My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy) (3 page)

Suddenly, I didn’t want him to think that I was Bethany. What was I supposed to do, though? Pull the wig off and look like some little kid pulling a Halloween prank?

If I went through with my original plan of making him think that Bethany was dead weight, he’d probably bolt to get out of spending time with me. Her. I weighed my options.

Even if I did get Kai to like me as Bethany, the chances of him meeting her again and realizing he’d been duped were slim. Which meant that I could have this night, Bethany would lose out, and then Kai and I would go our separate ways.

I was a veritable mastermind of strategic planning.

He shot me a cocky grin. “You gonna come out and play, sweetheart?”

Insolent puppy. My total crushing on this dude was at odds with my natural inclination when hearing something like that to shoot off some sarcastic comment. I clamped my lips firmly together, swung my leg over the fence (big props for stretchy yoga wear) with only a moment of hesitation, and hopped down on the other side.

“Better?” I raised an eyebrow. Two could play at this cocky thing.

Kai shrugged and pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. “It’s a start.” He sat down on some spongy ground and patted the place next to him. “It’s dry.”

I sat down. Now, I’m going to be brutally honest. I had no idea what to do or expect. While I’d kissed a couple guys before, there’d been build-up. This whole “hello stranger, take me” scenario was unfamiliar territory. Should we talk for a while? Or just cut to the physical part? Exactly how much would that physical part involve? I hadn’t really thought this through.

“So. What’s your story?” He turned dark eyes my way and it felt like my answer actually mattered to him.

“You know. Mom and Dad from rival families, forbidden affair, love child produced. Parents disappeared, leaving me rich beyond my wildest dreams but alone, and I continue to hope they’ll come back so I can know love.” I turned big, blinking eyes on him.

This was the period piece version of my life and way better than the true “adopted by a drunk socialite, stuck at boarding school in middle of nowhere, catch me in ten years when I actually have a life and a story” reality.

He stared at me for a second. A long second. An extremely long second in which I thought that maybe normal people don’t give weird melodramatic and fake life stories to total strangers. I’d forgotten that I wasn’t with Theo and Hannah and maybe this didn’t actually fly in the real world. Two minutes in and I’d already blown it.

Then he laughed. Hard. Relief swamped me.

“I wouldn’t have thought you were this funny,” he said.

Relief turned to indignation. “Why not?” I bristled, completely forgetting that he was referring to Bethany, not me.

“Chill. Just thought your type would care more about looks than humor.”

Now I was indignant on Bethany’s behalf, which was a real feat. “My type?” I asked sweetly.

“The kind of hot chick who wants to grow up and land some rich guy.” He was right about Bethany in that regard. Still.

“You’ve had a wide sampling, have you? Gotten to know all us chicks intimately enough to know our hopes and dreams?” I kept a smile on my face but from his flinch, it may have looked more feral than friendly.

He smirked. “Yeah. I’ve been intimate.”

That killed it. Dude was such a douche. “Wow. Well, I’m underwhelmed. And cold now. So I’m going back in. Have a nice life. Hope you don’t die naked in a closet after your sugar mama’s husband shows up and shoots you. Because we all know your type.” I stood up and took a couple of steps back toward the fence.

I jerked to a stop as he grabbed my arm in a really strong grip.

“Sweetheart, you have no idea of my type.” There was something ominous in his tone.

Outwardly I remained calm, but inside I was seriously freaking out. Flirty fun died pretty quickly when a strong stranger had you at his mercy.

While Hannah and Theo knew where I had gone by this point, they wouldn’t bother coming to find me yet. I was out here alone with some random male who could easily kill me and dump my body in the woods where it wouldn’t be found for days. I swore if I ever got out of here, I’d follow the advice of every boring safety talk the school ever gave us.

I desperately didn’t want to die before I’d really lived. Maybe I could bluff my way out. I forced myself to make eye contact with him. “Let go,” I said evenly.

Thankfully, he did. Kai raised his hands in compliance and took a step back. He stared at me, really stared, as if he was trying to figure something out.

Then he reached out and tugged my wig off. My fab locks of sweaty, wig-smashed hat head fell lankly down. “Nice look.”

I knelt down to pick up the hat that had flown off my head and instead found myself lunging for a chest sock making a sudden escape, hoping Kai hadn’t seen it.

His sarcastic laugh proved otherwise.

Since I couldn’t replace the sock, I pulled the other one out as if it didn’t matter. “You’re a dick. Let’s cut our losses and hope to never see each other again.”

