“Hey, you don’t look like you’re fine,” he observed, walking over so he that he was now sitting across from her on the picnic table. His eyes bored into her with a sympathetic look. There wasn’t anything he hated more than seeing a girl cry.
“Here, use these.” He thrust a small packet of tissues under her nose, and without fighting him on it, she took them and wiped her eyes.
“Do you always carry tissues in your pocket so you can come rescue some damsel in distress?”
“I might.” He smirked, giving her a wink. “Listen, I really want to apologize, for yesterday. I acted like a total dick for something that was my fault. It’s not me, I’m actually a pretty decent guy.” He apologized, sounding sincere enough. He just wanted to make things right; he was sure this girl hadn’t deserved to be treated the way he’d treated her the night before.
“It’s okay,” Shay assured him, saying anything in order to get away from him. She was a mental mess right now, and she honestly didn’t want anyone seeing her in this state, even if it was just a stranger.
“Here,” he said, handing her a pink iPod, exactly like the one he’d ruined. Shay’s eyes began to widen at the sight. He’d bought her a new iPod. This little meeting couldn’t have been a coincidence. Had he followed her? She began to feel uneasy and sat on the bench.
“Why would you buy that for me,” Shay whispered.
“I ruined your iPod and then acted like a complete jerk about it. And I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I had a bad day, and maybe I just took that out on you,” he said.
“I can’t accept that though. I mean you barely know me – I mean how did you even find me here?”
“We live in a really small town; all I had to do was ask around and I found your house. Except I saw you walking here, so I just followed you, and I know that sounds creepy, but I can promise you I’m not that guy. I just wanted to apologize and right my wrong from last night.”
“You followed me?” Shay asked, fear bubbling inside.
“I did. It’s not what you think; I wasn’t stalking you. I just wanted to apologize and give you this,” Brice explained. “Please take it; if you don’t, I will make it my personal mission to find you every single day and beg you to take it,” Brice joked, his green eyes full of amusement.
“I really can’t accept that,” Shay repeated, despite the fact that her iPod was extremely important to her. Like poetry, music was a coping mechanism for dealing with the awful cards she’d been handed.
“Please take it.” He begged her, shifting from his seat to stand on his knees. “If you don’t, I’ll have to see you every day, and follow you like a lost puppy until you accept this gift that I graciously picked out just for you.”
Shay couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of his statement. “Fine, I’ll take it, but I will pay you back for this. I’m only going to take it so you don’t have to end up in jail for being a stalker.”
“So can I ask you something?” Brice asked, moving from the ground. Ever since meeting her, he wanted to know her. She just seemed intriguing and different than the other girls her age, including Marissa. Marissa was the girl that shattered Brice’s heart. Ever since dating her, he hadn’t been able to see another girl as more than a one night stand.
“What is it?” Shay asked, wondering what in the world she was still doing there. She didn’t communicate with people; she tended to stay to herself, especially when it came to people of the opposite sex. They were animals, right?
So why couldn’t she will herself to leave the park?
“Why did you move here?” Brice asked, sitting next to her on the bench.
Shay began to fidget with her oversized sweater. She was hurt in the most violent and horrible way. That’s why she moved here. How could she possibly tell that to anyone – a stranger no less?
“Personal reasons,” Shay said softly, trying anything to get him to leave. She couldn’t handle someone being so close to her. In fact, she hated it. Putting space between them, Shay got off of the bench and began to pace back and forth. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable sharing with a stranger.”
“I’m Brice,” he introduced himself, offering her a hand. “What’s your name?”
“Shay.”
“See, now we don’t have to be strangers anymore. So what kind of personal reasons?” Brice asked. He was surprised how interested he was in her. She seemed different. She didn’t throw herself at him, and he liked that. There hadn’t been a girl he met who hadn’t crushed on him in such a long time. Or maybe that was just his cockiness.
“My dad got a job offer. It was better than the one he’d had in Tampa, plus my parents thought it would be better for me.” She finally stated, not entirely sure why she was revealing all of this to a stranger.
“Better for you how?” Brice asked. Shay was almost grateful when her phone began to ring in her pocket. When she looked at the caller ID, a picture of her best friend from Tampa appeared. Heather.
“I’ll let you get that. Again, I’m really sorry for all the things I said, and I hope to see you around,” Brice admitted. Before he could stop himself, he was gone.
“Hello?” Shay answered, not wanting to face anything in her past.
“It’s about time you answered. It’s been weeks since you’ve called,” Heather hissed at her harshly.
Shay and Heather met when they were six, and they always had the exact same classes all throughout grade school. They were each other’s wing-girl in time of need. They shared everything together, until recently when Shay began shutting everyone out, especially her best friend.
“I’m sorry Heather. I’ve just been busy getting settled,” Shay lied. She couldn’t face the wrath of her best friend right now. She wanted more than anything to tell her everything, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“It’s okay; I’ve just been so worried about you Bell. You’re my best friend one day, then the next you’re a completely different person,” Heather observed sadly. She missed her friend, in every sense of the word.
