I shook my head. “That’s okay, Mom. I don’t mind the walk.”
“So,” my mom started conversationally, squinting her eyes at me like she was inspecting an foreign organism through a microscope. “About this evening. Do we need to talk about anything?”
After Marie’s loud mouth, I had told Mom and Dad all about Friday and the movies.
And Bruno.
Dad seemed suspicious but when I adamantly confirmed that this was no date, that it was just some friends from school hanging out, that Matty and Hannah would be there, that it would be in a public setting, he finally caved.
I did notice that Mom had been silent the entire time, just studying me.
I think she must have noticed me slightly falter when I mentioned Owen’s name.
I shook my head at the memory. “No, everything’s good, Mom. I’ll tell you all about it after the movie.” Grabbing my backpack, I swung it over my shoulder.
“Be safe, hun. Love you.”
I glanced back at my mother, giving her a kissy face. “You too,” I said with a grin.
I swear, I didn’t even remember the rest of the school day. It went by in a blur. I was nervous, real nervous, at the prospect of hanging out with Owen.
I was such a horrible person!
Bruno liked me, I liked Owen, and who knows who Owen liked!
How did I say to Bruno in the nicest way possible that I just wanted to be friends? That the only thing ever happening between the two of us that would be deemed “intimate” would be a fist bump?
After coming home from school, I contemplated this back in my bedroom as I got ready to go out. I wore dark blue skinny jeans and a light purple and white striped shirt. A pair of earrings and one of those long, silver chain necklaces were my choice for jewelry. My hair was out, its curls surrounding my face, and I smiled in the mirror, impressed with the end result.
I like.
The doorbell rang and I rushed down the stairs, immediately opening the front door without looking through the peephole.
“Hey, guys!”
Mateo and Hannah stood next to each other at the entrance.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Callaghan!” called out Mateo. “We’re here to kidnap your daughter.”
Mom and Dad joined us at the front just as I was putting on my shoes.
Dad chuckled. “Just bring her back in one piece, guys.”
Hannah grinned. “Of course!”
“And be careful,” Mom added, pointing her finger at us. She turned to me. “You have your phone?”
I pointed to the cross body bag I had on me. “Yup.”
“It’s charged?”
I groaned. “Of course it is, Dad!”
“You have your wallet?”
“Yes, Mom,” I sighed.
“And what are you doing right after the movie?”
“Coming straight home,” I mumbled.
Mom and Dad looked at each other, then smiled.
“Have fun, guys.”
I took that as my cue and I rushed out of the door, pulling my friends along with me. “Bye, Mom and Dad! Tell Marie I’ll see her later.”
We made it to the end of the street before I finally allowed them to stop running and we slowed down, walking over to the closest bus stop.
“Your parents crack me up,” replied Mateo.
“Hannah’s parents are the same way. You just don’t understand because you’re a guy.”
“Thank God.”
Hans and I stuck our tongues out at him.
“But holy tish, Annabells,” Hannah remarked. “Not even my parents are that cray cray.”
“They’re not cray cray. They just don’t want to have to worry about me.”
“I think you’ve got that covered,” Hannah said as the bus approached and came to a halt. We all scrambled on the vehicle and paid our fare.
We made our way to the back, Mateo standing while Hannah and I managed to find seats side by side on the crowded rush hour bus. A twenty minute bus ride and a five minute walk later, we stood in front of the movie theater.
I looked around.
“I don’t see them.” I stared back at my friends anxiously. “What if they don’t show?”
Hannah snorted. “They’ll show. But if they don’t, we’ll go watch a movie and pig out on junk food.”
Matty nodded. “It’s a win-win scenario.”
We didn’t have to wait long, Owen and Bruno appearing before us less than ten minutes later. I tried not to stare at Owen as Bruno greeted us.
“Hey, guys!”
I gave a small wave and snuck a peek at Owen. He was staring at me, grinning from ear to ear, then he winked.
He winked!
It was weird seeing him without a skateboard; he seemed almost awkward without it. Well, about as awkward being Owen Wilder which was pretty minimal.
We made our way into the theater, Bruno trying to walk next to me but always seeming to end up behind or a couple people to the left. After buying our tickets and a truckload of food, we headed to our cinema.
I was pretty sure Bruno didn’t make the seating arrangements because somehow he ended up beside Hannah, who sat beside Mateo, who happened to be beside me, leaving me next to … Owen.
I looked over at Hannah and noticed her grin gleefully at me.
You owe me, missy, her eyes said to me.
I sunk further into my seat.
We made it just in the nick of time because the lights dimmed and the music sounded. I clutched on to the bag of popcorn like it was a life jacket before the sound of a throat being cleared next to me filled my ears.
I turned to Owen. “Hi.”
“Hey, Callaghan,” he murmured softly with a smile. “Nice hair.”
I blushed. “Thanks,” I said quietly. “So where’s your skateboard?” I asked.
I didn’t really know what else to say.
He looked past me. “I promised Bruno I wouldn’t.”
I beamed. “That’s nice of you.”
“I’m a nice guy.”