“You know, girls don’t usually mouth off to me.”

“Yeah, yeah. They fall all over themselves trying to impress you.” As I almost had. But that was the me of five minutes ago. Way in the past. The current me was all “sisters are doing it for themselves.”

He grinned. Almost like he was surprised at my backtalk. “Pretty much. They do.”

Before I knew what was happening, he kissed me.

Oh, yes. Oh, deliciousness. And then some. I felt electricity shoot between us. He must have felt something too because he broke it off looking totally dazed. “Who—”

I grabbed him and kissed him again. Small talk later. More kissing now. It was so amazing, I got dizzy and saw lights. Hannah was so wrong about the whole fireworks thing.

My heart was racing. My bones were melting. If Kai hadn’t had his arm around me, holding me, I don’t think I could have stood. It was like I’d kissed him a million times before, each one better than the last. He was familiar and new and right. And, above all, so
mine
.

A blinding flash of pain nailed my skull. Like someone was ripping my head in two.

I doubled over. Kai caught me and grabbed onto my shoulders to steady me. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Sophie,” I began, as another stab of incredible agony tore through me. But this time it came with visuals. I saw an enormous white and gold hallway, filled with larger-than-life figures.

He shook me. “Talk to me.”

I swatted at him.

Flash!
Another image. A powerful man was holding court. No, not a man. It was … “Zeus,” I whispered.

Kai paled.

Part of me had the presence to acknowledge that I’d look like a ghost, too, if I was stuck with a strange girl having some kind of psychotic episode.

I slumped to the ground, put my head to my knees, and curled up in a little ball, trying desperately to stop the insane images. There was an auburn-haired woman in a flowing robe, whose smile was made of sunshine and who looked at me as if I was the most precious thing in the world. The way a mother would look at her most beloved child.

Vaguely, I was aware of Kai muttering “no, no, no” somewhere beside me. I tuned him out and tried to focus in on this woman. My real mother. I knew it with absolute certainty.

My inner video stream changed. Gone was the place of light. Instead I was in a horrible place. Dark and fiery and full of hate. I whimpered.

My hair was sweaty and plastered to my neck. I was getting colder and starting to shiver.

Kai swore under his breath. Then he bundled me up in his jacket.

I inhaled his scent like a talisman that would keep me grounded.

It did the trick. The pain and the crazy hallucinations went away. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

Kai was fixated on me like I was something out of a horror movie. I touched my hair self-consciously. I knew I must have looked like something a zombie wouldn’t touch, but Kai could have given me a break. For all I knew, I’d just discovered I had a brain tumor and six months to live.

“Was this all a big game to you?” he demanded.

“More of a joke, but—”

“And I was the punchline?” He kicked the fence, hard.

Time to calm him down and get out of here. “Look Kai, I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”

He gave a bitter laugh.

“But the joke was supposed to be on Bethany.”

“Stop lying to me.”

I jumped at the fury in his voice, shrinking back as I glanced up at him and saw a flat blackness in his eyes. I kept a careful watch on him as I spoke. “I’m not lying! What’s wrong?”

“I want the truth. You owe me that much.”

This guy was super touchy. Must have had a whopper of a burn from some chick. “Truth: I’m Sophie Bloom. I go to Hope Park. Bethany? She’s a giant cow, so I pretended to be her so you wouldn’t ever want to see her again. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He searched my face carefully. “You’re sure of this?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t lie about something that exciting,” I commented, my snarkiness plain.

Tension eased from his body. He sat down beside me and shook his head. “Sorry. For a second I thought … hoped … Doesn’t matter. Halloween weirdness.”

Cassie’s earlier warning echoed in my head and my entire body turned into a giant goose bump.

“Definitely.” I agreed, shoving aside all concerns. I turned my head to look at him. “It’s been a night to remember. Or not.”

Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed, reminding us both of the lateness of the hour. “I’ve got curfew so …”

He stood up. “Of course.”

I grasped the hand he outstretched and let him pull me to my feet. Then I reluctantly handed him back his jacket.

We stood a moment looking at each other. “Goodbye, Sophie Bloom.” He leaned in and gave me the softest peck on the lips.

The boy might have looked scary for a bit but right now, he was so fine. “Goodbye,” I said, then clutched my head as the mother of all torment wrenched through it. Along with an image so strong, so right, that I knew it wasn’t an image at all. It was a memory.

Of Kai and myself or some version of myself having just made love.

I stared at him, open-mouthed in shock. “Kai?”

His face lit up. “Finally.” He kissed me as if his very life depended on it.

