“Hey,” Jaren said as David closed the door behind them.
“Hey.” I scooted over in the hope that Jaren would take the hint to sit beside me. “So, do you guys want to watch the newest Resident Evil movie?” I smiled when Jaren sat next to me. David took a seat on the other couch.
“I saw that in 3-D,” David said.
My shoulders sagged. “So, do you not want to watch it, then?” I loved Milla Jovovich in that series, and it was supposed to be a guy’s movie. All our other movies were chick flicks.
“No, it’s fine. It won’t be as good as 3-D, but I’m down to watch it,” David replied.
I got up to put the disc in the player, and Kaitlynn wandered over to sit next to David on his couch. I smirked at her as I grabbed the remote and took my seat next to Jaren. His shirt felt a bit cold from being outside, but it quickly warmed up against my skin.
My mom came home after the first part of the movie. I pressed pause.
“Hi, Naomi,” Jaren said, sitting up straighter as my mom locked the door behind her.
“Hey, kids. Sorry to disturb your movie. Brooke, can I talk to you for a second?” My mom walked toward her room. I got up to follow her since it really wasn’t a request.
“Am I not okay to have them over tonight?” I asked, pushing her bedroom door closed behind me.
My mom moved through her room, gathering her night clothes. “It’s fine. I just needed to tell you that I want them gone and you starting to get ready for bed by ten thirty.”
I checked my watch. “The movie should be over by almost eleven, so can we at least finish it?” That would suck if I had to tell them they had to go home early.
“Fine, but no hanging around afterward. They need to go as soon as it’s over,” my mom commanded.
“They will,” I promised and closed the door after I was out. It was the small victories that made life so sweet. Especially when Jaren was involved.
I strolled down the hall and sat next to Jaren. My mom’s door creaked open shortly after, a sign she must be ready for bed and wanting to hear us from her room.
“Is everything okay?” Jaren whispered.
“Yeah, she wanted to make sure I get to bed at a decent hour, so she said no hanging out after the movie.” I grabbed the remote.
“That’s cool,” David said. He put his arm around Kaitlynn, and she snuggled closer to him.
I hit PLAY on the remote, and ten minutes later Jaren put his arm around me as well. I learned fast, so I snuggled closer to him and held his hand.
My mom came out to get a drink of water, during one of the most intense parts of the movie. I think my mom’s reason for coming out was more to check on us than out of her need to quench her thirst.
A while after she went back to her room, I looked over and caught Kaitlynn and David kissing. Jaren glanced over when their lip smacking grew louder and then looked back at me with a dimpled grin.
I snuggled my cheek up against Jaren’s jaw, hoping he would take that cue from David as well, but he never made the move to kiss me.
When the movie ended, Jaren rose from the couch, and David detangled himself from Kaitlynn. He put her cell number in his phone, and then he and Jaren headed for the door.
I hopped up to walk them out. Jaren grabbed me into a hug and kissed me on my forehead as we stood on the porch. My bare feet were cold standing on the wood planks, but it was worth it.
“See ya bright and early,” Jaren said.
I went inside and waited in the doorway while they got into the car, then I pulled the door shut. I turned around, and found Kaitlynn doing another happy dance, this time more discreet so my mom wouldn’t come out.
I couldn’t hold back the laughter. “You have to go, but call me when you get home and we’ll talk,” I told her so I would be obeying my mom’s wishes, at least as far as everyone leaving after the movie.
She spun around toward the kitchen and snatched her purse from the table. I gave her a hug and peeked between the blinds as she pulled out of my driveway to head home.
After her taillights turned onto Magnolia Drive, I dropped the blinds and sighed. She got a make-out session, when all I got was a hug and a peck on the forehead.
Not fair.
5
He’s Following Me
I shot up in bed from the first buzz of my alarm. No snoozing for me today. Anticipation hummed through my veins at the idea of seeing Jaren. I jumped into the shower and took an extra five minutes of primping to make sure I looked as good as I felt, even though I was about to go for a run.
I sang out loud to Taylor Swift’s Back to December on my way to school. I listen to all sorts of music. Living in a small town limits your music choices unless you buy a lot of it yourself.
I pulled into a spot near the track and saw that most of the lacrosse players were there. I took a deep breath and released it slowly in an effort to calm my nerves. I hadn’t done any sort of exercise or real activity, save for hiking, in a long time. What if I couldn’t keep up with Jaren? Would I look like a lazy sissy to all the lacrosse players?
Jaren waved at me from the track, so I got out of my car. Kaitlynn pulled her Jeep into the spot next to me and stepped out.
“It’s cold,” she said. “Are you sure we wanna go through with this? Maybe we could grab a blanket and sit on the bleachers to watch.”
“No,” I laughed, “we said we’d do it, and we’re already here. I’m more nervous about being able to keep up than I am about the cold.”
“Well, you and I can always go slow together,” she said, wrapping her arm around mine as we passed through the gate onto the track.
David pulled Kaitlynn into a hug. “You made it.”
“Good morning,” Jaren said, stretching his quads. He wore a white Redrock County High sweater and track pants, but he still looked way good.
