Schooled in Love

by Emma Nichols

  He had always been out of her league.

  “I love the music they're playing,” Derrick said. “But my knee has been bothering me the past few days. Greg, why don't you and Kacie dance?”

  Derrick didn't have an issue lifting an eighty–pound dog earlier that day at the clinic. She was just about to ask him when he had hurt his knee when Greg's face lit up. First prize at a fair hadn’t been offered, only a dance. A dance with her. Before she could say anything, Greg extended his hand, and she found hers reaching out to accept it.

  “If you're sure you don’t mind,” he said, not even looking in Derrick's direction.

  Kacie's hand felt soft and warm. It rested within Greg's hand and fit perfectly in his palm. He led her to the dance floor and must have walked past dozens of people, but he didn't notice any of them.

  Standing in the middle of the floor, he turned to face her. She stood several inches shorter than he, even in her high heels, and he gazed into her blue eyes and familiar face.

  She was the one who’d played Dungeons and Dragons with him, played video games with him, and never played any tricks. She had been honest in their friendship. She had always been there for him. And now, she was happy and engaged to be married.

  Married to a man named Braiden.

  What kind of stupid name was Braiden anyway?

  A protective surge engulfed him. Braiden, whoever he was, had better treat her right. She deserved only the best.

  Greg placed his hand on her back and leaned in for the slow dance. With his cheek next to her forehead, he no longer gazed into her eyes.

  Just as well.

  It felt awkward to hold her, strange to touch her, disconcerting to have growing feelings for her.

  Plus, it was awkward to know that she wasn't available.

  He wasn't sure if he could look her in the eyes as he danced with her—his body mere inches from hers. Her rose–scented perfume tantalized his nose and drew him closer.

  They danced to the old love ballad, ignoring everyone else around them. Inhaling deeply, he nuzzled his cheek closer to her soft, delicate neck. His lips brushed her tender skin.

  “I've missed you,” he whispered into her ear, realizing how true the statement was.

  “I've missed you, too.”

  Holding her tight, he closed the small gap between them. The two swayed together in step with the tune, her warm breath brushing against his ear. A tingling sensation surged through him, arousing him.

  This was Kacie. Someone he had known for most of his life. But it didn't matter. He closed his eyes and focused on how right it felt to hold her.

  A jolt from his back forced his eyes open, and he spun around, dropping his loving embrace of Kacie.

  Ashley poked him again. With a plastered fake smile, she said in a singsong voice that didn't match the hatred in her eyes, “There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you.”

  10

  Greg left the ballroom and followed Ashley down the hall. The long strides she took in her high heels, and the speed with which she walked, told him one thing. She was pissed.

  A virtual noose tightened around his neck. He only had himself to blame. She would be angry about this for a long time, yet he’d done nothing to deserve her wrath.

  Well, almost nothing.

  Shit.

  He couldn't blame Ashley for being upset with him. While dancing with Kacie, he’d nearly kissed her neck.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

  Without slowing her pace, Ashley turned so she could glare at him. Her reddened face cast an evil, witch–like appearance across her face. “You embarrassed me.”

  “I danced with an old friend,” he said, preparing for the fight and stopping her from continuing down the hallway.

  “When you're at a reunion, and you're my date, it's not just a dance. I'm glad no one important noticed.”

  So it really was all about her. He could try and explain everything until he turned blue in the face, but instead, he decided to say, “Nothing happened.”

  “Well, of course, nothing happened,” she said in an icy tone. “It still looks bad. But I'm sure it won't happen again.”

  And that's when he realized that she wasn't jealous. Kacie, and every other woman here, was not a threat to Ashley. Worrying about losing him had never even crossed her mind. She only cared about what it looked like to others.

  Jealousy was an ugly color on her. Tonight, she wore a tone of self–righteousness. The way she thought she owned him disgusted Greg.

  Nobody owned him.

  Ashley resumed walking but stopped when he didn't follow. “What's wrong with you now?”

