GHOST PORTAL (#1 GHOST PORTAL series)

ELEVEN

With heartbeats so intense—her heart was thumping against her rib-cage to escape it—Jessamine had trouble understanding Avery, at first.

"Lying?" She gulped; Avery still kneeled before her, looking up at her with his big blue eyes. A blue that was, she noticed, tinted with a swirly, swift green, giving his gaze a certain freshness, a pep that soothed her.

"Yes," he said, his voice softer, easier to listen to. "I didn't mean to startle you, but this—" he gestured towards his phone on the table, "—proves to me something is triggering you in Amy's video. Something you can't hide. So what is it?" He looked at her knee, hesitated, then cupped his hand over it; it wasn't meant to be intimidating or sexual, Jessamine sensed that right away. More of a warm touch, a reassurance, which felt strange after his invasiveness, his insistence. "I'm not trying to hurt you or accuse you. I'm here to help you, especially if it gets me some answers about Amy."

"I..."

Jessamine stared down at where his hand was wrapped around her knee-cap. The sensations he caused were mixed; a calmness, an agitation, a sense of confusion. Everything mingled together in her gut, warning of a storm brewing if she were to speak with this guy. All the warning signs in her head were going off—though she wasn't certain what they were warning her against.

She'd only told her mother about everything going on, and to be frank, she needed to confide in someone other than Mrs. Spencer. Annoying as he was, Avery claimed to be an expert in weird stuff, and Jessamine's situation was, if anything, weird.

"Yeah, I lied." She batted her lashes, expecting to find tears gathering in her eyes, but there were none. Her extreme emotions had likely scared the tears away. "I'm sorry, it's just that I... I'm scared. What my coworkers are saying is true, about me befriending bad people and doing bad things, at least. It's all in the past, but it... it might have to do with why I'm freaking out so much."

Avery raised to his full height and fetched a nearby chair, straddling it. He set his arms on the top of the chair and settled his chin on them. "Then start from the beginning—any detail might have a hidden meaning. And I have time to listen."

Jessamine checked the door, but somehow there still weren't any patrons coming in. It was a sweltering day outside, and she expected not everyone would think of an iced coffee and a good book in such weather.

"Does it matter?" She shrugged. "Would it help you? Would it help me? What I did with my friends in my past, I mean," she said, wincing at the sticky taste in her mouth, wishing she had an iced coffee to sip on.

Avery nodded. "Something in that video is bothering you on a deep level, and digging into your past might help me, help us figure out what the issue is. And yeah, there's a chance it might link to Amy, as I'd hoped. Your behavior when I asked you about her... it rubbed me the wrong way. I feel things, Jessamine," he squinted, as if prepared to dodge her doubts, "and I felt something really off about you."

So it all came out, and Jessamine couldn't stop the words from spilling, whether or not they made sense. She was a blubbering mess, and to her shock she didn't cry once.

She told him how she befriended the wrong people, starting with Landon; a hunky rich boy who'd sought refuge in the coffee-shop while running from the cops after he pulled some dumb stunt at a nearby bar. Common Grounds had been open late that day, at Chad's odd request, and of course, Jessamine was working the closing shift. When Landon had come in, Jessamine stopped what she was doing and had to wipe the drool from her lips before addressing this guy who'd barged in, panting, begging her to hide him. Tall, baby-boy face, wearing a leather jacket—in summer, so ridiculous, what was it with this trend?—ash blond hair combed back, hazel eyes sparkling with worry, with wonder, with pleading.