by Sherri Renee
Matt surprised me by sitting down beside me. Right beside me. Our arms touched as he reached over to pet his puppy. I tried to act like I didn’t notice the contact, but my heart started beating so fast and so hard I was afraid he’d hear it.
“I, um, wanted to talk to you about something.” I couldn’t believe I was bringing this up, but I felt like I had to say something.
“Yeah?” He scratched AB under the chin, and she leaned into his hand while I stroked her soft back.
I felt so comfortable with him. Comfortable in a way I’d never been with George. Was that weird?
He turned his head to study me. “What is it?”
Oh, gosh. Should I make up something random or see what he thought about the prom king idea? Whichever way I went I could not let him think for even a second that I might actually like him.
“Did you know Forest Ridge High has prom in December?”
He shrugged. “I might have heard that.”
“Well, it’s only a few weeks away.”
“Um-hm.”
“I’m a senior this year.” I twirled my fingers through AB’s fur.
“Yep, so am I.”
Glancing up I saw the confused smile on his face. I took a deep breath. I guessed I was doing this. “My hope is to be voted prom queen. I thought George and I would be prom queen and king actually.”
“Yeah, I can see your pretty boy getting into that.”
“He’s not my pretty boy,” I snapped, looking down at AB.
Matt laughed. “Okay, your boyfriend then. I can see your boyfriend getting into that prom stuff.”
I gently dislodged AB and stood up to take my glass to the sink. “He’s not my boyfriend either.”
Matt sat on the floor with his legs out straight and crossed at the ankles. He leaned back and rested his weight on his elbows. He looked gorgeous. Of course, AB climbing all over him cut into the “cool” vibe he was probably going for, but I liked this look so much better.
“I’m pretty sure today after school you called him your boyfriend. I think that might have been right before he busted your lip with that kiss to mark his territory.”
I turned away and leaned my hands on the sink. I probably needed to drop this. It was true. George wasn’t ready to let me go, and if I dragged Matt into the middle of our problems George might use some of his new ‘roid anger out on Matt.
That would be so unfair. I couldn’t do that. Especially now that I knew there was actually a nice guy under Matt’s tough guy act.
I realized I’d been standing at the sink for a long time when I felt Matt move behind me. He rested his palms on the counter beside my hands and his body just barely touched my back. “What’s wrong?”
His voice was right beside my ear. It was so low and gentle it felt like a caress. I couldn’t decide how much to tell him or not tell him. Maybe I should drop the whole thing and go to Michelle’s like I’d planned.
But I didn’t want to leave. All I wanted to do was lean back against Matt’s warm body and let myself get lost in his arms. And so I did.
I felt his body tense as I relaxed against him. He pressed his hands closer to mine and I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes. I could feel his taut muscles and heard his heart pounding hard. As hard as mine was.
His arms tightened against me, enveloping me. I started to turn to him just as he stepped back a couple of feet. “I don’t mess with other guy’s girlfriends.” His voice was a raspy growl. I turned to find him scooping food out of a large white bag and pouring it into AB’s bowl.
I closed my eyes. The feel of him was still imprinted on my skin. Now was my chance to tell him George and I were through. I opened my eyes a crack and saw Matt squatting beside AB, petting her back while she gobbled her kibble. If I really liked him—and surprisingly, I think I did—I wouldn’t drag him into my troubles.
“I hope AB likes her new bed.” My chest tightened until I could hardly breathe. “She’s adorable. I’ll let myself out.”
I flew towards the front door like I was being chased, but when I got there and glanced back the living room was empty. He hadn’t followed me. I slowed and opened the door with a heavy heart, letting myself out.
The chill in the air felt good and helped clear my thoughts. It also gave me the perfect excuse for the tears that coursed down my cheeks as I hurried to my car and headed to Michelle’s. I wasn’t crying over a guy I barely knew. The cold just made my eyes water.
Chapter 9
I never made it to Michelle’s the night before. I wasn’t ready to talk about whatever had almost happened between me and Matt, and that’s all I could think about. Even today as I gathered my books from my locker I could remember the feel of Matt’s body pressed against mine. His warm breath a whisper in my ear.
Why did the timing have to be so wrong with him? If only I’d already figured out a way to break up with George or if prom was over and George was ready to dump me, things would be so much easier.
Now Matt thought I was the kind of girl who cheated on her boyfriend. I shot a look at the ceiling in disgust. Not that anything serious happened, but he knew I was into him.
I shut my locker door harder than necessary and drew a few looks from the people standing closest to me, but I didn’t care. Everyone had a bad day sometimes, right?
The only good part of the day was I hadn’t run into George yet. His practices had been running longer and longer. He’d probably slip into first period just as the bell rang.
“Hey, girl!” Michelle was her normal chipper self as she fell into step beside me.
“You’re always entirely too happy in the morning.” The hall was noisy, and I had to almost yell for her to here me.
She laughed and bumped her hip against mine without missing a step, making me smile. She wore a pair of dark leggings and a long flowing blouse in forest green, our school color. “That’s the great thing about being a morning person.”
