Not Your Average Fairy Tale (Not Your Average Fairy Tale #1) (10 page)

"I didn't lead–"

"I think I'm done studying tonight." He stood and gathered up his books.

Kendall kept her distance, her expression giving nothing away. "Thanks for the pizza. And the licorice."

"Whatever." He didn't bother saying goodbye before he walked out the door.

"He's a real winner," I said as soon as the door slammed behind him.

She turned around to yell at me, but I made myself invisible, and smiled as she looked around for me. "Ash?" She asked, poking her head into the family room.

I had to stifle a laugh when she finally saw me.

Her face lit up, and she actually smiled.

"Your boyfriend is a moron," I said, flipping through her math book. "This stuff is so easy. A fifth grader could do it."

The smile melted off her face. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Don't even start with me. First, you popped out of nowhere, scaring the crap out of me. Then you threw papers at Cameron."

"Correction. One paper."

"What is wrong with you?"

"I didn't throw the paper, I flicked it. There's a difference." I noticed her frustrated expression and fell silent.

Her mouth drew into a thin line. "You have some serious issues. Do you know that?"

"I'm pretty sure you do, too." I gestured towards the door where Cameron had departed moments before.

Her arms crossed over her chest and she looked away.

"So, you seem to know everything about me," she said. "A screwed up girl with a crush on a stupid guy, a mom I never see, a sister I envy, and no dad to talk to ever again. Not to mention my ugly face."

"That last one is
so
not true," I said. She had a beautiful face.

"No one notices my scar anymore, but it's still there. It will be there forever.”

I looked up and set the math book on the floor. "It's not that bad, Kendall."

She put a hand to her neck, and a tear slid down her face. "You're just saying that. Just like everyone else."

"I promise you. It's not that bad."

Her expression was guarded for just a moment, and she finally relaxed.

She sniffed, coughed and snorted at the same time, and I couldn't help but laugh at her flaming cheeks.

"I'm so disgusting when I cry! I always end up snorting." She stood, walking into the kitchen. After a minute, she came back, a tissue in one hand, and the empty pizza box in the other. "You ate the last piece."

My face heated. "Guilty."

"I didn't know you could eat."

My mouth dropped open. "Of course I eat!"

"I just assumed fairies didn't have to."

"Seriously? How could you think that?"

"Believe it or not, you're the first fairy I've ever met. I didn't know you actually existed until a week ago."

I smiled. "Trust me, we eat. And I'm not all
one
with nature either. Fairies always eat fruit in the stories, but I'm not a vegetarian and never plan on being one." I shuddered. "There's no way I could eat green stuff all the time. I don't even like most fruit."

"Me neither," she said. She set the pizza box down and came to join me on the couch. "So, Ash.
Mr.
Fairy Godmother."

I cringed. It sounded worse every time someone called me that. "What?" I asked.

"I know nothing about you." She studied me. "You listen to music right? Like, not flute-playing fairies or anything, but real music?"

"Ha! Of course."

"Who's your favorite band?"

The corner of my mouth twitched. "Pearl Jam."

She cocked an eyebrow. "I'm serious, Ash."

I laughed. "So am I."

"Honestly? Pearl Jam?"

I flicked my wrist and my wand appeared. I handed it to her, and watched as she held it up to her face to examine. The tiny lyrics wrapped around the wand, and she squinted, trying to make them out.

"Even Flow?"

I smiled. "Best. Song. Ever."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess."

I folded my arms, acting offended. "Don't start knocking my band," I said.

She laughed. "I'm not into grunge. I'm partial to Katy Perry," she said. "You know who she is, right?"

I gave her a look of horror. If she liked Katy Perry, we were not friends anymore.

"Just kidding," she said.

"No you're not."

She smiled. "I have two of her CDs."

"Of course you do." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, my turn now." I thought about the contents of her folder. "Let's see. What don't I know about you?"

"You don't know anything about me."

"You're wrong about that. I know lots of juicy details."

She folded her arms and looked over at me. "Oh, really."

"Yes, really."

