by Raathi Chota
“I feel sleepy,” I mumbled as I leaned into his chest.
“Lana, don’t sleep! Not here…” He trailed off. My eyes got weaker as they closed.
Chapter Nine
Lana
I opened my eyes and realized I was being carried down a hall. It was quiet, too quiet. I glanced up and saw Blake. We entered another room, and his pace reduced.
“Blake,” I mumbled as I looked up at him. He looked down with a smile on his face as he set me on a bed. “Thank you.”
“No problem, princess,” he said, then sat at the edge of the bed as he took off my shoes. I fake-smiled because I didn’t like that he called me princess as he undid my laces. He looked up, and our eyes met. I stared because I felt calm, and all my worries slipped away.
“Where are we?” I asked as I looked around the room. It seemed dull, white walls covered in band posters, a shelf full of things. There was a desk with a computer and some knickknacks.
“My house.”
“How did we get here?”
“Ethan and I were arguing whether you should stay at his place or I could take you home, but then another fight started, so I took you quickly while he went to go sort it out.” He chuckled, then ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to return you home like this, so I thought to bring you here.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Plus, I’m supposed to be sleeping over at Miranda’s, so it’s cool.”
“Cool, well, you should get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, then stood up.
“Wait.” I raised my hand. He looked tall by the door, his hair went in all directions, and to be honest, he looked sick. “Are you okay?” I asked. The words seemed to fall out of my mouth. I was concerned.
“Yeah,” he mumbled as he grabbed the doorknob.
“Wait!” I repeated. This time, he let out a sigh as he looked over his shoulder. “Can you stay? It’s terribly quiet, and I’m not used to such quiet places.”
It was true, because it sounded like we were the only ones in the house and he didn’t turn on the lights. Blake walked to the edge of the bed and stared at me; I scooted over and smoothed the spot next to me. He took off his shoes, then crawled in next to me. He laid on the bed as he stared at the ceiling. I laid on my side as I took in his features. His jawline clenched as he stared at the ceiling; his nose was pointy and cute. He had a few freckles here and there, but other than that, he seemed perfect.
“It’s not nice to stare.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, then turned around so my back faced him. I heard movement behind me as I felt Blake’s arm around my waist pull me closer. My eyes were open the whole time. I couldn’t sleep as I felt his breath on my neck from his humming, but I wasn’t tired.
“One more week,” he mumbled after a while. It took me a while to figure out what he meant, but I immediately frowned at the thought.
“I actually like it, you know,” I said as I cupped my hand over his. “Not the ditching and stuff, but the clothing and the feeling of not being picked on a lot.”
“Why don’t you stay like this? You don’t have to ditch but…hang out with us and stop letting people trip over you,” Blake mumbled. “You’re more than the sheriff’s daughter.”
“I don’t know. I’ve always been like this, so I haven’t quite thought about it.”
“Are you scared?”
“No, why do you keep asking me that?” I said, then turned to face him. Our faces were inches apart as he let go of me.
“You look like it. I understand because of your dad and all.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, then looked down. It was surprisingly hot under all the layers, even though I had on a crop top and a skirt.
“No need to apologize. We’re all scared of this world,” he said as he wrapped an arm around me again and brought me closer to his chest. I felt his slow heartbeat as I focused on it. The only sound to be heard was Blake’s breathing as he rested his chin on my head.
“Goodnight, Blake.”
“Night, princess.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“Whatever you say, princess.”
***
“Oh no.” I groaned as I vomited into the toilet. I knew for next time that alcohol and I didn’t get along. I tossed and turned in the bed because my stomach hurt. I didn’t want to wake up Blake because he looked so cute and comfortable beside me, and I was glad he was a heavy sleeper, so I ran to the nearest bathroom and puked. I felt a hand wrap around my hair as it was pulled out of the way. Then I felt another hand rub my back gently. Once I was done, I got up and flushed the liquid down. I turned to see a lazy-bed-hair Blake. He looked adorable in his long-sleeve baseball shirt. “Thanks.”
