“For what?” James says. “That the guys at your school are jerks?”
“They were doing it on purpose, James,” I say. “It was an attack on you.” Well, Lexi did it as an attack on you. The other guys were just having fun.
“Because I’m an East Sider,” James says, and I nod. “They don’t think I’m good enough for you.”
“Don’t say that James,” I say. “It doesn’t matter what they think anyway.”
“I know, Arya,” James says. “I only care what you think. And as long as you want me, that’s enough.”
"I do, James," I say, but out of the corner of my eye, past James' head, I see him. The West Side guy that knows why I'm no longer there, and he's walking this way. I grab James' face and kiss him hard and deeply to try and hide my face from this guy. James is surprised but doesn't seem to mind, responding to the intense kiss with his own intensity, pulling me even closer to him. We keep going, and I forget that this kiss had a purpose. I break free from it, looking at James and then around him and see the guy is gone.
“That was nice,” James says, holding me close to him.
I see the kindness in James’ eyes, a guy that would never hurt me or pressure me into anything. A guy that is just happy to be with me. “James,” I say, resting my hands on his arms. “My parents are out of town and my sister is at a sleepover tonight.”
I look at him, wondering what his reaction will be. “So you’re telling me that while I’ve been fighting off all these West Side guys that you have had an empty house all along?!” James says to me in mock anger, squeezing me tighter, but then he smiles.
I laugh at him. “I’m sorry, James.”
“Fox!” I hear Malcolm’s voice from the other room. “Get in here!”
“I better go,” James says, and then the thought of an empty house fills his mind. “But I will be fast.” He kisses me on the forehead. “You’ll be alright if I leave you?”
“Yes, James! Now go!” I slap him on the side to get him to leave.
“I’m guessing that’s him,” Maya, my West Side friend, comes up to me when James leaves me. I raise an eyebrow at her. “Sorry, I was talking with some people and saw you. He’s gorgeous.”
“I know.” I smile. And he’s all mine.
"Come talk with us, Arya," Maya says. "We've barely spoken a word since you got here. We want to hear about your new life."
I follow Maya to go find Zora and Lucy, so we can finally have a proper conversation about what has happened for the past three months since we’ve been apart.
Chapter 27 – That’s My Girl
“All these other guys, I know they wish they could / It's an everyday thing and what can I say / With a girl as bad as mine, I'd probably do the same / Cause that's my girl, that's my girl” – That’s My Girl, JLS
No POV
"Where is she?" Lexi says to the guys around him. He left Arya to break up a stupid fight over a girl and now he's surrounded by people, but the girl he wants to see isn't here.
“I thought you weren’t in on the bet?” the holder of the cash says.
“Bet’s off,” Lexi says annoyed, “tell the guys and give them their money back.”
“But Lexi…”
"Bet's off!!" Lexi yells angrily and all the guys around him are quiet, not wanting to anger the beast. He starts walking and they make a path for him as he goes on his manhunt. Or girl hunt it should be called.
“He’s pissed.”
“You think? Did you know he had feelings for her?”
“I had no bloody clue they were even anything. I guess the hockey captain is good at keeping secrets.”
James
“Best three out of five!” the West Sider calls from the other end of the table.
“No way,” I say, “We beat you twice already.”
“Scared you can’t do it again?” he taunts me.
“Best three out of five!” Malcolm calls over my shoulder. Great.
“Fine,” I say, as we start lining up for the new game.
“It’s convenient that James never drinks,” one of the West Siders says.
“I’m driving, asshole,” I say back. I’m done being polite to these West Siders.
“He’s too sober to be playing!” another West Sider calls out.
Fuck these guys. “Don’t want me to play? Fine,” I say and start leaving, but Malcolm stops me.
“He’ll shoot with his left hand,” Malcolm says, knowing I’m just as good with either. “Does that appease you guys?”
They nod in agreement, thinking that they finally have us.
“I can’t believe I let you drag me into this,” I say to Malcolm.
“Oh shut up,” Malcolm says. “I know you love this. Crushing West Side? You can make out with your girlfriend later.” I roll my eyes at him, but when I turn, I see Lexi. The guy Arya was with at the beginning of the party. He warned me of a bet, but I know he was a part of it. There’s no way there would be a bet going around if it was him with Arya instead of me. He’s looking around, searching for someone, and I know exactly who he is trying to find. When his eyes land on me, he comes right up to me with no hesitation.
“Where is she?” Lexi says.
“Who?” I ask.
“Fuck off,” Lexi says. “You know who.”
“MY girlfriend?” I ask. “The one you made the center of your betting game?”
Lexi rolls his eyes. “I didn’t start the bet. But I did warn you about it though.”
“How kind of you,” I say back.
“And I was the one who stopped it,” Lexi says. “What did you do?”
“You knew I couldn’t stop those West Side guys,” I say.
“Maybe take it as a sign that you shouldn’t be with her,” Lexi says. “This is her world, James. She needs someone that can protect her.”
“And you think that’s you?” I ask.
“Do you know Arya came to me to stop the bet?” Lexi says. “She left you to find me because she knew that I was the one guy who could help her.” That’s where she went with Lincoln, trying to get away from me.
