that I was decent at math. Not great, but not completely sucktastic, either. I snapped my textbook closed, stood, slid on some slippers, and went to go find her majesty. I was a bit sad that Anna didn’t take off her headphones to ask me where I was going. I couldn’t believe we were having our first disagreement over someone like Maggie West. Why couldn’t it have been over a boy or who used all the toothpaste or one of us getting a chocolate stain on the shirt she borrowed? Something worthwhile like that.

  I shuffled down the freshman corridor to the staircase. It wasn’t past curfew yet, so I ran into a few other girls coming up from the common room and kitchen. There were nods of hello and smiles, then I descended the stairs in search of my nemesis. Yes, I was officially calling it. Maggie West was my fully endorsed archenemy. Maybe I could get a T-shirt made with that on it.

  I checked in the TV and game room. It was nearly empty except for two girls battling it out in a fierce match of Dance Dance Revolution and their respective cheering squad. I left them to it, hoping that Claudia slayed it, because she was so sweet, and wandered to the kitchen/snack room.

  It was dark inside; I assumed it was empty, so I flicked on the overhead lights. What I expected were some wrappers on the table, possibly some crumbs, maybe even a soda ring on the Formica counter, but not Cai, dressed casually in sweatpants and tank top, feet bare, sitting on the tile floor back up against one wall, tearing into a package of minty Girl Guide cookies. The surprise of seeing me caused him to stop chewing, and a chunk of cookie fell out of his mouth and landed on the floor between his legs.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “What are you doing here?” I glanced behind me to make sure no one else had seen or heard him. He could get into a lot of trouble being in the girls’ dorm, especially after hours.

  “You have the best snacks. A guy can only survive on Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew for so long.” He took another cookie from the box and held it out to me.

  I plucked the cookie from his fingers and planted myself on the floor beside him.

  He gestured to the paper in my hand. “Do you always carry your homework around? Trying to show off your mathematical brilliance or something?” He chuckled.

  “It’s nothing.” I slapped the paper down on the floor and took a bite of cookie. “Mmm, minty.”

  “Yup, these are my favorites.”

  “Just like Ozzy,” I teased.

  “Where do you think he gets them?”

  I laughed and finished the cookie, wiping the crumbs on my pants. “Were you out naked running again?”

  His grin came quick and easy, and it made my belly flutter.

  “No, fully clothed this time, as you can see.” He gestured to his attire.

  I looked at his bare feet. “You’re not wearing shoes.”

  He wiggled his toes. “I like to feel the earth on my skin.”

  “It’s like forty-six degrees out.”

  “I’m impervious to the cold. See?” He put his hand on mine, and it was strangely warm in comparison to the room and especially the cool night outside. “I tend to run hot.”

  That you do. I looked him over, taking in his sexy tousled hair, cut shoulders, his long lean legs, then back up to his face. He had one tiny cookie crumb at the side of his mouth, and I wanted to lean in and kiss it off. This had me slightly licking my lips. His gaze dropped to my mouth. Did he want to kiss me? Did I want him to? Hell to the yes!

  He had yet to remove his hand. The warmth of his skin seeped into me, and a rush of heat surged through my body. I’d never felt like this before. This overwhelming bombardment of thoughts and feelings, my body on overdrive. My heart hammered in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. His fingers moved a little on my hand, and I wondered if he could feel my racing pulse at my wrist.

  “Dani”—he pressed his lips together as if struggling with the right words—“there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?” I could barely speak. What if he was going to say something horrible? Like that he didn’t have feelings for me. That he just wanted to be friends.

  “I’m—”

  “What’s going on?”

  Our heads whipped toward the door to see Maggie standing there, hand on hip, and a snarl on her face.

  “Just chilling.” He looked cool and unaffected, not like how I felt one bit. After standing, he offered me his hand and helped to my feet.

  “You shouldn’t be in here. You’ve broken a bunch of rules,” Maggie whined.

  Cai looked over at me and gave me a small, sad smile. “Yeah, I know.” He handed me the box of cookies. “Until we meet again.” Then he just walked out of the room as if it had been no big deal that he was caught in the girls’ dorm.

  When he was gone, Maggie whirled on me and gave me a death stare. “I should write you up.”

  “For what? Eating cookies?” I reached down and picked up the paper from the floor. I walked over and handed it to her. “Here’s your math assignment. That’s the last one I’m doing for you.”

  “No deal,” she sputtered. “You still have a week left on that agreed month, and you better stick to it.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I will make your life a living hell.”

  I shrugged. “You already do.”

  She took a step toward me, getting right up in my face. I could see the green and gold flecks in her eyes, and the tiny scar by her lip that she tried hard to hide with layers of foundation and face power. Ah, so there was a flaw in her perfect plastic mask.

  “Don’t mess with me, Danielle. I have a lot of influence at this school.”

  “Why are you so mean? Am I really that much competition to you?”

  “Please. I could dance circles around you.”