"What's my favorite color?"

"Pink."

She frowned. "Lucky guess. My room's pink."

I tried not to smile. "Actually, it's not anymore."

"What?"

"Nothing." I'd let her find out how cool her blue room was when she went to bed tonight.

"Okay, what’s my favorite food?"

"Macaroni and cheese. Homemade." I smiled as her mouth dropped open. "You enjoy it with a side of beets." I chuckled. "And just for the record, I think beets taste like dirt."

"You–"

I held up a hand, stopping her. "You cover your food in salt, even if it's already salted. You like those gross pink candies that taste like Pepto-Bismol." I shuddered. "Oh, and you don't like soda. It gives you gas."

Her face turned bright red. "It does not! I don't like how it makes my stomach bubble!"

"Like I said. Gas bubbles."

She threw up her hands. "This is ridiculous!"

I laughed. "You're afraid of sharks, even though you don't live anywhere near the ocean. You're shy, but don't take any crap from anyone if they treat you bad. You're
very
stubborn."

She nodded. "True."

"Dancing is a passion of yours."

She stiffened. "Not true."

"Yes it is. It's in your file–"

"No. It's not."

"Kendall, the file on you isn't wrong. It can't be." Could it?

"This conversation is over," she snapped. She looked away.

I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to make her happy again. "Wait, let me try one more."

Her body tensed, but she turned back to look at me. "One more," she muttered.

"You don't like sitting on the grass. You think it's gross."

She cracked a smile. "I may need to see this file. Who knows what kind of stuff is in there?"

I shrugged. "Nothing too important."

"Whatever," she said.

I was surprised how comfortable I was with her sitting next to me. Like we were friends in a perfectly normal situation. Instead of me being her fairy godmother, a ridiculous situation. I looked over, watching her twist my wand in her hand. She let out a yelp as a spark popped out of it.

"Here," I said, laughing. I reached over to grab the wand and brushed her arm. A spark of electricity shot through my arm. Apparently, she felt it too, since she dropped the wand on the floor.

"Sorry," she said, bending over to pick it up at the same time I did.

Only inches away, her hazel eyes met mine.

I felt my cheeks flame. "Anything else you want to ask me?" My voice sounded husky and I tried focusing on something other than her gorgeous eyes. I couldn't tear myself away from her gaze though, and my heart beat faster.

She gulped, her eyes huge. "Um ..."

"Not that I'll answer, of course." I studied her face. The way her hair fell softly in front of her eyes, and how she brushed the few strands away with her hand. Her full lips, her perfect nose. The thin scar that she thought was so horrible, but as I looked closely at it, seemed to suit her.

When her eyes wandered to my lips, she quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"Kendall? You home?" Her sister’s voice echoed through the house, and I sat back on the couch, grateful and disappointed for the interruption.

We listened to Ellie's footsteps as she ascended the stairs.

"I'm down here, El!" Kendall yelled.

After a few minutes we heard Ellie laugh. "What the heck did you do to your room?"

Kendall raised an eyebrow at me. "What did you do?"

I smiled at her. "You'll thank me later."

"Ash!"

"See you tomorrow." I winked and disappeared.

***

A voice greeted me as I appeared in front of my dorm.

"You're sure spending a lot of time with your assignment." Dax stared at me, his golden eyes glowing.

"Get lost," I said. I was tired, and after the long day I'd had, wasn't in the mood to deal with him.

"Now, that's not very nice. I thought fairies were supposed to be sweet and kind."

"I'm not your average fairy," I said.

"No. No, you're not." He smiled like he knew something I didn't.

"Looks like you're off probation. Since you're prowling around campus at night."

"Of course. They know they can't keep me on probation very long. I'm too much of an asset to them. Especially Logan. You should hear the praise he gives me. He hasn't seen anyone as powerful as me since, well, ever."

"Don't flatter yourself." I studied him. He normally wasn't the chatty type. "What do you want, Dax?"

"I was just curious. How close are you to completing your apprenticeship?"

"One wish down, two to go."

