Deviants

Chapter 16

"The one silver-lining of this awkward night," I say.

"Oh, come on. It could've been worse," she says, and then looks as if she is thinking. "My hair could've been blonde," she says and I chuckle.

"You wouldn't dye your hair just for me, would you?" I tease. She again has that cute pondering look on her face.

"Naw, Amee talked me out of it," she teases back. We both chuckle. She looks at the sky again. "How many more nights are we going to have like this before winter officially sets in? It feels like a waste to miss it." I watch her hand run through her hair as she slowly makes her way back to Vincent when my mind suddenly lights up with an idea.

"I guess we can't miss it then," I say. Kate looks at me, confused.

"What?"

"Come with me," I say, grabbing her hand and leading her the rest of the way to Vincent. We get on and I drive her away from the bowling alley. I drive her through the city and down a bright lane full of small little shops where Kate points out a tiny little candy shop where we both pick out small pieces of chocolate candy before we continue through the city.

I feel Kate's chin rest against my shoulder and my stomach feels with butterflies. Is this really happening? Am I actually riding on my motorcycle with Kate right behind me? Kate? I've thought about it plenty of times but now it's actually happening. Will she be the one I'll spend the rest of my life with? Will she be the one to share my secret? How much can I reveal to her on the first night? How long can I keep my ability a secret when I'm so anxious to tell everyone? Kate in particular. How much lighter would I feel knowing that I will finally have someone to share this secret with me?

I exit the city on a road that is a mild slope up on the west side of Stone Hill- a very small mountain that over looks Stonegate on the east, a vast amount of trees on the west, the suburbs on the southeast, and the broad Stone Lake on the north, northwest. The lights of the city disappear, and we are only left with the headlight and star light guiding our way. It seems colder on this side of the mountain.

I turn off the main road onto a dirt one that leads us to a secluded ledge where we can see the stars above the dark forest. I stop Vincent at the end of the road and both Kate and I step away.

"How do you like it?" I say. She stands beside me with her arms wrapped around herself.

"It's gorgeous."

"You must be freezing. Here," I take the blanket from the motorcycle and wrap it around her.

"Thank you," she whispers as I drape it around her. I get a whiff of her sweet smell and I use the excuse of wrapping her in the blanket to step closer to her. My hand gently touches her shoulder and grazes her arm until I feel the touch of her soft hand. Her icy blue eyes look up into mine and I see an overwhelming look of fondness. My heart pounds as I make myself look away and step back. But my fingers wrap around hers and I lead her to the ledge. We take a seat with out legs dangling over the edge.

"Did you like Florida?" I ask. Kate looks at me, seeming caught off guard.

"Um, I suppose so... I try not to think about it." I look at her, but she quickly looks back at the stars. How would it feel to have both your parents commit suicide together? I could only imagine how she must've felt, being the one to find them. I have so many questions that only she could answer but sensing her sudden uneasiness I know she's not ready to share. My situation is different though. If I open up first, maybe it'll make it easier for her.

"My father was on his way home from work," I say. She looks at me but I try to casually look at the stars. This isn't the first time I told someone my story, but this is the first time my throat tightens while I tell it. "He was jumped by at least three men. I remember like it was yesterday. It was really rainy that day. I had gotten off the school bus with two cop vehicles outside my house. They were asking me for my name, but I was extremely skeptical..." I don't yet say that the reason I was skeptical was because my father had warned me never to reveal my ability to anyone, particularly to any type of authorities that were strangers.