by Lynda Chance
He looked across the hood of the truck while he opened the door and waited for her to continue.
Hannah hesitated only a second. “Thanks … for what you did back there.” She paused, then finished what she wanted to say. “It was … so cool. You … you’re a good guy.” They stared at each other for a long simmering moment as Hannah’s insides shimmered from the intensity of his stare.
Josh gritted his teeth and nodded at her briefly in acknowledgment of her thanks. He gave her one last heated look, and got in the truck and drove away.
****
Hannah stood under the glare of a lamppost and watched the taillights of Josh’s pickup truck disappear. Had it all been a dream? Has Josh Turner really just kissed her as if his very life had depended on it?
She stood maybe two or three minutes in a daze until she heard Ava shouting her name from across the parking lot. Hannah turned and began walking toward her friend, her mind a fuzzy blank while she only just managed to put one foot in front of the other.
When they met some twenty yards away, Hannah saw immediately that Ava was crying. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry I left you like that, Hannah. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Hannah’s world was still revolving around Josh Turner and she had trouble concentrating on anything else, but she tried to give her friend her attention. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. Did the witches dump you?”
“Yes,” Ava answered on a sniff. “I feel bad for what I did. I dumped you and then the second you left with Josh, they dumped me. It was horrible.”
Hannah briefly considered some of the many ways that Rebecca and her crew had hurt her in the past. “Yeah, well, you have to learn to ignore them. They’re not worth losing sleep over, trust me on that.”
The look on her friend’s face was forlorn. “Are you still going to spend the night with me?” Ava asked.
“I’d like to, yeah. That was the plan.”
“You’re almost too nice, Hannah. I don’t deserve your forgiveness this easily.”
At any other time, Hannah might have said at least a few things to Ava about what she’d done, but at this moment, she couldn’t care less about any of that and so she only shook her head and Ava asked, “What happened with Josh? I can’t believe what went down.”
“He kissed me.”
“Yeah, I know. Everyone saw it. What happened when y’all left?” The girls turned and began to walk to Ava’s house, which was only a street away from the school and football field.
“He kissed me some more and then told me that I’m too young for him.”
“No way. That’s crap. He’s only two years older than you.”
Hannah thought she heard something else in Ava’s voice, something besides the commiseration she was offering Hannah, but she couldn’t identify it, so she stayed on the subject. “Josh is out of my league and you and I both know it. But holy crap, it was amazing!”
Ava looked thoughtful. “I’m not so sure he’s out of your league, Hannah. Have you taken a good look at yourself since your braces came off? Seriously, no offense, but it’s almost like the story of the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan. Not that you were ever ugly, that’s not what I meant. Crap, but now … Rebecca and her band of bitches are going to make your life a living hell, though. Josh should have thought of that before pissing them off and then throwing you to the wolves.”
Hannah chewed on that for a bit as the girls let themselves in through the back door of Ava’s house. “I don’t care about them. I can take any verbal abuse they throw at me, and I don’t really think any of them would get physical.”
“If they did, you’d be black and blue.”
“That’s for real. I have zero clue about fighting. And I hope I never have to learn.”
****
Hannah spent the whole of the following week looking for Josh, but he was totally elusive. She told herself that all she wanted was a peek of him, to see if her memory served her correctly. He couldn’t be as awesomely hot as she’d thought he’d been last Friday night. There was no way; he couldn’t be, no guy possibly could. The school days were tortuous for her, knowing they were in the same building but being so far apart from each other that she couldn’t even manage a glimpse of him. The school was separated into three wings, each containing a different grade level. Of course, the sophomore wing was the farthest away from the senior wing. Hannah racked her brain for any excuse she could find to be near the senior hallway. Sometimes she went without a reason. She was that desperate to see him. Her mind didn’t even go so far as to think about trying to speak to him, though.
