Lost in Starlight (Starlight Saga) (23 page)

“Hard to believe the school year is almost over,” he says.

“Then we face adulthood, as my mom puts it. Not looking forward to
that
.”

He laughs quietly. “How many colleges did you apply to?”

“Only the three that I’m interested in attending. And you?”

“A few contacted me.”

“Really? Which ones?”

He shrugs. “Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley…”

Damn. I still hadn’t heard from my top three film schools yet, with the University of Southern California being my main choice. Or talked my parents into letting me move to Los Angeles.

“Any preference?” I ask.

He glances over at my face and squeezes my hand. “Berkeley. It’s close to home…
and
close to my girlfriend.”

My heart jumps. Girlfriend?

I swallow. “Does Berkeley have a good science department?”

“One of the best in the world.”

Hayden’s fauxhawk flops over into his eyes and the light brown strands gleam in the moonlight. Snatches of conversation and laughter carry over to us on the wind.

“Sounds like a no-brainier. Someday you’ll be Hayden Lancaster, Ph. D.” I smile. “Has a nice ring to it.”

“And you’ll be a famous screenwriter.”

“Touché.” I sigh and change the subject. “I don’t want to go back to school. Back to pretending we’re not a couple…”

“I know this is hard,” he says. “But we
could
sneak into the custodian closet for some private time between classes.”

“Um. No. Totally
not
sexy.” I roll my eyes. “As much as I’d like to indulge in some heavy petting and kissing, the closet doesn’t do it for me. You glimpse teens doing that all the time in TV shows and it just looks incredibly uncomfortable and completely unromantic. And such a cliché.”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” His smile is lopsided. “If you change your mind, I’m always game for some cloak-and-dagger love.”

I giggle. “This secret relationship stuff sure isn’t easy.”

“We’ll figure it out as we go,” he says. “It’s us against the world, Peaches, and I like our odds.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. We were doomed from the start.”

“Hey now!” He lifts a fist in the air and stares into my eyes with mock seriousness. “I could conquer the world with just one hand as long as you were holding the other.”

My heart flutters. So cheesy, but also
so
freaking sweet.

“You’re such a dork.”

He stops walking and gives me the softest smile. “But I’m
your
dork. Now until forever.”

Hayden tugs on my hand and pulls me closer, wrapping his hands around my waist. Lowering his head, his mouth swoops down to cover mine in a knee-melting kiss. The touch of his lips explodes like fireworks throughout my body, and I’m kissing him back, matching his fervor. One of his hands moves down to my hipbone, his fingers slipping under my blouse, grazing the top of my waistband in slow, languid circles that cause my skin to flush hotly. Fantasies of a shirtless Hayden assault my mind, and I have to push away the urge to yank off the faded
Ramones
T-shirt, clinging to his taut muscles.

Instead, I pour all the angst and worry and longing over the last few weeks into that deep kiss, and realization washes over me—in this moment of intense passion—he feels the same way. He’s just as addicted to me as I am to him. And that seems to shatter any remaining walls between us.

Pulling back slightly, he breaks the kiss. His eyes are blazing with desire, triggering the already heated blood in my body to catch fire. My knees shake. Wow, can that boy kiss.

“Don’t listen to my brother. He’s an asshat,” Hayden says, but I turn away and lower my head. He gently lifts my chin with his finger. “I mean it, Sloane. If people can’t see how absolutely breathtaking you are—inside and out—screw them.”

He pulls me into a tight hug and kisses my forehead. I rest my head on his chest and sigh.

“Our hearts are beating simultaneously,” I whisper.

“Yeah...I guess they’re happy.”

I smile and shake my head at his utter cuteness. Who says that guys can’t be hopeless romantics, too?

I smile up at him. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“I’ll always have your back—no matter what,” he says softly, then looks back at the bonfire. “We’d better return to the party before anyone notices we’re gone. Mainly my dumbass brother.”

Another wonderful stolen moment with my secret hybrid boyfriend. And I’ll take as many as I can get.

Welcome, Snarklings!

There is the only one clichéd movie trope that makes me all kinds of happy: “The Final Girl Rule.”

This is a classic concept within most thriller and horror films that explicitly refers to the last female alive to confront the murdering psycho, who as the only survivor lives to tell the tale. And most times, the badass “final girl” has some type of shared history with the evil baddie, which works as a great plot twist.

