by Linzvonc
“Are we going to get to meet him?”
I rolled my eyes and headed towards the stairs, calling out behind me dismissively. “Yeah, I’m not sure when though. I’m just going to shower.”
I grinned to myself, pulling my phone out to find a text from Rosie.
ROSIE:
The Rink, tomorrow night, girls ONLY.
GRETCHEN:
Yes, thank you! Just what I need. Hope you are okay—lots to tell you... ;)
ROSIE:
OMG—you didn’t!
I laughed to myself, skipping into the bathroom to have a shower.
***
Cal met me for school the next morning, and I couldn’t help but beam at him when I saw him leaning against his car waiting for me.
His face looked a bit better; it was still swollen, but not as bad as it was yesterday.
I kissed him carefully, mindful of his cuts, which he responds to urgently, his hands sliding into the back pockets of my jeans to pull me closer to him.
“Morning, baby,” he whispered, resting his forehead on mine.
“We could walk, you know, it's not far,” I pointed out as he made a face at me.
“But this way we get to make out more before school, no?” he smirked, his gaze journeying down my body.
I couldn’t argue with that logic, so I climbed into the car willingly.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked gruffly, as I noticed he didn’t have his belt on.
“Nothing. You need your seatbelt on,” I pointed out, as he laughed, making no move to put it on.
We reached school and as I got out, he put his hand on my arm.
“Baby, I’m not going in today. I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ll pick you up after and take you home. Will you be okay in there?” His eyes searched mine as I groaned.
“Cal, you can’t keep skipping school.”
He rolled his eyes before tilting my head to his. “Listen, beautiful. You don’t need to worry about me, just focus on yourself.”
I glared at him. “But what are you going to do when it’s time to find a job, Cal? You need to pass—"
He looked at me with amusement, kissing my lips softly as I relented.
“Are we having our first argument?” Cal murmured, nipping my teeth between his lips.
I gasped, running my tongue over my lip. “Maybe.”
I kissed him intensely before I dragged myself off to class, aware he was watching me appreciatively.
***
I put my arm through Rosie’s as I sighed, an enormous grin on my face.
“You seem very happy indeed,” she winked at me. “How do you feel?”
I leaned back and pouted, unable to hide my euphoria.
“Like a woman,” I purred playfully as she giggled.
“So, where is he today?”
I bit my lip, avoiding her knowing stare. “He has some things to take care of...”
Rosie rolled her eyes with disbelief. “He’s cutting school again. Attractive.”
I nodded sadly. “I know, it's shitty. But you can’t help who you fall in love with.”
Her head whipped around to mine, her jaw dropping as she gasped. “Love?”
I stopped at my class, my cheeks burning as I giggled.
I’d barely admitted as much to myself, but I had to be honest.
I was falling in love with Cal.
Rosie looked past me then, mouthing at me to ‘turn around’ before walking away to her class.
I turned to see Luke striding towards me, followed by Finn.
Finn ran past me to catch up with Rosie, and I braced myself for more verbal abuse from Luke.
“Hey,” Luke stuffed his hands in his pockets, as I stood perfectly still, waiting for him to speak. “I need to talk to you. It’s not about us or anything like that,” he added hastily, shuffling his feet on the floor.
I folded my arms and gazed at him coolly. I had no clue what he wanted to talk to me about, and I highly doubted it would be unrelated to us.
“Right. So, go,” I shrugged my shoulders, clearing my throat.
He fixed his blue eyes on mine, and I realized he wanted to speak privately.
Was he serious right now?
I didn’t want to be on my own with this asshole after how he’d spoken to me.
“Not here. After class, meet me near the bleachers. Please?” He pleads with me, and the look in his eyes tells me I need to be there.
Against my better judgement, I muttered that I would meet him later. I turned and walked back into the class, annoyed with myself for agreeing to meet him on my own.
***
The bell rang out for the end of school, and I took a slow stroll to the bleachers to meet Luke.
