by Laura Ann
CHAPTER 5
Wren blew her nose before plopping down on the closed toilet seat. “How did I get here?” she murmured. “I think I must be the world’s biggest idiot.”
With a sigh, she stepped out of the stall and walked to the sink, wincing at her reflection. “Whoa. No wonder Silas would rather spend time with Nicole,” Wren grumbled. The overwhelming feeling of heartbreak hit her again and Wren gripped the edge of the counter tightly. “He’s not even the boy I had feelings for, so why in the world does this hurt so much?”
After a minute, she took a damp paper towel and dabbed all over her face, doing her best to bring down the red swollen skin and wipe away any streaky makeup, all the while her brain continued to churn with hurt at how terribly her evening was going. “He had no trouble bragging to Nicole about all he’s accomplished.” Wren scrunched her nose. “Yet he all he would tell me was that things were going well. Why didn’t he want to tell me about his game apps or computer stuff?” Wren huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at herself in the mirror. “Does he think I’m not good enough to impress? Does he think a lowly drama teacher can’t understand?”
She pointed a finger at the mirror, her anger flaring over her sorrow. “Listen here, Buddy. My brain is ten times what Nicole’s is! It’s totally obvious that all she’s interested in is money and success. You think she wants to hear about your little games, hmmm?” Wren tossed her head angrily. “Well, newsflash, she doesn’t! All she wants to know is how big your pocketbook is. And maybe how much you can bench press.”
Wren straightened her dress and fluffed her hair. “No matter how much of a snob you grew up to be, you still deserve better than that little floozy, Silas Thurgood.” She gave herself one last appraising look. “And it’s a good thing you have me to help you see that.”
Marching toward the door, Wren flung it open, ignoring the gasp from Mrs. Larsen, the preacher’s wife who was coming in.
“Oh, excuse me, Hon,” the elderly woman stammered, her eyes wide at Wren’s battle stance.
“Nice to see you, Mrs. Larsen. Merry Christmas.” Wren nodded and hurried on her way. She wasn’t about to waste the energy boiling inside of her from her pep talk in the bathroom. She stormed into the ballroom as if she owned the place and nearly crumbled to the floor.
There on the edge of the dance floor was Silas, with his hands on Nicole’s hips and Nicole’s lips glued to his cheek. No! Wren screamed internally. This is not how this act is going to end!
Growling under her breath, she pushed her legs as fast as they could go in her ridiculous heels and smashed right into the couple.
“Listen, Chick,” Wren said in a low, dark tone. She had stepped right in between the couple and put her finger just in front of Nicole’s nose. “I don’t know how things are where you’re living now, but I’m pretty sure that stealing someone’s date is still considered the height of rudeness all over the world. Just who do you think you are?”
Nicole’s eyebrows were nearly in her hairline and her face was turning an odd shade of puce as Wren got going. When Nicole opened her mouth to respond to the question, Wren cut her off.
“No. Don’t answer that.” Wren put her hand in the air. “I already know who you are. You’re a sneaky, lying, manipulative witch who thinks everything with a spit polish and bit of shine is hers. Well, back off, Honey, because this guy,” Wren shoved a thumb over her shoulder, “isn’t free just yet. He committed to coming with me tonight and I’m not letting some two-bit hussy change that. Starting tomorrow, he’s all yours, but not tonight, not right now.”
As Wren’s hand was waving through the air, she realized she still held a napkin from the bathroom. In a dramatic show of nonchalance, she threw it at Nicole. “And go clean up your lipstick. You look ridiculous.”
Nicole was fuming by the time Wren finished. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but Wren glared back at her, daring the other woman to say something... anything. Nicole’s eyes darted over Wren’s shoulder and then back. Changing tactics, she threw her chest out and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You can have him. He doesn’t have anything more to offer than he did in high school anyway,” Nicole sneered. “You two still deserve each other.” She leaned close to Wren, nearly nose to nose. “Sometimes you have to throw scraps to the dogs in order to keep them in line.”