This time there were no more painful flashes. No more crazy images. Just bliss.

Until someone ripped us apart, then punched Kai in the jaw and sent him sprawling.

3

What doesn’t kill you makes you seriously doubt your sanity

γ
’

I pivoted around to angrily confront whoever had just wrecked the best moment of my life with a sucker-punch to Kai’s pretty face.

“Theo?” I asked, astounded.

His actions smacked of jealousy, but that was so not Theo’s M.O. Not over me, anyhow. Theo (to clarify) was gay. In theory. There’d never been a real guy I’d seen him crush on, but the selection available here at Hope Park was hardly stellar. And I figured if he’d been jealous over gorgeous Kai, he would have punched me. So no idea what his deal was.

Other games were at play here and while I seemed to be a participant, I was clueless about the end goal.

I turned to check on Kai. He was gingerly rubbing his jaw but didn’t seem to have suffered any major damage. I had to know what was going on. Why did I think I’d had a relationship with Kai before? Why was Theo so mad? How could I get more of those kisses? Suckily, I never got a chance to ask.

“Stay. Away. From. Her.” Theo spat out. He grabbed my hand and with a strength I wouldn’t have thought he possessed, forced me back over the fence with him, onto the school grounds.

To be fair (and yes, I was shallow enough to be thrilled by it), Kai tried to get me back. But when he reached the fence, Theo yelled something at him in some language I didn’t know he knew and certainly didn’t recognize. Whatever he said stopped Kai dead in his tracks.

“This isn’t over,” he called back to Theo. I caught a final glimpse of him kicking the fence in anger before Theo’s sprint forced me to pay attention or risk breaking a leg.

“Ow! Let go, you psycho,” I gritted out at him as my ankle bumped painfully over a rock. “You’re damaging the goods.”

Theo refused to speak to me until he’d shoved me into my room with seconds to spare before bed check. Since juniors and seniors were allowed to stay at the dance until midnight, bed check had been extended from our regular 11pm curfew to 1am.

He pushed me backward onto my bed, with its very excellent thread count. Felicia didn’t stint on the linens.

Hannah was staring wide-eyed at the two of us. “Mommy, daddy, please don’t fight.”

“Stay,” he ordered me.

“I’m not a dog,” I shot back at him.

“Too bad for me,” he muttered and stalked out.

I glanced at Hannah. “Did I miss something at the dance? Who peed in his cornflakes?”

“No idea. One minute we’re doing rock paper scissors to see who’ll go get you for bed check and hopefully ruin any fun you’re having for being a total monkey butt and ditching us, and the next he storms out. What did you do to him?”

“Nothing.”

“You must have done something.” She looked at me eagerly. “Let’s back up and go into great detail. Did you meet Mr. Stud?”

“Yes.” I pulled my pjs out from under my pillow and slipped into them.

“And?”

“I am no longer a crush virgin.” I crawled under my comfy blue comforter and lay back against the matching sheets.

“You didn’t!” Hannah practically bolted up.

Our guidance counselor Mrs. Rivers poked her head in. “Girls, I know it’s been a very exciting night but at least pretend to sleep.”

We smiled at her. She was one of our cooler staff. “Sure thing, Mrs. R,” I replied.

“Good-night,” she said, and shut our door.

The door had barely closed before a heavy Hannah-shaped weight jumped on me. “You total skank. You slept with a stranger.”

“Yeah,” I shot back. “There I was, out back with some guy I’d just met and I thought ‘why not just give it up?’ At worst, it’ll be bad, fast vanilla sex with only a slight reminder of the night in nine months time. At best it’ll be astoundingly slutty.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Which was it?” she asked, sweetly.

“Neither. It didn’t happen. I said I lost my
crush
virginity. Emphasis on the crush.” I shoved her off me.

She leapt back to her bed and burrowed under her own purple covers. “Did you do anything noteworthy?”

“Kissed.” I tried to sound like it was no big deal.

“Reeaaaalllly? Scale of one to ten.”

I opened my mouth to say “eleven” and then I remembered all those stupid flashes. Did I have some kind of mental illness? If I subtracted about minus forty for the disturbia factor that left … “It was okay.”

Hannah looked at me sharply. “Did something happen? Did he do something to you?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Yes, he gave me the world’s greatest kiss then triggered an aneurysm,” didn’t seem appropriate. “Nothing. I think I’m just worn out from all my debauched activity today.”

“You’ll have to build up your stamina if you’re going for that life of crime,” Hannah replied. Seconds later, I could hear her deep breathing. Dead to the world.

