by Jordan Lynde
Arden looked back up, excited again. ‘Isn’t it?’
Boy, was he resilient. Like a puppy . . . I shook my head. Arden was not a puppy – he was a human being. A cute one. ‘So, how has your weekend been?’ I inquired, picking a chocolate curl off my cake and eating it.
Arden shrugged. ‘OK. Yours?’
‘Interesting,’ I responded, seeing this conversation going nowhere. I hesitated a moment before speaking again. ‘About Friday—’
‘I really wasn’t lying,’ Arden interjected, giving me a serious look. ‘If there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s lie.’
I blinked at his forwardness. ‘Uh . . .’
‘I don’t know what Zak or Oliver told you, but don’t listen to them,’ he continued, making an annoyed face. ‘Especially Oliver.’
‘Oliver wouldn’t lie,’ I protested.
Arden gave me a hard look. ‘You sure about that?’
Suddenly I felt a little defensive. ‘I’m absolutely positive.’
‘Well, I’m not going to try to change your belief in him,’ he told me with another shrug. ‘However, I do want you to reconsider your belief in me.’
I chewed on my lip, cupping my hands around my smoothie glass. ‘I do believe you.’
‘You do?’ He sounded surprised.
I nodded. ‘You haven’t given me a reason not to believe you.’
Arden ran a hand through his hair, looking relieved. ‘Good. I’m glad. You’d have to be a real as—’
‘Jerk,’ I interjected quickly.
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. ‘OK . . . you’d have to be a real jerk to lie about your grandma dying. And while I can be a jerk, I’d like to think I’m not that bad.’
I ducked my head, blushing in embarrassment. ‘I’m sorry, Arden. I shouldn’t have said that.’
He snorted. ‘Especially after you dropped the my-parents-are-dead bomb. I felt like the biggest cad in the world.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I apologized again. ‘It’s just that what Joel said threw me off.’
Arden took a sip of his smoothie, staring at the table for a moment. ‘Well, that’s partially my fault. I did tell him I was skipping first period for a reason other than my grandma’s funeral.’
‘Playing with girls?’
Arden suddenly started choking on his smoothie. He coughed for a few moments, turning his back to me.
‘Are you . . . OK?’ I asked hesitantly.
He held up his hand. ‘I’m fine,’ he responded in a hoarse voice, turning back to me. He quickly rubbed his eyes, clearing his throat. ‘What did Joel tell you I was doing?’
‘He told me you were skipping to hang out with your girlfriends.’
Arden scowled. ‘Did he now?’
‘Is that not what you told him?’ I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.
‘I told him I had to go into work,’ Arden explained, looking displeased. ‘The place where I work has a lot of girl customers, so Joel is always joking around saying they’re my girlfriends because I like older women. However, I don’t like them that old.’ He made a face. ‘Higher than twenty-five is off limits.’
‘So Joel was joking,’ I repeated to myself, feeling like a complete idiot. After the story they told me, I should have known.
Arden must have taken my words as sarcastic because he sighed, giving me an exasperated look. ‘Harley, what do I have to do to get you to believe me?’
‘I do—’
‘Have I ever told you why I have to go to this school?’
I cocked my head to the side, dropping my protest. ‘No, why?’
‘I beat up my dad,’ Arden admitted, averting his gaze. ‘Long story short, he was cheating on my mom with a girl almost half his age, and lying about it. All his trips to the grocery store, or the pharmacy, even the doctors – they were all to visit this twenty-seven-year-old girl who worked at the hair salon. He even told my mom he was working late to get a bonus because we were having a tough time with money.’ Arden paused for a moment. ‘Well, my mom and I still are having a tough time, but that’s why I have a job. It helps.’
I stayed silent, absorbing this new information. Arden had beat up his dad? His own father? But after what his father did, could I blame him? My brain was thrust in turmoil. My parents had never cheated on each other, so I didn’t know what it was like. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ I finally admitted quietly, dragging my smoothie closer again. ‘I’m sorry.’
Arden laughed. ‘Stop apologizing. It isn’t your fault my father is a lying scumbag. But do you believe me now? I would never lie. I hate liars.’
