Blood Rush (The Lost Witch Trilogy #2) (11 page)

“So um, I take it you’ve met the one and only Charlie,” Carter said, leaning down to speak softly in her ear.

Sarah glanced at him and grimaced. “Yeah, you could say that. She called me plain and out of her league yesterday,” she said and stabbed her peach cobbler with a vengeance.

Carter laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to be in her league. Her league plays for the insane asylum. She is bone deep scary. I’d stay away from her if I were you.”

Sarah shrugged and smiled casually. “What’s she like?”

Carter spent the rest of lunch detailing all of Charlie’s past misdeeds. The fact that she’d gotten a few teachers fired didn’t surprise her. The fact that Charlie had been placed in Foster care when she was a young girl and now lived with an ancient aunt made her ears perk up though.

“Do you know her aunt’s name?” she asked as she glanced at Charlie and Zane’s table again. Zane was done eating and was leaning back in his chair, surveying the lunch crowd as Charlie talked on the phone. It was almost like, now that she had Zane, she wasn’t sure what to do with him. Zane looked straight at her and caught her gaze. They looked at each other solemnly before she broke the contact.

“Nah, but I know where she lives. She lives in the old house behind the movie theater. No one knows where she gets the money for all her clothes. We think she steals her aunt’s social security checks,” Carter said before standing up. “Come on, I’ll walk you to class,” he offered.

Right then, Lash stood up too and looked at Carter with a frown. “That’s okay buddy. I’ll take it from here.”

Sarah sighed and wondered how a girl like her was always ending up between two boys. “Actually, I think I’ll walk myself to class,” she said and stood up, looking warily between Lash and Carter.

Carter looked at Lash curiously. “Sarah and I are friends. We’ll be more than that if I have any say in the matter. I don’t see a problem with walking her to class. But it seems like you have one.”

Sarah swallowed and tried to look anywhere but at Lash, but his blazing blue eyes pulled at her.

“You’re right, I do have a problem with that. A big one. Because Sarah is going out with me this Friday.”

Carter raised his eyebrows and looked at Sarah questioningly. Sarah sighed loudly and nodded her head. “Sorry. Life really is kind of messy right now for me.”

“Another time then,” he said with a half-smile and then frowned at Lash before turning and walking off.

Sarah picked up her tray and started walking towards the trash can. Lash followed closely behind her, not saying anything until they were in the hallway, away from listening ears. Lash didn’t waste any time and turned Sarah so that she was pushed up against the lockers, face to face with him. She pushed against Lash’s hands and frowned. She wasn’t scared of Lash. She could fry him within seconds and he knew it.

“Stop it Lash,” she ordered.

Lash shook his head. “
No
. Explain why you’re talking about future dates with that guy when you promised me yesterday to give me a chance. I told you I loved you Sarah,” he said, with real hurt in his voice.

Sarah winced. “I’m sorry but like I said yesterday, I can’t jump from being in love with one guy, to being with you the very next day. I talked about processing. I think that means two different things to each of us. It’s more than time Lash. It’s healing. Carter asked me out and I told him I couldn’t because I’m dealing with personal issues right now. Which is true. He was just teasing and flirting about a future date. The truth is I can’t handle anything deep and intense right now. Maybe you should think about dating other girls.”

Lash’s face looked explosive. He leaned in closer so they were almost nose to nose. “How can I date other girls when I’m in love with you?” he hissed and then reared back and punched the locker next to her, making her scream in surprise and fear.

Lash looked immediately sorry when he saw her face and reaction but before he could say anything he was thrown back, landing on his rear. Sarah gasped and looked up to find Carter standing there, looking furious.

“That is not allowed,” he told Lash, staring down at him. “I don’t know how you treat ladies from where you’re from, but here that’s called threatening. Sarah, are you okay?” he asked looking back at her over his shoulder.

Sarah nodded, but felt a little shaky. “I’m okay. Lash isn’t usually like this,” she said, looking at Lash who was pulling himself slowly up and looking coolly at Carter.

Lash dusted his jeans off as a crowd of kids started to circle them, hoping for a fight. Sarah swallowed nervously and glanced up at Carter. Carter looked grimly at Lash and seemed capable of holding his own. Lash looked him up and down and then held his hand out.

