Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (8 page)

The arrogant butthead across from
me was totally focused on how many girls he could bag. That was
Rick. Scott was Mr. Football and nothing, I mean nothing, would get
in his way. Not a girl. Not school work. Not even his parents eager
desire to be included in his future. The coaches let him slide on
grades. After all, he was the quarterback.

Tonya was a great friend on the
surface. I was always included. But I was a bauble on her shelf to
have as backup for gossip. We both knew this in the back of our
minds for all these years, but she was self-centered and I was the
freak. Match made in friend heaven.

And Jackson and Laura. Silent and
in love. Which equaled never around.

So yes, on the surface we were all
laughable crazy seniors who met for lunch every day, but it was
just that. Lunch.

A reason to not eat
alone.

We might have
all grown up together and gone places together, but we were never
really true friends. Real friends come to your aid when bad things
happen. Not one person at this table has ever acknowledged that
Rick is a royal scumbag and made me look like the bad guy when we
broke up. Tonya still considered me giving him a second chance.
That
’
s how little she knows the real me.

I
don’
t know what I will major in for
college. I just know I need to get there.

Tuning back in, I heard my
name.

Scott was joking
with me about the summer mishap at Six Flags St. Louis where I
whooped and hollered at the air because I was the first to get
through the ride dry as a whistle just as the machine above my head
dumped gallon after gallon of water on my head. I reminded him how
I didn
’
t see the aftershocks even lash against the rock wall after
we stepped out of the boat.

I blushed and
ignored the up and down emotions Ames went through as Scott told
it. I
’
d never felt someone else
’
s emotions so vivid and exact. I
could feel his every thought in some ways like reading his mind. He
seemed happy for the first time today. It was unnerving and
invading. It wasn
’
t till that moment that I was
sure he was reading me.

Before lunch,
Emma
’
s desire spiked up again when the teacher called my name and
it was everything I had in me to stifle it down. She griped the
table either in pain or something else, her skin sallow. It worried
me.

This girl was dangerous? The king
wanted her, but he was afraid of her. Either way, she was on the
hit list number one and I was starting to see why.

I needed her as my partner. I
blinked back the amount of power desirable to get the result I
required and adjusted the names to where I needed. Illusions were
my specialty.

There.

The teacher
turned around to face the whiteboard where our names were already
lined up beside each other
now
.

I found all the punch lines that
kept banging into me all day and nailed them as truly magical or
something. No one had this many coincidences.

A quick
assessment told me she wasn
’
t unintelligent though
I
’
d
already seen as much. She tapped her pencil then stopped.
I
’
d
already decided that I would try to give her some peace one day for
that coping mechanism.

She sang her
words out thinking she
’
d evaded me once more to the
teacher’s seating arrangement. No can do, babe.

She folded her arms and pouted
when he told her it would stay as is. I liked that look on her.
Especially since she was upset by the outcome, but really just the
opposite. I could feel how she really felt and that made me all the
more curious.

Her friend said something to her
and she huffed again.

Ring!

Class ended and
out they went. Well, everyone went with me last. I confirmed lunch
with Scott in the hall and headed to the bathroom for a quick pit
stop. All the way, I couldn
’
t help but think her friends
weren
’
t the most honorable, loyal bunch but is the only way to see
her at the moment.

I
’
d heard Scott telling a dude in a football jersey to come get
him early from lunch so they could roadblock the freshmen trying
out for this year
’
s team. He said this with a
bottle of cheese whiz in his hand.

Her friend Tonya
told the girl behind her in class that she would meet her at the
mall. When the other girl gave a crazed looked in
Emma
’
s direction and asked if
she
would be there, Tonya evaded the question with
her not liking the mall. I distinctly remember finding out that
Emma worked at the mall.

I saw and felt her through the
outside door before we came through it. She bit through the Fuji
and found me in front of her. Boy, she was not easy to surprise
with this emotional magic crap. At least I have confirmation she
feels it too. Her pupils were dilated and glittery.

Let
’
s see what else I can conjure out of her.

“Hi Emma,” I said smoothly.
“Tonya.”

I nodded to Emma
and explained my invasion of their lunch. The Fuji was sweet. Ripe.
Reminded me of her mother
’
s repetitious apple baskets when
I was very young. I don
’
t remember her, just the
apples.

Stunned, she
looked to Scott for help on evading me, but got none. She smoothed
out her tightened forehead and brought up a great fake smile and
told her friend some silky girl answer to make me squirm. She
didn
’
t know me to well. She batted her pretty eyes and told me
lots more than that she
’
d just made up what she
said.

Some guy came up
beside Emma during this masquerade. I had the sudden feeling to
throw my hands around her and protect with an iron grip but that
would not be considered normal and that
’
s what she was going for.
The Christina slut popped a bubble with her gum and kissed the
guy
’
s cheek before heading off to the table with the others like
her.

