Scintillate (Scintillate Series Book 1) Page 5

  The laundry was on Mom and Dad’s bed in neat piles with a lump in the middle that needed to be folded. “How was your day?” Mom asked. She held a towel up and quickly folded it.

  “Good. It went fast.” The apple crunched as my teeth ripped through the skin.

  “Did you see that new boy, Nick?” Mom’s face lit up as she anticipated my reply.

  “Yes, he’s in two of my classes.”

  “What do you think of him?”

  “He’s nice.” I took another big bite of apple. I figured that if I kept my mouth then full the answers could be kept short.

  “I hear that he’s very handsome. I also heard that he sits by you.”

  “Where did you hear that?” It appears the PTA gossip train is alive and well. It didn’t help the Ms. Stevenson was one of Mom’s students when she’d taught. Now they actually email each other.

  “Maggie’s mom told me. She also said that he eats lunch with you.”

  “Actually, he sits with a bunch of us. He has classes with lots of people, and he’s friendly to everyone.”

  “Well, that’s great. I’m glad you’ve made another friend.” A sly smile spread across her angelic face.

  So cryptic, Mom, I’d never guess what you mean by that.

  “Katie, would you help me put the laundry away?”

  “Sure.” After putting the laundry away, I decided to take a run. I needed to clear my head so I could think about what happened at the car with Nick. I went into my room, changed clothes, and put on my running shoes. As I turned on my iPod, I could feel the stress melting away. He obviously likes me. He pretty much admitted that, and I like him. Now I just needed to relax and wait for him to make his move.

  Wednesday morning, when I finally awoke, the sun was peeking around the window shades. Voices and laughter rose from the kitchen and piqued my curiosity. I rolled out of bed and made my way down the stairs.

  “Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked.

  Reese and Matt sat at the kitchen table in their boxers and t-shirts. “Mom just left to get the last of the groceries for Thanksgiving, and Dad’s at work.” Reese tilted his bowl to get the last of his breakfast.

  “I guess that means its cereal.” I picked up a box and poured the flakes into my bowl.

  “Cheers.” Matt raised his spoon to me. I sat at the table across from Matt and poured milk into my bowl.

  “I’m going to shower,” Reese said. He got up and put his bowl in the dishwasher.

  Once Reese disappeared upstairs, Matt leaned in and whispered, “I’m glad he left us alone. I have a question for you that I couldn’t ask in front of him.”

  “What? What’s going on?” I put a spoonful of cereal in my mouth and slowly chewed. What could Matt have to ask me that needed to be private?

  “Well, everyone knows that Nick likes you,” Matt said confidently.

  “They do?” I interrupted, still chewing. I‘d barely come to that realization.

  “Yeah, it’s obvious. Anyway, he asked me about our trip to Asheville. I think he wants to go.”

  “You want to invite Nick?” I asked, almost choking on my cereal.

  “Only if it’s all right with you.”

  I couldn’t believe it. Matt wanted to ask Nick to go away with us for the weekend. This weekend might be rockin after all. “Matt, do you even know Nick? Do you want him to go?”

  “Sure, we have gym together. I could hang out with him for the weekend,” Matt said. “Hey, this isn’t about me. This way you won’t have to be without a buddy.” He winked.

  “Matt!” I blushed. Now my unrequited love was setting me up with a gorgeous guy for a weekend getaway. Have I entered an alternate universe?

  “Think about it if you want. No pressure. Meghan thinks you’d have fun.”

  “Meghan knows!”

  “Of course. She thinks it’s a great idea. Meghan sees the way he looks at you.” Matt shrugged and smirked. “She said she’d try to find a guy for you,” he added with a devious smile.

  I rolled my eyes. This was too much. “I didn’t think she would actually find one for this weekend!” I scoffed, amazed at the speed this was happening.

  “Are you mad? Meghan implied you were interested in Nick. I thought you’d be happy about this.”

  “No, I’m not mad. I’m just shocked. I can’t believe you’re willing to invite him to come along for the weekend so I won’t be alone.”