“Good morning to you, too,” I said, mimicking his stretch. I looked around, and it seemed that there were a lot more people for me to make a fool of myself in front of than I saw from the car. “Do you come running often?” I asked, nerves getting the better of me.
“Yeah, four times a week, most weeks during the off season.”
“Hmmm,” I said, wishing I would have taken Kaitlynn up on her offer to sit with a blanket on the bleachers.
I followed Jaren through a few more stretches.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said, putting on my game face. Kaitlynn and David strolled up beside us. Some of the lacrosse players were already circling the track.
“Let’s go,” David said, and we all took off.
We started out at a pace that I didn’t feel would be too hard to keep up for a while, but then Jaren and David sped up after the second lap.
I kept up with them and was surprised when my legs obeyed me to move faster.
After a mile, Kaitlynn trailed behind, and I looked back at her. “No. Go ahead,” she said, waving me on.
I picked up my speed and easily caught up with Jaren and David. We circled the lap a few more times and their breathing became labored. That was when I noticed that mine wasn’t. I felt fine. In fact, I could keep going for a long time still.
“Wanna race?” I asked David because I knew he couldn’t resist.
He smiled in the affirmative, and all three of us took off.
I straightened my fingers and pushed off with the balls of my feet. We reached the straightaway, and I pushed myself harder, passing David in seconds. Then I passed Jaren. I pushed myself as hard as I could, going faster than I ever thought my untrained body would go. I slowed down to take the turn and let the guys catch up with me.
I turned around and laughed at them. “You just got your butts handed to you by a girl.” I had been worried about looking bad in front of them, and here I was showing them up.
“Wow,” David said. “You’re fast.”
Jaren grinned at me. I’d say he looked proud. “Yeah, you should try out for track. We’d never lose with
you on the team.”
I beamed. “My mom had never let me try out for any sports or clubs before, but maybe we’ve been here long enough that she might.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Jaren said, encouraging me.
“You’re right. I should at least ask her.” I was thrilled that not only was I good enough at something to be on a team but that I might actually be able to convince my mom to let me try out.
We caught up with Kaitlynn to do a few cool-down laps. When we finished our stretches, we walked to the building to get changed and ready for class.
David opened the door for us, and we walked in.
Tiffany stood with a group of her friends in the foyer. She wore her brown leather jacket and slacks that slimmed her thighs. She looked great, and I was glad to find that Jaren didn’t pay any attention to her.
She normally didn’t pay much attention to him, either, but when she caught Jaren in her sight, she turned around and glared at him. She’d noticed Jaren and me holding hands. Suddenly, her lip rose and her eyes twinkled with interest in what she saw. It reminded me of the way a hyena would look upon an injured gazelle.
I picked up my pace, pulling Jaren with me as I scurried past her.
* * *
I walked toward sixth block, excited to see Jaren. We both had study hall this block, but we sat on the couch in the corner of the room and flirted instead of doing any studying.
I met him outside of the study hall doors. “Hey,” I said.
“Hey. Are we hanging out today?” he asked, looking over at our sofa. We’d claimed the couch early on in the semester. “Or did you want me to leave you alone?”
I smiled, figuring he only asked because he was prompting me to say that I wanted to hang out with him. I gave in. “No. We’re definitely hanging.”
He laughed, offering me his cute dimple in the process.
We walked over to our couch and plopped down.
Jaren grabbed my hand and traced the lines on the inside of my palm. “So, my birthday’s next Thursday. And I’m planning to take you somewhere special.”
“What? It’s your birthday. I should be taking you out for the big one-eight.”
“True, but it’s going to be better this way. Trust me.”
“Jaren, come up here, please?” Coach Riley called Jaren to his desk. “I need you to run something to the office for me. Seeing as you’re not working, anyway.” Coach Riley looked at me on the couch.
“Hey, I’m not the culprit.” I feigned innocence.
Jaren looked over at me as well. “Can she come, too?”
“I don’t see why not,” Coach Riley said, shaking his head and then writing us a hall pass.
Jaren took the pass and the papers intended for the office, and we left.
“Thanks for getting me out of class,” I said.
“Well, you are my study hall sidekick.”
I grinned, and he held my hand as we walked.
We didn’t say much else as we made our way to the office. I was just glad to be with him.
Jaren opened the door to the office when we approached it. “Hello,” Jaren said to the office secretary when we reached the desk. “These papers are for Principal Williams.”
“I’ll make sure he gets them. May I see your hall pass, please?”
Jaren handed it to her, and she nodded, giving it back.
He held the door open for me as we walked out.
“What is she, the hall pass police? You did give her the papers from Coach Riley.”
“Yeah, she can be sort of strict about that.”
“What would she do if you didn’t have one?” I asked.
“I dunno. Probably call in a Code Red or something.”
I laughed. “What’s that?”
“I dunno. It just sounded like a serious last step.” He chuckled.
“Hey, can we stop by the photography studio for a sec?” Jaren asked, turning down the hall. “I need to get something real fast. I was gonna get it after class, but since we’re here…”
I didn’t mind, so we walked farther away from the office and also farther away from study hall.
