The Deep Spark by KttySaysRawr (recommended ebook reader .txt) 📕

to Kurt, who stared James down. "I don't think that's any of your business."
James' hand clenched tighter at Kurt's superior tone. "It is my business if it has to do with her." James pointed an angry finger towards Althea, who felt a rush of anger.
"Your business! I haven't been your business for the past few weeks! I don't think your opinion matters at this point!" Althea yelled at James.
James stood with a dumb struck face but soon shook himself. "I don't want you hanging around some half-cocked idiot who can't even hold down his own liquor around you! We're leaving. Now." James grabbed Althea by her forearm and tugged hard, ripping her from Kurt's arms and almost making her fall.
Althea pulled hard back against his hand and tore away, stumbling back. "No! Do you think you can just come in all high and mighty now? Do you think you can just come back to me this way? I'm not eight years old anymore, James! You can't just boss me around whenever you feel like it!" With that, Althea turned on her heel, grabbed Kurt's hand and marched inside. She heard James yelling after them but didn't dare look back.
Damn him! Who the hell does he think he is?

The two found their group standing by the inside mall playground. "Where did you two go?" Mel asked, a slight teasing twinge in her voice.
Althea shrugged, dropping Kurt's hand. "No where. We just needed some air," Althea said in a dull voice.
Mel rolled her eyes and looked to Kurt. "Well, we want to go to the movies, so come on." The group headed towards the movies section and Althea looked around, making sure the area was James free. She saw a few of his friends and looked away. They were staring at her in a weird way and it made her uncomfortable. She felt pressure around her waist and was ready to fight whoever the hell was touching her, but relaxed when it was just Kurt.
"That was one hellova confrontation." He chuckled.
Althea sighed. "I have a feeling that it was just the beginning."

CHAPTER 5

Althea sat down on the carpeted floor of the local library, opening a book in her lap. She was taking a break from studying and was browsing the fiction section. She began reading, waiting for a certain friend to arrive. She was already into the introduction when a shadow was cast over her reading light.
"Always reading, Althea." Kurt's voice flowed down to her. "I don't think it's healthy to absorb so much information."
She smiled up at him and patted the empty spot next to her. "Sit down, You're late." She smirked.
Kurt feigned hurt, putting a hand over his heart. "You hurt me, milady. I'm but a few minutes late."
Althea giggled at Kurt's faux English accent. "My apologies, sir, but I tell nothing but the truth, and like roses, the truth has thorns all around it." Her English accent flowed from her lips.
Kurt laughed. "Where did you get that one from?" He asked.
Althea shrugged. "It's a quote I saw somewhere." She smiled and Kurt shook his head.
He snatched the book Althea was reading from her lap and read the back. "You love fantasy and thrillers, don't you?" He inquired, still reading the back.
Althea nodded. "They're my favorite." He nodded absently and began to walk away, still with her book in his hands. "Hey, come back!" Grunting, she stood up and jogged up to him. She took her book back and twisted on her heel.
"What's the matter, babe? I was reading." He smirked as he calmly strode up next to her at the table. She paused in packing up her notebooks and bit her lip. he scrunched his eyebrows at seeing her reaction. "Althea, you 'kay?"
"Uh, yeah, but you," she gulped, "you called me 'babe'." She looked up at him and took a deep breath. "D-d-does that mean anything?"
As the silence between slowly stretched out, the urge to slap herself became greater. Stupid, stupid! He doesn't care!

"Nevermind," she mumbled, obviously humiliated. She quickly picked up her back pack and grabbed a stack of books she had separated, walking past him.
His hand shot out and grabbed her elbow. She surged forward slightly and if not for Kurt's quick hand on the spine of the books, it would have all tumbled down. "Wait." he brought her reluctant body back to the table and sat her down, taking the books out of her hands.
Her head was turned away from his and he sighed in frustration. He took Althea's chin in his grasp and tugged her face towards him. "Look at me," he whispered. Slowly, she raised her eyes at him, her blue-green eyes clouded with doubt. "What is up with you?"
She scowled. She most definitely had not been expecting that. "What do you mean?"
He smiled. "How can you be so smart yet so oblivious?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
"I like you. Like, really like you." His thumb stroked her bottom lip and smirked. "That's why I kissed you. And I suppose you must like me back since you kissed me back."
She opened her mouth to tell him that no, she didn't like him back. He was sweet and caring, but not for her. But then something snapped and she covered up her lack of words with a sigh and a smile. She deserved being happy, didn't she? If anyone could help her forget about James, Kurt was the best one suited for the task.
"Yeah," she whispered. She felt bad for lying to him, but she justified her actions by telling herself that perhaps with him she could be happy.
Maybe even fall in love again.

