Ever (9 page)

“Hi, Ever! I’m so excited.”

She was. Dara, too. But Val…Val sat stick straight in the passenger seat. She didn’t say a word until we were out of the car. We lugged our stuff over to the Chipotle parking lot where a group of kids waited with Hopkins. The sun was just starting to set for the overnight bus ride that would get us to the park in the early morning.

“Welcome, girls!” he greeted.

“Hi, Mr. H.,” I responded. He was wearing lime-green Converse today and a matching windbreaker. I had to admit I liked Hopkins’s style.

“I’ll take those permission slips. And your behavior contracts.”

We handed over our paperwork. Every student had signed a form saying that they would adhere to school policy regarding smoking, drinking, fighting and sexual activity, while on the school-sponsored field trip. But looking around me, I could tell that a lot of the kids on this trip were going on it just so they could have the opportunity to let loose.

The bus showed up and, as we went up the stairs, the bus number seemed to illuminate and catch my attention—4700. Another forty-seven. What was it with that number? Dara and Naomi slid into some seats on the right side, and Val and I took the ones directly behind them. I wondered if this would be wise, since Naomi’s loud giggling was going to prevent anyone near her from sleeping. Who was I kidding? I could almost feel the buzz of excitement emanating from the students around me. Even though we were leaving at night so that people could sleep on the bus, it was going to take hours for anyone to doze off.

I heard Val suck in an excited breath next to me. I looked up in time to see Jaren board the bus, an army-style messenger bag slung over his shoulder. I averted my gaze quickly, avoiding his piercing stare. I noticed that Val was not the only one having an obvious reaction to the guy. Several girls whispered, giggled and stole obsessive peeks at him. Briefly, I wondered if Jaren felt the way celebrities did…constantly monitored yet never totally understood by a throng of admirers.

“Damn, he is
so
fine.” Val sighed and began rummaging around in her bag.

I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. Several hours later, the bus jolted to a stop somewhere near Bakersfield. I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Bakersfield was apparently home to a multitude of cattle. This was fitting since everyone stampeded out of the bus like a deranged herd. Val, Dara and Naomi headed to the little food mart while a bunch of other kids snuck around back to do God knew what—hook up, smoke a joint… I had no idea and I didn’t care to find out. I hung back and went to sit on a bench near the bus. Before everything that had happened to me, I would have been the first person behind the mini mart with my smokes. Instead, I pulled out
The Archive
.

I cleared my head and began to read the section in the journal about animal totems. According to the author, animals could act as messengers or something. I found this idea totally interesting. I mean, cats always seemed to find me somehow. When my first cat, a large Maine Coon named Snickers, passed away, Bear, a six-toed tortoise shell showed up meowing incessantly outside my bedroom window two days later. I always felt like I understood animals more than people. They were so…real.

I fiddled with my pendant. The muggy night air carried the voices of several Populars talking loudly across the parking lot. The volume of their voices was calculated. I could almost sense their energetic feelers reaching out. I witnessed the smoky trails flowing from several girls to the one who commanded their attention. My pen came to a halt as I watched the phenomenon. My head fell into a now routine tilt, which helped me focus better on the swirling colors. Then a slight movement caught my eye.
He
was leaning against the side of the deserted bus…and he was looking straight at me as if he
knew
. I snapped back into my own head as Jaren Wilder walked a direct path to where I was sitting and then stood there, like he was daring me to ignore him further.

“Um…hi?” It came out as a squeaky uncertain question although I had intended to come across as cool.

“What are you doing?” It sounded like a challenge.

“Um, I’m just working on a, er, an assignment here, you know, more extra credit.” I had become a babbling idiot again.

“You’re a bad liar,” he said, trying to meet my eyes as hard as I was trying to avoid meeting his.

His comment ruffled me. “I’m a damned good liar, actually,” I retorted, as an annoying flush crept up my neck. “For example, I really enjoy these random encounters with you.”

I threw a sarcastic edge into my voice pretty successfully this time and then wondered at my bitchiness. Why was I so intent on being rude to Jaren Wilder? I guess maybe I was confused about his intentions—and about my uncontrollable reaction to him. There was also that nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, he did know my secret—that he knew I was totally losing it.

I met Jaren’s eyes for a brief second and that intoxicating ripple washed through me, reminding me of the way I felt when he had touched my hand at Kamryn’s party. I forgot to breathe.

“No, you’re not lying about that,” he said finally, an amused grin coming across his face. “You like these random encounters with me.”

Oh my God, it was like he could read my mind! I jumped to my feet.

“I gotta go.” I marched off in the direction of the restroom where the line of students had started to thin out. I took one peek over my shoulder and saw that Jaren was standing near the curb, his eyes on me like radar.

I blinked a few times and then I heard Naomi’s voice just outside the door. Thank God they hadn’t seen Jaren talking to me again. Val would have made my life a living hell for the rest of the trip. We headed back onto the bus to join the others. I pulled my hoodie over my face, stuck my earbuds in my ears and turned away from the aisle, feigning sleep so I wouldn’t have to see Jaren pass me to get to his seat. My tactic did not work, because I
felt
him, when he walked by. I got this jittery feeling in the pit of my stomach, followed by that familiar tingle, and then a light scent of sandalwood greeted my nose. I knew he was close, and then I heard Val’s predictable reaction as confirmation.

Soon, sleep began to claim me and I was grateful to be rescued from the disturbing thoughts I was starting to have about Jaren. I tried to push them out of my mind but it was impossible to do that. My last thought before I drifted off was that he was right. I did like those random encounters with him.

