Authors: K.K. Allen
The Equinox (21 page)
I shrug. “I believe that natural oils from
the earth have positive effects on us, and energy from these stones radiate those
effects onto us.” I sound like Rose now. “What do you believe in?”
Johnny looks at me surprised now. “I
believe that there’s a lot more going on with you than you let on.”
His answer startles me but I find the
courage to stand. I need to get ready for the party.
“Funny,” I respond before turning away, “I
was just thinking the same thing about you.”
Without another look, I rush out the
back, release my bike from its lock, and pedal off for Summer Estates. I have a
party to dress for.
hapter
T
welve
It’s
an extravagant beach party. No one wears masks or piles their head high with
feathers, but fashion is evident as teens and their parents try to outdo each
other in their elaborate gowns.
The dress Charlotte made for me is
gorgeous. It’s a cream tank blouse tucked into a shimmery silver thigh length pencil
skirt. My hair is pulled up in a loose, messy bun with just a touch of makeup;
eye liner dramatizes my eyes, mascara identifies my already long lashes, and
blush highlights my small and defined cheekbones.
Looking around jolts me back to the
memory of when I arrived at Alec’s Fourth of July party. My confrontation with
Ava, the things she called me, the way her and Iris acted, Alec kissing me for
the first time…the water balloon, the fire, and then the almost drowning. It
seems like such a long time ago, yet the images are as crisp as the remnants of
that wild bonfire; still present, but alive no longer.
Charlotte’s hand lands on my shoulder to
break me from my thoughts. I recognize her touch without looking; gentle,
soft-handed, and always scented with citrus. It’s funny how familiar she’s
become in such a short time.
Rose follows behind us as we assess the
crowd from a distance.
The buffet catering is set up just inside
of the tent, along the back wall. Most of the guests are mingling around the
tables and an acoustic band performs above the dance area.
Rose reaches for my hand. “I can sense
your tension, dear. What is it?”
I shake my head, not wanting to discuss
my troubles now, not when I’m already close to tears. “It’s a lot of things,
really, but I’m fine. I want Trisha to have a great time.”
“Well, try to let it go, dear. It’s time
to party.” Rose releases my hand and winks at me. With a shimmy of her
shoulders she walks away and I’m doubling over with laughter, alongside
Charlotte.
We near the party and I spot Johnny
almost immediately. He’s wearing a gray short sleeve button down with a black
tie, black long shorts, and tennis shoes. A tray of hor d’oeuvres is in the
palm of one hand. He smiles and nods at the guests.
Trisha is surrounded by the time I spot
her. Matt, Brent, and a few other faces I remember from Alec’s party gather
around her. I think I’ve even seen some of them at the Island Grille.
Her eyes lift just as I approach the
group and a giant smile reveals her bright white teeth. Her entire light
sparkles as it never has before, and every inch of her, from her shoes to the shiny
metal adornment at the top of her head is perfection.
I knew Trisha would make an amazing Enchanter.
Her birthday may be tomorrow but the effects are already changing her. She looks
stunning; happy; glamorous. Still bubbly, but I can’t see that part of Trisha
ever going away.
She skips through the center of the
crowd, grabs my hand, and pulls me toward the edge of the tent, out of hearing
distance from the others.
“Welcome to the club,” I say with a
smile.
Trisha’s eyes widen. “The club?”
I give her my close-mouthed smile and
squint my eyes. “Club Sixteen.” That’s not really what I mean, but she will
know that tomorrow.
“I feel so—alive.” Trisha closes
her eyes and takes in a deep breath. I sink back and watch her in admiration. She
has no idea why she feels this way.
A voice cuts me off and I turn to see an
unexpected face. It takes me a second to register who the short haired blonde
with glaring blue eyes is in front of me. “Iris. You look—great.”
She looks between Trisha and me, letting
her eyes linger on Trisha for a second. “Do you mind if I talk to Kat?”
Trisha backs up. “No problem. I’m going
to get something to drink.” She steps away slowly at first and then rushes off,
obviously eager to give us our alone time.
So awkward. Iris stands in front of me.
She’s taller than I remember. Just as pretty, though as her hair frames her
face now in an angular bob. She looks different—older.
It takes her a second to speak. It seems
she’s just as nervous as me. “I want to say thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell
you sooner. I’ve been out of it lately—but I’m grateful to you for
helping me when I was…” She shakes her head.
Thoughts of that night come back to me
too but all I want is to move forward. I frown. “You don’t need to thank me,
Iris. It was Alec who was with you, trying to put out the fire. Meanwhile, I
was trying not to drown.” I let out an uncomfortable laugh. I’m not sure it’s
appropriate.