“Be careful, because to the right dog, you’re nothing but food,” Wren shot back. Dang! I’m on a roll! I need to write these lines down and turn them into a play for my kids.
Nicole snarled then spun on her heels and sauntered toward the bathroom as if she had no worries in the world. Her hips were swinging so far that Wren thought she might fall sideways from the weight shift, but somehow Nicole made it work.
“I gotta learn how to make an exit like that,” Wren grumbled to herself with begrudging respect. A throat cleared behind her and Wren closed her eyes. Now comes the hard part. He might not have turned out to be who I wanted, but still, he’s my date. Play it cool.
Taking a deep breath, Wren spun around and locked eyes with her date. “Hello, cheating Silas,” she snapped. That was not the way to start this conversation. Someone needs to turn off the snark now.
Silas winced. “I understand that you’re angry, but if you recall, it was you who told me to dance with her.”
“Maybe I expected you to be smart enough to realize what she was doing,” Wren stated baldly. Oh my gosh, stop! Really! Stop!
Silas raised an eyebrow then sighed. “I did,” he admitted.
Wren opened her mouth then stopped. “Wait... what? You did? You knew what she was doing and you went along with it?” She stepped back, that same sharp pain from the bathroom coming back full force.
Silas nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I mean, you weren’t... I wanted...” He tilted his head back and growled. “This is all so messed up.”
SILAS DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER to wring Wren’s neck or kiss her senseless. The way she fought Nicole was the best thing he had ever seen and it made him want to whisk her away to a dark corner and show his appreciation. However, it was clear that the anger which had been directed toward Nicole was now coming straight at him.
His plan to get a little revenge was majorly backfiring and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. He had wanted to impress Wren, make her believe he was some suave, rich businessman, in hopes that she would finally see what he was worth, but instead, Wren had shut down and run away. And even though she had finally come back, it didn’t appear to be because she had an interest in him, it was purely out of principle. Not to mention, he was finding himself more attracted to her than ever. She was still the loud, quirky girl he had fallen for ten years ago, and still, apparently, was not nearly as smitten with him.
“So... you kissed her knowing that she was only interested in your money?” Wren asked, her voice barely audible above the music.
Silas snapped his eyes to hers. “Uh, no. I did not kiss her.” He pointed up. “We ended up under the mistletoe and Nicole took advantage. I was just lucky to turn before she could hit my lips. That was not planned, it was awful and a complete mistake.”
The edge of Wren’s lips twitched and the sight gave Silas a little hope that maybe all wasn’t lost.
“Look, Wren, I need to confess something.” He glanced around and waved an arm toward the side, away from the other dancing couples. “Can we step over there and chat for a minute?”
The humor was gone from Wren’s face, but she nodded and followed him.
Once they were out of earshot and Silas took a deep breath. “I need to apologize to you.”
Wren frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together. “Uh... okay?”
“No, let me say it all. I, uh, I agreed to come to this thing under false pretenses.”
Those eyebrows shot straight up. “What do you mean?”
Silas could feel any slight chance he might have had with Wren sinking into the fiery depths of purgatory, but he just couldn’t find it in h
imself to continue with his charade. Especially after she totally came to my rescue a few minutes ago. “You know how you told me about wanting to get revenge on Camille for being such a snot?”
Wren nodded as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
“Which, just for the record, you completely put Nicole in her place and that’s almost as good, but that’s not what I need to confess.” He blew a loud breath out his lips. “Shoot, this is hard. Well, when you asked if I would be your date for that, I... I decided it might be a good time for me to get my own revenge.”
“You wanted revenge on me?” Wren squeaked, the color draining from her face.
Silas nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I did.” He pushed a hand through his hair and turned away before meeting her now watery, eyes once more. “I’ve been an idiot. All these years I’ve held onto some stupid sense of hurt from the fact that you didn’t like me back in high school.”
Wren’s eyes widened and her face became even paler. For a second, Silas was worried she would faint, but when she stayed upright, he continued.
