Dream Angel (Angel #1)

by Jane West

  “Oh, yeah. I see your point.” There was a pause. “What about the new guy, Aidan? I saw you riding in his car with him.”

  Good grief! Gossip girl was on the prowl. “Eh… he was just being nice.” My brows furrowed into a vee. “It was raining, and I was on my bike.” I stuffed my book back in my bag. Class would be starting soon anyway. Not that it would keep Sally from talking.

  “What’s he like?” Sally kept prying.

  I grimaced. “Yep. He’s a douchebag.” Geez! She was like a dog with a newfound bone.

  “Who cares about his snobby self when he’s that hot.” Sally’s infatuation looked to be on overdrive like everything else about her. I seriously doubted she did anything normal.

  “Then you date ‘em!” My implacable expression was more than a hint that I didn’t give a rat’s ass.

  “Fini! Finished with the subject." I twisted in my seat reaching for my bag to get my English book and my homework. When I turned back in my seat, my eyes lifted. I about choked on my own spit. My gaze collided with two steel-blue eyes. Bane! Crap, why did he return? My heart kicked my ribs like I wanted to kick him.

  Quickly, I pulled away from his gaze, dropping my eyes to my paper on Macbeth. It was an interesting tale, Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, about a Scottish general who received a prophecy from a trio of witches that he would become King of Scotland. It ended badly. I reckoned ambition was the seal of his fate.

  Disrupting my thoughts, I felt a sharp poke in my back. Geez! Can’t I sit here in peace without anyone pestering me? I huffed. I tipped my shoulder just enough to see him in the corner of my eye. The last thing I wanted was eye contact with those brain-eating blues. “Why are you stabbing me?” I didn’t hold back the irritation in my voice.

  “Sorry, Princess! I only wanted to know the assignment?” I could feel his amusement bristling my neck. Chills much!

  “If you attended class once in a while you wouldn’t have to ask me.”

  “Nah, I'd rather ask you so I can see your face blister?” He flashed a pearly smile.

  A few snickers erupted down the row, a couple of guys.

  I tossed over my shoulder, “Whatever!”

  A chuckle wafted over my shoulder. I ignored it just like I planned on ignoring the occupant.

  The teacher walked in as the bell rang. Even Sally turned around facing the front. Thank God for small favors. It was nice not having to stare at her face today.

  ***

  The clock struck noon, and everyone headed to the cafeteria. Short on cash today, I had just enough to buy a Coke. Eh, I’d been worse off. I ran my dollar through the machine and punched the button. I grabbed my drink and headed off for the usual table. I’d sort of made friends with Jen and Sam. Sally, I'd been sitting on the fence with that one.

  I felt bad too. Sally nearly busted a gut trying to win me over. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. I did. It was just that Sally was far too intense. Listening to her constant dribble exhausted me. If she’d take a breath between subjects, I might ease up on her.

  Then there was Sally’s best friend, Gina. The two were inseparable. Gina was a problem for me. It was sort of hard to forget the roadkill remark.

  That was my dilemma. So, if I had to keep my distance from Sally to avoid blondie, I reckoned that was the price I had to pay.

  I raked over the cafeteria trying to spot Jen or Sam. My eyes stopped on Jen’s dark head. She was waving at me. I smiled as I made my way to the back where we sat every day.

  “Hey, girl! I saved you a seat.” Jen patted the spot beside her and smiled.

  “Cool!” I grinned back. I eased down into my seat and twisted the cap of my drink.

  “That’s all you’re eating?” Jen asked, eyeing my drink.

  “Girl! I can live on Coke.” We both laughed.

  “You want some of my fries?” She pushed them over to me.

  I had to admit they smelled delicious and kicked up my growling stomach. “Thanks!” I grabbed one and smiled.

  Just then, my gaze caught Gina’s snarl. An eye roll to myself was in order.

  I dropped my gaze from the sourpuss and skirted around her, touching Sam. You couldn’t tell by looking at the boy that he played football. It amazed me how he kept from getting clobbered. With all the muscled-up jocks, Sam sort of got swallowed up. He was tall enough but didn’t have much meat on his bones. He could run like the wind, though.

  I liked hanging out with Sam. He was charming and funny. His deep brown hair to the twinkle in his hazel eyes put a smile on my face every time.