“Err…here’s some spare clothing. You can shower here, and there’s an extra toothbrush in the cabinet.” He handed me the clothing. I thanked him as he walked out of the bathroom.
After the shower, I felt refreshed. I brushed my teeth and slipped on the clothes that happened to be a maroon sweater and sweatpants. I put on my socks and strolled down the long hallway. It was still quiet except for the kitchen.
“Hey, breakfast is ready,” Blake said as he placed two plates on the table. I took a seat as he set a bigger plate in the middle with pancakes. He put all different types of toppings and syrups around it.
“Gotta hand it to you, Gunner, you really know how to impress a girl while she’s hung-over,” I said as I reached for the syrup.
“I felt like spoiling you,” he said with a grin. I blushed as we began to eat. I looked at Blake, who decided on whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
“Where is everyone?” I asked. Blake immediately froze as he stared at me. I stiffened as I looked at him. The last time I saw that stare was when he looked at me back at school when I gripped his arm.
“My mom is working, and I don’t know where my brother is.” He stared at me for a moment, then continued to eat. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence. We watched a movie on the sofa, and I got curious as to why Blake stared at me when I asked him that question earlier.
“I’m going to take a quick shower then we’ll go,” he said, then walked down the hall. I nodded as I flicked through the channels. When nothing was on, I decided to check my phone.
Carter (23:30): Where are you? I told you to stay!
Aidan (01:00): Yo where’d you go?
Miranda (02:30): Heard you’re spending the night with Blake…enjoy. ;)
I winced at the last text I got from Miranda. How could she possibly think like that? Well, Miranda wanted the best for me, and now that she’s with Marcus, she wanted me to be happy too, especially after what happened with Levi.
“Ugh,” a deep voice groaned as I heard a door shut. My head snapped toward the door to see a tall figure walk in. He had keys in his hand but threw them on the sofa and collapsed on the couch next to me. I didn’t think he noticed me yet. I took the time to look at him while he leaned his head back and shut his eyes. He had similar features as Blake but a couple of tattoos on his hands, and he was taller and very muscular. It must be his brother; I didn’t know he had an older brother, but he looked older than Blake.
“Hello,” I mumbled. His eyes shot open as he gave me a once over.
“Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here in my house?” he asked bluntly. I bit the inside of my cheek as I looked down.
“Err…I’m Lana.”
“Willson?” His eyebrows rose as I slowly nodded.
“So you’re the chick my little brother ha—”
“Axel, what are you doing?” I whipped my head around to see Blake in a shirt and some faded jeans. I glanced down at the many tattoos on his arms. I slowly stood up as Blake approached me.
“I was just introducing myself, Lil Bro,” Blake’s brother said. Blake heavily sighed as he stepped aside.
“Lana, meet my brother, Axel,” Blake said, then raised his hand. “Axel, meet my friend, Lana.”
“S
till in the friendz—” Axel cut off when Blake glared at him.
“Nice to meet you, Axel,” I said as I held my hand out. His rough fingers entwined with mine as he left a kiss on my knuckles.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lana Willson,” he said with a wink. “I’ve heard many things about you.”
“Come on, Lana, go get your things,” Blake said before I replied to Axel. I nodded as I walked down the hall and grabbed my clothes from last night that Blake put into a small bag. I quickly put on my Converse, then walked to the living room. Axel stood by the front door with a grin plastered on his face while Blake was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Blake?”
“He’s waiting outside.”
“Okay, well, thanks, and it was nice meeting you,” I said as I tried to make my way out the door, but I felt a hand grab my arm.
“Don’t get too close,” Axel whispered in my ear. After he said that, he didn’t let go. We stood there as I felt his breath on my ear. I finally pulled away and forced a smile as I walked to Blake’s motorcycle. He handed me the helmet, and as I put it on, I noticed Axel watched us.
***
“We have an assembly tomorrow,” Blake said as he puffed out smoke into the air. We sat in the cottage as we waited for the guys. After the weird encounter with Blake’s brother, we didn’t really talk.
