Rewriting History (8 page)

Sighing, his eyes meet mine, full of sadness and regret.

“That means I’m going to be teaching Senior History, not Junior.” He looks outside.  “It’s only five months until you graduate, but after break is over . . . I can’t be your teacher and your boyfriend. Not until you finish.”

My eyes widen as sadness plunges through me, which is soon replaced with anger. I’m done with him making all the rules about us. I’m in this relationship as much as he is. He doesn’t get to decide everything. That’s not fair.

“No! That’s not happening. Why do you keep doing this to me?” Thoughts begin to whirl in my head. I’m stressed, and I can’t think straight.

Why can’t someone give us a fucking break? 

I need to get away from him.

I can’t think when he’s this close to me. I get to my feet and run to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I turn on the tap and splash water over my face, trying to stem my tears. I can’t stand the thought of not being with him, and I’m angry that he’s so quick to put us on hold.

How much different is it being my teacher for a few weeks as opposed to a few months? 

He’s becoming my world. He’s not just a distraction or a crush. I can be myself around him. We can’t just be friends. We’ve already proven that it won’t fucking work, and I can’t believe he’s doing this…
again
.

I walk back into the room. Eli has put his clothes back on and he’s putting more wood in the fireplace.

“Eli, I can’t be away from you but I can’t sit in a classroom with you knowing I can’t be with you. I don’t think I can go through it again.” My voice breaks as the tears threaten to fall again.

“Shh. Let’s worry about this after break, okay?”

I nod, but only because I hope I can change his mind by then. I hope I can make him see sense. But I know his concern is as much for me as it is himself. He wants to protect me, and I get that.

It’s one of the things I love about him.

Chapter Fourteen

Jill

The warm feather blanket weighs my body into the bed as I wake up on Christmas morning—one of my favorite days of the year, apart from my birthday. The windows are covered in shards of ice as snow floats from the overcast sky.  If there’s any day you want to wake up to snow, it’s Christmas Day. Reaching to turn off the alarm, I see that my phone is showing two messages.

Eli: Merry Xmas pretty lady. Can’t wait to see you this afternoon

Alice: Why is Santa Claus always so happy? Because he knows where all the naughty girls live. Hoe Hoe Hoe :p Bet you’ll be getting spoiled today. Merry Xmas Jillybean xxx 

I laugh and crawl out of the warmness of my bed. She cracks me up, that girl. She certainly knows how to make this pretty lady smile. Eli’s text warms me. The fact that he’s already thinking about me so early in the day makes me giddy. Am I the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up?

I text them both back, reach for my robe, and make my way downstairs.

The house is warm and eerily silent apart from the Christmas music playing faintly through my phone. I’m sitting in the kitchen with a mug of hot coffee, the usual anticipation I feel on Christmas morning racing through my veins.

When I was little, one Christmas morning I woke Mom in the middle of the night by tickling her feet as she slept in bed. She screamed, and both she and Dad jumped out of bed naked, which was a terrifying sight for a six-year-old. All I wanted was my presents. I’d been sitting in the living room for hours, waiting for them to get up. 

Mom worked last night so I decide to start prepping breakfast and let her sleep—as much as I’d love to jump on her to get the day started.  And open my presents. I’m cooking the bacon and eggs when she walks into the kitchen, smiling even though she looks tired.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” she says, wrapping her arms around me.

“Thanks, Mom. Merry Christmas to you too. Have you heard from Dad?” I ask.

She nods. “He called late last night at work. He’ll speak to you later.” I nod and hand her a glass of juice. Holidays are especially hard when Dad can’t get home, but we do the best we can.

There is a knock on the door and I race to open it, already knowing that it’s Sophia. The family she’s staying with doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Something tragic happened to their son on Christmas Day many years ago. With the mood morose, as Sophia put it, I invited her over to spend the morning with us.

“Merry Christmas,” I say, hugging her.

She hugs me back, handing me a small present. She’s holding another which she hands to Mom.

“Thanks, Sophia,” Mom exclaims, wrapping her arms around her. “Have you spoken to your parents?”

“Yes, they phoned me last night,” she says excitedly.  “My brother is surprising me by coming over to visit me. He’ll be here this afternoon. Well, it’s supposed to be a surprise. He wanted to make sure I’d be home.”  She claps her hands together, the love for her brother radiating off her. 

