by Jordan Lynde
I shook my head, putting the milk onto the table. Then I moved to the cupboard to pull out a box of Fruit Loops. ‘It’d be easier if I drove myself. Elliot needs to go to bed soon, anyway.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Elliot protested now looking up at me with a pouting expression.
‘You need to stop staying up until ten—’
‘Pig, you stay up later!’
‘I’m older.’
‘I’m staying up,’ Elliot responded defiantly, crossing his arms. ‘You can’t make me go to bed!’
I gave him a flat look. ‘I can’t because I won’t be here, but Will can. Right, Will?’
He sighed. ‘Sure, make me the bad guy.’
‘That’s what you’re good for,’ I responded, dropping down into the seat next to him. ‘Get me a spoon. Please . . .’
Will pushed back in his seat and reached over to the silverware drawer, opening it and pulling out a spoon. He tossed it over to me and I poured some cereal and milk into my bowl and began to eat as quickly as I could without choking.
‘It’s times like these when I think your nickname is very fitting,’ Will drawled, his eyes never leaving his paper.
I sent him a glare he didn’t look up to see. ‘I’m in a hurry.’ To prove my point, I dropped my spoon into my now-empty bowl and pushed away from the table. ‘Wash my dish for me, will you?’
‘Of course, your majesty. And while I’m at it, would you like me to polish your shoes and hand-wash your linens?’
‘Well, if you insist . . .’
Will gave me a sarcastic look. ‘Go to work. And be careful – it’s raining.’
The trip to the bar took a little longer than I expected. When Oliver drove, it only took half an hour to make it there; when I drove, it took forty-five minutes. It made me wonder just how much faster Oliver drove than me. But maybe it was because I was driving more cautiously due to the rain. I pulled into the parking lot, skidding through the slush as I took the corner too sharply. Luckily for me, the closest employee parking space was open and waiting for me.
Cold rain stung my exposed cheeks as I hurried towards the bar, shoving my hands deep inside my warm pockets. As soon as I stepped into the lively pub, my body defrosted. I hurried towards the lounge, throwing off my jacket and throwing on my black work apron before rushing back into the main room, pushing my hair out of my face.
Anthony was nowhere to be found. Some old woman I didn’t know was working at the cash register and the usual bartender was behind the bar, taking orders. My eyes searched the room for Anthony, and narrowed when I realized he wasn’t around.
Just as I was about to go back to the lounge room my eyes caught sight of someone oddly familiar. A young man with mahogany-colored hair was standing by the bar. Slowly I began to walk over to the person, my eyes widening in surprise. He turned around just as I came to a stop behind him, and piercing grey eyes met mine.
‘Arden?’ I said, staring at him incredulously.
Arden looked just as surprised as I felt. ‘Harley?’
‘What are you doing here?’
Arden gave me a panicked look. ‘Harley, I promise I’m not here to drink—’
I laughed, cocking an eyebrow at him. ‘Don’t look so scared. Why are you here?’
‘I left my wallet in the van the other day. Oliver said I could come here to pick it up.’
‘You’re just getting it now? Where have you been? Class has been quieter without you.’
He had been absent the past couple of days of school. It was unfortunate too, because I had finally worked up enough courage to tell him the truth about my age. After the whole scene at the graveyard, guilt had eaten away at me until I couldn’t take it any more. And of course he was then nowhere to be found.
‘Sick,’ he explained, giving me a sheepish grin. ‘Too much fun out in the snow the other night.’
I smiled sympathetically. ‘Oh well, sorry about that.’
‘It’s not your fault.’
‘Well, since we’re both here, can I talk to you about something?’ I requested, a nervous feeling spreading through my gut. Better now than never. ‘It’s kind of important.’
Arden cocked his head to the side. ‘About what?’
‘Just something.’
‘You want to talk in here or outside?’ he asked, a frown pulling at his lips.
I hesitated for a moment. Maybe outside would be better? But I couldn’t just walk out on my shift. ‘Um—’
‘Harley!’ a new voice said, cutting me off. There was a relieved edge to it. ‘I was beginning to think you were going to be a no-show!’
