Cassie nodded, though she knew it was a lie. “Fine. I’m going to head inside.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Cassie moved slowly away from the tree, wincing as she stepped into the harsh sunlight. She could almost feel her skin burning, her eyes watered as she squinted against the bright light. She left a wide berth around Devon, but she could feel his eyes burning into her as she moved slowly toward the much needed shelter of the school.
It was going to be another very long, very hard day, and she wasn’t at all prepared for it.
CHAPTER 6
Devon was growing tired of being avoided. And she was going well out of her way to avoid him. Though he sat at her lunch table again, she did not return to it. In fact, she didn’t even come into the cafeteria, for three days in a row. He was growing impatient and aggravated with her. Every other girl in the school was throwing themselves at him. It was a fact that he was used to, but he most certainly was not used to women going out of their way to avoid him.
And that was exactly what Cassie was doing. And she happened to be the only girl in the whole school that he even remotely cared about talking to, and getting closer to. And now, finally, she was back in the cafeteria. He watched as she glided deftly through the crowd with an ease and grace that was captivating and amazing.
Her hair was a golden shimmer in the harsh light as she moved toward the lunch line. She was unable to move fast as she was accosted by endless people. Though she spoke with everyone, and smiled brightly, he could sense her impatience. He was just as impatient as she was. He wanted her over here, with him, where he could finally try and talk to her again.
He slid into the chair that had become his, tapping his finger impatiently on the table as he waited for Cassie to reappear. People slid in around him, and though they talked to him, he barely acknowledged them as his gaze remained focused on the wall she had disappeared behind. He still didn’t understand why he was so captivated with this girl, but he was. He dreamed of her every night, haunting dreams that left him shaken and unfulfilled in the morning. He wanted more of her, he wanted to know what she felt and tasted like. Wanted to know what she would really feel like in his arms, not just what her ghostly dream image felt like.
“Hello,” he glanced over at Marcy, nodding briefly as she slid into the seat next to him and leaned annoyingly close.
Devon shifted slightly, wanting to get further away from her. He knew he had a large group of admirers now; there was nothing that he could do about that, but Marcy was by far the most persistent and overt. She moved closer to him, her small hand dropped onto his arm. Cocking an eyebrow he turned slowly toward her, trying hard not to lose his patience with the clingy girl.
She smiled brightly back at him, her leaf green eyes twinkling merrily. She chose to completely ignore the impatience radiating from him. “Are you going to come to B’s and S’s tonight?”
Devon glanced back at where Cassie had disappeared, but she had not reemerged yet. He had not been back to the restaurant since he had first seen her. She had not returned there either in the past three nights, choosing instead to go to Melissa’s house with Chris. He was a little dismayed, and found himself more than a little pathetic for knowing that fact, but he did. For some reason though, he wanted to make sure that she was safe at all times and had to know where she was in order to do so.
He tried to convince himself that this was true, but he knew in his heart that he was bordering on obsessive and stalker. Neither of those were things he had ever thought he could be. It was a brutal realization to know that one girl could make him become something that he could barely recognize. But then again, it had been another girl that had completely changed him in a way he had never expected before.
But Cassie was an exceptional girl, she was a unicorn, he realized with a start as she reemerged from the lunch line. She was a rare, never imagined find, but one that he was never going to release again. She even reminded him of a unicorn with her graceful mannerisms, golden hair, and bright violet flecked eyes.
Her smile was easy and bright as she conversed with the girls by her side. He had only known her for a few days, but he had come to realize that she was never alone. There was always someone by her side, demanding her attention. It was an annoying fact, especially when she was so giving of her time with them, while she ignored and avoided the hell out of him.
Mark swiftly approached her, honing in like a missile upon its target. He walked briskly, with a stride that was not to be deterred. Devon’s senses went on high alert; he stiffened as he sensed an undercurrent of anger and impatience running through the boy. He arrived at Cassie’s side, touching her elbow to grab her attention.
She turned slowly toward him, her eyes widening slightly as she took a small step back. Anger rolled through Devon as Mark moved closer to her. Using his height as an intimidation factor, he bent slightly over her. Cassie’s eyes narrowed fiercely, her shoulders straightened as she tilted her chin up proudly. Though Devon was impressed by her show of strength and defiance, he also wished that she would simply back away. He sensed an instability and anxiety within Mark that worried him, and he knew that the boy would snap if pushed too hard. And Cassie seemed intent on pushing him away.
Devon rose to his feet, with every intention of intervening. Her safety was his number one concern, and around Mark, he knew that she was not safe.
Chris appeared at her side suddenly, using his shoulder to push slightly past Mark. Chris smiled brightly at Mark, but there was tension in his solid frame, and no sparkle in his sapphire eyes. He spoke briefly to Mark for a moment while gently nudging Cassie further back. Cassie did not look pleased to be pushed out of the way.
Chris finally managed to disentangle the two of them from Mark, though Mark glared after them as Chris continued to nudge Cassie toward the glass doors at the back of the cafeteria. He suddenly recalled Melissa’s words on his first day. The senior’s sat outside when it was nice out. Until now, he had not noticed that a fair amount of senior’s was missing as his table was packed with girls, and they would not leave his side as long as he remained inside.
And if he moved outside right now, they would only follow. The last thing he wanted was a gaggle of giggling teens following him around while he tried to talk with Cassie. He watched her as she moved stiffly toward the doors, her tray clenched tight in her hands, her head held immobile, and her neck straight. He could feel the stress radiating from her, the struggle that waged throughout.
He also felt the snapping point when she lost the struggle and her head turned slowly toward him. The impact of her gaze was like a lightning bolt as it seared through him, it sizzled through his dried veins and caused his deadened heart to vibrate with pulsing electricity.