  Nothing was wrong with him, except for dating a bitch. His jaw tightened, and he glanced down the empty hallway. He was leading her to a row of hotel rooms on the ground floor.

  One eyebrow lifted. Maybe she no longer ‘had a headache’ and it was payback time for the dress on her back.

  He decided to follow her. The breakup would come later.

  She put the pass card in the door and entered the room where a group of people waited. With a polished, nothing–is–bothering–me smile, she stood in front of them and said, “David, Lily, Megan, you know Greg from our class.”

  The three stared back at him, and Greg guessed that they didn't know who the hell he was.

  And if this was Ashley’s way of making the night more magical to make up for the cost of the dress, David would have to leave.

  Her head swiveled, and she stared at him. “You remember the old gang, right, Greg?”

  Actually, no. If he remembered correctly, Lily was the snobbish bitch who never gave him the time of day; Megan never spoke to anyone unless she could gain something in return. And he was pretty sure David was the athletic hulk who had stolen his girlfriend senior year.

  This wasn't his old gang. They were a part of Ashley’s fan club.

  And, judging by how Ashley acted syrupy–sweet around them, he was apparently an object to be shown off.

  His old gang was the basketball team, with Kacie his cheerleader urging him on to better things. Kacie was the one who had helped him fill out college applications, helped him select which school to go to, and had organized his going away party before his college freshman year. She had encouraged him to leave the nest and soar.

  And now, ten years had passed, and Kacie was in love. In love with someone else. His chances—and he now needed to admit there had been many—were gone, leaving him with strangers in a hotel room.

  It almost sounded like the start of a joke. “A man walks into a hotel room with three bitches and a bastard…”

  Life had taken a turn for the worse, and he had been pulled away from Kacie for this? He didn't know anything about Kacie's fiancé, Braiden, except that he was the luckiest man alive.

  “I'm glad you didn't have to file a missing person report on your new love interest.” Lily studied Greg from head to toe. “He is tasty.”

  Greg didn't know what Ashley had told her fan club. He figured any fit, employed man who still had his hair ten years after graduation was a gold mine to some women. He certainly hadn't turned Lily's head back in the day.

  That's when it occurred to him… Ashley saw him as eye candy. He looked better now than he ever did in high school, and she needed someone to show off to her gang.

  How stupid could he be?

  She was using him just as he was using her. He’d wanted to come to this reunion as a success. He was a divorcee, dating a demoness, and he just wanted to ditch the drama and find Kacie.

  “I don’t know what you have in mind, but I’m out of here.” He opened the door and was about to leave when she stopped him.

  “We have a huge surprise for the reunion,” she said.

  A low whine came from the bathroom. Greg's head turned in that direction, but he didn't see anything.

  “I don't know why I agreed to come to this event with you,” he said.

  Ashley glared at him, her fake smile changing into
a scowl. “Come with me? You didn't even come to find me when you got here. I needed to drag you off the fucking dance floor.”

  She turned her head to smile politely at the other three people in the room. Her hand gently massaged his. “But you're here now, sweetheart. So let's make the most of it.”

  Ashley rode her emotional roller coaster alone. He wasn't on it and had no plans to ride. “I'm done for the night. I'll see you at home.”

  As Ashley's fingernails dug into his hand, and her face twisted into a fiery evil visage, Megan said, “The mutt should be ready now.”

  “Stupid glue is still drying,” David added.

  Another whine came from the open bathroom door. A muffled bark followed. Greg stepped away from Ashley and walked to the noise. Hiding under the sink behind the trash can, he found a clump of light brown fur with a wet, black nose.

  “There's a dog back here.” He stepped closer.

  “That damn mutt.” Ashley let out a frustrated breath. “He's been nothing but trouble all night.”

  “He's in a bag or something.” Reaching out to the dog, Greg said, “I won't hurt you, boy.”

  “It's his costume, silly, not a bag,” Lily said. “He's our Royal Lion.”

