Something Witchy This Way Comes (2 page)

Chapter Two

Tessa

I dropped my hand when it became obvious that Hayden’s reputation had been legitimately earned. He had the manners of a hyena. And he was right — I
already
regretted thinking it was nice to meet him.

Everyone in school knew Hayden Anders. My friends and I dubbed him
King Douche
last year after he’d dated every single cheerleader. Strangely though, none of the girls complained. I found it fascinating that being played by a man-whore didn't piss them off. Of course, when a guy looked like Hayden, girls could be pretty stupid with forgiveness.

Then there were the fights he’d gotten into. Nothing of note this year, but I assumed that, as a senior, he didn’t have older boys to contend with. Anyone our age already knew to steer clear.

I’d dealt with guys like him before, guys who thought they were better than everyone else. Hayden had taken me off guard when I’d entered the principal’s office, but I came back full force and smiled sweetly, leaving no doubt that his asinine behavior couldn’t touch me. Being even nicer usually repelled his kind. Right on cue, Hayden flipped sun-lightened brown hair out of his gray eyes and turned from me.

Seeing him in the principal’s office wasn’t unexpected but why was I called in too?

“This is Agent Phillips, FBI.” Mr. Linton nodded toward the woman standing by the door. “She has reason to believe you’re not safe, Tessa.”

I searched the faces in the room for some sign that I was being punked. Maybe I’d heard wrong.
“Excuse me?”

“This may come as a shock, but unfortunately
I can’t give you classified information
. But I
can
tell you that we’ve had a dissident group under surveillance for some time. Lately, they’ve been a little more aggressive.” She picked up a stack of photos from Mr. Linton’s desk and handed them to me. “By the looks of these, it appears they’ve taken an interest in you.”

My fingers numbly grasped the glossy pictures without glancing at them. “Why aren’t my parents here?”

“You’ll be seeing them soon. Right now, we have other matters to tend to.” She nodded toward the pictures.

I scanned the multitude of images — me with my mother and father, another of my little sister and me getting into my car, me at work — even a shot through our dining room window during dinner.

A chill ran up my spine and my mouth went dry. “Who took these? And where did you get them?” My words came out sounding shaky, panicked.

“From a raid at a house we’d staked out. That’s all I can tell you right now but I promise everything will be fine. We won’t let them hurt you.” Something about her voice made me want to curl up in front of a fire with marshmallows. Strange. It was as if her words rode on a different wavelength.

It had to be my imagination.

“We’re on it,” she continued. “We’ll have men watching your house. While you’re here at school, Hayden will help keep an eye on you.”

The plan sounded okay so far, but what did the school psycho have to do with it? Having the most dangerous guy at school protecting me was an ironic twist.

I wiped my trembling hands on my jeans and took a deep breath. Then suddenly, the apprehension slid off me, leaving no trace behind. I should be freaked over the news of someone stalking me, but the fear had dropped away like magic, as if someone had washed it away. Crazy idea. No one could control my mind that way so what was the deal with my emotional roller coaster?

 “You still haven’t told me why you’re depending on me instead of someone more qualified,” Hayden interrupted my thoughts.

“We’re not relying solely on you. You may have noticed the new janitor and security guards on campus. But at their age, they’d seem like perverts if they spent too much time watching Tessa. You can get a lot closer than they can,” Agent Phillips said.

Hayden folded his arms over his chest. “What’s in it for me?”

“Satisfaction of a job well done.” Mr. Linton stared at Hayden as if daring him to refuse.

“No.” Hayden snorted and stood. “I’m going back to class now.”

Agent Phillips moved in front of the door and said in soft, crisp words, “Why don’t you hear him out? You might like what he has to say.”

Hayden’s gaze moved to her palm that rested on the butt of a gun. He sat again and looked bored. “Whatever.”

“My parents must be worried out of their minds.” As soon as the words were out, I knew it wasn’t true. They’d likely be thinking only of themselves. The last time they’d shown concern with what went on in my life was when I’d been a finalist in a writing contest. Not because they were proud of me but because they were afraid I’d get serious about writing and get too caught up in it to take care of my little sister. I’d never be too busy for her, but those kinds of concepts were foreign to them.

“We have the situation under control.”

With her words I felt calming rays cascade over me, bathing me in tranquility. I knew everything would be okay.

Mr. Linton studied a thick file in front of him then turned to Hayden. “You’ve got quite a
résumé
here. Vandalism… cheating. And you’ve been suspended twice. Let’s not forget that you’re here because you’ve been kicked out of every private school in the area. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a college that will accept you.” A smile teased his mouth, like he had something up his sleeve.

“Maybe I don’t plan on going to college.” Hayden yawned and his gaze wandered to something beyond the window. I waffled between relief that he probably wouldn’t agree to their request and disappointment that he seemed to care so little about my safety.

“When you graduate from here,
if
you graduate, what kind of job will you get? Mowing lawns? Or do you think your rich parents will support you into your fifties?”

