“That was barely a blip on the map. That didn’t leave a trace on anyone.” He lowered his head until the edges of his dark curls brushed my cheek. I was caught between wanting to crawl into my locker and crawl into him. “Besides, I was doing you a favor.” I laughed. “And how was that doing me a favor?”
Daemon smiled at me and then lowered his gaze so his thick, dark lashes shielded his eyes. “Studying math wasn’t what he had in mind.”
That seemed debatable, but I decided to play along. I wasn’t backing down from him, not even when he could toss me in the air with a single thought. “And what if that’s the case?”
“You like Simon?” His chin jerked up, anger flashing in his emerald eyes. “You can’t possibly like him.”
I hesitated. “Are you jealous?”
Daemon looked away.
And I seized the opportunity to finally have one thing to rub in his face and stepped forward. He didn’t move or breathe. “You’re jealous of Simon?” I lowered my voice. “Of a human? For shame, Daemon.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m not jealous. All I’m trying to do is help you out. Guys like Simon want to get between your legs.”
My cheeks flushed as I stared at him. “Why? You think that’s the only reason why a guy might like me?”
Daemon smiled knowingly as he slowly backed up. “Just saying.”
He left after that, disappearing into the crowded hall. Which was good, because if he’d stayed a moment longer I would have socked him. When I turned around, I saw Ash standing outside her class. Her look pretty much fried me on the spot.
No one was talking about Sarah. It wasn’t that the school had for-gotten her. It was just that they’d moved on, like most did. Knowing how and why she died was something I tried not to think about. When I did, my stomach soured like curdled milk. She died because Daemon saved me and the Arum had needed someone to take his anger out on.
And at night, I dreamed about the parking lot behind the library. I saw his face, the coldness and rage in his eyes as he squeezed the life out of me. Those nights, I woke with a scream stuck in my throat, covered in a cold sweat.
Other than the nightmares and the occasion alien-bully move on Daemon’s part, there was nothing else that was out of the norm. It was like living next to normal teenagers.
Teenagers that didn’t need to get up to change the television channel and got a little uptight after meteorite showers.
Dee had explained that the Arum used those atmospheric displays as a way to come down to Earth without being detected by the govern-ment. I didn’t understand how, and she didn’t explain, but for a few days after a shower or even a falling star, the siblings were on edge. They would also disappear, sometimes taking a three-day weekend or missing a Wednesday without any warning. Dee eventually explained that they’d been checking in with the DOD. They continued to tell me that the Arum weren’t a problem, but I didn’t believe them. Not when they took such great lengths to avoid discussing them.
But Dee was on edge for a whole different reason in class on Thursday. Homecoming was next weekend and she hadn’t found a dress. She had a date with Andrew. Or was it Adam? I couldn’t tell the incredible blond duo apart.
Everyone was excited about homecoming, it seemed. Streamers hung from the hallways. Banners announced the game against the other school and the dance. Tickets were selling left and right. Lesa and Carissa also had dates. Neither of them had dresses, from the sound of yesterday’s lunch conversation.
I, on the other hand, didn’t have a date.
They tried to convince me yesterday that going stag wasn’t the height of social disaster, and I knew that, but standing along the wall all night or playing third wheel wasn’t my cup of tea.
Everybody knew each other in a school as small as PHS. Couples had been together their entire high school stint. Friends were shacking up with one another to go to the dance. And I, having no real connection to anyone, seemed dateless. Total killer for the self-esteem.
After spending math class ignoring Daemon’s attempts to tick me off, Simon appeared by my locker while I switched out one heavy, useless book for another heavy, useless book.
“Hey,” I said, smiling. I hoped Daemon was nowhere nearby, because God only knew what he’d do. “You looked like you fell asleep in class today.”
He laughed. “I kind of did. And I was dreaming about formulations. It was all very frightening.”
I laughed, shoving the textbook into my backpack as I nudged my locker door shut with my hip. “I can imagine.”
Simon wasn’t bad looking. Not if you had a thing for big, burly jocks who looked like they tossed bales of hay during the summer. He had arms the size of tree trunks and a charming-enough smile. Pretty blue eyes, too, and when he smiled, the skin around those baby blues crinkled. But his eyes weren’t green, his lips not poetic.
“I’ve never seen you at any of our games,” he said, his skin doing that crinkly thing. “Not a fan of football?”
Simon was the starting fullback or lineback. Honestly, I had no clue. “I went to one,” I told him. And I’d left at halftime with Dee. Both of us had been bored out of our minds. “Football isn’t my thing.” I expected him to leave after that because football was like a religion around here, but he leaned against the locker next to me, folding his arms over his chest. “So, I was wondering if you had plans next Saturday.” My eyes went up to the red and black banner above his head. Next Saturday was homecoming. My throat dried like a cornered animal, and my eyes got all buggy. “No. No plans at all.”