The steely edge to his voice made me flinch and guilt rose in me; I tried to shove it away, but I couldn’t. If Arden hated liars, would that mean he hated me?
‘I also don’t tend to like girls younger than me,’ he added as an afterthought. ‘I really don’t want to be like my dad.’
I winced. Double whammy. I nervously took a sip of my smoothie, not even tasting it any more. The cold liquid slid down my throat, making my back hurt from the chill. I was an awful person.
‘Are you going to say something?’ Arden glanced at me looking anxious. ‘Do you still think I’m lying?’
I shook my head vehemently. ‘No! No, Arden, I believe you. I definitely believe you,’ I assured him, clenching my fists so hard I could feel my fingernails digging into them. ‘I’m sorry too. I never should have doubted you.’
Arden gave me a hearty grin. ‘Don’t worry about that. As long as you believe me now.’
I returned his smile with a forced one. ‘Yeah.’
He held out his hand. I stared at it curiously and looked back up at Arden.
‘Let’s make a promise,’ he started, sticking his hand closer to me. ‘To not lie to each other.’
My heart dropped into my gut. ‘Um . . .’
Arden’s face dropped. ‘Er . . . you don’t have to.’
‘No, it’s not—’ I quickly put my hand in Arden’s, grasping it tightly. I was definitely going to regret this later. ‘No lies.’
‘No lies,’ he agreed, squeezing my hand.
From here on out, I amended in my mind, hoping it’d make me feel a little bit better about the whole situation. It didn’t. I was still a liar, and I was just making it worse.
Arden nodded, dropping my hand. ‘Thank you.’
I forced a smile at him. ‘No problem.’
‘You know, if you weren’t my teacher I wouldn’t have a problem dating you,’ Arden told me, his lips curving up into a flirtatious grin.
I stared at him, my mouth half open, shocked. Arden would want to date me? Did that mean he liked me? I quickly berated myself – I could not have those thoughts. Not with all this crap going on. ‘Um, Arden . . . don’t say that.’
Arden laughed at my expression. ‘Calm down. I said if. It’s just . . . I haven’t met anyone as honest as you in a long time. And hey, I have a thing for older women.’
‘Oh,’ I responded, dropping my gaze again, my guilt coming back full force. As honest as me? I fought the urge to snort. I really was an awful person. Good thing I at least looked twenty-two. Would Arden still be interested if I looked my age?
‘Now,’ Arden started, leaning over the table and closer to me. ‘Try the cake. I’m positive you’ll like it.’
I gave him a curious look. ‘Who says I like chocolate?’
Arden rolled his eyes. ‘Come on. Anyone who paid any attention to you in class would know you love chocolate. Every time we make something with it, you want to taste-test it.’
‘I do not,’ I denied, feeling my face heat up. ‘I just want to make sure you cook it right. That’s my job.’
‘And it’s your job to eat half of my desert too, right?’ he teased, picking up my fork and cutting a small piece off. ‘Come on. If you don’t eat it, I will.’
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could speak Arden shoved the fork in my mouth. He grinned while I choked, grabbing the fork away from him. After the sho
ck of nearly dying, I began to taste the cake. And it was good. Very good. Arden’s grin grew as he surveyed my reaction.
‘I knew you’d like it!’
‘It’s all right,’ I admitted demurely, ducking my head.
‘You can have mine if you want!’
I raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Why are you so excited?’
Arden shrugged, taking a long drink from his smoothie. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and I smiled at his childishness – especially because there were napkins not even ten centimeters away. ‘I don’t really have any friends that like to go out places,’ he told me, tapping his smoothie glass with a finger. ‘So I don’t really get to come here. It’s not as much fun by yourself.’
‘I totally know what you mean!’
Arden looked at me, a surprised look crossing his face. ‘Really?’
‘I’m – I mean, I was home-schooled for a while in high school, and all my friends from when I did go to school kind of ditched me because I moved to a different town,’ I explained, quickly dropping my gaze. ‘I haven’t gone out with friends in a while. It is more fun this way.’
