Stormfront (Undertow Book 2) (12 page)

Monday morning crashed on to
p
of me like a drunken elephant, thanks to the sound of my alarm clock screeching in my ear.  I slapped it off and lay in bed, staring at the dark gray sky outside, a visual reminder that the halls of Barnstable were waiting to consume me.

I slowly kicked down my covers, but then realized I was still in my jeans and sweatshirt. Confusion slowly gave way to the memory of Raef kissing me last night and picking me up off the couch. His scent and warmth still lingered on me and I smiled, squashing my face down into my pillow, a flush of heat flowing into my skin.

I heard my door click open and the mattress bounce as Ana flopped down next to me on the bed. I turned to her, and she groaned into the covers, “The superintendent is a sick individual. High school should never start this early.”

I sighed, slowly dragging myself out of my memories and warm sheets. “Agreed. Let’s start a petition.”

Ana snorted and finally pushed herself off my bed. “Ugh – I’m getting dressed,” she moaned, stumbling back out my door.

“Don’t forget your walking boot!” I called to her
.

“Yes
, MOM!” she snarled back.

Thirty minutes later, Ana and I were dressed and in the kitchen, finishing the last of our mismatched bagels. Mae breezed into the room, looking amazing in a tailored blue suit and stone-colored heels.

I choked on my hot cocoa. “Wow. You look terrific,” I sputtered, floored at her dramatic change.

Her face beamed, “Do you really like it?”

“Yeah – but where are you going?” I asked, trying to calculate how she got the money for such a stunning piece of clothing.

“My first day on the job, sweetie. I am heading over to Mr. Raines’ office. He has a whole separate workspace in that fabulous home on Torrent Road. I am going to be working out of there, and then sometimes at his Beacon Hill office.”

“You are going to be working with him
in his house
?” I asked, a bit alarmed. Ana’s eyebrows crept up in surprise over this new arrangement.

“Well, yes, but I will be traveling a lot as well. I’ve got to fly – don’t want to be late on my first day!” she said, thrilled that she had her dream job. I couldn’t rain on her parade and swallowed back my fears that she would fall for Christian. Why couldn’t he just look like a toad and make my life less stressful?

I walked over to Mae and gave her a gentle hug, trying not to wrinkle the fabric she wore, “Good luck.”

“Thanks
, sweetie! Have fun at school,” she smiled, and grabbed her keys, heading out the door.

I stood staring at her minivan as she backed down the d
riveway. Ana slid up next to me. “Come on – let’s get this day started so it can be over already.”

When I pulled into the packed parking area of the high school, I scanned the lot looking for Raef, but was surprised to see MJ instead, sitting on the hood of his Bronco, peeling an orange. The morning was foggy, but warm, and many of my classmates were not even wearing jackets. I had grabbed a sweatshirt, but MJ was in a t-shirt that displayed some metal band that I never heard of.

I parked next to him and he hopped off his car, tossing the last of the rinds into the bushes by my bumper.
 I stepped out of my side while he helped Ana out the passenger door.

“Where’s Raef?” I asked MJ as he pitched Ana’s bag over his shoulder. He slammed the door shut and Ana wobbled over to me in her walking boot.

“Raef said he and Kian had to go hunting today. They were headed up North – something about Raef’s appetite for the local deer population starting to raise eyebrows at the DNR office.”

“Oh,” I replied, surprised he didn’t text me or
call. I was so used to him always being there, checking on me. But I had demanded some space and he was obviously honoring that.

MJ looked at me as we all started walking into the school with the sea of students. More than a few breezed by us with a friendly greeting. “Don’t worry
, Eila – I’m sure you’ll see him later,” he said, reading my face.

“No – it’s okay
, MJ. I had asked him to back-off on the protection detail thing. He is probably just following through with my wishes.” I squeezed through the glass doors and the halls vibrated with the chatter of hundreds of students.

“Wait – does that mean I can actually go to my last rehab appointment without Kian causing the women to drool?” asked
Ana, now brighter and hopeful.

MJ shook his head, “Is it really that bad to have some guys looking out for you? I mean, are you two going to kick me to the curb as well?”

“WHAT? We did not kick them to the curb!” I protested, finally reaching my locker. I spun the lock, but it took a few times to remember the exact combination.

Ana reached up and kissed MJ on the cheek. “We would never be mean to a doggie,” she said, smiling.

“Oh thanks a lot,” MJ laughed. “Come on, PegLeg – I’ll escort you to your locker,” he said, looping his arm with Ana’s. They gave me a wave as they headed down the south corridor to their respective homerooms.

I watched them leave, shuffling books into my locker, focused on what things I needed for my next three classes. It took me a moment to register that someone was standing next to me, but the bright red fabric finally caught my eye.

“You’re back,” said Jesse, his red and white varsity jacket hanging open on his athletic frame.

I shifted uneasy. “Uh yeah – I guess, though I am already missing sleeping in late.”

“I hear that,” he said, leaning against the lockers. A few girls giggled
Hi
to him, star struck by his presence. Jesse could absolutely go into modeling someday and his future was bright as a footballer and genuinely nice human being. The NFL would someday be salivating over him, I was sure.

“Is Raef here?” he asked, looking down the hall. Most of the school knew I hung out with Raef, but no one knew that we were more than friends. In the eyes of my classmates, Raef and I were just tight buddies . .
. which meant I wasn’t dating anyone.

I swallowed and tried to
avoid Jesse’s curious eyes as I shut my locker. “No. He’s not here today. I’ll probably see him later.”

“Oh. Well . . . can I walk with you to English?” he asked, reaching down to pick up my backpack before I could protest. I just nodded and shoved my hands into my jean pockets as we walked, angling ourselves between the crowds. Occasionally the tight space would force us together and he would brush against my arm or back. My heart hammered in my ears every time we made contact.

