The Thousand Year Curse (The Curse Books)

by Taylor Lavati

  "Yup." I state proudly. I smile up at Junior showing him the same goofy grin I had plastered to my face all class. I haven't been this happy in a long, long time.

  "I told you he was a good guy. I have a sixth sense about this kind of shit." Junior states proudly with an, I told you so look on. He's such a cocky bastard but I love him for it.

  "Guess what else." I intrigue him further.

  "There's more?" He questions me, his eyes lighting up again. Damn, this kid is a sucker for a good story.

  "Yep. I'm tutoring him eighth period today." I finish raising my eyebrows suggestively. I do a little shake too emphasizing my amazing mood.

  "You're a lucky girl. Damn." He jokes with me resting his arm around my shoulder. He makes fun of me the rest of lunch but I don't care. I have the best friend in the entire world and a new guy friend.

  I rush to the library anticipating seeing Ollie after the last bell rings. I stop at the circulation desk and say 'hi' to Mary.

  "I'm tutoring a guy here every day from now on." I tell Mary excitedly. She can see the joy in my expression and returns it whole heartedly.

  "That's wonderful! I'll be sure to send him back." She says as I start to head back to my spot. "You seem happy." She calls after me.

  "Yeah, I think I am." I confess back, beaming with happiness on cloud nine. A couple minutes pass and I stare down that freaking front door waiting for it to budge.

  I'm not sure why, but I have this sudden urge to run over and hug Ollie when he waltzes in. I decide to take a leap. I can be fun and spontaneous—I used to be. I would do this sort of thing to Junior, so why not Ollie?

  So quietly, we are in a library after all, I run over and hug him. He looks a bit surprised by my actions but he catches me. He's super tall so I sort of have to jump and stay on my tiptoes to keep my hands around his neck.

  He wraps his arms around my waist moving us behind a set of bookshelves. I'm assuming for privacy. Little does he know, it is only us and Mary in the library. Mary would probably be happy for me.

  The world stills with us holding each other, not moving for a couple of seconds. I bury my face in his chest and whisper thank you over and over. I almost want to cry from happiness. He pulls me back looking me deep in the eyes.

  "For what?" He asks me not breaking the trance.

  "Standing up to Becca, being my friend, everything." I smile up refusing to break our eye contact. To be honest, the intensity between us is like nothing I've ever experienced and it scares the crap out of me.

  "I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you." He proclaims. He searches my eyes in depth. I'm not sure what he is looking for but I meet his intensity with my own. Finally, I blink.

  I wrap my arms around his neck tighter, burrowing in closer. He smells so good. Very different from regular guys in high school—who wear ten different types of cologne. He smells like snow and fire which I realize now makes no sense. It's like the smell before snow or rain comes, plus a bonfire.

  "Shall we start on English?" He hums into my hair. I can tell he wants to break the mood by the hard swell jabbing into my stomach. I blush really bad when I figure out what it is as I try to clear my throat. I need a way to break the silence and our contact before it gets worse.

  "I'm, um, sorry. I'm not usually like this. I don't jump on people." I try to cover up my embarrassment while I let go of him putting much needed space between us. I try to just keep myself busy fixing my hair so he doesn't see the color on my face.

  "It's okay." He says with an almost devilish grin on his face. I examine the fire and passion in his eyes and am taken aback. Nobody has ever had eyes like this for me. I like the excitement and want to explore it more. He is almost too good to be true. A guy as hot as him has to be flawed.

  "So how about that English." I announce giving him an awkward punch on the arm—so freaking stupid.

  When I was popular I wasn't myself. I was always so fake. I have never felt as vulnerable as I do now. I always had a front up pretending to be this super bubbly, outgoing girl. Unlike Becca, I didn't hook up with any guy who had a pretty face. I still had morals but still, I was a catty bitch.

  I walk over to where I put down my stuff and sit down pretending English is the most interesting subject ever. He pulls up a chair and scoots closer to me. We start out reading in silence.

