Forever Changed (19 page)

He threw his head back and laughed. “No, I was thinking, if you lose, I get to pick our next date,
tomorrow,
” he said, emphasizing "tomorrow." “Which, by the way, will most definitely not include any of the crowds here,” he added.

“Okay, so what if I win?” I asked.

“You get to pick the location of our next date.”

“Deal, but just to warn you, I see pedicures in our near future. I think purple will look stunning on your toes,” I joked.

“Ouch, that’s seriously harsh,” he said. “Too bad I won’t be losing. I hope you’re not scared of heights,” he added, taking a big bite of the gyro.

“Uhh- uhh,” I stuttered. I was deathly afraid of heights, which was a challenge I had to overcome while I was a cheerleader.

“Kidding,” he said after a moment, when he noticed I wasn’t eating. “I have something else planned.”

Relieved, I picked up my gyro, minus the vegetables, and took an appreciative bite, thankful that my appetite had returned. After eating about three quarters of my meal, I was stuffed to the gills. I sat there in amazement, watching the Maddon show and feeling like I’d been hustled. He plowed through his slice of pizza, burrito, fries, gyro, and the pasta salad that came with it. He didn’t rush like a starving person, but ate methodically. Each bite seemed synchronized. Just when I thought he was done, he slid my plate over to his side of the table.

“Now you’re just showing off,” I said, raising the white flag.

“Told ya,” he said, finishing off my leftovers with a burst of laughter.

“Where does it all go?” I asked. “I’m used to the football players eating a ton, but a lot of them carry quite a bit of extra weight around they like to call ‘muscle,’” I added, admiring his flat stomach.

“Good metabolism, I guess. Plus, playing the drums can be quite a workout.”

“Alright then. So, where are we going tomorrow?” I asked as we gathered our trash and walked toward the receptacles.

“That’s for me to know, and you to find out,” he said, affectionately tugging on my ponytail.

“Ugh, I hate secrets,” I wailed.

“Too bad so sad,” he teased, linking his fingers with mine. “Where to now?” he asked.

“I need to go back to Bath and Body Works because I’ve decided I am going to get my mom that gift basket after all.”

“Is that the smelly girly shop?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said, laughing at his description.

“I think I’ll bow out of visiting that female-ramped store. One visit is enough to last me a lifetime. I have a few things I needed to get anyways,” he added, winking at me.

“Okay, do you want me to text you when I’m done in my ‘girly’ store?” I asked, nudging him with my hip.

“That works,” he said, dropping a quick kiss on my lips before sauntering off.

I watched his retreating backside for a moment, touching my lips where his had just vacated. It amazed me how natural it felt to kiss him, and to even expect it. In one week, my feelings for him had done a complete one-eighty. Shaking myself out of my trance, I pivoted around and headed toward Bath and Body Works to get my mom’s gift set. I detoured into the music store, two doors down, to pick up Maddon’s present, now that he wasn’t with me. I picked what I wanted and paid the clerk with multiple piercings and black nail polish. “Thanks,” I said as she looked at me disdainfully, handing me the bag.

Bath and Body Works was packed with harassed shoppers, so maneuvering around was a pain. I grabbed the set I wanted and headed for the register. I pulled out my phone and texted Maddon, telling him I was done while I was waiting in line.

“Kassandra?” A voice said from behind me.

“Hi, Mrs. Harris,” I said, holding back a groan, greeting Lacey’s mom.

“It’s been a long time sweetie,” she said, enveloping me in a perfume-filled hug. “How’s your mom? That poor dear, we all know how dependent she was on your father, bit of an unhealthy relationship, I always thought. Is she able to function? I swear I never saw her out without your father tied to her side. You know what? I know a great spa
she can go to if she needs some 'her' time,” she said with clueless concern.

She did not just say that
, I thought as my blood began to boil. “Actually, she’s doing much better. It’s been tough since they were so in love, and we all know how rare that is in most couples lives, don’t we?” I said, staring deadpan into her face.

She looked taken aback by my words. “Oh, I see,” she said, raising her perfectly waxed eyebrows at me. “I was just trying to be friendly and all.”

“Oh, me too, but I don’t need some four time divorcée telling me my parents, who loved each other more than life itself, had an unhealthy relationship. Maybe when you stay in a relationship longer than one of your cruises, you will understand.”

“How dare you speak to me like that,” she hissed.

“How dare you speak about my parents like that,” I snipped back, turning to leave.

She wrapped her hands around my arm, halting me in mid-step. “I’ll be telling your mother about this,” she snarled.

“Knock yourself out,” I said, trying to jerk my arm from her grasp.

“Now I see why my Lacey dropped you. You are poison,” she said, digging her fingers into my flesh.

“Let go of me,” I said, pulling on my arm.

“I’d do what she says,” Maddon said from behind me. Embarrassment flowed through me as I wondered how much he had heard. I yearned for the floor to open up and suck me in.

“And who would you be?” she asked, reluctantly letting go of me.

“Don’t worry about it, but I would appreciate it if you refrained from manhandling my girlfriend in the future,” Maddon said in a deadly serious voice.

“You look familiar. Do I know you?” She asked, looking at him like he was a specimen under a microscope.

“That’s Maddon.
You know, Rick Johnson’s son. The guy that killed Kassandra’s dad,” Lacey said snidely, coming up to stand behind her mom.

My knees turned to putty as I looked at her smirking face.

