by Bella Emy
After Erin and I scavenge through our purchases and decide on what to wear for the first day of school on Wednesday, we change into beach shorts and tank tops over bathing suits and head outside to the backyard. It’s a good thing she and I are pretty much the same size. I hadn’t brought over a change of clothes. Of course, I could have walked home and grabbed some stuff, but it’s too hot, and right now, I just want to dive into the cool pool water.
As soon as I hit the patio deck, the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers cooking on the grill get my taste buds going, and my mouth begins to water. I’m definitely hungry.
Over to the right, Kennedy is sitting with her father, playing cards and laughing. Kennedy is very close to him, and I think she resembles him in many ways. For example, she’s got the same cleft in her chin. But it’s not just looks. She has a lot of Mr. Cole’s ways as well. The way she talks, and sometimes, even the way she moves, resembles him. Plus, the two of them have a bond that can’t be broken. Sure, Erin is close to her father, too, but she’s definitely closer to her mother. Kennedy and Mr. Cole have the type of father-daughter relationship that you see in movies. She’s a total daddy’s girl, and her pout, to this day, can still melt his heart.
“Lexi! Come on!” Erin calls from the pool; she’s already in it.
“Go on, Lexi. Swim around a bit. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. That will give you some time to cool off,” Mrs. Cole says, placing a pack of hamburger and hot dog rolls onto the wooden table.
I nod and walk over to one of the beach chairs near the pool. I pull off my tank top and shorts and place them onto the chair. Then I walk over to the ledge of the in-ground pool and watch Erin come up from underwater. She pretends to splash me, and I pull back.
Laughing, she says, “I’m only joking. Come on… the water’s not that cold.”
I dip my toe in and she’s right. It’s not too cold. Considering the fact that it’s still probably around ninety-five degrees or so, it feels good. “Oh, that feels amazing. It’s so hot today.”
She nods. “I know. So get in.”
I slowly make my way into the water, and once it touches my stomach, I shudder. “Okay, now it’s cold.”
She smirks. “You know damn well you can’t take it slow like that. You need to just dive right in, and then you’ll be fine. It’s only that first initial shock.”
Once again, she’s right. That’s always the way to do it.
Shrugging, I quickly dip the rest of my body in, holding my nose. As I come up, I wipe my eyes and push the water from out of my hair, and then breathe in and out again excitedly.
“See. Much better, right?” Erin splashes me, and I splash her back.
After dinner, Erin and I find ourselves lounging on the chairs, finally getting a moment to talk. Mr. and Mrs. Cole have gone inside, and Kennedy sits on the patio swing while talking to one of her friends on the phone.
“I thought we’d never get a moment to talk… it was like there was always someone around,” Erin says as she goes through her playlist, selecting one of the hit songs of the summer.
“Oooh, leave that one!”
“You really thought I’d take Just Like an Ice Cream Cone off? I still fucking love this song so much.”
I nod, giggling. “Me too.” I wait for a second and then ask, “So, you didn’t get to finish telling me about what happened with Jason last night.”
She’s all smiles. “Oh, girl, yes! He’s so sweet! We went down to the dock around ten and made out for like hours.”
My eyes widen. “And your parents were cool with you going to the dock that late?”
“No.” She shakes her head and looks at me like I’ve got three heads.
I smirk. “So, they thought you were where?”
“At your house, of course.”
I gasp. “You spent the night with him?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Erin looks around to make sure no one’s heard. Kennedy is still in her own world, laughing on her cell phone, and both of her parents are still inside.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“I sneaked back in around four… everyone was asleep, and thankfully, my parents were none the wiser.”
I shake my head, chuckling. “I’d have been so scared…”
She shrugs it off and says, “It was nothing. My parents can sleep through an earthquake. Anyway, enough about me. Have you had any more thoughts on seeing Kalen?”
Kalen. I had been trying not to think about him, but now she’s gone and thrown his name out there like it’s nothing. Of course he’s crossed my mind numerous times today, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I’ve thought about him a lot since meeting him,” I confess.
Erin’s eyes light up. “And…”
I shrug. “And, that’s it. I think about him. Nothing more.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Why don’t you call him?”
I furrow my brows. “I don’t have his number.”
“But I do!” she exclaims.
“You do?”
She nods frantically, scrolling through her phone. Then she begins typing something and places it down. Two seconds later, my phone dings. “Now you do, too.”
I pull out my phone from my pocket and see she’s texted me his contact information. “Erin! How the hell did you get his number? And when?”
Erin smiles and says. “Yesterday. Jason gave it to me. He told me I should give it to you and you should call him. Or text him. Whatever. Kalen likes you, Lexi.”
“I don’t know.” There’s no way in hell I’m going to call or text Kalen. I can’t. I won’t. I’m too chicken. My best friend knows this. Even if Kalen does like me now, which I know he can’t because I’m just little old me. There’s nothing special about me. Once he sees the girls that go to our school, he’s quickly going to forget about me.
She scrolls through her music once more until she finds another song she likes. She places her phone on the table and frowns, and as she’s about to say something, Kennedy walks up to us.
