Welcome to New Haven

by Dawn Doyle

  “I know.” Said Holly. “It’s just the way I lose it with him face-to-face. He probably thought I didn’t like him and that’s why I avoided him. The thought of making him feel bad, makes me sad.”

  “Ohhhh” Said Dev with realisation. “Well he obviously knows why now, so he’s happy. And Hol?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ve never seen him smile like that before. When you kinda told him you liked him back. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, that’s just how I feel.” She smiled.

  “What made you suddenly tell him?”

  Holly had been so nervous Alex finding out about her liking him, that she thought she’d never say anything. However, the things she picked up from the store after school on Tuesday, would’ve kinda given him an idea.

  “I just pulled up my big girl pants. I had to get over my awkwardness. Em told me, before she left, ‘not to let my nerves drown my feelings’. I guess I decided that wasn’t going to happen.”

  “That’s so awesome!” Dev said, excitedly. “What do you think will happen tomorrow?”

  “I’ll probably get tongue tied in his presence, as usual, and make an idiot of myself.” Said Holly with a snort.

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Said Dev. “I’ll try to help in any awkward situation, but I bet Alex will understand.” Holly sighed.

  “Yeah, he’s pretty great.”

  “One more thing before I go. Can I tell him now?” Dev pleaded.

  “Would it make you feel better?” Holly asked in a teasing tone.

  “Oh definitely!” Dev’s voice rose an octave.

  “Hmmmm.” Holly said as if she were thinking about it. She knew Dev had wanted to tell Alex right away.

  “Oh come on!” Dev said with impatience.

  “Ok sure. He knows now, so yeah, go ahead.”

  “Holly, you’ve no idea how happy I am right now!” Holly laughed at Dev’s childlike happiness.

  “Well, now I’m going to get that shower.”

  Holly had turned the temperature down for a few moments. Her body was still burning from her ‘chat’ with Alex. Saying she was beautiful and when she said she was getting into a shower, he said he now needed a cold one.

  Holly didn’t understand how she’d gone from a shy, quiet girl to somebody who, from just a look from a certain guy, gets hot. But not just hot. So heated that it travelled all over her body, her breasts, her stomach and right down to her core.

  Oh fuck!

  Now, she was practically on fire! Holly turned the shower right down to cold and gasped as the freezing water hit her.

  “Alex! Alex!” shouted Dev as she banged on Alex’s door.

  “What?” He said as he opened it with a start.

  “Guess what? Oh never mind…Holly lifted her gag order too!” She said as she pushed past him and sat down.

  “Huh?”

  “Agh! You told me I couldn’t say anything and so did she. I. Have. Been. Dying here!” Dev took a deep breath.

  “Well…What did she say?” He asked when she just looked at him with a grin.

  “She likes you, Alex…”

  Dev told him all about Holly’s first day. Seeing Alex, not being able to speak, getting nervous, finding out who he was… When Dev got to the part about the pool, she giggled.

  “Holly had to avoid you because all she could think about was you…shirtless.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “She did?” He kinda knew, when Ben had suggested it first, it had made sense, but to have it confirmed felt fucking amazing!

  “Oh yes.” Dev said as she nodded her head. “Don’t you remember being pressed together with her arms and legs around you? Your arms holding her tight?” Dev said as she batted her eyes.

  “Of course I do!” Great. He needed to stay sitting down because he was getting hard again.

  “Well that made our Holly a little hotter than usual.” Dev waggled her eyebrows again and Alex was stunned.

  “Wow! Now, I feel better.” Said Dev as she let her head fall back in relief. “I need a lie down.” And off she went to her own room.

  “Ho.Ly Fuck!” Alex said out loud.

  He got up off his bed and walked into his bathroom again. He turned on the shower.

  Cold.

  His body had been getting used to the daily dose since Holly’s arrival. He stripped down and stepped into the water, again…and squealed like a girl.