How much history do Lexi and Arya really have? She said they only kissed, but it seems like more than that to me. There’s no way Lexi would go to all this trouble for someone he didn’t really care about. “If you’re so great at protecting her, then why did she leave West Side?” I ask, and the change in his face tells me I’ve hit a soft spot, finally. “What Lexi? I thought you said she needed a guy that can protect her. Could the West Side hotshot hockey captain not protect the girl he cared about? Too busy with your stick and puck?”
"Tell me where she is," Lexi says angrily. I can tell he's pissed at me now. Good. The feeling's mutual.
"You're kidding, right? You must think I'm an idiot," I say.
“James!” Malcolm calls. “It’s your shot!”
“One second,” I say.
“He forfeits his turn if he doesn’t shoot now,” I hear one of the West Siders say.
“Come on, James!” Malcolm calls.
Lexi smiles at me. "I do think you're an idiot. But not for the reason you're thinking." You think I'm an idiot for letting her out of my sight. "I'll find her myself," Lexi says because he knows that I don't know where she is right now.
Arms grab me from behind and force me to the beer pong table. “Come on, Fox!” the West Siders call out. “Let’s see your left shot.”
I see Lexi out of the corner of my eye, heading to the kitchen, the last place I left Arya.
“I can’t,” I say, leaving behind the guys at the beer pong table.
“James!” I hear Malcolm call out, but I ignore it. Arya is more important than some stupid game. “James!” Malcolm grabs my arm, forcing me to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“That guy is what’s wrong,” I say. “Now let me go find him.”
“Is this about Arya?” Malcolm asks.
“Of course it is,” I say.
“Is this how it’s going to be now?
” Malcolm asks.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Competing with the West Side guys?” Malcolm says. “She’s a West Side girl, you knew this when you asked her out. Samson even warned you. Did you think these guys were going to just lie down and let you have her so easily? You've been fighting off these guys all night. Just take a break. Arya can handle herself." She can handle the West Side guys is what he's really saying. She doesn't need her East Side boyfriend to but in.
"This is different," I say. Lexi is the worst of them. Because he has real feelings for her. Because he wants to get rid of me. She only kissed him, I tell myself, but even I don't believe that anymore. "I have to find her." Malcolm gives me a look, thinking I'm ridiculous.
“Fine,” Malcolm concedes. “Go after her. But James, have you ever considered that maybe she belongs with these people? This is where she’s from. This is her life.” I glare at Malcolm. Of course the thought has crossed my mind. The thought that I’m dating a girl from a completely different world. I yelled at her once that she can’t understand my world. I told her to not involve herself with my work life. Does she want me not to involve myself in her world with these rich guys? That she can handle them better than I can?
If it was anyone but Lexi, I might consider just leaving her to tell off the West Side guys like I know she can. But Lexi is different. Arya left me to go to him, knowing that he would be the one to stop the bet. She knew he would do it for her. And he knew she would come to him. “I’m sorry, Malcolm,” I say and then I leave him to go into the kitchen, but she’s not where I left her. I don’t see her or Lexi anywhere. Where has she gone?
Chapter 28 – Don’t Talk About Love
“The more you talk about love / Is the more I think about her / She took a break, went away / I wanna go back to the way things were / Said the more I think about love / So please stop holding hands / All I'm holding is a picture of us / And a picture of what could have been” – Don’t Talk About Love, JLS
Arya
“Our trip to New York is in two weeks, Arya!” Lucy says with the four of us sitting on two couches. “It won’t be the same without you.”
"I'm sure you guys will have a great time," I say. West Side organizes a trip to a U.S. city every two years. The last one was Boston, which I loved. I'm disappointed to miss out on New York, but then I think that it's selfish of me considering kids at East Side never get this opportunity. And it's because they don't have rich parents like we do. It's not fair. You can't choose the life you're born into. "You'll have to send me pictures."
“You should just come,” Maya says. “Take time off school and join us. I’m sure they’d be okay with that.”
They most definitely will not be. East Side won’t care, but West Side definitely will. I don’t want anything to do with that school. Just this party is bad enough. I feel a hand on my shoulder and tilt my head to look up to the person it belongs to, but it’s not the guy I was hoping to see.
“Found you,” Lexi says. I see the glazed eyes of my friends seeing the hockey captain putting a hand on me. I never told anyone about Lexi. I liked enjoying him to myself. “We need to talk, Arya.”
“I have nothing more to say to you,” I say, facing forward. I know my girlfriends think I’m crazy right now to give probably the best looking guy at our school the cold shoulder.
"I'm trying to help you, Arya," Lexi says, and I hear him kneel behind the couch, leaning over to whisper in my ear so no one else can hear. "I know someone hurt you, Arya. I can see it in your eyes. Just let me help." I turn to look at Lexi, his elbows on the back of the couch, looking at me. I know Lexi just wants to protect me. He just wants to help, and he thinks he's the one guy who can. There's no guy that Lexi is afraid to take on, I know. I can tell a part of him is angry that anything happened in the first place and he didn't know. I want to tell him the truth, but I can't, so how can I make him understand?
