Inseparable

by Missy Johnson

  “Yeah, it’s just…well, I met this guy on Saturday when I was enrolling in classes, and he’s here. I’m really hoping he doesn’t see me,” I explained. Gem looked confused, not that I blamed her. “I may have been too busy staring at his ass to notice he had in fact stepped back…onto my foot,” I added, blushing.

  Gems face lit up as she began to laugh, “Really? Oh, now you have to tell me who,” She squealed softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  In spite of myself, I smiled. I wasn’t sure why exactly, but I found myself wanting to tell her. Whether it was me feeling comfortable with her, or just me wanting to find out more about him, I didn’t know. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

  “Dane Hansen,” I whispered, nervously awaiting her reaction.

  “Dane Hansen?” She repeated, her voice far above the whisper I would have appreciated. Several students surrounding us stopped their conversations to stare at Gem. Her eyes grew wide.

  “I’m so sorry,” She gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth, as she realized just how well her voice had carried through the hall. My face flamed as I stared straight ahead, too terrified to look around.

  Surely her voice wouldn’t have carried that far, would it? There were a lot of rows between Dane and us. Slowly, I turned my head in his direction, convinced that he wouldn’t have heard her, but for some stupid reason I needed to check. What I wasn’t prepared for was to see his eyes firmly on me. Our eyes met, and he grinned.

  Shit. I quickly turned back around to continue my minor breakdown.

  “Okay, you can’t just say that and not elaborate,” Hissed Gem, her eyes begging me for more information. I turned to her, my eyebrow arched.

  “Really?” I said sarcastically. I immediately felt bad. She looked really sorry.

  She blushed, “Okay, so I wouldn’t blame you if you never spoke to me again. I’m so sorry. It’s just, I was shocked to hear his name,” She muttered, shaking her head.

  “Why?” I asked curiously. My need for information outweighed my annoyance right now. What was with this guy that at the mention of his name everyone went into a spin?

  “He has a lot of baggage,” Gem said, her eyes wide, “As in a lot.” She repeated.

  “Like what?” I pressed.

  “I went to the same high school as him. He was in a year above me. When I was in my freshman year, his sister went missing. As in abducted. She was only, like, six or seven or something,” Gem shook her head, “He went crazy after that. Went from being a nice guy to always in trouble, always picking fights.”

  “Wow,” I breathed. My heart went out to him. At least I’d had closure with Abby. He never would have had that with his sister. I didn’t blame him for losing the plot. Losing a loved one was a big thing to have to go through, especially when you're only a kid.

  “There’s more,” Gem added, “So by senior year in high school, he was under control. Focused. A completely different person. Come freshman year at Fairhaven, he is one of the top boxers in the country for his age, popular…then one day, he quits,” Gem shrugged her shoulders as if she still trying to understand herself.

  “Nobody sees him for like months, now suddenly, he’s back, but he is pretty much a recluse. Keeps completely to himself. Never goes out. He used to have women hanging off him. Now, you never see him with anyone.”

  Gem’s description pretty much matched what Kella had told me to the tee. Definitely plenty of reason to stay away from this guy, no matter how attractive I thought he was. Abby’s words repeated themselves in the back of my mind, and strange as it was, if my dead sister thought he was okay, then maybe I should give him a chance.

  Maybe I’d keep that thought to myself though.

  After a somewhat boring class, I waited until the whole hall had emptied out. Or more to the point, I waited until Dane had left. I spied him out of the corner of my eye as walked towards the exit, the sight of him had my heart rate increasing. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Lily, behave

  He was almost out the door when he turned around and began walking in my direction. What was he doing? I quickly kicked my crutches under the seat next to me. The good thing about these seats was I could hide my leg quite well by crossing my good leg over the other and moving them slightly back under my seat.

  “Hey,” Dane stood in the row behind me, leaning against the chair next to me, his voice as smooth and as sexy as I remembered, “I just realized I never introduced myself the other day, but you already know my name, right?” He said, grinning. My face flamed. I was going to kill Gem.

