by Sam Crescent
She wouldn’t put it past all of them to try to trip her.
In fact, just as they turned a corner, someone was there, leg out, and she felt herself falling, only she was grabbed before she could.
Her book wasn’t so lucky and ended up on the floor.
“You okay?” Alfie asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” She felt a little sick.
It was the first time she hadn’t gone down.
Glancing to her left, she saw Daniel, one of the football guys, standing there, looking a little shocked.
In the next second Alfie was on him.
“You fucking prick. You think it’s funny to trip a lady?”
Her cheeks were on fire. Alfie raised his fist and hit him.
She gasped. Violence always disturbed her. It was why she had felt sick after attacking Riley, Ian, and Alfie on the day they’d thrown the banana at her.
This wasn’t the way to make things right.
“Alfie, stop.”
Daniel wasn’t one to take the punch. He began to hit back, and she gasped as she was suddenly pushed back against the metal from their sparring.
“Dude, teachers are coming,” Ian said, appearing out of nowhere.
Thinking without reacting, she jumped onto Alfie’s back, wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him off Daniel, who looked a little dazed.
Now that she’d shocked him completely, she knew she had to do something that would stop Alfie from getting hurt.
The guys would cover with Daniel, but she couldn’t think.
Her mind was a complete and total blank.
What should she do?
Grabbing Alfie, she spun him around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. She forced him to kiss her.
It was so surprising that for several seconds, neither of them actually did anything.
Alfie’s hands were wide, not holding her, and they looked so out of place, or at least, she imagined they did.
Within seconds of hearing the teacher, Alfie seemed to get with the program, grip her ass, and really kiss her.
It started out as a way to distract him from hurting Daniel, and suddenly, she felt a stirring within her body as Alfie traced the edge of her lip.
Someone cleared their throat, and she had no choice but to pull away.
Her lips were tingling, and she knew her face was hot with embarrassment.
“This is not a place for you to make out. Get to class. Now. What is going on here?”
“Nothing, I walked into a locker,” Daniel said, sniffling blood.
“Excellent. What’s your excuse, Alfie?”
“I bumped heads with my girlfriend.” He wrapped his arms around her, and there was a collective gasp.
She was able to keep hers locked inside.
“Daniel, go to the nurse. Alfie, fix your problem. If I hear there was fighting, I will deal with it, severely.” The teacher offered them one last glare before leaving.
“This isn’t over,” Alfie said.
“Fuck you.”
Alfie went to go for him again, but she was able to stop him, holding him back.
“I’ve got a first aid kit in my locker. Let me take care of your face,” she said.
She held his hand and saw Ian and Alfie share a look before he followed her.
Neither of them spoke, and her hands were shaking. Once she had the kit, she took him to the boys’ locker room.
“What would you have done if this was full of guys?” he asked.
“Taken you into the girls’ and let them deal with you. They’d have patched you up real good.”
“I’m starting to think you’re a little jealous,” he said.
“Not jealous, just busy. Take a seat.” She put her bag on the floor and opened up the first aid kit. “He got you a good one,” she said looking at the kit on his lip and on his eye.
“Yeah, I wasn’t focusing.”
“You didn’t need to fight him for me.”
“I did. No one will trip you when I’m around, and there’s no chance of anyone hurting you on my watch.”
“You can’t protect me all the time. The bullying’s not going to end until I leave here.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Let’s not talk now.”
“Are you, like, running away?”
“Hell, no. I’m not running away.” She didn’t want to talk to him about her plans.
“You know, boyfriends and girlfriends share everything together.”
“They do, do they? We’re not dating.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
She chuckled. “We’re not dating. We’re … abiding each other’s company.”
“I’m wearing you down, and you know it. You’re going to be my girlfriend soon, Chloe. You may as well get used to it.”
“Not happening, Alfie.” She opened up an alcohol wipe and pressed it against his cut. He winced. “You may have to go to the hospital and get some stitches.”
“No, I won’t.”
“You don’t have to be brave and tough for me.”
“You think this is the first time I’ve gotten a cut eyebrow and lip? Please, this is child’s play in the club.”
“It looks bad.”
“I don’t care. Just put a bandage or some tape over it. It’ll be good.”
“You winced at an alcohol wipe.”
“I said I don’t need stitches. I didn’t say anything about not behaving like a baby over it. Come on, I can handle it.”
She smiled and cleaned him up.
“So that kiss, huh? Would it be natural of me to think that was your first one?”
“Yes.”
“And I was the one to give it to you.”
“Why do you have to make everything sound so dirty?”
“It is what it is,” he said. “So I was? You know, your first?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you were my first. I had to figure out a way of getting you to stop punching him. I didn’t want you getting in trouble for me.”
“Why not?”
“I just don’t want you to get in trouble. I’ve dealt with more of this, and I’m fine with it. There’s no reason you should be dragged down. I don’t think your dad would be happy about coming down here to deal with you.”
