by Mj Fields
I smile. “I’m ready to have a good night with friends.”
“And you will.”
Toby jumps out and runs around the Jeep to open the door for me and help me out. As I hook my arm through his, a little red convertible parks a few feet away. A tall, leggy brunette gets out of the car, and then the passenger door opens and out steps Lucas, dressed in a black suit and wearing aviators.
I look away quickly and smile up at Toby.
“Quarterback?” Toby whispers.
I nod.
He winks. “Show time.”
He slides his hand around me and places it low on my back, which, because of the dress, seems to be open. I follow suit, wrapping my arm around his waist, beneath his suit coat, and although I’ve hugged Toby before, I never realized how thick and strong his back is. He then kisses the top of my head, and all of this happens while we walk by Lucas and his date.
When we’re far enough away, I whisper, “I think you chose the wrong profession, Green. You should have been an actor.”
“Are you kidding me? And miss this? Besides, I’m only half-acting.” He winks. “The rest is real. I’m going to show you what it’s like to be treated like a princess, and someday, when you’re older, hopefully we can try it out for real.”
I have no idea how to respond to that, and when he opens the door and says, “After you, princess,” I don’t have to.
Jade, who is waiting for us, looks over my head and narrows her eyes.
“Don’t, Jade,” I whisper, shaking my head.
“Hello, Tessa. Hey, Tommy,” Lucas booms from behind us as he walks in. “Tommy, you remember Marie?”
“Hello, Marie.” Tommy gives her a tight smile then gives Lucas a look, as if to say, what the hell?
“Tessa, this is Marie,” Lucas says.
Toby reaches out his hand to Lucas. “Hey, I’m Toby, Tessa’s date and future husband.”
“Oh, really?” Lucas laughs haughtily.
“I’ve known Tessa for years. She’s grown into a stunning young woman, don’t you think?” Toby asks.
“Yes, she is,” Lucas says. “Young being the operative word, Toby, right?” He deliberately doesn’t wait for the answer to the question. “And this is Marie. I’ve known her for years, too.” He leans in and whispers into my ear, “Number one.”
I can smell alcohol on his breath.
I glare at him for two reasons now and, in anger, hiss, “We both brought our number ones. Yours is already used up, mine will break me in soon enough.”
“You two need a minute?” Toby asks me.
My face starts to burn at the thought of him possibly hearing me, and I take his hand. “Nope, we’re done here.”
“Good, because I don’t like to share.” Toby drops my hand and places his hand on my back, caressing my bare skin before resting low, really low on my back. He leans in and whispers, “You okay with this?”
I reach around him and bravely pat his ass. “You better plan on stepping it up, Green.”
“My pleasure.”
As we round the corner, he turns around and … kisses me. It’s soft, and sweet, and it’s honestly exactly what I need. When he starts to pull back, I take his face in my hands and kiss him back.
“Get a fucking room,” I hear Lucas hiss when he turns the corner.
I ignore him and keep looking at Toby. “That was nice.”
I see Tommy grip Lucas’s shoulder. “Keep walking, Links.”
“Yes, it was,” Toby says.
“I’m sorry. This must be weird for you.” I feel my already heated face full-on blushing.
“I asked you to the dance before I knew all this, Tessa. Regardless, you’re hurting, and I’m here, and don’t think for a second that I’m not enjoying myself. I’ve watched you for years grow into what you are today. I’ll be damned if I will let some punk screw with that perfect heart of yours. And that future husband stuff, file that under things to do after college.” He winks at me, making my face catch fire. “You kiss like an angel.” He then takes my hand, and we walk down the decorated corridor and into the gymnasium together.
Walking under the balloon arch, we enter the gym that is decorated with blue and white streamers and fabrics covering the walls, canopying the ceiling, and twinkling white lights softly illuminating the gym and transforming it into something that was supposed to be special.
Toby gives my hand a squeeze, and I squeeze back.
