“Josh. Come on. You never do anything anymore. You have no life. Zilch.”
First she was making plans for him, now she was insulting him? He seethed in silence for a minute.
“Besides, you know how paranoid Mom is about me traveling alone. She’d freak out, even just going that short distance.”
“Since when do you care what Mom thinks?”
“I’m not going alone. Do you have any idea how lame that would be?”
“Can’t Alex go with you?” The moment the words were out of his mouth, Josh wished he could take them back. It was bad enough they were arguing in front of her. Now they were talking about her like she wasn’t in the room. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye again, but she was still fixed on the television pretending not to hear them squabble. As if she wasn’t sitting five feet away.
Chloe glared at him. “She can’t. She has a gig.”
This time when Josh looked at Alex, his gaze rested on her a beat longer. Her eyes flicked to him, and for a brief instant they lit up. “Our first one.” The words came out in a rush, but she cut herself off quickly, her eyes darting back to the yarn in her lap. Something about her made his anger melt a little…but only for a moment.
Josh looked back at his sister, the full force of his fury building again.
“I’m not going,” he said, crossing his arms.
“Fine,” Chloe bit out. “You call Jade and tell her to make it three tickets instead of four.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I’m not calling her. You’re the one bailing, you call her.”
“‘Bailing?’ How am I bailing when I never agreed to go in the first place?” He let out a frustrated breath that turned into a growl on the way out. “You always do this to me! You put me in a position where I can’t say no.” He heard his own voice rising as the words shot out, but he was too angry to care. Now that Pandora’s box had been pried open, all his pent up feelings were escaping.
“You always get your way.” He crossed his arms and turned back to the television, seeing nothing. It was true. Ever since they were kids, Mom and Dad catered to her, their only daughter. And somehow she always persuaded Cam and Josh to give her what she wanted. But not this time.
Silence hung in the air between them a moment longer than he’d expected. The wry retort he’d anticipated from his sister didn’t come. Instead, when she turned to him her eyes were moist. When she spoke, her voice was quieter, making his outburst seem even more intense by contrast.
“But I need you, Josh.”
Not the comeback he’d anticipated, her words threw him off for an instant. He didn’t have an immediate reply. He turned to face her sad eyes. Her bottom lip puckered into a pout.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Jade and Logan are all goo-goo about each other. I can’t go alone. I just can’t.”
Her frown tugged at his heartstrings, but the sensation was all too familiar. She was still trying to get her way, he thought. She’d changed tactics, but this was still about her. Guilt was just another one of her feminine wiles.
He shoved the pity aside and bit out another retort. “I’m not your stand-in date that you can just summon at will.”
“But isn’t that what brothers are for?” She stuck out the puppy lip, all-too sincere for his own good.
“No.” He was starting to feel bad, but that realization only made him more angry. How dare she control him in this way? But before he could interject, she spoke again.
“I mean, we’re brother and sister. We need each other at different times. We stick together, help each other out when times are hard. Just like when you guys rescued Jade and me in Carlsbad. We’re a team—right?”
Her pleading look was a force to be reckoned with. Josh glanced at Alex again. If he said no to Chloe, he’d look like a jerk. This was probably exactly what she planned. Either way, he wasn’t giving in.
“No. And I’m done arguing.” He was sick and tired of letting his sister walk all over him. He left without a glance behind.
Back in his apartment, he couldn’t shake the crummy feeling left from the argument. She was the one who’d boxed him in—so why did he feel like the jerk? He humphed and collapsed onto the sofa. After staring at the black television screen for a few minutes, he grabbed the remote and flicked it on. Some silly made-for-TV movie came on, a woman in a skimpy dress clinging to a tuxedo-clad male whose hair was way too thick to be natural. “But Landon, I need you,” she moaned. Josh groaned and flicked through several channels, searching for a decent show. He finally landed on a re-run of Star Trek. Not his first choice, but better than more cheesy drama. There was enough of that in his life already.
A knock at the door interrupted Josh’s thoughts. He pulled the door open, but to his surprise, the woman standing in his threshold wasn’t Chloe, but Alex.
“Uh, hi.” He blinked, stepping backward and pulling the door wide.
She entered his apartment without a greeting, instead shooting him an apologetic smile and taking a deep breath. “Okay, I know it’s none of my business, and I don’t mean to get in the middle of a sibling argument, but I really can’t stand to see you and Chloe fighting.” Her words came out in a rush as she focused at the floor. She paced his living room in a fashion similar to what he’d done just a short while earlier. He gingerly shut the door, waiting for the rest of the explanation.
Still not looking at him, Alex continued to ramble. “I know she seems unreasonable a lot of the time, but she’s been going through a lot, lately. She needs a little extra understanding…even if you don’t think she deserves it. I just…I hope you won’t stay mad at her.” She stopped pacing and looked up at him, her brown eyes soft and pleading.
A jolt shot through the inside of him. He hadn’t been prepared for those eyes. They completely disarmed him. His brain short circuited for a moment.
