18 Thoughts (My So-Called Afterlife Book 3) (20 page)

“Duh! That’s how Latin jeans work. Too tight means they fit just right.”

I grimaced. “Until I rip your fancy pants as soon as I try to sit down.”

She shrugged. “Perfect. All the easier for Nate to get into them later.”

I flung my hair tie at her. “Shut up! I’m only keeping this date because I promised. I don’t have many friends and don’t want to lose this one, that’s all.”

Laughing, she picked up my hair tie and placed it on my desk. “Whatever you need to tell yourself. Come sit. I’ll flatiron your hair.”

Plopping down in my swivel chair, I studied the sheer black top she let me borrow, paired with my gray cami underneath. “Ugh, look. These pants are so tight you can see fat rolls through this shirt when I sit down. I’m changing.”

Tammy held my shoulders when I tried to stand. “One, no, you’re not. Two, what fat rolls? You’re making excuses. Just shut up and rest assured there’s no way I’m letting you change. After I get done with your hair and makeup and you put on my black knee-high boots, every guy in Grand Haven will notice you tonight.”

I blew an errant strand of hair out of my eyes. “Exactly what I don’t need. I don’t even know how to pick between two hot guys. And please go easy on the makeup.”

“Relax. You barely need any. I’m just sticking to neutral tones to help highlight your beautiful face.”

I opened my mouth, stunned to hear Tammy calling me beautiful. Suddenly, another faraway memory drifted into my mind. I was dressed in black boots stretching to my knees, to where a red plaid dress I wore ended. As I sat in front of a vanity, Tammy tried to perfect my nineties grunge look.

Taking a deep breath, I hesitated, unsure if I should say something.

“What is it?” Tammy asked, parting my hair.

“It’s not just Nate I’m having visions about. I just had one about you helping me get ready for something, like we’d done this before.”

“What do you mean? We have done this before. I helped you get ready the night before Kyle’s party.”

I knew I sounded crazy, but I wanted desperately for someone else to remember what I did. Maybe if I described the vision to her, something would trigger her subconscious. But after I told her the details, nothing seemed to register on her face. Remembering the “real” comment from Dr. Judy, I realized that maybe these things only happened to me during Limbo.
Limbo? Where did that come from?

“Never mind. What are you doing tonight? Going out with Kyle?”

She picked up a narrow section of hair and applied pressure, straightening my frizzy curls like a pro. “Sorta. I told him I wanted to hold off on any solo dates. I think my life list for this year should include taking a break from guys. Do you realize I’ve never really been single since I was ten?”

“For real?”

Picking up another section of hair, she nodded. “Yep. So anyway, to answer your question, I’m going with Nic, Sean, Kyle, and Conner to Jumpin’ Java tonight for a karaoke contest.”

Trembling, I told myself it was stupid to be jealous. Tammy and Conner were over before they even started, and I had a date with Nate, and she liked Kyle now, I thought. But Tammy noticed the color draining from my face.

“Olga, don’t worry,” she said, adding some more hair serum before tackling the other side of my head. “I’ll keep Conner out of trouble while you’re not there.”

I nodded, thankful she couldn’t see my wretched heart. “I know. It’s just the last vision Nate and I shared took place at that coffee house, and you were there with us.”

Now she looked paler than I did. “Oh. Then you should come after you’re done with your official date business.”

I frowned at her in the mirror. “I don’t know if hanging out with Conner while I’m on a date with Nate is the best idea.”

“Hey,” she interjected. “It’s about time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine. Besides, don’t you and Nate want to see if your vision goes down the same way in real life?”

Real life.
There were those two haunting words again. “I guess. What time are you going?”

She glanced at her watch. “We’re meeting in just over an hour.”

“What time is it now?”

“Almost five, so I better hurry with this makeover. Nate should be here any minute. How long are your parents letting you stay out?”

“Same as always. Eleven.”

Tammy rolled her eyes, setting the flatiron down and picking up a compact. “Jeez, they sure do keep a tight leash, don’t they?”

I closed my eyes as she covered my lids in powder. “It’ll change to midnight when I turn eighteen next month. How late are you guys staying at Jumpin’ Java tonight?”

“Until they close at eleven. Then we were gonna maybe hang at someone’s house.”