I look across the empty dance floor at the cafeteria tables that were moved in for this occasion, covered with white linens and blue and white carnations, in vases, as centerpieces.
Jade and Tommy are sitting with Marie and Lucas. Alex, Phoebe, Becca, and Joshua—her date—sit at the table beside theirs. Both tables have two extra seats.
Jade nods to them, and I silently thank her for giving up prime seating for me.
“You ready, angel?”
I nod and step closer to him.
Toby pulls out a chair for me, and I set my camera on the table before sitting down.
“You two look stunning,” I tell Phoebe and Becca.
Phoebe is in a hot pink, sleeveless dress that comes to just above her knees. Becca is wearing a pale pink A-line dress.
Becca stands. “We should do pictures.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Phoebe stands next.
Toby hasn’t even sat down yet. I look up. “Sorry.”
“This is your night; don’t be sorry,” he says, placing his hand on the small of my back, and then we head to stand in line.
I am acutely aware that, behind Jade and Tommy, Lucas and Marie are standing in line, too. Toby pulls me closer to him, as if he senses it.
Phoebe suggested that us girls take a picture together first. So, the four of us stand in front of the white backdrop, with balloons on each side of it, while the professional photographer takes our photos. We do silly poses, which would have been fun, had it not felt forced.
Walking away so Alex and Phoebe can get their pictures done, Lucas grabs my arm. “We need to talk.”
“Let go of my arm.” When he does, I ask, “What do we need to talk about?”
“You okay, Tessa?” Toby asks.
Looking at Lucas, I nod.
Lucas’s eyes are hard and angry when he says, “You’re not wearing a bra.”
The dress is backless, and wearing a bra wasn’t necessary, but him talking to me like that pisses me off, so I tell him, “I know. It’s very freeing.”
His nostrils flare. “Do you have a coat?”
Okay, so that may have not been the best way to deal with a drunk Lucas.
I shake my head. “Lucas, what do you want?”
“For you to forgive me,” he states.
I clip out, “I have. Let it be.”
“If you hadn’t left me for them—your friends—this wouldn’t be happening.”
Pissed, I lean in and whisper, “I got a bikini wax when I was there, too.” Then I step back. “That was supposed to be for you.”
His mouth gapes, and I see Marie shift her weight, which isn’t much, from one foot to the next.
Fuck this.
“That pain won’t be wasted tonight. Now, you have fun with Marie.” Then I walk away.
“You okay?” Jade asks.
“Never been better. I told him I wasn’t wasting the wax. Now, where’s my date?”
While dancing with my friends and having a good time, I’m also painfully aware that Lucas stands on the edge of the dance floor, with an obviously bored Marie by his side.
I’m also not so painfully aware that Sadi is aware, and it helps me not worry so much about what his mother would think of me when she arrives, which I should not be worried about at all.
When the music stops, Toby, who is standing with Alex and Josh, walks to the mic, right before I spot Mom and Dad joining the parents grouped together on the outskirts of the makeshift dance floor.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honor to be he
re to pass the crown on”—he chuckles and holds up two fingers—“for the second year in a row. Last year’s king and queen, Allen and Samantha, weren’t able to make it due to being somewhere across the country, working with the Peace Corp and doing good things around the globe, so this year, you get me again.”
Laughter and applause comes from all around me.
“So, let’s do this, shall we?”
After the court is called, four of us remained. Either Lucas or Alex will be crowned the Blue Valley Saints King, and either myself—which is a shock, because it should be, hands down, Jade—or Sadi—which is a disgrace—will be crowned homecoming queen.
“Ladies first.” Toby smiles as he’s handed an envelope.
Sadi whisper-hisses, “Gonna take your crown like I took your man.”
I roll my eyes. “Neither mean shit to me, Sadi. Enjoy.”
“And your queen … my date, Tessa Ross.” Toby smiles. “Come up here, angel.”
I look at Sadi and, yes, it’s bitchy, but I love the shocked expression on her face, and I can’t help but smirk.
