Demon kissed: demon kissed

Chapter 17

A week passed since the fountain incident. Collin kept his distance. We had trouble patching things up after the fountain incident, and we weren't talking. My anger faded, but I couldn't talk to him yet. The words Lily had said really messed with me, although I found it impossible to believe her. There was no way he loved me. And besides, I knew there was another reason why Collin kept away from me. I could feel it. The bond was changing again. It seemed to have a life of its own. I didn't discuss it with Collin, but I knew he was also aware of the shift. Apprehension laced his thoughts. When we passed each other in the halls, I felt the bond pull, urging me toward him. Often, it made us pause. We would stop—unable to speak. Our eyes met and we would stare at each other, as wordless thoughts past between us.

Kids noticed. They were saying that some new dramatic thing happened between us, though nothing had. The staring was an attempt at locking down my mind before thoughts could slip out and into Collin's mind. When he was nearby, I forced everything out of my mind. He did the same, but the bond grew more uncomfortable. Each time we finally moved enough to snap the bond my heart would sink, and the pulling in my chest snapped, in a short painful pop.

I straddled my stool in bio, and slumped down on my desk. The tabletop felt cold against my cheek. Staring at the wall, I thought about it, waiting for the bell to ring. Things were getting really weird. When Collin crossed my path, I was solely focused on breaking proximity, and subduing the bond before information leaked out. Stupid-ass bond. It was getting hard. Very hard. Being a hallway apart wasn't helping anymore. We could hear each other at a longer distance, and through walls. It was particularly bad in math, when he was in the room next to mine. His muted thoughts came through the cinder block walls. The worst part was the pulling sensation. There was a wall in the way. It's not like I could move it and go to him! But the bond didn't care.

The chair next to me scraped the floor. I heard Eric ask, "You okay?"

Leaning back, I raised my head, and smiled faintly. "Yup. I'm fine. Just a little strung out." He nodded. Class went on as usual. When the bell rang, we walked back to my locker together. There was no circle of blonde girls. No Collin. Eric left me, and we planned to meet around front. I was disappointed that Collin wasn't there. I almost wished he'd say something, so we could move past the other night. But, he didn't. Neither would I. It's not like I should apologize. But still. If I was given the opportunity to allow things to blow over, I would jump at it.

The kids still regarded me as the school slut, but I was no longer the topic of choice. Thank God. That was horrifying and lasted long enough. Eric made up some story about taking me back, despite my wild ways—which was true, since he couldn't lie. And we were a fake couple again. Eric drove to the church, saying little. When he finally spoke, it wasn't something that I wanted to talk about. "Why'd you do it?"

Turning my head, I looked at him quizzically. "Do what?"

His face saddened, and he wouldn't look at me. "The skater. At the party. I heard lots of stories. I didn't hear yours."

"I don't really want to talk about it, okay?" I stared out the window, leaning my head against the glass.

He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Ivy, Shannon told me that Collin threw you in the fountain. You were fighting with your best friend? The whole thing sounds weird."

I shrugged, "It was weird."

Eric looked at me, gripping the wheel tighter. "Things tend to fester and putrefy, if you don't deal with them. You tend to shove your problems in a box, and then they blow up in your face."

I bristled, "They do not... Well, maybe they do—a little bit. What would you have me do?" I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, straightening in my seat.