Labeled

by Jenni Linn

  "My parents came home." I share.

  "Really!? How was that?" she asks genuinely concerned.

  I shrug, "It was okay. No welcoming home party or anything."

  There is a pressure on my arm, which causes me to look away from the road. Her hand is on my bicep. She's concerned for me. I look away quickly.

  "I'm sorry, Chase," she says her voice low. Her touch is intoxicating.

  I clear my throat. "No need to be sorry, V. You didn't do anything."

  She removes her hand and places it in her lap. Neither of us say a word. I don’t think we know quite what to say. I shouldn't say anything more, though. I'm lost inside my own mind--on autopilot until I pull up to her school.

  "Okay, well...thanks," she says weakly when I don't say anything. She pulls on the handle of my truck and hops out, closing the door behind her. I watch her as she walks away with much less pep in her step since coming out of her house just ten minutes prior.

  I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave.

  What Ifs

  With my father back, the work atmosphere has become full of tension. He's not an extremely mean guy, or even too demanding, but his presence radiates power. He started this company from the ground and, rightfully so, he is a very proud guy. It's not a massive company--it's quite small considering--but it's one of the best investment banking firms in the county; possibly the state. His clientele comes all over the Northeast and even as far as out West. He's made a name for himself. He's honest, loyal, and straight forward--all qualities that are needed in this kind of business. It doesn't hurt that he's extremely good looking and that his young son is to be the heir of the prestigious company.

  The day is dragging and I can’t wait to leave, even though I have no plans for the rest of my night. I think about stopping by the garage, but I’m not sure if Veronica will be working. I conclude it'd probably be best that I don’t.

  While walking out to my truck I decide to call Vance.

  "Yo, man," He answers.

  "What's good tonight?" I ask him.

  "Come over. We're working on Wes' car."

  "Over where?" Please don't say your house.

  "Wes'."

  "Alright, be there in a few."

  I pull the phone away from my face, about to push the red symbol.

  "Yo, Chase, wait!" Vance’s yell stops me from hanging up.

  "Yeah?"

  "Stop and grab a six-pack, will ya?"

  "Will do." This time he doesn't keep me from hanging up. I jump into my truck and drive towards the nearest beer distributor. Ten minutes later I'm parked in front of Wes' garage where the door is lifted, and his car is parked inside with the hood open. I remove my shirt, leaving me in my tank and slacks. Not ideal but I don't need to ruin a shirt--Mom would have a fit. Wes and Vance both greet me with slaps on the hand, and I take a seat on an old beat-up couch off to the side.

  "What you guys got going on?" I ask while I pop open a beer. Vance strolls over and pulls one out of the pack too.

  "Got a race this Friday," Wes says.

  "Oh, yeah? Anyone good?" I ask.

  "Yeah. One of Dixon's goons. Five-hundred bucks."

  I whistle, impressed at the stakes. The thought of Dixon brings on thoughts of Veronica, and if she'll be going to the track with them even though she doesn't have her car.

  My phone vibrates and it causes my heart to pick up. I’m caught wondering if it's Veronica. I slip it out of my pocket and steal a glance. It's not V. It's Shannon.

  Shannon: You busy right now?

  I stare at her text blankly for a moment. I know exactly why she's texting me. She would be a distraction. She would take my mind off of someone I shouldn't be thinking about, but I have no interest.

  Me: Yeah.

  Shannon: What about later tonight?

  Vance joins me on the couch, sitting on the arm with his feet on the cushion. "That Nic?" he asks. I find it slightly twisted that he's saying V's nickname, and he doesn't even know.

  "Nah. Shannon."

  "Nice, dude. What does she want?"

  "Not sure. I didn’t ask."

  "She wants the D."

  How poetic. I laugh, "Probably."

  "So, what about Nic?"

  I sigh and lean my head back on the couch.

  "Uh oh. She crazy?"

  "No. I don't know if that's gonna work," I tell him.

