None Other Than You

by Samolu Pearl

  Sure enough a moment later, Patrick Martell comes up behind me and scoops me up in a big hug. At first I'm startled, but once I realize it's Patrick I laugh.

  "Finally, I get to have you for a night without your girlfriend trying to attack me!" Patrick laughs as well.

  "I still love her, Duke, but yes, you do get me alone tonight." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. I had forgotten how fun he was without Allison around. "She's on vacation with her family in Hawaii for Christmas. They'll be back in a week."

  "I only get you for so little time?" I look up at him with my best puppy-dog look.

  Patrick smiles and shrugs, taking my hand and pulling me closer to him. We dance a song together before my brown-eyed-boy comes back.

  "Whose this?" He asks, nodding towards Patrick.

  "This is Patrick—"

  "I know who he is, but who is he?" I raise an eyebrow as the brown-eyed-boy stumbles a bit as he tries to walk forward.

  "I'm afraid I don't follow." Patrick says, squinting at the boy.

  "Boyfriend?" The boy asks, pointing at Patrick's face, a whole head above his own.

  A hand suddenly snakes around my waist and I feel the warmth of another body pressed close to mine. "That position would be filled by me." An arrogant drawl that I know all too well says.

  "You wish, Teigan." He grins down at me, his eyes as clear blue as ever, and winks.

  "You bet I do." He pulls me closer and Patrick laughs. The brown-eyed-boy shakes his head, clearly warded off by Teigan's arrogance, and walks away into the crowd.

  "So, I saved you from the evil boy, do I get a dance?" Teigan asks, still holding me close to him. I take in his appearance as best I can in the dim lighting, admiring what I see. He's dressed up in black slacks with a black shirt, halfway tucked in, yet still fitting his frame. His tie matches his eyes exactly, drawing your eyes to his and making their intensity ten times fiercer.

  "I didn't ask for saving." I say defiantly. "You interrupted my search." I let him lead me to the middle of the floor, only slightly reluctant. The song is slow so he pulls my arms around his neck and places his hands low on my hips. The space between us is almost non-existent.

  "Search for what, Ace?" I keep my eyes locked on his.

  "A boy to torment with my amazing looks tonight." I say, flashing my best grin at him. He smirks back and looks down at my dress. I hear a small intake of breath and a long exhale before his eyes meet mine again.

  "You definitely look stunning tonight, Delaney." Teigan whispers. A chill runs down my spine and I shiver. Teigan pulls me even closer to him as we dance, swaying with the soothing tune of the song. I find myself enjoying his presence, especially when he isn't talking.

  Glancing around the room, I see Ryan and Emma, trapped in their own world and… Patrick and Jessa?

  Yeah, that's Patrick and Jessa all right. Jessa looks extremely content with her head on Patrick's chest. Patrick looks down at Jessa and pulls her closer, as though he enjoys her being there, but his face is confused.

  I nudge Teigan to look in their direction and his expression turns as confused as mine. He shrugs and leans down, planting a gentle and unexpected kiss on my forehead. I look up at him confused. He smiles softly and starts to lean down, getting closer and closer to me. My heart speeds up and, somewhere in the back of my mind I hear a voice telling myself to lean forward the rest of the way: to kiss him.

  The front part of my mind, obviously the more rational, hears the song end and pulls away from Teigan's warm embrace and stares at the handsome boy in front of me.

  And then I bolt.

  I turn my back on Darren Teigan and race through the crowd until I find my brothers sitting on a couch and flop in between them, face flushed and frown in place.

  "Baby sis?" Dan asks, reluctantly taking his eyes off the blonde sitting on his other side.

  "What's up?" Sean leans away from his brunette and towards me, feeling awkward and not knowing what to say.

  "I—" My voice falters, and I duck my head. Instantly the protective older brother mode kicks in.

  "Was it that guy that you went to dance with?"

  "We told you not to go with him!"

  "Where is he, I'll pummel him?!"

  "Or was it someone else?"

  "I saw a tall lanky guy with you for a little while—"

  "He started dancing with that little brunette over there. Where did they get off too—"

  "Weren't you just with that black-haired boy?" The blonde offers. My brothers eyes dart to her faster than she could blink.

