The Guardians (21 page)

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi.”

“What’s up?” I asked, as I threw a couple of books in my locker.

“I was just wondering if I could go with you to the hospital again?” Abby asked.

“Really?”

She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yeah, I really enjoyed it. And I kinda want to see Danielle and the others again.”

A goofy grin spread on my face. I knew that she wanted to see the kids, but something within me was thrilled that she would be spending time with me—that in some way she
wanted
to be with me. “That would be great,” I replied.

“But I have cheerleading practice first. Do you mind waiting until five?”

“No, I don’t mind, but…” I chewed my lip, unable to say what I needed to.

Abby’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But what?”

“Well, um, do you think it’s a good idea for you to uh, keep cheering and all? In your, uh, your, um,” I stammered.

“In my condition?” Abby asked, with a small smile.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’ve cheered all my life, Elijah. I hate to stop now in my last season, especially when I’m co-captain of the squad. Plus, if I keep my scholarship, I’ll need to keep cheering.”

“Meaning you’d give the baby up?”

Abby lowered her eyes. “Maybe.” When I didn’t respond, she rushed forward. “It’s just this is my senior year, and I’ve already been through so much. Is it too much to ask to keep things as normal as possible and to let me have a life?”

Pain radiated in her eyes, and I didn’t believe for a minute she actually thought she could have a normal year being pregnant—regardless of what she decided to do about the baby. She gave a short laugh. “Man, when I say it like that, I kinda sound like a selfish bitch, huh?”

“It’s your life, Abby. You have to do what’s right for you,” I replied.

“But is it bad of me to want to keep my old life—to not have to change?” I opened my mouth to reply, but she interrupted me. “Do you think I’m terrible?” she asked, in a hushed voice.

I stared into her pleading eyes and slowly shook my head. The truth was I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t a sixteen year old girl whose mother had been murdered a few months earlier and who now found herself dumped by her boyfriend, pregnant, and thrown out the house. “I would never judge you, Abby.”

“That sounds so Sunday School, Elijah,” she argued.

“But it’s the truth. Who knows how I would think and feel if I were in your shoes.”

She cocked her head and smiled. “And that sounds very like
To Kill a Mockingbird
.”

I returned her smile. “It’s a very good book, you know.”

“Yes, I know. It was my mom’s favorite. She loved teaching it.”

We stood there for a moment until several girls raced by us clad in shorts and t-shirts. “Abby, you better hurry up! Practice starts in five. O’Conner will give you demerits if you’re late,” one exclaimed.

“Yeah, and she’s not going easy on you just cuz you’re Co-Captain or not,” another said.

Abby glanced at me. “Go ahead. I’ll wait on you,” I said.

Her face lit up. “Really?”

I nodded.

“Great! Listen why don’t you stay and watch us practice?”

“Okay, I will.”

“Thanks again, Elijah!” she cried, before running back in the building to change.

Without Abby, I suddenly felt very unsure of myself. Shuffling back and forth on my feet, I tried to ignore the stares some of the other girls were giving me.

“So,” one of them said.

“Um, yeah?”

“You’re Abby’s new guy, huh?”

I glanced up to meet her inquisitive stare. “Uh, um, no.”

She cocked an eyebrow at me. “You’re Elijah, aren’t you?”

A dark haired girl’s head bobbed up from stretching. “Ooh, you’re Rafe’s brother, right?

I nodded my head.

She grinned. “He’s sooo hot! You think you could give him my number?”

“Uh, I-I-”

I didn’t get a chance to answer because the other girl who had been peppering me with questions interrupted her. “You must be Abby’s guy cause she talks about you all the time. Elijah this and Elijah that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk so much about any guy before.” She smiled knowingly at me. “Even Landon.”

My usual red flush began creeping from my cheeks down through my neck. “Well, we’re, uh, just friends, really,” I argued.

She shrugged. “Whatever.” I could tell she didn’t sound convinced.

Thankfully, I was rescued by their coach coming outside and barking orders. Abby raced out to join the others seconds before the coach, a Mrs. O’Conner, could notice her absence.

“Okay, let’s try working on the stunt for Friday’s game,” Coach O’Conner suggested. The girls scurried around getting into position. Abby and another girl started counting out-loud, and then they started chanting some words.

Suddenly, Abby was raised into the air by some of the girls. As she remained far above the ground, I shifted on my feet, ready to rush forward and catch her. Coach O’Conner covered her mouth from laughing at my reaction “Um, it’s called an extension.”

When I stared blankly at her, she continued. “It’s a cheerleading stunt they do. Trust me, she’s perfectly fine. In fact she’s one of the best flyer’s I’ve ever had,” she informed me.

I didn’t understand half of what she was saying, but since she thought it was perfectly okay for Abby to be suspended in midair, then who was I to question it?

“Cradle ready!” someone called, and then I truly had a heart attack as Abby was pitched back and then caught by some of the girls.

My heartbeat still was racing when Coach O’Conner shouted, “Okay, take five for water, and then we’ll work on it some more.”

Abby trotted up to me. “So what do you think?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Are you crazy?”

“Huh?”

Using my hands, I gesticulated wildly to imitate how she was all over the place. “You could kill yourself!”

Abby laughed. “Elijah, it’s fine. I’ve been doing it forever, I promise.”

Shaking my head, I said, “But it’s not just
you
anymore.” I glanced around and lowered my voice. “You have to think about the baby.”

“Stop it, Elijah!” Abby hissed.

“Excuse me?”

“Stop reminding me about my obligations. I know what I should do and not do, okay?”

