“I’m sick, I can’t get up,” Kaley groaned.
“You can’t hide from them, my girl,” Georgie said as gently as possible while pushing her out of bed. “You said you can handle it and I trust you to. Staying in bed and hiding from them isn’t going to help.”
Kaley stood, giving them both a dirty look for their troubles. “I just need a day. Other people do it all the time, why can’t I?”
“Because you’re not other people,” Georgie answered simply. She then turned her attention to Harvey. “Make sure she is out that door, you’ve got twenty minutes.”
He nodded as she left the room. His gaze dragged back to Kaley, standing there like a stubborn two year old. He sighed, not having any clue about what to do next. “You should probably get dressed, pajamas aren’t exactly in the dress code.”
“And wear what? Tell me what goes well with the lunch of the day? Plaid? Prints?”
“Floral, perhaps?” Harvey grinned, he wasn’t going to take any of her bait. He was there for one purpose and the only way he was going to achieve that goal was to make her laugh.
Kaley stared at him, considering how difficult she was prepared to be. The goofy grin on his face was starting to affect her and she didn’t like it, he was melting her resolve.
Damn Harvey and his charm.
She moved to her closet and opened it, pulling out a boring blue top and jeans. At least food wouldn’t stain it as badly as her yellow top from the day before. She took out an extra top and placed it in her bag – just in case.
“I need a shower.”
“I’ll wait here for you.”
Kaley gave him the evil eye as she left him sitting on the end of her bed. She tried to take her time, be as slow as possible in getting ready. If Harvey was at risk of being late to school, he might leave her alone.
She could probably take on Georgie and convince her they should have a mother/daughter day or something. It was marginally better than going to school.
“Kaley, hurry up.” Harvey knocked on the door. Her master plan wasn’t going to work. He kept knocking until she opened the door. “You’re dressed, come on.”
“I really don’t want to go,” she moaned. “Abigail is only going to make my life hell.”
“Then don’t let her. She only wants to make you suffer. Prove she isn’t and she’ll stop.”
“Or get worse.”
Harvey looked her directly in the eyes, not letting her get away with being defeated. “Kaley Thorne, you are better than her. Don’t forget that.”
Kaley didn’t exactly believe what he was saying, but she believed he did. It was enough to get her moving again. “We’re going to be late.”
“Well, whose fault is that?”
As much as she tried not to, she smiled. For just a few seconds, she forgot about everything while it felt so normal. It was comforting being with Harvey. He was funny, charming, and something else… easy. She didn’t have to try to be anything other than herself. It was like being home, cuddled in her favorite blanket, and watching her favorite movie.
Safe and secure.
They started the walk to school, Harvey keeping a fast pace so they could make up some time. Kaley didn’t mind, the faster they walked, the less talking they could do.
Georgie had obviously asked him to look out for her, he insisted they meet for lunch and he confirmed they would walk home together that afternoon. Good old Mother Barbie and her army. She wondered what she would have been like at school. Probably really annoying.
At the school gate, Kaley was surprised to see Eli waiting for her. He was leaning against the fence, looking effortlessly gorgeous. He smiled when he saw her approach.
“Hey, beautiful.” He leaned down to give her a kiss.
“Hi, Eli,” she replied awkwardly, she was still getting used to the whole public displays of affection thing. With Harvey right beside her, it was a thousand times worse.
“I’ve got her from here.” Eli looked pointedly at Harvey. “You can go now.”
“See you at lunch, Kaley,” Harvey said politely before shooting Eli a look that would have made his head explode if they were in a comic. He stomped away.
Kaley watched him go, annoyed about something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wasn’t sure if it was Eli or Harvey that had caused it. Or perhaps it was life in general. She felt Eli slip his hand in hers, gripping her tight.
“So, school, huh?” he started as they walked toward the corridors. “Lots of learning to be done today.”
“I guess so.”
“If Abigail gives you any trouble, just tell me.”
Kaley smiled and nodded, intended to do no such thing. They reached the doors to the school and made their way down the corridors. As they did, Kaley couldn’t help but notice people were looking at her.
She felt paranoid to begin with, believing they would still be laughing at her. However, they weren’t laughing or pointing, they were looking at her on Eli’s arm.
It wasn’t the memory of the previous day’s lunchtime saga that made them look but the fact she was attached to the hot star footballer that was getting her the attention.
And she liked it.
For the first time in her life, she wasn’t invisible. Everyone could see her and she had something to be proud of – she had Eli. Any girl in the school would kill to be his girlfriend and she was.
She had something everyone else wanted. She stood taller, not caring who was watching anymore. Indeed, she wanted them to see her with Eli. She wasn’t going to be the invisible girl anymore.
She strutted by his side, imagining that was how Abigail felt all the time. It must be marvelous to feel so empowered and strong, invincible instead of invisible. There were only two letters changed in the spelling but it made a world of difference.
She wished she could feel that way all the time. Perhaps as Eli’s girlfriend, she would. The thought made her stomach do back flips, it was all too much to comprehend.
They reached their lockers, side by side as if destiny had always intended it that way. All those days of seeing Eli and Abigail make out leaning against her locker, it was just a mechanism to get her to the point where they were at right now.