  “Hey, Chickadee!” Sam had given me that nickname on the second day of school. It was silly, but it made me laugh.

  “Hey, Sam!”

  “Why ain’t you eatin’?” I loved his rich Southern drawl.

  “Oh, I’m not hungry.” I shrugged. It was too embarrassing, to tell the truth.

  Sally just walked up with a tray full of food and plopped down beside me, directly across from Gina and Sam. “I’m starving!” she announced, a little out of breath.

  Gina wrinkled her nose. “You should eat a salad. You’re fat enough.”

  Sam broke in. “Gina, leave her alone.” He cut a sharp look at her.

  “I’m just saying.” She rolled her eyes. “If she gains four hundred pounds, don’t come crying to me.”

  Suddenly, I caught a dark outline from the corner of my eye. Bane! I hear a chair screeching across the floor. He’d dragged up a chair next to me. He slid in the seat with ease and leaned over placing a white bag on the table directly in front of me. He was so close our lips nearly touched. “I thought you might like something different to eat than the usual.” He practically cooed. His blues seemed brighter.

  “Umm, thanks.” Awkwardness had heated my cheeks.

  “You are quite welcome, Princess.” His lips parted revealing his dimples.

  Sally spoke up, eyeing my sack. “No fair! Where’s ours?” She pursed her lips, mocking a pout.

  “Just for Stevie.” Then he winked at me.

  When he bounced to his feet, he shot a scowl at Sam. For a minute, by the glares shared between the two, I got the impression both boys harbored some sort of dislike for each other. That struck me rather odd. Bane was a new student. How could someone hold so much hatred toward a stranger? Then Gina came to mind. I stood to be corrected. I frowned, rehashing my first encounter with Blondie.

  I watched as Bane weaved his way through the students, leaving the cafeteria. I couldn’t help but admire his stature. He stood tall and poised, moving fluidly. If I could bottle his catwalk in a packaged container, it would blow up the market. My eyes stayed on him until he vanished past the double doors. I sighed softly to myself.

  Then I remembered the bag. I snatched it up and opened its content. Inside, I found a burger and fries and a chocolate chip cookie. A smile stretched across my face as I grabbed the cookie, first.

  When my eyes lifted, I realized that Sam was nearly staring a hole through me. His face drew into a scowl. “So, you and Old Blue are friends?”

  “Not really.” I shrugged. “He gave me a ride home the other day. It didn’t end well.” I took a huge bite of my cookie.

  Then Gina chimed in. “What happened?” A smirk painted her face. “You didn’t put a smile on his face.” I glared at her. I sensed another fight was on the horizon.

  I laughed, firing back. “I thought I’d leave that for you since you’ve had so much practice.” There went my smart mouth. Gina leaped to her feet. I smiled at the blonde, taking another bite of my delicious cookie.

  Quickly Sam snaked his arms around Gina’s waist easing her back down into her seat. He swore under his breath. “You don’t have a right to get pissed when you throw the first punch.” He sneered as he abruptly released her. “Sit your ass down and shut up!”

  Jen and I shared a glance, our brows arched.

  “I don’t care!” Gina bellowed. “I don’t want her sitting at our table.”

  Jen jumped in.
“Gina, you don’t own this table. If you don’t like the company, you can always sit elsewhere.”

  Sally’s face paled as she sat there quietly, eating. Nothing I didn’t expect.

  Gina’s face twisted as if she’d eaten a rotten egg. “Okay fine! I’ll move.” She snorted. “Come on Sam let’s go!” Gina gathered her tray and pulled from the table. Sam remained seated. Gina gaped, totally shocked over Sam’s noncompliance. “You’re not coming?”

  “Nope!” He flashed a bright smile at the blonde. I’m stayin’ right her’, sugar-pie.”

  Gina looked like she was going to sprout horns.

  I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.

  Then she turned her angry glare on me. “Oh, shut up, bitch!” she snarled at me.

  I snickered. Name calling never offended me.

  Jen jumped in, “Gina just go!” she waved her hand, face pinched.

  Gina snarled at Jen. “You were my friend before she moved here!” Swiftly, she turned her heat to Sam. “You’ll regret this, sugar-pie!” She snarled. “I’m gonna go find that blued eyed boy, Aidan. Bet he’d sit with me.”

