I laugh, “You sure?”
“Yeah, I mean Lance wasn’t there at lunch yesterday so maybe he won’t be there today.”
“Just don’t think about it anymore. Lance is a jerk who doesn’t deserve you.”
Jessica smiles, “It’ll be hard but, thanks Jenna.”
“Hey guys,” I say, sitting next to Hayden and Jessica.
I looked around at the table and realized that, yet again, not everyone was here.
“Where are Nolan and Lance?”
Jessica glares at me when I say Lance’ name and I give her an apologetic look.
“I don’t know, actually,” Luke says from across the table. “I haven’t seen Lance the past two days.”
“Neither have I,” I hear Zac’s deep voice say, causing me to look at him. For the first time since it happened, I allowed myself to think back to when Zac had kissed me. How he had pulled me into a classroom and kissed me secretly. The whole thing was bad, but it was intriguing at the same time. I think it’s the whole “forbidden lust” thing. Whatever it was, it caused my gymnast of a stomach to do another one of its gold medal winning back flips. I kind of loved it.
I think my gaze at Zac lasted a little too long because he starts to smirk. The feeling of Hayden’s arm being draped over my shoulders pulls me back into reality.
Another back flip.
Not knowing where else to look, my eyes fall on Luke. Cute, kind Luke who is watching Hayden while peacefully chewing on a carrot stick. Luke catches my gaze and then we both awkwardly look down at the food on the table.
Double back flip.
God damn, what is wrong with me!? How can I possibly have feelings for three guys at once? Maybe what everyone is saying is true; maybe I am a slut.
Luke looks up from the table and his eyes pause on something behind me, “Guys, what the hell?”
Daisy, sitting next to him, follows his gaze, “Lance?”
Jessica, Hayden, and I all turn around. I see instantly what caught Luke’s attention.
Lance had just entered the cafeteria, his stride laidback, like he had no care in the world. His right arm was over the shoulders of a curly blonde haired girl. The same girl who I had walked in on making out with Nolan; Kelsey.
“W-why is his arm around her?” Jessica stutters.
“My brother is a man-whore,” Daisy says in shock.
“Maybe,” Hayden starts, turning back around, “it’s a good thing Nolan isn’t here right now.”
I walk down the hallway towards my locker. I left lunch early so I can get to my fifth period class right as the bell rings. I need the ten minutes to study for my English test. I haven’t been getting as much studying done as I should be since I’ve been at Hayden’s. Oops.
I told Hayden to stay and finish eating. I didn’t mind walking alone. I actually liked it. It gave me time to think and get my head straight for the ten minutes in between classes, especially since my life has been a non-stop soap opera since the Slave Auction.
I walk past the boys’ bathroom right as the door bursts open and a light haired boy comes running out. He knocks into me and my binder crashes to the floor.
“Hey!” I say and look up at him. I only then realize that it was Nolan. “Nolan?”
His eyes and cheeks were red. The same feeling I had when Jessica was crying this morning washes over me. I instantly knew what was wrong. “What happened with Kelsey?”
“How did you know this was about Kelsey?” he asks, whipping his nose on his sleeve.
I pick up my binder and bite my lip.
“Oh God, they made it public, didn’t they? What, did you see them walking around holding hands?” he asks a bit angrily.
“Not… Exactly.”
Nolan rolls his eyes and collapses on the bench across from the bathroom.
“What happened?” I ask, sitting on the cool metal bench beside him.
“After school yesterday, I was walking home and saw them kissing in the parking lot. I couldn’t believe it. She tried to talk to me but I wouldn’t let her. She said she was sorry and that it didn’t mean anything. She sent me texts all night long and I was starting to believe her,” Nolan pauses to wipe his nose again and then he break out into a sarcastic smile. “What a load of shit, right? It obviously meant nothing, right, because that’s why she would go and be with him today at lunch.”
“Nolan,” I try to comfort him but he interrupts.