  “Yes, I overhead the admin lady say your name the other day,” I fibbed.

  “Right,” He said slowly, his smile widening, “So, if you already knew my name, you must have been talking to your friend about me,” He waited for me to answer, his eyebrows raised. He had me, and he knew it.

  “I may have been telling my friend about the guy that barreled into me,” I admitted frostily.

  “Barreled into you?” He laughed, “I stepped back, and you didn’t move!” He exclaimed laughing. That was true, but I couldn’t admit that to him.

  “Don’t you have another class to get to?” I asked, so badly wanting this conversation to be over.

  He laughed, “I do actually,” He said, straightening up, “So, you know my name and all that. Do I get to know yours?” He asked.

  “Lily,” I finally answered, deciding there was no harm in him knowing my name.

  “Well Lily, I had better be going,” He turned to walk away, then turned back suddenly, “Lily, do you want to grab a coffee with me later?”

  “I can’t,” I said, swallowing hard, “I’m meeting someone.” It wasn’t a complete lie, I was supposed to meet Kella. Besides, I still didn’t want him to see my foot. Dane nodded, my rejection not appearing to faze him in the slightest.

  “See you next time, Lily,” He said, flashing me a smile as he left the hall.

  I waited ten minutes before I moved, nearly falling off my chair trying to retrieve my crutches. The last thing I needed in my life right now was a guy. Especially a guy with more baggage than me. I hobbled out the door, toward the cafeteria where I was meeting Kella.

  Chapter Four

  “Lil!”

  I followed the sound of the voice and spotted Kella sitting at a table with a cute guy. I smiled as I made my way over. After looking at the line for food, I’d decided to go hungry, and maybe raid the vending machine instead.

  “Hey,” I said breathlessly, putting aside my crutches and sinking into a seat. My foot ached, as did my arms.

  “What happened?” The guy asked, alarmed.

  “I, uh, tripped over,” I lied. I glared at Kella as a snort escaped from her mouth. She smiled back innocently.

  “How was sociology?” She asked, reaching for a chip, nodding for me to help myself. I gratefully took a few; my stomach had begun making loud noises that were getting hard to cover up.

  “Good. I made a friend,” I said, covering my mouth while I chewed. I eyed her friend again. He was cute. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes. From the way Kella’s armed was positioned under I was pretty sure she had her hand in his lap.

  Interesting.

  “Aww how cute,” Kella teased. I flipped her my middle finger and stole a few more chips.

  “Hey, when you’re new and on crutches, trust me, it’s good to have a friend who’s in the same class,” I retorted, “So, who’s your little friend?” I said, smiling sweetly at Kella. She glared at me, her face coloring. The guy shifted in his seat, Kella’s hand retreating back to her own lap.

  “Lil, this is Fraser. My friend,” She mimicked, giving me a look, as if she were daring me to say something else. I snickered. Kella didn’t scare me.

  “Nice to meet you Fraser,” I said, sticking out my hand. He shook it, flashing me a smile. “Anyhow, I’m done for the day. I’ll see you at home,” I winked at Kella.

  “See you,” Kella rolled her eyes.

  I’m sur
e she thought I didn’t see her hand sneak back to Fraser’s lap.

  The rest of the week went by pretty well, as did the next. I was settling into my classes, getting assignments done early, and I had managed to avoid further contact with Dane. I had not, however, managed to stop thinking about him. Nor had I managed to stop spying on him in lectures we shared together, and every now and then he would catch my eye and grin. I hadn’t quite mastered the whole concept of being discreet.

  Still, even with our stolen glances, he hadn’t approached me again. It was almost as if he thought I’d eventually come running to him. There was something about the way he looked at me, almost as if he knew something I didn’t, and that made me nervous.

  What was mind blowing to me was the fact that I’d managed to hide not only my foot from him, but also my crutches. Nearly two weeks and he hadn’t noticed the girl on the crutches? That was partly my fault, of course, I always got there early and left last, and he would get to class a few minutes late every time. I went out of my way to make sure he didn’t notice.

