Mesmerized (4 page)

“What?”

“Jake O’Connor.” 

"Why do you say that? He seems nice to me." 

"No one really knows his story. There are so many rumors, no one knows which is true. Apparently, he got kicked out of other schools for causing trouble. I've heard anything from he put someone in the hospital to he got caught stealing. His parents have never visited him. Not even once! He acts like he's too good for everyone. He doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. Despite that, everybody here has a crush on him, including Samantha.”

Lily shifted her gaze to where Samantha sat with her friends. “He’s just cute. I’m not interested in him.”

“Sure…” Hannah raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Lily knew how rumors got started. He was probably a good guy who got a bad reputation for no reason. People just wanted to make him sound more mysterious. She was definitely curious to learn his story, but knew she should stay away. 

When Lily got back to her room, she checked her phone. She had a message from her mother—in a chipper voice—informing her they would arrive on Wednesday and would be staying at a nearby hotel. Lily groaned inwardly. As much as she loved her parents, her mother was a bit of a handful. She thrived on male attention. It was a little much for Lily to stomach sometimes. At least most of the students would be gone for the holiday, so she shouldn’t be too embarrassed.

Lily looked over at Hannah. "Are your parents coming here for Thanksgiving?"

"No, I have to go home. There are six of us so it's easier to meet at my parents."

"Oh, I was hoping you would be here. My parents would be happy to know I made a friend."

"I'm sorry. Believe me I'd rather stay here then go home and deal with my crazy family." Hannah fell back on her bed, grabbed her laptop, and started pecking away at the keyboard. 

Lily looked around for something to do. She opened one of her schoolbooks, and dug into her homework. She couldn’t afford to fall behind. It was hard to keep up when she changed schools often. 

She glanced over at Hannah. She envied her friend. Growing up, Lily had always wanted to have a brother or sister. Hannah had five and didn't seem to appreciate it. Lily wondered what it would have been like having siblings. Maybe an older sister, opposite of her mother, that she could learn from? Or maybe a younger sister Lily could be a role model for? A brother would have been neat too, a protector maybe?

Chapter Five

Looking in the mirror, Lily pulled her hair back with a clip. She took out her make-up and put on just enough to compliment her features. Her mother had taught her how to do it right. Not like Samantha who plastered it on. She put on her favorite earrings—dangling, moss-green jasper chips in silver. They brought out her eyes. She had made them with her mother at a new age store. Green jasper was a stone used for grounding and protection. Her mother had taught her all about stones when she was little. Some of her best memories with her mother as a child were while they made jewelry together. She didn’t know the real reason she needed to understand this stuff until she hit thirteen. Centering her necklace, she smiled. She was ready for the day. 

It wasn’t until she went into the bathroom right before lunch that her day went downhill. On the mirror, written in bright red lipstick, was a message: Lily is a WHORE!

Lily's jaw clenched and she could feel the anger rising. Her insides felt like they were on fire. She marched out of the bathroom on a mission to find Samantha and her posse. It didn’t take long. 

“What is your problem?” Lily yelled in Samantha’s face.

Samantha smiled innocently. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t own this school!”

“Oh yes I do. And Jake is mine too.” She glared at Lily, one her hand on her hip.

“Is that what this is about? I can tell you that Jake is NOT into you. That’s for sure.”

“Just who the hell do you think you are?” Samantha pushed Lily. 

“Really? That’s how you want to play this?” Lily pushed Samantha back. Samantha stumbled, but didn’t fall. Samantha lunged at her and grabbed a fistful of Lily’s hair. In a matter of moments, the two were rolling on the ground, scratching and hitting. 

Students surrounded them and cheered them on. Lily felt warm hands on her upper arms, dragging her out of the fight. She looked up and saw that it was Jake. What was he doing there? She ran her hands down her skirt trying to compose herself. She couldn’t believe she had lost control like that. 

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

"I don't know. I lost my temper." Lily rubbed her necklace and felt the tension release from her body. "Oh God. I hope I don't get kicked out of school again."

