My hopes and dreams are crushed when I catch a flash of red hair. The smile on my face is forced, but it's ignored as Eden quickly apologizes, “sorry, someone was being indecisive and then she snagged her nose ring which had her tearing up and then her mascara smeared.”
“Yeah, Yeah, I’m a mess,” she jokes before leading us out the door.“I’m more than happy to order room service and stay in. No decision necessary, mascara free night. Maybe you can even do a little spying.” This would be the only time I would influence her poor choice in men.She seems more shocked by my offer than I thought she would be. “I would never choose a boy over you two.” Silence. Wait for it. “Except for that one time.” She holds up her index finger and thumb, nearly pinching them together, “I was close, like this close, but I didn’t.”Because he was a douchebag. The relationship lasted two weeks. She wouldn’t have chosen him over us for very long. “What was his name?” I question. “Fitz…Flash…”“Fetish,” Eden blurts out.A rush of laughter bursts from my lips so forcibly that I actually spit. “He was a fetish wasn’t he.” Lyra’s fetish. There’s no stopping the contagious laughter that leaves me breathless. Lyra tries to calm us down by telling us that his name was Felix.Barely getting the words out, I reply, “he seemed more like a Flex to me.” As he was always flexing his mini muscles at every opportunity he got.This has Eden doubling over and stumbling in her heels. She wheezes the truth, “he was. He was.” She flexes her own biceps ready to do her impression of him. “Always.” She puckers her lips, deepens her voice, “look at these, babe,” she mocks.Lyra doesn’t have a choice but to join in the laughter. She knows full well that she only dated him because he was a Flex and maybe a Fetish too. My eyes are watering to the point my vision is blurred and my stomach is burning. “Oh, cramp. Cramp.” The painful spasm of my ab muscles sober me up.And good thing too because we come to a stop in front of Lyra’s chosen restaurant. We barely get ourselves composed before we enter. The hostess gives us a double take, eyeballing us with speculation as she leads us to a table.Slipping into the booth, almost immediately after the hostess leaves, Lyra blurts out, “he was a Flex wasn’t he?”Another round of laughter erupts between us. Accept this time it’s a little more strained as we don’t want to gain unwanted attention. “I haven’t dated a Fetish yet.” She admits.“Key word: yet.” Eden adds as her eyes stare at something across the room. “But I think I found a perfect example of one.”We follow her gaze and I nearly choke on my tongue. You’ve got to be kidding me. Lyra on the other hand is ecstatic. She’s so happy that she goes as far to wave at them. Out of all the places to eat Lyra chose here. Where did she find this restaurant? Did she overhear them talking about it? Did they tell her they were coming here when she was in the pool with them yesterday?Nox, Silas and Stryker sit in a corner booth with three girls, one of which is the one I saw in the hall. Apparently, she was on her way for a night out with them.“Can I make it very clear that I do not want to be dragged into your newfound fetishship.” I whine.“Maybe you need a little bad boy in order to change things up.” Lyra retorts. And now she’s throwing my past relationships in my face. “Don’t get me wrong, you and Wes were perfect until you broke his heart and things got weird.”Wes was perfect, too perfect, too understanding. And Lyra is right, it got weird. He was closer to my dad than he was to me. Even after our break up, he still talks to my father. They’re like friends or something. And they talk about me behind my back. It’s how he found out the truth…or a version of the truth. My father divulged details about my mother being murdered. After people find something like that out, they treat you differently. Like you're a fragile doll that will shatter with the slightest touch.She continues oblivious to my growing annoyance, “Wes is like the scarecrow. He doesn’t have a brain, so he has no clue as to when to give up.”The analogy is offensive to me for some reason even though it's spot on. I don’t always date brainless men.Eden quickly blurts out, “And Lyra here only dates tin men because none of them had a heart.”The sharp inhale of breath from Lyra is fake and forced. “That is…true. Regrettably true.” Her eyes shift to Eden, “but shall we not forget that Eden is surrounded by cowardly lions as none of them have enough courage to ask her out.”