Yeah, so solid he’d bailed on us. I hated when she compared my dad and me. “But I have your face and hair,” I insisted, tension lacing my light words. I didn’t want to be anything like him.
The radio thing might’ve shaken my mom, but her smile held a determined edge. She’d bury herself deeper in work this week so she wouldn’t have to think about it. I’d seen the pattern often enough.
My gaze slid to the soap dish. Mom needed more than work in her life.
“Anyway,” I said lightly. “It’s probably a good thing you hadn’t planned to come to my game this week, since there’s a ‘required’ parent participation night on Thursday at six.”
“Required? This Thursday? Why are you just now telling me?”
Since it just occurred to me that Mr. Dixon is widowed and isn’t bad looking in a tall, lanky kind of way. Plus, he has kind eyes. I shrugged. “My Spanish teacher Señor...er, I mean Mr. Dixon is having an international dinner night. I’m supposed to prepare a French dish.” Not to mention, I had a feeling I was going to need the extra credit Mr. Dixon was bribing the class with to attend the event. Maybe I could score some extra points for bringing my mom.
Mom’s fine blonde eyebrows shot up. “I’m expected to cook something French, too?”
I imagined Gran snickering in my ear, “That’ll boil her ice cream.” Meaning, in Gran’s unique mashing of words, Mom wouldn’t have time to think about the past, since she’d be stressing all week. Spaghetti was the only thing she could cook. “Yep.”
“I—I’ll think of something.” Sighing, she turned to toss the empty orange juice carton into the trash, but paused. “Inara—” she began as she dropped the carton, then pulled a pair of jeans from the trash that were Swiss-cheesed with scissor holes. “What in the world?”
Pouring milk into my bowl, I smiled, satisfied with my revenge. “Trust me. They had it coming.”
Worst. Day. Ever. Slamming open my locker, I quickly exchanged my Spanish book for Trig and English. As I arranged the rest of the books in my locker in order of upcoming classes, I considered the possibility I might’ve been cursed.
During Homeroom, Sophia gleefully shared the news that Lainey and Jared were dating. Lainey’s betrayal hit so hard, bile rose to the back of my throat. Then, at the end of lunch, I found out that Miranda had convinced Coach to train Sophia as a permanent backup goalie. Miranda had Coach so wrapped. I could name at least three people who’d have made better goalies than Sophia….and one of them was in middle school. “Just a few more hours of torture to go,” I mumbled.
“What’d you say?”
I jumped at the sound of Ethan’s deep voice. “Oh, hi.” Ethan stood to my right holding his locker door open. Instead of his usual flannel shirt, he was wearing a navy fleece that zipped at the collar. Where he’d left the zipper open, he had on a black t-shirt underneath, probably another old band tee. “I’m just having a crappy day.” That was the understatement of my life. Going through the school day blind was sheer agony. What had I been thinking asking for a day of surprises? How did the other people walk around school everyday, never knowing who or what was about to walk up and slam them in the face?
As far as I was concerned, preparation was the key to survival. Of course, the fact that I’d probably just made a low C on my Spanish test—would’ve been an F without my Latin background—would normally rank as another hellish experience for today, but at least I’d anticipated that one.
Ethan nodded, his look sympathetic. “I’ve had a few of those.”
He’d had the ultimate crap day recently, no thanks to me. “I heard that the police gave you a rough time, well, until they discovered David was the one who’d planted the bomb. Sorry about that.”
Shrugging, he shut his locker, then pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, that day would count, but you don’t need to apologize.”
My throat went dry and I looked away as I shut my locker door. “Um, well, I feel bad that that even happened to you. I’m sure it’s not easy being new, and then to be suspected of—”
Ethan touched my shoulder and I caught a whiff of spicy deodorant. It made my nose tingle and my heart race. “Nara. You don’t need to apologize.”
His expression was sincere, yet understanding, and the weight of his hand made me jittery with anticipation. Seeking a distraction, I reached into my backpack to retrieve the pen he’d given me. I didn’t really want to give it up, but I pushed it toward him. “Thanks again for lending me your pen.”
