by Emily Camp
He leaned down and kissed her anyway. “I miss this,” he mumbled against her skin as his lips traveled down her neck.
“Gare,” this time her voice came out breathless. He didn’t stop and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to, either. His hands moved over her hips and thighs. Her heart raced, and she knew if she didn’t stop it soon, she might lose the will power, especially when his mouth covered hers again.
“Garrett, we need to talk,” she gasped when he started toward her neck again.
That did the trick. His hands stopped moving up her sides. He removed his lips from her jaw and leaned back just enough to look at her. Keeping hold of her, he frowned. “That isn’t something I want to hear when I’m making out with my girlfriend.”
Bree didn’t laugh, even though his lips curled in a smile. She tilted her head, both hands now planted on his chest. “Nate and Lexi are moving to Florida.”
“What?” He shook his head as if to shake the news away. “But …”
“That’s why they’re gone right now. Not just to visit Sophie, but to finalize things.”
“What about you and Bails?” His chest inflated with a deep intake of breath, at this close range, highly audible.
Those large hands moved from her back, sliding across and planting on her hips again as he stepped back a bit.
“I’m looking for a place.” Bree shrugged, glancing down at the placemat. “But I honestly don’t know.”
“I can talk to my mom and dad. Declan’s in the dorms, you can use his room and he can sleep in Isaac’s room when he comes home.”
“Seriously? Your parents will never go for that.”
“Yeah they will. They’d never let you two be homeless.”
“I’m not going to be homeless, Gare, I’m going to find a place with my mom.”
His hopeful smile dropped, and his blue eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Excuse me?” Bree tilted her head again and hopped off the chair, putting some distance between them.
“You and Bailey aren’t going to live with your mom. I won’t allow it.”
Bree’s hand flew to her chest. “You won’t allow it?” She knew he’d be mad, but she didn’t think he’d act like a control freak. “Garrett, I don’t have a home. I can’t get a place for just Bailey and me. I’m still in high school and I don’t have a job.”
“I said you can move into my house.”
“It’s not your house, it’s your parents,” Bree said.
“You don’t want to live with me?”
Bree blinked back her tears. “I don’t know. I don’t have a choice, though, you know that.”
“We can get married. Then my mom and dad won’t care if we live …”
Bree sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m sixteen. I don’t want to be married.”
“You need to think about what’s best for Bailey.”
“So that’s the reason you want to marry me? Because it’s what’s best for Bailey?”
“No.” He ran a hand over his head. “That’s not what I meant. I love you, you know that. I do want to be with you forever, so what if it starts a little sooner than we planned?”
Bree clenched her jaw. “Why can’t you understand? I want to still be somewhat of a teenager. I’m already a mom. I don’t want to be a wife too.”
“We need to figure out something else. Anything but you with your mom.”
“We don’t need to figure out anything, it’s my problem.”
At this, Garrett’s face turned cold. His eyes narrow and his jaw stiff. “Yeah, I forgot.” When he lifted his hands up in surrender, her heart fell. “Everything is your problem and nobody can help you.” He turned toward the door. “I need to get home anyway. My dad’s probably timing me.”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but she couldn’t get the words out as she watched him stalk off. The door banged shut behind him.
“Garrett wait.” She shivered as she barreled down the two porch steps and through the lawn to the curb.
He didn’t turn to her, but he also didn’t climb into his vehicle, either. There was a bite to the air she’d hadn’t expected. Her holey jeans let in the cold.
His back was warm against her hand. Her other arm she pulled across her middle, trying to block the wind. His shoulders rose and fell. He lifted his arm and ran his hand over his head.
“Why wouldn’t you talk to me about it?” He turned, scratching the stubble on his chin with his thumb. Just enough light shone from the street lamp above for her to see him.
“I didn’t know I had to.” Before her hand could fall to her side, he pinned it between his.
“You’re freezing,” he whispered.
She shivered again and lifted a shoulder, looking at their hands. He rubbed her hand between his palms. He tugged her toward him. When he wrapped her in a hug, she didn’t refuse. She fell into his solid chest.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice muffled against his shirt, which smelled like laundry detergent. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Me too.” His heart beat against her cheek.
“I just don’t know what to do.” She blinked back the tears and fought to keep her voice steady.
He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure something out.”
She wanted to believe him as much as she didn’t want to need his help. She did want to believe he could fix this for her.
Chapter Ten
Lexi squeezed Bree for the twentieth time since they’d started hauling her stuff off. Though Garrett was helping, he still didn’t seem happy about it.
“You know you don’t have to leave this soon.” Lexi pulled away. Her hands were cold and clasped around Bree’s.
“I know.”
Lexi sniffed and looked away. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Me too.”
Lexi’s lip quivered and she nodded.
“Lex,” Nate’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. “It’s okay.”
“I know.” Her voice was shaky.
Bree wished she wouldn’t do this. It was hard enough already. She didn’t need to be crying with Lexi and if she didn’t stop soon she would be.
Lexi’s hand rested on her belly. “It’s probably hormones.” Then she was in all out sobs, burying her face in Nate’s chest.