Arden’s eyes snapped over my shoulder, and I turned to see Anthony hurrying toward me. ‘I drive slow, apparently,’ I informed him.
He laughed. ‘Well, as long as you’re here.’ Anthony turned to Arden, his eyes widening slightly. ‘Oh! Arden, Oliver left your wallet in the employee lounge. I’ll get it for you. Harley, this is Oliver’s friend Arden—’
‘I know,’ I interjected, grinning.
‘You two know each other?’ Anthony questioned, sounding baffled.
Arden nodded, turning to look at Anthony. ‘She’s my teacher.’
‘Teacher?’ Anthony repeated, his eyes becoming as wide as saucers.
Crap. That’s right. Anthony didn’t know about my other job.
Immediately a feeling of trepidation swept through me. My blood turned ice cold and I knew what Anthony was going to say before he probably even did – and it was not good. I tried desperately to think of something to say so that I could stop him. Words came tumbling out of my mouth. ‘Hey, Anthony, do you think—’
‘Harley, I thought you were only seventeen?’ he cut me off, brows pinched.
The color drained from my face. He’d said it. Anthony had exposed my secret . . . he’d exposed my secret right in front of Arden – before I could tell him the truth. Even though I had finally decided I was going to come clean!
Arden’s face went blank and I watched him apprehensively, waiting for him to start laughing or yelling. When no reaction came, I frowned. Why wasn’t he upset? Why wasn’t he saying anything? His silence was unsettling.
‘I didn’t know you could be a teacher at such a young age,’ Anthony mused, scratching his chin. ‘What do you teach? Some kind of evening class . . .?’
‘You’re . . . seventeen?’ Arden finally questioned, his voice low.
I quickly returned my attention back to Arden, swallowing nervously. ‘Um, yeah . . .’
Arden’s face abruptly hardened, his shoulders tensing. ‘Are you kidding me right now?’
‘I can explain,’ I said quickly, a panicky feeling spreading through my chest from his sudden change in demeanor. ‘Arden—’
Arden shook his head, setting his jaw. ‘I don’t want an explanation, Harley. You lied to me!’
‘But I can explain—’
‘That doesn’t make the fact that you lied to me any better!’
‘But I—’
‘I don’t want excuses, Harley! We made a promise! Do you even know what a promise is?’
I gave Arden a pleading look. ‘I’m not making up excuses! Just let me explain!’
‘How do I know you won’t just lie again?’ he shot back, narrowing his eyes.
‘I didn’t lie to just you,’ I responded pathetically.
Arden’s eyes flashed. ‘That’s right – you lied to everyone. And is that the only thing you lied about?’
‘What do you mean?’
Arden scoffed. ‘As if you don’t know.’
I looked at Arden, eyes wide. ‘I didn’t lie about anything else!’
‘Well, how the hell would I know what you wouldn’t lie about now, Harley?’ he nearly shouted, his voice cracking.
My mouth went dry as I stared at Arden. He looked furious and hurt. Really hurt. My eyes were starting to burn – a telltale sign I was about to cry.
Arden looked away from me, shoving his hands in his pocket. ‘I can’t
believe I trusted you,’ he continued, lowering his voice again. ‘You promised me, Harley. I needed someone I could trust, and I thought it was you – I actually thought I might have fallen for you too.’
My heart skipped a beat as Arden’s words rang in my ears. ‘Arden,’ I breathed feebly, reaching my hand out toward him. ‘Wait.’
Arden stepped away from my hand. ‘Save it,’ he snapped, giving me a pained look. ‘Don’t talk to me again.’
‘Wait!’ I demanded as he started walking away. He stopped for a second. ‘Arden, please! Let me explain!’
‘No.’
Irritated, I grabbed the back of his shirt. ‘Arden, you jerk! Listen to me!’
‘I’m the jerk?’ he growled, turning to look at me, his eyes shining. ‘Do you honestly believe I’m the bad guy here?’
‘No, I don’t!’ I cried quickly, my chest squeezing painfully. ‘I just need to explain!’
He ripped his shirt out of my hand, turning to glare at me. ‘No!’
