“What are you doing here?” My whisper is sharp, and my inner lynx cringes.
He’s surprised by my tone and my words, but he covers quickly. “I don’t know exactly,” he says in that sexy bass.
“If you stayed for me, you’re wasting your time.” Every word is a slice to my heart. I don’t want to push him away, but I can’t have him chaining me to this place. “Stay away from me.”
He straightens as if I’ve slapped him. I don’t blame him. I’m not making any sense after the glorious night we spent together.
His tone is angry when he replies. “Don’t worry princess, you’ve got all the space you need.”
He turns his gorgeous, muscled back on me, and I want to cry. He has every right to be angry. He can’t possibly understand why I’m saying these things, but I have to put distance between us. My entire body is trembling as I return to Sally. She can tell I’m upset, but she doesn’t say anything. I can’t imagine what she must be thinking, but there’s no time.
“I-I’m sorry, Sally.” I’m struggling to regain my composure. “We have to go out front for class.”
“It’s okay.” Another timid smile. “I don’t mind starting my training next week.”
“Thank you.” I touch her arm, and she follows me to the front.
The group of twelve mostly college-aged girls from Thursday waits for us, and Jim is in his padded suit ready to attack me.
“Welcome to the Art of Self Defense,” I say, clearing my throat and trying to summon my drill sergeant tone. I’m completely off my game knowing Koa is in the back and knowing what I just said to him.
I want to run home and hide and cry, but I have to be a badass. I am a badass. The fact he has this effect on me is exactly why I have to stick to my guns and not see him again. Whatever he’s doing here has nothing to do with me. I’m about getting out of here, no matter who I have to leave behind.
“Today we’re going to focus on defending yourself from a frontal attack…”
I’m lying on a velvet couch in the large living room staring at the dark flatscreen wishing my best friend Lana hadn’t moved to New York. I don’t have many friends in Woodland Creek, thanks to my sister. Hayden called earlier, but I let his call go to voicemail. Checking the voicemail, I hear him asking if I’d like to go to dinner.
“Fuck you very much,” I say under my breath, thinking of a million other things I’d rather do than be with him.
My phone is in my hand, and I’m staring at the screen when it lights up with a text, and I almost drop it.
Hi, Mercy! Hope you don’t mind, Jim gave me your number. I thought since we’re the same age, you might like to have a girls night or something.
I’m pretty sure I know who this is without asking, but I ask anyway.
Maybe… Who is this?
Oh! Sorry — it’s Sally. Want to meet up at the Spare Lounge?
It’s sad that I’m actually happy to be invited to the bowling bar in town, but I don’t care. I’m dying to get out of this empty mansion. Aunt Penny has been avoiding me for some reason ever since our strange conversation yesterday about great-great aunt Persephone.
Sure! What time? I text back.
About an hour?
I’ll be there in bowling shoes.
Oh, they provide the shoes.
I don’t reply it was a joke. Instead I simply text okay and hop off the couch, heading to my room to pull on skinny jeans and a scoop-necked black top. Oversized silver hoop earrings and a long necklace complete the look. I might be a bit too elegant for bowling, but I don’t care. It’s been a while since I went out.
The Spare Lounge is surprisingly crowded, but it is Saturday night, I guess. Several gym members are at one end having a heated competition on the last four lanes. Sally is waiting in a center lane in jeans and a light blue polo shirt. She’s wearing rainbow-colored bowling shoes and a smile.
“Thanks for coming out!” she hops toward me. “Let’s find you a ball.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” I grin, following her to the rack holding multi-colored bowling balls. “I have to tell you. I’ve only bowled twice in my life.”
“That’s okay,” she says, studying the lineup. “I’m trying it for the first time tonight.”