Midnight Runes (The Bestowed Ones) (17 page)

A cup of hot chocolate kept my hands warm as I took in the role-reversal. I loved seeing the guys dressed as cheerleaders. Their ridiculous wigs made their outfits. And they actually had coordinated routines. What amazing effort.

Thankfully, we made it through the game without a drop falling from the sky, but the juniors won.

Friday morning, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and tied ribbons in our school’s trade red and black around it. I paired my custom Spirit Week sweatshirt with my ripped jeans, thinking how much I had loved walking the halls this week. The creative costumes provided entertainment, and I was sad to see it end. Homecoming was the one time of year every grade came together for the same purpose: to root for our football team’s victory over our rival school.

Elyse stood by my locker with an armful of pom-poms.

“There,” she said as she zipped the handle of one into my backpack so the streamers overflowed the sides. At least she had waited for me to finish switching books. “One more thing,” she said as she grabbed my wrist and slipped on a hair tie with curled ribbons all over it.

“That won’t be distracting all day,” I grumbled as I held my arm out and turned my wrist over.

“Hey, where’s your school spirit?”

I pointed to my shirt and my ponytail. “That’s it though, right? You’re all done decorating me?”

“I could give you another pom-pom to hold,” she teased. “I was going to hand a few out, but if you’d rather carry them—”

“Very funny. Hey, what time are we meeting to walk behind the float in the parade?”

“Five. I’ll be over to get you around four-thirty.”

By the time I got home from school, I was beyond excited for the parade. Our float looked amazing, and I thought we had a decent shot at winning.

I left the door unlocked so Elyse could walk in when she showed up. She was right on time, as expected. I grabbed my scarf and gloves on the way out the door.

We drove past the collection of floats as we searched for a parking spot. I examined them with growing trepidation. It was going to be a tough competition this year.

We milled around with our group until it was time to walk onto the football field.

The principle announced the float standings—we came in first, followed by the juniors, freshmen, and sophomores. The homecoming court results were revealed next. It wasn’t a surprise that Emilee won.

We walked to the far end of the bleachers and joined the rest of our class. Landon and Wayne saved two sections for us.

The marching band took the field and started their routine. I watched the football team gather near the entrance, waiting to be introduced.

I couldn’t help reflecting on previous Homecoming games. Trevor and I had always sat together, regardless of the difference in grades. I cast a glance around, wondering if he would show up with Jared. He might not sit in the bleachers, but he might stand in the walkway at the bottom of them. My eyes swept along the fence, looking for his familiar face.

Instead of finding him, my eyes landed on a well-dressed man. He had short, dark hair; it looked completely black under the harsh lights. But his hair wasn’t what caught my attention. His stylish trench coat and polished shoes were out of place at an evening football game. His stance gave the impression he was here on business.

Maybe he’s an executive and came straight from work to watch his son play
, I thought.

He seemed to scan the crowd, looking for someone. He appeared to look directly into our group, but it was hard to pinpoint his focus from this distance.

I positioned my body to give the illusion of watching the game when in reality I couldn’t look away from him. We both stayed that way—unmoving—for what seemed like minutes, until he pulled out his cell, and typed a message. He slid his phone into a pocket and nonchalantly walked out of view.

I didn’t notice that Landon had stood and was in the process of taking food and drink orders until Elyse nudged me. He called my name with a troubled look, so I gave him my order, then offered to go with him and help carry the items back.

“I can handle it,” he quipped. He answered too quickly for me not to notice, and it must have showed on my face. “It’s fine, really. I’ll be able to carry it all,” he said, trying to smooth it over.

“Sure, okay,” I managed. Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, I smiled to show that it didn’t bother me.

He hesitated, probably trying to determine if I planned on following him anyway.

I turned my attention to the field just in time to see our team complete a pass and take it in for a touchdown. The stands erupted, and Landon took advantage of the commotion to slip away. A few plays later, he returned. We passed the candy and popcorn around to share. I nonchalantly looked around for the trench coat guy and wondered how important his job was that he couldn’t stay to watch his son’s game.

