AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nineteen
“Are you ready?”Gavin asked once he turned off the car.
We were meeting everyone at a park a few cities away. It was neutral territory, plus it was far enough away from where any of us lived that there was little chance of being recognized. Sky said we wouldn’t draw much attention as a group of teenagers hanging out .
I wasn’t sure why this had to be such a secretive meeting, but these were Society kids. Of course, they took things to the next level.
“Yeah.” My voice didn’t sound convincing to my own ears. I got ready then sat on my bed for nearly twenty minutes debating if I was really ready for this. What if they didn’t like me? What if they were mean? What if they tried to test me in some way? What if the girls had turned us in?
There was no way to prepare, so I set my expectation for a disaster. Gavin’s call broke me out of my downward spiral. He was parked outside and wanted to drive me. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he knew I’d be freaking out. He had a bag of Miranda’s chocolate chip cookies and my favorite bottled coffee drink ready once I slid into the passenger seat. His thoughtfulness was the perfect distraction on the drive over.
“You sound like you’re on your way to the gallows. This isn’t supposed to be a bad thing, Ave.”
I sucked in a breath and nodded.
“We probably built it up too much by pushing it off,” he admitted.
That was true. If I met the other teens when I was meeting their parents, it would have felt natural. But they made a big deal about keeping me away from the others, which allowed my brain to come up with all sorts of scenarios.
“Let’s get this over with.” I opened the door and tugged my jacket close. It was unseasonably cold for a late April day, but the weather had been jumping from winter to spring quite like it couldn’t decide what season it wanted to be.
“This way.” Gavin looped his arm around mine, and we walked along a path to the gazebo in the center of the park. The structure was large with four picnic tables beneath its cover, and it overlooked a pond with ducks silently gliding over the surface.
All four of the guys awaited us, talking to Aaron and a guy I didn’t recognize who must have been Tyson.
“Hey,” Gavin called out as we approached.
Aaron and Tyson turned, and Aaron’s expression changed from warm greeting to confusion to understanding and finally a scowl as he faced Vince. “Really, dude?”
Vince shrugged. “Sorry.”
Tyson, a thin Asian boy with shaggy black hair that looked overdue for a trim, openly studied me until we were feet away. A switch seemed to flip in his eyes, and he grinned wide, revealing matching dimples on his blemished skin. He seemed younger than the rest of us, but I couldn’t be sure without asking.
He extended his hand. “Hi, Avalon. I’m Tyson Chu. A pleasure to meet you.”
I shook it once before pulling back. “Hi, Tyson.”
“I couldn’t believe it when Aaron called me. Another Society girl appearing out of thin air. This doesn’t happen, I trust you understand. I wish we’d known earlier, so we could give you a proper induction into who and what we are, but I understand why these boys decided to keep you to themselves.”
His energy was overwhelming, but I got the sense it was just who he was.
“I’m a bloodhound. At least, that’s what everyone calls me. I have a very heightened sense of smell.”
I glanced at Luca. “Does that make you a bat?”
He glared in response.
“Ha! That’s a good one.” Tyson let out a laugh that could probably be heard through the entire park.
“Excuse him. He has the energy of a puppy.” Aaron stepped between us and offered a nod in greeting. “Sorry about not properly introducing myself the first time we met.” He glanced over his shoulder, and Vince ducked his head. “I am glad to have the chance to meet you now though.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t want to defend Vince, nor apologize. They were doing what they thought was right, so they were the ones to offer explanations.
“So, how did this happen? How did you not know what you were or about the Society until recently?” Tyson asked.
“Let’s wait until the girls get here, so we don’t have to repeat things,” Luce spoke with an authority that matched his father’s. It made sense he would step up and take control.
“Sounds good.” Aaron moved to one of the picnic tables and sat on the top.
