"Nope, I'm just not gonna be the one to break it to you."

"Ok, so." A silly question popped in my head but I hoped it'd lighten the mood. "What about Werewolves? Real?"

He laughed.

"No. Not even close."

"Wizards?"

"Hardly."

"Angels?"

"Bible."

"Aliens?"

"Science Fiction."

"Sparkly vampires?"

"Young adult science fiction," he said laughing loudly.

An older couple beside us gave us a not happy look at his outburst and we laughed harder before I started quizzing him again.

"So, none of the myths are real?"

"None that you would think of. Food's here."

"That was fast."

"They always are. Good ol' Pablo."

"Here you go," Callie said and she set our food down. "Ravioli and eggplant, you need anything else?"

"Nope. I think we're good. Thanks, Callie."

"Ok." She lingered and looked a little uncomfortable, twirling her pen in her fingers before turning to me. "So, um, you and Chad broke up right?"

"Yeah," I answered and hoped this wasn't going where I thought it was.

"Would you mind if I called him? I mean, we're both going to Florida. I'll be there next year. I just figured, since you dumped him you wouldn't mind if I asked him out."

"Jeez, Callie, blunt much?" Kyle said and looked at her like she had two heads.

"What? She's the one who dumped him. He's moped around all year waiting for her. He needs to have some fun for a change."

"She didn't dump-" he started to defend me but I stopped him.

"No, Kyle. It's ok. Yes, Callie. Call him to your little hearts desire."

"Are you funning me?" Her hand went to her hip. "Cause I don't always catch the sarcasm."

I wanted to sigh and I had to mentally push out the blonde joke rattling around in my head.

"Look. Call him. If he wants to go out with you, fine. Thanks for the ravioli. We don't need anything else right now."

"Ok," she said warily. "I'll check on you in a bit."

She walked away and Kyle looked at me sympathetically.

"She's such a ditz. Some people have no couth."

"No, really it's fine." I had an epiphany. A revelation that made my cheeks spread in a smile. "I don't care. For the first time in a year...I don't care about Chad."

"It's the imprint." He shook his head. "You won't care about anyone but Caleb now," he said almost grudgingly.

"So, there's no way to break it or stop feeling it... or whatever."

"No. Why, do you want to?"

"No," I answered too quickly and he grimaced.

"Yeah, didn't think so."

"So," I sang, sensing a need to change the subject. "What are you gonna do at Tennessee?"

"Architecture."

I remembered Caleb telling me that's what he was doing.

"Is that a family business?"

"Mmhmm," he mumbled around a bite.

I pursed my lips and waited but he didn't say anything further. So we ate. He asked me about school, why I'd dropped out of everything. Why I hardly came to school anymore and stopped eating lunch with them. This whole time, he thought it had been because of my dumping Chad.

I told him everything. I don't know why. I just did. Things I didn't even tell Rebecca and she was the closest thing to a best friend I ever had but I even felt withdrawn from her lately. I told him how my mom left, taking everything of value with her: all our plates and dishes, the money, our savings, my college fund, my parent's bed. My dad had slept on the couch in the den for ten months. I told him how she used to call me and try to explain how much she had hated her life and everything in it. I told him how my dad was bitter now and spiteful, his life just spiraling down and he was slowly taking me with him. I told him how I had to get a job to help out because my dad lost his.

He listened quietly as he ate. He waited to see if I was done, watching me closely.

"I'm sorry, Mags. Everyone just a.s.sumed you'd ditched Chad and just didn't want to hang out with us anymore. No one knew- I mean, we knew your mom left but the rest...you should have said something."

"I didn't know what to say. How do you tell someone that your boyfriend dumped you three days after their mom left and their dad sits in his room and doesn't even speak to you. No one wanted me around anymore," I said softly and stared at the ravioli I no longer wanted.

"I wanted you," he admitted just as softly. I looked up and caught his hazel brown gaze. "I've always wanted you. But it was always you and Chad. And now, it'll be you and Caleb. And not only that, but I'll have to see you together, everyday, because you'll be family."

"Kyle." I pushed my plate away and began to toy with my hoop earring. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."

"No." He sighed roughly and grunted. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I still want to be your friend, Mags. Now I get to be your cousin too." He forced a grin. "The Jacobson's are a weird bunch, I'm warning you now but, they are fiercely protective. You don't have to worry about anything anymore. Your mom and dad are idiots for leaving you, but you have a new family now."

I didn't know whether to smile or run at his comment so I just bit my lip and chuckled under my breath.

"So, you ready to get out of here? Wanna see a movie?"

"Sure. We can't go back to your house can we?"

"No. Not tonight. There's gonna be a lot of c.r.a.p going down tonight at my house with the whole family there. Believe me you don't want to be there anyway."

I could beg to differ. Caleb was there and whatever this imprinting this was, it wasn't a joke. I could still feel his heart beating if I thought real hard about it.

"Ok. What do you wanna see?" I asked as he flagged down Callie for the check.