Folding his fingers over mine, he brushed his thumb along the arch on my palm. “You keep it.”
My pulse pounded. I’d washed the ink off my hand, but Ethan had just run his finger over the exact place I’d written his name this morning. Goosebumps scattered across my skin. “Why didn’t you show up in my dream night before last?” I wanted to ask.
“I don’t use pens,” he continued.
“Thanks,” was all I could think to say. He’d seen that I used a pen every day, but there was no way he’d carried that pen around just in case I needed one. Right?
Releasing my hand, he shifted his Trig book and notepad under his arm, then leaned against the lockers. “I was wondering…since we’ve got that Trig test today, would you mind being my partner during study hall? I really need someone to help clear up a couple of points for me.”
Heat spread across my face. His quiet, observant personality was so different from the flirtatious, outgoing characteristics I thought made Jared so hot—yet he’d just made me feel special on a day when nothing seemed to be going right. Normally I spent most of study hall chatting with Lainey, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to her right now. Maybe if Ethan and I studied together, I’d have a sliver of hope in passing my Trig test. I smiled. “Thanks for asking. I need a refresher, too.”
At the end of the day, my French teacher, Mrs. Kearney, called me over. “Hey, Nara. Since you don’t have practice today, would you mind helping Kenny carry his backpack out to his car?”
As Kenny hobbled along beside me on crutches, I shoved my shades on and tried to balance my backpack strap on one shoulder and his bulging pack on the other. Glancing down at the air cast on his left ankle, I asked, “Did that happen during soccer?”
Kenny’s freckled forehead wrinkled as his red eyebrows shot up. “I wish! A sports injury would make a much better story.”
“What happened?”
“I tripped over my dog.”
I tried not to laugh at the look of total embarrassment on his face, but my lips tilted upward anyway.
He grimaced. “I was doing some drills with the ball in the backyard. One minute Deuce was standing near the deck and the next he was under my feet.”
“He doesn’t chase after the ball while you practice?” When I saw Lainey’s dog jumping in and nudging the ball with his nose, that made me wish for a pet even more, but my mom has allergies so I had to get my animal “fix” volunteering at the Central Virginia Animal Shelter.
“Nah. Deuce never jumps at the ball, but yesterday he yelped and was under my feet cowering. He’d moved so fast I didn’t have time to react.”
“He was scared?”
“Yeah. I never did figure out what spooked him.” Kenny opened his back door, tossed his crutches into the backseat, then leaned on the open door for support. “He’s usually fearless.”
I set his backpack beside the crutches. “Well, hopefully you’re not out too many games.”
“Thanks for helping.” His smile was sheepish. “Didn’t want the guys to think I couldn’t handle it by myself.”
I grinned. “Now I know why Mrs. Kearney asked me to help you. What story did you tell your team?”
Kenny laughed. “They think I fell off a ladder helping my dad paint the house trim. And uh, can you keep that between us?”
I gave a conspiratorial smile. “No problem. Do you have someone to help you tomorrow?”
“I’m good. Most of my books are in my backpack now. I’ll just borrow
while I’m at school.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.” After I left Kenny, I headed out to my car—which I’d parked in the back parking lot since I’d run late for school this morning. If I’d only known construction crews would be doing roadwork, I’d have taken another street and only screeched in five minutes before the bell instead of one minute after.
I was halfway across the main parking lot when Lainey called my name. “Nara, wait up.”
Pushing my teal sunglasses up my nose, I slowed.
Lainey fell into step beside me, her brow furrowed. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing’s up. I just need to get some chores and homework done before I have to be back for the game.”
Lainey grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt. “I’m your best friend, Nara. I can tell something’s wrong. You spent the entire study hall avoiding me.”
I kept my tone neutral. “I had to study for my Trig test.”
Lainey’s brown gaze zeroed in. “Since when have you ever had to study?”