“I know, it was stupid and horrible and petty. I get it. But when you finally contacted me after all this time, I couldn’t fight the temptation.” He laughed harshly. “It’s such a cliché. I wanted to come in here and be all James Bond-ish and make you see what a great success I’ve become. I wanted you to regret the fact that you were always turning me down.”
“Are you telling me that the snooty, braggy guy you have been tonight isn’t really you?” Wren’s voice rose in pitch with each word.
“No,” Silas admitted. “I mean, my business does just fine and we’ve had a couple of big successes, but I’m not some über rich dude. The fact is, I’m a partner in a small start-up. We run a casual business. I actually still wear chucks and Star Wars t-shirts to work. My jeans have holes because they’re comfortable and I’m too lazy to buy new ones, not because I bought them that way. I rarely comb my hair, although I do shower more regularly than I did, and I don’t use hair gel anymore,” he added with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood. However, it didn’t work. Wren’s face was slowly gaining color, but it was a deep red, not the porcelain flesh tone Silas had hoped to see.
“Are you kidding me?” she screeched. “You’ve been lying to me all night! And for what? So I would show you how shallow I was and want you for your money?” Her nostrils flared as she took a few harsh breaths. “And then what were you planning to do, huh? Get my attention and then drop me like a bad apple?”
Shame hit Silas right in the gut as she shook her head and backed away from him.
“Unbelievable. And to think—” Wren stopped herself, biting her trembling lower lip. “Never mind.” Her eyes turned away from him, narrowing in on the dance floor.
Silas spread his hands out. “You’re right. It was horrible, and I said I was sorry. I should have- Wren?”
Wren’s fists clenched and she pushed out a frustrated noise. “Oh, no he doesn’t.” Ignoring her date’s apology, Wren nearly ran back to the dance floor.
“Hey, wait!” Silas turned to follow and his eyes widened when he realized what was happening. “Ah, crud. Just what we needed.”
CHAPTER 6
“Why the heck didn’t you pop the guy into the next town over!” Wren hissed, coming up behind her brother and Lane as they were hurrying from the dance floor where the man Lane had been dancing with had refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. Since Pierce had been dancing with Camille, Wren assumed the man had come with their high school nemesis.
Lane sniffled and Wren immediately went into best friend mode.
“Oh, Lane.” Wren pulled her friend into a fierce hug. “Don’t let that witch get to you.” She held Lane away from her a little. “She’s a jealous skank who doesn’t have anything good in her life, that’s why she’s holding onto petty high school squabbles.” Her and Silas, apparently.
Lane wiped her cheeks. “I know, but I just... that guy wouldn’t let go and he was making me so uncomfortable.”
Wren grinned evilly, doing her best to draw Lane out of her current mood. “You should have just puked on his shoes. Too bad you stopped doing that in middle school. It seemed to happen every time you got upset.” She cackled. “I’ll bet that would have sent him scurrying away in those expensive, Italian leather monstrosities.”
Lane laughed a little and Wren gave herself a mental high-five. Ha! I still got it!
“Want me to go punch him?” Wren asked with a smile. “‘Cause I will. You know I will.”
“Alright... that’s enough.” Pierce moved Wren to the side and reached out gently to Lane. When she slipped her hand into his, he slowly pulled her into his chest.
Wren narrowed her eyes. Oooh. Looks like this date is working out better than planned.
“Lane needs a little time,” Pierce told Wren. “You can talk to her about beating people up later.”
Wren opened her mouth to argue, but Silas stepped in. “Come on, Wren. Leave them alone.”
Wren spun on her date, her eyes flashing and her anger from earlier immediately making a comeback. “I’ll thank you to stay out of it, Klingon Boy.”
Silas’s eyebrows rose high. “Nice. How long you been waiting to use that one?” He shook his head, pain and frustration obvious on his face. “I think I’m done here.” His eyes went to Lane and Pierce. “Good night guys. It was good to see you.”
