Beyond - Volume 1 (YA Paranormal Romance) (20 page)

Then Damian walks into the
guys’ locker room, closes the door right before my nose is caught in between, and leaves me standing there alone.

Well, whatever. Avoiding me won’t help.

After a while he comes out again, with a surprised look on his face, like he expected me to be long gone by now. Well I’ve got news for him; I’m not so easy to get rid of.

Then I notice he’s wearing different clothes. Around his head is a white band
, and in his hand is a gum shield. He’s wearing a tight yellow suit with blue stripes coming up to his knees. I have to keep my hand on my mouth so I don’t burst out into laughter. He’s dressed in ridiculous tights.

Frustrated, he barges ahead of me and enters the gym. I follow him at a distance and notice the coach waiting for him in there. The man’s frowning and pointing at the floor, as if Damian’s too late, but then I think to myself that it’s also possible he’s angry because Damian’s never at school.

I position myself on the benches somewhere near Damian and observe what they’re doing. There are more guys strutting around in the same absurd outfit as Damian, but none of them look as good as him. All the guys in the gym are muscular, and they’re focused. Only then do I realize what the suit’s purpose is: wrestling.

As soon as they start, Damian’s up. He’s wrestling against a giant, for all I know. The dude’s much larger than him
, and I’m thinking he can’t handle it. I pinch my knees seeing the guys push each other around the gym. It’s like there’s a battle raging inside of me, and I want Damian to win this match. Will he have a victory? He’s not really broad-shouldered, and the taut muscles of his opponent are twice the size of his.

Still, Damian manages to beat him within three rounds, without ever getting into trouble. Damian’s so strong he can even beat a guy much larger than him. The fury he holds for this ‘person’ he’s looking for, what he’s fighting for, seems to help him win.

When he’s done wrestling, I can breathe normal again. Like a true victor, he walks away from the battle, giving handshakes to some team members and sticking out his thumb. I can’t keep my eyes off him. The way his muscles tighten is exhilarating to watch, and the visibility of his veins on his arms and legs is impressive. The way he flops his towel around his soaking wet neck is just as interesting to watch. Crazily enough, I feel attracted to him even while he’s wearing this hilarious outfit.

***

When all the wrestlers are gone, Damian is the last one to leave toward the locker room. Right away, I jump off the bench, bolt down the steps and walk beside him.

“Why d
idn’t you just leave?” he asks.

I don’t answer and continue walking. It’s silent for a few seconds.

“I know you were watching me, you know.” His eyes sparkle, and my cheeks flush. A faint smile appears on his face.

“I was just wondering if you … if you’d go to the dance with me tonight.” My lip’s quivering
, and I’m chewing on my cheek as if there’s no tomorrow. Under normal circumstances I’d say a guy should ask the girl, but for him, I’ll make an exception.

For a moment he seems flabbergasted. He stands still in the middle of the hall
, and his mouth drops open.

“Well … I … u
m,” he stammers.

My eyes dwindle off to the floor. I knew it
; I should’ve never asked. Why did I have to blurt that out?

“I honestly can’t dance,” he says.

A broad smile appears on my face. If that’s all, I don’t have to worry about anything.

“It’s not funny.” Damian taps his finger on my sh
oulder, making me lean backward a little. Even with just his index finger he already has enough strength to make someone move.

“No, I’m sorry
. I’m not laughing at you. I’m just laughing because … well, because I thought you wouldn’t want to go with me or something. Stupid of me.” I put my hand to my neck, because I don’t know what posture to take.

“Ah, it’s okay,” he says. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.” His finger caresses my ch
eek, his touch making me quiver.

I’m not the type to forgive people that easily, but for Damian I will. This rough guy, who’s a pain in the butt to everyone, went through a lot of trouble for me.
He wants to be close to me, wants to kiss me, wants to do things together with me, even though a spirit is after him … and me. This guy, who’s so hard to please, because something’s bothering him, chose to love me. Even when so much is on his mind, he wants to spend his time with me. I can’t feel anything else but flattered, and I can’t do anything else but give in to my feelings for him.

He smirks
and lowers his voice. “Okay, I’ll go with you to the dance, but you have to promise me you won’t ask any questions about the ghost thing there.”

I didn’t see that one coming. I have to put my curiosity aside to take Damian to the dance.
He’s just blackmailing me.

“I think your curiosity is charming,” he says with a sly grin. “But I could use a night
off without being cross-examined.” He laughs.

“Okay deal, but only for tonight,” I answer with a wink. Maybe he’ll take the offer. I can’t set aside my curiosity forever, but just one night won’t do any harm.

He smiles at me. His teeth glisten in the light of the lamp, and I get the sudden urge to touch him. I smile back, feeling shy. Then he leans in closer to me, making my back touch the wall, and his lips graze mine. With his fingers he strokes my arm and brushes away a strand of hair.

He must
feel the same as me right now.

A tingle travels through my mouth. I feel his warm breath against my skin. He kisses me gently and then walks int
o the locker room, leaving me in the hallway, gloating.

I zip myself up in the most beautiful dress I have. It’s turquoise with green ribbons around the waist. In the mirror my face looks beaming. I almost want to jump up and down on the bed, but it would break. It’s an old crib.

Using the mirror as my guide, I pin up my dark red hair. In my ears I put glistening buds and on my neck a matching necklace. I’m thrilled I can stand close to Damian tonight without having the people around me throwing weird glances at me, but I’m even more excited about the fact that he will touch me too during our dance. Maybe he’ll kiss me too. Those sweet, soft pecks are so gentle, unlike the way he treats his wrestling buddies, Joey and Jianyu.

I grab my purse and glance once more at the mirror to hide some blemishes on my face and then bolt downstairs.

