Midnight Runes (The Bestowed Ones) (12 page)

“Oh, look at that. I’d love to continue this conversation, but we’re here already.”

“That’s okay, we have the whole ride back.”

Gah! I fought the urge to jump out of the moving car to get away from him as fast as possible. Maybe I could get out of riding back with him. But that thought made me feel like a sneak. I wasn’t much better than the guys I had claimed were immature if I couldn’t continue a conversation with him. Even one that made me uncomfortable.

Hey, look on the bright side
, I told myself,
maybe he’ll have some inspiring words of advice. And maybe he’s just joking about wanting to irritate the other guys
.

He rushed around the car to walk up to the house next to me. So close that we were nearly walking shoulder to shoulder, I realized this was fun for him. He was actually eager with anticipation.

Great. I couldn’t even lie to myself. I stuck my hands in the pocket of my hoodie and sighed loudly.

Landon looked my way. “Oh, come on. This isn’t that bad. You may want to work next to me all day, though.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Not at all. If I’m going to be bossed around all day, you are too. Anything else I have in mind would be much worse for you. I’ll call us even if you’re a good sport. I promise.”

I glanced at him to see if there was any hint that he was teasing. There wasn’t any clue on his face. My mind whirled, searching for a way to avoid drawing attention. Who was I kidding? Being side by side with him all day would surely draw attention.

I heard voices drifting from the back of the house.

“They’re already back there.”

“Here, let me get that.” He unlocked and opened the gate for us. I took the chance to speed-walk to the back of the house while he closed and locked it. The other seniors were all seated at the table, waiting for the entire group to arrive before starting. I was definitely going to pay attention to how the guys reacted so I could prove him wrong.

“Hey, Brynn,” Logan said enthusiastically as I approached. Movement behind me caused his eyes to briefly leave mine. “Hey, Landon,” he said, slightly less enthusiastically. Maybe I was only one who distinguished the difference. I looked at Landon, and he smugly raised his eyebrows.

“We’re ready for an assignment.” Landon looked at me as he talked. Probably as a dare to challenge him. I wouldn’t yet.

“What, you guys working together today?”

“Brynn wants to learn how to construct things, as she puts it.”

I worked hard to control my expression. I could tell everyone was questioning my change in work partners. It wasn’t like me to claim anyone other than Elyse for projects. She held back a smile, and I had to avert my eyes so I didn’t smile and give the wrong impression. I didn’t know if it was against the rules to voice the real reason for this new pairing, and I wanted to avoid paying a penalty on a technicality. It was kind of exciting, in a way. It mixed things up.

The tasks were simple enough. I asked lots of questions, looking for direction and playing the part of a girl who didn’t know too much about building stuff. In reality, I knew how to use a drill and what bits to use to countersink a screw. Decorating with my mom and helping my dad work on his old Mustang had taught me more than the basics. I think the guys were fooled. Well, all but Landon. I think he was a little too entertained by my antics. The other guys were all eager to help me carry 2x4s and help me fasten a character to the float. They repeatedly made sure I had gloves and safety glasses. I felt extremely looked-after. It was nearly suffocating.

They worked diligently, each focusing on the opposite side of the character than me. After completing two, Elyse and I worked together on a few. My show of ignorance entertained her. I was sure her deductive reasoning had already told her why I had paired up with Landon. I think she liked it too much—or maybe she was just happy I didn’t back out of driving with Landon.

It took six hours to complete the float. We put the finishing touches on and took some commemorative yearbook pictures before pushing it into their four-car garage until parade day. I stood by Elyse, running her through Landon’s introduction to my parents this morning when he shouted, “Brynn, just let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll take you home.”

Elyse and I looked at each other, not believing that he would really show off this much. I shot him a disgusted look. “You might want to say it a little louder. I don’t think the whole neighborhood heard you.”

“He’s driving you home?” Emilee asked, looking skeptical.