  “Is it because of Cai?”

  Her eyes narrowed, and I swore the temperature in the room kicked up by ten degrees. “He doesn’t really like you. He’s just being nice. He’s that kind of guy.”

  “Maybe, but as far as I can tell, he’s spending more time being nice to me, then he is to you.” And with that fabulous parting remark, I walked out of the room. Point, Dani.

  Anna looked up at me when I came into the room. She slid off her headphones. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

  I shook my head. “I’m good.” I offered her a cookie, then settled down into my bed. I pulled the blankets up to my face and closed my eyes, willing myself to go to sleep even though I knew that would be nearly impossible. Images of Cai swirled around my mind. I pictured him in the woods, running. Yes, he was clothed.

  He ran like an athlete, his strides long and confident. The scent of nature filled my nose, relaxing me. Then Maggie flew in on her broom, scooped him up, and they both came at me, Cai kicking a leg out to knock me down. Damn it. Point, Maggie.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cai

  After geography class was over, I darted down the main academics hall to the athletics corridor for my strength training class. As I walked, I fully admitted to looking for Dani along the way. We didn’t have balance class today, and I missed seeing her, missed being able to touch her, and just being around her. She made me feel…I don’t know, something that no one else had made me feel. I hated th
at I was being forced to make her fail, when what I wanted to do was lift her up, literally to the stars. I think she had the potential to be brilliant.

  I was just about to duck into the men’s changing room when I heard my name bellowed from down the hallway. I froze and turned to see Leander waving at me. Of course it was Leander.

  He stood off to one side of the corridor with a couple of giggling girls, naturally, and beckoned for me to come over. I shook my head, then pointed to the changing room. I didn’t wait for his reply and went in.

  Seconds later, he came bouncing in after me, catching me at my locker. “What gives, man? I was totally talking you up to one of the freshmen. She’s really cute.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks.” I opened my locker and started to change into sweats and a tank top. Leander was already in his workout gear.

  “What’s going on? You’re a free agent, and there are a ton of girls who would jump at the chance to date you.”

  I shrugged. “Don’t have time.”

  He stared down at me, unblinking. I hated when he did that. It was unnerving, even to me. It was like staring down a wild animal. “Give it up.”

  “Give what up?”

  “The chick you’re interested in. What’s her name?”

  I frowned. “There’s no one.”

  His eyes widened. “Oh my God, it’s Dani.”

  I didn’t respond because it was true. I was hopelessly interested in her.

  “It is! Holy crap.”

  Others started staring at us. I rubbed the back of my neck as I started to sweat. Grabbing my gym bag, I stood and made my way out of the changing room and to the balancing studio. Leander followed me, not only because we had the same class but because his ability to make me feel awkward was one of his superpowers. His loud talking continued until we were in the room and on the ground to stretch.

  “Marvel is going to lose his shit when he finds out.”

  “He doesn’t need to find out.” I gave him a look. “As long as a certain someone keeps his mouth shut.”

  “I’m not going to say anything, but how will you keep it quiet?”

  “There really isn’t an ‘it’ to keep quiet. We’re not dating. I just…I just like her.”

  “That’s a problem, dude, considering what you have to do.”

  I sighed. “I know.” I considered telling him about Dani seeing me naked in the woods but figured he’d use that against me for a lifetime. I could only give Leander a certain amount of ammo to rib me with. He was the king of rubbing things in.

  Before Leander could say anything else, Li bounced into the studio. “On your feet.”

  We got up; there was some groaning, because we all knew what was coming.

  “Burpees!” he shouted.

  Everyone jumped, went to the floor, out with the legs, then back up. We did at least thirty of them before Li shouted, “Jacks!”

  We all did jumping jacks until he yelled, “Jump squats!”

  By the time we were done with our warm-up, sweat poured down my face and my back. And it was just the beginning.

  After class, I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the studio only to run into Professor Marvel, who was looming in the corridor. All the other students gave him a wide berth, but he pinned me with his fierce gaze the second I stepped out into the hall.

  “We need to discuss a certain matter. I expect to see you in my office at noon.” With that, he whirled around and strode down the corridor. Two students had to jump out of his way or be trampled on.

  I knew what he wanted to talk about. Leander had basically warned me. So, at lunch, I made Leander go to the cafeteria and get me a sandwich and a bottle of water, while I waited for Marvel outside on the quad around the corner of one of the maintenance buildings. There was a bench I liked to sit on near the narrow stream that babbled through the school grounds. Thankfully the weather was decent, and I didn’t need any more than my hoodie to be warm.

  I felt like a bit of a dweeb hiding behind the building, but it couldn’t be helped. I just really didn’t want to face Marvel right now. Eventually I knew I would have to, as I couldn’t sneak around the school avoiding him or the situation I was in. But for now, I could lay low.

  Ten minutes later, I heard the crunch of shoes on the pebbled walkway down to the stream toward the building where I was standing. It didn’t take Leander too long to get my lunch. Knowing him, he probably just walked to the front of the line. Or someone let him in after one of his killer smiles.