  CHAPTER THREE

  party time

  Sept 6

  I am being dragged to Ollie's party tonight which is supposed to be a super big deal.

  I want to go and feel normal for once—not caring what people think and

  just having a good time.

  It's a big wish but I really want it to work out.

  The weather around here is really starting to freak me out.

  Every day starts out perfectly fine but randomly a thunder storm will erupt.

  It's like the world is ending or something.

  My weird episodes have died down.

  I haven't broken much since Tuesday—just ripped a shirt and cracked my bathroom door.

  I keep feeling dizzy like I might faint.

  "Junior what the hell do I wear?" I hate dressing up. Well, not really—I hate shopping and picking out clothes.

  "I don't know. Do I look like your freaking girl friend?" Junior answers sarcastically flipping through my People Magazine. I stare as he longingly inspects Jennifer Aniston in her teeny weeny bikini. Pathetic man.

  "No, but you're my best friend. You can see what's hot, right?" I try to play at his man side. When he glances up I rock my hips, batting my eyelashes at him trying to be as cute as possible.

  "You owe me, Ryder." He glares at me. "Okay, try your crap on. Anything to get out of here." Junior caves in. I turn towards the closet and when I look back Junior is smiling looking down at his magazine. He's such a good guy.

  "You're such a pain." I say laughing to myself.

  After six outfits, three hairstyles and five pairs of shoes, we are ready to head out. I'm wearing something simple and flirty, according to Junior.

  My plain black dress has cap sleeves and a low back that travels down to my dimples. The weather is chilly so I'm wearing some boots with it that go up to my knees. The heel on the boot is about three inches tall which puts me at a normal person's height. I decide to leave my long hair down, so it falls down my bare back.

  "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Junior jokes as I do a twirl for him. My arms open wide and I feel weightless spinning around.

  I agree to drive us to Ollie's house. I don't like alcohol so if I drive people can accept my excuse. The lack of control freaks me out.

  Junior doesn't complain. He can get shit faced and secure a ride whenever he wants. Plus I got drunk once, threw up and vowed to never drink again. It was quite the traumatic experience.

  After the ten minute drive, we pull onto Ollie's road, High Road Place. Around Christmas time my dad takes me for a drive and we always end up here. The houses do amazing lights and they're beautiful to sit and watch. I'm curious as to which one of these houses is his.

  My GPS goes off telling me, "destination on the right." We gawk over at the amazing stone house. Wow. I've wanted this house my whole life. Dad said one day he'd buy it for us which I realize will never happen but still. At least I get to go inside and inspect the place.

  I decide to park on the street for safety reasons. The driveway's not full but more cars pull in every second. The last thing I want is for my already beat up car to get hit by some drunk kid. Who knows, we may need to make a quick escape later.

  It takes us a couple minutes of walking or should I say, stumbling to get to his front door. I can barely walk in these damn heels and it doesn't help that the driveway's made of cobblestone. As we get closer, I hear loud music emanating from inside. A few people are hanging around outside, solo cups in hand.

  I go to knock on the door but Junior just breezes in, pushing the tall, dark door open. The foyer is to die for. Literally, I would
die for this exact house.

  The outside is extremely deceiving. It seems old because of the stone, but the inside is completely modern. The interior gives off the vibe of being recently renovated.

  A brand new sparkling chandelier and large staircase are visible right when we walk in. The chandelier shines bright due to the fake candle lights dangling brightly lit.

  The staircase is the center of attention though. It is huge. People are hovering around sitting and hanging from the staircase. I try to look up to where the stairs go but it's too far out of my line of sight. Hordes of people block my view.

  Right in front of us is a long hallway. The decor's mood is out of place with the crowds of kids littering it. The color's are very posh and regal while the people sway suggestively disrespecting the house. How do all of these people even fit in here?

  Junior starts walking to the music like he's drawn towards it. I grab onto his arm and link with him because the last thing I want is to lose him. Junior gets flagged down by Aaron who's up ahead of us. We say 'hi' when we reach him and Aaron gives me a hug that surpasses the friend zone. He reeks of beer and weed—definitely cross-faded.