Her skin shone and purple eyeshadow sparkled above her eyes. Her hair was straight today, and I knew it took her forever to straighten it so she didn’t do it often. “Exactly how long have you been up?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “And who are you trying to impress?”
She cut a look at me with a wide grin. “What makes you think I’m trying to impress anyone?” She raised a brow, answering my question with a question of her own. “Maybe I just felt like getting fixed up today.”
I stopped in the middle of the hall to tell her I didn’t believe that for a second, and a freshman ran smack into my back. “Sorry!” His voice was a little frantic He pushed up his brown framed glasses with one hand while clutching a huge armload of books with the other.
“You ought to be.” George came up behind me from out of nowhere and stepped between me and the poor kid, getting right in his face. “You need to watch where you’re going Fish.”
The boy took a nervous step back and glanced at me for help.
“George,” I grabbed his letter jacket and tugged him back. “Leave the guy alone. I’m the one who stopped in front of him. He didn’t do anything wrong.” For some reason I expected George to accept my rational explanation like a sane person and let it go. I’d forgotten George had turned into psycho-George.
George shrugged out of my grasp with a hard shake and glared back at me. “Stay out of it.”
He took a step towards the freshman and beads of sweat popped out on the boy’s face. George towered over him by a good six inches and probably outweighed him by a hundred pounds.
“This is crazy.” I grabbed George’s arm again and tried to link mine through it. “Let’s get to class before we’re late.” By this time other letter jackets had surrounded the boy.
I knew all of George’s friends. Heck, I’d been going to school with Bobby Seymour since Kindergarten, but I knew not one of them would listen to me over George, their precious team captain.
A couple of them glared at the poor freshman they’d circled while the others grinne
d behind his back as if they were having a great time. The poor kid took a nervous step back and bumped into a wide chest only to spin around and bump into another. What jerks!
“All of you cool it!” I yelled as a circle of eager onlookers started to form, waiting for the fight like vultures standing over roadkill. Only there wouldn’t be a fight. It was nowhere near an even match. It would be a massacre.
I pushed myself between George and his target. I remembered what Matt had said about the steroids. They could make a person mean and horny. I knew I couldn’t physically stop George from fighting this kid, but maybe if I got his mind on something else he’d drop it.
I ran a finger down his chest and forced a sweet smile, stepping closer. “Thanks for sticking up for me, sweetie. Remind me to show you how much I appreciate it later.” I felt sick to my stomach as I met George’s cold blue eyes and wondered where the sweet boy I thought I’d known had gone.
Michelle followed my lead and started flirting with a couple of the other letter jackets. I heard her high pitched laugh followed by some deep chuckles and knew she had the rest of the guys under control. As long as I could get George to back off no one else was looking for a fight.
I forced down my revulsion and slipped my hand under his jacket and around his side. When he finally broke his glare from the boy in the hall to look at me I ran my tongue over my lips. A quick peek over my shoulder showed the boy who’d had the misfortune to run into me hunched over, hugging his books to his chest with George’s friends still circling him.
“How about I show you my appreciation now?” I said a little desperately. George was a coil ready to spring loose. I needed to diffuse his anger. Even if it meant making out with him in his truck instead of going to first period.
Ugh. Just the thought of kissing this version of George made me ill. I’d do it though. I wasn’t about to let some poor kid get his butt kicked just because he happened to be walking behind me.
I gave George a gentle nudge. “Let’s go to your car.” George’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t budge. Oh my goodness. He was a mule! Chanting started around us.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
I groaned. Idiots! Why did anyone want to stand around and watch people hurt each other? Michelle was joking with the guys behind us and they were talking and laughing along with her. If only I could get George reined in.
“Adam.” I heard a familiar voice behind me and froze. I turned back to see Matt walk right through the human wall of football players and drop a friendly arm around the trembling kid. “What are you doing, man? We’re going to be late to class.”
Without waiting for anyone to try to stop him, Matt eased Adam right through the crowd. But not before catching my eye. His raised brow and a shake of his head told me just what he thought of my boyfriend. I wanted to run after him and tell him I felt exactly the same way, but I had bigger problems to deal with.
George took a step forward, pushing me back. “Hey!” he yelled. “I didn’t say he can go. Get that kid back here.”
His goons looked from him to Michelle to Matt walking down the hall with his arm still across Adam’s shoulders.
“Is there a problem here?” Mrs. Fairchild asked. Finally a teacher! My shoulders slumped and I felt weak with relief.
“George, you know if any of you are caught fighting,” I turned to make sure the others heard me too, “you won’t play in the next game,” I spouted as inspiration hit me. “It’s so not worth it. Come on. We’re going to be late to class. Won’t that get you in trouble too?”
I knew how important playoffs were to George. I hoped the other guys felt the same.
I heard a couple of groans behind me before Todd Smith said, “Yeah, man, let’s go. The last thing I want to do is run extra laps at practice.”
Mrs. Fairchild watched them go before turning an expectant look on George. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled up into a tight bun. Her face showed the years she’d put in with unruly kids. It also showed she wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense from George no matter how big he was.
