by N. Natishna
We walked on and I pressed into Deklan’s side. While his hand rested on my waist, I went bold and brought my arm around him, sticking my hand in the back pocket of his jeans. I saw a girl do that in a movie once. It was pretty awesome that I had a guy to be close to now. I never thought I’d like kissing and touching so much in public, but it just never felt right to do with Cody. With Deklan it was different. Way different.
Deklan jumped a little and his drumsticks that were in his other back pocket bumped my elbow. He looked down at me surprised and quirked his eyebrow. “Naughty girl,” he whispered.
I just shrugged and he kissed the top of my head.
I turned my head in time to see that Liam was pushing around with Zane. I knew that he wasn’t paying attention enough to see the slip of a girl in front of him.
“Liam, damn it, watch out!” Bianca shouted, but it was too late. Right when he turned around, he toppled on top of the girl and she landed on her back. I’m pretty sure her book bag had broken her fall…and possibly herself in the process.
“Fuck!” Zane cursed and immediately rolled Liam off her. We all circled around the two and Liam pushed up to check over the girl. She groaned and her eyes fluttered open. As I peered down at her I couldn’t help but feel ensnared in her eyes, even though she was looking up at Liam.
They were bright and shiny grey…more like a silver, and huge. The way they were wide with fright as they stared at Liam only made them dominate her face more.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked. “That was a rough fall. I’m so sorry.”
She blinked a couple times and then her eyebrows went together before looking passed him to the lot of us hovering over Liam’s shoulders.
“Back up, guys, don’t crowd her.” We all stepped away while Liam got to his feet. He held out his hand for the girl and she looked at it hesitantly before slowly slipping her hand into his. When he pulled her up, the top of her head just came to Liam’s chest. She looked to be my height when I wasn’t wearing heels, and she was so slight, almost unhealthy thin.
No wonder she went down so easily. It looked as if the lightest of wind could toss her. But she was gorgeous…like ethereal type of gorgeous. Her hair was white blonde – more white than blonde – and her bangs stopped right below her eyebrows and went straight across her forehead. Give the girl a halo and a white robe, and you’d think she fell from the sky.
“Are you new here?” Liam asked her, still holding her hand, and she nodded slightly. “Well, you came to the right school. My name’s Liam Watson.”
He flashed a smile that made the girl’s face turn three shades of pink.
“Liam, turn it down, man, before she faints,” Zane said and Aria elbowed him in the stomach.
“So what’s your name?” Liam asked, ignoring Zane, but dropped her hand.
“Rosie,” she said quietly and took a deep breath, letting it out before she continued. “Rosie Anderson.”
She looked around at us nervously and hugged her waist. I could tell she was wary of us. She was so vulnerable looking and I wanted to take her under my wing and tell her everything was okay. Liam cleared his throat and gestured to all of us.
“These are my friends. That’s Reggie, Jeff, Bianca, Luke, Molly, Emma, Deklan, and then Aria and Zane.” We all waved and I gave her a small smile. Poor girl looked so intimidated, and I felt for her.
“Are you a senior?” I asked, wanting to make Rosie more comfortable. She nodded. “Do you need help finding your classes?”
She smiled shyly and nodded. “I-I’m afraid so. This school is so big and I get lost very easily.”
“I can help you if you’d like,” Liam said before anybody else could say anything. I frowned and looked up at Deklan, who was smirking.
“Oh…um, okay,” Rosie stammered and handed Liam her schedule.
I stepped up and smiled kindly at her. “We have to get to class, but it was nice to meet you. Meet up with Liam before lunch and you can sit with us.”
She looked at the ground and coughed. “Okay, sure. Thank you.”
I gave her one last look and walked away with the rest of the group, leaving Liam behind with Rosie. Me, Deklan, and Luke parted ways with the others after we were done at our lockers.
“She looked so thin, Dek,” I said sadly and he squeezed me reassuringly.
"And a little timid, if you ask me,” he added.
