Goddess Secret (20 page)

“What is it, Adin?” she asked while she rummaged around in a box.

“Hmmm?”

“What’s going on? You’re not saying much, so I know something’s bothering you.”

“It’s just school.”

His rigid stance told her more, and she braced herself for what was to come. “You mean, it’s just Venus.”

He sighed and put the box down he was moving. “Yes. I don’t know what to do about her anymore. Everywhere I go, she’s there. It’s like I can’t get away from her!”

Ugh! Just one encounter with her. That was all Legacy needed! She slammed a cornucopia down into a box and crossed her arms.

“I’m sorry, Legacy. I know you don’t want to hear about her.”

“Don’t apologize for that.” She shook her head. “It’s not your fault that she’s trying to play you.”

“What you mean she’s trying to play me?” His tone was defensive.

“Adin, she’s the likeness of the goddess of love. You don’t seriously think you have a real chance at keeping her at bay?”

“I absolutely think that. I still have my free will.”

“Then why is she getting under your skin?”

“Because I don’t like her making passes at me! Just because she makes passes, though, Legacy, doesn’t mean I have to fall into her trap.”

She took a deep breath while she stared at Adin. “I’m not saying you will fall into her trap, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s trying to play you. And if she has her way, she’ll be playing you like a fiddle!”

“What are you saying, Legacy? You don’t think I’m strong enough to resist?”

“Don’t get mad at me because you feel pressured by Venus!”

“I’m not mad at you, but what you’re basically saying is you don’t trust that I’ll make the right decisions about her.”

“I do trust you, Adin, but I understand we’re dealing with external forces beyond our control.
I’m
just trying to look at this realistically.”

“Realistically? Are you kidding me?” He threw the box down he’d just picked up and glared at her. “Why don’t you try looking at your relationship with River through my eyes, and then maybe you’ll be able to grasp my fucking reality!”

“How the hell did River end up in our conversation about Venus?”

Adin’s fists balled up at his sides as he scowled at her. “Because I’m not running over to Venus’s house trying to be her best friend, especially when I know the damage that can be done embracing that type of friendship,” he said through his teeth.

“I can’t believe you’d throw my friendship with River in my
face
!”

“Well, next time, you should think about that when you try to tell me that I’m not strong enough to resist the bond.”

“Adin! I never said you wouldn’t be strong enough to resist!” As she yelled, the wind howled. “I was just trying to be understanding of your situation.”

“Hmm…well, I don’t look at it as my situation, Legacy. I look at it as our situation.”

“That’s
not
what I meant!” Thunder crashed outside.

“You should calm down,” he said harshly.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Adin,” she whispered with her eyebrows raised.

They glared at each other without speaking for several minutes. As the time passed, she felt herself calming down a little, and she could tell from Adin’s posture that he was too. After a couple more minutes of silence, he walked over to her and threw his arms around her. She reached up and grabbed his arms as she leaned her head against his chest.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you didn’t mean anything by that.”

“I’m sorry too. I know you’re dealing with a lot of stress because of her, so I shouldn’t take it personally. I need to be here to let you vent.”

“You have every right to take it as personally as you want. She’s making a mess of your life too.”

She sighed. “I know. If I have to even look at her, so help me, Adin, you won’t be strong enough to hold me back.”

He chuckled. “It’s probably best you don’t have to see her then.”

“Not like you have to see River,” she whispered.

Adin stepped back and put his hands on her face. “I’m sorry I brought him up. That wasn’t nice of me. I know he’s your best friend, and I should be secure enough not to let it bother me.”

“But it does bother you.”

He bowed his head and then put his arms back around her. “Yes, I hate it. I absolutely hate him being in your life. I’d love nothing more than to see him leave and never come back. But what bothers me more than wishing that’d happen is knowing how hard that’d be for you.”

“Adin, I, umm, I—”

“Legacy, you don’t have to say anything. I’m just telling you how I feel about it.” He rubbed her arms while he held her.

“What did Venus do?”

