Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (7 page)

My mood fell even further when I entered the classroom and saw Vicky, yet again, flirting with Aiden. There were ten desks that sat two people, perfect for when we started doing lab experiments that required partners. Aiden was sitting at our usual desk and Vicky was sitting at the desk right next to ours. She was leaning over toward Aiden. She laughed at something he said and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. My chest tightened with anger.

“Ms. King, you were nearly late. You need to be in your seat by the time the final bell rings.” Mr. Reynolds reprimanded, snapping me back to reality. I was still standing in the doorway and everyone was staring at me, now. My temper flared up, just in time for Mr. Reynolds to get the full lash of it.

“Isn’t nearly being late simply being on time?” I snapped.

“Being almost late may not get you a tardy slip, Miss King, but your attitude just got you a detention. I will see you after school.” He proclaimed through narrowed eyes.

I rolled my eyes and sauntered to my desk. Great, now I’d have to hear Mrs. Owens gripe at me over this. I sat in the seat next to Aiden, folding my arms across my chest. I bet this was going to cause me to be late for work today.

“What’s with the foul mood?” Aiden asked in a hushed voice, leaning close to me.

“Nothing, I just hate detention.” I said, telling him only half of the truth.

I
was
upset because I’d have to spend two hours after school doing whatever punishment Mr. Reynolds came up with. However, I was also annoyed with the way Vicky was constantly all over Aiden, but I wasn’t going to tell
him
that.

After chemistry, instead of going to history, I went to the guidance counselor’s office. Silence filled the first moments of our session. Mrs. Owens was waiting for me to start talking, but she soon gave up and began the conversation.

“Bridget, I hear you have detention today.” She said, pausing like she expected an answer.

“Is that a question or a statement?” I asked.

“It seems your attitude has been getting you into a lot of trouble.” She pointed out.

“Yeah well, no one gets my sense of humor. What can you do?” I shrugged.

“You could try getting along with people. You never know, you might actually make a friend or two.” She folded her hands on top of her desk.

“I have enough friends.” I maintained.

“You have two friends, one of which is graduating this year. What will you do then?”

“Ah gee, I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to dye my hair blonde and become a cheerleader.” I said sarcastically.

“And why would that be such a horrible thing?” She frowned.

“I know what they say about blondes having more fun, but I’m just not convinced.”

“I meant, why not consider joining the cheerleading squad?” She narrowed her eyes.

“In case you haven’t noticed, the whole rah rah thing isn’t really me. I’m not exactly oozing with pep.” I frowned.

“Okay, well there are a lot of different clubs you could join. You could meet new people, discover new interests.” She said earnestly.

“Listen, Mrs. Owens, I know you’re only trying to help and all, but honestly, the only thing I want to do is turn eighteen and graduate. I’m not interested in making new friends and I’m certainly not interested in joining any club.” I blurted.

“Fine.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. After a moment of jotting down notes, she asked, “How are things at home? Are there any problems with Bill and Judy?” Her tone was all business.

“No, they’re grrrrrreat.” I knew how much my Tony the Tiger impression annoyed her. So naturally, I did it as often as possible.

Okay, so Bill and Judy weren’t great. Far from it, in fact, but they were better than all the other homes I’d lived at. Foster Care Tip #2: Being ignored is far better than the alternative.

“Well, other than your attitude, it seems Mr. Matthews has been a positive influence on you.” She commented randomly.

“What does Aiden have to do with anything?” I asked, confused.

“You haven’t been arrested since he moved here, for one. You’ve barely missed any school and your grades have significantly improved.” She explained.

“Wow, that’s an awful lot of credit to be giving to a teenage guy. And I suppose you think I had nothing to do with it?” My tone was accusing.

“Of course, you did, Bridget, but it’s obvious you’ve changed since you met him.               You were arrested twice for underage drinking the
month
before he moved here and then nothing in an entire year. Sheriff Brick might actually have forgotten what you look like.” When I didn’t respond, she let out a sigh of exasperation. And there it was; the sigh that ended every one of our meetings.

