I felt like I was going to throw up. Literally. I stared at her, wide eyed.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right.”
It was true. I swear a buzzing popped up in my ears the second she opened her mouth to talk. The problem was I could read lips and I knew exactly what it was she said.
That made her smile even bigger.
“Oh you are so innocent it reminds me of a Disney movie.”
“Cass…come on.”
Peter tried to pull me away but I was pretty much frozen where I was. Of course, the girl standing in front of me was more than happy to watch the drama unfolding in front of her eyes.
“Cass…” Peter said.
I finally shifted my focus from the neon sign for slutdom in front to me to Peter. He didn’t like the look on my face and stopped tugging on my arm, completely ignoring Ami as she remained standing there.
“Cass, don’t over think it. Just…come on so we can talk.
“She’s…” I frowned, trying to wrap my mind around another truth. “Amber Frost.” I looked back at her and she was just smiling.
“Cass…” He touched my face and gently moved it so I was staring at him. “Let’s talk before the bell rings, ok?”
“Sure,” I squeaked.
Oh I was overreacting. I had to be. I let him take me outside, and down the steps so we could have a little privacy in one of the corners. Most people usually made out in the nooks and crannies of the school, me? Yeah, I was left listening to him explain…her.
“She’s Amber Frost?”
The statement was pretty stupid but it was the only one I was forming at the moment. He nodded, keeping me completely focused on him at the moment instead of noticing all of our classmates who were left outside staring at us.
“She’s staying with you?”
“It wasn’t my idea. My mother and hers used to be friends before they moved. They were in book club together or something.”
“What did she mean you were with her last night?”
“We talked, that’s all. I swear.”
“About what?”
“How she was, how I was, you.”
“Me? You told her about me?”
“Of course I told her about you. We’re dating and I had to put it out there before I even considered talking to her alone.”
“Then why did she make it sound like something more happened?”
“She does that. She’s just trying to get under your skin, Cass. Come on, you know me better than that.”
He rubbed my cheek with his thumb. But there was something off about what he was saying and how he was feeling. His eyes were swirling with worry and the actual emotion was making me more nauseous.
“What’s going on, Peter?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you feeling…”
“Oh come on,” an annoying voice said from above us. “Just tell her already.”
“Shut up, Ami.” I tried to look up at her but Peter held my head in place. “Cass…”
“We did more than talk about you.” I heard her heels click down the stone steps. “We talked about us too, of course.”
“Peter…”
“That brought up old feelings and before you know it…”
“Stop talking, Ami.”
“Come on, Petey.” She came around the end of the stairs and into my peripheral vision. “Tell the girl the truth.” She leaned against the wall next to us a few feet away. “You’re still a virgin, right? I’m sure your mommy and daddy told you all about the importance of who you give it away to. How you should be in love and it should mean something…” She moved her eyes to look at Peter. “Well, my man here was all that and more. We took each others, you see. And naturally when you talk about the past…”
The ground under our feet started to shake uncontrollably. The neon sign was startled again, I could see it. Maybe he hadn’t told her very much about me.
“Nothing happened,” Peter said, still looking at me. “The way she’s making it sound, nothing happened.”
I searched his face, sampled his emotions. Everything he was saying matched up with what he was feeling. But if what he was portraying to me was true then why was she making it sound like something it wasn’t? And why was he worried before?
“Peter…”
“The two of you have no secrets, right?” she said innocently. “She knows everything about you. Just like me. Right?”
“What the hell is going on?” a heavily accented voice said.
At the sound of Darken’s voice, the earth stopped rumbling. I looked over, completely ignoring Amber or Ami, whatever her name. Darken looked far from happy, if anything, he looked beyond pissed.
“Everything’s fine.”
She turned around and looked at him. “Why hello tall, dark, and cold.” She smiled at him and I could’ve sworn I felt stomach acid bubble up in my throat. “And you are?”
Darken glanced at her briefly, his mild disgust for her making me feel a little better. “Not interested.”
Her face paled and she took a step back from him, which just brought her a little closer to me.
“Jesus,” she snapped. “It was just an innocent question.”
He dismissed her faster than I’d ever seen anyone dismiss another human being. The temperature dropped considerably as he walked over.
“What’s really going on?”
“Nothing,” I said, “really.”
“That’s not what everyone up there is saying.”
I sighed and thunked my head against the stone. “Great.”
“Cass, are you ok?” Peter said softly.
“Yeah because you’re looking a little green, princess. Then again, I would too if I’d just found out my boyfriend kissed someone else.” I could just feel the smug satisfaction roll off her. “He did tell you that part, right?”
