“Thanks, Dad. We’ll be good. I promise.” I take the cash and stuff it in my back pocket.
Evie screws her face up in annoyance. “Why can’t I be excused too? Your dinner meetings are boring.”
“Because little girls who ditch class don’t get to go anywhere,” Mom reminds her.
That sets Evie to scowling. It’s just a good thing Mom and Dad didn’t discover that the reason Evie skipped out on history was so she could make out with her boyfriend. At fourteen, Evie is not supposed to have a boyfriend. At seventeen, I’ve been allowed for a while now, but that doesn’t mean Dad is all that keen on the idea. Luckily for him, I’m not all that social. I have Mason.
I drop my dishes off in the sink and tug on Evie’s hair as I pass back by. “Come on, grouchy. We better get going or we’ll be late. Mason …” I say, turning to ask him a question. My voice drops off as I see his backside retreating out of the kitchen without a word. Huh.
A few minutes later, Evie and I head for my grumbly, creaky Cherokee. My parents can afford better, but Dad is an insurance executive, and he knows all the statistics of teenager drivers by heart. Not to mention the premiums. I get a safe, but not very cool car. He gets peace of mind and decent rates. I pull my door open and find Mason in the passenger’s seat, which is actually kind of weird. He usually tries to talk me into letting him drive.
Not sure what to make of that, I climb in and pull out of the driveway. The drive to school is only about fifteen minutes. It passes in silence. Another oddity. Mason is a total chatterbox on normal days. When I pull into a parking space, Evie hops out and heads for Aaron Chaplin, her not-so-secret boyfriend. Mason makes a move to leave, but I grab his arm before he can.
“Hey, what’s with you this morning?”
Mason shakes me off and reaches for the door handle. I grab for him again, missing his arm, but snagging his hand instead. Mason stops trying to get away, but he doesn’t look at me.
“Mason, what’s wrong?”
For a moment, I don’t think he’s going to answer me, then, his eyes snap up to mine. “Stop treating me like a freak, Olivia.”
The heat of his accusation startles me. So do his words. “What?”
“I’m tired of being less than everyone else,” he snaps.
“Mason, what are you talking about?” The anger that flashes in his eyes is reflected in how he tosses my hand away from him.
He’s really angry, I realize in shock. Mason never gets mad. Taking advantage of my surprise, he bails. He’s out of the Cherokee and slamming the door shut before I can move. It takes some effort to come out of my stupor and follow him. My brain catches up with him along with my feet a few seconds later.
“Mason, wait,” I say as I catch his arm. “Is this about this morning in the bathroom?”
He doesn’t answer, but the way his shoulders bunch up is answer enough. “Don’t do that again.”
“I won’t,” I say quickly. “I was just playing around. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
“Well, how would you like it if someone barged in on you in the shower?”
It takes me a few minutes to answer. “But, she couldn’t see you, Mason. I wouldn’t have done it if she could.”
“Exactly,” he snaps.
Shaking my head, I try to make sense of his anger. “Are you mad about her turning the shower cold, or bursting in on you?”
“I was naked! As in no clothes on. I don’t care that she can’t see me. It’s no different than if she could.”
“Uh, yeah it is, Mason. I never would have sent Evie in if she could see you.”
Mason’s hands shove deep down into his jeans pockets. “I don’t want it to be different,” he growls.
Suddenly, things start making sense. Mason doesn’t pull away when I step closer to him and take his hand in mine. He has always been so good natured about being who he is. He was always willing to play a part in a well devised practical joke. He loves freaking people out. Halloween is his favorite time of year. But there have been times when I wondered if any of it bothered him.
“It wasn’t just this morning,” Mason says more quietly. “It’s dinner, too.”
“We get a pass on a boring business dinner,” I say, trying to sound chipper. “There’s this movie …”
Mason interrupts, saying, “It’s the reason behind everything, okay? No, I don’t want to sit through a discussion about insurance premiums. I know Evie didn’t see anything this morning. But both happened because I’m different.”
I don’t want to sound accusing, or obnoxious, but I don’t get why this is all boiling to the surface right now. “Mason, what’s going on? None of this kind of stuff has ever bothered you before.”
“I know,” he says with a sigh. “I love you and Evie and your parents, but …”
“But what?” I ask.
“Sometimes I get tired of being the guy nobody can see.”
Whatever I might have said to that, it gets stuffed back down my throat as we’re both ran into from behind. Mason catches me when I stumble, and we both turn around to find the culprit. A tall, lanky girl with wispy brown hair and bright, red-framed glasses is stumbling back to her feet as well.
“I’m so sorry!” she gasps. “I’m totally lost. Can you tell me where the office is?”
“Uh, it’s the first building on the right. It’s not attached to the rest of the school.”
“Thanks a bunch,” she says with a laugh. A small shift in posture sends her bag sliding off her shoulder, which nearly sends the books in her arms scattering. It takes her a moment to get everything back under control. She clutches her belongings a little more tightly and looks back up, still smiling. “I’ve been wandering the halls for twenty minutes. Then someone told me to go back outside. I’m a mess.”
