Angel in the Shadows, Book 1 by Lisa Grace (Angel Series) (11 page)

“I’ve missed you so much,” I say grabbing Seth’s
hand. He comes over and sits on my side putting his arm around my
shoulders.

“Me too, Megs.”

He leans in and I feel his hand cradling my head
as he draws me in for a kiss. His lips are warm and silky. I want
so much more. We slowly part knowing we are on dangerous ground. We
smile at each other and I think Seth knows exactly how important he
is to me.

“I’ve talked to my parents and they’re going to
let me come down with Robby for your homecoming dance, and then you
can come up for mine.”

“That would be great! Then you can meet some of
my friends like Mandy.”

“And I can warn off the competition,” Seth
smiles at me.

We look down at the elephants and the passing
people. So far, I’ve only seen two angels at the park, one good and
one bad, neither of them close enough that I could do anything. The
good angel had a human form, but the bad one didn’t. I wonder why.
I’ve only seen one in human form and that one only for a quick
second at the mall.

“After that, we have Thanksgiving break and
Christmas. I checked and both our church youth groups are going on
the ski trip,” Seth says.

“Wow, you’ve really got this all planned out,” I
say totally amazed.

We hear a loud Tarzan yell coming from Robby’s
gondola, “Me-Tarzan, you-Jane!” He starts hooting like a monkey at
Carrie. Carrie’s turning red. I can’t tell if it’s from
embarrassment or because she’s laughing so hard.

“I don’t know how she puts up with him,” I
say.

“He’s got her eating out of the palm of his
hand,” Seth says.

“Yeah, literally,” we both laugh. The ride
starts up again and I give Seth a hug, inhaling the scent of his
hair and his shirt. He smells and feels so good.

When we get off the ride, Carrie and Robby are
waiting for us. Carrie says, “My face is hurting from laughing so
much. You have to stop Robby.” She play hits him.

“Let’s go get some ice cream and see the
hippo’s,” Robby suggests, adding seriously, “There’s nothing funny
about swimming hippos.” We all laugh.

We go on one more rollercoaster and then it’s
time to catch up with the Wilsons for lunch. We head over to the
Desert Grill where I get a coffee and a chicken Caesar Salad. Robby
and Seth get these humongous corn beef sandwiches. Carrie chooses a
turkey sandwich. We watch a stage show of Irish dancers and
singers.

As we leave, Robby does a spot on imitation of
the Irish dance and has us rolling in the aisles. After lunch, we
head over to the Egyptian exhibit. Robby runs into the gift shop,
comes out, and hands a gift box to Carrie, “I bought this for you
because I think it matches the sparkling blue of your eyes. When
you wear it, I know you’ll only be thinking of me.”

Carrie opens the box. Nestled inside is a
necklace of an iridescent blue beetle bug encased in clear
acrylic.

“How did you know I always wanted one of these?
It matches my eyes perfectly,” she jokes as she pulls back her hair
for Robby to put the necklace on. “I’ll treasure it always,” she
playfully bats her eyelashes at him.

We head for the next coaster on our list. The
day passes too quickly. Seth and I hold hands and hug each other
while waiting in line for the rides. I don’t think I’ve ever
enjoyed waiting in line so much in my whole life.

On the way home we stop at a fast food place for
a quick dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are really great and Sammy’s
okay too. Robby keeps everyone in stitches the whole way home. What
a great way to end the summer.

When the Wilsons let Carrie and I out, I only
have time to give Seth a quick public hug goodbye. I can’t believe
how fast the day went. I didn’t even bother to look for angels most
of the day or on the ride home.

The next morning comes too early. I’m happy to
go to church since it’s my first service back since camp. Carrie’s
there too. I really didn’t know her that well before camp, but
after yesterday I can tell we’re going to become good friends.
There is not an angel in sight. In a way, I’m kind of disappointed.
I was hoping one would show up that I could talk to or come to for
advice. I’ m not comfortable talking to Pastor Bill about it,
yet.

Carrie comes up to me after the service and
says, “Wasn’t yesterday fun? I really do like Robby.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” I joke.

“Do you think he likes me?” Carrie asks.

