Love Is An Action (What Love Is #1)

by Bry Foster

  I don’t doubt Marley and I are a sight for sore eyes. I have a claw mark on my face from her scratching. She has a darkening eye and the hair on both our heads looks like we just rumbled with tumble weeds. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it—Cash’s arrival did limit the altercation but, probably not before students took plenty of pictures and video. Cash was so furious while he checked me over that he was cursing in his native language at anyone that got close to me. Liz tried to calm all of us down as the teachers rushed down the hall to see what the commotion was about but once Marley and I were dragged into the principal’s office they had to wait outside for me to take my scolding and punishment.

  What a great reunion to confront my ex fiancé after a week and a half of silence from him. Granted after that night at the hospital, I did not try anymore but, neither did he. Principle Garry brings my attention back to him.

  “Now, I do not care much for what lead to this. But, I do care about who hit whom first.” We both point to each other at the same time and I turn to Marley with wide eyes.

  “You liar! You attacked me! After vandalizing my locker!”

  “You stole my boyfriend!” She says without denying her actions. “I am glad that you got a taste of what that feels like. That’s right! The entire school has seen him and that Leblanc girl. Cash left you high and dry in a different country.”

  That hurt.

  She faces principal Garry again. “I would like to see her expelled for the rest of the year, or I am certain that my father will reconsider building that new library for the school.” I feel my heart drop. It would not be the first time that one of these rich students black mailed a teacher into letting them have their way and I am sure it will not be the last. I cannot even look at the principle as I think about what this means. If I get suspended I lose my grants, and all of the hard work I have been doing will not mean a thing. I will have to return to public school for the remainder of my senior year and I will no longer be able to put Warren Academy on my college applications.

  “I will not let you coerce me into an action that I do not see fit.” I am shocked by the principal’s indignant response to Marley and from the look on her face, so is she.

  “Excuse me?” She chokes out.

  “I have heard a lot about you Ms. Evans. You are not exactly the model student. While I appreciate all of the things your family does for the school, I will not risk my position by giving out an unfair punishment.”

  “What? You will be sorry about this!” She turns to me. “I will sue you for every single cent that your family does not have. I will end you!”

  “You can start by taking all of the pennies that you shoved into my locker!”

  “Ms. Evans! Ms. Hudson! Stop it! Threats will not be tolerated either. Students have the right to feel secure and safe in these hallways. At this school, I am responsible for every one of you. I will not condone the behavior that either of you have demonstrated today. You two have been at it all school year.” Neither of us say anything as we try to figure out where he is taking this. “I think that it is time for the two of you to learn that in the real world, there are more important things than who is dating whom and what everyone is wearing.” He taps his chin as he thinks and looks between the two of us. He sighs and sits down in his leather chair, across from us. He steeples his fingers on top of the desk as he continues to look from Marley to me, then back again. “The two of you will endure your punishment together.” He says with finalization.

  “You mean together as in at the same place, or together as in, we will have the same punishment?” I endeavor to get a more specific answer from him.

  “Both.”

  “Oh no, that’s not going to work.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Marley and I voice our disbelief at the same time.

  “Yes. Since the two of you are both seniors I know that neither of you can afford to miss any school for the remaining two months of classes. For that reason, I will not suspend you like I should. I will make you work together. I think it may be a worse punishment.”

  He’s got us there.

  “To do what?” Marley demands.

  “I think you should help Mr. Beverly out with some chores around school.”

  “The janitor?” Marley shouts. Principal Garry gives her a look and she huffs but stays quiet.

  “Better yet, the middle schoolers are supposed to be putting on a production. I believe it is a war reenactment. It ends with lots of ketchup. I think the two of you may enjoy scrubbing the auditorium hall clean afterwards.”

  “Cleaning? But the middle schoolers are gross.” Marley whines. I want to laugh but I am probably closer to crying knowing that I will have to do anything at all with Marley.

  “Sorry Ms. Evans. That is the way the cookie crumbles when you act like grade school children. The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves. At this age, aren’t you trying to prove to the world that you are adults? Do you think this is the way to do it?” Principle Garry asks. He sighs when neither of us answers. “The two of you are dismissed for the day.”

  I have to give it to the man. I feel thoroughly scolded when we leave his office. “This is all your fault.” Marley says to me once we get outside the door. Cash stands up and gets between us, ready to referee the fight if we go for a round two. I just roll my eyes. Let it go Khloe, let it go.

  “Just, get over it. Both of you.” Cash says harshly. Both of our eyes go wide as we look at him. He’s angry. His eyes are clouded and his thick, dark eyebrows are pinched. His hair looks like he has been repeatedly running his fingers through it. “I would expect this from her, but not you, Khloe.”

  “Me? I-“

  “I don’t want to hear it. Nothing she says should bother you. Whatever goes on between us is no one else’s business. Ignore her.”

  “Ignore her?” I repeat. Why do I feel like I am the one that has been antagonizing her all year? Also, why the heck is my fiancé blaming me for being attacked before the first bell? Granted, I probably should have tried a little harder not to engage in the sparring of words Marley and I had before I was attacked, but I can admit that I do not have that kind of self-control yet.

