Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (12 page)

"Stop it, Frank," I begged, clutching my books to my chest. "This is none of your business."

"Yeah, Frank," Jake said. "Leave it alone."

Frank rumpled my curls. "Oh, you crazy kids."

I tried to push his hand away and smooth my hair, but I was so flustered that I dropped my books from my hot, wet hands. My homework crashed to the floor, my papers scattering everywhere. "Get lost, Frank," I pleaded, furious.
It was one thing to call out a quick taunt in the cafeteria, but he went too far this time. . . .

Frank winked at Jake. "So what's it gonna be, Jake? Are you going to take the Packrat? Because rumor has it that she's getting it on with that foreign undertaker who lives in her garage. You
are
boffing him, right, Jess?"

I twisted under Dormand's arm, trying again to pull away, when suddenly I was liberated. Because Frank was pinned against a locker, his throat in the grip of a calm but very determined Romanian exchange student.

Frank's heels banged metal. "Hey!"

But Lucius only hoisted Frank a little higher. "Gentlemen don't ask women impertinent questions about delicate subjects." His voice was even, almost bored. "And they never, ever use crude expressions in mixed company. Not unless they're ready to face the consequences."

"Lucius, no!" I cried.

"Let go," Frank sputtered, his face turning as red as mine. He clawed futilely at Lucius's grip as a crowd gathered in the hall. "You're choking me, man."

"Let him go, Lucius," I begged, watching Frank turn from red to blue. "He's suffocating!"

Lucius eased his grip, allowing Frank to touch the floor with his toes but keeping him firmly contained. "Tell me what you want me do with him, Jessica," Lucius urged, over his shoulder. "Name the punishment. I shall deliver it."

"Nothing, Lucius!" I said, face flaming even brighter.
He isn't my bodyguard.
"It's not your fight!"

"No," Lucius agreed. "It is my
pleasure."
He turned his attention back to Frank, who had ceased struggling and remained flattened, motionless, against the locker, eyes bulging. "You will pick up the young lady's books, hand them to her nicely, and
apologize," Lucius ordered. "Then we will go outside and conclude
our
business."

He dropped Frank, who slumped forward, gasping for air.

"I'm not fighting you." Frank wheezed, rubbing his neck.

"It will be a lesson, not a fight," Lucius promised. "And when I am finished, you
will not
bother Jessica again."

I shared a worried glance with Jake, who stood by, silent, wary.

"We were just goofing around," Frank complained.

Lucius glared, drawn up to his full six-foot-plus height. He seemed to fill the hallway. "Where I come from, causing a woman distress isn't amusing. I should have made that clear the other day. I will not miss another opportunity."

"Where
do you.
come from?" Frank challenged, puffing his chest, a little bolder now that he could breathe. "Some of us are starting to wonder."

"I come from civilization," Lucius retorted. "You wouldn't be familiar with the territory. Now pick up the books."

Frank must have heard the final warning in Lucius's low snarl, because he bent and did as he was told, muttering the whole time. He shoved the books into my hands and started to slink away. Lucius grabbed him again. "You forgot to apologize."

"I'm sorry," Frank said through gritted teeth.

Lucius gave Dormand a little shove. "Now let's go outside."

"Lucius," I said, grabbing his arm. The muscles were rigid beneath my fingers. He'd
destroy
flabby Dormand, who couldn't do ten push-ups if his life depended on it. "Stop it. Now."

Lucius stared down at me. "You are worth this, Jessica. He will not disrespect you. Not in my presence."

"You can't do that here . . . not like that," I warned. "This isn't Romania."
This isn't your family, with whatever brutal rules they enforced.
"You've taken it too far."

We stared at each other for a long moment. Then Lucius glanced at Frank. "Get out of here. And feel fortunate that you have a reprieve. Because you won't get another, no matter what Jessica wishes."

"Freak," Frank muttered. But he hurried into the crowd, which melted away behind him, leaving only Lucius, Jake, and me. Jake started to backpedal, too, but Lucius wasn't quite finished.

"I believe you two were engaged in conversation. Please. Finish."

"We're done," I promised, pushing Lucius away. He held his ground, without taking his eyes off Jake.

"Is that true?" Lucius asked Jake. "Were you finished?"

"I . . . we were talking about. .." Jake shuffled, glancing at his feet. "Look, Jess, I'll talk to you later."

"It's okay, Jake, I understand. Please—you don't have to say anything else." The tears that had been forming in my eyes for about five minutes started to spill over.

