Before Hadley

by J. Nathan

  “You’re stuck with it now.” Without a backward glance, she took off down the walkway, her flip flops clapping with her quick stride. “Later, player,” she called.

  I stayed on the ground watching the subtle sway of her hips as she made her way down to the sidewalk before finally being swallowed up by the darkness. I wondered if I should’ve offered her a ride. Isn’t that what a player would’ve done? Gotten her alone? Tried to hook up with her?

  Something told me, there was no way in hell that feisty girl would’ve stepped foot in this player’s car.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Hadley

  I slid into my back row seat in English class, loving that spring break had ended so the home stretch before I left for college could get underway.

  “Morning,” Cass greeted me, sliding into the seat in front of me. Her short blond hair whipped around as she turned to face me. “Thirty-one days left.”

  “But who’s counting?” I laughed as I placed my iced coffee on my desk.

  Cass and I had been locker mates and best friends since freshman year when a senior swiped my locker on the first day of school before I could even get a lock on it. Cass stuffed my things in her locker and made it her mission to make the senior’s life a living hell. The senior only lasted a month.

  “Want to go look for prom dresses after school?” Cass asked.

  “It’s probably bad luck to get the dress before the date.”

  She tilted her head, giving me those ‘you’re being unrealistic’ eyes. “Come on. Guys will be lining up to ask you.”

  I rolled my eyes as I glanced to the door. I expected Ms. Atwood to stroll in fashionably late with her designer bag and overpriced shoes, but my head snapped back. Caynan strolled into the room. His confident eyes scanned the sea of unfamiliar faces unfazed. Ugh. Again with that same frustrating confidence. With his initial sweep nearly complete, he spotted me. His eyes locked in as if on a target. A slow sexy smile slid across his face as he strolled up the aisle toward me, stopping directly beside my desk so I had no other option than to look up at his imposing form. “Nice to see you again...” He paused for me to fill in the blank.

  I didn’t.

  He chuckled to himself. “Okay, then.” He ticked his head toward the empty desk beside me. “This one taken?”

  I shook my head. “It’s all yours.”

  He slid into the seat with a grin and relaxed into it, stretching his long legs into the aisle and crossing them at the ankles like he owned the place.

  I focused my attention straight ahead, coming face to face with Cass and her inquisitive eyes.

  “You didn’t tell me he was British.”

  “You’ve been talking about me?” Caynan interjected.

  I turned slowly, raising my brows at his self-assured attitude. “Sorry to disappoint. She asked who Katie hooked up with this weekend. I must’ve neglected to add Brit to your status, player.”

  He snickered, unaffected by my jab. “Just because I don’t know your name…” he said. “…It doesn’t mean you don’t know mine. Feel free to use it.”

  “I figured we were past formalities. You know, us being BFFs and everything. I figured nicknames were our thing.”

  He chuckled low in his throat, his eyes darting guiltily away.

  My mouth parted. “What is it?” I demanded.

  His brows inverted. “What’s what?”

  “Your nickname for me. You have one, don’t you?”

  He shrugged, though the slight tip to his lips told me I nailed it.

  “Come on.” I picked up my iced coffee, leaving a small puddle of condensation on my desk. “Let’s hear it.” I lifted the straw to my lips, stifling the smile itching to emerge as I sucked down the much-needed caffeine.

  I figured he’d prolong our game. Feign innocence. Deny it some more. But his eyes dropped to my mouth, his tongue darting out and running across his bottom lip. Oops. I released the straw and cleared my throat, causing his eyes to lift unapologetically to mine. “Feisty,” he said.

  “Feisty?”

  He nodded.

  My lips twisted to the side, considering the name and its implications. It had a certain ring to it and held an unspoken truth. I was feisty when I wanted to be. When I could see through someone’s bullshit a mile away. When I’d been challenged. And Caynan seemed to challenge me at every turn. “I like it.”

  He scoffed. “You do?”

