My eyes practically bulged. Lena knew that I wanted a pair of high boots, and told Dad to get them for me for Christmas. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I screeched, holding a boot up.
“You’re welcome,” Dad responded with a chuckle.
I went through opening the rest of my gifts like that. Mom bought me a ton of clothes, which was always a great gift for me, while Dad got accessories and perfumes. They had to have planned that.
Lena’s gift was the last one I opened. It was in a small box. As I opened it, Lena bounced up and down on her spot. When the wrapping paper was off I saw that it was a jewelry box. I popped the lid open to reveal a delicate looking silver chain, with a rectangular prism connected to it sideways. On the side of the prism that I could see were the coordinates ‘N 38 81.6242 W 77 07.1282.’ I held the necklace up to the screen as I asked Lena what the coordinates were for.
She smiled as she answered, “Virginia.” Then she reached inside of her shirt and pulled the chain of a necklace until it was visible in the camera. She leaned forward so that I could see hers. Engraved into the metal were the coordinates ‘N 32 77.9541 W 117 14.6344.’ “You have the coordinates for the city I’m in, and I have the coordinates for the city you’re in. Now we’ll have a little piece of each other with us whenever we’re apart.”
My mouth dropped open slightly, and behind me my mom said, “Lena, that was such a thoughtful gift.” John murmured in agreement.
“I love it,” I said, sliding around so my mom could put it on me. She hooked it easily, even with a squirming toddler in her lap.
“Looks great,” John said.
“Thanks,” I responded, stroking the necklace with my finger.
“That is really beautiful,” came Dad’s voice from the laptop.
Lena went through her gifts a lot faster than I went through mine. When it was her turn to open her gift from me, she held up the present. She furrowed her eyebrows at it in confusion and I could tell that she couldn’t guess what it was. She even shook it lightly. When she finally opened it, she let out a loud laugh that was followed by my dad’s laughter, and then said that she loved it.
“I want to see,” my mom called.
Lena held up my present to the screen for Mom and John to see. It was a long, rectangular picture frame that had the words, ‘I love you because you’re my sister,’ painted along the top, and, ‘I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it,’ painted along the bottom. Inside were three pictures. All of the times where I’d done something bad to her in the past. The first was a cute picture of us from when we were really young. Lena was a chunky two-year-old, sitting on a couch, holding the baby version of me in her arms. There was vomit all over her shirt, and Lena looked horrified, while I was smiling from ear to ear, showing off my gums. The next picture was from our elementary school years. I was laughing so hard that I was clutching my stomach, while Lena was crying and holding up a fistful of curly red hair. That was from the time I put gum in her hair and she had to get it cut out. The last picture was from us this past summer. Lena was sitting in the sand, and I was sitting sideways on her lap. Her arms were wrapped around me in a tight hug, and we were both grinning hard. It was a really cute picture.
“That’s adorable, Ella,” Mom praised.
After Dad opened the tie I sent him, and Mom opened the perfume Lena shipped here, we all said our goodbyes. I closed my laptop and fingered the necklace that was leaving a cool imprint on my chest. I really loved it. It made me feel closer to Lena and my dad as I spent the rest of the morning helping the twins open their presents, and the rest of the day celebrating my first Christmas away from them both.
Chapter 14
Music blasted through the gymnasium as half-time began and our team headed off the court and into the locker rooms. Our cheerleaders flooded the center of the gym bouncing, flipping, and yelling. Everyone on my side of the stands went wild. Next to me, Shane even let out a loud whoop and clapped. I joined in a moment too late, just as the clapping died down and the cheerleaders began their routine.
The music pumped as they danced, then clapped in sync before going up into a stunt. The crowd went wild again as they began a cheer while maintaining their stunts. This was the first basketball game after winter break ended, and I was surprised the stands were so full. When the cheerleaders finished their routine, some girls tumbled across the floor. Just as they were bouncing back to the sidelines, my stomach gurgled.
I leaned over to Shane and patted his arm, gaining his attention. He turned and focused his green eyes on me, making me melt on the spot. He smiled softly, and flicked some hair from his eyes. “What’s up?” he asked, leaning over and speaking loud enough for me to hear him over the roar of the crowd that was now watching the dance team perform.
“I’m hungry,” I answered simply.
“Let’s go get something from the concession stand.” He stood and held a hand down to me.
I took it and stood up, clutching my cross-body bag to my chest as we made our way through the stands and off of the bleachers. Shane held my hand all the way to the concession stand, and only let go to reach into his pocket and pull out his wallet. He pulled out a crisp ten-dollar bill and held it out to me. “Here, get whatever you want. I’m going to run to the bathroom.”
“It’s fine, I have money,” I responded, gesturing toward my purse.
He tucked some of my hair behind my ear, his thumb stroking my cheek. “I know you do. I asked you to come here with me, though.” He dropped his hand and grabbed mine, placing the bill inside before closing my fist around it. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right back.” He smiled, holding my gaze. Before he turned to head toward the bathrooms, he leaned down and kissed my lips lightly. My heart hammered in my chest.