Arden gave me a broad smile. ‘Really? Then we’ll have to do this more often. I have some other places I want you to try.’
‘Yeah!’ I responded enthusiastically. ‘I would definitely be up for that . . . Oh, but I’m your teacher.’ My shoulders sagged. We couldn’t be the friends we would have been if I wasn’t a teacher.
Arden waved his hand. ‘Who cares? If someone sees us, we tell them we just ran into each other. It won’t be that big of a deal. We can also stay out of the public eye if it makes you feel better.’
‘That works,’ I agreed quickly.
Arden smirked. ‘Excited?’
‘Like you’re not?’ I countered, giving him a teasing look. ‘Maybe Oliver could come with us one day.’
‘Maybe,’ Arden responded, shocking me. Then he seemed to realize what he said. He glared at me. ‘No.’
‘Aw, come on, Arden. Maybe he wants to be friends again?’
‘Well, I don’t.’
I pouted. ‘Why not?’
‘Because he’s the one who ditched his friends. Why would I want to be friends with him? So he can do it again?’ Arden retorted, clenching his jaw.
‘Wait, what?’ Oliver ditched out on his friends? I sat up a little straighter in my seat. ‘What exactly happened between you two?’
Arden shrugged, stabbing his own fork into his cake. He took a giant piece and shoved in his mouth, trying to avoid answering me.
‘That’s not a Twix bar,’ I joked. Arden cocked his head, not seeming to get it and I sighed. ‘Never mind. Just tell me.’
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ Arden said simply. ‘Oliver just suddenly started to hate all of us – me, Tucker and Zak. He cut all ties with no explanation. He moved too. But I moved as well, so I’d be hypocritical if I said that was part of the reason why he’s no longer my friend. It just so happened we all ended up at the same delinquent school, together again.’
It sounded odd. Why would Oliver drop all his friends like that? And for no reason? There had to be some reason, and probably a big one.
‘So the friendships didn’t just rekindle in high school?’ I asked, because Arden would actually know the answer to that.
Arden shrugged. ‘Tucker and I are friends. And you seem to be forcing Tucker and Zak to be friends again too.’
‘I’m not forcing them,’ I protested. ‘I just want everyone to get along.’
‘Which I do appreciate,’ Arden said quickly. ‘Tucker and Zak used to be as good as friends as Oliver and me. It’s nice to see them getting along again. Tucker has always been a little . . . . well, bluntly, rude and spiteful.’
I laughed. ‘I disagree. Tucker’s sweet once you get to know him.’
‘But with the front he puts up, how can anyone get to know him? Not everyone is as pushy as you are.’
‘I’m not pushy!’
Arden grinned again. ‘OK.’
I scowled at him, turning my attention to my cake. Some of the chocolate curls fell to the plate as I cut off a piece. Arden propped his elbow on the table, putting his hand in his chin, watching me intently. Feeling self-conscious, I lowered my hand.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ Arden responded casually. ‘Just looking.’
‘Well, stop. I don’t like it when people watch me eat.’
‘OK.’ Arden continued to stare at me, still grinning like a maniac. I turned my back to him to eat my cake. ‘Aw,’ he complained.
I shook my head at him. ‘Creep.’
We spent the rest of the time in the café eating and drinking and talking. More than once I did a spit-take – Arden thought it’d be funny to try and make me laugh every time I took a sip. Which he succeeded in. Eventually our food was gone, and we decided to leave.
Arden shivered, wrapping his arms closer around himself as we stood outside the café in the snow. ‘Do you need a ride home?’
I shook my head. ‘No, I have one. Oh, speak of the devil,’ I added as I watched Will’s car pull into the parking lot. ‘Perfect timing.’
Arden frowned. ‘We should have made plans to hang out longer.’
‘I agree,’ I told him honestly. ‘But since . . . what is he doing?’ My eyes were stuck on Will, who had gotten out of the car and was coming toward us with a grin on his face, Elliot in tow.
‘Boyfriend?’ Arden guessed.
I shook my head quickly. ‘No.’
Arden’s eyes widened. ‘Wait. Is he your husband? Is that your son?’
