Pretty Dark Nothing (19 page)

She shook her head. “No. I’ll be in enough trouble as it is. I can’t hide for the rest of my life. Thank you for taking me to the stars.” She pulled him into an embrace. “Aaron, I … I really like you.”

He waited for the “but.” It never came.

“I really like you, too.”

“I’m a mess, I know I am. I’m trouble.”

“I like trouble.” He cupped her chin in his hand to look at her in earnest.

“So, you want to see me again?”

“Yes. In fact, my band’s playing a gig tomorrow night. Marcus is going, and he’s bringing Reese. We can all go out for pizza after, if you want. Do you?”

“What time?”

“Yo!” Marcus ran toward them. “Where have you two been? Reese is looking for you. And here you are, mackin’ in the parking lot.” He grinned. “I don’t mean to interrupt the love-fest, but they’re loading the bus. Reese told Coach White you were in the bathroom, but I don’t know how long that story will fly. Better get your tight butt over there, pronto.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right there.” She hugged Aaron tighter. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered.

“You have to.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Quinn!” Marcus motioned for her to get going.

“I’m coming.” She mouthed to Aaron, “What time tomorrow night?”

“Pick you up at six-thirty?”

“Six-thirty. Tomorrow.” She brushed her lips against his.

He kissed her back, but the kiss was a semitone off, a dissonant hum instead of their previous harmony. Aaron tried his gift one last time, focusing all his energy into reaching her. Not even a glimmer emerged from the void that encompassed her.

“Quinn!” Marcus urged again. “Time’s up.”

“Wish me luck.” She took two steps back, waved, and ran to catch up with Marcus.

Aaron watched her board the bus, then sank to the ground, exhausted.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The demons were always there now, dark masses flickering in the corners of her eyes, only to vanish the second she tried to focus on them. No amount of light banished them completely, not since last night. Now they lived where they shouldn’t, boldly flaunting their presence and no longer hiding within her dreams.

Quinn pulled off the turquoise sweater and threw it on the wicker chair. She kicked a pile of pants out of her way and sat on the end of her bed, falling backward into the rose-and-yellow, floral duvet. Accepting the date with Aaron had been a bad idea. The dark things didn’t like him; they had made that clear enough.

Every time she thought about him, the shadows became agitated. They pressed in on her, stroking her hair, whispering in her ear to stay away from him. At one point she had wakened from some sort of a trance to find a half written text message cancelling the date, reminding her of the power they held over her. Her hand shot to her throat, and she shivered at the memory of invisible fingers gripping her neck. Giving in to them would be the easiest thing to do, give them what they wanted, let go of Aaron.

Legs dangling over the edge, she chewed her lip, uncertainty twisting around her gut. Maybe it would be better for both of them if she broke it off before they grew attached to one another.

But it was too late for that. She had already crashed into love with him, hard and fast, and she couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him again. Resisting their influence was difficult, but she refused to let them take Aaron from her without a fight. She wouldn’t let them win, not with this.

Instead of a direct confrontation, she decided to play “let’s make a deal” with the demons, promising not to reveal their existence if they would leave her and Aaron alone. She would do anything they asked, apart from give him up. They’d retorted with silence, and she’d taken their eerie hush the way she’d wanted to, as acquiescence, but deep down she feared their silence was the calm before the storm.

Quinn stared at her empty closet, and then grabbed her cell. Four text messages blinked at her, all from Jeff. What did he want? Her finger hovered over the message icon, then switched to the phone icon, dialing Reese instead.

“Hey.” Teresa sounded out of breath.

“Where have you been? I’ve called your house three times, your cell twice. I even sent you an e-mail.”

“Sorry, I can’t answer e-mail from the shower,” Reese said. “I have a date tonight, too, you know.”

“Well, I’m having a clothing crisis, my hair is a mess, Mt. Fuji is erupting on the end of my nose, and I haven’t been on a date with anyone but Jeff, ever.”

“Gray pleated skirt, purple v-neck, black boots, hair gel, and a spot of toothpaste. He took you stargazing, and he kissed you. Three times. I think he likes you. Just be yourself.”

“What’s the toothpaste for?”

“Mt. Fuji. Got to go. Marcus will be here in half an hour.”

“Okay, see you tonight.”