The smell of bacon drifts through the kitchen as Mom places the sizzling meat amongst the vine-ripened tomatoes.  Sophia sets the toast on the table and I scoop the eggs into a dish.

We sit around eating and opening presents all morning. Mom has a shift today, which is okay, because I plan to spend most of the day holed up in Eli’s bed.

After breakfast, Sophia rushes off to meet her brother at the airport and Mom leaves for work. I take my time getting ready for Eli, prettifying myself with the new perfume Sophia bought me. I dress in my new jeans and fitted coral sweater, a gift from Mom, then I carefully wrap the present I got for Eli, complete with a perfectly tied bow.

“Merry Christmas, sexy.” Eli grins at me as he leans on the doorframe, his dark eyes twinkling at me.

I laugh and squeeze past him, planting a kiss on his lips in the process. “How was your morning?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I saw Dad and the girls. The kids were funny. I could’ve saved myself a lot of cash and just given them cardboard boxes,” he chuckles.

I laugh and bring my hands around in front of me, his gift sitting on my palms.

“I hope you like it,” I grin.

He smirks, taking the box from me and walking over to the living room. “Your gift is in here.”

I race over to join him, immediately noticing the two small presents sitting on the sofa.

“You’re so cute when you’re excited,” he chuckles, taking my hand.

We sit down, our gifts on our laps, and I tear into the wrapping paper. The first gift is a bright pink cashmere scarf and gloves set. I giggle and pull them on, leaning over to kiss him.

“I love it,” I say.

“The other one is your main present,” he laughs. He holds up his gift, a smile on his face. “Now
this
is awesome.” He examines the handcrafted leather bound wallet, running his finger over his initials, which are stitched onto the front.

“I’m glad you like it,” I say as he kisses me. “Honestly, I had no idea what to get you.” I tear into my next present. A small box falls into my lap. I pick it up and open it. Inside is the most beautiful set of pearl earrings I’ve ever seen.

“They’re beautiful,” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.

He reaches for my hand. “You’re beautiful,” he responds, his voice husky. “There is another present waiting in my bedroom for you.” He stands up, pulling me into his arms.

I laugh as he leads me into the bedroom, and just as I suspected, the bed is empty.

“Where’s this gift you promised me?” I tease.

He grabs me around the waist and throws us onto the bed as I howl with laughter.

“You’re so cheap,” I mutter, my lips finding his.

We fool around most of the afternoon, only breaking to eat some dinner—leftover turkey from Eli’s lunch with his family. As soon as we’re done we are back in bed, watching movies and snuggling.

I couldn’t think of a better way to have spent my Christmas—except for Dad being home. The more time I spend with Eli, the more attached I become. I’m falling in love with him, I don’t doubt that, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.

All I can do is hope that love is enough for our relationship to survive.

Chapter Fifteen

Jill

My holidays all begin the same: sleep in, lie around the house thinking about Eli, and then actually
see
Eli. I know things will change once school starts back, so I’m determined to make the most of the time we have, and hopefully make it harder for him to end things.

It’s the day before New Year’s Eve and it’s a rare day where the rain has stayed away.  The snow has been falling sporadically, but it melts away quickly as the sun bathes in the sky. Mom is home and my afternoon is spent outside in the garden with her. Our house backs onto a reserve, so behind our yard are tall pine trees. The location is peaceful, until I hear two men bickering in the distance.

Standing up, I walk toward the argument. It’s coming from Jamie’s house. Crouching down behind a large bush that divides our properties, I spy Jamie and his dad outside on the back porch. 

“I fucking told you to stay away from her, didn’t I? I swear, Jamie, if I get one more call that you’ve harassed her again, I’ll beat your ass to the point where you won’t be able to walk for a couple of weeks. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you fucked up?” A few seconds go past and then I hear their back door slam. 

I stand up until my head is just over the fence and work my hands to part the bushes, just enough so I can make out what’s happening. The sounds of the trees moving, along with the wind rustling the leaves, echo in my ear. Jamie turns his head my way.

His eyes meet mine and remain stoic.
They’re so cold.
I shiver, holding my breath, realizing I’ve been caught. I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to say something, acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation, or will that just make it worse?

“Fuck,” Jamie curses. He tears his gaze off me, storming into the shed at the rear of their yard. A resounding slam echoes through the air.