I wish I could have said the same for me. It was a very long, fear-filled night. Worrying that my brain might explode was actually the least of it. What did those images mean? What was my connection to Kai? There was no way that had been a random meeting. I knew him. On some level. And he knew me too.

Scariest of all was what if I’d just reached my lip lock pinnacle at the tender age of sixteen?

Morning didn’t make things any better.

I must have fallen asleep at some point after dawn. I remember light streaking the sky as I stared at my clock, waiting for it to be late enough to call Felicia and ask for a complete run-down on my medical history. Then suddenly, I was bolting upright with a cry of “Bethany!” I dropped my head in my hands. “Brilliant.” I’d forgotten all about her.

Hannah applied a light coat of gloss to her lips and rubbed them together before speaking. “You forgot to let her out?”

I squirmed under her gaze. “Maybe.”

There was a light knock on the door and Cassie popped her head in. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.

Impending brain tumor aside? “Fine. And you?” Poor girl really seemed upset.

“I had a rough night,” she muttered, tugging anxiously on the fringes at the bottom of her oversize knit sweater.

Hannah patted her on the shoulder as she headed out with her toothbrush, bathroom bound.

I rooted around in my drawers for what to wear. “You and me both.”

Oddly, Cassie perked up at that. “Really? Like, life changing?”

I thought about the images and the entire Kai encounter. “You could say that.”

“But you’re cool with it?”

If I focused only on the amazing kiss part. “I’d say so.”

Cassie enveloped me in a huge hug. “I’m so glad.”

I disentangled myself gently. “Me too.” Okay, freaky child. Time for you to go.

Cassie threw one more beaming smile at me. “Oh yeah. Principal Doucette sent me to get you.”

“No worries, Cass. I won’t shoot the messenger.”

She grinned at me. “Phew. Wouldn’t want you getting all viney on me.” She waved her hands around.

I tossed my favorite, super soft red sweater on my bed. “Sorry?”

“You know,” she prompted. “The whole Persephone thing.”

Who? I must have been staring at her like she was totally nuts because her forehead creased in confusion. “You don’t know anything about this?”

“Uh, maybe? Did we study her in English?”

Cassie looked like she might throw up. She grabbed my shoulders and shook me, hard. “You said ‘life changing.’ You said you were cool with it.” She sounded totally panicked.

My surprise at her behavior completely overrode my annoyance at being shaken like a dog with a chew toy. “Cassie, calm down. What happened to you last night?” I put my hand on her arm but she jumped back like she’d been scalded.

“No! Don’t touch me!” She bolted from the room, brushing roughly past Hannah.

“What’s wrong?” Hannah asked with concern.

“I don’t get what just happened. She told me Doucette wanted to see me then freaked out.”

“I’ll go to her room and check on her,” Hannah offered. “You get your butt to the office.”

“Here’s the thing with Bethany,” I started to explain.

Hannah clamped her hands over her ears. “Uh-uh. The less I know, the less they can torture out of me later.”

“Hilarious.”

Believe me when I say I was so not in the mood to deal with any of this. All I could think about was talking to Felicia to see if there was a family history of Schizophrenia or brain tumors. I had narrowed down my condition to one of the two, just to keep it manageable.

I threw on my favorite outfit, needing fortification through fashion. Black leggings with a fitted short black skirt, topped with the sweater I’d dug out. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and was good to go.

I was on the verge of walking into the principal’s office, declaring my guilt, and getting it all over with if it would get me to a phone faster. But when I walked in and saw Bethany—tear-stained eyes, tissue poised perfectly in hand—being comforted for her “ordeal” (she slept on a floor—big deal), I rebelled.

They wanted the goods on me, they’d have to prove it.

“You wanted to see me, Principal,” I asked in my cheeriest voice. It was my attempt at “look at me, I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Principal Doucette straightened. “Sit down, Sophie.” Our principal was wearing grey trousers and a button down shirt, same as always. He may have dressed conservatively in his role of educating the fine minds of my generation but his short, neat dreads made me think he was a lot cooler than his professional appearance let on.

He motioned me to a chair. Happily, my favorite one was available. I’d been in that office so many times, I’d done a Three Bears rundown on the furniture; too hard, too soft, just right. With the large window to my right and a massive bookcase behind Doucette’s desk for perusing titles, there were lots of distractions for the inattentive at heart.

I sat down and did a double-take as I noticed a woman sitting off to the side. Maybe thirty, her hair was styled in a short pixie cut and dyed purple. She wore a funky dress with a ton of silver jewelry. Was she Bethany’s cool aunt or something?