Being out here reminded me of the many football games I’d watched Luke play in, even when I was freezing, I’d been there for every game, the loyal girlfriend. I remembered when he scored the winning goal, how he ran up to me in the bleachers, as everyone whooped and cheered around us. He’d kissed me in front of everyone, and I’d felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
My smile faded when I spotted Luke, his trademark blue jacket and helmet dangling from his fingers. I took a deep breath, forcing one foot in front of the other as I neared him, as pink talons crept around his waist. I stopped; my breath frozen in my lungs.
“You know I love fucking you. Always have,” Luke laughed, his head moving to the right so he could kiss the neck of the girl in his arms.
Krystal’s neck.
“At least you can be mine officially now,” Krystal smirked as Luke’s mouth silenced hers.
I felt nauseous, the realisation that I wasn’t the only bad bitch in our relationship. It seemed my boyfriend hadn’t been waiting for me.
He’d been shagging Krystal.
“Sorry, am I interrupting anything?” I called out, walking towards them with an icy smile.
Luke whirled around, his eyes wide as he dropped his hands from Krystal, moving away from her as she narrowed her eyes at me.
“Gretchen, you’re early,” Luke frowned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Seems like you weren’t expecting me,” I huffed, shaking my head as Krystal rolled her eyes. “You have the audacity to kick off because I kissed Cal whilst we were together—”
“Yeah, and what?” Luke demanded, his eyes darkening with fury. “You shouldn’t have fucking kissed him. You were with me.”
“Um, hello?” Krystal snapped, folding her arms.
Luke glared at her, before waving her away.
“This doesn’t concern you,” he muttered coldly, his eyes fixed on me.
Krystal’s mouth dropped open, and she gasped. “Screw you, Luke! For the record, Gretchen, I’ve been sleeping with your boyfriend for at least a year. That’s karma for you!”
Luke closed his eyes as Krystal stormed away, tugging her tiny skirt down as she did.
I felt numb.
Every memory I’d ever created with Luke was now a lie.
The entire time we were together—he’d been with Krystal?
“That explains why she never liked me,” I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “All those secret meetings between you. They were nothing to do with the fucking cheerleading team, were they?”
“You’re in no position to say fuck all to me—” Luke barked, walking forward and gripping my arm. “You did it with my cousin. You fucked my cousin, yet you didn’t even let me do that with you.”
I wriggled my arm away from him, stepping forward and poking him in his hard chest.
“You said this wasn’t about us. So, you’ve been cheating on me this entire time. So what? We’re over. Tell me what you want to say so I can go.”
His chest heaved with every breath; his nostrils flared as he gritted his teeth together.
“Has Loverboy told you anything about himself? Or do you not talk?”
I scrunched my eyes up, counting to ten in my head.
I’m so close to losin
g my shit with this asshole—
“Do you know why Cal moved here?”
I didn’t want to hear this from Luke, of all people.
“Luke, don’t you think Cal should tell me?” I exhaled with exasperation, my head already aching from the fuckstorm that was Krystal and Luke.
Our whole fucking relationship was a lie!
Luke laughed then, nodding his head enthusiastically. “Absolutely. He should have told you by now. The thing is, he’s family. So, you will hear it from me, and no one else—because no one else will know. If he thought anything of you, he would’ve told you that you could be in danger,” he fixed his eyes on me, and they soften slightly as his shoulders sag. “I do care about you. I didn’t think for one second you would have left me to be with him, so it would have remained a secret. But you did, so now you need to know.”
I frowned as I watched him kick the floor with his foot.
I’d have left him a year ago had I know he was fucking Krystal behind my back.
Cal is my saviour in more ways than one.
“He took part in a robbery. They got away with a fuck load of money and jewellery. There was a girl there. She ended up in hospital.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe, my heart hammering in my chest as he continued.
“The problem was, she was the daughter of a very important gangster in New York. Cal got arrested, sure. But then there was money on his head, and all his family.”
I blinked furiously as I stared at Luke, my mouth suddenly dry. “They want to kill him?” I whispered; my words carried away by the breeze.