  Still, it stung a little bit.

  Gem and I were also getting pretty close. She was a great girl who I had a lot of fun with. I got the feeling Kella felt a little jealous that I’d made such a good friend so easily, but she’d been spending so much time with Fraser, she wasn’t exactly in a position to comment.

  I spoke to mom and Anna weekly, sometimes more if I was feeling extra homesick. Overall though, this move had been good for me.

  Thursday night, I climbed into bed at eight o’clock. I don’t think I’d ever been to bed that early in my life, but it had been a long day, and I was so looking forward to getting some sleep. Snuggling into my pillow, I let myself drift off.

  “Hey Lilygirl.”

  I sat up in bed, and smiled. Abby. She sat at the end of the bed, looking pretty, vibrant and full of life. Just like she always did when I saw her in my dreams.

  “I miss you so much,” I choked, unable to hold back to sobs.

  “I miss you too Lil. I’m always with you though. You know that. Even when you’re getting maimed by cute boys,” She glanced at my foot, and giggled.

  “Don’t start, Abby,” I warned, “Or I’ll wake myself up.” I threatened. She poked her tongue out at me.

  “How are mom and Anna?” I asked, feeling bad I hadn’t called them to check up.

  “They’re good, Lil. They’ll be fine. Focus on you.”

  My lip quivered as I fought back tears, “I miss you so much, Ab. I hate not having you here.”

  Abby smiled sadly, “I miss you too, Lil,” She whispered.

  I woke up, feeling the wetness my tears had caused on the pillowcase. I’d been crying again. I lay in bed thinking about Abby. I always remembered my dreams when she was in them. Always. The three months in a psych facility had cured me seeing her everywhere, but I still held a little piece of her in my dreams. That was something I was never willing to give away.

  After showering with the required plastic bag wrapped over my foot, I made my way down the hall to the kitchen. Kella had gone to an early class, but had left me with a full pot of coffee. I could kiss that girl sometimes.

  After nearly two weeks on crutches, I could finally throw them away. I still had another two weeks of the cast, but at least I could walk. Well, sort of. I downed the last gulp of my coffee when the doorbell rang.

  Gem, and she was right on time.

  When she’d offered to pick me up as it was on her way, I didn’t say no. It was either that or walk, and I didn’t want to risk walking that distance with the cast.

  “Hey,” I smiled, grabbing my knapsack and closing the door, “Thanks so much for this.”

  “I told you,” Gem said, rolling her eyes, “It’s on my way.” We walked to her car, which was a beat up old Holden that I was surprised actually ran. Gem caught my expression and laughed.

  “You’d be surprised how reliable this old thing is,” She said with a smirk, jiggling her key in the door lock which appeared to be jammed.

  “If you say so,” I replied dubiously as the lock finally caved and opened. She revved up the car, and we took off. Minutes later we arrived at the campus. That was one of the joys of living so close to everything.

  “You sure you’re okay to get back?” Gem asked uncertainly.

  I nodded, “Kella finishes soon,” I explained, “Go,” I giggled, waving her off.

  I didn’t actually have any classes today, but I needed to get books for some assignments. I walked out of the library with enough books to finish several of my assignments. Turning the corner. I headed to the parking lot to meet Kella. My walking on the cast had improved somewhat, though I was still unstable.

  “Hello again.”

  The color drained from my face.

  That voice. I knew that voice. I’d played that sexy drawl over and over in my head for the past two weeks. I turned around. Dane stood against the railing of the stairs, one leg perched up against it, his hands in his pockets. He had his usual jeans and jacket on.

  God he looked good. What I wouldn’t give just to run my hand under that shirt…

  “Hi,” I managed, my voice coming out high pitched. I’d done so much to avoid him around classes, the thought of running into him outside the library hadn’t even been on my realm of possibilities.

  “How’s your…” His eyes travelled downwards, widening as he caught sight of my cast, “Foot,” He finished. His eyes met mine, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and shock. “Seriously? It’s broken?” He asked, incredulous.

