MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) (8 page)

I raise my eyebrows at her
as I pull the strap to my Ibanez over my head, “What the hell are you talking
about?”
Yeah, I want to sleep with him, but I don’t want to ruin what we
have now. It’s hard enough to stay platonic. Why do you have to throw more of
those thoughts into my head?

“You guys act like a couple
anyways. Why don’t you just… you know… be a fucking couple already!” Becky
suggests with a stentorian voice
which cracks at her aggravation
.

“No.
I don’t think
Jack know
s
how to commit to
someone, and I’m not going to be another piece of ass for him,” I
tell
the girls, and they nod in silence. It seems to be a
subject they either understand or pity. I'm not for opening a knitting circle
and avoid further discussion of the threatening subject. I strum my guitar and
let the sound resonate as I adjust my volume while setting my pedals. “Ready?
Let’s do this!”

My hand slides up the neck
of the guitar as my fingers kiss the strings, and my body rocks with its
screams. Alice’s voice switches from melodic angel to rock goddess as she
finishes the first verse and continues to the chorus. We don’t half ass our
practices, always imagining an invisible crowd before us, as if we’re shooting
a music video or performing for a stadium. I block out all other thoughts
clouding my mind, dig deep inside to find myself, and let the music bring me
into euphoria. I’ve got a smirk on my face and twist my body to steady my left
foot on top of the floor amp beside me. I lock eyes with Becky smashing her
base drum with her foot and swinging her arms with ferociousness, making the
floor quake with violence beneath us.

I turn back forward to my
mic and harmonize backup vocals with Regan. Regan and I pull back to meet each
other in the middle of our makeshift stage as battle dancers stepping into each
other and rock our bodies. We turn our backs together and rock the bridge of
the song in perfect unison. The music takes over all of my senses, and I play
with emotion more than actual thought. Regan pulls away, and I step back to my
mic to harmonize with her again. I draw my hands down the neck of my guitar and
pluck the strings with violent fervor. Alice’s voice opens my mind as she holds
the last note out from the song. I feel myself sink with relief, and my mind
becomes more aware of my surroundings as I wipe my brow.

We practice for hours.
Sweat pours down my face while I put my gear away. “Alright, guys. I’ll see you
next Saturday. I’ve got to go,” I announce, and everyone says their goodbyes. I
light a cigarette as I drive back to Jack’s house. I send him a text to get the
gate code, and his response is immediate.

Jack: 76559

Me: Thanks!

Jack: See you soon,
Sunshine!

I punch the code into the
keypad and watch the gate swing open at a snail’s pace. Jack's waiting on the
steps for me as I pull into the cul-de-sac. I get out and smile at him, “So,
what’s the plan, man?” Practice has left me in a playful mood, and I look
forward to spending the
rest of the
day with Jack.

Jack rises, taking my hand
in his, “Let’s take a walk.” Butterflies swarm my stomach with his tingling
touch.

I follow him around the
side of the house, admiring the scenery as a light breeze cools my face from
the heat of the fading summer. “Mind telling me why you’ve been hiding your
riches?”

“I’m not rich. In fact, I
cut myself off from my parents a long time ago
,
because I wanted to
prove I could do things on my own.” Jack gives a small smile that fades
abruptly. He's quiet as we pass a pasture of horses, then expresses his worries
with a pensive tone of voice, “I have a lot of friends, but less than a handful
of close friends. And, even with those who are close to me, it’s rare if they
see beyond my exterior.”

He contemplates his words a
moment and gazes at me for a reaction I don't give him. I don't want him to
stop opening up to me, and I have a way with putting my foot in my mouth. Jack
continues, “I come from a family with a long history of soldiers. We take pride
in protecting people. Over the years, they made smart investments. They bought
the land, built the estate, and it’s been passed on from generation to
generation for a very long time.” I nod my head in understanding. “Everyone in
my family has been strategically trained.” I glace at him in disbelief, and he nods
with a despondent countenance. “Even me. But, I wanted a way to escape the
constant fighting. So, I turned to street racing for momentary relief. It’s
just an added bonus to being a gear head, and I love the adrenaline.”

We come across a large
garden leading to a resort style pool as the sun begins to set on the trees in
the distance. We continue through the thriving garden, and he pushes his hands
into his pockets as he resumes his story, “It’s just me and my mother now,
though. My dad left a few years ago for a mission, and we haven’t heard from
him since. And my mother…well…my mother's sick. She was… bit by a spider. She’s
weakening every day and… it won’t be much longer now.”

I watch a tear roll down
his face, and my eyes begin to water. I feel horrible and want to comfort him,
so I reach out to hold his hand in the quiet of
the setting sun
as we both stare at the lighted pool before us. There's nothing I can
say to ease his pain, and it kills me.

Jack squeezes my hand and
turns to me with a shy smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump my problems on you.
I just find it easy to open up to you for some reason.”

I find my voice again,
“Don’t be. In a way, I’m glad.” I smile and try to lighten the mood. “I think I
had the wrong idea about you, Jack,” I add, emulating his words to me. Jack
gives me his charming smile and ruffles my hair. “Hey!” I holler lighthearted,
pushing his hand away. Jack laughs, trying to tease my hair again, and I
stumble on the edge
of the pool. He catches my
fall, holding me by
the waist with one hand and by the arm with the other as he towers
above
me
leaning precariously over the water
.

His smile falls with
gradual realization at our proximity, and my entire body tingles with his
closeness
. He motions to pull me to him. I fantasize his lips
on mine, but I fear it’ll ruin everything between us. Good things don’t last
for me. As he pulls me closer, I wrap my leg around his, using his own body
weight to twist us around, and push him into the pool. He lets go of me as he
falls, and I've never laughed so hard in my life. Tears of joy threaten my
vision, and I miss Jack’s head coming above the water. He grabs my ankles and
drags me into the pool with him.

