by Aimee Ash
There were four football players and two cheerleaders, and everyone was friendly. Jack’s friend, Nate, who was the tallest guy I’d ever seen, asked if everyone wanted to play beach volleyball. I declined, feeling a little intimidated.
“Oh, come on, Kate,” Jack said, offering to help me up.
“Oh no, I’m happy to watch. Trust me, you don’t want me on your team,” I said. I was completely uncoordinated and ashamed of my inability to compete in anything. I had managed to avoid sports during high school and now that I was in college, I felt relieved that I no longer had to participate in anything athletic.
“Jack, she can watch; I’ll play on your team,” one of the cheerleaders offered.
“Thanks Ashley, but Kate will play on my team; you go with Nate, Cole, and Paige.”
Ashley walked off, her brown, waist-length hair swaying as she sulked with disappointment. There was no way I couldn’t play now. Preparing myself for disaster, I stood up and brushed the sand off my legs.
“Okay, but I’ve only played volleyball once in my life,” I said to no one in particular as Jack held my hand and led the way.
“Don’t worry. You’ll learn,” Jack answered, smiling at me.
We took our positions. I apologized to my teammates again and they assured me that they didn’t mind. The game started and thankfully, with my skilled team, I didn’t need to make much of an effort. The game was fun and even though we won and I couldn’t take any of the credit, Jack still propped me up on his shoulders to celebrate.
Jack and the other football players ran toward the ocean while Ashley and Paige walked back to where we’d left our towels. I followed them, feeling like a spare part, and when they invited me to sit in the sand with them, I reapplied my sunscreen and tried to think of what I could talk about that would be of interest to them. Ashley beat me to it.
“So, Kate, when are you going to try out for the cheerleading squad?” she asked.
I laughed a little too loudly and both girls rolled their eyes.
“I’m not; you just witnessed my lack of coordination yourself.”
“But every guy on the football team dates cheerleaders; it’s kind of an unspoken rule,” Ashley said as Paige knelt and applied sunscreen to her back.
I shrugged. “Well I guess Jack broke the rules then.”
“From what I’ve heard, Jack has broken a lot of rules,” Paige added, securing her hair with an elastic hair band. They both laughed.
I tried my best to ignore their comment and reapplied sunscreen to my legs.
“You are aware that Jack is a complete jock, aren’t you? I don’t mean to insult you, but you aren’t his type. I went to high school with him so you can trust me on that one. The whole team is gossiping about the two of you. You’ve caused a lot of broken hearts—”
“Paige, shut up; Kate doesn’t want to hear that,” Ashley said.
They both smiled at me, but I threw down my sunscreen, put my sunglasses on, and knelt on my towel. Enough was enough; it was time to put these bitches in their place.
“I know exactly who Jack is, and I’m sorry if he chose me over you, Amber, but there are other football players you can make a play for.”
“My name is Ashley,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Sorry; it’s hard for me to remember the names of all you cheerleaders; you all look the same.”
The guys ran back over to us, and gently knocking me down on my towel, Jack straddled me. I giggled as he shook the water out of his hair and then collapsed next to me, his hand resting on my hip. Ashley was seething, so I rolled over on top of Jack, and we kissed. Out the corner of my eye, Ashley gave me a look that could kill before looking away. I smiled knowing I had something that she wanted and there was no way she would ever get it.
“Come on, we’d better go; my parents will be home soon and we have to change,” Jack said, getting up.
“Taking your girlfriend to meet your parents, Jack? Things must be serious,” Nate commented.
“Yeah, we’re kind of into each other,” Jack said, and we both laughed.
We said our goodbyes and headed home. I was nervous, remembering Lindsey’s disapproval. I could handle the cheerleaders, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle Jack’s mother.
CHAPTER 11
As we entered Jack’s house, I sighed with relief: his parents weren’t home yet. Jack poured us some lemonade and I looked around the kitchen. It was old fashioned—the complete opposite of mine. There was a collection of ceramic plates spread across the wall, and a rack of thimbles propped up on a lopsided shelf. The heavy oak furniture made the room feel a little dark, and the thick drapes that hung over the window kept out the sunlight.
“Jack, how long have you lived here?” I asked.
“A little over a year.” He placed his glass down on the kitchen table. “Follow me.”
I put my glass down next to his and walked after him. He led me up three flights of stairs and then opened the door to the attic, which was clean. We sat on a worn green rug and I wondered why he’d brought me up here.
He leaned over to a pile of books, which were stacked high in the corner of the room, and pulled out a photo album. On the first page, there was a photograph of two boys who looked about the same age. Both were smiling and standing like little soldiers. One boy had black hair and the other’s was sandy-blonde with a cute tuft sticking up. I looked over at Jack and studied his face closely, but he was emotionless. I guessed that one of the boys must be him, but I didn’t know who the other boy was.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He pointed at the little boy with the dark hair. “Meet my twin brother, Sebastian,” he said impassively. “You’re wondering where he is, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Why haven’t you mentioned him before? I assumed you were an only child.”
“Sebastian and I are a long story.”