  Right at that moment, the burger nearly lodged in my throat. I didn’t know why but Gina’s declaration bothered me. The idea of the girl putting her paws on Bane set my teeth on edge.

  Jen intervened. “Girl, bye! Go on with yourself. The only person you’re friends with is your mirror.” In the short amount of time that I’ve known Jen, I quickly discovered that she didn’t take any bullshit.

  Gina tossed her hair over her shoulder, eyes shooting darts at Jen.

  I heard Sally scoot her chair out from under the table. She was standing with her tray next to Gina. “Sorry, y’all. I gotta stick with my girl.” She forced a half smile and without another word, the two of them left.

  “Gul,” Sam tapped my hand. “Don’t pay Gina no mind. The principle stripped her cheerleading status, and gave the position to one of her rivals.”

  I laughed. “That’s just terrible!” I mocked.

  Jen cracked up laughing.

  “Just ignore the girl. Most everyone does.” Sam bit down on his sandwich, leaving only half.

  I scoffed. “No argument here!”

  “Hey, we all are going out Saturday night. You should come!” Sam smiled.

  “I don’t know.” Dread oozed over me. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t make friends here. Then again, why not? “What you got planned?”

  Jen pitched in. “We could go shoot pool at Mother Blues.”

  “Hey, that would be fun.” Sam agreed.

  I shrugged, unsure. “Who’s coming?”

  Sam had taken a sharp breath and answered, “Gina is invited, but I doubt she’ll come now. Sally’s invited too. Really anyone who wants to come.” Sam grinned.

  “Don’t worry about Gina!.” Jen reassured me. “Who knows tomorrow she might be hatin’ on Sally.” We all laughed. “That new guy,” Jen’s browns sparkled. “He seems really sweet to bring you lunch. We should ask him to come too.” An impish grin played across her face.

  “Yeah, I think old blue might’ve takin’ a shine to you!” Sam laughed, but his eyes didn’t seem to get the same memo.

  I breathed in a sharp sigh. “Nah, it’s not like that. Nothing is going on between Bane and me.” I shrugged.

  “Gul, forget him! Rumors floatin’ that he’s a troublemaker. I’d keep my distance.” Sam advised.

  “What have you heard?” My curiosity spiked.

  “Nothing good. Folks say he’s been in trouble with the law. He beat up some dude. He got charged with assault too. I think his family paid a lot of money to get the charges dropped.” Sam shrugged.

  That explained the dirty looks between Sam and Bane. “Wow! No surprise.” I suddenly felt guilty taking the lunch sack from him.

  “A bad boy! That might be fun.” Jen nudged my shoulder, smiling.

  “So, I guess we won’t be inviting him Saturday?” I asked, half teasing.

  “You guessed right!” Sam chimed in. “We’ll pick you up at eight.”

  “Cool! Sounds like a plan.” I smiled back.

  The last bell echoed through the halls, sending throngs of students rushing for the doors. School had ended and another day had passed for me to cross off the calendar. It was only a matter of days before Sara would grow tired of this town. Our departure was inevitable. It was a mere whisper away.

  I headed for my locker. I needed to ease my load for the bike ride home.

  I’d dropped my bag down on the floor by my feet. I grasped the lock in my hand and turned the combination, ten, nine, five and three. A short click pierced my ear. I popped the lock and lifted the lever, opening the door. I bent over, tugging out the books I wanted to discard. After I had finished stuffing the last book, I slammed the door shut and locked it back. I was humming a catchy song, "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor as I shouldered my book bag and spun on my heels to leave.

  Mindless of my surroundings, I collided into a firm chest. “Ouch!” I snapped. When my gaze lifted, I locked eyes with two very vivid blue eyes. I gaped, surprised. Then a frown dropped over my face like dew on grass. “Bane, watch where you’re going!” I clipped his upper shoulder with my left, though he didn’t flinch.

  One side of his mouth tipped upward, a faint smile cresting. “Oh, I'm watching.”

  I glowered, not liking his innuendo. “Do you mind?”

  He reached in, flattening his palms against the lockers on both sides of me, forcing me flat against the metal, leaving only a thin wafer of space between our bodies. “No, actually I don’t mind at all.” He drew back a cocky smile.