She shivers dramatically. “That was a
scary night. After how awful I was to you I didn’t expect you to be so…”
I smile at her. “It’s fine. Really. I’m
just happy you’re okay. I’m glad to see you out and about.”
She rolls her eyes now, tension gone between
us. Hopefully this means we can start with a clean slate. “My parents locked me
up as if I was a prisoner. Finally summer is coming to an end. Maybe things
will return to normal once school starts up.”
Maybe
change is good for you.
I choose not to say these thoughts aloud
but I hope that maybe Iris has changed for the better after all of this. “We
still have a few weeks.”
I begin to turn away but Iris isn’t
finished. “I’m sorry about Alec.”
My feet jerk to a stop and I turn on my
heel to face her again, hesitantly. “It doesn’t matter.”
She gives me a disapproving look. “It
does matter. I would be furious if I were you. I
am
furious. Ava was my
best friend but after the fire she never came around to see me.” Iris shakes
her head as if her child disobeyed her. “But Alec came around. He told me that
they were spending time together. I didn’t realize
this
was what he meant until today. I can’t believe she’s dating my
ex-boyfriend.”
I cringe at the words
ex-boyfriend
. Alec made it clear that
they never officially dated. Then again, he may not have been completely honest
with me. The possibility that Alec wasn’t one hundred percent genuine with me could
be upsetting if I dwell on the thought, so I don’t.
“Well,” I choose my words carefully. “I
guess he just decided that Ava was for him. They look happy together.” This is
as much conviction as I can muster, and although this is hard to say, I know
that I’m telling the truth as I look over my shoulder and catch a quick glance
at Alec and Ava moving together on the dance floor.
Iris doesn’t look convinced. “Ava’s evil.
She’s always wanted Alec and now she’s stolen him from both of us.”
“Iris, stop. Alec can make his own
decisions.” Is she serious? “Look, today is Trisha’s birthday. Let’s celebrate
her and forget everything else. Okay?”
I reach my hand out, an offering that
Iris doesn’t accept, but she does follow me out to the dance floor where Trisha
and a small crowd are. Trisha is obviously having a great time, her laugh easily
heard around the tent, and as much as I want to join the fun I haven’t yet
finished processing the sight of Alec and Ava together. I certainly don’t want
to be dancing with them.
Once Iris fizzles into the crowd I step
back, listening to my empty stomach. I find the end of the buffet line and begin
filling my plate with appetizers.
“Isn’t that your man out there?” Johnny’s
voice greets me before I’m met by his face at the end of the buffet line. His tone
is questioning, but I sense that he’s stirring up trouble again.
My entire body tenses. “And here I
thought we made progress yesterday. Back to your normal self, I see.” I mutter
this quietly but I know he can hear me. I haven’t yet looked at him. I can’t.
“What?” He asks me seemingly confused that
what he said was insensitive.
I don’t answer but walk toward the tables
on the outside of the tent, hoping to be away from the crowd for just a minute
while I try to shake my annoyance.
Johnny is still behind me when I place my
food on the table. I look back at him. “Can I help you?” I sit down but Johnny
isn’t letting up. Something got under his skin, but why is he picking on me?
“Oh I get it,” Johnny says now. “He
dumped you and that’s his new girlfriend. That’s why you’re here alone.”
His ah ha moment ignites a spark in me. “I’m
not here alone,” I fire back with a drop of my fork. “My family is here and these
people are my friends.”
Johnny laughs, making the blood beneath
my skin rise quickly to a simmer. Oh no…not this again. I clutch my green stone
and stand, but I have to brush up against Johnny to escape him. While doing so
my heart begins to race like mad, but I’m not sure if it’s from the touch or
from the anger he’s causing me.
I try to walk away but he pulls on my arm.
There’s not much force behind it but I’m caught off guard and reeling into him
until I’m just centimeters away from his chest. “Excuse me.” I say angrily now,
staring up into his eyes.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Kat,” he
reacts defensively, as if he meant nothing by the comment. “Couples break up
all the time. You’ll get over it.”
There’s something in his tone that creeps
under my skin and injects itself into my blood. I want to scream at him, but
instead I close my eyes and beg for my powers to calm me down. I’m afraid of
what I’m going to do next.
And then I hear Johnny laugh again. Here
I am trying to stay cool so that I don’t hurt him and he’s laughing at me.
My next reaction is purely impulse. My
hand comes up and smacks him, hard, across his face. Just as quickly, I gasp
and reel my hand back, knowing that I’ve gone too far.
I run from him, guilt slowly taking over
me. I need to get away from everyone, including Johnny.
