Burning Hearts Read online

  Daniela and Barrie sat next to Emma Wane and Aidan Clare. Emma had recently chopped all her blond hair off into a pixie cut and added pink streaks to the front. Jenna hated to admit it, but it looked good. Aidan, who was experimenting with dreadlocks, had his brown hair tied up in a small bun.

  “Yeah, she’s such a freak!” Emma agreed. She nudged Aidan. “She’s such a weirdo, right babe?!”

  Aidan shrugged, noncommittal. After Kit, he was the second guy Jenna had been closest to. Barrie was always a sleaze. Even when Val had turned everyone against her, Barrie caught her alone at school, saying that if she’d go out with him, he’d leave the Stuck-Ups. So of course when she refused, he joined in on the Let’s Bash Jenna Movement. If only Daniela knew how fickle her Barrie could be when it came to girls. Jenna had been the closest to Emma, thinking they were BFFs. Her jabs hurt the worst, along with Val’s, who’d told her on more than one occasion that he loved her.

  While the girls sneered, the guys ignored. All except Val. He folded his arms over his chest, staring at her. Jenna was confused by his look. He wasn’t sneering; he wasn’t judging; he wasn’t plotting. He was just staring. For a moment, Jenna thought she saw a fleeting look of melancholy.

  Was Val sad? Did he miss her?

  She continued to stare at him until he casually brought his middle finger up and flipped her off with a grin stretched across his face.

  She turned back to her friends, shaking her head. “I can’t wait to get outta here.”

  “Wanna skip?” asked Riddick.

  Jenna shook her head. “I meant Oasis.”

  “Where are you gonna go?” asked Caleb.

  Jenna shrugged. “I dunno. Anywhere.” She sighed. “Before I commit murder.”

  “Ah, go ahead,” Riddick urged. “I’ll visit you in prison. Slip you cigarettes and razor blades in a hollowed-out copy of Pride and Prejudice.”

  Jenna chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure the ghost of Jane Austen would love that.”

  Kylie smiled. “Ooh, I wish I could meet someone like Mr. Darcy.”

  “Darcy was a jerk,” Pru declared.

  “He was proud, is all,” Kylie countered.

  “Pride is okay,” Caleb stated. “It’s vanity that’s the problem.”

  “I’m more of a Jane Eyre fan,” Riddick confided. “That girl went through hell and she could’ve gone crazy, but she didn’t.” He smiled and put his arm around Jenna’s shoulders. “And neither are you.”

  Jenna smiled. “Thanks—but that was a story.”

  He removed his arm and took a swig of his soda, swallowing loudly. “And ours are too if someone were to write it all down.”

  “The Merry Misfits,” Pru suggested.

  “Merry?” Kylie furrowed her brow. “Doesn’t that mean happy?”

  “I was being sarcastic,” Pru clarified.

  “We are happy,” Caleb countered with a dimpled smile.

  Jenna nodded. “That’s right. We’re seniors. We’re passing…barely…all our classes.” She gestured among everyone. “And we all get along. I’ll admit, when I was with the Stuck-Ups, we didn’t interact. And when I got tossed out, y’all could’ve lemme sit alone, friendless,”—she smiled—“but y’all didn’t.”

  Kylie wiped a tear away.

  “You know who should’ve gone crazy?” Riddick said, clearly trying to get off topic.

  Jenna turned to him and smiled. “Who?”

  “Harry Potter.”

  “I don’t follow,” said Caleb, shaking his head.

  “Think about it,” Riddick continued. “That dude lived in a cupboard under the stairs for years. A freaking cupboard! If that was real life, Harry would’ve murdered the Dursleys.”

  “Magic?” Pru suggested as an explanation.

  Riddick shook his head. “Nah. Ain’t no magic trick badass enough for Harry to keep his sanity while basically being locked in a mini closet.”

  The bell rang, ending their discussion of the lives of fictional characters.

  When Caleb wheeled out from under the table, Riddick exclaimed enthusiastically, “I’ll take you to class, buddy!”

  “But I wanna!” Jenna whined.

  Riddick chuckled. “I know you do.” He tugged gently on her red hair. “I was just messing with you.”

