Prove Me Wrong

by Tessa Marie

  “It depends,” I say, biting my lip.

  “On what?”

  “If you’re still mad at me.”

  “Doesn’t feel so good does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Guilt fills me, so I look away from him and down at the floor, kicking the dust balls that don’t exist because Stan’s a stickler for cleanliness.

  “Do you want to try this again?” His breath is warm on my neck as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him. Gently he kisses my cheek. This is how it should have gone down in the hallway today at school. Instead, I panicked.

  After the conversation with Mom last night I was freaked out. Scared of setting myself up for disappointment again. Now with Luke’s arms around me, his head resting in the crook of my neck, disappointment is the farthest thing from my mind.

  “Oh thank God,” CJ says as he walks through the door. Luke takes his head from my shoulder, but keeps his arms around my waist. “Because honestly Hailey, you turned him into a moaning bitch and I didn’t know how much more of it I could take.”

  “Whatever, dude.” Luke takes the pack of M&M’s I threw at him and throws them right at CJ whose reflexes are impressive, he catches the pack before it makes contact with his face.

  “So does this mean you can drive him home? I promised Mikey I’d pick him up from his karate class, and I don’t think Luke wants to tag along.”

  I know this is a lie. Luke likes Mikey and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind going with CJ to pick him up. It’s obviously a set up, but I don’t mind if it means more time alone with Luke.

  “I guess so.”

  “You guess so?” Luke tickles my side, making me let out a loud screech which gets Stan’s attention.

  “Is something going on out here?” he asks, coming out of his office for the first time since I got here.

  “Nope, Stan, just getting ready to leave,” Luke says, letting go of me and stepping off to the side.

  “I thought I heard a scream,” Stan says.

  “No, no scream,” Luke says, the right side of his upper lip slightly lifting. So that’s what he does when he’s lying.

  “If you say so. You all have a good night. See you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow, Stan. Maybe get out of here before ten o’clock tonight,” Luke says, not like Stan acknowledges it. He walks right back in his office where I’m sure he’ll stay until late tonight.

  “I’ll catch you guys later,” CJ says as he walks away from us, leaving Luke and I alone. To my surprise, Luke entwines his fingers in mine, pulling my hand up to his lips. The sheer softness sends chills up my arms. I can totally get used to this.

  The car ride to Luke’s is just as chill-induced as the walk to the car. Only seconds after pulling out of the parking space Luke’s hand finds my knee. His thumb slowly rubbing back and forth with just enough pressure, sending tingles throughout my body and right down to my core.

  Everything is perfect, the car ride, the music, and the guy. It’s as if I escaped my world and have found myself on some alternate universe where everything just seems to fit. When I come up to Luke’s house I put the car in park, bracing myself and hoping for some major lip-locking.

  “Thanks for the ride.”

  “Like you and CJ didn’t have that planned out.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asks, pinching his eyes together and playing dumb.

  “Oh come on. He has to pick up his little brother from karate?”

  “He did.”

  “Then if he knew that already why wouldn’t you have just driven yourself to work?”

  The wrinkles on the bridge of his nose smooth out and he laughs. “Okay, you caught me.”

  “So you knew I would come up to you then?”

  “No, that I didn’t know, but I’m happy you did.” Brushing my hair away from my face, he leans into me, capturing my lips in one smooth motion.

  My body turns to Jell-O and I grab Luke’s shirt to stay upright. His hands trail up my neck and lace into my hair, shooting goose bumps throughout my body. I shiver as his fingers untangle themselves from the strands and drag down the back of my ear.

  I couldn’t imagine topping our first kiss, but we just did.

  “My mom’s at work,” he says, completely out of breath. “You want to come in? I mean not like that, just to hangout. Watch a movie maybe.”

  “I can’t. I have to...I have to babysit.” And my descent back to earth begins. The alternate universe I had allowed myself to escape to is falling away from me.

  Back to reality. Back to my life. Back to motherhood.

  My plan actually worked. Honestly I wasn’t very hopeful, but now I have the girl. However, just because I have the girl doesn’t mean it gets less complicated.

  Hailey wants us to keep our relationship outside of school. Basically she doesn’t want Roxy to know. She’s scared it might damage their friendship. Hell, I say damage away, but it’s not my place, so I’ll respect her wishes.

  So in lunch I watch Hailey across the way as she chats it up with Roxy while beside me CJ and Bobby debate who’s hotter Jessica Alba or Mila Kunis. I never thought I’d be jealous of Roxy, could be jealous of Roxy, but each time Hailey smiles I wish it was me she was smiling at. Talking to Roxy doesn’t keep her from casually glancing in my direction though, and during those glances I know it’s not Roxy she’s smiling at.

  “Dude, no way Mila Kunis is way hotter,” CJ says as he munches on a potato chip. “Luke, be the deciding vote.”

  I knew it was only a matter of time before I got dragged into this.

  “If you ask me they look the same.”

  “What are you kidding me?” Bobby throws his hands up as if I just missed the winning basket at the State Championship. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Hey, Travis, got a question for you!” Bobby yells out and I go back to looking in Hailey’s direction.