“He’d be happy to know I was doing it to defend you.” He reached out and pushed some hair out of the way.
“Well, thank you, all the same,” she said. “I do appreciate it.”
“You’re sure? I’m not feeling the appreciation here.”
“I stopped you from getting suspended or your dad coming here. You got a kiss out of it as well, and I fixed your face.”
“I wasn’t able to enjoy the kiss.”
“And everything else?”
“I thank you, but I think you should kiss me again.”
She giggled. “You do, and why?”
“I’m your savior. I’m your personal knight in shining armor or whatever bullshit that is called,” he said.
“You’re really going to use that as a reason to get another kiss?”
“I’d rather use no reason and just have you kiss me, but I don’t seem to be getting what I want.”
“You want me to just kiss you?”
“It’s what normal people in a relationship do.”
“We’re not in a relationship.”
“You’re hurting my feelings, Chloe.” He put a hand over her heart, and as she put away the first aid kit, he took her hand. He pressed his lips to her knuckles and smiled at her. “I’m wearing you down. I can see you want to kiss me. You do.”
“I do not.”
“Why don’t you try it and we’ll see.”
She laughed. “You think I don’t know where you’re going with this? I do. I can see right through you.”
“That’s scary.”
He cupped her face, and before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. The kiss seared right to her soul, and an
y laughter died as he actually kissed her. It was slow at first, exploratory, and changed within seconds as he ravished her mouth.
After only a few seconds, but felt like longer, he pulled back. “That was the first kiss I should have given you.”
****
“You want to take her on a date?” Lily asked.
She was walking around the supermarket, picking up some fresh produce.
Alfie had been on his way to the clubhouse when he saw her.
“Yeah. Me and her, doing something together.”
Lily put the peppers into her trolley and frowned. She opened her mouth and closed it. “Why are you asking me?”
“You’re her mother.”
“Yes, and you’re not going to be dating me. You’re going to be dating my daughter. You see the problem here?”
“I know, but Chloe and me, we’ve not had a good start.”
“Believe me I know, and I can’t say that I blame her.” Lily tilted her head to the side.
He didn’t know why he thought this would be a good idea. Getting her mother to like him would only allow Chloe to trust him more, right?
“We haven’t always been close.”
“I know you bullied my daughter, Alfie, and I’m not going to give you permission to date my daughter. I don’t trust you.”
“I’m proving to you that I care. That I’ve changed.”
“No one does that quick a turnaround. Believe me, I know about men and their behavior. You want to date my daughter, fine. You will come to dinner tonight. You and your father and I will see if you have the right personality for my girl.”
“Seriously? You’re going to do this right now? When I’m proving to you that I’m different. I help her at school. I’m stopping all the bullying.”
“That I imagine you helped to start in the first place. I’m not blind to everything going on, Alfie. I’ve given you the conditions for you to date her. Take them or leave them. I will never be the one to encourage my daughter to go on a date with her bully. Not now, not ever.”
Alfie watched her as she grabbed the shopping cart and moved on. This wasn’t exactly what he had planned.
Fuck!
Shit!
Cock!
Balls!
Chasing after Lily, he stood beside her. “You’re not going to budge on this?”
“Nope, I am not. Tell me, Alfie, will I be cooking for four or two?”
He gritted his teeth. “Four.”
“You better check with your father first in case he won’t make it.”
“He’ll make it.” Alfie had no doubt he’d use any excuse to be with Lily, including his intended dinner date. Dialing his father, he waited for Eagle to pick up.
“What is it, son?”
“Dad, will you be available to have dinner tonight with Lily and Chloe, and myself?”
“Dinner?”
“Yes. She’s offered to cook.”
“Give me the phone,” Lily said.
He didn’t exactly get a chance to tell her no, so he watched her.
“Hey, Eagle, Lily here. So your son asked to date my daughter, and well, I’ve got a bit of an issue. I know I should give him the benefit of the doubt, but I figured a nice dinner with all of us. I can judge myself. Seven o’clock sound good to you? Yes, excellent. I’ll put your son back on.”
He was given the phone. “Hey, Dad.”
“You better not fuck this up. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I hear you. Loud and fucking clear.”
“Language,” Lily said.
“You heard her. You better watch your language.” Eagle hung up.
“Be a gem for me and go and grab me some maple syrup. I’m out.”
Pulling up Ian’s details he sent him a message.
Alfie: Not tonight. Change of plans.
Ian: Dude, seriously? She turned you down.
Alfie: The mother did and she won’t let me date her unless I prove to her I’m legit. I’ve got dinner with dad and her, and her mother.
Riley: You really think this is worth it?
Alfie: Where are you?
Riley: At Ian’s. We were waiting for you to tell us what was going down.
Ian: Clearly nothing is.
Riley: If your dad is involved, this could end badly for all of us.
Alfie: I can’t back down now and stop showing an interest. It would look fucking odd.