  "Ah, we're too young to settle down anyways. We gotta have our fun before the ball and chain locks on."

  Wes laughs from under his hood. "You’ll never find any chick to put up with your bullshit."

  "Less stress that way."

  "Better start collecting your cats now," Wes suggests, and I chuckle at the thought of Vance being a ‘cat man’. I can picture him sitting in his recliner with cats perched all around him while he watches TV.

  "No way. Maybe I'll get some fish and like a cool saltwater tank. Chicks dig that shit."

  "Where do you get this crap?" I ask.

  He points to his head, "It's all up here."

  I shake my head. "Little do they know how much of a loser you are."

  "The less they know, the better."

  I unlock my phone to respond to Shannon just as Vance asks, "You gonna meet up with her?"

  "Nah. Not feeling it." It’s the honest truth, he just doesn't know that his sister is the reason why. I send Shannon a text, and exit the conversation only to look at the last interaction I had with Veronica. I close the app before doing something stupid like messaging her.

  "Any info on V's mystery dude?" I ask curiously, slipping my phone back in my pocket.

  "Nope. She was pissy today. I didn't stick around for that."

  "Taylor was pissy today too."

  "Huh..." Vance grunts. "Maybe they have their monthly visitor. If that's the case, I'll be avoiding her for the next week."

  "Dude," I deadpan.

  "What?" He shrugs.

  The sun has set by the time I leave the garage and head home. I spend another night in the gym; this time I work my legs until they feel like jelly. I feel myself start to drift the second my head hits the pillow, but my thoughts are busy. Visions of a certain brunette cloud my mind and --instead of trying to stop them--I let them play out until I’m fast asleep.

  I pull up in front of the Russo's house right on time. Veronica comes out of the door with a little less pep in her step this morning. Her dark hair is in a braid that hangs over her shoulder, coming to rest right on her chest. I take a deep breath and then exhale when she opens the door and hops up on the seat. She hands me another mug.

  "How many of these do you have?" I ask, slightly humored, while taking it from her hands.

  "A lot. Dad has one for every day of the week."

  "I washed the other two." I point towards the bag near her feet. She picks it up, mumbles a thank you, and looks out the window. She is visibly in a bad mood, so I leave her alone. The quiet is deafening.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, carefully.

  I hear her sigh, and a very faint, “Yeah.”

  I'm not quite sure what else to say, so I drum my fingers on the steering wheel and continue driving towards the school.

  “Yanno what?” She interrupts the silence, “No, I'm not okay.” Her voice is hard, and I hear her movement. I glance her way, noticing her body has turned towards me--her knee is bent up on the seat. I look back at the road but it's her face that has me looking back. Her eyes are narrowed into slits, and she’s glaring at me. “What is going on?” she asks, tired and defeated.

  “I don't know what you mean,” I say, not entirely sure what she's referring to.

  “Since you've come home, you've been flirty and making me think you like me. No. Scratch that. Not think. You've made it pretty apparent that you like me. Your messages, your stupid cute comments, letting me drive your car, comforting me, driving me to school…” she pauses to take a breath because she's talking so fast, “I think I've made it pretty apparent that I like you
. I thought this was actually going somewhere and then it's like a door was slammed shut. You blow me off. Then you're cold and distant.” She sighs, and when I think she's done, she continues, “That hurt!”

  I pull up to the school, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all that to be bigger than what you thought.” I chance a glance at her, and immediately regret it. The pain is all over her face.

  She's quiet before sputtering, “That's it?”

  “Yeah.” No.

  “So, this whole time…you were--what? What was that?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean. " I play dumb again.

  “UGH!” She yells, completely frustrated, “I am so stupid.” She shakes her head, and her eyes bounce back to me, “No! YOU are stupid!” She opens the door and jumps out, turning to grab her bag. She stops when our eyes lock. “Don't worry about picking me up tomorrow.”

  The slamming of the door startles me as I sit and watch her quickly disappear into the sea of students.

