I was running late. So late, in fact, that I didn't watch where I was going and slammed into someone walking out of the school office as I ran by.
"Ooph!" he said as my elbow jabbed into rock-hard abdominal muscles.
"I am so sorry!" I said. I'd almost knocked over a stranger. An extremely handsome stranger who stood there smiling at me, despite the fact that I'd almost flattened him in my hurry to get to chemistry class.
"Do not worry," he said with a heavy accent I couldn't place. "It is a pleasure to run into someone as beautiful as you on my first day."
He was dressed in a deep blue silk shirt, form-fitting black jeans, and boots. His spiky hair was really black, like someone had overturned an inkwell on his head. His long lashes framed incredible blue eyes.
"You're new here?" I said, stating the obvious. I knew practically everybody at Nightshade High—and besides, it wasn't exactly swarming with gorgeous new students.
"I am Dukker Sherrad," he said, "but my friends call me Duke." He took my hand and held it longer than strictly necessary.
"Hi," I said.
He looked at me questioningly. I seemed to have forgotten my name as well as my manners.
"I'm Daisy Giordano," I finally said. I paused for a minute, waiting for recognition to set in, then felt like an idiot when my last name garnered only polite interest instead of the usual curiosity. You see, my mom is a psychic. She solves crimes all over the world using her powers. She wasn't exactly famous yet, but she'd been in the news plenty of times and I was getting used to people recognizing the name.
I blushed, amused at my overinflated sense of self-worth. "Welcome to Nightshade," I said.
Samantha Devereaux walked up as we stood there. She was blond, gorgeous, and the head cheerleader. She was also kind of a friend. Earlier in the school year, Sam had gone through a queen of the damned look, but that, thankfully, was over. She was wearing jeans I was sure would soon become all the rage and what looked like her boyfriend Sean's button-down shirt over a lacy camisole. It was outfits like this that earned her the nickname the Divine Devereaux.
I dropped Duke's hand. Quickly, but not quickly enough.
"Daisy, aren't you forgetting someone?" Samantha said pointedly. Remarks like this were why she was only kind of a friend. I thought I could be sarcastic, but I bowed before the master.
"What?" I was still staring into Duke's eyes, almost against my will.
"Ryan Mendez. Your boyfriend. He's waiting for you by your locker," she said.
Ryan. Oh my gosh! "I was supposed to meet him before class!" I said.
"I was hoping you would be available to show me around the school," Duke said.
"I've got to run," I said, "but this is Samantha Devereaux. I'll leave you in her capable hands."
As I left, Samantha said something to Duke I couldn't hear, and he laughed, dimples flashing. I felt a slight pang at leaving such a cutie behind, but another cutie waited for me.
I bolted to my locker, where Ryan was, as Samantha reported, waiting patiently.
"I'm so sorry!" I said. "I'm running late as usual."
Ryan leaned in for a quick kiss. "I don't mind waiting for you."
I smiled up at him. Maybe things between us were finally returning to normal. He'd been broody and distracted lately. He told me that he had been arguing with his dad a lot, which was odd since they had always been so close. I guessed it was because his dad could be strict at times—after all, he was the chief of police in Nightshade.
Broody or not, Ryan Mendez was the cutest boy in school (I pushed the memory of the gorgeous new guy out of my mind), played varsity in every sport the school had to offer, and was generally considered to be a catch by the girls at Nightshade High.
They also considered it a complete mystery that he wanted to be with me. I wasn't part of the popular crowd, although I'd been a cheerleader for about ten seconds back in the fall.
The warning bell rang, and we hurried to our classes. Ryan and I had P.E. together last period, but that was about it.
By fourth period everyone was gossiping about the new guy.
Penny Edwards was going full tilt when I walked into statistics class. Apparently, Duke was a foreign exchange student and was staying with her family, so she thought she was an expert on him. Who needed to call 4-1-1 when there was Penny?
"Duke Sherrad comes from a long line of gypsy fortunetellers," she said importantly.
"Fortune-tellers?" I couldn't keep the incredulity from my voice.
"What's the matter, Daisy? The Giordanos can't handle a little competition?"
Did I mention that I'm psychic, too? But my abilities, wonky at the best of times, don't hold a candle to my older sisters' talents. Rose's was mind reading and Poppy's was telekinesis. I can do both, just not very well.
