Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1) Read online

  The fog lifted away. Clarity replaced the puzzlement. “No way! Reese gets to go on a weekend getaway with his girlfriend!” I declared incredulously. I leaned forward with my eyes wide and rested my arms on the table. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” My mouth hung open like a fool.

  “Now you see the problem. Meghan wants to take some friends, and Rylee is going with her. I would feel better if you were there.” Mom’s porcelain face looked at me as if I had a choice, but I knew better.

  “I still don’t see why you need me there. Mr. and Mrs. Wager will be there,” I explained as I searched for a way out.

  “Mom, she doesn’t need to be there,” Reese pleaded and sat down at the table. “You can trust Rylee and me.”

  Mom looked at Reese, her glossed lips a tight line across her face. “I know they’ll be there, but the more eyes watching you, the better.”

  “How is this,” I pointed at Reese, “my problem?”

  “Well, the Wager’s sleep upstairs. And let’s face it, they are not going to follow a group of teenagers around on ATV’s all day.”

  “So you are sending me to be your snitch!”

  “No. You’ll be there with friends having fun. Meghan is one of your best friends.” Mom tried to sound reassuring. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

  “That’s a great spin, Mom,” I scoffed. Who did she think she was kidding?

  “Mom, it’s disgusting that you’re sending Kate as a snitch,” Reese sneered. “I don’t need my little sister to babysit me.”

  “This is a new low!” I declared. “No one wants to go on a weekend vacation with their brother.” The last thing I wanted was to go away on a weekend trip with couples and be the only person without a date. How did Mom not understand this?

  “Honey, you kids can go into Asheville, have hot chocolate, get in the hot tub, and do all sorts of wonderful things.”

  “Mom…” Reese started when Mom cut him off.

  “Plus, your dad and I are going away. We’re not leaving Kate home alone. This is the perfect solution. You two can go to Asheville and have fun with your friends. Your father and I will go to Charleston. It’s perfect.”

  “Perfect for everyone except me! Why can’t I stay with Maggie?”

  “I already talked with her mother. Maggie’s extended family is coming in for Thanksgiving. There’s no room for you.”

  “She could stay…” Reese began.

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Mom interrupted and put up her hand. “If Kate doesn’t go, you don’t go. You’ll have to stay here with her.” Mom looked at me. “Trust me, Kate. You’ll have a blast.” She got up from the table and kissed the top of my head.

  Judas kiss. I have to spend a perfectly good weekend following Reese and his girlfriend around. Does life get any worse?

  Reese and I glared at each other across the table, our arms crossed in defiance. He wanted to go as badly as I didn’t want to go. We were both so angry we couldn’t speak. Occasionally we’d huff, just to expel some anger. If I couldn’t win the weekend battle, I was going to win the staring battle.

  Reese finally gave up and stomped his way up the stairs.

  “Very mature!” I yelled. I continued to strategize at the kitchen table, but I couldn’t find a way out of this dilemma.

  After a few minutes, Mom walked into the kitchen with her tennis bag slung over her shoulder. “Kate, I really do understand why you don’t want to go, but I would appreciate it if you could have a good attitude. Trust me, you’ll have a blast.” She patted my hand.

  “You keep saying that, but I just don’t like being the odd girl out all the time. Plus, I’m going to babysit my brother. That’s icky.”

  “Honey, I know it’s hard watching everyone else have someone when you’re alone, but your time will come. Don’t worry about that.” She squeezed my hand. “And you’re not babysitting Reese. You’re both going away with friends for the weekend. You’re just unlucky enough to have friends who are siblings. You watch. This just might be a life-changing experience.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the garage.

  “Hmm, if it’s not life-changing, I want a refund,” I mumbled.

  “Love you, Katie,” Mom called. The door to the garage closed as Mom headed for the tennis courts. Resigned to my situation, I went back upstairs to finish my chores. As I contemplated the situation, the phone rang. I ran into my bedroom and answered it. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Kate.”

