First Kiss (Heavy Influence) (50 page)

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I’M WORKING ON KYLE

             
Kyle made it happen for us a week later. I met them off the beaten path, at a burger joint, about five miles outside of our town proper. The same spot that I’d been meeting a guy to refill my pill supply. I’d cut way down, but with all the stress I needed to keep my mood smooth and I used this opportunity to replenish my stash.

             
No one we really knew, or knew of our situation should have been there. This was the perfect place. As soon as they pulled in the lot, I got out of my truck. Kyle was with his girlfriend. I’d never met her and didn’t know her name. She was hot, in a librarian sorta way, with her hair tied back and she sported cute little blue-rimmed specs. Aly finally climbed out of the back seat and I strolled over meeting her half way, trying to mute my excitement.

             
She launched herself at me.

             
“Oh my god. I swear I thought I’d never see you again,” She whispered in my ear, breathy and backed away looking me up and down. “You look tired…and you look like you’ve lost weight.”

             
“Yeah, this whole thing’s zapped my appetite and sleeping’s been tough. But I’m here.” I said taking her against me tightly.

             
“You guys hungry?” Kyle shouted. “Let’s do this.”

             
I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to stand there, running my hands through her silky hair, holding her, forever.

             
I barely took a bite of my food, as soon as my burger arrived my stomach went sour, it was in knots. I kept looking at the clock as time ticked away. I had to go to practice and I couldn’t be late. We were going back on the road in two days and I’d made a deal with the guys and Notting to pull my head out of my ass.

             
“I gotta get outta here in a minute, guys.” I looked around the table. “I’ve got practice.”

             
Aly buried her face in my neck. “This wasn’t long enough.”

             
“It’s never long enough.” I moved her away from me. “Walk me out.”

             
I threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table and said goodbye to Kyle and his chick. Aly and I walked hand-in-hand out the door. “Come sit with me for a minute. Someone’s dropping something off to me.”

             
“Who?” she asked, innocently and I didn’t want to tell her.

             
“Just something for the trip. It was either hanging with you, or driving out to meet him. I chose you and begged him.”

             
I laughed it off, even though I was on edge.

             
We sat in my truck and I played with her fingers. I thought about the text message I’d sent her, telling her that I loved her. “Aly, I meant what I wrote, in that text.”

             
She squeezed my hand tight and looked caringly at me. “You know, we talk about this stuff all the time, the girls and I. I feel it so strongly, Jake. Whatever it is, if it’s love, I feel it…”

             
We both jumped sky high when a dark figure came at my window, tapping.

             
“Shit, man!” I laughed, grabbing my chest. “Hold up,” I said to Aly and got out shutting my door.

             
I handed the guy named Felix two hundred dollars for the pills and grabbed the brown paper sack from his hand. “Thanks, man.”

             
“No problem.” Felix was a man of few words. Make the deal and leave.

             
I turned and flipped open the side compartment at the back of my truck bed and tucked the bag deep beneath some towels. Getting back in my truck, Aly was texting away, innocently unaware of what just went down. For the first time I felt like a scumbag, I would never do this again with her near me.

             
“Aly, I gotta get outta here,” I said, rubbing her thigh and leaned over kissing her. She dropped her phone in her lap and wrapped her arms around me. Her hands and fingers touched lightly at my face and her sweetness wet my lips.

             
I glanced in my rearview mirror, there were flashing blue and red lights. Shit. My heart sprung into my throat. Fuck. Then a tap came at my window. My heart froze.

             
“What’s going on?” Aly turned looking out the back window. “Why are the cops blocking your car?”

             
“Shit,” I said and leaned my head against the window.

             
“Sir, please step out of the vehicle,” the police officer demanded with his hand on his gun holster ready to retrieve it.

             
I slowly opened the door, and a few cars down Felix also had the cops on him. They had him spread out on the hood of a cop car and a few brown paper bags were perched on the roof of his tricked up El Camino. I wanted to die. Before I knew it the same thing was happening to me, then I was handcuffed and Kyle was yelling ‘
What the fuck
’ and who knows what else and Aly was hysterically crying

             
Mr. Montgomery arrived shortly thereafter. It was all a nightmare.

             
The last words I recalled were Mr. Montgomery’s… “
You won’t be able to come within fifty yards of her, Jake…”

48

Alyssa

              I watched the secondhand slowly move by each number, 1, 2, 3…over and over again. Mr. Chin was way too enthusiastic about chemistry as far as I was concerned. Chemistry to him was the end all. I supposed it had to be if you wanted to teach it. I just wanted to pass, but I was failing miserably. I was also failing miserably with getting over Jake. I watched my pen write his name with little hearts around it for the millionth time. It was nearly unbearable being at school without him. I was so sick of explaining what happened to everyone and even though I told them exactly what went down, I still heard through the rumor mill that Jake broke up with me because I was causing too many problems for him and his band. In theory I guess it was true. The drug bust was another sprout of rumors.

             
The bell finally rang inching me closer to the edge of true failure. Even a D was failing in my parent’s book. I was moved from attendance probation to academic probation on my school volleyball team, first because of missing too many practices to hang out with Jake and now because of nearly failing Chemistry. I needed to get my grade point average up to a 3.0 and fast.