Luke looked at me with annoyance. “He is a bad fucking person, Gretchen. His family had to go into witness protection and move here. His name isn’t even Cal fucking Fallon.”
Chapter Eighteen
GRETCHEN
My head spun.
This is serious. I’m a eighteen-year-old girl in love with a criminal.
I scolded myself; a criminal, according to Luke, who had many reasons to lie to me. I had a sinking feeling he wasn’t lying though.
My phone flashed on my desk, and I picked it up when I saw it was Cal.
“Hey.”
“Where are you?” Cal asked gruffly.
“I’m just getting ready to go to The Rink with the girls...” I explained, as I grabbed my bag.
He fell silent on the other end.
“Can you pick me up after?” I asked sweetly.
“Yeah. Text me.”
Just like that he hung up, leaving me staring at the phone in my hand.
What was up with him?
I sighed, packing my skates in my bag. I skipped downstairs and out to Sienna’s car: a gorgeous Fiat 500 in mint green. I needed to learn to drive; every time I saw Sienna’s car, it reminded me of the fact.
“Hey, girls!”
I climbed into the back and grinned at my friends.
“Hey yourself,” Rosie smiled cheerfully as she climbed back into the car after letting me get in. She turned around to face me and we chatted casually on the way to The Rink.
I hadn’t told anyone about Luke and Krystal, even though it was pure ammunition if ever I needed it; I wasn’t that petty.
My phone vibrated in my bag, and I hunted through until I found it, tugging it out to see it was a text.
LUKE:
I’m sorry about me and Krystal… I don’t love her. Not like I love you.
Fuck you, Luke.
I shoved my phone back into my bag as I became aware of a pair of eyes staring at me.
“Who’s that?” asked Rosie, her nose wrinkled as she continued to study me.
“Luke,” I replied quietly, my head pounding.
I needed a night away from drama, and it seemed to follow me, regardless.
“Everything okay? More hot guys fighting over you?’’ Rosie giggled nervously as Sienna nudged her.
“Luke texting is a good sign, right?” Sienna said hopefully, as she swung into the parking lot.
I glanced out of the window, chewing on my lip.
I knew it was difficult for Sienna, seeing as she was with Ethan. I felt bad for screwing up the dynamics of our friendship, but I was caring less and less the more secrets that came to the surface.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, guys. Let’s skate!” I suggested brightly as we walked into the stadium. We joined the queue to pay, the sound of blades slicing through the ice in the distance. The cool air made me blow on my hands and I rubbed them together to warm them up.
I paid before I made my way down to the bleachers by the rink. I laced my skates up, humming to the music.
The ice glistened invitingly before me, and I yearned to slice through it with my recently sharpened skates. I hugged my coat closer to me as Rosie danced up beside me.
“Let’s go,” Rosie squealed, her excitement infectious as we made our way onto the ice.
The wind in my hair as I picked up speed soothed my soul.
My feet moved effortlessly as Rosie appeared next to me, her hand slipping into mine, as I gave her a small smile. We skated to the music in a companionable silence, my thoughts filled with memories of being here with Luke. Rosie squeezed my hand, nodding towards the bar where they served the infamous orange hot chocolate.
“Feeling better?” Rosie smiled kindly as she blew on her hot chocolate.
We settled into the booth we usually occupied, the one that overlooked the entire rink.
My shoulders relaxed as I exhaled, nodding.
Rosie scanned my face with a frown, her eyes filled with concern.
“Yeah, I needed this. It clears the mind,” I frowned as I glanced around us. “Where’s Sienna?”
Rosie sipped her hot cocoa and followed my gaze. She whipped her head around in different directions until she groaned. “Oh, God.”
Sienna was skating beside Ethan, followed by Finn and Luke.
Luke grinned at Finn, his gaze on the floor as he skated. He moved over the ice with annoying ease, his dark hair in his eyes as he looked up towards me, our eyes locked on one another for the briefest of moments. But it was enough for an entire conversation. He looked away; his face crumpled beneath my steely gaze.
