Spellbound - Cara Lynn Shultz [36]
I liked her explanation. We were talking about the complexities of electrical engineering—we may as well have been talking about how to build a spaceship, since neither one of us knew a thing about it—when I realized she was rubbing her palms together, which she did when she was nervous about something.
“Ashley, what’s going on?” I demanded, putting my hands over her fidgety fingers as they mashed together.
“You’ll be mad,” she said mournfully.
“I might be going mad,” I conceded, “but I’m sure I won’t be mad. Tell me.”
“Okay,” she said hesitantly, then it all tumbled out, her words tripping over themselves in her exuberance. “I’m seeing Anthony tonight! I know I told you that we were still talking on Facebook and stuff, but he also started talking to me in the library during free period, and he asked me out earlier this week. I didn’t want to tell you ’cause you hate him but he’s really nice and so cute, so don’t hate me.”
She paused, but only because she was out of breath.
“Ashley, everything I’ve seen of Anthony tells me he’s not a good guy,” I pleaded. “He’s not worth your time.”
“Oh, I asked him about the fight in Central Park, and he said Frank insulted his mother,” Ashley said smugly. “He was just defending his mother’s honor.”
“That’s not the way I heard it went down, and even if it was, he didn’t have to beat on the guy the way he did,” I argued.
“Emma, I’m happy. Can’t you be happy for me?” Ashley gazed at me with her best puppy-dog eyes.
“I don’t trust him, Ashley,” I maintained. “I wish you’d think about this.”
“I did,” she said, her voice less wheedling, more assertive. “I like him, I’m going to hang out with him tonight, so you can either be happy for me and hear all about it, or not.”
“Do Uncle Dan and Aunt Jess know?” I asked protectively. If her mom and dad okayed it, it had to be all right. “I mean, he’s a lot older than you are.”
“It’s only two years, Em. And I told them I was going out with some friends, which is kind of true. He asked me to come over to his house, since he was having a party after the school Halloween movie thing. A whole bunch of people from your class are going to be there. So I might even see you at his party anyway.”
“I wasn’t invited,” I muttered, and Ashley blushed.
“I’m sorry, Em.”
I sighed. “Really, it’s okay.” I flinched at the thought of Brendan, partying it up at Anthony’s house with all the “cool” kids while I sat at home like a loser. That night with Brendan seemed like another lifetime ago, not just last weekend. I winced at the memory, surprised that I felt physically pained at the thought of how cold Brendan had been to me this week. It was like a thousand little needles were stabbing me in the chest.
I pulled myself out of my misery to focus on my baby cousin. “Are you going to be okay? He just comes across like such a player.”
“Emma,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I’ve been to parties before. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to go and hang out with him a bit. Nothing’s going to happen!”
“Famous last words,” I said dryly.
A little after midnight that night, I was sitting up in Aunt Christine’s floral recliner after she had gone to bed. Angelique had called me to assure me that the protection spell was completed and I might even feel the change in my energy. I thanked her, and though I had decided that the lampposts most likely just needed maintenance, I was still secretly relieved when she told me to keep the ring.
What an exciting Friday night, I thought, cringing when I compared it to last Friday, which I spent with him. I placated myself with the thoughts that it’s not every day you get a bona fide witch doing spells in your honor on Halloween weekend. I eyed my cell phone, resting on the cushion next to me, warily. I had asked Ashley to call when she got to the party, so she could let me know that she was