“True as well. I can’t help that I have resting bitch face.” She says it so seriously that we’re afraid to laugh at the said comment.Before any of us can speak a single word, my phone rings, startling the three of us. Turning it over, I expect to see my dad’s picture pop up, but it’s far from it. Eden causally leans over to sneak a peek, “speak of the devil,” she coos.Lyra is clearly amused. “Holy shit. Really?” For some reason this is all mildly hilarious to her. A swat has her shutting her mouth.With Lyra slapped silent, it’s Eden that tells me I should answer it. I don’t. I let it ring right to voicemail and if he leaves a message it’ll go straight to the trash. I don’t need to speak to him to know why he’s calling. He knew I was coming here and he didn’t like that I came without him. Even though he was unable to come along anyways.Almost immediately, Lyra’s phone starts to ring. Her face lights up as she waves the screen in my face, “well looky looky. Now he’s calling me. I knew it was a good idea to give him my number.” That isn’t exactly how it went. I gave him her number pretending it was my own. What can I say, I have trust issues.“Lyra.” I threaten. “Don’t.” But before I can force her into submission, she answers it.(Song: Wild Child by The Black Keys) Heart pounding, I watch helplessly. Her voice is cheerful as she greets him. The one sided conversation has my head spinning and my stomach tossing. Thankfully, she repeats everything he says. “Is Nova with me?” I shake my head no. “Of course,” she replies. Silence. “Can you talk to her?” I shake my head again. “Well we’re having dinner right now and she left like a minute or two ago to go to the bathroom. That’s probably why she didn’t answer the phone when you called.” More silence, but Lyra cringes from whatever it is that he’s saying. “How do I know you called her?” Great. She’s already gotten caught in a string of lies. “She…didn’t take her phone with her.” How many details does she need to give him? The silence doesn’t come this time, because he screams so loudly that I can hear it blare out of the speaker. “Nova.” Lyra holds the phone into the air far away from her ear. Every surrounding table can probably hear him, “I know you’re there. N
(Song: Hold Me Like A Grudge by Fall Out Boy) Without being allowed to go to my room to change, I’m stuck in my dress. Lyra and Eden change into something more comfortable and I grow jealous. My tights start to itch, which slowly drives me crazy. Lyra drops onto her bed and starts flipping through channels, Eden digs through her luggage looking for something, I stumble around the room trying to peel off my dreaded tights. “Much better,” I groan as I drop onto Lyra’s bed itch free. Eden hops up, something clenched in her hand. I don’t catch what it is, but it becomes pretty obvious when she tosses it in the microwave and it starts popping. With no bowls, Eden separates it into those complimentary coffee cups that all hotel rooms have. The night seems like the best one yet. Until it's interrupted. Once again the sound of knuckles draws our attention. Someone’s at the patio door. Oh shit. There’s not an ounce of debate from Lyra as she jumps off the bed. When she fluffs her hair and
A voice that has grown to annoy me in just two days snaps me out of my reprieve. “May I join you?” Nox questions. Eyes snapping open, I spot him already waist deep in the tub making it unnecessary, but polite to ask. Polite isn’t going to make me like him. Stunned, I watch him take a seat across from me. Seconds later my mouth finally starts working, “if I say no will you leave?” “No.” At least he’s honest. “Then, I will,” I retort as I come to a stand, but I instantly regret it. Standing from the water showcases my barely there swimsuit and Nox immediately notices. He doesn’t hide his smile as his eyes rake over every inch of exposed skin. I become frozen under his gaze and it gives him enough time to jump to feet and block the steps. “You know I can climb out from anywhere, right.” “I’d love to watch you do just that.” What did I say? Snide, egotistical, chauvinistic asshole wants to watch me climb out of the pool. Sorry Lyra, but there’s no more being nice, “you’re an asshole.”