“Unfortunately. I was fooled into thinking it was something I had to do.”

“Huh,” she said as she looked between us, apparently deciding if she should turn it into a big deal. She must have realized I wasn’t excited about it.

We ignored Landon as long as possible, but I couldn’t avoid the inevitable. Others were wrapping up their conversations and saying good-bye for the day. The float was done, and it was time to go.

This was the other part of the day that I’d dreaded. We walked to his car just after everyone else left to walk to theirs. I couldn’t help thinking this was how he had planned it. I caught the guys’ expressions as they watched us approach his car. The reluctant glances and the expressionless stares made me feel like I was on display, although I wasn’t making a statement with Landon.

Great
, I thought sarcastically,
just what I wanted
. Why does he have to make waves within our group?

As soon as the car started, I reached over to turn the radio up loud enough to discourage conversation. He saw through my charade and turned it off.

“
Y
ou’re quite good at avoidance tactics. I doubt many people call you out on them, though,” Landon said as he merged with traffic.

When I didn’t respond, he smugly asked, “Does it scare you how well I can read you?”

“Is there something specific you’d like to discuss now that there’s no music to listen to?”

“There is something I’m curious about.”

The tone of his voice was lighter. The teasing and smugness were gone. It seemed like a safe enough topic change. I turned my head to him.

“Why did you practically run away from Elyse my first day at your school? You were so composed—well, after the shock wore off—before she showed up.”

I sighed. This innocent question related to a topic I wasn’t excited to talk about.

“Of course, don’t answer if you don’t want to,” he said. He’d read my reaction perfectly. This was another question I wanted to avoid. He was right. Again.

He’d be shocked if I honestly answered him. I took in a huge breath with that realization. That’s what I’d go for. And the more he thought I was opening up to him, the faster I could find out what’s going on with him and Trevor. “She’s blunt,” I said. “Sometimes it’s too much to handle, even for me. She wasn’t being subtle about insinuating we should be together. Her suggesting that made me uncomfortable, and I assumed it would make you uncomfortable, and then you’d act awkward around me, and I would be awkward around you, and it would turn into this big, complex ball of awkwardness, more so than it already is. So I got out of there as fast as I could. Going to a new school is scary enough; I didn’t want you thinking I thought we should be together.”

“You’re uncomfortable around me? I thought we were beyond that. And I don’t scare easily.”

“Now you tell me.” I crossed my arms and shrugged. What was there to say? “Elyse has very strong feelings about what’s gone down with Trevor. We grew up together. So did our dads. There’s a lot of history there. We were always together, and then he starting cancelling on me. He became totally undependable. Then this summer, he said he needed a break. Some nonsense about how things have changed…but nothing has. Elyse wanted to match me up, regardless of my requests not to. She means well. She just wants me to be happy again. But I don’t want anything forced.”

We were both quiet for a minute. He was probably thinking how complicated and dramatic my life was and that I was just looking for an opportunity to talk about it.

I started to get agitated. I was the only one sharing personal history. “Congratulations. You actually got two answers in one.”

“He must have had what he thought were good reasons to justify treating you that way,” he said after a brief pause. His voice was strained.

“That’s really comforting. Now it’s your turn to share.”

He shrugged. “Don’t have any exes.”

That wasn’t what I thought he’d share, but it was my fault I didn’t ask the question I wanted the answer to. I couldn’t help taking the bait. “You’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Dating hasn’t been my priority,” he answered in a firm voice.

“That’s hard to believe.”

“Is that the kind of guy you think I am?”

“Don’t be sensitive. I don’t mean it in a bad way.”

“In what way do you mean it?” he said.

“It’s refreshing you’re not
that
type of guy, but I meant it in an it’s-surprising way.”

He turned into my driveway. “And why’s that?”

“Hey, it’s my turn to ask the questions.”

“I’m just asking for clarification,” he teased.

I looked at him and tried to suppress a smile.

He did the same.

