As I bit my lip, I struggled to reply, “You shouldn’t lie, Tracey. It doesn’t do me any good.”
He watched me intensely before saying, “I would never lie about your lovely legs.”
I didn’t know what to say. For once, I was at a loss for words. My heart started to pound as we stared at each other, and only the sound of our breathing could be heard---and maybe the sound of the swings moving with the breeze. This was a golden moment, and I wished for him to kiss me again and wrap his arms around me.
My gaze on him was steady as I murmured, “Kiss me, Trace.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
28
WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE HOUSE, I was surprised to notice the porch light off. That was odd. Dad always left the porch light on for me. I frowned and wondered why he left it off. Maybe he was upset with me? My pulse quickened when I realized that Erika must’ve told him about Trace. I stared at the front door warily, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid the situation; I had to go inside sooner or later. I sighed and reached for the handle, trying to think up a clever excuse. God, give me strength…
As soon as I walked through the front door, I anticipated finding my father pacing and waiting for me. But he wasn’t. I found him in the living room, snuggled next to Erika on the couch. He had a huge smile on his face while he watched something on the television, and he barely looked up at me when I walked into the room.
My father gave me a brief side-glance before asking, “Did you enjoy your walk tonight, Jade?”
That was even odder. No questions? No yelling? My gaze flickered over at Erika, who’s eye’s were fixed on the television screen too. Didn’t she tell him what she saw? Who she found me with?
“Uh, yeah. I did,” I mumbled hastily, my eyes still focused on her.
The next few seconds passed by excruciatingly slow, and I anticipated her blurting out the truth. I imagined the scene in my mind: Erika would jump up off of the couch and point a finger at me while she yelled, “She was with a boy, Lucas! Kissing!” A little overdramatic, but can I blame my own imagination? Nothing happened though. She just sat there, remaining quiet. Honestly, it really surprised me.
“Okay, well, I’m going to my room now,” I told them as I rushed down the hall, eager to leave just in case Erika decided to change her mind.
I was confused about why she hadn’t said anything to my dad, but I didn’t let it bother me too much as I readied for bed. She probably had her reasons…and I wondered if she planned to use it against me in the future. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she sought to blackmail me, and I hope she tried; it would confirm my suspicions of her. Eventually, I forgot all about Erika, focusing my thoughts on Trace and the amazing kiss we had shared tonight.
As I laid down on my bed and awaited sleep, I looked forward to tomorrow, and hoped it would be another wonderful day of kissing Trace Gibson.
29
I FOUND TRACE STANDING BY MY LOCKER after first period, holding a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand. I smiled at the sight of the flowers and wondered if they were for me, but I had a sure feeling that they were. When I approached him, I noticed that he seemed rather nervous: he kept fidgeting and his face looked slightly pale. As soon as I joined Trace by the locker, I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong with him, but he quickly silenced me with a kiss.
“Hi,” Trace said after his lips broke away from mine, and a large smile covered his face.
I couldn’t find my voice as my lips still tingled from his touch. This whole kissing thing was absolutely new to me, but I was going to have to get used to kissing him.
“Hello,” I finally managed to say. As I eyed the yellow roses with suspicion, I asked Trace casually, “So, who are the flowers for?”
He offered them to me shakily and replied, “You.”
“How sweet. Thank you,” I told him excitedly. I lifted the flowers to my nose, enjoying their tender scent, but I frowned when I noticed Trace still seemed uncomfortable. What was wrong with him?
“Do you like them?” He asked me hastily.
I nodded and continued to stare at him. He was acting so strange and I wondered why. It couldn’t have been my fault, or he wouldn’t have given me a bouquet of roses. Eventually his fidgety stance irritated me so much that I felt compelled to ask him, “Is something wrong, Trace?”
“Nothing’s wrong…” he replied faintly. “But I was wondering if I got you in trouble with your step-mom last night.”
After wrinkling my nose at the mention of her being called my stepmother, I replied, “She’s not my step-mom, Trace. And no, she didn’t spill anything to my dad.”