When he failed to come up with an immediate response, she took a step closer to him, clasping her hands nervously. Her nearness made his pulse skyrocket. “You know, what she said is true. She really does think a lot of you. I was wondering if you’d reconsider going with her.”
“Uh…I don’t…”
“I know it was completely unfair of her to volunteer you. But could you maybe cut her some slack this one time?”
“Why does it matter so much to you?”
“It doesn’t, except that she’s my friend and she’s been a bit…lonely lately.”
“Okay.”
“You’ll go with her?”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
Alex smiled. “Cool. I wish I could be there for her.”
“But you have a gig.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s exciting.”
“Incredibly. I’m so nervous, though.”
“You? Nervous?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sure you guys will be great.”
“Thanks, Josh. I hope so. If Benji pulls out all the stops we may have a chance at that.”
“I wish I could be here to see you play. But apparently I have plans to be in Colorado Springs that weekend.”
She smiled. “Don’t tell Chloe I talked to you, okay?”
“No problem. Where does she think you went?”
“The library. I told her I had a book due that I had to return tonight before they closed.”
“Good one.”
“Yeah.” She adjusted the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder.
“So… You should probably not go right back, huh? Otherwise she’ll be suspicious.”
“Good point.”
“You can hang here for a bit—if you want,” Josh said, settling himself on the sofa.
Alex set her bag on the floor and pulled a book out of it. “Can I stash this here, too?”
“Wow, you’re really into the details, aren’t you?”
“You know Chloe. If she sees me with this book again she’ll suspect something.”
“Sure. I’ll
return it tomorrow on my way to work.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Alex sat at the other end of the sofa and glanced at the TV. There was something thrilling about her being in his apartment.
“Oh, this is a good episode,” Alex said. “Spock going through the pon farr.”
“You like Star Trek, too?”
“Sure, although The Next Generation is way better.”
Josh smiled. “I totally agree.”
After a minute, Alex pointed across the room. “Is that your guitar?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know you were a musician.”
“Chloe didn’t tell you?”
“No. How long have you been playing?”
“I got my first guitar when I was ten—so a while.”
“Wow, that’s so cool. I’d love to hear you play sometime.”
The back of Josh’s neck felt warm. “Okay.”
They watched the rest of the episode in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, one that made Josh appreciate Alex more than ever. She didn’t have to fill all the conversation gaps the way Chloe did.
When the show ended, Alex stood and grabbed her bag. “I better head back. Thanks again.”
“Wait—” Josh stood suddenly. “Is that all you needed?”
“Yeah. Sorry about butting in. I just can’t take fighting. It would suck if we didn’t see you because you were mad.”
“We?”
“I mean, Chloe…” she faltered. “If Chloe didn’t get to see you anymore.” Was that a blush creeping over her freckles?
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep coming over. As long as you’ve got food and video games,” he said with a grin. She chuckled, and he felt the tension in the air loosen a little.
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.” She started to head for the door.
Confidence like Batman, he thought.
“Hey, Alex?”
She turned. “Yeah?”
“I’m free this week if you want to go skateboarding. I can teach you whatever you want to learn.”
“I’d like that.” She smiled at him, making his heart soar.
~
Every surface in the twenty-four-hour diner was dirty. The place smelled like a mixture of grease and burnt coffee. Nic gingerly sat in one of the hard-backed booths, making a mental note to throw out these clothes later. He couldn’t help but notice the streaks of some sticky substance at the edge of the table, like some kid had swiped his grimy fingers and left a disgusting residue. The three smeared lines jeered at Nic—the perfect number, and yet a slimy, bacteria-ridden substance. It was the most nauseating oxymoron he could imagine, and yet he had a difficult time looking away.
Across from him, Ethan made a show of feeling for the back of the seat and slid in. Nic wondered why he bothered with the charade at all.
A woman with leathery skin and crispy gray-blonde hair walked up to their table.
“Hello, can I take your—”
“Two coffees,” Nic blurted. No need for pleasantries here. He’d rather have privacy than the old bag hanging around eavesdropping.
“Is there anything else I can—”
“That’s it.”
She shot him a glare and trudged off.
He returned his gaze back to the man across the table and narrowed his eyes, watching the man in the dark glasses pretend to be oblivious to his surroundings. The way he’d pseudo-tripped over the broken tile in the entry. His annoying avoidance of eye contact with either Nic or the waitress once they’d entered the building. It was infuriating, and it had to stop. After the waitress had brought their coffees and returned to the kitchen, he dropped his fist on the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm?” Ethan said.
Nic couldn’t take it any longer. He leaned across the table and pulled off the phony’s glasses for the second time that night.
“Hey, what—?” Ethan’s thick eyebrows pulled down and his dark eyes stared blankly at Nic. No, not quite at him—slightly to his right. Nic waved his hand two inches from the dude’s face. Ethan didn’t move, blink, or even flinch.
“What…” Nic began, then frowned. “What are you trying to pull? There’s no way you’re going to convince me you didn’t look me right in the eye when we were outside. You aren’t blind.”
