Rival Hearts (Rival Love #2)

by Natalie Decker

  But to make matters completely worse, the following morning I find a note in the kitchen from my mom. It states that she’s at work until late and Brian’s off helping a friend install something. This means it’s just Caleb and me in the house all day. Part of me wishes he will leave too.

  I make my way to the living room and Caleb is sitting on the couch with a remote in his hand. I thought the silence would be a great thing. It’s not. It’s somehow worse. I don’t like this silent treatment crap. I know. It’s crazy, since I’ve given it to him loads of times. Also, this is kind of what I wanted from him, right?

  I go back into the kitchen. Maybe a snack will make me feel better. I know it’s a total lie, but what can I say? I binge on food when my mood is shot.

  As popcorn pops in the microwave, the buttery kernels smell delicious. My mouth waters. As soon as I hear the ding from the microwave, Caleb enters the room. He looks at the bag and then over at me. I’m about to say something, but he just walks out of the room.

  This is hell.

  I grab the popcorn and dump it into a bowl. Instead of heading back to the living room, I go upstairs to my own room.

  The silence in here is worse. I mean, yes, silence is expected since I’m the only one in my room. But it’s worse, because my thoughts keep going back to him. What is he thinking? Will he come check on me? Of course not, he’s pissed at me.

  I toss some popcorn into my mouth, but it has lost the buttery flavor my nose inhaled. It tastes more like torn cardboard in my mouth. I spit it into my trash can and set the bowl on my desk. On days like these, I play my guitar or watch some sappy movie so crying won’t seem so silly. I’m pretty sure the usual won’t help me, though. So I look through my collection of books. Again, nothing seems to be enough to occupy my mind.

  Annoyed, I go back downstairs, grab my coat, gloves, and hat. I’m picking up my purse when he calls out from the living room. “Where are you going?”

  “To the bookstore.” I can walk to the bus stop. He’s clearly not going to take me, not that I want him to.

  I hear Caleb get off the couch and make his way to front door. He peeks out one of the side windows in the door frame and shakes his head. “Good luck with that. There’s about two feet of snow already on the sidewalk.”

  I move him aside to see for myself. Sure enough, he’s telling the truth. I curse under my breath, set down my purse, rip off my coat, gloves, and hat, then go storming back upstairs to my room.

  He enters a few minutes later, eyes me up, and sighs. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I can’t tell him what’s wrong. I certainly can’t tell him what his silly silent treatment is doing to me. And I will never tell him how much I hated saying that stuff to him yesterday. Because I know we have to move on. In order to do that, I need to let go.

  “Doesn’t look like nothing. You look pissed off.”

  There he goes stating the obvious. “Well, I’m mad about not being able to get my book because of the snow.”

  He nods. But it’s one of those “Yeah, uh-huh, whatever you say” kind of nods.

  I take a seat on my window bench and sigh.

  He sits on my bed. “Skylar?”

  Skylar? Really? He’s not going to call me “Sky” like he usually does?

  “Hmm?”

  Caleb’s eyes bore into mine. “Are you really upset about a book?”

  No. But again, I’m not telling him. I shrug. “A little.”

  “What’s the book called?”

  Oh man. Why is he asking this? I mean, why does he want to know this at all? Shouldn’t he just go back to ignoring me?

  “Um … I don’t know the title. I know it when I see it.” Did that sound believable? It better ’cause that’s all I got.

  He nods. “All right. Be right back.”

  He leaves my room for a second and comes back in with his laptop in hand. “Um,” I start.

  He places his laptop in front of me and says, “Find your book.”

  “But I—”

  “Stop. I need to get you something for your birthday. Just consider this one of your gifts. Okay?”

  I want to argue. I do. But the look on his face tells me not to.

  ***

  My birthday is finally here! Hello, January thirty-first. But as excited as I am to be eighteen, I’m pretty sure it’s going to bite the big one as far as birthdays go. Mainly because there is a buttload of snow covering the entire town, making it difficult to travel anywhere. And since we’ve been in the negative temps, we haven’t had school for the past four days. I’ve had a horrible case of cabin fever going on. For two days, Caleb and I were stuck in the house all by ourselves because all the roads were closed. But Mom and Brian were able to come back Tuesday. And yesterday, I was able to pick up my car, so that’s a plus.