I froze where I was standing as did everyone else. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Peter.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“That’s not what happened,” he said, staring at me. “It’s not.”
“I think…I’m going to throw up.”
Peter moved back to give me some room and I bent over at the waist. I took deep breaths but just ended up making myself dizzier.
“Drama queen much?”
Oh no, no, no. There was no way I was going to let her get away with that one. I came up swinging, moving a little faster than I ever had. My fist connected with her face, completing a beautiful punch that even the guy who did the Tae Bo videos would be proud of.
She reeled back, covering her nose with her hands. Everyone had taken in a collective gasp and still weren’t breathing as I stared at her with utter hatred.
“Oh my god,” Gwen said. “That was so good.”
She was the one who made me watch her do the Tae Bo video. I looked up at her as she grinned and clapped.
“Cass…”
Peter took a step forward but I looked at him and he stopped.
“What did you do that for?” Ami screeched.
I looked at her like she was stupid. “Did the dye you put in your hair leech into your brain too?”
“Bitch.”
She pulled her hands down and started marching in my direction but Darken grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone shifted their eyes to him and it gave me the first chance I got to really look at Peter. He was very startled, worried, and extremely upset. This day was just…sucking to no end.
And now my knuckles hurt.
I shook out my hand, causing Peter to notice me again.
“Cass…”
“You know what? I don’t care. I’m done. I’m going home.”
I walked away, thanking god the bell for the morning assembly hadn’t rung yet.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I made it home, surprisingly. The contractor hadn’t gotten there yet so I unlocked the door and unarmed the alarm. I changed into regular clothes and headed down to the dock behind the house. Technically it shouldn’t be a dock because there was no water in the pond. It’d dried up at least ten years before. But I liked sitting out there, listening to everything in the forest. I had a feel now for everything that grew there.
I reached out with my hand and thought about a flower that grew in Ireland. My mother’s favorite.
A five petal purple flower broke through the earth at the bottom of the lake. A Bloody Cranesbill. They were prettier than they sounded.
“I don’t think that’s supposed to be here.”
I pulled my hand back in and rested my chin on my knees.
“I miss home.”
Alma sat down next to me. “We all do, lass. We may travel far from the isle but our heart always belongs to Éire.”
“Peter call you?”
“Gwen. She was worried about you, poor dear. She informed me you met Hurricane Amber.”
I choked out a sob. “More like she met me. I’ve never felt so…well, there’s no adjective for how I felt and still feel.”
“She has that way about her. She’s in pain therefore she believes everyone around her should be as well. You, unfortunately, bore the brunt of it.”
“I never thought any of Peter’s secrets could hurt me like that and it doesn’t even include the kiss. I feel like I’ve been stabbed again, Alma. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or how I’m supposed to feel…” I looked at her, her bright green eyes shinning at me. “Tell me he didn’t kiss her back.”
Her eyes were sympathetic. “I think for now, you’re going to send that flower back where she came from. Then you’re going to come inside for some tea. I think it will enlighten you.”
“I don’t think it will. The best thing that can come out of tea is a fortune and I really don’t want that right now.”
“Other things come out of tea, lass. Come on, send the flower back and come inside.”
She got up and headed back towards the house. I stared at the flower for a second before it sucked itself back into the ground. I got up slowly, stretching a little since sitting on the end of a dock for hours tended to make your muscles cramp.
I turned around and froze.
My uncle stood at the other end of the dock.
Ok…he wasn’t real. He was never real. This was just another hallucination.
It wasn’t. He looked…different, like a ghost. That lively glow was gone, his skin paler than I usually pictured him. He didn’t look angry or pissed. Just…sad.
“Cassie…”
His breathing was weird and when he opened his mouth…blood trickled out. He looked down at his chest and his hands came up to cover a good five inch puncture mark in his chest.
“Cassie…help me…”
“You’re not real.”
He looked up at me. “Help me…”
He flew forward until he was standing in front of me. His body started twitching like all the other ghosts do, his head doing weird jerks. Tears of blood started pouring down his face.
“Family…”
The stone started to warm up, a bright gold light igniting from where it hung around my neck.
“Help me…Cassie…”
“I can’t…”
The tendons in his neck started to stick out as he strained to do something. His body got even twitchier.
“Family!”
His arm cocked back and I threw up my hands. The stone flared, becoming red hot. My uncle screamed and grabbed my wrists.
“WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A FAMILY! HOW COULD YOU GIVE UP ON YOUR FAMILY?!”
His grip tightened and just as it felt like he was going to crush them, he flickered out and was gone. I collapsed to my knees, taking deep breaths to try and get myself together. The emotions he’d fed me cut off my airway and made my heart pound in my chest. The stone was still warm but just as I was passing out, I grabbed a hold of it.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I woke up to a cold something on my face. I blinked once and then they opened wide.
