Dark and Twisted (4 page)

“I will take that, thanks.” A hand reaches over Buck’s shoulder and carefully plucks the notebook from his hand.

“What the—” Buck spins on his heels, facing Cardelian, my word savior.

I pick up my muddy papers and attempt to clean them off, but they’re ruined. I feel like crying or screaming, and I
definitely
feel like punching Buck in the face. He has ruined words that I can never get back. Once lost, they can never be written the same way again. Buck quickly recovers, gaining back his nerve. “I don’t know what gutter you crawled out of, but around here, we ask before we grab things from other people.”

Oh, brother, he didn’t just say that, did he? Does he really not know how stupid he sounds when he opens his mouth?

“Really? And did you ask Eden before you took her notebook?” Cardelian crosses his arms over his chest, making his shirt even tighter.

Oh god, he knows my name.
His arms are intimidating, but his face still wears a warm, golden smile. My heart rate picks up, and I cannot help but smile back as I try to breath.
He knows my name.
Squeal.
My excitement is short lived when Buck drapes his heavy arm over my shoulder.

“Whatever, bro, it’s not like that with me and Eden.”

Gross, he really does smell like corn chips! What was Liv thinking?

“Really?” Cardelian cocks his thick brows at me, and his warm, golden eyes melt my insides.

“Yeah, just like that.” Buck pulls me closer.

Okay, really gross. He is so not wearing deodorant.

“No, it’s not at all like that.” I shove his sweaty arm off me, and it falls to his side with a thump. “Thanks, Cardelian” I reach for my book, and a warm sensation fills me as our fingertips touch. He keeps his eyes on mine, sending butterflies aflutter in the pit of my stomach.

A shadow flitters across Buck’s face, and his fists open and shut at his sides as he seems to contemplate his next move. “I am just having some harmless fun, man,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender.

At least, he’s smart enough to know that he’s not going to win. Cardelian’s brow rises into his hair, and he looks at me.

“He didn’t mean it.” I sigh “He can’t help what he is.” I push my bangs out of my eyes. “If you couldn’t tell by the smell, he is half Sasquatch. Didn’t you hear about the sightings?”

I blush as Cardelian laughs at my lame joke, but Buck narrows his already squinty eyes at me. I know I will pay later for that comment.

“I think you should apologize. It’s never cool to pick on a lady,” Cardelian warns Buck.

With a loud snort, Buck grabs his stomach in a fit of laughter. “Lady? Lady? You mean Eden?” He’s laughing so hard he can barely get the words out. “That’s a good one, man. For a moment, I thought you were serious.” He wipes a tear from his eye. “See you around, Valentine. Later freak … lady.” He snorts again as he walks away, shaking his head.

“I should teach him a lesson,” Cardelian says.

“No, don’t. He is harmless, really. He doesn’t even understand what he did wrong.”

I grab onto his arm. He glances down at my hand and warmth shoots through me again. My hand gets sweaty, and I let go, feeling foolish.
Holy crush-worthy hotness
. Cardelian shakes the hair off his brow and my stomach does a flip.

“Still, he shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“Well, that’s Buck for you.” I tuck my hair behind my ear.

“Well, where I come from, women are treated with more respect than that.” The warm smile slips from his face, replaced with deep etches in his brow. “I just don’t get it. There was no rank in popularity back home like here. I just can’t…”

A sad smile forms on his face, and I would do anything to make him happy again, so I to see his golden-boy smile.

“Come on, all high schools have a ranking system of who is popular and who is not.”

“Not where I am from,” he says seriously.

“Sounds like a different world.”

“Compared to here, it is.”

“Come on, it couldn’t be all that different. Didn’t you have cheerleaders and football? You did play football at your last school, right?” I ask, wondering if Coach might have put his eggs in the wrong basket.

“Yeah, I was the king of football there as well,” he says, that smile back on his face.

I can feel my face doing that unattractive thing it does when I disapprove of something. I was feeling all warm and fan-girly over him, and then he has to say something conceited like that.

“Eden, I am kidding. I was just like everybody else, uncomfortable in my own skin and trying to find where I fit in.”

“I’m sorry, don’t mean to laugh, I just can’t believe it.” My cheeks warm.

“Thanks.” He runs his hand through the nest of curly hair.