As far as she knew, that was true. I’d told Lainey I have a photographic memory, and that was as close to the truth as I was ever going to tell her.
Huffing at my silence, she continued, “You’ve heard the rumors going around about that guy, Nara. What’s his name? Eli?”
“Ethan.”
“Whatever. He’s bad news. I don’t think you should get tangled up with someone like that.”
It’s not like anything was going on, yet I had to admit, Ethan was definitely intriguing. Plus, he’d been nothing but nice to me. “I actually was studying. Not that I really think you care who I spend time with, or who I like. That didn’t stop you from going after Jared.”
The color quickly faded from Lainey’s face. “Who—”
“Told me?” I stared her down. “Sophia. And she enjoyed every second of it.”
Lainey’s face pinched and her eyes watered. “Sophia can be so vicious sometimes. I never wanted to hurt you. Jared started flirting with me, not the other way around. Then he called me and…well, it all happened so fast. I swear I was going to tell you.”
Yeah, right. I shrugged. “Whatever. I’ve got to go.”
When I started to walk away, she called after me, “Are you mad?”
Her voice hitched, but I didn’t turn around. It wasn’t so much that I was mad…okay, it stung a little—actually, a lot—but Lainey was supposed to be my best friend. She should’ve had the guts to tell me herself. “See you at the game.”
I tried not to think about Lainey’s migration away from our friendship as I shoved my key in the car’s ignition and turned. Nothing happened. Could it be the battery? I reached for the radio button and turned it on. Silence. Glancing at the headlight switch, I groaned when I saw it was still in the On position. It had been foggy when I drove to school. I thought I’d turned them off, but apparently not. “We bought you for your dependability!” I accused, glaring at the unlit instrument display panel.
The parking lot was empty, except for a couple of cars. I did not need this. Stress built inside me. Why hadn’t I dreamed last night? I would’ve made sure I turned my lights off. I had very little time to get home and get my stuff done, which now included studying, before I had to leave for the game at six. Out of desperation, I turned the ignition once more, willing the engine to start. When it didn’t, I banged on the steering wheel and yelled, “Come on!” at the same time a car drove up beside mine.
A blond guy leaned out the passenger side window. “Need some help?”
I rolled my window down. “Do you have any jumper cables? I think my battery’s dead.” I tried to remember his name as I stepped out of my car. I’d seen him in my lunch period, though I didn’t recognize the dark-headed guy driving.
The guy behind the steering wheel shook his head. “No, but I can give you a lift if you don’t live too far from here. Then your parents can bring you back and jump your car. They always have emergency junk like that.”
“My mom’s not home. Thanks anyway.” I started to dial my aunt’s number.
“You’re Nara, right? Do you have cables at home?”
“Yeah,” I said, punching the End button.
“We don’t mind bringing you back to jump your car.” The blond guy pushed his beefy frame from the car and opened the back passenger door for me with a friendly smile.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I didn’t really know these guys, but it was nice of them to offer. Plus, I only lived a couple miles from the school. Aunt Sage would take at least thirty minutes to get here. I really needed the extra time, especially now that I had to come back and jump-start my dead battery. “What are your names?” I asked as I leaned into my car to retrieve my backpack from the passenger seat.
Just when I’d tugged on the strap, another car drove up, the engine loud and rumbling. When wheels ground to a halt in front of my car, I glanced through my windshield to see Ethan roll down his passenger window. “Everything okay, Nara?”
Shutting my car door, I tugged my backpack over my shoulder. “I think my battery’s dead.”
Ethan eyed the two guys. “I can take you home. It’s on my way.”
The blond guy said, “Dude, we’ve already offered her a lift.”
I glanced his way and raised my eyebrows at the slight edge in his voice. Ethan’s jaw flexed as if he were clenching and unclenching his teeth. What was with guys and their need to “one up” each other? It didn’t matter if they were jocks, geeks, emo or even just intense, quiet loner guys, apparently they all operated on the same basic instinct. Testosterone.
A black bird made a gronk-gronk-gronk sound from its perch on one of the parking lot lights. It almost sounded like “Trust your gut”.