I was guessing it was a complicated situation that he probably didn’t want to tell me about, although I wanted to hear it.
“I have time to listen.” I held his hand and there was an awkward silence. “Jack, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” I reassured him.
“You’d have to know about Seb eventually, and it’s best you find out about him from me.” He looked up. “I don’t want us to have any secrets, Kate. Sebastian is in France.” He lowered his head and closed the album abruptly. “Something happened almost three months ago that I wish I could take back, but I can’t. It’s going to sound terrible, but it’s part of my past, and I need you to have an open mind. Please don’t judge me until you’ve heard the full story. He held his head in his hands and took a moment to prepare for whatever he was about to say.
“You can tell me anything,” I said, taking his hand in mine and shuffling closer to him.
“Sebastian and I were raised in isolation. We lived in a house in the middle of nowhere with only each other for company. Until a little over three years ago, we hadn’t interacted with anyone other than our parents.” He began tapping his foot and let go of my hand. “Seb and I were desperate to be set free; we wanted to meet people and learn to live normal lives. Our parents were very protective, but knew that if they didn’t allow us to act like normal people did, then we might accidently expose ourselves. My dad was scared that if we were discovered, we’d be used for medical research.”
I cupped my hand behind his neck. “Living in isolation sounds lonely,” I said, feeling sad for him. It was as though he was a prisoner of himself; that his gifts were in some way a curse.
“After a lot of pressure and persuasion, my parents finally allowed us to live in the real world as long as we agreed not to expose ourselves to anyone. So we moved here to Long Beach and were enrolled at Eastwood High. With a high population, Dad thought we might go unnoticed. Being the new kids, everyone wanted to know us. Seb hated the attention, but I loved it. I was crazy about the girls and was soon the most popular guy in high school when I was made captain o
f the football team. But Seb couldn’t cope with all the attention, and for the first time, I didn’t understand my brother, and it scared me.
He eventually got used to all the attention and began dating Kelly Jamerson, who was captain of the cheerleading squad and the most popular girl at Eastwood High. But Seb didn’t like the attention that Kelly’s popularity brought her. When she was at our house, she liked spending time with me. I think she felt she had more in common with me than Seb, and it was true.” Jack stopped talking and looked over at me, his eyes full of remorse. “Seb was in love with the idea of being in love, Kate. He was a hopeless romantic and he’d always ramble about how it would be so special for him to find his soul mate. He told me he loved Kelly, but I thought he was just infatuated with her.”
“Why were you so sure that he didn’t love her?” I asked.
“I didn’t know that for sure, but I knew that she wasn’t in love with him because she told me that she was in love with me.” Jack looked down at the rug.
So his brother’s girlfriend made a pass at him. But that still didn’t explain why Jack looked so guilty.
“I told her that I didn’t have any feelings for her. She was dating Seb, and while I’d hoped that Kelly would eventually fall for him, I knew it was never going to happen. I didn’t want to hurt Seb, so I carried the guilt around with me. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him what Kelly had said.”
I was in no position to judge his decision, but part of me felt bad for Seb. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear any more of this story, but I didn’t have a choice. Jack had sensed my uneasiness and took a breather.
“Jack, I’m not judging you, but why would Kelly continue dating Sebastian when she really wanted you? Why wouldn’t she just break up with him?”
“I asked her to stay with Seb. Two months later, I naively thought she had fallen for Seb and was over me. They seemed so happy together, until one night when I found out the truth.”
I ran my fingers through the thick rug. “Jack, I don’t want to hear the rest. Just leave the past where it belongs.”
“You have to hear it, Kate. Sadly, this part of my past is relevant to our future.”
I knew what was coming, but I didn’t want to hear him say it. I edged away from him a little, unable to look anywhere except down at the green rug.
“My parents were away for the weekend, and Seb and I were alone for the first time. I had small party and some friends came over. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Kelly, but I had to make an effort and act normal around her, for Seb’s sake. I was nervous about the whole situation, so I drank a couple of beers before everyone arrived, to help me relax. A few beers later, Kelly found me slumped in a heap on the balcony outside my bedroom.”
I stood up sharply. “Jack, I don’t need to hear this,” I said, facing the door.
“Yes you do, Kate. I’m sorry, but we said no secrets.”
He got up and held my elbow. I wasn’t sure why he was so adamant on telling me about this, but I reluctantly turned to face him.
“Kelly helped me up, led me to my bedroom, and locked the door. My head was spinning and I could barely see straight.” I wanted to cover my ears like a child, but I knew that wouldn’t stop him. He looked over at me and then down at the rug.
“Kate, I’m not going to go into details, but we slept together. You have to understand that it wasn’t my fault; I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing. The next morning, I vaguely remembered what happened, but Kelly was quick to confirm my worst fear. I’d betrayed my brother in the worst possible way.”
Jack kicked over a box of books. I didn’t know what to say, or how to react, but he still wasn’t finished.
“Kelly thought us sleeping together meant something. But it meant nothing. I was drunk and I begged her not to tell Seb, but she went ahead and told him anyway.” Jack put his head in his hands.