Now that things are awkward I try to change the conversation to something less humiliating. “So, this is really embarrassing, but I have to do a story on C.F.H.’s best athletes, and you are number one.”

“Really?” He shakes his head, sounding shocked. “Really? That’s kind of weird. I just moved here. I could totally suck.”

“I doubt that.”

“You’re right. I am awesome at football.” He nudges my shoulder with his.

Maybe he is not that different from the other high school boys
. I take a step away, not sure if I like this side of him.

“Well, I hope you’re as awesome as you think you are. The whole school is counting on you to pull us out of our losing streak.”

“Can I tell you the truth?”

He steps closer to me, and he smells like cinnamon and sandalwood. It fills my head, making me slightly dizzy.

“If you want too.” I close my eyes, breathing him in.

“I’m kind of scared I will not be the football god everyone expects me to be. I mean what if I do really suck?” he says.

I open my eyes and look up at him, I was not expecting him to say that.

“I doubt it.”

“But what if I do there is a lot of pressure on me to win.”

“You could always move, change your name, or perhaps go into the witness protection program.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“Anytime.”

Reaching out, he places his hand on my shoulder causing another wave of dizziness to wash over me.

“I can tell we are going to be good friends.”

I swallow hard. “So tell me more about your last school. Did you have a girlfriend?” My voice comes out barley above a whisper. Here he is, touching me, and I ask him about a possible girlfriend.
Way to ruin the moment, Eden
.

He cocks his brow at me. “It was complicated.”

“Why?”

“Because of Jaxson.”

“Jaxson?” His name is like a sudden blast of icy wind clearing my head. I step back putting space between us. “What does Jaxson have to do with you having a girlfriend?”

He runs his hand through his hair, “Like I said, it’s complicated. What about you? I know Buck isn’t your boyfriend, then who is?”

“Boyfriend.” Another nervous laugh. “No. No boyfriend. I’ve never had a boyfriend. Not that I wouldn’t one. I mean, yeah, I would like one, but it’s … complicated.”

He stares down with those weird honey-colored eyes of him. “Wow, talk about word vomit. I don’t know why I just shared that with you … and now I’m nervously rambling, so I am going to shut up now.” I have never shared so much with anyone before except Liv, but there’s something about Cardelian that makes me want to tell him all of my secrets.

“I am glad you shared.” He grins at me. “I’m also glad that you don’t object to having a boyfriend.”

I swallow hard not sure of what to do, I suddenly want to kiss him and wonder,
Does he want to kiss me?
His body language is telling me, yes, but I am probably overreacting because he is just being nice to me. I decide that is it. Nobody wants to go out with me, let alone kiss me.

“Hey, Valentine, you’ve got to see this. Buck just got dared to take shots of pond water, and we’re taking bets on how long it’s going to take him to puke,” a guy from the football team calls to Cardelian.

“I’d better go intervene. I might be the ‘star’quarterback, but I am nothing without my team
.
I really glad I got to know you better, Eden.”

His hand brushes against mine, and my body goes hot from his touch.

“Maybe I can call you sometime?”

“Valentine, come on! You’ve got to see this. Buck is losing his lunch.”

He sighs, blowing a golden curl off his forehead. I want to give him my number, but I just stand there dumbstruck. “Okay, well then, I guess I will just catch you in school,” he says, before turning and jogging off.

Gym class is a barbaric notion—even more so when it’s given first thing in the morning. First period is filled with the losers and outcasts of the school. It’s a sick, cruel joke that the faculty plays on the weak and simple-minded. It is also how Eddie the Pits got his nickname from putting him in gym class first thing and turning on the water works. He doesn’t have a fighting chance at the dodgeball game the coach insists on playing.

This is why I refuse to participate in forced physical education. It’s my silent protest against the unjustness that plagues today’s youth.

A red ball pelts Eddie in the face, the spot turns an angry shade of red instantly. “You’re out.” Coach yells at Eddie, “Go get ice and sit down.” Eddie gets a pack from the cooler and lumbers over to me. A drop of his sweat lands on my cheek.
Ewww.
He looks at me and grunts something incoherent.

I wipe the sweat off my cheek, and go back to working on my novel, but I don’t get far because the deep-throated sobs coming from Eddie is making it hard to concentrate. Releasing a long sigh, I blow my bangs off my forehead.