  Jenna relaxed and got behind Caleb, ready to push him down the hall. “Later, peeps,” she said in farewell to Kylie, Pru, and Riddick.

  “See y’all later,” said Kylie, waving before heading off.

  Pru just gave a smile and a wave, leaving in another direction. Riddick was already walking away, listening to his iPod. They’d meet back later at the end of school; it was always a daily celebration.

  Jenna and Caleb’s next class was easy-going. Art with Ms. Jane Rush-Holliday meant students could explore their inner Monet or Picasso by sitting with their friends, listening to music, and even chewing gum.

  She rolled Caleb to the elevator; it was a privilege for faculty, staff, those with disabilities, and the every-once-in-a-while student with a broken leg.

  Caleb used his student ID as a key card to unlock the doors. Jenna rolled him inside, much to the chagrin of the students who had to deal with backed up traffic down the hall.

  As they rode up, he said, “I know your secret.”

  She smiled, but had no idea what he was talking about. She hoped that he was playing and decided to play back.

  She stood in front of him. “I have so many! Which vice do you know about? And are you gonna tell? If so I’ll hit you. Not in the face. Don’t wanna leave a noticeable mark. I’ll use a thick heavy phone book, slamming it against your chest.”

  “You know for a psycho, you hide your maniacal schemes very well.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, I only know two of your secrets.” He raised a finger. “One, you’re only my friend so you can ride the elevator.” He raised another finger. “And two, you still sleep with your stuffed bear at night.”

  “Ugh!” she groaned, raising her fists, pretending to be found out. “You got me, Caleb.” She smiled. “But you’re wrong on one thing.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He leaned back in his wheelchair. “Which one?”

  “I sleep with a stuffed bunny.”

  Caleb was trying not to smile. “Oh, sorry, I must’ve got that wrong. All those nights I was sitting up in that tree, staring at you through my binoculars, I guess I saw wrong.”

  “You sneak up a tree, look at me in my bedroom, and all you care about is who I sleep with? Caleb, Caleb, Caleb!” she jokingly admonished.

  “I tried to get a good look at you, but that Puritan nightgown covered you from head to toe.”

  She shrugged. “I’m old-fashioned. What can I say?” She tugged gently on his earlobe. “Now how’d you manage to get up a tree?”

  “Jet pack,” he replied deadpan.

  “Ebay?”

  Caleb nodded, continuing the charade. “Relatively cheap too.”

  STRANGE HEIRLOOMS

  Jenna sat next to Pru while Riddick sat across from them on the bus. Caleb had already been picked up by his mom, and Kylie’s dad had come for her.

  When Jenna had dated Val, she’d the luxury of catching rides in his flashy yellow Camaro—but no more. Her parents could pick her up, but they worked every day at the family business: Love’s Funeral Home and Crematorium. She didn’t mind riding the bus as long as Riddick or Pru was with her. They lived on the same street as Jenna with Kylie and Caleb only a few miles away in the same suburban neighborhood.

  Before befriending the Misfits, Jenna had no idea that they lived so close to each other. The Stuck-Ups were just over Los Muertos Bridge across Rojo River. They didn’t live in extravagant homes, but they thought that they were better than everyone because they were the only families living on the “other side of the bridge.” Jenna was glad they were still there. She couldn’t stomach having her former life so close.

  Pru tapped Jenna on her arm, and then pointed with a smile at Riddick
. He had his ear buds in, rocking out, motioning like he was playing the drums. Jenna reached over and tugged on his black T-shirt.

  He stopped rocking out and turned to her. “What?!” he yelled over his loud music.

  Jenna motioned for him to unplug his ears. He did.

  “What’re you listening to?” she asked.

  “Scoot over.”

  Jenna did and Riddick sat beside her and Pru, all scrunched up. He offered Jenna a bud, and she put it to her ear—there was a lot of screaming.

  She pulled it away from her ear. “Who is it?” she asked in a raised voice, still partially deaf.

  “‘Death is My Friend’ by The Bloody Knuckles.” He took notice of her furrowed brow. “Heavy metal,” he clarified.

  “Too heavy for me. It’s loud.” She offered the ear bud back to Riddick; he secured it with its mate. “Shouldn’t you be deaf by now?” she asked reasonably.