I flinched at the tone of his voice. Arden stormed off to the back, shoving another waiter out of his way. Anthony stared after him, his jaw on the floor, then he turned to me, finally closing his mouth. Tears were filling my vision and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand, sniffling.
‘Did I . . . did I say something I shouldn’t have?’ Anthony asked in horror, staring between Arden’s retreating figure and me.
I shook my head, forcing the lump in my throat away. ‘No . . . this is entirely my fault.’
‘Do you want to go home?’ Anthony asked softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. ‘You can go. Come on, take off your apron and get out of here.’
I shook my head. ‘No, I can work.’
Anthony pursed his lips. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea, Harley.’
‘I can work,’ I protested, my eyes starting to water again. ‘I’ll just . . . I’ll just—’
‘Go home,’ Anthony urged, wrapping a hand around my shoulder. ‘I shouldn’t have called you in. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m sorry I opened my mouth.’
I shook my head, feeling hot tears running down my face. ‘This is my fault. I would have never guessed such a small secret could cause such a problem.’
Anthony rubbed my back soothingly. ‘I’m sure Arden will get over it. He’s just upset right now.’
‘I don’t know. Arden really trusted me.’
‘He’s a good person, though,’ Anthony urged, leading me into the lounge. ‘Just give him a day or two to cool down and I’m sure you’ll be able to talk it out with him.’
‘You think?’
‘I know.’ Anthony grinned at me and untied the back of my apron for me and took it, hanging it on the rack. ‘Be careful on your way home.’
‘Are you sure you don’t need help?’ I asked, feeling guilty.
‘So I’ll see you tomorrow then?’ he said in response to my question.
‘I’ll be here,’ I promised.
‘I’m sorry again,’ Anthony apologized, sending me a regretful look. ‘I didn’t know your age was a secret . . .’
I shook my head at him. ‘It’s fine. This is my fault.’
‘No it’s not,’ he responded with a frown. ‘It’ll blow over, OK?’
‘I hope.’
Anthony sent me one last worried look before retreating out of the lounge. Tears once again threatened me, but I did my best to keep them away. This was my fault, so I shouldn’t be sorry for myself. I was the one who had hurt Arden, not the other way around, and I was getting what I deserved. With one rogue sniffle, I slowly put back on my jacket, heading to the door. Before I left, I looked around the pub quickly.
Arden was standing in the far corner, leaning against the wall with his eyes shut. My heart twisted at the sight of him. After a few more seconds he pushed off from the wall, his eyes landing on me. For a split-second we stared at each other. Arden’s expression was torn between anger and distress and I was tempted to go comfort him, but just as I was about to head over, his expression dropped, a scowl appearing on his face. After one last harsh stare, he turned his back to me.
A lump caught in my throat again as I watched his back. Hopefully Anthony was right and this would blow over – I didn’t know what I would do with myself if Arden hated me. I shoved open the bar door, stepping out into the frigid air. The rain had turned to snow. But there were more important things on my mind to worry about.
Like how Arden now completely hated my guts.
Chapter Twenty-five
Cold, soft, minuscule snowflakes fell into my outstretched palm as I sat on the bench right outside of the bar. Arden still hadn’t come out. A freezing gust of air sent my hair flying everywhere, one strand somehow ending in my mouth. I pushed it away, crossing my arms over my chest as another burst of air sent shivers through me.
For a moment I debated just going back in there and dragging Arden out myself, but I couldn’t do that – he was really angry with me and I didn’t want to make him more upset. A cloud of moisture formed when I let out a sigh, pulling my knees up to my chest. I stared bleakly at the streetlight, watching the flurries of snowfall through the light, resembling the bugs that swarmed it during the summer.
My phone buzzed on the bench next to me and I snatched it up quickly, hoping it was Arden. Disappointment washed through me when the sender was from my phone company, probably trying to bribe me into buying one of their new deals. I snapped my phone shut again, tossing it on the bench. The least Arden could do was reply to my texts . . . But I could understand why he didn’t.
