Page 15 of The Heir

“I am Emma, and this is Ryker, my best friend,” I said as Ryker just stared at me as if trying to tell me not to talk to Ash.

That is weird.

“So what do you guys do around here for fun—besides taking in all that hotness over there?” She placed a hot pink backpack on the table, decorated with ink designs, created using a variety of colored permanent markers. She unzipped the largest pocket as I continued to stare at the drawings. I wondered if she drew the pictures herself. If so, she was a really good artist.

“Did you draw those?” I asked, pointing to her backpack.

“Yeah, I love to draw—can’t help the impulse. Sometimes, I just get a marker and draw on things. My backpack was just there, begging me to help it out of its boring shell.” She pulled out a sack lunch, and I decided I should probably stop staring at her. I turned to look at Shad, then at Ryker; Ryker didn’t seem to agree that Shad was a “hottie” as he still scoffed at her commentsfrom earlier. It was then that I noticed while taking a bite of my food, that they both, Shad and Ryker, were looking at me.

“Hot is a temperature,” Ryker finally spoke, addressing Ash with an unfriendly glare.

Why? Why was he glaring?

“Yes, it is, and he makes my temperature rise,” Ash said with a laugh. “But seriously, what is there to do around here?”

“You can swim in my pool sometime; it needs more use,” I offered before I even had time to process what I was doing. I took a bite out of a fry. Could Ash be the perfect friend I had been hoping for? Excitement began to rise within me. Maybe making a friend wasn’t as hard as I previously thought.

“You have a pool?! Yes, that sounds awesome. Would you, Ryker, be joining us?” she asked, batting her eyes at him. Ryker looked at her, then at me, as if he did not know what to do.

“Where Emma is, I am,” he shrugged, and I beamed from the inside as I watched him stuff his mouth full of Pizza. Ryker was the best person in my life.

“Makes sense,” Ash said with a knowing look toward Ryker.Does she think he is my boyfriend?I would let her know soon that was not the case. “So—pool party then?” Ash added, her eyes lighting up.

“I mean, Sure,” I said, not wanting to admit that I had no other friends to invite. You don’t want to lose this girl as a potential friend, Emma.

“Did someone say pool party?” Sam turned to me.

Before I could say anything, Ash spoke. “Yeah, just a few people at Emma’s pool,” she answered with a smile. “That’s okay, right?” She looked to me for confirmation; she looked worried for a moment, but I smiled and nodded. I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea, but I knew Mary would be.

“We are in,” Sam said before nodding to his friends beside him. A few more of his friends said they would come, too.

What have you gotten yourself into?

“Should we say tomorrow, after school?” Ash asked me, anxious to set a date.

“Sure, sounds good. I am sure my aunt won’t mind.”

“Awesome! Oh, I am so excited! I have been so boredallsummer—you have no idea.”

I looked over to Ryker who was staring at me with a look I couldn't read, which honestly was quite rare. I always seemed to know his looks. I turned my gaze to Shad, and then, he suddenly got up. Ryker moved his eyes from me to shoot a glare at Shad as he walked over to us. I tried not to blush as all the feelings that Shad seemed to stir up inside of me flooded through me, and I held back the need to jump him or give him a hug or attack him with a kiss.

Hormones—it’s just hormones. Please body—control yourself!I demanded of myself, silently.

“Hi, Emma,” Shad said, placing his hands in his pockets. His hair looked like it had been tousled in a gust of wind.

I wondered:What would it feel like to touch his hair, his face, to kiss his everything—Stop it, stop it. What would it feel like to kiss his neck? Well, that one just slipped on through, didn’t it?I could not stop looking at his neck, and then at the Adam’s apple just there—I cleared my throat:it would be so easy to stand up and kiss him right there—Oh, my heck; I am a vampire. This has to be proof of it.

He smiled at me, amusement in his eyes.

Did I say any of that out loud?

No.

“Hey, Shad. This is Sam, Ash, and of course, you know Ryker,” I said, pointing to each person; my voice sounded more like squeaks than actual words.

Ryker shot me a strange look.

Why is he giving out those looks like they’re candy?