"Chill, you're like a volcano waiting to erupt," she joked, trailing after me. "Jordyn, remember something. I know you can get fired up easily, but you've got to keep it in check for the sake of people around you. It's all good."
"Two students for Zombie Island," I told the bored looking girl in the ticket booth who was chomping gum like it was her last meal.
"Sixteen dollars," she said, blowing a bubble with the gum.
I handed over a twenty and was waiting for my change when I was knocked into from behind. Stumbling, I used the counter to keep from falling forward. I whirled around on the defensive to find a group of college football blockheads, judging by their brawn and cocky attitudes. They were too wrapped up in their rough housing to take notice of knocking into me and a young couple. None of them offered up an apology, which relit the fuse on my temper.
"Hey, watch it, dick," I said to the one that had knocked into me.
His friends hooted at my comment. "Dude, you just got served by a chick," one of them crowed.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Can I kiss something and make it better?" he asked, clearly showing off for his friends.
"Is there a problem?" Sam asked, coming up to stand beside me.
"Only problem, sweet stuff, is that you need to keep your friend here on a tighter leash," he replied, glaring at me. He stepped closer with his chest puffed up. The idiot was obviously used to being able to use intimidation to get his way.
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," Sam, the forever diplomat, said, holding up her hand.
I could see she was debating whether or not she needed to use her gifts to alleviate the situation.
"Fuck your misunderstanding," he said, taking a step closer.
"Look, there's no reason to be a jerk," Sam said in a calm voice. It was evident now that she was trying to control the situation.
"Maybe we can work it out," he said switching gears, making me think Sam's gifts were doing their job, but the confused look on Sam's face clued me that something wasn't quite right.
"How about we go to my car?" he said, trailing the back of his hand deliberately across her chest.
Without thinking, my hand reached out and grasped his finger. Pushing it backward, I felt it snap in my hand, making the football jerk land on his knees at my feet.
"You stupid bitch, you broke my finger," he snarled, cradling his finger against his chest.
All sound around me evaporated, and in one fluid movement I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He tried to stand, but the more he fought, the more my grip tightened around his neck, cutting off his air supply.
"Just think how easy it would be for me to break your neck too," I breathed into his ear so only he could hear my threat. He grabbed at my arm with his good hand and I tightened my hold to the point that his face began to change colors. "You're seriously not tempting me, are you?" I asked. Unable to answer, his eyes began to bulge. "Next time you'll employ a few manners and show the world that you're not a complete dick, right?" I asked, finally loosening my hold. He dropped down in front me on all fours gasping for breath as he began to heave. I moved away from him as sound rushed again into my head, crowding my senses. I felt Sam pulling on me, and could hear the jock's friends talking excitedly.
"Damn, did you see that shit?" I heard one of them ask as Sam dragged me around the corner of the building.
"Jordyn, what the hell was that?" Sam screamed, clearly disgusted. >Emrys, though, was different. For once, I didn't feel like a big slimy leech. Haniel annoyed the hell out of me for butting in again just when things were getting interesting. Next time would be different, I resolved.
I stayed in the shower, mulling over the whole thing until the water began to run cold. By the time I was toweling off and pulling on my clean clothes, I had a whole plan worked out in my head of how the next encounter with Emrys would go, minus Haniel obviously.
Sam was sitting on my bed taking notes when I left the bathroom.
"Wow, what'd you do? Get dragged behind a car?" she asked, taking in my knees.
"I know, right. Too bad it's not Halloween. I could pass for a zombie," I quipped.
"True. Here, Krista told to bring you these," she said, holding up oversized Band-Aids.
"What, no one wants to see my gruesome legs?" I said, sitting next to her as she ripped open one of the packages.
"Not really," she teased, gently pressing the bandage down over my knee.
"I'm going to look like a complete tool with both knees bandaged," I griped as she applied the second bandage.
"Well, whose fault is it that you don't pay attention to where you're going?"