by Komal Kant
“Riiiight.” I wanted to roll my eyes but decided against it. Someone had to be the mature one in this situation. “What about the part where you lip-planted that hussy from Penthill High? I say “lip-planted” loosely because I’m sure you’ve planted a lot more than that.”
A part of me, that tiny part that had loved and cared for Bennett, was furious, but I didn’t want Bennett thinking that his actions still mattered to me. Okay, so some of them did matter to me but what was the point in working through these issues that made up an itsy, bitsy part of me?
I was happier than I’d been in a weeks. I had Lincoln, I had my friends and I had my parents, so why would I need Bennett? Why would I let him back into my life only for him to, most likely, disappoint me again? I was done with being used and abused. I wasn’t his property and I certainly wasn’t going to run back to him just because he’d finally worked up the sense to apologize to me.
“Kimberley isn’t a hussy.” It was remarkable that he could say that with a straight face. “She was just…someone to pass the time with. Things with her are over now.”
“Oh, so she has a name? I’m impressed you were able to tear yourself away from her long enough to find that out.”
There went my anger, bubbling to the surface again. I didn’t want to do this here in the school hallway with him, but I was so damn mad that I couldn’t contain all that pent-up anger that I’d bottled up over the last few weeks.
I started to walk around him again but this time Bennett grabbed me by the arm and pushed me against the wall. My eyes locked onto his blue ones, and that stupid part of me that still cared about him gave in. I wanted to stomp on his feet and sprint down the hallway away from him, but his gaze was so serious that it had an immobilizing effect on me.
“Hadie, when did you get so petty?” He brushed away a few strands of my flyaway hair and exhaled. “Listen to me, shorty. Things with her are over. I made a stupid mistake; it was something I should never have done to you. You’re the only girl I’ve loved my entire life. I’m going to marry you one day.”
My eyebrows shot up at this sudden turn of events. I placed both hands on Bennett’s firm chest and pushed him away with as much force as I could muster. There was an unbridled rage snaking its way throughout my body and Bennett’s words had been the catalyst for it.
“Are you freaking insane! You’re going to MARRY me one day? On what planet does it look like I would ever forgive, let alone marry you?”
Hurt flickered in his eyes. “Hadie, listen to…”
“No, you listen to me.” I jabbed him hard on the center of the chest. “We are done. There is nothing left between us anymore. I had a crush on you for as long as I can remember. I never thought about other guys while you were in my life. I loved you so damn much, Bennett. There was a time where I seriously thought I would marry you, but that time has long past. You are no longer in my life—Lincoln is. Deal with it.”
Bennett’s nostrils flared and he narrowed his eyes at me. “You know, Hadie, I’m not the kind of guy to beg a girl to be with me. I don’t have trouble getting any girl I want.” He straightened up and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed our exchange. “If you want to be with that loser, then that’s your choice. But when he screws with you, don’t even think about crawling back to me.”
It was laughable that Bennett actually thought I would ever get back with him. I placed my hands on my hips and took in his appearance; the cocky expression on his face further hit home how pathetic he really was.
“Lincoln would never do anything to hurt me. I don’t have to worry about not feeling worthy of him like I did with you, because he never makes me feel like I am anything but his equal.”
“You think you have such a perfect little life, don’t you?” Bennett spat, his voice full of malice as a sneer spread across his face. “You think you have such perfect friends, huh?”
I suddenly felt small, like Bennett could easily reach out and squash me with a fist. He knew something that I didn’t and he loved holding whatever it was over my head.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, despite being afraid of what he would tell me.
Bennett’s lip turned up in a sneer. “You think Lana’s such a great friend, don’t you? Well, I bet she didn’t tell you that we’ve been sleeping together since junior year.”
A burning lump wedged itself in the center of my throat and my next words came out as though I was choking. “You’re lying.”
“I don’t need to lie about anything,” Bennett said, his voice low. “And after you and me started dating, she threw herself at me. I fucked her again, Hadie. I fucked her so hard she screamed my name.”
“You’re an asshole!” I cried, shoving him away from me with as much strength as I possessed. “Lana would never do that to me!”
“Oh, baby, she did. She did me hard. And Mariah knew all about it.”
I was stunned. I was speechless. I couldn’t form words.
“One more thing.” Bennett leaned in closer. “Lana was the one writing the shit on your locker.” With a look of satisfaction on his face, Bennett walked away down the hall.
Still reeling from his words, I staggered heavily against the wall, my head a mix of messed up emotions. Lana would never do that to me. She was my best friend. She loved me. Bennett had to be lying. He was making this up to upset me. Yes, that had to be it. He was a lying jerk.
I let out a breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in. Bennett made me feel so tense and on edge. I’d never been happier to see him walk away from me.
As I turned, I caught Becky watching me out of the corner of her eye. She smirked at me as I walked past and I couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down my back.
I didn’t have the energy to worry about Becky’s snide looks. I had to talk to Lana right now and get to the bottom of what Bennett had told me about her. I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be true but I wanted to hear the words right out of my best friend’s mouth.
