Point of Retreat (Slammed Series)

by Colleen Hoover

  Neither of them says anything.

  “Good. Go to your room, Kel. No hanging out with Caulder or Kiersten while you’re grounded. Caulder, same goes for you. Go to your house and go to your room.”

  The boys get up from the bar and go to their respective bedrooms. When Kel disappears down the hallway and Caulder disappears out the front door, I give Lake a high five.

  “Well played,” I tell her. “You almost had me convinced.”

  “You, too. You really seemed pissed!” she says. She walks to the living room and starts folding a pile of laundry. “So? How were your classes?”

  “Good,” I reply. I spare her the details of first period. “I do have a lot of homework I need to get started on, though. Are we eating together tonight?”

  She shakes her head. “I promised Eddie we could have some girl time tonight. Gavin started his job at Getty’s. But tomorrow I’m all yours.”

  When I walk through the living room toward the front door, I stop and kiss her on top of the head. “You two have fun. Text me goodnight,” I say. “You do know where your phone is, right?”

  She nods and pulls it out of her pocket to show me. “Love you,” she says.

  “Love you, too,” I say as I leave.

  When I shut the door behind me, it feels like I left a moment too soon. I walk back in and she’s facing the other way, folding a towel. I turn her around and take the towel out of her hands. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her again, but better this time. “I love you,” I say again.

  She sighs and leans into me. “I can’t wait until next weekend, Will. I wish it would just hurry up and get here.”

  “You and me both.”

  Tuesday, January 10th

  If I were a carpenter, I would build you a window to my soul.

  But I would leave that window shut and locked,

  so that every time you tried to look through it…all you would see is your own reflection.

  You would see that my soul

  is a reflection of you…

  Chapter Four

  Lake has already left for school by the time I wake up. Kel is asleep on the couch. She must have sent him over before she left. It’s trash day, so I slip my shoes on and head outside to take the can to the curb. I have to knock almost a foot of snow off the lid before I can get it to budge. Lake forgot, so I walk to her house and pull hers to the curb as well.

  “Hey, Will,” Sherry says. She and Kiersten are making their way outside.

  “Morning,” I say to them.

  “What happened with Kel and Caulder yesterday? Are they in lots of trouble?” Kiersten asks.

  “Suspended. They can’t go back until Monday.”

  “Suspended for what?” Sherry asks. I can tell by the tone in her voice Kiersten must not have told her.

  Kiersten turns toward her mother. “They threatened those boys I was telling you about. They wrote them a note, threatening their life. Called them asswipes,” Kiersten says, matter-of-factly.

  “Awe, how sweet,” Sherry says. “They defended you.” Sherry turns to me before she gets in her car. “Will, tell them thank you. That’s too sweet, defending my baby girl like that.”

  I laugh and shake my head as I watch them drive away. When I get back inside, Kel and Caulder are both sitting on the couch watching TV. “Morning,” I say to them.

  “Are we allowed to watch TV, at least?” Caulder asks.

  I shrug. “Whatever. Do what you want. Just don’t threaten to kill anyone today.” I know I should probably be stricter, but it’s too early in the morning to care.

  “They were really mean to her, Will,” Kel says. “They’ve been being mean to her since she moved here. She hasn’t done anything to them.”

  I sit down on the other couch and kick my shoes off. “Not everyone is gonna be nice, Kel. There are a lot of cruel people in the world, unfortunately,” I say. “What kinds of things are they doing to her?”

  Caulder turns to me and answers. “One of the sixth grade boys asked her to be his girlfriend about a week after she moved here but she told him no. He's kind of a bully. She said she was a vegetarian and couldn’t date meatheads. It made him really mad, so he’s been spreading rumors about her since then,” Caulder says. “A lot of kids are scared of him because he’s a dickhead, so now others are being mean to her, too.”