“It’s just …” He tapped his ear and I knew he couldn’t hear what I was saying over the loud sounds of the movie. I scooted closer and took in a whiff of him. Sigh. “It’s different seeing you without your skateboard.”
“There’s a skate park near the lake. I’ll take you there sometimes,” he whispered in my ear.
“Really?” I bit my lip trying to contain my excitement. I was happy we were in the pitch-dark theater so he couldn’t see.
Did he sort of ask me out on a date while I was on a sort of, but not really, date? Because if he was, I’d just pretend he didn’t.
“I’d like that.”
“I think you’d be good,” he continued, paying no attention to the beginning movie credits. “You’re a dancer so you know how to balance. Soon you’ll be doing tricks.”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’ll leave that to you,” I murmured.
Two fingers dug into my thigh and I winced. I turned to Mateo with a sour look only to find him staring at me wide eyed with a knowing stare. Internally cringing, I turned back to the movie and grabbed some popcorn from my bag, tossing some in my mouth. I chewed, staring at the band of superheroes plastered on the giant movie screen before me.
Focus, Annabella.
CHAPTER NINE
THINGS CHANGED AFTER THE movies. We were all hanging out more often. Instead of a trio, Bruno and Owen were added to the mix. It seemed to work, despite the weird moments I’d have with either Bruno or Owen at any given time, like an awkward stare, or fumbled words … by everyone. Mateo liked the fact that he was no longer the only guy. Hannah enjoyed conversing with more boys, her words “the more the merrier” repeatedly out of her mouth. Bruno would show us random science experiments and we’d cheer for him during his basketball or soccer games, or whichever sport he happened to be playing at the moment.
Owen took us to the skateboard park. I defiantly sat on the sidelines, refusing to get on any board with wheels. I ju
st watched, blissfully happy that my old friends and new friends were getting on splendidly, running around and acting the fool.
Sometimes change was an awesome thing.
I slammed my locker shut, making my way to the dance room. I had the room to myself and was itching to practice. I had missed my last class with Sinclair because I had a dentist appointment and I already felt behind.
Hannah had this amazing idea of somehow showcasing our dance routine to the school. She was annoyed that our school had everything except a dance team. And she didn’t mean cheerleaders or a step crew. She literally meant a dance group. We were graduating a few months down the road, and the high school we’d be going to did have a dance team, so that was definitely something to look forward to. On top of dancing with Sinclair, of course.
But we decided that we would have a last hurrah, to pay homage to our love of dancing.
Hence why I was currently practicing by my lonesome.
I stayed in that room for the next hour, working up a sweat with the choreographed routine. Once I finished up, I grabbed my belongings while downing a bottle of water. I exited the room and made my way to my locker, however before I could get there, I was interrupted by a voice.
“I don’t know what he sees in you.”
I paused, taking the water bottle away from my lips, and turned to find Carolyn Young glaring at me.
I didn’t know how to react. In all the years since Carolyn moved here in the sixth grade, I’d never really interacted with her. I mean, I knew who she was from a superficial standpoint but I didn’t know her.
Placing my bottle in my bag, I adjusted the straps on my shoulder. “Who?”
She scowled. “Don’t act all sweet and innocent, Annabella.” She said my name like it left a bad taste in her mouth.
A multitude of emotions danced across my face and I blinked a couple of times. I inhaled. “Bruno—”
“Bruno?” She looked livid, her voice getting higher and higher. “You think this is about Bruno?” she screeched.
“Well—”
“Owen! I’m talking about Owen! You’re always around him like a little dog wagging her tail.”
Excuse me? “That’s not true,” I argued, starting to get a little mad.
“And when I talk to him he never pays any attention to me anymore,” she ranted, as if I had never even spoken, pacing back and forth. “He always talks about you. How great you are, how you’re so easy to talk to, that I should get to know you, blah, blah, blah!”
Tish, I thought to myself. Carolyn looked ready to combust at any moment.
She paused and looked straight at me, giving me the evil eye, and I mentally tried to ward off her negativity that was consuming me like a plague, or a swarm of bees. But it was getting more a more difficult not to get stung.
“I don’t like you,” she stated bluntly.
Sting.
“There’s nothing to like about you.”
Sting.
“I don’t want to be your friend.”
Sting.
“I think you’re pathetic and Owen just feels sorry for you.”
Although my face had turned to stone by this point, I couldn’t help the tears streaming down my face. My chest felt heavy with despair and I just wanted to disappear.
Or have my friends surrounding me.
“That’s not true.”
We both turned to find Owen standing off to the side. His hands were free of any skateboard. In fact, his hands were balled into fists as he stared hard at Carolyn.
“That’s not true, Carolyn,” he said quietly. It was actually quite scary. I’d never seen Owen look so serious.
Carolyn must have thought so too because she looked mortified. She stepped toward him. “Owen—”
He moved away from her touch and gave her a look of disappointment, shaking his head. “I wanted Annabella to be your friend because I thought it would bring a little light in your life,” he stated. “Annabella’s like a freaking ball of light and for you to say that there’s nothing to like about her is the worst thing you could say. There’s everything to like about her.”
