by Sara Schoen
He had welcomed me into school, which was the start of a series of events I couldn’t foresee. He had taken me to class, talked to me outside of class, and interrupted Parker and I at lunch just so one of his friends could get close enough to slip a rancid sandwich, complete with mold and vomit inducing smell into my bag. Luckily Parker caught onto their game, and slipped it into Kayden’s bag before he noticed.
I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts, they were over and done with. I couldn’t change them now even if I wanted to. Though if I had a choice to go through it all over again and get the Kayden I had come to know over the last few months, then I’d live through it all over again. Was it well worth the torture? Not really, but it was well worth a brighter future. I wish we could have skipped over all the taunting, ridicule, and heart-wrenching pain mostly on my part. Kayden always seemed to be having a good time.
“Well,” Parker said, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Your night was more romantic than mine. Ryan and I just came back here and made out. At least I did mine privately though,” she said with a smile as she looked at me from her position on the bed. “Did you two ever pick that up again or did you just avoid mentioning that little detail?”
I felt the heat race across my cheeks, and I started to stammer through an explanation. “We d-did, but it’s n-not what you think.” My face and neck quickly became engulfed in the raging heat that was spreading. I didn’t want to talk about the kiss, how we could have gone on, but we didn’t. I didn’t want to describe to her in gory detail his husky voice, which was so full of lust the mere idea of hearing it again got me excited. I didn’t want to tell her how he tucked his head into the crook of my neck, and how it made my head spin. I was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear about how I pressed myself to him and brought his lips to mine.
I knew a deep red color took over my face when I thought about how he moaned quietly the second our lips made contact. My mind quickly jumped around from there to him holding me tightly before deepening our kiss, which sent my body into a frenzy. I couldn’t forget how we let our bodies take over as we gave in to the moment, and how I would have been willing to give him more if he asked for it. Luckily he pulled away or it could have ended right there, but I promised myself I wasn’t going to think about it until morning.
Which meant today, I thought with a groan.
“Oh my god!” Parker cried. She sat up in bed and looked me over, the shock prevalent on her features. She was waiting for me to say something, but when I didn’t she got straight to the point. “Did you two…you know.” She bumped her fist together momentarily before she noticed the look of pure confusion on my face. She sighed, clearly disappointed that I didn’t know what she was asking before changing what gesture she used. Parker made a circle with one hand and stuck two fingers from her other hand in it.
“What?” I asked curiously, not catching onto what her hand gestures meant. “What do those even mean, and why do you know them?”
“Everyone knows them,” Parker claimed. “Everyone except you, apparently. Did you two have sex last night? Is that why you’re so reluctant to talk about it?”
“What?” I cried, hoping her parents weren’t awake to hear her ask that and it somehow end with my dad asking me later today. “No, we didn’t.”
“Oh,” Parker said thoughtfully before falling silent.
“What?” I asked curiously.
She hesitated before taking a deep breath and taking the leap forward. “Did he tell you?”
I tilted my head in confusion, I had no idea what she was talking about. “Did he tell me what?”
“Well,” Parker said, leaning closer to me before starting her story. “When I came out of the bathroom at the restaurant, and left you in there for a little while, I went back to the table. The guys didn’t see me thanks to that dividing wall the restaurant used to conceal the bathrooms from view, and Kayden openly admitted to Ryan that he had fallen in love with you. He made Ryan promise not to say anything to either of us because he knew we wouldn’t believe him after what Kayden spent years doing to you. I wouldn’t have believed it anyway,” Parker said, putting her hand in her chest as if to point to her directly. “But I heard it come from Kayden’s mouth. He didn’t say it with anyone else present, and he had no other reason but to be truthful.” Parker glanced over my shocked features. “I think he was being honest, Lauren. I think Kayden has really fallen for you.”
I stared at her in utter disbelief, I couldn’t believe she waited until now to tell me, but honestly when did she have the opportunity before? She had obviously had something on her mind outside of the restaurant when we talked, maybe she was debating whether to bring it up then or not. I was glad she didn’t, it would have ruined the night Kayden and I shared if I was overthinking her words of his confession. Now I would be able to process the proclamation of his affection in private, and try to wrap my head around the fact that not only had I fallen for my long-time tormentor, but he had in turn fallen for me.
A smile curved onto my lips as I thought over the possibilities. We could become a real couple, we could become actual friends, and maybe one day we wouldn’t be hiding behind a façade. We wouldn’t need the excuse of him trying to make up his mistake to me, and I wouldn’t have to give him what I protected for helping me. I’d give it to him because I could see us growing as a couple, and moving past or previous mistakes. I’d give it to him willingly and on my own accord, and he’d be with me while he waited.
The smile deepened at the thought, and Parker was waiting eagerly for me to reply. “I can’t wait to see where it takes us then.”