“Carrie, I don’t think Robby would have
asked for you to come along or bought you that
stunning
necklace if he didn’t. Didn’t Robby tell
you that he and Seth are planning on driving down to take us to
homecoming?”

“He is? He didn’t say anything.” Carrie waves to
some of the younger kids who are running by on their way to the
playground.

“I think his humor covers up a little
insecurity. Maybe he’s afraid you’d say no or say something like,
‘you don’t feel that way about him.’”

“But I do! He’s so cute and funny. How could
anybody not like him?”

I nod agreeing with her, “Well he is kinda high
energy. I think he would wear a lot of people out.”

“Not me.”

“Maybe next time you should tell him.” I see my
dad motioning for me to walk to the car out in the parking lot.

“I can do that.” Carrie gives me a quick hug as
we say goodbye.

***

Later I call Seth. We talk about yesterday and
make plans for when he and Robby come for homecoming. They’ll both
be sixteen so they can take turns driving. “You know Robby hasn’t
even asked Carrie to go.”

“You’re kidding. He must have chickened out. He
was supposed to ask her on the sky ride.” Seth shrugs.

“I guess he was too busy acting like Tarzan,” I
say, “Tell him not to be afraid to ask. She’ll say yes. Carrie’s
absolutely crazy about him.”

“Or just plain crazy,” Seth says.

“They kind of balance each other out. She can
keep up with him physically and she enjoys sitting back watching
him be the center of attention.”

We end our call with a promise to text each
other later.

I call Mandy to find out how her date went with
Alex. After four rings, I am dumped into voicemail. My guess is
she’s on the phone with Alex. I know she’ll call me as soon as she
gets a chance. Her date must have gone well or she would have
called me right away. Only one more day off. School starts
mid-week.

***

Later that afternoon Carrie calls me, “Guess
what?”

“What?”

“Robby asked me to homecoming!”

“And you said—”

“Yes!”

“Really?”

“Really,” we both laugh.

“He was so nervous when he asked, it was so
cute!” Carrie says. “He asked me if I’m still wearing my bug
necklace. I told him of course I am, until he replaces it with a
vegetable or a mineral,” we laugh and I almost snort coffee out my
nose.

Carrie and I discuss whether we will end up in
any of the same classes. Last year we didn’t. That’s one reason we
didn’t know each other well until camp. The only time we saw each
other was at church. Because we’re teenagers, we often would be
assigned to help the adults with different sets of the younger
kids, so we never had a chance to say more than hi.

I’m kind of a geek so I take all the IB science
and math classes I can, along with drama and television production.
Carrie leans more towards the easier classes, P.E., and she plays
on the volleyball and softball teams. We don’t have much in common
academically. Oh well, there’s always lunch. We agree to meet up at
lunch tomorrow.

***

Mandy finally calls me back after dinner.

“Hey, how’d your date go?” I ask.

“Oh, Megan, Alex is so wonderful! It was
the most romantic night of my life. Dinner was perfect. We went for
a walk along the beach and watched the sunset. He kissed me just as
the sun winked out. He was such a gentleman. Alex even opened the
car door for me, and walked me up to the door after the movie. He
even asked to meet my mom when he picked me up, but she was out on
a date. Afterwards he called me just to tell me what a great time
he had. The things people were saying about him are just so wrong.
We talked for hours and he explained
everything
to me. That girl from last year, her
dad made them break it off. Alex didn‘t drop her. Her dad
transferred her out of the school to keep them apart. Alex was
heartbroken.”

Mandy keeps talking and I just listen, “I’m
going to try out for the squad and Alex is going to stay for try
outs and cheer me on. That way we can spend even more time
together. He says he’s never felt this way for a girl before. He
thinks I might be the one for him. I’m so happy! I feel like I’m
Cinderella in a fairytale and he’s the prince. Now I know how you
feel about Seth.”

“I’m glad you’re so happy Mandy. He did seem
like a nice guy at the bonfire, not at all like his reputation. Do
you want to get together tomorrow, a last hoorah before school
starts?” I ask.

“I can’t. Susie and Alex are coming over to help
with some cheering moves to help me make the team. Shawn and Susie
are starting to date, so the four of us will probably head out for
something to eat after. Farrah’s excited I’m trying out for the
team. She promised me a new designer purse if I make it. I’ll see
you at school, okay?”