She always planned her time near the seniors well in advance of actually going over there. She went during the minutes between classes, and always had to be prepared for her next class to make it on time. After the first day, she quickly figured out that loitering in the halls took dedication and time. Stalking took hard work, but she refused to accept that that was what she was doing. And of course she wasn’t stalking Josh in any bad sense; she didn’t want to hurt him, she only wanted to see him. She was always prepared, and the second she rounded the corner of the hallway, she scanned the students milling around to see if she could see him. She knew where the girls’ restrooms were located, and she always pretended that’s where she was going.
She had a ready excuse if she was questioned as to why she was there. Her advanced trigonometry class was located on the end of the junior hallway, and the nearest restroom was just around the corner on the senior hallway. She figured it was as good an excuse as any, and it was all she could come up with. So she went everyday after math class. The beginning of the week slipped by and she never saw him.
But on Thursday, someone saw her.
And it wasn’t Josh.
She hadn’t realized she was standing still in the middle of the hallway searching for him, until she was bumped from behind. She stumbled, but before she could fall, a soft hand gripped her elbow and steadied her.
Dark green, pretty eyes stared down at her. Josh’s eyes, but not Josh. They were the feminine equivalent of his and they belonged to his cousin, Katie. “Are you lost?”
Hannah looked up into the beautiful face of Katie Turner, so much like Josh’s that they could have been siblings instead of cousins, and shook her head. “No.”
The other girl released her elbow and smiled. “Okay, you looked a little out of place.”
“No, I’m fine, thanks. I’m headed to the restroom.”
“You’re Hannah, right?”
“Yes.” Since Josh and Katie were the same age, that made the girls two years apart as well, and even though their ranches were adjacent in a small area, they hadn’t really seen much of each other. Hannah had spoken to the other girl a time or two, but that was it.
“I can’t believe you’re … “
“Old enough to be here?” Hannah said on a laugh.
“I didn’t mean it that way, but yeah.”
Hannah was about to add to the conversation when she looked past Katie and there he was. Josh was standing maybe thirty feet away, staring at her while she spoke to his cousin. Her eyes were caught and held by his, and Katie turned her head to see what Hannah was looking at. Katie must have seen her cousin, because she turned back around and looked at Hannah with a new expression in her eyes. “I guess you know there are rumors circulating about you and Josh.”
Hannah forced her gaze from Josh and back to Katie as the other girl’s comment registered. Hannah had no idea people were talking. “No way.”
Katie studied Hannah a moment, obvious concern shining from her eyes. “I didn’t pay much attention to any of it, because I didn’t think it was true. Is it true? Did Josh kiss you at the game last weekend?”
Hannah was startled by the direct question and didn’t really want to answer, so she tried to be evasive. “He was just being nice to me, you know? There are some girls who like to be mean—”
“Rebecca Sutty?”
Hannah didn’t sa
y anything but nodded her head as she looked past Katie and realized that Josh had gone.
“You have to learn to ignore her, Hannah. She’s evil. There are several people in this school who you’ll have to learn to avoid.”
“Okay.”
Sympathy came from the other girl’s expression. “And Hannah, I hope you don’t mind me saying this. Don’t fall for Josh. He’s a great guy; don’t get me wrong. I love him, more than anyone in the world other than my parents. But Josh is a loner, you know? I mean, he has his friends, Ty and Ethan, and he has me, but for whatever reason, he doesn’t seem to get close to girls. I’m scared you’d get hurt, you know? I know we don’t know each other that well, but you’ve always been around, and I think of you as the little neighbor girl, so anyway, I hope you don’t mind me telling you that.”
Even while Hannah thought Katie was sweet to be concerned, she couldn’t help but be appalled at what the other girl was thinking. What the whole school was probably thinking. She admitted it to herself in that moment; she had it bad for Josh Turner. And he and probably everyone else knew it.
But she could deny it, and she did so now. “No, I don’t mind. I’m not going to fall for him; that would be crazy. I’m okay; I know he only did what he did at the game because he’s a nice guy. I know it didn’t have anything to do with me and that he’d have done the same for anyone.”
Katie seemed to study her for a moment as if taking her measure, trying to figure out if Hannah was telling the truth. “Okay, I’m glad to know that. I’ve got to get to class. See you later.”
