I pretended I didn’t hear most of what the man said. I raised an eyebrow. “That would be tough. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I just have a tight deadline to get some things done for my dad. He doesn’t think I will complete it in time.”
“When’s the deadline?”
“Monday.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “That’s why he’s getting worked up.”
“Wow, two days from now. Well, good luck with your project.” He stared at me a moment, saying nothing, his forehead creased and he looked concerned or maybe worried.
He might have been cute, but something was off with this guy. I decided to change the subject. “So, do you have any plans for the rest of your weekend, besides getting sucked into free labor?"
Matt shifted his gaze and ran his hand through his hair. “Nah, not really and I honestly didn’t mind. Your dad’s a nice guy. How about you?”
“No. Though you’d think I would, considering it’s my birthday weekend.”
Matt’s mouth curved into a lopsided grin. “You get a whole weekend?”
I nodded. “Haven’t you heard? It’s an unspoken rule. If your birthday falls on a school day you get an entire weekend to celebrate. Monday’s my actual birthday.”
He chuckled. “Is that so? Your eighteenth, I presume?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“It’s a big one, you’ll be an adult.” He smiled although it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.
“That’s what they keep saying. I don’t really see how, in two days time, I will be any different than I am right now.”
“You may not feel any different, but you can make choices for yourself, live by yourself, do just about anything you want and, of course, you have to live with your own mistakes.” With his far off gaze, his comment seemed more of an internal reflection than actually meant for me. He snapped out of it and joked, “When I put it that way, it doesn’t sound very fun, does it?”
“Not really, actually.” I laughed. We finished our lunch, gathered our trash and disposed of it at a nearby garbage bin.
“Well, Kylie, it was very nice meeting you. Please thank your dad again for lunch.”
“Nice meeting you too.” I smiled. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
Matt’s smile faltered. “Yes, I’m sure you will.” He seemed about ready to walk away when he turned to me again. With a bit of hesitation he spoke, “It was nice getting to know you.” His eyes looked almost sad, as if he wanted to say more.
“Kylie, you– I’m–” he cleared his throat. “Happy early birthday.” With a quick, polite smile, he walked away.
“Thanks,” I muttered. Our lunch had been nice, but that guy was weird. It occurred to me then, that I had no car to get home. I walked back to the Liberal Arts building and into my dad’s office.
“Hey, honey. Did you guys have a good lunch?”
“Yeah, it was good. Matt’s nice, but kind of unusual.”
Dad’s eyebrows knitted together. “Really? He seemed nice enough. Maybe he was just a bit uncomfortable, having lunch with someone he didn’t know that well, a pretty someone at that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who knows? Anyways, I came up here because I have no way to get home. Should I call Mom, or will you be done here soon?”
Dad glanced at the stack of papers on his desk. “Well, I have a little more to finish up. Why don’t you take my car home, and I will have your mom pick me up. Here are my keys.” He reached in his pocket and pulled them out. “I am parked in the staff lot just around this building. You know the one?”
“Yep.”
“Thanks for your help today.”
“No problem.” I gave him a hug and headed out.
* * * *
When I pulled into my driveway, my mom’s car was gone, which didn’t surprise me too much, she was probably out running errands or shopping, but what did surprise me was the visitor awaiting me on my front porch.
“Hey,” Grant said as I stepped out of my dad’s car.
“Hi. Have you been waiting long?”
“No, not too long. No one was home, so I thought I would wait around a minute.”
My heart raced. I couldn’t believe Grant was visiting me, and that he’d waited for me to get home.
“Well, want to come inside?”
His gaze shifted to my front door, then back to me.
“I can’t stay long, but I guess I can come in for a minute.”
My heart pounded like it would beat right out of my chest. I opened the front door and we both stepped in. “My parents are out. We have the house to ourselves.” My cheeks warmed. I couldn’t believe I just said that. It sounded like a cheesy come on. Grant smiled and surveyed my living room.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I just came to check on you.”
