Always You

by Missy Johnson

  He just sees me as a friend. He probably feels sorry for the poor little orphan with no friends. No matter how often I kept repeating it to myself, a small part of me wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. There was no stopping that part of Wrenn from getting her hopes up. That part of me kept piping up with ridiculous thoughts. Things like, why would he risk his job to meet you for a movie if he just wanted friendship?

  Stepping out of the shower, I dried my hair and tied it back into a loose bun, my bangs falling forward and covering my forehead. I wrapped a towel around me and walked back to my room. Now I had to decide what to wear.

  I shuffled through my underwear drawer for my nicest bra and thong; a cream-colored French lace set Kass had given me for my birthday, all the way from a trendy Paris boutique.

  I was anything but a slut. I had no intention of letting anyone see my underwear today, or anytime soon, for that matter, but I felt good wearing it. Over the top of the bra I slid a dusky pink silk tank, which I paired with my skinny jeans, calf-high black boots, and my warm short black woolen jacket. Finally, I picked out a smoky gray eye shadow that made my eyes look bigger, and a soft pink lip-gloss.

  Perfect: I looked sexy, yet casual enough for a movie with a friend. I grabbed my purse and raced downstairs to the kitchen.

  On top of the counter, I scribbled a note:

  Going out with Kassia, will be home by curfew.

  Wrenn xx

  I had a pretty decent curfew, considering I rarely had anywhere to go—midnight on weekends, and eleven on school nights, with staying over at Kass’s fine anytime, as long as Layna knew where I was.

  That was the only time when being the headmistress’s niece came in handy. While any of the girls could leave for the night if they had parental permission, it was much easier for me to obtain if I just needed some space.

  I climbed into my car and plugged the theater into my GPS. Hallbrook was two towns over, about a thirty-minute drive. The location was far away enough that we were unlikely to be spotted, especially since tonight was dinner night at the house for staff. Another reason I was surprised he had said yes. What would he tell my aunt?

  It sure as hell wouldn’t be the truth.

  ***

  I pulled up outside the theater with five minutes to spare. Reaching into my purse, I clasped my hand over my compact, bringing it up to my face to check my makeup. I didn’t wear it often, so it felt weird wearing it now, like there was something on my eyes that I needed to scratch off.

  Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the entrance, looking around for Dalton. I spotted him standing to the left of the ticket box. His eyes lit up when he spotted me.

  God, he looks so hot.

  He wore faded blue jeans and a black leather jacket over a gray T-shirt. His tousled light brown hair looked perfect, and his eyes were so blue I felt like I’d fall into them if I stared for too long.

  “Hey, Wrenn.” He smiled, his eyes so focused on mine, like he didn’t trust himself to let them wander over my body. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

  “Hey,” I said warmly. “We should probably get our tickets.” I glanced around the deserted entrance and frowned. “Though I would have expected more of a crowd.” I walked up to a rather uninterested looking dude sitting in the booth.

  “Hi. Two tickets for Psycho,” I said.

  “Wrong day, honey. That’s tomorrow night.” Shit. I turned around to see Dalton chuckling behind me. My desire to punch the ticket guy for calling me “honey” was washed away by my embarrassment about getting the day wrong.

  “It’s not funny,” I grumbled, my cheeks glowing red. “I feel like an idiot.” I was such a tool. Who gets the freaking day wrong?

  “Come on, it is pretty funny.” He tugged at my arm, making me look up at him. His smile was contagious, and pretty soon we were both laughing.

  “Have you eaten?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  Food? No, I’d been way too nervous for food.

  “Okay. Let’s get some dinner. There’s a place just up off the highway that does a pretty decent meal. We can go in my car.”

  I nodded, following him, not quite able to comprehend that I was about to get in his car—alone.

  Just him and me.

  “Nice,” I murmured, running my finger along the bonnet of the red Mazda rx7.

  He razed his eyebrows, amused.

  “What?” I said teasingly, “I’m not allowed to like cars?”

  “No, it’s not that at all.” He shook his head. “It’s just not many girls your age would even know what this is.”

  “My age?” I scoffed. “You’re only a few years older than me.”

  “Six,” he corrected, his eyes twinkling. “I’m twenty-three.”

  “Actually, smartass, five,” I shot back.

  “You’re eighteen?” he said, his jaw dropping.

  “Yes.” I smirked. “Remember? I’m repeating this year. That makes me eighteen, and legal in many countries for various activities.”

  We both fell silent as we climbed into the car. Did I really just say that?

  God, I needed a gag; anything to stop me talking. I buckled up my seatbelt, loving the feel of the low seats.

  “You sure you can handle this thing?” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. It worked.

  He winked at me as he revved the engine before slamming it into gear. I laughed as we took off down the street, smoke ripping up under the wheels. “Sorry. I guess I should be acting a little more responsibly, huh?” he chuckled, his eyes bright with excitement.

  “I don’t know, I’m liking this side of you. And besides, it’s the weekend. You have to let your hair down sometime.” I liked the idea of him letting his guard down around me. It told me that he didn’t see me as a student. The thought made my stomach somersault.

