Chapter Four

Then

A week passed from the day I first met Mason. My life didn’t change; it remained boringly normal. I passed by him in the halls, barely noticing the new boy in school. I heard people talking about him, but that wasn’t anything unusual in a small town with an even smaller school. He was the new kid — very memorable. Of course people were going to talk about him.

Rumors quickly spread that he knew numerous forms of martial arts, and he was a black belt who could take on full-grown men. It was also no secret he had money, especially when he drove to school on the first day in his brand new Mercedes.

I wanted to avoid him. I soon realized that wasn’t going to be possible.

He gave me a week before launching a full-on attack. It was a silent attack, in the form of friendship, so I never knew what hit me. At first it was a quick hello as we passed each other, his bright blue eyes managing to connect with mine every single time.

Then it progressed, and he was suddenly sitting next to me in English, leaning over, his arm brushing mine as he asked for help with an assignment. Of course, I was an excellent student and couldn’t refuse to help him.

Much to my surprise and dismay, I liked him. He made me laugh with his witty comments and quick humor. He was soon holding court at lunchtime, keeping the crowd mesmerized with his adventures from California.

He was good — oh so good.

I began falling for him, but I’d yet to realize it. If I had been aware of the spell he was weaving over me, I would’ve run, run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I didn’t want to fall in love with him. I didn’t even like him. My heart would soon take over though, and that’s where complications set in.

It was the end of my sophomore year of high school, only a couple more months before school was out for the year. I was on the track team, but it was kind of miserable because I didn’t have anyone to talk to. My dad didn’t have a car and couldn’t come to my meets, so I was growing disillusioned with sports. What was the point in trying my hardest if there was no one on the sidelines cheering me on?

We had a meet a few hours away, and I didn’t get back until two in the morning. I only lived about a mile from the school, but it was cold and my bag was heavy. I was suddenly bummed about the prospect of walking the dark streets alone.

My team members quickly climbed into their warm vehicles and took off. I didn’t want anyone to know I didn’t have a ride, so I quickly skated around the building before the coaches could see. Then I began the walk to my house.

Before I made it out of the parking lot, a horn beeped. I jumped, afraid to turn. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. I already had a lie planned. I’d tell them my dad was meeting me out front.

“Hey, Miranda, need a ride?”

I was shocked to see it was Mason. I thought about turning him down, but at that moment a few drops of rain landed on my face, and my decision was made. Still, I was terrified of him seeing where I lived.

I never let anyone see my house. Well, I finally caved and let Audrey see it, but that didn’t count. She was just . . . I don’t know, different. She didn’t make me feel poor or like I needed more.

I figured I didn’t like Mason, so it didn’t matter if he knew where I lived. I still didn’t need him coming to school on the following Monday and telling everyone about the dump. Black belt or not, I’d have to kick his ass if he did that. I refused to be some pathetic, frail female.

I climbed into his car, immediately grateful for the warm air blowing directly at me. I froze the entire bus ride, being one of the few kids without a blanket. I didn’t want to bring one of my shaggy blankets from home, not when the other kids had such nice stuff. As I worked, I got more and more items, but priorities were priorities, and blankets were at the bottom of my list of needs, so I had to be cold on bus trips.

“What are you doing out so late?” I asked as I buckled up.

He sat there staring at me for a moment, sending the first chills down my spine with the intensity in his eyes. I couldn’t seem to break the contact. It was almost surreal, how I felt myself wanting to lean toward him.

What?

Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes broke from his, only to land on his lips. His tongue darted out to moisten them, and I felt a strange tightening in my stomach.

Realizing where my eyes and thoughts had gone, I jerked my head away, feeling my face flaming in embarrassment. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I didn’t like the guy, but all of the sudden I had this unexplainable reaction to him.

It had to be the late hour — the dark — anything other than attraction.

Even if I did like boys, which I didn’t, he wouldn’t be who I liked. He didn’t play football, basketball, or baseball. He was just an average guy, too skinny to have a crush on.

“I couldn’t sleep so I took a drive.” His words startled me from my internal thoughts, and I turned toward him. Thankfully he was focused on the road in front of him as he began driving.

“Oh,” I finally said, though I knew it sounded lame and had come far too late from when he’d last spoken.

We drove in silence when I suddenly realized he was getting close to my house. How did he know where I lived? I’d never told him. I was too afraid to ask, terrified to see the pity in his eyes as we pulled up in front of the single-wide trailer that looked like it needed to be hauled to the nearest recycling station.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” I answered, too surprised by the question to make something up.

“Audrey said you were doing an art project at school and looking for gold. I know of some places, and I thought I could take you around,” he offered.

That gleam, the one that scared me, wasn’t present in his eyes, and I felt . . . safe. I wanted to go for a ride with him. I was also reluctant to get out of his car, the dark blanketing us in the surreal world I suddenly found myself in.

“That sounds like it could be fun,” I tentatively answered. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be a friend or . . . more. He was probably looking to hang out with someone on a Saturday. It wasn’t as if our town was exciting or anything. There wasn’t much to do on the weekends other than have a bonfire or cause trouble.

“Great! What time do you want me to pick you up?”

“Well, I guess around noon. I’m probably going to sleep in since we got back so late,” I hedged. For some reason, I didn’t want him to think I was lazy, but at the same time, I was exhausted. I only averaged about five hours sleep a night during the week and by the time Saturday morning hit, I crashed hard, sometimes not crawling out of bed until two in the afternoon.

My dad never bugged me, which was nice. Sometimes, his lack of parenting really bothered me. I knew all the other kids at school complained when they were grounded, but at least their parents cared enough to ground them. My dad was kind of lackluster about the whole parenting thing.

“Perfect. I’ll see you at noon,” he replied. Then he jumped from the car, which I found strange.

Before I could undo my seatbelt he was at my door, opening it for me. I was in shock. What teenage boy did that? Wasn’t that something only the guys in romance books did? He kept confusing me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I climbed from the car. Suddenly, the darkness I was so grateful for a few minutes earlier was almost suffocating. I didn’t know what else to say or how to act. It wasn’t as if I was on a date with him. He just gave me a ride home.

He closed the door then reached in the back and grabbed my game bag. Then he put his arm behind my back and led me to the rickety front steps. My dad hadn’t bothered leaving a porch light on, which was probably a good thing. More light didn’t need to be shed on the condition of my home.

Horror gripped my stomach when I realized Mason would see my house in the light of day. I stopped the thought and held my head a bit higher, and tried telling myself it didn’t matter. At least I wasn’t homeless. My dad did the best he could.

“I’m glad I found you tonight, Miranda,” Mason suddenly said, his breath whispering across my neck as he stood next to me.

Goosebumps instantly appeared on my arms, and that tingly sensation came back with hurricane force to my stomach. I turned slightly, finding myself only inches from his face. Our eyes locked together in the darkness. I was barely able to make out the shine of his eyes. I found myself at a complete loss for words.

“See you tomorrow,” he finally said, his face a little bit closer. I stood there frozen, not knowing if he was going to kiss me. What was worse was I might have wanted him to. As we stood locked in our impossible impasse, a cat cried out, shattering the intimate moment, making my sanity return.

“Thanks, Mason,” I mumbled, shocked by the breathless quality of my voice.

I grabbed my bag from his hand and quickly shot inside my house, firmly shutting the door in his face. I made it . . . but just barely.