The principal must have hit a nerve because Hayden stiffened. “
That’s
my
problem. Are we done here?”

“Not yet.” Agent Phillips returned to Mr. Linton’s side, picked up a thinner file and leafed through it. “I did a check on you and your family.” Her eyes darted to mine, as if unsure whether to continue in my presence.

“Just say it.” Hayden rolled his eyes. “Like I care if she knows how you’re trying to blackmail me for
her
benefit.”

 “Very well. You’ve got a history of frequent hospital visits and broken bones. Interesting how the authorities were involved on three occasions, but the incidents were ruled accidents. Within days, the social worker handling each case retired and moved away. How much do you think your dad paid to keep them quiet?”

I’d heard rumors from those who knew Hayden before high school, but I assumed that’s all they were — rumors. Knowing it was true disturbed me. How could someone beat their own child so badly that they required a hospital visit?

“
Step
-dad.” Hayden flushed. He shifted in his chair and his jaw clenched. “Can we wrap this up?”

The principal didn’t miss a beat. “Ruining your chance at a real future is not the way to gain independence.”

Hayden groaned. “Right. And spending my valuable time babysitting
her
will magically make
my
life so much better.”

“Can't we find someone else?” I asked. “There must be half a dozen other guys around who're just as capable. We don't need Hayden. How much help would he be anyway?” I was probably worrying for nothing since Hayden wasn’t the type to do the right thing, no matter how hard Mr. Linton worked him. My fists unfolded at the thought of our paths dividing.

Mr. Linton ignored my protests, slapped the folder shut and waved it in the air. “I can make some of this go away, Hayden. With the appropriate recommendation letter, you could end up looking like a saint. It’ll be easier to get into a decent college.”

Could Mr. Linton do that? Hardly seemed fair to the rest of us who actually earned our good records and recommendation letters.

Hayden grunted. “Even if that file didn’t exist, my grades aren’t good enough. What else do you have? Because there’s this hot girl in my next class—”

“It’s not impossible to bring up your grades.”

Hayden narrowed his eyes at the principal. “You’ll change them?”

“Not exactly. But you’ll be spending your days glued to the smartest girl in school. I'm sure Tessa knows other A-students. Find one to help you.” Mr. Linton curled his lip up. “You’re going to have to earn your own way out of this mess. But I’m prepared to expunge your file if you catch up your credits and make Bs or better the rest of the year.”

Was that ethical? I couldn’t imagine the previous principal doing that.

Hayden hitched his brow. “How long do you need me to watch her?”

 “A few days,” Agent Phillips said. “When your replacement comes, you’re a free man.”

 “Everyone will think we’re dating.” The last word rolled off Hayden’s tongue like rotten meat, which echoed my feelings exactly.

My upper lip curled. “As if I want people thinking I’d go for a jerk like you.”

Our illustrious principal suppressed a smile. “Trivial issues in light of potential danger are not my concern.”

Hayden folded his arms over his chest. “I can’t watch her all the time because we don’t have any classes together.”

Was Hayden actually considering it? My hands fisted again, my dismay rising. Then, exactly like before, it suddenly dissipated. How I went from rage to relaxed in a matter of seconds was a mystery. Especially when my life could be in danger. Though Hayden wasn’t begging for the protector mission, he wasn’t resisting as much anymore. By that, I mean he wasn’t trying to flee. Maybe whatever quieted my nerves had done the same for him.

“You do as of eight o'clock this morning.” Mr. Linton gave a sly smile.

Hopefully, he hadn’t changed mine. I couldn’t afford anything to throw me off. Not if I wanted that scholarship. I couldn’t depend on my parents to put me through college since their children barely made it on their radar. Plus, they'd lost their life savings when the stock market crashed.

The principal held out a slip of paper and waved it in front of Hayden. “Your new class schedule.”

Hayden snatched the sheet and scanned it. “You can’t do this. Not one class is the same.” He flicked at the yellow paper with his middle finger. “This one is too advanced. I’ll drown in it.”

The panic in his eyes almost made me feel sorry for him.

“You were drowning anyway. Let’s face it: you haven’t exactly been giving it your all. I’d say you’ve made a poor start of the semester.” Mr. Linton sighed. “Make a choice, Hayden. Decide you’re going to do something with your life, then see it through. This is your chance to change things. I can erase the past, to a degree, but it’s up to
you
to shape your future.”

No one moved. The seconds stretched on while Hayden scowled at the slip of paper. I prayed he would say no. There had to be another way.

“Fine. I’ll do it,” he growled.

My heart sank. If he couldn’t find someone to help him catch up on his classes, I might end up with the dirty job. Ugh. Really, I had better things to do — like set my hair on fire or pull out my fingernails one by one. My shifts at Delia’s Deli didn’t start until dinnertime, which only left the afternoon for my own studies. Still, it’s not as if I could ignore Hayden if he needed help, especially if he watched over me and whatnot.