Scattered Colors (9 page)

“I guess we can start on it tomorrow. Is that okay? I’m pretty drained right now. I don’t think I’d be very helpful.”

We’d just rounded the corner to the front of the house when he stopped and turned to me. “Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal of my own.”

I studied his expression closely, trying to find the reason for the cocky grin he was currently sporting. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

“Just hear me out. I’ve already read
The Crucible
and I’d be willing to write the paper myself. But you’d have to do something for me in return.”

I lifted a skeptical brow as I asked, “And what makes you think I’d trust you enough to write the paper all on your own? For all I know, you’re lying and you’ve never even heard of
The Crucible
. By the way, watching the movie with Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t count.”

“First of all,” he said, lifting his finger in the air. “Your lack of faith wounds me, Freya. And secondly, I’ve had a 4.0 GPA for the past three years. I’d be willing to bet I could write a better paper than you in my sleep. And third, I learned my lesson on using movies instead of books when I watched Demi Moore in
The Scarlet Letter.
That was two hours of my life I’m never getting back.”

My head fell back in laughter. “Did you fail?”

“Hell, no! I rocked that shit. But seriously, worst movie ever,” he shuddered.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him with curiosity. “Fine. Let’s say I take this bet. What do you want in return?”

“Ah, now that’s the easy part, Freya. All I want in return is your friendship.”

I gawked at him in bewilderment. I was so sure he was going to ask for something ridiculous like my first-born child or something. Once again, Parker had surprised me.

“That’s it? All you want is for us to be friends?”

He took a step closer. Only inches separated our bodies, and I couldn’t help but think about how easy it would be to just lean into him, to close the miniscule space between us and press my lips against his. Parker’s lip ring shined in the soft glow of my porch light, toying with me.

“That’s it. Everyone needs friends, Freya. Even you. You can’t keep everyone out forever.”

He was right. I knew that. And for the first time since moving to Sommerspoint, the thought of making connections didn’t seem so bad. “I think I can do that.”

A huge, beaming smile spread across his face right before he pulled me in for a bone-crushing hug. “I knew I’d wear you down!” he exclaimed as he let me go, startling a laugh from me. As he started down the driveway, I finally noticed his truck wasn’t parked in front of my house.

“Hey,” I called out. “Where’s your truck?”

“Just another benefit of being my friend, gorgeous,” he said as he looked back over his shoulder. “We’re neighbors.”

Halfway down the drive, he cut across the side yard into the wooded area that separated our house from the one next to us.

“See you tomorrow, friend!” he yelled as he disappeared between the trees and into the darkness.

Maybe being friends with Parker Owens wasn’t going to be so bad after all

As I walked into my house, a sense of relief washed over me. Ever since I stumbled onto that gorgeous, weird girl down on the beach, looking so sad and broken, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head. It had been driving me insane. She consumed my thoughts. Every time I saw her, I found myself unable to quell the urge to do anything and everything to get her attention, be it good or bad. I didn’t know what was happening to me. All I knew was after that very first moment, I’d become obsessed. When she told me she didn’t want to make any friends, I became hell-bent on changing her mind.

I didn’t know why. I had no clue what it was about that girl that had me chasing after her. But after watching the sunset together, I felt more determined than ever to get to the bottom of who the real Freya was. My gut told me that there was something special about her, that I was lucky just to know someone like her.

Maybe stumbling upon her that day at the beach had been destiny. I needed someone like her in my life. I felt a healing presence every time she was around, like she was a soothing balm to my soul. And maybe, just maybe, I would be able to help her heal, as well. I wanted to help push away whatever darkness she had inside of her simply so I could stand back and watch those brilliant blue eyes light up.

In the short time I’d known her, Freya had helped keep my own darkness at bay. She opened my world up to colors I hadn’t even known existed. With every passing day, I found myself desperate to do the same for her and after watching the sunset, I wanted it even more.

“Hey, sweetheart,” my mom called from the kitchen. I headed in there to see her standing over the stove, preparing dinner. Her eyes weren’t bloodshot or red-rimmed. The smile she graced me with was genuine. She was happy.

I walked over to her and bent to place a kiss on the top of her head. “Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”

“It’s going good, honey.” Her dark eyes met mine, narrowing slightly as she took in my huge smile. Her head cocked to the side as she said with curiosity, “You seem to be in a good mood. You haven’t been getting into any trouble, have you?”

