Earth Angel (Falling Angels Saga) (4 page)

“Yeah. They’re doing the I-look-hip-and-cool-without-trying thing,” added Maudrina.

“Relax. You both look hip and cool. No one is going to think you don’t belong.”

As we got closer, I spotted Ashley Scott and Heather McNamara in bikini tops and shorty shorts sunning themselves on the lawn along with some other girls I’d seen but didn’t know.

“Welcome!” called Jeremy. He was standing with a group of jocks under the white columned portico, pretending they weren’t ogling the girls on the lawn. He separated himself from his friends and came over. He had a beer in his hand.

“How’re they hangin’, Barnett?”

“Hi. Thanks for inviting us.” I was smiling. I couldn’t believe I was actually here.

He looked at Guy. “I’ve seen you around.”

“He’s my boyfriend, Guy Matson. He’s a junior.”

They nodded at each other and did a fist bump that ended with a shoulder bump to prove how macho they were. I don’t know why boys do that. It’s ridiculous.

“And this is Maudrina.”

Maudrina smiled. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

“No prob. You go to G.U?”

Maudrina’s smile vanished. “Yes, I go to G.U. We were in the same economics class last semester.” She was annoyed.

“Oh, right.” It was obvious he had no idea who she was.

People like me and Maudrina are invisible to the Poplarati. If I wasn’t a friend of Matt’s, Jeremy wouldn’t have known who I was, either.

“Let me walk you guys in. A cooler with drinks is out back near the pool. Speaking of the pool, you can’t go in with your clothes on. If you don’t have a bathing suit, you’ve got to go skinny.” A sly smile crossed his lips.

Fat chance I’d be taking off my clothes in front of all these boys.

“Whose house is this?” I asked as we walked.

“The house belongs to a fellow classmate who wishes to remain unanimous.”

“You mean anonymous,” chimed Maudrina. She was still annoyed.

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

I shot Maudrina a knowing look, and she smiled. “My bad.” We shared a laugh which seemed to cool her off.

Either Jeremy didn’t notice or he didn’t care. He walked us through the front door past Alonzo Briggs who was checking invitations. It really was an exclusive affair.

The home was spacious and beautifully decorated, with oversized white chaise lounges that looked custom made. Artwork was tastefully displayed on white walls. I recognized an etching by Susan Dysinger. Her originals didn’t come cheap.

There were clumps of students everywhere, laughing and roughhousing, enjoying ditch day. All of a sudden, I started feeling sorry for whoever lived here. If the Poplarati trashed the place, the student’s parents would have his hide.

Jeremy walked us into the room where the music was playing. Some of the crowd were dancing, others lounging on the comfy couches. Most of them were drinking.

“It’s my turn on the door. Enjoy yourselves,” he said before heading back to the front of the house.

“Well. Here we are.” I was still taking it all in.

“Yep.” I noticed Maudrina was looking around like a deer caught in headlights. I was experiencing the same feeling. Now that we were here, I still felt like an outsider. I was in the midst of the Poplarati, at one of the most exclusive parties of the year, and yet I was feeling like I didn’t belong. It’s one thing to feel you don’t belong, but it’s far worse to be in the midst of things, realizing you will never belong.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Maudrina mumbled under her breath.

“Let’s dance,” Guy said, and yanked her out onto the dance floor before she could protest.

He started dancing around her as she stood motionless like a marble column. He smiled at her with his eyes, and gestured with his hands. “Please don’t embarrass me and leave me out here all alone,” he whined, making a pouty face.

She laughed, and her shoulders began to relax. After a few moments she started moving to the music, stiffly at first.

“Houston, we have lift-off,” Guy called out playfully.

Some of the partyers on the dance floor laughed.

A very cute boy said, “Yes, we do.” He danced over to Maudrina to give Guy a hand.

That’s when Maudrina really got into it, doing the Dougie with the two boys as if she did it all the time, and who knows, maybe she did, at home alone with her dogs.

A warmth came over me as if my whole body was smiling. I was proud to have a boyfriend who was so considerate as to put my friend at ease.
How lucky am I?

