Never Ever (East Raven Academy Book 2) Page 14

  “I’m stronger than I thought I was,” I say.

  Because, I honestly don’t even know how I am functioning right now.

  “Want to watch a movie?” Sander asks.

  “Sure.”

  And even in the darkest of times, there is always a light at the end. I see it. And I am moving closer every single day. Unfortunately, between here and the end, some scary things are going to happen. I just hope that nobody else I care about dies.

  Tuesday, September 19

  Who needs oxygen?

  When I wake up on Tuesday morning, the sun is already up. Since nobody came and woke me up, I assume it means that we will be doing our training later in the afternoon, which is perfectly fine with me. It’s nice to be able to sleep in, for once.

  I hear voices coming from the living room—Uncle Matty, Jake, and Sander. But there is a fourth voice. One that sounds oddly familiar.

  But it couldn’t be.

  I get up and walk down the hall to see who the fourth voice is. I freeze at the edge of the hallway when I see my brother sitting in my living room.

  “CHARLIE!” I yell.

  Running over to him, I hug him so tightly that I’m certain he can’t breathe. And he hugs me back just as tightly. Who needs oxygen? Not me. Not when Charlie is here.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, when we pull back from our embrace.

  “I’m enrolling at East Raven,” he answers. “Is that okay?”

  “Is that okay?” I ask, not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “Are you kidding? This is the best news I’ve had since I got here.”

  “She means, besides the news of me being her bodyguard,” Sander says.

  I ignore him.

  “Seriously, I am so happy.”

  “You have to catch me up on everything,” Charlie says. “The last I heard you had two boyfriends, and I’d kind of like to know how that all turned out.”

  “She already dumped him,” Sander says.

  “Shut up,” I say to Sander. “He asked me, not you.”

  “My little sister is a player. I always knew it,” he says. “It’s always the shy ones.”

  I smack his arm softly. “Don’t listen to Sander. He’s convinced the entire school that I’m madly in love with him, somehow. He is annoying.” I turn to Sander. “Think you could give us some privacy, so I could talk to my brother without your sarcastic remarks?”

  “Fine,” Sander says. “I’ll be in the other room.”

  He unhurriedly walks towards the dining room, with Uncle Matty and Jake following him.

  At least they are giving me privacy.

  “You have a thing for your bodyguard?” Charlie asks.

  I shake my head. “No way. He’s a pain in my butt.”

  “You like him,” he says.

  “Of course. He’s my friend. But I’d never let him know that,” I say.

  “Right,” Charlie says, like he knows something that I don’t. “So, what about the other boys? Um... Brooks, and then the weird named one. Didn’t you go on a date with Brooks or something?”

  “Yeah,” I answer. “But Brooks died.”

  “Oh, crap,” Charlie says. “He’s the kid who died, that the one they keep talking about?”

  I nod.

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “I know you really liked him.”

  “It’s okay,” I say.

  “Was he your boyfriend?”

  “No,” I answer. “Brooks was impulsive. And I guess maybe he just wasn’t my type, after all.”

  “Right. I saw the video. Brooks is the one who kissed you, right?”

  I nod.

  “And what about the other one?”

  “Estaine,” I say. “After that, Estaine and I kind of started dating. I mean, I liked him. I still do. It’s just... I think he liked me more than I liked him. So, things didn’t work out. I, kind of recently, broke up with him.”

  “Fun,” he says.

  “Yeah. So, expect some awkwardness at school,” I say. “Because we kind of have all the same friends, so...”

  “Yikes,” Charlie says. “Well, at least East Raven won’t be boring.”

  East Raven Academy is anything but boring. Charlie doesn’t even know what he’s in for.

  “And now you have a thing for your bodyguard,” Charlie says.

  “Absolutely. I can’t keep my hands off of him,” I say, being completely sarcastic.

  “I knew it!” Charlie says.

  “I was joking,” I say. “Geez, you’re gullible these days.”

  “I forgot how good you are at making up stories,” he says.

  “It’s called sarcasm.”

  “Right,” he says. “What about girl friends? Do you have any hot ones?”

  “Ugh,” I say, groaning. “Charlie, you are not allowed to date my friends. You’ll inevitably make them fall in love with you, and then you will dump them. And THEN, they will hate me because I’m your sister.”

  “Whatever,” he says.

  “Besides, Teagan has a boyfriend,” I say, not letting him know that they’re not serious. “And Emma has been dating this one guy since their freshman year.” Again, that relationship isn’t exactly stable either, but it’s best to let him think they aren’t attainable. Maybe he will set his sight on somebody else.

  “A boyfriend has never stopped me before.”

  “Charlie,” I say, sternly.

  “Is everybody nice to you?” he asks.

  I shrug. “There is one mean girl, but I can handle her.”

  “And ruin my fun? Nah, I’ll take care of her,” Charlie says.

  I smile. “Honestly, there is no need.”

  I love my brother.

  “So much has changed in a month,” he says. “You went on your first date, had your first kiss, had your first boyfriend, dumped your first boyfriend... boarding school has been good for you.”