Fucking great.
Because this is just what I need: another reason for him to hate me. Jamie’s father’s words echo in my mind. What the hell was he talking about? The only person Jamie is harassing is . . . well,
me
.

At least I think it is.

“What are you doing, Jill?”

Jumping, I turn around, my heart pounding, and stand back up. My face flushes. Mom is standing there, eying me suspiciously.

“I didn’t realize you knew our neighbors,” she adds.

I pick up something in her voice, but I’m not sure what. Uneasiness? Anxiety?

“The, um, boy goes to my school,” I mutter, wiping my hands on my shorts. I’m desperately trying to think of a way to finish the conversation when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

It’s Sophia. Thank fucking God.

Sophia: Want to catch up?

Me: Sure, come over if you like.

“I better get showered. Sophia is coming over,” I say, brushing past Mom.

I can feel her gaze follow me as I race inside. I don’t want her knowing what an ass Jamie is to me, because I know she’ll try to fix it and end up making things worse. I need to figure out what he and his dad were arguing about. This might be my only chance to have something over him. If he knows something about me and Eli, I’m going to need all the ammunition I can get.

Sophia comes over later that afternoon, and we’ve been lying on the bed reading magazines for the last hour. Every now and then she will ask a really weird question like ‘Have you tried anal?’ which will have me in hysterics. Worse, she seems to have no idea why I’m laughing.

I haven’t had a
real
friend since Alice, so this is a nice change. I’m beginning to feel like a teenager, which is ironic since I just turned eighteen and I’m sleeping with my teacher.

“Do you know what college you are applying for?” I ask, reading an article on deciding the right path for your future.

Sophia sits up from the bed and crosses her legs. “Yes, I’ve gotten into an exchange program at The University of Colorado. What about you?”

“I’ve applied to a few.” I sigh. “UC has always been where I wanted to go to college, ever since I was little. That’s part of the reason we moved to Denver. Alice is going there because they have an awesome art program, and their history courses are pretty damn good too. But now, I’m not sure.”

I hesitate, not wanting to go into too much detail. What if Eli goes back to New York? Sophia sits up, her hands combing through her short blond hair.

“Because of Eli?” Sophia asks, raising an eyebrow. 

My heart begins to pound. I can feel the blood draining from my face as I begin to panic. Did I just hear her correctly? She
cannot
have guessed. If she has figured us out, then who else has? Jamie, Sophia . . . who next?

“Why would you think I have anything going on with Eli?” I frown, placing a confused expression on my face. I can feel my heart beating in my head and I’m praying to God I can pull this off.

Sophia glances out the window and bites her lip. It’s as if she’s trying to figure out whether she wants to say what’s on her mind or not.

“When we arrived home from the party the other week you told me you were with Eli before you fell asleep.” She pauses, hiding a smile. “It would be more accurate to say you went on and on and
on
about him. Apparently he has quite the . . . how do you say . . . package?”

My face heats as I throw my hands up to cover it. I can’t believe this. What the hell was I thinking? That’s right, I wasn’t—because I was illegally intoxicated. I’d made a stupid mistake that could cost Eli his fucking career. Do I trust Sophia enough to admit the truth? I hesitate. We
are
friends, but I’m nervous about anyone knowing about Eli and me.

“I’m so embarrassed.” I moan, shaking my head. “I was so drunk, I must have been fantasizing about him. I do that a lot. I may have a tiny crush on the guy.” I let out a small laugh.

Sophia raises her eyebrows and smiles. She believes me. 

Well, I
think
she believes me. 

“He
is
pretty hot, isn’t he? He’s got the best-looking derriere I’ve ever seen. So tight, just begging to be squeezed.”

I fake a laugh, but deep down, her comment has downright pissed me off. It’s not her fault, and I know that half the school would be thinking what she just said, but I’m jealous. It’s going to be a long five months.

***

The aroma of the spaghetti bolognaise fills the kitchen as Mom stirs the sauce.  Sophia and I are sitting at the kitchen counter, making apple pie. Well, we are trying to make pie, that is. I’m pretty sure Grandma’s homemade recipe didn’t include getting flour everywhere except in the actual bowl.

“This is all gooey,” laughs Sophia, pressing her hands into the pastry. “I’ve never made pie before. This is so much fun.”

I gasp as I try and compose myself. Tears are running down my cheeks, I’m laughing that hard. This is definitely
not
how pie is made. 

