Forbidden Fruit (21 page)

“
Hi honey,” I patted her on the back.

“
You have to come with, I challenged Lacy to a chicken fight,” she explained excitedly, clapping her hands.

“
You what?” I asked to make sure I heard her right. “You challenged her to a chicken fight? Like the ones we used to have in middle school, with the shoulders and pushing and all?”

“
Yep.” She was clearly pumped for the fight, her large, brown eyes glittering.

“
Oh no!” I said, knowing that could only end badly.

“
Oh it’s on. She called me a dumpster diver right in front of Eric.”

“
Oh no,” I said, more sympathetic this time. “When is this supposed to go down?”

“
Right now.” She swiped a random shot from the bar top and tipped her head back.

“
If I lose, can you take her down?” she asked, completely serious.

I looked into her desperate eyes and forced a smile, “Of course, sweetie”

She gave me another hug, this time much tighter. She was scared yet determined as she walked back toward the pool to a cheering crowd (waiting to see some cat fighting and hair-pulling action).

I looked at Michael, who was barely suppressing a smile, “What did I just get myself into?”

He chuckled, “You know you aren’t a fighter.”

“
I know, but how could I not help my best friend? You saw the hopeful look in her eyes. Besides, I’m sick of Lacy torturing her,” I said with genuine conviction.

Michael let out a dramatic sigh, “You stay out of it. I will help her.”

I didn’t know what he meant by “help her,” but I was completely confident in his abilities.

I watched helplessly as Bailey waded into the pool next to Eric, who I was glad to see was by her side through this disaster. Lacy, on the other hand, was looking around, sizing up guys to pick for her support. She spotted Michael walking toward the pool and smiled. My heart sped up. I hoped this wasn’t his plan. I mean, it would work, he could just drop her off his shoulders, but I didn’t like the idea of her on his shoulders.

“
Any takers to be my base?” she asked directly to him. Several guys piped up, offering their services. She remained intent on Michael. Then he looked directly at her and smiled. She returned it and sashayed her way toward him. She looked completely elated, triumph smearing her face. Then he bent down, leaned toward her face and simply said, “No.”

“
What?” she asked, batting her lashes.

His face turned hard, a spike of the dangerous look he had thrown at Jason. He repeated, “No.”

Everyone around the pool stopped talking at once, a pin drop could have been heard. He continued, “I am not interested in being anything for you.”

She puffed up, her face becoming ugly with fury. Then she smoothed it out as best she could and flipped her hair in his face as she turned around and randomly selected one of the guys vying for her attention.

That made my night. No, that made my entire senior year.

Unfortunately, the insult was over too soon, and I had to deal with Bailey’s potential catastrophe of a chicken fight. Eric and some sophomore sunk under water as the two girls mounted their shoulders. I couldn’t believe they were actually going through with it. I hadn’t seen a chicken fight since the summer before seventh grade, and I had never seen one that wasn’t just for fun. In reality, Bailey’s reputation potentially rested on this silly fight and I had promised to avenge her if she lost.

I bit my lip and tried not to fidget as the kid playing referee announced the rules. “Best two out of three rounds. Anything goes!” he yelled. The crowd hooted for the potential bikini ripping to come.

“
Relax, she will be fine,” Michael whispered in my ear.

“
How can you be so sure of that?”

“
Trust me,” he urged.

“
Three, two, one!” the announcer called, causing the crowd to go crazy with cheers and taunts.

Eric and the other kid marched toward each other, bringing the girls together. Lacy’s claws were up and hooked, ready for some scratching action. Bailey looked completely intent on winning the fight. She would do whatever she had to do to bring down the bitch that had tortured her since kindergarten.

Bailey went in for the first push and caught some of Lacy’s pink nails. The boys repositioned as the girls shoved and twisted arms trying to bring the other down. I heard several people yelling, “Pull her hair!” and “Take off her top!”

I gasped and covered my mouth in fear for my friend as Lacy grabbed a handful of hair and tugged hard. Eric took a few steps back and steadied her. They went at it again, and Bailey grabbed a chunk of her hair this time causing Lacy to scream in pain and topple off the shoulders of her admirer.

“
Yes!” I caught myself cheering.

Round two began with Lacy wearing the psychotic face that only Bailey and I seemed to notice. They went at it this time, tossing in insults. I heard several “bitches” and even some “whores” while fists entered the battle. Lacy took a swing at Bailey who somehow managed to miss the blow. Even Bailey looked surprised. She quickly regained her composure though and swung a perfectly formed uppercut punch right into Lacy’s down turned head.

I heard the crack of Lacy’s nose breaking over the cheers of drunk kids. Lacy’s head flipped back, and she tumbled off her supporter’s shoulders again.

I jumped up, “Yes! That’s two!” I ran over to the edge and jumped into the pool to congratulate my best friend. She looked shocked. Her eyes were wide as she met mine and said, “I did it.” It was more of a question than a statement.

“
You did it! You took that bitch down,” I told her.

She slumped off Eric’s shoulders and splashed around like a kid. “I really did it!”

“
You did it!” I affirmed.

Then we both looked over to where Lacy was being supported by three underclassmen, still desperate for her attention. Her nose was bleeding profusely, and her eye looked to be swelling rapidly. I couldn’t help the triumphant smile that lit my face. It was about time Lacy was knocked down a notch, even if it would only last for a week or so.

Bailey wallowed in her victory, “Great, now the water is ruined. Get that nastiness out of my pool.”

When we were back on the patio, she received high fives and congrats from several people who wouldn’t be brave enough to do so if Lacy were still standing there. As soon as we were left alone for a second, she turned to me, “Oh my god, can you believe it?”