Heather had been the first person to notice her change. She stopped hanging out, she always skipped lunch, and she even stopped responding to the texts Heather sent her a million times a day. She called her out on it one day, telling her that she needed to get her act together before she destroyed everything good in her life, but Shay just didn’t care.
“I know that, and I’m sorry, but I’m okay. I promise,” Shay tried to sound happy, but the crack in her voice said otherwise. Lucky for her, Heather didn’t notice
“I miss you so much, so many things have happened, and you’re just not here to share them.
“I miss you too. I wish you could come visit,” Shay said honestly. And she meant it. Maybe not anytime soon – she still wasn’t ready to face her – but she did want to see her friend. As much as she hated the thought of ever going back to her hometown, she missed her friends. She had no one in Chandler and that made everything worse. It was her own fault in a way; she was the one who chose not to go to a public school to finish up high school. She took the online route and graduated almost two months earlier than the public system did.
“Me too. Listen, I have to run, but promise me that you’ll text me later,” Heather demanded. Shay could tell she was serious.
“I promise Heather. Tell everyone I said hi,” Shay told her best friend. Then she switched her phone off and began the walk home.
***
Sitting on the couch in his garage, Brice began thinking about Shay for what felt like the millionth time, yet he couldn’t understand why. He literally just met her. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she wore clothes that were five sizes too big for her, or if it was her ability to resist him. Every girl he met since he started hitting the gym at fourteen threw themselves at him, but she didn’t. She seemed to be oblivious to his looks, and that fascinated him. It drew him to her. He knew from that moment he had to know her.
“Hey,” a woman’s voice called fro
m the doorway while Brice checked Facebook on his phone. When he looked up, Marissa leaned against the doorjamb. She wore a tank top, which revealed her belly button, and a red, leather mini skirt that completely threw Brice off, and not in the good way. Several months passed by since Brice ended their relationship, yet she didn’t seem to get the clue. She wouldn’t stop calling and dropping by.
“What are you doing here, Marissa,” Brice asked, turning all of his attention back to his phone.
“I came to see you. I miss you,” she responded, sitting on the couch next to him.
“Well that’s funny because the feeling isn’t mutual.”
“You don’t mean that Brandon,” Marissa said, using the nickname he hated so much. It was the one she’d given him the first time they were ever intimate together. He refused to call it making love because even though he’d cared about her, he never loved her. Even more, it was only to be remembered as decent sex, not that he was sure he could even call it that anymore.
“I do mean that. With every fiber of my being,” he replied just as Marissa ripped the phone from his hand and sat on his lap. She began to kiss him.
He didn’t fight her off at first, in fact he felt like giving in, but then Shay somehow surfaced in his mind. He couldn’t stand the girl he was kissing.
“Get the hell off me,” Brice said, pulling away.
“What’s the matter with you? You know you want me,” Marissa told him, her tone full of confidence.
“That’s just it: I don’t want you. You know exactly why we ended and nothing has changed. Get the fuck out before I throw you out!” He didn’t care that he was being cruel.
“Fine, have it your way. But we both know that you’ll come crawling back, on your knees for all of this,” Marissa said, sliding a hand down her body.
“You’re delusional. Goodbye Marissa.” Brice dismissed her with a laugh and shut the door in her face.
“Brice what’s all the screaming about?” When he turned around, his mother was standing at the door that led back to the house.
“Sorry Mom; Marissa was just here,” Brice stated, quite annoyed. He didn’t know what else he could do to make her understand just how little he wanted to do with her. If she understood, maybe she’d vanish from his life for good.
“Yeah, well I hope you told her if she ever comes back here that she’d be arrested for harassment and trespassing,” Kris said in a cold voice. She didn’t like Marissa as far as she could throw her from day one.
“I told her not to come back. What are you doing home so early?”
“I wasn’t feeling well. What do you want for dinner,” she asked, waving for Brice to come into the house.
“I don’t care. Anything you make is fine with me.”
“I checked the balance on the card today, by the way. You’re great at saving, so care to tell me what in the world you spent a hundred and fifty dollars on?” She sounded curious.
“Remember that girl at the restaurant last night,” Brice asked,
not sure if he wanted to have this conversation with his mother. She’d just end up saying that what he did proved he was a good kid, but he wasn’t. He was a screw-up and that’s all he’d ever be.
“I do,” she said calmly.
“When I knocked her over last night I spilled soda all over her iPod and it was ruined. I owed her. If you’re worried about the money, I’ll put it back as soon as I get my paycheck,” Brice offered.
“You will do no such thing! I was just curious because it’s not like you to buy things for that much. Baby, I’m a lawyer and I make great money. I don’t want you giving me yours. It’s for you to do with what you wish,” Kris said.
“I know, I just want you to know how much I appreciate you,” he said, his tone serious.
“I do know that. You’re my greatest blessing. Your father and I had never been happier than the day we brought you home,” she said with a smile. Brice could tell she was traipsing down memory lane.