I got into line, tucking the money into my pocket. The line was long, and even worse it was moving slowly. I pulled out my phone and replied to a few texts from Lena and Trinity. While I was looking down at my screen, the person behind me tapped my shoulder. I looked up from my phone and noticed that the line had moved up.
“Thanks,” I said over my shoulder as I walked forward.
“Gabby?” was their response.
I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around to face a dark haired guy with sharp features. He had a strong jawline and thick eyebrows and was far more rugged now than he had been when I knew him. “Xavier?” I questioned.
He nodded and held his arms out at his sides. “In the flesh.” His gaze roamed over my body before landing on my eyes again.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned, a little dumbfounded that I ran into him of all people. I couldn’t believe it. I went years without seeing him, yet here he was now. Xavier Knight. The guy who took my virginity, and the only guy I’d ever been with. At the time I liked him, but the reason I did it was because of the pressure from my friends. Eleanor and her group of friends pushed me to lose it, and made me feel terrible for being the only one who was a virgin. He was perfect because he went to a different school and I knew I wouldn’t see him afterwards unless I made plans with him, which I never did.
He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and kept his brown eyes on mine. “I’m here with some friends. They go to the opposing team’s school.”
I nodded.
He smirked.
I turned and moved up in line, and Xavier moved to my side. “How have you been? Long time, no see.” He brushed his arm against mine and I stepped a little farther from him.
“I’ve been good,” I answered, looking toward the front of the line. Why the heck is it moving so slowly?
He poked me in my side, causing me to look over at him. I had to actively try not to frown. “Do you want to get together again sometime? Hook up and hang out? Like old times?” He stepped toward me, causing me to step back and out of line.
That’s when I saw him. Shane was standing there with a look of confusion lining his handsome features. “Hook up and hang out?” he repeated, his ex
pression quickly transforming into a frown. “What the hell does that mean?” Shane looked from me to Xavier, who was no longer smiling. He actually looked kind of scared at the sight of Shane, who was a good five inches taller, and way more muscular.
“Shane,” was all that came out when I opened my mouth.
He stared at me, obviously waiting for me to explain. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to frown.
I just stared up at him, not knowing what to say, or even where I would begin. All I could think was how it was just my luck that I went so long without seeing him, until now, when he mentions our hookup in front of Shane. Not long after I told him that I was a virgin. It was Karma again, reminding me what a bitch she was.
Shane took my arm and pulled me down the hall and around the corner, away from everyone. When we came to a stop, he crossed his arms again and repeated his question. “What did he mean by that, Ella?”
I sighed, preparing myself to answer him. I had no other choice but to tell him the truth. “He means hook up again. Exactly what he said.”
He was frowning so hard that his eyebrows knitted together.
“I lost my virginity to him.” I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn’t.
He shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair and stepped back. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
He shook his head again. He looked betrayed. “Why did you lie to me?”
I bit my lip and shrugged.
“No. Tell me. Why did you lie to me?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, throwing my hands up. “I thought that it was the only way to make sure that you didn’t try to pressure me to have sex when I wasn’t ready.”
Shane’s mouth opened slightly, and his eyes widened. “Here’s an idea, just tell me that you aren’t ready! Do you really think I’m that big of an asshole that I’d pressure you to do something you didn’t want to do?”
I shook my head. “No, I just wasn’t thinking.”
He feigned a laugh. “Oh, you were thinking all right. You were thinking enough to come up with a lie.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just looked down at my feet and tried to push back the urge to cry. I hated crying in front of people. My eyes continued to prickle with tears. I should’ve never lied to him. Now he’ll never trust me again. He’s right to be mad at me. I screwed up.
“I can’t believe you don’t trust me enough not to pressure you—so much that you had to lie to me. I thought we seriously had something.” His words were said under his breath, like he had given up on the conversation. Maybe even on me.
I looked up and met his eyes for just a moment before he shook his head for a final time, and turned to storm off down the hallway, leaving me staring at his retreating back.
Chapter 15
I dialed Shane’s number, pressing the phone to my ear and hoping he would answer. Just like before, the phone rang once before I was sent to voicemail to leave a message at the beep. I groaned in annoyance as I waited to leave a message.
“Shane, please call me, or text me back, or something. I’m so sorry.” Then I hung up and fell backwards onto my bed, sighing loudly. The game was on Friday night, and now it was Monday night and he still hadn’t spoken to me. During lunch at school today, he didn’t look in my direction once, and avoided me in the halls like I was the plague. It was so bad that Trinity noticed, and I had to explain what happened. She understood where he was coming from, but also where I was coming from when I told him the lie. At this point, I didn’t even know if we were still an item or not. I really hoped we were.
In a sudden burst of inspiration, I sat up and held my phone tightly as I scrolled through my contacts in search of one name in particular. Once I found it, I hit call, and waited impatiently for them to answer. I chewed my lip as the phone rang three times. It seemed as if the ringing was droning on, and stretching out longer than usual. I gripped the phone like it was my lifeline until finally the call was answered. I sighed in relief.
