Born Wicked

XXXVI

I blew it all off. I went into the locker room and grabbed my stuff, checked my phone –dead of course, and went to the library. I caught up with Ethan before class and basically blew the rest of it off. I didn't even care that we won last night.

It was liberating to let it all go, even if for one day. I'm pretty sure I just experienced a normal day in a mundane world and I liked it.

"This is nice," Ethan says to me now.

We're lying on the hood of his car in front of Max's, school ended over an hour ago. I turn toward him, the sun glinting off his eyebrow stud and grin. "Yeah," I say. "It's kind of nice to have a day off."

He grins back and then kisses me sweetly. "You seem different today."

"I do?" I ask, frowning.

He nods. "In a good way. Calmer. I just noticed you seem kind of... uptight? I don't know, maybe stressed or overwhelmed. Since I've met you, you've never been this relaxed."

I sigh. "That's true," I reply good-naturedly. "I know it's hard for you. Not knowing all the details," I wave my hand in the air dismissively. "But it's been kind of crazy since you got here. Like everything is changing for me so quickly. I was having a hard time keeping up."

He mulls this over. "You know, you really can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

I smile. It feels good. "I know. But it's better if I don't," I sit up and peer down into his handsome face. "I kind of want to be normal, you know? I feel like, with you, I can be."

He grins. "With me, huh?"

I nod, very serious. "Yes. With you."

He reaches up and runs his fingers through my hair, gripping the back of my head and pulling me back down. He kisses me deeply. My heart blazes with feeling as I kiss him back.

He sighs and pulls back. "So, what do you want to do? We haven't had an empty afternoon before."

I grimace. "It's probably sad, but I have no idea."

He chuckles. "Well, you want to be normal, right? Why don't I take you to a movie? It doesn't get much more normal than greasy, overpriced popcorn and sticky movie theater floors."

I laugh. "Sounds perfect actually."

The theater itself isn't a big deal, if you ask me. It's one of those franchise places with bright lights, twenty theater rooms and an arcade. We're early, so that's where we head. To the arcade.

Ethan is delighted to show me how to play the video games. He stands behind me, caging me in his arms as we each place our hands on the joystick and respective buttons. He whispers encouragement through each level of some classic fighting game and laughs with me.

He's actually a great teacher, telling me how he'd logged many hours at the various arcades he'd been to as a kid.

This is how we stand when Julian, Blythe, Shane, and Tristan walk in.

At first, I didn't notice them.

Ethan says something to me and I laugh, throwing my head back onto his shoulder as I chuckle.

"Hey, Ethan," Tristan says, a little bemused. "Jayme. What are you guys doing?"

This was said good-naturedly, so when I glance in his direction I'm still laughing.

"Hey, Trist—"

"Dude. Why the fuck are you talking to her?" Shane sneers, cutting Ethan off brutally.

My smile fades and Tristan frowns as Ethan stiffens behind me.

I feel the blood drain from my face. I can't help but search for Julian's gaze, but when my eyes find his –bleak and cynical, I flinch. That one look tells me what I need to know. Julian is gone. Whatever pseudo-friendship we'd had is over.

"What is your problem?" Ethan asks, his gaze narrowed at Shane.

"Her," Shane replies scornfully.

Unconsciously, I shrink back. Ethan steps in front of me, shielding me from Shane and says to Julian, "You're just going to stand there?"

Julian eyes him coolly. "You asked him a question, he answered you. What do you want me to say?"

Ethan scoffs. "Wow. If you were her friend, you'd at least speak up and tell him to back off a little. From where I'm standing she hasn't done anything to him."

Shane laughs loudly. "Friends? Are you serious? Why the hell would anybody be friends with her? If you knew anything Ethan, you'd get the hell away from her. Fast. She's trouble. Nothing but."

Tristan shifts uncomfortably. "C'mon man," he chides softly. "Leave it alone."

"Tristan, you're such a pussy," Shane jeers. "I don't even know why you hang with us man. Like it's our fault the Tempore all left Salem."

Ethan frowns. "The what?"

I grab his shoulder. "Hey, our movie starts soon. Do you want to get some popcorn?"

He glances over his shoulder and searches my face. I'm pretty sure I know what he sees. My cheeks are flushed with embarrassment and I feel struck down. Like a deer caught in the headlights, I see the oncoming disaster and can't move fast enough.

He smiles wanly, his posture relaxing slightly. "Yeah, let's get you some popcorn."

He tosses his arm over my shoulder and guides me away from them.

"Glad you came to your senses, man," I hear Shane say to Julian behind me.

I feel the tears pooling in the back of my eyes. I'm so stupid. I knew it was too good to be true. I knew Julian was lying. Every ounce of my strength goes into locking down the raw pain roaring through my chest. I toss one last, disappointed glance over my shoulder as Ethan leads me away.

It only takes one moment and he lifts his eyes to mine.

I'm ensnared. I've just been struck with a tidal wave of emotion. His eyes are an ocean filled with torment and pain and ten pounds of regret.

I gape at him. Those few nanoseconds is all it takes. I'm flayed, open and bleeding out. I never, ever want to see that kind of suffering again in my life. I clutch my chest, as my rib cage threatens to break open. Mere nanoseconds. I blink. Just one dumb flick of my lashes, completely involuntary, and it's gone.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, Julian has just drawn the shades. One more heartbeat, his gaze shuttered, his face a mask of stone and it's over. He drops his gaze back to the floor. If the entire ordeal lasted more than a few seconds, I'd be surprised. One blink, two breaths, three heartbeats. And I've never felt so emotionally incapacitated in my life. That one look crippled me.

Today. Today I go back to the girl with no friends. Today I am marooned on a deserted island in the middle of catastrophe. Today is just not my fucking day.