The Girlfriend Shield

by S. A. Hunter

  “No, just you four. That’s four more than we’ve ever had.”

  “I don’t really count.”

  “I would strongly disagree.”

  I silently acknowledged his compliment.

  “So you’re dating Noah Nash now?”

  Of course, the dean had figured that out from the scene at the Hasbrook. I didn’t know if he knew our relationship was fake though. He often seemed to know more than he should, but he also played things too close to the vest to tell.

  “Yeah, it just happened.”

  “Damien is taking it well.”

  “Well? You mean having a tantrum and jetting off to Hawaii is good behavior?”

  “In his case, yes.”

  I knew Damien’s behavior had been extremely bad in the past. Honestly, he should have been arrested at least once, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with abandoning me during exams. “I get it. Hopefully, the break will be quiet.”

  “Yes, we can hope.”

  “And pray,” I added.

  “Happy holidays, Sarah.”

  “Thanks, Dean.”

  I still hadn’t heard back from Angela when I left the dean. I was beginning to get concerned. Had she made arrangements to go home?

  Though I didn’t want to, I sent Damien a text asking if Angela was with him.

  *Yeah, we’re watching a movie. Come over.*

  I was still peeved at him, but I kept my reply polite. *No thanks.*

  I wondered why Angela hadn’t answered my previous text if she was just watching a movie. I tried calling her and it went straight to voicemail.

  *Tell Angela that my parents will be happy to have her stay over for Christmas.*

  *What about me?*

  *Your parents would be very happy to have you stay over with them for Christmas.*

  *Fine, but I want Angela to stay with me. She’s my girlfriend after all.*

  My eye started twitching as I stared at his last text. Was he seriously pulling this?

  *Come over. We have popcorn.*

  *I don’t want any.*

  *What’s wrong?*

  This boy. I clutched my phone and pressed it to my forehead. He didn’t get it. He’d been spoiled for so long that he had no clue how to consider other people and their feelings. Leaving during exams. Refusing to see his parents for Christmas. He had it so easy. It didn’t matter to him if he didn’t go to Hawaii. He’d been before and he’d have plenty of more chances to go again. Unlike me who had never been and suspected that this would have been the only time, I’d ever get to go.

  But like Dad had said, I couldn’t really miss something I never had.

  “Sarah?”

  I gasped and whirled around. Angela and Damien were in the hallway. She carried a small bag on her shoulder while he had a rolling suitcase.

  “What’s wrong?” Angela asked with concern.

  I silently denied that anything was the matter, but my eyes had gotten watery. I dashed away the tears and took the small bag from her. “Nothing. Great, you’re ready.”

  I headed toward the apartment without acknowledging Damien.

  I could hear two sets of footsteps behind me as I went home. I wished he had done the courteous thing and left us after handing over Angela’s suitcase.

  I swiped my card at the entrance and held the door for Angela. “Just head on up,” I told her. She silently took her suitcase from Damien. She went into the lobby and waited for me. I let the door close, leaving me outside with him.

  Damien crossed his arms.

  I waited for him to say something.

  He appeared to be waiting too. He finally broke. “Aren’t you going to yell at me?”

  “For what?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but you’re obviously upset.”

  “But you don’t know why?”

  “No, I don’t.

  “Then there’s no point yelling at you.”

  “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  I just raised an eyebrow at him.

  He threw up his arms and started pacing. “What?! What have I done now? I helped you study. I haven’t broken Nash’s nose, though he keeps asking for it. Don’t let him kiss you again! Not on the cheek, not on your hand, and especially not on the mouth! Do you not want to go to Hawaii? I went to make sure everything was ready for you and your family. I took my exams extra early so I’d have time. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine. We can stay here. But don’t be mad at me!”

  I blinked. Listening to his narrative of the past few days was not the story I’d been in.

  “You abandoned me,” I said.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “You just left without a word. I had to find out from the dean where you had gone.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “A single text would not have bothered me. Your last words to me were angry. You said, ‘I thought I’d rather spend Christmas with you. I guess I was wrong.’ Then you just left!”

  “I was upset,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, exactly!”

  “Do you want to go to Hawaii or not?!”

  “I want to go!”

  “Then why are we yelling?!”

  “Because we’re not going!”

  “Why?!”

  “Because you won’t spend Christmas with your parents!”

  “But I am!”

  “You’re what?”

  “I told them I’d spend Christmas with them. And I’m even letting you keep Angela. She usually helps distract Mom, but since you were so upset, I’m letting you keep her.”

  “You didn’t tell Angela this.”

  “She always spends Christmas with us. I thought she knew.”

  “No, if she did, we wouldn’t have found her hiding under your bed.”

  “She did what? Why would she do that?”

  “Because she thought you had abandoned her, too! One text, Damien! One text could’ve cleared up at all of this. ‘Hey, I’ve gone to prep the house for us. I’ll be back in a few days!’”

  He crossed his arms again and looked away.

  “What’s all this? I didn’t think we were going to Hawaii until after Christmas,” Cora said. How my grandmother managed to sneak up on people while using a walker was still a mystery to me. Her words fully registered and I turned in consternation to Damien. I hadn’t thought about Cora going with us even when I thought we were going.