“Where are you going?” my mom asks.

“To the dance. Someone’s picking me up. You can’t stop me,” I snap.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Then what were you planning?”

My mom looks at me with eyes that could cut through anything, then turns around and closes the living room door behind her. Typical behavior for my mom. Even when I challenge her, she doesn’t budge.

A rumbling engine stops in front of the house. Damian’s here to pick me up, but when I open the front door, it’s not a motorcycle. He’s in a muddy old Volvo.

“Where did you get that thing?” I ask while laughing and walking toward him. I refuse to say bye to my
mom. I don’t care if she likes it or not. Tonight, I’m going to have some fun.

“My foster dad l
oaned it to me. I had to beg him to, and I hate begging, so you owe me one,” he answers, grinning. Damian opens the rusty passenger door. “Get in.”

I roll my eyes, sit down and close the door, the handle almost falling off. The car is rickety
, and I’m getting the feeling it might break down while we’re in it.

“I owe you something?” I ask and put my seatbelt on.

“Me and my foster dad aren’t exactly best pals, you know. Ever since he’s been laid off all he thinks about is beer. I’ve always hated him, but it’s gotten pretty rough lately. And my foster mom just lets him drink and shout, so I had to take a lot of crap to get him to let me take his car for the night.” Damian switches the gear. “You wanted to go to this dance, so I want something in return.” Then he starts the engine, and we drive off.

I’m getting all warm inside, being alone together with him. However, I have no idea what to say to him, as I don’t know what he means
by ‘owing him something’. Embarrassment bubbles up inside me, and I can feel my stomach churning thinking about all the ideas he could have, saying that. Still, I feel flattered, though I don’t know if I can live up to his expectations.

***

The schoolyard is swarming with teenagers. They drink from plastic cups, dance on top of the benches, belch and sing together in dissonance. It’s a real party outside, and it makes me wonder if there’s something in their drinks.

We ride
into the parking lot, and I unbuckle my seatbelt while Damian turns off the engine. Only when we step out of the car, and he walks toward me, do I notice what he’s wearing. He’s dressed in a neat smoking jacket, which is unlike him. The only thing missing is a bow tie.

“Sleek outfit you’ve got there,” I say while he
holds his arm out for me.

“Borrowed it, just like the car. I decided to
ditch the bow tie, because it only made me look even goofier. I’m already going way out of my comfort zone wearing something this decent,” he says while opening his jacket. “I mean, look at this. I look like a dork, right?”

“Well I think it’s kind of … daring.” I almost choke on my own words when I say that. His raised eyebrows drop in a provoking manner
, and a cheeky smile appears on his face. He grabs my hand.

“Let’s not waste too much time, so I can get out of here fast,” he says. He plucks some hairs off the suit he’s wearing and shakes his sleeves to make the wrinkles go away. It’s funny to see Damian acting this insecure.

We walk over the curb toward the building. Some people look at us like we’re from a different world. Probably nobody expects the newcomer to go out with Damian: the guy who avoids everyone, the guy who ignores all the rules, who doesn’t care about school and who’s into some bad business. The guy I like.

The noise from inside almost blows us away. Around me I see girls in the most beautiful dresses, swaying them around, while the
guys march around sporting tight suits, feeling like they’re the kings of the world. The dance has already started, and students flock into the gym. Only then do I realize Simon’s also here, with Emma, and that he won’t be happy to see me here. Especially not with Damian.

I swallow and sigh. Damian brushes his fingers along the top of my h
and, making me all warm inside, and I forget everything I was previously thinking about. Everywhere his fingers touch my skin it tingles; it takes minutes for the feeling to disappear.

We walk through the doors of the gym. The last time I was here, I saw Damian blocking the charges of other wrestlers. Now this place is filled with garlands, balloons, tables with snacks and chairs against the wall. In the middle they made room for dancing
, and all the way in the back, against the wall, is a turntable with a student behind it who’s playing DJ tonight. On the left side I spot Joey whirling around on the dance floor with an unknown girl in his arms. Nowhere do I see Jianyu. I guess he doesn’t like parties, but I didn’t think he was the type for it anyway.

“C
’mon!” I grin and pull Damian onto the dance floor. He almost stumbles over his own chic shoes. A slow, sultry song is playing, perfect for the occasion.

“You said you couldn’t dance, but you don’t have to for these kind of songs,” I explain while holding his hands tight. “You just have to shuffle a bit.” I put my foot f
orward, and he puts his backward, but I have to hold on tight, because he loses his balance with every step. He’s bungling, and I wonder if it’s ever going to go alright tonight. Sometimes he gazes at me, sometimes at his feet.

“It’s better if you stand closer to each other,” I hear someone say behind me.

I turn my head and see Joey Mason with the girl who’s hanging in his arms like a love struck fan. He winks at me and then turns around to whirl on the dance floor like some majestic dancer. The girl almost looks like she’s floating, and her smile is from ear to ear.

Then Damian pulls his hand from mine and places it on my hip. I feel the heat rising to my cheek, knowing I’m turning bright red, and I turn my face away from him. His eyes are focused on Joey
, and it looks as though he’s imitating him, because right after, Damian puts my hand on his shoulder.

“Closer,” Joey whispers. I shush and shoo him away, making him shrug.
He grasps the swaying girl in his arms by the shoulder and escorts her to the punch table. Every now and then I spot him glancing at us with a sly grin on his face.

Then Damian lets his ha
nd glide down to my lower back, the sensation making my breath falter. He clears his throat and pulls me closer to him. There’s only inches between us now, and I can feel his fingertips caressing my spine as we move. It’s titillating and exciting; my blood’s boiling hot. Then he moves his other hand that was clasped in mine around my waist, so I place mine around his neck. His hair tickles my fingers.