‘No, no, no! That’s Will, my neighbor, and Elliot, my brother,’ I explained quickly as the said people climbed the steps. ‘Will, what are you doing?’
‘Elliot wanted a pastry,’ Will told me. His eyes slid over to Arden. ‘Hello.’
Arden bowed his head. ‘Hello, sir.’
Will laughed. ‘Sir? Call me Will. Are you Harley’s boyfriend?’
‘Yes.’
‘No,’ I interjected, shooting a wary look at Arden. ‘He’s my friend. Arden.’
Will nodded, grinning widely. ‘Well, it’s nice to meet you, Arden, but it’s cold, so if you don’t mind Elliot and I are just going to scoot by and go inside. You guys can say your goodbyes.’
Arden nodded, moving out of the way. ‘Go right ahead.’
Will and Elliot disappeared into the shop, leaving Arden and I alone in the flurry again. I pulled my jacket closer around me, clearing my throat. ‘So, um. See you in study hall?’
Arden moved forwards and pulled me into a bear hug. ‘Of course.’
Caught unaware, I nearly suffocated against his chest. After a minute of struggling he let me go and I took a deep breath, feeling a little warm. ‘Thanks for almost killing me.’
‘That’s what friends are for.’ Arden gave me a smile – a whole-hearted one, not one of his silly grins. ‘I’m lucky to have met a person like you.’
My gut dropped. ‘Um, yeah.’
‘I’ve never met someone I could trust as much as you,’ he continued, a small trickle of melted snow sloping down his cheek. ‘So, um, thanks,’ he muttered, dropping his head. ‘It means a lot.’
I clenched my fists. ‘No problem. Anytime.’
Arden brought his head back up and grinned. ‘All right! I’m going to go now before I get frostbite. I suggest you go inside.’
‘I will,’ I told him, forcing a smile.
‘See ya.’
Arden turned his back to me and began hurrying towards the parking lot. After watching him leave, I had the sudden urge to cry. Arden said he trusted me – but I had been lying to him all along. I bit my lip hard, clenching my fists. It wasn’t right. What I was doing to him – what kind of person did that?
This wasn’t right. I should never have started teaching at the school to begin with. None of this would be happening. What had I gotten myself into?
The café door opened and Will and Elliot ap
peared, both holding a small brown bag. Will’s smile dropped when he saw me. ‘Harley, what’s wrong?’
Without saying anything, I flung myself into him, wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could.
‘What’s wrong?’ he repeated, sounding concerned. He used his free hand to rub my back soothingly.
I inhaled, taking in the scent of his clothing mixed with the smell from the café. It was relaxing. But it didn’t make me feel any better.
‘I’m a terrible person,’ I murmured into his chest. ‘The absolute worst kind.’
Chapter Twenty
‘Harley! Psst! Harley!’
I paused, trying to figure out if I was imagining my name being called or not. Since I was currently working at the bar this Tuesday evening, no one should’ve known my name. When I heard nothing else, I resumed my table-wiping, leaning across the table so I could reach the other side.
‘Harley!’
This time I quickly snapped my head toward the source of the sound, catching the silhouette of a person disappearing into the hall that led to the employee lounge. I glanced around the room, locating Oliver at the cash register, and my eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
‘Harley!’
Throwing my rag down on the table, I turned and walked cautiously into the hallway. I slowly looked around the corner, but there was no one there. I frowned. Was I imagining things? As I turned back the other way, Anthony suddenly appeared, seemingly arriving out of nowhere. My heart skipped a beat and I took a step backward in surprise.
‘Boo,’ he said, grinning.
I let out a slow breath, trying to calm my heart. ‘How did you do that?’ I asked, gesturing to where his voice had come from, and then to where he was standing.
‘Secret,’ he responded with a wink. ‘Do you want to take a break?’
‘Now?’
Anthony nodded. ‘Yeah. Why don’t you and Oliver go get something to eat together?’
‘I don’t really need a break,’ I told Anthony. ‘Wiping tables isn’t that hard.’
He shook his head. ‘That’s not why I’m giving you a break.’