The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Bailey Ardisone

  “Liam—” but before I could finish, he cut me off.

  “Nari, come on. Stop saying no. Just give in already! You know you want to,” he said again with that side smirk and golden brown hair falling over his eyes. I could see that his appearance had changed a lot since last time I saw him. He was not bad looking; he was actually attractive – he grew muscles. Big ones. But…no. I was against boys. I swore off all men a long time ago when I was little. To me, none of them could be trusted.

  “I’m really sorry, and I really do appreciate the offer. I just…can’t,” I said to him.

  “Why?”

  “Hey, girl!” Zaylie chimed in then. Saved by the Blonde!

  “Oh, Zaylie, hey…” Thank goodness…I wanted to say out loud, but held back. It wasn’t easy.

  “Who’s this bloke?” she said.

  “Zaylie, this is Liam. Liam, meet Zaylie. She’s new here.”

  “Why do you talk funny?” he said with his eyebrows pulled together.

  “Liam!” I screeched, smacking his arm.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she replied, spinning on her heel and pulling me along with her, leaving Liam to stand there alone.

  “Zaylie, you have no idea how much you saved me back there,” I breathed as we walked together to Literature class. I could get used to this. I hoped it became a routine. It was…nice.

  She chuckled and said, “No prob, babe. What is it with him? He looked…smitten with you.”

  “Ugh, please don’t say that. He has been trying to get me to go out with him since the eighth grade. And I don’t trust him for one second.”

  “That bad, huh?” she said as she tightened her blue and green scarf around her neck. It matched perfectly with her outfit of jeans and a green-laced blouse.

  Desperately wanting to change the subject, I touched her scarf. “That is really beautiful. I love the colors.”

  She smiled warmly. “Thanks. My mum got it for me as a surprise this past weekend.”

  “Awww, that’s nice. What was the occasion?” I asked her.

  She looked at me with a strange expression on her face. “No occasion. Just because she wanted to.”

  I looked down at the floor as we continued walking. I forgot what it felt like to have a mother that loved you. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of sadness and longing for Elizabeth, but I was also happy that Zaylie had a mother who loved her.

  Later during Chemistry, I hadn’t noticed I sighed out loud as Zaylie looked my way and whispered, “Are you okay?”

  Just then, Mr. Allen told us to read page thirty-four in our textbooks and perform the outlined lab experiment.

  “Oh yeah, I'm fine.” I smiled. “It’s just been a long day.”

  “Yeah, I hear ya. I can’t wait for school to get out and get some kip.”

  “Um…what’s a kip?” I asked as I opened to chapter two and started going over the directions for the experiment.

  “It’s like a short nap,” she replied with a yawn. “I'm bushed. Was up late last night; couldn’t put down the latest Goodkind book I just bought,” she said, laughing.

  “Terry Goodkind? The Sword of Truth series?” I asked.

  “Yes! Have you read that? I love that series. I saved up to buy all thirteen books, and then just this past weekend I bought the next installment. I'm stoked!”

  “That’s amazing. I don’t know anyone else who has read that series. It’s one of my favorites! I was going to go rent the newest one, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.” I grabbed the vials that we needed and started implementing the experiment.

  “I’d be happy to lend you my copy when I'm done reading. I’ll probably have it done in the next few days.” She was smiling so sweetly. “I’d love to talk about the series with you, too. Des doesn’t understand my obsession for fantasy books, and it would be great to discuss with a fellow reader.”

  “That would be great; I would actually really love that.” I was honestly surprised. I smiled back sweetly and felt relaxed sitting next to her. Zaylie was so nice. We got along great so far, and every time I was around her I could feel us getting closer and closer.

  When Friday finally came, Mr. Allen gave us another experiment to perform, and we continued our conversation on The Sword of Truth series while we worked on the lab assignment.

  “Zedd is my absolute fav!” said Zaylie. “That old man makes me laugh my socks off.”

  “Yes, he’s the best. He is so…peculiar, yet you can’t help but laugh. He truly makes the story…memorable,” I said as we both laughed.

  “My brother Des and I are going to Saucers after school today to grab a bite to eat, if you want to join us. Our mum and dad will be gone till late, so we’re going to grab dinner ourselves, and we’d love your company.”

  “I’d love that,” I told her, and I truly meant it.

  “Ace! Meet you at your locker after school,” she said as the bell rang.

  Once the time came, I thought they wouldn’t show and was surprised when Zaylie and Desmond walked up to me at my locker after school.

  “G’day, mate!” said Desmond as he put an arm around my shoulder. What was it with boys thinking my shoulders were their personal armrests? “I hear you’re joining us for some grub.”

  I laughed as I nodded and said, “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to miss it.” Zaylie rolled her eyes at her brother, and the three of us walked out the door.

  We walked to Saucers, all the while listening to Desmond talk about how horrible it was to sit next to a snobby girl in most of his classes. He went on and on about how this girl and her friends wouldn’t shut up about what color lipstick they were going to wear that night. I laughed inside, knowing exactly who he was talking about—the infamous Sabrina Holloway. I knew how horrible sitting next to her was from past years.

