Diary Chapter 5
Friday, July 22
Six days later, I still hadn't heard from Xander yet, and I'm not even upset about it. I can only think of Cade. I wished I would run into Cade again soon...figuratively or literally.
***
Derek and Kristin's friend Logan was having a party since his parents were out of town for the weekend. I explained to Kristin that the party scene wasn't my thing, but she convinced me that it wouldn't be a wild party, only a few friends hanging out. She said it would also be a great opportunity for me to meet more people that go to Wolverine High before school began. I thought she had a good point – the more people I knew before school started, the better. Plus I was hoping that Cade might be there.
8pm. Derek and Kristin picked me up. We arrived at the party about fifteen minutes later. When Kristin said a few friends, I was thinking about ten or fifteen at most, but the party was packed with rowdy teenagers. I spotted Jenny and Claire sitting in the great room. I told Kristin that I was going over to join Jenny and Claire for now, so Kristin and Derek headed for the kitchen to get drinks and snacks. Claire was sitting on the sofa, and Jenny was in one of the matching chairs that were facing the sofa. I decided to sit on the other end of the sofa with Claire. For several minutes I listened to them debate over which cheerleading pyramid trick is the toughest. I had no idea what they were talking about so I mostly zoned out. Then out of the blue, a guy jumped onto the sofa between Claire and I. He had short, spiked, light brown hair, brown eyes, and a great complexion. Not bad to look at, and I bet that a few of the girls were crushing on him.
He put his arm around Claire. "Who's your friend here Claire?"
"This is Jami Reid. Jami meet Jon Greffin."
He gave me a crooked yet playful smile, and the seductive look in his dark brown eyes made me break out in goose pimples. "Very nice to meet you Jami."
"Nice to meet you too Jon."
"So are you here with someone?" He asked bluntly.
"Yes. I'm here with my cousin Kristin and her boyfriend."
"Oh, you mean as in Kristin and Derek."
"Yep."
"So do you have a boyfriend Jami?" He asked nonchalantly.
I shook my head. "No."
"Really? That's very hard to believe."
"Why's that?"
"I just figured a beautiful girl like you would be taken." He paused a beat. "Hey, would you like something to drink? I'm a little thirsty myself."
"Umm sure, is there any diet Pepsi?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll go check."
I couldn't believe my luck when Cade and Takota walked in just then. I was so nervous that my hands were fidgeting in my lap. Cade smiled at me when he saw me, so I smiled back. I was happy that he noticed me at all.
Jon was back within two minutes with a glass of diet Pepsi.
"Thank you." When I reached for the glass his fingers brushed mine. I'm almost positive he did it on purpose.
"You are welcome."
Cade and Takota stood in one corner of the great room, and chatted with two other guys and a girl while Jon and I talked for the next half hour about Orlando and Universal Studios. It was hard to concentrate when all I wanted to do was look at Cade.
I quickly began to feel exceedingly sleepy. My eyelids were getting heavier by the minute. I didn't want to ruin Kristin and Derek's night by requesting to leave so early. I decided to drink another glass of diet Pepsi and hoped that the caffeine would actually give me an energy boost. While I was drinking the second glass something else happened – I began to feel sick to my stomach, and it must have shown.
"Are you okay Jami?" Jon asked.
I placed my hand on my stomach. "Not really, I feel like I may be sick."
I really hoped that I didn't get sick in front of Cade because I would be extremely embarrassed, even more than the day I ran into him in front of the coffee shop. I probably wouldn't be able to even look at him ever again if I were to get sick right here, right now.
"Would you like me to get Kristin for you?" Jon asked.
"No, I don't want to ruin her night out."
"Well, I can give you a ride home if you'd like?" Jon offered.
I shook my head. "I don't want to be a burden."
"I don't mind at all. I was actually about ready to head out anyway."
I tried to stand, but the room tilted violently, my vision swam in a hazy blur, and I fell back down into the sofa.
Logan had just arrived in the room in time to see me fall backwards. "Whoa! Did someone have a little too much to drink tonight?" He pointed down at his shoes. "Do me a favor Jami, and please don't vomit on my new Air Jordan's? I've only had them a week."
I did my best to give him a gruesome look.
Logan threw his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I'll just go over there." He said pointing to a couple of girls sitting with their backs against the wall.
