"Boyfriend? I didn't know Allison had a boyfriend."
"Well I don't like talking about my private life," I said. Kade draped his arm around my shoulders and held me against his side. He dropped his head down. "If I mention you also don't like talking about your intimate life with me, I think he'd give you a Nobel prize," he whispered in my ear.
"Don't push it," I muttered. But secretly, I was relieved I didn't have to deal with Max anymore. Kade steered me towards his car.
Max wasn't done, though. "Look you little whore, next time I catch your friends around here, I'll make sure they won't get in my way again-"
He couldn't finish his threat because Kade spun around and punched him squarely in the face. Max stumbled back and Kade grabbed my arm without another word. He opened the passenger door for me and I climbed in, ignoring his hard stare. He slammed the door shut as soon as I pulled my feet in. He came around the car and sat in the driver's seat, starting the car.
We were quiet for a few minutes as he drove onto the freeway. I chewed the side of my bottom lip in silence and simply imagined Max. He would be mad someone actually hit him. He was usually the one to hit that person. Kade was a bit bigger than him. So it made sense he'd win. And he was a Warrior. It wasn't nice, but Max was my tormentor. It was hilarious.
"Sorry," Kade said stiffly. "I'm just in a mood."
"A bleeding nose proves that," I muttered. He glanced at me through the corner of his eye but I glanced away. He smirked.
"You should be thankful I was there. It could've gone worse?"
"Nothing happened."
"Sure, sure." Kade stopped talking and simply drove on. I noticed his knuckles were white from clenching his hands around the steering wheel. The veins in his arms stood out more. I watched his forearm tighten and release. To be honest, it was really weird. I'd never seen someone as mad as Kade.
"Why weren't you with Ben?" he finally asked.
"Ben had to go to the doctor so they could remove his tonsils. Said they were bothering him."
"Oh." Kade doesn't bother to say much. But a while later, he asks, "did your parents tell you more about what happened with...the Warriors? And why they had to put the mind block on you."
I glanced out the window. The conversation I had with my parents was ugly-it resulted in my mother fainting and me storming out of the house at night. I spent a few hours in an empty park, crying my eyes out and swinging on one of swings at the swing set. My dad found me a while later, telling me to come back home. I eventually did.
"It seems easy compared to the broken nose you gave Max."
"He deserved it."
"You broke his NOSE!"
"He called you a whore!" Kade yelled. The sound of his voice made the windows vibrate. I pressed myself up against the passenger door, ready to bolt if I had to. I'd take my chances of getting run over on the freeway.
"Why are you defending him?" Kade growled. His voice deepened.
"He's only human, Kade. He doesn't like me. I don't like him. It's just an insult, but he's never gone too far."
"So that time in the alley when Ada had to get rid of him-that's not going too far for you?" He parked in front of a small restaurant. I frowned and crossed my arms.
"It's my business, not yours."
"Where you're concerned, so am I. Ada had everyone swear a vow to protect you until your mind block disappeared. They all swore. I didn't."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Anyway, I wanted to make up for my attitude last time. I'm sorry."
"What made you change your mind?"
He parked in one of the parking spaces and got out. I followed him. It stopped raining. We went into a small restaurant and sat in one of the more private booths. A waitress appeared and smiled at Kade, glancing at me before passing him a menu. He waited for me.
"What would you like to eat? I'm paying."
"Oh! I um..." I was lost but I soon gave the waitress an order. She huffed and turned on her heel. I frowned.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kade said.
"If that waitress leaves you her phone number, you're so going to call her, right?"
"No."
"Why not? You think she's attractive. You obviously know she thinks the same about you."
"I don't do the dating thing."
"So then what do you do? Female, male?"
"I've never been with anyone."
"That's a lie." When he looked away my eyes bulged. "You're just joking, right?"
"I've never been with anyone."
"How? Why? You're good-looking yet you don't date. Any decent person like you would."
"I've never been attracted to someone. Same as you. And I'm not decent."
"It's a debate."
"I know it is. You say you only have one friend, and it's Ben. No attraction there. It's almost as if you don't feel things towards others. It's distracting. When I read your mind, I only get one thought clearly. The rest is-"
"Wait," I said. "You said you read my mind. How? I have a mind block."
He frowned and leaned in. "It's not easy. It really isn't. Your stronger than me, but mentally you're weaker. I have an easier time getting into other people's heads then they can with mine. Yet you can pick up what I'm thinking even when I'm blocking you. Just because you have a mind block doesn't mean your mental powers don't work. Everything in your head has been washed away like a wave. It's hard to pick up the shattered memories. Meanwhile, when you read my mind, you can do it with ease. You don't know you're doing it, but you are. It's disarming."
"Me?"
"Yes. A skinny, stubborn little brat like you is capable of doing much more," he said with a smile. "Besides, you're more attractive when you're honest. You're better looking then the waitress."
"You're honest," I muttered even though my face was getting all hot. "But back to my original question. Why don't you feel anything for anyone?"
The waitress came back with the food and soda. I took a small sip. Kade seemed to debate about something in his head. He met my gaze with those special eyes of his.
"When I was born, my mother died. Childbirth stopped her heart when I gave my first cry. My father was always busy, and he didn't have time to raise me. So he found a caretaker for me while he was gone. Her name was Samantha. She was the one who helped my mother deliver.
"She was my best friend. We did everything together. We were inseparable. Yet one day, a Dyari attacked her. She died saving me. I was in remorse for months. I later found a letter from her. It was addressed to me. She said she never liked my mother. So, she poisoned her. That's why she died. She wanted to apologize but I never forgave her. I put so much trust in her. Yet she died and said she killed the mother I never met.
"You remind me of her. You're honest. Smart. Strong. When you probe my mind, I feel vulnerable again. I tried building up a barrier so my trust would never be given away so freely. I want to swear that I can protect you because I know you're not Samantha. But it's hard. "
I took a deep breath and touched his hand. "Compromise."
"What?"
"You don't shut me out, and I control my ability of probing your mind when you're unwilling to do so. It can be a system. It'll only work if you agree with me."
He hesitated and I saw fear in his eyes. For the first time, fear. But he gripped my fingers and sighed, slowly nodding.
"It's a deal."