“Well that was nice of her,” he offered.
I shrugged and gave the pretty flowers one more smell. “She’s probably going to use it as blackmail or something.”
Trace remained quiet for a moment, and he looked as if he was debating to say something. “I---” he mumbled softly, but then played it off as a cough. I smiled knowingly at him. He wasn’t going to be let off the hook so easily.
“You might as well tell me now,” I told him sternly. “Because I’m not going to budge from this spot until you tell me whatever it is that‘s on your mind.”
He shuffled a quick hand through his hair and replied, “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. I know all of your usual twitches,” I said with a smile.
Trace grinned at my remark. “Ah, been paying extra attention to me have you?” He asked.
“Yes, I have---so out with it. What’s wrong, Tracey?” I pressed nosily.
“Alright…” Trace sighed softly. “You win, Jade.”
As a look of defeat passed over his face, he took a careful step towards me and placed both hands on my shoulders. Trace squeezed them gently as he stared deep into my eyes. I kept my gaze locked with his, but I sucked in a deep breath to steady my nerves. My heart was pounding frantically from his touch, but no matter how anxious I felt at that moment, I knew I was in heaven. Honestly, I could’ve died right there.
Trace’s gaze turned shy as he murmured, “Jade, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yes?” I replied breathlessly, my eyes growing wide with anticipation. Could it be? Was he going to ask me to be his girlfriend?
Trace grinned when he noticed my face was burning. He laughed before he asked me, “Jade, will you---” but he frowned and closed his mouth quickly, not finishing his question. Trace’s blue eyes hardened as something behind me caught his attention.
“Hey, Trace!” I heard a masculine voice holler, and I twisted my head to see Freddie hurrying in our direction. He flashed us a sparkling smile as he looked between the two of us. When he noticed the flowers in my hand, Freddie’s smile wavered a bit.
“Sup, buddy? What are you doing all the way over in this hall?” Freddie asked Trace curiously. “We need to get over to the three hundred building, stat.”
Trace didn’t budge though, and his hands still remained on my shoulders. “Yeah, in a sec, Freddie,” he replied.
Freddie continued to smile, his white teeth almost blinding my eyes. “Okay, but you’d better hurry because---”
“Freddie, go ahead without me,” Trace interrupted him sternly. “I’ll catch up with you after I’m done here.”
But Freddie wouldn’t budge. “Done doing what, huh? Come on, Trace!” Freddie urged him. “You can talk later. We really need to go.”
I kept quiet, not wanting to get involved in their argument, but I noticed Trace’s face had turned red. It was obvious to me that he didn’t want to leave, but Freddie was just not getting it. I suppose one too many footballs to the head were to blame.
After sighing loudly, Trace shook his head at Freddie and muttered, “Please go away.”
Freddie gave him a confused look. His tone turned serious as he asked, “Trace, what‘s the deal?”
“Get the hell out of here, Freddie!” Trace yelled furiously at him.
Freddie stared blankly at Trace, the s
mile vanishing off of his face. After a few seconds of silence, Freddie shook his head and muttered, “Fine, dude. If you want to trash our friendship for this bitch then it‘s your loss.”
“That’s enough, Freddie!” Trace snapped, his blue eyes hardening. “Just get out of here!”
Freddie laughed at his outburst and flashed another bright smile. “You’re playing a very dangerous game here, Trace. If you think you can just come waltzing back after you’re done screwing around with this---”
That’s when Trace lost it. “Freddie, do yourself a big favor and start walking,” he interrupted him angrily.
“I’m going, I’m going,” Freddie mumbled, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief.
After moving an foot or two down the hallway, Freddie stopped and glanced back at me. He sent a wink in my direction and said, “Maybe when you get bored of him, Jade, you could give me a call. I love Trace’s sloppy seconds…and Gloria never complained.”
Trace’s fist came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see it coming. All of a sudden, Freddie was lying on the ground and Trace was standing over him yelling, “Don’t you even think about coming near her! Do you understand me, Freddie?”
