Beneath Our Faults

by Charity Ferrell

  "Okay," I said.

  "Okay," he repeated, grinning. "I think our smiles should touch now." A large hand twisted in my hair, bringing my face closer to meet his lips. He tasted sweet, like peppermint against my cold lips. "So is the best date you've ever had?"

  I nodded, and snuggled into him. It was the truth. Time wasn’t healing me but it was replacing memories and I was beginning to be okay with that.

  "YOU OKAY over there?" Keegan asked, turning off the car.

  "Yep," I answered too quickly, whipping around to face him.

  "No one is going to say anything to you if that's what you're afraid of," he said, his eyebrows furrowing. "And if they do, I will beat their ass."

  "You don't have to say anything to someone before you murder them," I laughed out. "There are already enough girls in that place that don't like me because of your psycho ex-booty call arrangement girl, now I am taking away their favorite spirit stick. Those are fighting words for them."

  He chuckled, cocking his head to the side. "Did you really just refer to my junk as a spirit stick?"

  I smiled in confirmation. "I did and don't even try to deny that I'm right."

  He chuckled. "We are going to be late if your sexy ass doesn't come on."

  "Fine," I groaned, "but if I die, do not let Sophia stick any Barbies in my casket.”

  "Okay, I'll just let her fill it with glitter," he laughed, getting out of the car and running over to open my door. I gasped when he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me out of the passenger's seat.

  "I seriously want to strangle you sometimes," I grumbled when my feet landed back on the ground and he shut the car door behind me.

  "What about the other times?" He asked, pinning me against the door of the car. "What do you want to do with me then?" His voice was hot against my mouth, his lips barely nudging against mine.

  I shut my eyes, feeling him rain kisses around my mouth before opening them back up and noticing all of the eyes peeking our way. "Everyone is watching," I whispered, stopping him.

  "And?" He asked, landing his last kiss against my lips. Both of his hands ran down each arm, stopping at my hands and clasping them with mine. "Let them stare." He let go of one hand and used the other to pull me through the parking lot towards the front doors. "You want to come over and have dinner with me tonight? I'll make you whatever your sexy little heart desires."

  "I would, but I promised to watch Sophia tonight. It's Jamie and Tommy's anniversary.”

  "No worries," he said, opening up the door for me. "I can come over to your house and make it there." Who was this guy? He had transformed from playboy to perfect boyfriend in a day.

  "Okay," I answered, stopping at my locker and opening it up.

  "Sounds good, I'll see you in a bit. Have fun in your classes." He kissed me goodbye before smacking me on my ass.

  "He's good, isn't he?" I twisted around to face a dark haired girl beside me who had never said one word to me the entire time I’d been there. "I've had him a few times but be careful with that one. You look like an innocent little kitten and Keegan's a tiger. He will devour you. We got along so well because I knew how he worked."

  "I wouldn't count on that happening again," I grumbled, grabbing my books in my arms.

  "Awe how cute, you actually believe he is going to stay with you and be faithful," she snickered, twirling a brown strand of hair around her long fingernails. "Honey, you're no different than me or any of these other girl's who have let him have a taste. I just want to pre-warn you because it's easier to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie."

  "Actually, we are different, he still talks to me but I can guarantee he doesn't even remember who you are," I answered, slamming my locker shut and walking away from her without waiting for a response.

  PIPER STOOD directly in front of me. Her face was twisted into a nasty scowl. Here we go with round fifty-two.

  "You know you're just wasting your time with Keegan. You may think he wants to be with you but he'll grow bored. He always does and when that happens - he comes right back to me."

  I glanced around the locker room at the audience Piper had already created with her ridiculous show.

  The only thing I saw was Gabby's copper hair that swooped in front of me, closing off my view from Piper's smug face. "He only used to come back to you because you are the only girl dumb enough to keep spreading your legs for someone who won't even commit to you," Gabby scowled, sounding both amused at pissed at the same time. Her hands moved to the side of her hips.

