The Forgotten Fairytales (25 page)

“There are a million reasons why.”

My hands balled into fists at my side. “Give me one then. Because from what I see you’re being a coward and running from something you may or may not understand.”

“I understand, Norah. More than you know.” His hand cupped my chin and tilted my face up. “Being around you makes me feel. You make me dream. You put these fantasies in my head that aren’t real. Worse of all, being around you makes me want you. Every part of you. So, to answer your question, you and I can’t be friends. Because friends? Friends can’t do this.”

Like a soft whisper, his lips brushed against mine. A breath caught in my throat, taken back by the gentleness of his kiss. It lacked the urgency of our past ones. Warmth rose through my body at a rate I barely recognized. I sank into him, my hands clutched onto the material of his duster, soaking in the lines of his solid muscles. Before I was able to drift away, he pulled back, leaving me breathless and begging for more.

“What you feel for me isn’t real.”

“Yes, it is.” God, it so was. I needed him. I needed to hold him and kiss him again and tell him that I was absolutely crazy about him in every way, but the look in his eyes told me his mind was made up.

His callused thumb trailed over my cold cheek and settled on my birthmark. “It can’t be.”

My body grew cool and numb as he disappeared behind the layers trees and snow. In a second I found myself alone, in the middle of a winter wonderland that should have been beautiful but all I saw was death. April was right. No one wanted me. Maybe for a little while but soon my shininess wore off and all that was left was the ghost of a person who didn’t belong anywhere. I didn’t belong
anywhere
.

Wolf was my friend, my best friend that I had fallen for. And no one, not even the wicked, wanted to lose someone so important.

T
here here was no time to dwell on what happened with Wolf. When I arrived back the school, people were getting ready for a shopping trip in the village. Kate and Desiree occupied my thoughts with stories and conversations most of the day.

The village wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen before. The off-white buildings were like tiny cottages right out of a fairy tale, with cherry wood panels and green shutters. The store Desiree, Kate, and I went into sold clothes for cheap. Each piece was hand sewn and no two were the same.

Instead of trying anything on, I sat in the window and watched people pass by. Some carried baskets of fruit, others bread and flowers. Kate had tried on two dresses. The first one too small, the second too big. Now, in front of the mirror, she turned in a semi circle and smiled wide.

“Just right,” she sighed, running her hands over the soft crimson fabric.

Kate was officially Goldilocks in my book. Mostly because it took three tries to get everything perfect and when it was perfect, she always said,
just right
. Still, other options ran through my head. Little Red Riding Hood was my first guess. She always wore the same hideous red hoodie. Wolf called her Goldilocks once or twice, but knowing him, I figured he only mocked her blonde hair.

“You sure you don’t want anything?”

“Yeah.”

Desiree pranced into the dressing room, her arms full of clothes, and I returned to staring out the window. April had been in the store across from us for over an hour. What the hell were they doing? I guess they could’ve said the same thing about me, sitting in the same spot while they tried clothes on and chatted. I was broke and miserable, despite the sun shining so brightly I had to wear sunglasses. When we moved around, Dad chose warm places to live so we didn’t have to deal with the snow and freezing temperatures.

Kate sat across from me, studying my face as if I were a potion recipe. “Are you still upset about
him
?” I knew I shouldn’t have told her about what happened this morning.

Words were useless, so I nodded.

Kate bit down on her lip. Despite the dark fabric of the dress, she looked as innocent as ever. Her cheeks burned red and the two braids on each side of her head only made her eyes look bigger and brighter. Without her glasses, she looked like a sweet German doll.

“I’m sorry.” Kate frowned and rose to her feet. “If it’s any consolation, I know he’s miserable.”

I sank back, wishing she hadn’t said that.

The door across the street opened and April walked out. Gale was at her side like a venereal disease. Together they strolled to the next shop hand-in-hand. He leaned over, his nose brushed against her neck as he whispered into her ear. She giggled and nodded before he strolled into the next shop, leaving her alone. Without thinking, I hopped up and hurried out. In an instant my cheeks froze, each breath exposed by the cold.

“April, hey!” I waved. Her back straightened, but relaxed. We weren’t on horrible terms anymore, not since Gale. Boys made her happy but a loving sister did not, go figure. “You and Gale seem comfortable.”

That brought a smile I hadn’t seen in awhile to her face, at least not with me. She never smiled with me.

“Oh, can you believe it? I have a boyfriend. I, April Hart, have a boyfriend.” She’d never had a boyfriend before. Not once. In fact, I was pretty sure she’d never been kissed either. Well, now she had, but not before Gale. Straight auburn framed her tiny face. Charcoal liner brimmed her eyes and a sling stroke of blush brought her beauty to a new level. “He asked me to go with him to the pre-ball party tonight.”

“Wow, that’s great.” I forced a smile. I hadn’t thought about the ball in forever, though the school was covered in flyers and advertisements. We’d be voting for Queen and King soon, though everyone said Danielle was a shoe-in. “Do you think that’s a good idea though? I mean, Gale, he’s…” then it happened. The sour, hatred look in her eyes returned and I knew I couldn’t voice my doubt. “He’s, um, short-
er
. Shorter than you.”

April narrowed her eyes and shrugged. “Height doesn’t matter when you’re in love. I still can’t believe Danielle hooked us up. Wasn’t that so kind of her? She really is great, Norah. Sometimes I wish you gave her a chance. Gale and I, we’re meant for each other.”

