Page 40 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“So, what are you in the mood for?” Oscar’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “My treat.”

“Thanks.” Will offered a weak smile. “Tea with lemon is fine.”

Oscar placed their order.

“It’s gotten cold, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah, really cold.”

Oh my God, were they actually talking about the weather? AWKWARD!

…even more dramatic, however, was the silence that fell after this less-than-inspiring exchange.

“Too bad we don’t have Tech class together,” Oscar said, clearly trying to save the situation. “It’s almost time for projects, and I don’t have a partner.”

“It’s cool that you get to choose. In Lorne’s class, it’s always random.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

SO. AWKWARD.

The waitress brought their teas. Will smiled uncomfortably.

“You don’t use sugar?” Oscar asked him.

“Uhh…” Will was going to. He really was. The thing was, first he’d been overwhelmed by the awkwardness of the whole situation, and now… Now Oscar’s hand was suddenly on top of his, and he had no idea how to react. “No,” he said, blushing slightly.

“I didn’t know you knew Liam well,” Oscar blurted out suddenly.

Will looked at him, surprised.

“I wouldn’t say well,” he corrected him slowly. “We just hang out.”

“He’s pretty handsome,” Oscar said, watching his face intently. “And it would be cool to date the captain of the basketball team, right?”

“Should I tell him you’re interested?” Will joked.

Oscar laughed freely.

“No. Are you?”

At that moment, Will was only interested in one thing, and it definitely wasn’t the gentle brush of Oscar’s fingers on his hand. His mind went back to their passionate kisses, to Oscar’s hands creeping under his shirt, to their tangled tongues and breaths.

Unfortunately, he had to be content with just this small gesture today, because although they spent a little more time together, Oscar eventually had to get going. He promised he would call. Will tried not to get his hopes up, but as usual, he couldn’t help himself.

As he was leaving the mall, a poster on a window caught his attention. A conspicuous headline read: MISSING. Below it was a picture of a young girl identified as Lily Wayne. Will swallowed nervously, his thoughts returning to the scene in the forest. It was so terrifying and at the same time so unbelievable that he almost felt as if he had seen it in a movie, not in real life. Maybe that’s why he had been able to push it out of his mind earlier. He couldn’t now.

It wasn’t the same person, though. The girl in the photo had short, red hair and looked much younger. Sure, the picture could have been old, but it was unlikely anyone would use an old photograph to search for a missing person.

He walked on. When he got to the bus stop, he decided to call Norma.

“What’s up, Magneto?”

“Excuse me?” he mumbled, confused.

“I’m trying to find a cute nickname for you related to your powers. Zappy? Sparky? Nah, nothing sounds quite right.”