She ran to the bathroom and dabbed toothpaste on the blemish before finding the purple v-neck and pulling it over her head. The shadows did nothing more than follow in her wake, nothing to fear. If they didn’t want her to go with Aaron they would have made a move by now. Inside she smiled; they would stick to the agreement. She wouldn’t tell Aaron about the demons, the demons would leave her alone, and she and Aaron would live happily ever after. Everybody wins. Keeping one secret wouldn’t be so hard.

Her phone buzzed with another message. Jeff. His fifth in the last hour. She deleted it without reading it.

She’d just located the wrinkled skirt when the doorbell chimed—Aaron was early. She still hadn’t put on makeup. A pang of longing bloomed in her chest. If her mom was here, she could answer the door and tell him Quinn would be down in a minute. But she wasn’t.

The doorbell chimed again.

Digging through the piles of clothes, she searched for anything that matched the purple shirt, but wouldn’t require an iron. A pair of dark skinny jeans peeked out from under her bed. She pulled them on, hopping on one foot, then the other, as she made her way downstairs.

Aaron, tall and slender, held a dozen pink roses. He wore jeans, a pair of black Docs, with yellow stitching around the soles, and a forest-green t-shirt under an unbuttoned, green-and-blue striped shirt.

“You’re early,” Quinn stammered.

“I am? I’m sorry. I can go away and come back.” He turned to leave.

Quinn laughed. “Come back.”

He grinned. “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Thanks, but I couldn’t resist these.” Quinn took the roses. “Now you can leave.” She smiled mischievously.

“Did I mention how beautiful you look?” His grin widened. “The toothpaste brings out your eyes.”

Quinn’s hand flew to her nose. “Oh no.” She snatched a tissue from the table, rubbed at the glob, and then gestured upstairs. “I just have to put my makeup on, and I’ll be ready. It’ll only take a second.”

“You look beautiful without it.” Aaron stroked her face with the back of his hand.

She was spellbound with one touch. “I’ll be quick. Just make yourself at home.”

In her bedroom, she applied some pink lip-gloss, mascara, and a little blush. She pulled on her black boots, sculpted the chunky ends of her hair with some gel, and made one more plea to the agitated shadows flickering in the corner of her eye.

I promise I won’t tell him anything if you let me have this one night. I promise I won’t tell him. It’s just a date. He won’t know anything. I’ll do anything else you want.

She held her breath and waited for an answer, but they hovered, silent specters, watching, waiting. For what? She didn’t know. But she would do anything to have one normal night with Aaron.

Aaron waited where she left him in the foyer.

“Our stallion awaits, my lady.” She took his waiting arm, and they left the warmth of the house for the cool of the night.

“Do you think we can find a helmet to match my homecoming dress?”

Aaron’s jaw dropped, and he stared at her. “Are you asking me to homecoming?” he stuttered.

“No. I’m hinting for you to ask me.”

“Oh!” Aaron got down on one knee and took her hand. “Quinn Taylor, will you go to homecoming with me?”

Quinn’s heart melted with the proposal. “How can I say no to that?” The dark masses swirled around her. They were angry, but she ignored them. Being close to Aaron made everything right. She wouldn’t let them ruin it. She would keep quiet, and they would stay in the background. That was the deal, wasn’t it? At least, that’s what she wanted to believe.

“You don’t. You say, yes.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure we can ride with Marcus and Teresa.”

“No way. We’re totally taking the bike.”

***

Quinn’s skin crawled as she stood before the stone edifice of St. Angeles. She gripped Aaron’s hand. The gothic church appeared cloaked in a murky web of writhing gray mist.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Quinn nodded, but moved closer to him. Shadows stalked the adjacent cemetery, camouflaged among the moss-covered gravestones. Their heavy gaze never left Quinn, and she felt trapped like a heroine in a bad horror movie.

“What are you guys doing here?” Marcus feigned surprise as he slammed the driver’s side door of his Jeep. He clapped Aaron on the back. “What’s up, man?”

Teresa, still in the passenger seat, mashed her hand against the car horn.

“What’s wrong? Your arm broken or something?” Marcus shrugged. “Women.”

Teresa mashed the horn again, this time not letting up on the pressure. Marcus covered his ears and walked over to the passenger side to open the door.

Teresa smiled. “You’re so sweet. You didn’t have to open the door for me.” She kissed him on the cheek, and then ran over to Quinn. “Double dates are so awesome!”