  "What?" They ask in stern unison.

  "Darren Teigan. I've met him before. A real looker if you ask me. I have no doubt a beautiful girl like you, he'd break your heart in a second if he could." The blonde continues.

  My brothers are off the couch in a second and into the crowd. The blonde and the brunette look at each other with looks asking 'what the hell just happened?'

  I shake my head. "Thanks guys." And delve into the crowd after my two brothers. They have rocks for heads I swear with how thick they are.

  I can't find them anywhere, but I do run into Jake Zidichowski.

  "Jake!" I cry, happy to see another familiar face in the sea of people. I get the feeling I'm being watched by every single pair of eyes as I part the crowd to get to my friend.

  "What's up, Duke?" Jake asks, grabbing around my waist to hold me up. Pushing through this basement isn't an easy task.

  "Have you seen my brothers?" Jake shrugs.

  "I only know Ryan. I don't know what the other one looks like."

  "Two."

  "What?"

  "I have two older brother's besides Ryan and two older sisters, one of which is probably down here in a corner scowling at every move I make. I have to find my brothers, Jake. They're going to kill Teigan." All the while I'm talking, I'm using Jake as a support to look above the crowd. I can't find them anywhere except—Yes! There they are.

  I spot them next to the drink table and the idea hits me. "Jake!" I say, shaking his shoulders. "You have to get all three of them drunk, okay? They're all harmless when they're drunk, I can drive back, it will all work out just please, please, pretty please help me."

  Jake looks down into my pleading face, trying to decide something. He shakes his head.

  "I don't get it." He mutters shaking his head. Then he meets my eyes. "Tell me one thing before I do it."

  "So you will do it?" He nods, grinning slightly. "What?"

  "Why do you care what they do to Teigan?" I step away from Jake and look down at my feet.

  Why do I care what happens to him? Didn't I say to myself earlier that he could use a good dose of the wrath of the Knights? But with all three Knight's attacking him, including one he calls a friend, there is a good chance he might actually get hurt, especially with that god-awful arrogance of his.

  That arrogance is the reason why I don't like him in the first place. Maybe if my brothers could knock it out of him then maybe—

  Stop that!

  You just want him to leave you alone. Maybe if you save his butt from the wrath of the Knight brothers he will.

  Right?

  "I don't know." I finally answer, Jake. He shrugs and walks away, calling over his shoulder. "You look hot tonight, Duke! Don't let it go to waste!" I smile at his comment and watch from the sidelines of the dance floor as Jake approaches my brothers. He shakes Ryan's hand in greeting and says something. It looks as though Ryan reluctantly introduces him to Dan and Sean and then all four of them get a drink. Dan and Sean gulp theirs down quickly and easily, getting a second glass within moments. I watch as all four of them steadily drink more and more, Jake holding back without my brothers even noticing.

  I do notice that my brothers are still scanning the room for Teigan. Jake's eyes find me at the side of the crowd and he sends me a questioning glance. I shake my head. They need more alcohol in them.

  I watch for a while longer as Dan and Sean's laughter drifts throughout the
basement and Ryan's face grows increasingly redder. Emma won't be too happy with him drinking so much. I frown at the thought, but it's driven from my mind a moment later.

  A tap on my shoulder startles me so much that I yelp, spinning around quickly to see the offender.

  "Spying on Zidichowski, are we?" He asks, his voice low and smooth. The boy I'm facing look about my age and is only a few inches taller than me with dark brown eyes and short hair whose color resembles my streaked brown hair. As he moves his head, bits of blonde catch the light among his brown hair, making it seem like his hair is glowing slightly. It's a startling effect.

  My frown is back in place as I stare at the boy. He looks cute, but his smile seems menacing. "I'm not spying on anybody."

  "You've been staring at the bar for at least twenty minutes now. Why not come out of the dance floor?" He asks, offering his hand. I look at it warily before taking it.

  The strange boy leads me out into the middle of the dance floor. Though I'm still feeling a little uncomfortable, I'm still in my element when I'm dancing, so I let the music carry me. After the song ends, another slow song begins and the boy takes my hands and places them around his neck, placing his hands even lower on my hips than Teigan dared to.