Owen stopped, walked over to where I stood, and grabbed my wrist, tugging me toward him as he pulled me away from Carolyn. I let him take the lead but turned one last time to find Carolyn staring at me with daggers in her eyes.
Facing forward, I tried to forget that nasty stare and noticed we had stopped walking. In fact, when I looked around, I realized we were outside. The wind brushed my skin and it dawned on me that I was still crying.
Owen looked at my face and did something I wasn’t expecting.
He hugged me.
My breathing stopped as I took in his closeness; the way he smelled, the softness of his graphic tee, the fact that his arms were wrapped tightly around me and my own remained limp by my sides.
I buried my face against his shoulder and inhaled, breathing in the peace and calm that he seemed to provide me with that simple act of wrapping two arms around me.
He eventually pulled back and I felt a sort of loss from the connection. He tucked a curl behind my ear then grasped my shoulder, staring into my eyes. I noticed he had really long lashes. “You okay?”
I pulled further back in embarrassment, blinking. “Yes, thank you,” I said, wiping my face and turning away from him. “I should go.”
“You sure?” he asked. He seemed disappointed.
I nodded, still not really looking at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure. You do know that what she said isn’t close to being true, right?”
“I know,” I said softly. “Please don’t tell anyone!” I pleaded, turning back to him. “Not even Bruno.”
He nodded. “I promise. I promise, Annabella.”
My eyes widened. “Not Callaghan?”
Owen grinned gently and shook his head. “Nah. It was getting old. You’re Annabella.”
CHAPTER TEN
“YOU WANT ME TO beat her up? I’ll beat her up for you.”
I smiled sadly over at Jade. “No … you’d just go to jail then. Can’t have you giving birth in jail.”
Jade paused as she mulled over my words, then nodded in agreement. “Very true. Maybe I can just scare her a little?”
“I’m fine. I just needed to vent a bit and I didn’t know who to talk to. Mom and Dad would make it a big deal, Hans and Matty would have defended my honor, and I just want to forget all about it.”
Jade grinned. “It sounds like somebody already defended your honor.”
I blushed. “Well—”
“Do you like him? This Owen?”
I looked down at my lap. “I do,” I mumbled.
Jade placed her hand under my chin, lifting my face so I stared back at her. “That’s nothing to be ashamed about. So what if Miss Priss Carolyn likes him too? From what you’ve been telling me, Owen seems to like you too.”
“Really? He hasn’t said anything except for that first time when it was more a what if than an actual I like you.”
“He’s thirteen, AB. His brain’s not even developed yet. Sometimes boys are a little slow. Trust me, I have personal experience.”
I started feeling a little better. “That’s so true. Reed even ran away from you a bunch of times.”
Jade winced. “Ouch.”
“Sorry!”
She waved a hand in the air. “Ancient history,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “He finally figured out where home was.”
I grinned, placing a hand on my sister’s stomach.
“Can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt!”
“Can’t believe B’s going to be an uncle.”
I giggled, thinking of Jade’s adopted brother. My adopted brother? It was confusing. “You don’t trust him?”
She sighed. “I don’t even trust myself. But I have to believe everything will fall into place.”
I gave her a hug. “It most definitely will.”
She returned the embrace then pulled back. “
Hey, I’m supposed to be the one consoling you, not the other way around.”
I shrugged. “I guess I’m just easy to talk to. You like my new room,” I asked suddenly, changing the subject. I had chosen black, white, and dark teal as my color scheme. It was a family project to get it just the way I wanted it, with painting the walls and getting the proper bedding and stuff, and it was nothing short of perfect.
Jade glanced around the office turned bedroom and nodded her head in improvement. “Hells yeah.”
“Llesh yeah.”
“Llesh?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yup.”
She shook her head at me. “You are one weird kid. I swear, everyone is trying to get me to cut back on my cursing. I like it, it’s my way of expressing my mood.”
“You could just write a song or something.” Jade’s love for music and writing was like the way I felt about my dancing.
“I have been. B’s friend, Skeet, keeps pestering me to write him a million songs. You’d think one was enough,” she sighed. Her eyes kept looking around the room, noticing this and that. She picked up an old photo on my nightstand of Marie and me together at the zoo, and then moved in front of the giant poster of Jannie Tay on my closet door.
I guess I liked her too, although definitely not as much as Hannah.
“Oh my God, AB. These are great!”
Jade had opened my closet door and was looking at the inside of it, or more specifically, what was taped on the inside of the door.
They were drawings. Tons of Mateo’s drawing of me, Hannah and himself over the years in different settings: pigging out on frozen yogurt, at the amusement park, being scared out of our minds when I actually had the guts to go with them to a haunted house during Halloween.
Memories.
It was a perfect way to capture these amazing and precious moments in time.
“I call it Matty-dom.”
“They’re amazing. That friend of yours has some talent.” I smiled at the almost awe in her voice. Jade moved a little closer to the sketches, her fingers dancing over one of them. It was a picture of Mom smiling one of her famous smiles.
I studied her. “Do you want it?”
She turned, startled. “Uh—”
“I think you should have it.”
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