“I’m going to hang out with Tisha for a bit. Can you let Mom and Dad know I’ll be back later, but don’t mention Tisha.” Kennedy eyes Erin intently.
“Why can’t you just tell them on your way out?” Erin asks.
“I’m going out through there,” she answers, pointing at the gate in the yard.
Erin smirks. “Why don’t you go through the front?”
Kennedy is losing her patience. “Dammit, Er. Why can’t you just do me this one favor?”
“Because you know Mom and Dad don’t like you going out with that chick. She’s bad news.”
“Who’s bad news?” Mr. Cole walks out into the back yard and takes a seat on a wooden chair.
“No one. Forget it,” Kennedy says, turning away from Erin. “Thanks a lot.” She storms off inside.
Mr. Cole looks at us with a smirk. “She was going to see Tisha, wasn’t she?”
Erin shrugs. “You know Kennedy. She loves her some trouble.”
Her father winks at her. “Good girl. Thanks for looking out for her.”
“Anytime.”
“Good thing I came out when I did.”
“Honey, can you come back in for a sec?” Mrs. Cole calls to him from inside.
Mr. Cole lets out a breath and places his hands on his lap. “Well, guess I’d better head on back inside.”
“Jackson!” she calls again.
“Coming, dear.”
Erin chuckles. “Bye, Dad.”
Mr. Cole waves a hand and enters the house.
“Now, where were we?” Erin asks, turning her attention to me.
“We were talking about what a wonderful time you had on your date last night,” I respond.
Erin offers me a smug grin. “Nice try, Lex. I didn’t forget. I was just trying to see what you were going to say. Now about calling Kalen…”
I roll my eyes with a smile. “I’m not calling him.”
“Text him.”
“I’m not texting him either.”
“Woman, you’re going to regret it if you don’t.”
I shrug. Maybe I will. But I probably won’t. Even if I were to text him and we’d meet up tonight or tomorrow before school, it would all be forgotten once Wednesday rolls around. Why can’t Erin get this? She knows who we go to school with. She knows how friendly the girls are there… especially when they see fresh meat. Hot, fresh meat. Still, I know she’s not going to let up about it. If I don’t tell her what she wants to hear right now, she’s never going to let this go.
I look Erin straight in the eyes, and with a small smile, I say, “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Chapter Nine
Wednesday morning, Erin and I find ourselves walking through the halls of Tranquility Creek High School. Just as we had planned it out on Monday, we’re wearing our matching shirts with blue jeans.
“I can’t believe we’re juniors now!” Erin says as we walk to her locker first. Mine is down the hall.
She opens it, and I lean against the one next to hers. “I know. It’s crazy.”
Erin pulls out a notebook and then shuts her locker. Then, leaning against it next to me, she says, “The only thing that sucks now is that Kennedy is here, too. Dad says I have to keep an eye on her.”
I turn to face her. “It won’t be so bad… all her friends are here with her. She’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, all her friends, including that bitch, Tisha. My parents disapprove of her, and honestly, I can’t blame them. There’s word going around she lost her virginity when she was twelve and started drinking and smoking weed right after. It’s like she got smacked in the head with the stupid stick all at once.”
I chuckle. “I’ve heard all that, too. But Kennedy is smarter than that.” I put a hand on Erin’s shoulder and reassure her. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you keep an eye on her.”
Erin’s cheeks turn bright red, and her eyes widen. A smile pulls on her lips.
“What is it?” I ask, looking in the same direction as she is.
And then, I see it. Or rather, I see them. Jason Delaney and Kalen Starling, this year’s hottest seniors, walking down the hall. Jason is definitely staring at her, flashing her his famous smile.
However, Kalen is not looking anywhere but directly at me. Holy shit.
“Damn, Jason’s so fine,” Erin says, staring at him. I momentarily turn my head to look at her, and she’s biting her bottom lip.
Then I turn my gaze back at Kalen.
And he’s still looking at me.
And I want to melt.
He looks so handsome dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. His hair is styled with gel, and a shadow of a goatee covers part of his face.
I quickly take a look around, and sure enough, these two guys have attracted an audience. Girls are whispering to one another, smiling and obviously finding the new guy hot.
I look back at Kalen and swallow hard. My palms are sweaty, and my heart won’t stop racing.
I need to control myself though. This cannot be happening. I can’t fall for this boy. I can’t lose myself.
As Jason and Kalen finally reach us, I freeze.
“Hi, baby,” Jason says to Erin, pushing her back against her locker, kissing her hard.
“Hi, Lexi.” Kalen smiles at me.
I want to say hello back, but I swear, I can’t articulate a damn thing.
He chuckles. “First day back to school jitters?” he asks.
I finally snap out of my frozen state. “Ugh, yeah. A little.” But that’s a lie. It’s all him.
My glance wanders back to Erin who’s now giggling as Jason has his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Me, too,” Kalen answers. The way he’s looking at me seems like he’s interested in what I have to say. “Can I walk you to your first class?”
He wants to walk me to class?
“Well, I…” I stutter. I swallow hard and finish my sentence. “I was supposed to be walking with Erin to English class.”