  Hailey gets up from her seat and makes her way to the snack line. It’s the only time during lunch I can actually talk to her. As the discussion heats up around me, I take off to intercept Hailey before she makes it to the line.

  Today her hair is down, which looks really good but sometimes she uses her hair to hide behind. If I make her blush she leans her head down and her hair falls in her face, blocking me from seeing that cute look she gets whenever I embarrass her.

  “Hey gorgeous,” I whisper in her ear as I come up behind her. It takes all I have to resist wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me.

  “Hey,” she says with a giggle then stops walking when she reaches the bend in the cafeteria where we’re no longer in Roxy’s view.

  “So what are you and Roxy talking about?”

  “She’s just going over the plan for tomorrow.”

  “That’s right, you’ll be spending the day with little Miss Perfect.”

  “There’s no need to pick on her. Unless, of course, you’re jealous.”

  Can she read my mind or something? “Me? No…well maybe a little. If you didn’t have to babysit in the morning we could hang out.”

  “I have a responsibility, I just can’t drop it to go and hang out,” she snaps at me and I’m taken aback.

  This is a side of her I’ve never seen before. Though, I can appreciate the feistiness.

  “I know, and I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so nasty. It’s been a rough day. I got called on in Algebra and I didn’t have the answer and he made me go to the front of the class and write it out on the chalkboard so the class could help me figure it out.”

  “That’s not so bad.”

  “It was mortifying, and as if that wasn’t bad enough I tripped over this girl’s bag on the way back to my desk and my foot got caught in the strap.”

  On accident I laugh. A natural reaction and it just slipped. Unfortunately, Hailey doesn’t look amused.

  “It’s not funny.”

  “Oh come on, it kind of is.”
<
br />   She crosses her arms over her chest and it’s almost impossible not to notice how she basically just put her tits on display.

  She’s mad enough I don’t need her to catch me staring so I press on. “It is and you know it is.”

  “At the time it wasn’t.”

  I’m just about to reach out for her hand so we can have some form of physical contact when I hear Roxy.

  “Hailey!”

  My hand drops to my side.

  “Oh,” Roxy says as she sees me. “Never mind. Got my answer. But when you’re done here I still have a few more things I need to go over with you.” Roxy stands there for a second, probably hoping Hailey will leave me and go with her. Fat chance.

  “Okay, just have to get in line I’ll be right back.” Hailey says, prompting Roxy to walk away.

  I look over at my table. CJ and Bobby have now brought Russ into the discussion. He’s the last person I want to come into contact with right now because I swear if he makes one lewd comment about Hailey I’m taking him down. “I’ll go with you. A blueberry muffin sounds good.”

  “Since when do you like blueberry muffins?”

  “Since it can give me five more minutes with you.”

  She smiles at the line. But line or not it’s the total truth. I’d do just about anything to have a few more minutes with her. It’s weird. I’ve never preferred talking with a girl over discussing hot celebrity chicks with CJ and Bobby. All that matters is the smile on Hailey’s face that she hasn’t been able to shake since my last comment.

  Once Hailey gets her blueberry muffin we go our separate ways. Restraining is hard for me and more than anything I want to bend Hailey down and kiss her with all that I have in front of Roxy. Then watch Roxy’s face as it distorts in a million different ways before settling on a death stare. It would be my way of saying, fuck it. I’m with Hailey and I don’t give a shit what anyone has to say about it.

  ***

  At home I’m not expecting to run into Mom. Usually she’s at work when I pop in before heading to Gimbel’s. I told CJ not to wait for me so I can bring my own car and possibly talk Hailey into hanging out for a bit before she has to get home to babysit. Too bad her mom won’t cut her some slack.

  Now poor Hailey’s stuck with the responsibility and it totally blows. During school I have to act as if we’re not together and the only nights we can hang out are Saturdays when her mom isn’t working overtime. Of course Roxy took away my Saturday this week.

  “Mom, what are you doing home?” I ask when I see her checking her hair in the mirror. She jumps at my voice

  “Luke. I. Um. What are you doing here?”

  She looks good. Pretty. I haven’t seen her with makeup on since Dad left. She basically gave up the minute he gave up on us. It took her a whole year to stop wearing sweatpants out.

  “I just asked you the same thing. I have to grab my smock and pick up my car.”

  “Don’t let me stop you then.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes, that’s it.”

  “So are you going to tell me why you’re home and maybe why you’re decked out like you’re going somewhere?”

  She lets out a rush of air, blowing the hair that has fallen in her face up. “This is awkward.”

  “Care to explain?” I stare at her, waiting. There’s not much we keep from each other.

  Oh God. The room closes in on me as thoughts fill my mind. The blood rushes out of my head, leaving me dizzy and lightheaded. The wall is right behind me, I just need to prop my body up against it so I can gather my composure but I can’t move. Mom must notice because finally she speaks.

  “I’m seeing someone. I didn’t want to tell you because…I didn’t know how.”

  “Who is it?” I ask, trying to keep my cool. I’m overreacting. She wouldn’t.

  She sticks a tissue between her lips and smacks them together. As the long pause continues, the worst possible outcome pops into my mind. My father’s back. Why else would she be all dolled up? She only ever looked like that for him. She never moved on after he left. He broke her.

