“Oh, hmm. That is so good,” I all but moaned as my eyes slid shut. I so needed that. Chocolate could fix anything. After another long draw, I finally opened my eyes to find Dylan staring intently at me lips.
“Do you want some?” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and held the shake out to him.
He took it without glancing away from me. His eyes met mine as he put his lips to the straw. Strange things happened in my heart as Dylan’s lips touched the straw where mine just had, which was weird because we’d shared drinks a million times in the past. In fact, he was always stealing my pop can or water bottle, especially if he and Josh were engrossed in whatever they were doing.
But this was different. The air between us fairly crackled with electricity. Just like the night we danced at JJ’s party.
No.
Dylan was leaving.
Soon.
Lifting my hand, I rubbed at the spot on my chest over my heart and glanced away from him breaking the spell, but nothing could stop the pounding of my heart.
“Are you alright,” Dylan asked, and I realized I was still rubbing the sore spot in my chest that ached knowing he was leaving soon.
I nodded and dropped my hand. “I guess I’m still hungry.”
Dylan reached for the fries and held them out to me.
I wasn’t hungry anymore.
I took a handful and ate a couple.
“We should go. I don’t want to take up your whole afternoon.” Reaching for the fry container, I propped it in the cup holder between us then deliberately faced forward. My cheeks felt flushed and my body felt overheated.
This was ridiculous. This was Dylan. My brother’s best friend. My arch enemy. Stealer of Doritos. My heart couldn’t race for Dylan. His heart didn’t race for me. I was just setting myself up for all the heartbreak I’ve always known I didn’t want. Besides, I wanted Marshall. Didn’t I?
“Where to first?” He handed me the shake and shifted gears until we were out on the main drag through town.
“I just want to run into a couple of salons and pick up applications. That way I can fill them out all at once and turn them in at the same time, too.” There were five salons I was interested in. One of them was only a block away. “Here. Just park here and I’ll run in.”
Dylan pulled up to the curb and I hopped out of the truck and made my way into the salon. It smelled of product and chemicals. A middle-aged woman with bright red hair sat at the desk holding a cordless telephone to her ear. Her acrylic nails tapped against the appointment book in front of her. When she saw me, she held up a finger for me to wait.
“Uh-huh. Sure, honey. You come on in at 2 o’clock and we’ll fix you up. Thanks. Yep. See you then.” She hung up the phone and gave me an exasperated look. “Laws, that thing’s been ringing off the hook today. What can I do for ya, hon?”
For some reason I loved this woman almost immediately and hoped there was a position at this salon for me. My gaze took in the whole place with wonder.
“Two things. First, I was thinking about getting a haircut. Do you have any openings?” That was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was the right one.
The red-haired lady eyed my long black hair critically. “What are we doing to it?”
“Short.”
Her brows rose in surprise but then she nodded slowly. “It will take a while. I could maybe fit you in with one of the other girls, but if you want me to do it, it won’t be until next week.”
“That’s fine. I can wait.” We discussed times and dates. I’d have my license by then, so I wouldn't have to worry about getting a ride from anyone.
“Great,” I said as she handed me a small appointment card with the time and date printed on it in her curly handwriting.
“‘Kay, what’s the second thing?”
“Are you hiring?” Her forehead wrinkled for a second before clearing and she offered me a smile.
“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but maybe you’ve talked me into it.” Her smile was wide and toothy behind her lipstick.
“I’m in high school, so I can only work after school and weekends and breaks.” Was she going to hire me on the spot? I was giddy.
The lady studied me, her eyes traveling over my face and hair and the top I was wearing that she could see over the edge of her desk. “Wouldn’t be anything glamorous. Sweeping and cleaning up. Answering the phone. That kind of thing. Minimum wage. Part-time.”
My smile was so big my cheeks hurt. “That sounds perfect.”
The lady stood up and leaned over with her hand extended. “My name’s Judy and you can start on Monday.”
I took her hand and gave it a little shake, so excited I was trembling. “I’ll be here at four. No! Three-thirty.”
Judy just smiled. “Four will be just fine, hon. We close up at seven, so you should be done just after that, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much!”
I practically skipped to Dylan’s truck. He was on his phone playing some game, but he looked up when I opened the door.
“Any luck?”
“I got a job!” I hopped into the passenger seat and bounced up and down a few times I was so excited.
Dylan appeared dumbfounded. “Really? Just like that?”
I nodded. “And I’m cutting my hair.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m gonna chop it all off.” For some reason this seemed important. I couldn’t wait to cut my hair. I wanted it all gone yesterday. “Not until next week, though.” I wish Judy had an earlier opening. I should have told her I could come in if she had a cancellation between now and then, but I didn’t think of it. Oh, well.
“You’ll have to send me a picture.”
And just like that all my excitement disappeared as fast as my birthday money at the mall. I was getting my hair cut next week and Dylan wouldn’t be there to see it when it was done. I’d have to send him a picture.
“I don’t think I can have a phone or use the computer, so you’ll have to send me a copy in the mail.”
The mail? Did people even do that anymore?
That did it.
He was really leaving.
