by Sarah Carter
“It’s a greenhouse!” Lexi exclaims. “How cool.”
“Come this way,” Connor says, leading her down the aisle. “These are my babies.”
There is a section of blooming flowers and plants. “Awww, they look just like you,” Lexi coos and then looks up at him.
“Funny.”
“No. This is very cool. I love science in any shape or form,” Lexi whispers, smelling the flower. “That smells wonderful. What kind of flower is it?” They both look down at the richly colored petals.
“Four o’clocks,” Connor replies. “They bloom in the afternoon and into the evening.”
Lexi pauses because for some reason she didn’t know that. She finds that odd. Bending down, she smells it again. “That’s so cool, and it smells so good.”
“Here,” Connor says. He grabs some shears and cuts off a flower.
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have,” Lexi says. “It’s beautiful.”
“All the more reason for you to have it,” Connor says. “A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl.”
She takes it and smirks. “Thank you, Connor. This is sweet.”
“I’m a sweet kind of guy. Just wait.” They stand there staring at each other. Lexi nerves are so jittery. She nervously smells the flower again. Connor steps up to her. Lexi looks up at him. They stare into each other’s eyes silently. Alarms are going off in her head. She knows she shouldn’t. Lexi knows she can’t. But everything in her is ignoring those facts. Connor pulls her into his arms. Lexi tenses because she’s never been kissed before. Connor bends down, and Lexi closes her eyes.
“What’s going on?”
They pull away and look to their right. Jackie is standing there. Lexi completely steps back from Connor. “Jackie,” Connor groans. “Seriously.”
“What the hell, Connor? You said there was no way I could have that flower.”
“Jackie. Listen. I like you...as a friend.”
Jackie turns her stare to Lexi. “I thought you weren’t interested in him.”
“I’m not. I mean, I am. I mean, I can’t,” Lexi stutters. Jackie just glares at her. “Oh get off it,” Lexi snaps. “He doesn’t like you. And guess what?” Lexi growls. She walks past her and whispers, “Neither do I.”
Rolling her eyes, Jackie scoffs, “Whatever.”
Obviously frustrated, Connor snaps, “God. You can be such a bitch.”
“Connor,” Jackie counters. “I’ve known you for years. You’ve known her since this morning.”
He walks up to her. “You are my friend, Jackie, but you have to realize I’m going to like other girls.”
Lexi puts her hands out. “This conversation has gone from zero to awkward in five seconds. I will see you later.” She turns to walk away.
Connor grabs her. “No, Lexi. Stop.” He turns to Jackie. “We’ll see you later.”
“Connor,” she says, obviously pissed.
“Jackie, seriously stop,” he growls. Grabbing Lexi’s hand, he says, “Come on.”
When they make their way back into the school, Lexi looks at him. “This really doesn’t matter. I sound like a repetitive bird, but I really can’t see whomever I want. It’s not as simple as that.”
“We can be friends, though, and that’s what we are going to be. Let’s go.” He starts to lead her to the doors outside.
“This is really not fair to her,” Lexi mutters.
He stops and turns to her. “Why? Because she can’t fathom that I don’t like her that way. I don’t dislike Jackie. I’m nice to everyone. At first I blew it off, but it’s slowly gotten ridiculous.”
“She obviously likes you.”
“I know,” he sighs. “It would be easier if I liked her back, but there’s no spark there. I need a spark. Something to light the fire. Wanna burn bright.”
Lexi smiles. “I can light you on fire. There’s a spark. BOOM!” She gestures with her hands.
Looking at her from the corner of his eye and smirks. “Thanks. That’s sweet.”
“Well, you wanted a spark,” Lexi counters, as she shrugs her shoulders.
“A romantic spark,” he emphasizes.
“How many sparks have you felt?” Lexi asks, curiously.
“Well, I’ve had girlfriends but it’s never been quite what I’m looking for. I don’t know. I want a spark. Chemistry.”
