Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

lingered a bit too close.
    “Get lost from your sandbox?” Katie yelled at them across the table.
    Embarrassed, they rushed away.
    Katie leaned in again with a smug smile to finish. “Well, I heard that if they don’t figure out what’s going on, they might cancel the homecoming game tonight,” she said with one eyebrow raised.
    “Really?” I said, feeling other onlookers’ snooping interest swirl behind me.
    “Will they cancel the dance too?” Dena asked, concern in her voice.
    “No, I think they are worried that if they hold the game, there will be a riot. The football players want to avenge what happened to Phil,” Katie said in hushed tones.
    “Well, I’m grounded from everything right now, so I couldn’t go to the game if I wanted, but if any of our guys saw what they did to Phil, they’d be kicking the crap out of them right now. “
    “I don’t understand how anyone could be so cruel,” Sam said. “He’s such a nice guy.”
    I felt my stomach tighten when I remembered finding Phil half-dead behind the shrubs.
    “Can we change the subject? This is really starting to bother me.”
    “I know this must be so hard for you,” Sam said, putting her hand on my shoulder.
    “Did you hear about the reporters that tried to come on campus?” Katie announced, oblivious to my request.
    I glared in her direction.
    “No way,” Dena said.
    “I guess the principal made them go away, but they tried to interview some students about what happened,” she continued, proud of her juicy little tidbit.
    “This is getting totally out of hand,” I said, meaning both the drama and Katie’s continued interjections.
    At the same time the bell rang and I was the first to get up. Sitting in class, even Algebra would be better than rehashing all the ugly details.
    But class wasn’t the escape I desired. People still gossiped behind my back and their overwhelming feelings of curiosity gnawed on me. I almost got up and left when the girls next to me wouldn’t stop gawking and whispering to each other. They finally stopped when I glared at them.
    In Spanish though, Mrs. Valenzuela put her foot down and wouldn’t allow any extra talking unless it was in Spanish. It almost felt like a normal day until the announcement came that the homecoming game was postponed. The entire class went into a frenzy and blamed the administration for overreacting.
    I was amazed they’d do something so drastic, but at this point, keeping drama to a minimum would be Mr. Brewster’s modus operandi. The game, though, was the least of my worries. My only tie to homecoming would be helping Sam get ready for the dance tomorrow night.
    When the bell finally rang, I ducked out before anyone could corner me. I wanted to be far away from the school drama, and the quicker the better.

    Nobody was home when I arrived to change and get ready for work. I was earlier than I had expected, so I had a little bit of time to kill before heading out.
    The setting sun left the sky a beautiful display of vibrant purple and pink hues so I grabbed a bowl of cereal to eat on the back porch and enjoyed the view. The quiet breeze played against the trees and the birds sang the day away. I closed my eyes and listened to the creek gurgle along.
    All the weight of the events of the past week pressed heavily on my heart. I had no idea anyone’s life could be so complicated. In a short time, I’d managed to meet two terrific guys and lose them both without explanation. I didn’t know if I could handle any more pandemonium.
    A single tear trickled down my cheek and I tried to hold back the emotions I couldn’t seem to keep stuffed down. What I really needed was answers.
    What did I do to have this chaos in my life? Why was this happening to me?
    I feared I’d never know the truth or ever be able to get over Nicholas fully, even though I’d said my goodbyes at the cliff’s edge. In time, I hoped I’d stop thinking about him so much, but something in me craved the completeness he made me feel the night of the fall and I couldn’t help it. Even when I dwelled on the mean things he said outside the theater, as soon as I let my guard down, the longing would come back—almost like his presence was the missing puzzle piece to happiness I’d been looking for all my life.
    I could still feel his strong body carrying me up the hill, his touch when he brushed aside my hair, his tenderness and concern when I fought going to the emergency room. He ruined all future