Jake sent her a weird look.

Mrs. Sanders, her history teacher, walked up. The kids started to scatter. "Samantha and Lily to the principal’s office. Now!"

Lily hung her head and glanced back at Jake. She couldn't leave this school. Even though Samantha was a pain, Hannah and Jake made her want to stay. Lily marched quietly to the office, ignoring Samantha’s death stare. 

The principal stood up when they walked in. Lily had not seen the principal yet. She was quite attractive in a severe way. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, her face was angled, and her lips full, line with dark red lipstick. 

"What is this I hear about a fight on school grounds?" She glanced back and forth between Samantha and Lily. "You do know that is grounds for expulsion."

Samantha's looked startled. "There was no fight. It was just a little miscommunication. We worked things out. Please don't kick me out, my mother would kill me." 

Lily was surprised to see Samantha had tears running down her face. "She's right. It was nothing, and it won’t happen again. I promise." 

The principal sighed, sat back in her huge black leather seat, and stared over her tortoise-shell glasses. She tapped her blood-red fingernails on the table. "I'm willing to overlook this incident if I have your word it will not happen again. If you two go at it again, you will be expelled, no questions asked. I don't care who your parents are." She looked directly at Samantha when she made the last statement. Lily couldn't help but wonder who her parents were—they obviously were important. 

“Yes Ma’am, you have my word,” Lily said. "I'm sorry." 

Samantha nodded. “Mine too. Thank you.”

Back in her room, Lily ignored questions from Hannah about what had happened. She didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to forget it ever happened. It was stupid of her to lose her temper over something so dumb. Samantha was not worth getting kicked out. She had to do better at keeping her temper in check.

“I'm still here. That's the important thing. I am starting to like it here.” Lily looked at the suitcase Hannah was packing and asked, “When are you leaving?” 

“Few hours. I'll be back Sunday evening."

"That's good." Lily smiled and grabbed a book off her dresser to read. She flopped back on the bed and crossed her feet at the ankles. She tried to concentrate on the book, but her mind kept wandering to Jake.

It was the day after Thanksgiving break had started and Lily was walking down the hall to the library when a boy with short black hair blocked her way. “Excuse me,” she said indifferently.

His dark brown eyes bore into hers. “You smell delicious.”

Lily shifted her weight uncomfortably. “Thanks. You’re in my way.”

He didn’t move. He just kept staring at her. “Beautiful,” he mumbled, sounding like he was under a spell.

His hand reached out to touch her and she slapped it away. “Stop it! Go away!” She forced herself past him and ran the rest of the way to the library. She didn’t feel safe again until she had yanked open the door and walked inside. Her breathing was slightly labored from the sprint. With everyone’s eyes on her, she knew he wouldn’t be able to try anything else if he followed her.

Taking a deep breath, Lily let the scent of new and old books fill her nose. Quickly and quietly, she went up to the librarian's desk and asked her where she could find a book on Native Americans.

Part of Lily wanted to stay in the library for safety reasons, but the other part of her wanted to get back to her room. With everybody staring it was hard for her to concentrate. She finally decided just to check out the books and leave. It would be quiet and lonely because Hannah had already left for home. Classes were over, but the library and gym stayed open for the students who were staying at school.

As she was walking back to her room, she felt like someone was watching her. Looking around, Lily’s eyes finally rested on a figure in the shadows. “Who’s there?” she called out.

The person stepped into the light and she recognized the long bangs right away. 

“Jake?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you hiding?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth. That he was worried about her and felt like he had to protect her. “I wasn’t hiding. I was just…relaxing. 

She raised her eyebrows. “In the woods at night?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. "I like being outdoors. Anything to get out of that stuffy dorm room."

“Okay.” She started walking again. 

Jake closed his eyes.
Don’t let her slip away, he told himself, say something to her.
“Um…Lily?”

“Yeah?” She turned to face him.

Jake looked down and shuffled his feet. “Do you wanna…maybe get something to eat?”

