Glimmer (2 page)

After loading up our trays, we head toward an empty table in the corner. As we pass other tables crammed with kids, I feel the familiar pang of longing. If only we could sit at one of those. I notice
a couple of students
glancing at us as we pass. I’m pretty sure most kids think we’re freaks, and if they knew the truth
,
it would only be worse for us.

Lost in my own thoughts, I collide with a warm body.
M
y tray
slides from my fingers
and s
tarts to fall to the floor. However,
Micah’s
arm juts out swiftly
and he catches it in his palm. I heave a sigh of relief, not wishing to embarrass myself in front of the entire student body
by dropping my lunch
. Clutching my chest, I glance up.

My heart stops. “Sam.” I love the way his name sounds as I roll it on my tongue. “I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Sam shoves his hands into the pocket of his washed out jeans. One side of his mouth curls upward. “Yeah, clearly. Good thing your boyfriend was.”

I cringe, wishing he didn’t think Micah was my boyfriend. It shouldn’t matter. Most people in school think Micah and I are together. Usually I just go with it, but for some reason I really don’t want Sam to think that.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I blurt out
before I can stop myself,
and my face warms.

Sam raises his eyebrows, his lips slowly curving into a smirk that makes me feel like an idiot. Then h
e swivels on his heels and saunters off. I turn to Micah, who now holds both of our trays
in his massive hands
.

“Thanks,” I mumble
,
as I snatch mine from him.

“Anytime.” H
e starts to walk toward the table, h
is eyebrows knit together in a pensive look
.

I
glance back at
the boy who isn’t one of us. The boy I shouldn’t be interested in at all. The one I’ve been warned to stay away from for years.

Sam

I FEEL SOMEONE watching
me
.
Even before turning
,
I’m positive it’s Delaney. Sure enough
, when I whip around
I catch sigh
t of her bright emerald eyes staring back at me. Unnerved, I swiftly look away
and walk toward my regular table
.
 
Jake is already there, hunched over his sandwich.

“Hey
,
Jake.” I flash my friend a smile and plop down onto the bench beside him.

He
nods his head
, unable to speak around the giant mouthful of food. Jake always eats like he thinks his food might run away if he doesn’t get it down fast enough. His chin length hair bobs around his face
,
and he’s wearing his regular wrinkled t-shirt and faded jeans.

I drop my backpack on the floor by the toe of my black boot, and the hair on the back of my neck prickles. She’s still staring. I can feel it. When I glance up, my suspicions are confirmed. Her red hair shimmers down her back, her pale cheeks redden
,
and her pink lips smooth out into a soft smile. My heart picks up speed. Most guys would give their right arm to have Delaney look at them with that vulnerable, open expression. But I’m not most guys. Without smiling ba
ck, I turn my attention
to Jake who is already finished with his lunch.

“
Wanna
hang out
at the pool hall this afternoon?”
Jake asks.

I shake my head. “Nah, I can’t.
Gotta
work.”

“Seriously?
” Jake tucks a strand of greasy hair behind his ears. “Your dad can’
t let you off for one afternoon?
”

I chuckle bitterly. “The old man isn’t into doing me any favors.”

“But I am.”
Bree
slides in beside me, flashing a wink and seductive grin. Her sweet scent washes over me. She leans in close, her long blond
e
hair brushing against my shoulder. “Into giving you favors, I mean.”

“Yeah, I knew what you meant.” I cock my
eyebrow
and rest my hand on her thigh. She sighs and nestles in close. Jake rolls his eyes at me
,
and I give him a harsh look.

A few of the cheerleaders descend on our table all squealing and chattering loudly. I already feel a headache coming on. I can only handle so much of
Bree
and her friends. Reaching down, I grab some change out of the front pocket of my backpack
, and i
t jangles in
my
palm.

“Be right back. I’m
gonn
a
grab a soda.” I swing my leg over the bench and stand up, immediately bumping into Delaney. Her tray jabs me in the gut, teeters in her hand and then plummets toward the floor. But then I catch a blur of movement like a sw
irling strobe light
out of the corner of my eye.
I glance over to see Micah holding Delaney’s tray in the palm of his hand. He looks like a waiter as he balances both his tray and hers in his palms.

I s
hake my head, unsure of how
he did that. Delaney looks flustered too, her cheeks rosy and her eyes wide.
Then again, I don’t know why I’m surprised. I’ve said for years that I think the dude
i
s on some serious steroids. That’s why I call him Superman behind his back. I guess maybe crazy good reflexes are one of the side effects of his muscle enhancing drugs.

My eyes linger on Delaney for a minute. Her fingers flutter over her chest.

“Sam,” she speaks breathlessly. “I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

My palms clam up and I shove them into the pocket of my jeans. “Yeah, clearly. Good thing your boyfriend was.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

I look over at Superman who looks royally dejected by this news
,
a
nd I almost laugh out loud. Without saying a word,
I swivel on my heels
and walk away. As I head toward
the soda
machine, I wonder why Delaney made a point of correcting me. I mean, she and Superman spend all their time together. Truthfully
,
I figured they were a couple. It’s one of the reason
s her flirting bugs me.
I’m pretty sure Superman could kick my butt in a fight.