Alfie had wondered if he should stop with the whole bullshit of trying to date Chloe and just stick it out being nice to her.
This was starting to become more exhausting than it needed to be, and now with his father knowing, it wasn’t going to end well.
He had to stop this farce.
Ian: Then I say we just stick to you being nice to her. Maybe we all are, and wait it out.
Riley: Are we really that scared of your dad?
Ian: Dude, he’s the fucking prez of the Satan’s Crew MC. He gets to decide if we’re in or out. I’m not going to risk my patch for a chance to make some chick look like a slut.
Alfie: I’ve got to go. Talk later.
He put his cell phone away, grabbing the maple syrup. He didn’t know what to do anymore.
The plan had been to fuck Chloe and to show the entire school her naked and for all to see. It was a classic and of course to make the last part of her high school year a misery. She thought she was better than all of them. Well, he was going to prove to the entire town she wasn’t.
She was just a regular chick with a pussy and needs.
His father could destroy him. He loved the club more than anything, and he wouldn’t risk fucking it up in the name of revenge. Not anymore.
He would have to play this out, though, as turning back wasn’t an option.
****
“You invited them for dinner?” Chloe asked.
Her mother threw more peppers into the pot and began to stir them around with more garlic and ginger. The stir-fry smelled amazing, and she’d already started to cook the coconut noodles with equal parts coconut milk and stock. This was one of her favorite dishes and her mother’s specialty.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, because why invite them in the first place?
“You need to stop worrying. If you must know I invited them for you.”
“Why? Is something going on between you and Eagle?”
Lily snorted. “No, of course not, silly. Why would you think of something like that?”
“Why did you invite them for me?”
“Well, if you must know, Alfie came to me and asked if he could date you. I know you’re nervous about his intentions, and rather than throw you to the wolf, I figured in this kind of controlled environment, I’d get a good reading on the kid.”
“The kid?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I don’t think this is a good idea. You should call him and cancel.” Chloe hadn’t told her mother about the kiss, or about anything at school. Not even the fight he got into with Daniel. It was pointless to do so.
“I’m not going to cancel. You’re worrying unnecessarily. It’s all going to work out. You will see.” Lily patted her hand.
“I don’t want to be here.”
“Stop it. Now I mean it. This is not going to be bad. It’s going to be awesome, and you’re going to stop worrying about every little detail.” Lily gave her hand a squeeze.
“Have you heard from Dad?” she asked.
“No, not yet. I have initiated the divorce papers. I don’t imagine it will be long now.”
Chloe nodded. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It was the end of an era with her parents. Their divorce would be … it wouldn’t be good. She’d not seen or heard from her father either. He hadn’t been around town, and she hadn’t asked Alfie about him either. Keeping Alfie at arm’s length was the only logical way to go.
The doorbell rang. “I better go and deal with that, hadn’t I?”
“Please, while I�
�m finishing up.”
Chloe left the kitchen.
“Don’t be rude. Remember I raised a lady, not a thug.”
She rolled her eyes, put a smile to her lips, and opened the door. Sure enough, there stood Eagle and Alfie.
“Evening,” she said.
Eagle had a small bundle of flowers.
“My mom is in the kitchen.”
“It smells incredible.” Eagle brushed past her, leaving her alone with Alfie.
“You tried to get a date with me by asking my mother?” she asked. She didn’t let him in. She stood in the doorway, not giving him room to move.
“I can see you’re upset by that?”
“Nah, this is my amused face.”
“I don’t get to see it all that much. Forgive me for not noticing it.”
“Why?” Chloe asked.
“Why what?”
“Why ask my mother when you could have asked me?”
“Would you have agreed to go on a date with me?”
“No.” The truth just kind of slipped out, and she gritted her teeth, hating herself for it.
“It’s why I decided to ask her. She doesn’t trust me either, so this is what we get. I have to watch my father drool all over your mother.”
She gave a shudder. “You know my mother doesn’t have a clue.”
“I know. She is completely clueless to my dad’s obsession. This is going to be one interesting night.” He took a step toward the door. “Are you going to let me in?”
“I’m thinking about it.” She held her hand up.
“Hopefully this will win me some points. Flowers for you, pretty lady.”
“You think flowers are going to butter me up?”
“They always do the ladies, and seeing as I was your first, I’m guessing I’m the first guy not related to you to give you flowers.”
“Yes, you are.”
“See, I’ve got a lot of firsts coming up here.”
“Come in, Alfie. Make yourself not at home,” she said. With his back to her, she smiled down at the flowers and breathed them in. They had a subtle, sweet scent, which she liked.
“You do like them?”
She looked over the edge of the flowers and nodded. “I do. I’ll go and put them in a vase.” She left Alfie, as her face heated up once again. He’d caught her sniffing his flowers and liking them.
In the kitchen she paused as she saw Eagle standing close to her mother, but she also saw the intense way he stared at her.