“Okay, see you then,” I’m happy for Mandy, but
part of me is disappointed. I’m sure she’ll make the squad, but
that means less time for us. We’ve always been the M&Ms, but
now I fear this could be the beginning of us growing apart.

CHAPTER 5 - BACK TO SCHOOL

The first day is such a mad house. My dad drops
me off at the front of the school. I give him a quick kiss goodbye.
The windows are tinted so no one can see. Nobody cares anyway. Once
in the building you can smell all the new clothes, books, and the
excitement of the new year. Anything is possible this first golden
hour. The pecking order hasn’t been decided. There is still time
for some kids to move up the social strata. Outcasts haven’t been
targeted yet. Even if you know you’re low on the social order of
things, there’s still hope that others are lower. By your clothes
you can advertise which unspoken sorority or fraternity you’d like
to belong to. Jocks, cheerleaders, designer clothes (rich kids and
wanna-bes), surfers, skateboarders, Goth, funky drama, druggies,
rappers, band (carrying instruments), eggheads, take your pick.

Teachers are out in the halls greeting their
favorites and warning the troublemakers. Nobody has picked which
tables or benches are theirs, which restrooms are off limits to
your social strata, almost every unspoken club has openings for the
chosen few. Some of these will be decided by the end of the first
day, the rest by the end of the first week, after all the official
clubs have had their tryouts and picked their leadership.

Broken hopes and dreams won’t surface until next
week, but everyone can enjoy this first hour filled with the
promise of a good year to come.

I make my way to my homeroom. Mrs. Grey will be
handing out our class schedule. I hope I don’t get her for IB
English. I had her last year and for some reason she doesn’t like
me. All the other teachers I had, do. I work hard in their classes
and I love to learn.

I’m pretty, but I’m definitely part of the
egghead club. Usually kids in my regular classes wait till I sit,
then they sit around me so they can try to cheat off my paper. I
think it’s funny. In a way, I’m happy people know I’m smart.

Mandy’s smart, but her mother has made it clear
that looks are more important. I’m sure Farrah is thrilled that her
daughter is entering the ranks of the cheerleading social club. I
just wish she would be as happy when Mandy gets good grades. A lot
of the cheerleaders are smart and pretty, and some are very nice to
everyone. I know Mandy will be one of those.

Mrs. Grey has assigned us all seats on a chart
at the front of the room. She has left the last seat in each row
empty in case we get new transfers in the middle of the year. I’m
in a middle row next to the last seat so the chair behind me is
empty. The bell rings and she hands us our schedules. Thankfully, I
get all the classes I wanted, with the teachers I like. The year is
starting off pretty good.

As we switch to go to our first class, in my
case drama, I notice a flash of bright light ahead of me turning to
go into the band room.

Excitedly, I realize there is a good angel at
our school. I stick my head in to see who it is. It’s a boy I don’t
recognize. He looks Hispanic, tanned skin, dark hair. He catches my
eye and smiles at me. I wave hi and smile back. The bell rings and
I run for the auditorium. I know Mr. Shasta isn’t going to be happy
I’m late. He certainly won’t believe I got lost since I live half
my life in this class or the TV production classroom. After class,
I have to run to get to IB microbiology at the other end of the
school.

Next, I have IB chemistry right next door. Most
of the kids in my science class were in it last year. We get along
since we’re all eggheads except for one cheerleader, Dawn. Dawn is
one of the nice ones. She talks to everybody.

After chemistry is lunch. I look for Carrie,
Mandy, and the angel. I see Carrie at one table and the angel going
through the food line. Carrie waves to me and I hold up two fingers
asking her to save two seats. She nods yes. I go through the line
grabbing a chicken Caesar salad and a coffee. I notice the angel
looking around for a place to sit. I walk up to him and say, “Hi,
I’m Megan, but I guess you already know that.”

He smiles at me and says, “Hi, you can call
me—Johnny.”

“Would you like to sit with me and my friend
Carrie or are you waiting for someone else?”

“No, I’m not meeting anyone else today. I’d love
to sit with you and your friends,” Johnny answers. He follows me to
where Carrie is sitting. I make introductions.