  Piper moved to the side and around Gabby to get to me. "We need to talk," she demanded, "alone."

  Her terror squad was standing to the side with looks on confusion posted on their faces. I brought my attention back at the movement in front of me. Gabby moved, gripping Piper's arm with her hand but I held my hand up stopping her. Damn, if I ever needed a bodyguard, Gabby would be the first person on my hire list.

  I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders because I honestly didn't know what the heck I was doing. "Okay," I gestured out to Piper, "go ahead and talk."

  "I said alone," she hissed. Was the girl mad? There was no way I was going to walk straight into some evil, twisted Carrie joke that they were probably planning on playing on me. Blood baths really weren't my thing.

  I sighed. "Piper, just say whatever you need to say right here," I insisted, refusing to be a pawn in one of her childish schemes.

  "Please," she said.

  "Piper Douglas is pleading," Gabby snorted. "Mark that in the history books, ladies."

  "Screw you, Gabby," Piper fumed. "This doesn't involve you so stay out of it. I can't believe my uncle fell for your home wrecking mother."

  Gabby took another step forward with clenched fist. "Fine," I said, grabbing my bag and Piper's arm, dragging her away before Gabby clocked her. "But make it quick."

  "This way," Piper said, turning and walking back to the entrance doors. Mentally yelling at myself, I followed her.

  "Daisy, you're nuts. She probably has some death trap set out for you and is going to cut off your head or something," Gabby called out from behind me, grabbing my hand. "Whatever it is, it's going to be drama. Just tell her to kiss your ass and let's get to class.”

  "I promise I won't hurt your precious Daisy," Piper sneered, glancing back at Gabby and throwing open the door and disappearing into the hallway.

  "If I don't come back in ten minutes, call the police," I told Gabby, grabbing my bag before leaving the room. Piper was waiting for me outside the door as soon as I stepped out into the empty hallway. Without saying anything else, she turned left and sped down the hallway like she was on fire. She stopped and turned down another hallway I had never been down before, opening up a closed door and going in. Guessing that was my cue, I followed her into the room hesitantly.

  The room was small and it looked like an old office that wasn't being used anymore. She sauntered over to the corner, plopping down on the couch leaning against the wall. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for her to start talking. "Spit it out, Piper," I ordered.

  "Okay," she nodded crossing her legs out in front of her. "I wanted to kinda apologize for how shitty I have been treating you since you moved here," she said, forcing the words out. I wasn't quite sure if a "kinda apology" meant she was actually sorry or if she was just telling me that to get on my good side for whatever she was about to say. I was still shocked, however, that she could even say those words from her mouth. It might have been a lame apology, but I was pretty certain she didn't hand out apologies like she did her vagina to my boyfriend.

  She leaned back against the couch, twisting her blonde locks around her finger. "I've just been so stressed out lately and my emotions have been all over the place," she said, now playing with her fake fingernails. She folded her legs up until she was sitting Indian style and stared across the room at me. Her eyes grew wider and I saw the wetness of tears start to trickle down one side of her face.

  I p
inched myself to make sure this was real and I wasn’t in the Twilight zone.

  "Anyways," she said, wiping away a lone tear. "My mom noticed the changes as well. She made me go to the doctor the other day and I found out something bad; like really bad." Her skinny arms rose up, clasping together and folding across her stomach. I waited for her to elaborate on what she found out but she just kept staring at me. I swear, the girl was growing more certifiable by the day.

  The loud snap of my fingers in her face brought her attention back to the real word and me. "Get out with it Piper or I'm walking out this door and I'm done." I wasn't going to get a detention because she was having some heartbreak crisis over the guy who wanted to be with me.

  "I'm pregnant!" She burst out the words scaring the shit out of me. "And it's Keegan's baby."

