by Pam Tribble
Chapter XV.
Olivia and Lyra made it home late that afternoon laden down with bags. Lyra couldn’t remember when she’d been happier—or more exhausted. She supposed it was due to having spent the entire week in a state of high anticipation. She honestly didn’t know if she had the energy to make it to the dance. Olivia helped her upstairs with all their purchases. Lyra fell back on her bed in silent relief. Harry, who had followed them up, jumped onto the bed and settled in behind her.
Olivia chuckled. “You poor thing. What a day you’ve had! You lie down and take a nap. I’ll come wake you up in a couple hours.” She took the throw blanket at the end of Lyra’s bed and draped it over her. Lyra smiled gratefully and closed her eyes.
At six o’clock, true to her word, Olivia came and gently shook Lyra awake. Lyra’s head ached—it always did when she slept during the day. She stumbled to the bathroom, undressed, and stood under the hot shower until she felt human again. She dried her hair and carefully applied her make-up thinking about the coming evening. Jonah had mostly been relegated to the back of her mind during the last week while she prepared for the audition, but now that it was over, he was back to consuming all her thoughts. Her stomach did little flip-flops thinking about being with him tonight. Knowing how foreign it would be for him, she wondered how he would act at the dance
Lyra returned to her bedroom and noticed her mother had hung up her new clothes. At Van Heusen, an upscale clothing store Lyra had never shopped at before, she’d bought a black all-in-one pantsuit. It was form-fitting, but not tight. It had a jewel neck with long sleeves that tapered down to her slender wrists. The narrow waistline accentuated her gentle curves while complimenting her slim figure. Lyra slipped on the new soft, black leather ankle boots they had gotten to go with it.
Her mother suggested, and Lyra had immediately agreed with her, that she should wear the amethyst necklace and earrings she’d gotten last year for her birthday. The flower-shaped clustered gemstones were spaced evenly apart on a delicate white-gold chain and came to rest at the base of her neck. Matching violet flowers twinkled at her ears.
After eating dinner with her parents, running back upstairs to brush her teeth and reapply her lipstick, Lyra took a seat in the living room to await Jonah. He arrived and looked spectacular in charcoal slacks and grey v-neck sweater. Pictures taken, overcoats donned, and goodbyes said, they headed to the school.
At a red light he turned to look at her. “You look amazing. I didn’t say it before because I got kind of tongue-tied when I first saw you.”
Lyra glowed. “Thank you. You do too. You got your hair cut.”
He ran his fingers through it. It was still longish, but he’d had a trim. “Yeah. Jet insisted on that—and the new clothes.”
They could hear the bass pounding from the parking lot when they stepped out of the car at the school. Few people were milling around outside. Snow flurries had continued to drift down throughout the afternoon and evening and it was cold. Jonah bought their tickets at the door and they headed to the cafeteria where the dance was being held. A couple of teachers loitered at the doors holding plastic cups full of soda and trying to talk above the music.
Multi-colored lights bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floor and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. They could see bodies all around, but it was harder to make out faces. Jonah grabbed hold of Lyra’s hand and led her over to the wall where they hung their coats on pegs along with dozens of others. Taking hold of her hand once more Jonah began wending their way through the crowd.
A multi-faceted mirrored ball hung from the ceiling in the center of the dance floor illuminating the area more brightly than the perimeters. Lyra caught sight of Aimee and Connor dancing. Aimee was dressed vintage-Madonna in an off-the shoulder top, multi-layered tulle mini-skirt, fishnet hose, and high-heeled ankle boots. She looked great, but only Aimee could have pulled that outfit off.
They continued circling the room, when suddenly Katie was beside Lyra snagging her sleeve.
“HEY! OVER HERE. EVERYBODY’S OVER HERE,” Katie shouted. They followed her to a group over by the wall who had assembled chairs into a semi-circle. Lyra recognized Katie’s date, Jonathan, slouched in his seat looking bored. Lyra smiled to herself. He was a rocker, dressed in leather pants, a spandex sleeveless shirt, and biker boots. He was good looking, but his shoulder-length hair looked a little greasy to Lyra.
Trevor and Lisa were nearby. Lisa looked beautiful in a sequined dress, but she also looked mad. Trevor was sitting beside her gesturing expressively, but she stared out at the dance floor feigning deafness. She caught sight of Lyra and smiled. Trevor looked over and waved. Lyra, now leading Jonah, headed their way. Lisa jumped up and came toward them.
“LYRA, HI. LET’S GO DANCE.”
Lyra shook her head. “NOT YET. WE JUST GOT HERE.”
Trevor had come over and shook Jonah’s hand, then introduced him to Jonathan.
