Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1) Read online

  Scintillate

  By Karen Tjebben

  SCINTILLATE is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is coincidental.

  Copyright 2011 by Karen Tjebben

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author. For information regarding permission visit: https://www.facebook.com/karentjebbenauthor

  Second Published Edition: January 2015

  ASIN B00EZC2W2S

  Cover art designed by Christine Taylor MacLellan

  Scintillate is dedicated to my loving family.

  Michael, your love, encouragement, and computer skills helped me fulfill my dream.

  Girls, you’re too young to read it now, but before I know it, we’ll be talking about your favorite parts.

  Mom and Dad, thanks for a lifetime of unfailing love.

  I also want to thank Emily, Melanie, Rebecca, and Meghan for cheering me on.

  In young adult books, retired military personnel seem to lurk the hallways of high schools posing as teachers in search of delinquent students. Since this seems to be a common theme, I debated removing Mr. Parker from my book, but then I decided against it. Mr. Parker could not be “deleted” from Scintillate in order to avoid a cliché because his character is a tribute to a man who faithfully served our nation in the Coast Guard. When Mr. Parker retired from the military, he went on to teach in a small private school, impacting high school students through his patience and discipline. When people read Scintillate, I hope they don’t see Mr. Parker as a disciplinarian trying to assert his power, but they see him for the hero that he is, a man who gave of himself to benefit those around him. To everyone who has served, thank you for your service.

  CONTENTS

  Contact

  Let the Games Begin

  Weekend Drama

  Tick-Tock

  Mountain Retreat

  Prey

  Elusive

  The Morning After

  Lecture

  Misdirection

  First

  Hark!

  Love

  Celebrate

  Reclaim

  Face to Face

  Indomitable

  Advantage

  Revelations

  Cupid’s Dance

  Visit the Author

  Contact

  We floated freely like a flip-flop buoyed by the movement of the water. Matt’s abs tightened under my grasp as he leaned to examine our Jet Ski. I scooted closer to him; the coarse hair on his legs tickled me as we inched even closer together. His golden brown hair glistened in the sunlight as water dripped down his back. “Hold on tight, Kate. I wouldn’t want you to fall off,” he joked and glanced over his shoulder at me.

  “I’m ready whenever you are!” I yelled back.

  The engine roared to life and water sprayed up, misting our bodies as the Jet Ski took off. The force jerked me backwards, and I clinched tighter to his waist. I pulled in closer and slowly breathed in the aroma of his coconut lotion.

  “Race ya!” yelled Reese as he cut us off with his own Jet Ski.

  Matt gave a quick nod with his head. “You’re on!”

  Reese gunned his Jet Ski and took off towards the bridge. Rylee clung to him, her auburn hair darkened by the water splashing up as they skimmed along the surface.

  “Let’s get them!” I yelled as Matt angled our Jet Ski to close in on Reese and Rylee.

  As we raced across Jordan Lake, the bright sun scintillated off the liquid surface making it resemble a field of diamonds. Soaring loblolly pine trees graced the banks of the lake. Their branches intertwined and provided plentiful habitats for the animals in the seemingly endless forest. Smaller bushes and trees nestled below their soaring canopies. The smell of fresh pine wafted through the air and mixed with other scents: fish, lotion, sweat, and even gasoline. As we raced towards the bridge we passed several inlets that formed the massive, sprawling lake.

  The race was neck and neck. My fingers tightened around Matt’s stomach. His abs flexed as we both leaned in unison to take the curve around the bridge. Water sprayed up and cooled our bodies in the heat of the sun. One of my blonde French braids fell between us as we leaned into the turn.

  “Punch it!” I yelled and glared at our competition. “I can’t go home a loser. Reese will never let me live it down.” Although I usually needed to defeat my life long nemesis — Reese — winning was irrelevant to me because I was with Matt, my unrequited love. I did my best to hide my true feelings. I don’t think he knows how I feel about him. He only sees me as his best friend’s sister.