“What are you going to do about it, huh?” Freddie chuckled as he stood up. He wiped a palm against his lip, and I noticed a fresh cut just below his nose. Trace had hit him hard.
Staggering backwards, Freddie blew me a kiss and gave Trace an unpleasant gesture with his hand before he spat, “Go to hell, Trace.” When he finally started walking away from us, Trace exhaled and glanced back over at me.
“What a bastard,” he mumbled, rubbing his injured hand with the other. I noticed a bruise beginning to form on his knuckle.
“How hard did you hit him?” I asked him worriedly, hoping he wasn’t in much pain.
“Hard enough,” Trace replied stonily.
I was concerned about his reckless action. After shaking my head at him, I replied, “Trace, you shouldn’t have done that.”
“He deserved it after what he called you.” Trace sighed and added, “I should’ve kept hitting him.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder and gently said, “No, Trace. It doesn’t matter. He’s your friend.”
Trace shook his head and grabbed my free hand, bringing it to his cheek. “You’re my friend. The only real one I’ve ever had.”
As I stared into his warm blue eyes, I realized that his fight with Freddie had been because of me. The populars obviously opposed our relationship, and they weren’t going to stop until they successfully destroyed us. Nothing good would become of him if he stayed with me. He would turn into a social reject, and after a time he would hate me for it. I knew he would…and I couldn’t let that happen to him.
“I’m sorry,” I said suddenly, dropping my hands from his body.
“For what?” He asked curiously. “You didn’t punch Freddie in the nose.”
I shook my head and replied, “No, not for that. But…”
Trace smiled and reached his hand out to stroke my face, but I pulled away hastily. I bit my lip warily as I kept my stare fixed at my feet.
Trace crossed his arms irritably and asked me. “Okay. What’s going through your head, Jade?”
“All of this is my fault, Trace,” I told him with a sigh.
He appeared confused by my confession. “How do you figure that?”
I glanced away before I replied, “Awful things will only continue to happen if you stay with me, Trace. I’m like a disease, and once you catch it you’ll have no one but me at your side. Freddie, Gloria, everyone---they’ll forget about the boy you used to be and it’ll be their life mission to ruin you.” Gazing back at him, my eyes grew hard as I added, “I can’t let that happen to you, Trace. I won’t be the reason you lost everything.”
Trace’s brows narrowed, and he stared at me with an annoyed look on his face. After a few moments of silence, Trace replied sternly, “This has got to stop, Jade.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” I frowned.
“Every time something bad happens, you have to go all gloom and doom on me.” He stroked my cheek before adding, “You need to relax.”
I couldn’t help but be insulted over the fact that he was considering me emo and that he had no intention of taking my advice. “I’m just trying to warn you,” I told him, my voice holding a hint of anger.
“I don’t need to be warned, Jade. Okay? I’m a big boy.” Trace shook his head suddenly and spat, “And how many times do I have to explain to you that I don’t give a shit about anybody in this school but you?”
Feeling my cheeks heat up, I mumbled, “That’s not true.”
Trace ducked down to my eye level and said, “It is, Jade. It is.”
“Trace---” I began, but he wouldn’t let me go on. He pressed his face against mine, and my mind went dizzy. I lost all concentration of thought as Trace kissed me, and as my stomach did flip-flops, I enjoyed the sensation of his lips. I kissed him back and wished the moment to never end.
Trace ended the kiss and brought his lips to my ear. “Believe in that. In us,” he whispered tenderly.
“I do,” I mumbled faintly, still caught up by his taste.
He tucked a strand of my red hair behind my ear and said, “Know that I would never do anything to hurt you…at least nothing intentional,” Trace frowned and added, “Unless you really deserved it.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I pushed his shoulder gently and replied, “How considerate of you, Trace.”
“I’m such a gentleman,” he laughed, and just as he bent down to kiss me again, the two-minute warning bell rung. Why, oh why, must the bell always ring?