  I nodded meekly, wishing the ground would swallow me up. “Yep. Broke the joint of the big toe,” I confirmed, “Snap!” I laughed loudly.

  Oh god Lily. Enough with the humor.

  “And you didn’t tell me, why exactly?” he prompted, his face dark. It took me a moment to realize he was angry at me. Hey hold on, he breaks my toe and he’s angry at me?

  “Because I didn’t see the point?” I mumbled. Damn. Why did that come out like a question?

  “You didn’t see the point? Lily, I broke your foot! You should’ve told me,” His voice was raised, which made me jump. If he yelled at me for much longer, there was a good chance I’d cry.

  “My toe. You broke my toe,” I corrected. I shut my mouth when he shot me a look.

  “That’s not the point! You’ve been hobbling around for the last two weeks in a cast. You should have told me! I could have driven you to classes or something.”

  His voice had softened somewhat, as had his expression. He ran his hand through his hair, glancing around. The place was pretty deserted, thankfully. The last thing I wanted was an audience to see this.

  “I didn’t tell you for that very reason,” I argued, “I didn’t want your pity. And I don’t want it now, either,” I added. I started making my way down the stairs. It was harder than I’d thought, with a handful of books. I cursed myself for not taking the ramp.

  “For fuck’s sake, let me help you,” He grumbled, trying to take the books from my hands.

  “I’m fine,” I said stiffly, pulling the books out of his grip. He pulled at precisely the same time, sending my seven library books flying down the stairs. “Now look what you’ve done,” I groaned, dripping my hands behind my head. This was fast becoming a really bad day.

  “Me?” He laughed, “You’d have to be the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.” He said. I waited as he collected the books, including the one that had made it a good ten feet away.

  “Let me take you home,” He said, the books tucked under his arm. “Please,” He added, as if he could sense I was backing down.

  “My friend is waiting for me,” I said. Not that Kella would really care either way. That is, until she heard who I caught a lift home from. Then she’d kill me.

  “Then tell her to go without you. I feel so bad about all this,” He still looked shocked, and I got the feeling he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “Okay,” I sighed, reaching for
my phone. I texted Kella not to wait as we walked together to his car.

  “So,” He began, trying to fill the awkward silence, “Apart from me breaking your toe, how are you settling in?”

  “Good. I like it here,” I smiled. His awkwardness was cute. Everything about him was appealing. He stood close to me, close enough for me to smell his aftershave. I tried to resist the urge to snuggle into his shoulder, and nuzzle at his neck.

  We reached his car, and he held the door open for me while I got in, before getting in the driver's seat himself.

  “Where do you live?” He asked, reversing out of the parking lot.

  “Over on Fifth. The last house on the left,” I said shyly. My heart was beating so fast I half expected him to ask what the noise was. Why did I feel so nervous around him? I found myself wondering what it would be like to kiss him. I wanted to rub my face against his stubble. He pulled up outside my house, and turned the engine off, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Thanks for the lift,” I said, opening the door. I reached into the back and grabbed my things.

  “No, let me,” He said, jumping out of the car and running around my side.

  “Seriously, I’m fine,” I grinned. Juggling my books, “See?”

  “If you say so,” He grinned back, leaning against the boot of his car. He bit the edge of his lip, as though he was thinking, “Lily, will you go out with me?”

  “What?” I laughed. He’d caught me by surprise, so much so I almost dropped my books. Again. Where the hell did that come from? That was not what I expected him to say, considering the way I knocked him back on the first day of class. “No.” I replied, rolling my eyes, “I don’t need a pity date just because you feel bad about breaking my foot-“

  “Hey, hold up,” He leaned closer to me, his expression amused. His mouth was millimeters from my own. All I had to do was lean forward and our lips would touch…

  “I broke your foot?” He laughed and shook his head, “The way I remember it, you were lost in your own little world, probably checking out my ass, and you didn’t notice or react when I stepped back. I’d say that places at least fifty percent of the blame on you,” He cocked his head and waited for my response. I blushed.