Standing next to Toby, he crowns me and gives me a quick kiss on the nose. “Stay up here and help me crown the king.” Then he hands me the king’s crown.
When he opens the envelope, he chuckles. “And your king, Lucas Links.”
Lucas walks toward me, tall, shoulders squared, and confident as hell, but his eyes appear desolate. He stands in front of me, bows his head down, and I place the crown on his head.
“Congratulations, Lucas. Now smile so your mom can take your picture.”
He smiles that dazzling Lucas smile, but it doesn’t hit his eyes as he pulls me to his side. “Smile Queenie.”
After the cameras flash, I try to step away, but Lucas tightens his grip on my waist.
“Lucas, please let go.”
“Never.” Lucas turns and looks at me, his eyes burning into mine. Then, before I can get too pissed—hell, even before I have time to pull my eyes from his—he lets go.
Toby’s voice comes across the microphone. “Will the king, queen, and court please step to the floor for your dance.”
Lucas takes my hand, and as we pass the DJ, he stops for a split-second and says something to him. Then he pulls me to the dance floor and the music begins.
“Eternal Flame.”
“This isn’t over, Tessa. I love you, and I know you feel the same.”
The song, the sadness in his eyes, the fact that he truly seems to believe what he says is right and true, makes my heart begin beating faster inside my chest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Toby watching me, and instead of appearing jealous, he looks completely at ease.
On the dance floor, Lucas grips my hips possessively then slides one hand up my back. Scowling, I look from Toby to Lucas, who is not looking at me. He’s glowering at Toby as he pulls my head to his chest and kisses the top of it.
“Stop it,” I whisper.
“For the camera, Tessa Ross.”
I look around for his mom and can’t find her. I look up at Lucas, confused.
Why isn’t she here for him?
The rest of the night, I hide behind the Polaroid, making sure to get plenty of pictures of Jade and Tommy, Phoebe and Alex, and Becca and Joshua. Each time I glance in Lucas’s direction, he’s watching me intently.
“Hey,” Alex says from behind me. “Thinking a bunch of us should go to camp after this.”
“I concur.” I nod.
“Should I invite—”
“You can, but I’m thinking he already has plans.”
With Marie.
Everyone agrees.
Toby didn’t plan on coming, saying it should be a Blue Valley senior class thing. I strongly disagreed.
We stop at the farm to get changed, and Alex has already given Dad a heads-up and gotten his approval.
I change into jeans and a long-sleeved, black Pearl Jam tee and dump out my duffle to pack up some socks, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt or two in case one of my friends forgot how cold it gets, even by the fire.
Zipping up my bag, I see a note in the pile of books I dumped out. Apparently, I’m a masochist today, because I pick it up and read:
I wish it was me taking you tonight. I wish I could let you see what I know is there, deep underneath the black in my heart.
Day 1 without Tessa Ross hurts my heart.
LYA,
Lucas
I hate that I still feel so much for him, even with what he’d done with Sadi, and the fact he brought Marie—his number one—to homecoming.
To clear my head, I look out the bedroom window toward the falls as I sling my backpack over my shoulder. Under the light, I notice that, in this drama going on in my life, I haven’t even noticed that the leaves are changing color.
My great-aunt Anne once told me that “Once you love, you never stop; it just changes.” Yes, it was about a cat that died, but still, I suppose it’s true in all things.
Walking out the back door, under the driveway lights, which is basically a streetlight, I watch as Toby, now in jeans, is in the process of putting on a sweatshirt. He’s jacked and beautiful. Fuller and broader than Lucas.
Pulling on the sweatshirt that says “NAVY” in yellow letters, he smiles, clearly seeing the expression on my face.
“Damn, Toby. My fake date is fine.”
“And the Future Mrs. Green is hot as hell, and a queen to boot.” He opens the door. “Let’s get to getting.”
Climbing in, I laugh. “Let’s.”
Toby reaches in the back, grabs a cowboy hat, and sets it on my head. “Trade the tiara for the country girl crown?”