  Chapter 15

  Dev had a huge smile on her face as she sat next to Holly in homeroom.

  “Hey there…beautiful.” She said, and Holly giggled.

  “Hi Dev.”

  “Alex was happy last night.” Dev whispered. “I told him about you. You should’ve seen his face!”

  “What did you tell him Dev?” Holly asked accusingly.

  Dev told Holly the things she had repeated to Alex.

  “He didn’t laugh?” asked Holly. “I mean, about me not being able to talk to him.”

  “No of course not. I think he was happy that he did that to you.” Holly felt so happy as they smiled to each other.

  “What the fuck is this, huh?” Said a sly Stacey as she waltzed into the room. Holly hadn’t seen her around as much as the previous weeks, and she suspected that she was off planning more ways to get Alex to sleep with her. That girl was going to get a slap if she kept up with her bullshit. Holly felt the anger rising just from her presence.

  “You two are smiling like you got laid. Oh, wait. That would mean you had to actually open your tight ass chastity belt. Now, we couldn’t have that, could we?” She asked in a mock sympathetic voice.

  “Go fuck yourself, Stacey!” Said Dev icily.

  “Oh I already did.” Said Stacey, wiggling her fingers.

  “Ugh! You’re disgusting!” Said Holly.

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Stacey laughed and took her seat next to Cerise.

  “Dirty bitch.”

  “She makes me want to vomit.” Added Dev.

  Alex and Ben we’re already at their station when the girls got to A.Bio. Holly looked up, and Alex gave her a big, sexy smile. Her face flushed, and she felt the heat rush through her at the sight of him. Dev smiled and nudged Holly.

  “Aww, that’s so sweet.” She whispered. “So romantic. ‘He smiled at her from across the room, her adonis within her reach…’”

  “Oh Dev, what have you been reading? You sound like a romance novel.” Holly said.

  “Oh shush and let me have my moment.” Said Dev with a sigh.

  “I take it you’ve been texting Holly again.” Ben said as he saw Alex’s face.

  “Yeah. Last night.” Alex said quietly as he turned to Ben. “Later on, Dev came banging on my door. She told me that Holly had ‘lifted the gag order.” He said with air quotes.

  “And?”

  “Dev said Holly likes me back.” Alex grinned.

  “Wow, that’s a surprise!” Said Ben sarcastically.

  It had been clear, to Ben, that Holly liked him. Alex had just been too blind to see it.

  “She has since she started here.” Alex continued. “Like, since the first day. When she didn’t know, I’m Dev’s brother.” Alex felt as if he were going to explode with joy.

  “That’s awesome. Really man. It’s great that you now know. Maybe you’ll stop second guessing.” Said Ben.

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Chuckled Alex.

  The teacher spoke up to start the class. Halfway through, Alex’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He smiled when he saw who it was from.

  “Do I need to ask?” asked Ben.

  H: This class is dragging!

  A: Definitely. The view’s not bad though. ;)

  Alex looked to Holly to see her reaction. Her ears had turned pink.

  Oh she’s definitely blushing!

  A: You’re blushing.

  H: How can you tell?

  A: Your ears go pink too.:D

  H: OMG! :O

  A: XD

/>   “Ahem!” The teacher made a sound to get their attention again and gave Holly a pointed glare.

  “Sorry” She whispered.

  They got up to leave when the class ended.

  “Sorry about that.” Alex said from behind her. Holly turned to look at him.

  Holy mother of sexiness!

  “Oh…um…not your fault.” She said with her, now, trademark blush.

  “Ok, when you’ve finished staring at each other, we need to get to Chem class.” Said Ben with fake irritation.

  “Oh…uh…yeah.” Said Holly and she, and Dev, walked towards the door.

  “I hope this class doesn’t drag too.” Said Dev with a bored expression.

  “It depends were you’re sitting.” Said Alex as they walked into Chem class, which was only two doors away from A.Bio.

