Kylie and my mom helped themselves to a square, too. “Nelson,” my mom cried out. “Get your sexy butt over here.”
I buried my face in my hand, mortified. “That’s my mom for you.”
Leo smiled wide, and it was the most beautiful sight -- his wide infectious grin, almost perfect, save for the small chip in his front tooth.Never get that fixed, I thought.
We talked about everything and nothing; Halloween, school, life, and Pompom’s latest adventures. But we didn’t talk about Haley’s case. We never did -- I thought it was too much for little Kylie, and my mom couldn’t talk about it at all. The thought of one of her daughters going missing like that… she couldn’t even imagine it.
“That was pretty good,”Leo said. “The toast and milk.” We’d shared the travel mug of milk -- it was intimate, and I kind of liked that. “I really like your family,” he added.
I smiled. “They liked you, too.”
We walked quietly down the hall for a while until I broke the silence. “I’m so glad we met, Leo.”
He smiled. “Me, too. You seemed a little wary at first,” he teased.
“I was.”
He cocked a brow, confused. “Why?”
I smiled. “Your aura,” I said. “It’s red.” I wondered if he could see auras like me -- we’d never talked about it.
He laughed. “I know.”
I turned to him. “Really?!” I was curious how he knew because I couldn’t see my own aura. I figured that like everything else, he was just better than me at this, too.
“Natasha told me,” he said. “But I like to think I’m more of a purple or maybe a green,” he joked.
I laughed. “You’re too intense to be a green,” I pointed out. “And not quite a purple…” Purples were serious souls, intellectuals.
We kept walking and fell into silence again. “I thought you were an angel,” he said quietly.
I turned to him again. “Really?!” I was flattered.An angel.“Why?!”
“You have a pure aura. As white as the clouds on a nice summer day.”
I was taken aback. I never knew. White auras were a rare find -- I had not seen many in my day. They were like hazel eyes, and red hair; the rarest of them all. People with white auras are usually kind, sensitive, giving people. They are pure and sweet. I’d never thought of myself as pure and sweet. I have negative thoughts all the time, and I can also be snarky, and can sometimes be judgemental. I was shocked.
“You sure?” I asked.Really? Me? A white angel?
He smiled. “Positive.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I should get going. I’ve got tons of homework.”
I was disappointed. We had gone from that sensual almost-kiss to platonic kisses on the forehead. When I’d told Alicia about the last one, she’d winced and said, “Just give him time.”
I was afraid that we’d never get to that place again. I had broken the trust, and he just couldn’t bring himself to have complete faith in me. He’d obviously had high expectations for me. I had a white aura. I was a freakin’ angel. He probably expected me to be perfect, to be flawless. But I’m just an ordinary human, full of doubts, flaws and insecurities. I’m just as vulnerable as anyone else, even more so. And when masterful minds like Ace’s get a hold of me, I’m just as susceptible as anyone else.
I should have never fallen under his spell. If only I could have gone back in time and not kiss Ace Rogers.
36
Iwas in my Psychic Development class when we were called into the office again. I rushed down the halls, eager to know more about the case. It was all I could think about. I couldn’t sleep and could barely eat. I was sure I had lost weight -- the waistband on my dorky plaid skirt felt loose. Between Haley and Leo, I didn’t have a single second to have normal relaxing thoughts.
Kendra and Leo were already there when I got to the office. I wondered how many people Leo had crashed into getting here. I smiled at him, and Kendra, too. I checked my watch about fourteen times. Ten minutes later, Ace and Brianna finally graced us with their presence, and Simone called us all into her office.
Simone on was on the phone, and she tore herself away for just a second or two. “I have news about Haley’s case. Please sit down.”
We tumbled over each other, like dorks in elementary school, like we were playing musical chairs. I almost ended up sitting on Ace’s lap -- the horror. Finally when we all settled in our seats, Simone put an end to her conversation. “Yes, I’ll be sure to get right back to you, Detective Brice,” she said. “They’re here now. We won’t be long.”
She hung up and got right down to business. “They found Haley.”
