by Naomi Niles
“Sure. Sounds good.”
My weekend was wide open, after all. No dates. No parties, but really there never were.
***
I stopped in the men’s room before my last class. I’d waited all day. I was in there alone, thankfully. Using the urinal then washed my hands. That’s when I saw it.
I’d been thinking about what Cole had said about Taylor. She’d been on my mind all day, and I hoped I could help her.
Written on the wall were the words: “Taylor Dean is a slut.”
I didn’t think she was. Cole had said she was a cock tease. That usually meant that she was virgin. So how could she be a slut?
Someone came in and I took my time washing my hands. I’d be late for my next class, but that was fine.
“Hey,” the person said as they washed their hands.
“Hey.”
That guy left as the bell rang. Shit, I was going to be really late for class. I dug into my backpack for a marker. I couldn’t let that sit there. I’d never had a sister, but I wouldn’t want someone to say that about her if I did.
She wasn’t and even if she was, it wasn’t up to someone else to make that judgment. I knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of judgment. Most people thought things of me that weren’t true. I knew that I’d never overcome my reputation in this school, but no need to drag Taylor down.
I found the marker. Uncapping it, I began to cover it up.
The door swung open. I jumped and probably looked guilty.
“What are you doing?”
The newcomer looked from me to the marker and then to the wall. I had covered a good portion of it by then. “You should be in class and not in the bathroom.”
The man grabbed my arm and dragged me out of there.
“I was just-”
“Save it. We’re going to Principal Elliot’s office.”
I didn’t know this guy, but I had a feeling he knew who I was. Principal Elliot certainly knew who I was. Sadly, I’d get no leniency from him, even if it had been months since I’d been in to see him.
I was able to snag my backpack before I was pulled into the hallway.
“I don’t know what you kids are thinking when you do stuff like that.”
He hadn’t let go of my arm. He was going to bruise it, but I sucked it up. I wasn’t going to whine. I just followed him to my punishment. It wouldn’t be my first.
The teacher dropped me onto a chair in the outer office. “Wait here.” Then he turned to the secretary and asked, “Is he in?”
“Go ahead.”
She waved her hand without looking up. When she did look up, she frowned at me. “Haven’t seen you in awhile.”
I shrugged. I wanted to try and explain the situation to the principal, even if I knew he wouldn’t listen.
Staring at my feet, I just grunted in her direction. She went back to her work. The door to Principal Elliot’s office swung open. The teacher who had nabbed me left with a smirk on his face. Was he enjoying this? Was this how he got his rocks off?
“Come here, Mr. Cabot,” Principal Elliot said.
I sighed, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and trudged into his office. He closed the door behind me. “Sit down.”
I knew the drill. He was going to listen to my story, then lecture me as if I was guilty. He’d already decided I’d get detention. Yada, yada, yada. Been there, done that.
I sat on the chair across from him. He might have tried to call my mother, but she wouldn’t be answering.
He settled back behind his desk, a frown on his face. “We haven’t had the pleasure of seeing you in awhile. Have you kept your nose clean or just gotten better at not getting caught?”
I picked at a spot on my jeans. I really wasn’t a bad kid. I just made poor decisions. “Kept my nose clean.”
“I understand that your living situation has changed.”
I looked up at him. “How do you know?”
“Mr. Dean called me yesterday and told me that you were under his care at the moment. You’re eighteen, so I don’t have to call him, but I’ve been friends with him for years, so I’m going to let him know that you were in here. I want to give you detention. For a week. We’ll see what he says.”
I didn’t care if he gave me detention, I didn’t, but I really didn’t want him to call Mr. Dean.
“I was covering up something bad said about Taylor Dean,” I blurted out.
He stopped with his hand poised over the phone. “Oh?”
“Yes. It said she was a slut, and I think that’s awful, so I covered it up.”
He folded his hands on the desk, clearly thinking about what I said. “Whether that is true or not, it is still vandalism.”
“I know, sir.”
“You do. Mr. Carter said you resisted him.”
“What?” I looked the man square in the eye. “I didn’t. I didn’t even say anything.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I knew he caught me, and I just came here with him.” I rolled up my sleeve to where the marks his fingers made. “He did this.”
Principal Elliot eyed the bruises. He blinked a few times. “I’m going to call Mr. Dean. I’ll talk over your punishment with him. Then, one of us will tell you.”
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here’s a pass to get into your last class. Try to stay out of trouble on your way there.”
I snagged the paper and left. I wasn’t going to thank him because I didn’t think he’d done anything great for me. He was on as much of a power trip as Mr. Carter.
Chapter Six
Taylor
I came home from practice early. I’d heard from several people that Dylan had been in the principal’s office. I’d never been sent there and had no idea what you had to do to be there. What kind of trouble was he in?
As soon as I opened the front door, I could hear my parents arguing. They rarely did that, so it freaked me out.
“Why did you bring that delinquent into my house?” my mother asked.