  Cora’s walker was still ‘blinged out’ from the event we’d all attended for Noble. It was gold with streamers coming out of the handles. She had on a red sweatshirt with a Christmas tree made out of sequins. Her hair was freshly permed.

  “Grandma, Dad was going to pick you up.”

  “I can drive. I got a handicap hang tag to make your parents happy, but that’s the only concession I’m making.”

  “You’re not supposed to drive,” I said.

  “Tough,” she replied. “So Damien, do they make surfboards that can handle walkers?”

  “If they don’t, I’ll get one made for you.” Hearing him so readily accept that Cora would be with us made me relax.

  She laughed and swayed side-to-side. “Cowabunga, dude. Why do you have an overnight bag? Were you two planning to elope? You’ll need a guardian to sign off. I got a pen in my car.”

  “Grandma,” I said with a weary sigh.

  “I’m glad you’re coming with us, Cora,” he said. He started walking away but turned around to say, “I’ll text to you later, Sarah.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the cheeky way he said that. I made a mental note to turn off my phone.

  “So what’s with the bag?” Cora asked.

  “It’s Angela’s. She’s spending Christmas with us.”

  As we rode the elevator, Cora asked, “So is there trouble in paradise before we get to paradise?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we’re going. He is such a pain.”

  “I’m sorry to break it to you, but they get even more annoying
as they get older.”

  “Don’t tell me that.”

  “I wish it weren’t true! But you should see the old guys at the senior center! All cheeky grins while rattling bottles of little blue pills. A gal wants more than a prescription you know what I mean?”

  “No, I don’t and don’t tell me.”

  When we reached the apartment, Angela was waiting at the door. “You could’ve gone in,” I told her.

  “I didn’t know how long you would be.”

  I could tell she was still embarrassed to be spending Christmas with us. “Do you want to go to the West Estate? Damien told me you could. He even said he wanted you there to distract his mother.”

  Angela appeared conflicted. He hadn’t told her. He hadn’t given her the choice, and I remembered how he’d said he’d let me keep her. He really needed to think about people as people, not accessories.

  “Hmm, stay in a cramped two-bedroom apartment with four other people or a mansion with rooms bigger than the whole of our place. Run, girl! I don’t think that poofy-haired boy was gotten far.”

  “Grandma,” I said disapprovingly.

  “Oh, don’t be sour because he didn’t invite you.”

  “He did invite me.”

  “And you said no?”

  “Of course! I’m not going to miss Christmas with you guys.”

  “Aww, you’re sweet. Dumb, but sweet.”

  “Cora,” I said sternly.

  The apartment door opened, and Dad stuck his head out. “Is the party out here?”

  “Tell Angela that she’s a fool to pass up a chance to stay at the West Estate,” Cora said.

  Dad frowned. “I didn’t know that was on the table. So Damien has reappeared?”

  “Yes, he just got back from Hawaii. He was getting the house ready for our arrival.”

  Dad’s face brightened. “The trip’s on again?”

  I blew out a messy breath. “It seems it was never off.”

  “Sarah, I say this with love, but you can be such a drama queen,” Cora said, pushing past us to enter the apartment.

  My jaw dropped in outrage, but Cora was already out of eyesight. She was fast with that walker.

  Dad was looking at Angela who was looking at the carpet.

  “Angela, it’s up to you. We will not be offended if you want to stay with Damien for Christmas.”

  As Angela thought, her face squished up in displeasure. “I don’t want to spend Christmas with him. He doesn’t deserve my help, especially after the stunt he pulled. But I can go home. I don’t want to inconvenience your family.”

  Dad took Angela’s rolling suitcase from her. “Come on, and welcome to the Smiths’ Christmas Extravaganza.”

  Angela wordlessly tried to reach for her suitcase back. I nudged her out of the way with her own overnight bag. She tried to take it from me, but I didn’t let her and went inside, leaving her in the hallway.

  “Sarah!” she protested.

  “You’re spending Christmas here. Mom has already hung you a stocking.”

  WE HAD KIELBASA AND French fries for dinner. Mom was worried that Angela wouldn’t like the food. She’d asked her if she’d like to her fix her something special. Angela had insisted she wanted to try the food. She had seconds of the kielbasa. She admitted that she’d never had it, but really liked it. After dinner, I checked my phone and found a text from Noah.

  *I’m bored. Do you and Angela want to hang out in the game room?*

  I felt a twinge of pity for him. He’d arranged to spend Christmas all by himself. That wasn’t healthy. I wondered if he could go with Damien to the West Estate. He supposedly still had his own room there. Cora and my parents were doing their own things. Mom was working in the kitchen while Cora and Dad watched television.

  “Do you want to go to the game room to hang out with Noah?” I asked Angela.

  She frowned slightly. “Do you?”

  I sheepishly admitted, “I feel sort of bad for him. He’s all on his own for the holidays.”

  “He chose to be all on his own.”

  “Yeah, but still it’s not good.”

  She sighed. “I suppose we can go.”

  With a quick word to my parents who were surprised to find out that Noah Nash was staying on campus for Christmas, we headed to the game room.

