go.”
I sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you later?”
“I’m working a double, remember? Come by the gym tonight and we’ll do your training there.”
The senior class was offered a work-study program with the option of getting out of school early every day so they could go to work. Since Sam is emancipated and paying for his own rent and food, working is essential, and this is just one more way he can get in more hours.
At first I wasn’t thrilled because I had too many classes left to complete to graduate to qualify for the work-study program, so I was stuck here all day. But it was good for Sam, and I wasn’t about to complain about anything that made his life easier. Plus, because he worked so much during the day, he sometimes had the evenings off and that meant he could spend them with me.
Except for the one day a week he worked a double. Which happened to be today.
His chair scraped back and he slapped Cole a high five and then turned to me.
“I’ll see you later.” I began.
Sam grinned, his teeth flashing white, and he tackled me, sweeping me and the chair I sat in down toward the floor, holding me so I didn’t hit the floor, and then he kissed me, loud and sloppily.
I laughed around his kisses. Then he righted my chair, planting one last solid kiss on my lips. “See ya later, baby.”
I was still smiling when I uncapped my water to take a sip. When I lifted the bottle to my lips, I noticed Cole staring at me with a disgusted look on his face.
“What?” I asked, lowering the bottle.
“You two are gross.”
I sighed. “Have you still not talked to Gemma?”
A pained expression crossed his eyes before he blanked it out and looked down at his food. “No.”
“Cole, that’s ridiculous. You can’t avoid each other forever.”
“I’m not avoiding her.”
“That’s not true and you know it.” I scowled. “Why don’t you at least let me tell you what I learned when I…” My voice faded away as I thought about what I did to Gemma.
“When you mind-robbed her?” Cole said blatantly.
I swallowed and nodded slowly. During the summer a new ability surfaced. Whenever I touched someone I could ask them a question and be instantly transported into their mind and the memory they were seeing at that moment—usually the answer to the question I wanted to know. It makes me feel like I’m robbing someone of their private thoughts and feelings… hence the term “mind-robbing.”
Cole sighed. “Sorry. That was rude.”
“It’s okay,” I said, but he shook his head and sighed. “I already know how she feels.”
“You what?” I asked, thinking I hadn’t heard him right.
“I talked to her.”
“You just said you hadn’t.”
“I haven’t since then,” he half growled.
Well, this was a touchy subject. But I wasn’t about to let it go. “You know she loves you, then?” I said, gauging his reaction. I couldn’t understand why he was so grouchy if he finally knew how she really felt.
Unless of course she lied to him about it.
“Yeah. But she still won’t be with me,” he said, losing interest in his lunch.
“Did she tell you why?” I prodded. I didn’t want to blurt out what I knew if he didn’t know it too.
He made an impatient sound in the back of his throat and looked at me. “She thinks that me being with her is only going to ‘taint’ me and ruin my eternity.” The tone of his voice told me everything I needed to know about his opinion on that.
Before I could respond, he said, “It’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Who gets punished for loving someone?” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I mean, really, Heven. Of all the bad shit we’ve seen, you think me and Gemma together would be what God is worried about?” He shook his head like he was trying to understand.
“I see your point.” I agreed. “But I
I sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you later?”
“I’m working a double, remember? Come by the gym tonight and we’ll do your training there.”
The senior class was offered a work-study program with the option of getting out of school early every day so they could go to work. Since Sam is emancipated and paying for his own rent and food, working is essential, and this is just one more way he can get in more hours.
At first I wasn’t thrilled because I had too many classes left to complete to graduate to qualify for the work-study program, so I was stuck here all day. But it was good for Sam, and I wasn’t about to complain about anything that made his life easier. Plus, because he worked so much during the day, he sometimes had the evenings off and that meant he could spend them with me.
Except for the one day a week he worked a double. Which happened to be today.
His chair scraped back and he slapped Cole a high five and then turned to me.
“I’ll see you later.” I began.
Sam grinned, his teeth flashing white, and he tackled me, sweeping me and the chair I sat in down toward the floor, holding me so I didn’t hit the floor, and then he kissed me, loud and sloppily.
I laughed around his kisses. Then he righted my chair, planting one last solid kiss on my lips. “See ya later, baby.”
I was still smiling when I uncapped my water to take a sip. When I lifted the bottle to my lips, I noticed Cole staring at me with a disgusted look on his face.
“What?” I asked, lowering the bottle.
“You two are gross.”
I sighed. “Have you still not talked to Gemma?”
A pained expression crossed his eyes before he blanked it out and looked down at his food. “No.”
“Cole, that’s ridiculous. You can’t avoid each other forever.”
“I’m not avoiding her.”
“That’s not true and you know it.” I scowled. “Why don’t you at least let me tell you what I learned when I…” My voice faded away as I thought about what I did to Gemma.
“When you mind-robbed her?” Cole said blatantly.
I swallowed and nodded slowly. During the summer a new ability surfaced. Whenever I touched someone I could ask them a question and be instantly transported into their mind and the memory they were seeing at that moment—usually the answer to the question I wanted to know. It makes me feel like I’m robbing someone of their private thoughts and feelings… hence the term “mind-robbing.”
Cole sighed. “Sorry. That was rude.”
“It’s okay,” I said, but he shook his head and sighed. “I already know how she feels.”
“You what?” I asked, thinking I hadn’t heard him right.
“I talked to her.”
“You just said you hadn’t.”
“I haven’t since then,” he half growled.
Well, this was a touchy subject. But I wasn’t about to let it go. “You know she loves you, then?” I said, gauging his reaction. I couldn’t understand why he was so grouchy if he finally knew how she really felt.
Unless of course she lied to him about it.
“Yeah. But she still won’t be with me,” he said, losing interest in his lunch.
“Did she tell you why?” I prodded. I didn’t want to blurt out what I knew if he didn’t know it too.
He made an impatient sound in the back of his throat and looked at me. “She thinks that me being with her is only going to ‘taint’ me and ruin my eternity.” The tone of his voice told me everything I needed to know about his opinion on that.
Before I could respond, he said, “It’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Who gets punished for loving someone?” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I mean, really, Heven. Of all the bad shit we’ve seen, you think me and Gemma together would be what God is worried about?” He shook his head like he was trying to understand.
“I see your point.” I agreed. “But I
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