  I’ve noticed being locked up in a house for days at a time does things to people. Strange things. For instance, Brian is what I like to call a TV hog. Seriously, he plops down and watches the History channel all day long. If anyone suggests we watch, I don’t know, something more entertaining than the History channel’s many alien theories and crap, yeah, he growls. Literally growls. It’s sort of amusing.

  Caleb grumbles and is a bottomless pit. He’ll grab two bags of chips and head to his room, and an hour later he’s in the kitchen reloading with sandwiches and whatever else he can find. Then he’s off to his room again. I think after the fifth trip my mom had had about enough of that nonsense and cut off his food supplies.

  Today, though, I thought I would wake up to my room full of streamers and balloons like I did on my sixteenth and seventeenth birthdays. But today I woke up to nothing special. A note was taped to my lamp. “Happy Birthday Honey! I had to go get groceries, be back in a bit. Love you!”

  After a shower, I head to the kitchen and pour myself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Happy eighteenth! I munch on my mouthful of cereal.

  “That what you’re eating on your birthday? Your eighteenth birthday?” Caleb asks in a groggy tone as he slumps down next to me.

  “Maybe.”

  “It’s your day, Fletch.” He shrugs.

  He eventually gets himself a bowl and we eat in silence. The phone rings and I glance down at the caller ID. It’s her. I cringe and push the phone to Caleb then head to the sink. The phone is still ringing. I look back at Caleb; he pushes it away from him and continues to eat his cereal.

  “Are you not going to get that?”

  “Nope.”

  I shouldn’t care, but what if something is wrong? “Don’t you think you should at least see what she wants?”

  He glares at me. “I don’t want to talk to her right now. All she wants is for me to go over to her house and hold her. I’m not doing that.”

  I roll my eyes. “You did it before.”

  He rips himself away from the island and shouts, “Damn it, Skylar, you really know how to piss me the fuck off! It’s like all you want to do is rub this bullshit in my face. Well, congratulations!”

  I’m a horrible human being. Guilt sets in, and I stare at him. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I just … ”

  His expression softens and he takes a step toward me. “I know, Sky. Trust me, if I could fix it, I would.”

  “I know.” I let my head rest on his chest. I shouldn’t, but I do. It’s my birthday. I’ll do what I want to.

  “Happy birthday, Sky.”

  “Thank you.”

  He kisses my forehead. “Come with me.”

  “Where?”

  He smiles and pulls me all the way up to his room. I shouldn’t be in here. This whole room feels tainted with her. I stand near the computer chair.

  He goes over to the side of his bed and lifts up two gifts. One is a box wrapped in blue paper and a white ribbon. The other is a black gift bag with hot pink tissue paper sticking out. “Oh, you didn’t have to,” I say. I’m secretly gushing.

  “I wanted to,” he tells me. He rocks back and forth on his heels as he
hands me the perfectly wrapped blue and white cube. “I hope you like it.”

  My hands shake a little. I’m almost scared to open it. His hands land on my shaky ones and he sighs. “Sky … please stop shaking, you’re making me nervous.”

  I slip a finger between the ribbon and the wrapping paper and start to unravel the bow. Next, I shed the blue paper, only to uncover a red box. I take a deep breath and lift the top. Inside is a glass heart with a picture in the frame. It’s not of me and Caleb, which I would have put money on.

  “It’s double-sided,” he says as I lift the heart from the box.

  The first picture is of my whole Bobcat swim team. The other is of my Bulldog swim team. I look at him in utter confusion. “I don’t understand … ”

  “It’s not one school that makes you who you are, it’s the people you surround yourself with. This is your old school, but those people have touched you in one way or another. These people have done it, too.” He flips the heart to show both sides. “That’s not the only thing in there.”

  I glance in the box and sure enough there is a locket. I open it and instantly well up with tears. Inside the locket are two pictures, one of just my mom and me, the other of Lidia, my dad, and my stepmom.

