MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) Read Free Page B

remember what he asked me. Your
name, dumbass! “Ivy.”
    “Ivy,” he repeats, and I
bob my head in approval, finishing off my last strawberry. He's staring at me
as well. My body begins to tingle as a calmness settles over me, and I don’t
know what to think of it. I light a cigarette to keep my hands busy and my eyes
from staring. “What’s your story, Ivy?”
    “No story.” I'm not about
to spill my guts to him.
    “Awe, come on. Everyone’s
got a story.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond before adding, “Where are you
from? What’s your major?”
    “Um… The Hills.” I
hesitate. “I’m a music major.”
    “L.A., huh?” Great. Here
we go. Now, he’s going to ask me if I know any celebrities. “City of
Angels.” I offer him a small smile at his comment. “And what made you want to
move all the way out to little ole Red Meadow?”
    I give him my most honest
answer without divulging too much. “Change of scenery. What about you?” I
question to divert the conversation to him.
    “Criminal Justice. I grew
up here.”
    “Yeah?” I inquire, feigning
interest. Alice and Eric are off in their own world, whispering in each other’s
ears. Alice blushes and all of a sudden, I'm a third wheel.
    “Yeah,” he drawls as his
eyes follow my line of sight . He offers to change
the subject again, “Why don’t you let me take you out sometime? I’ll show you
what we really have to offer around here.”
    Right. Is that a line out
of your playbook? “Um… That’s ok. I don’t
want to be distracted with whatever Red Meadow has to offer,” I turn him down
with tact while insinuating I’m not interested in him . He shakes his
head with a grin on his face. I imagine he believes I'm trying to play hard to
get.
    “What time is it?” Alice raises
the question, and I'm thankful to get out of Jack's pursuit.
    I blow out a breath of
smoke through my pursed lips and glance at my phone as I snuff out my cigarette
in an ashtray on the table. “It’s two-twenty. I need to head back.”
    “Me too.” Alice stands and
turns to Eric, “I’ll see you later, babe. I’ve got to head over to the library.
Will I see you tonight?”
    “Yeah. I’ll text you
later.” Eric stands up to kiss Alice goodbye. The legs of his chair grate
against the dry red dirt of the open patio. “Love you, babe,” he voices before
kissing her hastily on the lips. They're never
the type of couple that grossly displays their affection for the public. Behind
closed doors is another story. Headphones come in handy during those times.
    “Love you too,” she says.
    I rise from my seat to
leave and grab my phone and wallet off the table. “See ya’, Jack.”
    Jack smiles up at me, and
the Sunlight catches his irises . They sparkle a
beautiful intense green which causes my stomach flutter again. “Bye, Sunshine.”
I roll my eyes at his endearment.

Chapter 2
    Alice and I leave the
coffee shop to stroll back home. We cross the street, and Alice starts in on
me, “See, Jack’s not so bad.”
    “I don’t know.” He’s
trouble. I don’t need distractions .
    “I think he likes you,” she
states, smiling at me from ear to ear.
    “Maybe, but I don’t want
any distractions. I just want to focus on my music and graduating. I’m sure it
wouldn’t be hard for him to find another conquest.” As much as I'm attracted to
Jack, I can’t afford to fall off track to the new life I'm trying to
accomplish. College is my time to figure out who I am and what I want to do
with my music. For so long, I thought I knew who I was, only to find out I was
adopted. And I’m certain that the single friend I ever had before now was
somehow responsible for almost killing me. Now's the time to change my life and
mold myself into someone I recognize.
    We stop at another
crosswalk and wait for a n open, yellow Jeep to pass.
Alice continues, “Well, he’s sort of coming over tonight with Eric. I hope you
don’t mind.”
    “It’s fine.” I’ll