Authors: Layla James
I scan the paper.
Antsy. Self-centered. Nice Rack.
I gape at the paper. “What the hell, Liam! These aren’t things that would attract the opposite sex; these are things that will have them running. I am not antsy or self-centered.”
I’m not going to mention nice rack.
He waves me off and runs his fingers through his hair. “Calm down, I should have put worrier on there, too.” He turns left on the road toward school. “Those are good things, they attracted me, I am your boyfriend now.” He smiles at his own sarcasm.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Rewrite this,” I demand.
“We cannot read this to the class.”
“Hell no, do you know how long it took me to write that damn thing? I am not rewriting it.
You won’t have to read it, I will. Jeez.
I said you had a nice rack. That’s good enough.” His eyes dart toward my breast and I cross my arms over them. “Speaking of, you could dress to impress, ya know. You have to keep my interest. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
“I’m not dressing like a slut, Liam.
I’m not one of your old hoochies.
”
He rolls his eyes and looks down at me. “Showing a little cleavage isn’t that big of a deal. It’s normal.”
“Not for me.”
I scowl.
“Obviously.”
“Shut up.”
Liam laughs and turns into the school parking lot. I swallow a hard lump that is forming in my throat. My hands are shaking and my head spinning. “Someone is nervous?”
“Yeah, I am.” I turn to him. “I’m not sure I can do this,” I say. I turn back to the school and watch all the teenagers walk around.
It’s Liam Erickson. The school’s bad boy, the boy that doesn’t hear the word no very often. The man whore or Avalon.
“It’s going to be easy. Just let yourself love me, like you know you do. We’re going to rock their worlds, Katy. Let’s go make some more gossip, shall we?” I look over and he gives me an encouraging nod. I swallow and reach for the door. “Wait,” he shrugs out of his leather jacket, “you should wear this. Ya know, to show its official.
I guess that’s boyfriend do, right?
”
I shrug, even though I know it is.
I take the jacket and glance over at him. He rolls his eyes. “Don’t get attached to it, this is just pretending remember?
It was your idea.
”
“I know,” I say and put the jacket on. It smells
like him. I try not to smell it
where he can see, that might freak him out, or give him more reason to make fun of me.
I don’t need anymore of those.
“Ready?”
I nod. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Let’s do this, honey.” He smirks and gets out of the Jeep. When I step out I feel small and a bit stupid. His jacket is heavy on me and my heart is pounding against my rib cage. I can barely see straight.
This is nuts, why did I think of this?
I feel Liam’s arm around my waist and I stiffen. “For effects, sweetheart. Loosen up or we’re never going to pull this off.”
“You’re right,” I say and nod. I try and relax the best I can but it’s hard when everyone in the school is staring at us.
Not to mention I really don’t feel comfortable with Liam this close to me. Last time, I stuck my tongue down his throat. That’s not going to happen again.
Liam pulls me closer to him and we walk toward my locker. I hear whispers beside us and Liam laughs lowly. He leans down and I feel his lips touch my ear. “This is going to be fun. Everyone is already talking.”
The rumor mill has begun to churn.
I groan. “God.”
Jennifer is at my locker when I get there. Her mouth is open and I give her a look. She doesn’t catch it.
Please don’t make a scene.
Her face twist into an angry scowl.
Ah, hell.
“What in the living hell---,”
“Hey, Jennifer,” Liam says, reaching over and giving her a pat
on the shoulder. “How are you? Good weather, huh?”
“Good. What the hell is going on?” she asks, voice low, her hand on her hip.
“What do you mean?” I ask, opening my locker.
She narrows her eyes and snorts. “This,” she says, pointing toward Liam. She crinkles her nose up.
“You’re hurting my feelings,” Liam says. “Baby, tell Jen to stop hurting my feelings.”
Her mouth is wide open. “Baby?” she squeals out. “This is not happening. I’ve fallen and hit my head.”
“Open your eyes, Jen, you’re not dreaming.” Liam wiggles his eyebrows.
“Okay, that’s enough.
I can’t take this ridiculousness this early in the morning.
I’m going to class.” She turns on her heel and stalks out of the hallway.
“Touchy,” Liam says. “
She took it well.” He smiles. “
So, we caused enough attention, or you want a smooch
, too
?”
I grab my books from my locker and shut the door. “I think that is what got us into this mess. Lay off, Jen. I’m already going to have to do damage control with
her
.
Asian’s sure can hold a grudge.
”
“Okay, Momma.”
“Don’t call me that,” I say, shutting my locker door.
Liam smiles and grabs my waist, sliding his hand down.
My eyes widen and I jerk back. “
What the hell are you doing?”
“Testing my boundaries. Now, I know where I stand.” He smiles. “See ya at lunch, sweetheart.”
He kisses me on the cheek, before jumping out of hitting distance.
I sigh and walk toward class.
“
Psst,” I hear.
I look up from my notebook and glance around the room. Nothing.
Only students pretending to pay attention.
“Over here,” I hear again. I look over to my left and see Hayden staring at me. His jaw is set and his green eyes narrowed.
I give him a
what the hell do you want
look. He starts to write something on his paper.
I roll my eyes and continue to write.
I’m just about to ask Mrs. Johns a question about Abraham Lincoln when I feel a paper wad hit my head.
Ouch
. Not like it really hurt, but hell, grow up. I look up and Hayden is staring at me again. ‘What?” I belt out.
“What the hell do you want?”
The entire class turns toward me and then back to Hayden. “Ms. Katy, is there a problem?” Mrs. Johns looks over her thick framed glasses at me.
“Yes, Hayden hit me with a paper wad and he won’t leave me alone.” I don’t know why but I feel proud to get him in trouble. A little pathetic I know, but I can’t help it. The shocked look on his face makes me feel good. It makes me feel better for the things he said to me.