Guess my father had left work early to pick up Dylan from school. That sucks. My parents don’t yell at each other. Why was Dylan here if he was just going to make them do that? I sighed, leaning against the door.
They were in the living room, and I didn’t want to be roped into the argument if I walked past.
“It’s my house, too,” my father shouted back.
I cringed. I’d never heard him so angry. I didn’t want this disruption. This was my senior year and I wanted the second half to go as smoothly as the first. Would my parents get a divorce? Was this the end?
I just didn’t know what was happening.
“You did this. You and your projects. Well, he isn’t a stray dog.”
“Mallory, you are overreacting. He didn’t kill anyone. He’s not even going to get detention other than to clean that bathroom on a Saturday.”
“What will the neighbors think? This isn’t a large town. How will I hold my head up in the grocery store?”
I sighed again. Of course, she’d worry about that. I was worried about my standing in school. I was popular, but that could change in a heartbeat. Something like this could drag me down. I wanted to be mad at Dylan. What had he done?
If this was the result, I knew that I didn’t want to be in trouble ever.
I wondered where he was and if my mother had already yelled at him.
“The kid lives in a trailer and eats cereal for every meal. Can’t you open your heart for him?”
“Open my heart? He was caught vandalizing the school.”
So, that’s what he did. Why? Odd, I thought. He seemed to be trying to fit in now, instead of being an outcast. Why would he risk it? There had to be more to this story.
I pushed away from the door, debating running upstairs. I’d have to close the door like I just came home. They’d be mad if they knew that I was eavesdropping on them. I didn’t usually do that.
So, I opened the door then close
d it.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Daddy,” I said as I ran past the living room up to my room.
I closed the door, but stood in the hallway. I wanted to hear what else they had to say.
“If he corrupts our daughter, there will be hell to pay, Rob. I want him out.”
“I’m not throwing the kid out on the street,” my father said.
“Why not? What has he done for you?”
“It isn’t about what he’s done. It’s what I can do for him. I think he has a chance. He’s a smart kid. He just needs a leg up. Why can’t you see that, Mallory?”
“Because I’m more worried about our daughter and what he could do to her?”
“Our daughter is fine. He isn’t going to do anything to her. You’ve made the leap from vandalism to murder. God, Mallory. Do you hear yourself?”
I could tell that he stormed out of the living room. I heard his feet pound on the bottom steps. Crap. I couldn’t make it back to my room without him seeing me. I was eavesdropping and I shouldn’t have been.
So, I did the only other thing that I could. I ran down the hall on my tiptoes and barged into Dylan’s room. It wasn’t until after I closed the door behind me that I realized he might have been naked or in the bathroom or something embarrassing like that.
Instead, he was laid out on his bed, his books around him.
“Do you knock?”
I leaned on the door. “Sorry. I was listening to my parents and my dad came upstairs. This was the only place to hide.”
“Good thing I wasn’t changing.”
“I know, sorry.”
I listened at the door, not hearing anything. I hoped my father had gone upstairs. I didn’t want to talk to him. Dylan rubbed a hand down his face.
“Your parents are arguing?”
“Yes. About you.”
The admission brought me no joy.
“About me.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“What does it matter?”
“I want to know.”
“Do you always get what you want?” he said.
I nodded. “Most of the time.”
He then frowned. “Well, princess, not this time.”
“Tell me, Dylan. You were in the principal’s office.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been there before. Not everyone is as pure as you are.”
What an odd term to use. Pure. I wasn’t exactly, though I was still a virgin. I had given a few guys blow jobs. That was it. “I never said I was pure. I just wanted to know what you did. Mom said vandalism.”
He crossed his arms. I crossed mine. I could be stubborn if I wanted to. “If you give them a good reason why you did what you did, then they’ll forgive you.”
“I doubt it’s that simple.”
I walked closer to the bed. “It is. I promise.”
He shook his head. “No, Taylor. You need to stay out of this. It’s not your business.”
“Tell my dad. He’ll listen.”
“No, just stop. Go back to our pink princess room and pink princess life. Things aren’t that simple for everyone.”
I wanted to hit him. I could feel tears in my eyes. “I’m just trying to help. You don’t have to be mean.”
I ran out of his room. I heard him call my name, but I wasn’t going back. I’d been humiliated.
***
Someone knocked softly on my door a few minutes later. Now, I wiped my eyes and stood up from my bed where I had thrown myself to cry. As I walked to the door it opened. There stood Dylan, looking sheepish.
“Can I come in?”
I nodded, not sure what I would say to him. Maybe I had overreacted. Maybe he had a right to his privacy. I’d only known the kid for a few days.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You don’t have any reason to be sorry.”
He shuffled his feet a frown creasing his face. “I made you cry.”
I sniffed then wiped some more tears. “Well, yes, but I might have been sensitive.”
“You need some chocolate?”
“Chocolate?”
“Yes. Your parents aren’t arguing anymore, and I snuck downstairs to get you chocolate. I knew there was some in the cabinet. It always made my mom feel better.”