"Why is she crying?" Lucius demanded. "Did you say something to her?"

Jake put up his hands. "No. I swear."

"Just go, Lucius," I insisted.

Lucius hesitated.

"Please."

He met my eyes. I saw sympathy in his gaze, and that was probably the worst part of the whole day. A total outcast feeling
sorry for me. "As you wish," he said, and stepped back. But not before adding, "I'm watching you, too, Zinn."

"Hey," Jake soothed when Lucius was out of earshot. "That was intense, huh?"

I sniffled, wiping at my eyes. "Which part? When Lucius nearly killed Frank or threatened you?"

"The whole thing."

"I'm really sorry."

"No, it's okay. Frank's a jerk. He deserved it."

"The whole thing is so embarrassing."

"Yeah. It kind of was."

"Don't worry about the carnival," I said. "It was stupid of me to ask."

"No, I was going to say yes." Jake stared down the hallway in the direction Lucius had departed. "Unless you guys are . . . together or something. I mean, that's the rumor. And Lucius seemed sort of. . . possessive, right there."

"No," I kind of barked. "Lucius is
not my
boyfriend. More like a ... an overprotective big brother."

"Well, he wouldn't try to plaster
me
against a locker if we go, would he? Because I could take him, but having seen him in action, I think it would be a hell of a fight," Jake said, only half joking, it seemed.

"No, Lucius is harmless," I fibbed.
If you don't count the fact that he thinks he's a warrior prince representing a semi-cannibalistic race of
undead bat people.

"Then I'll call you, okay?" Jake promised.

"Great." I smiled then, almost forgetting that I'd just been crying.

Jake started to walk away, then hesitated. "Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you asked me."

"Me, too," I said, silently thanking Mindy and her faith in
Cosmo
and horoscopes as I turned away, grinning.

-----------------------------

Lucius was waiting for me outside the school, sitting on a low brick wall near the entrance. When he saw me, he hopped down and held out his hands for my books like he always did when he managed to track me down after school.

"We missed the bus," Lucius pointed out. He didn't sound disappointed.

"We can walk to Mom's office. She'll give us a ride." Grantley College was just a few minutes from the school.

"Excellent idea." Lucius fell in step with me, and we headed toward the campus in the cool mid-autumn late afternoon. After a few moments of silence, he pulled a crisp linen monogrammed handkerchief from an inner pocket in his coat, handing it to me. "Your face is tearstained."

"Thanks," I said, accepting the handkerchief. I wiped at my cheeks and blew my nose. "Here," I said, handing it back.

Lucius held up a hand, cringing. "You keep it. I beg you. I have others."

"Thanks." I wadded up the handkerchief, trying to stuff it in my pocket.

"My pleasure, Jessica." Lucius's gaze was trained far-off, his tone distracted. About a block later, he advanced slightly ahead of me, walking backward, bent over, searching my face. "That
boy. . .
that squatty Zinn ..."

"What about Jake?" It was my turn to look away, focusing down the oak-lined street.

"He's . . . he's someone you're
honestly
attracted to?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, shrugging, kicking at a fallen acorn. "Oh, I don't know. I mean . . ."

"Well, you're accompanying him to this gala everyone's talking about—"

"It's a carnival. Like a party in the gym. Not a 'gala.' Nobody says 'gala.' At least nobody at Woodrow Wilson."

Lucius frowned. "Gala, carnival . . . regardless. You're courting?"

Is that hurt in Lucius's eyes? Or just the usual darkness?
"It's just one date, but yeah, I guess so," I admitted, not sure why I suddenly felt guilty. I had no reason to feel guilty. Just because Lucius believed we were engaged didn't make me a cheater, for crying out loud. But he kept staring, so I added lamely, "I hope that's not a problem. What with the
pact
and all."

"I just find it hard to understand."

"What?" This I had to hear. "I thought you knew everything."

"He didn't even defend you." Lucius rubbed his chin, genuinely confused.

I got a little defensive myself, on Jake's behalf. "Here, women defend themselves. Men don't have to fight for us. I told you—I can handle Dormand."

"Not the way
I
can on your behalf. Not the way Zinn
should have.
Like it or not, you are bound by gender. You can swat at the fly, but I could crush him. Any
honorable
male would have stepped up."

"Hey," I protested. "Jake has honor."

"Not enough to protect you."

"Oh, Lucius," I groaned. "Jake thinks you went totally overboard—and he's right."

Lucius shook his head. "Then he didn't see your face."

I didn't quite know what to say to that.