She narrows her eyes and looks over at Hayden, whose mouth has almost dropped to the floor. “Hayden, is there anything you would like to tell Ms. Katy since you’re throwing things at her head.”
Hayden’s Adam’s apple moves in his throat and he shakes his head, disapprovingly.
He looks really mad.
“Yeah. I’m ashamed of the last year of my life.”
A pressure that I’ve never felt before presses down on my chest. It hurts like salt to a wound. My vision is cloudy and I hear several people snickering around me.
“Hayden, stop throwing things and pay attention,” Mrs. Jones snaps and turns toward the board.
I can’t make myself pay attention the rest of the period. My head is spinning and my heart is pounding. Those few words hurt worse than anything Hayden has ever said to me. I try not to cry in front of anyone.
I cannot let Hayden see me cry. I’ve cried too many tears because of him.
When the bell rings I’m the first person out of the room. I’m trying to hold back my tears but they’re burning at my eyes and making my throat burn. A few students start to stare at me so I dash down the boy’s hallway and into the back of the school, where Hayden had first told me why he didn’t want me with Liam.
I shake the door handles until I come to one door that was unlocked. I shut the door behind me and sit at the empty teacher’s desk. There are boxes everywhere. I wonder if I can hide in one and disappear. I rest my hands on the desk and try to make myself calm down. Hayden is…
such an ass
. I can’t believe he is that worried about himself.
I regret the last year of my life.
Those words sink into me like nothing ever has. He regrets all the laughter, touching, kissing, holding, making love. I gave myself to him. A sob is riding on my tongue. How can he just forget an entire year with someone? How can he act as if I’m vapor to him? I close my eyes and I all I see is our first time together. I gave myself to him, something I could never get back. He doesn’t even give a damn.
He never did. He tossed me aside for the first piece of ass that paid him any attention.
I am trying not to cry when I hear the door open.
“I told you’d she would be in here,” Jennifer says, pushing Liam out of the way. She stands in front of the desk and glances down at me. “I heard. I’m sorry. He is an asswipe.”
I nod and wipe at my eyes. I glance at Liam and he is stoned face. Probably one hundred shades of uncomfortable right about now.
He didn’t sign up for this.
I clear my throat. “I am fine. I just needed to get out of there for a while.”
Jennifer nods and looks at Liam. She nudges his side and he rolls his eyes. “Would you get out of here, Jennifer? I need to talk to my girlfriend.” He sounds robotic.
That word sounds foreign on his tongue. Jennifer makes a face and I’m surprised she has believed us this long. “Whatever, I’ll see you in Science,” she says and like a bullet shoots out of the classroom.
When I look up Liam is staring at me, grey eyes wide an eyebrow rose. “So, what’s the damage?”
He leans on the desk, staring down at me.
I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “Don’t worry abou
t it,” I stand up. “Let’s just go to class, get this over with
.”
Liam walks around the desk and grabs my elbow. His fingers wrap around my arm and slide down to my wrist. I’m oddly aware of how calloused and warm his hand is on me. “Hey,” he whispers, his voice is low, it’s the lowest and most serious I’ve ever heard it. “You really okay? What exactly happene
d? Do I need to whoop some ass? I’m kind of a badass around here, ya know?”
I smile. “He…”
don’t you dare cry;
I push the tears back down, “he threw a paper wad at my head. Then he said that he was ashamed of the last year of his life
in front of the class
,” I say.
Liam
groans and rolls his eyes.
“He is stupid, Katy. He wants you to feel like this. You shouldn’t. You have enough to worry about; don’t let him knock you down.”
“I know…” I say, drifting off into silence.
I know but I can’t seem to make myself ignore him.
Liam finally let’s go of my arm. He jabs his finger toward the door. “Hey, let’s go to class, okay
?
” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, let’s go.”
When we get to Science, Jen is sitting with her new partner Samantha. She gives me
an are you okay
look.
No
I want to shout, but I nod instead.
Liam and I sit down. I sling my backpack over the table and pull out my things.
I hear whispers from behind me, but I ignore them. I open my folder and pull out my essay. I feel something kick the back of my lab stool. I turn my ear to the left and try to hear what their saying.
“They are doing it. I never knew she was such a whore,” I hear. My body goes cold
. I turn my head back and try to ignore them but it sounds like their suddenly talking louder than ever.
“I know right. I knew she probably gave it up to Hayden, but now she is going around throwing herself at everybody.”
The tears are threatening to come down but I push them back.
I watch the back of Jen’s head as she bobs it back and forth, talking to Samantha. I wish I was sitting in Samantha’s seat, anything to get away from the two girls behind me. I close my eyes and pray that Liam isn’t hearing this. My face it hot. I can barely hear anything, my ears seem stopped up.
Please, don’t let him hear this.
“Hey,” I hear Liam say.
Shit, he heard it, too.
I look over at him; he is turned toward the two girls sitting behind
us
.
His eyebrows are furrowed and his hands tightened into fists.
I reach over to touch his hand but he snatches it up, pointing at the two girls. “Remember last year when you both tried to get me to fuck you? Huh?
Didn’t want to be virgins anymore?
What’s wrong, don’t want everybody knowing that, now do we?” He laughs, it’s bitter. “So, shut the hell up before I tell everyone just how slutty you both are.”
He huffs.
They go silent. It’s the best silence I’ve ever heard. Liam sighs and
opens his red folder.
I suddenly don’t care he is going to tell everyone that he likes my rack.
I want to say something but my mouth is dry and hanging open. I want to tell him thank you, but I keep my head down
. I can’t believe he just said that.