“What did you think of her, Luke?” I asked as we walked into class.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s scared shitless,” was all he said before walking to his desk. Shrugging, I went to the back and sat down in my seat. Deklan’s fingers brushed my shoulder as he passed me. I sighed and turned around to blow him a kiss, ignoring the looks I felt coming from other students.
The rest of class, and chemistry, was the same way. They saw the way Deklan kept me wrapped around him, and how he touched me every chance he got, and they stared. Cody was the worst. I could really feel his heated glare towards me and Deklan. I was starting to get a little worried about the way he’s started acting. I wanted to say something to Deklan, but I knew it could get violent. It wasn’t that I didn’t think my big, tough boyfriend couldn’t take care of himself, but I had a feeling Cody would bait him and then press charges, knowing that Deklan had a record. Heck, the whole damn school knows about that.
He kissed me at the door to Government before heading off to his class. During that class and Calculus I caught other kids looking at me, their faces masks of confusion…and I started to feel a little self-conscience at the attention.
I knew I was well liked at this school, but I wasn’t stupid. There were some students who thought I was fake or a spoiled rich girl; especially Nicole Sanders and her friends. But they don’t know me like they think they do. I also know that because of Deklan’s appearance, the facts that he had been arrested, and his dad had murdered someone, gets him judged just as I do.
In the beginning I thought it’d bother me a little to have people staring at me and Deklan. Now that it’s happening, I didn’t care as much as I thought I would. But having people’s curious eyes on me all during school, I was pretty sure I’d end up with anxiety.
Deklan was leaning back against the locker next to mine when I got there, drumming one of his sticks on his thigh as he watched me walk up to him. He didn’t stop as he kissed me hello. I smiled and put my things away and grabbed stuff for my next classes. He took my bag and then my hand as we headed to the cafeteria.
When we met up with the others in the lunch line, Rosie was standing quietly next to Liam. I tried not to stare, but Liam looked stranger than normal. Yeah, he never lacked in the girl department. If he wanted a girl, it would take him point five seconds to get one. But Liam was a whole other type of male species. He didn’t flaunt himself the way Reggie and Jeff did, and he never went nuts over a chick, either. But nobody could miss the way he was hovering over Rosie, or the weird look in his eyes that I’ve never seen on him before. With Liam there were only two looks; sexy smile and sexier smile.
I leaned in and nudged Bianca and Aria. “Are you guys seeing this?”
They nodded and Bianca smiled. “Looks like our boy is finally caught.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “Who wants to bet on how long it takes for them to hook up?”
“Put a sock in it, Flame,” I muttered. “She looks terrified of him.”
“She looks terrified of all of us, Em,” Molly put in and shrugged. “That’s not hard to miss.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” I heard Liam ask Rosie as he filled a plate. Her face turned red and she shook her head.
“No…I-I ate too much this morning. I’m still full from that.” She didn’t sound very convincing, and I’m pretty sure the rest of us didn’t believe her either. Liam stared down at her for a moment and then put two big pieces of cake on his tray.
“Well, you at least have to try the chocolate cake. I’m telling you, you’ll get addicted in one bite.”
I bit my lip as I watched my f
riend. Liam had the kindest of souls. You’d have to be blind not to see that Rosie was in a bad way, with her worn out blue jeans and wrinkled pink blouse. Her tennis shoes were worn and dirty, and I wanted to cry for her. Here I was with my designer clothes and giant house, thinking my biggest problem right now was how big my birthday party was going to be.
I frowned as I looked at how thin Rosie was. Something told me that I could take my so-called problems and shove them down the shitter.
“I don’t need the cake, Liam, but thank you so much,” she tried to protest, but Liam shook his head.
“Nonsense Rose, this is the best cake and I want you to try it.” He paid for it and walked out of line with her. At our table Liam sat Rosie in between him and Jeff.
“So Rosie, you looking for a job or anything?” Zane asked as he stuffed his face with fries. Aria perked up.