  “Hey, Meghan. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to invite you to our house in Asheville this weekend. It’s going to be great! A bunch of us are going.”

  “Thanks, I’d love to go.” I lay back on my bed, looked up at the mural, and wished I could be protected from my assignment as snitch and tag-along.

  “Great! Rylee and Lauren are going too. I think it’ll be awesome!” Meghan said.

  “Sounds like fun. Are there going to be any hot guys?” I asked with a laugh. I already knew the answer.

  “That’s debatable. Matt, Reese, and Ravi are going to be the guys.”

  “Well, that doesn’t do me much good, does it?” I laughed. “Three guys all there with their girlfriends. I’m sure I’ll have a fabulous time. I guess the hot tub will be calling my name while the six of you cuddle in front of the fire.”

  “Just bring a good book for the hot tub,” Meghan said.

  “I could use a little Mr. Darcy.”

  “What if I work on finding you a real guy instead of a fictional character?” Meghan countered.

  “Good luck with that.” I joked.

  Tick-Tock

  On Monday I went from class to class anxiously anticipating history. I rushed into class, determined to save a seat for Nick, but I was too late. He smiled and motioned for me to sit beside him. The mysterious rope wriggled around my waist and effortlessly drew me towards him.

  “Hi there.” I set my backpack on the floor. “Thanks for the seat.”

  Nick leaned towards me. “I thought we could sit together. I hope that wasn’t presumptuous,” he said.

  The butterflies in my stomach stretched their wings. “No, I wanted to save you a seat.” I rested my head on my palm. “I hope the rest of your weekend wasn’t as exciting as Friday night.”

  “No, I didn’t have to rescue anyone else all weekend.” He tilted his head and melted me with a half grin. “Did you have a good weekend?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but my Mom wants me to babysit my brother this weekend when he goes to Asheville with Matt’s family. Reese’s girlfriend is going, so Mom wants me to go.”

  “That actually sounds great! I’ve heard Asheville’s beautiful. You watch, you’ll have a great time,” he whispered as Mr. Parker began his lecture on the Civil War.

  During class I watched as Nick drew a detailed picture of Mr. Parker on a ship. He was thrusting a sword into a sea monster’s heart as waves churned around the boat. I covered my mouth to hide my laughter. Nick’s talent as an artist was amazing. The drawing seemed almost life-like.

  As history ended, I noticed Matt on the other side of the room. Then I realized that I hadn’t thought about him the entire class. This was a first since the beginning of the year. Was Nick taking my mind off of Matt? I already knew a real relationship with Matt was never going to happen. I was more like a sister to him than girlfriend material. Perhaps Nick was the one to cut the ties from my fantasy world and help me enter reality.

  After class Nick walked me to the cafeteria. “Would you like to sit with us?” I asked, confident he’d agree.

  “Sure, I don’t have any better offers.” He playfully nudged me.

  We got our lunch and sat with my friends. Maggie gave me the “I told you so” eyes, and Meghan talked like she’d known Nick all her life.

  “Did Kate tell you she’s going to Asheville this weekend?” Maggie asked.

  “Yes, it sounds great,” Nick replied, his voice lighthearted. “She’s pretty lucky.”

  Meghan looked at
Nick and asked, “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

  “My dad and I will be hanging out here. We made reservations at Hamilton’s.”

  “Sweet, Hamilton’s has awesome steaks,” Meghan said and glanced at Ravi.

  Ravi swallowed his food. “Hamilton’s is a little out of my price range.”

  “That sounds a lot better than my weekend,” Maggie moaned. “I’m being invaded by monsters. At least two are sleeping in my room. I may take refuge in the basement. I essentially have to babysit all weekend without pay. I can’t wait for this weekend to be over.” She took a long sip of her drink.

  “Well at least you won’t be on a romantic weekend by yourself with three couples.” I cringed as I realized that I sounded whiny and desperate. What was I thinking saying that in front of Nick? I dipped my fry into the ketchup and stuck it in my mouth. It would have been better if it was my foot, but the fry would have to do for now.