  I nodded as I placed my cup down on my desk. “I’d like to keep it.”

  “Only until I get your real name.” His eyes shot to Cass who lifted her shoulders and twisted toward the front of the room. That’s my girl.

  Ms. Atwood sauntered into the classroom, dropping her bag down onto her desk. “Good morning. I hope you all had a nice vacation.”

  Murmurs ensued.

  Her twenty-something eyes landed on Caynan, realization flashing in them. “Oh, that’s right. An introduction is in order. Caynan, will you please stand up.”

  I stifled a laugh, wondering how Mr. Confident would do under pressure.

  Caynan rose to his feet. I couldn’t help but stare at his faded jeans hanging low on his hips and his muscular arms under his black T-shirt. Arrogant or not, he was still ridiculously good looking.

  “Ladies and gentleman. I’d like you to welcome our newest Badger. Caynan Abbott. All the way from...” She paused, allowing him to answer.

  “Across the pond.” He glanced to me, making sure I caught the reference, before clarifying. “Good ol’ rainy England.”

  The girls in the class giggled, undoubtedly swooning over his accent.

  Caynan slid back down into his seat.

  “Well, I think you’re going to enjoy it here, Mr. Abbott,” Ms. Atwood offered with a warm smile.

  His eyes slid to me. “I think so, too.”

  Caynan

  Feisty bolted at the bell, leaving me to fend for myself. If I had to guess, she did it purposely, wanting to see me sweat. She clearly didn’t know me.

  Once I stepped into the hallway, trying to decide which way to turn, the girl from the party—Katie, I think—snagged my arm. She practically slammed me into some nearby lockers and sealed her lips to mine before I even knew what was happening. She finally broke the kiss and backed away, fixing her cherry lip gloss while leaving the rest smudged all over my damn mouth. She flashed me the same fuck-me eyes she used at the party. “How’s your first day going?”

  I shrugged, feeling both violated and embarrassed that anyone who hadn’t been at her party and witnessed our make-out session had seen her kiss me now. “As good as to be expected.”

  She pouted. “I waited for you to call.”

  For the love of God.

  My eyes shifted, snagging on Feisty who’d closed her locker and turned my way. She rolled her eyes before taking off with her friend, leaving no question how she felt about me. “Yeah, well. I’ve been busy with unpacking and baseball. You know how it is.”

  Katie nodded like she did, but she had no clue what it felt like to live out of a suitcase. No one in this stuck up, too-rich-for-its-own-good town could possibly know.

  “What do you say I walk you to your next class?” she offered.

  I handed her my schedule since I really had no idea where to go.

  “Oh, we’ve got calculus together. Lucky you. I’m great at math.”

  For some reason, I doubted that.

  The rest of the day flew by like all the other first days I’d endured. A blur and overwhelming. Baseball practice ended up being the highlight of my day. I took out my aggression and frustration of starting all over again on the ball, sending it firing out of the field more times than I could count.

  After practice, I grabbed my shit from the locker room and headed to my black Jeep Wrangler sans its top. It was my baby. I’d rebuilt most of it with my own two hands and would’ve fought my dad tooth and nail if he made me get rid of it.

  I drove through town on my way home with flashes of my old frie
nds flooding my mind. I wondered where they were. What they were doing. How my last team was doing in the standings. I shook off the useless thoughts. To live this life, to move as frequently as we did, you couldn’t think like that. You needed to live in the here and now. Not the past. Never the past.

  I pulled into the trailer park on the outskirts of town where we’d taken up temporary residency, parking on the dirt front lawn. Inside the small space, I grabbed a sport’s drink from the fridge and dropped down onto my bed in the far end of the trailer. No sooner had I closed my eyes, the front door creaked opened and slammed shut.

  “Son!”

  Ugh. That voice.

  That fucking voice.

  “Back here,” I called, too exhausted to use my accent or get up to see him.

  Within seconds, my father’s tall frame filled my doorway. “How’d it go?”