“Okay, bye.” Hannah expelled a breath and slowly walked away.
****
On Friday night, the football game was an away game, played in another town about sixty miles to the south. Hannah and Ava didn’t go, but again that night, Hannah was spending the night with her friend. The game had ended about an hour or so before, and the girls knew that Redwood Falls had been victorious once again. They were painting their nails in Ava’s bedroom and Ava was questioning Hannah incessantly about the kiss that had happened the week before, when Ava’s brother poked his head in the bedroom door. Ava didn’t lose a second and sent a pillow sailing in his direction. “What’d I tell you about knocking?”
“Shut up, Ava.” He looked in Hannah’s direction and smiled. “Hi, Hannah.”
Hannah had only met him a few times before, and she couldn’t help it now; she blushed as his eyes stayed glued to her. “Hey, Ty.”
His gaze lingered and feeling more than a little confused, Hannah looked away and dipped the brush back in the bottle of polish. She tried to stay focused as the siblings began bantering.
“You got any money, Ava?”
Her friend’s comeback was immediate, “None that you can have.”
“Come on. Don’t give me that crap. You know I’ll pay you back.”
“Get it from mom.”
“She’s not here.”
Hannah felt Ava’s head pop up from the attention she was giving her nails. “Where’s she at?”
“It’s their anniversary, remember? Dad took her to Fort Worth. They’ll be gone ‘till tomorrow.”
Hannah glanced up and met Ava’s eyes as a frisson of excitement laced with panic slid down her spine. She certainly hadn’t known they wouldn’t have any parental supervision tonight. Not that they needed any. Right? Had Ava known? By the size of her friend’s eyes getting as big and round as saucers, Hannah didn’t think she’d known, or at least, she hadn’t remembered.
Ty continued, “Come on, I need gas money.”
“What for? It’s late already.”
“We won the game. We’re having an after-party and I’m on empty.”
“There’s a party?” Ava looked from her brother to Hannah and then back again. “Can we go?”
Ty’s eyes narrowed on his sister in disgust and then just as quickly his expression turned thoughtful. “Both of you?” Ty looked from his sister and then to Hannah, his eyes piercing into hers.
“Yeah, Hannah’s spending the night.”
“You want to go to a party, Hannah?” he asked, his eyes dropping to her lips before looking back up again.
Hannah glanced from Ty to Ava who was nodding her head frantically, trying to get her to agree. “I guess, maybe. Where’s it at?” Hannah knew she should decline. There was no way in hell her parents would want her running all over the countryside with Ava and her brother. But they’d never know. And she really wanted to go. When would they ever get another chance like this again? Most of the girls at school hated Hannah, and Ava wasn’t in a much better position, either. And the fact that they could show up to the party with one of the football players? It was really too good an opportunity to pass up.
“Nathaniel’s place out on County 165. His parents are in San Antonio buying stock. Gonna be bad-ass. We got a keg and everything.”
Excitement and trepidation in equal measures screamed through Hannah’s brain. Ava was already jumping off the bed and pulling drawers open and throwing things left and right as she searched for something. “We’re in. Right, Hannah?” The other girl didn’t give Hannah time to answer as she tossed out to her brother, “Give us fifteen minutes to get ready. I’ve got money for gas.”
“Give me the money now and I’ll go fill up and then come back and get y’all.”
“No way! Do you think I’m stupid? You’d take the money and we wouldn’t see you again!”
Hannah listened to the verbal byplay between the siblings as Ty’s eyes focused on her and didn’t look away, even as he answered his sister. “I’ll come back and get y’all, Ava. Just give me the money.”
“No.” Ava was adamant.
Hannah felt shaky from the heat coming from Ty’s eyes. He was good-looking, no question about it. He wasn’t Josh Turner, nobody in this world was, but suddenly and shockingly, Hannah realized that she was the reason they were going to get to go to this party. Well, and the gas money, of course. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, but so far, all he’d done was throw a few looks her way. She swallowed deeply. “I think he’ll come back for us, Ava. Go ahead and give him the money.”
