Deception (6 page)

“You don’t give yourself credit, Grace.  You have much to offer.  You just don’t realize your full potential in this world.  Maybe in another world,” he chuckled as if he knew something I didn’t.  My heart was pounding so loud, he had to hear it when he bumped shoulders with me and lay back down.  My body was in turmoil with his touches, my  head saying one thing, while my heart said another.  Angel vs. Devil time!  Yes, that’s right.  My angel side, the side that stays in the safe zone, said to laugh back and continue.  My devil side said to throw caution to the wind and be bold, say what I want.
 
Bold never came!

I was looking at the stars again two minutes later watching Devil Grace fly away in the wide blue yonder.  When I was comfortable again, daydreams of my favorite places.
No problems.  Perfect bliss!
I liked lying there and dreaming up a visual representation that looked verily like my backyard forest area. What trees were there, flowers. New growth. Seeds sprouted. Nature was safe. Nature couldn’t be harmed invariably.

“And you’re the queen, of course,” he said smiling his crooked smile that raised the goose bumps on my arms. 

“Of course!” I elbowed him in the ribs realizing he was answering our conversation and not my thoughts. 

We played this little scene every time I’d lead into a story of mine.  Today, he’d led this one. 

“And you’re the king, of course.  No…other king would do.”  I willed myself to look away.  I had to make it comical to lighten the mood so as to never sound too serious.  “We’ll rule the land forever,” I stole a glance at him.  This time he seemed very still.  Too still!  I’d messed up.  I knew it. I held my breath. 

“Of course!” he said.  He didn’t say anything else.  I sighed.  He is so dang blind.  The breaking point.

I began to dose off after avoiding any further storytelling.  And just when I began to relax and forget my forwardness, he said just barely audible, “I would love that!” 

I heard it, but couldn’t fathom the meaning.We laid there in silence watching the stars.  Occasionally one of us would point out a constellation, but both of us knew our stars very well.  When we were afraid of certain conversations, we’d study their stories instead. 

I nodded off a few times before looking over and saw that Ian had too.  He always nodded off before me.  I smiled sleepily and closed my eyes moving my hand just a little closer to his always hoping he’d guess I’d done it in my sleep.  Like a magnetic force, it comforted me to be closer to him evident by the fact that I was asleep quickly.

He moved just enough to wake me from his stirring around knowing we needed to call it a night.  Gently he said, “We’d better go.  Weeds are bad this time of year!” He said that rather loudly looking down at the grass through the mesh in the trampoline.  I was too groggy to catch his comment clearly and chalked it to misinterpretation.  I held onto him as he walked me around to the front of the house and into the front door always faking real sleep. 

This time, I scratched at my itchy legs bothered by the rapidly growing dandelion weeds I know my father hates because no matter what poison he uses, they always come back. 

Giving Ian a half friendly hug and saying good night, I watched him walk back down my driveway and down the street hugging myself from the chill.  If the moon was still there, it was hidden by thick blankets of clouds across the sky.  A shot of thunder ran across it just as I registered the fire and burning rubber smells in the air.  I knew Kin would not be out this late annoying me, but his presence sometimes haunted me.  He was probably right where Caylie and his buddies were. 

Living at the end of the street Ian always said he had no need of a car.  Sometimes he parked the bike in the driveway, but it was just as easy to park in his and walk over.  Somehow, his bike always appeared mysteriously back in his driveway like he waited till I was inside and then walked to retrieve it.  But that was impossible.  And he never asked me to help him go get it.

I waited till I couldn’t see him through the foggy glass window anymore and headed upstairs to my room.  I stripped off my clothes and shrugged into my tank and sleep shorts.  A single green rose lay on my pillow.  Every time I asked Ian, my mom, or Miss Dan they act all too innocent and all too guilty. 

He’d text as soon as he was home.  I ripped the sticky note from my bathroom mirror and watched it float to the trash can with one eye open.  “No more tardies!” was all it said.  I grunted and padded to my bedroom across the hall and fell into the bed.  When the “HOME” beeped in on my text message screen, I slipped the phone under my pillow and closed my eyes.