Meant for each other? Oh-my-gosh, I think Danielle fed her some kind of infatuation drug. “I might go,” I said, knowing I’d go even though I didn’t want to. Focusing on April distracted me from Wolf. At least Beth would be there, and she was always nice.

“You should! Everyone has to wear a fancy hat. There’s a store up the street if you need one.” April grinned. The happiness that had overtaken her was fake. I knew that from the start. Talking to her was like talking to Danielle. The door jingled as Gale stepped onto the street with a steaming white pastry box. “See you later.” She said, before skipping to his side.

Damn, Danielle.
Fooling April into thinking Gale actually was in love with her. Not that I didn’t think a boy was capable of loving my sister, but Danielle put them together for a reason and I had to find out why.

I stomped into the store Gale and April came out of earlier, only to find Danielle browsing the hat rack. I ducked low to avoid grabbing James and Finn’s attention.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I kept my voice quiet, unwilling to cause a scene in front of others. “April told me you hooked her up with Gale. Last I knew, Gale was feverishly in love with you.”

Oh, how I loved having a friend who knew everyone’s desires. What I didn’t know what ammunition Danielle had. What secrets she had tucked away. As April’s friend and confidant, she could know
everything
.

“You really do have a flair for the dramatics,” Danielle laughed, fingering through the rack until she found a glittery silver hat. “You should put that imagination of yours toward something worthwhile.”

“I’m serious.” I balled my hands into fists by my sides. “Destroy me, do whatever you want to me for all I care, just leave my sister out of it!”

The last word was a little louder than I had aimed for, grabbing the attention of James and Finn.
Shit.
Together the two of them moved toward us.

“Everything okay?” James asked.

“Peachy,” I said with a faux-smile. “I was just getting the info for tonight’s party. Hats, fun.”

“Yes, and I was just telling Norah how lovely she’d look in a witches cap.” I wanted to smack her across the face. “Leave your broom at home, dear.”

“Funny, but you know I’m not a witch.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Danielle winked.

Just as I was about to lunge forward and rip out her pretty blonde hair, Finn’s eyes hit mine, but they weren’t friendly. Granted, I had avoided him all week. I hadn’t hidden it either. Whenever he approached me I hurried away, careful not to let myself get too close. At first I thought he’d give up. But I’d soon learned Finn did not like to be avoided or ditched.

I’d gotten used to running away, just like now, except, as I rushed outside and pivoted toward the back stretch of the building, he caught up to me.
Keep walking, Norah. Whatever you do, don’t stop.

“Norah!” he shouted. The authority in his voice froze me in place. I had the worst luck ever.

“What’s up?”

He flinched, as if I slapped him. “You’re avoiding me. And don’t give me some shit like you aren’t or whatever, I know you are, so spill. Did I do something to upset you? I mean, I know things were weird after I hit Al, but I thought we were cool.”

Other than him liking me and not returning his affection, I didn’t have a solid reason for avoiding Finn. I didn’t need to fuel Danielle’s anger anymore than I already had. Not with my sister at risk.

“Sorry.” I let out a heavy breath. “A lot has happened since my dad came to visit. I’ve been overwhelmed.”

The leather jacket he had on hugged his arms flawlessly and his onyx hair peeked out from beneath a baseball hat. The cold had tinted his cheeks pink. Examining his face closer, red streaked through the white in his eyes and lavender bags gathered beneath. Drunk or hung over, I wasn’t sure yet, but it was probably a little bit of both.

“You learned about your mother, then?” Finn let out a deep breath, his brows knotted together. “My mom saw you and your father. She wouldn’t stop talking about it.” Great. My generation may have been oblivious to my identity, but the prior one was not. “I guess she knew your mom pretty well.”

Fabulous. Everyone knew her but me. I get she had reasons for leaving, but the whole situation was pretty shitty.

Finn stuffed his hands in the pocket of his jacket and grinned. “At least you know the truth. That must feel good.”

About as good as a bullet wound. “I guess.” Most of the time I wished I knew nothing at all. What I’d give for memory loss. “I should probably go.”

“Norah, wait.” Finn grabbed a hold of my elbow as I turned to leave. His jaw hardened, showing off his dimples. “I wanted to ask you something.” He shifted from some side to another. “Will you go to the ball with me?”

I sucked in a breath and held it for too long. “You’re going with Pearl.” Even if he wasn’t, going anywhere with him was out of the question for so many reasons.

“No. Not anymore. We ended things…for good.” Reaching down, he took my hand in his. “I like you, Norah, and maybe I’m off-base here, but I think you like me too.”

Before I had time to register his movement or protest, he leaned down and kissed me. It was soft and tinged with whisky-breath. His lips were like a whisper on mine, testing me to see what I’d do. I couldn’t kiss him back. When I first got here, before Wolf, I could have felt something for Finn, perhaps I had at some point. Not anymore. My heart belonged to a certain wolf who wanted nothing to do with me. Despite his rejection, I had no desire to move forward with anyone else.

Placing my hands on his chest I gently pushed us apart. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I think we’re just better off as friends.”

His brows furrowed, eyes darkening at the word
friends
. “I left Pearl for you.”

“I never asked you to do that.”

The cold wrapped around me and I shivered beneath layers of clothing. The alley we stood in darkened as he stepped toward me and I moved back, trying to keep our distance.