Most importantly, the “final girl” is usually the
investigating awareness
of the movie, propelling the narrative forward and as such, she exhibits toughness, cunning, and vigilance. This chick rocks!

Well, there you have it, kiddies. My one and only acceptable cliché in the genre.

Peace, love, and horror flicks,

Zombie Queen aka Sloane

The evening of Devin’s movie get-together, I hurry through a shower, and then stand in my closet, gazing at the sea of black garments.

Sighing, I yank a pair of dark footless leggings off a hanger. From the dresser, I pull on a lavender puff-sleeved blouse with silver lacing and fasten a thick, glittery belt around my waist. After triple checking myself in the mirror, I brush out my hair, teasing the purple strands at my scalp to give it lots of volume. Then I slip on my rockin’ peep-toe wedge heels and smile at my sparkly blue toenail polish. Next, I apply smoky eyeshadow and red lipstick—
presto
—I’m ready to party. Tonight is going to be perfect.

My cell buzzes on the bed, waking up Jinx, who meows and stretches. I seize the phone and look at the screen.

Hayden: I’ll be at your house in 10 mins.

Me: Can’t wait 2 C you.

Hayden: Me 2.

I shove my phone into my velvet purse, grab my keys, and rush downstairs.

In the living room, my brother’s sitting on the floor in front of the TV, his nose inches from the screen. Some comical Disney sitcom is on and Jonah giggles uncontrollably at the silly antics of the actors.

The crunch of tires on the driveway signals Hayden’s arrival.

“Jonah, tell Mom I’ll be home late. I’m hanging out with some friends tonight.”

My little brother sniffles and says, “Yeah, whatever.”

At the door, I take two deep breaths before opening it and stepping outside. The night sky is a stark throng of royal blue, twinkling with bright starlight. I hurry to the SUV and slide onto the passenger-seat.

“Hi there,” I say, fastening my seatbelt.

Hayden shifts into reverse and backs out. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Are you sure it was a good idea to pick me up?” I ask.

“We’ve been over this, Peaches. We’re friends, going to spend time with our other friends. Nothing suspicious about that. Everyone already knows we hang out. If anything, it’ll look more suspect if we keep sneaking around. This way, we’re acting like normal teens.”

He’s right. Of course.

Cracking the window, I relax and smile, then I check out my secret boyfriend. Tonight Hayden’s wearing a black V-neck shirt and ripped up jeans with a pair of brand new Etnies. He looks freaking fantastic. I catch a whiff of his cologne—spicy and intoxicating. So unlike normal teenage boys, he has a signature scent that’s all his own. Maybe it’s a cool alien thing, making them all look good
and
smell good. Because damn, he’s incredibly handsome for an extraterrestrial/human.

“Thanks for going tonight,” I say. “I hope you don’t get bored.”

“With you? Never.” He makes a right turn. “Can you punch the address into my GPS?”

“Sure.” I input the data into the system on the dashboard.

“Things still tense between you and your brother?” I ask, thinking about the text Zach sent me a couple of days ago and his bad behavior at the bonfire.

“Yeah. But I told you not to worry about it. You’re more than worth putting up with his stupidity.”

“You sure?”

He reaches over and takes my hand. “Positive. I feel so at ease around you, and I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone quite like you before. You are total beauty to me.”

My cheeks burn. “Maybe one day I’ll see myself through your eyes.”

He brakes at a stop sign and glances at me. “I just see
you
, Sloane. Intense, intelligent, sexy-as-hell. My cute, funny, Peaches.” His gaze smolders. “And I’m
not
going to let my idiot brother ruin this for me.”

A serious case of glittery butterflies hits my stomach. I swoon. Majorly.

“I told you not to call me that,” I say, but my voice isn’t very stern.

“But I like calling you that. It’s your pet name.”

I laugh. “Now we have pet names?”

“Yup. Because we’re just two hopeless romantics, who don’t care what anyone else thinks anymore.” He presses on the gas pedal and we lurch forward. “I guess maybe we’ll work out after all.”

I shake my head at him. “Such the optimist.”

“One of us has to be,” he teases.

Hayden’s in such a good mood that it’s infectious. Tonight is going to be all kinds of fun. Still, a part of me wishes we were hanging out alone.

Hayden parks the Range Rover near the curb of Devin’s California bungalow-styled home. Warm, gold light blazes from all the windows. Several cars are parked outside, which means everyone else is already here. He helps me from the SUV and takes my hand. On the porch, I ring the doorbell and Raymond answers.