“You did?” My stomach did a flip.
Grant laughed. “You find that surprising?”
I blushed again and shrugged.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night, well, and that we’re okay.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
I looked at him with confusion. “I’m fine. We’re fine. Why wouldn’t we be?”
Last night was so hazy. I hated that I couldn’t remember more.
Grant looked down at his shoe, then back at me. “I didn’t know if you were mad about the whole Bryce thing now that you’ve had more time to think about it.”
I thought back to last night. I remembered talking to Bryce on the patio and I remembered dancing with him. I chewed on my lip as I thought, then it hit me. I had been in the hall with the two boys while they argued. What had they argued about? Was it me? Damn, what was it? I knew Lexie said it was time to go and then I recalled driving home.
“I’m sorry, Grant. I can’t remember everything that happened last night, but on a good note that means I’m not mad at you.” I smiled at him, “Even if I had reason to, which I doubt I would, I can’t remember.”
He smiled and eyed my thoughtfully. “So you have no memory of getting home?”
“I remember a car ride.”
“With me?”
I thought about that. Yes, Grant drove, but where was Lexie? She was in a different car with his cousin, Conor.
“I take that as a no.”
I shrugged. “I’m sorry. I feel like such an idiot.” And I did. It wasn’t like me to drink too much, or really drink at all. I don’t know why I picked last night to do it. Then I remembered something else. Cerise. She was why I kept drinking. She tried to spill my drink on me, kept giving me ugly looks and said Grant thought I was pathetic.
I looked up at him. “I do remember Cerise being mean to me.”
His expression softened. “Well, I hope you remember me saying everything Cerise said was a lie. Mean lies, meant only to upset you.”
I looked down, then up at him smiling a little. “Well, she accomplished what she set out to do.”
He took a step forward and for a moment I thought he might reach out to me, but then he abruptly stopped. The tickling sensation his nearness brought reminded me of something else. Last night the intensity of the current had been magnified. Heat radiated off my face as I remembered asking him about it. I decided to pretend that was one of the things I couldn’t remember.
“So,” he attempted a subject change. “Did you have a good day today?”
“I guess. I helped my dad at work, but it was okay. He had some extra help so it went fast.”
“Do you have any plans for your birthday on Monday?”
I tilted my head and squinted. “How did you know it was my birthday?”
Grant opened his mouth as if about to speak, then hesitated. He shifted his weight and scratched his head. He cleared his throat and finally answered. “I think you told me last night, or maybe it was Lexie.” He shrugged.
My stomach swirled with excitement. Had he been asking around about me? Did he want to know as much about me as I wanted to know about
him? One thing I was pretty sure of, I never told him my birthday was Monday.
“My parents have this work thing Monday night, and I told them we didn’t have to make a big deal out of celebrating my birthday. My mom willingly agreed–she’s in denial that I’m turning eighteen. Every time it’s mentioned she gets all choked up. She did promise me cake though, and I’m holding her to that one.” I laughed. “Other than that I actually don’t have anything exciting planned, besides school,” I added, my voice laced with sarcasm.
He laughed. “Well, we’ll have to change that. How about a birthday dinner?” My heart fluttered. “Bring Lexie,” he quickly added.
“That sounds fun, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.”
Those three little words just turned my boring birthday into possibly the best one ever. I bit my bottom lip. “Okay. Sounds fun. I’ll tell Lexie.”
He smiled. “Good, and if you don’t mind, I will bring Conor.”
“No, not at all. Lexie and Conor seemed to have hit it off. That will be fun.”
Grant looked thoughtful for a minute. “They did, didn’t they? Conor rarely clicks with people. He tends to be quiet and expects the worst of people. His parents really messed him up.”