“Hello?” Carter answered groggily. He yawned loudly.
“Hey, Carter. It’s Ella.” I focused my gaze on the bare, white wall across from my bed. I was finished unpacking, but I still hadn’t finished decorating.
He groaned into the phone and I heard something ruffle around. It sounded like he was getting out of bed. “I know it’s you, Ella. I have caller I.D.,” he said after a moment, adding a light chuckle.
“Yeah, that’s right.” I laughed nervously. “Sorry if I woke you up,” I apologized, glancing at the alarm clock on the desk beside my bed. The red numbers showed 9:22 p.m.
“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep so early anyway.” He sighed. “Today was one of those days.”
“One of those days?” I questioned, not knowing what he meant.
“Yeah, one of those days where I was just tired all day long.”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Oh, I know what you mean. I’ve had those days.”
He laughed again. “Everyone has those days.” There was a momentary beat of silence. Then Carter asked, “What’s up, though? I’m assuming you called for a reason, not just to talk about my messed up sleep schedule.”
“Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t.” I sighed, and was about to ask if he knew about what happened between Shane and I, but he spoke up first.
He sounded worried. “Is it Lena? Did something happen?”
“No, no, she’s fine,” I replied hurriedly, before he jumped to conclusions and gave himself a heart attack. “It’s about Shane.”
“Shane? What about him?”
Here goes nothing. “He’s not answering any of my calls, or texts,” I explained simply.
Now Carter was the one to sigh. “Ella,” he began, stretching my name out. “You should really talk to Shane about this. I don’t want to get into the middle of it.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Did you hear what I just said? He’s avoiding me. I’m a blip in the back of his mind.” Just the thought pissed me off. We took one step forward by becoming official, and then two giant steps back. I wish I had just told him the truth in the first place. Why did I have to go and mess everything up?
Carter was hesitant to respond. For a moment I thought that he’d hung up on me, until he said, “Yeah, I know, but he’ll come around. It’s not really my place to get involved.”
“Yes it is. You’re his best friend, and you’re practically my brother-in-law. You can’t let me suffer like this.” I pulled at a loose string on my comforter. “I know what I did was wrong, and I’m really sorry. He won’t give me a chance to apologize, though. I made a mistake.”
“I know, but you have to understand, he really liked you and you lied to him because you didn’t trust him to respect you. He was really hurt by that.”
I bit my lip, thinking over his words. They only made me feel worse for not trusting that he had good intentions. Now I had ruined everything. I’d felt awful before, but now, if it was even possible, I felt ten times worse. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?” I asked after a moment. I scooted back on my bed and slid under my covers, curling up in the fetal position with my phone still pressed to my ear.
“Yes, I do,” Carter answered without hesitation. “People make mistakes. At the time, you probably thought that lying was the easiest way to deal with the situation and protect yourself from getting hurt.” He paused and took a breath. “I’m not saying it was the best route to take, but I understand. It’s hard to put yourself out there sometimes. It can be easier to have a reason behind a choice, but Ella, not being ready is reason enough.”
My cheeks blushed at the fact that Carter, of all people, was giving me life advice. He was the last person I would want to talk with about this, but it’s funny how things work out. He was actually helping me feel better. It was nice to know that someone understood why I had done what I did even in the slightest way.
“Shane will get it too. He won’t be mad at you forever.
”
I pulled my covers up farther around my neck and pulled them in tighter to my body. I felt like I needed to explain myself, even though he seemed like he understood. “I was just worried.”
“About what?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged out of habit. “Everything. That we were moving too fast. That he wouldn’t want to be with me anymore. That I’m not good enough for him.”
“Well, none of that is true. You should know that.”
“How am I supposed to know that? We saw each other for months before we became official, and he has a really extensive list of sexual conquests.” I sounded like a young girl with low self-esteem, but I didn’t care. I needed reassurance.
Carter laughed. It was a loud, booming laugh that caught me off guard. “Seriously? Do you think I would sit around and let him date you if I thought he wasn’t serious about you? I’d kick his ass if he hurt you, even if he is my best friend. Lena and I would probably end up tag teaming him. That’s one feisty sister you’ve got there.”
I laughed at the thought of Lena trying to beat up Shane, who was double her size and weight. That wouldn’t stop her from trying, though. She had a big people complex, where she thought she was bigger than she actually was. It also wouldn’t be the first time she fought someone to defend me. Shane would just be another name to add to the list:
Eleanor
Brianna
Shane
Hopefully, it wouldn’t get to that point.
“You’re right,” I responded, feeling a little better. “I just really want things to work out between us. Though that won’t happen if he doesn’t talk to me.”
Carter was silent for a second, but I could hear his breathing. Finally he groaned. “I’ll help you, but you can’t tell him that I had any part in it.”
Playing With Fire (Sweet Secrets #3) Page 7