  “Why?”

  “Because,” he tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear and whispers, “family is everything.”

  I drop the gifts and run to my room. Not because I don’t love them; I do. But because I know at this very minute Caleb is the best damn thing in the world, and I’m not going to have him.

  Chapter 29

  Skylar

  I pretend. Faking is something I need to become very good at. So I sit and paste on a smile for my mom and Brian. I laugh at things that are supposed to be amusing. I even lie and say it’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.

  This is definitely one of the worst. About as bad as the night Dad brought Lidia to the house. As bad as the night when my mom said the divorce was final and there were going to be changes around the house. And as terrible as the day I found out that Caleb got Danielle pregnant. I actually can’t wait to be done with high school.

  I need to get out of here. So after the cake, ice cream, and gifts, I bundle myself up and take my car. The roads aren’t so bad to drive on, slick in some spots, but mostly cleared. I’ve got no actual idea where I’m heading until I pull into her driveway.

  Balling up my fist, I beat it against the door like I’m the cops. Sam answers, giggling. “Ha ha, come … ” She looks up at me and snaps, “What the hell?”

  “Hi to you, too. We need to talk. Now.”

  “You can’t just … ” She tries to push me out the door, but I can see she has a small get-together going on. Mikia and her boyfriend JJ are sitting on the couch with some kid I’ve never seen before. Another couple, Ian and Jackie, are sitting on the floor. All of them look either drunk or stoned. I don’t actually care which it is.

  I push my way into the living room. Mikia looks up at me with shocked eyes. She starts to stand while Sam tries to yank me away. “Don’t!” I say to both of them. “I’m going to say what I want to say because today is my birthday and yes, I’m a selfish person tonight. Or should I use the word ‘bitch’ since one of you wrote that on my car?” Sam starts to say something, but I stop her. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m not actually here about that. So here it goes: I’ve been there for the two of you, for years.”

  I glare at Sam. “I should beat the ever living hell out of you for spitting in my face!” She shrinks back like she wishes to God I never knew where she lived. I turn my attention to Mikia. “And you! What the hell did I do to you? I’m not pissing in your cornflakes in the morning! Yet you cut me off from being your friend because I happen to go to the rival school. Hello, news flash, you know it wasn’t my choice!”

  I shake my head. “You two are supposed to be my friends through thick and thin. Not trashing my car!”

  “Whoa! We didn’t trash your car,” Mikia says.

  “What?”

  “Girl, we didn’t tag your ride,” Mikia says with raised eyebrows.

  “Okay.” Maybe Mia and Kevin tagged my car. Whatever. I’m getting off the point of why I’m here.

  I look about the room again. “Every one of you has made me who I am. Well, okay, not you, because I don’t know who the hell you are,” I say to the kid I don’t know.

  Sam makes a noise beside me and rolls her eyes. I continue, “All of you might hear my name and say things like ‘traitor,’ ‘bitch,’ or whatever. That might be true, but here’s the thing, I’m just me. It took another person for me to see this. I’m a girl who plays softball and swims. My specialty is distance, and I love the backstroke.” Mikia smiles. “I love watching sports; my favorite is football. Denver Broncos is my team, you all. My best friends are Sam—even though you totally spit on me and that’s a definite BFF no-no, Mikia, and Kayla, who, yes, happens to be a Bobcat. I used to think being me meant being a Bulldog. Then my mom moved us into her boyfriend’s house which happens to be in Bobcat territory. And it’s taken me up until now to know that no matter what school I’m in, wherever I am, I wouldn’t be me without you guys. So, thank you.”

  Jackie gets up and moves toward the door. “Sam, Mikia, if you hang out with her, we’re bouncing.”

  I start to move toward the door, too. “It’s cool. I said what I needed to. I’m getting out of here.”

  Mikia stops me. “Sky, hold up. Chill with us for a bit. It’s your birthday and we’ve got drinks.”

  Sam smiles. “Yeah. Come on, girl. Jackie, if you’re leaving, make sure Ian drives. You’re a lightweight and it’s showing.”