  "You're Duke, right?" He asks. I don't let my eyes give away my surprise and I nod. "My name is Kevin."

  "Nice to meet you." I say indifferently. The feeling of confidence I had at the beginning of this evening is drifting away. Usually Christmas Eve is a fun night for my family—we get together and play board games and open one present from under the tree and sing Christmas carols while Sarah plays the piano—and yet, even with the basement decorated with glittering trees, mistletoe and sparkling lights, this doesn't feel like Christmas.

  "Listen, I've got to go find my friend, I'll see you around." I say, pulling myself out of his arms. I pull my hands up to rub my arms, suddenly cold in the big crowd.

  Glancing over to the bar, I see that Dan, Sean, and Ryan are completely absorbed in the alcohol, and I nod in thanks to Jake as he sees me scramble towards them.

  Unfortunately Eleni reaches my brothers at the bar at about the same time as me. "What the hell did you do to them?" Eleni demands, addressing Jake.

  Jake looks completely bewildered as my sister yells at him for getting our brothers drunk. Coming to his rescue, I step in between Jake and Eleni with my hands on my hips.

  "Eleni. Shut up for once. Don't take it out on someone you don't know." The two of us glare at each other for a moment before Eleni pulls Dan's arm over her shoulder.

  "I'm taking these guys home. You can find another ride. I'm driving the Impala back." Eleni glares at Jake. "Help me get them out to the car. This is all your fault in the first place." Eleni starts dragging Dan upstairs as he sings "The Twelve Days of Christmas" at the top of his lungs.

  Jake attempts to get Sean off the bar, but he is having an animated conversation with the brunette from earlier. "Come, on—" Jake says as he tries to pry Sean's hands off the bar. "Lady, I've got to take him upstairs—"

  "What's going on?" Jake and I both turn around, startled to see Emma behind us. How did I forget about Emma?"

  "Uh—" I say lamely.

  "Ryan!" She gasps, seeing her boyfriend with his head on the bar, an empty cup in his hand. "How much have you had to drink?" Ryan shrugs his shoulders slowly before slumping completely on the bar.

  "Duke's sister, Eleni, is going to take them home." Jake grunts, finally getting Sean's arm over his shoulder and pulling up most of his weight.

  Emma pulls Ryan off the bar with surprising strength and begins to drag him upstairs. "I'm going too then." She stops and looks back at me. "Can you find a ride home, Duke?"

  "I'll give her a ride later." Jake says, winking at me before the two of them trudge up the stairs with my drunk brothers on their arms.

  I don't think I need to say that I feel awful.

  A wave of fatigue falls over me and, instead of waiting for Jake out in the noisy living area of the basement; I wander down the hall, avoiding couples that have taken to the shadows. I find an empty bedroom after several, disturbing, tries, and collapse on the bed.

  Staring up at the ceiling, I close my eyes and wish that tomorrow will not be as bad as tonight has turned out to me. Not only do I definitely not feel pretty anymore, or confident, but I feel like a bad person. I got my brothers drunk out of their minds; they probably won't remember tonight at all.

  I ruined their night for no good reason.

  I sigh heavily, my eyes still closed. I hear the door creek open. My eyes pop open at the sound and I sit up quickly, startled; maybe too quickly.

  My vision spins slightly, but the image of Darren Teigan standing in front of me is still a clear picture. "Ace?" Teigan shuts the door carefully behind him and walks over, kneeling in front of me on the floor. "Are you alright?" He looks up into my eyes, true concern on his face.

  I nod. "I'm fine." He looks over my face, frowning, before sitting next to me on the bed.

  "Ace, look at me." My face scrunches in confusion. Why? "Please?" He asks softly. I turn and look at his face, still drawn up in concern.

  "What?" I whisper. I just want to go home.

  I feel his hand on my face, gently tracing from my hairline to my chin and back again. "Why do you keep running away from me?" He murmurs softly while leaning forward. His head rests gently against mine; I can feel his breath upon my face. He smells like a mixture of cinnamon and honey, like Christmas itself, a homely sort of smell. I breath in deeply, relaxing.

