Beacon in the Darkness

4. Throwing Stones

The slamming of a door and thundering footsteps coming up the stairs jerked Shawn out of his thoughts. "Oh, hell."

His bedroom door banged open and Lauren stood in the doorway, her hair wild and her eyes livid. "Shawn!"

Shawn let out an exaggerated sigh and plopped down on his bed. "What Lauren? What did I do now?"

"What were you doing with Camila—and don't give me the same bull she spouted about just talking, I know you better than that."

He lay back, tucking one of his arms behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. "Well, let's see. First, I sweet talked her into coming out with me before the crack of dawn, then I seduced her into making out in every possible place between here and the soccer fields." He met her eyes. "Is that more of what you were expecting, Lauren?"

She took a few steps into the room and placed her hands on her hips. "It certainly sounds more like something you'd do." Letting out a slow breath, she crossed her arms over her chest and glanced toward the window. "But it doesn't really sound like Camila."

"How would you know what 'sounds like Camila'? You've only known her for a few days. Maybe she would like nothing more than to do exactly what I just suggested."

"Maybe so, but there's no way in hell she's going to do it with you."

"Whatever, Lauren." He propelled himself off the bed, walked over to his nightstand, and discreetly slipped Camila's drawing into the drawer. "Are you about finished lecturing me now or is this going to go on longer? If so, do you mind if I turn on some music to lighten the mood and drown out the more irritating sounds of your whining?"

Lauren narrowed her eyes and stepped even closer, until she was only a few inches from him. "I swear to God, Shawn, if you screw with her, I'm going to hurt you."

She reached up and jabbed a finger into his chest. Instinctively, he grabbed her wrist and jerked it away from his body, anger igniting immediately at the contact. His fingers tightened for a moment before he realized what he was doing and released her, almost throwing her hand away from him.

Lauren rubbed her wrist and looked up at him with remorse. "I—I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Get out." He turned his back on her, pinched the bridge of his nose, and focused on controlling his breathing. "Now."

Lauren wasted no time, and Shawn heard her footsteps retreat from his room, closing the door softly behind her. He lifted his hand and rubbed at the spot where she'd poked him. His anger started to abate, and he opened the drawer to his nightstand, pulling Camila's drawing back out.

Glancing back up, he spotted a flurry of brunette bounding down the back porch of Camila's house and retreating along a path cut in the woods behind their houses. Without thinking, he tucked the paper in his pocket and turned to his door. Flinging it open and preparing to race down the stairs, he stopped just before he ran over Lance.

"Shawn! Look what Mom bought me." He held a new comic book up in the air, waving it less than an inch in front of Shawn's face.