Page 74 of Ghost
The boys touched me while we were alone, the restaurant, or even just now in the cafeteria. But it hadn’t been all that crowded in any of those places. But this was different, because a countless number of students congregated in this area, and were quick to give the two of us a wide berth.
This would make things worse. But for some reason, I didn’t care.
Miles didn’t shy away from showing me affection in front of his peers, like Finn would have done. It made me feel special, and that would make up for all the heartache.
And even though Miles was right, I hadn’t been paying attention to his words. I had, also, noted certain things on our walk here. The way his arm brushed against mine. The warmth of his body against my side. And even now, the intense look he levelled at me.
It made something horrifying, but warm, begin to curl in my stomach.
I could never tell him this. Or any of them, because they all had drawn this out now. There was something abnormal going on. I wasn’t certain if it was safe to even acknowledge it.
In response to his question, I nodded. And his lips thinned in response, as if he didn’t believe me at all.
“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the afternoon?” he asked.
I blinked at him, wondering why he’d bring this up again. We discussed the plan during breakfast, and already during lunch.
He caught the question in my eyes. “Humor me,” he said. “I want to know you’re prepared. We both know how terrible people can be. And we also don’t know where you-know-who is.”
“Voldemort?” I asked, his concern making me grin. “That’s one of his favorite characters, you know. He claims that he’s misunderstood.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Miles rolled his eyes. “He was always jealous of us magical folks. Of course he’d pick one of the most powerful. But Finn will never be a wizard. He doesn’t have the genetics. Not like me.”
I perked up; was he bragging? “Is it a level then? You’ll tell me about it now? You said you graduate, right?”
His mouth turned up, and somewhere in the background there were gasps of alarm. But I ignored them, only able to watch the transformation in front of me.
Since lunch, he’d been somewhat closed off and I wondered if I had done something. But here was the Miles I had seen over the weekend.
“One day soon, I’ll tell you. I’ll need a test subject. You’ll be perfect.”
My awe faded, and concerned prickled at me. I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded foreboding. “What?”
“The plan.” He changed the subject, patting down the shoulders of his jacket. “What was it?”
I pursed my lips, considering, before repeating the well-rehearsed instructions. “After class, I am to go to the library and sit somewhere public. If Finn comes near me, I am to disregard everything and everyone and beat in his face. Then, when he’s quivering on the ground in pain and humiliation, I’m to kick him in the balls.”
Miles was frowning at me. “That’s not the plan.”
“It should be,” I muttered, glaring over Miles’ shoulder.
I thought it was spoken too low for Miles to hear, but his hearing was better than I expected. “Your intensity is scary.”
My face burned with shame. I hadn’t intended for him to witness my violent nature, but it didn’t seem as though I could stop myself. Surely, he was horrified.
“Although, Julian and Titus would agree with you,” Miles mused, contemplation on his face. “Julian probably the very most. He feels deeply and can hold a grudge for a long time. He is also exceedingly patient. I can get into a temper, you’ve witnessed it slightly before. I might agree then. But now I do see the merit in waiting him out. And in most cases, Damen would be completely on your side. He, by far, has the shortest fuse.Butcertain people can bring out his patient side—Finn is one of them. Although, when he regains control, he also enjoys finding the underlying causes behind people’s actions.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Julian… he was the least violent person in the world. And Damen—since when did he have a temper?
“But,” Miles continued. “The plan. I have classes until four, so you’ll have an hour to kill. I’ll bring you along to practice if you wait for me in the coffee shop.”
“You weren’t going to bring me before?” I asked, recalling it never was in the original plan for me to stay with him this afternoon. Then there was his strange reaction when I brought up soccer. He had blushed, stuttered, and seemed embarrassed. But if he was the star player, I couldn’t imagine why he’d feel that way. “I’d love to see you play.”
At my question, his cheeks dusted, and he broke our eye contact.
“I wasn’t,” he mumbled. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Oh… So he had performance anxiety. I understood that. It might even affect him in other aspects of his life. Like, maybe, his love life.