“Hi, Sophie.” She gave me a friendly smile. “I’m Ms. Keeper. Great to meet you.”

“It is?” I answered back.

“Ms. Keeper is our new guidance counselor,” Principal Doucette explained.

“What? Why?”

He frowned at my bluntness.

I tried to backtrack. “I mean, sorry, but I just saw Mrs. Rivers last night at bed check.”

“She had a family emergency she had to take care of,” the principal replied. “We were lucky to get a replacement sent in so quickly.”

Ms. Keeper grinned at me. “He means I’m low on the district totem pole and work Sundays.”

I grinned back. I couldn’t help but like her.

Bethany sniffed, loudly, wanting the attention placed firmly back on her. “My chakras are deeply damaged from my trauma.”

“Bethany, yes, sorry,” the principal soothed. He turned to me. “Do you know why I’ve called you in?”

So my chakras could be deeply damaged from listening to Bethany? “No.”

“A very disturbing thing happened last night. Bethany was locked in the staff bathroom and not found for some time.”

It took everything I had not to laugh at her patently fake expression of woe. The internal mantra of “you have a brain tumor and are either going crazy or dying” helped keep me looking suitably sober. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No, you’re not.” Bethany turned to Principal Doucette. “She’s so consumed with jealousy that she went dressed as me to the dance, then locked me in that bathroom. Buddha says that ‘he who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.’ She has no peace of mind. Her inner light is diminished. It unbalances her.”

Bethany speak for “she’s crazy.” I couldn’t really argue that point so I argued another. “Why?”

“Why what?” she retorted.

“Why did I supposedly lock you in?”

“Because.”

“Because isn’t an answer, kiddo.” All of us turned to look at Ms. Keeper. I was especially shocked to hear someone defend me. Or, if not defend me, then not exactly support Bethany.

I smiled gratefully at Ms. Keeper.

Bethany looked confused. I’m sure she was. She was so used to adults believing her every word that her brain must have been short-circuiting. I hoped her head would explode.

Ms. Keeper looked inquiringly at Bethany. “Well? You must have a reason behind your charge.”

I raised an eyebrow and threw a bland smile at Bethany. Even if she could positively identify me, which she couldn’t, there was no way for her to nail me without admitting to her planned escapade last night.

Bethany hesitated. “She just doesn’t like me.” So sad.

“If I didn’t like you,” I replied, “why did I go as you to the dance? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” I pointed out to my new best friend, Ms. Keeper.

She frowned. Whoops. Too far.

“I’m sorry, Bethany,” Principal Doucette said, “unless any proof arises, we’ll have to assume it was merely a case of a faulty lock.”

Bethany lowered her eyes and sighed in a shuddery breath. “May I have extensions on my current projects to restore myself back to optimum energy?”

“Of course,” he said.

Miraculously, I manage to keep from gagging. I stood, eager to get out of there.

“One last item, Sophie,” he added. “You do admit to dressing as Bethany last night?”

I nodded.

“Did part of that costume involve a red wig?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you care to explain how that wig was found outside school grounds this morning?”

Busted.

Bethany brightened.

“I have no idea. I threw it out last night because it was itchy and giving me a headache.” The memory of why I’d actually had a headache, complete with every mad image I’d seen, came rushing back to me. I felt nauseous.

Ms. Keeper was concerned. “Do you feel all right?”

I shook my head. “I need to lie down. May I go?”

Principal Doucette glanced at me, probably to check if I was faking it, but whatever he saw convinced him because he nodded.

I stumbled out of his office and into the secretary’s area, Bethany on my heels.

She shoved me into the corner of the front office counter, hard, as she moved past me.

That was gonna bruise.

“Sophie?” Ms. Keeper had followed us. “Can I speak with you?”

That didn’t sound good. “I was just about to call my mom.”

Bethany left, making sure to give our counselor a big smile on her way out.

“One minute. I’m betting you know a lot more about what happened then you’re letting on.” Ms. Keeper held up her hands to stop my automatic protest of innocence. “If you were behind Bethany’s lock-in, then I’m concerned about what might have prompted it. Girls like Bethany are …”

I couldn’t wait to see how she finished that sentence.

“Bullies. If that’s what’s happening, then you need to speak up. I can help you.”

Yeah, right. “Thanks. Bethany and I are fine.”

Ms. Keeper sighed. “I’m not going to let this go. I want to help you find your voice. Get empowered. You don’t need to live as a victim.”