  Matt gave a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, Kate. How much fun can it be to hang out with a bunch of couples and be the only one without a date?” He tapped his spoon on the edge of the bowl. “This seems like the perfect solution. Everyone will be there. You won’t be alone with Nick, so there won’t be much pressure. This can be a great opportunity for you to really get to know him.”

  “Yeah, I see your point.” I twirled my spoon in the cereal bowl. I didn’t know what to think. I wanted Nick to come to Asheville, but an entire weekend is a long time. What if I hated him after a few hours? I’d be stuck with him all weekend. It seemed kind of risky. Then again, he was interested in me, and I was interested in him. I guess it was worth the risk.

  “Okay, let’s throw caution to the wind.” I threw my arms up in the air and leaned back in the kitchen chair. “He’ll have his own car, right? If things go badly, we can always send him home.”

  “Exactly, you’ve got nothing to lose,” Matt said, and he got up from the table.

  I sat at the table pondering my decision. Hopefully, I would not regret this choice.

  Later that night, Matt called right before bed to inform me that Nick accepted his invitation. I tossed and turned all night, plagued by dreams that seemed too intense and real. In them, Nick and I spent the weekend avoiding a dark shadow that followed us around, ready to pounce on us. I chalked the dark shadow up to my subconscious fears of beginning a relationship with a guy I hardly knew. The good dreams were my only reprieve. In those dreams, a bright light chased away the dark shadow.

  When I finally dragged myself out of bed Thanksgiving morning, I decided to put the bad dreams behind me and begin living in the light. I went downstairs to grab some breakfast. Warm coffee cake was cooling on the island. I cut myself a slice and sat down at the table.

  “Good morning, Katie. Happy Thanksgiving,” Mom said as she walked into the kitchen. “When you finish breakfast, I could use your help.” She waved a potato peeler at me.

  “Sure.” I said as my fork cut into my coffee cake.

  “I talked to Mrs. Wager last night.”

  Oh no. I knew where this was headed.

  “She asked me for permission to invite another boy along for the weekend.”

  “Really?” I said as casually as possible.

  “Yes, I was surprised at first. There’s already such a big group going. Then I heard which boy they wanted to invite.”

  She said “wanted to invite”. Did she give permission prior to Matt asking? I got up and put my plate in the dishwasher.

  “They wanted to invite Nick.” Mom handed me a potato. “You know, that new cute boy.”

  “Mom, I know who Nick is.” A potato skin fell away from the peeler.

  “Anyway, I told Susan that I didn’t know much about him, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted him there for the weekend.” Mom put down her potato and faced me.

  “What?” I asked confused. This didn’t fit with what Matt had told me last night.

  “But then Susan told me that she’d talked to Mr. Parker and Ms. Stevenson about Nick. Both of them are very impressed by him. Mr. Parker saw a fight breaking out in the parking lot Tuesday after school. Nick broke it up before Mr. Parker could get there.”

  That must have been right after I left school.

  “So here’s a time you should be grateful for the PTA ‘gossip train’,” Mom teased, using air quotation marks. “Anyway, once I thought about it, I decided that you would probably have a lot more fun if you had a friend of your own up there.” A big smile lit up Mo
m’s face. “Since everyone’s so impressed by him, and there will be a house full of people there, your father and I decided that it’s okay with us if Nick goes. Of course, the Wagers agreed that if anything seems off, he will have to leave. They talked to Nick and his dad over the phone. He agreed to their rules,” Mom said with a satisfied smile. “Does this improve your attitude about the weekend?”

  “Yes, Mom,” I shrieked. “Thanks, you’re the best!”

  “I would have talked to you about this before answering Susan, but she told me that Matt already talked to you.” Mom shook her head. “I already knew your answer.”

  “Yeah, I guess Matt wanted to know whether to mention it to his parents or not.” I nudged her shoulder with mine.

  “Well, I hope you kids have fun,” Mom said with a grin, “but don’t have too much fun.” Then she began her notorious speech on boys and kissing and how too much kissing leads to things that can be too difficult to stop. I stopped listening once I realized which speech she was giving. I nodded my head in agreement whenever she looked at me. Peeling potatoes helped with the awkwardness of the situation. I don’t think she realized I wasn’t actually paying attention.

