“You know that, right?” Nadine was saying as I pulled out of the darkness and back into the hall.
“Know what?”
“That you shouldn’t do those weird book quotes with me. I never get what you’re trying to say.”
Apparently I spoke the words from the vision out loud.
“Oh, yeah it’s just a quote.”
“From the movie I was talking about?”
“The Great Gatsby? No. It’s…Shakespeare, I think.”
“Well, what does a tug of war have to do with the flapper dress I’m gonna buy?”
I tried to remember what I said and how I could make any sense out of them.
“Well, if you go shopping for the dress alone, you’ll pick a bad one, and if you’ve got two dresses you can’t decide between, then you should go with the one on the right.”
“Huh, I didn’t know Shakespeare wrote about shopping.”
“It might have been one of The Vampire Diaries books.”
“I love that show! Damon is sooo hot.” She launched into a whole diatribe about the how Elana and Damon didn't belong together and how she belonged with Stefan.
I managed to nod at the right moments, but I paid little attention to what she said. Instead, I worked to figure out what Nadine’s future meant. It couldn’t be anything good.
If I altered her future and mine, then what had I done to Andrew’s? Would he still abandon his dreams of becoming a director? Did he still marry the girl from college? What would happen to us that we didn’t end up together?
“Do you think Andrew and I are good together?” I asked, interrupting Nadine.
“You mean, like, Elana and Damon or like Elana and Stefan?”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean like Andrew and me.”
She dug into her backpack, searching for something. “Sure, you guys are great.”
Suspicion narrowed my eyes. “You don’t sound sure.”
She gave a loud sigh and gave up her fake search. “I don’t know. Sometimes you seem really into him and then others… it’s like you don’t think you want to be with him.”
“You think I’m stringing him along?”
“No,” she said. “Okay, kinda.”
“Gee, nice to know you think I’m a total bitch.” It stung to realize she was right. I wouldn’t be with him forever, and I had played hot and cold with him for months.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that!”
She sounded honestly distressed and I remembered that she was a genuinely nice person. Everyone liked her, even Bianca, despite creating the Nada nickname. Her friendly and sweet nature was the reason Nadine was my best friend, and why it had been difficult to accept that she would so easily betray me.
But she didn’t and I was acting as if she had. It was hard not to blame her for the choice she would have made if given the chance.
“Never mind, it was a stupid question. You want to go Christmas shopping this weekend?” I asked.
“You’re not done yet?”
“Nope, I totally slacked this year. I think eighteen years of Phoebe finally rubbed off on me.”
Fight with friend averted, I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what the words I’d said during the vision meant. Other than when I warned Micah that Lily would be injured if he made the wrong choice, the words from my visions never seemed to mean anything. Nothing dramatic ever happened. Usually I didn’t even have a clue what I said. So that left me to wonder what the point of them was. Shouldn’t they mean something?
Nadine’s party was only the first major shift. The ripples grew, spreading farther and farther, touching everyone around me. I wanted to make some kind of connection between the people involved in that one event and the new futures forming, but everything seemed so random. I couldn’t always pick out the differences, mainly because I could barely see anything.
The week before Christmas break passed by in a maze of foggy futures and, according to Bianca, weird zone outs and freaky phrases. Most of the time, I didn’t remember what I said to people, though the more it happened the more often I remembered. All I knew was that the words were coming to me as my view blurred.
It was with the people closest to me that I noticed the greatest changes, possibly since I knew the details of the futures they once had. Those lives were gone and now it was like looking at dozens of pictures printed on transparencies then stacked atop each other.
“You’re super quiet today,” Andrew said as I gathered my books from my locker Friday afternoon.
The halls were almost empty. Not surprising since classes ended almost a half hour ago. Even the staff had taken off, with classroom doors closed and locked. Ms. Garcia practically shoved us out of her room.
“Just not in a talkative mood, I guess.”
Sliding the books into my backpack, I double-checked I had everything. For some reason, teachers thought we wanted to do homework over winter break. I wouldn’t mind the English paper and reading, but the Calculus review looked daunting. If I hadn’t already seen myself passing the class, it would have made me worry about the final exam in January. Of course, now the future could change, maybe I should start to worry.
I slipped on my jacket and the cute crocheted owl beanie Nanna gave me for my birthday. The mirror stuck to the inside of my locker door reflected the wide owl eyes correctly centered.
“Do you still want to go see that new superhero movie tonight?” I asked as we headed for the student parking lot.
“Yeah, unless you have a better idea?”
Another night sitting in a theater wasn’t exactly thrilling, even if we were together.
“Bianca and Owen are going to the new pool hall. We could hang out with them.”
“Do you even know how to play?” he asked, clearly unimpressed.
“No, but we always go to the movies. It’d be nice to try something new.”
“We could go to a different movie. Your choice. There’s an artsy drama that came out last week.” He took my backpack and swung it over his shoulder.
“And if I choose something other than a movie?” Irritation scratched at me. I shoved the exit door hard enough for it to bounce back and nearly smack me in the face.