We stared at each other long after the smiles faded. A lot changed in those moments.

I whispered, “What are you really doing here?” I was afraid to ask. Afraid he would tell me the truth. Afraid it would devastate me.

He shook his head. “I thought I knew. Now I’m not so sure.”

“I know you and Trevor are involved in something.”

He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. It gave me chills. “I know you’re only nice to me to figure out what it is.”

That wasn’t completely true, but I wasn’t going to admit it out loud. “I’m not going to apologize.”

“Me either.”

“Thanks for the ride. I didn’t suffer as much as I thought I would.”

“Aw, that’s nice to hear.”

“See ya Monday,” I said before I shut the door.

M
y parents pretended to be nonchalant when I walked into the house, but I could tell they were anything but. My mom made it known how much she liked Landon and said it would be nice to see him again. My dad looked like he approved too. They probably talked about me after we left. Parents.

“What else do you have planned for the weekend, Brynn?” my mom asked.

“Not much. I have homework to do later, but I’ll help you make dinner.”

“I’d love help. I have that new recipe I want to try.”

She was always up for trying out new recipes. I was too, as long as it was simple. There were times that I loved to be in the kitchen all day, creating new things. It was a type of therapy.

We made some fancy casserole dish from her friend’s recipe, and it tasted amazing.

I volunteered to wash the dishes to procrastinate doing my homework. Surprisingly, I didn’t have that much, but what I had, I dreaded. The math problems were lengthy, and I wasn’t feeling creative enough to start my short story.

After the dishes were clean, I wiped down the table and counters. Without anything left to do, I headed to my room.

Just as I pulled out my books and organized them on my desk, my cell rang. I checked the display. Trevor. I debated between answering it, or letting it to go to voice mail and dealing with him later. If it went to voice mail, I’d have to call him back eventually…and I’d have to think about calling him back until I actually did, which defeated the whole purpose of avoiding his call. I grabbed the phone.

“Hi.”

“Hey, Brynn. How are you?” He sounded cheery and upbeat, like he had talked to me yesterday instead of a month ago.

I was instantly cautious, then guilty. I hoped he was happy, even if he wasn’t with me. “I’m fine. What’s up?”

“I was curious about homecoming.”

I gave him a few seconds to voice the rest of his thoughts, but he didn’t.

“What about it?” I asked slowly.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’m sorry. What?”

“I was hoping you would want me to go with you. It’s your senior year. The last one you’ll be going to. Unless you fail on purpose.” He sounded amused at the thought.

I sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you and say that I hadn’t hoped we’d go together. But I just don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. If I was being selfish, I’d say yes, but…everyone would think we’re together again and ask me about it. I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Okay. How’s your senior year going?”

I was surprised at his easy transition to a different subject, but grateful. “Pretty good. Keeping me busy. I’m looking forward to dressing up for Spirit Week.”

“Always a fun week.”

“What about you? Classes still going okay?”

“I’m holding my own,” he said too quickly. “It’d be cool if you came by my parent’s annual Halloween party. Even if you just stopped in, if you already have plans.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, well, just give me a call if you change your mind and want a date for the dance.”

I laughed. “Having a date isn’t a problem,” I mumbled.

“Do you have one?” There was hesitation in his voice.

“Not specifically. Mostly we’re going as a big group.”

“Do I know everyone?”

“Yep. Better than you realize.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uh…” I couldn’t answer him.

“Who are you hanging out with that you don’t want me to know about?” he pressed. My heart broke out in a sprint. I didn’t know if I should tell the truth or lie. “Don’t make me check up on you,” he threatened.

“Really, Trevor? Is that who you are now?”

He was silent so long I debated hanging up, but I didn’t need him sticking his nose in my business. I sighed. “Landon.”

“
Are you kidding me!
” he exploded.

“He goes to my school now,” I said by way of defense.

“Unbelievable! What a sneaky little…didn’t you recognize him?”

“Of course.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to befriend him?”