When Destinies Collide

by Shirl Rickman

  “Hey there, Emme girl! Who’s your new friend?”

  Ugh. Who is this guy? Why is there one in every school? The teenage boy who thinks he is God’s gift to the opposite sex. I want to laugh.

  “Hi, Tommy! This is Selene Chandler. She just moved here from…where did you move here from?” she says as she turns and looks at me.

  Before I can answer, Tommy is right next to me. He is so close I can feel his breath against my ear.

  “It doesn’t matter where Sweet Selene is from, Emme. It only matters she’s here now.”

  I can’t move. Why do people around here think it's okay to just invade a person's personal space? Even though he appears to be harmless, all I can think about is the fact I don’t want this guy anywhere near me.

  Drake

  I’M STANDING JUST A FEW feet from the doorway as Emme Fleming leads Selene into biology. Fuck! We have a class together. I’ve been trying to prepare for this all day. I should’ve known my luck wouldn’t last.

  Taking a deep breath, I follow behind them. She has no idea I’m here, and I kind of like it that way. I really like I can watch the sway of her cute little butt I often admired over the last month. She’s going to hate me.

  Suddenly, I’m pulled from my thoughts when I hear Tommy Phillips say Selene’s name. He’s standing way too close, and I can tell from here Selene is uncomfortable with his intrusion into her personal space.

  As I begin to make my way toward them, all thoughts of Selene’s reaction to me disappear. I can only think about the fact Tommy is now reaching up and rubbing his knuckles against her shoulder. He may be my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I won’t put him in his place. I don’t even say a word before grabbing his hand in a hard grip and twisting it behind his back.

  “Tommy, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself.” I let go of him, pushing him forward into the desk across from us.

  “What the fuck, Drake?”

  I don’t even answer him because I can’t look away from Selene, who is staring directly into my eyes. She is so beautiful, and for a moment I want to say to hell with my mother. As our gazes remain locked, I try to figure out if she hates me or not. She should, because I asked her to be my friend and then vanished without explanation. It was a dick move.

  Our trance is broken when I feel a hard punch on my arm. “Drake, if Sweet Selene is your girl, then dude, you could have just said so.”

  I can see Emme’s eyes flashing at me and Selene trying to figure out how we know one another. Before I can say a word, Selene speaks up first.

  “I’m not his girl. We aren't even friends.”

  I hear the words and feel the knot that has been tightening in my chest for the last two weeks get a little tighter. Her eyes never leave mine. I just nod, and she seems to take that as a sign to leave.

  She turns and walks away, taking a seat on the other side of the room. Emme takes one last look at me and then follows Selene. When I finally look over at Tommy, he has a smirk on his face.

  “Dude, that was a dick move. What did you do to the new girl, anyway? It’s only fourth period.”

  What Tommy doesn’t know is I haven’t done anything to Selene. She has done something to me, and I’m not sure I can let go as easily as I thought.

  Selene

  I KEEP MY ATTENTION TO the front of the class as Emme pulls her desk closer to mine.

  “Oh my Gosh, Selene! Drake Thomas just defended you like you were his property, and you walk away!”

  Does she always talk this fast? She says Drake’s name like he is a god or something. Well, he looks like one, I can admit. I’m pretty sure his god-like features were one of the things I noticed about him the first time I saw him. I sigh and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

  “Seriously, Selene, do you know Drake?”

  I want her to leave me alone. I mean, we have known one another all of fifteen minutes. The only problem is I kind of like her and the way she is completely herself and friendly. I’m trying to be better. I need to be better.

  “Hello! Earth to Selene!”

  I finally look over at her. “Sorry. Yeah, I kind of know Drake.”

  I immediately see her eyes light up. She’s getting the wrong idea. Shit!

  “Oh, reeeeally,” she says as her eyes drift in Drake’s direction.