At least I wasn’t the one who said it. I glance at Mason sideways. The way he’s trying not to laugh makes it even harder for me to keep a straight face. I turn back to the girl, who immediately sticks her hand out to me.
“I’m Robin Montgomery, by the way,” she says happily.
“Olivia Mallory,” I say as we shake hands.
Our hands part ways, and then she does something completely unexpected.
Robin sticks her hand out directly in front of Mason and says, “And you are?”
Stunned is not a strong enough word to describe the look on Mason’s face. I’m pretty sure my jaw is sitting on my shoes.
My, “You can see him?” is compounded with Mason’s, “You can see me?”
Robin’s grin freezes. Her extended hand drops away slowly. She glances between us looking confused. “Uh, yeah.”
“You can see me?” Mason repeats, clearly doubtful.
Hugging her books a little tighter, Robin shrugs. “Is this some kind of new kid trick? If it is, at least it’s original. I’ve got plenty of experience with being the new kid, but I’ve never had anyone pretend I’m seeing things before.”
“What do I look like?” Mason demands.
Robin shrugs, apparently willing to play along. “Okay, you’ve got reddish-gold hair that’s longish, but not too long. You’re eyes are blue, but super dark, and they have this awesome silver color right around the pupil. That’s really neat! Do you wear special contacts?”
Neither of us answers, too surprised by her accuracy and detail.
Continuing, Robin says, “You’re pretty tall, well taller than me, anyway. You look like you might play soccer…or maybe baseball, judging by your build. And you’re totally hot, just in case you didn’t already know that.”
That last comment breaks Mason out of his stupor, bringing on a grin. “I like this girl. Can we keep her?”
“Does that mean I passed the test… or game? Whatever this thing was?” Robin asks.
“Yeah,” I say, still a little shaken, “you passed.”
Robin’s giggle brings another smile to Mason’s lips. He extends his hand again. “I’m Mason, by the way.”
They shake ha
nds, their eyes glued to each other in a way I find myself just a bit irritated by. The feeling only intensifies when Robin looks over at me and says, “Please tell me Mason isn’t your boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” I say, nearly laughing. “No, he’s my …”
I struggle to find a word that explains what Mason is to me. Robin waits patiently for me to finish confirming Mason is single and up for grabs. Mason, oddly enough, has stopped ogling Robin, and is now staring at me rather intently. The sudden pressure to define Mason’s role in my life makes me falter and stumble through a rather incoherent answer.
“Mason’s my brother, well, kind of… I mean he’s not really, but he’s my, um, best friend. You know what I mean?”
“Uh, sure?” Robin says. No way she understood my rambling, but I think she gathered enough to determine Mason isn’t my boyfriend, so she seems happy enough.
I glance over at Mason for help. The sadness echoed in his eyes startles me. He turns away to listen to whatever Robin is now saying, leaving me confused and hurt. Did I not give the right answer? I wasn’t trying to hurt his feelings, but I’ve never had to explain Mason to anyone outside my family before. I think of him as my brother, but I know he’s really not. I stand there feeling like a jerk as understanding hits me. Right after he confessed his frustration about being different, I have to point out that he is the odd man out in our family. Why didn’t I just say he was my brother and leave it at that?
Robin’s sudden gasp brings me out of my thoughts. I’m surprised to see her hands pawing at Mason’s neck. I step forward, wondering what has her so worked up, but all I see is the weird birthmark Mason has always had. The trail of pigment that looks something like a meandering stream isn’t your typical blotchy birthmark, but it’s certainly not worth practically crawling up Mason’s body to get a better look!
I step forward to get this strange girl off Mason, but she finally snaps her hands away and gapes at him.
“Oh my gosh! You weren’t kidding, were you? You really were surprised I could see Mason!” she squeaks. “I had no idea! Why didn’t you just tell me Mason is an Aerling?”
About the Author
DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published.
Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist. DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series, including "Invisible" which was part of the USA Today Bestselling box set, "Pandora." The Date Shark Series is her first contemporary romance series
Connect with DelSheree online at:
http://www.delshereegladden.com
http://delshereegladden.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
@DelSheree
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DelShereeG
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDelShereeGladden
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/pub/delsheree-gladden/65/990/744/
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4305414.DelSheree_Gladden
Also by DelSheree Gladden
Escaping Fate Series
Escaping Fate
Soul Stone
Oracle Lost
(Coming 2014)
Twin Souls Saga
Twin Souls
Shaxoa’s Gift
Qaletaqa
The Destroyer Trilogy
Inquest
Secret of Betrayal
Darkening Chaos
Someone Wicked This Way Comes Series
Wicked Hunger
Wicked Power
Wicked Glory
(Coming October 2014)
Wicked Revenge
(Coming 2015)
The Aerling Series
Invisible
Intangible
Invincible
(Coming 2015)
The Date Shark Series
Date Shark
Shark Out of Water
(Coming October 2014)
Wicked Glory Page 31
