Changes and Chocolates: Untouchable Book Two

by Long, Heather

  Jake parked and glanced from my phone to me. “You good?”

  “I’m gonna meet Rachel and fix this.” I motioned to my cheek. “I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria afterward, okay?”

  “No,” Jake said in the same breath as Coop did before Jake continued. “We’ll walk you, then wait.”

  “Someone needs to tell the guys. And I won’t be long.” I was dying for coffee.

  “It’ll be cool,” Coop said. “Guys are right there.”

  And sure enough, there was Ian and Archie, coffee cups in hand and both wearing worried expressions. Archie’s turned far darker the moment he got a good look at me.

  “She really fucking hit you?” It was such an echo of what Jake had said right down to the tone, I almost laughed.

  Almost.

  “I’m okay,” I told him as he gave me the coffee. He started forward like he planned to hug me then drew back.

  Fuck that.

  I hugged him, and then his arms came around me and he hugged me close. “You are telling me what happened,” he said against my ear. “Not here is fine, but after school and before dinner.”

  “Your dad is apparently buying me a dress,” I answered him in the same low voice.

  Archie snorted.

  “I’m not wearing it,” I warned him. “Like ever.”

  “I have no problems with that,” he said, then pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. “That right there I have a problem with.” He loosened his hold, and then Ian was there he scooped me close.

  I closed my eyes and held onto the coffee and Ian. “Thank you for the songs last night,” I whispered. “They really helped.”

  “Good,” he said. When he pulled back, he studied the red mark on my cheek. I should so have checked if it was showing before I left. I’d been in too much of a hurry to get out of there. “Just—Coop said you don’t want to talk about it. She’s done this before.”

  A part of me didn’t want to answer, so I just stared at him. But that wasn’t fair. Ian had recorded fucking lullabies for me to help me sleep. He didn’t deserve me being a bitch about anything.

  “Yes, but it’s not like it happens all the time or every day. Now, I was just telling Jake and Coop, Rachel is going to loan me some make up so I can hide this, and I’m gonna meet her at the girl’s bathroom in the theatre hall. No one is there right now.”

  Jake’s expression had gone almost unreadable, but Archie’s darkened further, and I didn’t think that was possible. But all he said was, “Okay.”

  “I got her bag,” Coop announced as they fell in around me like an escort.

  It was both sweet and a little unnerving.

  “I’m really capable of going to the…”

  “Don’t,” Ian said, and he was the last one to snap of the four of them. Coop did it when it was just the two of us. Archie and Jake always did, they weren’t shy. Ian tended to just be nicer. “We’re escorting as much for us as for you, okay?” His tone gentled toward the end, and I lifted my hands to surrender the moment.

  “Thanks, guys,” I said. “Sometimes, it’s just easier to pretend it didn’t happen. Then I don’t have to think about it. It’s a lot harder when all of you know.”

  They seemed to chew that over as we headed inside. Jake took point, and we went down one of the quieter hallways toward the theatre rooms and black box theatre tucked away behind the auditorium.

  “It’s a lot easier to be all alone that way, too,” Coop said. “Not my favorite.”

  And I knew that.

  At the girl’s bathroom, I pushed the doors in, leaving them in the hall to talk. Rachel leaned back against a sink, phone in hand when I walked in. She took one look at me and frowned. “Okay, when you said you needed to borrow make up, I thought you meant you had bags under your eyes. Which of those bitches hit you?”

  Oh.

  Boy.

  “It wasn’t anyone from school.”

  Her phone lowered. “One of the four idiots?”

  I blew out a breath. “No, Rachel, it wasn’t any of them and look, I appreciate the concern. I really do. I just want to cover this up so I don’t have people staring at me all day. They’ve had enough reasons to do that lately.” Crazily enough, she’d been the first one I thought to ask.

  Tucking her phone away, she pulled a small cosmetics pouch out of her backpack and held it out to me.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, you need a hand doing it? I’m not so bad at it.” With a wince, she added, “Not that I’m implying you are.”