I sent Lana a quick text message telling her not to go into her next class. I knew she and Mariah had Drama with Mr. Sewell and he wasn’t too strict.
As I exited the building and walked into the D block where the Drama room was, my phone beeped. It was a message from Lana letting me know that she and Mariah were waiting outside their classroom for me.
Taking a deep breath to subdue the unease seeping through me, I turned the corner and found Lana and Mariah standing where she said they would be.
“What’s up, Hadie?” Lana asked when she caught sight of me.
“Did you sleep with Bennett?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
Lana stumbled back, her eyes darting to Mariah. “Wh-what?”
Her reaction was all the confirmation I needed, but I wanted to hear her admit it. “Did you sleep with Bennett?”
“I…” Lana straightened up, her eyes narrowing. “Yeah, I did. He wanted me.”
I nodded, trying not to let the hurt show on my face. Lana had been acting weird towards me for some time, but I hadn’t thought much of it. Her happiness for Lincoln and me had been forced. She had stopped caring about me for a while now.
“You don’t feel bad about it, do you?”
Lana shook her head and looked a little surprised by my directness. “Not really. I mean, if he wanted you that much then he wouldn’t have slept with me.”
“Bennett told me that you were the one writing the stuff on my locker.” It was obvious that she had, and I was only bothering to bring it up because I wanted to know her reason. “Why would you do something like that?”
Lana shrugged like it didn’t matter to her if she lost my friendship or not. “When I started spending more time with Bennett, I realized that I wanted to be a part of his group. Bennett and Kance thought it would be funny to write shit on your locker, so I did it.”
“Lana, I loved you like a sister. We grew up together.” There was desperation in my voice as I spoke. “You didn’t have
to do this to try and be popular.”
The expression on Lana’s face turned cold and her features became harsh. “It’s not about that. Why should you get easy access into their group just for dating a jock? I don’t get what these guys see in you. First Bennett and now Lincoln. What’s so special about you? What do you do to make them want you so much?”
“For starters, I don’t spread my legs like a two-dollar hooker.” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
“Whatever,” Lana spat, her light brown eyes growing strangely dark. “I don’t need to be friends with someone like you. Kance was right when she said you were a loser.”
Lana shoved past me and stalked into the Drama room leaving Mariah standing outside with me.
Anger still surged through me and I wasn’t done with my confrontations yet. I turned back to face Mariah who was pressed against the wall looking guilty as hell.
“You knew about this the entire time, didn’t you?” I demanded.
Mariah looked genuinely devastated. “I swear I didn’t know that she was vandalizing your locker.”
“But you knew she was sleeping with Bennett.” It was more of a statement than a question.
Guilt plagued Mariah’s features as she nodded. “I did but let me explain…”
I held up a hand to silence her. “You don’t need to explain. I understand everything perfectly.”
Without a backwards glance at my backstabbing best friend, I stormed out of the building as my life fell apart around me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lincoln
My eyes raked over Hadie as she stood on my door step.
She looked beautiful in a simple way that only she could pull off. Her silky, brown hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail and loose tendrils of hair curled around her face. She wore a plain white dress that hugged her waist and then flared out loosely around her hips.
For a split second, I thought about taking her to my room and peeling that dress off her, but that wasn’t possible. Not when I had other guests at my house—guests that she wasn’t even aware of.
“You look…amazing,” I said, pulling her into my arms and planting a quick kiss on her lips.
She pulled away, disappointment and uncertainty wringing her features. “Oh, um…thanks. I bought it this afternoon because my wardrobe pretty much sucks. Is it too fancy to wear to dinner? Because I tried to pick something that would work for the bar too. I mean, I’m not sure if a dress would pass for the bar because I’ve never been…”
And there she went, my serial rambler. Laughing, I placed another kiss on her lips to shush her. “Hades, you look great. Stop stressing out about it.”
Something else seemed to be bothering her other than her choice of outfit but she pushed it away as she gave me an artificial smile. “You look better. Are you still sick?”
I’d have to ask her later on what was bothering her. For now, I had other things to worry about.
I shrugged. “I’m okay.”
“So are you going to invite me in?”
“I am…” I hesitated, my hand lingering on the doorknob as I tried to figure out how to tell her what was going on. “But I have to tell you something first. Uh, the thing is…we have company. My…uh…friends are visiting from New York.”
Hadie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. You never mentioned anything about having your friends over.”
I ran a hand through my hair, certain that there was a sheepish look on my face right about now. “Honestly, I completely forgot about it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Okay, that was a lie. I did know what was wrong with me, but what I didn’t know was how I was going to tell Hadie. Her standing on my doorstep definitely wasn’t the right moment for me to drop a bombshell on her. The conversation I wanted to have with her would have to wait for another time.
She tilted her head to the side and regarded me with a funny look. “You say that a lot. Is everything okay?”
I nodded, not really sure if she’d want to hear what the real problem was. “Everything is fine. You worry too much, like an annoying second Mom.”
Hadie’s mouth fell open and she whacked me on the arm. “I am so not like a Mom!”
