Blakemore

Ch. 4

The next day at school, Jia and Brayden walk into school as Jia finishes telling Brayden about her and Cash's drive. So let me get this straight, he tried to put you in a trance to make you like him?" Brayden asks as the two head to the cafeteria. "Jia grabs a yogurt and a breakfast sandwich, "Yes, can you believe it?" Brayden grabs a breakfast sandwich, "No. I mean, hypnotizing girls?" He and Jia sat at a nearby table, "I meant can you believe that he's a vampire?" Brayden looked down at his sandwich, "Oh, yea that too. Did you tell him that you're a uh" Brayden looks around to make sure no one is listening, "a vampire?" Jia shook her head, "Are you kidding? No, I just let him think he put me under. He can figure it out when nobody thinks we're a thing." Brayden shook his head. "What? You think I should've told him?" Brayden looks up at her, "No, I just meant that maybe he could've helped." Jia looked confused, "Help? Help how? By trying to trick me into liking him?" "I just meant he might understand what you're going through, that's all." Brayden returns to eating his sandwich. Jia looks at him confused, " Wait, you're defending him?" "I'm not defending him. I'm just saying, maybe he can be of more help than harm." Jia looked at him angry and confused before rolling her eyes, "Whatever." The two sat in a moment of silence before Jia stood up with her things. "I gotta get to first period." Brayden looked confused, "We still got like 15 minutes." "Well, I want to get there early. I'll see you around." Jia huffed away.

Brayden and Cash were walking to the gym for basketball practice when Brayden saw Jia in the hall. He ran to catch up with her. "Yo Jia, wait up!" She rolls her eyes when she sees it is Brayden and turns to keep walking. "Yo Jia, what's that about?" She keeps walking and ignores him. "I know you're not still tripping about this morning." Jia quickly cuts her eyes at him. Brayden looks afraid, "And by tripping I- I mean I wasn't trying to upset you and I'm so very sorry. I just meant that maybe Cash is more understanding than you might think." Jia looks at him confused, "There you go defending him. The other day y'all were just cool and now you're all buddy buddy with him?" Brayden huffed, "No, it's not like that. I'm just saying." They walked and stopped at the gym doors. Brayden turns to Jia, "Look I gotta get to practice, you staying to watch?" Jia stared off for a moment, "Well how else am I gonna get home?" Brayden chuckled and embraced her in a hug, "I thought so." Jia pushed him off, "Whatever, just go before you're late. I'll be in the bleachers." Brayden went into the gym and Jia watched as he rounded the corner to the locker rooms.

Cash spots Jia at the gym doors as he comes up the hall. He comes up behind her and grabs her waist, "Wassup sexy?" Jia jumps and turns around, "Boy what—" She frowns when she sees it's Cash, "Oh, it's you." Cash smiles and gets close to her face, "Yea, it's me. You missed me?" His eyes turned color again, he was trying to entrance her. Jia played along, "Sure did. You know what I missed the most?" She flips her hair and wraps her arms around him, "I missed.. the part where someone told you you could play me like that." She punches him in the shoulder. Cash looks confused, "What?" Jia chuckles, "You really thought you could trick me into liking you?" Cash grabs her arm and pulls her to a nearby corner, "Are you a vamp?" Jia snatches her arm away, "Let me go!" Cash grabs her shoulders and looks seriously, "Jia, for real, are you a vampire?" Jia moves his hands away, "No." Cash looks confused, "Then how come I can't hypnotize you?" Jia rolls her eyes, "Because... because you can't. Now leave me alone." Jia tries to walk away, but he grabs her arm, "Jia, for real, you can trust me with this." Jia sucks her teeth and looks away, "Look I'm serious. I'm sorry for trying to trick you into liking me, but I didn't think there was any other way. Please, you can tell me." Jia looks away and softens her gaze, "Fine. Yes, I'm a hybrid." Cash scrunches his brow, "A what now?" Jia rolls her eyes, "A hybrid; half vampire, half witch." "Wait, so the reverend is a—" Jia interrupts him, "No, he adopted me when I was 7. He doesn't even know what I am" Cash nods his head. "So, you coming to the practice?" Jia looks at him with a scrunched brow, "Yea, for Brayden." Cash's smile fades, "Oh, well uh, I'll see you in there." Jia watches as he struts off towards the gym. Cash turns around, "Hey Jia!" She looks up at him, "Let me know if you need anything." Jia smiles as she watches him go into the gym.

