NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
“You wanna explain to me what’s going on?” Hayden asked the moment Jason left the classroom.
His best friend had a mixed expression of disbelief, wonder, and a hint of jealousy on his face as he fell into step next to Jason.
“I’ve never even seen you start a conversation with any girls at school and now you suddenly…” Hayden paused as he noticed Jason’s hands shaking. “Hey man, you all right?”
“Sorry.” Jason stuffed his hands into his pockets to hide them until he got his reactions under control.
Hayden frowned. “Seriously dude. What’s going on with you? Courtney is one of the best looking girls in school, not to mention how hot that new transfer student is. She’s your friend, right? Most guys would kill just to get the chance at dating one of those beauties. How is it you’ve got them both fighting over you already?”
Jason took a moment to consider his best friend. What little jealousy he had been feeling before was now replaced with genuine concern for Jason’s wellbeing. Hayden was a good friend and, although it might be selfish, Jason needed someone to be on his side.
“Can you keep a secret?” Jason cast furtive looks around to make sure no one else in the halls would be listening.
As long as he kept their conversation at a low volume, no one should be able to hear them in the noisy hallways.
Hayden nodded, intrigued.
“It started in middle school.” Jason began his story as the pair slowly made their way to the cafeteria. “I began noticing a pair of girls I was close to acting really strangely. They both… liked me.”
Hayden snickered. “I agree, that is strange.”
Jason gave him a solid punch in the shoulder.
“It was strange in its intensity.” Jason continued. “This wasn’t some young innocent crush. These girls were obsessed. Crazily obsessed. They would follow me home, break into my house, attack anyone that got too close to me.”
Jason shuddered. “They even ended up turning on each other. They started fighting over me. It escalated to the point where one girl stabbed the other to death in the bathroom.”
Hayden’s smirk vanished at that point.
“It wasn’t either of them,” He tilted his head back in the direction of the classroom, “was it?”
Jason shook his head. “The girl that stabbed the other one was arrested. Last I heard she’s still in a mental asylum somewhere.”
Hayden swore under his breath. “I’m sorry you had to go through that man, honest. You mentioned you’d move around a lot but I didn’t know it was because of something like that.”
Jason nodded.
“So what’s this got to do with Courtney and Jessica?” Hayden asked.
Jason took a deep breath. Now comes the hard part.
“I believe… The reason those girls went crazy in middle school has something to do with me.”
Hayden lifted an eyebrow.
“I think girls who make physical contact with me, like their skin touching mine,” Jason explained carefully, “are driven crazy and obsessive over me.”
Hayden stared at him blankly for a few steps.
“Oh screw you dude.” Hayden scowled with fierce disappointment. “Here I was feeling sorry for you and you go and make me look like a-”
He stopped when he noticed that Jason wasn’t smiling.
“You’re not serious.”
“I am serious.” Jason stated firmly.
“Then what are you hanging around me for?” Hayden scoffed. “Go skin to skin the girl of your dreams and make her crazy about you.”
“Haven’t you listened to anything I said?” Jason hissed back, urging Hayden to lower his voice. “Girls that are affected like this are insane. Two of them got into a knife fight, Hayden. A knife fight. In middle school.”
“I mean, I’m sure knife fights have happened before.” Hayden reasoned.
Jason shook his head. “I’m being completely honest right now man. I’m not pulling your leg, or trying to make you look stupid. I really need someone to believe me.”
Hayden pressed his lips into a thin line.
“So, your skin condition?” He asked.
“It’s a cover so I can limit my chance at potentially brushing into someone.”
Hayden was silent for a few moments but then he began to nod his head.
“All right.”
Relief flooded Jason’s veins, calming a panic that he hadn’t noticed was building inside of his mind.
“Thank you.” Jason felt an immense weight lift of his shoulders.
“So you’ve touched those two back there?” Hayden jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“Don’t say it like that.” Jason checked once again to make sure no one was actively listening to their conversation. “I mean I grew up with Jess. I thought she left before everything started but maybe she was the first one affected.”