Trace frowned at the sound of the bell and replied, “Freddie was right about one thing though.”
“Which was what?” I asked him curiously.
“I really do need to get to class.” After kissing my cheek quickly, Trace grinned and said, “I’ll call you later tonight.”
“Alright,” I beamed happily.
Trace turned to walk away from me, but he stopped and tilted his head back around. “Oh, and just to keep you thinking about me all day, I’m going to let you in on a secret. When I call you, I’m going to ask you a very important question.”
“Really? What kind of question, Trace?” I asked him breathlessly.
Trace grinned. “One that I hope you’ll say yes to.”
In a flash, he left my side and hurried down the hall. I watched him go with a smile, wondering what in the world he wanted to ask me. Of course, I had an idea of what his question could be, but I didn’t want to jinx it. However, if his question was the same one I was thinking of, Trace wouldn’t have to wish or anticipate. My answer would most definitely be yes.
30
WHEN I HEADED TO LUNCH, everyone I passed by in the hallway stared me down. To make sure I wasn’t just being paranoid, I tried making eye contact with some of the students, but I was surprised to find their eyes averting quickly from mine. It was really weird. I thought maybe I had something on my face, or some other outer flaw that everyone was noticing. I didn’t worry about it too much though as I kept on to the lunchroom. But when I sat down at my lunch table and Trace joined me, I couldn’t ignore their undivided attention any longer.
As soon as I set my tray on top of the table, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders from behind, and soft lips touched my cheek. I smiled as Trace said, “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi, Trace,” I replied happily, and I watched him take a seat next to me. After eyeing him curiously, I asked him, “What are you doing? Isn’t your table over there?”
I pointed towards Gloria and her merry band of bitches, but I frowned when I noticed everyone sitting at her table was staring at us. Them too? What the hell was going on? I surveyed the lunchroom with heavy eyes, finding that each and every table was looking directly at me and Trace. It was unnerving, and when I nudged Trace, hushed whispers erupted all around us.
“Oh my God! Do they ever give up?” I m
uttered irritably as I propped my elbow up on the table. Lowering my forehead into my palm, I tried to hide my face behind my long red hair as I whispered, “I can’t take this anymore!”
“What is it, Jade? What’s wrong?” Trace asked me softly.
“They’re all staring,” I replied grimly, and I lifted my head out from hiding just as Trace began to glance around the lunchroom.
“I can’t believe this!” He muttered angrily, after he realized everybody was staring at us. “What the hell is their problem?”
“I don’t know.” I watched anxiously as Trace shook his head and stood up. “What are you doing?” I asked him.
Trace reached for my hand abruptly and said, “Come on, get up.”
My eyes went wide with fear. “Why would I want to do that?” I asked him warily.
“To beat them at their own game,” he replied. “If we want them to stop, we have to show them that we aren’t going to stand for their stupid games.”
I shook my head and said, “No, Trace, please---” but he ignored my plea and pulled me onto my feet. My face heated up from embarrassment as Trace and I stared around at the student body---who were all presently sitting. If there was a small amount of people who hadn’t been staring at us before, they definitely were now. By standing up, we’d certainly caused more attention for ourselves.
Students continued to stare at us while we stood by our table, and then someone out in the crowd began laughing. Suddenly, a wave of laughter erupted from the back of the cafeteria, and the harsh sound came rumbling towards us. I gazed around in bewilderment as boys and girls alike began to point and laugh at us.
“This is ridiculous!” Trace spat. “Come on, Jade. Let’s get out of here.”
“Please,” I agreed, and hastily grabbed his hand. “I can’t stand their laughter any longer.”
Trace squeezed my hand tightly before led me towards the cafeteria doors. I happily let him; I just wanted to get out of that circus. As soon as we were about to exit the cafeteria, we ran into Camille and Lacey standing by the double doors. The girls prevented us of our escape as they sneered at me; their hands planted firmly on their hips. Camille spoke first.
The Gossip Web Page 16