Jon had located Kristin for me, and she said she didn't mind that Jon gave me a ride home. She made him promise that he would make sure I got into my front door safe and sound. Before I left the great room I glanced back to the corner where Cade had been standing, but he and Takota were already gone. They must have stepped out while I was preoccupied in my conversation with Kristin and Jon.
Jon helped me out to his car, and told me that I could lie down in the backseat. I gave him my address, and he told me that he knew how to get to my street. I was very sleepy, light headed, and I decided to close my eyes for only a few minutes. The next thing I remembered was feeling a light cool breeze on my feet and legs, and I could feel that someone was hovering over me. I struggled to open my eyes, I blinked until I could see that the door at my feet was open and Jon was over me. He was trying to unbutton my top.
"Ahh baby we are going to have so much fun. God, you are so damn beautiful and sexy." His eyes were different than before. They looked dark, evil. It was as if a supernatural being possessed him.
Oh God – please no. I tried my best to flail my arms and legs, but I was exceptionally weak. Jon backhanded me on the right side of my face. There was an instant stinging sensation, and I rubbed my face with both hands. He then began unbuttoning my capris at a quick pace. I tried punching him in the face as hard as I could, which didn't seem to affect him. He hit me again.
"Lay still bitch...hey, what the hell?"
Jon was suddenly pulled from the backseat of the car. I heard a fierce growl, and next came a fearful scream. Then everything went dark.
I awoke to the sound of unfamiliar voices. I struggled, once again, to open my heavy eyelids. I didn't recognize the room. I saw, what I thought, were three figures standing just a few feet away from me talking in a low volume.
"She's awake." A male voice whispered.
A moment later I saw a blurry figure standing over me until suddenly the gorgeous face came into focus. It was Cade. His eyes bored into me. My stomach fluttered.
" Hello there. Are you alright?" He asked in a sexy, yet sensitive tone.
"Wh-where am I?"
"In Connors garage."
"Who's Connor? Why am I here?" I touched the side of my face; it throbbed. My knuckles hurt a little so I rubbed them.
"He's a friend of mine. Do you need some ice for your face or hand?"
Then I suddenly remembered. I tried to get up a little too quickly which caused my head to spin like a tilt-a-whirl. Cade steadied me by my arm. His touch sent a shock through my body, just like at the game room when I shook his hand.
"Where's Jon?"
Cade's jaw tightened. "You don't need to worry about him, he's not going to bother you any longer. Connor and I will take you home if you feel like getting up."
I looked to my left, and saw the other guy from the waterfall, Takota, standing next to a guy who was sitting on a stool at a wooden work – station, and I assumed he was Connor. He's attractive with mocha colored skin, short dark brown hair, and an athletic and muscular outline.
"I need to get home before my parents get worried. What time is it?"
"It's ten after eleven."
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, and saw that I had a missed call from my home number, and from Kristin. "I'm supposed to be home by eleven thirty."
"Well, we better get going then." Cade said. "Connor will you drive?"
"Sure." Connor murmured.
Cade helped me up from the sofa. He was solid male. My legs wobbled a bit, and then I surprisingly squealed as he scooped me off my feet and into his arms. While he carried me out to Connor's car, I lightly nuzzled my face into his shoulder and breathed him in. He smelled wonderful, a mixture of musk and lavender.
"Dodge Challenger. You have good taste Connor." I said.
"Thanks." Connor said while handing something to Cade.
"Are you into cars Jami?" Cade asked with amusement in his tone.
"Appreciating American muscle is something I have in common with my dad."
When we reached the car, Cade put me down gently then helped me slide into the back seat before sliding in beside me. He held out a disposable ice pack, and although I made an effort to take it without touching him, his fingers brushed mine, sending a shock of electricity through me all over again, I jerked away this time.
"Thank you." I muttered.
He helped me put my seatbelt on, and then slipped his on. We didn't speak much on the way to my house; we rode in awkward silence except for the low sound of the radio in the background. While Cade stared out the window, I took the opportunity to send Kristin a text to let her know that I was okay.
We pulled into my driveway at eleven thirty-three. Cade walked or should I say practically carried me to my front door. I slipped through the front door and scampered up the stairs to my room before my mom or dad saw me, and then drilled me for information about my face. Luckily, I made it, but I knew that one of them wouldn't be far behind. I pulled down my bed comforter and top sheet then quickly jumped in. A few seconds later, someone opened my door to check on me, and I lay as still as possible so that they would think I had already fell asleep. After the door closed, I got out of bed and tiptoed to my bedroom window, but just as I thought, Cade and Connor were already gone.
