The Promise (Book 1, The Coven Series)

Chapter Seventeen

Jeff glared down at me. I grinned. I couldn't help it. He looked ridiculous.

"CJ, I swear if you don't pay attention, I'm going to leave right now!" He'd been trying to get me caught up on rudimentary magic over the last week. If I wasn't with Ethan, I was with Jeff here in the tree house. It had become a makeshift school house.

"I can't help it!" I collapsed backward, rolling with laughter. "You look like Mr. Herndon."

He gasped in outrage and stalked toward me. "You take that back!"

"No, you do," I managed to get out. "Remember when he tried to teach us about the differences in the triangles and droned on and on with that ruler tapping the board every other second? That's you!"

Mr. Herndon, our old tenth grade geometry teacher, seemed to think that it was still 1959. He wore thick wire rimmed glasses and kept his hair slicked back with so much grease he could have fried enough French fries to feed a third world county. The kids made fun of him all the time.

Jeff growled and launched himself at me. I rolled and scooted backwards. His hand caught my ankle and dragged me back. Before I could do anything, fingers dug into my sides and he proceeded to tickle me until I cried, "Stop, stop! I take it back!"

He smirked.

"So wrong." I shoved him and sat up, still laughing. "Do you promise to stop waving that ruler around?"

"Nope," he grinned.

"Then how can you expect me to learn which physical properties each Element stands for?"

"By paying attention."

"I can't!"

He rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers. "Do I have to use negative reinforcement?"

"NO! I promise I will try to stay focused and not see you as Mr. Herndon in his underwear."

"CJ!" He looked outraged. I laughed and suddenly found myself thinking how much I'd come to depend on him over the last week. He'd done so much for me. My Neighbor Boy really was a great friend.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"For threatening to tickle you into submission?"

"No, for everything. You've gone out of your way to help me when I know how hard it is for you. You're a good friend, Neighbor Boy."

"I aim to please," he winked and then his face grew serious. He pulled a small bag out of his coat pocket and handed it to me. "Happy birthday."

"My birthday's not till next week." I took the bag and shook it. I loved presents. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I bought it before you started dating Ethan. I figured I'd give it to you anyway. Go ahead, open it."

The most gorgeous piece of jewelry I'd ever seen fell into my palm. It was the necklace straight out of the movie Titanic. The one Rose wore when she was about to jump overboard that first night. An exact replica. I loved that necklace.

"It's zirconium," he said in a rush. "The ruby in the center is real, though. It reminded me of your hair, blazing in the sun. Plus, you went on and on about that necklace for months after the movie came out."

"Jeff...I..." I just didn't know what to say. "You..."

"Just say thank you." He looked down at his lap. I could see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Thank you, but I can't keep this." Oh, but I wanted to...maybe...no, I couldn't.

"No, CJ, it's yours. I had it made for you."

Damn.

"Look, I know you don't think of me that way, but please, just take it."

"Jeff..."

He did something I didn't expect. He kissed me.

There was no fire as when Ethan kissed me, but I felt a warm heat seep into me and flow through me. The boy had learned to kiss. His lips were no longer wet or slobbery. They were hard and firm as they took mine in a gentle assault that left me breathless. Not good.

"What did you do that for?" I demanded, tearing my mouth from his.

"Because I wanted to," he told me simply. "I wanted you to know that you have other choices, CJ. Ethan..."

"...is my boyfriend, Jeff, and I love him."

It crushed him. His big, blue eyes filled with pain. He looked like I'd taken a knife and stabbed him.

"He'll hurt you, CJ," he said at last. "I can't explain it, but he will."

"I know he could hurt me," I said softly. "I know that and I don't care."

"You should. You're the smartest girl I know, CJ, but when it comes to Ethan, it's like you've lost all sense of reality. You don't care? Since when do you not think things through?"

"I have thought things through. I love him, Jeff. There's no reasoning to love. It's not something you can control."

"I know."

Shit. He did know. I saw it in his eyes. I recognized it because it was the same look I gave Ethan.

"I'm sorry, Jeff."

"Don't, CJ." He pushed himself to his feet. "It's not your fault."

I knew he'd had a crush, but not this. "Jeff, I..."

He laughed harshly. "Just promise me you'll be careful. He's dangerous, CJ."

"I will."

He turned to face me, his eyes hard. "You're almost eighteen, CJ. I swear I am going to do everything I can to protect you. No matter what."

"The curse?" I knew it had something to do with my eighteenth birthday. I just didn't know what. It was driving me insane not knowing.

He sighed.

He couldn't say a single word.

"So, don't you think we should get back to teaching you about the Elements?" He tried to sound as carefree as before, but didn't quite manage. "You need to know as much as you can."

"I promise to pay attention."

"Even if I sound like Mr. Herndon?" he smiled half-heartedly.

"Even if."

He went back to tapping the ruler and I tried in vain to concentrate.

It was a hell of a mess.