  “Cash, I can’t believe that you are really going through with this-“

  He turns to her so quickly that for a second I am concerned his head will come off of his neck. Marley flinches when his gaze lands on her.

  “Get over it, Marley. Whatever we had is in the past. And it wasn’t that serious when we were…whatever we were.” Her mouth drops open. “I would appreciate it if you left my fiancé alone and keep me out of your life, because I will definitely do the same. The next time you put your hands on her, you’ll regret it. I swear it.” Two hidings in one day. Marley and I are on a roll. She opens and closes her mouth a few times before rushing away from the office red faced with unruly hair.

  Cash breathes out an exasperated breath before turning back to me. “Let’s go get you cleaned up. You already missed first period.”

  “Uhm, I can clean myself up. And I’ve been dismissed for the day so first period is really the least of my problems.” I turn and stomp off towards the girl’s bathroom.

  “What is your problem?” I spin around and point my finger at his chest.

  “Nothing.”

  “Every guy knows better than to believe that. Is this about your father? I tried to be there—“

  “No! It’s not about him, it’s about you. I saw those pictures of you and that…that Demetria girl.” When did we get this close together? A flat ruler would have trouble wedging between us right now. Both of us are worked up.

  Cash’s eyes grow in surprise at my announcement and he opens and closes his mouth.

  I bite my lip so hard I flinch. Instead of finishing my sentence I push into the empty girl’s bathroom and start pulling paper towels out of the dispenser. Not long after I hear the door open and in walks Cash. I huff a frustrated sigh even as
a tear streams down my cheek and my heart rate kicks up.

  “I’m usually a tough bitch. I don’t know why I can’t stop crying.” Rather than responding he walks towards me. I watch him walk towards me in the mirror. I can’t let him touch me, if he does, I may lose my resolve. I spin around. “Did you sleep with her?” That surprises him enough to stop him in his tracks.

  “Demi?” Great they have cute little nick names.

  “I nod and he shakes his head.

  “Khloe, I haven’t slept with anyone since we started all of this.” I don’t want to believe him. I want as many reasons as possible to stay angry with him and to use those reasons as bricks to add to the wall of justifications why we shouldn’t be together. But, his eyes are heart achingly sincere. I huff and spin back towards the sink to wipe my face.

  Cash walks to me again and wraps his arms around me from behind. I stiffen but he just grips me harder. “What happened with your dad?” He whispers to me. I stiffen even more, feeling brittle in more ways than one.

  Slowly, I start explaining to him the events of that awful day. I choke up when I get to the eviction but I power through. Then I tell him about everything that happened after the morning I woke up and he was gone. Cash turns me so that I face him and my butt leaned against the counter.

  “Why didn’t you call me when you found out?” He asks me. I shrug and look away from our hands into the sage green eyes that I missed so much. The ones that feel like they have a direct line to my heart and core and tug at each whenever they glare down at me.

  “I was embarrassed.” I respond, honestly. I thought telling the truth in emotional situations would be more difficult but for some reason, it comes easier to me.

  Cash tucks his hand under my neck. Another line of the connection between us flares to life as our skin brushes.

  “You should never be embarrassed when it comes to me. Ever.” He tells me, genuinely.

  “I was pretty embarrassed when I saw those pictures.” Now I want my mouth and heart to stop communicating without making a stop by my brain to make sure the words are cleared for take-off. His hand tightens on my chin.

  Cash sighs deeply. “It really wasn’t what it looked like. My mother was trying to stage something between us. At the beginning of our conversation I was really angry with her about those false texts she put out. She apologized and admitted she was a little hurt to see that I had moved on. We resolved our issues. But, nothing inappropriate happened. I promise.” I believe him. My chest falls, all of the air leaving it as an unbearable weight is suddenly flung off of my shoulders. My eyebrows pinch despite that.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

  “Honestly, I really didn't think it was important. If I told you about absolutely everyone I have messed around with, you probably wouldn’t want me. If you even still do. I know this was all pretty crappy of me; it’s just that the anniversary of my father’s death is already a stressful time for me. Then I had to deal with my family out there and I was already upset because I didn't know what was going on with us.” Another sigh. “But, I am here now. We both did some things that we aren't proud of but, I care about you enough that I know I want to work through it anyway. I meant what I told you, you aren’t getting rid of me. I gave you your time to think.”

  “Okay. But, if you ever do that to me again I will cut your junk off and feed it to Marley.” I promise. Cash chuckles. A deep chuckle that rumbles off the tile in the bathroom and vibrates my leg that Cash stands to the side of. He steps between them and leans in planting a gentle kiss on my lips. A kiss that reminds me of all of the reasons I want us to work.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I think my stomach is about to burst through my abdomen and my heart is going to follow by exploding in my chest. After an exhausting thirteen hour flight and a trip through customs, we have arrived in Paris, France.

  It’s been a little over a month since Cash’s and my spat and we are only a couple weeks from graduation. Senior skip day was supposed to have us at Alyssa Badman’s lakefront estate but my crew and I—ever the loners we are—decided to jet off to France for a long weekend.