“Are you okay Eddie?” I set my notebook and pen down next to me.

Eddie stares straight ahead, his large bottom lip quivering. For someone so big, he sure is a baby.

“It’s okay, Eddie. No one cares that you suck at dodge ball.”
Lie.
The elite of this school is known for picking apart the weak, perhaps because it’s such a small school and they have nothing better to do with their time.

Eddie’s face is starting to turn purple.

“Here, give me that. You’re doing it wrong.” I hold out my hand, and Eddie deposits the wet plastic bag into my palm. I snap the inside contents and shake it until it starts to grow cold. “Now keep it here.” I press the cold pack on his bruising cheek. A big, fat tears fall down his round cheeks. “Don’t cry. Come on, they will see you.” I nod over my shoulder, and sure enough, a little rat is straining to see what is happening in our direction.

“Eden nice,” Eddie mumbles. “Eddie like Eden.” He smiles, but the tears still fall, mixing with the snot that is running down his nose.

I cringe. “Eddie, you really shouldn’t be crying. Does it really hurt that bad?”

He nods his head yes. I try to keep my body in front of him so that he will not be seen. Thank goodness he is sitting down, or it would be impossible. Luckily, the only thing that can be seen is his messy brown hair. Not cute messy hair like Cardelian’s, but more on the side of
‘I just woke up and really didn’t brush my hair, so one side is a big rat nest’
messy.

“Oh, Eddie.” What am I going to do with him? I look over my shoulder at the pack of rats that have formed behind us, and they are starting to get closer.
Crap.
“Eddie, right now there’s a group of kids behind us that would love nothing more than to paint the halls with your pain, so please stop crying,” I beg. Unfortunately, this does not help. My words make him cry harder and the snot to come out faster. To top it off, he’s sniffling loudly.

Great, why can’t I just mind my own business and worry about myself? It really doesn’t matter if the creep runs back and tells the whole school about the sniveling mess Eddie is. It’s not as if he is going to win the popularity contests any time soon, but I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting this gentle beast.

“Eddie wants his mommy,” he wails.

It’s always the big ones that want their mommies. I peel off my sweatshirt, exposing my pink T-shirt with the cat in a straw hat on it and a bouquet of roses in its paws. Just my luck that today is laundry day, I wasn’t planning to take my sweatshirt off.

“Nice shirt,” Juliet cackles as she passes by us.

I ignore the fits of giggles from her and her hordes of followers and start to clean Eddie’s face with my sweatshirt. I can’t very well leave him here, exposed to the rats, while I go to get tissues. I start with his damp forehead and move to his eyes, then yes, to his nose, which takes a few wipes to clean up all the boogers he’s producing.

Gross.

“Momma sings to Eddie when Eddie is sad. Sing to Eddie.” He sucks a long trail of snot back into his nose.

Thank goodness for my strong gag reflexes. “No, Eddie, I don’t think so.”

“Sing. Sing. Sing,” Eddie chants, clapping his hands together.

“Shhh. Okay, fine, just be quiet.” I clear my voice and sing very softly, attempting to not draw any more attention than we already have.

“Hush little bird, dry your tears, everything will be okay,” I sing like my mother used to sing when I was younger.

“Eddie can’t hear. Louder,” he shouts.

Thanks, Eddie.
So much for trying to keep us from being noticed. I listen to his demand and sing louder.

“Hush little bird, dry your tears, everything will be okay. Your wings are brand new and you are just learning to fly,” I sing off key.

“Louder. Louder. Eddie like,” Eddie chants, clapping his hands together.

The gym falls silent, and I can feel all eyes are on my back, burning holes into me. “Your wings are new, and you are just learning to fly,” I belt as loud and off key as possible.

Eddie claps and kicks his feet out from under him slamming them on to the gym floor.

“Hey! Hey! This is not freaking
Glee
. This is the fine art of Physical Education, and if you’re not going to take it seriously, then you’re to sit on that bench, and no singing!” Coach bellows.

I don’t have time to respond because I’m swept up into Eddie’s enormous arms. He squeezes me, and my ribs feel like they might crack in his grip. He dances us in a circle, singing his own version of the song. A cold sweat drips down my back and an uneasy feeling settles over me. Then I see him as we go around. Pale blue eyes in the corner of the gym watching us. No, watching me.

Jaxson
.