“She told me she was sick yesterday! I was just straight up lied to! And I thought Lance was my best friend, I don’t know why he would do this to me. I think that’s what hurts the most.”
I feel a pang of guilt when I realize this must be how Jessica felt when she found out Lance kissed me. We are best friends and I didn’t tell her.
“Nolan,” I try again, wrapping my arm around him. My words echo off the bare walls and the tiled floor, “She obviously isn’t worth your time Nolan. I mean seriously, telling you she’s sick and then kissing your best friend in the school parking lot in front of everyone? Who does that? It’s stupid and shallow and a person like that isn’t worth your time.”
“I’ve just,” Nolan breathes deeply, “I’ve just never had a real girlfriend before. And it just felt real around her, you know? And everyone knew we were dating and now they probably all know she’s seeing Lance. It’s just embarrassing having the whole school know you’re a joke.”
“You are definitely not a joke, Nolan,” I lean towards him a little bit to try to get him to look at me. “What you need is someone to get your mind off this. Maybe if you went out on another date or found another girl you wouldn’t care so much about her a Lance.”
“Well, yeah I guess. But who?” Nolan’s gorgeous blue eyes burn into mine sadly.
An idea pops into my head, “Jessica!”
“Jessica?”
“Yeah! You like her right?” I ask, hoping this will work.
“Well, as a friend.”
“Oh come on, she’s gorgeous! And she’s really nice, and funny, and sweet,” I try to convince him but he still looks skeptical. I put my hand on his knee and lower my voice, “And she’s going through the exact same thing you are right now. Lance and Kelsey deserve each other. It hasn’t been easy on her either.”
“I don’t know,” Nolan looks down and I move my hand away. “I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her. And there is someone else who I have liked for too long of a time now.”
I nod, “Then talk to her just to talk. Vent with someone who understands. And maybe, Jessica can help you get the girl you like. Because if you have liked this girl for a really long time, it’s time you should do something about it.”
“Okay,” he looks up at me. “But, I’m scared.”
I laugh, “Don’t be. The worst thing she can do is say no. Just talk to Jessica, she needs it.”
He sighs, “Okay, thanks Jenna.”
He wraps his arms around my neck and pulls me close for a hug.
“No problem,” I say patting his back. I pull away, “I really have to go, though. I have a test I need to study for.”
Nolan laughs, “Okay.”
I stand up and walk to exit the hall as the bell signaling the end of lunch rings. “Remember what I told you, Nolan.”
I turn around to look at him and he nods and smiles. He is so adorable.
“Where are you?” I ask Jessica into my phone.
“Just wait there, I will be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay, hurry. I can’t leave Hayden waiting,” I say and then take the phone away from my ear. I click the “end” button and then text Hayden, “I will be a little late in meeting you at your car. Jessica wants to tell me something.”
I pull my jacket closer to me and shiver at the breeze that just picked up. I was waiting for her behind the school next to the now nearly empty bike rack. I looked around as students entered the hallways or got into their cars.
My head perked up as one of the hallway doors opened, expecting it t
o be Jessica. Disappointment flooded over me when I saw it was some random senior guy I had never seen before. But he definitely seemed to know me. He caught my gaze and started walking in my direction. I didn’t think much of it until he stopped right in front of me.
“Hey, slut.”
“Excuse you?” I ask, baffled.
“How was it sleeping at both Luke’s and Hayden’s house? Did you sleep with both of them?” he steps closer to me and I step back. He was tall, with short, blonde hair. His eyes were a dark, dark brown. By the size of his arms, I could tell he played football. I was instantly frightened by him and I wanted to get away. A memory of him standing up and bidding on me at one of the auctions flashed in my mind. Where is Jessica?
“What? No.”
“Oh, please. They always do,” he scoffs. “But you, you have taken it to a whole new level. Never has one of the Last Girls ended up dating the guy who bid on her. You must be really good in bed, huh?”
