Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2) (10 page)

When I saw Zach’s car pull up out front, I felt the same
sadness I felt after the dream. So the very second my butt hit
the seat, I threw my arms around him and held on tight.

“Please tell me what I did to deserve that so I can do it
every day,” Zach whispered in my ear. Even though I couldn’t
see his face, I knew that he was smiling and it just made me
cling to him even tighter.

“I love you, Zach. I’m sorry I didn’t come over last
night. I just had such a rotten day yesterday….” There
weren’t enough words to express just how sorry I was, or how
much I loved him. So instead I kissed him as passionately as I
could.

And he responded.
Boy, did he respond.
When I
started kissing him, I was practically in the driver’s seat with
him but the second he felt my intensity, he drove me back into
the passenger’s seat until he was nearly on top of me. I knew
nothing could really happen but at least he was acting like he
wanted it to. It was one of those moments of pure emotion
where you didn’t care who might be watching.

But just as quickly as it began, it ended.
He pulled
away and settled back into his seat with ruffled hair and a
wrinkled shirt. “We have to go.”

I pulled down the visor to check my hair and makeup
in the mirror. They were a bit of a mess but I didn’t care. It
was the most heat I’d ever felt from him and I took that as a
good sign. Maybe I wouldn’t have to tell him how I felt after
all—maybe it would just be easier for me to show him.

We
kissed again
before
going
into the
school.
It
wasn’t as fiery as before but there were quite a few onlookers
this time including Misty. So far, today was much better than
yesterday.
And
I would be able to ask Zach about Creepy Girl
in homeroom.
I was determined to end her reign of terror
before it even got started.
My confidence was through the
roof.

I should have realized that things were too good to be
true. First of all, Creepy Girl wasn’t in home room. The only
opportunity I had to ask Zach who she was and she wasn’t
there.
But of course,
she
sure seemed to follow me
everywhere else. Literally. At any point during the day, if you
saw me, you
would see her within
a five foot radius.
Everywhere I went. Sitting behind me in class, following me
in the hall, she even went to the restroom when I did.
I
couldn’t get a moment’s worth of peace—it was like she was
my conjoined twin or something. By the time phys ed rolled
around, I was mentally exhausted but ready to roll physically.

Coach Hunter spent half of the period reading us the
rules and the second half she asked us to run some laps.
Under normal circumstances, I would have been mortified by
the fact that Misty was in my phys ed class. But as it were,
Creepy Girl took precedence.
So when I got to the track, I
wasn’t just running—I was running away.
While everyone
else moved at a leisurely jog, I opened up the engine and let
her rip. There was only one other person who flew around
the track with me.
With hollow
eyes
and
a
menacing
expression, she ran—matching me step for step. No matter
how fast I ran, I just couldn’t seem to shake her.

I was
exhausted and
relieved when Coach Hunter
blew the whistle and ushered us all back toward the locker
room. Since we only had a few minutes of class left, she told
us to just change and skip the shower.
Group showers—
created in the fifth circle of Hell to torture insecure girls. We
never had to take showers in Trinity—why was this town so
backwards?
While I was happy to get out of it today, I
dreaded the classes yet to come. And Misty being in my class
was the most awkward part of it all. I was too busy getting
dressed and trying to think of a way to keep Misty from seeing
me in my underwear that I didn’t even notice that Creepy Girl
was staring straight at me while I changed.

At this point, I didn’t even care if she was involved in
some twisted scheme with
Misty—she
overstepped her
bounds.
Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I prepared
myself for the confrontation. I didn’t want to start a fight, but
if that was it came down to, I was ready for it.

I opened my mouth to speak—or shout, whichever
came first—when Coach
Hunter rounded the
corner and
called my name.

“Ruby, can I see you in my office for a minute?”

Thank God!
Finally
someone noticed that I was being
silently harassed and was going to do something about it!! As
I followed her, I ran down through the list of things Creepy
Girl had done so I wouldn’t miss a single thing.

“Have a seat, Ruby.”

 

Gladly. I was just about to launch into the details of
what was going on when Coach Hunter spoke, sucking more
hope out of me with each and every word.

“I just wanted to tell you I was impressed with what I
saw out on the track today. You have a lot of talent—talent I’d
like to develop. I’d like to see you do some training before
track starts in the spring so I want to propose an idea.”

I was
never so crushed and
disappointed by
a
compliment before in my life.
All of my hopes of getting
Creepy Girl off my back were gone. I suppose I could have
just told Coach Hunter about it myself, but I didn’t want to
sound like a baby. That’s exactly what Misty wanted me to do.
No, I would wait until someone asked me about it before I
complained.

When I didn’t reply, Coach Hunter continued on. “I’m
here for about an hour after school every day. If you want, I’ll
give you permission to use the track while I’m here. With a
little hard work, I think you could even beat Rachel.” She
leaned against her desk and waited for my reply.

I almost declined the offer but I paused and rethought.
Zach would be at the shelter every day after school, so why
not? Having something to take my mind off of things would
be great. So I accepted with a thank you and I told her I would
start Monday.

When the day was finally over, Zach and I made plans
to meet at The Hideout again at eight.
I was anxious to
rekindle the flame we ignited in the car this morning.
And
who knows—maybe even add a little kindling of my own.
After showering, I broke out the Midnight Kiss perfume he
loved so much and stepped into the skirt I wore on our first
date at the drive in. This time around, I wouldn’t worry so
much about how far it rode up my legs.

Zach. Looked. Hot. As always. He was wearing a blue
long sleeve tee shirt that was the exact same shade as his
eyes, making them appear even more dazzling than usual.
The night air was turning cool so instead of walking to the
top, he motioned for me to get in his car. Gladly. Returning to
the scene of this morning’s crime was exactly my intention.