  Junior laughs before grabbing two beers and returning to my side. He starts chugging one of them. Foam slides out the sides of his mouth and beer trickles down his neck into his shirt. He's a mess.

  Aaron cheers him on, encouraging him to finish it in one gulp. When Junior's done, he crushes the can like a rowdy frat boy and hands the second one to me.

  Junior said, as long as I hold a drink in my hand, nobody will question me. He takes the can back, swallows a couple sips and then hands the can back to me. The light can gives off the impression that I drank some. He winks at me before putting his arm around my shoulders possessively.

  I feel as normal as we hang out with Aaron in the crowd of the party. I feel like an average teenager. For the first time in my life, I'm comfortable being myself. It's a strange feeling but I welcome it.

  Somehow, as we start to go towards the back door, I lose Junior and Aaron. I reach my arm out to grab Junior but my attempt is pointless as people push and shove past each other. This place is packed solid. There's got to be my entire grade here plus the younger groups.

  A tall guy bumps into me. I look up hoping it is someone I know but I don't recognize him at all. Now that I look around, half the people surrounding me don't look familiar. I have to get out of here.

  Everyone jostles me around as I walk towards the front door. I'm smaller so I get pushed easy. I spill a little beer down my dress after a girl bumps me from behind on accident so I decide to find a bathroom to wash myself off. By this point Junior is already long gone. I'll text him when I'm in the bathroom or something. There's got to be a empty room in this house somewhere to hide.

  I try not to panic that I'm alone and make my way around the house. I focus on the music blaring through the speakers, not the enormous crowd of people suffocating me. I might as well peek around. I find the kitchen, a game room, living room, parlor and then the huge stairs again.

  I make my way up them. Silence greets me at the top and I revel in the peacefulness. I decide this area will be my hide out since it's more vacant. I open a couple of the doors but most rooms are empty of furniture. They must not have moved in fully yet.

  I get to one door and tug on the knob, pulling the door wide open. A group of guys congregate in the room, whispering in hushed tones. I don't understand why but for some reason I am rooted in my spot.

  One guy notices me and his eyes shoot up. Oh my god—he's the green eyed man from my dream. He doesn't move either as he stares at me, open mouthed. He starts walking towards me his eyes never wavering. I don't have any idea what to do so I stay put, frozen. He recognizes me—he has to. His look is creepy filled with emotion but I'm not scared.

  He stops when he's about a foot away from me reaching his hand up to touch my face. He simply places his hand to my cheek as if checking to see if I am real. A sense of de ja vu overwhelms me. He leans in like he's going to kiss me and that knocks me out of my trance. I can't let this stranger kiss me.

  "I—I'm sorry." I whisper, backing up with both hands up in warning. I do a full turn before bolting down the hall.

  I keep running until I find another long hall way. I'm far enough away from the familiar stranger so I lean against a wall to gather my thoughts. Something crazy is happening to me. I can't even begin to understand what is happening to my life. My mind starts racing with crazy ideas and idiotic theories.

  I walk away until I get to the stairs, taking them two at a time searching for Junior again. I need my security blanket. I decide that I'm going to tell him everything. He will believe me—he has to. I'm on the verge of tears unable to find Junior anywhere.

  In an attempt to run, I turn on my heels but am halted by green eyes boring into my soul. Adrenaline shoots through my body. His eyes are hauntingly beautiful—intense and scary.

  "Who are you?" I ask him. At first he doesn't say anything. His face softens for a moment but then the wall comes back up as his eyes glass over becoming hard. I want to reach out and beg to learn more about him but can't.

  "Ryder!" Someone yells from across the room. I gaze towards the voice, my eyes landing on Ollie across the room. I start walking towards Ollie but glance back for green eyes. He's gone. I look around for him, thinking he walked away but he's missing.

  Abruptly, I'm shoved in every possible direction by various people moving around. I try to find Ollie but I can't find his blonde head anywhere. I start walking towards the door to the outside but am stopped by Becca. Dread wells up inside me as I look for an exit.

