Core (10 page)

“Are you always this honest?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Are all red dragons?”

He shook his head. “It’s rare. Extremely rare. Somehow I got stuck with it.”

She stretched her legs sideways onto the seat of the cab. No warm up or cool down wreaked havoc on her muscles. They twisted themselves into knots and Ava tried to rub them away without drawing attention to
herself.

Cale wanted to help, but he thought better of it.
 
I doubt she’d appreciate the gesture.
 Instead, he bit his lip and looked straight ahead. When they finally pulled into his driveway, he sighed and killed the engine.

“I had fun tonight,” Ava said.

Cale scowled at her. “You did not.”

“Seriously, I did. It’s easier for me to relax around you.”

Cale let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding all night. “Maybe next time I can meet your friends,” he said.

Ava shook her head. “Don’t have any.”

Cale studied her, noticed the hint of sadness in her hard eyes, so subtle that even she wouldn’t notice it. Ava was easy to hang out with as well. She didn’t need babysitting and she could handle herself, even around Cale’s most intruding acquaintances. She was clever and pretty and funny once people shut up and let her talk. 
Who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone like that?

Ava was relived Cale didn’t ask her about what she’d said. She didn’t want to launch into her life story, didn’t want to explain that it was easier to hide bruises and welts when there was
no one around. That it was hard enough to handle her own life without being burdened by the needs of others.

“You’re wrong about that,” Cale said. “Pretty sure we won’t have a choice but to be friends after our six hour flight tomorrow.”

He checked his rearview mirror as a car pulled up. Ava noticed him reach into his pocket and pull out his dragonblade. He hadn’t pressed the stone yet, so the handle sat coolly against his palm. He stepped out of the truck and approached the car.

“Can I help you?”

The man inside had a hooked nose and handsome enough features. He rolled his window down. “Is Ava Johnson here?”

“You are…?”

Ava got out of the truck, willing her abdomen to mend with little result. She refused to let even an ounce of pain show on her face as she made her way to the car.

“Cale, it’s alright. I know him.”

But Cale didn’t relax. Ava could tell that every single one of his muscles was tensed. He stood as still as a statue, his blade handle clenched in his hand.

“Who is this guy, Ava?” T asked. He opened his car door and got out.

He stood about as tall as Cale, but his biceps were nearly twice as large. Ava had never really noticed how massive T was. But it wasn’t Cale she was worried about. From the way Cale was glaring at him, T was the one about to have his nose re-broken.

“Cale, he’s my coach.
Sort of. It’s fine.” Ava stepped between Cale and T. “Just let me talk to him. Then he’ll be on his way. Okay?” Ava had no idea why Cale was reacting that way. T was hardly a threat.

“You know him?” Cale asked.

It’s like he isn’t even listening.
 “Look at me, Cale,” she said.

Reluctantly, he obeyed, turning his eyes away from T and fastening them on Ava. Instead of his light brown orbs, his eyes were slivers of gold. A thin wisp of smoke slipped from his narrow nose and into the air.

“He’s harmless. Now go inside and let me talk to him.” She shoved him. “Go inside, Cale.”

“How long is he staying?” Cale asked while Ava pushed him.

“Just for a couple minutes. Now get out of here.”

“I don’t like him,” Cale said as he walked to the house. He pointed at T. “I don’t like him, Ava.”

Ava couldn’t help but smile at him. She shook her head. “I heard you.”

“Ten minutes,” Cale said. “And I’ll be right behind the door.”

Ava nodded. “Quit stalling.”

T waited until the door to the Anders’ house clicked shut. He leaned against the hood of his car and watched as Ava walked back to his car. His eyes soaked
in every inch of her. When she came to a stop in front of him, her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt, he met her eyes.

“
You been fighting?”

Ava pursed her lips.
“None of your business.”

“You’re not supposed to fight outside of the gym, Ava.”

Ava crossed her arms. For some reason, T always zapped her patience faster than anyone else. “Suspend me then.”

“That’s not what I came here for. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Well, stalker, you found me. What do you want?”

“To see if you’re okay.”

Ava motioned to her entire person. “I am obviously okay, T. Is that all?”

He shook his head. “Come for a ride with me.”

Ava sighed. “I’ve had enough adventure for tonight. Besides, I have a plane to catch tomorrow.”

He furrowed his brow.
“A plane? Where are you going?”

“On a trip.”

He clenched his jaw, anger blazing in his eyes for just a moment. “You haven’t been to the gym in days. You have a fight coming up in two weeks. And now you’re planning spontaneous trips?”

“A
ccurate.”

He put both hands to his temples
as though he was suddenly exhausted. “Ava, for god’s sake, just give me a little bit of your time and explain things to me. You owe me that much.”

Ava bit her lip. He was right. He’d given her countless rides to and from the gym. He’d stepped in as coach when Walter couldn’t make it. He’d looked out for her.

“Fine. Just let me tell Cale.”

“Tell him when you get back,” T said, sliding into the driver’s seat and slamming the door closed. He leaned over and pushed Ava’s door open. “Get in.”

Ava frowned as she took a look at the Ander’s front door. She knew Cale hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he’d wait right behind the door for her. 
I’ll text him.
 And she sighed as she got into the passenger seat of T’s car.

They drove for a while, back toward downtown. Ava typed out the text:
 
riding with T for a minute. Be back soon
. She waited for Cale’s response to come filled with hurt or at least anger. All it said was: 
where are you guys going?
 They pulled over behind an old diner, and T killed the engine. She texted back the name of the diner and slipped her phone back into her sweatshirt pocket.