  “How long has your family been in Maine?” I asked as we sat down at a table.

  “We been here for ‘bout a month now,” Zaylie explained. “Before that we were in Massachusetts for about three years, then our dad got stationed here. Hopefully we’ll be here all school year.”

  Their accents intrigued me, and I had to know why it seemed heavier sometimes. “How long has it been since you’ve been back to Australia? Sometimes your accents are lighter.”

  “Yeah, we grew up in Oz, about hundred miles from Sydney, town called Newcastle,” Zaylie clarified. “We left when we were about eleven, when our dad got stationed to different parts of the U.S. We haven’t been back since.”

  She looked at Desmond and continued, “We pretty much lost our thick accents and Aussie slang over the past few years, but every now and then a word slips out.”

  Desmond was looking at the jukebox. “That gizmo over there work?”

  “Yeah, it has oldie classics,” I answered as he got up to look.

  Zaylie leaned in toward me and whispered, “We got teased a lot in school when we first came to America because of our accents. Des got bitter over it at first, but now he likes to purposely use Aussie words to confuse people. He thinks it’s funny.” I had to laugh as she rolled her eyes at Desmond again.

  “I have to admit, I'm confused over some of the things he says, but I love to hear your Australian accent. I can’t believe you actually got teased for it. That's cruel,” I said as I shook my head. Kids could be so mean. I knew from experience.

  “We got over it, no worries.”

  I smiled at her, and Desmond started playing an Elvis Presley song. We sat at the table, eating, talking, laughing, and me feeling completely ecstatic.

  I jerked at the sound of my Pop-Tarts jumping out of the toaster. I had been thoroughly engrossed in what was on the television. That little blue penguin was so darn cute. Okay, I was seventeen and still watched Saturday morning cartoons, I couldn’t help it. It was the only time I actually got to watch TV. I never got to watch cartoons when I was a kid if Ray was home. Now was my chance.

  I was extremely blessed to have Saturdays to myself, since Ray worked six days a wee
k. I think he chose to, just so he didn’t have to be around me, which was more than fine by me. Plus, last I heard he was trying to save up for a new car.

  I grabbed my strawberry Pop-Tarts and sat on the couch to finish my cartoons, wrapping up snugly in my über soft navy blue and turquoise blanket. I loved moments like this.

  Later, I decided to go back to my bedroom and resumed working on my sculpture. It was starting to look great, and I couldn’t wait to see it finished. Mr. Isaacson taught us a trick that would help and already it was looking great.

  After about an hour of sculpting, my stomach grumbled. I sent a text to Rydan to see if he wanted to do lunch at his favorite diner and added 'my treat.' A few seconds later, he replied with a one eyed raised emoticon and a 'k' - that was Rydan for you. I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. I stepped outside and stretched as far as I could. The sunny day with a slight chill in the air felt great after being inside all morning.

  I sat in our usual spot—the booth in the far back corner that faced the jukebox and waited for Rydan. He was completely into anything musical, so he loved to sit near it and play the oldies. I had many wonderful memories of us sitting in this booth—Rydan putting in his money, playing Frank Sinatra.

  I walked over and put money in, choosing That’s Life.

  “Great song,” I heard Rydan’s deep timbered voice behind me. I turned around and smiled as he slid into the booth, sitting in his usual spot. He ran his fingers through his dark black hair as his eyes found mine and gave me a perplexed look.

  “You’re smiling,” he said as he picked up the menu, even though he didn’t need to look at it; he ordered the same thing every time.

  “I guess I’m in a good mood,” I said, my big smile forcing to stay in place.

  He slanted his eyes like he was trying to figure out a great mystery and said, “Something happen today, or is it just the pleasure of my company that has you in a fine mood?”

  I ignored his jab. “I made friends at school. They’re really great. We actually ate here together yesterday and everything,” I explained, barely able to believe that it could be true myself. I still held my smile as I looked up into his dark silver eyes.

  “Does this mean your eternal misery has been cut short?” he asked dramatically, feigning shock.

  “Oh no, I mean, I’m still miserable without you of course,” I expressed nonchalantly, not wanting him to think for one second I didn’t need him anymore. “But now instead of eternal misery, it’s more like tolerable misery. If that’s even possible.” It sounded more like an oxymoron. I looked up to see his silver eyes looking intently into mine.

  “If that means you’re happy, I am happy, Nari.” He looked slightly confused.

  Feeling satisfied, I pulled out my sketchbook and began drawing. I usually found a napkin or a receipt or anything paper and doodled some random object. I couldn’t help it – it just came out. It was like a song that got stuck in your head. The picture would just play over and over again in my mind until I got it out.

  The waitress came to our table, and Rydan ordered, “The roasted vegetable sandwich with a side of French fries,” we both said at the same time. I knew this because it was what he got every single time we came here. I smiled and asked for a turkey club with no tomato and French fries.

  “You do know they cook other food here besides vegetable sandwiches. In fact, there’s a whole menu full of food choices,” I joked without looking up from my sketch.

