Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (11 page)

As class progressed, I kept sneaking
looks at Jace. How could he seem so focused on the mundane
activities of school? School had never been further from my mind.
Would every day be like this from now on? Waiting for something to
happen? As I drove home after school, I could feel another migraine
coming on. So much for the magical protection of my
necklace.

When I arrived in first period the
next day, Jace was sitting alone. I hesitated in the doorway before
stepping inside.

“She’s sick,” Jace said in response to
my unasked question.

“How did you know I was going to ask
you about Alisa?” I placed my books on my desk and sat
down.

“You
did
ask me that,” he said, closing
the book in front of him and looking at me.

“No I didn’t,” I argued.

“Maybe I read your mind,” he said in a
lowered voice. I glanced at the classroom door to make sure there
was no one to bear witness to our conversation. “Do you want to try
it again?”

“No,” I said. “I don’t believe in…that
stuff.”

“That’s too bad. Magic can be fun, you
know.” He winked at me and pointed toward the chalkboard. The
eraser flew toward him and smacked him in the forehead. He reached
up to brush the rectangular patch of white dust from his
face.

“You’re right, Jace. That was fun,” I
said, laughing.

“Okay, so that wasn’t a
good example. Remember yesterday when Mr. Kendall couldn’t find his
briefcase, so we got out of taking our tests?” he asked. I nodded.
“You have
me
to
thank for that. I wonder if he discovered his briefcase in the
refrigerator, or if it’s still in there.”

“The refrigerator? With
the
frogs
? But
how did you get it in there? He keeps it locked.”

“Magic can be fun
and
useful,” he said. I
couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated by his admission. After all,
I’d been up late studying for that test.

“Are you supposed to use your magic to
play practical jokes?” I asked, lowering my voice. “Isn’t that
unethical?”

“Only if my parents find out.” He
chuckled softly, then pulled a sheet of notebook paper from his
folder. He scrawled a few quick numbers across the paper and handed
it to me. “My mom wanted you to have her phone number just in
case.”

“Thanks,” I said reaching out to take
it. My hand brushed against his and I felt a familiar jolt. Our
eyes collided and my breath came in shallow gasps. I wrenched my
gaze away. I tore a sheet from my notebook, wrote down my cell
phone number, and passed it to him. “Just in case,” I
said.

I thought about Jace all day. More
than I should have. Consequently, I had way more homework than I
was accustomed to. After cheerleading practice, I did my chores and
went up to my room to study. My phone beeped several times while I
finished my homework, but I ignored it. I reached for it as I
closed my math book and scrolled unenthusiastically through my text
messages. There was a text from Alex asking me to go to a movie on
Friday. We had a decent time at the dance, but I didn’t want to
lead him on. There would never be anything between us but
friendship.

The next message was from
a number I didn’t recognize. As I read it, my heart began to beat
double-time.
Call me. I’d like to see
you—Jace.
I read the message three more
times in case I read it wrong the first time, or in case there was
some special hidden meaning I’d missed.

Praying he wasn’t inviting me to
another family meeting with Alisa, I dialed the number with shaking
hands. He answered after the second ring and his deep voice sent
chills through my body.

“Rachel,” he said.

“Jace.” I planned to make him do the
talking. Not because I was playing games, but because my voice
trembled along with the rest of my body. I figured the less I said
the better.

“Hey, I wanted to go for a ride over
to Lakeview later for ice cream. You want to come?” Jace sounded
casual. I tried to do the same.

“That’s kind of far. When do you want
to leave?” I wanted to ask if anyone else was going, namely
Alisa.

“Anytime. The sooner the better. What
do you say?”

“My car or yours?” I supposed I’d find
out soon enough if Alisa was coming.

“Mine.”

“Hold on.” I tossed the phone on the
bed and flew to the top of the landing, almost falling down the
stairs. Breathlessly, I asked my mom if I could go out. I didn’t
start breathing again until permission was granted. Dashing back up
the stairs, I grabbed my phone.

“I have to be back by nine,” I
gasped.

“I’ll pick you up in a
few.”

I hung up the phone and sprinted to
the dresser mirror. My hair and makeup definitely needed some work,
and my clothes were rumpled from lying on the bed. I raced around
the room, trying to put together an outfit that was cute, but
casual. A car door slammed outside just as I was applying a final
coat of mascara. I forced myself to take a few deep, calming
breaths before grabbing my purse and walking slowly down the
stairs.

My mother opened the door and invited
Jace inside just as I reached the foyer. I was relieved to see he
was alone. My stomach knotted with anxiety as I waited to see how
he interacted with her.

“Hello, Mrs. Stevens. I’m Jace
Alexander,” he said in a clear, confident voice while looking my
mother directly in the eye. She would appreciate the fact that he
came to the door and introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet
you.”

“Well, come on in, Jace,” she said,
stepping aside to allow him entry. “Have a seat in the living room
so we can talk a minute.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He followed her
inside. Good. It would be the kiss of death to any potential
friendship if he tried to rush me out the door. His eyes fell upon
me and he smiled.

Jace endured my mother’s interrogation
for a solid fifteen minutes. If he was anxious to leave, he never
let it show. I could tell she was impressed by his obvious
intelligence and good breeding. He answered every question she
asked and never resorted to one word answers or the uncomfortable
mumbling which was the calling-card of many teenage
boys.

Once we escaped her intrusive
clutches, he walked me to his car and opened the door for me like a
gentleman. If he immediately started in on a lecture about magic or
learning to control my powers, I would be so disappointed I would
die.