“Okay, Bridget. I want you to spend the rest of the period looking through these college brochures.” She handed me a stack of papers.

When the bell finally rang, I headed to my locker. Almost halfway there, Mr. Reynolds stopped me in the hall and told me I had to clean all the garbage off of the lawn behind the school.

“I have a twisted ankle. That’s going to take forever.” I whined. I was doing an awful lot of that today.

“Then you better get started right away because if it’s not done by the time I get here in the morning, you’ll be looking at more detention.” He brushed past me before I could say anything else.

When I got to my locker, Aiden was leaning against it, waiting for me. He slid over so I could open it and put my books away.

“He wants me to pick up all the trash that’s out back. Not only am I going to miss work, but I’ll probably be here all night.” I ranted.

“I’ll stay and help you. Maybe you can still make it to work tonight.” He told me.

We cleaned it all in an hour with Aiden doing the majority of the work, and I made it to the diner on time. I clocked in at exactly five o’clock on the dot. I twisted my hair back into a ponytail and tied my apron around my waist.

“It’s just you and me, tonight. Samantha called in sick.” Kayla said to me in a stressed sounding voice.

“More tips for us. I’ll take the Elvis side and you can take the Marilyn side.” I told her.

I worked at Betty’s Diner, which was the only local diner, so it was where everyone ate. It was designed to look like an old fifties diner. On one side there was a life-sized figure of Elvis and on the other side there was one of Marilyn Monroe. I always felt like Sandy when I put on my uniform. It was a striped poodle skirt with a white, button up blouse and a pink apron. I halfway expected John Travolta to waltz in wearing a leather jacket with his hair all slicked back.

The first three hours of work were insane. I was racing back and forth from the kitchen to the tables. I was surprised I didn’t mix up anyone’s orders, but, then again, I always worked better under pressure.

Around eight o’clock, it finally slowed down enough that I could take a smoke break. Of course, since I was trying not to smoke, it was merely me sitting outside in the cold for ten minutes, but I wasn’t going to pass up a break simply because I wasn’t going to smoke.

I strolled out the back door of the diner and plopped down on the cold cement. I felt a frigid breeze shoot down my spine, and I wrapped my sweater tighter around me. It was cold enough that I was able to see my breath, and it gave the illusion of exhaling smoke. I guess that was going to be the most satisfaction I’d get without lighting one up. Now that I was off of my ankle, it started feeling sore, again.

“Why are you sitting out here by yourself?” I heard Aiden ask as he rounded the corner of the diner. He knew what time I took my break, so he’d sometimes swing by.

“It’s only me and Kayla, so our breaks are solo tonight.” I explained.

“Is that safe? It’s dark out here.” He said, sitting down next to me.

“This is Waverly; it’s not interesting enough to be dangerous.” I asserted.

“You never know what could be lurking in the shadows.” He said.

It sounded like he was joking, but I could tell there was sincerity laced in there. I stared off into the darkness that surrounded the backside of the building. The more my eyes searched, the more I started noticing things moving around. Small animals searching for food, I’m sure.

“What are you doing tomorrow after school?” He asked me, breaking the silence.

“I’m off tomorrow so nothing so far. Why?” I straightened out my skirt.

“I have a surprise for you tomorrow.” He announced.

“What sort of surprise?” I asked.

“I’m going to take you to a place you’ve never been.” He grinned.

“Okay, but do you really think it’s a good idea to go to Australia on a school night?” I teased.

“Don’t worry. We won’t even be leaving Waverly.” He said.

“Aiden, I’ve lived here for five years, now. I highly doubt there’s a place in Waverly that I haven’t been to.” I said, arching my eyebrow.

“Well, would you like to make a bet?” He asked with a smirk.

“What are the terms?” My competitive side twitched to life at the prospect.

“The loser has to do one thing that the winner asks them to do, no matter what.” He said.

“Within reason.” I stuck out my hand.

“Deal.” He said, shaking my hand.