I back away again, “I didn’t sleep with any of them, okay? Just leave me alone.”
He glares at me through his chocolate eyes, “Don’t tell me what to do, whore.”
“What did you just say to her?”
Chocolate eyes and I both glance behind him to see the one and only Zac Madison, in his usual leather jacket.
“This is none of your business, Zac,” the guy spat. But, his voice had lost some strength; he was scared.
“Oh, it is definitely my business, Stephens.” Zac steps forward causing the guy to step back and almost bump into me. “Were you really just harassing a girl all alone?”
“No, we were just talking.”
I wanted to speak up but my vocal chords had a different idea. They decided to stay absolutely silent.
“We both know that’s bullshit,” Zac said, taking another step closer. “If you ever talk to her again, I will-.”
“What are you going to do?” Stephens laughs. “‘Bust my brains in?’”
Zac smiles, “Exactly.”
And the next thing I knew, Stephens was doubled over in pain, clutching the left side of his jaw. I looked up in shock at Zac as he calmly examined his knuckles. There wasn’t even a mark.
“Hey!”
Zac and I both look in the direction the voice had come from. My heart starts to pound as I see one of the campus supervisors run towards us. Oh no.
“What is going on over here? Did you punch him?” she asks, bending down to peer at Stephens.
Zac looks at him too, “Yeah. But it was self defense.”
“No it wasn’t!” Stephens yells.
“You were harassing her and calling her rude names!” Zac argues.
“That does not mean we resort to violence,” the woman says. “Did he touch you or her in anyway?”
Zac looks down, “No.”
The woman nods, “Both of you come with me,” she grabs Zac and Stephens by their arms and pulls them towards the hallway.
I stand in the same place I had been the whole time, frozen. Zac glances back at me and smiles before disappearing behind the door. I just stare after them.
What the-?
I feel myself run to the parking lot, losing all thought of Jessica. My backpack hits my side with every step I take. I find Hayden’s car in its usual spot and quickly throw open the door. I slam it behind me as Hayden looks at me startled.
“Hey, babe.”
All I can do is break down crying.
“Jenna?” he grabs my hand. “Jenna, what happened?”
It’s hard to tell Hayden through my tears what had happened. But, I do and he somehow manages to understand my slurred words.
“Oh my God, who was he?”
“I-I don’t k-know. His last name was Stephens,” I sob.
“Tom Stephens?” Hayden almost shouts.
“I don’t know, I guess.”
“That creep! He thinks he is such a badass because he’s the school quarterback,” Hayden rants.
I knew it.
My tears start to slow and Hayden says, “Come on, let’s go home.”
“And they say, she’s in the class A-team, stuck in her daydream, been this way since 18, but lately, her face seems, slowly sinking, wasting, crumbling like pastries, but they scream, they worst things in life come free to us. Cause we’re all under the upper hand, and we go mad for a couple grams. And we don’t want to go outside, tonight.”
I breathe softly against Hayden’s chest as I listen to him sing. We had gotten back to his house about an hour ago and I collapsed on his bed. I couldn’t stop crying until about half an hour ago when he started singing. It had calmed me somehow, and he knew it too because he hasn’t stopped singing since. His hand rubs my back gently and he plays with the ends off my hair. I probably would have been much happier about this right now, if I hadn’t just seen Zac punch a guy across the face.
“And in a pipe we fly to the motherland, and sell love to another man. It’s too cold outside, for angels to fly.”
He stops singing and I sigh, causing him to laugh.
“You like my singing?”
“Very much so,” I sigh again. I look at him, resting my chin on his chest.
“Are you feeling better?” his eyes twinkle with concern.
“A little bit,” I nod. “I just feel terrible for Zac. Who knows how much trouble he got into.”
Hayden glances at the clock, “Call him. It’s been an hour; he’s probably left the school by now.”
“Okay,” I say getting off the bed. I walk to my bag and pull out my cell phone. There was a text from Jessica that she had sent an hour ago that read, Sorry, I can’t meet you something came up. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I roll my eyes. So she never did show up.