A slow song came on. Guy looked at me across the floorwith his dreamy eyes. Without hesitation I moved into his arms.

“Thanks for cheering her up.” There was a satisfied smile on my face as Guy held me close on the dance floor. Maudrina was dancing next to us in the arms of the cute boy. Her head was on his shoulder, her eyes were closed. “But I guess saving the day is what you’re supposed to do since you’re an angel.”

“True. But I’m on vacation, so I will accept the kudos.” He pressed his hands against the small of my back. A delicious warmth radiated off him, washing over me.

“You have an answer for everything,” I said playfully. His touch left me breathless. I was trying not to let it show.

“I try.” He dipped me at that moment for effect. I came up laughing.

“Where do angels come from?” I asked.

He drew back, looking into my face to see if I was pulling his chain.

“I mean, I know they come from heaven. I got that. But are angels people who died and were brought back to help?”

He laughed out loud. “You watch too many movies.” He drew me in closer, lowered his voce.“God created angels long before he created man. We are a race of beings just like you.”

“Ah. So, being as you’re an angel and all, I suppose you have wings hidden somewhere under that jacket.” I rubbed my hands playfully along his shoulder blades.

“I did have wings at one time.” There was something in his tone, a sense of loss that made me sorry I asked the question. I changed the subject.

“You seem so worldly. I was wondering, have you had a girlfriend before?” I honestly didn’t know I was going to ask. No doubt, I’d thought it. After all, I wasn’t the first person he’d been sent to watch over. I knew how much he didn’t like answering
angel
questions, but my mind was searching for something to get us away from the subject of wings, and it just came out.

“No,” he replied. It was a one word, straightforward answer to get me to back off. But I was at The Explosion, and in his arms. I decided to go for it.

“Then how did you become such a good kisser? That doesn’t seem to me to be the kind of thing they teach in heaven. Not the way
you
kiss.” I smiled, hoping to take the edge off.

“Well…” He hesitated a moment. “I have to win people over.”

“By kissing them?”

“Yes. But not loving them.” He was starting to squirm.

“Is the great Guy Matson sweating?” I teased.

“I love you, Megan. It’s thrown my entire existence into turmoil. I didn’t plan on falling in love, but I did. I love you. I always will, and I’m happy about it.”

I suddenly found myself hyperventilating. Could anyone blame me? I was at The Explosion, dancing in the arms of the boy I loved, and he had just expressed his undying love for me.

As I swayed in Guy’s arms, I was thinking of what a beautiful place the world was, of how this was very much like the story book moments my mother read to me when I was a little girl, and how just as in the story books, I wished it would never end.

I was luxuriating in these thoughts when I happened to catch something out of the corner of my eye. Even though we were near the back of the house, it was one of those homes where you could see straight through to the front. A group of scraggly-haired toughs had just entered. They were too old to be students at G.U. There were two provocatively dressed girls with them. One of the girls was a teased-out platinum blond in a short jean skirt and thigh-high leather boots. The other was Erin.

I tensed in Guy’s arms.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.”

Jeremy was trying to explain to the group that it was a private party. The lead tough who was wearing wire rimmed, oval-shaped sunglasses stepped closer to Jeremy. His right hand shot out and wrapped around Jeremy’s throat. Jeremy was bigger and more muscular than the boy, but obviously not as tough.

Guy turned, peering over his shoulder to see what I was staring at.

By then Jeremy had collapsed to his knees. I could tell he was pleading with the boy. All the jocks were. Finally the boy let go, and Jeremy rolled onto his side, his knees going up to his chest. His hands moved to his neck as he gasped for air.

“Wait here,” Guy said in a tone he had never used before. The command was so soft I almost didn’t hear it.

He started for the front of the house.

The party had virtually stopped. By now everyone knew there was something wrong. No one moved. Everyone stood where they were, staring at the group of toughs.

The crowd parted as Guy moved through to the front. His movement was languid, almost as though he was moving in slow motion. The leader saw him coming. He straightened, like a warrior ready to do battle, an evil grin splayed across his lips.