  "Hey there, gay girl." She snickers over at me. A knot forms in my throat and I start choking on air, panicking. I feel as if I might faint. "What? Are you scared?" She taunts me, twisting her finger in my direction as she closes the space between us zeroing in on her prey.

  "Please, I have to go." I mutter attempting to push past her. I don't care if I seem pathetic. My chances of running drop even lower when she has her friends step into the room, flanking her.

  "Sure." She takes a step back, her arm swooping out as if clearing a path for me. I don't know if this is a trick or what but I start to move forward. I get right by her. "Whoops." She sarcastically sneers, dumping her full cup of beer over my head. I turn to her in shock. Her other hand is playfully over her mouth as she laughs at me, the room growing silent. All eyes are on me.

  I try to run forward to get away but as I pass by each girl they dump their cups on me as well. By the time I make my way out of the kitchen, I am drenched in warm, nasty beer. My black dress sticks to every part of my body like a second skin.

  I can't help the tears that start to run down my cheeks. I let them fall because I doubt anyone will notice whether the water is tears or beer.

  I don't know where to go. I can't leave Junior but I need to get away. Two strong arms clasp around my waist and I jump thinking they're going to attack me.

  "Get off me!" I scream at my captor flailing around as I kick and punch. I get spun around and am face to face with Ollie. I melt a little in his arms, realizing I'm safe.

  "Shh. I've got you." He whispers trying to soothe me. "You're okay." I want to believe him but it's a little impossible when I am constantly being screwed over. He reaches for me but I brush him off.

  "It's okay. I don't want to get you wet." I say because I'm disgusting. He shouldn't get drenched, too. He should be having the time of his life, not stuck here rescuing me.

  "I don't care." He says lifting me into his arms effortlessly. I clasp my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. He carries me away like I weigh nothing at all.

  He carries me up the stairs but stops abruptly jostling me. I peek out from his shoulder and glance at the green eyed guy down the hall. I suppress the urge to run to him. I don't know why but I have this feeling that he'll protect me. I offer up a small smile to green eyes but it's half hearted at best.

/>   After a minute Ollie moves us into a quiet room. He lets me go and I stand up by myself on the floor. I peer around the room noticing that this is probably Ollie's room. By the way it's decorated it definitely seems like a guy's place.

  "I'll be right back. Don't move." He commands and I nod my head. Where am I going to go?

  I survey the room while I anxiously await his return. An xbox lays on the floor with a bunch of game discs on top. I can tell it's on by the vibrating hum the game station emits. He has a large bookcase filled with an extensive collection of movies.

  The floor is carpeted, deep red. It's so plush my feet practically sink in. I try not to move since I'm leaving a puddle under myself as the beer slides down my body. A mini-fridge sits in the corner of the room—probably filled with guy stuff like beer and nasty spray cheese.

  Controllers lay everywhere. The room is kind of messy. Beer bottles and chips cover the coffee table in the middle. A bag of M&Ms lay opened, spilling on the amazing couch.

  It is leather, a deep brown shade. Leather couches are my favorite. I want to sit down so badly since my feet are killing me but I don't want to ruin it with my wet butt. I pull out my phone remembering Junior somewhere downstairs.

  I'm upstairs. text when you wanna leave and ill come get you.

  I hit send and off it goes into cyberspace to Junior. Hopefully he is coherent enough to read the text and know how to respond. I would hate him to leave with someone else who's been drinking.

  The door opens and I gasp in horror. "It's just me." Ollie assures me and I'm relieved. He comes bearing gifts—a stack of clothes and towels. "I figured you might want to shower." He says, shrugging his shoulders. "The bathroom is right here." He explains pointing to the door. I can tell from the expression on his face that he's trying not to upset me.

  "Thank you." I whispers, emotions coursing through me. I walk over to where he's standing and take the things he brought for me. I start to walk to the adjoining bathroom he pointed out but stop mid stride.