  Matt laughed, leaned forward, and we took off as we cleared the bridge and surged ahead.

  “Katherine, the answer,” Mr. Parker asked and cleared his throat. He looked the definition of authority: crossed arms, bifocals teetering on the edge of his nose, and lips that neither frowned nor smiled.

  I lifted my head from my hand and looked to the front of the classroom. “I’m sorry, what was the question?” I swallowed hard and drummed my fingers on the desktop. Thomas, the school chess captain, stared at me and was obviously trying not to laugh.

  “When and where did the Civil War begin?” Mr. Parker repeated.

  “Oh, the Civil War began at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina in 1861,” I replied.

  “Please, pay attention, Kate.” Mr. Parker surveyed the rest of the class as he looked for any troublemakers. “Does anyone recall the specific date?”

  Not a hand went up, not an answer was declared. Pages rustled as Mr. Parker paced the front of the room.

  The sheer boredom of sitting through another monotonous lecture was enough to drive me out of my mind. I contemplated returning to my inner reality, my faithful companion, hoping that as long as I looked at Mr. Parker, he wouldn’t know I wasn’t paying attention.

  Please! Who was I kidding? How could I enjoy the rest of history class fantasizing about Matt while looking at an old man? I glanced at the line of blue painter’s tape around Mr. Parker’s desk. Detention awaits those foolish enough to cross it. I guess Mr. Parker’s service as a Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard taught him to claim his territory.

  Matt’s hazel eyes locked on mine. He smiled, and reminded me why I love history so much. I sighed, knowing I could always daydream about him and have the perfect romance in my head. He’d never trample my heart because he’d never see me as more than Reese’s little sister.

  “Yes… Nick,” Mr. Parker said as he adjusted his bifocals.

  “The first shot was fired at 4:30 a.m. on April 12,” a magnificent voice answered from the back of the room.

  My mind spun as an unrecognizable voice filled the room. I turned and saw the owner of the voice sitting at the back near a window, smiling at me. I quickly returned the smile. Sunlight sparkled off his blond hair, revealing highlights of various shades.

  “However, please forgive me, Mr. Parker, but that is only one version of the events.” His strong, clear voice continued. “According to the Cadets from the Citadel stationed on Morris Island, the first shots of the Civil War were actually on January 9 when they fired at the Union supply ship Star of the West,” he stated clearly.

  I nearly got whiplash as I spun my head to see Mr. Parker’s response. A slow spreading smile chipped away at Mr. Parker’s usual poker face. Mr. Parker tilted his head to the side of his comb-over and said, “You’re absolutely right. The Citadel Cadets still celebrate their role in the beginning of the Civil War, which for the most part goes unre
cognized.”

  Mr. Parker droned on as my mind raced with thoughts about Nick. Where did he come from? How did I not see him enter the room? It looked like he was smiling at me. Was that possible?

  I stretched and rolled my head, trying to get another glimpse of him. He grinned at me, revealing a smile whose powers rivaled an arrow from Cupid’s bow. Embarrassed, I faced the front of the room again. I had tried to be subtle, but he obviously saw me.

  A quick glance around the room revealed all the girls trying to subtly learn about Nick. Unfortunately, we were all failing miserably at subtlety.

  After a few minutes, I worked up enough courage to try again. After purposely pressing too hard on my pencil, the lead broke. I turned around and asked Alisha for another. As she dug through her backpack, I had the perfect view of Nick. I surreptitiously gathered intel on him while he looked out the window. An aura of confidence surrounded him; it was as if positive energy radiated off of his sun-bronzed skin. His blond hair was cut short, but longer wisps and spikes shot about sporadically from the top of his head. His face was clean shaven, and his shoulders were broad. Even as his arms rested on his desk his muscles were defined. Everything about him screamed strong and masculine. Even his nose was slightly crooked. Did he break it playing sports? He’d already demonstrated he was smart, and it was obvious that he was gorgeous. My heart rate increased just looking at this specimen of masculinity.