He smiled. "Really? I'm almost finished. Probably my last night helping
my
assignment. Then I go onto bigger and better things."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you'll see."

"Sounds fascinating," I said dryly. I turned to leave.

"One more thing. This girl you're helping ..."

I froze.

"You seem pretty comfortable with each other."

My whole body tensed. "You're spying on us?"

"I wouldn't call it spying. More like observing."

I faced him. "Look, I know you have a problem with me, but you leave Kendall out of this."

"Ah ... she has a name. Interesting."

One moment Dax was smirking at me from a distance. The next moment I was clutching fistfuls of his collar and shoving him up against the brick wall of the building. "If you do anything to her, I'll poke out your eyes with my wand."

He looked surprised at first, then smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Don't you worry your pretty little wings. It's not her I'm after."

"Seriously? What have I ever done to you?"

"You really don't know, do you?"

"Should I?"

He laughed. "This is great. For once, you have no idea what's going on. No idea who you are or what's coming. It's pathetic."

I pushed him away from me. "Get out of here."

He laughed and strode off into the darkness. "Don't fall asleep," he said over his shoulder. "Remember, I'm still in trouble and have to be careful, but that doesn't mean I can't get in your head. They don't watch me at night."

I took a deep breath and went inside, knowing I wouldn't be getting any sleep.

Kendall

Music blasted through the yard as Tessa pulled up to Dane's house. People were everywhere, dancing, running around, talking in groups.

Tessa nearly flew out of the driver's seat. "Look how many people are here! This is going to be crazy fun!"

"Sure," I said.

"Come on. Everyone's inside or out back," Tessa said.

I wanted to point out that plenty of people were in the front yard, but she just grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

It felt like a sauna with the crush of bodies in the house. As we pushed through the crowd, I kept an eye out for Cameron. I didn't see him anywhere, but Tessa said he was coming.

I heard a splash come from the backyard, and we made our way in that direction.

"People are swimming? Was I supposed to bring a bathing suit?"

Tessa just laughed.

I figured out why when we walked through the door to the patio.

People were swimming, but there wasn't a bathing suit in sight. Just kids in regular clothes or underwear, sloshing around in the pool. It didn't look like fun to me at all.

"You want to get in?" Tessa asked.

"No thanks." I shivered. I swear I saw pieces of ice bobbing around in the water. I was never the kind to jump into a freezing pool. In other words, I wasn't an idiot.

The party went on for hours. People acting like kids, couples making out in every corner. And me, sitting on a bench outside, watching it all unfold. Tessa was with me most of the time, pointing out cute guys.

When Scott came through the back doors, Tessa started toward the house.

"I'm gonna go grab a piece of pizza. Want anything?" she asked.

"Just some water," I said.

She looked at me funny, shrugged, and walked away.

I stood near the pool, watching some girls in dresses flirting with guys who were pretending to jump in. I wanted to shove them in myself.

Cameron found me two seconds later. It was as if he had been waiting for Tessa to leave me alone.

"Hey, Kendall," he said. "Having fun?" He stood next to the patio, a drink in one hand.

"Sure," I said. I wasn't sure if I should be happy he was talking to me or not.

"I'm glad you came. You look really nice tonight." His fingers brushed my arm and I cleared my throat, uncomfortable.

"Thanks."

"Look, I'm sorry about how I acted the other night. I didn't mean to make things weird. I was a jerk." He took a sip of his drink and my chest tightened.

"What’s that?" I asked. My heart started beating faster, the blood rushing to my face. The stench of the cup's contents assaulted my nose, putting my whole body on edge.

"Oh, this?" He took a step back, his hand covering the top of the paper cup. "It's nothing." His easy smile was back, but his eyes were guarded.

"Are you
drinking
?" My heart was racing now. Images began dancing behind my eyes.

The car careening out of nowhere, not even giving me enough time to scream.

Flashing blue and red lights.

Faces hovering above me as I lay bleeding on the ground.

Me, screaming for my dad.