  Greg knew the school's mascot. He just didn't understand why a scared dog hid behind the wastebasket. He moved his hand closer, and the animal whimpered and licked his hand.

  The dog's soulful eyes besought him, and Greg finally saw him. He dropped to his knees and cradled the dog's face. “Skipper?”

  He had left him at home and hadn't seen him since their morning hike since he had changed at the gym and came straight to the reunion. Now, the dog shook with uncontrollable fear. It reminded Greg of when he had first met Skipper. The dog had been hiding in the back of his crate, too afraid to come out and meet prospective owners at the pet fair.

  Greg turned his head to stare at Ashley. “What the hell have you done to him?”

  “I turned him into a Royal Lion. Doesn't he look great?”

  Tugging at the mane, he realized the suit wouldn't come off. “He doesn't look great, he looks terrified.”

  “Dressing him was a bitch,” David said. “A lion completes the reunion theme, though.”

  “Exactly.” Ashley leaned over. “The dog is fine.”

  “He's a rescue. His last family abused him.” Greg stood and faced off with her. “All the love and attention I've given him has only now allowed him to trust me, and now you do something this crazy. Are you insane?”

  “Keep your voice down,” Ashley said in a hushed tone so the other three wouldn't hear. “It's only fabric glue. She reached down and untied the leash. “He wouldn't keep the mane on.”

  “I don't blame him.”

  Skipper's reddened eyes and patches of fur missing from his face showed his pain. “He's trying to take the mane off,” Greg said.

  “No. Bad dog,” Ashley snapped. “He's been fussy like this all day.”

  “You can't glue a costume to a dog.” Greg finished untying the dog and began inspecting the rash all over Skipper’s face. He’d managed to tear off a small section of the mane. “I think he's allergic to the glue.”

  “You're going to ruin it.” Ashley leaned over and smacked the dog on the nose, causing him to bare his teeth.

  It was when she tried to reapply the loose fabric on his face that Skipper, with all his might, bolted and ran out the open hotel suite door.

  11

  Derrick approached the lone table in the back of the room. “We can leave if you want to.” He placed another glass of wine in front of Kacie. “The only reason you had to stay is now spending time with his bitchy girlfriend.”

  She hadn't come to the reunion to spend time with Greg. At least, that wasn't the initial reason. The idea of being a successful veterinarian and showing off her life seemed like such a petty reason, but she wanted to prove to everyone that she hadn’t remained the wallflower, Holly Hobby of a girl that she was ten years ago.

  And now, no one sat with her, no one talked to her, no one remembered her. The basketball players all knew her as Greg's best friend.

  She even questioned if she knew herself. She had done such a great job of changing her appearance that she didn't recognize who she was anymore.

  “I guess I expected more from this event than I should have.”

  “Reunion or not, Kacie, it's still high school.” He pointed over to the dance floor. “Jocks.” Then he pointed to a group of women near the bar. “Queen Bees.” Then, gesturing to a smattering of women with their husbands, he added, “The wannabes who never became the Queen Bees.”

  Not that she remembered everyone, but Derrick had nailed it. The geeks and nerds sat at their own tables, and the potheads didn't even bother to show up.

  Derrick shook his head and gave her a head nod accompanied by a sad look. “And the one man you wanted to impress isn't even here.”

  Her cheeks flushed. Was it that obvious? “I didn't want to impress Greg.”

  Derrick's eyebrow rose. “I was talking about Braiden.”

  “Braiden. Of course, I meant to say Braiden.” Shame washed over her, thick and syrupy. She was nearly a married woman and had spent five years with Braiden. “Slip of the tongue,” she said, dismissively.

  Derrick leaned in and touched her hand. “Tell me more about Greg and what he means to you.”

  It was the million–dollar question, and one she didn't want to answer. “Greg is an old friend.”

  “An old friend who is…?”

  He had been the crush of her life, back in the day. But he was more than that. So much more. “I could always talk to Greg. He was my go–to guy.” She looked away and then added in a sad tone, “The person I could fall apart in front of, and know he'd always be there.”

