by Layla James
“Katy,” Liam says, waving his hand in front of my face. “You all here today?”
“Yes.” I lean back in my chair. No, hell no.
He leans back in his chair. “What you thinking about over there, little bear.”
I shake my head. If you really like me or not. If you want this to be more than a ‘pretend’ relationship. “Nothing important.”
“Well, little bear, we’ve been antisocial long enough.” Liam stands up and offers me his hand. “Would you like to dance?”
“Oh,” I say, fluttering my eye lashes. “I’ve been waiting all night for a gentle caller. Hooray.”
Liam helps me up and wraps his arms around my waist. “I’m no gentlemen, Katy.” He winks and leads me out to the dance floor. I never truly thought he was. I think that is what I like about him.
Liam pushes through the kids like their rag dolls. No one says anything to him. The song is fast. I look around me, there are so many kids dancing. Where was my class on dancing? Everyone else seemed to have one? We have gone to the same school most of our lives!
“I really don’t know how to dance,” I yell up at him.
He smirks, turns me around and presses my back to his front. “Just move with me, I’ll show you,” he says. “It’s very simple.” I feel his breath on my neck; it seeps down to my toes. Shit. He wraps his arms around my waist, the flesh of his arms, touching my bare skin. He moves us to a steady beat with the music. My heart is beating in my throat. I can’t breathe. Liam squeezes me tighter, running his mouth close to my ear. I gasp. It’s Heaven.
I vaguely see kids around us start to slow down, change positions. I feel Liam turn me around but my head is still spinning. He pulls me into him, wrapping his hand around my waist, the other holding my hand out to the side. I didn’t even realize the song had changed. My head is too far gone. “You’re not as bad as you think,” he whispers. I feel his smile against my hair.
“I’m terrible,” I whisper up at him.
“Not a chance,” he says.
“Where did you learn to dance?” I ask.
He shrugs. “My grandma taught me. She goes dancing all the time. Very promiscuous, that ol’ gale.”
I smile. “Dancing with grandma, must be fun.”
Liam rolls his eyes. “Dancing with you is much more fun.” I watch his lips as he says this, I want to kiss him. Scratch that, I want to jump him. “While we’re talking about dancing, I was wondering if you would go to Feed The Children benefit that my dad is hosting next Thursday. We get dressed up in dresses and suites, eat, dance and the adults get drunk. Basically parade around like a bunch of rich idiots.”
I smile up at him. “Can we steal some liquor?”
Liam gasps. “Little bear, I’m both appalled and turned on by that statement. Of course we can. Believe me when I say no one will even notice.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Well, of course I will then.”
Liam glances down at me, smiling. “It’s a date then.”
“I’ll be there.”
Liam sighs, running his fingers along my side. “Katy,” he mumbles, leaning closer to my lips. I lean up, hoping he will remove the distance, it’s driving me crazy. He glances down at me, asking permission.
I nod, slightly.
He exhales, breathing cinnamon breath on me. His top lip touches my bottom and I melt in his hands. His fingers grip at my sides, bringing me as close as I can get. His mouth covers mine. His full lips take mine, desire is running through my veins.
“Can I cut in?” I hear. I’m still standing eyes closed, mouth open, like a horny teenager, when Liam grips me tighter. I open one eye and look over to see Hayden standing, hands in his pockets, staring at me. I grit my teeth. I’ve never wanted to knock the hell out of him more.
“No,” Liam says. “You can’t.”
I widen my eyes. Ah, shit. Hayden clenches his jaw. “Why the hell not?” he asks.
“Because, I’m dancing with my girlfriend.” Liam pushes me to the side, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You don’t get to cut in.”
Hayden looks to me for help. Don’t look at me. As if reading my mind Liam says, “Don’t look at her. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with you. You had your chance, not tuck your tail and walk away.”
Hayden clenches his fist. “I just want to talk to her, move out of the way.” He tries to walk around Liam, but he blocks his way.
“I said no, get lost.”
“No, move. You’re just trying to get some ass anyway. You don’t care about her.” Hayden shouts, this draws a few other students’ attention.