For once, we didn’t waste any time talking—we didn’t
say a single word.
Zach kissed me until I was at risk for
spontaneous combustion. The windows in his car steamed up
within minutes creating a filmy barrier between us and the
world. It was all I needed to feel like we were alone in the
universe. And apparently all he needed as well.

As we kissed, I could feel his hand on the zipper of my
hoodie, slowly tugging it downward.
Once the zipper was
released, he peeled the fabric back from my shoulders and
down my arms until I was free of it. I kissed him while just
wearing a tank before, but there was something about the fact
that he was undressing me that made me feel naked—in a
good way.
It was the first time either of us removed any
clothing while making out and I didn’t want it to end there.

I didn’t want to seem too anxious so I waited a few
minutes before I made my move. Shifting my hand around his
back and toward his stomach, I slid it under his shirt in one
swift yet subtle movement. When I came into contact with
his hot flesh, I flattened my palm against his perfectly rippled
muscles. If his car got hit by a meteorite at that very second, I
would die a
very
happy girl!

When he didn’t resist me immediately, I thought I was
home free. Then he placed his hand on my thigh right below
the hem of my skirt.
My stomach was doing flip flops—I
never wanted anyone the
way
I wanted him
and
I was
convinced that I was about to get
all
of him.
But just like
every other night, he broke away from me and sat back in his
seat staring at the roof of the car.

“I have to go before I don’t go, Ruby. See you in the
morning.”

What? Just like that, he was going to basically kick me
out of his car and go home?
I sat firmly rooted to my seat
trying to get up the nerve to ask for an explanation. When I
didn’t move, he said it again.

“I really need to go, Ruby,” he replied firmly, tacking
on a quick “I love you” at the end. He wouldn’t even look at
me when he said it. It felt like I got smacked across the face
with a wet fish.

“Yeah, me too.” I flung the words at him as I got out of
the car and slammed the door behind me.

 

“Ruby, wait!” he begged. “Please don’t be mad at me!”

“I’m not mad—I have to go home,” I replied
sarcastically. If he could use that as an excuse, then so could I.
I got into my car without looking back and
drove away.
Besides, by then, I really did need to get home—so I could cry.

And that’s exactly what I did. My phone rang about a
thousand times but I let it go to voice mail. Finally, he gave up
and sent me a one word text—“mwah”. I resisted the urge to
reply. One night with Misty and he almost had sex with her.
About a hundred nights with me and he wouldn’t do anything
but kiss me.
There was only one simple answer.
He was
attracted to her but not to me. I mean, he loved me—I knew
that—but he wasn’t attracted to me. At least not in the way I
wanted him to be, not in the way he
should
be. I lay on my
bed wallowing in a pit of my own despair. Hugging my pillow
tightly to my chest, I cried myself to sleep.

When Zach came to pick me up in the morning there
was a noticeable chill in the air and it had nothing to do with
the weather. I mumbled a quick “good morning” but he didn’t
answer me. We drove the whole way to school without any
semblance of communication. He was definitely mad at me so
I decided I was still mad at him, too.
As we walked in
together, I felt everyone’s eyes on us and I was certain our
anger was obvious. Then Misty started whispering to one of
her friends and I knew I was right. I couldn’t let her think
there was trouble in paradise, so to speak.
something quick to repair the damage.
I had to do

Just as
I was
about to
link my
arm
through
his,

somebody bumped into me from behind and I stumbled into
Zach.
Someone’s hand reached out for my arm to stop me
from falling over so I gladly accepted the offer.
A cute boy I
recognized as one of Ryan’s friends immediately started to
apologize, but he didn’t get very far before Zach blew up like
before.

“What’s your problem?
Keep your hands off of my
girlfriend!” Zach knocked the boy’s hand away from me and
positioned himself between me and the boy.

“Seriously, Mason! I bumped into her and I was trying
to keep her from falling. Chill out!” He gave Zach a cocky look
and walked away.

But it wasn’t over. Zach followed him down the hall
and grabbed him by the shoulder, yanking him backward.
“Get back here! I’m not done with you yet.”

What was I supposed to do? What happened was an
accident but I was afraid to say that to him when he was this
out of control. I ran after him but someone else got to him
first. Mr. Lascher—the principal. I just closed my eyes. He
was going to be in so much trouble.

“Mr. Mason, my office—NOW!”

Zach released his grip on the boy immediately and
hung his head.
Principal Lascher escorted him down the hall
and I was left to fend for myself.

When I got to homeroom I slid into Zach’s seat instead
of mine so I could talk to Rachel about what happened.

 

The
first words
out of her mouth were, “Where’s
Zach?”

“The principal’s office. He got into another fight.” As
mad as I was at him earlier, now my feelings were mixed.
I
was mad that he tried to start a fight but I was also worried
about him.
What was wrong with him?
He got so pissed
when another guy touched me, but he didn’t seem to want to
touch me himself. Seriously, why did dating him have to be so
complicated?

“Who was it this time?” She asked with a worried
frown on her face.

“Some friend of Ryan’s—I don’t know who he is. It all
started because this kid bumped into me and grabbed my arm
when I started to fall.”

“That’s it? He tried to start a fight over that?” Rachel
started to twirl her hair in her fingers. “Did you guys argue
last night?”

I sighed heavily. “Yeah, we fought. Then he called me
like a thousand times and I ignored his calls. He hasn’t
spoken to me all morning.” Instantly, I felt horrible. Maybe if
I hadn’t argued with him, he wouldn’t have gotten himself
into trouble.

“What did you fight about? He acted really weird
when he got home last night but he refused to talk about it.”

Why did we fight? It was a good question but one I
didn’t want to get into in homeroom, especially with Misty
only a few feet away. “I don’t want to talk about it—not here
anyway.”