Wicked Ways to Ruin a Boy

03 | Misery and Woe

For the love of crows.

It would have been easier to ruin Beau's life if he wasn't so kind, and why did he have to be so darn cute too? She wanted to take back the thanks she'd sent up to the all-powerful father. It was possible someone up there was trying to ruin her life by making it ten times harder than it needed to be. He'd sat next to her, and she found she couldn't concentrate on the evening news and her stomach growled. She hadn't had anything solid since the fish sticks they'd served at school. She glanced at Beau, wondering if he'd heard but he only scratched the bridge of his nose. His fingers were long and slender.

Does he play an instrument?

There wasn't any dirt beneath his nails either.

He obviously puts time into his appearance. How long will it take to ruin him?

He would make an adorable mouse.

The kindest ones were always the best targets. That was the first lesson her mom taught her. She didn't agree. There was so much crime in the world. Why couldn't they focus on bad people instead? Wouldn't it be easier to ruin the life of someone who did wrong? She sank lower in her seat. She would never get this right. She could already see all the ways she'd screw this up. Turn him into a mouse and he might be eaten by a large bird, a cockroach and he might be stepped on. She hated the thought of either happening. Someone out there would miss him. Worse yet, what would she do with a pet mouse?

"Are you okay? How's your arm feeling?" Beau asked. A buzzing sound came from his coat pocket. He pulled out his cell phone. "Hold on. I have to get this." He frowned at the screen as he got up and stepped outside for privacy.

She sank into her seat once more. She wished to be normal. When she was ten, fed up with her lessons, she'd tried to run away. She'd packed a suitcase, wrote her family a letter, and made it all the way to the bus stop before her mom came running after her.

She wanted to run away now. If she did, she wouldn't have to worry about any of this. She did have some money put away for her and Eva's trip to New York City this summer once they graduated.

"Cora Emerson?" A bald man with a clipboard said.

"Coming." Her tone was the same one she reserved for her mother when she'd interrupted her ever so overzealous thoughts.

In the time it took the doctor to examine Cora's arm, right before she had her x-ray done, her mother showed up. Stella Emerson was a short, well-dressed, pretty woman, who didn't take nonsense from anyone and did a lot of finger wagging when angered, among other things. When Stella became angry, the Emersons knew to duck for cover or at least cover their ears. Everyone said Cora and Willow took after her.

Other than her deep, brown skin, stubby nose, and kinky tresses, she disagreed. Of course, they would say she took after Stella. Except for an old photo, no one had seen or heard from her father in years.

"She's all right." The doctor gave Stella a tight, closed lipped smile. "I think she has a sprain, but the x-ray will tell us for sure."

"Thank the all-powerful father." Stella smoothed Cora's hair. Her "thank the all-powerful" was only for the doctor. A minor sprain, even a broken bone or two, would never faze a sorceress. She kissed Cora's forehead. She smelled like warm and rich cocoa butter, which took a little of the ache from Cora's belly. Maybe her mother would have some good advice, but it would have to wait until they'd left the hospital, out of anyone's earshot.

In the meantime, she had her x-ray done. It was a sprain after all. The doctor gave her an arm sling and a prescription for pain medication, which would go unused.

"Be easy on it for a few days," he said.

A flush crept to her cheeks when she left the doctor's office and saw that Beau hadn't left. She looked from him to her mother, to him again, quite bewildered. He was fast asleep, his cheek propped on his fist. She could leave him there. The thought of making him miserable did bring an ache to her belly. She could kick herself for being such a softy.

It's time for me to grow a pair.

The time for magic had begun and she couldn't let this one get away. As her mother tugged on her gloves, she shook him awake. He startled out of sleep as if he'd already forgotten where he was. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder where her mother stood. "We're leaving." She thought to ask for his number, but with her mother near ghosts swirled through her belly, making a mess of her nerves.

He held up a hand to Stella. "It isn't so bad then?" He drummed his fingers on his thigh, a gesture that made Cora think he had nervous ghosts too.

She lifted her sprained arm as much as she could. "Just a sprain."

"That's good."

"Yeah, it is." Cora pushed her tongue against her teeth, thinking of what to say but she didn't know how to say, "I'm a sorceress and you're my victim," in a pleasing, not so scary way.

Stella squeezed her shoulder. "We should get going. I don't want your sister ruining our kitchen." She held out her gloved hand. "It was nice meeting you..."

"Beaumont." Beau shook Stella's hand once.

Before her mother could steer her away, he called out, "Wait."

Cora whirled, a bit baffled. He brought out his phone. "In the spirit of making new friends, can I ask for your number?" His smile made her even more unsure of what she should do. He was her gull, so easily handed to her. The heavens had aligned in her favor.

"Yeah. Sure," she said and proceeded to give him her number, waiting patiently as he plugged it into his phone.

"Done." The phone disappeared into his coat pocket once more. "I'll see you around, Cora."

She shook away her surprise. "You... you will?"

"Who knows. It's a small world."

Neither of them could say anything else to each other after that because Stella, rather rudely, took her by the elbow, leading her through the emergency room and out the hospital. When they were several paces away, she stopped. "If you're going to hurt them, it's best not to fall in love with them first."

Stunned, Cora's mouth fell open. Her mother closed it. "Some motherly advice." She ushered her to their car. "He is cute." This led to a lecture about how she needed to be more responsible. "I don't need to remind you of who you are," her mother said, although she meant to say what. "You have certain responsibilities, and I know that isn't always fair, but you are an Emerson and we do not cower."

Cora said nothing, pretending to listen, as her mother went on and on about what it took to be wicked. A lecture from Stella couldn't fix the fact she possessed only half the wicked gene.

Curse this heart of mine.