  If he keeps cornering me like this I don't know if I can pull away from him.

  "Delaney," Teigan whispers, tucking a stray curl behind my ear gently and slowly, trailing my cheek with his finger with the lightest of touches.

  "Mm." I murmur in response, still lost in his scent and his warmth.

  "Delaney, I—" He takes a deep breath and, though I want to look at his expression, his eyes capture mine with such a force I can't look away. "I care about you. You know that I'm pretty sure, but—" He pauses, searching my face for something,"—Why do you keep running away from me?"

  "Teigan—"

  "Why won't you call me by my first name, Delaney?"

  Still caught in his gaze, I feel their intense curiosity crashing down on me. "It's too formal for me. You're someone I don't know very well and—"

  "Then why not get to know me?" Teigan says fiercely.

  "Because I'm—"

  The door opens and mine and Teigan's intense stare is broken. Our eyes lock on the intruder, my eyes widening in surprise when I see the boy, Kevin, from before. The look on his face looks dangerous for a moment, before flickering to a smile, albeit a menacing one.

  "My bad." He says, laughing slightly. "I was just looking for an empty room." He winks at the two of us before walking away, leaving the door open. The noise from the living room is still loud even this far down the hall. It breaks the concentration between Teigan and I and I stand up, ready to leave the room.

  Teigan grabs my wrist, holding me back. His grip is gentle, but firm enough to keep me where I am. "Don't go, Ace."

  "I'll see you tomorrow, Teigan." I say, my voice icy.

  His grip holds. "You're running away again, then?"

  I turn, glaring at him. "Don't judge me, Teigan. There are just some things I can't explain."

  I twist my wrist out of his grasp and storm out the door. After scanning the living room quickly I make for the stairs. I glance around the various rooms upstairs and, without finding anyone I know, I walk out into the cold night. I don't see the minivan anywhere, the impala is long gone, and I have no doubt that Mom and Allen have already gone back to his hotel or our house a long time ago.

  I could go back down into the basement and find Patrick or search for Jake a little more, but then I risk seeing Teigan, and I definitely don't need to see him anymore tonight. Back there, in the basement, I felt like I was going to break.

  Teigan rattles my every
nerve. Why can't he just leave me alone and let me get on with my life? I'll receive my acceptance letters in the spring and then in the fall I will be long gone from any of this. Why can't Teigan see that? Why can't he just leave me alone?

  I storm back into the house and grab my coat.

  Then I start the long walk home.

  Chapter Sixteen: Mistletoe

  Headlights sweep past me as I walk along the icy sidewalk, holding my jacket as close to my freezing body as is possible. I walk with my head down against the slight wind that stings my eyes.

  Why did I have to walk away?

  My mind is racing through thoughts, one after the other, so fast I can barely keep track.

  I hear a car slowing down behind me and walk stubbornly on ahead. "Ace, please get in the car. You've already almost frozen to death once this week." Teigan's window is rolled down, his car inching slowly along next to me.

  "I don't need your help. Thank you for coming after me, but I will be fine." I say sternly, keeping my head forward. I watch as Teigan drives his car a little further up the road, parks it, and gets out of the car. He slams the door and walks toward me, blocking my path on the sidewalk. "Move, please."

  "No."

  "I said 'please,'" I say, looking him straight in those crystalline blue eyes.

  "There's no way you're going to agree to getting in the car with me?" He asks, his eyes studying my own.

  "No." For a moment, the world around us is silent. Snow slowly drifts from the sky, landing lightly on both of our shoulders and heads.

  "Fine." His rough voice announces. Before I have a chance to react, Teigan sweeps my legs out from under me and starts carrying me towards his car.

  "What are you doing!" I yell at him, wriggling around and trying to escape the grasp of his arms.

  "I'm taking a drastic course of action." Teigan says calmly, holding me firmly in his arms until we reach his car. I yell quite a few choice words at him as he drops me onto the front seat and slams the door and walks away.

  Well that's easy; all I have to do is open the door to get out!

  Yet, it doesn't budge.

  "What the hell?" I jiggle the door handle as I hear Teigan's door open and close quickly. I whip my head around and point to the door. "What the hell?" I repeat.