  “Don’t say dickhead, Caulder. And I think you guys are doing the right thing by defending her. We aren’t mad about that, we’re actually a little proud. We just wish you would use your heads before you make some of the choices you do. This is two weeks in a row you guys have done something stupid at school. This time, you got suspended because of it. We all have enough on our plates as it is…we don’t need the added stress.”

  “Sorry,” Kel says.

  “Yeah. Sorry, Will,” Caulder says.

  “As for Kiersten, you two keep doing what you’re doing, sticking by her. She’s a nice kid and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. Is anyone being nice to her other than you two? She doesn’t have any other friends?”

  “She’s got Abby,” Caulder says.

  Kel smiles. “She’s not the only one who has Abby.”

  “Shut up, Kel!” Caulder hits him in the arm.

  “Whoa! What’s this? Who’s Abby? Caulder, do you have a girlfriend?” I tease.

  “No, she’s not my girlfriend,” Caulder says, defensively.

  “Only because he’s too shy to ask her,” Kel says.

  “You’re one to talk,” I say to Kel. “You’ve been crushing on Kiersten since the day she moved in. Why haven’t you asked her to be your girlfriend?”

  Kel blushes and tries to hide his smile. He reminds me of Lake when he does this.

  “I already asked her. She is my girlfriend,” he says.

  I’m impressed. He’s got more nerve than I thought.

  “You better not tell Layken!” he says. “She’ll embarrass me.”

  “I won’t say anything,” I say. “But your birthday party is this Friday. You better tell Kiersten not to be kissing you in front of Lake if you don’t want her finding out.”

  “Shut up, Will! I’m not kissing her,” Kel says with a disgusted look on his face.

  “Caulder, you should invite Abby to Kel’s party,” I say.

  Caulder gets the same embarrassed look Kel had.

  “He already did,” Kel says. Caulder hits him on the arm again.

  I stand up. It’s obvious my advice isn’t needed here. “Well, you two have it all figured out, then. What do you need me for?”

  “Someone has to pay for the pizza,” Caulder says.

  I walk to the front door and grab both of their jackets and toss them in their laps.

  “Punishment time,” I say. They both groan and roll their eyes. “You guys get to shovel driveways today.”

  “Driveways? As in plural? More than one?” Caulder asks.

  “Yep,” I say. “Do mine and Lakes, and when you’re done do Sherry and Kiersten’s, too. While you’re at it, go ahead and do Bob and Melinda’s.”

  Neither of them moves from the couch.

  “Go!”

  ***

  My stomach is in knots Wednesday morning. I really don’t want to see Vaughn today. I try to leave a few minutes sooner, hoping I can make it to class early enough to pick a seat next to someone else. Unfortunately, I’m the first to arrive. I take a seat in the back again, hoping she doesn’t want to make the trek to the back of the room.

  She does. As soon as she spots me, she smiles and runs up the steps, throwing her bag down on the table. “Morning,” she says. “I brought you a coffee. Two sugars, no cream, just like you like it.” She sets the coffee down in front of me.

  “Thanks,” I say. She’s got her hair pulled back in a bun. I know exactly what she’s doing.
I told her once that I loved it when she wore her hair like that. It’s no coincidence that she’s wearing it like that today.

  “So, I was thinking we should catch up. Maybe I could come by your house sometime. I miss Caulder; I’d like to see him.”

  Absolutely not! Hell no! That’s what I really want to say.

  “Vaughn, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” is what I actually say.

  “Oh,” she says quietly. “Okay.”

  I can tell I've just offended her by the way she lowered her tone. “Look, I’m not trying to be rude. It’s just…you know, we have a lot of history. It wouldn’t be fair to Lake.”

  She cocks her head at me. “Lake? Your girlfriend’s name is Lake?”

  I don’t like her demeanor. “Her name is Layken. I call her Lake.”

  She turns toward me in her seat and puts her hand on my arm. “Will, I’m not trying to cause trouble. If Layken is the jealous type, just say so. It’s not a big deal.”