It had all been worth it.
Kaley quickly picked out the books she needed for the morning, not wanting to miss even a second of being with Eli. She closed her locker and turned to him.
“What’s your first class?”
She stopped when she noticed Eli wasn’t listening. He hadn’t even opened his locker yet, instead he was talking a group of his friends – all wearing their football letterman jackets.
She waited patiently, trying to get Eli’s eye so he could bring her into the conversation. Surely it would only be a moment until he introduced her to all his friends. He had been happy enough to walk through the corridors with her, declaring to all she was his girlfriend. An introduction to his friends was the next step.
Waiting like a good girlfriend, Kaley saw her opportunity as Eli took a step closer to his locker. She stood there smiling, any moment now he would remember her.
“Oh, Kaley, hey. I’ll see you later at lunch or something,” Eli said as he grabbed his books and closed his locker again.
“Yeah, lunch,” she managed to stutter out as she watched him walk down the corridor with his friends. She was stunned… and hurt. She felt tossed aside like a piece of trash.
She wanted to be invisible again so nobody would see the look of disappointment on her face. It had started so well and then suddenly she was left trodden on and it had only taken a second.
Instantly, she started to wonder if she had done something wrong. Perhaps he didn’t want to be seen with her anymore after seeing that everyone still thought about yesterday’s incident. Maybe she was the school joke.
Or perhaps she wasn’t good enough to meet his friends. Maybe he was embarrassed by her. After dating Abigail, the beautiful and rich Abigail, she was definitely a step down. Not even
a step, but a whole staircase.
Kaley found herself again wishing for the ground to swallow her up. She was right, she shouldn’t have climbed out of bed.
To avoid any of the eyes she felt were on her, Kaley rummaged around in her locker pretending to look for something. She needed a moment to compose herself, rid her face of the hurt she felt from the inside out. She just needed that moment.
As she took a deep breath and prepared herself to get to class, Kaley saw someone standing beside her, leaning on the lockers casually. From the red high heels and perfect legs, she didn’t have to look up to see who it was.
Abigail was paying her a visit. She inwardly groaned, wishing so badly to be able to go back to being invisible again.
“Gee, it looks like Eli is wrapped up in you.” There was so much sarcasm in Abigail’s voice she could have filled a bucket with it. Kaley risked taking a look, that horrible smug grin was on her perfectly pink lips.
“Leave me alone,” Kaley said with little conviction.
“I just wanted to congratulate you. I think you’ve had the shortest relationship in history. Even I didn’t think Eli would grow tired of you so quickly. But it was certainly clear he prefers his friends over you. What a shame. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to comfort him out of the goodness of my own heart.”
“We haven’t broken up.”
“Oh, honey, that’s cute. FYI, when a guy doesn’t introduce you to his friends, it means he’s ashamed of you. It’s totally over.” Abigail laughed, that evil cackle she was known for.
Kaley could feel the sting of tears in her eyes but absolutely refused to let them flow. She did not want to give Abigail the satisfaction and she had nothing to cry over.
Nothing had changed between her and Eli, it was just that he wanted to walk to class with his friends. No big deal, she would probably do the same thing if Harper was around. Right?
She summoned all her courage, remembering how she had vowed to stand up for herself. However, she didn’t feel very brave. It she could have, she would have run away. She tried to fake it anyway. “Leave me alone, Abigail.”
Abigail leaned in close, the smile no longer on her lips. Instead, her brows were furrowed and her eyes angry. “No, you leave Eli alone, or there will be further consequences. I promise you won’t know what hit you.”
Kaley couldn’t say anything as she watched her stride away. She closed her locker, trying to get her hands to stop shaking. There had been so much venom and malice in Abigail’s voice, like she was a lion playing with her prey. It was chilling to be on the receiving end of it.
Chapter 25
Kaley was trying so hard to concentrate on Mr. Kaye’s geography class. But when you may not live to see your seventeenth birthday because you died at the hands of a cheerleader, you didn’t really care about where Turkey was and the value of their economy.
She tried to let the facts and details take over her thoughts, but it wasn’t working. All she could think about was Eli and Abigail. She wished she had never heard of either of them.
As she was vowing to concentrate, a piece of paper scrunched up into a ball landed on her desk. She looked around. Harper, sitting two rows over, was nodding at the paper. She unfurled the note, trying to not get caught. It read:
Why so glum, chum?
At least the note made Kaley smile. She turned it over and wrote:
E & A. Who else?
She waited until Mr. Kaye had his back turned and threw it back casually. Nobody else seemed to notice. If cell phones weren’t banned on school grounds, it would have been simpler just to text the note. But no, they had to remain old school until the technophobes of the school board caught up.
Kaley waited until the note came back. She unraveled the paper and read:
Karma will get her, stay strong. Cooper asked Willow McGrady to his gig.
Kaley felt like a terrible friend. There she was, wrapped up in her own problems when her best friend was having dramas of her own.