  “Cut it out!” I shoved his chest.

  “I fear the only way to capture your attention is to pin you against something hard.”

  I drew in a sharp breath. Goddamn, chills! “I’m sure other girls would prefer your company more than me.” I dropped my hands, tightly to my side.

  He pressed his right palm across his chest like he was about to recite a ballad. “Must you despise me?” His mouth quirked with mockery.

  “What do you want, Bane?” I huffed.

  “I believe there is an apology in order. It seems I have forgotten my manners. I hope you will forgive my mishap and give me a second chance.”

  I paused for a minute, soaking up his blues. A girl could fall into those eyes real easy if she didn’t watch herself. I internally kicked myself for my moment of weakness. “You’re forgiven!” I tossed a harsh smile and started to slide out from under his arm.

  Swiftly, Bane took my arm with gentle authority. “Wait!” His voice dipped into a dark place that sent chills over my body, not the good kind either. “I have to warn you.” His somber eyes studied me for a brief minute. “You need to stay away from Sam.”

  I jerked my arm free. “Give me a good reason why?”

  “I can’t tell you.” A muscle twitched from his jaw.

  I paused for a moment, eyeing him suspiciously. “Sam’s my friend. He’s been nothing but nice to me.”

  “He’s not who you think!” Bane bit out. The boyish charm had vanished. Animosity now churned in his eyes.

  “Tell me why?” I’d sensed a friction between those two. Then it hit me! “You two are scorned, lovers!” Bingo! Bane was gay. Bummer for me.

  He slightly dropped his head to the nook of my neck. His breath was warm against my skin as his shoulders shook with soft laughter. “I assure you,” he first spoke against my ear. Then he lifted his eyes, meeting mine. “That’s not the case.” The corner of his lip twitched, suggesting a smirk. “I’m trying to give you fair warning.”

  I smiled to myself. Straight guys hated it when a girl questioned their sexuality. “I don’t know.” I taunted. “I got a gay vibe from you.”

  A brow arched, challenging. “I get a vibe that I make you nervous.”

  “Whatever!” I rolled my eyes.

  “You care for a ride home?” Just like that, his demeanor changed to a lighter note. “I not
iced your broken bike.” It was clear that he liked teasing me.

  “My broken bike is working just fine. No thanks to you.”

  His brow arched. “Are you still blaming me for your little accident?”

  “Duh! You nearly turned me into a pancake.” I folded my arms across my chest.

  “You should be counting your lucky stars. If it had been anyone else, you’d be six feet under rather than standing here jaw jacking at me.” A satisfied light came into his eyes.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I searched his expression for any glue to his meaning. “How did you manage to avoid hitting me?”

  “Princess, some things are best left to the imagination.” He slipped his fingers under my shoulder strap.

  Chills! More goddamn chills!

  “Come on.” He was smooth like he’d had lots of practice picking up girls. “I’ll give you ride home.” A smile rested on his lips.

  The dude was slick as oil and a total jerk.

  “Get out of my way!” I slapped his hand away.

  “Now you’re starting to hurt my feelings.” His dark brows dipped down. “Did I not bring you lunch today?”

  He had to bring that up.

  “Thanks but it still hasn’t changed the fact that you’re a douchebag!” That lunch was a mere token. But why would he bother was the question that pestered me like a damn gnat.

  “Now, Princess, that’s not being very nice.” There was a faint glint of humor in his eyes.

  “Neither is pinning me against my will.” I countered snidely.

  His shoulders shook with amused laughter. “Why, I thought you were enjoying our little interlude?”

  “Not in this lifetime. Do you mind?” I kept my gaze even with his.

  He lingered a moment, humor icing his blues, then he stepped back, giving me space.

  “Thank you!” I snapped as I spun on my heels, leaving.

  Lies

  Saturday night arrived, and I was stoked. The gang had made plans to hang out and invited me to come along. Since Sweetwater, I’d resigned myself to work and school. Some fun was in order. I was in desperate need of some down time.

  Lately, I’d been worried about our lack of finances. Rent and the electric bill were due. Sara claimed she wasn’t making much in tips, and I had no choice but to take her word at face value. That meant I had to make sure things got paid. I was no stranger to pooling my money with Sara’s coins to pay bills.