Brice flinched at her statement. If his father had been so happy, where was he now?
Chapter Four
When she woke up the next morning, Shay wanted nothing more than to just hide away and lock the door. She didn’t want to get up and face the day that was waiting for her, but she knew that wasn’t an option. It was like she could feel herself slipping, and the more she slipped away, the less she cared about anything. She was numb and cold, and the warmth of the sun was gone.
Getting out of bed, she made her way to her bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She hated the person who was looking back at her. She hated everything that she let happen. She should have never stayed late that night; everything would have been fine if she hadn’t been so stupid.
She began to cry as she turned away from the mirror. How did she get to this point; when did she begin to despise her own reflection?
She wanted to forget it all. Oh, how she wanted to run away and never look back. She wanted to hop in her Maserati and fly down the road as fast as she could go, but going one hundred miles an hour couldn’t take it away.
It wasn’t temporary; it was a permanent hell, and she’d live in it for the rest of her miserable life. Everything just seemed less important than it all used to be. She rarely cared about anything these days.
A knock on the door distracted her from her depressing thoughts.
She wiped away her tears and walked over to the door. After a deep breath, Shay opened the door, coming face-to-face with her big brother.
“Chris,” Shay squeaked in shock.
“Hey baby girl,” Chris replied, pulling his sister to him for a hug. He’d always called her baby girl, for as long as she could remember.
Chris was eight years older than her, but they were always close. He’d always included her in everything he did while they were growing up until he was eighteen and moved out. Even then, he was always there for his sister.
There wasn’t a moment that went by where Shay ever doubted that her brother would be there for her. Even with their age difference, Chris and Shay were as close as a brother and sister could be. They were best friends, and he’d kill anyone who tried to hurt her, which was another huge reason why she couldn’t tell him. “What are you doing here Ry,” she asked, still shocked.
“Are you not happy to see your older brother?” Chris asked playfully, giving her a hug as he pretended to be hurt by her question. It was typical Chris.
“Of course I’m glad you’re here, but last time I checked you were in Florida,” she stated. With him, she added in her head.
“Well mom and dad wanted me to come keep you company when they go to that business thing in California tomorrow. They’ll be gone for a few days and they didn’t want you to be alone. I brought you a surprise,” Chris told her with a light in his eyes.
Shay couldn’t help but smile as her brother led her down the stairs. When she got to the kitchen her eyes went wide. The sight that stood before her was the last thing she’d expected to see. Standing in front of her were her three best friends, Heather, Chelsea and Maxie.
Next to them stood her most recent boyfriend.
Before they’d dated they were best friends. They’d met growing up, through their parents. She wasn’t sure what to make of any of this. She was happy to see them of course, but seeing them just brought her to that night. She wasn’t ready to see them. She wanted to bolt, to run away for the next week and not come back.
But how could she do that without hinting that something was wrong? Luckily for her, she had a meeting to get to.
“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to say hi?” Heather smirked. Her long blonde hair was held up in a ponytail and her green eyes were pinned on Shay. She was wearing blue jean shorts, flip-flops and a green tank top.
“Why are you here,” she asked, sounding a bit ruder than she intended to.
“We came to see you. We’ve missed you,” Chelsea cut in. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders and her hazel eyes wer
e sad.
“I’ve missed you too. It’s too bad I have somewhere to be. Mom, have you seen my keys? I have to go. That college fair is today in town, and I really don’t want to miss that,” Shay said as she turned to her mother.
“I put them up in your room last night. You were asleep,” Jennifer said in an uneasy voice.
“Okay, well I’m going to shower and head out,” Shay said, turning on her heel. Before anyone could say another word, she was in her room, the door locked behind her.
She leaned against her bedroom door and closed her eyes.
His face appeared. His hazel eyes, fixated on hers. The curve of his smile. She couldn’t make it go away. Everything was coming back to haunt her. She felt dirty, so she stripped off her clothes and ran to turn on the shower.
Sinking to the floor of the shower, she began to sob. Everything was coming back; it was like the first night all over again. It hurt so bad. Holding her head in her hands, Shay began to wonder if she should just run away from everything.
She couldn’t deal with the people from her past right now. She couldn’t handle being that close to him. Even though he wasn’t physically there, his presence lingered in the air. The only thing she knew was that she had to get the hell out of there. In a daze, she got out of the shower and got dressed before going downstairs and out the door.
“I’ll be back later,” Shay called as they all stood in the driveway of her home and watched her drive away.
***
Brice stood in the hallway of the school he’d graduated from, finding the irony of why he was here. He always believed that he’d never go to college, nor would he amount to anything in his life, yet here he was attending a college fair to see what his future could hold, if it was even what he wanted.
He watched as the peers he’d grown up with got excited about everything that they were seeing. Some of them had already been accepted to places, several places at that. It confused him as to why they were there to begin with. The fair was typically for the sophomores and juniors, and only a few seniors who hadn’t made up their minds yet.
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