  I froze. What did she just say? No, it couldn't mean what it had just sounded like. She was lying, she had to be lying. "Wow Piper, really? Is that the best you could come up with?" I spat out angrily, fed up with her games. "You need to get over Keegan and move on with your life. It's really starting to grow pathetic. You're a pretty girl, you can find someone else."

  My eyes narrowed at her and I whipped around to get out of there and away from her. I grasped the doorknob, swiftly turning it and dashed out of the room back into the hallway, charging towards the locker room. How dare she make up some bullshit lie just to get Keegan back and away from me?

  A tight hand wrapped around my arm stopping me before I got the chance to turn the corner. "Please," she begged and I turned around to face a tear faced Piper. "I have been trying to call him but he won't answer my calls." I opened my mouth to tell her to go to hell but her words rambled over mine. "I know it's his. I am absolutely positive. He is the only person I have been with."

  I twisted hard, pulling away from her. "Piper, it's been months since you two have been together so unless they have delayed pregnancies now, you would have been sporting a large pregnant belly by now," I snapped, signaling to her stomach.

  "The last time we had sex was at Lane's Christmas party, which was only a month ago," she snapped back. My heart completely dropped out of my body onto the floor beneath me and nausea started to burn into the pit of my stomach. He lied to me and my stupid self believed him. God, I was just as naive as she was. I was the same as all of those other girls who thought he actually wanted to be with them.

  I shook my head, keeping the tears that were trying to break through the barrier at bay. "I'll give him your message," I barked, shoving through her and walking away. If she was pregnant with Keegan's baby, it was not my problem. Keegan was not going to be my problem any longer.

  GABBY: Where are you?

  I ignored that one going to the next one.

  GABBY: Did Piper kill you? I asked her in class and she said no but we all know that bitch lies.

  My finger tapped the reply button and started typing.

  ME: No still alive. I didn't feel well so I went to the nurse. Don’t tell Keegan and I'll fill you in later.

  I wasn't sure how I was going to explain to her what happened because I couldn't just go blaring Keegan's business around. I might be furious at him but I wasn't going to morph into some vicious bitch. That just wasn't me. I leaned back on the resting bed and rubbed the temples of my head with the edge of my thumbs as I counted the ceiling tiles above me.

  Damnit life, can't you just give a poor girl a break for a moment?

  WE BOTH jumped at the loud squeal of tires braking against pavement directly behind us. I spun around and looked out of Cora's back window. Rain was pouring over a very familiar black SUV that was parked directly behind her car and blocking us from pulling out.

  Fanfreakingtastic.

  I had managed to talk the nurse into letting me stay in her office for the rest of the day. My phone kept alerting me with messages from Keegan and I finally sent him one back telling him I was going to ride home with Cora. As soon as I heard the bell ring at the end of the day, I sprinted out of the nurse’s office to Cora's locker ready to get the hell out of dodge.

  “Would you listen to me if I asked you to put the car in reverse and get us the hell out of here before he makes a scene?” I asked Cora.

  “As much as I would love to hurt his pride and joy, my dad wouldn’t appreciate it too much,” she said, glancing back at Keegan’s car from her rearview mirror.

  The loud bang on the window next to me caused me to lunge out of my seat. I peeked over to see a fuming Keegan on the other side glaring at me with a scowl on his face. The heavy rain was pouring down his face and his nostrils were flaring in and out as raindrops fell off the tip of his nose.

  "Get in my damn car, Daisy," he roared through the window, banging on it incessantly, which was annoying because he clearly had my attention along with everyone else's in the damn parking lot.

  "Uhhhh.." Cora trailed off beside me, making a grab for her phone in the cup holder between us. Her wary eyes moved from me to the lunatic pounding and screaming next to me. "I'm just going to call Lane and tell him to come handle this," she finished, unlocking her phone.

  "No," I responded, pulling the phone out of her hand and placing it back in the cup holder. I put my hand up at the window by Keegan's face, blocking a tiny view into the car. "Just give me a minute and I'll deal with it," I groaned, moving my hand away and hitting the button to roll the window down an inch.

