Rejected At First Sight (Spinoff Series)

38

Ash

I wave to Kelsey as I walked into the parking lot. "See you Monday!"

"Bye Ash!" She yelled back.

Sage waved to me from his car parked in the back of the lot. I smiled and stepped off of the curb, starting to walk towards him.

A flash of white hair came out from behind a Tahoe. Zebediah looked at me with a small smile on his face. "Hey Ash."

My step faltered and I smiled back, calmly stopping in front of him. "Hey Zeb. What's up?" Why was he talking to me? I didn't think he considered me a friend. I had certainly not given it another thought.

The smile remained on his face as his eyes flicked down to my forearm. I looked down at my bandaged arm which was currently covered by the sweatshirt I was wearing. "How is your arm? It looked bad in the classroom."

I hesitated, letting my eyes flick over Zeb's shoulders towards Sage's car. Sage looked directly at me, his eyebrow cocking in question. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine though. I'll see you Monday?"

Before I could even take a step, Zeb reached out and gripped my arm, stopping me from leaving.

I blinked down at his hand on my arm and looked back up at him. "Zeb?"

He cocked his head and removed his hand from my arm. "No pain?"

My lips parted and I stuttered. "Wait, what?" It suddenly registered in my mind that he had grabbed my wounded arm. I recoiled back a step. "What?" I repeat again.

"It didn't hurt?" Zeb asks, leaning forward and peering at my arm.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, a slight tremor runs through my fingers.

It hadn't hurt. My arm was blistering earlier. That touch should have me groaning in agony.

"Take the bandage off." Zeb says.

"What?" I say again, my brain still muddled in confusion and my lips still opening and closing like an idiot. "Why?"

"It's healed. You don't need it anymore." Zeb says and reaches toward me again.

He grabs my arm and slides the sleeve of my sweatshirt up. "Zeb, what-"

Over his shoulder I saw Sage had started to make his way towards us, stalking across the lot with tense angry shoulders.

"I'm just taking it off. You're fine. Healed, remember?" Zeb says and smoothly slips his finger underneath the edge of the bandage and lifts it up, peeling it back.

"I don't think-"

"Shh." Zeb says and lets the white bandage fall to the ground.

I gasp, pulling my arm away from Zeb and cradling it in my hand, looking at the smooth skin. There was a little blotchy redness, but no blistering or any trace of a chemical burn.

"What the fuck?" I mutter quietly. "The nurse said it would take a week to heal." I grab the collar of Jay's sweatshirt and brought it up to cover my mouth. My nerves instantly calming as I took in the cedar scent.

"See?" Zeb says, looking down at my arm. "You already have heightened healing. Those wol- people are not loyal to you, they're lying." What the actual fuck was this dude talking about? "You don't have to-"

Someone clears their throat behind me. I turn to see Jay and Ronnie standing side by side, each with a look of speculation, possessiveness, and vigilance. "Ash." Jay says, his voice strong and demanding. "Come here."