“Seriously? I’m gonna be working every night from tomorrow until Christmas.”
“You work at the theater. You’re there practically every day.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I want to hang out with Bianca. She’s going to Vegas with her family for the break. I won’t get to see her until New Year’s.”
“Fine, whatever.”
I bit my tongue. “You don’t have to come. Go to the movie if you want to. It’s fine. We can do something tomorrow.”
“I have to work tomorrow night.”
“In the morning then.”
The same frustration I felt tightened his features. Guilt filled me. I picked a fight so I could take my frustrations out on him. Smiling, I bumped his hip with mine.
“Let’s not argue. It’s not going to be the end of the world if we don’t go out tonight. Go see your movie with Travis or Ricky, and I’ll go hang with Bianca. We can see each other tomorrow or on Monday.”
“All right. What about on Sunday? I have the day shift, but Travis might switch with me.”
“I can’t. I have plans.” I unlocked the car and slid into the driver seat.
“What plans?” he asked, settling into the passenger side.
“Family plans.”
“That’s cryptic. Am I not allowed to know the details?”
As I considered what to say, I pulled out of the parking spot and began driving to Andrew’s house. I wasn’t intentionally concealing my plans. It was just hard to talk about. Detailing your family’s trip to the cemetery was too morbid to casually drop into a conversation.
“Should I take your silence as your way of telling me to mind my own business?”
“Sunday would have been my mom’s forty-fifth birthday. It’s a tradition for us to go to her grave on her
birthday.”
“Oh.”
His response was precisely why I hadn’t wanted to tell him. Most people my age didn’t know how to respond at the mention of my dead mother. That one sound, ‘oh’, would inevitably come forth, bursting with sympathy and the guilt they felt for still having a mother.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go tonight?” he asked.
For a moment, I was tempted to check my future to see if I was supposed to go with him. Then I realized I didn’t need to, because whatever I saw could change.
“I’m sure.”
When I got home, I texted Bianca about my change of plans. Within seconds of pressing send, my phone rang.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when I answered.
“Nothing. Why would you think something’s wrong?”
“Chloe, you’re bailing on Andrew and I’m supposed to think everything is okay? It’s like you’re sending out a small desperate cry for a shoulder to sob on.”
I laughed as I sat on the couch, curling my legs underneath me. “I wasn’t into going to the movies again. That’s all we ever seem to do. It’s getting old real fast.”
“Aren’t movies and film Andrew’s life?”
“Pretty much.”
There was a long pause.
“And you’re bored?”
“With movies, not Andrew.”
“Are ya sure? Because the Chloe of three weeks ago would have done anything to spend a few more hours with him.”
“Well, that was when I thought our time was limited.”
“And now it’s not?”
It was, though I had yet to see when the end would arrive. But I felt differently about this new moment in time that was inevitable. Before, the end of our relationship signaled the end of love for me. Now… well, maybe the end of us meant the beginning of something greater than I’d ever have with him.
Chapter 14
The new pool hall was actually the renovated old pool hall next door to the bowling alley. The place was packed, not surprising since there were limited places in Beachgrove open to the under twenty-one crowd on a Friday night.
Divided into two separate rooms, to the left of the entry was the bar and adult only area and the right consisted of a large rectangular space with ten pool tables lined up in rows, flanked by high round tables at either end. Low hanging lights suspended above each one seemed to be the sole providers of light in the whole place, other than the brightly lit concession stand. Apparently, the appearance of a bar only went so far. No need for a bar or bartender when the strongest drink they served was a coke on the rocks.
It took me a couple minutes to find Bianca and Owen at a table in the back corner, mainly because I had to walk carefully to avoid entering anyone’s future. When I finally found them, a moment of wishing I had gone with Andrew instead rushed through me.
Things between them were changing. They had been close for years now, but always in a clearly friendship way. Even with the limited time I spent socializing with them together, that had always been obvious.
Tonight, each seemed more aware of the other, although I would hazard a guess that neither was sure what was going on. They gravitated toward each other, only to awkwardly move apart, embarrassed smiles on their faces.
I hoped up on a high stool and plucked Bianca’s glass from her hand. Taking a long sip of her Sprite, I evaded her grasping hand and tisks of protest.
“Hey! I didn’t invite you tonight to drink my drink,” she said as I relinquished the now half-full glass.
“I’ll buy you another one.” I scanned the room for the waitress.
“Good luck finding anyone to take your order,” Owen said as he racked the balls. “We waited twenty minutes before someone came over.”
“Well, I’ll give her a five. Who’s playing this round?” I asked.
“You and Owen.” Bianca thrust the pool cue at me. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
We watched her traipse off, leaving behind her a swelling uncomfortableness. What do you say to your friend’s BFF who broke up with your BFF so he can then date said mutual friend while he was probably still unaware of the fact that he wanted to date her?
“So, are you breaking or am I?” I asked.
