Obsidian

Chapter 11

The Sunday before school was scheduled to start, Dee took me into town to pick up notebooks while she replaced almost everything she used for school with a new item. We only had three more days of vacation and then we had Labor Day. I was already yearning for it. Before we headed home, Dee was hungry as usual, and we stopped at one of her favorite places.

“It’s quite a…quaint restaurant,” I said.

Dee smirked, her sandaled foot continuously tapping. “Quaint? It would be quaint to a big city gal like you, but it’s the place to be here.”

I stole another quick glance around. The Smoke Hole Diner wasn’t bad; it was actually kind of cute in an earthy, down-home way, and I did like the clusters of rocks and stones that jutted out around the table’s edge.

“It’s a lot busier in the evening and after school,” she added between sips. “It’s hard to get a seat then.”

“You come here often?” I found it kind of hard to imagine beautiful Dee hanging out here, eating hot turkey sandwiches and drinking milkshakes.

But there she was, on her second hot turkey sandwich and her third milkshake. Ever since I met Dee, I had been constantly amazed by the amount of food she could consume in one sitting. It was actually a little disturbing.

“Daemon and I come here at least once a week for their lasagna. It is to die for!” Her eyes lit up with a mixture of excitement and longing.

I laughed. “You must love their food, but thanks for inviting me out today. I’m glad to get out of the house since Mom is home. She has been hovering over me every second she’s there.”

“She’s worried.”

I nodded, toying with my straw. “Especially after news broke about the girl who died the same night. Did you know her?”

Dee looked down at her plate, shaking her head. “Not very well. She was in a grade lower than us, but a lot of people knew her. Small town and all. I thought I read they weren’t sure if she was murdered? That it looked like a heart attack.” She paused, her lips pursed as she looked over my shoulder. “Strange.”

“What?” I asked, turning to see what she was looking at and turned back around to face her as fast as I could. It was Daemon.

Dee’s head was cocked to the side, her dark hair falling carelessly around her. “I didn’t know he would be here.”

“Oh, man, it’s he who shall not be named.”

Laughter erupted from Dee, drawing attention from everyone in the diner. “Ah, that was funny.”

I sunk in my seat. After the morning he and his sister made me breakfast, he’d avoided me and that was fine. I had wanted to thank him for sort of saving my life. A proper thank you that didn’t end in insults, but the few times I’d been able to catch him, he stopped only long enough to give me a look that warned me not to even think about approaching him.

Daemon might be the most physically flawless male I’d ever seen — his face was something that any artist would die to get a chance to sit and sketch — no light reflected badly off him. But he could also be the biggest jerk on the planet.

“He’s not going to come over here, right?” I whispered to Dee, who suddenly looked very amused.

“Hello, sis.”

I sucked in a deep breath at the sound of his husky voice. I slid my bandaged arm under the table. I was positive if he saw it, it would remind him of how inconveniencing I’d been.

“Hey there,” Dee said as she rested her chin on her hand. “What are you doing here today?”

“I’m hungry,” he responded dryly. “This is where people come to eat, isn’t it?”

I stared very intently at my half-eaten burger and fries, moving them around on my plate, praying to whoever was listening that I could fade into the rustic-colored booths until he left. I forced myself to think about anything — books, television shows, movies, Daemon, the grass outside—

“That is, except you, who must come here to play with her food?”

Aw, dammit. I plastered the brightest smile I could muster and steeled myself. My smile faltered the instant I met his eyes. He looked at me expectantly, as if he knew what I was really thinking, wanted me to fight back. “Yeah, see my mom normally takes me out to Chuck E. Cheese’s for dinner so I’m a little out of my element. Missing the ball pen and all.” Dee snorted and looked up at her brother. “Isn’t she great?”

“Just lovely.” He crossed his arms, his tone as dry as ever. “How’s your arm?”

His question took me off guard. My arm actually felt fine. I wanted the splint off, but my mom refused to let me even shower without it. “It’s better. It’s okay. Thank you—”

“Don’t,” he cut me off, running a hand through a mess of black waves. “Your face looks a lot better, by the way.”

I subconsciously placed a hand on my cheek. “Well…thanks, I think.” I looked at Dee with disbelief and mouthed the words my face to her.

She exchanged an amused look with me before turning back to her brother. “Are you going to join us? We were just about finished.”

It was Daemon’s turn to snort. “No, thank you.”

I returned to poking my food around on my plate. As if the idea of eating with us was the most absurd thing.

“Well, that’s too bad.” Dee didn’t miss a beat.

“Daemon, you’re here already!”

I glanced up at the sound of a very excited female. A small, pretty blonde waved from the main entrance. Daemon waved back, not as joyously, and I watched as she practically bounced over to our table. When she reached Daemon she stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before wrapping a possessive arm around his.

An ugly, hot feeling unfurled in my belly. He had a girlfriend? I glanced at Dee. His sister didn’t look happy.

The girl finally looked down at our table. “Hey, Dee, how are you doing?”

Dee returned her smile with a very tight one. “Great Ash, how have you been?”

“I’ve been really good.” She nudged Daemon as if that was a private joke between the two of them.

I couldn’t breathe.

“I thought you were leaving again?” Dee asked, her usually warm eyes turning sharp. “With your brothers and coming back when school starts?”

“Changed my mind.” She glanced up at Daemon again, who was beginning to shift uncomfortably.

“Hmm, interesting,” Dee responded, her expression taking on a very catlike quality. “Oh, how rude of me. Ash, this is Katy.” She gestured over at me. “She’s new to our exciting little town.”

I forced myself to smile at the girl. I had no reason to be jealous or to care, but damn, this girl was pretty.

Ash’s smile faded. She took a step back. “This is her?”

My eyes darted to Dee.

“I can’t do this, Daemon. Maybe you guys can be okay with this, but I’m not.” Ash tossed her blonde hair back with a tan hand. “This is wrong.”

Daemon sighed. “Ash…”

Her full lips thinned. “No.”

“Ash, you don’t even know her.” Dee came to her feet. “You’re being ridiculous.”

The traffic in the diner literally stopped. Everyone stared.

I felt heat, a mixture of embarrassment and anger, creep across my face as I stared at Ash. “I’m sorry, but did I do something?”