Chapter 25
Administrator Misunderstanding
It was an odd feeling for me; being pulled out of class because the principal wanted to talk to me. I hadn’t ever been called out of class before, but today I was going to see what it was like to be on the wrong side of the principal’s anger. I wasn’t sure what was going on as we walked through the halls. I was lost in thought, why I had been called out of class? What was this for? I was about to ask one of the men escorting me, but the grimace on the administrators’ faces told me it wasn’t good.
I racked my brain to figure out what I had done that would get me in trouble with the principal, but I couldn’t think of anything. Kayden and I hadn’t done anything lately, except go on a few dates. I wore the necklace he gave me on our first official date a few weeks ago. I had been complimented frequently from girls who were either hinting to their boyfriends what they wanted, or a few others saying how jealous they were of the necklace. I hoped Kayden wasn’t involved in this somehow, lately we were getting into various kinds of trouble. The odd thing was that none of it was our fault. Kayden was getting blamed for things he couldn’t have done because he was with me. When I stepped up to be his alibi everyone took my word. I guess it paid to have a reliable reputation. It got him out of trouble.
I had a feeling someone was trying to make us look bad because once again my thoughts were confirmed when Kayden came into view. He was sitting in the waiting room chairs outside the principal’s office with an administrator on his left hand side so he couldn’t run off. He wasn’t paying attention, most likely at home in those chairs. Though the second the door shut behind us, Kayden’s head shot up.
The confused gleam in Kayden’s blue eyes only told me he was just as lost as I was. We hadn’t done anything, and we purposefully laid low as these mysterious accusations started to pop up. We wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be blamed for anything, but it looked like we had failed. I couldn’t help but wonder why we were here, and judging from Kayden’s gaze, he was thinking the same thing.
“Lauren?” he asked in shock, shooting up from his chair to come up to me. “You’re the one we’ve been waiting for?
“I guess so,” I said with a shrug, looking around to see no one else in the waiting room area. My eyes flashed to the door that would lead to the principal’s office, but it was sealed shut.
“Tha
t doesn’t make any sense. You never get in trouble.”
“Unless it’s with you,” I added jokingly as the office door opened.
“That’s what I’m coming to notice as well, Lauren,” our principal, Alyson Davis, stated as she pushed open the doors to meet us. “Come inside. We have to talk.”
We followed her inside and took our seats across from her in the office. I didn’t take the time to notice the usual photos in her office, I couldn’t stop looking at the sheer disappointment on her face. I wasn’t sure what she thought we did, but I could honestly say we hadn’t done anything.
“Why were we called in here? We didn’t do anything, ma’am,” I said, tilting my head to the side in confusion.
She sighed heavily. “I had a girl come in here and she thought you had alcohol on school grounds, Lauren.” She looked at me to see how I took the news, anything less than shock was an understatement. She took in my reaction before turning to Kayden. “And she continued to say that Kayden was the one who gave it to you.”
“I can honestly say that isn’t true, Alyson,” Kayden cried, immediately reaching for my hand for comfort. He knew this was hard for me, and he wanted to be there for when I needed him.
“I’ve told you before it’s either Principal Davis or nothing,” she sneered before she turned her attention back to me. “Now look, I had administrators check your lockers. Lauren, in yours we found a half-empty bottle of alcohol. As you know, according to our rights and regulations policy, that possession, use, or distribution of alcoholic substances is not permitted in school. I’ve contacted your father, and informed him of the situation―”
“Oh my god,” I said as my mouth dropped open. I turned to Kayden, hoping he had a reason. We hadn’t been at my locker since this morning, and there was no alcohol in there when we were there. There was no way someone got into my locker to put it there, and then blamed it on Kayden.
“Principal Davis,” Kayden chimed in. “There’s no way you believe that Lauren had alcohol in her locker. Someone else put it there, and framed us for it. Lauren doesn’t even drink.”
“Who else would know her locker combination, Kayden?” Principal Davis questioned, pointing out the one flaw in Kayden’s suggestion.
“Just about anyone else who stopped to talk to her while we were there. She opened it multiple times this morning because I was goofing around with her. I’d shut it when she opened it, and that gave someone the time to get her combination, obviously. She wasn’t going to risk getting into trouble and having you call her father,” Kayden said.
“I don’t think anyone we know would do this just to get us in trouble,” I stated, shaking the shock off as I tried to focus on the problem at hand. I didn’t want to think about dealing with my father until I got out of trouble with Principal Davis. I could get suspended for something I didn’t even do, maybe worse. Kayden and I didn’t do it, but someone was making it look like he had given me alcohol and I had kept it on school grounds. Who would do this? “Kayden didn’t give me any alcohol, and I didn’t accept or keep it on school grounds. I promise.”
“Now Lauren,” Principal Davis said, her voice steady and calm. “I know you don’t typically do this, but I hear that this is now becoming a habit for you. Needless to say I’m disappointed in your recent behavior, but then again I guess I can’t be too shocked considering the company you’ve been keeping the last few months.” She glared at Kayden, who shrugged. “I hope you don’t plan to transform all of my wonderful students into troublemakers as you have done to Lauren here, Kayden.”
