“Hey. I, er, I wondered where you were,” she stuttered.
Ruby appeared behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “There you are,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” She squeezed him and slipped under his arm. On her tiptoes, she reached up to press her lips against his cheek.
Aspen’s whole body flushed with anger and her eyes narrowed. The two looked so comfortable together, and Dylan didn’t pull away from her.
Without warning, Ray turned her to face him. “Come on, let’s get some lunch.”
Aspen looked back at Dylan, but the imprint of Ruby’s lipstick was still clearly visible on his cheek. Her stomach churned at the thought of the tiny Fire Walker tucked up against his body.
She reached out and held Ray’s arm, smiling radiantly. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”
Dylan stared at her for a long moment before looking down at Ruby and giving her his full attention. “Hey, Rubes. You’re looking gorgeous today.”
“Mmm, that’s exactly why I wanted to find you. You know just what to say to make a girl feel good,” Ruby said with a chuckle. “Let’s get out of here.”
Aspen glanced over her shoulder as Ray tugged her toward the cafeteria. Dylan had his arm around Ruby’s shoulders, and her silvery laughter rang through the air.
It hurt to think of Dylan with Ruby, and Aspen’s heart fluttered as a physical pain gripped her chest. She could hear Ray speaking, but she wasn’t listening to a thing he said over the rushing sound in her ears. Her mind raced and her veins throbbed with electricity. Everything was going wrong. She wanted to be more than friends with Dylan, and Ruby was going to ruin everything.
Dylan belonged to her, not Ruby. She wanted him so badly that it ached. That was it! She closed her eyes as the words bounced around in her mind, over and over. She was in love with Dylan Powers.
With that earth-shattering conclusion, her mood dipped and she slowed down to think.
Ruby could have anyone her heart desired, and there was absolutely no reason for her to be with Dylan. Aspen, on the other hand, didn’t own anything. All of her clothes were hand-me-downs from Miriam, or thrift shop specials, and she hadn’t possessed a thing when she was younger.
Her bedding was secondhand. The Mickey Mouse clock was something she’d picked up in the dumpster one day. She couldn’t even keep her dad. He’d been taken away from her too, and she hadn’t had the chance to know him as she grew up. Dads treated their little girls with love and care, and spoiled them as much as possible. Not experiencing that hurt more than words could say.
Aspen’s lip trembled and moisture spiked the corners of her eyes. The dream catcher throbbed softly under her shirt, and she wondered how long it would be before someone would take that as well. She wanted to curse and words bubbled up in her throat, but she bit her lip to keep them in.
“Hey, you’re squeezing my hand. What’s wrong?”
Aspen pulled her fingers back in shock. The tightness in her chest must have spilled over, and she’d squeezed Ray’s hand very hard.
“I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I’ve got to get something. I’ll meet you in class after lunch.”
With a disappointed look, he let her go and watched her walk away.
She ran into the bathroom and splashed cool water over her cheeks at the sink. As she was drying her face with a paper towel, Sandy walked into the room.
“Ray just walked away with a lost look on his face.” She laughed and dropped her backpack on the counter.
“Don’t lie. Why would he look lost?”
“Maybe ’cause he has the hots for you?”
Aspen smiled weakly. “He doesn’t have the hots for me. He’s just a nice guy.” She threw the crumpled paper towel into the trash can.
“Hah, that’s what you think. He’s crazy about you.” Sandy smiled and leaned back against the counter.
The door creaked open and Ruby walked into the restroom. Aspen bent to pick up her backpack and stumbled for a second, but then stood upright with her shoulders drawn back.
“Hello, Halfling.” Ruby smiled and faced the mirror. After a quick inspection, she smoothed her red bangs against her forehead. Opening a shiny red lip gloss, she reapplied the color to her lips. Aspen assumed the gloss needed to be replaced because half of it was probably still on Dylan’s cheek.
Ruby met Aspen’s eyes in the mirror. “You did okay yesterday, but you’ve got so much to learn. Power means nothing if you can’t control it.” She puckered her lips at her reflection. “You need to practice a lot more before you join our hunts. You could have killed us all if we weren’t behind you.”
Aspen gasped. Sandy stood next to Ruby at the sink and reached forward to grab her arm.