  As we finished peeling potatoes, Mom grabbed the knife and started cutting them. “You can go do something else now. I’ll call you if I need you.”

  “Great, maybe I’ll go for a run,” I said. I felt like I could run forever.

  As I rounded a bend in the lake, Nick was jogging towards me. Since I hadn’t showered or brushed my hair before putting it up in a ponytail, I wondered if I could quickly turn around without him seeing me. Unfortunately, this idea was quickly crushed as he waved and picked up his pace. I waved back and watched his quads and calves flex as his feet hit the path.

  In moments he was in front of me. “Hi, Kate. Happy Thanksgiving.” His hands rested on his hips. My eyes toured his broad shoulders and the curves of his biceps.

  “Hi. How’s your Thanksgiving going?” Sweat dripped down my face. Why did he have to see me like this?

  “It was boring until now. Did you hear?”

  “Hear what?”

  “About this weekend,” he chuckled, shifting his weight to the other leg. “I’m going to Asheville with you.”

  “Oh, yeah.” I laughed, embarrassed I didn’t realize immediately what he was referring to. “I’m glad you’re going.”

  “I can’t wait. We’ll have a great time.” He winked and ran away, but then looked over his shoulder, gave a radiant smile, and waved.

  I smiled and waved back, dazed by how quickly my life had changed. I finished my run and got ready for our Thanksgiving feast at the Wager’s.

  Dad carried the cranberry sauce, Mom held the sweet potato soufflé, and Reese and I each cradled a pie in our hands. I rang the Wager’s doorbell, careful to not crack the scallop-edged crust. Matt answered the door, looking as handsome as ever. In the past, he would have melted my heart, but now I had no emotional or physical reaction other than friendship. My thoughts were focused on Nick. I wondered what he was up to right now.

  Stepping into their foyer was like stepping into a Christmas store. A four foot Christmas tree welcomed visitors. Garland graced the stairs going up, and a miniature Christmas village lit up the entry table.

  “Susan, it looks like you’ve been busy,” Mom called out as she handed Matt the sweet potato soufflé so she could take off her coat.

  “Not me, I had my elves do this yesterday,” Susan replied, walking around the corner to welcome us. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving,” I replied.

  “Did you hear the good news?” Susan asked.

  Oh no, please not her too. I did not want to discuss Nick with our parents on Thanksgiving.

  “It’s snowing in Asheville,” Mrs. Wager beamed. “You kids should have plenty of snow for sledding and four wheeling.”

  “That’s awesome!” Reese howled.

  “That is great,” I grinned, relieved she didn’t mention Nick. I continued walking down the short hallway and turned into the large open family room that was connected to the kitchen. When I saw Meghan in the kitchen, I gave her the “I need to talk to you!” eyes. Unfortunately, we needed to help our mothers with the final preparations of the Thanksgiving feast, so this conversation about Nick had to wait until after dinner.

  After stuffing ourselves and cleaning up, the guys went in the family room to watch football while Meghan and I went up to her bedroom.

  “Did I find you a guy or what!” she squealed and closed her bedroom door.

  “Yes, I can’t believe you invited him for the weekend,” I gasped and plopped onto her purple paisley comforter.

  “I know. Isn’t it great? You won’t be the odd girl out, and he’s super cute and nice,” she beamed and sat across from me. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell you what I saw the other day.”

  “What?” I asked, intrigued by her statement.

  “Well, I walked out of physics and two losers were bullying some guy at the end of the hallway. I don’t know his name.” She shrugged. “They were pushing and shoving him into the lockers. Anyway, Nick came out of nowhere and stepped right in the middle. The two losers didn’t know what to do.” Meghan huffed, “Come on, who in their right mind would mess with Nick? He’s like a walking fortress,” she scoffed. “Anyway, a crowd had gathered, and the two losers didn’t want to look like wimps, so they started swearing and taunting him.”

  “What did Nick do?” I was confident they hadn’t fought because I would’ve heard about it.