  "What's wrong?" I asked, trying my hardest to look confused. "I'm going home with Cora and we are going to have a girl's night," I yelled through the tiny opening, shrugging. My goal was to appear as casual as possible.

  "Bullshit!" He screamed through the glass and banged his fist against it again. "I fucking know Piper cornered you in the gym earlier than you bailed on the rest of your classes. I texted you a million times and you ignored every single one," he pointed out the facts. Damn, couldn't the gossip mill at this school take a rain day?

  "Keegan, stop acting like some deranged lunatic or I am going to call your aunt!" Cora leaned across the center console and screamed at him.

  "I don't give a fuck."

  The cold air hit my face when I rolled down the window more. "You're not going to move your car are you?" I grumbled, exasperated. I don't know why I even wasted my time asking the question because the answer was clearly obvious.

  "My car will move when your ass is planted in the passenger seat," he fired back, wiping the wetness of the rain away from his face.

  "Fine," I said. "I'll call you later," I called over my shoulder to Cora and got into his car. A few seconds later, I watched the driver's side open and Keegan jumped into his seat.

  "Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened with Piper that has you all pissed off at me because I don't remember doing anything?" he asked. He hit a few buttons and heat flooded out the vent in front of my face. I shook my head in response, turning my attention out the window, looking at the large crowd that had yet to disperse.

  "Daisy!" He screeched, pounding his palm against his steering wheel, causing the horn to roar to life.

  "I will talk to you when you put this car into drive and we aren't creating a public spectacle in front of the entire student body!" I yelled back at him, signaling to the lurking audience with my hand.

  His foot immediately shot down on the accelerator and the car shot forward, causing people to tumble out of the way. "Try not to kill anyone," I mumbled under my breath.

  "Are you going to tell me now?" he asked, making a sharp turn into the street.

  "I really don't think it's my place to tell you," I whispered, swallowing. I watched the windshield wipers in front of me move back and forth squeaking along the way.

  "Cut the shit," he warned, giving me a sharp look. “We are out of the parking lot so fucking spill.”

  "Okay," I said cautiously, "congratulations, you are going to be a daddy." His eyes widened in confusion and he cut the steering wheel swiftly to the right. I held onto the console while we swerved across the road.
/>
  "I'm sorry but what the fuck did you just say?" He screamed. "It sounded like you just told me you were pregnant when we haven't even had sex. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but you can't get pregnant from me eating your pussy."

  Oh hell. He thought I was telling him I was pregnant.

  I groaned, slapping my forehead with the palm of my hand. "I know that, idiot. I'm not saying I'm pregnant."

  His glare focused on me. "I'm confused," he said, blinking. "If you're not pregnant, then what the hell are you talking about?"

  "Piper is," I answered him automatically.

  "Okay," he drawled out, furrowing his brows together. "And that pisses you off why?"

  I snapped. "Because she is one hundred percent positive that you are the father," I screamed out, throwing my hands up and sounding like a bad Maury episode. "Oh,” I added, trying my best to sound disinterested, "she is positive that the baby is yours because you just had sex with her at Lane's Christmas party." My voice went hard. "You lied to me and made me fall for your bullshit lies."

  "I never lied to you. I didn't touch her or any other fucking girl at that party." He ran his hands through his damp hair and snatched his phone beside him hitting buttons. "Meet me at my house in ten minutes," he seethed through the speaker before throwing it against the dashboard of his car.

  Without saying another word, he cranked the wheel and turned back onto the street. I could see the outline of his knuckles starting to turn white. The rain started to subside except for a few random sprinkles that hit the windshield. We sped through the heavy traffic and he turned the wheel, pulling into the parking lot in front of a drug store.

  "What are we doing here?" I asked when he shut the car off.

  "I'll be right back," is the only answer I got.

  He sat back down in his seat holding a large, dark colored plastic bag and threw in the backseat. The car was silent when he pulled back into traffic and stayed that way until we reached his driveway.