I didn’t give him a chance to respond before I lined up my shot and hit the cue ball dead center. The resounding crack of it hitting the precisely racked solid and striped balls at the opposite end of the table was much more satisfying than watching the four balls I managed to move roll slowly across the green top, while the white one sank into the side pocket for a scratch.
“Nice shot,” Owen said as he circled the table.
“Thanks, I barely noticed your sarcasm.”
“What?” For a split second, the confused look on his face made me realize there hadn’t been sarcasm hidden within his words. “Oh, yeah. Four in the corner.”
I rarely played pool, and when I did, no one called a shot. Every ball sunk was typically a result of luck or the perfect easy shot.
Sure enough, he tapped the four in and the cue ball spun backward until it lined up with the six. He called the next two shots, which included a complex bounce off the side before hitting the ball in. So much for thinking Owen’s geeky exterior was evidence of his lack of ability at any form of sport.
“I feel like I’ve been swindled,” I said, when he missed a shot.
He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s pretty much just luck.”
I leaned over and pretended to be looking for a good angle.
“Do you think it’s strange that we’ve only ever hung out a few times?” I straightened and glanced over at him. “I mean, you dated my best friend on and off for months. You’re friends with both my sisters. Bianca is a mutual best friend, and yet I think this is the first time we’ve ever been alone together.”
“Not strange,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Were those new? Or was my lack of noticing them another sign of how little I knew about Owen? He twisted the blue chalk onto the tip of his cue and blew the extra residue away. “Other than Nadine, I never had an interest in cheerleaders.”
I would have been offended if he had said it with anything close to disdain. Instead, I shrugged off the unintended offense.
“So, why did you come tonight?” he said as I took my next shot. The cue ball sank into the pocket. Again. Owen stepped up to the table. “Scratch.”
“I’m here because Bianca’s my friend. Why wouldn’t I hang out with her?”
He sank another one before answering. “I figured you’d be with your boyfriend. Besides I thought with Bastian coming you’d be avoiding the place like a plague.”
I barely managed to hold in my groan, but I must not have done a good a job with controlling my facial expressions, because Owen gave a laugh and said, “I take it Bianca didn’t tell you he would be here?”
“No, but that’s fine. As long as he’s not a complete douche I can handle it.”
“Who’s a feminine cleaning product?” Sebastian’s voice came from behind me and I glanced at him with a tight smile.
“Hey, Bastian.” I turned back to Owen who wore a grin so big I knew he wasn’t as unaware of people as he seemed. Then I noticed the table was devoid of any solid balls. “Crap. I lost, didn’t I?”
“Did he neglect to inform you that he’s a pool shark?” Bastian asked as Bianca hopped onto one of the stools at our table. “I hope you weren’t playing for money.”
“No, just fun. Who’s up next?” I held out my cue to them.
Both reached for it, but Bianca grabbed it first and stuck her tongue out at him before sliding off the seat she’d taken. That left me basically alone with Bastian and suddenly the discomfort at being alone with Owen looked downright pleasant.
Finding something I wanted to say to him proved next to impossible. The last time we spoke had been at Javier’s party after I essentially accused him of being heartless and then halfway through my apology I took off in search of Andrew. Then Ba
stian inadvertently altered the course of my entire future, giving me a chance for everything I’d ever dreamed of. Thanks would be too weird, especially since he had no clue I could even see the future, so I took the safe route.
“I’m sorry.”
“Go on.”
My eyes narrowed and I swallowed the nasty words threatening to erupt. The guy had no idea when to stop with the smug, know it all attitude.
He cracked a smile. “All right. Apology accepted. It’s not your fault I have commitment issues.”
“Well, everyone has their issues, right?”
“You’re most likely correct, though I still fail to see why a career with NASA seems unsatisfactory to you. I believe I’ll find it highly satisfying.”
Thankfully, a waitress showed up, preventing me from making a comment that would have only spurred the conversation on. Rather than trying to converse with Bastian, I watched Bianca and Owen play. While he practically slaughtered me, she was doing much better, though her strategy seemed to involve less of sinking balls and more of putting the cue ball in awkward positions, making Owen’s shots exceedingly difficult.
I’d never seen any special chemistry between the two of them before, but it was there now. The way they both made the same dorky comments and laughed spontaneously at the same time as if they had mentally shared an inside joke. They would be good together. Or maybe they wouldn’t.
Their futures may have changed because of me. I hadn’t bothered looking into them because neither of them ever wanted to know and I’d assumed they wouldn’t be any different. Bianca came over to grab her drink and I seized the opportunity.
Images of the next few days and weeks flash, yet the farther I move forward in time, the harder it is to distinguish details.
Bastian cleared his throat and I dragged myself back to the present, glancing at him.
“Deep contemplation can be a relaxing past time, though in polite company is often seen as a sign of boredom and lack of manners.”
“Ha ha. Maybe if I were in polite company I’d worry.”
He threw a hand up to cover his chest. “Ouch, your mockingly pointed arrow has pierced my heart. How ever will I recover from such a glib quip?”
Watch Me: Teen Paranormal Romance (A Touched Trilogy Book 3) Page 12
