(Mind) Tricks

Chapter 7 - She Knows

     "What the hell... Wait...Why are you out here?" I blurt, confused as to why she isn't off campus doing something more fun.

     "I figured you would take this path to the cafeteria since people tend to smoke whatever their heart desires here. I heard what happened yesterday, are you alright?"

     I didn't want to answer that question. I'm still shaken and scared to go into town, and I guess she could tell. 

     "I...I'm doing okay, I guess." I answer back with a shaky voice. Right now I'm more scared that I haven't ever seen Jenn like this. She's got a mischievous look in her eyes, and she's not dressed quite as nicely as what she normally is. She's wearing a black snap-back, torn black jeans and a baggy Rise Against t-shirt. I'm not sure why she would opt out of her normal preppier clothes and choose a more punk style, but I'm not complaining. If anything, She's cuter now than she was before.

     "I didn't know you were a Rise Against fan." I ask, not sure of what I should be saying to my crush who's currently pinning me down.

     "I've been listening to them since I was 15, had to hide it from my parents though. They're scary religious and would disown me if they found my CD collection." She replied with a soft chuckle at the end. 

     "So I hacked into your computer yesterday and found your search history." That statement made my blood go cold, I don't even want to look at my search history.

     "I found a couple of words you put into advanced search and I wanted to help you. I've studied these types of things in my spare time and I don't think your search was quite advanced enough." She sounded slightly worried now, she knows about that search I've made. Also, she knows about the demon? What? How wasn't I able to tell that she was putting on an act the entire time I've known her!

     "So you know about the demon? But how?" I reply, slightly worried for her safety from what I read and slowly realizing this is the closest I've ever been to her.

     "I found some old occult books before I went to college freshman year and I think I remember one of them describing something like what's been after you." she replies as if occult books are completely normal and everyone has access to them.

     "Can I just say you're scaring me for a number of reasons right now?" I said, not sure of what to expect from her next.

     "And what would those reasons be Clara?" she asked with a sharp tone, she knew what I was going to say before I said it.

    "One, you're talking about cults like they're completely normal. Two, you called me cute and you're still on top of me. Three, you know about this demon and the site said that--"

     "I know what the site said, the site's wrong. Also, do you even have a gaydar? I swear everyone in a five-mile radius knows I'm gay. Also, cults aren't normal. I learned these things for my own protection and protection of the people I care about. Cults are dangerous, and I don't want anyone I love to fall victim to it.

     "Wait, so was I being a dweeb and trying to hide myself from you for nothing?" an almost angry tone took to my voice. I was shocked, everything I had assumed about Jenn was wrong. I always viewed her as the cool, straight, innocent kind of person and I was completely off. And if everyone else knew about her being gay, then how was I the last to know? I just had trailer truck of information dumped on me and I felt like a total dunce.

     "Pretty much, yea." she spun me around into the bushes with her where she had a bottle of wine and a few blankets out. She got back on top of me and gave me a wink. Jesus, this is actually happening. My heart is pounding almost out of my chest and I'm expecting to wake up in my dorm and feel the familiar disappointment that this was all a dream. She kissed me, slowly and softly like a cloud. She pulled away and looked into my eyes, excitement pouring from her smile and her sweaty hands. She leans down to my ear and whispers six words that send a good kind of shiver down my spine.

     "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"