Quinn linked her arm with Reese’s, and they followed their dates through the ancient wooden door. As they passed through the gothic stone arch, the hair on Quinn’s arms stood on end. Rows of black candelabras lit the interior. Hundreds of candles cast a myriad of deep shadows and bright warmth on the walls. Light and dark danced and writhed around each other with each flicker of the candle flames. A large, wooden cross loomed above them, suspended from the ceiling by an iron chain. Red lights shone down on it, casting an otherworldly luminescence on the dead wood, blood. The red rivulets flowed down the rough timbers, dripping onto the stage, splattering its crimson threads across the altar.

“Hey, you’re late.”

Two pieces of wood hanging by an iron chain. That’s all. Red lights. Not blood.

Quinn turned her attention to the girl standing in front of her.

“Only five minutes. Quinn, this is Jenna, Jenna—”

“Quinn. I know.” Jenna stuffed her hands in her pockets and glanced at the floor. “Nice to meet you.”

Quinn couldn’t ignore the insincerity in Jenna’s voice. “Hi,” she mumbled.

“The place looks awesome. You and Cade did a great job with the decorations. Where did you find the lights?” Aaron asked.

“Dad said we could borrow them from the auditorium. Ben set them up since you couldn’t be here to help. Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing a date?”

He hadn’t told anyone in the band he was bringing Quinn?

“I didn’t think I needed permission.” Aaron sounded as if he were apologizing for bringing her. “Cade said you invited that James guy from your school.”

Sure she heard a hint of jealousy in his tone, Quinn moved closer to Aaron and linked her arm with his.

“Well, he’s a better kisser than you anyway.” Jenna winked, and Aaron shot her an I’m-gonna-kill-you look.

“Sorry, Quinn. My big mouth gets carried away sometimes. I love giving Aaron grief.”

The apology sounded sincere enough, but Quinn didn’t like the way they looked at each other.

“Aaron’s not so bad. He’s the real talent behind the band. Writer, musician, and all-around great guy.” Jenna bumped her hip on Aaron’s, and he bumped back.

“But without Jenna’s voice, we’d be lost. The rest of us sound like dying cows compared to Jen.”

Did he actually have feelings for Jenna? The deep shadows on the wall grew and flickered in agreement.

Jenna flashed Aaron a drop-dead gorgeous smile, and Aaron pulled her into a hug. Quinn felt invisible as the two bantered back and forth, their obvious connection igniting a spark of jealousy. Quinn had risked everything to come here with Aaron, and all he could do was flirt with another girl in front of her. Had he lied about them just being friends? They seemed awfully close. Too close for Quinn’s liking. She did a double take as one of the shadows grinned in delight.
A trick of the light, that’s all.

“You ready for some warm-ups?” A dark-haired boy, the spitting image of Jenna, pulled her into the crook of his arm.

“Quinn, this is Cade.” She pushed his arm away. “My brother. Cade, this is Quinn, Aaron’s date.” She annunciated Quinn’s name in a sarcastic tone.

Cade shot an annoyed look at his sister. Jenna rolled her eyes and pushed him away, abandoning them to warm up at the keyboard.

“Don’t mind her. She’s nervous about the gig. It’s really nice to meet you, Quinn.” Cade offered his hand and smiled.

“Play some scales for me, Cade,” Jenna called. “You should warm up too, Aaron.”

“Yeah, give me two seconds.” Aaron turned to Quinn and kissed her cheek, a brotherly kiss, as if he didn’t want to kiss her in front of Jenna. “We can grab a burger or something after. I promise to devote all my attention to you then.”

“Until then, you can hang with us.” Marcus put his arm around her. “Don’t worry, bro, I’ll take care of her.” He put his other arm around Teresa and flashed a cheesy smile at Aaron.

“You better.” He gave Marcus the evil eye, and then directed a heart-stopping smile at Quinn. He backed away, his hand holding hers until both their arms stretched as far as they could go, and then separated like the cutting of a towline, and Quinn floated in a sea, adrift without her anchor.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Quinn chewed on a nail as she stood with Reese and Marcus at the back of the sanctuary, watching the crowds gather. Being separated from Aaron made her nervous, and she wasn’t the nervous type. She wasn’t usually shy, either. But tonight, she felt small and insignificant. She wanted to stay right with him, and it hurt when he didn’t acknowledge her uneasiness.