Inside the Fire Book One in the Warden's Series (24 page)

“I assume that is what she did with Greta.
She tested her until she killed her. Drove her mad I’m sure.” She
groaned. “Greta saw what this girl was doing to her family and
tried to fight back but lost her life in the process. If Greta was
right you and Wesley will find your way back to each other. I have
a feeling there is a long painful road ahead of you two.” She
reached over and took my hand as pain pulsed once through my
body.

****

I had my answers finally. I knew what had
killed Greta Jensen. I knew that Miranda in her sinister plot to
control Wesley had killed his mother. Maybe she had seen too much
and Miranda found it necessary to get rid of the threat.

It didn’t matter though he was still with
her. In my eyes he had made his decision the day after he left the
school. Maybe it was the words that got to him. What if he actually
believed what the other students were saying?

I had wanted to question him more concerning
the images. I had a feeling though that he had never seen them. If
he had it probably would have thought twice about what happened
between them again.

Oh why do I care so much?

It got around the school quickly. Then again
what did I expect? The reason though were extremely farfetched.
There was even a rumor going around that I was pregnant. That one
made me laugh. When the weeks turned into a month a found myself
feeling better. I knew that I loved him. I just couldn’t see myself
with him anymore. Did this mean that I was finally getting over the
pain?

“I feel bad for her.” I heard one girl say
in the hallway.

“Why?” The boy she was talking to said
harshly.

“Nobody deserves to have their heart broke.
Just look at her. She just seems so shattered.” The girl was
looking at me with soft green eyes.

“She should have known it would happen. That
guy is a loser.” The boy said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her
down the hall.

That guy is a loser.

That was one thing that I wanted to agree
with the boy on but I knew it wasn’t true. I walked down the hall
and into my choir class. At least the day was almost over.

“Hey Weathers.” Adam said bouncing up beside
me.

“Hey.” I said softly.

“What’s going on tonight after school?” He
asked as he followed me through the classroom to my perch in the
alto section.

“Nothing as usual.” I said.

“Ok so I’m just going out on a limb here.
I’m coming over so we can talk. I’m tired of seeing you mope around
the school.” He frowned at me.

“If you say so.” I tried to smile, but it
came out twisted.

“Yeah I say so.” He said taking my bag from
my shoulder.

“Sounds like a plan.” I looked at him.

****

"So it's really over is it?" Adam asked me
one day after school.

Since I didn't exactly have close female
friends and Nadine lived in another town he had taken over the role
of my rock. He had been there from the first phone call. Walked me
to class, so that Wesley wasn't tempted to speak to me. He even
started picking me up in the morning because it was hard for me to
get out of bed.

A few mornings he even went so far as to
dress me because he couldn't motivate myself to do it. I was a
rock, no feeling and no emotions. I lacked the motivation to do the
smallest thing. Adam was the only thing to keep me rooted otherwise
I would have just laid there and blended in with my sheets until
the end of time.

"Would appear so." I said shrugging.

Wesley had made no attempt to talk to me. He
had stopped making eye contact with me in the halls. So as far as I
was concerned that was his goodbye. I wasn't saying my mother was
wrong, maybe just misinformed. I knew that sooner or later I would
have to talk to him. Our lives were intertwined too much to just
ignore him for life.

I just couldn't see a future with him
anymore, nothing screamed I had to have him when I did steal a few
seconds look at him. He was Miranda's for now even though I may not
have wanted him anymore I still wanted to destroy her. The thing is
it all felt like a fabricated lie, the little voice in the back of
my head still longed for him.

"So this girl is his ex?" Adam asked. I
could see that he was fighting a smile.

Adam never thought that it would work with
Wesley. This was his way of pretty much saying I told you so but
you know what I didn't care. It was over. I was not going to stick
around when it was obvious that he was not meant to be with me.

"Yeah, she's a sophomore at STU or whatever
it's called." I leaned back and propped my head on the wall.

This was the first time we had talked about
the break up and though uncomfortable it was nice to just finally
be able to say that it was over.

"Well if it's over I suppose it's time to
take off the ring." He said pointing.

I looked down at my hand, I had totally
forgotten all about the promise ring he had put on my finger. I
felt a slight flutter in my heart followed by an instant hardness
as I yanked the ring from my finger and tossed it at my dresser.
With a hollow clink it found a home near the mirror. I would give
it back to him later when the sight of him didn't make my stomach
crawl.

"You see this right here?" He pointed at me
and scowled. "This is why I'm not going to fall in love in high
school. I don't know how many times Nadine has tried to trap me
with those three words. First, I don't feel that way for her. I
mean I care deeply for her and want her to be happy, but I don't
see wedding bells in our future." He sighed. "You are just so
broken. I cannot imagine everything that goes through your
head."

"It's not so bad." I looked at him. "I mean
once you get passed the initial nausea and the loss it is really
quite comforting. Makes you realize that we are just too young to
know what love is." I rolled my eyes. "Guard your heart with your
life Adam. I would hate to have to murder the first girl that
breaks it." I gave him a weak smile.

"I can just imagine how that warning will
work. ‘Hey you broke my heart now you must die by my super scary
best friend. She will kill you with a flick of her wrist'." He
laughed. It was nice to see that he thought it was amusing.

"You have no idea how easy that would be." I
muttered more to myself than to him.

Wait did he just call me
his best friend
?

I warmed for a second at the thought of
having a best friend. I hadn't been close to anyone since leaving
Texas.

"Well you have no worries. I do not plan on
giving myself over until I find the woman I'm going to marry. See
that's the other thing, Nadine wants to." He looked at the
bedspread and started picking at it. "She wants to actually do it.
I have a strict not until marriage policy so I don’t foresee that
ever happening." He laughed nervously.