  “I didn’t think you were,” I admitted, then took a sip of the coffee before setting it down. “And yeah, it’s been a while since I had to cover up something this big.”

  Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve had to cover up something like this before?”

  “Yeah, most recently hickeys.” I really needed to just shut up, or I was going to end up revealing a lot of crap I didn’t want to reveal.

  Touching her tongue to her teeth, the other girl canted her head and said, “I told you I thought you could use a friend and that I’d like to be that friend.” The words sent recognition sparking through me. “I understated it—you need a friend, and I am going to be that friend.”

  Wait.

  What?

  Rachel was Mr. Thorns?

  The corner of her mouth kicked up, and then she touched her fingers to my sore cheek and began applying the coolness of the concealer. “Probably not the best time to drop the surprise on you,” Rachel said. “I really wanted to tell you Saturday, but you looked so miserable.”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Then… “You sent those roses.”

  “Yeah.” Another smile, only this time with a hint of shyness. “I did. I’ve had a crush on you for a long time, and don’t worry, I get it. You don’t swing my way. A girl could hope and I did, but the more I tried to get to know you—the more I realized you needed a friend.”

  Facing her, I frowned. “You told me about the guys saying I was untouchable.”

  There wasn’t an ounce of apology in her eyes. “Yes, I did. Because they were being jerks, and you didn’t see it. Like I said—you needed a friend. I didn’t mean for it to hurt you, or for you to shut down the way you did. But you barely seemed to notice the world over the summer.”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  “And for what it’s worth,” Rachel said. “Thanks for calling me when you needed help—even if it was just for make up tips.”

  It wasn’t funny. It was all kind of sad in a way.

  But I laughed, and the corners of Rachel’s mouth curled up.

  “Rach,” I told her honestly. “If I did swing your way—I’d totally go for you.”

  Her smile grew, and she winked as she finished up the concealer, her touch light and almost effortless. “Guess I’ll just have to settle for a bosom buddy—speaking of which, you have a great bosom and thanks for wearing the red shirt.”

  To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about the shirt.

  Completely.

  It had been a shit morning.

  I’d worn Archie’s shirt for comfort.

  “Thanks for the roses, you have no idea how great they made me feel.”

  “Good.” Another couple of touches, and she switched to the base. “Now sit still, and let’s make you all sexy and shit for those four idiots—not that you need much help in that department.”

  My face heated, and I laughed.

  Okay.

  Rachel was Mr. Thorns and wanted to be my friend.

  The guys were all outside waiting for me.

  All of them had my back.

  Maybe not such a shit morning, after all.

  “I have no idea how to tell the guys,” I admitted. “They really didn’t like me getting those flowers.”

  Rachel smirked. “Good. Make them step up their game.”

  I laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  Yeah, m
aybe not so bad after all.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Reality Checks Don’t Bounce

  Rachel’s revelation added fresh spinout circles in my head, but at least these weren’t wretched ones. The idea Rachel had liked me enough to go out of her way to make me feel good was one thing, but she hadn’t been kidding about being attracted and I’ll admit it, the idea flattered me and left me as stunned as when the guys admitted they wanted to date me.

  She was right though. I needed a friend. The whole time she fixed my face, she kept up a small running patter of conversation. Including asking me about Homecoming. When I told her Cheryl had already demanded I go dress shopping with her, Rachel grinned.

  “Good, Cheryl’s got a good eye. I’m not bad, but—I’d want to dress you for me and not them.” Her wink pulled another laugh from me.

  “Okay, you flirting with me is going to take some getting used to.”

  Dropping her chin to her chest, Rachel let out a sigh. “This is the other reason I told you about the untouchable thing. I’ve been flirting with you for months, and you really never saw it.”

  Wait. What? “Is that why you’d start those nutty debates?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. Sometimes I just liked to rile you up. Though—I really did need help with the poetry homework, and I do appreciate it.” Tipping her head critically, she studied me and then took a step back. “I think that works, can barely tell you have it on and you can’t see the reddened skin. What do you think?”