“Yeah, Rosie, we have a waitress position that needs to be filled, if you’re interested in working somewhere. It’s at my papa’s pizzeria.”
Rosie’s eyes lit up for the first time since meeting her and she nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love a job. Thank you very much.”
“Where did you move from?” I asked curiously.
She pushed the cake around the plate. “Lancaster. My dad got a new job.”
“That’s nice,” I said and Deklan nudged me. I looked up at him expectantly and he pointed to the tray he’d carried for me. “Eat, baby.”
I smiled and my heart did a little flip at how he took care of me. Having him as a boyfriend was going to have some serious perks. I sighed and stretched up for a kiss, and he met me halfway. When we parted I heard Reggie clear his throat.
“PDA, jackholes. Man, we’re in school for crying out loud!”
I just smiled and pecked Deklan once more before turning my attention to my food. I licked my lips before digging in.
Reggie laughed. “Pardon her, Rosie. Emma has no inhibitions when it comes to food.”
After lunch Deklan and I walked to our French class. Just when I sat down at my desk my phone vibrated. I made sure Mrs. Anway wasn’t looking before checking it.
Cody Hudson: Wtf! Why the hell are you all over that freak?!
I quickly deleted the text and slipped my phone back in my pocket. I looked up and Nicole’s glare caught my eye from her seat up front. I tried not to laugh at how pissed she looked. When Mrs. Anway walked out of the room to talk to another teacher I leaned over my desk. Deklan sat right in front of me and I kissed his neck softly, enjoying the bumps that rose on his skin.
“You have no shame, Miss Pixie,” he whispered back at me. I smiled, because he was right. I felt as if I was breaking out of my shell, becoming a lot bolder and confident in just three days.
“I can’t help it,” I whispered back. “I’m really liking this new me.”
He turned around and smiled at me, running his thumb over my cheek. “It’s not a new you, sugar. It’s still just regular you, with a few new additions. Some seriously sexy additions.”
I chuckled and he turned around when the teacher came back in. I looked back at Nicole and smiled smugly. There was no way Nicole was getting this one. I trusted my sexy, honest boyfriend more than enough.
After French, we hung out at our picnic table. As I worked on some homework, I noticed he was writing in his notebook instead of drumming on the table.
“What do you write in that thing, Dek?” I asked when curiosity got the better of me.
He looked up and flashed a smile. “I used to write songs for my old band. I have a knack for it. I might’ve quit that band, but I always have lyrics running through my head. I keep them all in this notebook, and a couple others I have at home.”
I bit my lip and leaned forward. “Can I read some?”
He shook his head. “Not yet, I have something else planned.” He gestured at the notebook. “This one’s about you, you know.”
Now my interest was beyond piqued. I wanted to press him into letting me see, but that wouldn’t be fair. When I paint, I can’t let anyone really study the painting before it’s done or I’d lose focus. So I just sighed and went back to my homework.
He walked me to my art class when our free period was over and handed over my book bag. He kissed me hard and squeezed my hip before turning to head to his class. When I walked in the room I saw Rosie sitting at one of the desks.
There were two rooms for the art class. One was a regular classroom where we did paperwork or worked on computers, the other was where the actual work was, and it was a lot bigger. There were easels for painting, tables and spin wheels for clay projects. In the back was a dark room for photography – we used that and the computers.
I smiled and waved over at Rosie. She looked so relieved, and I went to sit next to her.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting you here,” I said brightly and she smiled.
“I sketch, it’s my passion.” She looked around the room. “At my last school our art class and photography class weren’t put together like this. It’s different, but I like it, especially the room next door.”
“It’s my favorite class. I’m a painter, and I’m taking art classes in college. I want to be a pediatrician when I’m older, but I’ll never give up my favorite hobby.”
Rosie nodded and smiled. “I’m majoring in art.” Her eyes dimmed a little and she shook her head. “Well, I might, if I get accepted to a college.”