Our team won in a nail-biting last quarter. We went to a local diner after to celebrate.

T
he next morning, I went to Elyse’s to get ready for the dance. Everyone decided to meet there for pictures. We chose to do our hair ourselves. I curled mine into ringlets and pulled half of my hair back. My dress was a black, sleeveless design with an asymmetrical layered chiffon skirt. It had a three-inch silver ribbon around the waist that tied into a large bow in back. The ribbon was my favorite part of the dress, because it was made of sparkly metallic thread that shimmered with movement. I paired it with a fabulous pair of electric blue heels and a plaid black, silver, and blue clutch. Elyse’s dress was red, strapless, and fit her personality perfectly. A small black ribbon gave it a baby-doll look, and the bottom had three rows of ruffles. She had curled her hair into loose waves and wore it down. I loved the three-dimensional rose purse she found at a boutique store.

Jared was the first to arrive, and soon after, everyone else did. Several sets of parents arranged us into groups for pictures. When it came time for a group picture with couples, the single guys surrounded me without anyone telling them to. I felt extreme gratitude to have such great friends.

“It’s too bad you have all these boys around you, but don’t have anyone to dance with,” Elyse taunted. I knew what she was aiming for.

Zach interjected before I could. “What are you talking about? She has all of us.”

“It wasn’t like she didn’t have an official offer. She turned Trevor down,” she teased.

I shot her a warning look. My parents were there, and I hadn’t told them about his offer.

“I’m glad,” Zach said.

“Me too,” Logan agreed.

“You can all stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

“I was under the impression she wasn’t sure she wanted a date,” Landon said.

“Yes, I figured I’d try something new. And you’re all in trouble, because I’m saving a dance for each of you.” They all looked pleased, and I was grateful the topic changed to driving arrangements.

• • •

We entered the gym and found the dance floor nearly empty. Considering we were an hour late and only had two hours to go, our small group took over the floor. Slowly, more and more joined us and pushed us closer together.

I was dancing to my favorite song when I felt someone approach. Before I turned around, he asked, “May I cut in?”

I knew that voice. The look on the faces around me did, too. Lauren and Samantha pulled their dates from another school into the thick of the crowd. I didn’t hold it against them to remove themselves from this potential disaster.

I wheeled around, stunned. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you. Will you dance with me?”

The only thing stopping me was all the inquisitive eyes. I wouldn’t enjoy it with them gawking at us, and I had some questions of my own. “Let’s go out into the hallway first.”

I grabbed Trevor’s hand and led him away from the booming music and pulsing lights, to a place where I could hear not only my own thoughts but also carry on a conversation.

“What made you show up here?” I asked.

“I couldn’t miss tonight. You look beautiful, as usual.”

“No, really, what are you doing here? I don’t believe you’re here.”

“We always said we would go to our homecomings and proms together. I’m sticking to that.”

“Yeah, but we made that plan when we were together. The fact that we’re no longer together voids it.”

“That’s just temporary.”

“What is?”

“Our separation.”

“If you’re so sure about that, you shouldn’t have broken up with me,” I said.

“You really should move on from that one detail.”

“You can’t just pause life. You can’t expect to pick up our relationship in the same place after however long you think it’s going to take. People change with new experiences, and if we’re not together during those experiences, we’re not going to stay connected. We’ve talked about this.”

He let out a calming breath. “I’m here now. Let’s not focus on the negative stuff.”

“How did you get in? Did you come with someone?”

“So many questions! Forget about everything and have fun. Just for one night,” he emphasized. “We’ve had such a good time at every other dance we’ve been to together, why stop it short?”

He was right. All I wanted was to have a drama-free night. Part of me secretly loved that he was here. The other part knew that getting upset wouldn’t be worth it. I did know him…all too well. Sometimes I wish I could hate him. It would make life easier. “Answer one question, and I’ll go back in there with you and pretend that everything’s normal. Just for one night.”

“Shoot.”