“You hungry?”
T asked.

She was, but she shook her head. Eating would only take more time. She sat back in the seat and admired the scenery.
An overflowing dumpster. A puddle of murky water stretching across the empty parking lot. A flickering streetlight.

“You gonna talk to me?” T asked.

“Sure. What do you want to hear?”

He shrugged. “How have you been?”

Ava rolled her eyes. “What do you think is about to happen here? You think I’m going to open up and spill my heart out to you?”

“I’m trying to be nice, Ava.”

“Well, stop.”

“Fine.
You don’t want to talk? We don’t have to talk.”

“Good.”

Ava crossed her arms. T watched her for a few moments. Long moments that stretched into minutes. Ava could feel his eyes boring into her. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or not. Then, he reached out and put his hand on her knee. Before Ava could react, he slid his hand upwards, gripping her thigh tightly. She shoved his hand away, her jaw dropping in shock. 
What the hell? 
T just put his hand back, moving his palm up even higher.

“Stop,” she said, slapping him away once again, still surprised at his actions.

She didn’t have time to say more. He dug his fingers into her arms and shifted his weight so that he was on top of her. He pressed his mouth to hers, pushing until her head smacked into the car door. Ava struggled against him, but he pushed right back, grabbing hold of her right leg and pulling it towards him so that she had no choice but to sink into the seat.

Ava didn’t have enough room to fight him off. Panic took over as she felt his free hand squeezing her throat, holding her in place.
Finally, she broke one of her arms away and tore her nails into his face, which cause him to pull his head back far enough for her to reach up and yank on the door’s handle. The door jolted open, and she tumbled backward and onto the ground.

S
he wasted no time. Scrambling to her feet, she sprinted around to the front of the diner and through the doors. Breathless, she curled into a booth. 
I should call the police,
 she thought. But it made her want to throw up. Explaining what had almost happened to people she didn’t know. She wanted to hide, but she knew that the diner was the safest place. If she went to the bathroom or someplace hidden, T could barge in.

Ava blinked against her thoughts, trying to keep them away. She had learned how to cope by ignoring hurtful memories. But right when pain was fresh, that was when she was most
vulnerable. It all flooded her–memories of Jim, of his fist against her face, of his belt against her skin. And of T, of his hands in places they should never have been, of his hot breath against her mouth.

“Can I get you something?”

Ava jumped so hard that she startled the waitress. The older lady stalled, frowning at the disheveled teenager slumped in the booth. “You okay, honey?”

Ava shook her head, then realized her mistake and nodded instead.

“I’m fine,” she said. But her voice barely came out.

The waitress left, looking at Ava over her shoulder with worry. Ava didn’t notice. She focused on breathing.
On deep, deep breaths. She willed her hands to stop shaking, her head to stop spinning. 
Be brave, Ava. Calm yourself down
. She hated that she flinched as the bell over the diner’s door tinkled. She ducked so that her head wasn’t visible over the booth. But the person who hurried past her wasn’t who she expected.

“Cale?”

He swiveled at the sound of her voice. It took him less than a second to know she wasn’t herself. Cale slid in next to her, his eyes taking her in carefully.

“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head and sat up a little straighter next to him. 
Stop acting like a baby.
 She made sure her hair was smoothed down, forcing her hands not to tremble as she ran them over her curls.

“I’m good,” she huffed. “What are you doing here?”

“Ava….”

“I’m good,” she said too loudly.

“Okay,” Cale replied.

“Can we leave?”

He nodded, scooting out of the bench and watching while Ava followed, slower, as though it hurt. Cale opened the diner’s doors for her and surveyed the parking lot as they made it to the truck. They rode in silence, Cale stealing glances at her. He didn’t make it a mile on the highway before he pulled over onto the grass.

“Ava, let me help you,” he said. “You don’t have to talk about it. Just let me help.”

Ava swallowed, her eyes glued to her fingernails. After a while, her voice came out hoarse. “How?”

Cale slid over slowly in the cab of the truck. He put an arm around Ava’s shoulder and, as carefully as he could, pulled her toward him. She pressed her forehead against his chest and tried to breathe. He smelled like clean laundry and firewood.

Ava was ashamed that silent tears slipped out on to his shirt. 
What if he notices?
 But he didn’t pull away, didn’t call her a coward. Instead, he put a warm hand on her back. Ava closed her eyes and fought the sobs that wanted to break free. Instead, a groan escaped–soft, barely audible.

Cale bit his lip to keep a groan of his own inside. Hearing Ava’s pain hurt him. It was as though he’d been beaten, kicked in the stomach.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I should have been there. I should never have left you alone.”

Ava pulled away even though she didn’t want to. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “It’s no big deal. Nothing happened.” She sighed. Every single muscle in her body ached as her words leaked out of her. “How di
d you know…?”

“I just get a feeling.” Cale rubbed his forehead
. His headache was so profound, it was splitting his skull in two. “I should have followed my instinct.”

“No, I should have listened to you.” She opened the
car mirror and flicked the light on. When she pulled down the collar of her sweatshirt, she could see that the bruise on her neck was already darkening. She was going to have to hide it from Miriam. 
Good thing I have plenty of experience.

She flipped the mirror closed and leaned her head back against the seat. “This is why I don’t make friends. It’s never worth it.”