  “WHAT?!” He smiled, and then shrugged. “Probably.”

  When the bus stopped in front of Jenna’s modestly-sized red-brick house with a white picket fence, Riddick and Pru debarked with her. All three of them had been cast in Macbeth by their English teacher, Mrs. Willa Thames. Fortunately, they were playing the parts of the three witches (or weird sisters); it was always the most popular feature of Shakespeare’s tragedy to bored high school students.

  Riddick, who seemed antisocial to anyone other than the Misfits, was actually enthusiastic about being in the play that was to be shown to the entire school. It all worked out for Pru, who naturally shy in front of others, got to say her lines hidden inside a black hood.

  “When will your parents be home?” asked Riddick, and then proceeded to plop down on Jenna’s bed; he grabbed the remote and flipped through her basic cable package of only forty channels.

  Pru seated herself quietly on a wicker chair in the corner of the room; it sat against a white wall decorated with Jenna’s paintings of roses, her favorite flower.

  Jenna slapped Riddick’s dirty black boots from off her rose-decorated bedspread. “In a few hours. Why every time you come over, you get on my bed?”

  Jenna noticed Pru’s smile, her cheeks blushing a bit.

  Riddick shrugged. “Soft mattress. Mine at home is like prison-issue.” He shut off the TV, evidently not finding any program of interest. “Where’s your X-Box?”

  “How many times have I told you? I don’t have one. Why don’t you get one?”

  “Folks said they couldn’t afford it. But generous ol’ step mom can get her hair and nails done every week—not to mention the tanning.”

  “Tanning?” Jenna held out her hands. “We’re in the desert. Can’t she go outside?”

  Riddick shrugged again. “Apparently, the sun just ain’t radioactive enough.”

  Jenna went to laugh, but fell into another trance…

  She’s holding a strange knife, standing before a girl with fiery eyes. Then she stabs the girl in the heart, watching as she bursts into flames. The ashes explode in the air and as the wind stirs, it consumes Jenna’s face, covering her in death, executed by her own hand.

  “Are you all right?” asked a voice that was rare to hear.

  Jenna blinked and turned to see Pru, wearing a veil of worry across her face. Riddick’s hands covered Jenna’s; she was slightly trembling, clutching the bed post.

  “I’m fine,” Jenna said, removing her hands from the post and Riddick’s warm embrace. She smiled to allay their worries. “Really, I’m good.” She sighed, trying to expel her distress. “Who wants vanilla ice cream with crumpled up Oreos? It’s what all actors eat before performing.”

  Riddick smiled, satisfied with Jenna’s assertion of happiness and distracted by the mention of sweets. He rested against her pillow, crossing his arms behind his head.

  “Throw in some vodka while you’re at it.”

  “Like you could handle vodka.”

  “I’m a seasoned alcoholic. I hide it very well. Come here, smell my breath.”

  Jenna put her hands on her hips. “I’m not smelling your breath.”

  Riddick shrugged. “Your loss, babe.”

  “Smells like peppermint,” Pru informed with a shy smile. “He has a whole bunch of them in his backpack.”

  Jenna recalled that Riddick’s breath had been minty of late. “To cover up the alcohol?” she asked Pru in disbelief.

  Pru shook her head. “He drank rum once. Threw it up.” She patted her stomach. “The mints are for his acid reflux.”

  “Shut up, Pru! You hardly ever speak and when you do, it’s to divulge my secrets to Jenna.” He threw a pillow at her.

  Pru caught it and threw it back at him. She turned to Jenna. “How about we get some ice cream?” She glanced at Riddick and smiled. “But no Oreos for Riddick.”

  “What?” He threw out his hands. “I’m supposed to eat plain vanilla? That’s absolute torture! Throw in some chocolate syrup or something!” he begged Jenna and Pru.

  Jenna smiled at Pru. “You go ahead in the kitchen. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Pru seemed hesitant but left the room.

  Jenna sat on the bed next to Riddick’s stretched legs. “Don’t worry. Your stomach problems are safe with me.” And for added measure, she patted his flat stomach.

  Riddick caught her hand before she could pull it away. His eyelids hung low. “Careful putting your hand on a man, Jenna Love.”

  She gave him a mischievous smile. “I’ll remember that the next time I see a man.”

