Confessions of a Teenage Psychic (11 page)

He turns his attention back to Kensi, who smiles insincerely at me and walks Quince to the other side of the dance floor.

After the song is finished, I tell Mark I’m going for a soda. He doesn’t seem concerned at all that I’m making excuses to go talk to another guy, and he heads off looking for Jeremy. Quince drops Kensi off next to Ashleigh and Connor, and walks over to the refreshment table where I’m waiting for him.

“What do you want?” Quince isn’t going to make this easy for me.

“I… I know it’s been a while but, well, I’m really sorry for what I said at the Halloween Carnival.”

“That was totally bogus what you said about my mother,” he says, scowling at me.

“I know and I’m sorry,” I say again.

The look on Quince’s face says he doesn’t buy my apology. “And who told you my mother was sick anyway? It’s private family stuff.”

Not wanting to get into the hows and whys of it all, I simply say, “Can you forgive me and be friends again?”

It’s Christmas time and maybe the holiday spirit is getting to him, or maybe he knows a sincere apology when he hears it, but anyway he shrugs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Whatever.”

It’s the nicest thing he’s said to me in weeks. I smile at him, my heart pounding wildly as I reach out to touch his hand.

Quince quickly pulls away. “Kensi’s waiting. See ya.” And off he goes to find her, leaving me standing there alone.

Well, at least we’re back to speaking again
.

I hadn’t seen or talked to Annabeth since Thanksgiving, but Megan surprised me the Saturday before Christmas by calling and asking if I wanted to go to the mall with her and Annabeth. A bona fide offer to do normal teenage stuff— without spirits, drama, or psychic premonitions— was something I couldn’t pass up. Also I wanted to buy Mom a Christmas present with the money Dad sent me, and frankly I had no idea how I was going to do that unless someone gave me a ride. Megan’s sister Caroline offered to drive us. It seemed as if the Universe was aligning to solve my problem for me.

Malls are exciting places to be during the Christmas shopping season, even though I don’t usually like crowds. I tell myself to tune out the unwanted information, sing a song maybe or focus on a cute pair of shoes, but some of it gets through anyway. There’s a hot guy who’s about to surprise his girlfriend with an engagement ring for Christmas. A little girl just told her daddy she wants a kitten, and even though he told her no, I see him going to the shelter next week to get one. There’s the sweetest elderly couple walking along hand-in-hand about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary on December 25. And I see a grandmotherly woman, who I’m pretty sure isn’t of this world, walking alongside her daughter and granddaughter as they window shop. Like I said, I can’t tune everything out, but at least I’m getting happy vibes here at the mall today.

Tinsel, twinkling lights, and ornaments dangle in the walkways and rafters, while decorated trees and wreaths adorn every store entrance. Then of course there are the department store aisles that are crammed with extra display tables of merchandise, all with suggestions for the perfect gift. Seasonal music is getting shoppers in the mood to open their pocketbooks, and in a convenient, central location, Santa sits on a throne in the middle of a miniature North Pole, surrounded by bored young women dressed as elves.

The line of little kids trying to sit on Santa’s lap snakes halfway down the mall, and some of the kids are tired and cranky. Still, I love all the holiday sounds— even screaming kids— and smells of gingerbread and peppermint. The mall has the blown-in, fake snow surrounding Santa’s Village, something I was used to in Houston, but outdoors the real stuff is sitting on the ground. This is the first time in all my life I’ve seen real snow in December.

Megan, Annabeth, and I walk up and down the crowded mall, peeking into store windows and shoving past hawkers in the temporary kiosks. I’m having a hard time trying to decide what to buy for my mother. The choices may be unlimited, but my budget isn’t.

“Any suggestions?” I ask them.

“Moms always like perfume and stuff like that,” Megan says. “Or we could go into the bath store and look at some of those scented soaps.”

“Okay. Which way?” It’s my first time in this mall and I’m turned around.

“I think we passed it.” Annabeth looks up at the sign on the sporting goods store behind us.

“Ohmigod, do you two see what I see?” Megan exclaims, pointing across the mall.

“What?” All I can see are hordes of busy shoppers.

“It’s Kensington Marlow!”

“So?” I ask, annoyed at the thought that my rival— even though she might not realize she’s my rival— is breathing the same airspace as I am. “I imagine she practically lives at the mall.”