He sighed. “Nothing she hasn’t done before. She touched my shoulder and hugged me while I talked to her.” Legacy felt him shrug. “But, ummm, last night she showed up at the fraternity house wearing next to nothing so all the men could gawk at her. She knew what she was doing. But one of the guys was being sort of forward with her. She rebuffed him, but he was persistent. I, umm, stepped in and pushed him off her.” She stiffened up, and he noticed. He rubbed her arms gently. “Legacy, I would’ve done the same thing if she were someone I didn’t even know,” he whispered.

“I know, but you do know her, and I’m sure she was hoping you’d step in.”

“I’m sure she did.”

“What happened after that?”

“Er, I walked her back to her sorority house.”

She sighed and shook her head against his chest.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I couldn’t let her walk alone.”

“Because you’re bonded to her.”

“Legacy, I don’t even want to think of that.”

She started to cry. “You can’t deny it, Adin.”

He held her tighter, not saying anything. He didn’t want to admit it, but she could tell. He knew there was no denying the bond anymore.

* * * * *

With homecoming next Friday, the senior class was busy with preparations. At least this week’s game was a home game to a losing team—they’d be able to clock the pre-game and halftime shows and do some mock run-throughs.

Adin was busy with fraternity obligations, but he promised he’d make it to the game this week. Legacy figured he’d be too busy to really visit, but she assumed he had other motives for showing up. She knew he wanted to avoid Venus like the plague that she was. Plus, it had been weeks since he’d seen River up close, and she was sure he hadn’t forgotten about showing River how to respect her the hard way.

When the homecoming court was announced, there weren’t too many surprises. Ellen and Kate both made the court, but they were also both dating football players. The one surprise on the court was Calli. Legacy guessed she shouldn’t have been too surprised really. Calli was a cheerleader and the richest girl in school, but she wasn’t dating a football player either.

And when Calli made the court, homecoming preparations went into overdrive. Since they were on the planning committee together, Calli wanted to make sure everything was perfect just in case she was crowned the homecoming queen. She spent every free moment she had with Legacy planning for the big event.

When Legacy wasn’t busy planning the homecoming dance, she helped River with his birthday party preparations. She didn’t really think he needed her help, but he was trying to find a way to include her in the festivities since the chances were fairly slim that she’d actually show up.

By Thursday, everyone needed a break from all the homecoming talk, so they were all eager to participate in senior day at the state fair. Traditionally, the seniors would skip school on this day, but a few years ago, the administration wised up and made it an official field trip.

When they got to the fair, Legacy and her best friends hung out in groups with other classmates. Ellen and Kate were there, so they monopolized Calli as much as possible with conversations about the homecoming dance. Thad and Seth were with them, too, and River chatted with them since Calli dragged him into the homecoming chitchat. Alex and Laos where their regular bickering selves as they followed closely behind and complained when Thad and Seth played games to win prizes for their girlfriends. But neither was having any luck.

“These games are rigged!” Thad eventually said.

Seth nodded, tossing down the gun.

River was standing next to them, and even though Legacy was standing with the girls several feet away, she heard him laugh at them. “It’s not rigged. You just don’t know how to play it.” River chuckled.

“Well, I’d like to see you do better,” Thad said.

River shrugged and stepped up to the game. Legacy knew she had tuned out the girls’ clamor about the dance, but she hadn’t realized she had inched closer to the guys to watch River play until she was beside them.

He picked up the rifle and shot all the targets in record time. Then he gave the guys a smug look.

“How did you do that?” Seth laughed.

Legacy laughed along with him, and River’s eyes shot over to her. He stared at her with a crooked smile while he responded. “I’m a good player.”

She shook her head at his innuendo, but kept a smile on her face.

“Which one do you want, man? You can have anything off the top shelf,” the carnie said to River.

He glanced at the selection and looked back over at her. “Which one do you want, Legacy?”

She laughed, shaking her head “Oh, no! I’m not lugging around a huge teddy bear all day!”