“Geez, your hand is freezing!” I jerked back.

“Is it?” He asked as he placed his hand on my face.

When I moved away, he began sticking his cold hands on me anywhere he could touch skin. I tried dodging his icy touch, but I couldn’t stop laughing, so my reactions were slow, and he was definitely winning this battle. In the struggle, my skirt rode up slightly and Aiden’s hand landed on my leg. I shivered for reasons other than his temperature. Our laughter settled, and our eyes locked for an intense moment.

“Bridget, we’re getting busy, again.” Kayla said, sticking her head outside.

“Okay, I’m coming.” I told her. Turning back to Aiden I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow. And I already know what I’m going to have you do when I win.”

“What’s that?” His lips curled up at the corner.

“You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out.” I waltzed back inside with a teeny smile on my lips.

I woke up to the morning sun peeking through my window like an unwanted guest. With a groan, I threw my blanket over my face. It was no use, though. I was already awake. I threw my arms up in a stretch and tossed my feet over the side of my bed. I tested my ankle, twisting it from side to side. It still hurt slightly, but it had improved significantly.

As soon as Aiden and I began our trudge to school, I started in on him about the surprise. I tried guessing, but he continued saying no with a straight face.

“No, it’s not Miller’s pond. You might as well give up because you’ve never been there, and you aren’t going to guess it.” He said arrogantly.

There was no way that there was a part of this town I hadn’t seen, but I still found my confidence falter. Where could he possibly be taking me today?

I had a pop quiz in first period English, which was a shock to everyone. The whole class groaned in protest. It was a lengthy test, so it took all period to finish, and I didn’t get a chance to talk to Cassie about Aiden’s surprise.

I sauntered into drama class with low expectations. Our group was already sitting on the floor in a circle, discussing our assignment. Everyone except Aiden, of course, who appeared extremely uninterested. I scooted down next to him and tugged out a notebook.

“Bridget, since you couldn’t make our study session yesterday, we took the initiative and assigned you a part. You’re going to be Friar Laurence.” Vicky informed me.

“What study session? No one said anything to me or Aiden.” I narrowed my eyes.

“Well, I was going to, but then Mr. Reynolds gave you detention, so I figured why bother? And Aiden already knows what part he’s playing, so it would have been a waste of his time.” Vicky shot Aiden a smile that he pretended not to notice.

“Okay, whatever. What all did you guys get accomplished, yesterday?” I asked them. I shoved down my annoyance.

“Well, we got most of the script written so we can finish it today and start memorizing lines soon.” Michelle announced.

By the time we finished the script to where we all agreed on the contents, there still ended up being a kiss between Vicky and Aiden, which was one more than I wanted to see but oh well. We ran lines for the last ten minutes of class, all the way up until the bell rang.

Later in BCIS, I automatically searched for a map of Waverly on the computer. I couldn’t for the life of me find a spot I hadn’t been to, though. When Aiden saw what I was doing, he laughed.

“You are so impatient.” He said.

“You say that like you don’t know me.” I said, still scanning the map.

“True.” He paused. “You know, I already know what I’m going to have you do when I win tonight.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” I asked.

“I’m not telling you until tonight.” He grinned.

At lunch, I waited for Cassie at our regular table. Once she sat down, I told her what Aiden had said.

“Do you have any idea what it could be?” I interrogated.

“I’m not sure.” She said, puzzled. A knowing expression spread across her face, and she broke out into a smile. “Oh, I know.”

“What is it?” I asked, incredibly curious.

“Don’t say a word.” Aiden asserted, sitting down next to us. Cassie glanced back and forth between the two of us, not sure who to side with. Then Aiden warned, “I won’t let you borrow my history notes.”

“Sorry, B. You know I suck at taking notes.” She shrugged.

“Traitor.” I teased.

The rest of the day dragged on. When three o’clock finally came, I headed to my locker. Speeding through the hallway, I got stuck behind two girls trudging slowly, and I overheard their conversation.

“What are you doing tonight?” One of the girls asked.