Liam looks angry, it’s incredibly sexy. “Me? You’re the one that dumped her for slut face Holly. She’s slept with the entire school.”
Hayden’s face reddens.
This is getting good.
“Well, as long as she hasn’t slept with your nasty ass, I don’t give a damn.” Hayden turns to me. “You can do better, you look amazing by the way---,” Liam punches him.
Just punches him, right in the jaw. It all seems in slow motion. Liam chuckles, then reaches back and punches the hell out of him. Hayden falls backwards into a group of kids, dancing. They all scream, scattering like cock roaches. Hayden lays on the floor for a minute. I’m standing mouth wide open. I can’t believe he just done that.
Hayden gets up, staggering, then throws a punch at Liam. Liam ducks, missing the jab by an inch.
Liam jumps on top of Hayden, fist slinging everywhere. Hayden rolls on top of Liam; they do this for only a few seconds before the coaches come over and pull them off of each other.
“Both of you out now,” Coach Cunner yells, yanking them both toward the door. I follow, heels clicking against the floor. Liam snatches away from Coach Cunner when we get outside and stalks toward his Jeep.
I can hear Holly yelling at Hayden from across the yard. “You stupid asshole,” she yells.
You got that right.
Liam has the Jeep started before I get in. He screeches out of the school parking lot. I sit quietly for a few minutes.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Liam doesn’t answer; he just keeps driving, hands on the wheel, face serious. I want to reach over and touch him. I want to grab his face and make him look at me, but I don’t, I just look forward.
Liam pulls up to my house. He stops, runs his fingers through his hair and then covers his face with his hands.
“I’m sorry--,” I mumble, pressing my hands together.
He laughs, without humor. “Katy-,” he starts but then trails off. “I’ll see you Monday, okay? I just need to go home. You understand that right?”
I swallow the lump that’s growing in my throat. No, not really. “Okay, um…yeah, of course, see ya then.”
I get out of his Jeep and walk to my door. It’s only ten. What a loser.
Liam screeches his tires, and flies down the road. I watch the empty street and listen to the roar of his engine disappear. I want to curl into a ball and die. I still have four hours before my curfew. Scratch that…I’m a freaking loser.
My mom is sitting in her recliner when I walk in. She glances up. When I see her face, I begin to cry. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
“Hayden,” I say through sobs. “I hate him. He ruined everything.”
“What happened,” she says, pulling me to her and down into her lap. “Shhh, sweetie. Tell me what happened.”
“He punched him...,” sob,” Hayden tried to cut in…,” sob,” I hate him.” I try to get my story out a little more hearable this time. Mom makes us Oreos and milk.
Mom gasps at the right places, dunks her Oreo in her milk and smiles when she needs to.
“Sounds to me like you have a good one on your hands. Beating up people for you. Always a good sign.”
I shrug and take my Oreo apart. “He won’t talk to me; he just told me he would see me Monday. He seemed so…different. You think he is mad at me?”
Mom smiles, runs he
r fingers through my hair. “No. Sweetie,” she coos, “give him some time. He had a hard night. Beating people up is tough business.”
I laugh. I guess that’s true. I wouldn’t know. I probably couldn’t beat up a puppy if I had to. I’d get attacked. “I guess so,” I say. “Any news from Dad?”
“I sent him the pictures, he said you looked beautiful.”
I shake my head. “Not about me, about you two.”
Mom sighs. “We went over this, Katy. Your dad and I--,”
I stop her with my hand. “I know, I just thought maybe you guys changed your minds. It could happen, right? Hayden seems to have changed his mind. He is jealous.”
Mom smiles. “It could happen, but please don’t worry about that. You have enough to worry about. Just worry about yourself. I’m a big girl. I have a wonderful life with or without your dad. You understand that right? You’re my life. I have a wonderful daughter.”
Do I understand? We’re no longer a happy family. We’re no longer the happy threesome. We’re two separate broken home. I want to scream. I should have never brought it up. “I think I’m going to hit the sack early, Mom.”