  I shrugged. “Same ol’.”

  “I met up with that guy I was telling you about. He may have some jobs for us.”

  I nodded, wishing I’d pretended to be asleep so I didn’t have to have this conversation.

  On the outside, my dad looked like a pretty decent guy. Someone who had his shit together. But it was all just a façade. He was anything but a decent guy. He was the man behind the curtain pulling the strings.

  My strings.

  I played my part, showing up where I was needed. It wasn’t like I actually had a choice.

  “Did you hear anything I just said?” his irritated voice rose.

  I shook off my mind’s ramblings. “Yeah. I got it.”

  “You know, son, this is for both of us. Don’t act like you’re better than me just because you’re ready to graduate. Don’t act like you’re going off to some college after this. Your future’s with the business. We’re a pair. A duo. A package deal. Where I go, you go.”

  I could feel the rage bubbling inside me. It happened every time he felt the need to squelch my future plans. It’s not like I actually had any. I knew I couldn’t escape the hold he had on me. But I didn’t need to be reminded of it. Every. Waking. Second.

  “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” he demanded through gritted teeth.

  Begrudgingly, my eyes shifted to his. As expected, they were cold and detached.

  I knew when I needed to get away from him. Far away. I threw my legs off the side of my bed and stood. My dad might’ve been tall, but I was taller, bulking up even more over the last year. He stepped back when I stood, knowing enough to let me go. I brushed by him, storming out of the trailer and hopping into my Jeep. I peeled out of the dirt front yard, sending dust and rocks kicking up behind me, wishing I had the balls to leave it all behind.

  Hadley

  I walked out of the guidance office the following morning with a mental list of things I needed to do. I thought once I’d been accepted to college, I’d be done with the online forms. But according to my guidance counselor, if they were offering free money, I needed to jump through hoops to keep it. I hurried into the crowded cafeteria, hoping to grab a drink since I’d been unable to get an iced coffee before my early meeting.

  “Hey, Hadley.”

  I glanced to my left. Monica, co-captain of the girls’ soccer team, stood from a table and approached me, her long red hair bouncing with each step. We’d been teammates freshman year for all of three seconds. That’s how long it took to realize my soccer skills sucked. Don’t get me wrong. I loved sports. Watching them. It was safer that way. For everyone. “How’s it going?”

  “I saw you talking to the new guy at Katie’s party.”

  My head shot back.

  “What’s he like?” she asked anxiously.

  I shrugged. “I really don’t know. He tripped over me. It was more him trying not to look like a fool than really talking.”

  “But you talked to him. Isn’t his accent amazing?”

  Her sudden dreaminess threw me for a loop. “If you like that sort of thing.”

  “What’s not to like? Have you seen his body?”

  I couldn’t stop the unwelcome image of him shirtless in Katie’s hallway from invading my brain. “Yup. I’ve seen it.”

  “Katie’s so lucky she got to him first.”

  My eyes drifted across the cafeteria, ironically, landing on the man of the hour. He was seated with some baseball players and girls on either side of him all up in his space. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. It seems like he gets around.”

  Monica froze when she spotted what I’d seen. Jealousy brimmed in her eyes.

  “See you later.” I took off toward English class.

  Cass already sat in her seat as I took mine. “Hey,” she said, not bothering to look up as her thumbs pounded away at her phone.

  I hated talking to the back of her head. “Hi.”

  “Did you hear the news?”

  “What news?”

  She swiveled to face me. “Katie’s house got robbed.”

  “Robbed?”

  She nodded. “Someone broke into her dad’s safe. Apparently they had something like the freaking Hope Diamond in there and now it’s gone.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, I heard the cops were questioning her stepmom for hours. I’m surprised your dad didn’t tell you.”

  “You know he’s not allowed to talk about work at home.” My mother had been brought up by my grandfather, the wealthy senator, and my grandmother, the debutante. You could understand their surprise when she married a cop—even if he did eventually make detective. But she stuck with my dad, making sure his work never interfered with our family. “Do they know when it happened?”