Erin’s laughter interrupts our conversation. “Actually, Lex, Jay’s going to walk me… you can go with Kalen, it’s cool.”
If I could kill her right now, I would.
I turn to glance back at Kalen, and he’s smiling. “So, shall we?” His right hand is extended in front of him as if telling me to lead the way.
I smile nervously and take slow steps in front of him.
“Jason and I got here around seven-fifteen this morning. He was giving me a tour of the school. I think I know where I’m supposed to be first period,” he says as we walk side-by-side down the hall.
I nod. “That’s good. The first day at a new school can be nerve-wracking all on its own. You don’t need to be getting lost to add to the tension.”
We make our way up the staircase. “Yeah, it was his idea to show me around.” When we reach the top of the stairs, he walks in front of me and grabs the door, swinging it open.
“Thanks,” I say, stepping through it.
He comes up next to me once more, and we walk through the second floor.
Once we reach the door to my classroom, I say, “This is me.” We stop in front of it, and I lean against the wall.
Kalen steps closer, and for a second, it really feels like he’s about to lean in and kiss me.
I stop breathing for a few moments before his words break through my thoughts. “Lexi, I know you didn’t want to see me the other night, but I would really like to get to know you. I swear I’m not a bad guy.”
His statement takes me off guard. I don’t want him to think I think he’s a bad guy. I don’t think that at all. I’m only trying to protect my heart in case someone else steals his.
I give him a small smile. “I know you’re not. I think you’re a great guy. Really. I just can’t go out with you…”
He smiles slyly at me, and oh my God, if I could melt into a puddle of mush, I would right now.
Leaning in closer, he whispers into my ear. “And why’s that, beautiful girl?”
My heart speeds up even faster. I want to respond, to say anything, but instead, I’m frozen once again right where I am.
Kalen, on the other hand, is very cool and calm, and damn sexy. He reaches up with his hands and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
And I’m shivering. Chills race up and down my body. All I want to do is kiss him. All I want at this very moment is for him to place his hands anywhere on me.
But instead, it’s at that moment that the bell rings and he pulls away.
My eyes automatically lock with his. His smug grin with that devilish look still embodies his face, and fuck, he’s so hot.
He chuckles, and I think he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. Shit.
“It’s okay, Lexi. I told you. I’m not giving up.” He steps back, and right before he turns around, he says, “I’ll see you around, beautiful girl.”
Then he fades into the mass of students scattering through the halls.
Somehow, I don’t fall over from the thrills he causes my body, and I walk into first period English.
Erin and I had first period English together, but we didn’t get to talk because she got there right before the late bell rang. I had seen her and Jason share another worthy tongue kiss right in front of class, and when she walked into the classroom, she was definitely floating on cloud nine.
Now it’s fifth-period study hall, and we’re finally getting a chance to catch up.
“So did Kalen ask you out again?” she asks.
I shake my head. “He says he wants to get to know me. He thinks I think he’s a bad guy… I tried telling him I don’t think that, but I don’t know if he believes me.”
She shakes her head. “He probably thinks that because you won’t give him the time of day. Can’t you just hang out with him one time by yourself and see if you guys click?”
I let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think that’s the problem. I’m pretty sure we click…” Thoughts of the way h
e made me feel right before I walked into English class wash over me. Damn. I still get chills just thinking about it… and him. Fuck.
Erin flips through her notebook and opens up a fresh sheet. She scribbles her name on top and then Jason’s underneath, drawing little hearts and clouds around it. She’s got it bad for him. She never acts this way over a guy.
“So what is it then?” she asks.
I shrug, and she glances up at me. “I’m just scared, you know? I don’t want to end up getting hurt. I saw the way the girls were looking at him this morning when he and Jason were walking toward us down the hall.” I bite the side of my cheek and pout.
“You said it, girl. They may have been looking at him, but his eyes were glued on you. He didn’t even seem to notice anyone else. They were walking toward us. They came to us. Not those other chicks. You can’t live your life in the what-if.”
She’s always saying that to me because I do tend to wonder what if all the time.
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“You never texted him that day I gave you his number, did you?”
I shake my head.
Erin shakes her head back. “Well, fine. It’s on you. But I still think you should give the guy a chance. He obviously really likes you.”
“He keeps calling me beautiful girl.”
“See. He does like you a lot.”
I shrug again. “I guess so.” Maybe.
“Jason asked me to the pep rally next Friday night.”
My eyes widen. “He did?!”
A smile spreads across her face. “Yeah… the first official school event, and we’re going together. Then we’ll probably hang out afterward. Of course I still want to see him before then, but to know that we’re going together? Lexi, I think I’m falling for him.”
I smile back. “I’m happy for you.”
“You’re going to come, right? We can meet up there. You’ll sit with us, won’t you?”
I don’t want to be the third wheel, but everyone from school always attends the pep rally. I have to go. And where else would I sit? “Yeah, I’ll be there, and I’ll sit with you.”
“Good.”
And then it dawns on me. If she’s asking me to sit with them, is Jason asking Kalen to sit with them, too?