My head fell onto my knees as new tears sprung to my eyes. Why hadn’t I just told him the truth from the beginning? Arden wouldn’t have told anyone, so the principal would have never known, and I could have avoided all this. And if not from the beginning, I should have told him at the time I promised not to lie to him.
The sudden sound of crunching snow made me snap my head up. For a moment all I could see was darkness and I held my breath, looking around more carefully. Finally my eyes landed on a figure coming around from the back of the bar. My heartbeat sped up as I watched the silhouette come closer. Was it Arden . . .?
‘Harley!’
My eyes grew round. I recognized that voice and it definitely wasn’t Arden – unless Arden had taught himself how to do a believable English accent in the past half hour. As Oliver grew closer, I could make him out more. His cheeks were rosy from the cold and there were snowflakes in his hair, making it look like he had really bad dandruff.
I blinked rapidly, trying to dry my eyes. ‘What are you doing here?’ I inquired as he grew closer.
He gave me an irritated expression. ‘My dad told me you ran away.’
‘Ran away?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Why would he say that?’
‘He said that your car was here and that you were nowhere to be seen,’ Oliver informed me, plopping down on the bench next to me. ‘He told me you had a fight with Arden and that you left seeming pretty upset.’
My body flooded with embarrassment. ‘What else did he say?’
‘Nothing much.’
‘Oh . . .’
Oliver glanced at me, frowning. ‘What were you guys arguing about?’
‘Anthony spilled the beans about my age.’
‘So?’
‘So what?’
‘Why were you two fighting about that?’
I pursed my lips at Oliver, giving him a dispirited look. ‘Arden trusted me, Oliver. I lied to him.’
‘I repeat, so? It’s not a big deal.’
‘You don’t understand,’ I told him with a sigh.
‘Then explain to me,’ he responded in a duh voice.
I readjusted my knees, dropping my chin onto them again. For a few moments I stayed silent, focusing on the snow dusting the ground. ‘Arden repeated many times how much he trusted me, and we promised not to lie to each other. I knew I was lying to him at that time, and I should have told him then an
d there!’
Oliver didn’t say anything, his focus now on the lamppost I had been watching earlier. Finally he let out a short snort. ‘I don’t see what he’s so upset about. It’s not a big deal. He should deal with it.’
‘I knew you wouldn’t understand,’ I snapped, getting offended for some reason. ‘He trusted me, Oliver, he trusted me more than anyone else in the world. He has . . . issues about trusting people. So I could have lied about not having any gum while I actually had some and it’d still have been bad. I should have just told him. How could I be such a horrible person? Arden probably hates me now.’ My eyes grew wet again and I tried to discreetly wipe them.
‘I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,’ Oliver responded, adjusting his coat so it was closer to his body.
‘Well, I’m sure he does,’ I sniffed, clenching my hands into fists. ‘There’s no way he doesn’t hate me.’
‘You’re so pessimistic.’
‘And you’re not?’
Oliver turned to give me a complacent smile. ‘But I’m always like that. You, on the other hand, aren’t. It’s unlike you to be so depressed.’
‘I have a reason.’
‘A stupid one.’
‘It’s not stupid, Oliver!’ I cried, narrowing my eyes at him. ‘Don’t you get it? I lied to Arden! He probably hates me! He’s my friend – and I need him. I don’t want him to hate me!’ I dropped my head back into my lap, fresh tears leaking out of my eyes. A few choked sobs emitted from my lips. ‘What am I going to do? I hate myself, Oliver.’
Without any warning, two cold hands cupped my face, forcing me to look back up. Through my blurry vision I could make out Oliver squatting down in front of me. He gave me a serious look, his mouth a straight line. ‘There’s no reason for you to hate yourself, Harley.’
I shook my head, reaching up my hands to pull his away from my face, but he tightened his grasp on my face, making my lips pucker. My face grew warmer now, as likely as not looking like a puffer fish. ‘Yes there is.’
‘It’s still just a lie, Harley. Everyone lies.’
‘I made a promise—’
‘It’s not your fault you needed to keep your true age a secret,’ Oliver cut me off in a hard voice. ‘If Arden can’t understand that then he’s not your true friend.’