The forest is dense and gloomy. My escape is hindered by thick trees and fallen branches covered in moss. I trip with nearly every step. It could be my racing heart causing my limbs to shake or it could be the growl that echoes through the woods that has me in a panic. It's coming for me. And it's close. Too close. Tossing glances through the nearby trees, I catch a glimpse of a black blur. A wild beast on four legs covered in fur, a flash of vivid blue eyes, a snarling mouth filled with long sharp teeth. I run. That's all my brain can comprehend. Run. It keeps pace with me. Taunting me almost. It's obviously in better shape than myself as I huff and puff, begging my burning lungs to hold off just a little longer. A glimmer of a road just ahead can be seen through the thinning trees. I have to make it. A road has people and people can help. Right? The animal stalking me must realize it too because it pushes itself harder, faster. Seconds before it lunges to block my path, I div
(Song: Heads Up by Future Palace) The drive isn’t as long as I would like it to be. My headache has subsided at least. It’s bound to recur at some point in time today. Lyra and Eden must sense the tension that rests upon my shoulders, because they fill the car with useless banter just like they did on our drive to Fairbanks. Sooner rather than later, we arrive at our destination. My grandmother’s house looms in front of me. I feel like I should know this place, have a sense of familiarity, but I’ve got nothing. Just that familiar tingle on the tip of my tongue of unreachable recognition. My phone buzzes in my pocket. Several times. Text after text after text. I glance at the name as I exit the car. It’s just dad replying back. I don’t even have a chance to open the messages before Lyra’s fist knocks against the door signaling our arrival as if I wasn’t already aware. She pushes me front and center so I’m the first one to be seen once the door swings open. It sets my nerves on edg
(Song: Harder To Breathe by Letdown) I take the backseat so I can sit with the box. The box that has my mother’s things in it. No matter how badly I want to flip open the lid, I can’t get my fingers to move. I can feel Lyra’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror. “What’s that?” She asks. Talking about it has my throat constricting once again. “Just some of my mom’s things.” Peeling my hand off of it, I try to forget about it. “I’ll look at it later.” Zoning out the rest of the ride, my mind becomes fixated on that dreadful box. What’s inside it? It has my heart racing for conflicting reasons. Good and bad. Terrifying and comforting. I don’t let myself think about my mother very often, because it hurts too much. The ache of missing her is still debilitating. Another buzz of my phone has me jolting in the backseat. Finally, I skip past the three missed calls to scroll through all the texts. Call me. Please call me Nova. Where did you hear that name? Nova. Call me. Now. The car comes
(Song: Enemy by The Plot In You) No one follows me, which leaves me with conflicting feelings. The tug of war battle is a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts. The breaks are broken and the seatbelt is too tight. Each incline and every turn, I’m whipped around like a ragdoll. All for one boy that I swear I’ve just met. Stepping outside doesn’t clear my head as well as it’s supposed to. The back patio area is mainly for smokers among other things. A few illegal transactions are the least of my worries though. With no eye contact, no inkling of wanting to have a conversation with anyone, I find a corner that’s the least occupied. It takes longer than it should to pull out my phone and dial my dad. Jittery fingers and a growing headache impair my motor skills. The phone barely rings once, before a frantic voice screams from the speaker. “Nova.” There’s no pause for an answer as he keeps shouting at me. “Nova, do you have any idea what time it is? Why haven’t you answered my calls o
The look on Lyra’s face as she jumps to her feet once we arrive has my stomach churning. What did she do now? “Ready?” The smile on her face is too eager. “I may have made a bet with the boys while you were gone.” “What did you bet?” Please let it be something mediocre. There’s no surprise that she isn’t that forthcoming. “If the guys win, they want us to join them for a house party.” A house party? “They actually live in town. What are the odds?” Yeah. What are the odds? Nox and the twins are townies. Fuck. My father’s right. Nox is aware of my past. And he might be in cahoots with Gideon. My voice is shaky as I ask, “and if we win.” Through twisted lips and a scrunched face, she admits, “they visit us in Cromwell.” Well there goes throwing the game. There’s no way in hell I can let them win. Going to their house. I can weasel my way out of them coming to Cromwell. But I know Lyra and once she has a boy in view it’s impossible to get her to let go. “I think Nox and I should have