“I’m going to the carnival. You’re going too, right?” The other one asked.

Carnival? Since when does the carnival come to Waverly? That’s when it hit me.
That sneaky bastard!

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” I asked Aiden as I reached my locker where he was waiting.

“Well, yeah, but that’s only cause it’s true.” He smirked, his accent making him sound even cockier.

“You had an unfair advantage. I was in bed all weekend and had no way of hearing about the carnival.” I protested.

“It was in the newspaper which I brought for you to read this weekend. It’s not my fault you didn’t.” He argued.

I didn’t respond having no comeback. He
had
brought me the paper, and I had used it to make a pirate hat for Katie. I could have been a good sport and bowed out with grace, but I decided to grasp at straws instead.

“Well, I still don’t think you win because I’ve been to the field where they’re having the carnival at.” I maintained.

“But you’ve never been to the carnival.” He said, holding his ground.

“Talk about a shady technicality.” I asserted, trying to hold on to my pout, but it was difficult.

I was ecstatic about going to the carnival. It was something I never got to do as a child but had always wanted to. I had told Aiden months ago about wanting to ride on the carousel, so it was my own fault that he knew I’d never been to a carnival. I found myself smiling at the thought of finally getting to ride one. Then, I remembered I had lost a bet and my smile faded into a wary expression.

“So, what is it that you want me to do?” I asked.

“You’ll have to wait until tonight to find out.” Aiden said with a coy smile, making me wonder what exactly I had gotten myself into.

I was so sure I’d win, I didn’t even think of the consequences if I lost. I tried to push away any anxiety of his upcoming request and focus on the fact that I had a carnival to go to, tonight.

Later that evening, the sun began to set around five thirty. Aiden said he was going to come over around six so we could go to the carnival together. I was already dressed and finishing up my homework at my desk when he breezed into my room and sat on my bed.

“Hmm… Are you collecting on our bet?” I joked.

“No, if I took you to bed, it wouldn’t be because of a bet.” He grinned.

“Take me to bed? Does everybody from Australia talk like they’re from last century?” I laughed. Aiden always said things that made me realize just how different the slang was in Australia.

“How would you put it?” He asked, leaning forward like he was incredibly interested in my answer.

“Well, I’d probably just say let’s hump.” I joked. Aiden howled in laughter.

“No you wouldn’t.” He asserted through laughs.

“You don’t know. I might.” I argued, knowing I
probably
would never actually say that to a guy.

“No way could you say that to someone with a straight face.” He challenged.

“Okay, fine.” I said, forgetting all thought of homework, and moved to my bed. I was eye level with him without even having to squat or bend. I put on my most serious face and told him, “Aiden, let’s hump.”

“Okay.” He said.

Before I even had time to react, he grabbed me and rolled me over onto the bed. I was giggling too hard to say anything. He was on his side leaning over me. He stared down at me for a second and my heart raced. I thought he might kiss me. He lowered his head to within an inch of my ear.

“I told you so.” He whispered.

“That doesn’t count. We aren’t going to have sex.” I said, trying to ignore how his body was pressed into mine.

“No?” He smirked.

“We’re going to miss the carnival.” I swatted his chest with my hand. I resisted the urge to run my fingers across his muscles which I could feel through his shirt.

“You’re right, and then I wouldn’t win the bet.” He lifted himself off my bed, and I felt disappointed as he did. I had to brush through my hair again thanks to Aiden.

The light breeze brought with it the smell of popcorn and music which elicited even more excitement. The first thing we saw was the Ferris wheel which was so tall and so brightly lit, we could see it almost from my house.

“I’ll tell you what I want when we are up there.” Aiden pointed to the top of the Ferris wheel.

“Why not now?” I asked him.

“Because I don’t want you irritated with me until the end of the night. I don’t want to ruin the carnival for you.” He explained.

“So, it’s something that’s going to make me mad?” I pursed my lips.

“Maybe.” He said with a smile. He grabbed my hand and said, “Come on.”