I grab his hand and he stands up with me, following behind me as I lead him around the couch, away from the drunk teenagers and my girlfriends. I apologize to them when I leave, but they don’t seem to need an explanation because what girl wouldn’t take any alone time with Lexi if they could? I lead him through an open wooden door with an empty old-fashioned home office inside.
“Don’t you dare close that door,” I say as I lean back on the mahogany desk, seeing Lexi’s hand on the door. I don’t need someone spreading a rumour about me and Lexi hiding behind a closed door.
Lexi smiles. “Don’t want to make your boyfriend jealous?”
“I think you’ve aggravated him enough tonight,” I say.
“Does he want to break up with his West Side girlfriend yet?” Lexi asks and I glare at him. “Then clearly not enough.”
“Please, just leave James alone,” I say. “Just because he’s an East Sider…”
“I want to protect you, Arya,” Lexi says. “And I’m the only guy I trust to do that. Now tell me why you left West Side.”
“Would you accept that it’s a secret?” I ask.
“I knew there was something,” Lexi says. “Tell me.”
“It wouldn’t be a good secret if I told you,” I say.
“This isn’t kindergarten, Arya,” Lexi says annoyed.
“I know,” I say. “But I can’t tell you, Lexi. You just have to trust me.”
“Are you safe?” Lexi asks seriously. I nod. As long as you don’t know anything, I’m safe. “Was it something or someone?”
“It’s not what you think Lexi,” I say. You can’t tell him, Arya.
“I bloody hope it’s not what I think,” Lexi says. “Because you aren’t telling me anything, so I’m forced to think the worst possible thing.”
“Lexi,” I say. “I promise that that’s not what happened.”
“Promise?” Lexi asks, staring into my eyes to make sure. Lexi got mad over some stupid West Siders touching me. I can’t imagine what he’d do to a guy that did something worse.
“I promise,” I say.
“It’s not always obvious,” Lexi says. “Pressuring you, guilting you, manipulating you, if he did any of those things…”
“Lexi, stop,” I say, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. I don’t want him to explain this to me. I know he is trying to help, but he’s not. “I know that. I promise that it didn’t happen.”
I can tell Lexi is relieved to know that his worse thought is proven wrong, but he’s still upset. He knows there’s something, he knows I’m keeping something from him, and he hates it. I think he’s also mad at himself for not noticing something before. For not realizing something was wrong when I was at West Side. But he can’t know the truth. He won’t be able to stand back if he ever found out.
“You’re not going to tell me what really happened,” Lexi says.
I shake my head. “Just trust me when I say I’m safe,” I say.
Lexi steps in close to me and puts a hand to my neck so that we are looking straight at each other. “I can’t force you to tell me,” Lexi says, “but if you were my girl, I would.” He takes a breath. “So I hope you tell that East Side boyfriend of yours.”
“Lexi…”
“I will always protect you, Arya,” Lexi says. “You mean a lot to me and even though I hate it, if that James guy is who you want, I won’t interfere.” I see the sincerity in Lexi’s eyes, that he means every word he says.
I wrap my arms around Lexi to hug him, having to go on my toes to reach my arms around his neck. His strong arms wrap around me, holding me close to him. I know he smells my hair then and thinks about the girl he is letting go to another guy. He holds me tighter, and I just let him. After some time, we break apart, and I put my hands on his arms and he keeps his hands on my waist.
“You can always call me, Arya,” Lexi says. “Whatever it is.”
“I might be busy with soccer.” I smile at him and he just rolls his eyes.
“Seriously, Arya,” Lexi says. “You can count on me. And if you jus
t give me a name, I’ll…”
“Lexi…” I warn.
"Fine," Lexi says. "But think about what I said. I don't think you should keep your boyfriend in the dark. If he's as good a guy as he should be, then he'll want to know so he can protect you." Lexi is asking me to give James the chance to protect me that I never gave him.
“Lexi, I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye,” I say. “I don’t think I knew how to.”
“I’m sorry I let you get away,” Lexi says. “If I could go back…”
"Please don't," I say, putting a hand to his chest. Because I don't want to think about what I would have changed if I could go back too. I look at the guy that for a brief period of time meant a lot to me and I know that if things had gone differently, it would be me and him together. And I would have been happy. Happy with Lexi as my boyfriend, happy with being a star athlete, happy at my prestigious school with my friends who are just like me. But somehow, despite all that, I'm happier at East Side. I'm happier at the 'not as privileged' school. I'm happier with my friends that are all so different, kind teachers. I'm happier at being more creative over just using money to solve everything. And most of all, I'm happier with James. "I should go find James," I say and let go of Lexi to turn away from him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t protect you,” Lexi says, “from him or it or whatever it is I should have protected you from.”
I go up to Lexi, put a hand to his cheek, and kiss the other, standing on my toes to reach him. "You did nothing wrong. I'm the one who is sorry." If I had told Lexi before things went south, before they became an unrepairable mess, would he have been able to fix it? No, no. Don't think like that. Don't think about changing the past because you can't.
Chapter 29 – Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
“Don't give us none of your aggravation / We had it with your discipline / Saturday night's alright for fighting / Get a little action in” – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Elton John
East Side Academy Page 18