UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(36)

“No, wait. I won’t bring it up again.” Brody reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” Brody’s face brightened into a huge smile.

She licked her lips nervously. “Thanks to you. I’m sorry for the way that I acted.”

“No.” Brody interrupted her. “I shouldn’t have pressured you into going to the police. I’m just glad you are okay. I’ve been worried sick since I had no way to call you and you didn’t come to school.”

Mina could feel Jared’s eyes studying her from across the lunchroom, so she continued to talk to Brody. For some reason this seemed to upset him more and she could see, even from a distance that he glowered. It was funny to see her and Nan’s usually empty table now filled with girls vying for the new student’s attention and boys trying to assess their competition. But Jared still managed to shoot her dark looks that made her skin crawl.

Lunch flew by and Mina was dismayed to find that Jared was in two more classes with her. How did he manage that when Nan couldn’t even get her schedule to follow Mina’s. Thankfully he didn’t try to start any more conversations with her, maybe it was because Mina kept glaring at him and holding up her textbook like it was the Great Wall of China between them.

It was during the last period of the day right before the bell rang and the students had free time that he finally spoke up again.

“You didn’t bring it did you?” he asked in a whisper.

“Bring what?” Mina kept her eyes glued to the sentence she was reading, even though she had already read it ten times. She had unsuccessfully been unable to study since he sat down.

“You know what. Tell me you brought it.” He actually looked a little panicked that she might not have it with her.

“No, I didn’t.” Mina glared at him. “I was almost attacked and killed because I had it; I’m not going to carry it around with me everywhere. I wouldn’t be safe.”

His face became stiff and his jaw clenched in anger. “You are not safe without it.”

“What do you care? I’m not supposed to live past the end of the week, remember. Your exact words.” Thankfully the bell rang and Mina stood up and stomped out of the classroom leaving an opened-mouth Jared in her wake. He called her name. The sound of her name leaving his mouth made Mina shiver. Shiver with what, she wasn’t sure.

She made a bee line for her locker and was actually hoping that Brody had forgiven her and was waiting for her by it; he was. Mina grinned and he reached over to grab her bag from her. A girl could really get used to this. Mina was preoccupied and didn’t even notice when Brody drove right to her front door.

“How did you find out where I live?” she asked.

Brody nodded toward the Golden Palace and the Mural of articles with Mina’s face on them, the Wong’s way of advertising that they rented an apartment to a town hero. “I did my own investigation. So you live in a Chinese restaurant?” Brody asked, his cheeks dimpling with uncontained mirth.

Mina’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “No, I live above a Chinese restaurant, big difference, believe me.” Mina laughed hesitantly at her own lame joke.

Brody leaned away from the car, hands in his pockets. “Either way, I’m jealous, I love Chinese food.”

“You should try their pot stickers sometime, they are to die for,” Mina answered casually.

“Sounds good, it’s a date then.” He walked to the Golden Palace, opened the door and motioned for her to go in before him.

Mina's head snapped quickly to Brody in shock. “I didn’t ask, er, I wasn’t implying that we should.” She stumbled on her words.

Brody smiled. “I know you didn’t. I did. I’m taking you out on a date. A real date, not just drive thru burgers.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” Mina felt as if her world was collapsing in on her. Could this be real, was this possible? She must be dreaming.

Brody paused at the entrance to the Golden Palace to study the crudely placed pictures and articles about Mina taped to the glass. Brody looked between the paper clippings, to Mina and back. “You know those pictures don’t do you justice.”

Mina pushed him further into the restaurant and away from the newspaper mural. Mrs. Wong waved excitedly and motioned for them to take a seat. Mina kept crossing and uncrossing her legs with nervousness. When Mrs. Wong brought them over some ice waters, Mina’s nerves were so strung out that she knocked over her ice water onto Brody’s lap.

“I’m so sorry!” Mina began pulling napkins out of the dented holder and flung them at Brody. She was so distressed that she actually pulled the casing off of the napkin holder and it flew across the floor, spinning to stop by a wide-eyed Mrs. Wong. Brody jumped up as soon as the cold water touched his thigh and calmly took the napkins and started cleaning up the mess. When the table no longer looked like Niagara Falls, Brody excused himself to go clean up in the bathroom, laughing the whole way.

Mina groaned, leaned forward and pounded her forehead against the table repeatedly.

Mrs. Wong who was always watching, stormed up to the table as soon as Brody left, to voice her unwanted opinion. “OOOHHH, He a hottie that one. You Meehna, need to keep that one for sure, bring him by for food more often! I will get lots of beeznis.”