“Easy there, lass. You have a touch of ghost sickness.”
Oh great. That’s exactly what I needed. I’d never had it before but my mother had treated a few people who got it. The sickness tended to happen when the ghost got too emotional and touched you for too long. As they funnel their emotions into a banshee’s body, sometimes it would throw everything out of whack. Made your temperature rise, body ache, hallucinations…
It was an insane sickness.
“He was here…he came back…”
“Yes, I know. Thank the Earth your ghost packed you in ice before coming to get me.”
“My head hurts…”
“As it should. You’ll have a headache equal to a migraine for a few more days. I’ve asked your father and the Marks if I could stay with you…”
I groaned and closed my eyes. I really didn’t want to consider what the implications of that were.
“Rest now, lass. We’ll keep a close eye on you.”
I drifted back off to sleep and when I woke up again, it was my ghost who was sitting next to me.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” He smiled. “I was starting to worry.”
“You? Worry? Is that even possible.” I sat up very slowly, the room spinning just a little. “Did you get the plate numbers on that truck?”
“What are you talking about?”
I held my head in my hands but looked at him over my fingertips. “Nothing, Erik. It’s an American saying, don’t worry about it.”
He sat down next to me. “You used my name.”
“It’s because I can’t come up with a good one right now. My brain hurts and the light is killing my eyes…”
The blinds instantly snapped closed.
“Better,” I muttered. “Definitely better. Now all I need is to brush my teeth, take a shower, and pray when I go back to school, everyone won’t look at me like I’m a freak.”
“Um…Earth Girl…there’s something I should mention.”
“What?” I opened my eyes and looked at him. “Please tell me I’m not going to be a pariah for punching her.”
“Oh no. I think most of the people at your school are behind you on the whole Peter-and-the-evil-girl thing. But I should tell you that…it’s Saturday.”
“What?” I sat up a little straighter. “It can’t be Saturday. It’s Thursday at the most.”
He shook his head, looking very apologetic. “You were out for a good forty eight hours and in and out for the past six or so.”
“Oh crap.”
“And you won’t believe the amount of visitors you had. Alma chased them all away of course but some of them left you presents.”
He pointed over at the chest at the end of my bed. There were ice flowers and regular flowers: white roses, dyed daisies, and then red tulips. Those, I knew, were from Peter.
“The guys moved the rest of your stuff out like planned. It’s all shoved into the study downstairs. Alma wouldn’t let them come up because she was afraid Peter would sneak in.”
“Great…that’s just…great.”
“Oh and you should know we lost the football game. 28-14.”
I grimaced and put my head back in my hands. “I’m sure all the girlfriends are blaming me.”
“No, they’re pretty much blaming Peter. He’s not a popular person with the girls on campus right now. Neither is Evil Girl but that was to be expected. Her face is all purple and…”
“Did he kiss her that night? The night he stood me up.”
“Earth Girl…”
“Just tell me. I already feel like crap. It can’t be any worse.”
He sighed. “I don’t know. To be fair, however, I have to tell you that she kissed him first.”
“Did he kiss her back?”
“I don’t know. I just know he feels like crap. He’s doing a lot of sulking.”
“This is my fault.” I ran my fingers through my hair.
“How do you figure?”
“I’ve been…the worst girlfriend…ever. What else was I supposed to expect?”
“That doesn’t give him the right to step out on you. If he did.”
“No, it doesn’t but I knew it would happen. I’m sort of damaged now anyways.”
“Oh please. There is nothing wrong with you. So you have a crazy uncle? Who doesn’t?”
“Mine tried to kill me. Can you say that?”
He sighed. “You’re being dramatic.”
I chuckled. “I’m being realistic. Is Alma still here?”
He shook his head. “She’s back at the Marks. She left me in charge of you while she deals with them.”
“She knew I’d come out of it today.”
“Pretty much.”
The doorbell rang and I groaned. “Great. My first visitor.”
I got up and grabbed my sweater from the end of the bed. I grabbed a hair tie and put up my hair while I jogged down the stairs. I felt like complete crap by the time my bare feet touched the polished hard wood. This sickness was going to take a while to get over.
I opened the green door and blinked.
“Bren. What are you doing here?”
His hands were tucked into his pockets. “Came to see how you were.”
“Come in.” I stood to the side and let him enter. “I just woke up.”
“I know.” He followed me down the hall to the kitchen. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a ghost overdosed me with emotions. How are you?”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t be.” I grabbed the coffee pot and filled it with water. “I am perfectly good.”
