Sweet Blood of Mine (4 page)

"Why can't I find a nice guy?"

I'm right here!
I wanted to scream. Outwardly, I plastered a concerned look on my face. "I've heard some bad things about Rebecca. I wouldn't doubt it if they slept together." Katie sobbed even harder. It made me feel a lot better.

"I can't believe he would do this," she said between gasps.

I couldn't believe she was taking this so hard.

Hadn't they just started dating? Was she realy that head-over-heels in love with the guy? And then it hit me. And my mouth spit out what my brain was thinking without me meaning or wanting to say it aloud. "You slept with him."

Her eyes widened. Her face blanched. "Is it that obvious?" She blew noisily into a tissue. "Please, you can't tel anyone."

I couldn't believe she hadn't just denied it. "I won't."

A single tear trickled down her wet cheek. "I can't believe I let him be my first. We had so much fun together.

And now I feel horrible." Sobs wracked her body.

I put an arm around her shoulders. At some point I might have fantasized about this moment, about squeezing Katie's hot body to mine, but the magic turned to ashes, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth and an ache in my heart.

So much for true love. So much for riding off into the sunset. Katie had wrecked her virginity against the uncaring shores of Brad Nichols.

I wanted to kil him.

When she finaly calmed down—which took a while

—she hugged me back. "I feel so bad for unloading al of this on you, Justin. You're such a great guy. I wish there were more like you out there."

"You want more overweight nerds in the world?"

She laughed. "See, nothing bothers you. I know we've known each other a long time but I guess we've never gotten to know each other."

A dul throb pulsed in my forehead. Great. Al I needed was another headache. Katie's face blended into an indistinct blur as the pain increased. This cranial assault wasn't as sudden as the others. It crept from my forehead to the back of my brain and slithered down my spine, al ice, fire, and needles. I sensed that strange presence again. It was Katie, but at the same time it wasn't Katie. It ached to be free. It begged me to grab it by the hair and drag it into the closest cave.

Katie gasped. Our lips met. She pressed herself to me wilingly and al thoughts of the world faded into bliss.

And then a bomb went off in my skul.

I wrenched away from her and the ghostly presence slipped from my grasp. The pain flashed away as quickly as it had come. I stared at Katie. She stared at me. I didn't know what to say about the last few seconds. We'd kissed, right? It hadn't been a dream? Maybe these migraines were making me halucinate. I didn't know what to think anymore.

Katie's huge green eyes focused on me. "Justin, that Katie's huge green eyes focused on me. "Justin, that was…unexpected."

So we
had
kissed. "Al part of my master plan for world domination."
Where in the world did that come
from?

She smiled. "I can't figure you out. You're brave—

I mean just look what you did to Nathan. And now you've made me feel so much better tonight."

"Probably my Axe body spray," I said.

A giggle burst from her lips. "You're funny too."

She looked at me for a moment and I could see the uncertainty looming in her eyes. "Justin, I realy like you.

But I don't know—"

"Hey, it's fine," I said, standing up and brushing leaves off my cargo pants. "Look, I have a Kings and Castles tournament this Saturday. You want to come?"

"Is it like that restaurant with the jousting knights in it?"

"Um, not exactly. It's mostly a bunch of nerds clubbing each other with foam weapons."

"Ooh, that sounds fun to watch."

"Cool. I'l text you the details." I waved goodbye and made for the car before she could overanalyze what just happened. I felt heady. Unstoppable. I kissed Katie Johnson. Holy crap, I had realy done it. I hooted with laughter and smacked the steering wheel. I tried to forget the dark stains on this otherwise flawless victory. Brad Nichols had taken her virginity. And he might not like me stealing his girlfriend.

Mark and Harry couldn't believe what I'd done when I told them in the gymnasium the next morning. Jenny and Annie sat in their usual spot but Katie wasn't there.

"You are fearless," Mark said with awe in his voice.

"Bals of steel," Harry said, slapping me on the back. "And she's coming to the tournament, too? You are the
man
."

I felt like the man. Kind of, anyway. I also felt a bit apprehensive about Brad Nichols finding out. The bel rang and I headed for homeroom, walking down the barren cinder-block halways of the school.

A commotion echoed from around the corner ahead. A few wads of notebook paper sailed into the halway behind the hurrying form of one of the Goth guys I'd seen hanging with that creepy Goth girl. Nathan and his gang rounded the corner, hurling insults and paper at the guy. I felt bad, but not bad enough that it was worth getting whacked.

One of Nathan's linebacker friends said something to the others then jogged after the Goth. He had something in his hand and I knew that whatever it was wouldn't be good for his prey.

Don't do it! Noooo!
The rational part of my mind screamed at me.

I couldn't stand by and do nothing. So I tripped and fel right in front of the very large guy chasing down the Goth. The air exploded from my lungs as his weight thudded on my back.

The footbal player cursed at me while the others laughed.

"Holy crap, Case, you clumsy idiot," Nathan said as he roared with laughter.

The footbal player I'd tripped pushed himself up. "I guess you get the present then," he said and lowered a clear plastic baggie toward my face with something inside that looked and smeled suspiciously like a turd.

"Ahem," said an authoritarian voice.

We looked to see Mr. Turpin, my former boxer-turned-English teacher staring at us, his muscular arms bulging threateningly.

"Stay on task, Steve," he said in a gentle voice and held out his hand.

Apparently Steve was the name of the buffoon who had almost smeared poo on my face.

"Aw, we're just playing around," Steve said.

Mr. Turpin stared at the baggie and then at his proffered hand.

Steve pshawed and handed it over. "Whatever."

He shoved past me. "Guess we'l get something fresh for you later, Case." He and the others laughed as they went down the hal.