I lay back down in my bed, but sleep came very slowly. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if Cade had not stopped Jon. My mind replayed the evening's events over and over, until exhaustion tangled the thoughts, and began to merge them with dreams. I dreamed of a blue-green river, with sunlight gleaming off the magical, flow of the waterfall. The same place where I saw Cade for the first time. I was sitting alone on a blanket wearing a solid black, one-piece bathing suit. Cade slowly rose up out of the water. He smiled and waved then began swimming toward the riverbank. He stood up once he reached the shallow water. He was only wearing shorts, and the water glistened off his bronzed, muscular body. When he reached the blanket, he kneeled and kissed me passionately. Heat radiated through the core of my body, I slowly laid back and closed my eyes. He placed his hand on my thigh, and began gently stroking, but then more firmly, more violently. I suddenly felt pain instead of passion. I quickly opened my eyes. It wasn't Cade anymore. It was Jon. He glared at me, his eyes black with lust and anger. I screamed, and jerked myself awake.
I was too afraid to close my eyes right away, so I turned on my television instead. I watched boring infomercials until I could no longer hold my eyelids open, and finally succumbed to slumber.
Saturday, July 23
9am. The next morning I awoke at the sound of the doorbell. My head throbbed so I immediately went to my bathroom to see what condition my face was in and, to my surprise most of the redness and swelling were gone. Jon had hit me across my cheekbone. It doesn't look like it will bruise. I figured the headache must be from whatever drug he had slipped into my drink.
I applied some concealer, and what was left of the redness was covered. I took a couple of Tylenol, and went downstairs for breakfast. There was a beautiful bouquet of assorted flowers sitting on the kitchen island.
"Good morning honey," mom said cheerfully.
"Good morning, whose are those?" I touched one of the silky, red, rose petals.
"They have your name on them."
"What?" I quickly grabbed the card and opened it. It read: Dear Jami, Be well! Cade.
I was so preoccupied that I hadn't noticed Noah walk into the room, "Who's your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend, just a guy I met last night. He's just being nice."
Mom smiled. "You must've made a good first impression."
"Yuck!" Noah exclaimed.
There is no way I'm telling mom what happened with Jon last night. Part of me wants to, but then part of me knows that I would just be kept prisoner in my own home until I'm twenty. I hate keeping things from my mom...I tell her just about everything. I'm thankful Cade showed up last night when he did. I do have some questions to ask him though. I mean, did he just happen to be in the right place at the right time?
A few minutes later, while I was eating my pancakes and scrambled eggs, the phone rang. Noah grabbed it on the second ring. "Reid's residence. Yeah, hang on." He held the phone out to me. "It's for you, it's your boyfriend."
I jumped up from the table, and took the phone into the great room. "Hello."
"Hi Jami, it's Xander. Would you like to go out tonight?"
I felt a stab of disappointment. "I'll have to check with my parents. What did you have in mind?"
"Just dinner and hanging out."
"Can you hold on just a moment?" I checked with my mom to make sure she didn't mind that I went out with Xander. Unfortunately, she didn't mind.
"Thanks I'm back. Yes, I'll go out with you tonight."
"Great! Is seven alright?"
"Yeah, I'll see you then." I hung up the phone, and wondered what Xander really had in mind.
7pm. Xander showed up promptly at seven just like the first time. He came inside for a moment, and briefly spoke to my parents. Fortunately, my dad didn't interrogate him like on our first date.
Xander took me to a local diner, called Lakeside Diner that was famous for good service and great food. It had the classic, old-time diner look that you see in some old movies. It had the black and white checkered floor, and metal chairs with red padding. In my opinion, the food stood up to the high reviews. I ordered a cheeseburger and waffle fries that were absolutely appetizing.
Unfortunately Xander was flirtatious again, just like the night at the game room. I don't mind a little flirting, but his was becoming a tad annoying.
"What is your idea of a perfect date?" He asked randomly.
Well, I know there are two things that Xander is good at – being prompt and asking random questions. "I'm not sure, I've never really thought about it. I guess I would like spontaneity."