  As we reached the game room, Angela and I exchanged a look because there were voices coming from the room when we’d assumed he was there by himself. We entered to find him playing air hockey with Damien. I couldn’t believe the dark-haired jerk. I put my fists on my hips.

  “Why aren’t you with your parents?”

  Damien mimicked my pose. “I said I’d spend Christmas with them. It isn’t Christmas.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You are such a brat.”

  “If you keep saying stuff like that, I won’t give you your Christmas gift.”

  “No! You even told Cora that she could go. You can’t keep giving and yanking the trip away. It’s cruel and mean and I just told my dad that the trip was back on and—-”

  He grabbed me and got nose-to-nose with me, “I wasn’t talking about Hawaii. We’re going. I promise. I was teasing about the Christmas gift that I got you that’s all. Sorry.” He said sorry with feeling, his face dipping closer so his nose brushed the length of mine.

  I had to blink back my tears. Maybe I was a drama queen. “I thought Hawaii was my Christmas gift. It’s a huge gift. Don’t get me anything else. That’s already too much.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Too late.”

  I tried to turn away to hide my face. Oh no, I was a drama queen. I was about to cry.

  He was still too close. I couldn’t get away. He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry. I forget stuff like taking a trip is a big deal to some people.”

  “It’s a big deal to most people.” I took a deep breath, and though I was terrified to admit it, I told him, “It’s a really big deal to me. Letting my parents come and my grandmother? That’s huge. They’ve never gone and I don’t think they thought they’d ever go. When you offered, I couldn’t believe it, but when I thought it was off, it really hurt.”

  Now he looked like he wanted to hide his face. He let me go as he nodded jerkily. “I get it.”

  “This is really special,” I said.

  He kept nodding. He was nodding too much for me to get a clear read of his face. “Damien?”

  He turned away with his face pointed down, he said, “I’m going to my room. See ya.”

  His evasiveness was alarming me. “Hey, wait.”

  “Nope. Got stuff to do. Bye.”

  He left quickly. I turned to Angela. “What the hell?” I asked bleakly.

  “Don’t worry about him. Do you want to play Uno?” Noah said.

  I took a seat at the card table and pulled out my phone. *I need a text.* I sent him the message and wondered if I’d receive a reply.

  Noah shuffled and dealt the cards.

  I picked up my hand and barely glanced at the cards.

  “You surprised him that’s all,” Noah said.

  “Surprised him with what? I’m the one who has been jerked around.”

  “He has trouble with emotions,” Angela said.

  “I know he can’t control his.”

  Noah played a card. I had to draw. “Not just that. He doesn’t know how to react to other’s emotions either.”

  My phone buzzed. *I’m heading to my parents.*

  He surprised me. I’d half expected him to stay at Noble until Christmas morning. *Tell them Merry Christmas for me.*

  “Well?” Angela asked.

  “He’s headed to the West Estate.”

  Noah chuckled. “You have him so wrapped around your little finger.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but a text alert stopped me. *I will. Miss you already.*

  “ANG, YOU DON’T HAVE to help.”

  “But I want to! And this is fun.”

  Angela had lived such an easy life that haulin
g boxes of decorations from storage to the cafeteria could be fun. Personally, I was annoyed. I was already sweaty, and like Dad said, this was supposed to be my break. But at breakfast, Mom didn’t even ask me to help set up the staff Christmas party, she just gave me my marching orders. I held the door with my back for Angela. We both carried large cardboard boxes. My box was labeled lights while hers had decorations written on it in black marker. Other staff people were in the large hall, unpacking the boxes, hanging the decorations. The dean was overseeing the setup.

  The annual staff party was the dean’s gift to us every year. He allowed us to use the cafeteria for the celebration and the kitchen to store the food. We still had to set up and take down everything, and the food was potluck. I’d long thought his gift was a bit hollow, but when I’d brought it up with my parents, they’d asked me what he should do instead. When I suggested catering the event, they’d been aghast at the thought. And miss all the good food?

  “Set the boxes here, Sarah,” Shelly said. Angela and I put the boxes on the indicated table. Dad and Red were up on ladders hanging banners with Dean Crowe watching to make sure they were hung straight.

  “Is that the last of them?” Shelly asked.

  I nodded and wiped my brow.

  “Here, start putting down the tablecloths.” Shelley unpacked several stacks of folded green tablecloths. With a grimace, I nodded. By my rough estimate, there were fifty tables in the room. This was no small chore.

  “That sounds easy enough,” Angela said, picking up a stack of tablecloths.

  Was she really enjoying this? I followed her to a corner and helped her unfold the tablecloth and place it evenly on the table.

  Her cell phone dinged in her pocket. It had been doing that all morning. She’d been mainly ignoring it. I’d begun to get worried. Was it her parents? Did they know she wasn’t spending Christmas with Damien and wanted her home? “Who is that?” I asked.

  Angela huffed and pulled out the phone. She read the text and dropped her phone back in her pocket without responding. “Damien.”

  Her answer surprised me. He hadn’t texted me at all that morning. “What does he want?”

  “He wants me to come to the estate.”

  “Really? What’s happened?”