“Hey, guys, come on in.” He waves us inside.

We follow him through the house and into the family room where the rest of the Graveyard Gang is gathered. I wave at Tanisha and she waves back. It’s a spacious room with plush beige carpet and dark paneling. One entire wall has floor-to-ceiling windows with a nice view of the Bay. Brown suede sofas and an armchair surround a teak coffee table that holds two big bowls of popcorn, and faces a massive flat screen TV. Raymond and Tanisha are sitting together on the other sofa, and the newest members of our club lounge on the floor.

Devin puts a disc into the DVD player, and then straightens. He fires a deadly glare at Hayden and my hand-holding status.

“Who invited you?” Devin says to Hayden.

Hayden tenses beside me, his good mood vanishing. “Sloane did. You got a problem with that?”

I roll my eyes. “
I
invited him. Hayden’s my guest, but if you’d rather we leave—”

“No. It’s fine.” Devin stares at my right breast, then moves his gaze to the left. “You look very attractive this evening, Sloane.”

“Um, thanks—”

“You are very welcome.” Devin smirks. “You’re not wearing a coat. I like your new top.”

Translation: No jacket means Devin can ogle the mega-boobs all night.

My cheeks prickle with heat. Raymond snorts a laugh, but covers it with a cough.

“You need to learn how to be more respectful of women,” Hayden says, lowering his voice. 

Devin raises his eyes to my face. Finally. “What did I say now?”

A muscle in Hayden’s jaw goes crazy. “Just watch it,” he warns.

Devin’s cheeks puff out, but he stays quiet. First smart thing he’s done in a while.

I figure it’s best to just ignore Devin. I won’t let him ruin my night. And I love it when Hayden goes all He-Man on me.

Stifling a girlish squeal, I grab Viola’s arm and drag her into the next room.

“Where’s Brendan?” I ask. “I thought he was coming with you.”

“He got stuck helping out his dad with something.” She sighs. “He’s gonna meet up with us at Club Nocturne later.”

A touch of unease hits hard. I chew on my hair and contemplate what to do. Sneaking into an eighteen and over nightclub with my friends could get me into so much trouble. My parents are pretty laidback, but I usually follow their rules. Only the thought of spending additional alone time in a dark club with Hayden can lure me to the dark side.

“Um, about that...” I say. “How am I going to get in? I’m not eighteen like you guys.”

“No worries. I’m chummy with The Hulk, so I’ll get you in.”

I laugh. “The Hulk?”

“The bouncer. You’ll get it when you see him.” She jerks her head back at the movie room. “I want the dirt on you and Hayden. And don’t you dare say you’re just friends again!”

Crap. Time to fess up.

“We…we’re…” I swallow. “I like him. He likes me, but like I said before his family doesn’t approve, so we’re not ready to go public just yet.” There. I said it. My shoulders instantly relax. “I guess you could say…we’re
secretly
dating.”

“Well, that’s just dumb. Why would his parents care who he dates?”

“It’s complicated, but for now we want to keep things casual at school and in front of his brother. He told Zach that we’re only friends.”

“What can I do to help?”

I impulsively hug her. “That’s why I love you. You always have my back.”

She smiles. “Hos before bros…or is it fries before guys?”

I laugh. “Either one works for me.”

“Now onto other matters, like, what are you going to do about Devin?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sloane, I get that you hate conflict and that’s okay, but I think it’s time you did something about him.”

“I’ve tried—”

“No. Not really. You always say you don’t wanna make a big thing out of it or you just ignore his creepy behavior. I haven’t interfered because I keep expecting you to handle it on your own. You’re a big girl and you need to set Devin straight. Sure, he might get all butthurt, but eventually he’ll get over it. And if you lose his friendship—you do. Trust me, Sloane. I know what I’m talking about.”

Viola isn’t scolding me. Just stating a fact. And, okay, my best friend has a point.

“You’re right. I’ll talk to him, just not tonight.”

“Good. Because if you don’t, Hayden and Devin are going to end up killing each other. And who would you rather be friends with creepy Devin or sexy Hayden, anyway?”

Duh. No contest.

We join the others and I sit on the couch near Hayden, with Viola sitting on my other side.

She leans around me. “Hayden, since you’re not a zombie groupie like us, how did Sloane convince you to come tonight?” Viola grabs a handful of popcorn and shoves it into her mouth.

