The Devil & Me

Chapter Eight: Winter's Solstice

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Things became so quiet in the week after Ambrose Devil's purge ended. Quiet enough, in fact, to convince me to return to volleyball with Luce. I scaled back my shifts at work to accommodate the change, something David celebrated with a free slice of cake and a coffee.

"You're looking better these days," he said. "Did something good happen?"

"You could say that."

Every once in a while, Ambrose Devil brought me snacks to the library and to practice. "We have to keep up the act," he said once, handing me a sandwich. "Since I can't kiss you, this is the least I can do."

That made me nervous; if I let him, would he have kissed me? It hurt my head to think about. I wasn't going to ask either—it was just foolish. But I'd noticed the anxious flutters of my chest and stomach when he came around. Sometimes, before he left, he'd stop, his head beside mine as he studied a problem I was working on. I'd get a whiff of his cologne. Then I'd decide to stop breathing altogether, just to avoid him.

Winter break came, and I parted with Luce. "You can come to my home," she said. "You're always welcome."

Yeah, I could've, and I would've if my mother would give me permission. But she was still angry, and the only place she would've let me go was home, if I could manage to get there.

So I ended up spending the break alone, the only one in my grade to do so. On the first morning of break, I woke up and went to the cafeteria. The staff had gone, but they'd prepared leftovers to be heated up, more than enough for our long, three-week term break.

I was sitting at the table beside the window when I heard footsteps. Maybe a teacher who lived in the local town had come to check on me. "Good morning—"

"Good morning, Camille," Ambrose said. He was dressed in sleep shorts and flip-flops. He grinned at my shock and silence. "Is the breakfast any good?"

When I recovered from my surprise, I managed to squeeze out the words, "what are you doing here?"

He pulled out a chair and sat down, still smiling. I wanted to jump out of my skin. "Do you mean you're not happy to see me?" he asked.

"Of course not." I picked up my tray to return to my room. To my horror, he picked up his too. As I walked up the stairs to the girls' dorm, it quickly became apparent that he was following me. "Can I help you?" I asked. He stared at me with narrowed eyes, mouth pursed like I'd said something stupid.

"You promised you'd spend the break with me."

I had, hadn't I? I wrinkled my nose. "I don't remember saying that."

"Yes, you do."

"I must've been out of my mind."

His eyebrows sank into a heavy curtain on his face. I shrugged. I never meant to honor my word because I never thought his parents would turn on him.

"We still have a deal," he called up the steps. "Remember you were worried what would happen to you after our break up." I paused, my tray rattling in my hands. He climbed the steps one by one. "I don't do things for free," he said, after stopping beside me. "I don't get taken for a fool either."

I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. His gaze was hard. He would do that, ruin me, just as quickly as he'd helped me. Which made me wonder again why he'd even done it (and the uncertainty bubbled in the pit of my stomach). But he was right; he had me beat.

"Fine," I said. "Follow if you want to."

As nonchalant as I tried, letting him into my room was another story. This was a place of safety, one place where he would never touch. Until today.