  “Emme, don’t look over at him. I’ll explain later, but…well, let’s just say I don’t think we will be friends or anything else.”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, I believe you’re wrong, especially with the way he hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.”

  I want to look over at him, but I stop myself. Why is he doing this? Did he just think he could blow me off and show up today as if we just spoke yesterday? Mrs. Peterson, our biology teacher, walks into class, asking us all to pull our books out. She greets the class as she sits on the edge of her desk. I can barely focus on what she is saying because I’m entirely consumed by thoughts of Drake.

  Surely he has a good reason for completely ignoring me for two weeks. This isn’t how I wanted to start a new school. I don’t want to feel totally wrecked over a boy. Shit. I’ve never allowed myself to care this much, and I refuse to do it now. Glancing in Drake’s direction, my eyes connect with his, and I feel my face betray me. I straighten up in my seat and turn my attention back to Mrs. Peterson.

  Drake Thomas may have chipped away at my walls, but I can’t let him knock them down. After the look he just gave me, I’m confident I wouldn’t survive the devastation.

  Drake

  FUCK, I REALLY HURT HER. She’s trying to pretend otherwise, but I can see it in her eyes. Can I do this to her? Wouldn’t it be worse if my mother came between us? She would make Selene’s life hell, and I would never forgive myself for that.

  I just need her to understand. I need her to know the time I spent with her meant something, especially every honest confession we made to one another.

  The bell rings, and I’m pulled back into reality. I notice Emme already has Selene by the arm and is dragging her out of the class, so I grab my bag and dash after them.

  “Selene!” I shout. “Selene, please wait! I really need to talk to you…explain.”

  She stops abruptly, which jerks Emme back, nearly causing them to fall. She remains standing with her back to me.

  “Explain? You want to explain now.” Her breathing comes out in a huff, and I can tell she is frustrated with me. “Why should I listen to anything you say?” I take a step forward, and my hand twitches to touch her.

  “I know I’ve handled this all wrong, but I had my reasons. You of all people know my reasons,” I say with emphasis so she understands what no one else will. I notice we’re beginning to draw attention, and Emme is standing next to Selene, her eyes darting between us.

  Selene slowly turns around. “What happened? Did… Okay, I’ll listen,” she says, finally looking up at me. “Just for the record, this isn’t how friends treat one another, Drake.”

  “God, Selene. I know, and…” I trail off, once again realizing we’re not alone. “Uh, can we go somewhere else to talk about this?” She looks around us and nods, turning to Emme.

  “Hey, I… Thanks for the lunch invitation. See you later?”

  A knowing look lights up Emme’s face. “Yep, see you next period.” She turns and practically skips away before stopping and calling over her shoulder. “Oh, and Selene?”

  Selene looks over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

  The smirk on Emme’s lips grows even wider. “I think definitely friends…or something.” Then she turns and heads toward the cafeteria. Selene’s cheeks flush pink as her eyes follow Emme then look my way.

  I can’t help but smile. “Something? Sounds interesting…very interesting.”

  Selene

  I KIND OF WANT TO smack that grin right off his face. Then I want to curl up and hide. Why is it every time I’m around Drake my sense takes a vacation? I look up at just the moment he smiles again and takes my hand in his. My heart flutte
rs in my chest, and I’m pretty sure that’s my answer. My heart is a traitor.

  “Come on, I know a place where we can talk,” he tells me as he leads me down the hall behind him, leaving all the gawking teenagers standing in our wake. Once we’re out of the building, his hand loosens and drops mine. I feel the absence more than I’m willing to acknowledge.

  “This way,” he says as he leads me through a gate and up the bleachers of the football field.

  We walk all the way to the top before he turns and faces me. I can’t read the look on his face. He seems to be conflicted, and I’m kind of over it.

  “Okay, start talking. I’m giving you five minutes to convince me why I shouldn’t think you are one of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met.”

  “I never said I wasn’t an asshole, Selene,” he says, and the corner of his mouth tips up on one side.

