Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

they chattered excitedly. I was speechless with Sarah's beauty. She wore the long powder-blue dress she said she'd wear. Her makeup was well-done, with rosy lips and cheeks and smoky eyes. Her hair was curled extravagantly and tied into her usual bun. Somehow, this bun was more beautiful than all the ones she'd donned before.

Ariella was wearing a red dress with pieces of sheer fabric hanging around her legs. Her feet were adorned with sky-high heels and her makeup was much heavier than usual, her grey eyes brighter and more alive than I'd seen them in a long time. Her hair was tied back for once in a sleek ponytail.

The ticket takers informed us that ours had been paid for, and to go on in. The next people were more surprised than we were. Ariella and Sarah giggled. They knew who had paid and why.

I immediately started toward the corner of the cafeteria, away from the turntables. Too bad. "Realize" by Colbie Caillat started playing, and Sarah dragged me over to the middle of the dance floor. I was surprisingly comfortable. She kept her dancing slow and steady, so not to hurt the baby.

"Rule The World" by Take That was next. I started swinging her around like we were in a ballroom. She took my lead and danced gracefully. I noticed the Beautifuls standing in a corner of the room, gossiping. They were closer to the music so they couldn't be overheard. All of them wore pink or purple except the Hartlett sisters. Jordan and Scarlett wore tight, short red dresses that sparkled. I decided to ignore them for now.

Sarah and Ari went to the bathroom for a moment, and I noticed the Beautifuls heading that way. I decided to stand outside the restroom as extra protection. Ari was a strong girl, but she would not be able to defend herself and Sarah if the clique decided to attack them. I noticed that Rachel Griffin and Angela Montgomery looked a little sick.

I noticed Mason across the room. He looked pale and ill. He was dressed in dark pants and a button-up shirt. He looked like he was trying to figure out the best way to approach Scarlett. I went over to him.

"What're you doing?" I asked. "If she sees you-"

"I know. I need to fix things, though. I've figured out a way to make her forget the knowledge that I taught her."

"But you're-"

"I know. I'm sick and weak. I won't stay long. My dad is waiting outside. He's prepared to take over if he needs to." He doubled over and clutched his head. "Help me up, Reese." I helped him up. He walked over to the clique. Scarlett's jaw dropped when she saw him. Mason stood in front of her. She seemed frozen in fear. He mumbled an incantation and waved his hand. All of the Beautifuls looked worried or confused. Jordan and Scarlett were scared.

Ariella and Sarah exited the bathroom at that moment. They gaped at the scene before them. Mason turned on his heel and started walking away. I expected Scarlett to retailiate, but she looked terrified. Mason looked back and grinned. My cell phone dinged. I took it out of my pocket. It was from him.

Mason: I made Scarlett forget everything I taught her. She will have to relearn it the hard way.

I grinned at the influx of justice, and showed the text to Sarah. She smiled and pecked my cheek.

"So the Hartletts are, like, real witches?" Ariella asked, looking over at them.

"Yes," Sarah said. "I'm the only one who wanted nothing to do with it. Everything that they were doing was wrong. Everything from popularity and money spells to beauty spells."

"Not very tactful, are they?" Ariella said rhetorically. An evil grin split her face in half. "I know exactly what to do. I'll fix them for good." I decided that I didn't want to know and didn't ask.

"What you going to do?" Sarah asked Ariella. Ari put a finger to her lips and pulled her cell phone out from a silver purse. I took Sarah's hand and danced with her some more. She needed constant breaks, either for water or for the bathroom. We talked with Amara, Noah, and Duke, who had arrived. I told them that Mason was there only briefly to talk to somebody. Amara and Ariella met each other for the first time and seemed to get along beautifully. Something was still off, though.

I swung Sarah around and led her into a different rhythm of movement for each song. The only thing that would have made the night better was if she had agreed to marry me. Needless to say, we tore up the dance floor. I noticed that we got quite a bit of attention as more and more people showed up. The people who had not heard the gossip gaped at us.

The last thing anyone expected was the Lone Goth to be dancing with the most beautiful girl in the universe. Even the teachers who were chaperoning couldn't believe it.

"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol started playing, and Sarah's grin got bigger.

"This is our song," she said. And so it would be. I dipped her gently and she clutched my shoulders. I spun her around. Gently, of course. When the song ended, Sarah sat down in a chair.

"This is the best night of my life!" she declared.

