Burning Hearts (12 page)

They were safe from eavesdroppers, sitting in
the reserved section for the handicapped. The majority of the fans
were several feet away, where the action would be displayed. It
wasn’t even close to the beginning of the game and it was already
rowdy.

“
It’s actually perfect. No
one will be peering over my shoulder, wanting to know what I’m
reading when I should be watching the game.”

“
WHOO-HOO!” Kylie shouted,
holding up her yellow poster, decorated in red glitter with the
mascot scorpion next to the words:

YOU’RE GONNA GET STUNG!

“
I think some of that Pierce
blood is flowing through her veins,” Riddick commented, nodding
over to the cheerleaders.

Sadie was the star of the squad. Daniela and
Emma were always at the bottom of the pyramid, but that didn’t
dampen their school spirit, glad to be part of an exclusive club.
Decked out in yellow and red uniforms with skirts way too short and
tops way too low, they jumped up and down, waving their
similar-colored pom-poms to the delight of all the guys in
attendance.

Jenna’s cheerleading days were over. When
she’d been with the Stuck-Ups, she’d loved going to games, cheering
for Val, and having fun with her friends. That seemed like a
million years ago.

“
I still got my uniform,”
she informed Riddick.

He smiled. “I’m the last person to endorse
school spirit, but I’d love to see you in it.”

She rolled her eyes.

“
You still got your
pom-poms?” he continued.

“
Yes.”

He grinned. “Even better.”

She shook her head. “Not gonna happen. Brings
up bad memories.”

“
Then why do you still have
it?”

She shrugged. “Just couldn’t bring myself to
get rid of it.”

A loud curse rang out from afar. Everyone
turned to see Val, who was benched, standing in Malcolm’s face. The
roles were reversed. Val was wearing plain clothes, and Malcolm was
in uniform.

“
Uh-oh,” said Kylie. “Looks
like a fight.”

“
Malcolm could take him,”
Jenna said with confidence.

Riddick gave her a look, but didn’t
comment.

Malcolm spoke very softly to Val, much less
than he deserved. Surprisingly, Val shut his mouth and sat down,
defeated by a few words. Kit was sitting behind him on the
bleachers, silent. He did nothing to defend his friend, possibly
defeated too by Malcolm’s unrivaled authority.

“
See?” Jenna smiled. “Guy’s
got skills.”

“
He’s walking this way,”
said Kylie.

This was Jenna’s chance.

“
Hey, Malcolm, we need to
talk.”

Malcolm waved to her friends. “Sure,
okay.”

Jenna left her bewildered Misfits and walked
a few feet away with Malcolm.

“
What’s up?” he asked. “The
game starts soon. I wanted to talk afterwards.”

“
I know, I know, it’s just
that well…the thing is…”

He smiled. “Yes?”

She turned back to her friends. Everyone
snapped their heads forward, toward the field, but Riddick kept his
eyes focused on the couple.

She faced Malcolm. “Okay, well, you know
Riddick?”

His fiery blue eyes swiveled to find Riddick,
and then came back to hers. “A little.”

“
Well, he kinda…loves
me.”

His face contorted, seemingly upset by this
news. “Do you love him?”

“
No, but we’re very good
friends and well, I think he’ll be upset if we, you
know…”

He smiled. “If we were to become a
couple?”

She blushed and nodded.

“
What do you want, Jenna? Or
better yet, who do you want?”

“
I, uh, well…I’m not really
looking for a boyfriend. My life’s a bit…complicated right
now.”

“
This is why I wanted to
talk to you. Afterwards. I think that we have more in common than
you know.”

“
I don’t
understand.”

“
And I’d love to go into
greater detail, but”—he put on his helmet—“I have to get out on the
field.”

“
Oh, okay, sure, right,
but…”

“
But what?”

Now that the lower half of his face was
partially hidden, his fiery blue eyes were even more
distracting.

“
I don’t wanna upset
Riddick. He really, really loves me. If he sees us together…I’m
sure right now he’s watching us.”

He gave a knowing smile. “He’s been watching
us the entire time.” He glanced up at Riddick in the bleachers, and
then back down at Jenna. “I’m sure he wants to kill me right now,”
he observed amusingly.

