Wraithsong by E. J. Squires Page B

but doesn’t even so much as nod to
acknowledge me once our eyes meet.
    “ We’re not working together
anymore.” He doesn’t even seem to notice my outfit I worked so hard
to put together.
    “ I’m not here to weed.” I
roll my eyes. “Did you really think I’d be weeding in this outfit
and these shoes?” I say, just to draw a little more attention to my
ensemble.
    “ Then why are you here?” He
grunts as he lifts a huge plastic bag up onto a wood
dolly.
    He’s being difficult, but
that doesn’t deter me at all, and in fact brings out the
competitive side in me. “I’m here…to talk.” I sound sure of myself,
but I’m nothing of the sort.
    “ I don’t have time to
talk.” He lifts another bag up onto the dolly. “I have to get to my
soccer practice after this.”
    “ Then
when do you have time to talk?” I ask, taking a step
closer.
    Anthony exhales sharply and
looks me in the eyes. “Never.”
    Never? Why is he acting so
standoffish? I must have done something wrong for him to never want
to talk to me again. “You said we could be friends,” I
press.
    “ Well, I changed my mind. I
have a girlfriend now, and she doesn’t like you.”
    I feel like he just punched
me in the stomach. A girlfriend? “How could she not like me? She
doesn’t even know me, and if you’re referring to the blonde beach
bimbo, you might want to get—”
    He interrupts me. “Just let
me be, okay? I’d like for nothing more than for you to leave me
alone right now—and forever.”
    “ Why?” I’m trying to act
like his words don’t affect me, but each word is another torrent of
pain.
    “ I don’t have to explain
that to you,” he says, brushing the dirt off his khaki pants and
then he runs his fingers through his hair.
    I take a deep breath to
help bolster my resolve. “You’re not going to get rid of me, you
know. I’m not about to follow your orders like all those other
girls.” My boldness strengthens with each word and I compel my mind
to focus on one thing: I must find out if he’s like me.
    “ I don’t know what you’re
talking about,” he says in an annoyed tone.
    “ Sure you don’t,” I say
sarcastically, taking another step toward him as I lick my lips.
I’m in the zone now—a zone where I’m intent on getting what I want,
when I want it, which is right now.
    Anthony pauses for a
moment, looking as if he’s trying to formulate a sentence in his
mind. Then he shakes his head and laughs. “You’re different from
other girls, I’ll give you that.”
    I chuckle for a moment,
too, because this is really a comic situation. “Is that a good
thing, or a bad thing?” I ask.
    “ It’s…
neither. It just is, okay? Why are you pestering me so much?” he
grumbles.
    That comment hurt, and I
blink. My confidence is swept away by his unkind words.
    “ I’m sorry, that was mean.
I’m not used to girls who are so—” He pauses for so long, I think
he might never complete the sentence, but I truly want to know what
he thinks of me.
    “ So…?” I press.
    “ So honest.” Our eyes
connect and chills go through my body.
    “ Honest?”
    He folds his arms in front
of his chest and his veins are visible beneath his skin. He looks
away and I notice that I’ve stopped breathing for a moment. “Most
girls seem to just say what they think I want to hear, but you,” he
scratches his head, “you just blurt things out, and it drives me
crazy! You drive me absolutely crazy.”
    “ Don’t you want people to
be honest with you?”
    “ Well, not brutally
honest.” He glances at me as if accusing me.
    Focus Sonia! I came in here
for a purpose. He has a tendency to do that to me; make me want
him, and forget what I want; make me weak in the knees and
weak-willed; make my heart race and my mind forgetful. “Why are you
so interested in Norse mythology?” I ask.
    “ What? Where did that
question come from?” he sneers.
    “ I don’t have to explain
everything to you,” I say, using his