  Nick looked at me with those sparkling blue eyes. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a great time. You never know what will happen.”

  It would take a miracle to improve this weekend. In order to take the focus off of myself, I asked what movie they watched at Ravi’s house. They filled me in on the gory details.

  Lunch ended too quickly, and we all went our separate ways. I looked forward to English. I had a feeling Nick would sit beside me again.

  As I walked into English, there he was, sitting by the windows with an empty seat beside him. As I sat next to him, I felt the butterflies awaken in my stomach.

  “I assume you enjoyed your homework this weekend.” He rubbed his thumb along the pages of Pride and Prejudice.

  “Of course, I loved every moment of it. Elizabeth is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love her strength and courage. She says what’s on her mind, and she even stands up for herself to her superiors.” I leaned closer to him. “Even when she learns critical information that she can’t share with her most intimate friends, she is trustworthy and learns humility. I can’t believe we only had to read the first three chapters.”

  He whispered, “Relax. Don’t rush a good thing.” And that mysterious rope that drew me to him slithered around my waist.

  The bell rang and Ms. Stevenson stepped to the front of the class. “I hope everyone did their reading this weekend. It will make today’s assignment much easier. For Pride and Prejudice you will keep a Cast of Characters log book.” She held up a photocopied booklet, many pages thick. “In this log, you will analyze the development of the characters throughout the story. You must back up your point of view with quotes from the book. I will allow you to work with a partner.” She walked across the room as she passed out the log books.

  I looked at Nick. “Do you want to be partners?”

  “Of course, you’re the Pride and Prejudice expert. I’d be a fool to say no.”

  “I just hope you did your reading. I don’t want to carry all the weight,” I joked as we received our log books.

  “Speaking of weight, Ms. Stevenson must think we’re going to make a lot of observations.” Nick lifted the log book as if it was a dumbbell.

  “Well, there are some twists and turns in the book. Of course there are times when Elizabeth is unsure and deceived, but she grows and learns. This is a coming of age story. It’s like she’s in transition,” I chuckled, slightly embarrassed, “she’s taking off her blinders and seeing things as they really are.”

  “See, I’m glad you’re my partner.” Nick opened his log book and smiled. Another coil of rope wrapped around my waist and increased his power over me.

  We opened our novels and began our work. I enjoyed working with Nick because he was focused, had excellent recall, and found perfect quotes to support our opinions of the characters.

  Before we knew it, we were finished. “That wasn’t so bad.” Nick flexed the fingers on his writing hand.

  “You really know this book. It’s obvious you’ve studied it before,” I said.

  He shrugged and I caught a whiff of his cologne. “Yeah, at my school in California.”

  Ms. Stevenson’s heels tapped sharply on the vinyl tiles as she walked to the front of the room. “Class is almost over. Please pass your log books to the front of the room. I want to read over your opinions and justifications.”

  The bell rang and the chairs screeched along the floor. We stood up and slowly walked to the hallway.

  “What part of California are you from?”

  “Los Angeles.”

  “I’ve heard of Los Angeles. It’s a small city in the southern part, right?” I said, trying to be funny.

  “Yeah, real small.” He smiled.

  “Cary must feel like culture shock then.”

  “No. It’s actually nice here. This is basically the east coast’s Silicon Valley, so it’s perfect for my dad. He loves being so close to the Research Triangle Park.”

  “Has anyone told you what Cary stands for?” I gave him my best flirty smile.

  “No, what?” he asked.

  “Containment Area for Relocated Yankees,” I said, happy to tell him something new.

  “That would explain why I’m in the south, surrounded by accents, but they seldom tend to be southern.” His laugh swirled in my ears and teased my senses.

  “Yeah, people come from all over the world to work in RTP,” I explained. I wanted to remember the sound of his laugh. “What do you miss about Los Angeles?”

  “L.A. was beautiful. There was so much to do. You could enjoy the mountains, the beach, and the desert so easily,” he said. “You name it. California has it.”