She looks up at him. “A spark and chemistry together? You may burst into an inferno.”
“You’re a riot. Have you ever had a spark?” Connor inquires.
Lexi frowns. “The only attention I’ve gotten from guys is because of the wrong reason. I’ve never had a guy truly interested in me. I’ve never had any sort of spark with anyone.”
“Mmmm, maybe someday we will feel a spark,” Connor states, with a hopeful smile.
“Connor,” Lexi groans.
He laughs. “You keep saying my name. I like it.”
“Let’s do friends, okay?” She suggests.
Connor nods, as he opens the door to go outside. “Yeah. Ready to show me your sweet ride?”
“Hell yeah,” Lexi exclaims. “I know of the perfect spot.”
Chapter 4
Lexi sits with Connor on an open road. Her engine purrs. Connor turns to her. “How far does this road go?”
“A ways. No one is ever out here. Make sure you fasten your seatbelt,” Lexi teases.
Connor pulls on his seatbelt, obviously checking it. “How fast are you going to go?”
“You wanted to see what this car can do.”
“That’s true,” Connor replies. “Are you a good driver?”
“You’d be surprised what I can drive,” Lexi snickers. A runner ship is no problem for her. She smiles and shifts into first. “You’ll be fine. I won’t kill you. I promise.”
He grabs onto the door and braces himself. “Okay.”
“Ready?” she asks.
“Yup,” Connor declares. Lexi lets go of the clutch and slams onto the gas. They jet forward and increase speed quickly.
“Okay! Okay!” Connor finally yells.
She slows down and shifts gears. Looking at him, Lexi says, “I was only going 95.”
“In how many seconds?”
“Not many,” Lexi sighs.
Connor puts his hand to his chest. “Oh my god.”
“Are you all right?” she laughs.
“That was awesome!” Connor exclaims. “You’re officially beyond hot.”
Lexi presses her lips together. She is excited about the compliment but saddened at the same time. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. “Thanks,” Lexi finally replies. “You should learn to drive stick.”
He turns to her. “Will you teach me?”
“Sure. It’s not that hard.”
“What do you want to do now?” Connor asks.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
“Do you have money on you? I don’t have enough for both of us, since this wasn’t planned.”
“Yeah, I have a credit card,” Lexi replies.
“Score,” Connor happily says. “Okay. Let’s go see some movies.”
Smiling at his excitement, Lexi asks, “What movies?”
“The original Star Wars trilogy. They are showing it at the Rivoli Theater starting in a half an hour.”
A smile sweeps across Lexi’s face. “Hell yeah. I love Star Wars. I’m a total geek.”
“Awesome. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
* * * * *
Connor opens the door, and they step outside.
“That was amazing,” Lexi cheers. “Ugh, so good.”
“Glad you went?” Connor laughs.
“Hell. Yes.” A nearby clock starts to gong. Lexi looks up. “It’s late.”
“Are your parents going to be mad?”
Trying not to laugh, Lexi says, “No, they can get ahold of me pretty easily. What about your stepdad?”
“He doesn’t give a crap. I don’t bug him, and he lets me do wh
atever.”
“That doesn’t sound like a loving relationship,” Lexi whispers.
With a snort, Connor replies, “There’s no love. There’s never been love. He kept his promise. That’s about it.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “It’s all right. I miss my mom every day.” Lexi grabs him and wraps her arms around him, squeezing him tight. Connor returns the affection. “Now, I’m going to talk about it all the time if I get hugs.”
“Oh my gosh, Connor,” Lexi exclaims, laughing. He laughs with her.
Suddenly, they hear, “Go down the alley.” They turn to see two guys standing there. They are both pretty greasy. One of them is holding a gun.
“What? Hey man,” Connor says, putting up his hands.
“Go,” the gun holder snarls.
“Now,” the other guy, in the blue cap, snaps.