  ***

  “So, tell me about you. You love fast cars and horror movies; what else is there to know about Mr. Reid?” I asked, licking the last of possibly the best chocolate mousse I’d ever experienced off my spoon.

  “Well, for one, my name is Dalton,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “Okay, Dalton.” I giggled. Dalton. I loved that name.

  “It’s just my mom and I. Dad died when I was fifteen. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, though originally I wanted to go with elementary.”

  “Why did you go with high school?” I asked curiously.

  He shrugged. “Last minute decision,” he said with a smile.

  I laughed. “Oh, I bet you’re regretting that now,” I teased.

  “I have no idea what you mean.” He looked at me innocently, and then his face broke into a smile. “Okay, teaching teenage girls is pure hell.”

  I giggled. “Come on, it can’t be that bad. A couple of hundred girls, all thinking you’re a god? That’s got to boost the ego.”

  “A couple of hundred girls all under the age of eighteen,” he corrected dryly.

  “I’m not,” I said lightly, surprised by what was coming out of my mouth.

  “Yeah, well you’re the exception,” he said.

  The exception. I liked being the exception. I met his gaze, his eyes burning into mine. My face began to heat. How could I not read into things when he was staring at me like that? I felt naked under his gaze.

  Had I imagined the change in his behavior since he found out I was eighteen? Did that make a difference as to how off-limits I was?

  “You know, given the right circumstances, we could have almost crossed paths in college,” I began, my tone light. “I mean, if I was in college this year, and you had continued with your studies, like a PhD or something.”

  He nodded, those deep blue eyes boring into mine. “Do you have a point?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Would you have batted an eyelid at going out with a freshman? Probably not. I guess I’m just saying under different circumstances . . . ” I let my voice trail off, hoping it sounded delib
erate. In truth, words had deserted me.

  Had I just propositioned my teacher? Yes, yes I had.

  To my relief, he laughed. “You said you’re going to study law, right?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s good. You certainly give compelling arguments.” He waved down the waitress and smiled at me. “I think we should get you back home before you get me in trouble.”

  ***

  He dropped me back at my car just before ten thirty. I was shocked at how late it was. We had been talking for hours. I felt so relaxed around him, yet at the same time nobody had ever had me feeling so damn wound up.

  “So, you still want to see this movie tomorrow?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Are you asking me out?” I asked, my tone sweet.

  “No. I’m merely trying to broaden the cinematic knowledge of one of my students.” His expression became serious. “Asking out one of my students would be incredibly unprofessional on my part, and unethical. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.”

  “What if I wanted to be taken advantage of?” I moved toward him, very slowly, gauging his reaction. He held his breath as I edged closer, until our lips were almost touching. I paused, looking into his eyes, so desperately wanting to feel his lips against mine but not wanting to step over that boundary without him wanting it equally.

  He tilted his head so his lips brushed over mine, the sensation making me dizzy. His hand wandered up to my face, his fingers gently running along my hairline. Then suddenly my lips were crushed up against his with a passion even I wasn’t expecting.

  As quickly as it began, he was away from me, his eyes a mixture of lust, regret, and confusion. I was a hot mess. My heart was beating out of control, I felt hot and cold and lightheaded. Thank God I was sitting down, or I was sure I’d have ended up fainting.

  “I’m sorry, Wrenn. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly.

  “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want,” I replied.

  He sat, his hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel, not speaking.

  “Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked.

  He glanced at me, confused.

  “The movie,” I reminded him.

  He exhaled loudly. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “Maybe not, but I think we need to talk about this . . . ” My voice trailed off as he nodded.

  “I’ll call you.” His voice had softened, as had his expression. His eyes were no longer hard.

  I nodded and got out of the car, closing the door. He drove off, and I stood there on the curb, staring until I could no longer see his taillights. Once he was gone, I stepped into my car.

  I sat there, trying to digest what had just happened. Kissing him had evoked everything in me. It felt like a hurricane of feelings and emotions had ripped through my body, leaving me a muddled mess inside.

  I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. It had been on silent since I’d arrived at the theater. There were six missed calls from Kassia, and countless texts, all conveying the same message; call me.

  I dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.

  “Where the hell have you been?” she shrieked loudly.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed at her tone.

  “What’s wrong? Fuck, Wrenn. If you’re going to tell your aunt you’re going out with me, at least clue me in on it.” She sounded frustrated and annoyed.

  Shit.

  I hadn’t even considered the fact that Layna was friends with Kass’s parents.

  “Shit, it didn’t even occur to me,” I groaned, slapping my forehead.

  “It’s okay. This time. I covered for you. I’m sitting in a diner just out of town, freezing my ass off for you. You so owe me,” she grumbled. “Get your ass over here now.”

  ***

  I slid into the booth opposite Kass, handing her my spare jacket. She took it gratefully and slipped it on.

  “You so owe me a dessert,” she grumbled, still pissed.

  I smiled. “Sure. Get whatever you want.” I sat back, running over the night in my head. That kiss . . . I shivered as chills danced down my spine.

  “Oh, I plan on it.” She reached for the menu to survey her options. “So, spill.”