Now I could continue my favorite wonderful dream once more. 

Back at school on Monday, life continued in its everyday humdrum.  The weekend proved to be mostly house cleaning.  Miss Dan kept me busy most Saturdays so a social life was out of the question.  Most weekends, Ian and I just hung out or went to the Burger Giant on Saturday night.  Once, Caylie went with us to the museum of science in downtown Fayetteville.  It was cool!  But Caylie vowed later that night to never go anywhere with Ian and I again.  She kept her reasons to herself.

I went to my morning classes and followed the crowd to lunch.  Disappointment flooded through me when Ian wasn’t in classes all morning.  But neither was Kin.  No disappointment there.  I hadn’t seen either of their bikes in the parking lot.  In fact, I hadn’t seen any of the bikes belonging to Kin’s crew or the Christian guy.  He had a Honda Hornet.  Yes, I know these bikes.  Ian skills me in them.  He is fascinated with them.

I made it through the cafeteria line and found Pam and Caylie sitting at our table already.  Christian, my silent watcher greeted me with a smile at the end of the lunch line picking up the dollar I dropped in my absence of a free hand.  I said a thank you and he spoke to me for the first time saying, “Anything else you need, just ask?”  His voice was deep.  It was too deep for a seventeen-year-old boy. 

And here at school, unlike Ian.

Looking like a total idiot I smiled back and stood to watch where he sat.  He went to his usual spot to eat alone.  The typical high-school-bad-boy-black-leather-jacket wearing mystery man but not covered in a gaggle of girls like he should.  He’s so gorgeous.

Just then, Christian turned and saw me staring giving me a huge grin.  Embarrassed, I headed to our table double time.   But before I made it to the table, I peeked back only to find him still watching me. 

Caylie was babbling from across the room before I even reached her.  She waved to me and continued to eat her pizza and chocolate milk from today’s
fabulous
school menu.  I brought my daily apple, butterscotch pudding, and PB&J to school. I bought a pint-sized chocolate milk to go with it.  Small luxuries were a necessity! 

Pam settled beside me right after I sat down moving over one to steal Ian’s seat.  My face was murderous as I glared and she moved just as I caught the woodsy, minty scent stirring behind me.  I eyed Ian sitting down at that precise moment, but he didn’t speak to me, only picked up his slice of pizza and started in on it.  I kept my eyes on Pam and Caylie, but I stayed very alert to Ian’s every move.  Or lack of movement.  It was probably odd that I didn’t ask about his absence, but I was afraid my voice would squeak.  He had that affect. 

We talked about the upcoming Halloween party until  Caylie tuned the three of us out and stared at one of the new boys who’d registered yesterday.  She started gabbing about all the “juicy” gossip of where he’d come from, how upset he must be at moving during the school year, and how desperate he must be to need a friend at a new place.  And of course, she needed to be that friend.   His name was Switch which sounded very dark and not a name at all.  So, of course, every female in the school watched him walk in the cafeteria right
now
.  But Josie had apparently got to him first since she was walking beside him with her arm hooked in his.  High school can be such a reality TV show drama sometimes.  When I told Caylie she was crazy for my own benefit, she moved close to my face and reminded me of her
I’m going to tell you anyway
wisdom, “No sweet thing, we know
you’re
crazy.  We just didn’t want you to know we knew all this time.”  Her smile was contagious even if it was a dig on me.  People had long questioned the sanity of my mom since by their measurement I must have come from a flock of crazies.

Switch was let off at the jock table and his GQ smile didn’t go unnoticed as a collective sigh rounded the room.  He paid no notice but shook hands and high fives with the new football buddies he’d no doubt collected.  By the size of him, he was most definitely on the defensive line.  Now, does he have a brain to go with that brawn?

His eyes shot to mine just before my hand involuntarily flew to my pendant.  He nodded once in my direction.  I looked behind me as if he weren’t looking my way, but I knew he was. A solid wall of dread built up the knots inside. Something I can’t explain.