Lexi narrows her eyes and pushes Connor down the alley. She knows she needs to get out of sight. Connor sputters, “You don’t need to do this. We have no money. We’re teenagers.”
The gunman sneers. “Give me your phones.”
“Hurry up,” the other guy snaps again.
Stepping in front of Connor, Lexi says, “You don’t want to do this.”
“Shut up, and give me your phone,” the gunman yells.
“You don’t want to threaten me. It’s not wise,” Lexi states, her voice strong.
He holds the gun up. “I said shut up.”
She says, “Connor, run.”
“Give me your damn stuff!” the guy hollers.
Lexi reaches out and grabs the guys arm. She points it away from everyone and then spins it around. She then slams against his elbow. There is loud crack of a bone breaking. The guy screams out in pain this time. He falls to the ground. Lexi turns and kicks him in the chest, making him slide across the asphalt into the wall.
She is grabbed from behind. Lexi is strong but not like her mother. Thinking, Lexi sends a wave to the guy behind her. He gasps in pain. Lexi quickly dislodges his arms. She turns around and punches the guy in the face. He stumbles back a few times. Now, Lexi spins around and does a back kick into his chest. The guy flies back and lands on the ground hard.
The guy with the broken arm is groaning on the ground. “I told you to leave us alone,” Lexi seethes.
“What in the hell...” she hears whispered, from behind her.
Turning, she sees Connor staring at her with wide eyes. “Connor,” she breathes out.
Suddenly, he looks panicked. “Lexi, WATCH OUT!”
Lexi spins around to see a gun pointed at her. With reflex, she sends out a wave. The guy screams and grabs his head, dropping the gun. He falls to his knees and continues to scream in pain. Lexi doesn’t stop. The guy curls up into a ball on the ground. “I told you not to threaten me,” Lexi growls. He cries out again.
“Stop!” she hears Connor cry.
Run. Run while you can. I know everything about you, Mark, Lexi thinks. The guy stops writhing in pain but looks up Lexi with scared eyes. Do I need to repeat myself?
“You’re a demon!” the guy screams in terror.
“More like an angel,” Lexi replies. “Run.”
The one guy grabs the other and helps him up. They run down the alley. Lexi bends down and picks up the gun. She pops out the bullet in the chamber and pulls out the clip. She puts on the safety and puts the gun in the back of her pants. Taking the clip, she chucks it into the dumpster.
Turning, she finally looks at Connor. He is just staring at her. Lexi nervously whispers, “What?”
“What did you do?”
“Unarmed them,” Lexi mumbles.
Connor shakes his head. “That’s not what I was talking about. What did you do to that guy?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Lexi nervously laughs.
“You did something to that guy,” Connor counters.
Lexi starts to back up. “I didn’t do anything, Connor.”
“Lexi, just tell me the truth.” He steps towards her. Lexi spins and runs down the alley. She’s fast. Her mom always pushed her in her running. She turns the corner and runs down the street. Lexi hears, “Lexi! Stop!”
She darts down between two buildings. Spinning in a circle, Lexi tries to concentrate. Finally, she runs through a wall. Lexi breathes a sigh of relief. She’s in a coat room. Instantly, she thinks, DAD!
Yes, dear?
A ship needs to come get me.
WHY?
Connor and I went to the movies and...
And?
Well, we separated and these two guys tried to hold me up.
What happened? Are you okay?
Yeah, I beat them up.
Did you use your powers!
No, Dad. But they followed me. I’m in a coat room. I’m too scared to go to my car. She has never really lied to her parents before. It is killing her.
We can’t sense you, Lexi! This is why what you did is so incredibly stupid.
Oh Dad, seriously. Who’s your daughter? She closes her eyes and concentrates. Finally, Lexi opens them back up. There. Come get me.
Ugh. Thank god. We have the signal. They will be there in a few seconds.
There is a sonic boom. The building shakes a little and then, the next thing she knows, Lexi is on a ship. A guard member is there. “Mistress Blakely, are you alright?”