  “Why look at anything else when you know what you want,” he said plainly while getting up to put more money in the jukebox.

  I shook my head and had to wonder about Rydan sometimes. I wish I could just get into that thick head of his and get a glimpse of what he was thinking. He had such a hard exterior; I thought I would have broken in by now after seven years of friendship. Even though he had shared a few things with me, I knew he kept things hidden deep within. I still didn’t know much about his past, but I knew it haunted him. Every once in a while, he would let his guard down and I got a sense of what he was feeling by the expressions on his face. But it was like he realized he gave me this small glimpse and immediately closed himself again, like he didn’t want me to see his insecurities. Didn’t he know we all had them? I would have understood if he would just talk to me about it.

  Although I did remember having the same feelings before I told him about Ray. It took me a while to tell him about my situation at home and my foster parent, especially about what happened to my mom.

  I didn’t want to talk about it. It was too painful. I was looking for an escape. I had finally found it with Rydan and our spot under the Weeping Willow. I didn’t want to darken it with thoughts or feelings of him and what happened.

  For a while, I had acted as if nothing was wrong. If Rydan asked why I didn’t want to go home, I would just say because I liked it at our spot. He would try to get me to talk about it, but I wouldn’t. Not at my special place with my new friend.

  The years I had gotten to know Rydan, I noticed he was very quiet, laidback, yet very intellectual. Actually, he was more than that. He was extremely intelligent and good at almost anything he did. He could play just about any musical instrument known to man and play it beautifully like he had been playing for years.

  It was the passion that he put into it. It came from the very deepest part of his soul. He could make you feel that with every note he played. It was magical. I had never met anyone like him before.

  One night about five years ago, we were beside the pond. I was lying beside the Weeping Willow tree playing with the swaying branches. Rydan had been strumming his guitar that he had just bought that morning. He spent forever tuning the strings so that they were just right. He started to play Name by the Goo Goo Dolls and it was such a beautiful song, but it always made me sad. He had been getting to the chorus where it said:

  “And now we’re grown up orphans

  That never knew their names

  We don’t belong to no one, that’s a shame.

  You could hide beside me, maybe for awhile.

  And I won’t tell no one your name”

  The sad melody continued, but the next part of the song was where he got me…

  “Scars are souvenirs you never lose,” he barely whispered. “The past is never far.”

  The thought of the past made me wince, and I shut my eyes as a tear strolled down my cheek. Suddenly, he stopped playing, and as I opened my eyes, his met mine.

  “What is it, Nari? I can’t take this anymore. Something is wrong. Please just tell me. I can see that you’re hurting. You’re safe with me, and I’ll protect you,” he pleaded.

  I started to cry and felt ashamed for letting him see me this way. What he did next totally shocked me. He put down his guitar, came and knelt down before me, and as he pulled me up to meet him, he wrapped his arms around me, giving me a gentle hug.

  I almost forgot what a hug felt like. I was still stunned by his gesture when he grabbed my arms and put them around his warm body. I let go of my fear and fiercely hugged him back. It felt good to be in his arms, and there we were in the middle of the day, sitting under the Weeping Willow tree, basking in each other’s embrace.

  It seemed like hours went by, but after what must have only been a few seconds, he slightly pulled away to look in my eyes as he said, “I’m here for you, Nariella, you can trust me.” The sincerity of his words struck me deep.

  I sat there looking into his eyes, his dark silver eyes that were intently staring me down, willing me to tell him everything, willing me to trust him. I was scared to let anybody in.

  But Rydan was my best friend. A sudden realization hit me like a ton of bricks. If I wanted him to trust me, I had to trust him. That was what friends were for. I was scared, but I was even more terrified of being alone. I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  His eyes never left mine as I contemplated telling him the truth. Then he let me see his concern and the trust in his eyes, and I suddenly knew that
he wouldn’t leave me. I nodded my head and slowly started to tell him everything I had ever wanted to tell him, as much as I could handle emotionally without breaking.

  The sound of the waitress putting our food on the table pulled me out of my reverie as I continued to aimlessly draw.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Rydan inquired softly. He was shaking way too much salt onto his fries. He gave me a discerning look, like he knew I had been reliving the past. He had told me once before he could always tell because it showed on my face. I didn’t know what look I had that gave me away, but I smiled back at him.

  “Sadness,” he suddenly said.

  “What?” I asked back.

  “It’s a look of sadness on your face that I see when you’re thinking of the past. I see the look often; believe me, it’s ingrained in my brain,” he murmured while widening his eyes.

  “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

  “Again, your expression always gives you away.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was thinking back on the day I first told you about Ray and Elizabeth,” I explained with a half smile.

  “Ah,” was the only response I got at first. He suddenly got an awkward look on his face. “I remember,” he said. “So that’s why you drew my acoustic guitar just now then.”

  I looked up at him and then back to my drawing. He was right…I didn’t even realize I was drawing his guitar.

  “Thank you for trusting me, by the way,” he whispered.

  I smiled at him and caught his gaze. “Well, it’s been five years and you’re still here, so I guess you were right.”

  He grabbed his sandwich and took a bite.