I was thankful to Mrs. Palmer for walking in when she did. I wanted to do something for this girl, who was so tiny that I was terrified of what would happen to her during a storm. I’ve never met anyone so fragile looking.
Mrs. Palmer started talking about the new assignment that would be due in two weeks. The project was to ‘create something personal to you’. I knew right off the bat what I would be painting.
She dismissed us and everyone spread out, some staying here, others going into the next room to work on their project. Rosie pulled a sketchpad out of her backpack and an assortment of sketch pencils and we both went over to the other room. I donned an apron over my outfit and sat at the easel I always used. Rosie set her sketchpad on the easel next to mine and sat down.
“So, do you have any siblings?” I asked her. I saw her face fall and I knew I said the wrong thing. It figures that I’d put my foot in my mouth before the conversation even started. But then Rosie took a deep breath and gave me a small smile.
“I have an older brother, Cade, who’s twenty-five and in the Marines. He doesn’t really come home to visit anymore.” She kept her eyes on her sketchpad, drawing while she talked. “I had an older sister…she and my mom died six years ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said sincerely. If anything ever happened to my mother or Kat, I don’t know what I’d do. My heart went out to Rosie.
She shrugged. “It’s okay, really. They were both good people, so I know they’re happy in heaven.”
I admired how reasonable she was about losing two important people in her life. I know that it would take some people – myself included – a very long time to come to terms with the death of someone I cared about, let alone two at the same time. Of course, Rosie was about eleven when her mom and sister died, so she had some time to grieve and move on. But still, it would suck.
I smiled and turned my attention back to my work. I decided to paint a memory of my first date with Deklan. The moment had been playing in my head for the past two days now. I just had to get the image down on paper. I started to get really excited as I worked, wanting this to be my best project.
When school was over I walked with Rosie out of the room. Liam was waiting for her, so I waved before heading off in the other direction. I came out one of the exit doors when someone grabbed my bicep, jerking me to a stop. I glanced back at Cody’s angry face. Looking around, I noticed a few people glancing over at us as they walked out the doors. Great, just what I need; these bozos thinking I’m two-timing my boyfriend.
I pulled my arm out of his grip and turned to f
ace him. “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem? You’re all up on this fucking freak, that’s my problem! We’re supposed to be together, Emma.”
I rolled my eyes. “Listen, we’re not getting together. And his name is Deklan, Cody, not freak.” I started to turn around.
Cody grabbed my arm again, this time tighter. I winced from the pain and tried unsuccessfully pull away from him. “Emma, baby, do you even see what he’s doing to you? He’s turning you into a total slut! You can’t keep your hands off each other!”
I smirked over my shoulder at him, despite the pain. “No, I’m nothing like a slut, Cody, and you know that. And you’re right; we can’t keep our hands off each other. You and others may not like it, but you know what? I’m okay with that.”
I yanked harder this time so that my arm was free from his rough grip. I marched away from him and around the building towards the parking lot. I made sure to fix the strap of my shirt that covered the bruise that I knew would form on my upper bicep.
I saw the others standing at the back of Reggie’s truck – the guys gathered there, because Reggie had a cooler back there that was always full. Deklan was talking to Zane and when he spotted me he headed over to me. I hugged his waist and he kissed my lips.
I angled my head to make it easier when he started trailing kisses down my neck to my shoulder. “How was art class?” he asked against my skin.
“Good,” I sighed and he worked his way back up to my lips, kissing me once and pulling back. “Cheer practice starts in five, are you staying to wait until it’s over?”
“Yeah, but I gotta run a few errands first, then I’ll be back.” He kissed me and grabbed my book bag from me. “Are you coming to my practice tonight?”
I smiled and nodded. Now I can watch Deklan look sexy and possibly shirtless, and I’ll be the only one who can ogle and touch.
CHAPTER 10.
Deklan stopped at his house to change into his uniform, and then drove to my house. I grabbed his hand and pulled him through my front door and up to my room. I dropped my things on my desk chair and kicked off my wedges.