SpellShocked (SpellShocked Saga: Book 1)

Chapter 12 - Walk In The Woods

My parents were initially confused but agreed to go to the barbecue when we explained the situation to them. Zac and I had spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to pick out an outfit for me to wear. According to Zac I had to make an impression on Jay if I wanted him to, and I quote, 'Get all up in my business.'

I told him to shut up, but I accepted his help because I didn't want to look like a slob next to that family of models. Zac, after about twenty minutes of yelling complaining on my part, managed to convince me to squeeze into a pair of his black skinny jeans, which I felt like I was spilling out of the sides of. He completed the look with one of my own white t-shirts, and a thin black cardigan that he assured me didn't make me look as 'super gay' as I thought it did.

I had received a text from Jay around 5PM saying, 'Hey, its Jay! Really hope you can come tonight? I asked my dad and he said it's okay for you guys to join us.'

I text back quickly, 'We'd love to come. What time?' I wished I could talk to him as easily as I typed out a text message.

The reply came before I even shut off the phone screen. 'That's great! How does 7 sound?'

'Sounds good.'

'Can't wait to see you ;)'

"Told you he likes you,' Zac goaded from behind me, making me jump.

"Stop reading my texts!" I yelled, throwing a pillow from the bed at him.

But I did find myself questioning the meaning of the winking face for the next hour and a half before we all piled into the car and drove around to their cabin. Eventually I put it down to him just teasing me, although a big part of me wished that he was actually flirting with me.

For the entire car ride, I was sat with my hands clasped together, my leg bouncing up and down. I could see my mom and Zac looking at me in concern from the corner of my eye every now and then, but I just tried to ignore it and focus on staying calm and not making a fool of myself. I gripped my wand in my pocket; I had taken to keeping it on my person most of the time in case I had to channel out some magic if it started going crazy.

We pulled up to their cabin and piled out of the car. My parents let Zac and I lead the way, since they had never met Jay or his family before. We walked up the steps to the cabin and the front door burst open and a frantic looking Jay came running out, a wide smile plastered on his face. My breath caught again when I saw him; he was dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans that actually suited him – unlike me – and a nice white dress shirt.

"Hey, you came!" he yelled, running over to us. I wasn't prepared for him to collide with my body and hug me tightly around the shoulders. I stood still, stunned for a second, before tentatively hugging him back lightly. I briefly wondered what this hug might mean, but then he let me go, smiling, and walked over to Zac and hugged him too, making me feel stupid for thinking he was hugging me especially.

My parents were looking a little surprised by Jay's reception. When he let go of Zac, he flashed them a winning smile and went to shake their hands. "Hi, I'm Jay Cooper. It's nice to meet you." They seemed even more surprised by his display of politeness.

Pleasantries exchanged, Jay led us into his cabin. Inside, Angela was sitting on the couch reading a book, which she immediately tossed to the side when she saw us enter.

"Oh god help me," Zac whispered as she stood up.

"What's wrong? I teased, "I bet she's totally into you." He glared in response.

Angela, who was wearing a stunning dark blue dress, sashayed towards us, introducing herself to my parents like Jay had. She just smiled at me briefly, and then went over to say hi to Zac. I just rolled my eyes and continued further into the room.