“Because of her reaction today?’ Hayden surmised.
“Well, that, and…” Jason felt his cheeks flush. “She was the first person, you know, I ever had a crush on.”
“Ah.” Hayden nodded sagely.
“What do you know about Courtney?’ Jason asked.
Hayden shrugged. “I know she’s extremely popular with the guys in the school, though, she’s turned down any confessions or invitations she’s received. They say she doesn’t care about anything and her dad is influential enough that the staff are afraid to reprimand her.”
Hayden chuckled. “Seeing her interact with you actually makes a lot of sense after what you just told me. How do you not have hundreds of girls chasing you around and stab-”
Hayden stopped mid sentence when he realized what he was about to say probably wasn’t smart.
“I mean, even if you wear pants, long sleeve shirts, and gloves all of the time, you must still have instances where you bump into some lady in the grocery store.”
“It doesn’t happen to everyone.” Jason explained as the pair arrived at the large school cafeteria.
They paused in the entrance and surveyed the various food lines.
“I’ve had incidents where I’ve made contact with women much older than me but nothing ever comes of it. I think it’s limited to a certain range of girls around my own age.”
“Hmm.” Hayden scratched at his chin as he considered Jason’s words and their lunch options.
He glanced at Jason. “No home lunch today? Is your aunt out of town?”
Before Jason could respond, a familiar head of hair caught his eye. A short girl with long, messy black hair approached with her head low enough that Jason couldn’t see her face. Her arms were tucked behind her back.
The girl watching me earlier. Jason realized as the stranger paused directly in front of him.
“I…. Um…..” She stuttered quietly.
Jason saw Hayden shoot him a questioning look from the corner of his eye but Jason didn’t have any answers for him.
“I-I-I m-m-m-made…” The girl brought her arms around to reveal a simple lunchbox which she pushed forward into Jason’s chest.
“You made this for me?” Jason asked, dumbfounded.
The girl nodded and her hands began trembling. Jason instinctually grabbed the lunchbox from her to prevent it from falling from her grip. The moment Jason had a firm handle on the box, the girl turned and began to speed walk away.
“Wait!” Jason called after her.
The girl stiffened and turned back. Her head remained tucked into her chest and her entire body began to tremble.
“Sorry.” Jason glanced down at the lunchbox in his hands. “I just wanted to ask you your name.”
What little skin visible on the girl’s face turned bright scarlet at his question. She clenched her hands tightly and held them to her sides.
“K…. Ki….” She fumbled to get her words out.
After a few more failed attempts the girl took a deep breath. She lifted her head and finally met Jason’s eyes. Her heart shaped face still blazed a bright scarlet color but her hazel eyes burned with relentless determination.
She’s cute. Jason felt his own face begin to flush as her eyes bore into his own.
“Kirsten!” She practically shouted when she finally got it out.
Her embarrassment gave way to a small smile of elation. She laughed, blushed fiercely again, and ran away before Jason could say anything more. A few nearby students let out wolf whistles and cheers at the spectacle.
“So.” Hayden clapped Jason on the shoulder. “I take it she’s also affected.”
“I think so…” Jason looked at the box in his hands with a pained expression. “But I honestly don’t know when I could have run into her. I don’t even recognize her.”
“Doesn’t seem so bad.” Hayden remarked.
Jason unlatched the lunchbox and peeked inside. The food looked pristine, professional grade. Warm steamed rice, perfectly cooked beef slices coated in sauce, and a dish of mixed vegetables made Jason’s mouth water.
“I don’t know man.” Hayden shook his head as he considered the lunchbox’s contents. “Do you really think that girl could up and attack someone? She was barely able to say her own name.”
“It was like this at the start last time too.” Jason stared at the meal as he spoke. “Nice gestures, thoughtful messages, and gentle advances. If it was like this all the time I would be thrilled.”
“Things get bad, Hayden.” Jason shook his head. “The longer this goes, the more obsessed they get. Especially if there are multiple people vying for my attention. They get jealous, and that jealousy gets ugly. Fast.”