Wren’s face fell as she watched her date stroll casually across the room. I can’t believe I said that. Why the heck can’t I control my angry little tantrums? I’m worse than Nicole and her cronies.
“Wren. I can’t believe you were so rude to him,” Lane scolded.
“I know... I just...” Wren rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what to think.” Especially after that little confession of his.
“I think you need to go apologize,” Lane said softly, giving Wren a little push.
Wren turned to face Lane in a panic. “Do I have to?” Can’t I just let him cool off? Maybe give him another ten years? Since apparently, that worked so well last time...
Lane gave a small, sad smile. “You know you’ll feel better. You want to apologize, Little Bird.”
Wren sighed and nodded. “You’re right, I just... ARGH! He’s so frustrating!”
Lane laughed lightly and gave her another push. “Go. Before he takes off and you never see him again.”
Wren gulped, then quickly took off. Maybe it’s time for my own confession. Wren headed in the same direction Silas had just left. His long legs were quickly making a greater distance between them than she wanted and she cursed under her breath at her short legs and heels.
When he made it out of the doors of the ballroom, Wren kicked off her heels and began to run. “Silas!” she cried as she made it into the hallway. “Wait!” She jerked to a stop at the sight in front of her and felt the heat of embarrassment burn all the way from her toes to her hair.
“Hello, Wren,” Pastor Larsen said with an amused smile. His eyes twinkled with mirth and Wren nearly rolled hers in frustration. Why can’t I ever just be the smooth person for once? I seem to always be caught in an embarrassing situation.
“Hello, Pastor Larsen,” Wren forced her voice to stay calm, though her eyes drifted to Silas, who had been shaking Pastor Larsen’s hand when she had burst out of the doors. “How are you and the Missus?”
Pastor Larsen chuckled. “Good, good. Thanks for asking. She told me she... ran into you earlier.”
Sheesh. I didn’t think my cheeks could get any hotter, but here we are. “Uh... yeah. We saw each other.”
Pastor Larsen looked from Silas, who was staring at Wren, then back to Wren herself. “Well, good to see you both. I best be off to make the rounds. People to see, you know.” He chuckled and patted Wren’s shoulder as he passed. “Seems to be something in the air tonight,” she heard him mumble as he left.
Now that the pastor was gone, Wren didn’t know what to say. She pinched her lips together as an awkward silence des
cended between the two of them. Say something! You need to apologize... confess, anything!
Silas cleared his throat. “That was quite the entrance you made there,” he said with a small smirk. “Or... maybe exit would be the better word.”
Wren finally gave in and rolled her eyes. “I think you’ve known me long enough to know I never do anything by halfsies.”
Silas chuckled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “No. You always did favor the big and bold when you could get away with it.”
“But that’s part of what you liked about me, right?” Wren took a cautious step toward him. “Back in high school, I mean.” She knew she was fishing, but she suddenly found herself scared. Scared of putting herself out there only to have him reject her. Or admit that he had changed enough that he wasn’t interested. After all, he had confessed to looking for revenge, but he hadn’t said anything about how he felt now.
Silas’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose. You always seemed so fun. Ready to grab life by the horns and do what you wanted with it.”
Well, that wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. She squished her lips to the side. Come on, Wren. He put himself out there in high school. You can do it now. She gripped her hands together to keep Silas from seeing her trembling fingers and made the decision to just plow ahead. “What if I told you that I liked your chucks?”
Silas frowned. “What?”
“Your shoes, you know, your sneakers?” Wren explained.
Silas waved a hand in the air. “Yeah, I got that. But what does that have to do with anything?”
Wren took another step forward. “Just... bear with me. I’m not the most romantic person out there.” She blew out another breath. “You see, there was once this girl, who liked a guy. He wasn’t the most popular guy, but she thought he was pretty cute. He always wore sciency-humored t-shirts and black converse sneakers. I mean, yeah, his hair had a little too much gel, but he was sweet and kind and quirky... everything this girl wanted.” She looked up from underneath her eyelashes to find Silas with his mouth hanging open.