“Oh, why?” I asked as I lit a cigarette. It was relatively rare to get assemblies. If there was one, it’d be long and tedious.
“Only for the seniors, probably about Homecoming or some shit,” Blake said. I nodded and looked at him; he still had bags under his eyes, and he looked pissed. I didn’t know whether it was from his brother or last night. I still couldn’t remember much from last night, but I remembered when Blake punched the guy, whose name I entirely forgot. My gaze lowered down to his tattoos as I exhaled a cloud.
“When did you get your first tattoo?”
“Last summer. I kind of lost a bet and got this.” He pointed to the feather on his right arm. It looked unusual and different from an average feather tattoo.
“Did it hurt?”
“When I fell from heaven?” he asked with a goofy grin on his face. I playfully rolled my eyes as I inhaled the smoke then blew it in his face. “A bit at first, but now I’m used to it.”
“Do the rest of the guys have tattoos?” I asked, a bit curious since there was a rumor all of them had tattoos, but you’d only see them clearly if you slept with them.
“Yeah, it’s sort of our thing.”
“What’s up, people!” a loud voice yelled. Blake and I turned our heads to the door to see Aidan, Ethan, and Carter.
“Hey guys,” I said as I dumped my cigarette in the ashtray. They came to the sofa, and we greeted each other. After that, they smoked, but I refused. I already had two today, but Blake kept smoking; it was probably his fifth one.
“Awesome party last night,” Carter said with a grin on his face.
“Yeah, bit hectic too. Are you okay, Lana?” Ethan asked as he turned to me.
“I’m great,” I assured him.
“Do you even remember half of the stuff you did last night?” Carter asked as his eyes darted toward me.
“All I can remember is getting there, talking to Ethan, the start of beer pong, and then the fight.” I mumbled the last part as I looked at Blake. He turned away as he continued to smoke.
“So you don’t remember…” Aidan trailed off.
“What?” I asked. He shook his head with a smirk on his face. After that, the conversation of the party seemed to end, but Ethan and Carter talked about the girls they hooked up with. I blocked them out and looked away at Blake, who stared at me. I raised my eyebrow because I knew something was wrong, but he often shrugged it away.
“No!” Ethan yelled as he looked at his phone.
“What?” the rest asked. Ethan’s eyes darkened as he stared at his phone, then shifted to me. Everyone looked at me as I furrowed my brows in confusion.
“Lana? What is this?” he demanded, then gave me his phone. Carter, Blake, and Aidan seemed interested too as they surrounded me. It was a YouTube video; the title was Nerdy Bad Girl Whore?
My eyes widened as I pressed play. Everyone focused on the phone, yet I glanced over at Ethan, who fidgeted. The video started with me in the school hallways with my glasses on, face down as I tried to make it to class, but I immediately changed into the clothing I recently wore. There were two people on either side of me, and I realized it was the guys. It showed me getting into Carter’s truck after detention, Blake’s motorcycle, then Ethan’s car. I thought the worst part was over, but it showed the events of last night. I played beer pong with Carter and the guy Blake punched. It showed me in his arms, suddenly it stopped, and the words “party whore” surrounded the screen. It continued with me drinking by the table, then talking to Aidan. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aidan stiffened next to me. I glanced back at the phone and saw me dance with Aidan. My eyes widened as I watched myself. Then the worst of them all came on. Benny and me in the kitchen doing a body shot. The video ended with Blake punching the guy whose name I remembered—Quinton. I placed Ethan’s phone on the coffee table and stared at it. The words ran through my head as I played the past week’s events in my mind. It was quiet; nobody talked. I was on the verge of tears as I looked down.
“Who did this?” I broke the silence as I stared at the phone.
“I just saw it on Instagram. The full video was on YouTube, so I don’t know.” Ethan shrugged.
“Did you really do a body shot with Benny?” Blake asked.
“Well, no, I…”
“Did you?” he demanded.
“Yes, but they were playing truth or dare, and Kelly dared him to do it.”