My eyes burned, blurred by the tears that threatened to spill over. I was having another attack, and couldn't do anything about it. I was barely aware of Cameron still standing in front of me until he spoke again.

"Kendall, it's not what you think."

My head snapped up, and my eyes re-focused. There was nothing he could say to stop the anger pulsing through my body.

My fists clenched at my sides. "Don't you
dare
make up excuses! You know how I feel about that ... that ..." I sucked in a breath, trying to keep myself under control.

His eyes widened, and he glanced around. "Hey, don't be like this. I'm sorry. I didn't even think about your dad when I picked it up. It was stupid." Avoiding my eyes, he dumped the liquid into the grass a few feet away. "Look. Problem solved."

"You think this is just about my dad? Do you even remember what happened to me?"

"Kendall–" he started.

"I was in that accident too, Cameron."

He hesitated. "I know that. I know you're still upset that your dad died. I can't imagine what that feels like, but you need to move on. You're alive. You're fine.”

"I'm not fine, Cam. Especially right now." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Do you remember what caused the accident?"

"Yes, but–"

"My dad died because of a drunk driver. Because some stupid teenager thought it would be okay to drink and drive." My jaw clenched, and my body shook with rage. "My dad died, and the other driver walked away without a scratch!"

He grabbed my arm and leaned closer, the alcohol on his breath overwhelming, making me dizzy. "I wasn't going to drive home, Kendall. I'm not that stupid."

"It doesn't matter! Do you have any idea what the sight or the smell of that does to me?" I noticed people watching us, but I didn't care.

He put his hands on my shoulders, his fingers digging in to my skin. "Calm down. People are looking," he growled.

I shrugged away. "Don't tell me to calm down." I was breathing hard, holding my tears back.

"Come on, Kendall." He glanced around again. "Let me take you home and we can talk about this. Just not here in front of everyone. People are staring."

"There is no way I'm getting into a car with you."

His eyes widened. "I only had a sip! Quit making such a big deal out of nothing." He grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the house.

"Let me go!"

He stopped. "No. I'm not going to let you embarrass me!"

"Wait!"

He started walking again, dragging me with him. "Quit being stubborn and come on!"

I dug my heels into the ground. "Cameron! You're hurting me!"

His nails dug into my skin and no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't let go. "Cameron!" I looked around, seeing people watching us. Why wouldn't anyone help me? I tried in vain to pull away. "Cameron, let–"

Before I could get the rest out, Cameron's hand ripped away from my arm, and he flew backwards over the swimming pool. He screamed, but he wasn’t falling in. Instead he dangled above it, fingertips skimming the water, feet straight up in the air.

The wind blew furiously around the yard, trees bending so much the tops almost touched the ground.

"What the ..." I glanced over, and saw Ash.

He stood a few feet away, arms up as his chest rose and fell with deep angry breaths. His eyes were blazing, focused on Cameron, who still hung upside down in the air. Wind swirled around him, pulling on his clothes, whipping through his hair. My eyes stung, and I shielded my face as the wind grew stronger.

"Let him go!" I yelled, hoping he could hear me over the windstorm.

Ash met my eyes, his jaw clenched. His eyes looked darker than normal. He glanced at Cameron, frowned, and dropped his arm.

Cameron splashed headfirst into the pool.

The wind stopped.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled at Ash. Cameron coughed and sputtered as he made his way to the side of the pool. "Cameron, are you okay?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed and he pulled himself up the ladder. "You're asking if I'm okay after you pushed me in?" He climbed out of the pool, took his shirt off, and started ringing it out. Water splashed on my shoes and I took a step back, confused.

"I didn't push you–" I started.

"Oh, so I magically fell in the pool?"

I had no idea what to say. Had he seriously forgotten what happened? I looked around. No one seemed to notice anything unusual.

"I swear, I didn't–"

"Oh, just forget it." He slipped his shoes off, not looking at me. "You know what, Kendall? Maybe your mom should put you back into counseling. You have major issues. I'm sorry your dad died, but this isn't about him. It's about you. Being all paranoid about nothing."