"Glad to hear it," I said. I sat beside her. "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne was playing, and I found it deliciously ironic. I looked over and noticed that Scarlett's old clique was staring at us and whispering. Sarah didn't seem to care.

~~~~~~~~

I wished that it could go on forever, but it ended promptly at midnight. By now, everybody had been there. The place was packed, and no one wanted it to end. Ariella had already left, and Sarah was exhausted. Some of the others were going to an all-ages club afterward to keep the party going.

I drove her home and helped her up the steps to her front door. She stood on her toes and kissed me on the lips.

"Call me tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Absolutely. If anyone gives us a hard time because of tonight..."

"Why would anyone do that? We're in love!"

"Yes, but we're on two different social stratas."

"I don't give a damn, and Scarlett and Mike have already hurt my reputation anyway. I don't have many friends anymore because of them."

"Even Mike...?"

"Even though he hurt me, people still don't want to hear the truth. Some of them still think that I was totally making it all up; that I'm lying for attention or it wasn't as big a deal as it was made out to be."

I promised swift retribution to any who dared to think her untrustworthy because of her experience.

"Well, good night, my love."

"Good night, my prince." I tensed for a moment.

"Prince?"

"Like in Aladdin, when he drops Princess Jasmine back on her balcony." I relaxed. Her cheeks turned hot pink. My nose flared as the blood rushed to the surface of her skin. I didn't want to leave her, but Father was calling me.

"Well, I have to go. My father will worry if I'm gone too long." She looked a bit disappointed, but nodded in agreement. We kissed again, and she went inside the house.

"Hello, sweetheart," I heard Alicia say. "Did you have a good time?" I grinned and shook my head. I went to my van and drove home in a good mood.

 

Father was waiting for me. I unbuttoned a few buttons on my shirt and sat on the couch.

"Did you have good time?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," I said, and told him what Mason had done. He shook his head.

"That boy's going to get himself killed if he's not careful. It's a good thing you were there, for extra protection."

"I don't think Scarlett knows-"

"I think she suspects that you're more than human. She certainly knows that I'm not an ordinary man."

"Because of our eyes?"

"Partly. It also has to do with our aura."

I fell asleep on the couch. My dreams were punctuated by thoughts of her, of Sarah. I had the best dreams I'd had in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When school started up again, everyone was buzzing about Scarlett. At lunch, I sat with the group again.

"Did you hear about Scarlett?" Jody asked. "Apparently, she's some kind of witch. Like, a real witch."

"Where do you hear this stuff?" Rachel Goldstein asked.

"From Ariella Spears," Jody replied.

"Reese, isn't Ariella Spears your friend?" Noah asked me.

"Yeah, she's my best friend," I answered. "And she's right about Scarlett."

"Apparently, Scarlett has some huge secret," Jody continued. "Besides being a witch, I mean."

"I don't care about her religion or whatever, but what's her other secret?" Duke said. They looked at me and Sarah.

"It's not my place to say," Sarah said, finishing her salad.

"She turned against Sarah because she thought that she spilled the beans," I said. Sarah turned pink and nodded.

"She thought that I told her secret, but I didn't. I think Jordan did, actually."

"Her sister?" Amara said. "I would've thought that Jordan and Scarlett were tighter than that."

"Jordan secretly hates Scarlett's guts," Sarah continued, now working on her sandwich. "Jordan has liked Mason for a long time."

"Mason? What's Mason got to do with it?" Noah asked, looking worried on his friend's behalf.

"He's known the Hartlett sisters for a long time," I said.

"What? Why didn't he tell me? I'm his best friend!"

"I expect that he wanted to keep you out of it for your own safety," I said, hoping to assuage his worries. "Anyway, I would ask him about it if you want the full story. It's not our place to reveal his secrets." Sarah opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She focused on the rest of her lunch.

I was bored out of my mind during free period. Not even the library would help. I snagged a free computer and checked social media, careful not to get caught. Nothing of interest yet. I checked the live feed. Very little activity.

Even with North Hampton High being as big as it is, it's like a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business. Yes, we have our cliques. The cheerleaders and jocks, drama club, band freaks, nerds, and so on. We even had a nice-sized goth group. The group that Sarah and I hung out with were just one.

I noticed another goth group gossiping and glancing over me occasionally. I logged out of Facebook and pretended to work on an essay. I picked a random topic (Samhain), and started to write about it. Samhain is a historical holiday with several religious backgrounds, including Wicca and Christianity. It is also supposedly the day where the line between the paranormal world and the mortal world is at its thinnest.

I started writing about ley lines and ghostly activity when a girl with black everything and short hair walked up to me.

"Is your name Reese?" she asked. I nodded. I noticed that she had a nose ring. "Do you know Scarlett Hartlett?"

"Barely," I said. "She's my girlfriend's ex-friend." She nodded back and walked back to her group. My stomach tightened. I saved my work and started researching mental disorders and evil people. Elizabeth Bathory, Vlad the Impaler, and so on. Some of which were famous vampires or vampire wannabes. My father's first name popped up, and I did a double-take. They even had his description down.

Blond hair, yellow eyes, thin-yet-muscular build. I wondered if he cared. I decided I'd tell him later.

Evan and I were on the same team again. We were continuing indoor soccer. This time, I stayed out of the way as much as possible. Some kid got sick, though, and threw up all over the floor. While he was sent to the nurse and the janitor called, Kleeworth had us go into the Aerobics room. She told us to choose whatever equipment we wanted to use for the rest of the day. I chose weights. I lifted the heaviest weights and started working.

"Why aren't you in any sports?" Mrs. Kleeworth