A strong hand gripped me by the bicep and helped me up. I turned, expecting to see Mr. Turpin's large hands on my arm and yelped as I came face to face with Goth Girl and al the metalic horrors piercing her face. She drew in a deep breath through her nose. I could swear the girl was sniffing me. I puled away from her, slightly so as not to be too rude.

"Thanks," I said.

She smiled, showing me neat rows of white teeth.

The rest of her face was a mess of dark eyeliner, white powder, and piercings al over the place. I tried not to shudder or imagine what other places on her body might be pierced.

"Never give up," she said in a low voice and walked away without looking back.

"Kids these days," Mr. Turpin said, shaking his head. "They never stay on task."

head. "They never stay on task."

I had a feeling Mr. Turpin had been hit in the head a lot during his boxing days. He was a nice, soft-spoken guy, but he repeated, "Stay on task" like it was holy mantra even if it didn't fit the occasion. Then again, who was I to talk?

On the way home from school, Katie texted me, asking if I could study tonight. I told her I would after dinner.

As I approached home, a shout from inside grabbed my attention. I paused at the front door and pressed an ear against it. I heard indistinct voices but nothing loud enough to understand. I sneaked through the garage, past Mom's burgundy Volvo, and around the pile of rakes and other yard implements that stil looked new as the day Dad had bought them. The garage door didn't offer any better eavesdropping so I twisted the doorknob slowly and eased the door open into the kitchen. I peeked through the crack and caught a glimpse of my parents standing just inside the den.

"…won't happen to him," Dad said. "We would know for sure by now."

Mom sighed. "And I told you it doesn't matter.

Everything depends on this. Everything. You need to keep it together or dear old Daddy Slade might—"

"Wait," Dad said, holding out a hand and sniffing the air. He motioned Mom further into the den and out of sight. "Do we need groceries for tonight?"

"Nope. Dinner is in the freezer."

"Not again."

"Yes, again."

A few seconds later, a door slammed shut.

Something was seriously wrong with my parents.

Arguments, microwaved dinners, and Dad sniffing the air like a coonhound. Maybe Aunt Petunia's death was screwing with their minds. And who was Daddy Slade? It sounded like the name of a trumpet player for a swing-dance band. I didn't know what to think. I entered the door, acting al casual and nonchalant.

"Hey, son," Dad said in a tone tinged with false enthusiasm. He reached into the fridge and grabbed a six-pack of beer.

"When did you start drinking?"

Dad popped open a beer bottle and took a swalow. He made a face. "I've always enjoyed a beer or two."

"Or six?" I asked, looking at the container in his hand.

"Justin, I know you don't like to tel us everything. I was the same way when I was your age."

"I think keeping secrets goes for people of al ages." I gave him a pointed look.

He chuckled. "What I'm getting at is—"

"Sorry, Dad, but I've got a study date with a girl tonight and I realy need to get a move on."

Dad took another swig of beer and winked. "That's great." He looked as though he wanted to say something else but instead took his beer into the den and tuned into a reality show featuring a bunch of women screaming at each other.

I nuked a meal in the microwave and gussied myself up before heading over to Katie's.

"Hey Justin," she said, giving me a quick hug when I arrived.

I tried to say something witty but my brain failed me. "Hi." Where was al my bravado from last night?

Apparently it was taking an extended vacation because we actualy studied Calculus until nine. We didn't say a thing about Brad or our kiss. It was like it never happened. Or maybe I was supposed to man up and kiss her again. Why couldn't she just tel me what she wanted?

Katie walked me outside after we finished our homework. "Thanks for helping me out. Calculus is so homework. "Thanks for helping me out. Calculus is so hard, but I have to get better at it if I'm going to get into a good colege."

I could hardly stand it. She was so unlike most of the hot girls I knew—or knew of, in any case. She seemed smart and yet she was going for smacktards like Brad. I tried to muster the courage to kiss her, but her hug came fast and her body language seemed to indicate a kiss was off the table.

Grow a pair and kiss her.

Yeah. It wasn't going to happen.

When I arrived at home, Dad was stil up watching TV. A pile of empty beer bottles littered the coffee table. I went into my room and changed into cargo shorts and a T-shirt. The rest of the house was silent. "Where's Mom?"

Dad kept his eyes on the tube. "Girls' night out."

"Shouldn't you be doing a boys' night out then?"

"This is boys' night out," he said, motioning me over to the couch and thumbing the cap off another beer bottle.

He handed it to me.

"Seriously? Won't Mom kick your butt for contributing to the delinquency of minors?"

"That's al life is, kiddo. When you've had enough contributions to your delinquency, then you're officialy an adult."

"Deep stuff," I said and took a swig. Beer always tastes great for the first few sips then it tastes like carbonated toilet water. Of course this was one of those major father-son milestones and I wasn't about to spoil it for Dad or myself.

Dad turned the TV off and studied me for a moment. "I know we haven't talked about girls much, Justin, mainly because it's kind of uncomfortable talking to a parent about…some things. How are things with women overal? Anything strange ever happen?"

His question struck me as odd. "Strange like how?" I thought about the headaches, the blurry vision, and the way odors—especialy Old Spice—seemed to attack my nose at random. That was strange, but I figured it had to do with growing pains and the popularity of Old Spice. I almost told him about those occurrences but stopped myself. He'd just tel Mom and then she would freak out and probably take me to the emergency room.

Dad examined me with narrowed eyes. What was he looking for? After a moment, a look of relief settled into his face and he shrugged. "Wel, girls are tough business, so let me know if I can give you some tips."

I did
not
want him going al after-school special on me, so I took a long guzzle of beer. By the time I'd finished my second bottle, I had my first alcoholic buzz going. I felt warm, fuzzy, and happy, like I was drinking hot chocolate on a freezing cold day. I also felt very clever. Apparently alcohol increases charm and courage by at least ten points.