by C. Shell
“No.” Shaking his head, his expression turns determined. “I got us the leverage we need. Lacey can’t come back after you without there being repercussions. This tape might not be able to put her behind bars, but it will keep her in line. One wrong move and I’ll blast it onto every social media site available. She’ll be ruined.”
Apparently, he has all the details planned. Too bad it isn’t foolproof. “So, will you. There is no way you can release that without it coming back on you. You drugged her, Dex!”
A squeak from an old chair is the only warning that we’ve gotten too loud again before Mrs. Dixon is up and headed our way. The old lady is in her late seventies, but her physical appearance could fool anyone. She is a feisty one and takes her job as the town librarian seriously. Dex grabs my arm and then we are on the move. We fast-walk our way through the history and self-help section before making a quick right and exiting through the side door.
It’s weird, but standing outside in the light of day with Dex makes me feel more vulnerable than I did in the secluded library. There is no place for me to hide out here. Standing on a sidewalk that leads back to the main parking lot, I tuck my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting.
“Your plan has enough holes in it to sink you along with the ship, Dex. I get what you’re trying to do, but she’ll take you down with her.”
“I don’t care.” The absolute in his tone stuns me.
“You don’t mean that,” I argue.
“I do. If Lacey tries to come after you again, or uses one of her minions to do her dirty work, then I will release the video. I’ve got my face blacked out, of course. If she decides to out me, then I will go down smiling. It will be worth it if it keeps you safe, and ruins her reputation and pull in this town.”
I blink in surprise. Then I blink some more. “You’re fucking crazy. No college will accept you with that kind of shit following you around.” Dex doesn’t bat an eye, and a chill slithers up my spine. He has always been the risk taker in our group, but this is too much. What he’s insinuating is borderline insane.
Dex’s lips twitch as he leans over to my ear. “I might be the asshole who broke your heart, but I am also the man who would take a knife to the chest if it meant keeping you safe. Remember that, Addy.”
With those parting words, Dex walks away.
Chapter Two
“Did you know that Cupid is thought to be the son of the love goddess Venus?”
I back away from Seth, who is busy writing out my paycheck, and talk in a low voice with Cammy. “No, that is not information I ever care to learn about. Why are you looking up stuff on Cupid again?”
Her eyes light with excitement. “Because Valentine’s is around the corner and I was thinking of having a cupid themed party.”
I can’t hold back my groan. The idea of attending another party so soon after the disastrous New Year’s one makes my stomach turn. Parties and I don’t seem to mix very well. “Can’t we do something else, instead?”
“Here you go,” Seth says, stepping forward and handing me my check. I don’t even get a chance to thank him before he rushes back to his office. Out of habit, I open the envelope right away and look over my wages. When everything appears as it should, Cammy and I head out to my car.
“If we don’t throw a party, then give me ideas of something else fun we can do. I refuse to spend the most romantic night of the year at home watching television.”
I fumble with the keys in my hand as I think of something exciting that will throw her off the party idea. “I’m surprised that you and Jimmie don’t have plans for dinner or a movie. Is my brother being a lame duck?”
“No way.” Cammy raised her voice as if the idea of my brother not stepping up for her was a crazy idea. “We talked it over and decided that since we aren’t officially together yet, we would do something as a group instead of just the two of us.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her that Jimmie hates Valentine’s Day. I don’t imagine many guys like being put on the spot one day a year to go above and beyond for the one they care about, but for Cammy it means everything.
I climb into the driver’s seat and get the car started before her words register. “What do you mean you aren’t official yet? You two have become practically inseparable, and don’t even get me started on the make-out sessions that should be kept behind closed doors yet somehow keep happening in the living room. Why you two can’t make it to his room before swapping spit is beyond me.”
“Your brother is a complicated man,” she laughs. Cammy noses around my car. Unless she is looking for a stray piece of gum, she isn’t going to find anything of worth hiding under my seat.
“What are you looking for?” I ease my car out of the parking lot and head for home.
The bagel I had for breakfast did a poor job at keeping me full all day. The plan was to have lunch after the one lesson I was in charge of today, but then Seth had said he had a headache and I ended up working all his sessions, which left me no time for food. All I want is to get home and warm up some of my mom’s famous spaghetti.
“I dropped my phone, and it fell between the seat and the gear shift.” She flicks me an irritated look. “My hand isn’t small enough to reach it.”
“Give me a minute.” I keep my eyes on the road until we stop at a red light, then reach over and slip my hand down the side of Cammy’s seat. It takes a few finger wiggles before I manage to grip it, but I do eventually return her phone to her. “Happy now?” I ask.
“Extremely,” she answers with a smile. “Thank you.”
We make it home just as my mom is heading out. I wave as her jeep passes me, and pull into the driveway. Her hours have been hectic lately. I feel as if I barely see her anymore. Some teenagers would love having a parent-free house. I don’t fall into that category. I like my mom and miss our television marathons and late-night talks.