Finally entering the English wing, the crowds thinned some and Jesse cleared his throat. “So, how are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Ana get
s her cast-thing off today. She is thrilled and I don’t blame her. It looks uncomfortable.”

Jesse nodded and I noticed his face looked a little strained. He caught me looking at him and gave me a weak smile, but then he stopped and turned to me. I tensed as he glanced down the hallway, as if checking to see if we were alone. He sighed and spoke quietly to me, “I uh, am really sorry about that night at the bonfire. I shouldn’t have let Teddy drink.”

I did NOT want to talk about this right now. Or ever. I started to shake my head, about to tell him not to worry about it, but Jesse took a step forward and I froze in place.

“It was really messed up. And I know Teddy tried to approach you last night at the game. He wants to apologize, but I get it if you don’t want to talk to him.”

I swallowed, feeling way, WAY outside my comfort zone. Jesse was looking at me for direction and I finally was able to force the words out of my mouth. “No. I don’t want to talk to him. I know he is a teammate, and probably a friend of yours, but I can’t be around him. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Eila. And yeah – he is a teammate and a damn good friend, but I’m your friend too.”

I just nodded, trying not to replay that night. I focused on the faded tile of the floor, trying to form a coherent design with the speckled pattern. Anything to cut off the memory before it bloomed fully, like an invasive weed.

“I’ll keep him away,” promised Jesse.

“Thanks” I whispered, and turned to get to English class, hoping to numb my brain with some heavy Hemingway. It was only first period and the day already sucked. That was not a good sign.

Ecology class focused on the issues with the coyotes attacking the deer in greater numbers. Most of the class found it quite fascinating, comparing the new hunting patterns of the coyotes to wolves. I went along with it, even though I knew it wasn’t the coyotes. It was Raef.

The coyotes were just enjoying his leftovers. By the end of the winter, they would be the most out-of-shape, lazy mammals on the Cape.

Our Ecology teacher, who was insanely excited about this whole new wolf-mentality, handed us papers on previous hunting patterns of Eastern Red Wolves. As I listened to him talk animatedly about pack dynamics, I began doodling my kill mark from my back, thinking back to the drawing Howe had shown me. I had never noticed how pretty the pattern was, with its twisted lines that seemed to spill inward on one another. It made me think back to the pattern on the gear as well, and I started to try and draw a replica of what I remembered from the photo. I became so absorbed with my makeshift art that I barely noticed when the bell rang.

Jesse tapped the edge of my desk. “You awake?”

“What? Oh yeah,” I replied, laughing slightly, embarrassed I had zoned.

“Heading to lunch?” he asked. I replied I was and that I was meeting
Ana and MJ. A couple of his teammates called to him from the doorway to hurry up.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Jesse, looking a bit torn. I felt bad for him, knowing he did probably hope for something more from me. I should have just let him know right then that Raef and I were together, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him more. Instead I dug my ditch a little deeper and smiled back at him, “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He immediately brightened, and his smiled glowed as he headed out to his friends. I was not even dating him and I was going to need to break up with him. It was so messed up and I wished beyond words that Raef was at school.

Lunch with Ana and MJ brought a smile to my face until I realized Nikki was watching me from her throne among the popular crowd. I notice that Teddy also sat at her table and he too glanced my way on occasion.

Feeling the spotlight becoming a bit too scorching, I decided to cut lunch short and head to the library. Ana and MJ understood and told me that we would find a new place to sit in the future, but I told them not to worry about it. I just needed to get used to Nikki’s evil eye, like I did before.

Thankfully the remainder of the day rolled by with few speed bumps. MJ and Ana had split during last period since she needed a ride to her final physical therapy session, and I found myself reflecting on the day as I finished sorting my things at my locker after last bell. Finally confident I had all the things I needed for my homework, I headed out to the parking lot, daydreaming as I walked.

“Hey!” yelled a voice behind me. I looked over and Jesse trotted up next to me and fell into step. “So, how was day one?” he asked, shifting his own backpack over his broad shoulder.

“Pretty good. I noticed you weren’t at your normal table at lunch.”

He shrugged, “Nah. There is actually a smaller café for seniors they just opened while you were gone. I decided to go there instead. You should try it – the food is pretty good and it’s a lot smaller.”

A smaller, less drama-prone dining experience sounded perfect. “That sounds great. I’ll tell Ana and MJ,” I replied, making a point of adding two extra people to our table.

We rounded the building and I finally saw my Jeep, with one fabulous addition – Raef was leaning against the driver’s door and catching the eye of every female that walked by him. My entire day immediately got better just by seeing him. I gave him a little wave then looked back to Jesse, but his face was not so happy.

He looked over to me, “You two hanging out a lot?”

“We are kind of dating,” I said, giving a sheepish smile. “I should really go see what he is up to. It was great seeing you today,” I said, now feeling all sorts of weird. I began to speed up to get to Raef, who was watching Jesse and me from his spot by my car.

Jesse however, sped up with me and caught me by the arm, stopping me in my tracks. I saw Raef straighten, his guard instinct roaring to life. It was a credit to his control that he didn’t start coming towards us, but kept his place by my Jeep.

Jesse slowly let go of my arm, but concern was written all over his face. “Eila – listen to me. I know Raef seems like a nice guy, but that night at the beach he looked like he might kill Teddy. I mean, REALLY kill him. Guys that react like that usually have some major anger issues that might spill over to other people . . . like their girlfriends.”

I was actually insulted, for both Raef and myself. “Raef would never hurt me. And he was furious because of what Teddy almost did. What exactly do you think would have happened if he hadn’t been there?”