  Damn, that sucked. It sucked real bad. I’m straight-up an asshole--and even worse, I'm a coward. A horn beeps from behind me. I'm holding up the line, so I reluctantly put my truck into drive and head to work.

  At work, time stands still. I can’t focus. The heaviness I felt last night has returned full force. I am constantly zoning out and I’m not able to get any work done. I know this day hasn’t been beneficial to my clients, my father, or me. I’m not ashamed to say I did not want to deal with my clientele. Without a second thought, I canceled all my appointments this morning and decide to cut out early.

  With no real agenda or place to go, I head home to change out of my clothing, and get out the Z. Something about driving aimlessly is comforting and calming. I head north toward the mountains, recalling a thrilling hike that takes you up the mountainside. There’s an amazing area that looks out over the countryside and, even better, the drive up is full of windy back roads. Perfect. I’m hoping that others aren't playing hooky and I can take advantage of the hike.

  It's been years since I've been up to The Knob. I don't remember the drive being so tranquil. Large trees on either side merging above the road create a shadowed canopy and the air drops dramatically, but it feels good against my skin.

  The road becomes rough and rocky. Not good terrain for the Z, so I downshift to slow the car as I steer it over a wide dirt lot with a couple of other cars scattered about. I park the Z a few spaces away from another car and cut the engine. A glare from a water bottle sitting on my passenger seat blinds me. I’m not sure how long it's been in the car, but water doesn't go bad right? I don’t know how long I’ll want to wander, so I’ll be needing it. Warm water is better than no water. I grab the bottle before getting out of my car.

  There's an opening at the front of the lot and I spot an older couple walking out with their dog on a leash; they wave a hello as they pass. I smile, return the greeting and continue on my way up the dirt path. With nothing to entertain me, other than the surrounding wilderness, this morning floats to my thoughts. Her pain--something that was caused by me--was heartbreaking. I never in a million years would have seen this coming. My feelings for her crept up on me; fast. I find myself in more of a predicament than before. I hurt her. She could easily come clean to her brothers and they would be out for my blood. I'd like to think that she won’t do that. Veronica is unlike any girl I've ever met, but no matter who, a scorned woman is someone you don't want to mess with. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Something my dad once said.

  The path becomes rugged, which makes me refocus on not slipping and breaking my neck. For the next hour, I hike the rocky incline until I make it to the top. I throw my hands up victoriously while my breaths come in deep and quick. I bend over, putting my hands on my knees, to help catch my breath. Once I'm breathing at a slightly normal pace, I move out towards the edge of the mountain and take a seat on a large rock that's easily twenty feet long. It allows my legs to dangle off the edge. The beauty laid out in front of me has left me speechless. I had forgotten how amazing this view is and for a fleeting second my thoughts shift to V, and how I want to bring her up here to experience this with me. I exhale slowly. Subconsciously, she keeps coming to my mind. What this means isn’t lost on me, and I'm left even more conflicted than before. I enjoy the slight breeze licking my sweat covered body--despite the sun shining. It causes goosebumps to form upon my skin. I twist off the cap of the bottle and take a long swig of water.

  "What do I do?" I whisper to those below me, to those above me, and to myself. Do I risk a life-long friendship or risk losing a potential life-long relationship? What if it doesn't work out? It would be awkward, and things will never be the same. I could lose a family that is more of a family to me than my own. There's so much at risk here. I don't know what to do.

  Playing hooky yesterday only set me behind at work. I’m slightly frustrated with myself, but after disappearing from everyone and everything, I went home to work out. I pushed myself to my limits again, which resulted in another early night. I awoke with a sense of clarity. There was no way around the lecture I just received from my father; I listened as he called what I did ‘childish and irresponsible’. I could only apologize with promises of making it up to the clients and headed into the office early to get a jump start on the day--which was filled. The packed schedule allowed me to immerse myself into my job and forget about the issues of yesterday.