  She grazes her thumb across my arm and I look down at her hand. I hate how she’s trying to undermine my relationship with her snide comment. She always used to do this. She hasn’t changed at all. I pull my arm away from her and face the front of the room. “Vaughn, stop. I know what you’re doing and it’s not gonna happen.”

  She huffs and focuses her attention back to the front of the room. She’s pissed. Good, maybe she got the not so subtle hint.

  I really don't understand where she's coming from. I never imagined I would see her again, much less have to practically fight her off. It's strange how I had so much love for her then, but feel nothing for her now. I don't regret what I went through with her, though. We really did have a pretty good relationship, and I honestly think I would have married her had my parents not passed away. But only because I was naïve as to what a relationship should be. What love should be.

  We met when we were freshmen, but didn't start dating until our junior year. We started hanging out at a party I went to with my best friend, Reece. We went out a few times, then agreed to make the relationship exclusive. We dated for about six months before we had sex for the first time. We both still lived at home with our parents, so it ended up being in the backseat of her car. It was awkward, to say the least. We were cramped, it was cold, and was probably the most unromantic atmosphere a girl could want in that moment. Of course, it got much better over the next year and a half, but I'll always regret that being her first time. Maybe that's why I want Lake's first time to be perfect. Not just another spur of the moment kind of thing like Vaughn and I had.

  I was still grieving and going through a lot of emotional issues after mine and Vaughn's relationship ended. Raising Caulder and doubling up on classes didn't leave me any time to date after that. Vaughn was the last relationship I had up until the moment I met Lake. And after only one date with Lake, I knew the connection between us was something more. It was more than I'd ever had with Vaughn, and more than I ever thought I could have with anyone. For that, I'll be forever grateful to Vaughn for calling off our relationship when she did.

  ***

  Friday is much better. Vaughn doesn’t show up to class, so it makes the rest of the day a lot easier. I stop by the store after my last class and grab Kel’s birthday present, then head home to get ready for his party.

  The only two people Kel and Caulder invited to the party tonight were Kiersten and Abby. Sherry and Kiersten went to pick Abby up while Lake and Eddie left to go get the cake. Gavin showed up with the pizza at the same time I pulled into the driveway. It’s his night off but I had him go pick it up since he gets a discount now.

  “You nervous?” I ask Caulder as I unstack the pizzas on the counter. I know he’s barely just about to turn eleven, but I remember having my first crush.

  “Stop it, Will. You’re gonna make tonight my suck if you keep it up,” he says.

  “Fair enough, I’ll drop it. But first, I need to lay down some rules. No holding hands until you’re at least eleven and a half. No kissing until you’re thirteen. And no tongue until you’re fourteen. I mean fifteen. Once you get to that point, we’ll revisit the rules. Until then, you stick to those.”

  Caulder rolls his eyes and walks away.

  That went well, I guess. Our first official ‘sex’ talk. I think the one I really need to be having the talk with is Kel, though. He seems a little bit more girl crazy than Caulder does.

  “Who placed the order for this cake?” Lake asks as she walks through the front door carrying it in her arms. She doesn’t look pleased.

  “I let Kel and Caulder order it when we were grocery shopping the other day. Why? What’s wrong with it?”

  She walks over to the bar and sets the cake down. She opens the lid and stands back so I can see it.

  “Oh,” I say.

  The cake is covered in white buttercream frosting. The writing across the top is done in blue.

  Happy ‘Butterflying’ Birthday, Kel

  “Well, it’s not really a bad word,” I say.

  Lake sighs. “I really hate that they’re so damn funny,” she says. “It’s just gonna get harder, you know. We really need to start beating them now, before it’s too late.” She closes the lid and walks the cake to the refrigerator.

  “Tomorrow,” I say as I wrap my arms around her from behind. “We can’t beat Kel on his own birthday.” I lean in and kiss her ear.

  “Fine.” She leans her neck to the side, allowing me easier access. “But I get the first punch.”

  “Stop it!” Kel yells. “You guys can’t do that crap tonight. It’s my birthday and I don’t want to have to watch y’all make out!”