Ethan might be new, but I felt like I knew him better than the two boys who’d offered a ride, and I still didn’t even know their names.
Locking my car door, I told them, “Since Ethan’s heading in my direction, I’ll catch a ride with him. Thanks for the offer though.”
“Whatev,” the blond said with a shrug, but he looked pissed at Ethan before he got into the car.
As I opened Ethan’s passenger door, he grabbed the stack of school books from the seat and tossed them into the back. A spiral bound notebook dropped out of his hand into the front seat and flipped open, revealing an amazing drawing of a long-horned demon-like creature. I slid my shades down so I could see the detailed artwork. Sheer evil reflected on a demon’s snarled face and blood dripped from its razor sharp teeth. When I saw what looked like a human foot grasped in the creature’s clawed hand, I thought of that image I’d seen flash in my mind while I was talking to Ethan. It wasn’t the same, but I still glanced nervously after the other guys’ car pulling out of the school lot.
Ethan quickly tossed the notebook in the back along with his other stuff. “Get in, Nara.”
His gaze was focused, his voice so calm that a shiver passed through me. My instincts had chosen him and I would trust them. Pushing my glasses back up my nose, I climbed inside.
He put the car in gear. “Which way to your house?”
I blinked. He’d talked like he knew which direction I lived in. Apparently, he’d said it for the blond guy’s benefit. Trust your gut, Nara. While I gave him directions to my neighborhood, I noticed his car smelled faintly of pine and I instantly sought the hanging air freshener thingy. I smiled when I finally spied the cardboard pine tree on the floor at my feet. Ethan was an interesting throwback in many ways. Well, except for his music. An MP3 player was docked in its station in the console.
As we drove off, Ethan said, “Those two are dangerous. Don’t trust anything they say, and whatever you do, stay away from them.”
The guys didn’t appear to know Ethan, yet Ethan didn’t casually say “they’re trouble” or “they’re a couple of jerks”. He’d said something very specific. Those two are dangerous. At least that explained why he lied to them. “How do you know them?”
Ethan g
unned his car onto the main road, tires squealing. His hand cinched around the steering wheel. “Let’s just say I’ve seen them in action.”
“What did you see them do?”
“Trust me, Nara. Just promise, okay?”
Ethan appeared on edge, like he needed to hear me answer “yes”. “I promise,” I quickly said, then waited for him to tell me what he’d seen, but he kept his gaze on the road.
After a couple minutes, his shoulders relaxed and the deep brackets around his mouth disappeared. As he turned onto my street, he said casually, “I think it’s cool that Inara means shining or illumination.”
“You looked up my name?” I said as I pointed out my house. Ethan had this knack for leaving me breathless and teetering. Like a chair tilted on two legs, I was never sure if I was going to topple over or land on solid ground. I realized I liked this unsettled feeling of exploring the unknown. At least with Ethan.
Pulling into my driveway, he nodded. “It also means ‘ray of light’. I like that one better.”
Completely floored, I just stared. I’d never heard that meaning for my name, and it sounded like he’d just given me a compliment. I think. “I, um—”
“Do you have some cables?”
“What?” My mind was still spinning as his car idled in my driveway.
He gestured to the garage door. “Jumper cables.”
“Oh, right! Cables.” I opened the car door and scooted out. “Be right back.”
He probably thinks I’m a total dork. I punched in the code to open the door, then grabbed the cables off the top of the utility shelf.
“What year is your car?” I asked once I’d climbed back into his rumbling Mustang.
“Old enough to know better.”
“But she does it anyway,” I finished with a grin.
He tapped the dashboard. “It’s a ’69. She might need a new topcoat, but her engine’s pristine and she’s dependable. I plan to drive her ‘til the wheels fall off.”
When he put his hand on the headrest behind me and turned to back out of the driveway, the faded scar on the side of his neck, just below his jaw, caught my attention. What had happened to him?
Brightest Kind of Darkness Page 4