Fortune-telling could mean that Duke had some sort of precognitive ability, if what Penny was saying was true, which was questionable. Penny talked first, asked questions later.
"Let's just say I'm a little skeptical," I said.
Penny barely disguised a sneer. "I think you're jealous," she said.
I opened my mouth, but the bell rang and Mr. Krayson started talking. 'All right everybody, get out your books." He had an almost maniacal need for quiet in his classroom, and I wasn't going to test him.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Duke Sherrad came in. He handed a piece of paper to Mr. Krayson.
"I am very sorry to be late," Duke said. "I am not familiar with my classrooms as of yet."
"Please take a seat, Mr. Sherrad," Mr. Krayson said. He sounded positively affable, which was rare for him.
Penny gestured toward an empty seat near her, but Duke sat down next to me instead. Statistics was my least favorite subject and Mr. Krayson was my least favorite teacher, so the time crawled by. I spent the time counting the number of dirty looks Penny gave me. When class finally ended, I bolted out of the room.
"Daisy, please wait!"
I stopped and turned around. It was Duke. He hurried up to me, Penny at his heels.
"I had hoped you would show me to my next class," he said.
"I can show you," Penny said, but Duke sent me a pleading look. I took pity on him. Penny was a little much before lunch.
"What's your next class?" I said.
"Spanish," he said.
"I'm going there anyway," I said, ignoring Penny's fuming look. "I may as well show you."
"I am so grateful to you, Daizee," Duke said. His accent was even more noticeable now. He lifted my hand and pressed it to his lips just as we passed Ryan in the hallway.
I yanked my hand away and waved to Ryan. He waved back and gave me a quizzical look but kept going. He had Mr. Krayson next, so I knew he didn't have time to slow down, not without getting a tardy slip and a ten-minute lecture on punctuality.
In Spanish class, Duke once again managed to find a seat near me. All he had to do was smile charmingly at Alyssa and she gave it up right away. Her seat, I mean, although gauging from the look in her eyes, she may have had a few other things in mind.
I finally shook Duke off after Spanish class. I couldn't put my finger on why, but he was making me uneasy.
I dumped my books in my locker, and as I reached in to grab my lunch money, arms twined around my waist and pulled me against a hard body.
"Ryan, you scared the heck out of me!" I said.
"Who else would be grabbing you?" he said. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Of course not," I said. "I just wasn't expecting it."
He drew me closer and gave me a lingering kiss. "So who's your new admirer?" He said it casually, but I could feel his body tense.
"You mean Duke Sherrad?" I laughed like it was no big deal. Gorgeous or not, Duke didn't mean anything to me. Ryan did.
"I saw him kissing your hand in the hallway," Ryan said. His green eyes were intense.
"It was nothing," I said. I didn't mention anything about Duke sitting next to me in every class we shared.
"Good," he said. He leaned against the wall, pulled me close, and kissed me again. Several minutes later, he took a deep breath and said, "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," I admitted. "But by now there's probably nothing left at the cafeteria but cold tater tots."
"I planned ahead," he said, smiling triumphantly. He produced a picnic basket and tablecloth. "I thought we could have a picnic."
We went outside to find a shady spot on the lawn. A gaggle of girls had gathered around Duke Sherrad. Penny elbowed Alyssa when she tried to sit next to him.
Even Samantha was in his group. "Daisy, why don't you and Ryan come over here? Duke is telling our fortunes."
"Ryan packed a picnic," I said. "Thanks anyway."
"How about that spot over there?" I said. I pointed to a spot as far away from Duke as possible without actually leaving the school grounds.
While Ryan unpacked the food, I stared at Duke. A fortune-teller, huh?
"You okay?" Ryan asked. He handed me a huge deli sandwich from Slim's Diner. My favorite restaurant.
"Fine," I said. I took a bite of my sandwich. "This was so sweet of you."
"I wanted to do something to make up for the way I've been acting lately," he said. "I know I haven't been the easiest guy to be around."
I took his hand. "It's okay."
"It isn't, but thanks for bearing with me," he said.
"Ryan, about prom—"
A piercing scream interrupted my words. Ryan and I leaped to our feet and ran toward the sound. Just another typical day at Nightshade High.