He didn’t bring it up once. The twenty
minute drive was a blur. I was so absorbed in our conversation, I
felt slightly disoriented when Jace pulled the car into the parking
lot of the ice cream shop and turned off the ignition.

We sat outside on a picnic bench long
after our sundaes were consumed, long after the sun set. A light
buzz of energy connected us and it felt pleasant,
comfortable.

“I have a confession,” he said. “I was
supposed to talk to you about training and magic, but I got
distracted.”

My heart plummeted. I knew it. It was
a ploy to lecture me about harnessing my supposed psychic
abilities. “Distracted by what?” I asked.

“You. Us. Whatever it is that’s
happening between us,” he said. “When can I see you
again?”

I pulled my gaze from his, feeling a
sense of overwhelming loss. If he was asking me to go out with him,
I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t right. He’d been seeing Alisa, and I
wouldn’t be the cause of their breakup.

“We see each other at school every
day,” I replied evasively. “So, I guess you can see me in first
period.”

“That isn’t what I meant. I want to
see you. You know, as more than a friend. Did I misread you? If I
did, I’m sorry.”

“No. I mean, yes,” I stammered. “What
about Alisa?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“I thought she was more than that. I
thought that’s why you took her to the dance.”

“It’s complicated.” He let out a sigh.
“When I asked her out, it was as friends. Alisa is special. But the
way I feel about you is different. I think you know
why.”

Because of the connection we shared?
The freaky mind reading? Or was there more?

“I like you, Jace, but I just got out
of a relationship. I’m not ready to date, but I do want to hang out
with you again. Can we be friends?”

“Of course.”

Like a true gentleman, Jace tried to
hide his disappointment, and that hurt me more than anything. I
longed for Jace with an intensity I never felt with Robert. It was
torture to rein in my feelings, to deny myself the one thing I
wanted more than anything. But I couldn’t hurt Alisa. Since Jace
moved to town, she seemed so happy. How could I take that away? I
couldn’t. Wouldn’t. After everything Alisa had been
through—everything I stood by and allowed to happen—I wouldn’t
steal away the one person who gave her joy.

We walked to the car in silence. The
ride back to Oaktree was uncomfortable. A feeling of emptiness
descended upon me as he pulled the car into my driveway. I wondered
if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,”
Jace said as he walked me to the door. I could only nod, afraid if
I opened my mouth to speak I’d say something I’d regret.

That night when I cried myself to
sleep, it was little consolation that Alisa’s relationship with
Jace remained unchanged. My heart was broken.

***

I avoided Jace and Alisa as much as I
could, sometimes taking the long way to class to keep from having
to walk past their lockers. They always spoke to me when we had
class together, and I honestly didn’t want to be rude, but it was
painful to have to deal with them. Alisa’s love for Jace broke my
heart because I knew he didn’t feel the same. Jace’s desire to be
with me was torture because I knew it could never
happen.

I longed for simplicity, for the days
before Jace came to Oaktree, when my life was vapid and predictable
and fake. I missed my friends, gossip, and frivolous fun. Becky
represented all those things, and part of me missed her. When she
approached me after cheerleading practice, I decided it wouldn’t
hurt to see if we could set aside our differences. Maybe we’d never
be friends again, but we could at least be cordial.

“Hey, Rachel.”

“Hey, Becky.”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, you
looked so gorgeous at Homecoming. Your dress was stunning,” she
said.

“Thanks, Becky.” God
forgive me, I couldn’t compliment her dress. The hemline was so
short, it was practically immoral, and the amount of cleavage she
displayed made me blush. My mother always said
if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at
all
. “Your hair was beautiful—the
prettiest I’ve ever seen.” Okay, at least that was the truth. Her
updo with the miniature roses and strands of pearls was a work of
art.

“Ah, thanks. You’re too sweet.” She
flashed a bright, white, perfect smile. “Girl, I miss
you.”

“I miss you too,” I admitted before I
could help myself. I did miss Becky. For all her faults, we’d had
some good times together. Becky could be cruel and cunning and
conniving, but no one was perfect. And I was lonely and
bored.

“We should hang out this weekend. Just
like old times. What do you think?”

“I’d really like that,” I
said.

“We can go shopping.”

Becky could be a pill, but she sure
could shop. I missed our shopping sessions.

“Oh, and get some coffee at the
mall.”

Becky and I were the only girls in our
group who loved coffee. The other girls liked soda and sweet tea.
Becky and I loved cappuccinos and lattes.

“We can talk about
boys…Jace.”

“I don’t want to talk about Jace,” I
said.

“Why not? He was easily the hottest
guy at the dance. I saw you two together.” She winked. “He likes
you. Really likes you. You should hook up with him.”

“Nah. I mean, yes he’s cute. But I’m
not really looking for a relationship right now.” Ugh, what a lie.
I craved Jace so badly, I couldn’t breathe.

“You and Robert have been broken up
forever. Time to move on. And Jace is so much cuter than
Robert.”

“But still…”

“Come on, Rachel. You two looked
perfect together. There was so much chemistry between
you.”

Oh, my God. If Becky could see what
Jace and I had together, why fight it? I liked Jace. He liked me.
Why shouldn’t we be together?

Becky continued, “You owe it to
yourself to go out with him at least once, just to see where it
leads.”

Right. She was absolutely
right.

“He could do so much better than
Alisa. He’s making a damned fool out of himself by traipsing around
with her. You need to get him away from her. Consider it a public
service.”

Right. No. Not right. How could I even
consider it? Alisa was in love with Jace. I couldn’t be the person
to take him away from her. I wouldn’t do it.