  Derrick silently nodded, and then a spark twinkled in his eye. “He's the one who stood by you during your mother's cancer, isn't he?”

  It had been the lowest point of her life. Not knowing if her mother would live had emotionally wrecked her. Watching her lose her hair, sitting with her during chemo, and experiencing her down days. She had been strong in front of her mom, but Greg knew the truth. A river of tears, first sad and then happy ones when her mother survived, had been cried upon Greg's shoulders.

  His strong and broad shoulders.

  “He was my rock.”

  “You were in love with him throughout high school, and he only saw you as a friend.”

  Their friendship had started out as forced playdates at the age of five so their mothers could spend time together. But that friendship had quickly grown, right into the friendship zone—you could hang out together, but you weren't datable material. That's where it had remained for years. Where it would be today if college and careers hadn't interrupted their closeness?

  “Now you have your chance. Tell him.”

  Derrick's words were soft and sympathetic, with the hint of a gentle nudge. He was sweet to try, but he didn't understand. “Greg's with Ashley,” she said.

  “The hell he is. Good men don't settle down with that kind of woman.”

  In Kacie's experience, they did all the time. Beautiful men—truly rock–hard, handsome ones—always had a woman who was a perfect ten on their arms. At least one, if not two women glommed onto them. It left solid sixes, like her, to find men who were between a five and an eight on a scale of one to ten.

  Braiden hit the scale as a nine, for the most part. As a plain–Jane, Kacie felt lucky to have landed him. He was handsome, wealthy, respectful… everything a woman would want.

  Sorrowful tears threatened to escape. Braiden embodied everything a woman would want in a roommate. Gone were the passionate days. Gone were the days of intimacy where they stayed up late talking. Gone were her feelings of being a woman and pleasing a man since Braiden certainly wasn't interested in her body anymore.

  Not that their passion had ever seemed romance–novel–worthy even at its hottest. Braiden scored a solid five in the bedr
oom, but not every woman could get a man who's fitting nickname should be Tripod.

  “You'll see. Ashley is the kind of woman who…”

  “What? Is beautiful and curvy?” she asked, cutting him off. She glanced down at her own frame, knowing that Ashley resembled a rock star of womanhood, while she belonged backstage with the roadies. Besides, Greg always dated the pretty girls, the ones who eventually broke his heart.

  And Ashley would do that soon enough.

  Not that it mattered. Kacie was engaged. She was with Braiden, and she was going to make things work. She held up her ring finger. “Besides, I'm with Braiden.”

  “And that man ain't here. You're having a miserable time at your own reunion. That's not right.”

  Guilt bubbled up inside her for dragging Derrick to such a terrible event. “I guess I just wanted… I don't know.” She waved at her hair and makeup. “I thought with the new style I'd have a better time at this thing.”

  “You look incredible.” He placed his arm around her. “Sweetheart, you are, by far, the prettiest woman in this place tonight. That haircut frames your face perfectly.”

  She took her phone from her handbag. “Then why hasn't Braiden said anything.” She pulled up the text she had sent him and showed Derrick a picture of her with the new haircut. “He must hate it.”

  “And what if he does? Just proves the man has bad taste.” Derrick shrugged. “Bad taste in hairstyles, not in quality women.”

  The nagging voice in the back of her mind came back and wouldn't shut up. ‘Women.’ Had Braiden been cheating on her? He certainly hadn't been paying her any attention lately.

  “What's with that look?”

  The situation was embarrassing. She didn't want to admit that she wasn’t happy, but Derrick was always there for her. She glanced around and made sure they weren't within earshot of anyone so that no one could hear her shame. Even with the music playing, she still whispered, “I think you're right. Braiden may be cheating on me.”

  Derrick let out a deep sigh. “Oh, honey.”

  It felt good to let it out, and Derrick’s soft and supportive voice gave her the strength to continue. “He spends so much time at work, and even when he's home, he's not really there. I feel like his roommate half the time, not a lover.”