  “You better not have gotten me tuna…” I stepped out from behind the building, with a smile. It dropped in an instant.

  Dani stood there, wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights. Her lunch hit the ground with a wet-sounding plunk.

  We both looked at the sandwich casualty mushed on the ground between our feet. Then we both crouched to pick it up and brushed hands. And there was that electrical spark again.

  I grabbed one half of her sandwich before she could. It had bits of rock and grass on it, so I picked them off, then handed it to her.

  She took it, then stood. “Thanks.”

  “I’m really sorry I ran into you. You just surprised me. I wasn’t expecting you to be coming down the path.”

  She sighed. “No, I’m sorry. It’s fine.” She wouldn’t meet my gaze, but I noticed that her eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

  “I’ll buy you a new sandwich. I swear.”

  She looked up then and gave me a little smile. “It’s not really the sandwich.”

  “Bad day?” I shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets, when really they wanted to gather her close and smooth down her back to comfort her.

  She nodded.

  “Do you want to tell me about it? I’m a good listener. Better listener than I’ve been a hand-to-hand partner lately,” I said, referencing the last class when I made her fall again.

  She smiled. “I’ve just been thinking about my mom.” She picked at her sandwich, not meeting my gaze. “She died a few years ago, and she made me promise to follow my dreams no matter what. I am, I am following them. It’s just…it gets so hard sometimes. There’s a lot of competition, and not everyone is so nice about it.”

  I didn’t have to guess who she was talking about. Maggie saw Dani as competition big time and had no qualms about doing something about it. The guilt of my involvement in that speared me in the gut.

  For Dani, this was about more than just winning some school competition. It was about fulfilling a promise to her mother. A mother she lost. I tried to swallow down the painful lump in my throat as I stared at my feet. How could I continue to betray her?

  “I lost my parents,” I blurted out.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. Was it an accident?”

  I looked at her then and saw a shared sorrow in her eyes and the downturn of her mouth. My fingers itched to smooth away the frown lines. She had a face made for joy, not for sadness.

  Finally, I nodded. “I was only ten.”

  “Oh, Cai”—she reached for my hand and linked her fingers with mine—“I couldn’t imagine losing my father, too. He’s been my rock through all of this. He’d probably faint from shock if he heard me say it, though.” She smiled a little. “I haven’t been the best daughter lately. I complain too much.” She laughed. “Like now.”

  I squeezed her hand. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve got a lot to deal with, and having Maggie on your ass must suck. Plus, I haven’t been the greatest partner.”

  “Are you kidding? Having you as a partner is the best thing about this school.” Her eyes widened the second she spoke, like she’d been surprised by the words. She pressed her lips together and pulled her hand from mine.

  The aching loss of her touch was instant. And surprising. I wondered what she’d do if I grabbed that hand again and pulled her into me.

  “Oh and to top it off, in stretch class, I smelled the worst foot odor ever.” She scrunched up her nose. “It was not a good way to end the morning.”

>   I burst out laughing. I couldn’t contain it. “Let me guess. You were by Maggie.”

  Her eyes bugged. “Yes! How did you know?”

  “She has the worst smelling feet. Like ever. I used to bug her about it, until she nearly ripped my face off.”

  “No way. I was hoping it was just ’cause she was sweating and that her shoes hadn’t been cleaned in like forever.”

  “Nope. It’s her feet. She’s really self-conscious about it. I think she washes them three or four times a day but nothing works.”

  She blinked back tears, but at least now they were tears of laughter and not sadness. I watched her laugh. She crinkled her eyes and really opened her mouth; I liked that she wasn’t self-conscious about it. Some girls just giggled or laughed behind a modest hand, which I never understood. Unless they had extremely bad teeth, I didn’t know what they were trying to hide. I liked that Dani didn’t hold back, didn’t hold it in. It was a good, solid laugh that made me warm inside.

  “You may have just made my day,” she said between chuckles.

  “Good.” I smiled, thinking she may have just made my day, too. Why did I have to sabotage her? It wasn’t fair.

  When her laugh died off, she just looked at me. She gnawed on her bottom lip, and I desperately wanted to touch her mouth with mine. In a burst of adrenaline, I breached the distance between us and wrapped an arm around her waist. She gasped, and her eyes went round and wide, making her even more alluring. What would she do if I leaned down to kiss her? Would she push me away? Would she grab my shirt and pull me closer? God, I wanted to find out.

  Leander chose that second to pop up from around the building. “What is going on back here?” He looked from me to Dani, wriggling his eyebrows creepily.

  And just like that, the magical moment dissipated into the cool air. And we pushed apart.

  Dani’s face instantly flushed, and her gaze dropped to the ground. “Ah, thanks for the sandwich.” She turned and rushed back up the path toward the school, clutching her mushed lunch close to her chest.