  I just laugh, because I’m not sure what to say. He’s right. A lot has happened since I showed up at East Raven Academy one month ago.

  “Honestly, I’m proud for you,” he says. “You deserve some good in your life after all the bad.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “But it seems as though I am once again single.”

  “Because you dumped him,” Charlie says.

  “I did.”

  He smiles proudly at me. “I always knew you would be a heartbreaker.”

  “I learned it from the best.”

  Meaning him.

  I think Charlie has broken the heart of nearly every girl he’s ever met.

  He definitely takes what I said as a compliment, even though I didn’t mean it as such. I truly don’t know how he does it—breaking up with Estaine was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And I miss having him as my friend.

  “Do you think he will want to be friends with me again?” I ask Charlie.

  “The boy you dumped?”

  I nod.

  “Why would you want to be friends with him?” he asks.

  “Because, he’s a nice guy. And he was my friend before we ever dated,” I say.

  “I don’t know,” he says. “I’ve never been friends with an ex before, but if anybody could do it, it’s you.”

  I smile because he’s right.

  “You’re too nice, Phoenix,” Charlie says.

  But he’s wrong. I’m not nice. Nice would’ve been never dating Estaine to begin with. Maybe I should’ve thought longer before saying yes. I wanted to say yes at the time, and I don’t regret any of the time we spent together as boyfriend-girlfriend. But if I hadn’t said yes, and if I hadn’t let him believe there was something between us, he would probably be here with me now. He’d be meeting my brother and we’d be hanging out. And I miss his friendship.

  Relationships are complicated and messy.

  I think I’ll just stay single.

  Hand-To-Hand Combat.

  Sander has been teaching me some hand-to-hand combat moves. I want to ask him about his training and
where he learned all this stuff, but I know he won’t answer. He never does. Everything regarding the school he went to and where he trained is a secret to me.

  “If you were facing your enemy, what would be your best offensive attack?” Sander asks.

  Today it’s really warm. The sun is shining and it’s ninety degrees. I was used to it being cooler. Of course, this is the one day that we get to train in the afternoon. I’ve already gone on a three mile run with him and I’m exhausted.

  “I guess that depends,” I say.

  “Depends on what?” he asks.

  “The size and gender of the person. If it’s a female or somebody shorter, I’d go for the throat,” I answer, showing him exactly how I would do it. I stop short of actually hitting him. “And if it’s a tall guy... like you... I’d go for the groin.”

  “Good,” Sander says. “Do you know why you go for the throat?”

  “Because punching somebody in the throat doesn’t hurt my hand,” I say, grinning. I mean, there is more to it than that, but that, to me, is a good enough reason to punch somebody in the throat.

  “It also hurts your opponent the most,” he says. “The thing you have to remember is that the person attacking you will not be going easy on you. They will not be nice. They are very bad people.”

  “I know,” I say. “That’s why I’m here.”

  The front door of the house opens and Charlie walks out.

  “Did you go swimming with your clothes on?” Charlie asks.

  “No, I have just had my butt handed to me by somebody who is clearly in better shape than I am,” I say, motioning towards Sander.

  “I hate to break it to you, Phoenix,” Charlie says. “But almost anybody is in better shape than you.”

  “Ha, ha,” I say, clearly not amused.

  “Did she tell you about the time she ate a whole large pizza by herself?” Charlie asks Sander. “Even I was impressed.”

  “Oh, you mean the time you dared me to eat a whole pizza, and called me a chicken for declining? I only did it so you’d shut up, and I ended up spending half the night in the bathroom puking,” I say, then turn to Sander. “I was thirteen at the time. And he got in a lot of trouble.”

  “I was only trying to help you out,” Charlie says, then turns his attention to Sander. “You should’ve seen Phoenix back then. She grew really fast, so she was tall and super skinny. And she had these awful neon colored braces. I only dared her to eat a whole pizza ’cause I thought it’d do her some good to gain some weight.”

  Sander laughs.

  “It’s not funny,” I say. “Do you know how traumatizing it is to be the only girl in your class without boobs?”

  “Can’t say I can relate,” Sander says, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

  Of course, that comment would embarrass him.

  “Well, clearly, I turned out fine,” I say. “Now, can we not talk about how awkward I was at thirteen, and just do this.”

  “Can I help?” Charlie asks.

  Sander smiles. “Sure. Why don’t you get Phoenix in a choke-hold. Hold her as tightly as you can. And Phoenix, you know what to do. Don’t hold back.”

  I grin at his suggestion.

  Sander is going to help me get revenge on my dear, sweet brother. And I’m quite excited.

  “I don’t want to hurt her,” Charlie says.

  “But... wouldn’t you rather hurt me a little, rather than for me to get hurt a lot by somebody else?” I ask, giving him the saddest look I can muster.

  “Fine,” he says. “Just tell me if it hurts.”

  Charlie puts his arm around my neck, holding me in a tight grip. And me, well... I do everything I was trained to do. With both hands, I pull down on Charlie’s elbow, loosening his choke hold. I turn around and face him. Once I do, I am able to really fight back. And Charlie is on his back within three seconds flat.

  “Not bad,” Sander says. “I’m impressed.”