I follow Cammy up the walk and into the house. We don’t make it five steps into the living room before Jimmie is down the stairs and stealing my best friend from me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Jimmie clamps a hand around Cammy’s waist and gives her a beaming smile. “I’m here to give Cammy a tour of my room.”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” I say, giving my brother a dramatic eye roll. “That is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard you say. I think I just threw up in my mouth some.”
Jimmie shrugs not bothered by my antics. Cammy, on the other hand, looks torn between throttling him and taking him up on his offer. These two are going to be the end of my sanity. Jimmie flashes her a smile and tugs her back toward the staircase.
So much for us spending the night vegging out and watching movies. If I have to watch them paw at each other, I might actually lose the contents of my stomach. Not happening. “Jimmie, why don’t you go on up and hide your dirty tighty-whities and all the other gross things lying around your room, growing god knows what. I need to talk to Cam real quick before handing her over.”
Jimmie presses his lips together in annoyance. “You promise?”
I let out an irritated sigh. “Jimmie, get upstairs and wait your turn. Cammy is my best friend, and you're pissing me off. Stop being a dick.”
Redness spreads across his face, but he concedes and leaves us alone. Clapping my hands together I turn and give an amused Cammy my full attention. “Back to the talk we had earlier on Valentine’s Day; I have an idea.”
Cammy’s eyes light up. “Do tell.”
“Okay, hear me out before you shoot me down.” Cammy casts me a cautious look but restrains herself from asking any questions. I take her silence as acceptance and continue. “What if we all drove over to Newberry and went to the carnival. Some of the kids from the rink were talking about it the other day, and it sounded fun.” Once I start talking, I can’t stop. “I mean…I get that we’re kind of old for carnival rides and shit, but we used to have so much fun going there. It would be a perfect way for you and Jimmie to have
a date, but not a real serious kind of date that would be awkward. Not that I want you two dating, but I can be nice for one night. He could win you a teddy bear that you can sleep with for the remainder of your years on this earth. And I can eat all the yummy fattening food they have. I wonder if they still have those sugary fried Oreos…”
“Addy,” Cammy’s voice breaks through my long-winded dialogue.
My head snaps up. “Huh?”
The smile on her face is adorable. “That sounds awesome.”
“Seriously?” I question with a sheepish grin. “You can be honest and tell me if you think it’s stupid. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
Cammy puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into a side hug. “I would never lie to you. I love this idea. It’ll be fun and romantic without being too complicated. What’s not to like?”
“What are you two up to now?”
I suck in a sharp breath, practically jumping out of my skin at the sound of Nate’s teasing voice. I place a hand on my chest to settle the unnatural loud beat of my heart as I fight to calm myself. “You scared me,” I hiss. “What the hell is wrong with you? Didn’t your momma ever teach you that it's rude to sneak up on people?”
“Where would the fun in that be?” Nate laughs.
I snort. “You're incorrigible. So, what do we owe the pleasure of seeing your handsome face today?” I hedge. My stomach protests my lack of food, growling loudly and announcing to all that I need to eat.
“I’m going to go find Jimmie before his grumblings start to sound as loud as Addy’s stomach. See you later Nate,” she calls over her shoulder, trotting up the steps two at a time. “Be a good boy and feed Addy before she turns into a hangry beast,” she adds for good measure.
I roll my eyes, but am quick to jump on board and follow Nate as he heads to the kitchen. What can I say? I love food and would never turn down the chance of having someone else cook for me.
I take a spot at the table and watch in delight as Nate starts making me a grilled cheese sandwich. “While I feed that beast you call a stomach, tell me what you and Cam were talking about when I walked in.”
I straighten in my chair, doing my best to not drool over the amount of melted cheese I can see peeking out from the bread. “We were discussing what we should all do for Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh,” Nate mutters. He moves around my kitchen acting normal, but the tense set of his shoulders tells another story. Nate and I have never really talked about the lovey holiday before, so I don’t know what to make of his sudden mood change. “What are you planning on doing?”
I brush off his odd behavior and tell him about my plans for the carnival. By the time I’m finish listing all the rides I want to try and the foods I want to devour, my sandwich is done, and Nate is sliding into the seat next to me.
“Are you going to invite Dex?”
I laugh, the sound rough and forced. “Funny you should mention him” I nibble on a piece of melted cheese before continuing. “I ran into him today at the library.”
“How did that turn out?”
I lean a little into Nate, letting his warmth and familiarity sink into me. Without Dex around taking up all my time, Nate and I have been spending more time together. Don’t get me wrong, Dex still comes over to our house, but it's only to pick Jimmie up. Weekends, where we all hang out and have fun, are a thing of the past. I pushed for the three of them to remain friends because, let’s face it, what would our small town be without the CW Boys? That doesn’t mean I’m ready to be included in their bro-fest. I am not that forgiving.
“I ran and hid from him behind The Cat in the Hat in the children’s section.” I take a big bite from my grilled cheese and moan my happiness. This sandwich is hitting the spot. “Anyways, long story short, Dex found me. Then I made up a horrible story about losing my earrings, and it just went downhill from there.”