  A glance in the mirror, and I let out a relieved sigh. “You’re really good at this.”

  “No, I’m not. But most of my stuff at least matches your skin tone.” She packed her stuff away, and I grabbed my coffee.

  “Seriously, thank you.”

  “Glad to help. Can I go rock your guys now?”

  “You keep calling them my guys.” It was a little on the uncomfortable side. For that matter, she’d said them instead of Ian earlier, too.

  Another dramatic sigh, and Rachel shook her head. “Okay, so which of them are you pretending to date? Cause I know all of them want to date you, and I’m pretty sure based on what I’ve seen, you’re into all of them.” Cosmetic bag stored away and her backpack strap over her shoulder, she folded her arms and stared at me. “Don’t worry. I’m definitely not judging.”

  I groaned. “It’s complicated.”

  “The best things in life are complicated.” Pushing away from the other sink, she hooked her arm through mine and we headed for the door. She pulled it open with a flourish. “Here she is guys, looking better than ever.”

  All four of them turned in our direction, even as their conversation cut off abruptly. Coop glanced from me to Rachel, then back again. “Looks good,” he said slowly. “You still look like you, too.”

  I felt a bit better about everything. I hadn’t been kidding about not wanting anyone to stare at me. “All Rachel, she’s a life saver.”

  “Happy to help,” she said, her arm still hooked through mine. “By the way boys, to save Frankie the angst, I’m the person who sent the roses and the letters.”

  If I had the foresight to lift my phone, I’d have been able to catch four, almost comical expressions varying from disbelief all the way to downright suspicion.

  “Huh,” Archie said after a beat. “Well, you’ve had a crush on her almost as long as I have.”

  “Wait—you’re Mr. Thorns,” Coop stated, eyebrows gathered in a fierce frown.

  “Mr. Thorns?” She cocked her head and looked at me.

  I shrugged. “I didn’t know your name, and you gave me roses, so… yeah. Thorns.”

  “How very Jane Austen of you.” Once upon a time, that dry remark might have irked me, but today, I only grinned. Because of all the bombshells of the last twenty-four hours—Hell, of the last week!—Rachel’s was the easiest to swallow.

  “Thank you,” I said with a salute of my coffee mug.

  Jake didn’t say anything for a long moment, then seemed to nod to himself before he eyed Rachel. “All right… she’s taken though. You got that, right?”

  With an indelicate snort, Rachel squeezed my arm. “As long as you four lunkheads don’t fuck it up anymore, than you already have.”

  “Wait… you were the one who told her we made her untouchable.” Coop was still wrapping his head around it.

  “Yep.” Rachel gave them a little wave with her fingers. “So be aware, I’m watching you. I like Frankie, she needs a friend, and I fit the bill nicely. So, she wins, you don’t. Keep it clean and don’t screw up, and I won’t have to destroy you. Toodles.” She set off down the hallway, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Light tone or not, Rachel had looked deadly serious. About half a dozen steps away, she turned and lifted her thumb and pinky toward her head like she was making a phone call. “You need me, just call. And if you ever get tired of them being dicks, lemme know.”

  Ian snorted, then swung his head to look at me. “She’s Mr. Thorns.”

  I lifted my shoulders. “I didn’t realize.”

  “And you wore red,” Coop said slowly, as if he was still playing catch up. “You wanted him to come find you.”

  “You know what, I kind of forgot. It’s been a crazy morning. I just wore Archie’s shirt.”

  That gave them a momentary pause and alone, in the empty hall, it was kind of peaceful, and I needed the minute. “Well then,” Archie said with a grin. “I like how it looks on you. You should wear all my shirts.”

  Jake groaned and gave him a shove. “You suck.” Then he glanced at me. “But feel free to raid my closet.” Then his grin grew a little bit wider. Maybe he remembered me in his boxers, I wasn’t asking.