“You’re right Carter. I acted like an ass and I apologize to Sarah.
Friends?
”

Carter’s face relaxed. “No harm done. But watch it.”

Sarah smiled in relief, letting her shoulders relax. Lash glanced back at her, his eyes still narrowed and walked off. Carter watched him go and turned back to her.

“I know he’s your friend but he’s kind of possessive. Today he’ll punch a locker, tomorrow it could be you. Be careful,” he said softly and then turned and walked away, gesturing for all the teens to scatter. “Show’s over. Get to class,” he said with a glare.

The bell rang, but Sarah stayed where she was, leaning up against a locker, wishing she knew what to do. Wishing she could make everyone happy and knowing that she couldn’t. She watched as Zane and Charlie walked out of the lunch room holding hands. Zane glanced her way and did a double take when he saw the imprint of a fist on the locker next to her. His mouth thinned and he paused, making Charlie slow down. She looked over at him and saw the direction of his gaze and she smirked. She waved her hand at Sarah and pulled on Zane’s hand.

Sarah watched him walk away from her but felt him speak into her mind.
Did Lash do that? Are you okay?

Sarah was caught off guard at hearing his voice in her mind. It seemed like forever since they’d spoken like this.

Yeah, that was Lash. But I’m okay. Are you okay?

Zane disappeared around a corner and she pulled herself away from the lockers and walked quickly towards her next class.

A soft impression of words came to her mind.
I’ve been better
.

Sarah made it through the rest of the day and groaned as she realized Lash was her ride home. He was furious with her. He was hurt and she didn’t know how to fix it. Plus the way he’d smashed the locker right next to her had been frightening and threatening. She glanced around for someone she knew to bum a ride from but then caught sight of Lash.

He was standing on the steps of the school holding a dozen red roses and a sign that said
I’m and Idiot. Forgive me
.

Sarah frowned and walked slowly towards Lash, watching his face brighten as he caught sight of her. She walked up to him and he held the flowers out to her. She ignored the flowers and took the sign out of his hands, laying it face down. She didn’t want him to feel like he had to humiliate himself.

“What is all this?” she asked with a frown.

Lash cleared his throat nervously. “I’m so sorry Sarah. I told you yesterday I’m not patient. I wasn’t lying. I finally get rid of Zane and then there’s Carter getting in my way. I lost it. I shouldn’t have punched the locker. I hope you know I would never hurt you. I’d rather die than hurt you,” he said fervently, grabbing her hand.

Teenagers poured down the steps around them, looking at them curiously but ignoring them for the most part. Sarah looked away and saw Charlie and Zane walking towards his jeep. Charlie reached down and grabbed Zane’s butt. Sarah felt fire explode inside and before she knew it she had sent out a ball of energy straight for Charlie’s back. She blinked and winced, knowing she had just made a huge mistake. The energy reached Charlie quickly and she stumbled on her high heels as if she had tripped. She fell to her knees, letting go of Zane’s hand and leaning her head on her arms as if she were trying to catch her breath.

“Sarah?” Lash said, worriedly when she hadn’t responded to him.

Sarah bit her lip and moved to stand behind Lash guiltily. “Um, I get what you’re saying Lash and I forgive you. I just don’t know how else to tell you that I’m not ready to be your girlfriend right now,” she said peeking around Lash’s shoulder to see Zane helping Charlie up. Zane glanced up and caught her eye as Charlie leaned on him weakly. He smiled and raised an eyebrow at her before helping Charlie to the jeep.

Lash grabbed Sarah’s hand in his, drawing her attention back to him effectively. “You promised me that you’d give this thing between you and me a chance. Waiting for some moment in time though is killing me. I’m free, you’re free. And I love you.
Please
.”

Sarah forgot about Zane and Charlie for a moment. “Oh Lash, I don’t want to hurt you. But now that I’ve thought more about everything and I know what’s going on, I have to wonder if giving you and me a chance is such a good idea.”

Lash looked coldly down at her. “What are you saying Sarah?”

Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know
what
to say. That’s my problem. But what if we start dating and things don’t work out. When you punched that locker today, that scared me. I promised you a chance. I didn’t promise that we’d be together forever. What happens if I decide to break up with you after a month? Will you hurt me? Will you hurt Carter or, . . . someone else?”

Lash frowned down at his feet, holding the roses down now. “You mean Zane, right? What would I do if you decide to go back to Zane?”

Sarah nodded and looked away, just as Zane’s silver jeep drove by. She bit her lip guiltily as Charlie looked like she was leaning against the window, sick and weak. The jeep speeded up and she watched as it left the school parking lot and disappeared out of sight.

“Yeah Lash. I’m worried and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt Zane and somewhere in all of this mess, I’d like to be happy too. You’re just so deep and intense. I mean you told me you loved me yesterday! That freaks me out. If it were just a boy asking a girl out for a date, then that’s one thing. But with you, it’s not so simple.”

Lash studied the roses in his hand and sighed, looking away from her. “I guess you’re right. But I can’t change that. I’m not going to lie about my feelings for you. It is what it is. It makes me sick that I scared you, that you’re scared of me now. But I can’t turn this into some high school crush to make this easier for you. So what are you going to do?”

Sarah crossed her arms over her stomach and felt torn. “Okay. I’ll go out with you Lash. This is your chance. I give this thing between you and me one month. If at that end of that time, my feelings haven’t changed for you then you have to promise to let me go. You have to promise me that you won’t get violent. That you won’t hurt anyone and that you won’t be angry with me or anyone else I might end up being with.”

Lash stared at her unhappily. “That wasn’t exactly how I was picturing things in my mind.”

Sarah looked up at him curiously. “Oh? How did you picture things?”

Lash swung the expensive flowers in his hands back and forth, letting the petals fall on the ground. “I pictured you being just as in love with me as I am with you. I pictured you in my arms, never wanting to be anywhere else. I pictured you and me happy together,” he said quietly.

Sarah closed her eyes, and clenched her hands. “Growing up with you Lash, and watching you get picked on and bullied, sometimes my greatest wish in life was for you to just be happy. To have everything you ever wanted. I never imagined that
I
would be what you wanted. But the hard part is that I still have that wish. I still want you to have everything you’ve always wanted. But you deserve someone who loves you just as much as you love them. If I can’t give you that, then I have to walk away. Because that’s the most miserable thing I could give you Lash. Half a heart.”

Lash nodded his head, staring at her. “But I want that chance. I need that chance.”

Sarah sighed and looked away before nodding. “Then it’s yours. I’m yours. For one month. But only if you promise to let me go if my answer is no at the end.”

Lash glared at her for a moment and shook his head. “You make it sound like letting go of a balloon Sarah. You don’t understand. You’re the
only
person, the only one I’ve loved my whole entire life. No one else in this entire world matters to me, except you. How do you expect me to walk away from you?”

Sarah bit her lip and lifted her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll never have to know?”

Lash looked at her sadly. “The way you’re talking, you’re already saying good bye.”

Sarah shook her head. “I’m just covering all the fine print. I don’t want you to hate me because you think I misled you. I don’t want to do that to you. And I don’t want to get your hopes up Lash because one of the things I hate most in life is seeing you sad.”

Lash’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled sadly at her. “And that’s why I love you. Okay. I’ll expect disappointment, but do everything I can to win your heart. I accept the terms,” he said, holding his hand out to hers.

Sarah smiled at him warily. “For real? If things don’t work out and I tell you I just want to be friends with you, you’ll accept that and we’ll just be friends after a month?”

Lash’s eyes narrowed at her, his hand still extended towards her. “I never said I’d be friends with you. That’s impossible for me. But I’ll accept your decision. That’s all I can promise.”

Sarah sighed and shook her head at Lash before slowly raising her hand and clasping his warm hand in hers. Lash’s slow smile spread over his face as he pulled her towards him.

“Do you forgive me?” he asked, looking down into her face.

Sarah looked up into Lash’s dark good looking face knowing she loved him, but not knowing that she could love him the way he wanted her to, especially when she still loved someone else.

“I do. You know I do. But I have to be up front with you. I still have very strong feelings for Zane. I can’t deny that.”