“No ma’am,” Kayden said, putting on a fake southern drawl. “I only have eyes for Lauren. No one else will be corrupted by me.”
“I think that’s the problem there, Kayden,” a new voice added, shocking us all. I turned around to see Parker behind us, waving her phone in the air with a proud smirk on her face. It looked as if she had found something out, and had walked in just in time to save our butts.
“What are you doing here, Miss Evans?” Principal Davis asked, displeased with the interruption. “I told everyone that no one else was allowed in here.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, the lady at the front desk told me that until I played a video for her and then she thought you’d like to see it before you did anything drastic,” Parker said, stepping forward to hold out her phone. “These are the two you’re actually looking for. I heard them bragging about it in the girls’ restroom and took a video so I could show you. They are trying to frame Kayden and Lauren, and think they got away with it.”
Principal Davis took the phone from Parker’s hand and I could hear every word that was shared between the two voices on the phone. The more I listened, the easier it was to recognize whose voices they were—Alexis and Jamie. They were openly talking about how Jamie had flirted with one of the boys who had been talking to Kayden the entire time we were at my locker this morning. He had been able to get the numbers and passed them on to Jamie, who then placed the half empty bottle in my locker while Alexis reported it to administrators.
Without need for any more proof, Principal Davis returned Parker’s phone and turned back to us. “You two are free to go. I have to go find those two girls and figure out what’s going on around this school. Make sure that you two are careful, I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want to see you back in my office again, Lauren.” She then focused on Kayden. “I’m sure I’ll see you in here next week as always, Kayden. For now, you’re both free to go.”
I raced out of my chair and went straight to Parker. She let out a shocked cry as I wrapped her in my arms and thanked her repeatedly. She said it was no problem and pushed me away, but before we could talk further Kayden embraced her, causing her to tense at the sudden show of affection.
“I can’t thank you enough for getting Lauren out of trouble, Parker,” Kayden said, completely ignoring the fact he had also been in trouble. He was so worried about me that he didn’t care she had saved him as well. He only wanted to thank her for making sure I didn’t have a blemish on my record. According to him, what was one more on his? He had plenty that he deserved, but he didn’t want one he didn’t.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Parker said once Kayden let her get a word in edgewise. “Instead, thank your friends for being dumb enough to talk about it in the girls’ bathroom where I could record it. I didn’t even know you guys were in there, I just came as fast as I could. I knew they’d find someone to believe their story, and I didn’t want to see you guys in trouble for nothing.”
“Thanks Parker,” we said in unison.
“No worries, but I got to get back to class. I only had the bathroom pass for fifteen minutes, and it’s almost been half an hour. They’re going to think I passed out while I was in the bathroom,” she said with a wave as she raced off to class. I was shocked that she cared enough to go back to class, normally she’d waste the entire period with the bathroom pass. Maybe I was rubbing off on her finally.
“I have to go too. I was in the middle of a math test when they called me out of the room. I hope there’s enough time to finish, but either way I’ll see you at lunch,” Kayden said as he kissed my cheek and ran off in the opposite direction of Parker toward his class.
I looked back into the principal’s office, and wondered what made them threaten both Kayden and I instead of just me. They were mad at me, they wanted me gone, but why frame Kayden? Was it just to make it believable or did it come back to whatever Kayden was avoiding with his friends when we first returned from break? Something seemed fishy, I just hoped I figured it out before it bit us in the butt. I didn’t want any more surprises. I just wish I could have seen what was coming. Maybe then I could have saved myself the heartache.
Chapter 26
Rehashing Old Wounds
“Could you believe how mad she was?” Kayden asked with a laugh as we entered my home. After the misunderstanding, and the fact that I was still shaken up, I asked for permission to leave. Principal
Davis agreed, and apologized again before explaining she would attempt to get in touch with my father before he made it home from work. I was especially thankful that she offered, because explaining to him how I got busted for alcohol in my locker would have gone as well as being in the middle of a lion fight. I was just thankful for the few hours of peace.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in her office unless it was to receive praise for something,” I said with a laugh as I shut the door behind me and was suddenly between him and the door. I looked up at him as my back pressed against the wooden entrance. I was hopeful that now we were behind closed doors he’d continue to be the guy I had been on a date with and the one who protected me in school. We hadn’t kissed as passionately since he kissed me good night on our last date. I had the urge to stand on my toes and change that, but my mind told me it was best to ignore the urgings of my heart.
“Why am I not surprised?” Kayden asked with a raised eyebrow and an accompanying smirk. There was a glimmer of humor in his eyes, which made me smile as he let out a breath of a laugh. If felt good to have him around when he could be like this, and so far he hadn’t lapsed back into the asshole I had known years before this. Why couldn’t he have been like this before? Maybe we would have gotten along without him trying to make amends to me.
I felt a wave of despair wash over me at the thought. I continually forgot that Kayden was only here because he was trying to fix what he had broken at the start of the year. I couldn’t help but forget how he treated me. He made it seem as if we were actually dating, especially with that kiss. I felt the heat take over my cheeks and quickly pushed the thought away.