“The huge teddy bear it is!” River laughed, wagging his eyebrows.

“River!” she laughed. “I’m serious!” But she didn’t sound serious. She couldn’t stop laughing at him.

He walked over, took the teddy bear from the vendor, and walked it over to her. “You can’t say I never gave you anything.”

She shook her head as she took the enormous prize from his hands.

“Hmph, isn’t that just so nice of you, River?” Ellen said, coming from behind her.

Legacy wasn’t sure if the bitch was actually perturbed that she didn’t get something, or if she were just being her snotty self.

River glared at her briefly, but then his mouth twitched. “Which one do you want, Ellen?” He walked up to the game and played it just as fast and successfully as the first time.

“I don’t want any of them.” Ellen crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Oh, don’t be like that, darling. If I could get Legacy to take one, surely I can make you take one too.”

Legacy glanced at Ellen, and she was staying strong. She wasn’t picking out a prize.

“Give her the unicorn,” Calli said, laughing.

River chuckled and took the unicorn over to Ellen. He tried handing it to her, but she just stood there, staring at him. He stepped up closer to her. “You’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t take this,” he murmured with his head cocked to the side.

“Ugh! Fine.” She grabbed the unicorn out of River’s hands.

“I want the ladybug, River!” Kate said.

River won her the ladybug and then turned to Calli. “Calli?” he asked with his eyebrows raised.

“That’s okay, River. You don’t have to win anything for me.” She chuckled.

“Yes, I do. I want to. Now, which one do you want?” he asked as he turned around and played the game before she could even respond.

“Umm, I don’t know.” She shrugged her shoulders.

He turned around and faced the vendor. “We’ll take another huge teddy bear.”

“No!” Calli laughed.

“Ha, ha!” Legacy laughed. “Goodie! Now you have to carry one around too!”

River handed her the teddy bear, and she hugged him. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

After River showed up the other two guys, they went their own way, taking their girlfriends with them. River, Calli, and Legacy walked around the park and rode rides. When they were in line at the Ferris wheel and it was almost their turn to get on, Calli started feeling sick.

“I’m going to sit this one out,” she said as she got out of line.

“Are you okay? We’ll come with you.”

“No. I’ll be fine. Give me your teddy bear and I’ll hold it while you ride.”

She handed it to her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Calli sat on a bench beside the ride while River and Legacy loaded onto a seat. They talked and laughed, so Legacy wasn’t paying attention while others were being loaded on. But she slowly noticed they were stopping in each position while everyone got on. When they stopped near the top, she felt the blood fall out of her face, and her hands started to sweat. She grabbed the side of the basket as it swayed back and forth with the wind and shut her eyes.

“Legacy, are you okay?”

She shook her head, not saying anything.

“Legacy?”

“I’m scared of heights,” she whispered.

“We’ve been riding rides all day.”

“I, er, know that, but I haven’t been stuck up high.”

The basket jerked when it started to shift their position again, and she gasped.

“Legacy, it’s okay,” River whispered, scooting closer to her.

“Don’t move!” she squeaked when he caused the basket to shake.

“I’m sorry.” He kept his body still, but leaned his head closer to her and rested his arm along the top of the seat behind her as the basket stopped in the next position. “Just try to relax. As soon as everyone gets on, we’ll be moving, and you won’t notice it anymore.”

She nodded and felt tears slid down on her face. She squeezed her fingers tighter around the side of the basket and onto the rail in front.

“Baby, I would never let anything happen to you.”

She nodded again and gasped as the basket jerked into motion again. When they stopped at the top, the basket kept swaying.

“Why are they still moving?” she whispered with her eyes tightly shut. What in the hell possessed her to get on this death trap?

“Because we’re above the treetops. There’s nothing breaking the wind up here.”

She felt the basket shake more violently, so she let go of the handrail and grabbed River’s shirt in her fist and stared at him with panicked eyes.

He was breathing heavily as he stared at her, but she was holding her breath as she shook her head. “Are you doing this?” she asked as she finally exhaled.