  “Huh?”

  “Where were you, and who didn’t you want your aunt to know you were with? And don’t even try to lie to me,” she warned, her brown eyes narrowing.

  I glanced around the empty diner, fighting myself on how much to tell her. I could trust Kass, and I needed to tell someone. I was desperate for someone else’s opinion, and there was nobody who would give it to me straighter than Kass.

  “Promise this doesn’t go further than you and me,” I said, leaning across the booth.

  She did the same. “I promise,” she said, her eyes wide.

  “Okay. I was with Dalton.”

  She looked confused, so I added “Reid.”

  Her eyes grew even wider. “As in . . . ”

  “Mr. Reid,” I agreed.

  “Tell me everything! Leave nothing out!” she hissed as I giggled, relieved by her reaction.

  “It’s hard to explain. We’ve had this kind of flirting thing going on for weeks now. I called him and asked him to a movie, and he said yes.”

  Kass’s mouth dropped open.

  “Kass, I feel so . . . I don’t even know how to explain it. And when we kissed—”

  “You kissed him?” she squealed.

  I blushed and shot her a look. She immediately clamped her mouth shut.

  “It just kind of happened. Now I have no idea where I stand.”

  “Forget dessert. Stay at my house tonight. We need to hash this out.” She grabbed my arm and steered me over to the counter. “But first, you need to pay for the five coffees I had while waiting for you.”

  ***

  Kass’s bedroom was bigger than our living room at home. It was fucking huge. She had her own bathroom and balcony. Her king-sized bed barely took up any of the room. A large TV hung on the ivory-colored wall above a fireplace.

  “Okay, so tell me everything,” she said, wriggling out of her jeans and into a pair of gray sweatpants.

  I lay down on her bed and told her everything—from the movies, to him coming over, to how I felt when I was around him. It was like a weight had been lifted off me. I’d needed to get all this out, and if not Kass, then who was I going to tell? My aunt? I snorted at the thought. I could talk to Layna about many things, but a crush on my teacher was not one of them, especially when I had just kissed said teacher.

  Kass collapsed dramatically on the bed beside me.

  “Wow,” she muttered, sighing loudly. “Can you promise me one thing?”

  I turned to her expectantly.

  “If, for whatever reason, this has to get out, can I be there when you tell Paige? Or better yet, can I tell her?” She grinned.

  I burst out laughing. God, the look on Paige’s face would almost be worth it.

  “I told him about the betting pool,” I said with a giggle.

  “Ha! That’s awesome. What did he say?”

  “That it explained a lot,” I said. “I think he was a bit bewildered with all the attention of the girls.”

  “Well, he’s a delish young teacher. What did he expect?” She smirked. She shook her head. “Holy shit, Wrenn. This is so . . . rebellious of you. I never would’ve imagined you getting with a teacher.”

  “I haven’t gotten with anybody. Not since Toby, anyway. And it’s not like that. I really like the guy,” I said quietly. The question was, did he like me?

  “Toby?” asked Kass. “Was he your boyfriend back home?”

  I nodded. I’d been convinced that I was in love with Toby, and looking back, I think I was. That made it so much worse when he broke up with me. When things get difficult, you don’t expect someone you love to abandon you. But that’s what happened. Abandoned by my family, and then by Toby.

  �
�You never talk about your family,” Kass said slowly. She eyed me as if she were not sure how I’d react.

  And there it was. The questions began. It was inevitable that it would come up sometime, but the thought of telling her still made me feel sick. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, or I worried what she would think; it was more the way I felt when people knew that about me.

  “My parents and brother were killed in an accident,” I said.

  Her eyes widened and she moved closer to me, her arm wrapping around my shoulders.

  “My brother and mom were killed instantly, my dad died a few hours later.”

  “Oh God, Wrenn.” She hugged me. I felt relieved that she knew. “I can’t even imagine how hard that would’ve been.”

  “It was. My life before was completely different from how it is now. Toby, my boyfriend, pretty much stopped seeing me because he didn’t know how to act around the girl who’d lost her family.” I laughed, thinking about how awkward everyone else had acted. “I mean, I’m the one whose family died, yet they can’t handle it?” I shook my head.

  “And then you came here.”

  “Yes. Layna thought I needed to be around her. At seventeen, I could’ve stayed at home, but there were way too many memories…” I swallowed as tears stung my eyes. I missed them all so much.

  After our deep and meaningful conversation, Kass and I watched movies and chatted about anything and everything. She was in the middle of telling me about the plans she and Trina had for the holidays when my phone beeped. She stopped midsentence and stared at me.

  “Is it him?” she pressed.

  I fished my phone out of my purse, my hands shaking. It’s probably just Layna. Why the hell would he text me?

  I stared at his name on my screen for a good ten seconds before opening the message.

  Can I call you?

  I texted back.

  I’ll call you. Give me five minutes.

  “He wants to speak to me,” I whispered, feeling sick.

  Kass jumped off the bed and ran over to the balcony. “Go out here. I’ll go downstairs and get us something to eat. Come down when you’re finished.”