He scoffs. “No convincing needed. I get to hang out with Sloane, so it’s kind of a no-brainer.” He gazes down at me, his expression amused. “But I have read a few of
The Walking Dead
comics.”

I think I’ve died and gone to zombie heaven. Hayden’s charming, protective, sexy, and reads comic books. With zombies. Mushy girl sigh.

I lean closer to Hayden and whisper, “Are you still up for going dancing tonight?”

He takes my hand. “Where you go—
I go
.”

“Good. I’ll text my mom and say I’m staying the night at Viola’s, cool?”

He smiles. “Very cool. We’ll have the whole night together now.”

“That’s the plan. We’re going to have so much fun!”

I write a quick text to my mom, so I don’t have to stress being home at a certain time. After hitting send, I relax and lean back. My secret boyfriend wraps his arm around me in the safety of the dark room. No government agents or snotty hybrids here to witness any PDA.

With a bowl of popcorn resting in my lap and my trusty notebook beside me ready to take notes for my movie review, I settle in to watch a group of teens battle the walking dead. Hayden seems to be half-heartedly paying attention to all the screams and blood and gore. Every few minutes, he nuzzles my ear, kisses the top of my head, or squeezes my hip.

Two hours later, the film ends and everyone gets up to stretch and take bathroom breaks. While Devin is showing off his horror movie collection, Viola pulls me aside.

“Brendan just texted me and said he’s going to meet us inside Club Nocturne.” Viola’s fingers fiddle with the black velvet choker around her neck. “So we gotta make a break for it now before Devin pops in another flick.”

I nod. “I’ll fake a stomachache and tell him that Hayden’s taking me home.”

“Good idea. And I’ll say I need to leave because I have an early piano lesson tomorrow, and since I came here with Raymond and Tanisha, they’ll have to leave, too.”

“Brilliant.”

Hayden stands by the archway, but he doesn’t move from his spot. Looks like he’s ready to go, too.

We thank Devin for having us over, then give him our lame excuses, and rush out the door. Everyone piles into their vehicles and we speed off toward our next adventure.

As Hayden flies down the street, we pass another black SUV. The driver’s side window is halfway down and I catch sight of a man in dark sunglasses, watching us drive by. But I don’t mention it to Hayden. No one, not even creepy government agents will screw with my fun night.

We leave our cars in the closest parking lot down the street from Club Nocturne, walk the three blocks, and then get into the long line to wait. The guy checking IDs at the door resembles a professional weightlifter. Now I get
The Hulk
reference.

Instead of waiting with us, Viola slides up to the bouncer and whispers something in his ear, and he nods with a smile. She’s got this irresistible charm over men young and old. Viola motions for us to get out of line and meet her at the front. The bouncer raises the red velvet rope blocking the entrance and ushers us inside.

The dark nightclub is loud with pulsating music blaring from the speakers and vibrating with so much force the ground shakes. Colorful lights swirl down on the dance floor, illuminating the throng of gyrating people, and fog machines shoot out an eddying vapor. Those who aren’t dancing to the DJ’s techno beat are lounging at tables, drinking, laughing, and talking. Viola finds us a booth and everyone scoots in around a table to survey the crowd. Tanisha and Raymond order sodas and relax against each other.

Brenden appears and taps Viola on the shoulder. She turns around, and they embrace.

Hayden shakes hands with him and they smile at each other. “Been a long time.”

“Too long, dude,” Brenden says. “Things good in Winter Haven?”

Hayden glances at me. “Yeah. Real good.”

Brenden says something in Viola’s ear, and then takes her hand and leads my best friend onto the dance floor.

“I don’t recognize anyone here,” I say.

Hayden smiles. “Neither do I.”

“Safe enough to dance?” I ask hopefully.

“And then some.”

Hayden grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. We push through the dancers and he whirls me around to face him in the middle of the crowd where we’re surrounded and shielded by other couples. Under the multicolored lights, he wears an almost lazy smile, one that can melt the heart of any girl on this planet.

He gives my hand a sharp tug and I’m in his arms. He dances slowly, grinding into me, and all those forbidden feelings for him rush to the surface. And holy alien hotness—he can
move
. Being this close to him makes my body tremble and my head spin. Suddenly, it’s as if the other dancers, my friends, and the thrumming music all fade away. There is only Hayden, his passionate stare holding mine, and our bodies smashed together. His hands slide over my back, up my arms, and tangle in my hair.