I felt her brushing on eye shadow. “Okay. We’ll try to make it there by ten.”

She held one lid open to apply mascara. “Where’s Mr. Hottie taking you tonight anyway?”

Wrinkling my nose, I said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

A few seconds later, the doorbell rang. Tammy hurriedly applied some peach-colored blush and lip balm.

“What do you think?”

I paused to examine my reflection in the mirror before bending down to slip on her boots. “I think I believe in miracles now. If you can make me look this good, then anything can happen.”

Squealing, she clapped her hands. “I know! I mean, you are pretty, but I made you look smokin’! Come on. I want to see Nate’s face when he sees you.”

She pulled me down the hallway, barely giving me enough time to snatch my purse off my bedpost as we left the room.

Before I could catch my breath, there stood Nate in my doorway, stealing more of my breath away. He dressed in jeans, tan suede shoes, and a gray collared T-shirt that displayed his bulging biceps. His hair was crammed underneath a black fur trooper hat, and he looked adorable, holding out a bouquet of flowers for me.

He blushed, and I realized he heard how I saw him. A beat later, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. “You look amazing. Absolutely beautiful.”

“So do you. And these flowers, they’re gorgeous!”

“I grew them at school with the Interact Club. You should join us. We garden twice a month, clean up around campus once a month—”

Tammy giggled. “You’re killing the mood here, Barca. Good thing Olga’s parents aren’t home from work yet. You can practically smell the lust in here.” She pulled out her phone. “Let’s get a picture of my favorite pair of goody two-shoes before you leave.”

Nate shrugged on his denim trucker-style jacket and tugged me to his side. I tried not to melt as Tammy said, “Say, ‘I love Olga.’” But when Nate actually obeyed and said the words, it was kind of hard not to.

“You ready, beautiful?”

I nodded. “Yep, but do we need Tammy to give us a ride somewhere? I just realized neither one of us can drive.”

He slapped his forehead, shutting my front door behind him with his other hand. “Now why didn’t I think of that?”

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

After we climbed the stairs to the front of my apartment building, I spotted the four-wheel bike outside that could seat two. “So we’re roughing it tonight?”

Nate walked over to the bike and rang the bell. “Hey, I’ll have you know this is a top of the line, three-speed Surrey I rented for this occasion.”

Getting into her Lexus, Tammy laughed. “You kids have fun! And don’t worry, Olga. I applied enough hairspray that no strand will even think about curling back up. See you later.”

I hopped onto the seat next to him. “Okay, Mr. Adventure. Where are we heading?”

“Downtown to the C2C Gallery off Washington Avenue for an informal painting class.”

Groaning, I admitted, “I’ve never been much of an artist.”

Nate pedaled, checking both ways before taking us across the parking lot. “Most people aren’t.” He laughed at me biting my lip and paused at the stop sign. “Olga, stop worrying. This is for fun. You won’t be graded on your canvas. Now, start pedaling or we’ll be late.” He tapped the backpack in the front basket. “And if you need some fuel, I have coffee in a thermos.”

“You think of everything.”

“I think everything of you.” He took hold of my fingers on the handlebar.

Melting.
“This bike is awesome. I like the red and white circus top design.” I pointed my index finger above our heads, subtly sneaking my hand away. I didn’t want to get his hopes up any higher than they already were.

“It’s called a sunbrella. Learned some biker lingo today.”

“When are you getting your license back?”

He shook his head. “Not until the end of the school year, but I don’t even know if I want it. Grand Haven is a small enough town to get around by foot, bike, or skateboarding. Then I’ll be off to college and living on campus. I kind of want to stay away from driving for as long as I can. When will you have your license?”

“I’m taking Driver’s Ed at school right now, so I should have it by December when the class ends.”

“Oh, right. Brittney told me at the football game last night how you hit that bird on your first test run yesterday. I’ll remember to stay inside come Christmas break.”

I slapped his arm, ignoring the pain of jealousy at the mention of Brittney. I’d seen them sitting together with a big crowd of people up in the stands while I cheered below, my heart not in my peppy words and motions at all. “For your information, Mr. Know It All, that bird hit me, not the other way around.”

