St Mary's Academy Series Box Set 1

by Seven Steps

  I needed Ollie.

  He texted he’d be here in the next thirty minutes, but he arrived in twenty.

  “Princess?” he called out, jogging into the room. “Princess, are you in here?”

  I sighed and pushed the curtain open, revealing myself.

  “In here,” I said.

  He placed a relieved hand on his chest, then walked over to me.

  “Why are you here? Are you all right?”

  I nodded. But then the tears started to fall.

  No, I wasn’t okay.

  I wasn’t okay at all.

  Ollie’s arms were immediately around me. He pulled me into the booth, then sat, settling me on his lap while I cried into his shoulder.

  “Everything is so messed up,” I sobbed.

  He rocked me gently, sending comforting vibes through me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Please, Princess, tell me what happened.”

  Through weepy eyes and a runny nose, I told him everything. From me finding the lingerie to my parents’ announcement of their divorce, to my missing phone and my destroyed art room.

  He listened intently, his gaze never leaving me, his arms tight around me.

  When I finally stopped talking, he wiped at my tears with his thumb.

  “I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said. “I know how important those paintings were.”

  “I’ll never get into the summer program now.”

  He cupped my cheek with his hand. “Don’t worry. We can paint new ones. Better ones. You’ll get into that art program. I promise.”

  “But there’s no time. There are only three spots left. By the time I paint five different paintings, all the spots will be gone.”

  He smiled. “Come on, Princess. Have a little faith. For me?”

  I bit my lip and nodded.

  Maybe I could do this. Maybe I could get my paintings in on time, between the mural, helping my friends with Battle of the Bands, school, homework, art lessons with the RATZ, and now my insane mother.

  I sighed. It all seemed so impossible. And yet, Ollie had so much faith in me. I couldn’t help but have a little faith too.

  “Thank you for coming,” I whispered.

  He smiled up at me, his hands warm against my skin. “I’ll always be there when you need me. Any time. Any place.”

  I smiled and looked down at my fingers.

  “You know, she introduced me to art. We used to watch these animal documentaries when I was a kid. After the show was over, Mom would get out her sketchpad and start drawing. I used to love watching her draw. I loved how calm and quiet everything was.”

  “Is that what made you want to become a painter?”

  I nodded. “I wanted to be like her. To bring life and joy to people through my pictures, just like she did. But, when I was twelve years old, everything changed. She and Dad started fighting. And then she stopped drawing. That’s when I lost them.”

  A few tears slipped from my eyes. Ollie held me close, rocking me gently until I was calm again.

  He was so gentle. So kind. So loving.

  I examined Ollie’s eyes. His lips.

  So much inside of me wanted to hand over my heart to him. But something was still holding me back. A persistent fear that buzzed around me like a mosquito. I was so afraid. But, I wanted to not be afraid anymore. I wanted to try to face my fears. Even if I failed. I was tired of being terrified of living. I wanted to live out loud. Be joyful. Be happy.

  And something inside of me knew Ollie was my chance at happiness.

  If only I could let him in.

  I worried my lower lip between my teeth.

  I needed to give him a chance. And, sitting here in his arms, I felt so safe. So at peace.

  Maybe Ollie would hurt me. Maybe he wouldn’t. But I was done being afraid to try.

  “My father cheated on my mother,” I blurted out. “And she hates him for it.”

  His eyes opened wide.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “I wanted you to know that.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  I took a deep breath. “I want you to know I don’t want that to happen to me.”

  His thumb moved back and forth along my cheekbone.

  “Princess, I would never do that to you. Ever.”

  “Do you promise?”

  He nodded. “With everything in my heart.”

  “I need more than that, Ollie.”

  He let out a breath and looked deep into my eyes. “I promise you on my mother’s grave that I will be faithful to you. And only you. There’s nothing more serious for me than that.”

  I saw the truth in his eyes. That intense stare that let me know he meant business.

  My heart was still unsure.

  I was terrified of the pain, but my need to have Ollie in my life in a deeper level outweighed the fear.

  And so, I did one of the hardest things I would ever do.

  I let him in.

  “Okay.”

  His eyes filled with surprise.

  “Okay?”

  “Yes. Okay.”

  My gut clenched. My chest felt tight. I was so anxious I could hardly sit still.

  “Should we seal it with a kiss?”

  My entire body went hot.

  I’d thought about kissing Ollie. Dreamed about it.

  But, now that the moment was here, I didn’t know what to do. Where would I put my hands? Did my breath smell? Was I too heavy on his lap? How would I move my lips? What if I didn’t like it? What if he didn’t like it?

  He must’ve seen my terror because he gave me a gentle smile. One hand moved from my cheek to the back of my neck while the other hand softly rested on my chin.

  “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ve got you.”

  He leaned in close, and his lips softly brushed mine. Electricity jolted through my body, making me jump the second he touched me.

  I was mortified, but he just laughed.