  I let go of Lake and pick Kel up and throw him over my shoulder. “This is for the butterflying cake,” I say. I turn his back toward Layken. “Birthday beating, here’s your chance.”

  Lake starts counting off birthday spankings while Kel fights to get out of my grasp. He’s getting stronger.

  “Put me down, Will!” He's punching me in the back, trying to break free.

  I put him down after Lake finishes with the beating. Kel laughs and tries to shove me, but I don’t budge.

  “I can’t wait until I’m bigger than you! I’m gonna kick your butterfly!” He gives up and runs down the hallway to Caulder’s room.

  Lake is staring down the hallway with a serious look in her eyes. “Should we be letting them say that?”

  I laugh. “Letting them say what? Butterfly?”

  She nods. “Yeah. I mean, it seems like it’s already a bad word.”

  “Would you rather him say ass?” Kiersten says, passing between Lake and me. Again, she’s here and I didn’t even hear her knock.

  “Hey Kiersten,” Lake says.

  There’s a young girl following closely behind Kiersten. She looks at Lake and smiles.

  “You must be Abby,” Lake says. “I'm Layken, this is Will.”

  Abby gives us a slight wave but doesn't say anything.

  “Abby’s shy. Give her time, she’ll warm up to you,” Kiersten says. They turn and make their way to the table in the kitchen.

  “Is Sherry coming?” Lake says.

  “No, probably not. She wants me to bring her some cake, though.”

  Kel and Caulder run into the kitchen when they hear Abby and Kiersten.

  “There they are,” Kiersten says. “How was your week off school, lucky butt’s?”

  “Abby, come here,” Caulder says. “I want to show you my room.”

  After Abby follows Caulder out of the room, I look at Lake, a little concerned. She sees the worry in my eyes and laughs. “Relax, Will. They’re only ten. I’m sure he just wants to show her his toys.”

  Regardless, I walk down the hallway and spy.

  “I’m the guest, dork. I should get to be player one,” I hear Abby say.

  Sure enough, they’re just b
eing ten. I walk back into the kitchen and wink at Lake.

  ***

  After the party is over, Eddie and Gavin agree to take Abby home. Kel and Caulder go to Caulder’s room to play Kel’s new video games. I’m finally alone with Lake in the living room. She's lying down on the couch with her feet in my lap. I rub her feet, massaging the tension away. She's been going nonstop all day, getting everything prepared for Kel's party. She's lying with her eyes closed, enjoying the relaxation.

  “I have a confession to make,” I say, still rubbing her feet.

  She reluctantly opens her eyes. “What?”

  “I’ve been counting down the hours in my head until next weekend.”

  She grins at me, relieved that this is my confession. “So have I. One hundred and sixty three.”

  I lean my head back against the couch and smile at her. “Good, I don’t feel so pathetic now.”

  “It doesn’t make you any less pathetic,” she says. “It just means we’re both pathetic.”

  She sits up and grabs my shirt, pulling me to her. Her lips brush against mine and she whispers, “What are your plans for the next hour or so?”

  Her words cause my pulse to immediately race and chills to run down my arms. She touches her cheek to mine and whispers in my ear. “Let’s go to my house for a little while. I’ll give you a little preview of next weekend.”

  She doesn’t have to ask twice. I pull away from her and jump over the back of the couch and run to the front door. “Boys, we’ll be back in a little while! Don’t leave!” She’s still sitting on the couch so I walk over and grab her hands, pulling her up. “Come on, we don’t have much time!”

  When we get to her house, she shuts the door behind her. I don’t even wait until we get to the bedroom. I shove her against the front door and start kissing her. “One hundred and sixty-two,” I say between kisses.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom,” she says. “I’ll lock the front door. That way if they come over here, they’ll have to knock first.” She turns around and latches the deadbolt.

  “Good idea,” I say. We continue to kiss as we make our way down the hallway. We can’t seem to make it very far without one of us ending up against a wall. By the time we get to the bedroom, my shirt’s already off.