I held my breath, waiting to see what George would do. As the other guys broke up, so did the crowd around us. George glared at his teammates’ backs as they disappeared down the hall, but turned on the charm for Mrs. Fairchild. “We were just messing around. Sorry to cause any trouble.”
I don’t know if she bought it or not, but she didn’t try to stop us when George grabbed my arm and headed towards our class. I stumbled and almost fell, but he just kept walking. I scurried to keep up with his long stride, having the feeling that if I fell now he’d just drag me down the hall. How had I dated him so long and not realized he had the potential to be such a jerk?
Just before we got to our class George looked behind us to make sure Mrs. Fairchild was no longer watching. The hall was empty since the late bell was about to ring. He surprised me by pushing my back against a locker. He leaned his forearm against my chest adding enough of his weight to it to make breathing hard
His lips moved close to my ear. “You ever embarrass me like that again, and I’ll make sure that kid doesn’t walk for a week.”
My eyes widened in shock. I wasn’t scared yet. I stupidly kept thinking, “This is George, my loving boyfriend. He’d never hurt me.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I might make it two weeks for that boyfriend of yours. He deserves a beating for interrupting what didn’t concern him.”
His eyes were cold as they pierced mine. Cold and unfamiliar. I swallowed hard. I knew he meant what he said. He added even more weight to my chest before dropping his arm. Without a look back he walked into class, leaving me shaking in the hallway alone.
What had I gotten into? The bell rang. I heard Mr. Thicke close the door and lock it. I knew he wouldn’t let me in if I tried, but it didn’t matter. My feet wouldn’t move anyway. Fear had finally replaced my confidence. I slid down the lockers and sat on the cold floor.
Cradling my head in my hands I wanted to cry or scream. Even though I was typically a very nonviolent person, at that moment what I really wanted was to kick George’s butt. What a jerk. And now he’d targeted Matt even though I’d tried to ensure that wouldn’t happen. What a mess.
Chapter 10
When I calmed down enough, I went straight to the nurse’s office and got excused for the rest of the day. It wasn’t hard to convince the nurse I was sick because I really was. My head buzzed and I felt nauseated. It felt like my temperature was swinging from hot to cold.
I grabbed some books for the classes I knew I’d have homework in and went straight home. Something had to be done about George. He was absolutely out of control. I’d seen guys act like him on movies and stuff but never in real life.
I dumped my books on my desk and crashed face down on the bed. I knew I wasn’t responsible for George’s actions, but at the same time if he did something to Matt it would totally be on me. I closed my eyes and remembered the feel of Matt’s body pressed close to mine. He made me feel so good barely touching me. I could only imagine what it would be like if we ever did kiss.
Not that we ever would. I cringed to think I’d defended George just yesterday. Matt must think I had issues for dating someone like George. He hadn’t been at our school long enough to know that George used to be a pretty decent guy. At least I’d always thought he was.
George’s angry face broke into my daydream. I sat up and stared out the window. I needed to convince him that he was over me so he would move on and leave me and my friends alone.
A couple of cardinals darted by my window, landing in the leafless tree out front before taking off again. It was a pretty, clear day. The sun was shining, and if I didn’t know better I would have said spring was in the air.
I texted my parents to let them know I’d come home sick before turning off the ringer on my phone and lying back down. I again considered telling them how George was acting. They were smart, and, as they often reminded me, they’d been my age once and lived to t
ell about it. Maybe they would have some good advice about the situation. I rubbed my eyes. Or maybe they’d confine me to this house until I graduated.
I ended up falling asleep, I guess, because when the doorbell rang I checked the time and it was after three. I jumped out of bed and jogged down the stairs with one hand on the banister, figuring Michelle had come to fill me in on how the rest of the day had gone at school.
I yanked the front door open, and my smile froze. Matt stood on the porch. His hands were shoved in his coat pockets, and he wasn’t smiling. He still looked so good, all tough and cool.
“Hi,” I said a little breathlessly.
He flicked his head in a nod. “Can I come in?”
I looked behind me and shrugged, wondering what he could want. “Sure, I guess.”
He walked past me, and I closed the door. “We can talk in the living room,” I said, leading the way. I sat in Dad’s brown recliner, and Matt dropped to the couch. He spread his arms across the back of it and crossed his ankle over his knee.
I watched him with a mixture of nervousness and desire. I was pretty sure he liked me. Or at least he would under different circumstances. I wished he was smiling and flirting or even pulling his arrogant act. Anything would be better than the iciness coming off him in sharp little darts I could all but feel.
I had a good idea why he was there, and I didn’t want to talk about it. “How’s Anna Belle?” I asked instead of giving him a chance to speak.
He looked to the side and took a deep breath before answering. “She’s good. She really seemed to like you yesterday. She’s not that friendly with everyone.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re lucky to have her.”
He stared at me without answering. I curled my legs up under me on the chair but tried not to fidget. The silence burned my ears. I longed to say something, anything to break it, but talking about AB or the weather or anything else I could think of would only prolong the torture of waiting for him to get to his reason for coming over.