When Lightning Strikes (Lightning Series Book 1) (3 page)

There was something extra about Jamie that drew people to him. Even when he was a little kid, it was there. He was one of those people who never met a stranger. She wondered at times if she liked him more than most sisters might like their brothers because of this…whatever it was.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” She punched Jamie on the arm lightly. “I could have caught a ride with you.”

He rubbed at his arm. “That’s why, Ghouls. You hit.”

He once caught her friends calling her Jules a few years ago and started calling her Ghouls. Which made her start calling him Lamie. She smiled thinking about it. He was a good brother. “Lamie, you are a wimp—a big, fat, football–playing wimp—if that hurt you.”

Her brother looked like a muscled version of her, except he had dark blond hair and blue eyes instead of her auburn hair and violet eyes. And of course he was tall—she was the only short one in her family. Her face was a little rounder, but it was easy to tell they were related.

He frowned as he looked at the bruises still covering her face. “Are you doing all right?”

Julie nodded and gave him a quick hug. For a moment she could have sworn Jamie looked uncomfortable, but then he relaxed.

“Are you going to be around for dinner?” She looked him in the eyes. “Mom has been extra weird and clingy lately. I could use someone else as a target for a while.”

He gave her a quick squeeze. “Give Mom a break. She almost had a heart attack when the police called. You didn’t see her when we first got to the hospital. I thought we might have to find a bed for her too.”

Her forehead wrinkled as she watched him talk. His words sounded right, but she felt like she was missing something. She shook her head. “So…dinner?”

“I don’t know. Dad and I were going to go out again.” He looked down at her frown. “I guess we can always go another time.”

“What’s up with you and Dad going out on your own so much? Mom and I are actually starting to miss you both.”

He looked away. “Nothing much. Guy stuff.”

“Come on and spill it. Guy stuff—really? I know something’s up.”

Jamie looked around at everything but her. His friends had drifted out of the courtyard and were inside or walking between the planter boxes to their classrooms. He finally looked down at her.

“Hey, I have to get going. I need to talk to one of the teachers before class.” Worry lines appeared around his eyes. Jamie never worried about anything. He was so unlike her.

“Fine, but you know that I will worm it out of you sooner or later.”

“I wish that was true.”

“Jamie?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Bye, Ghouls. Try not to get caught sleeping in any of your classes again today.”

She watched him walk away between the manicured flower beds before she turned to walk to her first class. There was definitely something going on. She was too busy dancing, too busy with her other friends to truly realize it until now. After her performance, she would make it her priority to get whatever was going on out of him.

“Jules!” Mandy stood by the door to their classroom, waving her arms frantically. She ignored the people trying to file by her into the glass double doors. Julie waved back and hurried over.

As always, Mandy’s blue eyes sparkled with exuberance. She was tall for a girl, lean and pretty. “Jules, you will never guess what happened! I got the lead in the school play! I beat out the seniors because I nailed the audition singing. Can you believe it?”

Julie grunted as her friend swept her up in a big hug, nearly knocking a few people over. Her friend was oblivious to a few of the dirty looks she got as they walked down the hallway.

Darcy smirked behind them both. She was the brains of their group and was the smartest girl in their class. She, like the two of them, also had her life planned out—college, then law school to join her father’s firm. It was one of the biggest corporate law firms in Atlanta. Even if her father was a partner there, she still had to earn her place.

Darcy’s soft brown eyes laughed at Mandy picking up Julie so easily. She was average height and had gotten a lot of curves from her mother. Julie glared at her in mock anger as the taller girl swung her around. Usually Darcy warned her when Mandy was in this mood.

“That’s awesome, Mandy!” Julie squealed once her friend actually put her down.

“I know, isn’t it? You should have seen Jessica Johnson’s face. She was so mad!”

Julie winced and looked around to see if anyone else heard, but the hall was almost clear. This wouldn’t be the first time that Mandy started a fight by inadvertently saying something hurtful. She caught her other friend’s eye and grinned, realizing that they were doing the same thing.

Darcy sighed. “I have missed you guys lately. I know you have both been crazy busy with dance and music stuff—it sucks for me.”

