Predestined (Existence Trilogy #2)(4)

“Saved by the best friend,” Dank murmured pressing one last kiss to my neck before reaching for my backpack and opening his car door. He stepped out into the morning sunlight looking like a greek god. The jeans that hung perfectly from his hips cupped his butt deliciously. And Dank could rock a fitted t-shirt and did so on a daily basis. Today the t-shirt showing off his impressive chest was a dark blue. His black boots never changed but I liked them. They were all kinds of sexy. He looked like a bad ass even with my red backpack thrown over his left shoulder. I watched in helpless fascination as he sauntered around the front of his Jeep to open my door. I’d learned the hard way not to open my own car door. He didn’t like it. I could feel Miranda’s eyes on me but I didn’t care. She could watch me ogle my boyfriend. Besides, she completely understood. Miranda thought, like the rest of the world, that Dank Walker was the lead singer of the rock band Cold Soul. Ironic, I know. Dank did sing with the band but he wasn’t with them often. Miranda was a total fan girl.

Dank opened my door and I stepped out finally tearing my eyes off him to meet my friend’s gaze.

“Well, good morning to you too,” Miranda teased, slipping her arm in mine. “I wondered how long it was going to take you to stop staring at your rocker boyfriend like a worshipful puppy dog and notice little ‘ol me.”

I elbowed her, “shut up.”

She giggled, “girl please tell me you aren’t trying to be subtle with your lustful looks because you have failed. That boy knows you want his body.”

“Stop it,” I hissed

Dank came up behind me causing my insides to go all warm and tingly. “She can’t possibly want my body more than I want hers.”

Miranda began fanning herself with her hand, “Dear Lord, have mercy, I think I may swoon.”

Dank’s hand covered mine and he squeezed. “I’ll meet you inside. I’m going to take these to your locker.”

He was always so good about giving me time with Miranda. I nodded, not even caring that I had a goofy grin on my face.

Miranda slid her sunglasses up and rested them on top of her head. Her curls were styled perfectly which I knew from experience took her hours to do. The girl slept in rollers like it was 1980 or something. Her brown eyes twinkled as she watched my boyfriend’s butt as he made his way inside the school.

“That is one fine piece of--”

“Miranda!” I shoved her with a grin because of course she was right. But still she didn’t have to say it out loud.

“Jealous much?” she teased.

I only rolled my eyes.

Miranda’s gaze drifted over to Leif’s empty parking space. I couldn’t explain to Miranda about Leif. She didn’t even know I saw dead people, or as Dank liked to put it, ‘wandering souls’. Until Dank, I’d had to live with my secret.

“I wonder where he is?”

When Leif had gone missing Dank and I decided to lay low with our relationship. It wasn’t until just last week we’d started being out in the open with it. When the authorities and Leif’s parents had questioned me I had told both of them that Leif and I had just broken up. That it was his decision. Which wasn’t a total lie; he did vanish without a trace. That’s is a form of breaking things off. At first his parents called on a daily basis to ask me if I’d heard from him. They stopped after Leif called and assured them he was fine. Apparently, he’d said he needed time away to deal with some issues. Strangely after that call his parents had seemed to be completely at ease with his disappearance. They no longer came around. I’d even seen his mother in the grocery store last week and she’d smiled brightly at me as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Kids at school were slowly doing the same thing. No one brought him up much anymore. It was... weird.

“So, did you study for that trig test?” Miranda asked smiling, as if she hadn’t just been worrying about Leif. Again.. weird.

“Yep. Until late last night.”

Miranda groaned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was one of her dramatic mannerisms that made me laugh.

“If I fail my parents are going to lock me away in the attic for life. You’ll have to come slip me food under the door.”

“I doubt it will be all that bad. Besides you did study, right?”

She rolled her eyes over and glanced at me, “A little. Yeah.”

“You watched Pretty Little Liars last night didn’t you?”

With a deep sigh that caused her shoulders to move up and down she replied, “Yep. Last week’s show and this week’s. I can’t help it. I have a thing for Caleb.”

Grabbing her arm, I pull her inside. “Come on. To the library. We have thirty minutes and you’re not going to get locked up in an attic for life.”

Miranda beamed at me, “I love you.”

“Ditto.”

Hopefully, the library ghost would be somewhere else today. The soul who always wandered around in there was distracting.

Dank

I watched as Pagan led Miranda up to the library. She’d be busy for awhile and I had somewhere I needed to be. There was a soul I didn’t want to leave waiting for me. I needed to be there for this one’s actual death. Once Pagan entered the library and I knew she was safe for the time being, I left.

Before Pagan, I hadn’t understood love. Before Pagan, taking souls had been easy. Now, I knew emotion. I knew pain and the feeling of loss and it made my purpose harder. Especially with the young ones. Even though I knew they’d get another life soon enough I understood their family’s pain as they lost someone they held dear. Because although the soul of that child would return it wouldn’t be the same. They wouldn’t know the child they loved was once again with them when the soul returned in a new life.