She tried to put a face to Willow McGrady. She was in the grade below them so she didn’t know her very well. From what she could remember, she had dark blonde hair and was tiny – like a little fairy. Pretty much the exact opposite of Harper. She scribbled back:
Do you still want to go?
She waited for the response, it came back much quicker than expected:
Of course, I’m not backing down. I’m going to fight for my man.
Kaley smiled to herself, it was so like Harper to want Cooper even more now she had some serious competition. She wished she had that kind of strength. There she was, in the same situation over Eli and she was just prepared to let Abigail win. She was going to sacrifice her own happiness so some spoiled rich girl with perfect hair could have him. Abigail didn’t even deserve him.
Re-reading the note for the seventh time, Kaley made a decision. She wasn’t going to let Abigail win. Whatever was going on between her and Eli, it was none of Abigail’s business. No matter what she said, it would only be to spin the truth one way and make her feel terrible.
At that moment while sitting in Geography, Kaley vowed she wouldn’t let her get to her anymore. She wasn’t going to listen, her games weren’t going to work anymore. She thought back to the song she had written about Abigail the night before, she replayed it in her head like it was her anthem. Her song would give her the strength she needed.
Kaley jotted down on the note:
It’s on.
She threw it back, satisfied. She could finally sit taller in her seat and concentrate on the gross domestic product of Turkey.
After the next class it was lunchtime, the moment Kaley had been dreading. She didn’t want to go to the cafeteria, Georgie had packed her a lunch from home so she didn’t have to.
But that’s where Eli had told her between classes that he would meet her. So she walked through the doors and tried to be as invisible as possible. Surely Abigail wouldn’t attack twice on the one day, she did have other things to do besides torment her. With any luck, anyway.
Kaley saw Eli finishing in the line. She headed for him, happy to see his friendly face despite the horrible day she was having. She reached him just as he was looking for a table.
“Hey, Eli,” she said cheerily, hoping she could hide everything going on inside.
“Kaley, hey.” He returned her smile. “How’s your day going?”
“It’s been go-”
She was interrupted as Corey Finnigan, one of Eli’s closest friends, joined them. “Eli, man. We’re all over there discussing strategy. Come on.”
Corey pushed Eli toward the back of the cafeteria, he gave Kaley an apologetic look as he allowed himself to be taken away.
For the second time that day, Kaley was left standing by herself and feeling her heart breaking. She looked around, praying Abigail wasn’t in sight. She wasn’t, not that she could tell anyway. She would probably have a minion spy following her and reporting back, no doubt.
“Kaley, over here,” Harper’s voice filtered through. She turned around and saw her and Harvey seated at the table by the kitchen door – the one nobody else wanted. She quickly headed over to them, so grateful they were there.
“Hey, guys,” she sat next to Harper.
“Looks like superman had something important to do,” Harvey said sarcastically.
“I told you not to call him that,” Kaley shot back. She had a go at changing the topic, trying to move to something less painful. “What are you wearing tonight, Harper?”
“Something slinky and sexy. I’m not sure exactly what yet, but it’s going to be hot.”
“Where are you going tonight?” Harvey asked, completely out of the loop.
“Copper Sutton’s gig at The Bank. The Ravens are playing so we’re going to sneak in,” Harper replied for the both of them, the excitement written all over her face. “Because we’re such rebels.”
“What is it about ridiculous guys that make you girls go crazy?”
Kaley fielded that question. “You’re just jealous you don’t have anyone to obsess over. We need to get you a date to the dance.”
Perhaps it was guilt or just a friend’s concern, but Kaley really wanted Harvey to have someone in his life too. She had Eli, Harper had Cooper, but there was nobody Harvey drooled over. She didn’t want him to be lonely. He was a fantastic guy, he deserved to have someone special.
“I’m not going to the dance,” Harvey protested, holding his hands up like he was surrendering to the police. “I don’t need a date.”
Harper joined in, looking around the room for a victim. “We’re all going to the dance so you’re going to need somebody. After tonight, I’m going to have secured my date with Cooper. You don’t want to be the only one solo.”
“Kaley doesn’t have a date yet either.”
“Yes I do. Eli asked me to go with him.”
“Then I’m definitely not going.” He crossed his arms this time, stubbornness setting in. The girls merely ignored it.
“How about that girl?” Harper pointed to Lindy Hallows, a quiet girl from their grade. She seemed nice enough.
“Lindy? She’s allergic to nearly everything, she has to wear a special bracelet about it,” Harvey retorted. “This is stupid.”
Determined, Kaley pointed to a girl two tables away. “How about her? She looks cute.”
“She’s Macy Howe’s little sister. There is no way I’m going there.”
“Macy has a little sister?” Harper seemed shocked by the news. “I thought she was spawned by the devil. Moving on, how about Jess Washington?”
Harvey shook his head. “She’s crazy. And she’s already going with Matty Bryan, I heard them talking about it. She’s planning on wearing angel wings.”
“Just angel wings?” Kaley joked. “She’s going to be cold.”
“You know what I mean,” Harvey said grumpily. No matter how much fun they were having playing matchmaker, he didn’t seem to be cheering up any.
Love Songs (Secret Songbook #1) Page 20