“Yeah, I think I saw a bit of that earlier.” Hayden admitted, clearly thinking of the hostilities between Jessica and Courtney. “How did you get them to let you go like that?”
“I’m the focus of their obsession, so I just redirected their attention back to me. I gave Courtney my phone number and I agreed to meet Jessica after school so we could catch up as old friends.”
“That’s good thinking.” Hayden chuckled.
Jason’s frown deepened. “It works for now but it's a double edged sword.”
Understanding struck Hayden. “It forces you to spend more time with them, speeding up the process.”
Jason nodded.
“Well this sucks.” Hayden ran a hand through his blond hair. “Look, I don’t want you to leave, honest, but do you think it might be for the best? You know, just to avoid any of the things you’re telling me about?”
“This morning I would have thought the same.” Jason admitted. “But after Jess showed up… I don’t think this is something that ever really goes away.”
“So what do you want to do?” Hayden asked gravely.
“We need to understand this ability, curse, or whatever it is.” Jason stated as he closed the lid of Kirsten’s lunchbox. “I don’t really know how but we’ll start with research. Hopefully we come across something that can give us some direction.”
He sighed as he felt an itch on the back of his neck.
“She’s watching me, isn’t she.” Jason asked Hayden quietly.
Hayden nodded, eyes flicking over Jason’s shoulder. “Are you going to eat it?”
“I’ll probably have to. Just stay close to me if I fall unconscious.” Jason requested.
Hayden paled slightly. “Right.”
Jason claimed a bench along one of the long tables in the center of the room while he waited for Hayden to get his lunch. Although the future was still hazy and filled with potential dangers, Jason couldn’t help but feel relieved that he finally had someone to confide in.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirsten could barely contain herself as she watched Jason eat the meal she had prepared for him. She had the perfect seat across the room, clear from any obstructions between her future husband and herself. For the hundredth time, she thanked her foresight to bug Jason’s phone case so she could overhear details; like Jason not having a homemade lunch today. After her resolution to secure her position as Jason’s lover this morning, Kirsten had garnered enough courage to overcome her fear and actually talk to him. Face to face.
If only I could hear what he was saying. Kirsten cursed the noisy cafeteria and surrounding hallways that made it impossible for her to use her listening device.
Watching Jason eat the food that she had prepared this morning was absolute bliss. Kirsten didn’t even bother with her own meal, she was too afraid to miss a moment. The only thing that broke through her laser-like focus was the arrival of two troublesome individuals. The first was the girl that sat next to Jason. She arrived partway through the hour and found an open seat a few tables away from Jason.
Kirsten tore her eyes away from the beautiful sight of Jason licking sauce from his fingers to see the girl with red streaks in her dark hair tap out a text message on her phone. After sending the message, the girl turned her head and proceeded to stare at Jason. In a moment, Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Why does she have his number? Kirsten’s happiness faded rapidly.
Jason looked at his phone, frowned, and then proceeded to glance furtively around the room. He made eye contact with the sender to which she replied with a sly wink and a small wave. Kirsten dug her nails into the table in front of her.
The second troublesome person walked through the cafeteria doors a moment later. The tall, athletic newcomer entered the room with a goofy smile plastered onto her face. Kirsten watched as the girl shot numerous glances towards Jason while she waited in line to purchase lunch. Each time the transfer student looked his way, she would blush and that stupid smile would grow a bit larger.
Why is she so excited? Kirsten felt her breathing quicken.
Kirsten surveyed the room and spotted the blond hair that belonged to Ashlynn Connol. The honor’s student was surrounded by her usual gaggle of admirers and didn’t even seem aware that Jason was in the room.
She’s still a passive threat. Kirsten thought as she returned to the ones staring openly at Jason. But I’ll have to find a way to get these aggressive swine away from my Jason. They don't know him. They don’t know how much I love him.
She had to do something. That much was clear to Kirsten. There was no way she could let these skimpy-trash-heaps occupy the precious space around her love.
The only question, Kirsten’s hatred bled from her fingertips, Is how can I make you disappear?