“Yeah, shook up,” Lexi whispers. She knows she’s in trouble. Connor saw. Connor saw everything. “Get me home, please.”
“Of course,” the guard member replies.
“Hey, can someone get my car for me please?” Lexi asks. She holds out her keys.
The guard member smiles, but it’s a mischievous smile. “I will get it for you.”
“You must not drive over 30 miles per hour, and take surface streets.”
He frowns. “As you wish, Mistress.”
“God!” Lexi exclaims. “I wish you guys would stop calling me that.”
“Your father would like to speak to you,” another guard member says.
Lexi walks over to a screen and puts down her palm print. Her father pops up. “Are you alright?” he asks, sounding concerned.
“Yes, Dad, I’m fine.”
“We looked for these two guys and couldn’t find anyone.”
She nervously shuffles her feet. “I don’t know. It really happened.”
“Did you use your powers?”
Frowning, Lexi says, “A little bit.”
“Lexi Rose!”
“Dad, they had a gun to my head. What did you want me to do?” She pauses and then mutters, “Anyway, they thought I was a demon, so alien is the farthest thing from their mind.”
“They had a gun to your head,” her dad gasps.
Lexi sighs. “Yeah, it was kind of scary.”
“Well then, I’m glad you have your powers. You didn’t use the telekinesis, did you?”
She shakes her head. “No, I just made him hurt.”
“Good. Come home, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“See you in a bit.”
With a knot in her stomach, Lexi says, “Oh, Dad?”
“Yes,” he replies.
“I don’t think I should go to school anymore.”
“We’re not on this again. I thought you had made some friends. Isn’t that where you were tonight?”
A sinking feeling fills her chest. “Yeah, but what if my powers slip? What would we do? It’s just not a good idea.”
“Lexi, honey, you are going to school. You’ll be fine. Relax.”
A guard member interrupts. “We are over your house.”
“Very good,” her father replies. “Come down.”
“Yup,” Lexi sighs.
* * * * *
Lexi sits in her car staring at the clock. The bell rang ten minutes ago. She doesn’t want to go in. There were multiple arguments with both parents this morning. Lexi lost every time. Now, she doesn’t know what to do.
Finall
y, she gets out of her car and trudges her way to the school. Walking into Chemistry everyone looks up at her. “Sorry I’m late,” Lexi mumbles.
“You can take your seat,” her teacher replies.
She walks over and plops down next to Jackie. Jackie looks at her with a death stare. Derrick leans over. “Dude, Connor has been looking for you all morning.”
Panic strikes Lexi’s heart. “What did he say?” she gasps.
Derrick shrugs. “I don’t know. Just that he was looking for you. Like desperately looking for you. What’s going on?”
“How was he acting?” Lexi inquires slowly.
“Concerned,” Derrick replies. “What happened?”
“Concerned?” Lexi counters. “Nothing happened. Let’s pay attention to class.”
Thankfully, there is no experiment, and the teacher talks the whole hour. When the bell rings, Derrick follows Lexi out the door. “Where should I tell him to meet you?”
“Nowhere,” Lexi replies. “We aren’t meeting anywhere.” With that she turns and leaves. She tries to swiftly make her way to class. Suddenly, she sees Connor. They make eye contact. He reaches out for her, so Lexi turns down the next hallway.
“Wait!” Connor yells. Lexi keeps her eyes down and continues down the hall. “Hey,” she hears, before a hand grabs her and turns her around.
“Leave me alone,” Lexi mumbles, not meeting his gaze.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Connor says. “I just need to talk to you.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
He leans in and forces her to look at him. His eyes are crystal blue, and they always seem to haunt her. “Explain to me what happened.”
“No.”
“Explain to me about last night.”
Lexi shakes her head. “Nothing happened. The guy’s crazy.”
“What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything to him,” Lexi snaps. “What could you possibly mean by that?”
