Collin seemed amused by my choice of food. “Are you sure you can eat all that?” he joked good naturedly.
I grinned, but it quickly faded when I realized the guys in the band had always ribbed me about my appetite. I was small, but I could put food away. They always joked that I had a teenage boy trapped in my body. “Running makes me hungry,” I finally explained.
Our food came, and Collin was trying hard to continue a conversation with me. I was too tired of pretending, so I answered his questions, and with a little censor, he answered mine. If I didn’t know he had a hand in the predicament I found myself in, I could have easily dropped my guard and been flattered by his feigned interest. He had a disarming, pleasant, entertaining way about him. I could see why all the girls pursued him in high school.
“Collin, how are you?” a vaguely familiar voice inquired to our right as I was laughing at a funny story Collin had just told me.
I looked up at the voice, my smile dying instantly. As I looked at the tall man with blond hair, unique blue eyes, and slightly upturned nose, I cringed. Zach Young was one of the last men I ever wanted to see. He was a snake, and he was betraying Will. He also had two daughters that were spoiled, entitled witches, with a capital ‘B’.
My eyes looked at the beautiful women on each of his arms. One Asian and the other black. They were equally beautiful, and the three of them were striking to look at. It was clear that I was finally seeing Tamara and Mei Linn’s mothers. I knew he was one of the four couples in Will’s immediate circle that had two connections. I had met only one other connected pair with one nucleus and two connections. They were lovely. Zach and his connections, were not.
“Mr. Young,” Collin said with a smile. “What a surprise!” And I knew he was lying, this wasn’t a surprise at all for him. I looked over at him suspiciously, what was he playing at? He turned back to me with a smile. “Blake, this is Mr. Young, he helped get you into the school.”
I suddenly felt like ice cold fingers were trying to pry into my head. My eyes widened for a moment when I realized Mr. Young was trying to ‘look’ into my head or compel me. I, too, had this rare gift, and from our previous encounter, I knew he was weaker than me. I imagined a brick wall in my head. I concentrated hard on blocking him. I was almost shaking with the exertion. I started to panic and suddenly, miraculously it started to work.
I almost sighed with relief. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said with a bright smile. Not today, you bastard, I thought malevolently.
He had a puzzled frown on his face as he looked over at Collin, then he pasted on a smile. “And you as well. I hope you are adjusting nicely and finding everyone welcome. Tell me,” I felt him try to compel me once more. “Have you seen or run into anyone you may have met before.”
I looked down as if in thought. Instead I was forcing him out with every fiber of my being. “No,” I finally looked up with a carefully blank expression. Then I looked over at Collin. “Is there anyone else here I may know?”
Collin was frowning too as he looked at Mr. Young and me. “I don’t know, babe,” he finally said slowly, carefully. “We just reconnected a few months ago. We hadn’t seen each other in over three years,” he laughed almost uncomfortably. “I’m sure there are people you know that I may not know.”
“Oh,” I shrugged before taking a bite of my steak. It tasted like cardboard suddenly, and I had completely lost what little appetite I had. “I guess it’s possible I may run into someone I know, but you know me,” I forced a light laugh. “I really liked to keep to myself and didn’t have that many friends before I moved here.”
They both seemed to scrutinize me for a moment, before Mr. Young nodded. “Well it was nice to meet you Blake. I’m sure I will see you around. Collin,” he curtly nodded. “Don’t forget we have a meeting tomorrow.”
Collin seemed to squirm for a moment. “No, sir. I haven’t.”
“Ladies,” Mr. Young held out his arms, and the two elegant, beautiful women joined him before leaving the restaurant together.
I looked over at Collin. “What’s the meeting about, and did he have two…mistresses?” I asked with fake concern and puzzlement.
He looked slightly occupied as he dug back into his food. “It’s nothing important. Mr. Young is my career advisor, and I did warn you that you may see or hear things that are slightly…peculiar here. Mr. Young has a polygamous relationship and it works for them.”
I decided to continue to play dumb. “So like, they share the same bed and swap. All three of them are intimate with each other?”
Collin gave a short bark of laughter, seeming to snap out of his mood. “There are other polygamous relationships on campus. I don’t know how they all behave in the bedroom, but with Mr. Young, I know they all have their separate bedrooms and he visits with his woman separately. Although,” he said with a slight leer. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t all experimented with each other, one way or another.”
I had to repress the shudder that threatened to course through my body. “Do they have kids? And what do they think about all this?”
He smiled once more. “They have two daughters, and they don’t act any differently than any other blended families. The girls are well loved and don’t seem to be bothered by their arrangement.”
“Hmm,” I finally said non-committedly before I pretended to eat my food once more.
I was beyond exhausted when we got in his car. I knew from experience it was because I had used my gifts. I had tried to use them during dessert, but once again they failed me, and I was left feeling extremely tired and it wasn’t even 7 o’clock yet. I was fighting to keep my eyes open and my legs, arms, and head felt so heavy.
“Did you still want to stop at Walmart?” Collin asked as he looked over at me with bewilderment.
I shook my head, laying it on the glass of the passenger window. “No thanks. I guess school and that run, topped with that delicious food, must have left me almost comatose,” I hastily explained.
He seemed mollified by my answer. “I can still stop and run in if you want me to, unless you don’t trust me to pick out the right stuff.”
I yawned. “It’s up to you. I just need something to straighten my hair if I feel like it. A hair dryer and something to tame the beast.”
“The beast?” he gently chuckled.
“My curls,” I said with closed eyes. “They have a mind of their own and go every which way, and if it rains or if it’s humid, it’s even worse. I’m so tempted to get it chopped sometimes.”