I spin around under the
surface and push off of the bottom of the pool to get above the water. I take
in a gulping breath and brush the hair away from my face. “Oh! You are so
dead!” I howl and lunge at him to push his head under the water. He grabs me by
the waist mid-air and slams me back down. We play in the water for an hour, and
the stars begin to blanket the sky above us. It's a beautiful clear night. We
get out and lounge beside the pool to air-dry.

“There you are,” Jack
radiates.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been so bottled up
and tense. I haven’t seen you let loose since the concert.”

“Yeah. I guess so.” I
grin
at him. He's bringing me out of my shell again, and I
sense being friends with him isn't going to last. I want more. It's inevitable
that he’ll always be a part of me. I can feel it in my gut, but deep down,
being with him will only result in a broken heart. Anyone I've ever loved has
hurt me.
How am I ever going to let him in completely?
“I’ve got to get
ready for the party.” I look down at my drenched attire.

“Yeah, me too. What time do
you want to leave?”

“Um… Give me an hour,” I
answer, and Jack pulls me to my feet.

“Alright. Come on.”

Hustling into my immaculate
bathroom, I peel off my damp clothes, and take a hot shower. I'm having a lot
of fun with Jack. I almost don’t want to go to Trey's party at The Green House.
Wrapped in a towel, I brush my teeth, put on my makeup, and blow dry my hair
straight. I discard my towel and search the closet for my garments, finding a
pair of black skinny jeans and my white tank that reads ‘Punk’ across the chest.
My black Chuck Taylors are a perfect match, and I slip them on. I look at
myself in the full length mirror in the back of the closet and check my makeup
one more time before leaving my bedroom.

I knock on Jack’s door, and
he answers after the first knock. His signature ball cap is low on his face again,
and he's wearing a plain gray shirt with dark wash jeans. “Ready?” he prompts,
shutting the door behind him. His voice is low and deep as if he doesn’t want
to accompany me, but I'm glad he's coming anyway.

“Yeah.” I
dig
my cell phone
from
my back pocket and
send a text message to Alice.

Me: R u guys coming?

Alice doesn’t text back
until we are a few blocks from The Green House.

Alice: Sorry, Ivy. Got caught up in something. I
don’t think

          
we’re
going
to make it out tonight.

Dammit Alice!

Me: Alright. Next time.

“They’re not coming,” I
notify Jack as he parks on the side of the famous party house, the tension in
his body is unmistakable.

“Why not?” he counters.

“She said she got caught up
in something. She didn’t elaborate.”

The house is crowded with
people inside, on the lawn, and in the high fenced backyard. Every surface of
the house is decorated in a Hawaiian theme which surprisingly doesn't clash
with the green paint adorning every plane and surface of the house, including
the wooden floors and ceilings. I find Trey filling up a plastic red cup from
the keg in the corner of the kitchen as he sees me coming through the entrance.

“Hey! You made it!” Trey
yells over the booming music.

“Yeah!” I yell back,
leaning in to his ear.

“Can I get you a beer?” he
offers as he pushes his cup to me.

I wave off his offer. “Do
you have anything hard?”

His expression is leering
as he turns my question into a suggestive manner and scrutinizes me from
my
hair to
my
shoes. His eyes are
glassed over as he muses, “For you?” He wiggles his eyebrows, and I roll my
eyes. “Follow me.”

I follow him to the
backyard where they have an outdoor tiki bar
set up
. “We’ve got a sort
of trashcan punch mix for shots. It’s Everclear and punch. But, it’s mostly
Everclear and a splash of punch for color,” he chuckles.

“Line ‘em up!” I whoop. I
turn to ask Jack if he wants a shot, but he isn’t behind me anymore.
Where
did he go?
Trey lines up four shots for us. “Is that it?” I challenge.
“Come on, lightweight! Line ‘em up!”

Trey laughs and lines up
twelve more shots for us. “I’ll race you?”

“You’re on!” I toss my hair
over my left shoulder so it won’t get in the way and place my hand on the first
shot to get ready as Trey readies his hands as well.

“Go!” he shouts.

I don’t watch Trey as I
take shot after shot. The burn of the alcohol opens my throat and warms my
stomach. I count nine shots and grab the last shot glass available from the
bar. Trey lets out a cat call as I throw my head back and finish the shot by
rolling the glass off my lips, dropping it in my opposite hand, and slamming it
upside down on the bar. I laugh as I feel the dizziness take over my
equilibrium, and I lean against the bar with my elbow to steady myself. The
liquor devours my system with haste, numbing my entire body with a blanket of
warmth.

“Well, damn, Ivy! I guess I
am
a light weight,” Trey beams.

Trey drags me to the main
entertainment room to dance. I haven’t seen Jack all night, and it pisses me
off he claimed he wanted to watch out for me tonight, but ended up leaving me
to fend for myself.
He's probably off screwing some bimbo
, I think
drunkenly. I'm sweating, having had a few beers after the ten shots I took and
am complete toast at this point. And now, I'm mad again. I pull my hair away
from my neck and fan my face, feeling the static in the air prickle my neck. “I
need some air.”

Trey leads me by the hand
to the front porch where there's a questionable green couch. I feel a mosquito
bite my shoulder, and I shudder before plopping down and propping my feet on
the banister in front of me. Its white paint’s chipped and peeling away in
random places, verification of the neglect it’s had over the years. I light a
cigarette and lay my head back on the backrest of the couch. Trey stands next
to my legs and leans against the banister with his arms crossed over his chest
as he watches me with a smug grin. “Having fun?” he
asks
.