             
I waited for almost everyone to leave the class before I got up to beg Mr. Chin for extra credit, anything that would get me to a 3.0. “Um, Mr. Chin. I was wondering if there’s anything I can do, like extra credit or something…I…”

             
“Miss Montgomery, studying for your tests is the only way to pass this class. Paying attention is the only way to pass this class. I do not offer extra credit. What I will offer you is the chance to turn in your missed classwork due to your recent absences. I will also offer you to retake the lab tests you’ve just missed,” He offered.

             
“Thank you, Mr. Chin!” I said, cheerfully. “You’re a life saver, thanks for giving me another chance.”

             
He looked at me blankly, with barely any emotion. He was completely disinterested with my theatrics, but I was so happy that I didn’t care to contain myself.

             
“I’ll have the lab test criteria to you tomorrow. You’ll need a lab partner and we’ll schedule it right after school next Friday. You’ll have a week to turn in your missed assignments and prepare for the lab test.”

             
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I bowed at him like he was a king, with my books clasped tight to my chest. “Can anyone be my lab partner?”

             
“I’m not grading them, they’ll be there to assist you. Just make sure they know what they’re doing.” He waved me off without looking at me.

             
I turned and nearly floated through the classroom, I was so happy. I was beyond relieved and made a mental checklist. I turned out the door and was startled by Mike leaning against the wall. He was waiting for me. Every single school day for the past three months Mike strolled by and met up with me after Chemistry. We’d walk to break together and stand in line to pick out crappy snack food, and everyday I’d see Rachel in the distance. Once she’d even come up and taken our picture.
“Say cheese, guys!”
She said it was for the yearbook. Great. Mike and I never hung out for long, splitting off as soon as we left the snack line, until I had a crazy idea.

             
Mike smiled, pointing toward the door I’d just exited. “What gives? I poked my head in and Chin was lecturing you.”

             
I shrugged and sighed. “I’m on volley probation because of my D average and I begged him to give me something to bring up my grade…” I paused.
Don’t go there
, I told myself, but I kept going. “Hey, how’d you do in Chem?”

             
“I dunno. I guess I did ok. I gotta B.”

             
“Do you still remember all that lab stuff, like what all the vials & canters are for, stuff like that?”

             
“Yeah, I suppose. Why?” He looked at me suspiciously.

             
Oh my god, here it comes… Jake, please don’t hate me if you find out.

             
“Because I need a lab partner and it doesn’t matter who it is. It’ll be next Friday, right after school. It’s no big deal, Nadine will probably do it.”

             
I rambled on like an idiot as we made our way through the snack line. I tried to act normal, but I felt like everyone knew what I just did. I kept looking around, and I swear everyone I looked at made eye contact with me. Kari from History, wearing her stupid rainbow beanie, and Gil from English with his ridiculously overstuffed backpack, that took people out whenever he’d maneuver around. Then, of course, at the end of the line, bobbing back and forth to get a glimpse of us, was Nadine.

             
“Yeah, I guess I could do that,” Mike said, jolting me to attention.

             
“Really?” I asked, shocked, like for sure he must have been kidding.

             
“Yeah, why not?” he said and cracked open the bright blue bottle of Gatorade and took a gulp.

             
“You’re supposed to pay for that before you open it, Mike.” The pimply, round faced cashier scolded.

             
“Bite me, Eric.”

             
I looked sideways at Mike, whispering. “He’s greasy looking, like he hasn’t showered. He shouldn’t be working around food looking like that.”

             
“Hear that, Eric?” Mike said at the top of his voice. “Maybe you should take a shower before you come to work. You’re scaring the girls.”

             
I gasped and pushed past Mike. “Um, he’s paying for my stuff,” I said without making eye contact with
Eric
.

             
Nadine was laughing and chewed her apple opened-mouthed. “That guy’s seen better days.”

             
“Stop it!” I pleaded. “Oh my god.” I was mortified, poor guy. Now I felt terrible for saying anything at all. “Let’s go.”

             
“Nice move, Monty.” Mike laughed harder. “You owe me $3.50.”

             
I kept looking back at Greasy Eric. He didn’t pay us any attention. “I don’t owe you anything. That’s your price for being mean!”

             
Mike smirked. “We’ll be talking Chem, later.”

             
Mike walked away in all swagger. I realized I had a stupid smile on my face and Nadine was smirking at me. She wasn’t chewing her food anymore. I looked over to the nearby cement benches and my friends were all staring at me too.

             
“What?” I said to Nadine and walked toward the gang. She followed right on my tail.

             
“What do you mean, what? – The
what
is, what’s Mike gotta nickname for you now? Monty?”

             
I exhaled heavily, rolling my eyes. “I have no idea what that’s about.”

             
“Dude, he’s totally into you,” Nicole announced. “I think you like him too.”

             
“Oh my God, shut up! I do not! We’re just friends.”

             
“Man, that guy’s been following you around ever since Jake left school.” Grant poked in.

             
My heart froze at the mention of Jake’s name.

             
There I was, about to keep secrets, again.