“
You see? I don’t wanna lose
a friend.”

“
How about gaining a
friend?”

She furrowed her brow, noticeably upset. “You
just wanna be friends?”

He shook his head in a don’t-be-silly kind of
way. Then he brought his hand up and brushed her hair with his
fingertips from root to tip.

“
I like you, Jenna, and I
think you feel the same way about me.”

She swallowed, nervous, speechless.

“
I could talk to him,” he
continued.

She found her voice. “What would you
say?”

But he didn’t answer, already walking toward
the bleachers.

She was nervous as she jogged behind him,
wondering what was going to happen. She knew that if challenged,
Malcolm could take down Riddick, no question. But would he really
beat her friend to a bloody pulp to claim her?

Malcolm approached the bleachers and took off
his helmet, holding it in his right hand. “Riddick, can I talk to
you for a sec?”

Riddick looked hesitant, but eventually
stepped down from his seat and went off with Malcolm. Jenna watched
from afar as the two contenders for her heart were having what
seemed to be a friendly chat.

The sky got darker, signaling twilight, and
the conversation was over. Malcolm smiled, giving Riddick a
friendly slap on his back. Riddick smiled at Jenna, acting as if
nothing was wrong, and returned to the bleachers.

Malcolm walked back to Jenna. “He’s fine with
it.”

She held out her hands, confused. “What did
you tell him?”

He smiled. “That we’re
boyfriend-girlfriend.”

Her mouth fell open, astonished and excited.
“Boyfriend?”

“
I don’t believe in taking
things slow. Not when you know the person standing before you is
special.” He grinned. “Now kiss me for good luck.”

As much as she wanted to kiss him, she took a
step back. “I dunno what you are, but you’re not like other people.
You…sway others…get them to do what you want.”

He smiled as if her accusation didn’t sting.
“Being persuasive is a valuable trait in society. You’re right. I’m
not like other people.” He tilted his head down, focusing on her
eyes for effect. “But neither are you.” Then he lifted his head,
smiling. “Now how about that kiss?”

She turned to see that her friends were not
even paying a bit of attention to her, chatting lively with
Riddick, who was uncharacteristically bubbly in demeanor at a game
he never wanted to attend.

When she turned back to face Malcolm, his
lips were inches from hers.

She showed him her cheek. “I’m not that
easy.”

He brushed a soft warm kiss against her skin,
making her want more. “See you afterwards, I hope.”

“
Maybe.” She acted unfazed,
not wanting to be one of those girls who squeal every time a hot
guy gives them attention.

Obviously seeing through her falsehood, he
gave her a parting smile, and jogged out on the field, putting his
helmet on as he went. Barrie and Aidan each gave him an
enthusiastic slap on his back. Apparently, Malcolm had swayed them
too.

When she went to walk back to the bleachers,
a voice called out to her.

She turned to see the nurse that used to live
with her grandpa, Ms. Daphne, who was in her early forties with
auburn hair and a few freckles dotted on either side of her nose.
She was dressed casual, wearing khaki pants and a white tee.

Jenna waved. “Hey, Ms. Daphne, how’re
you?”

“
Good.” Ms. Daphne was
sitting on a higher bleacher where Jenna joined her. “But I don’t
have to ask how you are.” She nodded to the field. “I saw you
talking to my nephew.”

Jenna almost cursed. “Malcolm? Malcolm’s your
nephew?”

Ms. Daphne nodded. “He lived with his late
father’s side of the family for awhile in Egypt before deciding
he’d like to move to here, where his mom, my late sister, Antonia
was born.”

“
Wait. Malcolm’s American
side of the family is from Oasis?”

Ms. Daphne nodded again. “The Kings have been
here for quite some time.”

“
Why didn’t Malcolm take his
dad’s last name?”

“
I’m not one to spread
gossip.” She leaned in closer. “Actually, I dunno that much.
Antonia met Malcolm’s father in Egypt and well, the relationship
was frowned upon.”

“
Why?”