“Oh, girls.” Mom sighs, shaking her head. “What are you doing?”  We all crack up in hysterics when we look at the clumps of pastry. “All right, how about
I
do the pastry and you girls start on the filling?”  

Minutes later, I glance over at Mom and Sophia and smile. They’re talking about school, college, and France. I don’t contribute much to the conversation in front of me; instead, my mind is on Eli. Or more so, on all the dirty things I want to be doing with Eli.

My phone pings with a text and a smile stretches my cheeks.
Speak of the devil.

Eli: Can I take you out tomorrow? That is, if you don’t have plans yet.

Me: As long as it involves you putting your hands on every inch of my body, then it’s a deal ;)

I love teasing him, but I’m serious. I need my fix of Eli. He’s an aphrodisiac. Besides, I can’t think of a better way to see in the new year than in his arms.

Eli: It wouldn’t be a date if it didn’t end with my cock deep inside you. I’ll pick you up at 5pm tomorrow. Wear something casual.

Me: Who said anything about ending? I was hoping for starting too. See you then x

I giggle and shove my phone back in my pocket. Looking up from the table, I see Mom and Sophia starting at me, both wearing strange expressions.

“What?” I ask, looking back and forth between them.

“Who’s got my daughter all tied up in knots?” Mom leans across the counter toward me. “I know that giggle. That’s the sound of a girl in love.”

I duck out of the way as she tickles me, her hands trying to get hold of my phone.

I squeal and run away from her. She thinks we’re playing, but we’re so not.
Like hell she’s getting ahold of my phone.
“It’s just a funny text from Alice,” I beg, putting my hands up in surrender.

She narrows her eyes at me and turns to Sophia. “You’d tell me if my little girl has a boyfriend, right, Sophia?”

“Of course, Mrs. Wilson. I’m on this.” She winks at Mom, who laughs and throws a piece of apple at me. I stick my tongue out at her, but inside, I’m dying. The first thing I’m going to do when I’m out of sight is change his name in my phone and erase all our old messages.

Mom and Sophia chatter like old friends while I wait for my pulse to return to somewhere in the vicinity of normal. We were that close to being discovered. Mom wouldn’t have known who Eli was, but it wouldn’t be hard for her to figure it out, and then I’d have to explain to Sophia why I’d lied to her.

“So, tell me more about this boyfriend of yours,” Sophia says, rolling onto her stomach. We are both in my bed, trying to sleep after watching movies for half the night. My stomach tightens at the mention of Eli.

“What do you want to know?” I ask nervously.

“What’s he like? I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve kissed guys, and done things and stuff, but my parents are so strict they’d never let me actually date anyone.” She smiles. “That’s part of what I love about being over here. I dream about falling in love with an American boy and having little American babies. Is that weird?” She giggles.

Eli enters my mind and I smile. “No, not weird.  I know exactly what you mean.” 

“So, tell me: How old is he? Do you have a photo?” She stares at me, waiting for answers.

I hesitate, torn between telling her the truth and keeping our secret. “If I tell you about him, and you happen to guess who he is,” I begin nervously, “will you keep it between you and I?”

“Oh, so I
know
him?” Her eyes light up. “It’s Jamie, isn’t it? Jamie and Jill, sitting in a tree,” she sings before collapsing into a heap, laughing. She sees my horrified expression and laughs even harder. “Relax, I was joking! You Americans have no sense of humor.”

I shudder. “God, I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit. I have no idea why he hates me so much.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. They were the family I was with when I first arrived here and I asked to be moved. The whole family is crazy. His father is a scary man.”

“I saw them arguing today in the yard. Jamie saw me watching him, so now he’s going to make my life even worse.”

“What were they arguing about?” she asks curiously.

“I don’t know. Jamie hassling someone.”

Sophia’s eyes widen for a second, and then she reaches over and nudges me. “Don’t think this is getting you out of revealing your mystery man,” she teases.

“Okay, okay. He’s twenty-five.” I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling, not wanting to see the look on her face
when
she guesses. “He’s tall and sexy, with beautiful deep brown eyes, and short, dirty-blond hair that I just want to run my fingers through.” I smile. “He makes he feel special. I feel safe when I’m with him, like nobody else in the world matters, you know?”

She smiles as I turn to look at her. I can tell she knows, but she doesn’t delve further and I don’t tell her any more. 

Until school is over, Eli needs to stay my dirty little secret.