  Cass shook her head. “Her dad claimed he hadn’t been in his safe in months.”

  “Geez. That sucks.” I dug into my backpack on the floor beside my desk, seeking my notebook and a package of licorice.

  “For you,” a deep British voice said.

  I glanced up at Caynan who stood beside me with a grin. He’d placed an iced coffee on my desk. I nodded toward it. “What’s this?”

  “I was behind you at the drive-thru before you gave up and took off. Thought you might like one.”

  My entire face scrunched up. “Why?”

  He shrugged as he slid into his seat beside me. “I just thought it was a nice gesture.”

  “Nice gesture?” I scoffed, wondering what nice gesture he’d done for the two girls sandwiching him in the cafeteria.

  He nodded, his lips twitching in the corners. “After nearly plowing you over at the party.”

  “Nearly? You definitely plowed me over. Lucky I’m still alive to talk about it.”

  He laughed, a deep throaty laugh. “I just couldn’t remember if I apologized. So, I got you the coffee.”

  My eyes narrowed. “How do I know you didn’t slip something in it?”

  His brows slanted in. “Like what?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve seen movies. The poor unsuspecting co-ed gets drugged in her iced coffee.”

  That made him laugh even harder. “And what would I get out of drugging you in the middle

  of English class?”

  “So you’re saying you’d drug me, just not at school?”

  “What?” His face was incredulous. “I never said that.”

  I lifted my shoulders. “Who knows. You could be some crazy Brit on the lam from the…what do they call cops over there?”

  He paused.

  “You two are adorable,” Cass interjected, pulling our attention to her—our one-woman audience.

  I willed her with my eyes to zip it. “Are not.”

  She ignored my plea. “Oh, no. You’re definitely adorable.”

  Ms. Atwood walked through the door already talking about the story she assigned yesterday.

  I turned my attention to the front of the room, though the urge to drink the coffee was overpowering.

  “Psst.”

  My eyes shifted to Caynan who stared across the aisle at me.

  “You know you want to.”

 
I turned back to the front of the room, resisting the urge to grab it at all costs.

  I never backed down from a challenge. I was stubborn like that.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Caynan

  For the most part, the rest of my first week in Jacobsville was just like every other. I got lost. I got propositioned by several willing females. I focused my energy on baseball, not school.

  Thanks to my two homeruns, we won today’s game easily. Coach pulled me aside after and asked me about my future plans. I brushed him off saying I’d been considering the military. That always garnered a look of admiration, but an understanding that college ball wasn’t in my immediate future. He assured me, if my plans changed, he had contacts at the local colleges who would come see me play. I thanked him, knowing that would never happen.

  I pulled to a stop down the road from my teammate Mark’s house that night, the closest I could park with all the cars lining the street. Once I switched off the engine, a pounding on my window startled the hell out of me. Even with my soft top down, I hadn’t heard anyone approach. Damn. I must’ve been slipping. A tall redhead with green eyes stared in at me laughing hysterically with her friends.

  I pushed open my door and stepped out, donning my confident grin and accent. “What’s up, ladies?”

  “Sorry.” The redhead twisted her hair around her finger. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “I wasn’t scared.”

  She practically sighed. “I’m Monica.”

  “Good to meet you.”

  The girls with her giggled. It had to be the fucking accent. Why couldn’t my father have chosen somewhere in the US? “You heading to Mark’s?”

  I nodded. “Which one is it?”

  She linked her arm through mine. “Come on. We’ll take you there.”

  Hadley

  The floor beneath my feet trembled with the bass from the band outside. Most were out there listening to the lead singer butcher pop-country songs, but Pete, Cass, Eric, and I were in the middle of a high stakes game of High-Low-Jack at Mark’s kitchen table.

  “And then the ball flew out of the field,” Pete explained, his animated arm pointing to an invisible fence across the kitchen.