She frowned. “His father’s side of the family
disapproved. I dunno all the details, perhaps because she was
American. But anyway, Antonia got pregnant with Malcolm and raised
him until she died. His father was long dead. I couldn’t get
custody. He was raised by God knows who in that country.” She
finally smiled. “Well, Malcolm contacted me not too long ago, said
he’d like to come to Oasis, live with me and go to school here. I
was nervous to take on the responsibilities of a caretaker,” she
confided, “a parent really, having never met him, but he’s such a
gentleman.” She frowned again, sad. “I never had the opportunity to
have children.” The frown flipped to a wide smile. “It’s like I
have a son now—a wonderful son.”

Jenna remembered that Ms. Daphne King lived
on the other side of the Rojo River. She’d be interested in seeing
Malcolm’s room, if it wasn’t for the nauseating knowledge that
she’d be in the same neighborhood as the Stuck-Ups.

She looked out on the field and saw him
laughing with his teammates. “Yeah, he’s something all right.”

“
HEY, JENNA!” Kylie yelled
from below, waving.

“
Well, I’d better get back
to my friends. It was nice talking to you, Ms. Daphne.”

“
You too, Jenna, and I know
I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll say it again: I’m so sorry
about your grandpa. He was the nicest man I’ve ever known. It’s sad
when the good ones leave us before their time.”

Jenna fought back tears. “Thank you. See you
around.”

“
Take care.”

Jenna left Ms. Daphne and went back to her
friends.

Riddick smiled when she sat next to him. “So
let’s see what’s in that journal.”

“
Are you okay? What did
Malcolm talk to you about?”

He shrugged. “You two are together. It’s no
big deal.”

Kylie playfully pinched Jenna’s arm. “Why
didn’t you tell us you were dating him?”

Jenna scrambled her mind for a good answer.
“Well, it was sorta…sudden.” It was lame, but at least she didn’t
freeze up, inviting suspicion.

“
And are you sure you’re
completely fine with it?” Kylie asked Riddick.

“
Yeah, I am,” he said.
“Really.” He smiled at Jenna, obviously swayed by Malcolm. “Are we
gonna find out about your destiny, or cross our fingers and toes
that the Scorpions beat the Vultures tonight?”

“
What do y’all wanna
do?”

“
Let’s get started,” said
Kylie, “before the game starts.”

But it was too late. The players were already
assembled on the field. The mascots were spreading school spirit.
The cheerleaders were spreading…well, they were doing their
routines.

“
I know what,” said Jenna.
“Y’all enjoy the game while I read the journal. I’ll just give
y’all the Cliff Notes when I’m done.”

“
Sounds good,” said Kylie,
who went back to cheering with the rest of the crowd.

Pru joined in, shouting louder than Jenna
thought was possible for someone so typically quiet. Caleb got
interested in the game too. Riddick tried to ignore it all, but his
eyes got glued to Sadie’s pom-poms.

Jenna flipped to the first page. “Okay,” she
began speaking to herself, “let’s find out why I’ve turned into a
freak.”

Her grandpa wasn’t joking;
he could’ve won the gold medal in “Digressing.” There was a recipe
to prepare an everlasting ointment against sunburn using bat guano
as the main ingredient; how to use snake venom as an aphrodisiac;
and the words of a nomad chant to bid scorpions to harm your
enemies. Most of it was written in chicken-scratch, so Jenna
might’ve been wrong about the lyric:
I
call upon thee, disco lovers
. Finally, she
found the good stuff. Or the bad stuff, depending on your point of
view. She read those pages of life-changing information over and
over again until it all sunk in. Then she gathered her friends for
the press conference.

“
Okay, don’t
interrupt.”

Everyone was silent amongst the loud cheering
of the crowd. Malcolm had just made a spectacular pass to Aidan,
who scored the first touchdown for the Scorpions.

“
Go ahead,” said
Caleb.

“
Jinn are demons. They’re
known primarily from Islamic culture and live in the Middle East,
but can be found around the world. They’re not immortal, but they
can live a long time. A male is called a
Jinni
; a female, a
Jinniyah
. They look like
us, but as a destined Mage, from a long line of Magi, only I can
see their demonic nature, visible by their fiery red eyes.” She
held out her hands briefly. “Apparently, it skips a generation, so
my dad was never in line to be a slayer.”