“That’s it,” I said. “That’s why they get along. For one, Lexie talks enough for two people, or a dozen.” He laughed. “And what you see, is what you get. She never pretends to be something she is not. Also, her mom and dad aren’t winning any parent of the year awards anytime soon, but instead of letting it get to her, she just brushes it off. I guess they are in similar situations, just looking at it from two different viewpoints. I think they balance each other out.”
“That sounds very possible.” Grant’s gaze drifted possibly thinking about what I’d just said. Finally earning me a nod. “Very insightful,” he teased.
I grinned. “Why thank you. It must have been that time at the community college today. It brought out the scholar in me.”
He laughed.
Chapter 7
Monday morning I woke up with a smile on my face. My first thought was Grant and my second thought was my dinner date with Grant. After getting ready for school, taking extra care with my hair and makeup, I headed downstairs. I found a white cake box with a note attached.
Happy Birthday, honey! We didn’t forget, but we didn’t want to wake you up early on your birthday either. We are sorry, but we will be getting home late due to tonight’s charity event. Save us a piece!
xoxo, Mom and Dad
I lifted the lid and peered inside. Chocolate, my favorite. The smell wafted up out of the box and tempted me into cutting into it right then. I forced myself to close the box and head out the door.
“Well looks like someone is a happy birthday girl.” Lexie’s mouth pulled back in a wide grin. “Did you get my text?”
“Of course I did.” I smiled back. She had texted me the entire Happy Birthday song at exactly one minute after midnight. Reaching behind my seat, she produced a small bag. I grinned. “What’s this?”
“Open it and find out.” Without hesitation I reached into the bag and found a small box. I smiled.
“Open it already!”
I popped up the lid and found a gorgeous necklace. I lifted the chain and admired the medallion that lay in the palm of my hand. It was a small, solid, circular disc with an oak tree cast. I had admired it a few days ago, when Lexie and I were on our shopping trip. Something had drawn me to it. The tiny details of the oak tree had left me in awe. It had an abundance of branches each one carefully crafted and tiny roots anchored it in place. It was beautiful.
“Lexie I love it.” I hugged her tightly.
“I noticed you checking it out the other day and just knew you had to have it. Let me help you get it on.” I turned and lifted my hair. She fastened the necklace around my neck. “It suits you.” Her face lit up.
I ran my fingers against the cold metal. She was right–I did feel like this necklace was meant for me. “I think today might just turn out to be my best birthday on record.”
“I agree. Now let’s get school over with so we can have some fun.”
* * * *
When I opened my locker, the smell of fresh flowers greeted me. My stomach immediately fluttered. I bit my bottom lip and thought of Grant. I wondered which office helper he had bribed for my locker combination. I couldn’t stop the grin fluttering my lips at the thought of the trouble he’d gone through to get it. Attached to the twelve pink roses hung a card. Careful not to tear the envelope, I opened it.
Happy Birthday, Kylie. I’m sorry about the other night. I hope there are no hard feelings. See you at lunch?–Bryce
My heart sank, which also made me feel guilty. The roses from Bryce were beautiful and considerate, but they weren’t from Grant. I should have known though. The student helpers in the office all knew Bryce and would happily hand over my locker combination to him, especially knowing how close we were.
“Ooh, roses. Someone thinks you’re special.” Lexie grinned.
“Bryce.” My voice fell flat.
“Oh.” She seemed to share in my disappointment. “Well, it’s still early. You have lots of birthday left.”
I slipped the flowers back into my locker, praying I would not run into him. I walked the halls on high alert. I desperately wanted to see Grant but also wanted to avoid Bryce. It was hard getting around like that, but I managed to avoid Bryce. Unfortunately, I never saw Grant either.
At lunch time, I headed with Lexie to the cafeteria. Thankfully, she had in fact broken up with Dylan over the weekend so we were not sitting at same table as he and Bryce.