I flinched as if I'd been slapped. "Cameron, I'm–"

He put up a hand. "I said, forget it. I'm sick of you leading me on and then screwing me over every time," he said.

"Cameron!"

He ignored me and walked back in the house. I noticed Tessa standing at the edge of the pool, her eyes huge. She hesitated before coming over to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," I lied. I was barely holding it together.

"I saw him grab your arm, Kendall. Do you need me to go chew him out?" She scowled toward the house.

"It's fine. I said some things I shouldn't have."

"That doesn’t make it okay," she said. "Come find me when you're ready to go. I'm going to talk to him."

"Tessa, wait!" I watched her walk toward the house, and knew she'd talk to Cameron anyway.

When she was out of sight, I realized Ash was still there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shift nervously.

"Kendall," he started.

"Don't you say a word," I said, shielding my face with my hands.

"Kendall, wait!"

Furious, I headed around the front of the house, knowing full well that Ash was following me. I wiped angry tears from my eyes, and refused to look at anyone in the yard.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked, appearing next to me.

"I'm fine, Ash. Get over it."

"If you were fine, you wouldn't be crying."

I shook my head, not wanting to talk to anyone. Especially him. "Leave me alone!"

He stepped in front of me, hands on his hips. "You aren't walking home by yourself," he said.

"I am, too." I stepped around him and started walking again.

"No, you aren't."

"What the heck were you thinking back there? Did you not see all those people watching Cameron dangle in the air?"

"They saw Cameron fall in the pool. That's it."

"You were way out of line, Ash.”

He sighed. "He grabbed your arm."

"I was fine!"

"That isn't true and you know it. You clearly didn't want to go with him. You should have punched him or something. Haven't you always wanted to punch someone?"

I let out a breath of frustration. "How can you possibly know that?"

He shrugged. "Your file."

"Screw the file! You don't know anything about me! Just stupid things! Things that don't matter!"

He hesitated before taking a step toward me. "I know you're having a melt-down right now."

"Seriously, go away!" I yelled, turning away from him.

"Kendall. You aren't walking home in the dark."

I ignored him and quickened my pace. I was halfway down the street, and still had quite a ways to go. Home was pretty far, but there was no way I was going back in that stupid house to find Tessa. And I couldn't face Cameron again.

"You aren't my mother," I snapped. I wiped my eyes, no doubt smearing mascara all over my hand.

"I don't care if I'm not your mother. You
aren't walking four miles by yourself at night. "

I walked faster, and heard his hurried footsteps as he tried to keep up with me. Could you wish away fairies? Because that's exactly what I wanted to do.

"I'm not a child, Ash." I rubbed my arms, trying to focus on the cold rather than my nervous breakdown. My whole body was shaking, and my eyes were still moist from the tears that kept falling. I felt my chest tighten, my heart speeding up.

"You're worse than a child. You're a teenager having an emotional breakdown," he said. "Which is why I'm taking you home right now."

I turned around to see him pull out his wand. "Go away."

"Quit being so stubborn and let me help you."

"I swear, Ash, if you don't leave me alone right now, I'm going to lose it."

"You're already losing it, Kendall! Calm down and take a deep breath. Sit down if you have to. You're having a panic attack."

My breath came in gasps now, and I bent over, putting my head between my knees. I was sure Ash had left me since I couldn't hear him anymore, and I cried even harder.

Then I felt a hand on my back. "Take some deep breaths, Kendall. I'm right here."

He moved his hand in little circles. His deep voice was soothing, and I focused on only that. I didn't realize how much I needed him with me at that moment. "You're okay." His breath tickled my cheek. He smelled like rain again, and I inhaled. The scent of it relaxed me a little.

"Please, give me a minute," I said. My breathing slowed, my nerves calmed.

I'm not sure how long I stayed on the ground like that, but I was very aware of how close Ash was. He didn't say anything for a while, just continued to rub circles around my back. I glanced over at him. He was kneeling next to me. I managed a small smile, and his worried eyes met mine.