"Anything you want, even a chick flick if it'll cheer you up."

I wrinkled my nose.

"I'm not really into chick flicks. I'm more of a Sci-Fi girl."

"Ah, you're gonna fit right in," he grinned and took my hand to pull me up. "And I know just the movie."

I let him pull me to the car, again feeling that ping of wrongness for holding his hand, but not before Rebecca and the rest of them saw us. Her eyes bulged and I saw her glance at our hands. Then I saw Chad, sitting in the very back of the group. I should've known. That's why Callie was asking about him.

He was here.

His face was a textbook description of hurt and confusion and anger. He looked like he wanted to stand but thought better of it. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and glared at Kyle. Boy were they all wrong about what was going on but I'm sure it still looked bad. It might have been better if he saw me with Caleb instead, they didn't know Caleb, but he knew Kyle. This was like betrayal to Chad.

I quickly turned and left the restaurant before any of them could move towards us.

"Kyle. You shouldn't have done that. Those are your friends. Now Chad's gonna be all weird around you."

"I'm leaving and so is he. It's not like I'm gonna talk to him anymore. We only hung out in our group and at football. I wasn't really his friend. Besides, from what you just told me back there, he's a complete idiot anyway."

"Still." Then a thought hit me and I pulled him to a stop. "Did you do that on purpose? Did you see him back there?"

"No. But I might have done it on purpose if I had. He's not worth your time. He cared more about football than you. He proved that when he ended it when you guys could have tried to work out some long distance relationship or something. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"I know," I started as he towed me again. "But that doesn't mean I want to hurt him on purpose."

"You're too sweet, you know that. You can't let people just do away with you. You are too good for him, even your parents, if they can't see how great you are."

He opened my door and put me in, reaching over to do my seatbelt.

"Uh, Kyle, I can do it."

"Oh. Right." He smiled bashfully before going to his side. "So, are you a popcorn or candy girl?"

"Popcorn," I answered.

"Ah," he groaned and shook his head. "You're killing me here."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just...you're pretty awesome." He gave me a sidelong look at the red light, staring with a little smile and I blushed involuntarily, looking away. "Huh," he said smiling wider, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Maybe Caleb's got some compet.i.tion after all."

"Kyle-"

"Ok, I know. I know," he said, his hands raised in surrender before taking the wheel and turning into our spot in front of the theater.

It was literally two blocks from Pablo's.

I opened my own door this time, feeling a little more like my old self. I was even starting to wonder why I was taking everything so well. I mean, I just found out there are people out there with powers or abilities or something. Not human. I have bound myself, unintentionally, to one of these people I just met and couldn't get him out of my mind. Shouldn't I be freaked?

"Two for Battlestar National, please," Kyle said to the attendant then smiled at me. "You're gonna love this. Have you seen Lord of the Rings?"

"Of course," I scoffed.

"Well, this is nothing like that."

I laughed and he laughed too. The attendant rolled her eyes as she pa.s.sed him the tickets. He took them and we made our way in the doors and to the concessions stand. I took off my jacket, stood behind him and waited.

My mind drifted to Caleb. I scolded myself. I'd never been so smitten in my life. I mean, this was borderline boy crazy. I didn't even remember being like this with Chad. I felt a little foggy thinking of Caleb. I had an urge to leave, right then. Head out the door and straight to Kyle's where I knew Caleb would be. A lump grew in my throat the more I thought about it. My hands twitched at my sides and I took a deep, steadying breath.

Kyle looked back at me and frowned.

"Don't think about him, I told you."

"What's happening to me?"

"It's just new. It'll fade." He grimaced. "Some."

"You both keep saying that. What does that mean?"

"Just stop, ok? Don't think about him and you'll be fine," he said irritated.

He turned to place our order and handed me a drink while he squirted b.u.t.ter on our huge bucket of already pretty yellow popcorn.

We started towards our theater and I heard someone call Kyle's name from behind us. I groaned as I turned, thinking it was guys from school but it wasn't. I'd never seen these guys before. There were six of them and they were all black haired and tall. Kyle groaned beside me so I didn't feel much better.

"Jacobson," the guy said lilting and sardonically. "What brings you out? Oh, I see," he said like he hadn't seen me already. I raised an eyebrow at him as his eyes perused me openly. "My, my, I do see. h.e.l.lo."

"Alright, Marcus, enough," Kyle barked and I balked at his tone.

"What? I only said h.e.l.lo. So, Kyle, you breaking your clans rules now? I always knew you were a rebel at heart. What movie are you seeing?"

"Not interested in adding to our group, but thanks."

Kyle tried to turn us but Marcus grabbed my arm. I had another jolt and for just a second I worried than I was imprinting with someone else. But I realized, that was the last thing I was doing. My veins screamed in protest and my skin burned hot on my arm. My body was warning him. My blood, whatever, however it worked. This guy's intentions were not to keep me safe and the imprint reacted.