“Kelly,” he hissed.
“They’re the reason behind all of this,” Carter said as he pointed to the phone. I nodded, then turned to Ethan, who scrunched up his nose.
“Of all people, you danced with him.” Ethan huffed as he pointed to Aidan, who smirked.
“Why, you jealous?” Aidan cooed. Ethan shook his head and turned away.
“I hate them so much,” I growled as the remembrance of Benny and Kelly’s group entered my mind.
“We need a plan,” Aidan stated. I stared at him with a malicious look as we nodded.
“Yep, and it starts tomorrow…at assembly,” I said, then looked at Blake. For the first time since Friday, I saw a smile appear on his lips, but it was rudely interrupted when my phone rang. I took out my phone and looked at the caller ID. It was a number I didn’t have in my contact list, which caused me to furrow my brows. They stared and waited for me to answer it. I looked at them and showed the phone. “Do you know this number?” I asked. Ethan told me to answer it anyway, and I knew they were curious too. I answered, then pressed the phone to my ear. It was quiet, so the guys heard the caller.
“Hello?” I mumbled. The next thing the person said caught me off guard as they all looked at me with daggers in their eyes.
“Hey, princess, can’t wait to see you!”
Chapter Ten
Lana
After yesterday’s phone call from a certain someone, the guys demanded to know who it was. I said it was nobody, but they didn’t believe me. Eventually, they let it go. We spent the rest of the day removing the video from everywhere and anywhere. Thankfully, Carter and Aidan were experts in that field, so they got it off. Blake taught me how to ride his motorcycle, which was a fun experience, yet scary. I almost ran over him and Ethan while they had an intimate conversation. I wondered if it had to do with the thing that they’d do on Tuesday. I got frustrated, so I gripped the handle and went straight into them. Ethan moved, but Blake didn’t while I yelled at him to run; yet he stood and told me to hit the brakes. I hit the brakes in time, but the motorcycle went up as my eyes widened. I was a few inches from Blake’s face as he smirked at me, but I felt the bike go down.
“Do we have to go?” Carter
whined as I pulled his arm.
“Yes! It could be substantial,” I said as we walked to the auditorium.
“Why you so jumpy today?” Miranda asked with a grin on her face. Last night when Carter dropped me at home, we talked on the phone for hours about what happened.
“I don’t know, just feels like a good day.”
“Your nerd is showing. Who likes Mondays?” Blake asked.
“No! I hate Mondays. I just feel like missing Calculus and going to the assembly,” I said.
“People are staring,” Miranda whispered in my ear. I looked around and saw people’s sour looks. It was probably because the video was down. Then I heard the clicks of heels approaching us.
“Hi, Lana,” Jennifer said as she stood right in front of me.
“Hello,” I stated, and Jennifer handed me a pink envelope which smelled like perfume. “What’s this?” I asked. The guys and Miranda surrounded us as Kelly and Melissa made googly eyes at them.
“You’re invited to my sleepover,” Melissa mumbled with a roll of her eyes.
“Well, it’s our sleepover, but it’s at her house, since she has a hot tub,” Kelly said.
“Oh, why me?” I asked.
“Because only the prettiest girls in school get invited.” Jennifer smiled.
“What about Miranda?”
“Oh well.” Melissa shrugged as I squinted my eyes. I gave my invitation to Miranda, who crumpled it into a ball, then tossed it into the trash can nearby.
“Oh well.” I faked a smile. Jennifer laughed, Melissa muttered something under her breath, and Kelly gasped. Jennifer and Melissa followed Kelly as she walked off.
“That was hilarious!” Aidan said as he put his arms around Miranda’s and my shoulders. We laughed as Ethan high-fived Carter and ruffled my hair.
“It’s weird. Yesterday, they uploaded a video calling me a slut, and now they want to invite me to a sleepover,” I said as we took our seats. Aidan sat on my left while Blake sat on my right. Miranda decided to find Marcus while I stayed with guys. The auditorium filled up with all the seniors as we sat a few rows down from the back.