  He furrowed his brow as if furious, but then sat up with a grin, and grabbed her sides, tickling her.

  “Stop! Stop!” she urged, laughing.

  He immediately stopped and settled back down onto the bed. “Now run off to the kitchen and get me my sweets, sweetie.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “I know you just didn’t order me around.”

  “Oh, I did.” He lightly pushed her off the bed. “Don’t forget the Oreos.”

  She smiled and pinched his cheek. “Ooh, if I didn’t like you…”

  His face fell. She was confused. They both went to speak, but Pru interrupted them.

  “Jenna!” she shouted from the kitchen. “I can’t find the Oreos!”

  He went back to smiling. “For a mute, she sure can get loud.”

  She returned his smile. “Coming!” she yelled to Pru.

  As Jenna went into the pantry to retrieve the Oreos, she wondered over Riddick’s expression. He almost looked…sad? She’d wanted to ask him what was wrong, but was interrupted by Pru.

  She decided to leave it alone. She had four great friends with Riddick, Pru, Kylie, and Caleb. She didn’t want any drama. That was the good thing about the Misfits.

  But she had her own personal drama.

  Like clockwork, every four hours, she’d a vision of killing. She wasn’t a genius, but she wasn’t dumb either. Something was going on. She just didn’t know what. There was a slight urge to confess, to tell her friends. But what would they think of her? They spoke of acceptance, but would they really be friends with a crazy person?

  “Where’s that chocolate sauce?!” Riddick yelled from her bedroom; obviously, he found the bowl of just plain vanilla ice cream Pru had brought him to be lonely and in need of even more sugar.

  Jenna went back to being happy and brought him what he wanted. As they lay on her bed with Jenna in between Riddick and Pru, eating ice cream and watching an awful, but funny sci-fi movie called The Squid Monster from Planet Doom, a loud noise interrupted their supposed rehearsal time.

  “What was that?” Riddick pushed mute on the remote, silencing the screams of a blond girl being squeezed by a tentacle.

  Jenna sat up. “It sounded like something falling on my floor.”

  “Had a dead body propped up in your closet and now it’s crashed?”

  “Of course, Riddick,” Jenna said sarcastically. “You know me so well.”

  Pru held up her silver spoon. “Sounded metallic.”

  Jenna s
lapped her hand to her forehead. “Oh, it’s that knight’s armor I keep in storage!”

  “Seriously?” asked Riddick.

  Jenna rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever dropped sounded small.”

  “Like your brain,” Pru said to Riddick with a smile.

  “You know,” Riddick began, “you should go back to saying nothing ’cause you’re full of attitude.” He pointed his spoon at Jenna. “I blame you. She wasn’t like this ’til you showed up.”

  Jenna knew he was joking, but she feigned sorrow anyway. “Well, I guess we shouldn’t be friends anymore.” She frowned, adding to the charade.

  “No, no!” Riddick grabbed her arm. “I was only playing.”

  Pru giggled. “For someone who scored the highest on the SAT’s, you sure are dumb.”

  “Wait.” Jenna furrowed her brow. “If you’re that smart, then how come you’re barely passing all your classes?”

  “Don’t do my homework.”

  “So if you did your homework in every class, you’d be a straight-A student?”

  “Probably.”

  Jenna socked him. “You idiot!”

  “Ow!” Riddick rubbed his upper arm. “That hurt.”

  Jenna started to laugh, but stopped when she noticed he seemed to really be in pain. “Hey, are you okay?”

  He lifted up the sleeve of his black T-shirt. There was a nasty red mark on his upper arm.

  Jenna slapped her hands to her mouth. “Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry!” she apologized against her fingers, making her voice sound muffled.

  Riddick smiled slightly and shook his head, pulling his sleeve down to cover the damage. “No, no. It’s okay. I’m fine.” Then he smiled wider. “Damn Jenna, are you a mutant with super strength or something?”

  Jenna gave him a mischievous grin. “I can also melt brains just by looking at a guy.” She stared him down.

  “I think you’ve already melted his heart,” Pru informed.

  Jenna was shocked. “What?”

  Riddick jumped off the bed. “Let’s see what fell. Then we have to rehearse. It’s gonna get dark soon.”