Julie looked at Mandy, and they both pounced on Darcy, squeezing her in a big hug.

“Get off.” Darcy laughed.

They let her go, and they all entered their homeroom together laughing. Darcy opened her mouth to say more but stopped. Mandy and Julie looked over where she was staring.

A young man with ruffled light blond hair, vivid blue eyes, and a square jaw stood in the front of the room, looking stubborn with his arms crossed. His loose button–down shirt and slacks did not disguise the fact that he was in excellent shape.

“Who is that?” Mandy whispered as she took her seat with the other two in the back of the class.

His piercing eyes looked over the class. Julie shivered as they passed over her.

Her heart lurched, and her pulse sped up until she thought her body must be vibrating from it. She realized that her jaw was hanging open and shut it with an audible click.

For the first time she realized how Mandy must feel when she had a crush. Was it like this every time—this intense? Maybe she had been too harsh on Mandy.

Julie shook the feeling off and tried to ignore her stomach doing flips. She had never reacted this way before. She had to get under control.

Darcy turned around in her seat. “Do you think he is our new home room teacher? I know Mrs. Flowers was going out on maternity leave soon, but I didn’t know she had the baby.”

“Oh, I hope he is our new teacher.” Mandy kept her gaze fixed reverently on the front of the room. “If he is, we are meeting in here every morning and not the hallway. Early.”

Julie caught Darcy’s attention and rolled her eyes.

“Hi class, my name is Mr. Black. I’m filling in for Mrs. Flowers for the rest of the year. I hope you will all take it easy on me since this will be my first time teaching.”

She shivered. There was a chorus of girl sighs throughout the room.

“Okay, let’s start with roll call, and then there are a few school announcements before the second bell. Please let me know if I pronounce your name incorrectly or you go by another name than the one listed. Clarissa Andrews?” Mr. Black brushed back a lock of hair that fell over his eyes, oblivious of the rustle that the action caused in the room.

Clarissa raised her hand in the front with a barely audible, “here,” and sunk back in her desk, blushing.

Julie glanced around the room as the rest of the roll was called and frowned. Everyone in the room was silent, staring avidly at the man in the front—even the boys who usually gave substitutes a hard time. It reminded her of the way her brother commanded attention, only stronger. She also found herself examining him, trying to figure him out.

His square jaw had a tiny bit of golden stubble glinting in the sunlight. Julie wondered idly what it would be like to run her fingertips down his jawbone. Would it feel rough or soft? What would that feel like if her kissed her? The rough stubble gently sliding against her cheek…Would she like it?

Julie realized that she was halfway out of her chair. She eased back down in her seat, blushing. Was she really about to stand up and go over there to run her hand over a stranger’s face. A strange teacher’s face. In front of the whole classroom.

What kind of whack job would even think of doing that?

She rubbed her head, feeling woozy. Was this normal for a crush? She would talk to Mandy, but was afraid her friend would laugh at her. Shouldn’t she know someone to have feelings like this? She hadn’t even spoken two words to him.

“Julie Marin? Is there a Julie Marin here?”

Mandy poked her and grinned. Darcy whispered sharply, “Julie!”

Julie raised her hand. “Here.”

Mr. Black glanced up to look at her with a slight frown. The moment seemed to last forever. Her heart raced, and a flush crept over her face when their eyes met. She held her breath.

Then he flicked his eyes to call on someone else.

She shook her head, letting out her breath. Great. Now she was the type to make tiny little details super significant.

The rest of the homeroom was normal. Mr. Black turned on the TV, and they all pretended to watch the school announcements. But mostly everyone kept staring at the new teacher until the second bell rang for them all to go to their next class.

“I wish I was in freshman geography again,” Mandy said as they walked down the hall. “I can’t believe that we only have him for homeroom. What horrible kind of luck is that? Great, and I was looking forward to being a senior in a few months.”

Darcy rolled her eyes, making Julie smile. “I think it’s good luck for you. Less chance for you to make an idiot of yourself in front of him. Mandy, he’s a teacher. You know—that whole thing about look but don’t touch.”