Bree felt it rise up. Her chest heavy, and her lips shaky. She tried to bite them to keep the tears away, but it didn’t work, they poured out anyway. The tears came out so fast she couldn’t swipe them away quick enough. Her shoulder’s shook. She gasped, trying not to let the sobs escape.
“Not you, too.” Nate pried one of his arms off Lexi and held it out, motioning for Bree.
“I’m sorry,” Lexi sniffed. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, too.” She pulled her arm around Bree, as well, until they were all standing in a group hug, Bree and Lexi sobbing on one another.
The door smacked shut behind them. “You rea … what?” Garrett’s voice called over the sobs.
“Women,” Nate whispered.
***
The room was smaller than Bree thought it would be. Two beds, a dresser and a crib left little room for anything else. At least it smelled clean, like lemon disinfectant.
She pulled one of her many boxes to the edge of the bed. Bailey’s clothes. She looked at the dresser. Maggie would need space, too. Not sure what she was going to do with them, she pushed the box aside and started on another, until she heard a thump and then a crash. Next, Bryson’s voice, loud and excited, and then her mother’s loud cackle.
Bree stopped what she was doing. Looking over at Maggie, who, even though there was nothing on the bare white mattress, was stomach down, feet in the air, typing on her phone, blue wires dangled from her ears.
Bree shook her head and hurried out the bedroom door, across the maroon, thread bare carpet. The light above buzzed and flickered, casting a pale yellow across everyone.
Mindy stood with a hand on her hip, cigarette dangling from her hand, her hair a messy pile on the
top of her head. She smiled up at Bree.
“Mom found us a couch.” Bryson hopped on the brown, flat cushions that sagged to the floor.
“Perfectly fine, someone had it sitting by the curb for the trash,” Mindy spoke, out of breath, before taking a puff from her cigarette. “Can you believe it?”
“Yep,” Bree nodded.
“Where’s Red? I gotta show her this.” Mindy headed toward the bedroom, a string of smoke following her.
“Mom,” Bree choked, “Can you smoke outside?”
“Oh, Breanna, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’ll go outside when the baby’s here.” She kept walking straight into the room. “Though a little smoke would be good for her, build her immune system.” She mumbled. “Whoa, look at this room. You two are going to have to get along being so close you know. C’mon Mags, look what I found.”
The sofa, or what was left of it, squeaked and groaned as Bryson jumped like it was a trampoline. Bree held her hands in balls at her sides and her shoulders still. She let out a breath, though she didn’t want to take one in, because of the smoke.
Maggie emerged from the room. Her hair hung around her face, her bare boney shoulders poked out of the blue peace sign tank top Bree recognized as hers. They hadn’t even been roommates for a day and she was already stealing Bree’s clothes.
“Wow, it’s a couch,” Maggie rolled her eyes and popped her gum.
“It’s not just any couch. It’s a free couch.” Mindy strode toward it like she’d found treasure. “You’re such a joy of sunshine.” Mindy flopped down beside Bryson, patting the sofa like it was a pet.
Maggie turned and shuffled back to the room without saying another word.
“I can’t wait until she grows out of this ‘I hate the world’ stage.” Mindy leaned up and pushed her cigarette into a soda can already left on the floor. Bree hoped she wouldn’t have to pick up after everybody.
“Can we get a Nintendo?” Mid-air, Bryson held his legs straight out and flopped down.
“Sure can,” Mindy smiled around the room as if it was her that found the place and not Bree.
“Yay! Can I get a laptop?” Bryson’s voice was louder this time.
“Anything you want, bud.” Mindy rubbed the top of his head. “You, too, Bree. I have a few years to make up to you. Once I take your dad for child support, we should be doing well.”
She had a little more than a few years to make up to Bree, but Bree was sure it wasn’t really going to happen. Bryson was just still young and naïve enough to believe her. “I need to unpack.”
“What’s child support?” Bryson asked when Bree started toward her room.
“It’s when your daddies give me money for being your mom.” Was Mindy’s response.
Maggie was on her bed again, in the same position as before. “Garrett texted you.” She popped her purple gum and didn’t take her eyes off her phone when she talked.
“What are you doing looking at my phone?” Bree folded a tee shirt.
“It went off. Thought you’d want to know if it was important.”
Bree swiped her phone from the dresser, glaring at Maggie as she did. With moving in here, did she sign away all her privacy as well?
Chapter Eleven
“Hey.” Carly’s hair bounced as she opened the locker beside Bree.
“Can I borrow your geometry book?” Bree asked in a rush. In the chaos of helping Bryson get ready for his first day at his new school, she’d forgotten her homework. It wasn’t like she was completely awake either after being up all night with Bailey the night before.
Lowering her eyebrows and curling up her lip, Carly nodded. “Didn’t you get enough of geometry last night?” she pulled the red text book from the pile cradled in her arms.
“I forgot my homework.” Bree couldn’t stay and explain any longer. She grabbed the text from Carly and stalked down the hall, through the students gossiping, laughing, doing things she should be doing, not homework because she was too distracted to grab hers.