Jia sits and watches the guys practice drills in the gym. She sees Cash and he flashes her a smile before scoring a basket. Cash sees one of the players push Brayden at the other end of the court. Cash notices his eyes are turning yellow. He runs up to Brayden dribbling a ball, "Yo bro, check the eyes." Brayden looks at him confused, "Eyes my dude, you're turning." Brayden looks away and rubs his eyes before running into the locker room. Jia sees Cash tell their coach something before he goes into the locker room after Brayden. Jia looks confused and makes a mental note to ask Brayden about it later. Jia starts drawing in her art notebook when she feels like she is being watched. She looks up to find a tall guy with dark hair wearing tattered clothes staring at her from across the gym. She'd never seen him before. She tries to shrug it off and goes back to her drawings. When she looks back up, the guy is gone.

After practice Jia meets Brayden outside the gym and the two walk to his car. "So how is your boy looking on the court?" Brayden asks while jumping around Jia like he's shaking her up in a game. Jia laughs, "You were pretty decent." Brayden playfully shoves her, "Decent? Pshh, you know I'm nice." They got into the car, "Whatever boy. So, what did you and Cash talk about in the locker room?" Brayden pauses the music, "What do you mean?" "When you guys went into the locker room at practice. You looked like you were sick, you good?" Brayden looks at the road for a moment, "Yea, I'm good. Probably was just something I had at lunch. I'm straight." They arrive at Jimmy's and head in for some food.

Jia spots Cash in a corner booth and he flashes her a smile. He sees Brayden walk in after her and his smile fades. Jia notices and looks at the two of them suspiciously. She and Brayden grab a table, "Okay, what's the deal with you and Cash? First the thing at practice and then the weird eye contact just now." Brayden takes a deep breath, "Just drop it J." Jia scrunched her brow, "So now we keeping secrets?" "No, it's nothing to tell." Jia sighs, "Whatever." She knew something was up and she was going to find out. She sneakily grins, "So uh, since nothing's going on, I guess you wouldn't mind me going to ask Cash the same thing." Brayden huffed and raised his voice, "I said just drop it J, damn!" Jia sat back angrily then got up to leave. Brayden chased after her. "Jia! Jia I'm sorry." Jia began walking home. "Sorry for what? It's nothing, right?" Brayden caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "Jia come on, please. Can you just trust me on this one? You know I wouldn't just lie to you, but this is something I gotta do on my own." Jia looks up at him with a scrunched brow, "On your own with Cash?" Jia turns to walk away. Brayden grabs her and stares into her eyes, "Jia come on. No, it's just something you wouldn't understand. Please just trust me and I'll tell you when the time is right." Jia looks off then back at Brayden, "Fine. I won't bother you about it anymore." The two smile and hug. Jia pops her head up, "Y'all aren't like dating are you?" Brayden pushes her off him, "Bro come on, no girl!" Jia laughs, "Well you never know. I was just asking." Brayden grabs her in a headlock, "Yea, asking for a butt whooping" Jia shoves him off. Brayden grabs her back into a hug and they begin to walk back to Jimmy's. As they walk back, Jia notices that the guy from the gym was staring at her again from across the street. "Yo B, do you know who that guy is?" She turns to point in his direction, but he is gone by the time Brayden turns his head. Brayden looks around, "What guy?" "Nothing, never mind. Let's get some food."