“Why are you lying? You know I can see the truth of the present, just like you.”
I turned and looked at him, smiling. “Because it’s fun.”
I poured the water into the coffee maker. This was a little awkward. Bren and I never really talked. We had a silent understanding that if he needed anything from me, then he’d let me know. Until then, we were friendly but not overly so. We weren’t attracted to each other, more like brother and sister. I didn’t find him appealing physically, not that the emo good boy look wasn’t bad. He just wasn’t my type and I wasn’t his. We had a connection over something that happened in his past, making him appear quiet and thoughtful. He didn’t really say anything to anyone unless he had to. He had every right and I didn’t blame him. He wasn’t one for the spot light even though he was one of the most popular boys in school.
The future can make you just as quiet as the past.
“He doesn’t love her.”
“That’s not the point.”
I poured the coffee grounds into the filter and snapped the lid closed.
“Then what is the point?”
I turned and looked at him. “Did he kiss her back?”
The question hung in the air comfortably while he thought everything out. Normally, this would set me on edge, make me worry that maybe Peter had kissed her back. But with Bren you could never tell where he was going to go.
“He didn’t mean it. It was a reflex.”
That startled me. “How is kissing someone who isn’t your girlfriend is a reflex?”
“When you kiss someone, what’s your first instinct? It’s an automatic impulse to kiss someone back when it’s sprung on you. He didn’t do it on purpose and pushed her away a second later.”
My brow crinkled in the middle as I studied him. He was being completely truthful and I didn’t expect anything else from him.
“So he didn’t want to kiss her?”
“No, not really. When it comes to Amber, he get’s…confused.”
“I would too if I looked at that neon red hair too long.”
“Amber isn’t all bad.”
“When she kisses my…” I stopped and stared at him. “Doesn’t really matter now, does it? He’s probably out there swapping spit with her right now. God, I did not mean for this to happen. Why did I get ghost sickness now?”
“No,” he shook his head, “no, he’s not. He stayed with me after…you found out. He refused to stay in that house with her.”
“That’s not really telling me anything, Bren. Even you have to admit that.”
“He messed up, Cass, if you can even call it that. I’ll be the first one to tell you that. There’s no excuse for it even if it was unintentional. He never should have allowed himself to get in the position where she would have a chance to kiss him.” He sighed. “I can’t really tell you anything other than that. It’s up to you to forgive him now.”
“I don’t know if I can. How do you forgive someone for cheating on you? Even if it was only for a split second.”
“Think of it this way.” He grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. “He didn’t sleep with her. He wants nothing to do with her. He loves you. He wants you.”
“What happens when I can’t give him what he wants?”
“You do, Cass. You just have to believe in that.”
He handed me a mug and stood next to me.
“What would you do if it was Gwen?”
He smiled. “That’s an easy one. I’d kick the guy’s ass, stay away from her for a few days, and then let her ramble on about how sorry she is when I do see her again. Which, I’m fairly certain is what you’re going to do.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“I’ve forgiven her for worse things. I think that’s why it comes off that way. You, on the other hand, have a problem trusting people. It was never your forte, even before you met Peter or the rest of us.”
“I trust you. I trust my ghost. I trust my father. I thought I trusted Peter…”
“Then talk to him. Try to work it out. Because if you just drop it, if you just break up with him and leave everything go unsaid, you’ll hate yourself for it.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Do you really want me to tell you that? I thought you liked not knowing.”
“I just don’t know what to do here.” Tears welled up in my eyes but I swore I wasn’t going to cry. “I don’t know…”
He covered my hand with his. “Sister, look at me.” I looked up at him. “If I tell you it will never happen again, would you believe me?”
I nodded. “But that just doesn’t change the past. It doesn’t change that he stood me up, barely kissed his ex, gave her what he should’ve…” I stopped talking. “I’m late to the game and I have to deal with that. If I can’t then I’ll just have to bow out gracefully. No matter who it hurts in the process.”
He looked down at my hands and briefly touched the purple bruises.
“You don’t want to do this alone. Even though you’re ok with being by yourself, you can’t keep pushing people away when they try to get close. Your mother wouldn’t want you to push him away just because he wants you and loves you.”
“I’m not pushing him away…he did this.”
“And you’re the one paying for it. But believe it or not, being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Neither is being with someone.”
“Don’t isolate yourself, Cass. Take the weekend, decide what you want to do.”
“He lost the game?”
Bren didn’t mind the change of subject. “Yeah. He threw the game. I don’t think it was on purpose. He just wasn’t…focused.”
“That’s my fault.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No, that was his fault. It’s hard to play when you have a lot on your mind.”
“It’s hard to do much of anything with a lot on your mind.”