There were three other boys in the group. They took up positions just off his shoulders, eyeing Guy as if they were itching for a fight.

He seemed unmoved as he continued toward them. He wasn’t intimidated. He kept up the same even pace.

Guy may not have been scared, but I was scared for him. I followed behind him with my heart in my mouth. I didn’t want to fight. I hadn’t been in a fight since grade school, and I lost that one. Yet, if these boys attacked Guy, they’d have me to deal with as well.

By the time he reached the front, I was right behind him.

“Sorry, gentlemen, but you’re not on the guest list.” He said it matter-of-factly, yet there was a low, menacing tone to his voice.

The leader ignored him, looking past him to me. “Hey! I know you. Matt’s little girlfriend.” He removed his sunglasses and shot me a dingy-toothed grin.

I recognized him instantly. It was Danny Tambor, a mean boy I’d had a crush on for a week back when I was ten and he was fourteen.

“You can catch up with the young lady some other time,” Guy said without looking back to see who Danny was talking to. “It’s time for you and your friends to leave.”

Danny looked at Guy, his stare a blatant threat. He opened his mouth to respond. All of a sudden the strangest look came over him. His eyes widened. “You,” he whispered, hanging onto the word as if he was trying to dislodge it from the back of his throat. He started going all white as if he’d seen a ghost.

We all stood where we were for an interminable second. My eyes were on the back of Guy’s head. He seemed taller than I remembered.

Danny let out a soft sigh, his shoulders slumping forward, as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He looked down at Jeremy who was now seated on the floor. “Sorry to have bothered you, brother.” His voice had turned conciliatory. Danny swung around, facing his crew. “I don’t want to party with these school kids. Let’s get out of here.”

His friends seemed surprised as he pushed past them and exited the house, but they didn’t question his change of heart. Instead they turned and followed on his heels.

It was then I looked over at Erin. Her eyes were caked with the same black eyeliner she was wearing in my dreams. Her pale breasts were overflowing her skimpy bikini top. Her skin-tight jeans had so many rips and cuts in them you could see more flesh than jean. This was not the Erin who had been my best friend since the third grade. This was another person altogether.

“Hey, Erin,” I called softly. I thought of asking her why she’d dropped the dead bird in my garden last night, but I realized it didn’t matter. Everything about the new Erin was a cry for help. She needed saving. This is what my dreams were trying to tell me. I knew it had to be me who saved her. “Maybe we can meet up at the mall some time.”

She rolled scorn-filled eyes at me, and without a word, headed off after her friends. A few moments later the sound of motorcycles firing up crackled in the air. Everyone in the house sighed with relief as the rumble of the bikes faded into the distance.

#

The party was pretty much over after that. The music came back on. Everyone went back to partying as if nothing had happened, but the mood had clearly changed. Shortly after that, people started making their way toward the door.

“What did you do to him?” I asked as Guy and I headed back to get Maudrina.

“Nothing.” Another of his famous one word answers.

“Danny and his friends were about to kick the crap out of you. But he saw something. He said
you
. What did he mean by that?”

Guy swung around and faced me. “Not today, okay! I just wanted today to be for us.” His words were tortured.

“Sure.” I smiled. I reached out and touched his hand.“I had a wonderful time today.”

His gaze softened. “You did?” He was suddenly a little boy looking for approval.

“Yes. When we were dancing I was thinking this was the best day of my life.”

“So was I. More to come. Promise.”

He grabbed me by the hand and a few minutes later we found Maudrina out back by the pool, chatting up the cute boy.

She’d been so busy flirting she missed all the action at the door. I looked into her eyes and could tell she’d had a drink. Somewhere between the last time I’d seen her on the dance floor and now, she’d managed to dip into the alcohol.

“Hi. Where have you two been?” she asked, a little too loud. She smiled brightly.

“Nowhere,” I said. I pointed to my wrist as if I was pointing to a watch. “Time to go.”

She looked into the eyes of the cute boy, whose name was Curtis, and said good night. She wasn’t slurring or acting drunk. She was happy. He offered to drive her home, but she hadn’t had enough to drink to make her do something as foolish as that.