  The bell rang, and I startled in surprise. His blue eyes looked at me again. He shot a smile, or perhaps, a smirk my way. I quickly grabbed my backpack and raced out the door, embarrassed he’d caught me staring.

  On the way to lunch I joined up with Maggie, one of my best friends. “Have you seen him?” I asked, nearly knocking her over as I bounded up to her in the crowded hallway.

  “Who?” Maggie asked. Her black corkscrew curls obscured her face while she jammed her book into her backpack.

  “Nick, the new guy. He’s gorgeous!”

  “So he’s cute?” Maggie asked. She turned her ebony face towards me. “Are you going to make a move?” Her brown eyes and sweet smile seemed to mock me.

  “Cute. That’s an understatement,” I replied. “Are you even listening? You’ll see what I mean when you gaze upon his heavenly body. And who said anything about making a move?”

  Maggie laughed, accenting her dimples. “Something tells me you’re being a little dramatic.”

  “Pftt, wait and see,” I scoffed and twisted my body to avoid oncoming traffic. “All the girls were checking him out. It was like they couldn’t take their eyes off of him. His superhuman magnetism was drawing us in. We couldn’t help ourselves. You should have seen the drool in history. It was up to my ankles as I waded through it to get out of class.”

  “Sounds pleasant.” Maggie rolled her big brown eyes. “At least now I know you’re being dramatic. You still haven’t answered my question,” she continued as we entered the crowded cafeteria. Rows of laminate topped tables with benched seating filled the large room. Sunlight poured in from the wall of windows that looked out on the lawn where picnic tables offered more seating. Some tables were arranged under a protective overhang while others basked in the glory of the sun. Large magnolias, crepe myrtles, and dogwoods also provided shelter for students. Students milled about the cafeteria as they got their food and found their seats among friends.

  I grabbed a plastic tray and plate. “Go after him? Why would I do that?” I placed them on the metal tray slide in front of the buffet line.

  “Because it’s time you got over him who shall remain nameless.” Maggie dropped chicken nuggets onto her plate. “He’s taken, and he’s never going to violate the ‘no dating a friend’s sister rule’.” She grabbed a white condiment cup and pumped ketchup into it.

  “I know.” I put the serving spoon back in with the mixed fruit. “A girl can dream.”

  “Yeah, but eventually you wake up. Do you really want to waste your time dreaming when you could be living?” Maggie grabbed her drink.

  “Dreams can be a lot of fun.”

  Maggie looked over her shoulder at me as we headed to our usual table by the wall of windows. “Dreams are never as good as the real thing.”

  Meghan Wager, my other best friend, was sitting with her boyfriend, Ravi Singh, and Maggie’s boyfriend, Adam Green. Meghan knows me better than anyone, but the one thing she doesn’t know is that I’m infatuated with her brother, Matt.

  “What is this madness about a new guy that I keep hearing about?” Meghan asked, her blue eyes following Maggie and me as we sat down with our trays of food. “All the girls are talking about him?”

  I leaned forward, and my long straight hair nearly fell into my food. “He is absofreakinlutely gorgeous. I don’t know how I didn’t see him walk into history. He must’ve had this protective shield around him until he was ready to make his appearance because no one noticed him. And trust me, if one of us had, we all would have. He finally revealed his presence when he answered a question.” I filled them in on all the details. “You should have seen all the girls scoping him out. It was a little over the top the way everyone was staring. I’m glad I didn’t make a spectacle of myself,” I added sarcastically.

  “Yes, I’m sure you were very subtle,” Maggie joked back, her dimples on full display.

  “Well, I can honestly say I was more subtle than you were in kindergarten when that giant dinosaur visited our class and you attacked him with hugs and kisses,” I said, looking at Maggie.

  Maggie flipped her long curls over her shoulder. “Of course, you had to bring that up, didn’t you?”