  She swore off men. Time and time again I’ve witnessed her turning guys down. Even decent ones. I asked her about it once. Why she wouldn’t just give one of them a chance. She told me being in love once was more than enough for her.

  My breathing picks up until I feel like I can’t breathe at all. No. She’s not seeing him. That’d be ridiculous. But as the silence continues my mind can’t seem to focus on any rational thoughts. My fingers dig into my palms. I’ll kill him.

  “How could you, Mom?” I spit out.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. How could you?”

  Her hands fall to her side and she lets out a loud sigh. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  “And how long have you been sneaking around with him?”

  “A couple of months.”

  “A couple of months?” I scream out in disbelief.

  “What’s the big deal, Luke? I’m an adult. I can date if I want.”

  “You can. But you chose him.”

  “Wait. You know him?”

  “Of course I know him. At least what I can remember of him.”

  “What?” Mom’s eyebrows narrow. Confusion splatters her face. “Luke, no. You thought I was seeing your father?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  She laughs and the tension in my neck eases. “No.” Small wrinkles form on the bridge of her nose and her lips twitch. Dammit, she’s going to cry. It’s amazing that after all of these years he still can affect her. Prick. “Your father’s never coming back. It took me a long time to accept that, but I have, and I’m moving on. I think nine years is enough time. Besides, I really like Rick.”

  “His name’s Rick?” He sounds like an accountant.

  “Yes and he’s a very nice man.”

  “Where’d you meet him?”

  “He’s the accountant at my job.”

  I laugh, but at least he has a stable job. And not anyone can be an accountant. You actually have to be smart, good with numbers, and hopefully he’s a good person. He better be.

  “Sounds like a blast,” I joke.

  “As a matter of fact he is,” she says as she bites her lip, and that’s as close to hearing about my mom’s personal life as I’ll ever get.

  “As long as you’re happy, Mom. I’m just happy you’ve finally moved on from that loser.”

  “They can’t all be winners,” she says with a sad smile. “But I got you out of the deal so I still consider it a win.” She wraps her arm around my shoulder and pulls me down so she can kiss my cheek.

  My cell vibrates and I pull it out of my pocket, smiling when a message from Hailey flashes on the screen.

  “Now look at that smile,” Mom says, nudging me with her elbow. “Must be Hailey.”

  “Must be.”

  “She seems like she makes you happy.”

  I think of how just seeing Hailey’s name on my phone makes me smile. How when I’m with her I can’t imagine being anywhere else. And how just being near her makes my day better.

  “She does.”

  I hope I can meet her one day. I never did get to meet your last girlfriend. ”

  “You met her.”

  “Catching her sneaking out your bedroom window does not constitute as meeting her.”

  “Guess not.” I shrug. ”But she wasn’t worth it anyway.”

  “She wasn’t worth meeting your mother but she was worth sneaking through your bedroom window?”

  “Something like that.”

  Disappointment clouds her features and I hate myself for not being able to be a better son. The type of son who makes her proud. Says and does the right things.

  “You’re better than that,” she says and the way she looks at me with sincerity and confidence, I believe her. “I hope there’ll be no more sneaking girls in through your bedroom window.”

  The response was simple. “No. No girls. Just Hailey. And I
’ll let her come through the front door.”

  I force myself to pull away from Luke’s luscious lips and his intoxicating scent. He keeps his strong hand on my shoulder while the other gently cups my face. I could spend hours kissing Luke, but I have a son at home who needs to see his mother before he goes to bed.

  “Don’t go.” His thumb brushes across my chin, causing chills to shoot up my neck through my ear and across the back of my head.

  “I have to.”

  “I know, but it’s not fair.” He leans his body from the driver’s seat over to my side of his car and I allow my body to mimic his. His hand moves from my chin to the back of my neck as he loses it in my hair. The door acts as a wall, the only thing keeping me from sliding down and allowing Luke to lie on top of me.

  His lips part from mine for a split second, and I take my chance to stop him. I slide my hand away from his back and put my finger on my lips causing a roadblock in his advances. His lips, wet from our kisses, land right on my finger. However, after a tender kiss above my knuckle he pulls away.

  “Can’t your mom hire a babysitter one night?”

  “Babysitters are expensive.”

  Luke snuggles into my neck and rains kisses along the crook. “I’ll pay for it.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  He leans away from me, running his fingers along my hairline. “If it can give me a night with you it would be worth it. Besides, I have money saved.”

  “And you should keep that money to help pay for college.”

  His eyebrows turn in and the skin above his nose pinches tight. “Why would you think I’m going to college?”

  “Aren’t you? There are college brochures in your room.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. I think college is a waste of money and time.”

  My whole life it’s been drilled in my head that college is the end goal. Without a college education, what would I do? Where would I go, and what would I be?

  “Then what are you going to do?”

  “I haven’t thought about it. Take one day at time. It’ll all fall into place eventually.”

  “But what if it doesn’t?”

  “What does it matter? I’m still a senior. I have time to figure it out,” he snaps then quickly adjusts his tone. “I’m sorry. College is another touchy subject for me.”