Toxic (Denazen #2)(36)

“You’re asking me out on a date?” I wasn’t sure how he knew what homecoming was, but he got bonus points for doing it in front of Jade and Alex.

“How the hell is that even going to work?” Alex snapped. He winged his pen across the room. It crashed into the wall behind me and bounced to the floor. “One touch and he’ll vaporize you. Even you can’t possibly get off on that.”

Jade tried to hide her smile—and failed. “I have to agree with Metal Face. It’s not like you can dance with each other or anything.”

“Not like it matters.” I turned to Kale. “Technically this isn’t a school. There won’t be a homecoming dance.” To Jade, I snapped. “And really? Could you be more of a bitch?”

“Not my fault you can’t deal with reality,” she said, standing. “Face it. He’s toxic to you. Get over it.”

“Yeah. See, that’s the second time you’ve said that.” I said, standing as well. “One more time, and I’ll lay you out.”

“What are you gonna do? Copy my outfit?” She flipped me off. “Go ahead. It’ll still look better on me.”

“Oh, chickie. I hope you’re not implying I need a gift to kick your ass. I prefer the old-fashioned way.”

Hands on hips, Jade snickered. “I’m invincible. Go ahead and give it your best shot.”

“I wonder how invincible you’d be if I shoved an M-80 up your ass?”

From across the table, Alex coughed to cover up a laugh.

“Dez, please,” Kale said. “I need her help. To fix things.”

I looked at him. His expression made my breath catch. It was the same Kale as always. Intense and hot as hell. But there was something else. Something I’d only seen once before.

Fear.

“Whatever,” I spat, sinking back into the seat. “I don’t trust her, though.”

Jade flashed me her sweetest smile. “You don’t have to. Kale does.”

…

After Ginger dismissed us for the day—which was fairly early due to another almost death-match between Alex and Kale about looking at me—I pulled her on the side to ask about Jade.

“You’re going to have to deal with her for the time being. She’s here to help Kale.”

I snorted. “I keep hearing that, yet I’m not seeing any progress.”

She sank into the chair. I’d followed her to the common room. Someone had cleaned it up and replaced the television. Every afternoon, Ginger liked to watch reruns of some weird show called Jake and a Fat Person or something. She wasn’t happy I was cutting into TV time. Any second she was liable to start swinging her cane.

“It’s only been a few days.” She glared at me. “I know this is a foreign concept to you, but have some patience.”

“Fine. Then just tell me how you found her.”

“Found her?”

“Yeah. Did you, like, know her family? Her parents? Did she take out an ad in the paper? How did you find her?”

“She was referred to me.”

I blinked. “Referred? By who?”

“By someone I trust. By someone you trust.” She leaned sideways, trying to see the TV.

“Okay.” I folded my arms and moved an inch to the left. “Who?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Why are we even having this conversation? I mean, seriously, you know why I’m asking. You know what I’m asking. Why not cut the crap, and give it to me straight? I don’t like leaving her alone with Kale. I don’t trust her.”

She gave up on the TV and sighed. “I know you think I’m being cruel. But it’s not that simple. Yes. I know things. I know the answer to the question you’re asking. But as I’ve told you before, I have learned from Miranda Kale’s—”

This again? “Oh, please! You learned from her mistakes? The chick’s been dead for over a hundred years. Her only mistake was trusting the wrong guy. Believe me, it happens all the time.” I pointed to the door. “Even happens with girls. Perfect example—Jade. Trusting her is a bad idea. I can feel it, Ginger. She’s not here to help.”

Ginger shook her head. “I understand why it looks that way to you, but that’s not so. To interfere in someone’s path causes an unnecessary ripple. I refuse to be responsible for that. Look what happened when Miranda interfered.”

According to Ginger, her ancestor Miranda Kale—the one she’d named Kale for—was the first visionary. She interfered in her husband’s path and prevented his death, which brought about the chain of events that created Denazen—supposedly. Ginger used this knowledge to create a set of unbreakable rules. Rules she lived by no matter what. It was those rules that allowed her to step aside, letting her own daughter die and her only grandson be imprisoned and treated like an animal for the first part of his life.

I’d asked Kale once if he had any hard feelings. He’d looked at me like I was crazy, stating Ginger did what she believed was best. And it was true, she did truly believe it.

But that didn’t make it right.

“And how do you know that’s not what was meant to happen? Maybe she was meant to save his life. Maybe Denazen was meant to be. And you interfere with people every damn day!”