*****

They had spent the rest of the day in the library working on their final project for World History. They had been assigned the country of England, the main reason why each was perfecting an upper-class English accent. As they research and finalized drafts, she had to control the slight bile that rose whenever Kurt gave her an affectionate kiss, or the urge to snatch her hand away whenever he covered it with his.
It was Sunday night now, and as she read over her notes for World History, they didn't register. After re-reading the same passage three times, she let out a muted shriek of frustration. She couldn't hold it off any longer.
She snatched up her cell phone and speed-dialed James. Althea laughed harshly as the phone rang. Even though they no longer talked, she couldn't bring herself to take him off speed-dial. The definiteness of the action scared her.
Not surprised, she got his voice mail. As the mandatory message sounded, she went over what she was going to say. She refused to make a fool of herself again. "...after the beep. Beeeeep."
"James, it's Althea. Listen, I don't understand why you don't want to talk to me at school anymore, but it's cool. We have to talk though. After graduation, I'll wait for you by the bathrooms. I'll wait for half an hour, I know that there will be immediate pictures after the ceremony. If you decide to not meet me, I'll just go to your house." Hanging up, she flipped her phone closed.
Althea took several deep breaths and covered her face with hands. She'd been meaning to make that phone call last week after the shouting match they'd had at the mall. She kept putting it off with petty excuses. As she was trying to study now, the nagging thought that graduation was Wednesday held her off from concentrating.
"Althea, ó̱ra gia ýpno!

" Her mother's melodic voice floated through the house.
"Entáxei

, mamá!" Sighing, she quickly got ready for bed.
Once in her bed, she hesitated to turn off her phone. She had already gotten the expected goodnight text from Kurt, but she was waiting to see if James would call back. She growled, angry that she was worrying over him. Harshly, she pressed the power button and threw the phone to her bean bag chair.

*****

"Hurry up lass!"
Looking over herself once more in the bathroom mirror, she ran down the stairs. Jumping over the last two steps, she landed with a flourish. "Ta-da!" Laughing at the appreciative whistle that Justin gave her, and the quick elbow jab from Janise, she walked over to Kurt.
"Someone looks nice," he murmured after giving her a soft kiss.
She smiled and shrugged. "It is Sydney's graduation." He wrapped his arm around her waist in a possessive gesture and Althea instinctively raised her arms to push him off. Covering it by fluidly crossing her arms.
"I'm so fucking glad that he's moving out!" Mel fist pumped into the air and the group of friends laughed at her enthusiasm.
"Melody!" The shocked voice of Althea's voice abruptly cut the laughter. The short woman crossed her arms over her generous bosom, something her daughter had somewhat inherited. "He's your brother! And watch your language." When calm, her mother's Greek accent normally went into hibernation. Yet when bothered, like she was now, it colored her words fancifully.
"Mamá, you know Mel's joking." Althea's eyes twinkled with laughter as she looked around her friends. They all nodded loyally, while Mel just huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Hmph. Well, go on. Get!" With the dishtowel, she shooed the teenagers out of her home and waved good-bye as the drove to their high school.
"Lass, why are you so dressed up?" Justin's curious gaze met hers in the rearview mirror when they stopped at a stoplight. His Scottish accent made the soft question seem more serious than it was, or maybe that was her guilty conscience.
She had dressed in a black dress that was modest by society's standard as it reached her knees. The fact that she had wrapped a Egyptian-styled belt around her waist, accenting her generous and fit figure, along with shining hoop earrings and stylish bronze pumps made the simple dress a gape-worthy outfit on her. She would never admit that it had the been chance that she would meet up with James later that had caused her to dress so extravagantly.
"It's a special day! Can't a gal dress up?" Scoffing, she raised an eyebrow at the car's inhabitants.
From the co-pilot seat, Janise turned and calmly spoke to Althea. "Of course dear. You know how this brute is sometimes." Smiling at the grunt that said brute expelled, the seventeen year old patted her knee. "You look fabulous."
Althea smiled and glanced at the couple. With his tall, broad, muscular form, and dirty blonde hair, Justin could only resemble his Highlander ancestors even more if he talked like them. And when the few "barbaric" phrases did slip out, regal Janise was there to correct him. She was tall and slim, also a perfect resemblance of