Something Witchy This Way Comes

Chapter One

Hayden

Principal Linton had to be kidding.

“You want to use me, a seventeen-year-old
boy
, to guard someone?” I much preferred to think of myself as a man, but that wouldn’t get me out of doing what he wanted.

“I’m not any happier about this than you, Hayden.”

I doubted that. The new principal had signed on only two weeks ago and already he knew how to throw his puny weight around. Linton probably read my file and decided to make me pay for all the crap I’d pulled so far in high school. I’d been better this year. We were two months into the first semester and I hadn’t even been in one fight. Not that I’d get any gold stars or merit badges.

I rolled my eyes. “Who’s the girl?”

“You probably know her. She’s a senior here. Tessa McClean.” He leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers.

Tessa… I couldn’t match a face to the name. If she turned out to be a dog, it could hurt my rep. But my curiosity was piqued. I sat higher in my chair, which brought the top of Linton’s thinning hair into view. “I’m supposed to shadow some girl just because you ask me to?”

Mr. Linton glanced at Agent Phillips who stood rigid by the door, then back to me. When he’d introduced her to me moments ago, I figured she might be FBI. She hadn’t flashed a badge though. They probably thought I hadn’t noticed or maybe they expected me to take them at their word. But I didn’t care who she was. She could’ve been the first lady and my answer would still be no.

By Agent Phillips’s steely glare it was obvious she’d rather be anywhere else than in a room with an uncooperative teenager. “While she’s on school grounds we want you close enough to smell her perfume.”

“Seriously?” Something didn’t ring true in the whole scenario. No way would anyone trust a high schooler with a job so important, much less depend on anyone with a rap sheet like mine. I slouched in the hardwood chair and let my gaze drift to the dull off-white walls of his office. “Wouldn’t an FBI agent be better qualified for the job?”

 The principal tapped a pencil on the desk. “They don’t have anyone local who looks young enough to blend in with the other students.”

Yep. Payback. But not if I could help it. “Ship him in from somewhere else.”

Agent Phillips straightened her suit jacket. “We’ve put in a request. Now we wait.”

“In the meantime, we think you might prove useful,” Mr. Linton said.

If the girl needed a bodyguard, she was obviously in trouble. That kind of thing was highly contagious at close range. “It’s gratifying to know you have no problem putting me in danger.” I kept my tone flat, one brow raised. “Why not keep her home? Then you don’t have to worry about your agents blending in.”

“It’s unlikely anyone will try anything around a bunch of kids. Even if they did, they’d be easily spotted. We're only asking you to keep an eye on her and alert us if you see anything unusual. It's just a precaution, Hayden.”

I grunted, not quite buying it.

Mr. Linton eyed me then flipped through papers on his desk. “Some of these notes indicate you’ve successfully defended yourself under difficult circumstances. Last year, three boys jumped you and everyone required first aid — except you. I suppose those guys were lucky to walk away, eh?” His gaze met mine again. I didn’t rise to the bait and he continued. “You’ve got some valuable fighting skills. It's time to use them for good instead of evil,” he said with a straight face.

Yeah, I needed those skills to defend myself against my alcoholic stepfather. It had been a while since he’d laid a hand on me or my mom though. He still limped from the last time. “Is this some kind of joke?” I asked.

Agent Phillips glided across the carpet to stand next to Principal Linton. She looped a thumb in her waistband, nudging the front of her black suit jacket aside to expose a gun. If it weren’t for her butch clothing, she’d be attractive — slim build and dark auburn hair. I imagined what she’d look like in a short skirt and high heels.

Maybe later I’d get a chance to see if she was open to younger men. If I seemed eager to help, she might be more receptive… I shook off the thought. A semi-hot woman didn’t catch enough of my interest to make me want to keep company with the school principal.

I opened my mouth to speak but she beat me to it. “Not a joke, Mr. Anders.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “A fellow student needs help.”

Tap-tap-tap.

Linton nodded at Agent Philips who opened the door and stepped aside. A blond girl beamed from the doorway, including everyone in her sunshine. Was this her? Tessa Mc-whatever? Okay… definitely not a dog.

I’d seen her around school before, but had never known her name. She hung out with the kind of kids I wouldn’t look at, much less socialize with. Not outcasts but not A-listers either. The only reason my crowd would bother talking to her was to use her, then dump her and brag to the rest of us. Hit and ditch. Anything else was unacceptable.

A dim memory took shape in my mind of one of the guys bitching about a girl named Tessa. He’d been pissed off at how hard he worked for that first kiss. That would never happen to me, because I was always upfront about what I wanted. The girl would either stick around or she wouldn’t and I’d move on. I already knew not to even try with a girl like Tessa.

If Linton thought I’d jump at the chance to waste my time and make the rest of the school year suck more than it already did, he’d sniffed too much of the janitor’s cleaning products. It’s not like Linton had anything to offer to make the job worth my time. Unless he possessed magical powers that would give me a new life… But he didn’t. No one could save me from my crappy destiny.

“Tessa, this is Hayden,” Mr. Linton said.

She approached me, blond hair bouncing, eyes bright with life and hope, and held out her hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

Still slouching in my chair, I stared at her hand, slim, delicate and flawless. I didn’t care how good she smelled — like blooming flowers in springtime — I wanted nothing to do with her. People like that, ones overflowing with positive energy, only made you want more from life. Things I would never have. Being rude was the only way to discourage them. “Nice?” I smirked. “You might regret saying that later.”

That beautiful, angelic smile vanished.

Instead of feeling triumphant, I felt like an ass. That feeling would pass though. It always did.

She grinned again, startling me. Then she claimed the empty chair next to mine. “Well, I can already tell this is going to be fun.”