  “Hysterical, Drake. What do you want from me?”

  Drake sits down and puts his face in his hands. “Aaaahhhhhhh!” he yells, and it echoes around us.

  I automatically flinch away from him. “I shouldn’t…”

  He reaches toward me and grips the back of my shirt. “Please, wait. There are things that…well, there are things I need to explain.”

  I stop, keeping my gaze focused on the bright green field, releasing a long sigh. “I’m listening,” I tell him, holding my body stiff and facing away from him.

  I feel so vulnerable with Drake, something I’m not use to allowing myself to be open to. I slowly walk up a step and lower myself to the bleachers behind him.

  “God, Selene. I’m so sorry. I…I know I pushed my way into your life, asking for this friendship and your trust, then I threw it back in your face like it meant nothing.”

  I can feel his eyes on my back. Slowly, I turn to face him. “Why, Drake? Why did you just leave that night and then not even acknowledge me for two weeks? You even disappointed Aunt Violette.”

  Drake stares at me. I want to ask him so much more. I want so much more, but I can’t do this. I wait, and he says nothing.

  “You know what? This doesn’t even matter. We only just met…there were no promises. Shit, we were only friends! For like a second.”

  My words hit me square in the chest. Why does this hurt so bad when I only just met him? He is just watching me, and once again I have a hard time reading him. I can’t muster the energy to stand here and wait for him to explain.

  Drake

  I’M HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING MY thoughts clear. Selene is so vulnerable. I see she’s hurt, but trying hard to not let it show. I hear everything Selene saying, but she’s wrong. I made promises, and it definitely matters, every minute…every second she listened and trusted me.

  She looks like she is about to run, and it takes everything in me not to grab ahold of her and never let go. How am I supposed to explain my reasons for pushing her away?

  “I’m leaving. I can’t do this,” she says. I knew it; she’s about to bolt. I can’t let her leave, because I still haven’t explained. She stands abruptly.

  “Wait!” I stand up, and now we’re face-to-face. I hear a gasp slip between her lips. “You’re wrong, Selene. We may have only just met, but it did matter… It does matter.” I take in the way her eyes are darting around, trying to avoid direct contact with mine. “I need you to understand I thought it would be better if I didn’t get any closer. You see, my mother was watching me that night, and she doesn’t want me around you. She’s afraid it’ll break my focus from football and the things my parents feel are important. Don’t you see?”

  Selene eyes connect with mine. “Did she hurt you again?”

  I snicker before answering. “No, that isn’t my point. I’m not staying away from you to keep the inevitable from happening. That will happen no matter what.”

  She reaches her hand forward and brushes her fingertips against mine. “Then what are you saying?”

  “Selene, I’m afraid she’ll cause trouble for you. I don’t think you understand. It’s beyond what she might do to me physically. This is a small town, and she can make things miserable for you.” I slowly extend my hands toward her face and cup her cheeks, forcing her to look into my eyes. “I couldn’t—I can’t let her taint this thing between us like she ruins everything else in my life. I can’t let her hurt you.”

  I want her to understand. No. I need her to understand. She begins to shake her head slowly from side to side.

  “No. You don’t get to do this. You made me trust you, and I trust no one. No one, Drake. Do you understand that? I was beginning to let you in, and you just walked away like it meant nothing. I think I should get to decide if I want to be friends with you.”

  There she goes again, being all adorable and hard to resist. I let go of her face and walk up to the top of the bleachers again with my back to her. “I ca—”

  “Please, don’t. We will be friends. That’s what we agreed, and nothing more. So I can’t get hurt. I won’t let myself get hurt.”

  I turn to find her standing right behind me. “Selene, I want—”

  Suddenly, the bell rings in the distance and interrupts me.

  “I gotta go,” she says. I watch as she rushes down the bleachers until she reaches the bottom and stops. She looks back up at me, reluctance clear on her face, and asks, “Friends?”