I looked at his outstretched hand with the chocolate bar in it. It was probably the best peace offering anyone had ever given me. I took it, a smile on my face. “I probably could use some chocolate. Thanks.”
I sat at my desk then opened it. “You want some? I’ll share.”
“No, go ahead.”
As I ate the chocolate, I’m sure I had a look of pure ecstasy on my face. “I’m really sorry about how I reacted. It is none of my business.”
“It’s okay. I understand your curiosity.
For the first time, I really looked at him. He was tall, probably over six feet. Right now, he had long sleeves on so I couldn’t see his tattoos. He didn’t have anything strange pierced that I know of. I wasn’t going to ask, but who knew.
“How do you think you did on that pop quiz?”
He leaned on the doorframe, crossing his feet at his ankles. “I think I did okay. You didn’t seem too happy.”
“I wasn’t. The homework was hard, and I didn’t understand it.”
“You should have asked me. I can help you.”
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
He shrugged. “It isn’t a bother when it comes easily to me.”
She nodded. “Has Daddy been in to talk to you?”
“No, everyone has steered clear of me. Except for you. I expected your mother to come in, but she just walked past my door. I don’t want to cause friction.”
“I think if you go to my dad, he’ll understand. He’s on your side, from what I heard of their argument.”
He looked at his shoes. “Maybe I should leave.”
“No, Dylan. If my dad says you can stay, you stay. My mother can be a pain in the ass at times, but I can’t imagine that she’d throw you out.”
“If you say so.”
“I do, Dylan, really.”
He looked at me with sad eyes. He reminded me of a puppy left out in the cold. I but he had been more than once and my heart went out to him. Maybe this is the person that Daddy saw and took pity on. I hadn’t seen this side of him yet.
“Okay. You need some help with math tonight?”
I frowned. “I do. You don’t mind helping me?”
“No, Taylor. I said I didn’t.”
I dug in my backpack for my notes and my textbook. He stepped closer.
“Go get the chair from your room.”
He nodded then came back with it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Did something happen between you and Cole? I only want to know because we hang out.”
“Freshman year he asked me out. I turned him down. Why?”
“Well, he just said some things about you that didn’t seem friendly,” Dylan said.
I cocked my head. “We aren’t besties, so it doesn’t matter what he thinks, but what did he say?”
“He said you were a cock tease.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus among the jocks. It’s because I haven’t put out for them.”
“You shouldn’t. Most of them are dicks.”
I laughed. Was Dylan giving me guy advice? He might be a useful resource. “I’ll make you a deal. You give me the inside scoop on guys and I’ll do the same for you on girls.”
He grinned. “Okay.”
He made it sound like he didn’t need my help. He may not, but I bet I knew far more about women than he did. “Now this math homework.”
“Right. What do you understand about it?”
Telling him took all of about thirty seconds.
“Okay. Well, we need to start from scratch,” he said.
He moved the chair closer. I could smell him. He smelled good. Like soap and water. Nothing fancy. I had no ide
a what kind of soap was in that bathroom, but it suited him. Why was I thinking about Dylan this way?
“Before we start, can I appeal to you one more time to talk to Daddy?”
He shook his head. “Let it go, Taylor. It’s not something I want to talk about.”
“I bet you weren’t even vandalizing. I feel like there is more to this story.”
He rolled his brown eyes. “Stop, Taylor. I’ll take my punishment. It’s okay.”
“But it goes in your record.”
“It isn’t the only thing in my record.”
I looked at him for a moment. “No?”
“I’ve never been an angel, okay? Can we just talk about math?”
“I’m really curious now.”
“I’ll leave if you keep bringing this up. Do you want to fail math?”
He had a point. I didn’t want to fail. I wanted to pass, but I didn’t think it was possible. I was so far behind it would take a miracle to get me caught up. Clearly, Dylan was in for a long night.
“No, but I don’t think you should take a punishment if you didn’t do anything.”
“Taylor, let it go, for God’s sake.”
Chapter Seven
Dylan
I spent my Saturday morning cleaning the bathroom that I had supposedly vandalized. I knew Taylor would be upset if she knew guys were writing that shit on the walls of the bathroom.
She didn’t deserve that, even if she’d been annoying about me not telling her what I’d done. She didn’t need to know. Her life had been easy, and I figured I could keep it that way. No need to taint her with stuff like this. Guys could be dicks. She’d laughed when I’d told her that. A sweet, innocent laugh.
She was a beautiful girl and so clean – untouched by the dark side of life. As if the world around her glowed when she was there.
Holy shit, what had I just thought? There was no girl more off-limits to me than Taylor. On so many levels. She was out of my league. Her father had let me into his house. I was bad news for anyone. I even looked like bad news.
Maybe the snake tattoo had been too much, but I was flexing my freedom muscles when I’d done that. I glanced at my arm where that snake would sit for eternity. Oh well.
I had a bucket, sponges, and a mop. The bathroom would be cleaner that it had ever been.