  The plane lands on the runway and Cash chuckles in my ear. I look over to see him staring at our hands. I am squeezing the living daylights out of his fingers. I blush and try to apologize but as I open my mouth the pilot’s voice comes over the intercom to let all of the passengers know that we have arrived in Paris, France. The temperature is 58 degrees and it is 12:38 a.m. here. I have missed an entire day of my life being nauseous. I do not know how pregnant women survive this for almost a year.

  “See. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Cash asks as we head for baggage claim. He rubs his hands together and I blush and apologize again for squeezing the hell out of his fingers.

  “I feel like you want a positive response from me, but I’m still waiting for my stomach to land.” I whisper to him as he guides me in front of him. A man stands at the end of the terminal he holds a sign that reads: Castille.

  Cash guides all of us over to him.

  “Bonjour, monsieur Castille. I hope your flight was enjoyable.” The man says in a thick accent as he bows slightly to Cash and then nods to the rest of us.

  “Merci, we did.” When we get to the baggage area, Liz comes up on the other side of me and squeezes my hand. I look over at her to see that she is wearing a big, Cheshire cat smile on her face.

  “I can’t believe we’re here!” She squeals. I look around, though a smile is on my face too I am too nervous to voice any thoughts. I’m terrified that we will be spotted before we make it to the safety of Cash’s family home.

  “I know.” I say as my eyes settle on a younger couple that is staring straight at me and Cash’s hands. Cash lets my hand go to step forward and grab one of our bags. Liz let’s go of me to do the same. Liz passes Jasmine her bag when it comes around and the driver argues with Cash over the luggage Cash tries to take on his own.

  The couple comes closer to us, their phones trained on us and I tap Cash to get his attention.

  “No worries, love. We will be out of here as soon as Liz finds her bag.” Liz stretches her neck as she watches the conveyer belt.

  “It’s baby blue and it has a pink polka dot bow on the top. It should be more obvious.” She mutters. I start to feel like it is getting crowded and I remind myself that other people need to grab their luggage too. I peek over my shoulder and see that the woman still has her phone trained on us.

  “There it is!” Liz all but shouts making me jump. Cash grabs me around the waist and then we all follow the driver out to the van. It’s black, and sleek, but pretty plain looking. Everyone puts their bags in the trunk portion and then Cash opens the back for Jasmine, Liz, and me to climb in before he does. The driver closes the van door just as people are starting to file out of the airport doors. Many of them with their phones out. I sigh in relief as we gently pull away from the curb and exit the airport parking lot.

  “No body guards?” I ask Cash. He and I are sitting in the very back row of the van, Liz and Jasmine sit in front of us.

  “I’m unsure what happened. According to Leo there was supposed to be a detail here.” He shrugs, unconcerned.

  “I don’t even want to know.” I mumble and he laughs nervously before kissing my hair, just above my temple.

  The group talks amongst themselves. I am more interested in watching the scenery blur passed the windows. There are not many people out on the town which is not surprising for the hour still, I enjoy the look of the buildings, the night air coming through the windows and the brilliantly white, full moon that bares down on us.

  My thoughts turn darker as I think about the fact that we’ll be staying with Cash’s mother. She gave me some generic apology that only served to make Cash less angry with her. I still can’t stand her but if it makes him happy for me to see where he grew up, I’ll suffer through it.

  A while later, the van slows down as it detours off of the main road. We wind down
many empty one way streets before coming down a cobblestone driveway. My mouth falls open when I finally get a good view of the house. If you can call it that. House is a gross understatement.

  The building is beautifully breathtaking. Trimmed, manicured grass is crisscrossed with stone steps that make for an interesting design. Large trees are elegantly displayed a few yards away from the front door. The two story estate showcases lots of windows, balconies and over all cultivated beauty.

  “You grew up here?” I manage to choke out to Cash as the driver gets out to open the back door for us.

  “Oui.” He has a small, nostalgic smile on his face as he glances up at his childhood home. When he used to tell Liz and me about this place, I never would have imagined how much he belittled it. However, maybe in his eyes it was never a big deal because he is used to things like this. No words can describe how inadequate I feel next to him right now. If I felt like we were mismatched before, seeing where he grew up takes the cake. I try to hold myself together as we all climb out of the van. The driver tells us that he will bring the bags in.

  Cash walks us across the lawn to the front doors of the house. Small lamps sit on either side of the front door providing enough light for him to unlock it. He opens it and ushers all of us in. A light is on to the right of the door. Two sets of stairs framed by black railing fan out on each side of the foyer, creating an elegant look that leads to the second floor. The ceiling is beige and has gold whimsical trimmings on them. A large picture of a handsome man that I do not recognize sits above one side of the stairs and an unfamiliar woman sits on top of the other so that they are parallel to each other.

  Before I can ask Cash any questions, a small round woman comes from the lighted area to the right. She inhales deeply, a large smile graces her face as she looks at Cash. She almost jogs over to him before throwing her arms over his shoulders simultaneously squealing, kissing his cheeks and speaking briskly in French.