  It’s close to six o'clock when I leave the office and I’m scrolling through my messages from Vance-- he’s inviting me to come to hang out at the house. I decline and give him the excuse that I’m working late. The phone lights up in my hand with an incoming call from a number I don’t recognize. The area code tells me it’s a local number, so I answer it--not without some reluctance.

  "Hello?"

  "I'm going to kick your ass!" a female voice shouts through the line.

  "What? Who is this?"

  "I cannot believe you pulled this stunt after I warned you that I'd break your face."

  "Taylor, how did you get my number?" I ask even though I'm sure it wasn't hard for her to get.

  "Where are you?" she asks, dodging my question.

  "Why, so you can break my face?" I ask jokingly.

  "Yes."

  I laugh at her.

  "Don't you dare. I'm serious."

  "I'm not going to tell you where I am. I happen to like my face. I don't think you have that kind of force, anyway."

  "Tell me where you are so we can test your theory."

  "What do you want, Taylor?" I question, despite already knowing why she's calling.

  She huffs, clearly annoyed, "What happened? You hurt her when you said you wouldn't. Why?"

  "It's complicated."

  "Don't give me that weak bullshit. You are turning out to be like just another asshole, just like the guys her brothers try to protect her from."

  "And that's why it can't happen," I say simply.

  "Keep telling yourself that. Just so you know, she won't be single forever."

  A second later the line clicks; then silence. Removing the phone from my ear, I look at the screen to confirm that she did, indeed, just hang up on me. I exhale and glance around the lot. Fuck. This is messing with my head again. Taylor called me out on my decision in doing what I think is best for us, and everyone else--my resolve is starting to crack. The fucking thought of Veronica being out with someone other than me is causing intense jealousy. I have no right. I tried doing what was right. I stopped anything that could have been before it even began. I run my hands across my head, gripping my hair out of frustration.

  "I need a damn drink."

  Fifteen minutes later, I'm sitting at the bar waiting to be served. Jade, hot bartender from last weekend, is working and currently strutting my way.

  She leans on the bar top across from me, sporting a welcoming smile. Her top is cut low, exposing her cleavage in another neon-colored bra. "Hey there," she says cheerfully.

  "Hey," I say weakly, simu
ltaneously noticing how her dark hair is pulled back like V's was the other morning.

  "You’re Vin's friend right?" she asks.

  "Yeah."

  "I thought so. Miller?"

  I nod. She gets a glass from under the bar and pulls a beer from the tap. "A man of few words," she says playfully, grabs a napkin, and places the beer on top. "I don't recall you being so dejected the last time I saw you," she says, her arms stretched out on either side of her with her palms on the bar.

  "Yeah, I guess things seemed a bit...better then."

  "What's got you so down?" she implores, "I'm a great listener."

  "I'm sure you always come to work wanting to listen to everyone's problems," I joke.

  "You'd be surprised. I'm the bar’s shrink,” she laughs, "Lady problems?" she continues prodding.

  I snicker. "Is it that obvious?"

  "It's usually always lady problems"—she smiles and leans back—"and you're in luck. I'm a lady. What better person to talk to?"

  "Eh...I don't know."

  She holds up her finger, "Hold on," she walks away and disappears into, what I assume is, the kitchen. I shrug and take a sip of my beer. Jade reappears a minute later to my right. "Told them I'm taking my twenty...or thirty," she says with a smile, and places a glass of dark liquid on the bar. She hops up on the stool next to me.

  "You don't have to waste your break on me," I tell her.

  She waves her hand at me, "I won't lie--I like the drama when it comes to other people. Kinda takes me away from my own. Makes me feel like I'm not alone. I know we all have problems, but sometimes you get so immersed in your own, hearing other people’s issues can make you feel like yours aren't so bad...or it could be the other way around." She ponders that for a second. "But if you're having women problems, this should be good. Lay it on me. "

  I cringe. "I can't."

  "And why not?"

  "It involves people you know."

  "Well I know a lot of people, so that's not surprising. But I promise to not repeat anything you say. I'm a vault of secrets. You'd be surprised what some people confide in me."