“YEAH, YOU GIRLS GO DANCE,” Trevor urged. “WE’LL HANG OUT HERE,”
Lyra shook her head no again. She felt Jonah squeeze her hand and looked up at him. He put his mouth close to her ear, but he spoke to her telepathically—Lyra heard him perfectly but he wasn’t shouting. It’s okay. Go ahead. I’ll be fine. He leaned back and stared into her troubled eyes.
Lyra didn’t want to desert him. He had only come because of her. She couldn’t abandon him now.
He squeezed her hand once more, released it, and turned toward Trevor and Jonathan. Katie and Lisa were thrilled and pulled Lyra out onto the floor. When Aimee saw them she squealed and hugged Lyra. Connor, relieved to be let off the hook, raised a hand to Aimee and pointed to the guys. Aimee didn’t even see him. She had already started dancing again.
Lyra moved her body automatically, but she kept her eye on Jonah. If he appeared to be in any distress she would go get him. He seemed to be conversing easily, even smiling occasionally. Eventually, Lyra relaxed and started having fun. When she started to get hot, she motioned to the others she was going to get something to drink. Katie followed, but Aimee and Lisa remained on the floor.
Carrying drinks for themselves and for their dates, Katie and Lyra made their way back to the guys. Trevor, who had been sitting between Jonathan and Jonah got up and took the seat on Jonah’s other side. Lyra handed Jonah a cup and he when he took it, smiling up at her, Lyra’s heart skipped a beat. Good grief, he was beautiful.
He and Trevor resumed their conversation, but when Lyra sat down, Jonah took her hand and held it in his lap. Lyra couldn’t hear their whole conversation, but it sounded like they were arguing over music. She caught words, seemingly unrelated like “elbow,” “awesome,” “muse,” “rockin,” and what sounded like “vampire weekend,” but she was sure she hadn’t heard that right.
The DJ came on in a little while, “All right, you crazy cats, it’s time to slow things down. Gentlemen, take your lovely ladies by the hand (and let me just say there are some mighty fine looking ladies here tonight—Mmm hmm), lead them out here onto the floor, and hold them close.
A ballad began playing at a slightly lower volume and the strobe lights disappeared leaving only the revolving mirrored ball casting white specks of light around the room. Trevor jumped up and went to find Lisa. Katie and Jonathan put down their cups and she led him out onto the floor. Lyra glanced over at Jonah. He was watching her with a smile.
Tipping his head down to hers, he asked, “May I have this dance?”
Lyra nodded, her heart beating furiously.
Encircled in his arms, swaying to the music, Lyra thought she could have died happily right then. It was one of those perfect moments. She felt his shoulder muscles ripple under her hands and her thighs brushed his occasionally. Her face was close to his chest and she breathed in his unique scent.
She heard him in her head.
“You look so beautiful.” He sighed and pull
ed her ever so slightly closer. “And you feel wonderful.”
Lyra smiled and closed her eyes. “You too,” she whispered.
He stiffened and his step faltered, but he caught himself immediately. Lyra wondered if he’d meant for her to hear him. Maybe he hadn’t. She tilted her head back to see his face. His expression was sardonic. He lowered his head until his lips were at her ear. His warm breath sent tingles down her spine.
“I didn’t realize I was thinking so loudly.”
He straightened back up and they stared into each others’ eyes. Jonah’s were black in the low light. She felt his hands tighten at her waist and her stomach did a couple of somersaults. He slid them down a couple of inches pressing her hips into his and Lyra forgot to breathe. Her skin zinged with electricity and she knotted her fingers into his hair. She wanted nothing more than to pull his head down and press her mouth to his. But barely, she kept hold of her self-control and resisted.
Lyra said a fervent, silent thanks to the DJ when the first ballad faded into a second one. She enjoyed a few more minutes of bliss before Jonah was forcefully pushed by someone from behind. He staggered into her and they were nearly knocked over. He whipped around and Lyra saw Kyle with his date, Celia, a snooty, pug-nose blond Lyra had never cared for.
“Oh, so sorry about that, guys. Lost my balance,” Kyle drawled, his eyes glinting maliciously. He whirled Celia around and they saw her snickering over his shoulder.
Jonah looked ready to kill, but he carefully rearranged his features into a controlled mask. “No problem, Douglas,” he said evenly.
Jonathan, who was dancing with Katie beside them had stopped and was glaring at Kyle’s back. He’d evidently seen the whole thing. He gave Jonah a questioning look, one eyebrow raised. Jonah shook his head imperceptibly. Jonathan shrugged, looking disappointed, and resumed dancing.
Jonah put his arms back around Lyra and tried to do the same. His jaw remained clenched though, and all pleasure went out of the moment. Why did Kyle have to be such a jerk?