My cheeks stung like I’d been slapped. Abby had never talked like that to me before. I nodded and then tucked my head to my chest.

Suddenly, her hand was on my arm, and she leaned in close to me. When I dared to peek at her through my hair, she was smiling. “I’m sorry, Elijah. That was a really mean thing for me to say.”

“It’s okay,” I mumbled.

She shook her head. “No, you’ve been so good to me, and you’re only trying to help.” Her hand rubbed along my arm, and it felt like sparks might shoot from me. “There’s only one stunt this season when I’m up in the air. I promise to be careful, okay?”

Even though I still didn’t like the idea, I nodded. “Okay.”

At the sound of my name being called, I turned around. Sophie had her arms full of books and looked on the verge of collapse. “I’ll be back in a just a minute.”

Something dark flickered out of the corner of my eye as I hurried down the sidewalk to Sophie. “Sorry to bother you, but I need some help getting this out to the car.”

I eyed all the stuff. “What’s all this?”

“Some old books of Victoria’s. The English department head asked me to take them to David.”

“I see.”

I helped Sophie get the rest of the books to the car along with another box in her classroom. I was just about to close the trunk for Sophie when I heard her gasp. By the time I looked up, all I saw was Abby falling. My heart jolted in my chest. I was too far away to help, but I started sprinting towards her all the same. Someone rushed forward to catch her.

It was Lucius.

By the time I got over to Abby, there was a flurry of raised voices with everyone talking at once. From what I gathered, one of the girls who held Abby had slipped, and like a domino effect, her falling had caused Abby to fall.

Lucius still cradled Abby in his arms. Rage burned through me at his hands pressed against her. A smirk spread across his lips. “Guess I better put you down now, huh?” he asked.

Abby laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

It took me a minute to find my voice. Abby must’ve have sensed my shock because she shook her head. “I’m fine, I promise.”

“You could’ve really hurt yourself,” I protested.

“Well, lucky for her, I was around to save the day,” Lucius said. His dark eyes bore into me.

“Yeah, since everyone freaked out.” Abby glanced back at the others and shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve seen them do that since Freshman year. Weird.”

My mind couldn’t wrap around the horror that it might have been possible that Lucius could’ve had something to do with the fall. A chill ran through me at the thought he had gone out of his way to get close to her, to talk to her, to
touch
her.

“Well, I’m just glad I could help. I wouldn’t want you to hurt that pretty head of yours,” Lucius drawled, a charm I’d never seen oozing out of him.

Abby flushed. “I don’t know about that.”

Lucius grinned. “Well, I do.” He leaned closer to her. “I’d be blind if I didn’t notice you, now wouldn’t I?”

I fought the urge to rip him limb from limb as he flirted with Abby in front of my face. “I don’t think I know you,” Abby said.

“I just transferred in last year. My name is Lucius, Lucius Pilate.” He extended his hand, and she shook it.

Abby smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Lucius.” She turned to me. “Oh, this is my good friend, Elijah.”

Lucius sneered at me. “Yeah, I know Elijah.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, through clenched teeth.

Abby noticed mine and Lucius’s tense exchange. “Well, thanks again for saving me.”

“Anytime.” He gave her a wink before walking off.

“Wow, Abby, looks like you’ve got a hot new hero, huh?” one of the girls commented.

“Abby always has a string of worshippers,” another replied, jerking her head towards me. I turned beet red and stared down at the ground.

Coach O’Conner clapped her hands. “All right girls. I think that’s enough for today. Come back ready to work tomorrow.”

“Give me just a second to change, okay?” Abby asked.

I nodded.

The moment she was gone, I went to find Lucius. He must’ve anticipated me because when I turned the corner, I found him leaned against the building.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

“Looks like I’m doing your job—you know saving Abby and all,” he replied.

“You made those girls fall, didn’t you?”

Lucius stared at me with absolute innocence etched across his face. “Now Elijah, why would I want to go and do a thing like that?”

“To get close to Abby and in turn mess with my assignment.”

He snorted. “Well, what are challenges for after all? I mean, did you think I would just leave you alone after your little threat at the party?”

“You did appear indisposed in the last few weeks,” I taunted.

A growl erupted in his throat. “And we know whose fault that is!”

“It’s not our fault that your powers weaken when good overcomes evil.”

“Yeah, well, that good is wearing off, so I appear to be back in business.” He stared past me to where the girls had been. A wicked grin spread across his lips. “And your little assignment is some serious business. I wouldn’t mind getting to
know
her a little better.” He leaned closer to me. “And from what I hear, she’s really friendly when it comes to guys.”

I thrust my finger in front of his face. “Don’t you dare say that!”

“Hmm, Elijah, just how close is she getting to you?”

It was then I broke. With all my might, I shoved him. His body flew back against the brick.

“Elijah!”

I whirled around to see Abby staring at me, open mouthed. Turning back to Lucius, I shook my head. “Don’t ever let me catch you around Abby again, you hear me?”

“We’ll just see,” he replied, with a wicked grin before stalking off.

Abby walked up to meet me. “What’s going on between you and Lucius?”

“Nothing,” I muttered.

Abby shook her head. “Um, yeah, there is something going on. You’re about as gentle and kind as anyone I’ve ever met, and I just saw you practically slam him into the building. Now what is going on?”

“He’s bad news—
really
bad. You shouldn’t be around him. Nobody should because he only wants to hurt people. He may look like some…good-looking guy, but trust me, he would just break your heart.” I stopped and turned to her. “Promise me you won’t go around him?”