My lips quirked in a half-smile. “Ah, there goes my little pocket rocket, violent as ever.”
Outrage filled Hadie’s face and before she could say anything, I lifted her up into my arms and pressed her against me.
My back muscles strained from her weight even though Hadie didn’t weigh much at all. As my muscles continued to ache, I hastily placed her down and tried to appear unfazed. Fatigue was spreading through my body and settling amongst my bones. All I really wanted to do was sleep, but I’d have to deal with dinner and then the bar and pretend everything was fine—that I was fine.
But I wasn’t fine. Something was very wrong and I hated that I had to wait a little longer to tell Hadie the truth. Until then, I had to keep it together.
Hadie beat at my chest with her small fists. “That’s not fair! I can’t easily pick you up and swing you around to end a disagreement.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Was that a disagreement? Is that a euphemism for your outbursts of uncontrollable violence?”
Hadie was about to slap me on the arm again, but I grabbed it before she could land a blow. Instead, I pulled her towards me and pressed my forehead against hers. Her eyes were warm as she drank me in, and I couldn’t help but be saddened by how much I loved her.
Hadie had become my everything.
That doe-eyed look on her face was begging me to kiss her so I leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away. Any longer and I wouldn’t be able to control myself. The disappointment was clear in Hadie’s eyes but she didn’t complain.
“Come on,” I said, taking her by hand and leading her inside. “Let me introduce you to my family and friends.”
I knew this was something I had to do and there was no delaying it. A proper introduction with my family had been a long time coming.
Everyone was in the kitchen so we went straight there. Mom and Dad were sitting at the kitchen table with Derek, Rick and Sammy. Becky had cornered Neil by the counter and was giving him what I assumed she thought was a “seductive” smile. She’d had a thing for him for ages and couldn’t take the hint that he wasn’t even the least bit interested in her.
“Everyone,” I said, gripping Hadie’s hand as we stood in the doorway, “this is my girlfriend, Hadie Swinton.”
The conversation in the room died and everyone turned simultaneously to look in our direction. My friends gawked at the both of us and I noticed Sammy kick Derek under the table. Damn, this was awkward.
Considering no one else was saying anything, I led Hadie further into the kitchen, wanting to get the rest of the introductions out of the way.
“Hadie, these are my parents. You met my dad at the diner.” I gestured at the kitchen table. “And you already know my sister, Becky.”
Hadie smiled and stepped forward, her hand outstretched. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Bracks. Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner.”
Neither Mom nor Dad stood up, but they both reached over and shook Hadie’s hand in turn. Other than that, they didn’t acknowledge her in any other way. They didn’t exude warmth and hospitality the way Hadie’s parents had.
Let the rudeness begin.
Mom looked especially angry, but she gave Hadie a tight-lipped smile. “It’s finally nice to meet Lincoln’s elusive girlfriend.”
Hadie didn’t seem fazed by Mom’s direct statement. “I’ve been busy with school and work, but I’m glad we could finally make time to have dinner together.”
“You’ve certainly had plenty of time to see Lincoln.” Mom’s tone was accusing and Hadie faltered, glancing at me uncertainly.
I gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand, but inside my anger was boiling rapidly. Mom had no right to give Hadie the double degree l
ike that. Hadie had done nothing wrong; she was going out of her way to be polite, but Mom couldn’t overlook whatever it was that she had against Hadie.
Well, that was her loss. She would never know how sweet and kind and caring Hadie was—how she could brighten your entire day with something as simple as a smile.
“It’s nice to see you again, Becky.” Hadie’s tone was hesitant as she turned towards my sister.
Becky regarded Hadie with glittering eyes, her expression sour. “It’s so nice to see you, too.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm. “Actually, I saw you the other day in the hall. I was going to come up and say hi, but you looked preoccupied.”
I glanced over at Hadie to try and figure out what Becky meant by that, but Hadie was staring fixated at the floor. Her body was rigid and she looked incredibly uncomfortable.
What the hell? Did something happen at school while I wasn’t there? What could be so bad to make her shut off like that?
When Hadie didn’t respond, Becky sneered at her. “I don’t blame you for not noticing me, though. Bennett Anderson can be pretty distracting. It looked like you had plenty to talk about judging from how close and intimate you were. So cute.”
It didn’t sound like she thought it was cute at all.
I dropped Hadie’s hand to stare at her. She didn’t say anything, but I saw the way she was adamantly avoiding my eyes. Becky obviously wasn’t making this up.
It felt like there was a lump lodged in my throat, and I wanted to ask Hadie about what had happened in my absence but now wasn’t the time for that.
“These are my friends from New York,” I said, swiftly changing the subject. “Derek Woods, Rick Simmons, Samantha Grey and Neil Lawson.” I pointed them each out in turn and they all gave Hadie a wave in return.
Now that Hadie finally had time to focus on my friends better, I could tell that she was a little surprised by their appearances. It was obvious from a glance that at Statlen High my friends would’ve fit into the “popular” crowd with the jocks and the cheerleaders.