“I know. I know.” She waved her hands around. “You’re probably right.”

Darcy snorted.

“Fine! You’re right. But I still think he is cute. You have to admit, if he was teaching us, I would make an A.” They all laughed.

“See you both at lunch.” Darcy waved as she took the turn off to her math class.

Mandy and Julie walked off to English together.

“His eyes are so blue though.” And so Mandy went on all day.

It was a relief when their last class finally came to an end. Julie was tired of talking about him. And tired of trying to stop thinking about him. The instant obsession was not normal for her. She wanted to get over it soon, like a cold or something.

“Jules, over here. Ethan is going to give us both a ride home.” Jamie waved her over to the other side of the parking lot.

She liked Ethan, who was a senior and a year older than them. He had brown hair and dark eyes that sparkled with mischief. If Jamie wasn’t at home or practice, he was out with Ethan getting into trouble.

Waving goodbye to Mandy, she hopped into the car and let out a sigh of relief. She was finally away from her friend’s incessant talking about Mr. Black. She was driving her nuts.

Sure, it was great that someone cute was going to be their homeroom teacher. But really, he was their teacher. No, not even that—a substitute teacher. So what if he had those wonderful blue eyes? And hair that she wanted to run her fingers through so badly that her fingertips throbbed…

Her body quivered. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could think of him as just a teacher.

She was so screwed.

“Thank you. If I had to listen to Mandy talk any more about our new teacher, I was going to strangle her. I have never seen her so obsessed before.”

“The new teacher?” Ethan asked. “I heard about him from another junior at lunch. Apparently he may have been some kind of athlete, but no one seems to know.”

“Ugh, so the boys are talking about him too? I swear, he must have some of whatever you have, Jamie.” She messed with her hair to make it look like she was just talking and her stomach wasn’t flopping all around talking about him.

Jamie turned around in the front seat. His eyes pierced her. “What do you mean?”

She tilted her head to the side and shrugged, hoping she didn’t start blushing. She didn’t need her brother teasing her about this. “For some reason, he reminded me of you. I don’t know why.”

“Look, there he is over there.” Mr. Black was getting into his car in front of the school as they waited in line to leave.

Jamie turned to look where she was pointing, and Julie let out her breath. He was oddly intense about all this.

For a moment she could have sworn Mr. Black looked up, staring straight at them. She met his eyes for a second and shivered.

Then she realized that he was waving at Ms. Haken, one of the younger teachers at the school, walking toward him from behind a car.

She was so screwed. So very, very screwed. She put her warm forehead against the cool glass of the car window.

“How about a change in the subject then? Do you have a date to the dance Saturday night? Do you want to go with me?” Ethan asked her.

“Really, Ethan?” Jamie laughed. “So this is why you asked if my sister needed a ride home?”

“Cool it. I’m asking if we can go as friends. Everyone knows that your sister doesn’t want to date because of her dancing.” Ethan batted big puppy dog eyes at Julie. “You know I broke up with my girlfriend. I want someone to go with that will be no pressure.”

Jamie stared at him for a moment and nodded, like he was saying it was fine.

Julie punched her brother in the arm. “Ethan doesn’t need your permission to ask me to go with him. He is my friend too.”

“So is that a yes?” Ethan grinned at her.

She let a smile spread over her face. She usually went to dances by herself since everyone knew about her no–dating rule. It would be fun to have a friend to dance with all night that didn’t have a girlfriend or date to glare at her.

She didn’t bother asking him about his now ex–girlfriend. Ethan was as bad as Mandy. He never stuck with anyone for long. Hopefully the girl wasn’t too sad.

“Only if you know someone who can go with Darcy.” Her smile faded. Mandy always had a date.

“Darcy doesn’t have a date?” Ethan said surprised. “She’s cute. I should have asked her instead.”

“Ouch,” Ethan complained as Julie punched him on the arm. “Just kidding. You dance better so we will have more fun.”

Julie held her fist up, still ready to hit if she didn’t like the answer. But he meant it, and she nodded. “Fine, I’ll go with you, but you better not say stuff like that on Saturday, or I will trip you on the dance floor. I can make it look like an accident.”