Oh did she ever! She would love to go eat with him. But, her mother’s voice echoed in her head,
“You can’t date boys. You could hurt them easily. Possibly kill them.”

She sighed feeling defeated. “I can’t. I have a project.”

Jake’s face fell. “Oh. You have to eat though, right? We don’t have to stay long.”

She smiled. “Just dinner?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. Where are you taking me?”

“Just the cafeteria.”

“Oh, fancy,” she joked.

He laughed. “Figured if you’ve got a project then maybe we should stay close.”

She nodded. “Good idea.” It would also be easier to run away if she had to.

Together, they walked into the dining hall and stood in line. There wasn’t a huge selection like normal because it was vacation and most kids weren’t around. Lily picked out some sort of chicken dish and a drink. 

Jake led her to a corner booth and motioned for her to sit down first. Lily smiled at the sentiment. He was quite the gentleman. She sat down and he sat next to her, their elbows almost touching. Jake had to suppress the urge to reach out and touch Lily’s body. The feeling was so strong; he had to do everything in his power to keep his hands on his silverware.

Lily ate a few bites of her dinner. “Where are you from?” she asked him, trying to start a conversation to get her mind off of how badly she wanted to kiss him.

“A little bit of everywhere,” he answered.

“Military brat?”

“No. Just moved around a lot.” He didn’t offer a lot of information.

“Siblings?”

“Nope.” 

She watched his perfect lips move and ached to have them moving on her. “Me either. Are your parents coming for Thanksgiving?”

“No. They’re dead.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. How about yours?”

“Yeah, they’re coming.”

“That’s nice.”

Lily shrugged. “I guess. It’s just my mom is a little…over the top.”

“Aren’t they all?”

She laughed. “You have no idea.”

“What do you like to do?”

Lily thought about that while she chewed a piece of chicken. “Watch movies, go to the beach, and make jewelry. I like to try different things, but I’m not always good at them.”

“Like?”

“Hannah said there was an ice skating rink nearby. I’d like to try it, but I’m not sure I’d even be able to stand on them.”

Jake smiled as an idea came to him. “Maybe I could teach you.”

Images of Jake and her out on an ice skating rink flooded her mind. She could picture them skating, holding hands and then the saw them kissing and… Lily shook her head. Stop it! 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…I just…I’m not sure if Hannah would be mad if I went with someone else.”

“Oh.” He looked disappointed.

“Maybe we could all go together?” she suggested, but could tell by the look on his face that he would much rather go with just her. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, “What kind of food do you like?”

“I’m pretty easy going. Cheeseburgers, steaks, pizza.”

“Me too.”

“Do you have pets?” he asked.

“No. Pets and I…we don’t get along.” Animals didn’t like her much. She had a feeling it had something to do with being a demon. Animals could tell she wasn’t human. “What about you?”

“I don’t have any right now. Used to have a dog.”

The longer they chatted, the more she wanted to take him back to her room. She had to keep a straight face as the images of them making out sailed through her mind. When his fingers accidentally touched hers, an electrifying feeling flew through her body. “I’ve gotta get back to my room and finish this project. My parents are coming tomorrow and I’m sure my mom will keep me busy while they are here.”

Lily quickly stood up and grabbed her tray. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I had a really nice time.” She forced herself to turn away, throw her trash in the garbage, and go to her room. 

Lily unlocked the door and quickly shut it behind her. She sank to her knees and leaned against the door. Her heart was racing and she couldn’t stop thinking about Jake. “You can’t be with him. You’d kill him,” she told herself. 

Touching her necklace, she took deep breaths and calmed her body down. After a while, she was able to concentrate on her project until she went to bed.

Jake walked slowly back to his room once he made sure Lily made it to hers. He didn’t understand why he felt so protective. He hadn’t felt this way towards anyone in a very long time. Why now? What was so special about this girl? She seemed to make him feel again. Like his body was turned back on. He wanted nothing but to be with her and he didn’t even know her. How insane was that?