Authors: Layla James
I swallow the lump that’s growing in my throat.
No, not really.
“Okay, um…
yeah, of course,
see ya then.”
I get out of his Jeep and walk to my door. It’s only ten.
What a loser.
Liam screeches his tires, and flies down the road.
I watch the empty street and listen to the roar of his engine disappear. I want to curl into a ball and die. I still have four hours before my curfew.
Scratch that…I’m a freaking loser.
My mom is sitting in her recliner when I walk in.
She glances up.
When I see her face, I begin to cry. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
“Hayden,” I
say through sobs. “I hate him. He ruined everything.”
“What happened,” she says, pulling me to her and down into her lap. “Shhh, sweetie. Tell me what happened.”
“He punched him...,” sob,” Hayden tried to cut in…,” sob,” I hate him.” I try to get my story out a little more hearable this time. Mom makes us Oreos and milk.
Mom gasps at the right places, dunks her Oreo in her milk and smiles when she needs to.
“Sounds to me like you
have a good one on your hands. Beating up people for you. Always a good sign.”
I shrug and take my Oreo apart. “He won’t talk to me; he just told me he would see me Monday. He seemed so…different.
You think he is mad at me?
”
Mom smiles, runs her fingers through my hair. “
No.
Sweetie,
” she coos,
“
give him some time. He had
a hard night. Beating people up
is tough business.”
I laugh.
I guess that’s true. I wouldn’t know. I probably couldn’t beat up a puppy if I had to. I’d get attacked
.
“I guess so,” I say. “Any news from Dad?”
“I sent him the pictures, he said you looked beautiful.”
I shake my head. “Not about me, about you two.”
Mom sighs. “We went over this, Katy. Your dad and I--,”
I stop her with my hand. “I know, I just thought maybe you guys changed your minds. It could happen, right? Hayden seems to have changed his mind. He is jealous.”
Mom smiles. “It could happen, but please don’t worry about that. You have enough to worry about. Just worry about yourself. I’m a big girl. I have a wonderful life with or without your dad. You understand that right?
You’re my life. I have a wonderful daughter.
”
Do I
understand
? We’re no longer a happy family. We’re no longer the happy threesome. We’re two separate broken home.
I want to scream. I should have never brought it up. “I think I’m going to hit the sack early
,
Mom.”
She nods. “Yeah, I’m goi
ng to finish my milk and turn in
, too.”
I lean over and give her a kiss before
I walk up to my room and strip out of my clothes. I pull on a t-shirt and boxers. I crawl into my bed and stare at the ceiling. I close my eyes and push past all of the problems running a marathon in my mind. I finally find sleep, drifting off with the hope of change in grasp.
Chapter Seven
I crane my neck around the cafeteria.
Still not here.
I pull out my phone and check my texts.
Nothing. Nada
. Well, only a text from Jen that says, “
Mr. Fringe looks super yummy today.”
I shove my phone back into my pocket.
If her mother finds those texts, her ass is grass.
I fiddle with the strap of my bag, g
rab my lunch and sit down at our
usual table. It’s empty; Jen is standing in line, making
googly
eyes at Mr. Fringe from across the room. I roll my eyes. I pick at my chicken nuggets.
He is going to file sexual harassment charges against her, and I’m going to say
I told you so.
“Why so blue, Charlie Brown,” Jen says, sitting down across from me. “Oh,” she smiles, “you’re missing your boo thang. How did it go? You ignored my calls all weekend. What’s up with that shiznit?”
I shake my head. “Hayden and Liam got into a fight,” I say.
Jen’s mouth drops open. “No, freaking way. That’s why Hayden has that big shiner; he is trying to cover it up with his hair, but
it’s
so totally not working. Why in the Hades didn’t you tell me! This is important information. You should be put in jail for withholding information.”
I almost smile
. He deserves it.
He has only ruined everything.
“Where is Liam?” she asks.
I shrug. “I have no idea. He won’t text me back. He kind of just left me at the house, he was mad.”
Jen cocks an eyebrow. “This is so juicy, t
w
o guys fighting over you,” she says, smiling. “Dream
s
do come
true, huh?”
I dunk my chicken nugget
in a big puddle of Ketchup
. “Well, it would be if Liam would answer my phone calls,” I whisper.
Jen sighs, and then sits up, quickly. “Hottie alert,” Jen, says, fluffing her hair.
“He is coming over here,” she whispers.
I glance over my shoulder at Mr. Fringe walking toward me. “Katy,” he says, smiling. He really is handsome, but about ten years too old for us. “How are you?”
“Good.”
Liar.
“I wanted to come by and thank you for dealing with Liam.”
I’m doing more than dealing with him
. “You’ve done great for him. His grades have improved. I’m very thrilled to say that I’m happy I paired you to up.”
“Yeah, well he
did it; I just gave him a push that he needed.”
Mr. Fringe smiles at me, and then he glances over at Jen.
“Hello, Jennifer.”