I knew he wouldn’t answer the question I really wanted to know, so I had to take a safer route. I expanded the pulsing energy inside before I asked, “How much do you miss me?”

His eyes sparkled. “So much.” Whatever was going on with him hadn’t changed how he felt about me.

I smiled. “Same here.”

He held his arm out, and I linked mine with his. We walked into the gym together.

My friends stared at us, and I felt their apprehension. The dynamic had changed while we were in the hall. It wasn’t until we rejoined the group that I noticed some were missing.

Jared acknowledged Trevor while the other guys mumbled under their breaths and turned to talk with each other.

Elyse took the opportunity to pull me away, concern crossing her face.

“Are you okay with him here?” she asked.

“I guess so. I mean, I didn’t plan on him coming, but it’s nice to know that he cares about me enough to make the effort. Everyone seems kind of weird, though.”

“I’m trying to figure out how he got in here. He needed a ticket.”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t answer me about that.”

“And I’m guessing that’s why some of the guys took off.”

I scanned the room for them. “I just want to have a good time. I don’t want any drama,” I whimpered.

“You may not get that wish tonight.”

Over her shoulder, I spotted Landon and Logan heading toward us.

“Hey, where did you guys take off to?” I asked.

“Just to do a little investigative work,” Logan answered.

“Okay, well, let’s get back to the rest of the group,” Elyse said, falling in beside Logan. Landon walked next to me.

Leaning in, he asked, “Are you alright with him here?” His voice was strained.

“What’s done is done. He asked me if I wanted him to go with me a few weeks ago, but I didn’t know how I’d handle him in this type of setting. It’s just a surprise is all.”

“It’s quite a surprise.”

“I’m not going to make a big deal about it now. It’s too late. I hope everyone can adjust and
get along
,” I said, hoping he’d catch that not-so-subtle hint.

“It’s not too late. If it’s something that you don’t want, it can be dealt with,” he said coldly.

We were too close to the rest of the group for me to ask him to expand on what his idea of dealing with it was, but it made me feel like spiders were crawling up my back, “I’m asking you not to do anything. Please.”

We reached Elyse, Jared, Zach, and Trevor before he could respond. “Ah, there’s my girl.” Trevor’s eyes sliced to Landon and looked him up and down. “Landon.”

“Trevor.”

“Not letting an opportunity to get close to her pass, are you?” Trevor scoffed.

“At least I go where I’m invited,” Landon teased.

“Glad you popped over to the concert in time. I would have killed that guy.”

“Wasn’t worth killing. He won’t ever touch her again.”

“You sound as if you know that for a fact.”

“He’s taken care of.”

“It wouldn’t have even happened if I was with her.” There was an edge to Trevor’s voice, a challenge. “I certainly wouldn’t have bruised her.”

“He didn’t go with us, and
I
struggled against
him
,” I interjected, but Trevor was beyond hearing me.

“I guess you can’t be everywhere at once,” Trevor mocked.

“No, but I could be like you and just show up whenever it’s convenient,” Landon shot back.

Trevor took a step forward. I recognized the look in his eyes. Before Landon could respond, I stepped between them. I couldn’t have them fight at homecoming. Remembering that guy writhing around on the ground with a broken nose and leg, I couldn’t have them fight at all.

“How did you know about the concert?” I asked Trevor.

“Jared. Who else?”

Zach’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t we hear about this?” he asked.

“Because I didn’t want a big deal made about it.”

“It sounds like it was a big deal.”

“Not anymore. It’s old news. New topic, anyone?” Neither Trevor nor Landon backed down. I understood the phrase “tension so thick you could cut it with a knife” in that moment. Allowing Elyse to tell Jared was a bad idea. “Who wants to dance?”

No one budged except Elyse, which made me more determined to get one of them out of there.

Trevor looked the least composed, so I grabbed his arm. “I want to dance,” I said sternly and led him to the dance floor. The song ended, and the DJ announced he was slowing it down for a few songs.

“Perfect,” he said and pulled me close.