“Watch out,” Someone growled at her as she sped past. She had no time for apologies. She had no time for excuses. She needed to get to class and work on her homework.
In the math room, Jake was lounged back on the heater, a group of his minions huddled around him.
She slid into her seat, and pulled out Carly’s text book, slamming it open to the correct page as she scribbled her problems on the paper as fast as she could. She could hear Jake making fun of people as they walked in, thankful she wasn’t on his radar today.
With only four out of twenty-five problems completed, the bell rang. Mr. Aiken waltzed in, his travel coffee mug that read Without Geometry There’s No Point.
Just as she suspected, he made everyone pass their papers to the front first thing. She hesitated turning in the four problems, but did it anyway. She knew they were right. Parker was excellent at explaining, even if he was a little distracted. She remembered how to do the problems.
The ticking from the clock was unusually loud as she waited for class to let out. An aching in her gut made her regret her decision to turn in an incomplete homework assignment. The glare Mr. Aiken kept giving her during class was also not lost on her. She wanted to sink, hide under her desk. Maybe that was what her book did.
She looked around the room at all the classmates that did have their books open, yet no one was referencing it. Khloe had strands of her auburn hair in her hand, as she examined the ends and popped her gum.
Carly was staring at the ceiling tiles, her elbow resting in the crease of her book while her chin rested on her hand. The nerdy boy in the corner, she couldn’t remember his name, was shoving his finger up his nose and staring at whatever came out on the end of it. From the sound of Jake’s breathing behind her, she’d guess he was sleeping. Here she was paying attention, yet not hearing anything the teacher said.
Bodies flew past her the minute the bell rang like they had been held hostage for years, not an hour. Carly hovered above her in the now almost empty room with her books against her chest. “Are you coming?”
“No, I need to talk to Mr. Aiken.” Bree took in a deep breath, hoping it would calm her nerves.
“See you in history,” Carly shrugged.
Bree shuffled to Mr. Aiken’s desk as the last few stragglers filed out of the room. He stared down at papers, though she didn’t know what exactly he could be looking at with the mess he had. “Mr. Aiken.” Her voice came out like a scared little animal.
His face lifted up to her as he pushed his glasses up his nose with his pointer finger. “Yes, Miss Morris?”
“I kind of … well I forgot my homework and I tried to rush through the problems this morning, but I didn’t get it completed before the bell … and … can I turn it in tomorrow?” She chewed on her bottom lip, as she waited for his answer, silently praying he would give her a second chance.
When he smiled, her breath came back to her lungs and she began to smile back.
“I’m sorry, but how is that fair to the other students who did do the homework?”
“I did it.”
He frowned and shook his head as he pulled open his bottom desk drawer. “I don’t like being lied to Breanna.” He held a red text out to her. “How did you do the assignment if your book’s been in my desk all week?”
She felt the tears burning her eyes as she stared at her book. “But …”
He held his hand, palm toward her. “No buts, you left this on your desk last week.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. My baby doesn’t sleep and I had to help my little brother this morning.”
“I didn’t spend years in college to listen to excuses. I’m here to teach math. It’s not my fault you didn’t pay attention in your health class to know what causes you to have a baby. If you don’t want to learn, then you can drop geometry.”
The next class shuffled in as she stood in front of Mr. Aiken with her jaw slack. She couldn’t believe what he said to her.
; “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” he asked like he didn’t just rip all hope from her. She knew it was only one assignment, but it was people like him she wanted to prove herself to and all she had managed to do was prove him right.
***
“Hey.” Garrett grumbled when Bree approached. His head in his locker.
“How’s your day so far?” Bree tilted her head around to see his face. After her run-in with Mr. Aiken, she just needed something positive.
“Sucks.” He slammed his locker door.
Bree’s heart was in her throat. Her hands squeezed the books she had held up against her. “Are you going to talk to me? Or just spout out one-word replies?” She blinked her eyes rapidly, “Forget it. I should have just gone to class.” She turned to stalk back down the senior hall, receiving stares from the stupid senior girls.
“Bree, wait.” His voice was much softer. Her feet stopped, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn to him. “I’m sorry.” His hand fell on her shoulder. “I’m just tired.”
Bree took in a deep breath before she turned.
His blue eyes blinked down at her. “I have all this pressure on me with the team, and Bailey, and now everything going on with you. I just want to fix it, and I can’t.”
Bree definitely couldn’t tell him about Mr. Aiken now. “I don’t want you to,” she whispered as her eyes glanced around the hallway. She didn’t want anyone to know about how messed up her life was.
“Hey,” his voice was soft as he pulled her against his chest, one arm around her shoulders, the other one gripping his books at his side. “It’s going to be okay.”
She sucked in another deep breath, before letting it out.
“Let’s not worry about that. Why don’t we go do something after practice tonight?” His voice was raspy.
“I can’t, Gare, I’m babysitting.”
“We’re going to have to get to class before we both get a tardy.”
When Bree tilted her head up to him, he surprised her by pressing his lips against hers. The electricity flowing through her was abruptly stopped by the sound of a clearing throat. Bree turned her head as she pulled away.