I wouldn’t even be able to text or call or email?
Crazy as it was to have Josh gone, he called or texted almost daily. What would it be like to not see or hear from Dylan for weeks?
“You’re really leaving, aren’t you?” I hadn’t meant to say that, either. What happened to my filter around this guy?
Dylan’s expression sobered, and he nodded. “I am.”
Sitting back in my seat, I stared out the window. From the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan do the same. It sucked how much life changed sometimes. I knew things would be different when Dylan and Josh graduated, that hit me hard as I watched mom and dad drive away with Josh and all his crap loaded up in the family SUV. I guess since Dylan’s still been home all this time, I’ve known he was leaving, but I’d never internalized it until that moment when I realized I was going to chop off all my hair next week and Dylan wouldn’t see it because he was going to be gone.
“Wow,” I sighed.
“No kidding.”
“I’ll send you mail so you won’t get homesick.” I thought about what I just said. “I mean, I know your parents will and your brother and sister, but...I just thought, ugh.” Stop talking, Eden. Just. Stop. Talking. I closed my eyes.
Wow.
His hand touched mine. It felt warm and callused and he squeezed gently, and I knew he wanted me to look at him. But I couldn’t. At least, not until my cheeks stopped giving off enough heat to melt steel.
“Ed.” He tugged on my hand. I couldn’t ignore him.
His eyes were filled with warmth and affection and a hint of amusement.
“Sorry.” For what exactly I didn’t know.
“Don’t be sorry, Ed. I would be excited to get mail from you. That would make my day.” He was sincere. My shoulders relaxed.
“Well, then that’s wha
t I’ll do. I’ll make sure you have more mail than you know what to do with.”
“Just remember to send a picture of your new haircut.”
“For sure,” I agreed.
Dylan nodded like it was all settled and then released my hand. “Well, since you got a job I guess you don’t want to go to any more salons?”
I shook my head, still not believing I’d landed a job at the very first stop. “Nope. We can go home. Thanks again, Dylan. I really appreciate you giving me rides these last few weeks.”
“No problem.” He shifted and pulled into traffic heading toward our street. “I’d offer to get a treat to celebrate your new job, but we already had a shake.”
The empty cup in the console proved him right.
Chapter 12
Eden
“Happy birthday!” Dylan held the door open on the passenger side of his truck, a small gift bag dangling from his fingertips.
“Ohmigosh. You didn’t have to get me anything.” But I was thrilled he had.
He handed me the bag with a wounded expression. “Of course, I did.”
“Open it,” he demanded once we were both situated in the truck.
Studying the little teal bag overflowing with white tissue paper, I wondered what in the world Dylan picked out for my birthday. This wasn’t the first gift I’d ever gotten from Dylan. No, in years past he’d gotten me gifts from Barbie dolls to earrings to concert tickets (A-Mazing!).
Dylan watched as I pulled out the tissue paper with trembling fingers. I hoped he didn’t notice. Once the paper was out of the way, I saw a small box in the bottom of the bag as well as a folded card. I picked up the card first. It was a gift card. To Sephora!
“Wow. How did you know this was my favorite place in the entire world,” I asked.
Dylan just smirked. “Are you kidding? You might have forgotten about the two hours you spent in that store over the summer when Josh and I took you to the mall, but I haven’t.”
Ha. I had forgotten about that. I’d begged them to take me to the mall when they were going to see a movie at the adjacent theater. I headed straight to Sephora and was still there two hours later when their movie was over. Neither of them could shut up about how boring that was and wondering what I could have possibly been doing in there for that long. I literally could have stayed in their all day.
“Thank you, Dylan.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, open the other one.”
I took a deep breath and did just that. The box was small and white and wrapped with a silver ribbon. The ribbon fell away with a quick tug.
“Oh, Dylan. It’s beautiful,” I gasped. Nestled in a small square of cotton was a pendant hung from a delicate gold chain. The pendant was turquoise with inlaid lapis and gold. It wasn’t very big, about the size of a dime, but the colors were magnificent in the simple design. Dylan had never given me a gift like this. It seemed so personal. So intimate.
“I saw that at a kiosk in the mall when I went to get the gift certificate and I had to get it for you. I hope you like it.” He seemed nervous.
How could he think I didn’t like it?
“How could I not? It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” And it really was gorgeous. Dylan drove away from my house as I lifted the necklace from its box. Anxious to put it on, I swept my hair to one side and tried to clasp the chain. “Ugh, this hair. I can’t wait to cut it off.”
“Here, I’ll hold it.” Driving with one hand, he collected my hair in the other, holding it away from my neck.
“Thanks.” With my hair out of the way, I easily clasped the necklace. The metal felt cool against my skin. I quickly pulled down the visor and looked at it in the mirror. “I love it,” I told him glancing away from the mirror to meet his gaze.
He smiled and released my hair. “I’m glad. It looks amazing on you.”