Ava looked up from her stack of shirts and Hannah knew she saw the look on her brother’s face. Turning back to her top drawer, she peeled some bills from a stack of money and jammed them at her brother’s chest. “If you don’t come back, I’ll make your life a living hell, big brother.”
He just grinned and turned away.
****
An hour later, Hannah followed behind Ty and Ava as they walked from the truck to the front door of the house where the party was located. Her insides quaked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Already, Hannah could hear loud music spilling from indoors, bleeding out into the inky blackness of the night. She was so out of her element here. “Don’t you dump me this time, Ava!” she hissed in a loud whisper, only half jokingly, her insecurities rearing up.
Ava turned back to wait for her, and Hannah could clearly see the excitement shining from her friend’s eyes, as well as remorse for what she’d done to Hannah the week before. “I won’t! And don’t you leave me hanging, either.”
“Not a chance of that,” Hannah mumbled, trying to breathe evenly as the house with all those kids inside came closer.
“Right. You say that now. But I bet you ten bucks Josh Turner’s in that house,” Ava said.
That was the one thought that kept blaring through Hannah’s brain in a rapid-fire beat. She wanted Josh to be in there, but she had no idea how she should act or what she should say to him, even if she got the chance to speak to him at all.
When the girls got to the front door, Ty had already been given a cup of beer and was holding it in his hand as another senior, one who Hannah recognized as a member of the football team, stood glaring in their direction. He looked away from them and settled his gaze fiercely on Ty. “What the hell, Anderson? You brought your little sister?”
Hannah was standing so close to Ava that
she felt it when her friend froze, her body turning to stone as she stopped in her tracks and didn’t try to go any farther into the house.
Ty swallowed a gulp of beer. “Had to, man. Needed gas money.”
The guy guarding the door stood frowning at Ava. “No, I don’t think so. She’s not coming in here.”
“What the fuck’s got up your ass, Ethan?” Ty asked as he looked down at his buddy’s hand that was plastered in the middle of his chest, stopping him from moving forward.
Hannah stood frozen behind her friend as Ethan’s eyes broke away from the intense look he’d had on Ava and landed on her. “Who are you?”
“H-Hannah.”
“This is a party for seniors, Hannah. Are you a senior?” he snarled sarcastically.
Hannah knew good and well it was a rhetorical question because Ethan had to know she wasn’t a senior. “No. I’m a sophomore,” she confessed.
Ethan looked from Hannah back to Ava, his eyes stopping and running down Ava’s body before blasting his heated look back to Ty. “Right. They’re sophomores, Ty. You got a goddamn brain in your head?”
“Shut the fuck up. They’ll be fine.” A loud feminine squeal called out Ty’s name and he jerked his head around. Hannah watched from her place in the doorway as an older girl, still outfitted in her cheerleader gear, threw herself into Ty’s arms and hugged him.
He smiled at the other girl, and then turned back and looked in Hannah’s direction with an expression she couldn’t completely identify, but it looked regretful. The older girl was pushing herself against him and he wrapped his arm around her waist. He issued one last warning to Hannah and Ava. “Stay together. Don’t leave with anybody but me, and you only get one beer each. Got that? I’ve got no desire to clean up girl vomit tonight.” With that, he took one last look at his sister and said, “Be good,” and then he brushed past Ethan and walked into the party, the cheerleader hanging onto his arm.
Hannah’s heart beat loudly in her chest and her feet stayed rooted to the floor, but Ava wasn’t so intimidated and she glared up at Ethan. “Are you going to let us in?”
Ethan continued to stare down at Ava, sizzling anger fuming off him, but he didn’t speak. From her position behind Ava, Hannah was about to say something to try to lighten the dark atmosphere when she spied Josh Turner walking up behind Ethan. Anything she’d been about to say died in her throat as her blood started pumping at such an accelerated pace she could hear it ringing in her ears. Josh’s hand landed on Ethan’s back and Hannah knew he hadn’t seen her yet. Even with Josh’s height, Ethan was almost as tall as his friend and built like the linebacker that he was. He easily blocked most of Josh’s view.