“Well, well, isn’t that interesting,” Lacey’s mom said with shining eyes at the gift-wrapped-gossip bundle we had just dropped in her lap. “I’m surprised your mother has been so forgiving.”

“She was fine with it,” I lied brazenly. “She’s adult enough to know that Maddon had no control over his father’s actions,” I retorted, turning on heel.

Once we were out of sight, I made a bee-line for the exit, zigzagging and weaving through endless waves of shoppers. This wasn’t the best time to be at the mall when you wanted to get out in a hurry. By the time Maddon and I made it to Barnes and Noble, my frustration had gotten the best of me.

“Excuse me!” An unsuspecting woman bellowed after I pushed my way past without looking back. My breathing was labored from the fast pace, and at this point, I wasn’t even sure if Maddon was still with me, or what he must be thinking. I was horrified at the thought of what Lacey and her mom would do with the tasty gossip-treat we had practically spoon-fed them. None of this would have happened if I would have kept my silent promise to my dad and walked away in the very beginning with a smile. I had risen to the bait, and now we would all pay the price.

“Man, talk about the apple not falling far from the tree,” Maddon said, snagging onto my hand to slow me down once we got outside. “It’s going to be okay,” he said, slowing me down to a stop.

“No, it won’t. Lacey’s been waiting for months for an opportunity like this! I guarantee she’s already got it plastered all over Facebook!”

“That’s insane, she was your friend.”

“Like that matters, you’ve seen what a bitch she is!” I stated, wondering if he was really that clueless on how malicious girls could be.

“With my friends it matters. We’d take a bullet for each other.”

“Not in my world,” I said, still fuming. “We wouldn’t take a slap on the wrist for each other, let alone a bullet.”

“You would,” he said quietly. “You’re different than them.”

“You think so? Did you miss the way I tore into Lacey’s mom in there? I can be a mega-bitch, too, believe me.”

“Kassandra, you’re too hard on yourself.”

“You just see me with rose-colored glasses,” I said, sick of the pretenses.

He joined me on my side of the car and rested his hand over mine. “Kassandra, we both have skeletons. Who doesn’t? So what if you weren’t perfect before? Neither was I. I let my father use me as a punching bag without ever standing up to him. I let him drink and drive, and your family paid the consequences. Do you think it’s easy to live with that?”

“That’s different. It’s harder to stand up to a parent. I knew my friends and I acted like assholes, but I still hung out with them.”

“Kass, I could have tried standing up to my father. Maybe I could have fought him off or maybe not. I just never wanted to sink to his level. I promised myself I would never turn into him. We all make our decisions. The important thing is that you’ve changed,” he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

“Forever changed is my pact, you know, like your band name,” I whispered, resting my forehead on his chest. “I just slipped in there. I don’t want to slip again.”

“Don’t worry, babe. You got this. Besides, you’re only human. If it makes you feel any better, I wanted to break my no-violence vow in there,” he chuckled, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

Kassandra was quiet on the drive back to my complex. I knew she was worried about Lacey’s mom running her big mouth. I wished we could spend more time together, but I knew she had plans with her family that evening.

“Are we still on for tomorrow?” I asked doubtfully, considering the next day was the day before Christmas Eve.

“I think so,” she said, still obviously worried her mom would know by then. “I’ll text you. What should I wear anyway?”

“Warm clothes. We’ll be outside all morning,” I said, parking next to her SUV.

“Where are we going again?” she pried.

“Me to know, and you to find out,” I teased, grabbing her bags from the trunk of the car and stowing them in her Explorer.

“No fun,” she pouted.

“Come on, surprises are good,” I laughed, dropping a kiss on her lips. “Text me, okay?” She nodded, though her eyes were clouded over with worry.

“Don’t worry. Maybe that hag won’t say anything. You did a pretty convincing job, making it seem like your mom already knows.”

“I hope so,” she said, closing her door.

“It’ll be fine,” I mouthed as she pulled away.

I grabbed my own crap from the car and headed upstairs. I was pissed that our day had been ruined. For our sake, I hope I was right, that Lacey’s mom wouldn’t say anything.

I was determined not to let Lacey or her mom ruin the holidays which were going to be stressful enough anyway. Mom and Megan were ready and waiting by the time I got home. I thought Megan was going to barrel over me the way she ran at me like she was launched from a sling-shot. She was obviously excited.

“You look cute, Peanut,” I said, taking in her Christmas Minnie Mouse shirt and matching hair bow. "Let me stow these in my room and then I’ll be ready to go,” I said, holding up my bags.

“We have time,” Mom said. “Did you have fun today?”

I gave an apprehensive laugh. “Well, as much fun as you can have at the mall the week of Christmas,” I said, heading for the stairs.

“You think that’s bad, wait until we get to Disney,” she teased.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I called down the stairs.

I stowed the bags in the back of my closest and snagged my favorite hoodie from its hanger and headed back down the stairs.

“Peanut’s shirt is really cute. Looks like someone was busy today, huh?” I teased my mom as we headed out. She had mad sewing skills and probably whipped up the one-of-a-kind shirt and bow in less than a few hours.

She laughed. “What’s the Magic Kingdom without a Mickey or Minnie shirt?” she said, pulling out of the driveway.

“You did a good job,” I said, fiddling with the radio until I found a song I liked.

“I could have made you one,” she teased.

“Umm no, I’m good, but thanks. So what time are Grandma and Donna going to be here tomorrow?”