  “What the heck, Phoenix?” Charlie asks.

  I hold out a hand to help him up. He accepts my hand, and I pull him up.

  “When did you get so strong?” he asks.

  “I told you already, East Raven has been good for me.”

  And it really has.

  “Can you teach me to fight?” Charlie asks Sander.

  “I can’t,” Sander says. “My job is to protect Phoenix. But I’m sure Matt and Jake wouldn’t mind teaching you a thing or two.”

  “Thanks, man,” Charlie says. “I can’t let my little sister beat me up anymore.”

  With that, he turns and walks into the house.

  I think I bruised his ego. And from the way he’s walking; maybe his tailbone too.

  “You’re kind of kick butt,” Sander says. “For a girl.”

  “Now you’re just asking for me to do the same to you as I did to Charlie,” I say.

  He laughs. “Like you’d stand a chance.”

  We both know I wouldn’t, so I let that one go. At least for now.

  Wednesday, September 20

  Off limits.

  When I walk into the dining hall on Wednesday morning, I am surprised to see Estaine sitting at the table with all our friends. He was supposed to be confined to his dorm until tomorrow, but I think they lessened his sentence after everything that happened with Brooks.

  Once again, I find everybody in the cafeteria staring at me, but for once, they’re not actually staring because of me. They’re staring because of the boy I am standing beside.

  With Sander on one side and Charlie on the other, the three of us walk over to the table and take a seat. I don’t take my normal spot beside Estaine, simply because I think that would be too weird.

  “Please don’t tell me you have another overprotective best friend from back home who is going to follow you around like a stalker because he’s in love with you,” Teagan says.

  “First of all, ew,” I say, trying not to vomit. “And second, this is my brother, Charlie. We’re most definitely not in love and I hope he doesn’t follow me around like a stalker, but he definitely is over protective. So, he might follow me.”

  “Which one of you is the ex-boyfriend?” Charlie asks.

  Ah, way to make a first impression, Charlie.

  “That would be him,” Emma says, pointing to where Estaine is sitting. But she quickly turns back to Charlie and grins widely at him. “So, are you single?”

  This causes Bryce to elbow her.

  “I mean, I’m obviously not asking for myself,” she says. “Just... you know... for a friend.”

  “Emma, I’m pretty sure Phoenix and I are your only friends,” Teagan says.

  Charlie smiles. “I am single. You can spread the word to whomever you want.”

  “And he’s off limits to both of you,” I say, elbowing him in the ribs. “Because Charlie is the kind of guy who will inevitably break your heart and I don’t want to lose either one of you because of it.”

  Estaine, who has stayed quiet this whole time, looks up. “Sounds like you and Charlie are a lot alike.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “The whole inevitable heart break thing,” he says. “I wish somebody would’ve warned me about you.”

  With that, he gets up from the table and storms off.

  “Yikes,” Teagan says, her eyes wide. “He’s clearly still angry over the whole getting dumped thing.”

  “I should go talk to him,” I say, getting up from the table.

  Sander gets up with me.

  “I don’t think she needs your help,” Teagan says to him.

  “I don’t care what you think,” Sander says. “I go where she goes.”

  I just shrug, acting like it’s not a big deal. Because I obviously can’t let them know that I’d rather not have Sander following me around twenty-four-seven. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.

  “I want Sander with me,” I tell them, playing along. The last thing I want is for the school to think that I’m annoyed with Sander follo
wing me around. I’d rather them think that I’m dating him than that.

  The two of us walk towards the doors that Estaine went out.

  “Thanks for that,” Sander says.

  “For what?”

  “What you did back there,” he says. “Your friends probably think it’s weird that I always follow you around. It helps that they think you want me to be here, even though I know you don’t.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Maybe it would be best if we just told everybody we’re dating so they wouldn’t think anything more about it.”

  “Wait awhile,” he says, as we walk out the door. “I don’t want them to think their suspicions were right about you cheating on Estaine with me. If we have to tell them we’re dating, we will.”

  I find Estaine sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

  “Go talk to him,” Sander says. “I’ll stay here and watch from afar.”

  “Thank you,” I tell him.

  I hesitantly walk over to where Estaine is sitting on the bench.

  “Hey,” I say. I don’t sit beside him because I’m not sure if he even wants to talk to me.

  “Hi,” he says.

  “I’m sorry—”

  We both say the words at the same time and then laugh awkwardly.

  “You first,” he says.

  “Okay,” I say. “I’m sorry about everything. I know that I hurt you, but I didn’t mean to. You were... are my best friend. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I acted stupidly in there,” Estaine says. “I guess maybe I’m not as okay with the break up as I thought I was.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” I say.

  “I want to be your friend still,” he says.

  “Me, too,” I say, feeling a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders at his confession. “More than anything I want us to be friends—like we were before I started dating you.”

  “I want that, too,” he says. “And more.”

  “More?” I ask.

  “I want to be with you, Phoenix,” he says. “And I know that isn’t what you want right now. I know that you’re upset over Brooks dying, and that you’re worried something is going to happen to me, too. But I know that you’re worth the risk.”