I laugh. “Hell yes.”
When we pull off Harvest Road and hit the dirt path, Toby sighs. “This place is one of my favorites.”
“Mine, too.
“After-parties on John Deere Lane always were my favorite.”
“Wait—what?”
“All through high school, your dad has always let us guys, who worked for him, come up here after dances. Kind of a nonverbal agreement to show up when deer camp opened and do our part to help out. True sense of community.” He laughs. “But yeah, party on John Deere Lane.”
“For your information, it’s Doe Camp when the girls and I are here.”
Throwing his head back, he laughs. “Then so it is, angel, then so it is.”
Toby parks by the pond and jumps out before hustling around to open my door.
He turns so his back is to me. “Jump on.”
On his back, he walks toward the wood pile already set up. I assume Dad must have come up here and done it when Alex spoke to him about the after-party.
I notice headlights cresting the hill as Toby and I make quick work of starting the fire. Obviously, he’s done this a few times.
When it’s started, he pulls an Adirondack chair up closer to the fire. He sits and pulls me onto his lap, wraps his arm around me, and kisses the top of my head. All part of the act, I’m sure.
“Relax and enjoy, Tessa.”
Alex, Phoebe, Jade, Tommy, Lucas, and a few others see this as they walk toward us. I look for Marie but don’t see her.
Mike and Ronnie, two football players, carry a cooler and set it down close to us. “Anyone want a beer?”
“I do,” I answer, and Mike tosses me one. I completely avoid looking at Alex.
Toby laughs. “Your dad would have your fine, little ass, girl.”
“And he would have yours if he heard you say that.” I laugh as I pop the tab.
As soon as it touches my lips, I regret it. Beer is even worse than wine. But Maggie and John didn’t raise a quitter.
“Alex, you want one?” Mike asks.
“No, one of us has to be responsible,” Alex quips.
“Not it.” I raise my beer, and everyone laughs. Well, not everyone. My close friends and Lucas certainly don’t.
“Links?” Mike asks.
“No, I’m good,” Lucas answers.
>
I finish the beer.
After a bit, I start to get chilly. Goosebumps cover my arms, and Toby seems to notice.
He whispers in my ear, “Check this out.”
He lifts me off his lap and stands up. “Angel, you cold?”
“Why, yes, I am,” I try not to laugh, or drool, as he pulls his sweatshirt over his head. The tee shirt under it rises to indecent levels and, good God, he has an amazing chest.
He then steps forward. “Arms up.”
I do, and he puts the sweatshirt over my head, asking, “Better, angel?”
“Not quite yet.” I laugh nervously as I notice everyone looking at us. And Lucas? He’s fuming.
“I’ll be right back.” Toby kisses my cheek then hurries toward the pond. I assume to his Jeep.
As soon as he’s out of earshot, Jade says, “Holy shit, Tessa, he’s freakin’ hot, but he always was.”
Everyone except Tommy and Lucas laugh out loud.
“And he loves Jesus,” Becca adds.
“He’s nice.” I shrug.
“Understatement of the century.” Phoebe laughs. “He’s perfect for you. Already family.”
“You are, too.” I wink.
“But is there a spark?” Jade asks.
I nod. “And he kisses like—”
“Like what?” Toby asks.
Startled, I jump and whirl around. Toby plants a kiss to my lips.
“Just like that.” I smile and step back.
He sits in our chair, and yes, I guess it’s ours.
Needing a drink, I glance back at Mike. “Can I get another?”
“Hell yes.” Mike laughs.
When I turn to go to the cooler, I notice Lucas is in a chair behind it. When I open it, Lucas closes it with his foot.
“Excuse me.” I roll my eyes.
“You’ve had enough,” he whisper-hisses.
I push his foot off and grab not one but three beers, and then I slam the cooler shut and return to Toby.
He pats his lap and, as I sit, he chuckles, “Thirsty, angel?”
Glaring at Lucas, who is glaring at me from across the fire, I answer, “Yes.”