She looked down. Two of the cards were crooked, both angled to the left. Accustomed to the way the spirits talked to her, she swapped the places of those two.
“Hanged Man, Devil, Six of Cups, Ace of Swords, reversed and Queen of Swords, reversed. I need to let go of something in my past. Jayden is trapped by something in his past. We must be careful who we trust, because there are others who will cause …”
Danger.
She sucked in a breath.
No, the cards hadn’t answered her simple question about dating him. They’d given her something else. A layered warning, one she couldn’t fully understand but which she knew came from outside her and Jayden. He was no danger to her, but something out there – perhaps connected to their past – was a threat to them both.
Was this a sign they shouldn’t be together, that the danger appeared because of their relationship? How did their separate pasts connect?
Or maybe, when? They’d only just met. Was there a connection among their ancestors instead of their childhoods?
The warning bell rang.
Heart racing, Adrienne snatched up the cards and put them away then raced out of the bathroom to make her next class.
Chapter Seven
Jayden waited the rest of the school day for her response. He considered sending his again to make sure Adrienne got it, but stopped himself.
He’d never had any girl reject him before. The idea that this one might, made him want to laugh in confusion. Mickey was right. Girls threw themselves at him, if not because of his status as the leading high school quarterback in the country then because of whom his father was. Had he come across too strong? Not strong enough? Did he somehow offend her? Was she really angry about the lunch? Adrienne wasn’t exactly falling into his lap, like most girls, which left him a little confused and a little more intrigued than he liked.
Was she going to be more drama than Kimmie, whose emails hadn’t stopped all day long?
Jayden was almost angry by the end of the day. He’d met a beautiful girl, the first he ever really felt drawn to, and this was how it ended? Before he even got to know her? She’d seemed very … sweet, especially to befriend someone as unpopular as Emma and to put having lunch with the social pariah over lunch with him.
God is telling me not to get involved. At least, that’s probably what his mother would tell him. He hadn’t planned on it, until Adrienne started playing hard-to-get, tugging at his competitive streak.
Irritated, Jayden waited when the last bell of the day rang. Kimmie asked him to meet her outside the gym, where she was having her cheer practice, for one final attempt to convince him not to break up with her and take her to Homecoming. He felt less tolerant of her antics than normal as he grabbed his stuff from his locker. A glance at his iPad revealed half a dozen new emails. He was constantly talking to Mickey and others during class, usually about football, girls or the instructors boring them to death.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he read the latest reminder from Kimmie to meet her and was about to delete the entire conversation when he saw that Adrienne had finally responded.
Jayden, I live in the Projects. I’m sure that that changes your mind, and I understand. – Adrienne
His opinion of her warmed immediately. He hadn’t considered what she’d grappled with as a scholarship student. He’d seen how mean some of the kids could be to the less fortunate students. He was at once irked that she’d assume he was like that and understanding that she had no idea who he was in the first place. They were virtually neighbors; his mother’s apartment was in the same ward.
He didn’t have a chance to respond before meeting with Kimmie. Still, he felt better knowing Adrienne wasn’t rejecting him. Jayden left the school for the sports complex. Kimmie was pacing outside the propped doors, waiting for him. His eyes fell not on her, but on Adrienne, who was trailing the cheer squad into the gym. If Kimmie wasn’t sure to get jealous, he’d tell Adrienne right then and there what he thought of her email.
“I knew you’d be late,” Kimmie said as he approached. “I’m glad you came, though.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Look, Kimmie, I haven’t –”
“- changed your mind,” she finished for him. “Still?” She searched his face, as if genuinely surprised that was the case.
“No.”
“Then who will you go to Homecoming with?”
“No one, at this point,” he replied.
“You’re going to be crowned the king. You can’t not have a date!”
“Do you have a date? You’re a shoo-in for the Homecoming queen.”
“Well…” She crossed her arms. “I have a back-up plan, if you’re serious about not going with me.”
“Not surprised,” he muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“I said, that’s good. Because I’m serious about breaking up with you, Kimmie. I’m done with the drama and the emails and the phone calls. Whoever your back-up plan is, go and be happy,” he said with more heat than he intended.
She appeared wounded, and he felt guilty, despite the fact that she was driving him crazy. After years of taking care of his mother and sisters, he hated, hated upsetting women. Nothing good ever came of a woman who was pissed.
“I don’t understand it. You should be …” She shook her head.
“Should be what?” he asked. “Harassing me isn’t really a good way to convince me.” He tried to make it sound like a joke, but it fell flat.
“No, because I bought a spell from a bokor. He said you’d fall in love with me!”
“Oh, god, more voodoo crap. You know that’s just a sham, right?” he asked. “Go get a refund.”
Anger glittered in her dark eyes. Kimmie whirled away and went into the gym. Jayden followed, only because he wanted to see what the cheer squad was doing with his angel. Kayla was showing Adrienne a routine. He’d heard Darla quit, but he hadn’t thought they’d ask Adrienne to join the squad.
Then again, it made sense. While smaller than the others, she gave any girl on the squad a run for their money in looks. Those green eyes and blonde hair were the talk of the football team.
As if feeling him study her, Adrienne glanced up. Her face turned pink, and she looked away quickly. He hadn’t responded to her email yet and wondered if that’s why she appeared embarrassed. She was waiting for him to reject her.
Jayden pushed himself away from the doorway and left. Tonight he was headed to his father’s. He spent the weekdays at his father’s and every other weekend at his mother’s, unless she called him drunk to pick her up. Then he usually stayed the night to make sure she woke up the next day.
His daddy was having friends over for dinner, and Jayden hoped it was the Tarinos, who had a son his age who played sports. His dad loved to brag about the All-American quarterback that was his son. Jayden went with it. He tried to keep both parents happy, which was often impossible, since they seemed to want different things.
He whipped out his iPhone, where he’d routed school messages to his personal email.
How did he reassure Adrienne he didn’t care at all about her being from the wrong side of New Orleans? He thought hard about it as he walked to his car. He slid into the driver’s seat and blasted the AC then typed a response.
Adrienne- I’ll pick you up at 10. Send me your addy. BTW- can’t wait to see you in your cheer uniform Fri at the pep rally. – J.
Too strong? Probably. He really couldn’t help it, though. He’d never been this attracted to anyone. It was almost like he knew her somehow.