“It’s working.” I eyed one of them as we walked by.
Finally, the last bell of the day rang. Desperate to get out of that building, I dashed to the door and out of the classroom. The walls felt like they were closing in on me and everywhere I looked, I saw one of Azazel’s groupies. I needed out. I was almost to my locker when I felt a hard tug on my backpack. I thought it was Chay. He’d be mad I didn’t wait for him. Turning, I flinched at the ugly sneer marring the face that glared back at me.
“Lily.” I tried to sound unaffected by her presence.
“Milayna…” She slowly pulled out the syllables of my name. “Where’s your bodyguard?” She looked around and arched a perfectly shaped brow.
“I don’t have one. Where’s your malevolent posse? Oh, sorry.” I tapped my finger on my lips. “Do you need me to define ‘malevolent?’ It has more than two syllables.” I tilted my head to the side, my eyes wide.
“Funny. They’re around,” she said, inspecting her French-tipped nails. “We’re always around.”
“Good to know.” I shouldered past her, knocking her backward. My heart was drumming double time.
Chay walked toward me, looking at the ground, shaking his head. A ghost of a grin touched his delicious lips. “Not smart.”
“I figured it was better than cowering in fear in front of her.”
“Probably. Next time, wait for me.” He reached out and lightly pulled on a lock of my hair before pushing it behind my ear.
***
Muriel flopped backward on my bed with a huff. She’d come over after school to do homework, which took about a minute to do. “We should do something. I’m bored.”
I looked at her from across the room where I was hanging up my clothes I’d thrown around that morning looking for something to wear. “You’re always bored. I swear, you’re hyper. You need some Ritalin.”
“Hey! Where’d you get that top? That’s straight-up sexy. You need to wear that tonight, and we need to go somewhere.” She climbed to her knees in the middle of my bed.
“Why do I want to go out with you and wear something sexy? I was kind of saving this for Chay.” I looked at the pale pink, silk tank top. The front collar was a little lower than I was used to, and the back plunged, fabric cascading in delicate folds, the two sides held together by a thin band of silk across the back.
“Yeah, Chay’s coming too. We’ll all go. Movie and dinner, huh? Sounds good, right?” She was already sending the text to the group. She tossed her phone on the bed and smiled at me. Two seconds later, my phone chimed.
Chay: Are you going with Muriel tonight?
Me: Might be fun.
Chay: ‘Kay. I’ll pick you up.
At six o’clock, Chay pulled into my driveway. We drove to the movie theater to meet Muriel, Drew, Jen, and Jeff. Steven and Jake had football practice.
“Hey, guys!” I skipped to catch up with Muriel, towing a less enthusiastic Chay behind me.
Muriel turned and tugged on Drew’s sleeve to get his attention, and they met us in front of the ticket booth. “Hey! Crazy crowded tonight.”
“I know, right? We’re parked in the last row of the back lot.”
“I think we’re just two or three rows from you. I’ve never seen it this busy.”
Drew looked over my head at Chay. “Hey, man.”
“Drew, how’s it going?” Chay fist bumped him over my head. I was starting to get a complex. Either I was short or they were grotesquely tall. Or maybe just gorgeously tall… yeah.
“It’s all Channing Tatum, you know.” Muriel looked at me and grinned.
I smiled and winked at her, but I didn’t say anything.
Chay buried his face in the curve of my neck and planted soft kisses up to my ear. “Channing Tatum, hmm?”
I shrugged and looked at him wide-eyed. “I don’t even know who that is.”
Chay laughed, picked me up, and swung me onto his back piggy-style. He carried me to the door of the theater before he set me down. Muriel rolled her eyes. “You two are sickening.”
We met up with Jen and Jeff in the arcade before buying our popcorn and going into the theater.
“Let’s see some shit get blown up!” Jeff threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth and smiled.
“Let’s see Channing Tatum blow shit up while he’s naked,” Jen corrected.
I choked on my Coke.
***
It was late when the movie ended and we’d eaten. We walked across the back lot to our cars when they stepped out of the shadows of the dumpsters.
I turned and framed his face with my hands. “Be careful.”
Chay pulled me closer and kissed me gently. His hands tangled in my hair. “You too.”
Muriel shook her head. “Geez, I hate this,” she muttered. “It’s so gonna hurt.”
“Hiding out in the dumpsters with the trash? Just where you belong,” I yelled to the group of Evils and demi-demons standing in front of us.
Chay blew out a breath, ran his hand up the back of his head, and let it rest on top of his head. “Milayna, please don’t antagonize them. ‘Kay?”
I looked at him and shrugged.