She nods. “Yeah, I’m going to finish my milk and turn in, too.” I lean over and give her a kiss before I walk up to my room and strip out of my clothes. I pull on a t-shirt and boxers. I crawl into my bed and stare at the ceiling. I close my eyes and push past all of the problems running a marathon in my mind. I finally find sleep, drifting off with the hope of change in grasp.
Chapter Seven
I crane my neck around the cafeteria. Still not here. I pull out my phone and check my texts. Nothing. Nada. Well, only a text from Jen that says, “Mr. Fringe looks super yummy today.”
I shove my phone back into my pocket. If her mother finds those texts, her ass is grass.
I fiddle with the strap of my bag, grab my lunch and sit down at our usual table. It’s empty; Jen is standing in line, making googly eyes at Mr. Fringe from across the room. I roll my eyes. I pick at my chicken nuggets. He is going to file sexual harassment charges against her, and I’m going to say I told you so.
“Why so blue, Charlie Brown,” Jen says, sitting down across from me. “Oh,” she smiles, “you’re missing your boo thang. How did it go? You ignored my calls all weekend. What’s up with that shiznit?”
I shake my head. “Hayden and Liam got into a fight,” I say.
Jen’s mouth drops open. “No, freaking way. That’s why Hayden has that big shiner; he is trying to cover it up with his hair, but it’s so totally not working. Why in the Hades didn’t you tell me! This is important information. You should be put in jail for withholding information.”
I almost smile. He deserves it. He has only ruined everything.
“Where is Liam?” she asks.
I shrug. “I have no idea. He won’t text me back. He kind of just left me at the house, he was mad.”
Jen cocks an eyebrow. “This is so juicy, two guys fighting over you,” she says, smiling. “Dreams do come true, huh?”
I dunk my chicken nugget in a big puddle of Ketchup. “Well, it would be if Liam would answer my phone calls,” I whisper.
Jen sighs, and then sits up, quickly. “Hottie alert,” Jen, says, fluffing her hair. “He is coming over here,” she whispers.
I glance over my shoulder at Mr. Fringe walking toward me. “Katy,” he says, smiling. He really is handsome, but about ten years too old for us. “How are you?”
“Good.” Liar.
“I wanted to come by and thank you for dealing with Liam.” I’m doing more than dealing with him. “You’ve done great for him. His grades have improved. I’m very thrilled to say that I’m happy I paired you to up.”
“Yeah, well he did it; I just gave him a push that he needed.”
Mr. Fringe smiles at me, and then he glances over at Jen. “Hello, Jennifer.”
She smiles. “Hello.”
“I see you in class,” he says, cocking an eyebrow. She tilts her head to the side. “You know what I mean.” He smiles and walks away.
A blush rides along Jen’s cheeks. “How humiliating.”
“What do you do in class?”
She laughs. “I fan myself when he walks past me. Blow him kisses behind his back and secretly wish he would give me two minutes of his time.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“That is humiliating. I bet he feels like he is naked on stage at Chip-n-dales.”
“That sounds yummy.”
“That sounds like rape.”
When I open my locker, after lunch, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I relax into the touch. Finally. I turn expecting to see Liam, but Hayden is standing behind me. A purple-ish bruise barely hides behind his shaggy brown hair.
“Can we talk?” he asks.
“No,” I say, shutting my locker. I start to walk to class when Hayden grips my elbow.
“Please, two minutes, Katy.”
I shrug him off, then gesture for him to go. “You have two minutes, go.”
He exhales. “I’m sorry about Friday. I…I don’t know why I done that. I just wanted to dance with you…I wanted you so bad. You looked so…good.” He glances up at me, his green eyes dark.
I remember why I liked him. Why I liked to look at him, he always has such a likeable expression on his face. Always smiling, the way his eyes sparkled. He smirks. “You don’t get to have me again, Hayden. You don’t. You wanted Holly and you have her. I am with Liam now,” I say, and for the first time it feels like the truth. I. Am. With. Liam.
Hayden’s lips turn down at the corners. “Holly broke up with me. I just thought…”
Oh. “You thought you could come back on your knees after she breaks up with you? How romantic,” I say, turning to walk away.