  “He laughed at them and called them cowards.” Meghan leaned close to me and smiled. “You should have seen the look on their faces. They turned about ten shades of red and then swore some more. It was awesome!” She laughed. “Then he told them that one day they’d regret their behavior. They called him a freak and ran off down the hall.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible. He never said anything about it.”

  “I’m not surprised. He doesn’t seem like the bragging type.” She grabbed the pillow and hugged it to her chest. “He’s amazing! You totally hit the jackpot.”

  “He really is brave,” I replied lamely, like it was a new revelation rather than something I already knew. I wanted to tell Meghan how Nick had rescued me from the freak after the football game, but I decided against it.

  “When Matt told me Nick was hinting about coming this weekend, I got so excited. It’s so obvious that he likes you.”

  “What makes everyone so confident that he likes me?”

  “Girl, have you seen the way he looks at you?” Meghan’s voice rose an octave.

  “I guess he smiles a lot.” I stopped tracing a paisley flower on her bed and looked up at her.

  “Smiles a lot, denial a lot,” Meghan mocked. “First, he mesmerizes you with those crystal blue eyes. Then, he captivates you with his brilliant smile, as if he’s trying to sweep you off your feet and carry you away to some magical world.” She laughed and played with the fringe on the pillowcase. “When you’re with him, it’s as if no else is around. It’s incredible the way you’re transfixed by him. And let’s not forget, whenever he can, he’s right next to you.”

  “Are you serious? Is it that obvious?”

  “Yes,” she laughed. “I can’t believe you’re even asking me that.”

  ”I guess I’m just caught up in my own emotions.” My eyes moved from poster to poster of actors that hung on Meghan’s wall. Each was handsome in his own way, but Nick outshone them all. Not only was he gorgeous, but his character also seemed to be one of his best qualities.

  “Well, open your eyes, because that boy has got it bad.” She threw the pillow aside and pulled her knees up to her chest.

  “Oh, I ran into him on my run this morning. I looked hideous!”

  “What happened?” Meghan scooted closer to me on the bed. “What did he say?”

  “Not a lot, but he did seem excited about going to Asheville.” I smiled. “He said he could
n’t wait.”

  Meghan shrieked with delight. “This weekend is going to be perfect!”

  “Oh, and get this, Tuesday, after school, he walked me to my car.”

  “He always walks you to your car,” she interrupted playfully.

  “Yeah, but on Tuesday, he was very flirty. He actually held my hand.”

  “What did you do?” She leaned towards me on her knees, about to tip over.

  “I got lost in his eyes and just stood there. I couldn’t think right, so I got in my car and left.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ugh! Kate, this weekend when he makes his move to kiss you — let him.”

  “No duh,” I replied offended. What does she think I am, an idiot? “I know how to kiss a guy.”

  “Yeah, but none of them were Nick. He’s not like the rest of the guys you’ve kissed.”

  A red heat filled my cheeks. Nick liked me, and I liked him. Sure, we would be surrounded by friends all weekend, but I knew we would find a few moments alone. One thing was certain — this weekend was going to change the dynamic between us.

  Mountain Retreat

  At 7:00 a.m. the radio jolted me awake. I hit the snooze button and rolled over to enjoy another five minutes of sleep. Then it hit me — my eyes flew open. The ceiling started closing in on me while a knot twisted in my stomach. Today was Friday, and I would come face to face with Nick. Would we have our first kiss this weekend? The thought sent shivers down my spine and butterflies into my stomach.

  I quickly headed to the shower. As water seeped into my hair, its warmth relaxed me. I decided that no matter what happened this weekend, by Sunday afternoon Nick and I would be better friends. There was something about him that called to me. I knew that on some level, we belonged together.

  As I finished drying my hair, a knock sounded at the door. “Katie Bug, breakfast is ready,” Dad called through the door.

  “I’ll be right down.” I opened my bedroom door and was instantly enticed by the aroma of bacon. Fabulous! My stomach growled anticipating the crispy morsel. I bounded down the stairs and entered the kitchen. “What’s with the gourmet breakfast?” Bacon, eggs, strawberries, orange juice, jelly, and toast filled the table.