I saw that Emma watched me watch
this and saw the jealousy spike inside for something she had very
wrongly interpreted. The vile creature called Christina had bad
vibes centered all the way around her and I wanted her far from
Emma. Emma did however sense my emotions, which was still very odd
for me. I could tell she was reading me on purpose. My own heart
rate spiked aligned with hers.

The boy, not a
man by any means, whom Emma detested openly left a bittersweet
glare for me but I couldn
’
t hold the glare when my eyes
went back to check on her. She was better, calmer, if my eyes were
on her. And that was way more interesting to me.

When I checked for danger or
anything that might hurt this girl, I found none and settled back
on my food.

Scott introduced Rick to me and
all was great when I did the generic guy things and stuck out my
fist in his direction. One good fake smile later, this moron was
sitting and staring at Emma. A lot. She seemed to notice this very
little so I concluded what it could be construed as and left it
alone. They had a history. He was an idiot. She had moved
on.

Scott told
several stories but I stayed focused on any bit of news involving
Emma Steele. She blushed when he talked about her but not the same
way she reacted to me. She was all cute and sweet with him in a
fake way, not really appreciative of his attention. She was all
heat and desire with me. Hmm! I
’
d never felt someone
else
’
s emotions so clear and targeted like an inner speech. I
could feel her every thought in some ways like reading her mind. It
was unnerving.

Could I just be gaining powers
because she is the princess or was there something else?

After the lunch
I had one class left. My last elective. I chose Mythology because
it was the only class left
that
I hadn
’
t taken
that
didn
’
t include math, my least
favorite.

Footsteps. I saw a flash of a
cheer skirt. Miss Evil herself.

“Emma.”
Christina
’
s voice peeved me off sounding so smooth. But I knew where
her claws could end up.

“Christina.”

“I saw you with the new guy again
at lunch.”

Great. Menacing stalker girl is ringing on my doorstep
too.
“
I gotta go.
”

“I just wondered
if Ames talked about me with you while eating his apple. If he was
trying to find out info on me or something. It
’
s so sweet we both
love the same foods.”

Not hardly. And it was just an
apple. “No. He was a arrogant rude—

“Ohhhh. That hot. Knew you were
giving him the eye too. Game on then.” And with that, she pranced
off.

“I—

I was matched by my retreating
steps when a familiar set of boots fell in sync with mine. Uh oh!
Did he hear?

“Wait up, Emma Steele.”

“Why should I, Ames Cahn?” I
challenged deciding he was already taking up too much space in my
mind and here he was invading my actual physical space again. The
girl inside me leapt for joy and did a cartwheel, but I told her to
SHUT THE CRAP UP!

“You
shouldn
’
t,” he came back. I realized then I was the prey and had
totally negated my original plan.

“Okay,
I
’
m
game. Why not?” I poked his chest reverting back to the way I acted
with other boys. He wasn
’
t any other boy. He
wasn
’
t a
boy
at all!

He watched my finger back away and
smooth out my shirt to keep it busy and off of him. His easy smile
was completely gone replaced by hard edged warning.

“Emma, you
don
’
t know what you
’
re asking for?”

Nope. But I needed answers. “Yet
here you are, catching up to me, who mind you, was walking away
from you.”

“Emma,” he stretched my name out
like he was trying it out on his tongue for the first time. I saw
inside his mouth the way his tongue laid down across his bottom
teeth when he said it. It sent shivers up and down me twice. I
blinked once. Twice. Help me, please!

His own short of breath blinks
came out when my eyes opened. His eyes glowed with understanding. I
froze not for the first time today.

“You feel it too Emma.”

“Why do your eyes do that at some
times and not all the time?” I wondered aloud. Did I just ask that?
Instinct kicked in and my hand covered my mouth to shut off the
comebacks.

“You
’
re not ready for that knowledge
yet,” he said roughly. That made me realize what it was about his
eyes that stood out more than the color. Unlike the other guys his
age, his eyes showed experience and age. He had either been down a
long road of life already or he
’
d been thrown into something too
heavy for his young age. I shoved it in the later theory knowing he
was underneath the same kind of mask I might be veiling myself
from. Just like me, but not hidden in the shadows of a human family
in a human life. He was outside that box somehow.

He watched me so intensely even
now. I was definitely the prey. And the predator was making himself
well known to me. It scared me. It excited me.

“Then what am I
ready for, Mr. Mystery.” I pointed my finger again threatening it
against him. “I know you know more than you’re saying. I know you
are not telling me something. I can feel the fear
that
’
s moving from your mind and down through you. You deny it
though. I don
’
t know why.” I narrowed my eyes
in wait for my admission. He was too friendly and I
didn
’
t want him to see he affected me. And I sure as heck
didn
’
t affect him the same way.