THE MARKED

Growing Pains

Jenna was talking. I was listening.

It was her per-usual morning discussion on how who'd invented alarms, clocks, tardy bells and time itself had been a coldhearted son of a bitch.

I still couldn't slurry more than 'hi' and this girl's mouth was running locomotive-speed. A quick grimace fluttered across my face as I remembered last week, when a painfully similar scene had happened. I'd told her to watch her caffeine levels and yikes! There was no one who didn't want to scamper off under her 'you're dead to me' glare. But it only lasted for about five, ten minutes then she became the best blabbing BF you could ever have.

"Can you believe my Mom put a password on her laptop?" She grumbled, locking arms over her chest like a petulant child.

A chuckle weaseled past my lips.

"Online shopaholic strikes again."

"Shut it. You have no idea how it felt to have my parents cancel my Amazon account..."

"Or your eBay account, or ASOS account—"

Jenna poked my arm with an elbow, glaring through green contact lenses. She liked to mix it up every now and then. Her real eye color was a soft blue.

"You are the worst. I'm looking for some comfort and you just keep gaping the wound." She sighed. "They took down my Paypal..."

My eyes widened in fake shock.

"No, not the Paypal account!" I gasped in feigned horror. Jenna blinked twice before clenching her jaw.

"This is a real issue, Chloe. I can't even buy my pens!"

Losing some morning idiocy, I dropped my arm around her shoulders, squeezing us together.

"I'll buy you pens," her vibrant green eyes latched onto mine. Seriously, it was like I'd just told her Justin Timberlake was dropping in for a secret concert or whatever. "But just one a month." I warned, knowing she was used to buying about ten cool-looking pens every thirty days.

Jenna nodded fervently before stopping, latching her arms around me in a quick, fierce hug.

"I take back what I said," she grinned like a goof. "You are the world's greatest friend. I swear." She held up her right hand and placed the left one over her heart.

The Scout's oath. Ha.

My mouth opened but anything and everything I'd been about to say dropped away. Over Jenna's shoulder I saw him. Wavy chestnut hair fell to his forehead—hair that curled at the nape, I knew—he was carrying a notebook and nothing more.

"Huh, where are you... Ah. McHottie has arrived." I heard Jenna say. She'd twisted around, to look at him, and was waving.

Wade's lips—pale, full ones—curled at a corner. Butterflies took flight in wild directions, crashing into my stomach walls making me nervous. Which was totally stupid. Wade and I... We were...

"Hi," he said, in a low but deep voice.

He was standing a foot away. God, he had long legs. Just seconds ago he'd been in the middle of the hall and now he was...

Kissing me.

Wade decided my lack of response and the little distance between us was annoying. This was... Yeah, this was much better. I leaned into him, putting my hands against his chest. A chest that made my imagination run mad, a chest that brought summer afternoons back. The minute I thought about us—together—about his laugh, just him...

His lips slid over mine, and I was sure he tasted the ChapStick. It was strawberry flavored. One of his hands cupped my cheek. A warm, gentle thumb brushed a straight, dark lock away.