I find Zac’s contact in my phone and click his number. He picks up on the third ring.
“Hey,” I hear his voice through the speaker.
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask urgently.
I hear him laugh, “The question is are you okay?”
“Of course I’m okay; nothing happened to me! What happened? Are you expelled?”
“No, just got two weeks of lunch detention. The other guy got one week of detention. I guess that means I won’t be joining you guys at lunch for a while,” he laughs again.
“How on earth are you laughing?”
“Oh, Jenna it’s fine. I have had detention before; it’s not so bad. The teacher just leaves you in there to eat, claiming they have a camera in there watching you. Hint hint, they totally don’t,” I feel myself smile as he continues, “I’m just glad you are okay.”
“Yeah, I am thanks to you. I just feel terrible that you are stuck in detention. And it’s probably on your permanent record now too,” I moan.
“Jenna,” he laughs another time, “seriously don’t worry about it. My permanent record, that’s hilarious.”
“Okay,” I sigh. “Well, I owe you one.”
“Nah, consider it an apology.”
“For what?”
“You know what,” and then I hear the three beeps form my phone telling me he hung up. I throw my phone in my bag.
“So, what happened?” Hayden asks, leaning up on his forearms.
I lie on the bed and push him back down, kissing him softly on the lips, “He got two weeks of detention.”
“Not too bad,” Hayden says.
“Yeah, thank God. I would have died from guilt,” I turn to lie on my back.
Hayden turns as well so that he is on top of me, “You’re too good of a person, you know that?”
“That’s not true.”
He raises his eyebrows, “It’s not?”
I shake my head, “I was a real bitch to you in the beginning, wasn’t I?”
He smirks, “And that’s exactly why you stole my heart.
Chapter 22: Being Badass
“Hey,” Hayden says, poking his head into the doorway. I pause the video on the screen and look up at him from behind the laptop on my legs.
“You are a slo
w ass dishwasher.”
He smiles, “Just be happy I didn’t make you do it, slave.”
We both chuckle and he sits backwards on the swivel chair in front of his never used desk.
“What are you doing?” he asks, spinning in the chair like a ten year old.
“Watching AmourGlamourfied on YouTube,” I say, clicking play.
Hayden gets up from the chair and sits next to me on the bed. “What’s that?” he asks peering at the screen.
“She’s my favorite beauty guru on YouTube. She’s really funny and informative,” I explain.
“‘How To Style A Jumpsuit?’” Hayden asks, reading the name off the screen.
I nod, “Yeah, in this video she shows how to style a jumpsuit.”
“Why is she creepily molesting a flower?”
I laugh, “That’s just her, she’s really good though.”
Hayden closes the laptop in the middle of the video. “Hey! I was watching that!”
“Please,” he laughs. “Would you rather watch AmourGlamourfied on YouTube or make out with me?”
I glance at the laptop and back at Hayden, “Er, that’s a tough one.”
He smirks, “You jerk face.”
He pushes the computer off my lap and pulls me to him, making our lips meet in the middle.
“Hayden! Jenna! Want me to come in and dance again today?”
“Dear Lord, no mom!” Hayden yells back.
I hear Anne laugh from the other side of the door, “Well time to wake up!”
I laugh and slowly sit up, only to have Hayden grab my hand making me jump.
“Remember when I asked you to ditch school and stay in bed with me all day two days ago?” he asks.
“Uh-huh,” I mumble, stretching my arms and legs under the grey covers.
Hayden leans up quickly and wraps his arm around my waist, tugging me down so that my back was flat on the bed and he was over me.
“That offer still stands.”
I giggle underneath him, “Sounds tempting. But unfortunately, my answer is still the same as it was two days ago.”
Hayden sighs and leans down closer to me, his curls brushing my forehead, “You’re such a goody-goody.”
“Am not.”
The Last Girl Page 11