Still, my curiosity gets the better of me and I look in the direction Megan is pointing. Sure enough, there’s Kensi, but she isn’t alone. She’s walking arm-in-arm with a very attractive guy, occasionally leaning her head on his shoulder, laughing as he whispers in her ear. He even leans over and kisses her on the cheek as they stroll along.

“Who’s Kensington Marlow and why do we care?” Annabeth asks.

“She’s Quince Adams’ girlfriend, and that is NOT Quince!” Megan says.

“He’s a college student,” I say, too dazed by Kensi’s betrayal to think what I’m saying.

“He is? How do you know?” Megan asks me. I see Annabeth give me a knowing look.

“Um, he just looks older than high school,” I hedge. Still, we all realize that Kensi is cheating on Quince, big time.

Then a weird sensation comes over me. It’s like everyone in the mall is playing a game of freeze-tag and instantly all movement, voices, noise, and music seem to stop while a thought swirls in my head. In my gut I feel a gnawing sensation and I blurt out, “Quince is here— in the mall!”
So much for keeping my psychic premonitions to myself
.

“Where?” Megan searches the crowd. “I don’t see him.”

Neither do I at the moment, but my radar tells me he’s definitely here. “Quince is going to see Kensi with that college guy!”

“So let him. Seriously, I’d think you’d be happy if Quince found out his girlfriend is cheating on him,” Annabeth says.

I wonder if she’s right. “I don’t know… ”

“Well, I say we find him and tell him,” Annabeth finally says, narrowing her eyes at me.

I have to stop and think a minute. True, if Quince sees Kensi with the other guy, they might break up, but I refuse to be the reason he finds out. I just got back in his good graces and I want to keep it that way.

“I kinda feel bad for the guy, though,” Annabeth goes on. “I know what it’s like to have a cheating Significant Other and I’d sure want to know if I were him.”

“This mall is way crowded today,” Megan says. “We’ll never find him anyway.”

“He’s at the food court,” I say.

“Huh? How can you possibly know that?”

Maybe I misread my gut reaction? “Well, I’m hungry, so if I’m wrong, we can just get something to eat. Come on.”

“Maybe Kensi is with a— friend or something,” Megan says charitably as we push our way through the crowd toward the food court.

“They looked pretty friendly all right,” Annabeth says.

I scan the seating area, and sure enough, there’s Quince over by the pizza place, shoving a piece of pepperoni in his face and laughing at something Kevin Marshall is saying. The three of us walk over, standing in just the right spot to block Quince’s view of the mall corridor.

“Hi guys,” I say cheerfully. “What are you doing here?”

It seems like a harmless opening. Kevin gives me his usual look that says Duh! and answers by pointing to the pizza. He probably thinks I’m the most clueless girl on the planet.

“No, I mean are you here shopping or what?” I ask, hoping to seem a little less foolish.

“I’ve gotta buy something for my mom,” Quince says, and I bite my tongue when an image of her at the doctor’s office pops into my head. I push it away, though, and make myself focus on the here and now. “And Kevin’s meeting Emma in a little while.”

“Do you guys remember Annabeth Walton?” Megan asks. “From Peterson’s last month? I used to go to school with her when I lived in Belford.”

“Cool,” says Quince, taking another bite of pizza.

“Hey, Quince! Guess who else is here at the mall today,” Annabeth teases.

I freeze.
Brace yourself
.

So imagine my surprise when Kensi herself shows up at that very minute— alone— and plants a big kiss on Quince’s forehead. He blushes, grins, and then takes a large swig of soda to cover his embarrassment.

Why that little sneak!
I look around for the guy she was so cozy with, but he’s nowhere in sight. She must have seen Quince and temporarily ditched the new squeeze. I guess my dad’s favorite cliche applies after all— the best defense is a good offense.

“Hey, Quince!” Kensi is gushing a little too much if you ask me. “Buying me something pretty for Christmas?”

I want to smack her. She turns to Megan and me, gives us her usual high-and-mighty once-over, and then does the same to Annabeth, whose preppy appearance must seem like a real threat to Kensi.

“Who’s this?”