  “Skittish, much?”

  “No.” I was sure I looked like a scared deer right about now. “I just… I don’t know what to do.”

  “We barely did anything.”

  “We did something!” I avoided his eyes as humiliation wrecked through me. I’d just had my first kiss and it had been an epic fail. I wanted to sink into the floor.

  “Don’t worry. Here, put your hands here.” He placed both of my hands on his cheeks. They felt rough with day old stubble.

  “Now close your eyes.”

  I complied.

  “And pretend you’re making out with your pillow while you think of me.”

  My mouth opened, ready to tell him I did not do that, when his lips captured mine, and I melted. He gently massaged my upper lip with his, making my knees weak. My fear drained away quickly, and I mimicked his movements with his bottom lip. He must’ve liked it, because his hand on the back of my neck tightened, and he moved closer to me. The added pressure made my entire body go white hot. My heart beat wildly, and blood rushed through my ears. It felt like I was drowning. Like Ollie had greedily taken up all my air. But my body was so abuzz with feeling that I didn’t care. I wanted more of his kisses. More of his touch. More of him.

  I pressed closer, moving from sitting on his lap to spanning my legs on either side of his. The movement sent both of us sailing backward, but we were too tall and the booth was too short. Ollie ended up with his upper back against the wall and his lower back at a weird angle on the floor, while I lay on top of him like a broken rag doll.

  Strike two for me.

  “Whoa there, Princess.”

  I sat up and put my fingers to my still buzzing lips. I was mortified. First, I’d jumped out of my skin when he touched me, then I tackled him. What was wrong with me?

  I turned, ready to flee the tent and never set foot in the same room with Ollie again, but he grabbed my arm.

  “Let me go,” I said, trying to shake him off. “I suck at this.”

  “No, Princess. Wait.” He pull
ed me back toward him. He’d managed to pull himself from collapsed on the floor to a sitting position.

  “Just, let me go, Ollie.”

  “Here.” He opened up his coat and put my hand on his heart. It was beating hard and fast. Just like mine. “See? I liked it.”

  I eyed him warily.

  “That wasn’t just from the fall?” I asked.

  He smiled wide at me and pulled me closer to him. “It was from a fall,” he said. He gave my hand a gentle tug, pulling me back to him. “You know what they say? Practice makes perfect.”

  We were nose to nose now, both of us sitting on our sides, facing each other.

  “How much practice do you think I need?” I asked, shocking myself that I could flirt when I’d just humiliated myself.

  He moved closer and smiled against my lips. “Lots.”

  He kissed me until I was no longer afraid of him kissing me.

  I kissed him until I felt confident enough to actually kiss him. Then, I really kissed him.

  In that booth, we touched forever, and it was warm and beautiful and magnificent. Our hearts inspired a song of peace, while our lips sang the lyrics with patience and care. In that moment, we were both Icarus. Flying close to the sun. Feeling, for once in our lives, that we were soaring through the clouds with the wind at our backs and the sun kissing our face. For that brief moment in time, we were free.

  When we reluctantly left the booth, the sun had already set, and the temperature outside dropped another twenty degrees. But I didn’t feel the cold. I only felt Ollie’s lips pressing against mine, even when they weren’t. I could see why Bella and Ariel took whatever opportunity they could to make out with their boyfriends. I wanted to kiss Ollie forever.

  Our hands clung as he drove me home. We didn’t speak the entire ride. I think our lips were tired. That alone made me blush.

  When we pulled up in front of my building, I didn’t get out right away. We sat there, hands entwined, staring at the city laid out in front of us.

  I wondered what would happen if we ran away. Would anyone miss us? Would anyone care? More importantly, how was I going to get my car tomorrow?

  “This has been the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” Ollie whispered.

  I thought about it, then answered with absolute certainty. “Me too.”

  “Stay with me.” He rolled his eyes to the side, looking at me with a small smile.

  “Here? In the van?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  I smiled. There were a million reasons why I could not sleep in the van in front of my apartment. But most of them didn’t seemed to matter just then.

  Honestly, if I didn’t have to go talk to my mother right now, I might have said yes.

  It’s amazing how a person can go from makeup and fancy dresses to wanting to sleep in a van.

  A few weeks ago, I didn’t even want to wear T-shirts!

  Without speaking, we leaned toward each other and shared a brief, clinging kiss.

  A promise.

  “I have to go talk to my mom,” I said.

  He sighed. “I know. But it was worth a shot, right?”

  I smiled at him.

  “Pick me up for school tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be here at seven on the dot.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  I wanted to kiss him again. To feel his touch one more time. But if I did, I knew we’d be caught in a never-ending cycle of kisses, and then I would really have to sleep in the van. So, I gave his hand one final squeeze and pulled the door open.

  “Princess,” he blurted out.

  I turned to him. His cheeks were red, and his hands were fidgeting.