“
I know!” I said.

“
It was like something took control of me. I mean, I felt like I was watching myself fight her. Hey, maybe I was born to do this, you know? Like how some people figure out what abilities they have in a dangerous situation,” she mused.

“
Maybe,” I laughed.

Michael stood beside me quietly. I knew the thought was ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Michael had something to do with her success. I eyed him suspiciously.

“
What?” he asked amused.

“
You tell me.”

He gave me a sexy, dimpled smile and offered me his hand. “Let’s take a walk.” He nodded toward the manicured lawn.

I matched his stride and patiently waited, hoping he would spill the big secret I knew he was keeping. We crossed the back lawn and rounded the side of the house. He stopped at a wooden swing for two, situated between two roman fountains.

We swung there in silence for a long time. I watched from the corner of my eye as Michael twisted his hands nervously, a muscle moving in his jaw. I had a feeling he may never get the nerve to tell me if I didn’t help him.

“
Did you help Bailey back there?” I asked.

“
Yes,” he said.

I waited for more. When I got nothing, I continued with the questioning, making a mental list of all the strange things that had happened lately. “Did you paint those pictures in class?”

“
Not with my hands,” he admitted.

“
Did you know I dreamed of that garden?”

“
Yes.”

“
Oh god, you aren’t a mind reader are you?” I asked, stomach sinking. If he knew what I was thinking about him even half of the time, I would die right there.

He chuckled, “No.”

“
Good,” I sighed.

He looked very curious about that, but a few seconds later, decided to let it go.

“
Did you kill Mr. Manning?”

“
Yes.” He watched my reaction and then asked, “Aren’t you going to run screaming?”

“
How did you paint the picture?” I asked, not leaving him the option of answering yes or no.

“
With my mind.”

“
Is that how you helped Bailey?”

“
Yes.”

“
Is that how you killed Mr. Manning?”

“
No. That I did with my hands,” he said matter-of-factly. Nothing about his demeanor suggested he felt any sort of guilty or remorse over the act.

I thought of all the information he had given me. I finally had answers, or did I? He answered all my questions, yet I still felt like I was missing something. “So, let me get this straight. You can do things using only your mind, you somehow know what I dream, and you kill people.”

“
Yes,” he admitted.

“
So then that makes you a…” I probed. He didn’t fill in the blank, so I attempted to. “A psychic serial killer?”

He chuckled again, “I suppose you could say that.”

“
Do you kill innocent people?” I asked.

“
No, never,” he said in all seriousness.

I felt my shoulders relax some upon hearing he didn’t kill just for the kill. I really didn’t want to be in love with a psychopath. “So, can you do anything with your mind?”

“
Mostly,” he confirmed.

“
Can you…” I looked around for something to use to put him to the test. I was always a “need proof” kind of girl. A sudden breeze swept through the lawn and sent chills over my still wet skin. “Can you make a towel appear?”

He smiled, and I felt a towel immediately drape over my shoulders. I grabbed each end of it, staring at the white cloth, unable to believe what I was seeing and feeling.

“
Anything else?” he asked.

My mind was reeling with possibilities. “Ice cream,” I blurted out.

“
Ice cream? I thought you were cold?” he looked amused.

“
It’s the first thing that popped into my head,” I said, eyes wide with amazement.

“
Your wish,” he cupped his hand and a small cup of strawberry ice cream appeared.

I brought my hands to my mouth, “This is impossible!”

He grinned and scooped a spoon full of ice cream, then handed me the spoon.

“
This is my favorite,” I said.

“
I know,” he said.

I ate a few more spoonfuls until I decided I really was too cold for it at the moment. Michael somehow made the entire thing vanish as quickly as he made it appear.

“
Lily, this isn’t something you can tell anyone,” he warned, turning serious again.

“
I won’t.” I hadn’t even thought about it. It was obvious he wanted to keep his talents a secret. “I promise.”

He grabbed both of my hands and brought them to his mouth, leaving a soft kiss on each. The look on his face was of pure relief. I realized then that he really thought I would leave him when I found out that he could do extraordinary things. I solidified my stance by planting a kiss on his incredibly delicious lips. He responded with a kiss so loaded it felt like it had been held back for centuries. If I hadn’t already loved him, I would have fallen right then and there.

The make out session lasted for an hour, two hours, a week, a century; hell anytime I was with him, time became relative and somehow irrelevant. I really didn’t want to crash the moment, but I was afraid I would humiliate myself if I waited any longer to use the restroom. I excused myself and told him I would be right back. He walked me to the pool house and then veered toward the bar as I went inside.

It wasn’t as packed as the patio or the Jacuzzi, but I had to weave in and out of people nonetheless until I reached the bathroom. It was worse than I feared. I crammed into the vanity and seating area and waited in line for the one stall to become available.

“
We might be here awhile,” Lizzy, a girl from my history class mouthed at me.

“
Yeah, it looks like fresh meat over there had too much to drink,” Another senior said, not at all attempting politeness.

The confirming vomit ensued not a second later, sounding like someone poured a can of stewed beef down the toilet. I choked back bile in my mouth and covered my nose, not wanting to smell whatever she had for dinner.

“
You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alicia barked at the stall door.

We all stood there crammed into the vanity area for at least ten more minutes as someone finally helped the drunk girl, pulling her out of the stall and cleaning her up. “Does she have a ride home?” I asked.

“
Yeah, I’ll take her,” the girl helping responded, looking embarrassed for her friend.

“
Finally!” Alicia cut everyone else in line and used the bathroom next.