The pace picked up again after the second ballad ended. This time the guys stayed on the floor. Lyra tried to relax and have fun, but she noticed Jonah’s eyes constantly scanned the crowd.
After a while, they took a break, got fresh drinks, and returned to their chairs. Trevor and Connor grouped around Jonah and Jonathan discussing the incident with Kyle. Lyra smiled at her friends’ loyalty in coming to Jonah’s defense. She heard Jonah telling them he didn’t want any trouble.
After more than an hour without any other trouble from Kyle, Jonah and Lyra began to loosen up. Their group, keeping close together, was dancing to a Goo Goo Dolls remix when Gina appeared next to Lyra, her eyes wide. Her date, a shy boy named Brad, was one step behind her, a look of terror on his face.
Gina was looking at Jonah and trying to speak. “K…k…k…Kyle.” She took a deep breath and started again. The others had stopped dancing and were huddled around them.
“O…o…o…” Tears welled in Gina’s eyes as her tongue refused to cooperate.
Jonah placed a hand on each of Gina’s shoulders and looked intently into her eyes.
Gina took another breath and her shoulders sagged. She licked her lips, looked into Jonah’s eyes, and without one stutter said, “I overheard Kyle telling his friends to follow him out to the parking lot. They’re going to slash your tires.”
“The hell they are,” Jonah muttered, and immediately turned and headed toward the doors, the others trailing him. He’d let the pushing incident go, but he’d be damned if he would stand by and let Kyle do damage to his car.
Once outside, he realized Lyra and their friends were behind him. He stopped them. “Get back inside.” He looked first at Lyra, then the others.
Trevor, Connor, and Jonathan protested loudly.
“We’re not letting you go out there alone.”
“No way, man.”
“Forget it; we’re coming with you.”
Jonah looked like he wanted to argue, but seeing the mutiny on their faces, he relented.
“All right, come on.” He looked at Lyra again. “But you girls get back inside. Now!”
He turned and before she could get a word out, he had rounded the corner. Trevor, Connor, and Jonathan were only a step behind.
Lyra looked at Aimee, Katie, and Lisa. Aimee spoke up. “No way I’m going to miss this show-down.”
Lyra bit her lip. She didn’t want to infuriate Jonah any more than he was already. She’d been on the wrong end of his temper before. But she couldn’t just calmly go back inside and wait either.
“Okay,” she relented. “Let’s stay back though.”
They edged to the corner of the building and peeked around. They could see the guys jogging out toward Jonah’s car, where a few shadowy figures huddled.
“C’mon,” Aimee whined, taking a few steps forward. “We can’t hear or see anything from here.”
They started forward more slowly than the guys had. Lyra kept her eyes on Jonah as he approached the hulking shadows around his car. They must have heard, or been on the look out, because as Jonah and the others approached, Kyle and his gang came around the front side of the car to face them.
As the girls got closer, Lyra heard Kyle’s derisive laugh. His voice carried in the clear night air. “Well, you’re just in time, Forrester. You can watch while I get the other two.” Kyle ordered his cronies, “You hold them back while I finish. I’m getting all four tires.” He grinned spitefully at Jonah and turned back to the car.
Lyra couldn’t believe it. Kyle was actually going to slash Jonah’s tires while he watched? Kyle’s hockey buddies flexed their muscles and moved forward. Lyra was close enough now to see Trevor and Connor exchange a look of unease. They did not want to fight the bullies, especially when one of them had a knife. Jonathan, though, looked ready to take them on.
Jonah shot Jonathan a warning look. “Stay back.”
From the look on his face, Lyra know Jonah was about to do something. She kepther eyes trained on Jonah, but even still, his movements were a blur. He landed a lightening fast punch with his left fist to the stomach of the first guy, a simultaneous gut-punch with his right fist to the second one. It looked like Jonah jabbed the third one in the nose. It was so quick, that the first two were still falling when the third went down. They crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Before her eyes could catch up with him, Jonah was on the other side of his Audi towering above Kyle where he knelt at Jonah’s front left tire.
“Drop it, Douglas.”
Kyle lurched up and around to face Jonah, knife held menacingly in front of him. He stole one quick look over his shoulder to see what had become of his friends. His face registered shock, but he recovered quickly and he raised the knife higher. “Want to play rough then, do you, Forrester? Let’s see how pretty your face is when I’m through with it.” Kyle lunged for Jonah, aiming high.
In less time than it took Lyra to blink, Jonah had Kyle up against the car, his arm twisted behind his back. Jonah must have squeezed Kyle’s wrist because Kyle let out a shout of pain and the knife clattered to the ground. Kyle struggled against Jonah’s hold. He kicked back with his legs, but Jonah sidestepped and Kyle feet made no connection. He twisted and writhed, his face distorted with rage, spittle flying from his mouth.