  This girl is everything I can’t resist. “Okay, friends.”

  “Promise me,” she says. “I need you to promise me you won’t ever do this again.”

  She looks so hopeful. I want to know what that feels like, so I give in to what my heart is telling me and block out all of my doubts.

  “I promise,” I say.

  A relieved look lights up her face. She begins to leave again but pauses. Looking back up at me, she shouts, “Oh, and Drake? Don’t you ever do that to me again. It really isn’t the way you’re supposed to treat a friend!”

  Laughing out loud, I watch her disappear around the side of the bleachers.

  Selene

  I CAN STILL HEAR HIS cackling as I walk back through the gate to the school. I swallow the knot that formed in my chest. My emotions are all over the place and all because of this guy. A guy? Shit! He wanted to protect me. I can only think of two people who have ever protected me: Mama and now Aunt Violette.

  I tread around people so carefully when it comes to my emotions that I keep up a wall in every relationship I’ve had. He sees that, and I’m not sure how he knows. I’m scared because I’m letting him in, and everything I’ve built up is falling away from me. He wanted to walk away, but I can’t let him. This is the first time I haven't stopped someone from trying to get close. No, I tried with Drake. It just didn’t work. There is something between us even my stubborn fear of allowing people in can’t stop.

  As I make my way down the hall, I hear my name being called. Turning, I notice Emme making her way toward me with a huge grin on her face.

  “Tell me everything!” she exclaims when she finally reaches me.

  Taken aback, I take a step away from her. “There’s nothing to tell you.” I try to sound nonchalant.

  A frown forms on her pixie-like face. “Seriously, I know Drake, and that look doesn’t say nothing. In fact, that is a look I’ve never seen him direct at any girl. So, it isn’t nothing…it's something.” She pauses for a split second, which I’m almost certain she never does in a conversation. “It’s something, even if you don’t want to admit it. I haven't seen this much life in Drake since Lace…” She trails off, and her face turns slightly pink.

  I instantly feel his presence. It’s like my whole body is magnetically charged by him.

  “Emme, I think Lacey would be happy to see you have made a friend like Selene,” I hear him say behind me. “You know, Lacey and Selene knew one another. You have that in common for sure.”

  Emme’s face brightens once more. “Really? Lacey and I… Well, she has been my best friend since kindergarten. She is…was…” Her light dims a little.

  “Emme, I
haven’t spoken to Lacey for a few years, and we didn’t know one another all that well, but she was always fun and sweet.”

  Her features brighten again. “Let’s get to class. See ya, Drake!”

  I finally turn to face him. “Bye.”

  He shakes his head as he says, “Nope, I believe we have this period together. Lucky me.” Drake says as he passes by me and walks toward the class.

  A slow smile creeps across my face before I follow behind him with Emme beaming at my side. “Told, ya,” she whispers.

  I can’t help the warm feeling that begins to burn in my chest. Yes, Drake Thomas is definitely melting my defenses.

  Drake

  THE REST OF THE DAY goes by quickly. I hadn’t realized just how miserable I’ve been the last two weeks. Maybe because I’m used to being miserable, something I only realized today when I saw Selene again. I’m pretty sure I was only living half a life before I met her.

  Looking up and seeing my mother and father watching practice from the stands reminds me of what I was worried about. She is always watching my every move. She has expectations, and she likes control. The only problem is I can’t let her go again. I hurt her when I was trying to protect her. We agreed on friendship, and as much as my heart says more with every beat, the only way I can have her and protect her is by putting my wants aside.

  I walk off the field, and my father nods at me as they stand and leave. My mother doesn’t even acknowledge me. I push aside the uneasy feeling she leaves me. I realize I need to change into my clothes, quickly. I owe one more person an apology before I head home for the night.

  This apology may be harder than the one I gave Selene. In fact, I know I’m not going to get off as easy. The only thing that makes it okay is the fact I know I will see Selene, too.