"Your morals tell you not to right? Adam, I
respect your morals don't let some stupid girl make you break them.
Keep to them. Trust me you are not missing out on anything."
Hopefully I avoided a very awkward conversation. The last thing I
wanted to talk about was taking someone's innocence it would only
make me think of Wesley. Even though I no longer felt the guilt it
was not something that I wanted to think about let alone discuss
with Adam.

"I think I'm going to break up with her." He
suddenly said.

“Wasn't expecting that one.” I looked up at
the ceiling. “She’s a nice girl. But if you feel that you are not
compatible then I suppose it would be smart to let her go before
you wind up just stringing her along because you don’t want to hurt
her.”

****

On Friday after my last class the oddest
thing happened. I was standing at my locker putting books in my bag
for the weekend’s homework when one of the boys from my Calculus
class walked up to me. I had no idea what his name was, but he was
friendly enough. I looked at him confused for a second. Not a bad
looking boy. He had spikey blonde hair, blue eyes, and was
relatively short compared to what I dated in the past. He was maybe
five eight. He was wearing a black vintage Deftones hoodie so I
could respect his music taste that was for sure.

"Are you lost?" I asked coldly.

The boy was just standing there staring at
me. If he had something to say he should have said it by now.

"Naw, just not quite sure how to talk to
you." He said stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"That's always comforting. What can I do for
you?" I shut the locker and turned to look at him.

"I heard you and Wesley broke up."

Really? That's what he had to say!

I rolled my eyes and threw my bag over my
shoulder before proceeding to pass him. He reached out and grabbed
my arm softly.

"I would like to take you out this weekend."
He said it with such confidence that I had to admire it. I nodded
at him before reaching in my pocket for my phone.

"Give me your number. Make sure to put your
name in there." I handed him my phone, and he instantly started
typing the information into my contacts list. Once he handed it
back I gave him a tired smile. "I will send you a message tonight.
I'm Dawn by the way." I held out my hand.

"Aaron." He said taking it and giving me a
nice smile.

I raised the corner of my mouth but it took
a lot more to get a smile out of me than it used to. Once he let my
arm go I started walking towards the parking lot. Adam had choir
practice after school so I was on my own today.

I was looking at the ground minding my own
business when I smacked face first into a familiar chest. I looked
up and glared at stupid blue eyes staring at me. I went to step
around him but he blocked my path. I huffed and took a step
back.

"What do you want?" I asked kicking at the
rocks.

"I want to talk to you." Wesley said
shortly.

"I think you gave up that right when you
decided to mess around with that skank." I glared at him and tried
to go around him again but he just kept blocking me.

"You took off your ring." He reached for my
hand put I stepped back and gave him a warning growl.

"Yup, I will get it back to you when I
remember to bring it with me." This was awkward.

"So you made up your mind then, it's really
over?" His voice cracked.

"Oh Wesley it's been over since you decided
to be with her. When is the last time you saw her?" I really didn't
want to know, so I decided to answer for him. "Let me guess this
morning when you got up out of bed." He looked around guilty, I had
been right. My god was I ever going to be wrong? For once being
wrong would feel amazing. "Jesus Wes!" I screamed.

"It's not like that Dawn." There was no way
he would be able to justify this.

"Then what is it like? I find you in the
arms of another woman! You continue to see said other woman. I’m
done feeling guilty for everything. You can take your apologies and
excuses and go home to her." I pushed past him and started walking
away.

"I still love you Dawn." He yelled after
me.

"Prove it!" I yelled back. When I got into
my car I threw my bag into the passenger seat and stared out the
windshield for a good ten minutes before pulling my phone from my
pocket and opening a text message.

Me: Aaron when did you want to go out?

I felt my heart harden more as I tossed my
phone into the cup holder and pulled out of the parking lot. If it
was ok for him to see other people then it was perfectly acceptable
for me to as well. I would crush him the way that he crushed
me.

****

I had just walked into the house when my
phone started to frantically go off. Grumbling I threw my bag to
the ground and yanked it from my back pocket. I had two messages
from Aaron flickering on my screen; I mumbled to myself and checked
the messages.

Aaron: I'm not doing anything tonight.

Aaron: You like pool? I know a bar that we
can go to.

I was really starting to wonder what I was
getting myself into. I shrugged off the questions and started
answering his messages.

Me: Nope nothing tonight. Pool is alright.
You want to meet there or pick me up?

Momentary pause where I
got a chance to breathe.

Aaron: My mother raised me right. Send me
your address I will pick you up at seven.

I texted him the address and put my phone
back in my pocket. I had a date, with a boy I didn't know, how so
not like me I was right now. I grabbed my bag from the floor and
walked to my room depositing the bag and my phone onto the bed and
walking into the living room. My mother was sitting on the couch
the sketch book open on her lap typing frantically on her
phone.

"Hey darling how was your day?" She asked me
sweetly.

"Not bad, got a date tonight." I said
dryly.

"Well that was fast. Will I be meeting this
boy tonight?" She asked me not looking up from her phone.

"Yeah, he will be here at seven." I plopped
down on the loveseat and started twisting my hands together. "He's
still seeing her." I blurted out.

She looked up at me. “And you are going out
with another boy.” She straightened up. “So tell me Dawn, how much
of this date is weighed on the fact that you found out that he is
still seeing her?”

“Everything.” I muttered and buried my head
in my hands.

Dating Again

Aaron was like clockwork, knocking on my
door at exactly seven. I had decided on a pair of jeans and a black
sweater, put my hair up in a ponytail and drew dark black lines
around my eyes. I didn’t think I looked horrible at the same time I
didn’t think that I would impress my date in any way. Not that it
mattered it anyway. This was just a rebound date after finding out
that Wesley wasn’t spending every waking hour pining over me.