We jogged the last few feet to the ticket booth. When we worked our way to the front of the line, I tugged out my wallet.

“No, I brought you here. I’ll pay.” Aiden said, and before I could argue, he bought enough tickets for us to do whatever we wanted all night. “Let me guess, you want to go on the carousel first?”

“What if I buy you cotton candy, and then, we go on the carousel?” I suggested.

“Okay.” He agreed, knowing he wasn’t getting out of me buying him
something
. By the time we made our way back over to the carousel, I had my cotton candy ate and was helping Aiden finish his.

I rode on a charming white horse with a colorful saddle which left Aiden having to ride on the unicorn next to me. It was a funny sight to see. I tried hard to suppress my laughter, but it was useless.

The carousel began playing its cheerful music and moving around in a circle. All the animals bobbed up and down, and I could feel the excitement building. After a few minutes, though, it began to dissipate. I waited for this giant feeling of gratification that I was finally getting to ride a carousel, but all I felt was… bored.

“What’s the matter?” Aiden asked, noticing my chagrined expression.

“I guess I’m too old for the carousel. I might have found this exciting when I was five.” I said.

“Well, maybe we can still salvage this ride.” Aiden had that mischievous smile he got when he was up to something. He hauled himself up using the unicorn’s horn to where he was standing up on his animal’s back. “Come on.” He held out his hand to me. I took it, and he tugged me up to where I was standing on my horse.

Aiden took off ahead of me, jumping to each of the backs of all the animals that didn’t have anyone on them. I followed right along behind him. This was definitely more entertaining than sitting down.

“Hey, you two! Get off the carousel!” We heard the security officer yell from off to the side.

Once he realized we were going to ignore him, he leapt onto the carousel and tried to chase us. He was older and heavy set, so he wasn’t having any luck. He hopped off and waited by the side, ready to catch us when we came back around. He came close to grabbing my arm, but Aiden tugged me out of his reach, just in time. We raced toward the games and lost him in the crowd, but we could hear him yelling after us.

We dashed behind one of the ring tossing booths and stopped to catch our breaths. We exchanged a look and busted into fits of laughter. Once we calmed down, I heard Cassie’s familiar giggle, and I peeked around the corner of the booth.

She was talking to some guy I’d never seen before. She spotted me and waved me over. I noticed the guy was holding a stack of flyers.

“Hey, Bridget, this is Hunter. He tends bar at a club in Lincoln.” She said with a wink. He was incredibly attractive. He looked like a surfer with his straggly blond hair and tan skin. I was willing to bet he had washboard abs under his shirt.

“Yeah, I was just telling Cassie she should come to the club, sometime. Maybe, you could go with her.” He said, flashing a smile that would melt an ice cube. This guy was smooth. No wonder the club sent him out to bring in customers. “Wait, you two
are
twenty-one, right?” He asked, ignoring Aiden who was standing right behind us.

“Yes, of course.” Cassie responded with ease. Nobody would ever guess she was lying.

“Excellent. I make a great sex on the beach.” He said, handing us a flyer. It read “Club Ice: 21 and up. Ladies get in free until midnight.”

“I bet you do.” Cassie said flirtatiously.

Hunter told us bye and went over to another group of girls to hand out more flyers. Ryan strolled up holding a couple of slushes and handed one to Cassie. It was just like her to be flirting with another guy while her date was off buying her a drink. They strolled away holding hands toward one of the booths. I folded up the flyer and tucked it into my back pocket.

“You aren’t actually considering going to that club, are you?” Aiden asked on our way over to the balloon darts booth.

“I was thinking about it. Why?” I lifted an eyebrow.

“It’s in Lincoln.” He stated like that explained everything, but I knew he was referring to all the killings that had been happening.

“So is the concert.” I argued.

I was used to Aiden being overprotective, but that didn’t mean I’d let him boss me around. Aiden handed the kid working the booth our tickets.

“Do you want to go first?” Aiden asked me, dropping his argument. He knew when to push a subject with me and when not to.