CHAPTER TEN

Heat

I
t was dawn when the bus stopped again. The sky was starting to turn brilliant shades of orange. The chilly air sank into my bones like a blanket of ice, making me feel stiff and shuddery. We were at some sort of lookout point. Yawning, I followed the herd in the general direction of one of our chaperones, Ms. Hardwick, as she explained the layout of the valley below us. I yanked my hands into the sleeves of my sweatshirt and shivered, wishing I had pulled on my gloves before getting out of the bus.

I never did well in cold climates. It seemed like no matter how many layers I wore, I was always freezing. I hated being cold, but I was willing to brave the frosty climate in order to get close to the Tree. For some reason, I felt like something amazing would happen when I touched it.

Man, I’m really losing it. Obsessed with a freaking tree. Crap.

I heard Val suck in her breath as we crowded toward the railing to check out the misty early morning view. Her audible reaction signaled that Jaren was standing just behind us. As I pulled my camera from my backpack, I noticed that he was standing very close to me…too close really.

“O-M-G!” Val hissed, nudging me.

I raised my eyebrows at her before looking out past the railing, taking in the majesty of the wind-carved rocks that held court above the valley. I could feel the harsh sting of cold bite my cheek and I let out a breath, which was visible in the frosty air. I was starting to shiver harder and I clenched my teeth to prevent them from chattering. My lips were probably turning blue. I tried to ignore the feeling, but I just couldn’t. The more I focused on the cold, the worse it became. It was a negative cycle that I was all too familiar with.

I could sense Jaren moving closer. He was so close now that I thought I could almost feel the warmth of his body. Oddly, I imagined that it was radiating out to encircle me. Shaking my head, I dismissed the bizarre mental image.

I am totally tripping out…

Without warning, I felt my skin heat up and the icy chill of the air melted away in a rapid flash. I choked in surprise, looking around to see if anyone else had felt the sudden temperature change. Nobody else reacted, but I still felt the fiery fingers reaching into me from behind. I moved a step or two forward, away from the source of the startling heat. I sensed Jaren moving closer to me, bringing with him another powerful surge of warmth.

I had never felt anything like this and it scared me, but it also felt amazing. All I knew for sure was that
he
was the source of the sensation. Was it chemistry? Did I
like
him or something? This was not good.
Val is gonna kill me!
I did my best to escape him by taking another small step forward, and predictably, he again moved closer. The bizarre dance continued until I was against the rail, and Jaren was nearly pressed up behind me. Val was about three people to my left, trying to get closer to her crush just as desperately as I was trying to get away from him.

“It’s warmer than it looks out here, isn’t it?” Jaren murmured over my shoulder.

As he spoke, I felt the warm, heady feeling increase. God, did he know what he was doing to me?

“Right, sure,” I mumbled, feeling my stomach turn over as I tried to ignore the tendrils of heat that had started to swirl in the pit of my stomach.

“You aren’t so cold anymore,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I was fine before!” I retorted. These interactions with him were becoming stranger and stranger.

“You were freezing,” Jaren stated firmly, “and now…you’re warmer. Right?”

Finally, against my better judgment, I turned to look at him. I couldn’t place his tone of voice. His eyes seemed to communicate genuine concern.

“I-I feel okay now,” I stammered, totally confused by his attention.

I was an Outcast. Why did Jaren Wilder, Popular Senior and Hottest Guy in School, care if I was cold or not? Still, I had to admit that while my hands still felt a tad stiff from the icy air, he was right. I felt altogether warmer now.

Jaren moved so that he was adjacent to my right shoulder. Now we were pressed up against the guardrail, but the casual way he was standing prevented anyone from seeing that he was talking to me.

I hoped.

“You know, if you take a deep breath and clear your mind a little…you know, stop thinking about how cold it is…and then picture something super hot, like fire, surrounding you, you forget all about how cold you are. You should try that the next time you start to feel cold. I do it all the time and it really helps.”

He took his hands out of his sweatshirt.

“See? My hands are super warm.” He held them out to me.

I studied Jaren Wilder’s hands as though they were a fascinating work of art. His hands were large and clean. He had short nails, with no trace of dirt underneath them. What did he want me to do?
Hold his hands? Here? In front of everyone?
Oh man, where was Val? I snuck a peek over my shoulder.

“I don’t bite…Everleigh.” Jaren held out his hands expectantly while I tried to ignore the visceral reaction I had to hearing him say my name.

I was clearly acting like an idiot. Again. Tentatively, I reached out one hand to his, and ever so lightly, let it brush his palm. I heard myself gasp as a fiery sensation rocketed through my fingertips straight down to my toes. I jerked back my hand as though I had been burned and met his eyes in barely disguised shock. I was surprised to see a wide grin on his face.

“I knew it!” Jaren said softly, as he fixed me with an intense stare. “You could feel that…couldn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean!” I stuffed my hands back into my pockets, afraid that if I looked at them, I would find that they were bright red or something. Now, I felt like I was sitting in a steam room and I hoped I wasn’t giving off plumes of telltale smoke.

“Yes, you do, Everleigh. You know exactly what I mean. You can’t lie to me. Your eyes always give you away.” He grinned, reminding me of the Cheshire Cat from
Alice in Wonderland.
I had clearly gone down the rabbit hole. Way far down.

“Umm…” I tried to escape, but I was sandwiched in pretty good against the rail…and him.

“Listen, Everleigh…we should talk. You know, really talk.”

The shrill blast of a whistle saved me from having to reply. I was all out of questions…and sharp retorts. My feet led me back to the bus and I knew he followed just behind me. I sat down and looked out the window, purposely avoiding his gaze. There was a roaring in my ears that distracted me from the feeling of his eyes penetrating like hot coals into the back of my head.