“What happened?”
“Seb attacked me. He looked at me with such hatred and his eyes turned the deepest shade of purple; they sparkled like a thousand broken diamonds. Even though Seb’s anger made him stronger than me, I didn’t feel any pain. But it hurt me to see the agony on my brother’s face. When he gave up fighting me, he fell to the ground, screaming. He was the one in pain.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“I leaned down to try and help Seb, but he grabbed both of my hands with such force that I couldn’t move. Then Mom ran into the room and completely freaked out when she saw Seb’s eyes. She begged him to let me go, but he refused. Then she screamed, telling him that he was out of control and capable of bad things; that he would one day be sorry for what he was about to do. I didn’t know what she meant, and that’s when it happened.” Jack shook his head.
“What happened?” I asked. My mouth was dry, and I was so intrigued by Jack’s confession that I felt like I was barely breathing.
“Seb fixed his eyes on mine, and through his rage, he cursed me.”
“What?”
“He cursed me, saying that the next girl I fell in love with would break my heart; that she’d destroy me because her love for me wouldn’t be real. The curse would live within her, controlling her emotions and influencing her every decision about me.”
I tried to take in what Jack was saying, but it was insane, and I wondered how much more information I could take.
“When Seb cursed me, he inflicted his emotional pain on me, and I felt immense physical pain. Then we both collapsed. That was the last thing I remember of that evening, and it was the last time I saw my brother.”
I was speechless.
“I’m sorry, Kate.”
I felt sorry for Jack and for Sebastian. For a long time, each had been all the other had, and now their relationship was over because of one stupid, drunken mistake.
“Jack, what about the curse?”
“That’s why my mother was begging Seb to let me go.” He took my hand and looked at me with sorrow in his eyes. “You’re the first girl I’ve had genuine feelings for, Kate. I’m in love with you.” His voice waned. “You’re the girl who’ll break my heart.”
I wanted to vomit; the thought of hurting Jack in any way was inconceivable.
“No! I would never break your heart, Jack. My feelings for you are nothing but real!” I said, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
Jack held me close. “Even if I have you for a few more days, weeks, months, or years, it would be better than never having had you at all.” He squeezed my hand.
I was devastated and overcome with emotion that I could no longer keep my tears at bay. I mentally searched for some kind of solution. There was no way that Jack and I could ever be separated, and I refused to believe that my feelings for him were an illusion. But I was afraid that I now held his fate in my hands. I looked up at him and wiped my eyes.
“Jack, there must be some way to break the curse.”
He stared at me sadly. “My parents are positive that there isn’t any way to break this curse, so we’ll have to take each day as it comes.”
I gasped. I’d waited so long to feel that special connection to someone, and now my dream was becoming a nightmare. I angrily walked away from Jack but abruptly turned around.
“So, I have to wait until the day that I supposedly break your heart? I refuse to believe that what I feel for you is only because of a . . . a stupid curse!” I yelled.
“This is all too much for you,” Jack said, looking a little relieved that I was still in the room. “I’m leading you into a life of secrets and uncertainties, Kate. I know how all of this can play with your mind. Please believe me when I say that I wish I’d had the strength to stay away from you. Maybe then you would’ve been ignorant to this madness. Whatever happens, please don’t blame yourself. This is my fault.”
Jack pushed my hair away from my face and kissed my lips. Every time he kissed me, I longed for him to kiss me forever. We wrapped our arms around each other, refusing to let go.
I looked up a
t him. “It doesn’t matter how long we have, Jack; I’ll never regret being with you.”
Fury raced through my body like lightening and I no longer felt sorry for Sebastian. Jack had made a terrible mistake, but Sebastian’s revenge was much worse. He had ruined his brother’s entire life, and now he was ruining my life, too. I wouldn’t allow myself to believe it would end for us. I couldn’t.
There was a lot to take in, and most of it—the supernatural powers, his family secrets, his past—I could handle. But not the curse. I felt completely powerless knowing that there was nothing I could do to help us. I would have to spend every day wondering when I would break Jack’s heart and questioning if my feelings for him were genuine.
“I can’t believe there’s no way to break this curse,” I said, my voice wavering. I was trying to control my emotions, but Jack could see right through me. He took my face in his hands.
“Kate, there’s no guarantee of love lasting, with or without a curse. Every day we spend together is a gift for us, and we need to take each day as it comes our way.”
His words were so sincere and the thought of ever being away from him made me shudder. With Jack’s revelation of the curse, I thought he needed me, but in that moment, I realized that I needed him more. He was my life, the one person who truly made me feel good about myself. Jack had given me guidance and dusted off my imperfections; he’d enabled me to become someone I’d never felt good enough to be. The person I’d become had left behind the girl I once was, and if I lost him, I was afraid the old me would return.
We took a moment to compose ourselves before going downstairs into the living room to wait for Jack’s parents to arrive. Swaddled in Jack’s arms, I felt safe—for now.
“Kate, you’re driving me crazy,” he whispered in my ear.
“What do you mean? Crazy good or crazy bad?” I asked.