My head fell back with a loud laugh, and I pulled her into my side for a quick hug. “No trouble, Mom. I just had a good day.”

“Well, I’m glad.” She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my cheek before going back to cooking. “Dinner’s almost ready, so go clean up.”

I headed to my room with a newfound determination coursing through me. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I actually had a purpose.

I was going to help bring Freya Linden back to life.

After watching the sunset with Parker, I spent the rest of the night filling out college applications before finally falling into a blissfully dreamless sleep, not waking until the next morning. I got ready for school feeling lighter than I had in months, and for the first time since moving to Sommerspoint, I didn’t carry dread at the thought of a new day the way I had before. My newfound friendship with Parker seemed to have lifted a little of the weight I’d been carrying on my chest for the past four months. As I stared out the back window at the early morning sun beaming down on the ocean, I felt a twinge of excitement. It was something I’d longed to feel since my mother passed but was afraid I’d never get back.

It was strange, but agreeing to accept Parker’s friendship had been like opening a sealed window and breathing in fresh air for the first time in a long time. It was a relief. I couldn’t explain why he was able to evoke such strong feelings in me, but just like with every other emotion, the comfort I felt because of him was substantial. The decision I’d made to keep myself closed off was beginning to feel like a vise squeezing my chest until I couldn’t stand it. Since our move across the country, my life hadn’t gotten any better by keeping myself locked behind a thick wall. Maybe it was time to make some changes.

“Well, someone’s looking chipper this morning,” Stella beamed as I walked up to my locker.

I looked over at her with a smile that matched her typically cheerful one. “I had a good night.”

She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to expand on my statement. When I didn’t, she simply shrugged. “Well, I don’t know what happened to you before you got here, but I’m just glad you’re happy right now. You always look so…sad. Seeing you happy makes me happy.”

I didn’t know if it was possible for Stella to get any more lovable than she already was, but she managed to push the envelope day after day. When she said things like that, I just wanted to squeeze her. We’d been friends for such a short amount of time, yet I couldn’t imagine not having her in my life. She was so genuine. I’d never met a girl with a bigger heart. Because her kindness was so sincere, I couldn’t help what I did next. I reached over and scooped her into a big hug and it felt terrific.

“Well, this is a pleasant sight first thing in the morning.”

Stella and I broke apart and looked up to see Parker coming toward us. His signature smirk was present on his pierced lips as he walked through the hall like he did everywhere else, like he was the ruler of everything. “Please, ladies, don’t stop on my account. I was enjoying that more than you know. Keep hugging. And if the mood strikes to throw a kiss in the mix, I’ll be more than happy to watch.”

Stella giggled as I reached up and smacked Parker in the shoulder. “You seem awfully chipper,” I joked as he rubbed where I’d just hit.

“What can I say? I had a good night,” he winked.

“You, too?” Stella asked. “Freya came in all cheerful this morning saying she had a good night, also.”

Parker’s grin got even wider as he looked at me, and I could feel my cheeks and the tips of my ears heating. Being fair-skinned and easy to blush was a curse. “Is that right, gorgeous?”

I glared at him as soon as the endearment passed his lips but it was too late. By Stella’s gasp, she’d heard and misinterpreted its meaning. “Are you two…? Oh, my GOD!” she squealed, jumping up and down. “You totally are!”

I held my hands up in an attempt to calm her mini-freak out. “We’re just friends, Stella. That’s all.”

Parker threw his arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “That’s right. Weird-named Freya over here finally showed some mercy on me. We’re the bestest of buds now. We might even go and get one of those little heart necklaces that say ‘best friends forever’. You know, the ones that break apart? What do ya say, gorgeous? I’m calling the
be frie for
part. That piece is totally mine.”

“Awe,” she cooed. “That’s so cute.”

Parker cocked his head to the side as he studied her. “Anyone ever tell you you’re like an energetic little fairy?”

At that, Stella and I both broke out in a fit of laughter.

“What? What’d I say?”

The bell rang for us to get to class and the two of us linked arms, leaving Parker behind as we made our way to Mrs. Wilkins’ room. He jogged to catch up just as we entered. I kept my head down, ignoring the threatening stares from Brynn before taking a seat at my desk. I could practically feel the hate radiating off her as her glare burrowed into my back.

“Her panties seem to be in an exceptionally tight bunch today,” Stella whispered as she sneered at Brynn. We both chuckled as we pulled our books from our bags.