My cheeks heated. I couldn’t believe Dylan was being so nice. I mean, as much as I wanted to hate Dylan, he was a good guy and I’ve always known he cared about me. But this- this was something different. This was exactly what has been so confusing about Dylan since Josh left and I’ve been hanging out with my brother’s best friend.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the school. I wanted to linger in the truck with him but knew he needed to get to work and of course I needed to get to class- and Marshall. A quick stab of disappointment pierced my heart. I wondered if Marshall would even remember it was my birthday. He hadn’t mentioned it again since I’d asked him if we could go on a date.
“Have a good day, Ed,” Dylan called as I hopped down from my seat.
“I will. Hey, are you going to the game tonight,” I asked before he could drive away.
Dylan shook his head. “No. Mom and Derrick have something planned. Kind of a going away family night.”
“That sounds fun!” It made sense. I couldn’t imagine how his mom was feeling about him leaving. I bet she wanted to spend every moment with Dylan before he left.
“What about you,” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m going to watch Marshall, then we’re going to a party.”
Dylan frowned, but held back the lecture I was sure was on the tip of his tongue. “Be careful. And remember, call if you need me.”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “Thanks, dad.”
“I mean it, Ed,” he called just before I shut the door.
I waved and smiled and wished he understood that I wasn’t a little kid anymore.
Hurrying, I made my way into the school, my fingers toying with the pendant Dylan gave me. Monday was my last day getting a ride from Dylan. On Tuesday morning, mom was going to take me to get my license. As much as I couldn’t wait to drive myself around, I knew I’d miss spending first thing in the morning with Dylan.
“Happy birthday, Eden!” Allie waited at my locker, her face all smiles.
“Thanks, Al,” I replied, as Allie wrapped me in a big birthday hug.
“Sixteen. Can you believe it? When do you get to go and get your license,” she asked.
“On Tuesday.”
“That’s so crazy.” Allie shook her head. She wouldn’t turn sixteen until after Christmas.
“Just in time, too. Dylan leaves on Tuesday as well.” It sucked just saying those words.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Dylan lately,” Allie commented speculatively, a mischievous glint in her eye.
“You know I hate Dylan. He’s just been bored since Josh is gone.” I wasn’t even going to go there with Allie. It didn’t matter, anyway. He was leaving in like five days.
Allie quirked one brow like she didn’t believe me. “What about Marshall?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I like him, and we’ve been spending some time together. He wants me to go to the game and to Jared’s party.”
Allie’s eyes widened at that bit of information. “Are you sure you want to go to Jared’s? Connor said his parties are wild. He’s only going because Brittany wants to go. She’s kind of a party animal. I think he might break up with her over that. He said something about it the other day.”
I shook my head at my friend. “You need to tell that boy how you feel. Then he won’t have to go to stupid parties he doesn’t want to go to. He can just stay home and be with you.”
Allie’s face scrunched up. “I said he might break up with Brittany, not he did break up with her.”
“Potatoes, patah-toes,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively. “You know Connor. He’ll dump her and be on the prowl for his next wenchy girlfriend. But you and I both know he only dates those girls because he’s too afraid to tell you how he really feels. Just like you are too afraid to tell him you’re madly in love with his hot body.”
Allie’s face turned every shade of red until I thought her head was going to explode. “Eden, you know that’s not true! We are just friends. And just friends is what we’ll always be.”
Her voice was just too sad. “Look, Al, just friends is all you will ever be if
you don’t take a chance and tell the boy how you feel. I know we’ve been over this one million and a half times, but it’s true!”
“Yeah? What about you? Don’t think I haven’t seen the looks you give Dylan Coulter when you think no one’s looking!”
Ouch.
“Fine. I’ll drop it.” The last thing I wanted to do was analyze my feelings for Dylan. And worse than worrying about my own feelings was wondering about his. How had things become so complicated in just a few short weeks?
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t poke at you on your birthday.” Her concerned expression morphed into an excited one as she pulled an envelope out of her back pocket. “I almost forgot,” she said holding the envelope out to me.
“Thanks, Al.” I accepted the card and opened it by sliding my finger under the sealed flap. “Ohmigosh, this is great!” Laughing, I read the card and each of the handwritten coupons inside. Allie had made the coupons from three by five index cards. Each card had an activity on them, all activities Allie usually complained about doing with me, like makeovers and shopping at the mall. There was even one in there for a spa day that she had already purchased for us to go together.
I threw my arms around her neck and gave her an excited hug. “Seriously, Al. This is the best gift ever!” I couldn’t wait to cash in on all the girly stuff Allie never wanted to do. Maybe I could convince her to not be such a tomboy. But I doubted it! It would be fun to try, though.
“Happy birthday, Eden!”
The first warning bell chimed, and I still hadn’t seen Marshall. I stuffed Allie’s gift into my backpack.
“I’m gonna go see if I can find Marshall.”
Allie frowned a little but nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Thanks again, Allie.” I called out as she headed down the hall toward her first period class.
I turned to see if I could find Marshall at his locker only to see him walking toward me, a broad smile on his face.
“There’s the birthday girl!” He held his arms wide, a single red rose in one hand. I walked into them and he hugged me close. “Happy birthday.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Thanks,” I mumbled against his chest.
The Perks of Hating You ( Perks Book 2) Page 7