Page 39 of Hell House
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why did you drag us here Javelynn?” Rain pelts at us as we climb the bleacher steps. The entire school has turned out for the first at home football game, despite the inclement weather. We’re lost in a sea of black and white clad spirit wear, with several large wildcat foam claws waving haphazardly around us. I lean away from a clearly drunk attendee who almost gets a foam claw right in my eye. This is why I consistently avoided sporting events at all costs.
“It wouldn’t kill you to have some school spirit.” Javelynn says, sipping from their thermos.
“You don’t know that.” I grumble, wishing I was back in my freezing room curled up with a book. Today had been exhausting and confusing. I put all of my energy into ignoring Pierce at the library, though his constant intense focus was eating me alive. I felt his eyes on me and was more aware of him than I cared to admit. And, fine, I secretly liked that he seemed to be struggling. It gave me a heady sort of power that I was content to relish in. We’d been like a lit match held aloft from gasoline from our very first encounter, if we ever came together- we’d be explosive. I didn’t have time for that kind of all consuming passion. I had goals, schoolwork. Did I really want to be distracting myself with someone who drove me crazy? Ugh, I knew the answer was a hell yes and I loathed myself for it. I wanted Pierce, and that terrified me. Especially since I found myself having the same sort of pull to Walker today. I bit down on my lip thinking of how hot he looked strumming his guitar. I was a sucker for a tattooed brooding musician and fuck me, he had that entire vibe down like the stereotype was made because of him. I couldn’t deny that I’d felt a genuine attraction there. Our banter coming easily. He made me feel… happy. I fought the urge to drag my finger along his scar. What was it about something that was meant to mar you forever that made you look even more beautiful? He had the look of a survivor who’d fought hell itself and came out the winner, and damn that did things to my insides.
Skye bumps my elbow distracting me from my thoughts. She seems wholly at home watching the teams tackle each other.
I have no idea what’s going on as we sit watching the game. We arrived while the game was already well underway. I feel like a drowned rat, thankful that Javelynn had spare ponchos. I don’t care how uncool I look sitting here wrapped in literal plastic. It’s keeping this rain from drenching me to the bone and I already dealt with being mildly hypothermic enough times at this school.
The clouds are rolling in, making it look darker- fast. The crowd around us doesn’t seem phased, but I feel an urging inside of me to get out of here.
“We should go.” I say, right as the crowd roars, drowning my words out. I shake Skye’s arm, but she’s too busy jumping up and down cheering with the crowd.
“Skye.” I say looking at the gathering clouds. She turns her head to me with a full smile on her face.
“We’re going to win. I just know it!” She yells.
The players are lined up, readying for another play. They move synchronized, each muddied body rushing to their predetermined positions, shoulder pads and helmets coming to blows. As I watch the game, a tingle works its way up my spine. I don’t know how I know, but I’m slick with fear in an instant, with a clawing feeling that I need to warn someone of the impending danger.
“Watch out!” I scream a second before lightning rips out of the sky. I swear I see one of the players look up at the stands right at me as the lightning smashes into the ground right next to the players, scattering them like a game of jacks.Pierce.
My heart jumps up into my throat as the hundreds of people in the stand around us all start to rush down at the same time, shrieking and shoving. I look around frantically trying to find a way to not be trampled.
The drunk man from earlier body slams me, his hot beer breath rakes over my face as he lets out a bellowing scream.
“Get off of me!” I shove him backwards, his arms windmill for a moment as he loses his balance slipping on the slick bench. The chaos envelops him as Skye and Javelynn are swept into the retreating hoard.
The eerie sensation works its way up my spine again this time with a steady thump against my chest and I glance up. I know without a doubt, the lightning is about to strike again.
The entire stadium is in chaos, the announcer’s crackling voice penetrates above the shrieks, urging people to use caution and leave the area in a calm manner, but no one is listening.
I see Pierce’s body trying to get up from the ground, the other players already running off the field for cover. I don’t know how I know it’s him other than this sixth sense that’s manifested during the last few minutes. I’m too wrapped up in worrying about the next lightning strike to give the why a moment of thought.
The wind whips at my body rustling the damp plastic poncho.
Move Pierce.I urge, my feet carrying me toward an opening in the crowd. I vault myself over a chain link fence, the metal digging into my flesh. I’m up and over landing hard on my Converse. If I die for trying to save Pierce Fucking Ledger, I swear to god I’ll come back and haunt his ass.
My feet barely touch the muddied field before I can feel the danger spike in my chest. The sky brightens, a long-jagged bolt reaches directly to where Pierce is struggling to get up.
I reach my hand out instinctually and scream. “NO!”
I feel a part of myself latch onto the bolt as it barrels down to Earth. I have the sense that I can direct it and I fling my arm off to the side. The motion sends it careening into the metal goal posts. I crumple feeling drained.
What the ever-living fuck was that?
“Salem?” Pierce is on me in a moment. Grabbing me up by the waist. His mud-covered jersey slides against my poncho, making it difficult for him to find purchase.
“Fuck, Salem?” He wrenches the poncho off of me, tossing it to the wind. I burry my fingers into his bicep, trying to keep myself steady. We lean on each other, of all people to trust to get me to safety I can’t believe I’m relying on him again, but I have no choice. My feet slip in a mud puddle, but he doesn’t let me fall. Instead, he scoops me into his arms like he did on the night of the fire and runs us off the field and into the home team’s hallway that connects the stadium to the locker rooms. The hallway is empty, rain and thunder echos off the walls. It’s quieter here, but I can still hear the sounds of people screaming.
He sets me down ripping off his helmet, dropping it on the floor with a thwack. He’s on me in an instant running his dirty hands down my drenched hair, like he’s making sure I’m okay.
I look down and notice I’ve wound my fingers around his jersey in the center of his chest. I’ve never been into sports but there’s something unbelievably hot about this man in his football uniform standing in front of me that has my heart stuttering.
“You’re okay.” He says stepping closer, dipping his head so that we’re pressed together, his forehead resting on mine. I manage to nod, my thoughts spinning out of control. The contact lasts for a moment before he stands straight up his eyes roam over my body like he’s looking for injuries. Ridiculous, he was the one that was almost hit by a fucking bolt of lightning.
Did I direct the lightning or was that just coincidence? I’ve heard of people having a sixth sense before, but I’ve never felt so certain of anything in my life like I was aware of what was going to happen. I didn’t even know what specifically was about to happen just that there was incoming danger.
I stare up into Pierce’s eyes, his face is streaked with mud and rain drips down over his mouth. My eyes look down tracking the falling water over his mouth briefly remembering how thoroughly he’d kissed me the other morning with those lips, then force myself to look away, but not fast enough as I notice a heat come over Pierce’s features. He pushes me back against the wall. My hand snakes up from his chest and wraps around his neck. I don’t know who moves first, but all of a sudden, his lips are on mine, my mouth opening eagerly for him tangling our tongues together.