  Jackie gives Sam an evil glare but storms out of the house with Ian in tow.

  ***

  Inside the kitchen, we pull out shot glasses and set them up on the countertop. Sam pours us all a shot of Jack Daniels and I take it. It burns all the way down my throat but, shit, it’s making me forget. I love this feeling.

  “I ruined you girls, didn’t I?” I ask.

  Sam and Mikia exchange looks and Sam sighs. “It was bound to happen. Shit, Sky, when I spit on you during the meet I was so pissed at you. I couldn’t believe it. But then afterward I felt awful. How could I do that to my best friend? She loves swimming. She loves softball. It was so selfish and cruel. I don’t like us like this, Sky; we’re best friends.”

  “I’m still your friend. Both of you. I missed you both a lot, especially these past couple of weeks. God, there is so much shit going on in my life I can’t keep any of it straight. Half the time I’m crying, the other half I’m so mad I see nothing but red. And all I really wanted to do was call both of you.”

  Mikia slides a mixed drink my way and sits up on the countertop I’m leaning against. “So what’s going on?” she asks.

  I look at the two of them and then break down, telling them everything from the move, which they knew about, to Kevin’s bullshit, which, again, they knew about, to my love for Caleb, which they didn’t know about, to the pool being trashed, the move to New York, and Caleb bringing me back. Then I tell them the real damage: Caleb’s new life path as a dad, my dream college not scouting me yet, and finally, that someone’s got it in for me. Because I can say this: none of the other cars were tagged after the meet, just mine.

  They both listen. They gasp at some parts, frown at others, and for once, I feel good about talking this all out.

  Sam slaps the countertop. “That’s it. I have a brilliant idea!” She’s slurring her words together, but it’s all good because she doesn’t seem to care or notice. “We’re going to go show Caleb how much you love and deserve him.”

  I shake my head. “No. I can’t.”

  Mikia takes another shot and eyes up JJ. “If a girl you loved told her you loved her back, you’d be with her, right, babe? Even if you were having some other bitch’s baby?”

  JJ’s response: “Uh.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She smiles at him and I shake my he
ad. These two are clearly drunk. I’m getting there.

  “I’m serious; you should call him,” Sam urges while pulling on my left arm.

  Weird boy I’ve never talked to says his name is Gabe, and apparently goes to school with JJ. He talks to Sam for a bit then those two disappear into a bedroom. Mikia, of course, giggles over this and whispers, “They’re going to have sexy sex!”

  I end up giggling over this, too, after my fifth shot and third mixed drink. It’s not until JJ leads Mikia into a room and she says, “Now, it’s my turn to have sexy sex,” that I feel alone.

  Stumbling to the couch, I pull out my phone and call Caleb. He answers in a really groggy tone. “Hello?”

  “Hi, I’m drunk can you … come sit with me?”

  “What? Sky, it’s two in the morning. Where are you?”

  “At Sam’s house. It’s in Lakeside. She’s having sexy sex, and so is Mikia.” I giggle like a child who just heard the word poop. “I’m lonely. The person I want to have sex with is on the phone and engaged to some troll named Bitchy One.” My thoughts are so foggy. Why was I calling him again?

  Caleb groans. “Babe, I’ll come get you. I’m calling you back in two minutes, okay?”

  “I don’t like this. It’s not fair. I’m a good person.”

  “I know, babe. Listen, I’m going to call you right back. Swear.”

  He hangs up and I stare at the screen. Jesus, I’m such a mess. I feel really tired. It’s hard to keep my eyes open. I should just go to sleep. Why was I not doing this? Clearly, my whole body wants to sleep.

  My phone lights up and buzzes at the same time. His face is like Christmas. Suddenly I want to kiss my phone. No, not my phone … him. Yes, I need to kiss him. I slide my finger across the screen and mumble, “Hello?”

  “All right, beautiful, I’m coming. Sorry I didn’t call you back right away. Stay on the phone with me. No sleeping on me.”

  “Okay. I love your present. You’re the best. You just … yeah. I love … mmm.” My eyes feel so heavy.