Pam echoed my mind. “Whoa!  Did you see that reflex?  Eyed you right on, Grace.  I’m telling you, you’re like some kind of walking jock magnet.  They just key into you.”

Switch sat and never looked back at me.  My mind addled and I forced the incident from any further thought.  I never even noticed Ian and his hand on my arm until it was all over.  He was removing it as I removed mine from my pendant.  Amulet!  Whatever!

Pam was interested as long as it was gossip she could share somewhere else.  She tried very hard to help others “hook” up with the right guy.  She was a people watcher. Senior year, she has tried matching up couples from afar and kept a score sheet of when she’d found successful matches.  Pam was paying close attention to Josie’s conversation at the next table on college guys as I listened to Caylie give Pam a side conversation of her own piece of logic on older men.  Maybe Caylie hadn’t noticed, but I certainly noticed anything Josie did.  At least Ian didn’t seem to be listening much to notice my jealous heart snipping at Pam to stop eavesdropping on Miss Priss.

Ian stood and said he’d be back. A brief stressed moment over the Kin factor caused alarm but remembered my usual backup plan. Penelope, my imaginary friend, wasn’t needed today I hoped.  When Kin bee-lined it over to our table sometimes before Ian made it in there, I’d tell him Penelope was sitting there and Ian was on the way.  He’d snort and walk off mad.  I had no idea why it worked, but it always did.  But Ian was there today, thank goodness.  He was now standing behind Kin, so I was saved, the panic of a new scene subsiding. 

Kin sauntered around the room in a semi-circle with his chums and sat at the empty table behind us leaving me able to follow Caylie’s eyes as she watched him sit down.  We ignored his across the table kind of taunts and continued to eat.  Thankfully, we were almost done by the time he waltzed near us.  Ian stood behind me, but never sat.  Feeling off by the gesture, I turned to see Kin moving behind me with an Ian blockade in his way!

My hand shot to the necklace a second time.  Ian had given me it on my thirteenth birthday.  I purposely didn’t wear it every day so he didn’t see I favored it so, but also because it was bulkier and more obviously foreign to regular teenage adornment.  Ian couldn’t have realized that Kin was directly behind him, but commented just the same.  “You’re not wanted here!  Leave her be!”

Chill bumps ran up and down my arms and made my sleeves feel like ice on my skin.  Kin had never even said a word.

The tables were almost empty when Caylie did a shocker.

Simultaneously, She stood up suddenly and announced she was sick and going home. My eyes shot up as she spun around.   Ian got a funny look in his eye and told her to sit back down.  I was astounded at him talking that way to her and then she cursed him with language I had never heard uttered out of her mouth.  She did sit down, though.  And when I asked her why she was sick, she said she had no idea what I was talking about.  I was just plain lost.

“Totally freaking nuts!” Pam did the air quotes thing in the air.

Caylie was out of her mind. Ian didn’t help me sort it out either.  But I did notice that Kin had left as quickly as he came.  Caylie looked like she didn’t even remember just acting like an idiot.  I bit my tongue in confusion. 

Mike, Kin’s crony, shouted “Food Fight: and jumped atop a chair to swing something unidentifiable in the air.  A piece of pizza flew over my head and missed by an inch.  It was time to go!  We headed for the outside door that wrapped around the building dodging edible bullets.  We couldn’t help but laugh at the farrago left behind as we watched through the cafeteria windows. The new guy Switch was right in there with the best throwers, I noticed.  It successfully made everyone forget to ask any of us what the scene was all about with Caylie’s freak out session.  It wasn’t mentioned again.

After lunch, Geography class wasn’t much better in the weird, but true department of my day.  Ian was in this class.  We sat next to each other in separate desks in the clean little rows that Mr. Hearst kept so we couldn’t disturb his sleep. 

We were taking our weekly pop quiz on the facts about whatever continent Coach Hearst selected from his stack.  We were just talking about the thirteen colonies, but his teaching styles revolved around what worksheet he could produce.  I’d always felt like he could’ve made the class a lot more interesting if he’d simply ask what the students want to study.  It would be nice if teachers would take interests in their students, much less their own subject matter. 