Nate snorts out his laughter. “I can’t wait to hear Dex’s side of that story.”
The food hitting my stomach was making my mood lighter. “Enough about that,” I say waving off the subject of Dex. “Are you in for helping me plan out this Valentine’s carnival trip?”
Nate leans back in his seat with a lazy grin. “Only if you promise to hold my hand on the Ferris Wheel.”
His flirting takes me by surprise. I raise my eyebrows and, instead of shying away from him as I usually do when he gets like this, I push back and give him a taste of his own medicine.
“Absolutely, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter Three
“Are you going to eat that cookie?”
My head flies up, and I glare at Jimmie. “You are not taking my last cookie.”
“Wow,” he exclaims with a laugh. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What’s your problem?”
What a loaded question. I could tell him about how I’m bloated like a whale from the world’s worst period, or how I overslept this morning and then swerved on the way to school to keep from hitting a squirrel that ran out in front of me. I didn’t run over the squirrel but instead killed someone’s mailbox. I refrain from all those answers and give him a boring, “Nothing much. I just like chocolate chip cookies.”
He studies me a beat too long before giving up and going back to his conversation with Cammy. Dex, on the other hand, doesn’t stop staring at me. Not that this is anything new. Eating lunch as a group didn’t end just because we broke up. I could’ve made a fuss about it and found somewhere else to sit, or took a stand and made Dex leave, but that would’ve messed up his friendship with Nate and Jimmie. No matter how mad or hurt I am at him, I couldn’t do that. So, every day I sit across from him and try to ignore his watchful eye.
“What happened to your car?”
Everyone at the table freezes at his words. I shake my head in frustration. I didn’t want my brother to know about the mailbox or the scuff on the front fender of my car. I left an apology letter with some cash at the people’s house to make up for my blunder. I was going to leave my car at Cammy’s home until I could get it fixed. It was a good plan. I even parked in a different lot at the school thinking the guys would never notice. Leave it to Dex to blow my cover.
Sucking in a deep breath, I stand and prepare to leave before more questions can come. My escape goes about as well as my attempt not to hit that stupid squirrel. This day sucks.
Jimmie is on me like glue before I even get one step away from the table. I’m surrounded by large guys with nowhere to go. There’s zero chance of getting around him, and I don’t think climbing over the table will work in my favor which leads me to sit back down. “Yeah sis, why don’t you tell us about your car?”
I lick my parched lips and send a scathing glare Dex’s way. The smirk he bestows me with only pisses me off further.
I start to squirm, thinking up a plausible lie, something to explain the slight dent and scratches on my car, but my brain can’t come up with anything remotely useful. In the end, I settle on the truth, and tell them about the poor defenseless squirrel. By the time I’m done, Cammy is laughing so hard she snorts milk through her nose.
The guys, on the other hand, don’t seem to find my story so funny. “What the hell were you thinking? You don’t swerve for rodents. You could have gotten yourself hurt.” Jimmie might be keeping his voice down, but I can hear the underlying anger in every word.
“It was a kneejerk reaction. I couldn’t have helped it if I tried.”
“You would never have tried,” Nate interjects. “We all know how much you like animals. You would have purposely crashed that car before hitting anything.”
“You can’t prove that,” I argue. He is one hundred percent right. I love my car, but it can be fixed when broken. A living breathing animal can’t. Leaning back in my chair I cross my arms over my chest and await the impending argument, because I can tell by the reddening of Jimmie’s face that he is just getting started.
“Where is your car?” he asks.
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“Parked on the other side of the school near the bleachers.”
“Did you really think you could hide this from me?”
“Yes,” I deadpan. I don’t add that I was doing a fine job of it until Dex stuck his nose in where it doesn’t belong. As much as I enjoy poking the bear, I’m not in the mood to deal with Jimmie right now. I slept like shit last night and just want to finish the day, go home, and take a nap.
I am gearing up for the second part of the fight when the bell for next period rings. I know the term saved by the bell is cliché, but I’ve never been happier to have a reason to get away from Jimmie as I am right now. Throwing my uneaten cookie away, I haul ass out of the cafeteria and straight to my photography class.
“Tell me about this carnival night I keep hearing about,” Dex says, as he catches up with me in the hallway.
I don’t spare him a glance, and keep on walking. “You tattled on me.”
“Didn’t know your run in with the squirrel was a secret.”
“Liar,” I shoot back. “Only pot smokers park that far away from the school. You knew I was trying to keep my wreck from Jimmie, and yet, you still outed me. It’s too late to try and play the good guy.”
I stop in front of the photography door and stare at him, hoping he will drop the subject and go on about his merry way. My luck is shot to hell, because not only does he not leave, he starts talking to me again. By now we’ve got onlookers, and by this afternoon I’m sure there will be a dozen new rumors buzzing around about us. The students here are like little vultures flying around pecking at anything that moves.
“I need to know if you’re really okay with me going to the carnival.” He brushes back his mane of hair and seers me with those crystal blue eyes of his. “Nate said you were, but I need to hear it from you.’