He flashed his perfect teeth in a smile. “How exactly does a bird willfully fly into an oncoming car?”

Scowling, I explained, “I wasn’t even driving! I was at the stop sign, and he literally flew into my windshield.”

“So what you’re saying is, wildlife would rather willingly commit suicide than face you on the road.”

Sliding my hand to his nape, I tugged on some stray hairs sticking out from his cap. “Are you done now?”

“Just getting started. Was it a two-way or four-way stop?”

I raked my gaze over him, wanting to slap and kiss him at the same time. “What does it matter?”

“I’m just trying to picture the whole scenario in my head, looking for any loopholes in your story. I don’t know if I should be dating a girl with homicidal tendencies toward birds.”

With a laugh, I said, “We’re not dating. I agreed to one date. And you are so ridiculous. He didn’t even die.”

“You
saw
him fly away then?”

My shoulders drooped. “Well, no. We all got out of the car and looked around, but he was nowhere to be found.”

“Why didn’t you entice him with some birdseed?” His gaze penetrated me, holding me still for his interrogation.

“Where would I get birdseed exactly?”

“You don’t carry any on you?”

“Nope.”

“Well then, you should’ve sacrificed your lunch if you really cared about the bird.”

“My lunch was back in the classroom!”

“See, that’s why smart people always carry some birdseed.”

“There is nothing smart about your logic or that bird.” I ripped the hat off his head. “Now, you will stop this madness or the hat gets it.”

The bike stopped abruptly. “The only one getting it is you.”

He kissed me, all the bird talk forgotten.

My heart thudded in my ears. His kiss was a lot different than Conner’s. Not bad, just different. And for some reason, familiar. A drowsy warmth washed over me, and another memory flooded my mind.

Conner kissed me, winding his hand into my hair, the other on my hip, pulling my chest to his. The intensity grew, our breaths ragged and swift, until Bo cleared his throat, reminding us we weren’t alone. I felt my cheeks blush and twisted my hair back into a knot.

After a second, Nate pulled away. He frowned, then took the hat and settled it back on his head. “I’m guessing you saw that vision, too?”

“Hmm.”

I resettled my body to start pedaling again. Why did I have visions of kissing Nate when I kissed Conner a few nights ago and then envision kissing Conner while kissing Nate now? “Here’s the thing. You should have an apology coming, but I can’t control these visions or memories or whatever they are from floating to the surface. I’m beginning to think the only reason you see the same thing as me is because you can read my mind. Do you think that’s possible?”

Nate closed his eyes. “Bo was in your vision, though. How do you even know what he looks like?”

A particular melancholy revealed itself on Nate’s face, and I wondered how I could’ve missed Bo being in my vision until now. “He was Conner’s roommate in Juvie.”

The words flew out of my mouth without any prompting.

Tears appeared in Nate’s eyes without much prompting, either. “What does that mean?”

I shook my head. “No idea.”

For the rest of the short ride, we were both quiet. I think the vision had stolen our breath and our words away.

When we pulled up to C2C Gallery, music blared from inside. Nate held my hand as he led me to the entrance, cold wind slapping my cheeks and bringing the strong scent of paint from the open doorway.

“Olga! Nate! Down here!” Thankful for the interruption, I peered down the sidewalk.

Kyle waved to us from the front of Jumpin’ Java across the way, about a block up the street, Conner standing next to him and looking pissed. Clearly, Kyle had missed the memo that Nate and I were on a date.

Nate looked down at me through the thick shield of his dark lashes. “You want to join them?”

“You wouldn’t mind?” I whispered.

He leaned back on his heels. “No. To be honest, I’m not really in the mood for romance anymore.” His tone wasn’t mean, just honest.

Every nerve in my body relaxed, thankful we were on the same page for once. “So, should we just leave the bike here?”

“After you, my lady.” He gestured toward the coffee shop, and we started walking, decidedly not holding hands.

A wise decision because Conner looked more lonely than I’d ever seen him, even though he was surrounded by the Jedi Order as they sipped coffee from their cups at an outside table. He leaned his chair against the window, his ear turned toward the karaoke music blaring inside, but his gaze remained fixed on me with an aching look. Ugh, that look broke my heart. I longed to run to him, but I knew that wouldn’t be fair to Nate.