  Holly turned to him and he gave her a wink and a cheeky smile. She was in so much trouble with this guy!

  “Hey, Holly.” A girl said as Holly took her seat.

  “Hi…Clare?” Holly replied.

  “Yeah. Did Alex just wink at you?”

  “What?!” Holly was taken aback at the question. Why would Clare want to know that? “Yes, he did, why?”

  “Because he never does that. I mean, nobody’s seen him do that to any girl here. Is there, like, something going on with you two?” Clare asked as she looked towards Alex.

  “Excuse me?” Holly said, getting pissed off at this girl.

  “They like each other, so back off.” Said Dev.

  “Jeez, I was just asking!” Said Clare defensively.

  “Why do you want to know?” Asked Holly as Clare was backing away.

  It was nobody’s business if there were something going on between her and Alex and for somebody to walk up and ask outright was, in Holly’s opinion, bad mannered.

  “Um…well…” Clare looked nervous. “…There’s a party on Saturday and a few of us were going and, well, if Alex was going…you know…one of us would, like, kind of, ask him to go with us.”

  “Like, on a date?” Said Dev, mimicking Clare’s whiny voice.

  “Well yeah.” She replied.

  “Well that’s not going to happen, so bye bye.” Said Dev, waving her off.

  Holly was gripping the edge of the table in anger. She was breathing deeply to calm down.

  “How dare she say that!” Dev whisper shouted so she didn’t attract the attention of the other students.

  “At least she was honest though…” Said Holly through clenched teeth. “…Even though I wanted to rip her fuckin’ head off!”

  “Is everything ok?” asked Alex as he walked over. He’d seen the girls having a conversation from the back of the room, and he’d seen the same look in Holly’s eyes that she had when talking to Stacey. So it couldn’t have been anything good.

  “Oh…yes…fine.” Said Holly.

  “Nothing we can’t handle.” Said Dev.

  Alex looked to Holly again, concerned, as she took a controlled breath.

  “Holly?” He asked gently. She was angry. He knew that much.

  “We’re fine…but thanks.” Holly said as she smiled weakly.

  She was still mad that Clare had to audacity to say that she or her friends were going to ask out Alex, after Dev had said him and Holly like each other. Holly had asked though. Clare was backing away until she’d stopped her to ask why. Maybe she wasn’t going to do it after all. But, then again…hearing some of the things people had done in that school…she wouldn’t be surprised.

  Holly looked into his eyes and his concern for her had her knees turning to jelly. Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and she slightly sucked her lower lip in.

  Oh shit, she thought as Alex’s lips parted.

  “Ok class, let’s get started!” the teacher said as he walked in. “Mr. Valencia, to your seat please.”

  Alex glanced once more at Holly, before going to his seat next to Ben. He gave Holly a little lopsided smile before sitting down.

  Holly turned to Dev.

  “This is going to be around the whole school by lunch, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “You’ll be married and on your fourth kid by then.” Chuckled Dev and Holly stared at her open mouthed.

  Dev snorted a laugh.

  “Did I ever welcome you to New Haven?”

  After class, and a few sly glances from Clare, they left the room for their next lesson.

  “What was Clare saying?” asked Ben as they walked to A.Calc that he and Holly had together.

  “Um…just about the party on Saturday.” Said Dev. She knew Holly would have been uncomfortable talking about it in front of the guys, and Holly was grateful that she didn’t elaborate.

  “What about it?” asked Alex.

  “She asked if we were all going.” Dev replied.

  “So why was Holly giving her the death stare?” smirked Ben.

  Holly’s face went red, and she knew Alex didn’t miss it. Just by looking at her he would’ve known that it wasn’t just that.

  “Um…she irritated me a bit.”

  Alex knew the girls weren’t telling them everything. He hadn’t known Holly for long, but he knew that she didn’t lose her temper easily. If she did, he’d have no doubt that Stacey would be sporting a pair of black eyes.

