Page 25 of Blood Moon
Being in proximity to Julian was confusing, especially after the fall.
There was a tingle in my abdomen that made me feel as though I owed him a brief “ hello .” A reminder that he’d saved my life.
Being saved wasn’t a feeling I was keen on.
It was humbling and nauseating; I much preferred to do the rescuing on my own.
Bobby had instilled that in me, and Rena had unintentionally thrust it upon me in the wake of her absence.
But I was too tied up in trying to figure out what the hell was going on before he was a few feet away.
“Hey,” Julian said, hands digging into his front two pockets. Then his face did something strange and unusual, just about horrific. His full lips formed a subtle smile, one that met the light in his eyes.
He smiled at me. It was striking and crooked and effortless.
It almost made me forget about the bruise on his face.
And I needed a witness, someone else to document this rarity, because Julian Santos never smiled.
In fact, I was certain that the muscles in his face were incapable of joy, or any sign of happiness at all.
Before I could curse the universe and walk away from the unfolding tragedy, he opened his mouth to say, “I’m sorry.”
Sorry? I made a face and then stopped myself from laughing. This couldn’t be. A smile and an apology from my nemesis, all within the same day, the same few moments? The world must have been flipped on its axis, or better yet, someone else was wearing Julian’s skin.
But he lowered his head, some of his hair falling to his face.
“About the other day,” he began, and I could hear the stress in his voice.
It strained him. “In the woods … in class … all of it. I’m sorry for how I treated you.
” He took a stilted breath, looked at me beneath his long dark lashes.
“I’ll understand if you don’t accept my apology, but I felt I owed you one. ”
This time, I couldn’t control the laughter that slipped out, couldn’t control how it transformed into a scoff that left me gasping for air.
“This is a joke, right? You’re joking?” I managed to say, taking a few steps away from him.
An apology was much too easy, for all I’d known him to be was a literal nightmare.
Your miserable existence is my demise , he’d said with such vitriol. I’d take those words with me to the afterlife.
“This is extremely weird coming from you.” The sentence came out with caution as I met his eyes, his face soft and contorting in anticipation.
But mercy , he wouldn’t break me. I’d been fooled one too many times—squished beneath the weight of him like a weed in a field.
I’d be a bigger fool if I let it happen again.
Julian’s throat bobbed. “It was wrong the way I went about approaching you. I get that. But I—” A swallow, and students came rushing from the stands. They flocked to the restrooms and concessions, swarming around us in a frenzy.
And then I heard the start of trumpets and drums. My friends would be performing soon.
I took one step closer to him. “Unless you tell me everything you know— and I mean everything —I’m not wasting a single breath on you and your antics,” I said, and what surprised me wasn’t how he leaned in while he considered me, it wasn’t how his eyes traced the curve of my neck, it was how I stalled.
I gave him space to respond, and he hesitated.
It took another breath to tear myself away from him, and when I did, I didn’t stop to look back.
When I returned, we were up seven points, and midfield, the mascot did a series of flips that signaled the marching band.
They moved together, entering the field, as the dance team sashayed in front of them with bedazzled uniforms, white gloves, and sheer tights.
Once in formation, the music stopped altogether, and the dancers struck a pose, snapping their fingers to a beat that was no longer there. The team captain blew the whistle, and with a roar, the band resumed playing as the dancers rolled their bodies into the first count.
Watching the performance filled me with a sense of pride. Em, Abi, and Stevie worked so hard, and it was evident. I couldn’t wait to tell them how proud I was.
The third and fourth quarter went by fast. Our opponents came back strong, tying with us. It was the first time the crowd seemed anxious. In the last few seconds of the game, we held a collective breath, winning by a field goal.
A rumble ripped through the bleachers as we jumped up and down, confetti drifting through the crisp air, landing in our hair and on the apples of our cheeks. We hugged strangers, we hugged each other. All of it, a sight to remember.
After, we rushed through the crowd out of the stadium. A flash, and I thought I saw Julian ahead, his hands in his hair, pushing those dark waves back while he stood beneath the shadow of a tree, waiting for me. He wasn’t.
Naomi’s hand drew me further from the idle bodies, away to a path that was free of people. Again, I swore I saw him. Ahead of me, beside me, behind me. It was only a figment of my imagination. He was everywhere and nowhere.
As we pulled further away, my necklace warmed. The feeling filled my belly with anxiety. Up ahead, sitting cross-legged on the Founders’ Fountain, was a younger woman. Her beauty was intoxicating, alluring in a way that felt familiar, even as water splashed onto her auburn hair.
Our gazes locked, and a smile set in. She watched me like she knew me intimately, waved her fingers at me. It made my skin prick, but at the same time, it made me want to go to her.
My body scorched with an invisible flame, and Naomi dropped my hand. “Girl,” she said, searching my eyes. “You are burning up.” She dug through her bag to hand me a bottle of water, but it didn’t relieve me from the smoke in my chest.
A look back, and the woman was gone.
A look ahead, and my phone vibrated.
It was Seven, sending me an invitation to an after-party.