  “That was hilarious.” Ravi smiled, contrasting his white teeth with his dark skin. “You broke his tail when you tackled him. He never even saw you coming.”

  Maggie wadded up her napkin and threw it in Ravi’s face. It landed in the palm of his hand, and his fingers swallowed the paper. “Nice try.” He smirked, showing his on-court confidence.

  “Wow, I’m impressed,” Maggie said sarcastically. “We’ll see how well you do when basketball season starts.”

  Ravi laughed and threw the napkin into the nearby trash can.

  “Well, I can’t wait to see this new guy,” Meghan said. “He can’t be all that great. He’s still just a guy.”

  Adam dipped his chicken nugget in ketchup. “I heard he moved into our neighborhood this past weekend.”

  “What!” I gasped. “He lives in our neighborhood?”

  “Yep, you just might see him running around the neighborhood lake.” Adam popped the nugget into his mouth.

  I gripped the edge of the tray as I stared at my misshapen nuggets. “Wow, you’re probably right.”

  “You should go for it, Kate.” Ravi swirled his drink in his cup. “You’ll have to move fast to beat out the other girls in school.”

  I threw my hand up to stop the conversation. “Okay, first of all, I’m not going on a hunting expedition to capture this guy. Just because he’s hot, doesn’t mean that he’s someone I’d want to date. There’s a difference between acknowledging perfection and just being stupid.” I pointed at Ravi who was mid-sip. “Second, I need to learn some things about him. What’s he like? Is he even a nice person? Where’s he from?”

  “Calm down, Kate,” Meghan said and tucked her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “You have plenty of time to learn all of that.”

  “Hey! Look outside,” Maggie said. “That has to be him!”

  In unison, we looked out the window. “Wow! You weren’t kidding when you said he was gorgeous,” Meghan gasped; her blue eyes were transfixed on Nick.

  “Hey, I’m right here,” Ravi grumbled and scrunched up his eyebrows.

  Just outside the cafeteria, Nick was eating alone under a large oak tree at one of the picnic tables in the lawn. Sunlight danced off his golden hair and sun-bronzed skin, highlighting his exquisite features.

  As I stared at him, I felt drawn to him. It was as if an invisible rope had slipped around my waist and was s
lowly drawing me to him. I wanted to go outside and introduce myself. There was something about him that was pulling me to him, causing a burning in my throat and chest that could only be extinguished by going to him.

  “Kate, you should go out there and introduce yourself,” Maggie said and nudged my shoulder. “I can see that you want to.”

  Her suggestion refocused me. I ignored the pull and shook off the rope. There was no way I was going out there to say hi to him. I chugged my drink to douse the burning. Would I have any more classes with him? He would definitely give me something to fantasize about during class.

  After lunch I had two more classes and then English, the last class of the day. I walked into English and sat down, excited for class to begin. Ms. Stevenson walked to the lectern, organized her notes, and began her lecture, but was soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Stevenson,” a clear, deep voice rang out. Whispers filled the room as Nick strolled into class with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He held out a slip of paper for Ms. Stevenson to take.

  She stepped towards Nick. “Hello, please come in. You must be Nick,” Ms. Stevenson said, perfectly enunciating each sound. She took the slip of paper with a smile and a tiny nod. “Here is your book. Please find a seat.” She waved her arm towards the rows of seats.

  Three empty seats were scattered throughout the room. One, however, was right beside me. My heart beat faster as Nick passed the first empty seat and headed towards me. His mouth curved slightly as he gave me a discreet smile. Before I knew it, he was sitting next to me, and all I could do was stare at him.

  “Hi, my name’s Nick Pearce,” he whispered as he placed his book on the desk. His cologne wafted towards me. The fragrance reminded me of a spring meadow bursting with tall grasses and wild flowers. I took a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance.

  “Oh, hello. I’m Kate Archer.” I nervously tucked my blonde hair behind my ear. The mysterious rope coiled around my waist, and a tiny fluttering tickled in my stomach. I inched a little closer to Nick.