My lunch lodged in my throat as anticipation tied my stomach into knots. Grant remained unseen, and I knew it was only a matter of time until I ran into Bryce. Pretending I was mad seemed like a good way to avoid him, but I decided that was just too mean. While I picked at my lunch, Lexie kept me entertained with a story about some poor guy in her Chem class who walked in with toilet paper attached to his shoe. I gave her a curious look when she became unnaturally quiet. She made a slight gesture over my shoulder.
My heart raced as my lips pulled back into a wide smile. I spun around and stared into the eyes of Bryce. My smile faltered, but I did my best to hide my disappointment.
“Hey Bryce. Thank you so much for the flowers. I looked all over for you this morning to thank you, but never could find you.” I forced a sweet smile even while stabbed with a hint of guilt. “I can’t wait to get them home and into some water. I feel bad leaving them in my locker but I figure that’s the safest place for them right now.”
Bryce smiled broadly, clearly happy with my response to his gift. “I’m glad you liked them.” He paused for an awkward moment. If he was waiting for me to say something else, he didn’t get it, instead I just mentally prayed he would leave and end this conversation. “So, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday in person.”
“Thanks Bryce. That’s nice of you.”
He flinched at my use of the word nice. “Okay then. I will see you around.”
“Have a good lunch.” I smiled and shifted back to my food.
Lexie grinned at me as Bryce walked away. “When did you become such a good liar? I thought lying was my gig?”
This time, shame flooded through me. “That was awful wasn’t it? I’m a bad person aren’t I?”
“Of course not! Don’t feel bad about brushing off Bryce. I mean the flowers were a nice gesture, but the steady flow of drinks and leading you to his room bit, definitely crossed some lines.”
I flashed back to Friday night, remembering the hallway. I was very dizzy and wanted a place to sit down, when Grant appeared and began to argue with Bryce about taking me home. I tried hard to remember every detail of the conversation to no avail. Either way my heart still fluttered in my chest with the thought of Grant stepping in for me. Where was he? I lifted my head and scanned the cafeteria.
“Lexie,
have you seen Grant or Conor today?”
“No, actually I haven’t. I’m guessing you haven’t either?” She looked a bit concerned.
“No.” I felt a frown forming on my face. “What if they are absent? Do you think this means dinner–”
“Of course not. They are probably here somewhere, and even if they aren’t they wouldn’t miss your birthday dinner.” Her voice sounded optimistic but her expression didn’t seem so sure.
“Yeah, I guess. It was his idea after all. He wouldn’t stand me up.” Would he? I nervously bit on my bottom lip.
“Hey Kyla.” Cerise stood over me, with an evil smile on her face. “Rumor has it, you threw yourself at Grant and now he skipped school just to stay far away from you.”
“Oh please Cerise,” Lexie chimed in, her tone full of annoyance, “You and I both know that’s a lie, and if there really is a rumor floating around school, we all know who started it.” She raised her voice ensuring other tables heard. “You would do something that pathetic.”
Cerise scowled at Lexie and opened her mouth to speak when my embarrassment metamorphosed into anger. I had enough of Cerise and refused to let her ruin my good day.
I shot her a fierce glare. “Actually Cerise, everyone knows you were the one throwing yourself at Grant.”
My words caught her off guard. She just stood there staring at me.
“If he is avoiding anyone it’s you.” My words were full of venom. “You are just upset he ditched you at the party and drove me home.” I made sure everyone in earshot could hear the last part. I heard a few suppressed giggles around me.
Her mouth fell open. She snapped it shut, then seemed about to speak but instead pursed her lips probably searching for a comeback. Red slowly crept into Cerise’s face as our little showdown attracted more attention.
I couldn’t help it, I seized the opportunity. “You know Cerise, your act is getting old. You prance around this school like you own the place. You think everyone must bow down to you and if someone stands in your way you attack. Well, let me just remind you, high school will be over soon, very soon. And then what will you be? You won’t be queen B, and by B yes I mean bitch, of this high school anymore. What will you be then? Just a girl, a girl without a single real friend.”
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