Shortly before we reached the studio doors, Mr. Kingston appeared in the reflection of the windows, coming toward us.
“Crap. Mr. Kingston’s going to kill us,” I said. I had him for Spanish and he was super strict and mean.
Jaren pulled me by my hand as he rushed to the studio doors. Once there, he creaked the door open and we hurried inside. He held the door as it shut, making it close as quietly as possible.
“Quick. This way.” Jaren led me to another room.
He opened the door, and red light from the darkroom leaked out. I ran in, and he shut the door behind us.
I laughed.
“Shh,” Jaren said. “Mr. Kingston really might kill us if he finds us.”
I laughed harder, but this time I hid my face in my arm. It took me a few seconds, but once my eyes adjusted to the dark and the red light, I noticed pictures hanging from a string.
I released Jaren’s hand and walked over to them to get a closer look. The few that hung before me looked familiar. Probably because I was in all of them.
“Um, yeah,” Jaren said, “those are mine.”
I remembered that day. It was before Jaren and I had our first date. Kaitlynn and I were laughing in front of the school. The way Jaren captured me in the picture gave me a beauty that I had never before seen within myself.
“Wow. You’re really good,” I said. “How long have you been doing this?”
“I only started with this class.”
I knew photography was one of his electives, but I never knew he could do this with it. “Well, you’re really talented.” I turned back to him and smiled. He had his eye on me for a while, too, then.
He stepped forward and stood beside me, looking at the photos. “I think it’s more the person in the image than it is anything I did with it.” He turned to me. I looked at him, but he grabbed me by my waist and turned my body to face him.
My pulse raced and breathing became hard to do. I looked into his eyes and knew that this would be our moment.
I wrapped my arms around Jaren’s neck, and he pulled me closer to him and touched his lips to mine. My heart skipped at the contact and then increased twofold.
His lips meshed delicately smooth but firm and sure against mine. He lifted his hand up to cup my face and slowly started to open his mouth. I opened mine, following his pace. His tongue slid into my mouth and brushed my tongue with the tip of his.
Jaren tasted sweet, like faded strawberry Red Vines and bliss. His warm breath tickled my cheek. His hand caressed my jaw, then glided through my hair before cradling the back of my head.
I shivered. I had been kissed before, but never like this.
Jaren’s movements were sensual, yet playful, commanding, yet yielding. His arms were strong and reassuring around me. His fresh linen scent felt like home, which drove my intensity up another notch.
His bottom lip was full, and it did wonderful things to me when he gently bit mine, then released it, letting it glide against his bottom lip.
We fell into a practiced and comfortable pace for what felt like ten minutes, but seemed to float away timeless. Jaren pulled back and propped his forehead against mine. He breathed heavily, releasing intoxicating whiffs of sweetness around me.
I lifted my face to look into his eyes. Endearing, violet eyes stared back at me with the blue of his irises and the red from the overhead light.
“I have been waiting for a while to do that,” Jaren said, smiling.
I bet I’ve waited even longer.
He released me and reached for one of the pictures. “Here, you can have this one.” He handed it to me.
I grinned as I looked down at the picture, taking in all of its details. That was when I noticed a lone figure not too far from where I had been standing. And he was wearing a trench coat.
I leaned over the long sink and looked cl
oser at all the other photos.
“What is it?” Jaren asked.
The man was in all of them. “See this guy here?” I pointed to the man in the picture I held.
“Yeah,” Jaren said, leaning down to look at the picture.
“He’s following me.”
“How do you know? These were all taken the same day.”
“I know. I’ve seen him before. When he sent a mountain lion to attack me.”
“What?” Jaren asked.
I told him the details of my last encounter with the man.
“You need to tell somebody about this,” Jaren said.
I thought the same thing. But who would I tell? Once my mom heard about this she would make us move. Whenever things got too hot, she always made us move. Even if it was something as small as the same car circling our street more than what would be considered normal. She was a freak like that. Paranoid. I’d lose everything. Kaitlynn. Jaren. My school. My life.
I had to diminish the fear Jaren felt for me. I couldn’t have him telling anyone about this. Maybe I was being careless, but I finally had a life, and I would take my chances with this stranger to keep it.
“He hasn’t really done anything, though. I mean, no one but you will believe me that he sicced a wild cat on me. And he’s only in the background here,” I said, pointing to the picture. “He could have been just walking by.”
Jaren stared at me, concern etched in his creased forehead.
“I mean it. I overreacted. I get that from my mom,” I said and leaned in to kiss him again. I wanted to remember this moment as our first kiss and not when I realized this man was following me. I’d have to deal with the man later.
* * *
My alarm clock glowed 2:32 a.m. in green, blocky letters. Jaren and I had been talking on the phone for the past four hours. I talked in a hushed tone to keep my voice hidden from my mom, who was in the room across the hall.
“What about past boyfriends?” Jaren asked. “Is there anyone that I have to worry about swooping in and stealing you away from me?”
I laughed quietly. “No. I never really had a chance to get to know anybody. There was a guy in Dallas who I liked, but as soon as he showed any interest in me, my mom made me move here.”
Descended by Blood Page 3