“No one you know, from Willowby Prep,” says Annabeth, giving Kensi the exact same snarky head-to-toe inspection. “I’m an old friend of Megan’s and a new friend of Caryn’s.”

The two of them glare at each other, both refusing to be the first to back down. I stifle a giggle. It’s pretty funny realizing Kensi has met her match in Annabeth.

“How sweet,” Kensi finally says. “Well, you kids have fun. I’ve got to go meet somebody and finish shopping.”

Somebody indeed
.

“Meet who?” Quince asks, but it’s too late, because Kensington has already walked away.

Annabeth clears her throat loudly and turns to face me, all but daring me to speak up. I wouldn’t be able to get the words out about Kensi, even if I wanted to, because I always find myself tongue-tied whenever Quince is around. Fortunately, Emma Cartwright appears and saves me from being put in that awkward position.

“Hey, you two”— she greets me and Megan— “and girl-I-don’t-know”— to Annabeth. “Looks like the party started without me.”

You can always count on Emma to lighten the mood.

Kevin pulls up another chair, while Megan introduces Annabeth to Emma.

“Aw, come on, sit down,” Kevin coaxes us. “We don’t bite.”

The rest of the afternoon is lots of fun. Quince is laughing and joking with all of us, but I feel like he’s warming up to me in particular. Maybe he’s truly moved past the carnival incident, or maybe he’s just like every other guy with a short memory. Whichever is the case, I’m happy.

The mall Christmas music is playing loudly in our ears, but the sound of Quince’s easy laughter is all the music I want to hear.

Mom and I are invited to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at Annabeth’s church. She promised us it would be nontraditional, and she’s true to her word. We sing lots of the usual Christmas carols—”It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “Silent Night,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”— but instead of the regular religious readings, we light candles in the name of ending hunger, achieving world peace, and providing homes for all the people living on the streets. Pretty lofty goals really, but I feel completely in tune with them.

I’m also feeling a kinship with others attending the service, especially when I look around the sanctuary and see people I know. Annabeth is with her parents and a guy I assume is her older brother, and they’re sitting next to two other families that include Mel and Syd. Annabeth smiles at me, and Mel and Syd wave as well. I feel all warm and fuzzy as I sing “Silent Night” (okay, a little off-key). At the end of the service, I eagerly hold my lit candle along with everyone else as we walk out one at a time, doing what the minister says is “carrying the light of peace into the world.”

Christmas Day dawns clear and very cold, with the sun causing the snow on the ground to glisten like brightly colored gems. I saw storybooks when I was a little kid that looked like what’s outside my bedroom window, but instead of just a pretty drawing, the snow is very real and it’s seriously frigid out there.

I close the curtains and wrap a blanket around myself, shivering with cold. I walk into the living room, where it’s usually a little warmer, and huddle on the sofa as Mom comes out of the kitchen. The coffee and blueberry muffins create a delicious aroma, but even though my stomach is growling, I’m too cold to get up off the sofa and go sit at the breakfast table.

“Come on, Caryn, if you eat something you’ll warm up,” Mom urges.

“Can you bring it to me in here? I’m so cold.”

I don’t think I’ll ever get warm again, and I worry since it’s only December that the weather will get colder before it gets warmer. I pull the blanket tighter around me and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want to ruin Christmas for Mom, but I’m cold and miserable.

We have a small fir tree sitting on a table in the corner of the living room. We found it at a Christmas tree lot’s going-out-of-business sale and saved it from becoming kindling just two days ago. We decorated it with some old ornaments Mom has been saving since my childhood and some from hers, including one Uncle Omar made by hand, and then we added a few crystals from the store— the flawed ones that didn’t sell. I found an old string of tree lights in the backroom at the store, so I strung those on it as well. All in all, the little tree looks pretty festive.

“A Charlie Brown tree,” Mom dubbed it.

Under the table where the tree sits are several gifts. I selected some scented soaps for Mom from the bath store in the mall and carefully wrapped the box in tissue paper and tied it with leftover red knitting yarn and a “To Mom from Caryn” tag.

A large box is addressed to me from Mom, and she insists I open it first. I disentangle myself from the blanket and carefully remove the ribbon and bow. Then the excitement gets to me and I rip the wrapping paper off like a little kid. The box is from Lacy’s Department Store. I give my mother a surprised look.

“Open it,” she urges me.