  “We have mountains and tons of beaches. They’re beside the Atlantic Ocean. You know, that body of water that runs along our entire coast.”

  He smiled at me as we walked down the hall. “I guess that’s true. The Atlantic is hard to miss.” We walked out the exit door and into the afternoon sun. We headed towards the parking lot. “I don’t miss L.A. too much because this is where I’m supposed to be, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. That’s the secret to life, enjoy where you are, when you’re there.”

  “That sounds like good advice. I hope I can help you enjoy your life here,” I said shyly. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered their wings. I unlocked my car, and he opened the door for me.

  “I hope you have a nice evening, Kate,” he said softly as I got into the car.

  “See ya, Nick. Don’t forget to do your reading,” I said. I started the car, and he closed the car door. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw his reflection in the rearview mirror. He stood like a guardian, watching me as I pulled away. I exhaled loudly and smiled, thrilled he was flirting with me.

  Tuesday was similar to Monday, only the lectures changed. Nick and I sat together during history, lunch, and English. During English we worked on the character log books again. I enjoyed every moment of class. After class he walked me to my car. Once we reached my car, I couldn’t believe my ears.

  “Kate, I think I’m beginning to hate Thanksgiving.”

  I leaned against my car. “Why? Who hates Thanksgiving?”

  He took my hand in his. The heat from his hand warmed my entire body.

  “Well, we don’t have school tomorrow, and you’re going away for the long weekend. Do you realize that I won’t see you for almost an entire week?” He gazed into my eyes. One of his hands rested on the roof of the car while the other held my hand.

  I stood there speechless as I processed his words. I finally managed to reply with a breathless, “Oh,” and continued to stare into his chiseled face.

  “What’s wrong?” His fingers caressed my hand.

  “Um,” I stammered. “No, I… it’s just that I like hanging out with you, too.” I smiled back awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

  “I’m glad you feel the same way.” He leaned in closer to me. “We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we? I don’t think I can go all weekend without seeing you. You’re very special to me.”

  I sw
allowed hard. “Well, I really like you too. It’s just that there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it.” I sighed and looked at our interlocked hands. The intensity of his touch was making it difficult for me to think. The mysterious rope around my waist was drawing me to him. I wanted to step closer to him, wrap myself around him, and feel his arms embrace me. The burning in my chest was spreading throughout my body.

  “Kate, you should probably go.” He stroked my arm. “I have work to do.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you later.” I unlocked the car, got in, and started the engine.

  “Have a good Thanksgiving, Kate.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you Monday,” I said as he closed the door.

  I backed up and pulled away. When I pulled up to the stop sign I immediately realized that when he said he had work to do that he was referring to our English homework. He’d wanted me to invite him over to do it together. Why didn’t I think more clearly? Obviously it was because he was rubbing my hand. I couldn’t think while he was touching me like that. I’d been too distracted. Plus, there’s something compelling about him that keeps drawing me in. I can’t explain that mysterious pull. It’s never happened before. When I’m with him, I’m like a sponge that soaks up the peace or calmness that radiates from him. I benefit from his inner glow. Unfortunately, when he touches me, I’m instantly off my game. I can’t think clearly. I need to overcome that reaction to his touch.

  When I got home and saw Matt’s car parked in front of our house I remembered that he was spending the night. A week ago my heart would have been all aflutter, but now I couldn’t help but think about Nick. Something about Nick kept pulling me towards him.

  “Hi there,” I yelled as I walked through the front door.

  “Hi, Katie Bug,” Mom called. “I’m upstairs. Come on up.”

  “I’ll be up in a minute.” I went to the fridge, grabbed an apple, washed it, and headed up the stairs. I dropped my backpack off in my bedroom by my desk and looked out the windows that face the small lake in our neighborhood. It’s perfect for running. One lap around is two miles. I try to run it daily to keep in shape for volleyball. The season just ended, but working out is a year-round commitment.