  “If you say so.” He said and winked at her with a knowing smile. He loved the reaction he got from her when he did. She’d blush and pull her bottom into her mouth in that shy way that she does.

  Alex wanted to taste that lip himself. He wanted to suck it, nibble it, and lick…

  “Alex!” Said Ben.

  “Huh, what?” He said.

  “We have to go into class now?” Ben said as if he were asking a question.

  “Oh yeah.” Said Alex as he blinked a few times. He could feel his own cheeks growing hotter and, of course, his pants were tighter. “See you at lunch” He said and turned to Holly.

  “Bye Holly.” He said in an almost whisper.

  “Bye.” She replied

  “See you Dev.” He said as the girls quickly hugged.

  “Soooo. What really happened with Clare?” Ben asked Holly when they took their seats.

  “Nothing.” She replied, flatly

  Ben looked at his phone.

  “Uh, huh. Then why have I received eight text messages from the others asking whether you and Alex are dating?”

  “What?!”

  “Yep. So, obviously something was said by Clare. She pissed you off and now you’re dating Alex.”

  “How the hell did she spread rumours so fast?” She groaned inwardly.

  “New Haven and the power of the text. She probably texted her friends when we were in Chem class.” Ben explained.

  “Oh my God.” Said Holly with her hand over her mouth.

  “Well Alex hasn’t mentioned it so I’m guessing it’s not true?”

  Holly shook her head in reply. She was mortified. Would Alex think she had said it? That she was being presumptuous and had old Clare they were dating?

  Oh shit, shit, fucking shit!

  She blew out a breath to calm the coronary she felt she was going to have right there in the classroom.

  “Well…?” Ben asked. “What happened?”

  Holly gave up and told him the conversation that had passed among the three girls.

  “So I don’t know why Clare would say that we’re dating.”

  “She probably didn’t.” Ben said as he shifted in his seat to talk closely to her so nobody would overhear. “Things like this spread fast and Alex, being Alex…it’s big news.”

  “Why?” asked Holly.

  She was really intrigued why Alex dating would be an issue. Clare had said that he hasn’t winked at anyone.

  As if that was weird. What would it matter anyway?

  “Because he’s never dated anybody in this school.” Said Ben with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “You mean, not this school, but another?” Holly asked, cautiously. She didn’t want to com
e off as jealous, even that’s how she felt.

  “I think it’s best that he tells you that.” He said smiling.

  Holly thought it was the kind of smile that held a big, fat, secret. Like ‘I know something you don’t know’ kind of smile. Ben’s phone vibrated.

  “Make that fifteen texts.” He snorted.

  “Oh hell.” Said Holly as she dropped her head into her hands.

  Alex and Dev were sitting outside for their free period when Alex’s phone beeped. Thinking it was Holly, he quickly got out his phone and paused as he read the screen.

  “Devvvv…” He said. “Why are people asking the guys if Holly and I are dating?” He had a confused yet smiling expression. He wanted, badly, for that to be a reality but seeing as though he hadn’t asked her out…yet…he wanted to know what had been said.

  He could see that Dev was answering texts from Riss and Kayla.

  “Um…Clare might have started that rumor.”

  “Why? I’m not complaining, but why would she think that?” He knew it had something to do with the conversation in class earlier.

  Dev told him about the conversation with Clare and he laughed loudly.

  “What’s funny?”

  “What’s funny is that Clare thought that ‘maybe’ she or one of her friends would ask me on a date. Secondly is that she told you after you said Holly and me like each other. After what Holly did to Stacey…well, it’s hilarious!”

  “When you put it that way, I guess.” Dev giggled. “I did think Holly was going to break the table with how tight she gripped it.” Said Dev.

  “Wait, what?” Alex was stunned by what Dev had said.

  “Holly had a hold of the table and her knuckles were turning white. Especially when Clare mentioned dating you.” Dev said with enthusiasm. “I don’t know how she kept her face so calm!”