She smiles. “Hello.”
“I see you in class,” he says, cocking an eyebrow. She tilts her head to the side. “Yo
u know what I mean.” He smiles and walks away.
A blush rides along Jen’s cheeks. “How humiliating.”
“What do you do in class?”
She laughs. “I fan myself when he walks past me.
Blow him kisses behind his back and secretly wish he would give me two minutes of his time.
”
She wiggles her eyebrows.
“That is humiliating. I bet he feels like he is naked on stage at Chip-n-dales.”
“That sounds yummy.”
“That sounds like rape.”
When I open
my locker, after lunch, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I relax into the touch.
Finally.
I turn expecting to see Liam, but Hayden is standing behind me. A purple-ish bruise barely hid
es
behind his shaggy brown hair.
“Can we talk?” he asks.
“No,” I say, shutting my locker. I start to walk to class when Hayden grips my elbow.
“Please, two minutes, Katy.”
I shrug him off, then gesture for h
im to go. “You have two minutes, go.
”
He exhales. “I’m sorry about Friday. I…I don’t know why I done that. I just wanted to dance with you…I wanted you so bad. You looked so…good.” He glances up at me, his green eyes dark.
I remember why I liked him. Why I liked to look at him, he always has such a likeable expression on his face.
Always smiling, the way his eyes sparkled.
He smirks. “You don’t get to have me again, Hayden. You don’t. You wanted Holly and you have her. I am with Liam now,” I say, and for the first time it feels like the truth
. I. Am. With. Liam.
Hayden’s lips turn down at the corners. “Holly broke up with me.
I just thought…
”
Oh. “
You thought you could
come back on your knees after she breaks up with you? How romantic,” I say, turning to walk away.
“No, she broke up with me because of the dance. She said I couldn’t stop staring at you. That I needed to get over you...,” he steps forward, “I can’t.
You’re all I think about.
”
I’ve dreamed about this moment. The moment Hayden realizes that he was an idiot and wants me back. I pictured him on a white horse, not in jeans in the hallway at school. I dreamed he would grab me, dunk me and kiss me. Like on those 80s movies. Hell, I even dreamed of him holding a boom box over his head. I pictured how perfect I would feel, how I would jump into his arms, let him carry me away into the sunset.
I don’t feel any of that. I glance up at Hayden’s green eyes and smile. “That’s nice, but I’m not interested. I’m with Liam now.
I like him…a lot.
”
“You can’t be serious?” he asks, grabbing a hold to my shoulders.
“I’m dead serious,” I say, snatching my shoulder
s
out from underneath his hands. “
He wouldn’t leave me for the first girl that comes his way.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go see about my boyfriend.”
I walk away from Hayden, a smile on my face.
I haven’t hea
r
d
from Hayden since Friday and its Wednesday. I’ve gotten into my car several times to go see him, but always chicken out.
I’m not sure what I should say.
So, after I got out of school, I decide to go to his house. I’m a little nervous when I pull up into his driveway. His Jeep is parked in the driveway and I’m thankful no other vehicles are.
Is he okay? Is he sick?
I sit in my car for several minutes.
It feels weird to actually be in my car. I haven’t driven it since Liam and I started dating. Well, pretending to date, close enough.
Maybe I should just go home? Maybe I should stop caring so much? Maybe I should stop being a pansy ass and get out of the car
.
Taking a deep breath, I get out and walk toward the door. I knock on the door and wait. I feel like I’ve been standing here for hours when finally the door opens.
Liam is standing on the other side. His black hair messy, no shirt, his eyes wide and only his toes are showing from underneath his long
grey
sweat pants
, they make his eyes sparkle
. “What…what are you doing here?”
I shift from one foot to the other. “Um, well, you didn’t show up to school, I got worried. I was just checking on you. I can leave,” I say, turning to leave.
Liam grabs my elbow. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry. Just…come in.” He pulls me toward the door and shuts it behind me.
“Are you sick?” I ask, kicking the hardwood floor with the tip of my shoe.
Liam scratches his stomach and it draws my eyes down to that one spot where he scratches. I look back up.
Do not stare at him
. “No,” he says.
But, it’s really hard not to.
“Did someone die?” I ask.
“No.
” He shakes his head.
“Just f
ollow me.” I follow him up the stairs to his room. He points for me to sit on his bed.
I sit down.
I watch while he digs around in his drawer.
What the hell is going on?
He pulls out a stack of opened envelopes and hands them to me. “Th
ey’re from my mom. My real Mom.”
I look up at him.
He is frowning.
“Where did you find them?” I ask, looking through them. She lives in
Tampa,
Florida.
“In the spare bedroom. I went to get a tennis racket out of there
, cuz I broke the one from the other day
and found them shoved in the bag. I know my step-mom hid them. Stupid bitch.”
I wince. There has to be over two hundred letters.
I pick up the envelopes and hold them out to the side.
“Have you asked her about them?”