Growing Wildflowers | WLW

Barberry

The woman attached to the voice is almost my height with an undercut and clothes that are far too baggy for her build. She wraps her arm around Jamie's shoulder, but her eyes are glued to me.

"What party?" she asks again, looking at Liam for an explanation.

He throws his hands up. "Not my circus, not my monkeys." He looks at me and says, "See you tomorrow," and ignores Jamie as he walks away.

The woman pulls Jamie against her chest for a hug, but Jamie doesn't reciprocate. "We going to a party, baby?" she continues. Ah, the abusive ex Liam told me about.

"Kelsey, please." She pushes her away. "Can I have one day of peace?"

Kelsey is quick to grab her hand. "Can't we talk?"

My hands clench into fists and I have to force myself to stay out of it.

"No." Jamie's answer is fast and unwavering but the woman, Kelsey, doesn't back off. Instead, she looks at me, her eyes narrowed. "Is this who I'm competing with now?"

I wish I could leave; just turn around and walk away. I'm not interested in Kelsey's dramatics and her heart is pounding so hard, I can't think, can't get the noise out of my ears.

She moves closer and pushes me. "What? You don't have anything to say?"

"Don't fucking touch me." The words come out on their own, more because I'm afraid I'll drain her if I feel the warmth of her body against mine. I don't know much about vampirism yet, but I've learned a little bit about what triggers me: being touched, being injured, and being in a room with a human.

Her lips pull into a smile, but her breathing is uneven. She's scared. I can hear the fear. She takes another step closer so her face is less than an inch from mine and puffs her chest out. "Or what?" She lifts her hands to push me again but Jamie's between us before she can.

"Kelsey, chill out, will you?" She pushes out a frustrated sigh and looks at me. "I'm sorry, Gwen. This is literally so embarrassing. I'll catch you at the party tomorrow, okay?" She takes off before I can respond, taking long strides toward the library.

"Jamie!" Kelsey calls after her but she stays with me, watching as she leaves. She punches the air. "You fucking my girl?"

I pull my stare from Jamie's back and look at Kelsey. "I don't even know her. We're in the environmental club together."

Kelsey's shoulders fall. "Fuck."

"Nice job making a dick of yourself," I say as I follow Jamie's path through groups of students. I don't look back at Kelsey, only hope she's not following me. I need to get dirt on Jamie and I can't do that if I keep running away. I hold my breath as a larger group of students passes but it doesn't keep their heartbeats out of my head. My stomach clenches but I keep walking. I need to put distance between us.

It's easier inside the library. The only heartbeat comes from the woman at the front desk and a few others further in the building. The smell of books and dust almost overpowers the smell of their blood. It's not difficult to find Jamie sitting at the furthest table in the corner, her head buried in her arms but my heart drops when I see who's sitting at the table on the opposite side of the room.

The elders.

Leroy with his purple sunglasses and Leah with her red dress and matching eyes.

Did they follow me here? I never saw them slip into the building. Did they wait here all night? They're not even pretending to read a book. How has no one called security on them yet? I swallow hard and continue toward Jamie, trying to ignore them but they're blatantly staring at me.