  Not right here.

  “You okay?” Ian asked, hooking an arm over my shoulders. Coop still had my backpack.

  Honestly, my emotions had been all over the place, but I was mostly okay right now. “I think so. I feel kind of bad because Rachel put herself out there, but she did it just to make me smile, and we’ve always been so…”

  “Volatile?” Archie suggested.

  “Maybe?” I winced. “I owe her though.”

  “Yeah?” Jake slanted a look at me. “Why? Because she gave you a reason to ditch us for months? Or she’s prone to romantic gestures that make us look terrible?”

  Coop snorted. “Jake’s having a moment. He can’t punch the competition.”

  No, but Jake could thump him. The playful shove pulled another smile. It had all been so grim. Now… “Because she did me a favor, more than once, and she’s not asking for anything in return.” That meant a lot.

  “Cool,” Ian said, then glanced down the hallway before he pressed a kiss to my temple. “Then let’s focus on that. And don’t fall off the face of the Earth after that dinner tonight. We’re all going to be worried.”

  I glanced at Archie, and he nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m going. We’ll keep you in the loop.”

  “Good luck at the game, tonight, too. I wish I could say I’m sorry I won’t be there. I would like to support you.”

  “But you hate football,” Jake said easily. “It’s all good. Gonna be a boring game anyway. I’m not playing.”

  “Hey,” Ian said. “Don’t be an ass.”

  “But I’m so good at it,” Jake retaliated, and I grinned again. Coop held out my bag to Archie.

  Even as we split up to head to our classes, I managed to hold onto some of my recovered mood. Archie bumped my shoulder gently. “I’m taking you and Coop home, then we’ll see where they want to meet for dinner. I’m assuming you don’t want to ride with them?”

  “Fuck no,” I said aloud, and he nodded.

  “Cats or no cats, if they are there tonight, you aren’t staying.”

  “Archie… Mom said we’d have to rehome the cats when we moved in with him and I—I pushed back. That’s why she slapped me.”

  He frowned. “And you’re worried if you’re not there, they’ll just get rid of them?”

  “Righ
t now, I have no idea what they’re going to do.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he said. “I promise.”

  I really wanted to believe him.

  So. Much.

  If Mom got rid of my cats…

  I couldn’t even contemplate it.

  By seventh period, I was over the day and school. My focus had still been scattered, but I managed to pull it together for two quizzes and the French test I’d completely forgotten we were having.

  There was an epic fail.

  Luckily, I didn’t choke on the test. The guys were champions at distraction. I had an escort for every class, and this time when I had to slip into the bathroom before lunch, Coop just waited in the hall. The cramps improved, some. The closer we got toward dinnertime, the worse they grew.

  Fortunately, Mr. G just left us to read, and I’d finished that re-read of the chapters already, so Jake quizzed me. The distraction only lasted so long. My phone buzzed five minutes before the bell with a message from Mom with the time for dinner and the restaurant. They would be picking me up at six at the house. Oh, and she’d left the dress Eddie got for me on my door.

  Jake grimaced when he read the text. “That just reads fucking creepy.”

  He was not wrong.

  I fired a response back that said I’d meet them at the restaurant. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be there when I got home.

  The single K in response wasn’t comforting.

  Jake walked me out to the parking lot, and it was weird that we didn’t head to where my car was but toward Archie’s. Coop and Ian were already there with Archie waiting. We had to keep the goodbyes brief, but I wished them both luck on the game whether Jake was sitting it out or not.

  “Take care of her,” Ian said to Archie.

  “I planned on it, we’ll check in later.”

  “I promise,” I said. “This time, I really will check in and not forget. I’ve been crap about it.”

  “You’ve been distracted, baby girl,” Jake said quietly, the corner of his mouth kicking up. “As long as we know you’re okay.”

  There wasn’t much else to say in the crowded lot, so I gave them quick hugs, then slid into the car. Coop leaned forward between the seats as Archie headed out of the lot.