I peer over my shoulder. Delaney’s back is to me as she walks behind Micah. Sure, the chick is hot. There’s no disputing that. But whether she has a boyfriend or not, there’s no way I’m going for her. She’s not the type of girl to mess with. I’ll stick with girls like
Bree
- safe, easy.

Delaney’s not
hing
like
Bree
. I would never describe her as safe or easy. She’s different.

Delaney Scott i
s dangerous.

Delaney

I SIT CROSS-LEGGED on
my bed, a paperback book open on my lap. I’ve been flipping through the pages for the past twenty minutes, but nothing’s registered. Normally I can totally lose myself in a novel, but tonight my mind’s racing. Sighing, I lean my head against the bed frame and stare out the window. The inky black sky and twinkling stars wink back at me. I squint
as I
try to make out Micah’s house next
door to see if he’s home yet from Tabitha’s. But his bedroom window is dark
,
so I’m guessing not.

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve found the fact that Micah
lives
so close to be a comfort. Ther
e’s something about knowing
he’s always near that fills me with a sense of peace
, l
ike all is right with the world.

My insides clench when I remember the look on his face when I blurted out that he wasn’t my boyfriend. I mean, it’s the truth. We are just friends, but I know Micah wants our relationship to turn into something more
someday
. There have been times when I’ve wanted that too, but I can’t deny the fact that I am attracted to other guys. Especially Sam. I don’t know why. I can’t really explain it. There’s just a feeling I get when I’m around him. Like a fluttery, jittery, swirly-head
ed
feeling I don’t get with anyone else. Only it’s clear he doesn’t feel the same way
,
so I don’t know why I even bother.
Besides, it’s not like I would ever be allowed to go out with him.

Groaning, I fling my book onto the nightstand and reach over to turn off my light.
Before my hand touches the switch
, a
shock rips through my body. The room fades away to darkness
, t
hen white light bleeds into the bla
ck
,
and a blurry picture slowly unfolds, layer upon layer like the peeling of an onion. Finally I get a good look.

A car
speed
s down a dark street
, a young teenage girl in the driver’s seat. Another car is chasing her. My stomach tightens at the sight of the sleek, black
vehicle
with tinted windows. I can make out the profiles of two men in the front seat
,
but I can’t get a good look
at their faces
no matter how hard I try. Yet, I have a funny feeling I know who they are. The girl’s car careens around a corner at high speed, her tires squealing. She’s nearing a bridge. My heart sinks as she loses control of her vehicle and it shoots off the bridge and falls toward the lake below.

As the vision disappears and my room comes back into view, I inhale sharply. My pulse is racing, buzzing through my veins as if millions of tiny bees reside in them. I jump out of bed and reach for my phone. I dial Micah and press the phone to my ear. As it rings, I slip on a pair of shoes. My body trembles. When
his
voicemail clicks on, panic sets in.

After the beep
I practically scream into it, “Micah, get to the bridge near Dovetail Lane. I had a vision of a teenage girl
driv
ing
her car off the bridge and into the lake. Please hurry. I’m leaving now.”

After hanging up, I shoot him a text as well just to cover all my bases. Then I dial Officer Thomas and give all the details to him too. I contemplate waiting until I hear back from Micah
or just letting the police handle it
, b
ut then I think of that poor girl
and realize I can’t do that
. No matter how much I hate it, this is my gift. This is my duty
,
and I have to fulfill it
with or without Micah
.
And if I wait for the police
,
it may be too late. There’s not usually very much time between my vision and the actual event.
Gripping the phone tightly in my palm
, I snatch
up
my keys and purse
with my other hand
and race out of the
room.

“Delaney?“Dad appears in the hallway wearing his flannel pajamas and a concerned look.

“I have to go, Dad.” I keep moving forward.

“A vision?”

I nod. I learned years ago not to share
the details of my visions. It
only freak
s
my family out further.

“Micah coming wi
th you?” His brows furrow
.

“I just called him.
I’m sure he’ll be there.”
I swallow, trying to appear braver than I feel.

“Be careful,” he calls after me as I step outside. I hear the fear in his voice
,
but it
only angers me. It’s my parent
s
’
fault I have this gift. It was their decision that sealed my fate. Cool ai
r circles me as I race toward my
car. I glance down at the phone again, my stomach sinking when I realize Micah hasn’t called or texted back yet. What could he be doing?

I turn on the engine
and press my foot on the gas. My car jolts forward.
I wish Tabitha lived closer,
t
hen I’d swing by and pick Micah up
.
B
ut
there’
s no time for that. I
hope
he
‘ll
get the me
ssage and show up in time. I have
no desire to attempt to rescue this girl out of the lake by myself.