Nic remembered Ethan well from the school in Florida. Cocky and mischievous, the guy always had something up his sleeve. Maybe this whole thing was an act. But it was one heck of an act. He prepared himself for Ethan’s rebuttal. He was interested—and irritated—to think how the guy might take this con to the next level. Nic set his jaw. There was no way he was buying anything more than coffee.
To his surprise, Ethan didn’t argue. “I have special vision,” he said flatly. “But only in darkness. I can’t see around bright lights.”
“So you can see in the dark?”
“Perfectly.”
This major revelation came without the bat of an eyelash, the twitch of a shoulder, or the curl of a lip—no sign of the pride his friend always carried with him. Shoulders hunched, Ethan rested a forearm on the table, his hand curved around the coffee mug like a security object. Where was the passion? Where was the zeal?
Nic kept his tone even. “Have you always had that ability?”
“Yeah.”
Nic whistled. Mesmerized, he pondered the idea, feeling his anger ebb away for the time being. The potential wasn’t lost on him. With a power like that… Images flashed through his mind. He could rob people blind in pitch black and they’d never know what hit them. Anytime he needed an escape, it would be easy. Flick off the lights and bypass the stumbling bozos. A pang of jealousy struck him, and for an instant, he had to fight to keep his composure. Still, this guy was too valuable to get rid of just yet. This was one contact he’d file away for later use.
But first, to punish the witch.
“So let me get this straight. He was talking to a skull and now he’s wondering if it’s better to be dead or alive?” Chloe frowned, alternating glances between Jade and Logan.
Josh rolled his eyes and adjusted in his seat. He was ready for the show to be over so he could get back home. He might have promised he’d go to Colorado Springs with Chloe, but he’d never promised to enjoy it. And it was only intermission. He still had half the show left to endure.
Jade smiled kindly while Logan started to explain. “Well, that’s not it exactly. You see—”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mocking it or anything,” Chloe interrupted. “It’s just that I’m having a hard time understanding all the flowery language.” She shook her head apologetically. “I didn’t really get Shakespeare in high school.”
Josh hadn’t been a lit nerd either, but he understood Hamlet.
“But I am really into it,” she said, smiling at Jade. “I’m so glad we came down here. I feel like I hardly see you anymore!”
Logan clamped his mouth shut, smiling good-naturedly at Chloe’s topic jumping. Josh wondered if besides being supernaturally strong, Logan also had the power of incredible patience with annoying women.
“I’m glad you could visit,” Jade said. “I know you’ve been busy ever since you moved, but I’ve missed you. My other friends are just as busy—and they don’t live any closer, either.”
“I’m just surprised you’re able to get out,” Chloe said with a frown. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “You know, with your…um…sensitivity?”
Josh bristled. Leave it to his sister to point out the elephant in the room.
“I’m getting a lot better at containing it,” Jade said with a smile. She linked her arm through Logan’s and looked up at him. “Logan’s been helping me with that a lot. We’ve actually been out to a few shows.”
“Really?” Chloe’s mouth hung open.
Josh was a little surprised too, although he’d never suspected Jade’s empathic power during the
times they all had hung out before the Carlsbad incident. She was good at hiding it—though he wondered if it weren’t just about hiding it now. She seemed very calm.
Jade nodded. Logan held her eyes for a minute, like something deeply intimate was passing between them. It probably was. Josh looked away quickly.
“But what about all the drama on stage?” Chloe frowned. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Oh, that’s nothing.” Jade shrugged. “They’re just acting. It’s the audience I have to worry about most.” She grinned. “Sometimes it’s pretty entertaining to know what the actors are really feeling during an especially intense scene.” She and Logan exchanged another meaningful look, and he smiled at her.
“Well, good for you,” Chloe said.
At that moment the lights dimmed, signaling the end of the intermission. The audience filed back into their seats, and the performance resumed. But Josh’s thoughts lingered on Jade. He realized that maybe the reason they’d picked this small venue—somewhere between hole-in-the-wall and charmingly intimate—was because of Jade’s weakness around people. She’d have an easier time if there wasn’t a huge crowd. It made sense. He glanced over at where Jade and Logan sat holding hands, both riveted by the production. They were so much alike. So perfect for each other. He didn’t hate them for it, he just wanted what they had. Someone that he could be close to. The way that Logan didn’t even have to speak and yet could communicate so much to her. The way she read him like a book.
After the play was over, the four of them left the theater, walking the few blocks down the darkened street to their cars. It was cold, and while Josh pulled his coat tighter around him, Logan seemed unaffected, striding along with his leather jacket hanging open like some kind of super man. Josh couldn’t help the tinge of jealousy that crept in as he took in Logan’s tall form, trim attire, unshaven jaw, and wavy hair tied back in a ponytail—the guy was the picture of controlled chaos. It took a certain type of guy to pull off that look, and Logan wore it well.
The few streetlamps flickered above them as they passed a dive bar sporting a collage of neon beer signs. Suddenly, Jade froze, wincing and clutching Logan’s arm as if in pain. Josh and Chloe stopped a few steps behind, watching her to see what was going on.
Outsider: The Flawed Series Book Two Page 8
