Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,34
towel. Raisa said she would wake up an hour early and study for the exam, then tried to convince me to do the same. Yeah, right.
“Stay, Nad,” Raisa insisted. “We’re going to grab a bite somewhere later. Come with us.”
“I need to study.”
“It’s okay, Raisa,” Olivia said. “If Nad thinks she needs to study, then let her go.”
Raisa raised her brows. “Why? She’ll get an A or a B+ even if she doesn’t study.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m off. Bye.”
They waved goodbye, and I walked back home, feeling a little chipper. Singing always raised my spirit, and the fact that Victor had seen me while at it was a bonus. In my visions, he loved my voice and always asked me to sing for him.
I was one block away from my building, at the exact same place Micah had saved me from the bats, when his voice called me.
“Nadine!”
With wide eyes, I spun around and found Victor running in my direction. Then, on instinct, I scanned our surroundings, making sure the bats weren’t hiding. I waited, and he came to a halt in front of me.
“H-hi,” I stuttered.
“Hey.” He ran his hand through his messy hair. I guessed that without the mousse or whatever kept dream-Victor’s hair intact he did that a lot. He kept glancing around. I wanted to ask what he needed, but I held my tongue. Finally, he fixed his eyes on mine and spoke up. “You have a beautiful voice.”
My cheeks grew hot. “Thanks.”
“Seriously, very beautiful.” His eyes narrowed. My heart danced from his compliment. “I thought you were in the pre-health program.”
“I am. Singing is just a hobby.”
He nodded. “Not everyone is as talented with their hobby.”
A cold breeze blew and I hugged myself. I had gone out without a jacket, hoping the tight sweater I had put on would emphasize my thin waist, but now I regretted my decision.
What did he want? Was he going to be nice for once, or start one of our arguments? “Can I help you with anything? I mean, you didn’t come all this way to compliment my singing.”
Once more, he ran his hand over his hair. It seemed so soft and shiny I wanted to touch it too.
“Well,” he said, then paused and looked around. “I wanted to ask for your touch,” he said in a rush of words. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “I’ve been feeling rather nauseous since morning, and the pain has been building for the last hour. Do you mind?”
My hand was already extended toward him. He hesitated for a second then gripped it tight. The warmth wasn’t as strong as before, but it burned my skin, nonetheless. Like Micah, he tilted his head back, drinking in whatever it was I passed to him.
With a loud sigh, he let go of my hand.
“Are you better now?”
“Yes,” he said, frowning. “The nausea and the pain are gone. Thank you.”
Then why was he scowling? “You’re welcome.”
Victor cleared his throat. “I should get going.”
Ouch. What now? I was a disposable object? “Yes, of course.” I tried to hide the hurt in my voice, but didn’t think I was successful.
“Good night,” he said before marching back the way he had come.
Guess I had been used.
Chapter Thirteen
The day after the biology exam, I was in the lab, working on a project that was due in a few days. I didn’t think I’d failed the test, but I was certain I could have done better if Victor hadn’t been taking up ninety-nine percent of my mind. I moved to put away my experiment, but bumped the edge of the desk and dropped the beaker. Acrid smoke irritated my eyes, and the scent of burning rubber clawed at my lungs.
I gasped and clutched the lab bench. The antiseptic-white walls of the lab loomed, threatening to close in on me. I gagged, then coughed, then berated myself. I couldn’t let things slip out of control. I had to get good grades—no, wonderful grades—if I ever wanted to go to med school and provide a better future for my parents and my siblings.
But I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything.
I began tidying the mess I had made when his voice startled me.
“Can I come in?” Victor asked.
I turned, conscious I wore gloves and goggles and my hair was pulled up in a messy bun. I yanked off the goggles.
“As far as I know, the lab isn’t mine.”
Beautifully clad in jeans and a black sweater, he stepped into the classroom.