"Elaborate please," he asked with a mischievous grin.
I smirked. "I could, but wouldn't that defeat the purpose."
He nodded and smiled back, "Yeah, I guess it would."
After dinner we went on a drive on a back, country road. After several minutes of driving, and questions about my likes and dislikes, he pulled into a gravel parking area. I assumed it was for hiking or maybe a bike trail. There were actually two other cars parked in the lot, a Jeep and a Ford ranger.
"Are we going walking in the dark?" I asked, concerned.
"No, I thought we could use a nice quiet place to talk, and get to know each other better."
"Okay."
"How do you feel about physical intimacy Jami?"
Whoa! "Umm, I don't feel comfortable talking to you about that subject at the moment." I could feel myself blush.
He reached over and took my hand in his. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward."
"It's okay."
Suddenly he leaned over and blew lightly into my hair, and then kissed me passionately on the neck. I shivered, but not in a good way. I was actually disgusted.
"Spontaneity right?" He whispered.
I started to tell him that I wanted to go home when I heard a dreadful noise. It sounded like a mixture of a painful scream and an animal yelping. "Did you hear that? It sounded like an animal in pain."
He tensed and his jaw clenched. "Yeah, I heard it." He reached for his car door.
"Where are you going?" I asked in horror.
"I'm going to check it out. Stay here and lock the doors behind me."
"Xander please don't."
"Do what I say Jami." He demanded, then closed the door and strolled off into the woods.
I did as he said and I locked the doors. Ten minutes went by and I began to get really worried. I pulled out my cell phone, but I couldn't get signal, not even one bar. Of course!
I hadn't heard the noise since the one time so I decided to take my chances, and see if I could find Xander. I got out of the Range Rover ever so slowly. I easily closed the car door, trying to make only a minimum amount of noise. I stood still to check if I could hear anything. I could only hear the leaves dancing in the warm summer breeze. I began walking the same way Xander had, when I instantly saw a figure walking toward me.
"Xander?" I asked softly, almost in a whisper.
"No!"
I slowly began walking backwards, and before panic could officially set in, I saw a beautifully familiar face come into view under the bright, luminescent moonlight. I immediately froze. His blue eyes practically glowed in the moonlight, which added to his mysteriousness.
"Cade?"
"Yeah. Come on." He gently took my hand, and led me back to the Range Rover. My stomach fluttered with excitement and wonder.
"What are you doing? You can't go into the woods at night." He sounded concerned.
"I-I was looking for Xander. We heard a noise and he went to check it out."
"You should've stayed in the car. Xander can take care of himself."
I realized at that moment, he was still holding my hand, and I stared at him in amazement. He looked like an Angel under the moonlight. It was breathtaking. I nodded my head quickly, "Sorry." The word came out in a whisper.
He let out a sigh. "Are you alright? How's your face feeling?" He lightly brushed my face with his hand, which made my knees go weak and I quavered.
It took me a second to remember what he was talking about. "Oh, it's almost back to normal. Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."
"Your welcome."
"What's going on?" W looked over to see Xander approaching at a very quick pace.
"Get in the car Jami." Cade demanded with sincerity as he opened the door and helped me in.
He barely got the door closed when Xander appeared directly in front of him, so close that their faces were only inches apart. Oh no! Cade glanced at me then said something to Xander. They walked a few feet away from the car but I could still see them under the bright moonlight. It looked like they might be arguing about something. I hoped not about me. I turned the key backwards in the ignition, and rolled down my window a little so I could hear them.
"She could've gotten hurt," Cade said.
"Well, she didn't. Plus I wouldn't have let anything happen to her," Xander replied.
"How could you be so sure?"
"We can discuss this later, I've got to take her home."
Xander started moving toward the car so I quickly rolled up the window then turned the key back to normal position.
"What was that all about?" I asked when Xander was back in the car.
"Nothing. Just a misunderstanding." His jaw clenched.
"What kind of misunderstanding?"
"It's nothing to worry about. Really."
He barely spoke to me on the ride home, just an uncomfortable silence. There was something mysterious about him, which actually made him more attractive. He walked me to my door, told me goodnight, and to my surprise, he kissed me. A slow, gentle kiss! It was nice, but the excitement you would expect just wasn't there for me.
He made sure I was inside before he walked back to his Range Rover.
ns 15.158.61.7da2