“No, she broke up with me because of the dance. She said I couldn’t stop staring at you. That I needed to get over you...,” he steps forward, “I can’t. You’re all I think about.”
I’ve dreamed about this moment. The moment Hayden realizes that he was an idiot and wants me back. I pictured him on a white horse, not in jeans in the hallway at school. I dreamed he would grab me, dunk me and kiss me. Like on those 80s movies. Hell, I even dreamed of him holding a boom box over his head. I pictured how perfect I would feel, how I would jump into his arms, let him carry me away into the sunset.
I don’t feel any of that. I glance up at Hayden’s green eyes and smile. “That’s nice, but I’m not interested. I’m with Liam now. I like him…a lot.”
“You can’t be serious?” he asks, grabbing a hold to my shoulders.
“I’m dead serious,” I say, snatching my shoulders out from underneath his hands. “He wouldn’t leave me for the first girl that comes his way. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go see about my boyfriend.”
I walk away from Hayden, a smile on my face.
I haven’t heard from Hayden since Friday and its Wednesday. I’ve gotten into my car several times to go see him, but always chicken out. I’m not sure what I should say. So, after I got out of school, I decide to go to his house. I’m a little nervous when I pull up into his driveway. His Jeep is parked in the driveway and I’m thankful no other vehicles are. Is he okay? Is he sick?
I sit in my car for several minutes. It feels weird to actually be in my car. I haven’t driven it since Liam and I started dating. Well, pretending to date, close enough. Maybe I should just go home? Maybe I should stop caring so much? Maybe I should stop being a pansy ass and get out of the car. Taking a deep breath, I get out and walk toward the door. I knock on the door and wait. I feel like I’ve been standing here for hours when finally the door opens.
Liam is standing on the other side. His black hair messy, no shirt, his eyes wide and only his toes are showing from underneath his long grey sweat pants, they make his eyes sparkle. “What…what are you doing here?”
I shift from one foot to the other. “Um, well, you didn’t show up to school, I got worried. I was just checking on you. I can leave,”
I say, turning to leave.
Liam grabs my elbow. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry. Just…come in.” He pulls me toward the door and shuts it behind me.
“Are you sick?” I ask, kicking the hardwood floor with the tip of my shoe.
Liam scratches his stomach and it draws my eyes down to that one spot where he scratches. I look back up. Do not stare at him. “No,” he says. But, it’s really hard not to.
“Did someone die?” I ask.
“No.” He shakes his head. “Just follow me.” I follow him up the stairs to his room. He points for me to sit on his bed. I sit down. I watch while he digs around in his drawer. What the hell is going on? He pulls out a stack of opened envelopes and hands them to me. “They’re from my mom. My real Mom.”
I look up at him. He is frowning. “Where did you find them?” I ask, looking through them. She lives in Tampa, Florida.
“In the spare bedroom. I went to get a tennis racket out of there, cuz I broke the one from the other day and found them shoved in the bag. I know my step-mom hid them. Stupid bitch.”
I wince. There has to be over two hundred letters. I pick up the envelopes and hold them out to the side. “Have you asked her about them?”
He shakes his head. “No. I need to calm down first. I want to kill her.” It’s been five days. I don’t think it’s going to get any easier.
“Does it say why she left?”
He nods. “She has muscular dystrophy. She thought it would be easier if I didn’t know her. Easier for her to die.” His voice cracks. “She has seizures. She just keeps getting worse.” He buries his face in his hands.
I bite my lower lip, stand up and hug him. “I’m so sorry. God, Liam.”
He hugs me, burying his face into my neck. “It just hurts. I could have built a relationship with her. I could have called her, emailed her, talked to her. I could have loved her.” He steps back, wiping his nose. “I’m going to write her back. Will you help me?”
I smile. “Of course I will.”
We sit at his desk for an hour trying to figure out what to say. What do you say in a situation like this? We decided to let her know what Liam’s step mom done. She needs to know that. The rest was a catch up on Liam’s life. He told her about everything…not about me being a pretend girlfriend though; we didn’t want her to think he was a weirdo.