Kin was also in this class.  Somehow this year, I’d ended up with Kin in almost every class. And the quiet boy named Christian.  But I wasn’t disheartened for long because Ian was in every class he was.  Kin sat four seats back from me and was a constant reminder that thorns can hurt from long distances too.  He was throwing little bits of paper at me with just enough annoyance that I could ignore them.  That is, until I reached my limit when he pretended to walk to the trash can and childishly stole my paper from my desk to get a reaction out of me. Self-preservation of my dignity was kicking in for the moment as I protested in anger through gritted teeth, “Leave me alone.” 

He bellowed with laughter.  The teacher looked up, watched, and returned to whatever it was he was looking at on the empty desk in front of him.  Once again, Kin was off the hook.

How,
I have no idea.  It always happened that way.

Ian reached over and grabbed my arm after Kin passed back by to sit down.  I instantly calmed.  I always did. The amount of incidences tripled over the last couple of days.

Kin doubled back and leaned against Ian’s arm to break the connection between us.  When he was successful Ian leaned his chair back instantly standing. There was a standoff between two students in the middle of class and the teacher doesn’t seem concerned in the least. Needless to say, certain teachers are oblivious.

Kin moved on the other side of my desk with my amulet in his hand.  I felt like a mouse in a trap and I was the cheese. By the look on Kin’s face, Kin wanted Ian to react violently.  Ian stared at him like he might snatching the necklace.   I heard the sound of his tongue clicking against his teeth, then laughing under his breath.  Then sound of fingers drumming on the desk in front of me that led to a peeved off Josie.  With her, it was probably just annoyance that I was involved. 

I looked around.  No one else seemed bothered by the noise level or the fact that he was a thief.  Not even the new guy, Switch, who was forced to sit in the seat two desks behind me, seemed to care.  Arcing back to my seat, I was hoping the fiasco was over only to remember my paper was still gone. 

A look at the teacher and then to Ian who was in his seat again showed he had the paper, as well as my pendant, in his hand.  “How?” I mouthed to him.  “Never mind,” I mouthed back turning away. This seemed to entertain Kin, but Ian’s eyes were shading to a venomous black. It was a trait he’d held as far back as I can remember where Kin was involved.     

“Time.”  Coach took up the papers and decidedly passed out yesterday’s quiz. Today’s quiz was blank before me, nothing answered. Kin caught up to the nonverbal communication Ian was giving me about it and decided his input was important. “Harvard will not take you now, not that you would ever make it there.  You are doomed to a life of servitude, princess.” His whispered words were poison. He could die and no one would miss him. One day, he will be vanquished personally by me if I have anything to say or do about it. “Good girl status lowered to bad girl status, I like that!”

Coach launched into some distant one-sided discussion about the thirteen colonies versus how the idea came about expanding to the states. Guessing he forgot what the worksheet was about everyone was half listening when a note floated in front of my face.  I peeked at Ian.  He wasn’t looking my way.  No one was.

I opened the note.

Want a study session after school?  We can make our own history.

I looked back up searching for the note thrower, but had a good guess with the way it was written so sloppily.  It wasn’t the first note he’d thrown me.  Still not sure, I went back to listening to the coach hoping to just forget about it.  No such luck.

Riiiing!
  The bell rang and I was standing before my bag was packed. Kin was already too close and I felt his skin touch mine just underneath my elbow.  I pushed my bag between us pulling myself from his clasp.  I knew enough of my surroundings to shield him with my force field of hair as he was bending his tall muscle bound frame down to me.  “Well, want to make history with me?”

“Kin, it is not that kind of history class.  Geography, jock strap, not war.” Though it felt like it at times. One soccer crony snorted, “I’ll give you a lesson in it. It will be good for you. I promise. Will be for me.”  He laughed as if he found this infinitely funny.

Disgusting Y chromosomes.
I heard a strange noise and registered several scents lingering besides man sweat. My nose was getting in gear. Sounds of a scuffle were near but nothing I could see. Except the sound of an animal. Err...Kin growling beside me, I wondered if he could tell who was fighting outside the classroom.