“You think you’re hot shit, don’t you, Forrester? Too good for this place, Big Man from the City. You’ve even got Little Miss Perfect over there following you everywhere like a cat in heat…”
Standing only one car length away, Lyra heard a sickening crack of breaking bone. Kyle screamed in agony and Jonah jumped back, a look of horror on his face.
“YOU BROKE IT.” Kyle writhed in agony, clutching his arm. “YOU BROKE MY ARM, FORRESTER.” Kyle choked out a dry sob, stumbled over to his closest buddy who was still on the ground, and kicked him. “GET UP. GET UP YOU MORON.” The three
black lumps on the ground began to move sluggishly.
Lyra stole a look at the others faces. Shock and disbelieve was mirrored in each one. Lyra knew what was going through their minds. How in the hell had Jonah single-handedly taken down four muscled athletes in less time than it took to blink? Lyra knew what Jonah was capable of, but the others were dumbfounded.
The guys on the ground got to their feet and staggered around. Kyle, cradling his arm, kept shouting at them to get up and take him to the hospital.
As they moved off, back toward the building, Kyle looked back at Jonah. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS, FORRESTER. YOU JUST WAIT.”
Jonah turned toward Lyra and locked eyes with her. She had seen him angry, furious even. But she’d never seen him frightened. It turned the inside of her mouth to sandpaper and her legs to jello. Facing a gang of angry bullies, one with a knife, had not scared Jonah, but having actually hurt one of them did.
Lyra was at his side in an instant. He looked down at her. “I broke his arm,” he whispered, disbelief and fear still clouding his eyes.
“It’s okay,” she whispered back. How would they explain to their friends what they had just seen? No normal person could move that fast, bringing down four opponents in a matter of seconds.
She turned to face their friends. As she suspected, all eyes were on Jonah, all mouths agape.
The first to recover was Jonathan. He shook his head as if to clear it and a slow grin spread across his face. He pointed a finger at Jonah, “Damn, brother. I’ve never seen anything like that. You will teach me how you just did that, and I want the name of your martial arts instructor.”
When Jonah didn’t respond, Jonathan looked around at the others. Seeing their still awe-struck faces, he clapped his hands together loudly. It released them from their stupor and turned everyone’s eyes to him.
“Okay, everyone,” he said in a take-charge voice. “Katie and I will take Lyra and Jonah home. Trevor, Lisa, Connor, and Aimee, you all get on home now too before that buffoon calls the police and there’s more trouble. We can meet up tomorrow for lunch at Casey’s to talk about this. It’s freak’in freezing out here and none of us even have our jackets on.”
When he said that, Lyra realized her teeth were chattering and immediately clamped them together firmly.
Jonathan steered Katie, Jonah, and Lyra to his van. Jonah followed him woodenly. He would not look at Lyra. Jonathan stopped at the front doors of the school and Katie jumped out and ran inside to get their coats.
As they waited, Kyle came stumbling back outside, Celia sobbing hysterically beside him and made their way around the building to the parking lot. Kyle’s friends trailed behind them. They glanced at the van, but couldn’t see into the back seats where Jonah and Lyra sat.
A moment later Katie came out, barely visible over the pile of coats. She passed them around, buckled herself in, and Jonathan took off.
Jonah stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched, his eyes bleak.
Katie gave Jonathan directions to Lyra’s house.
“Dude,” Jonathan addressed Jonah, trying unsuccessfully to catch Jonah’s eye in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know what you did back there, but that was some serious butt-kicking.” After a moment with no comment from Jonah, he continued. “I didn’t even see what you did and I’m impressed. I’ve been to every karate and jujitsu master in a hundred mile radius of this place and they’ve got nothing on you.”
Lyra felt Jonah flinch involuntarily beside her. She took his hand and entwined their fingers, but his remained cold and limp.
He roused a little when they pulled up in front of her house. He slid across the seat beside her as she got out and followed her to her door. His expression had turned despondent and he gazed down at her sadly. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry!” Lyra insisted. “It’s all my fault. I…” but Jonah put a finger over her lips.
“Shh. I knew better than to go. I knew better than to try to have friends…to try to have a normal life. This is no one’s fault but my own. I’ll deal with the consequences.” His mouth turned down in a grim line.
Lyra felt a panic welling up inside her. Deal with the consequences? What did he mean? Before she could question him further, he touched his lips to her forehead and turned back to the van where Jonathan and Katie waited to take him home. He climbed in without another look back and Jonathan maneuvered down the snow-laden drive.