“Shit, Gretch, I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know he would be here,” Rosie’s face fell with dismay, her fingers on her forehead as she closed her eyes. “I said girls only.”
“I don’t want to spend my evening with my ex, I really don’t,” I mumbled as I rose to my feet.
There was no way I was doing this, playing at being civil. Not with the guy that had cheated on me for the past year.
No fucking way.
“I’m leaving.”
“What? No, no way,” Rosie laced her arm through mine, ducking under the DJ booth to where some tables lay hidden from view.
“I think we’ll be safe in here,” Rosie glanced anxiously behind us at the rink, her cheeks flushed. “Do you hate him that much?”
“I’m so sorry, Rosie. It’s not just me that fucked up, Luke isn’t innocent in this,” I sniffed, knowing I had to tell someone the truth.
Rosie hummed in response, whipping her head up to me as she did a double take. “What?”
“Luke was sleeping with Krystal through our entire relationship,” I explained as I laughed hollowly. “He’s a fucking hypocrite.”
Rosie looked like I’d slapped her, her mouth formed into an O as she struggled to find words. “Please tell me you’re lying, Gretchen,” Rosie whispered, her head in her hands. “Luke loves you—”
Oh boy, he has a funny way of showing it.
“I don’t care now, Rosie. I’m with Cal,” I shrugged, as two shadows fell over the table.
“Here you are,” Sienna smiled, oblivious to Rosie’s glare.
We all sat and chatted for a while until Finn and Luke wandered over.
Luke pushed his hands into his jeans, his eyes on me.
I avoided his stare as Rosie nudged her leg against mine under the table in wh
at I could only imagine was empathy. I knew she was pissed; she had promised a girls’ night out, and this felt like I was back in school again.
I asked Ethan if I could squeeze past him, explaining to the girls I needed to go.
Sienna frowned as Rosie shot her a dark look.
“Want me to walk with you?” Rosie asked as she rose to her feet.
“Funny how you leave when we turn up,” Finn said drily, his eyes narrowing at me.
I had understood his animosity when I’d thought Luke was the wounded party, but now I wondered if he had known all along. I doubted Luke would’ve kept it to himself.
“Fuck off, Finn, it’s got nothing to do with you,” I muttered.
He ignored me, sitting down beside Ethan. He then told us all how much better it was for Luke being single, and how cheating never paid off.
“Shut up, Finn,” Luke grunted as Finn looked up at him with surprise.
“She fucking cheated on you, man—”
“Just let her go,” Luke said as he turned away.
“It wasn’t just me though, was it?” I breathed, my voice laced with bitterness. “Did you tell your friends, Luke?”
Luke shook his head, his eyes filled with regret. Finn exchanged a look with Ethan, before nodding at me.
“Is that your next move, Gretchen? Slinging shit at Luke—”
“I cheated on her.,” Luke declared, his eyes fixed on mine.
I breathed with relief as Luke stared at me.
“What?! With who?!” Sienna shrieked as she jumped to her feet. “You’ve let the entire school slate her while all along you were cheating on her?”
I dropped my eyes to the floor, my body exhausted from the drama.
Luke’s jaw clenched as he tilted his head to Sienna, as he shrugged. “Krystal.”
Ethan groaned, dropping his head into his hands as Sienna gaped at Luke.
Finn was silent, his disgust clear.
“You’re better off without each other then,” he muttered, as Ethan nodded.
I knew Finn’s parents had divorced over his Dad having an affair, so this was low, even for him.
Luke avoided his gaze. Instead, he focused on me.
“Well, it’s been lovely, but I’m leaving,” I snapped, before he tried to talk to me.
I tugged my phone out of my pocket as I headed up to the seats to unlace my skates. My fingers trembled, my heart still in a whirlwind from Luke's confession to our friends. I knew he did that to save me from getting any more shit from Finn, but I refused to feel grateful.