  “I think it’s time to… I mean it’s only fair that… I think…”

  He unlatched his seatbelt, turned his entire body to me, and said, “When we go to school tomorrow, I think we should do it exclusively.”

  Exclusively?

  His meaning hit me hard on the head, and my entire body felt light.

  “As in boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  He nodded. “As in, this is me asking you to be my girlfriend. And to accept me as your boyfriend.”

  I flung myself at him, my kisses interspersed with my emphatic yeses and his laughing.

  We kissed until there was no more time for kisses and I had to pull away.

  “I have to go,” I said.

  He kissed me on the corner of my lips, which made me want to fling myself at him again.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Princess,” he said.

  “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

  I took one final look at Ollie before turning to my apartment. Somewhere upstairs, my mother was probably trying to leave yet another text or voicemail and wondering why it wasn’t going through. She’s probably called all my friends by now. Maybe even the cops. To say she was most likely losing her mind was an understatement.

  Surprisingly, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

  I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked into the building.

  My mother had crossed the line today.

  And when I went upstairs, she was going to have to make a choice. And she wasn’t going to like it.

  54

  “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours.”

  Mom stood in the doorway, glaring at me. Her cheeks were pinched, her face was red, and her eyes were a dueling mixture of anger and worry.

  I kept my responses short. “I was out.”

  “Out where? And why isn’t your phone allowing me to call you?”

  “Can we talk inside, please?”

  “No. We are going to talk about this right here. Where were you?”

  “Out.”

  “With a boy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  “Ollie.”

  “I expressly forbade you from seeing him.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re grounded.”

  “You can’t ground me. I’m leaving.”

  I pushed past her and into the hallway that led into the apartment. I heard her slam the door behind me, and I turned.

  “Leaving? I think not, young lady.”

  “I am.”

  “And where do you think you’re going?”

  “To Dad’s.”

  I came up with the plan on the way up here. There was no way I was cursed with two insane parents. If Mom had lost it, then I’d try my luck at Dad’s place.

  She laughed out loud. “Your father is living with his whore somewhere in SoHo. I doubt they’ll want a guest.”

  He was living with one of his girlfriends? I assumed he had another apartment or house somewhere. My whole bargaining chip was that I’d go live with my father. Now I had to scramble to think of something else or else my mother would have the upper hand. And she could not have the upper hand.

  “Fine. I’ll go stay with my brothers.”

  “In the college dorm? Guess again.”

  “Then I’ll go live with Aunt Chi.”

  Aunt Chi was my mother’s sister and, apparently, the sanest family member I had.

  “Aunt Chi is selling her house and moving in with us. Anyone else?”

  I began to sputter as my confidence began to wane. “Then… then…”

  Mom shook her head in arrogant triumph. “Face it. You have nowhere else to go. You’ll just have to stay here and accept your punishment. You’re grounded until after your summer internship and definitely no boys.”

  “But that’s not fair.”

  “You walked out of this house without permission. It most certainly is fair.”

  “I’ve been leaving this house without permission for years. You and Dad were just so distracted by trying to kill each other that you didn’t notice.”

  Mom scoffed. “That’s not true.”

  “It is true. I’ve practically raised myself since I was twelve, and now you think you’re just going to step in and suddenly be a parent? It doesn’t
work that way.”

  “It works whatever way I say it works.”

  “Since when? You haven’t been here! You haven’t cooked me dinner or asked how my day was or done anything a mom is supposed to do for years. You cannot pop back up and be a mother.”

  “I never stopped being a mother.”

  “Oh yeah? Tell me how I placed at the art contest I entered. Or the name of Bella’s new boyfriend. Or what classes I’m taking. Or what I want to be when I grow up.”

  She crossed her arms. “That’s easy. You want to be a doctor.”

  “No, Mom! I don’t want to be a doctor. I want to be a painter.”

  Her face blanched, and her eyes widened. “What?”

  I swallowed, my heart hammering and my adrenaline pumping. “I want to be a painter. Not a doctor.”

  Her head twitched. She shook it in disbelief. “No. No, we’ve talked about this for years. You want to be a doctor.”

  “No, Mom. You want me to become a doctor.”

  She steeled herself. “It doesn’t matter. You’re going to medical school and that’s final.”

  “If you make me go to medical school, I will be miserable.”

  “You’ll be established. That’s what counts.”

  “No. Me being happy is what counts.”

  “You can’t eat happiness. I need you to be settled. To have enough money to live the life you’re accustomed to living. You can’t do that being an artist, selling your paintings at garage sales and swap meets.”

  “At least I’ll be happy.”

  “You’ll starve.”

  “Just because I want to do something you don’t want me to do, doesn’t mean I’m going to fail or starve or be homeless. I’m a good artist. Everyone says so. With the right agent, I could make a living doing this.”

  She slammed her fist on the counter. “No! This was not the plan. This was not what we agreed to do.”

  “You never asked me what I wanted to do.”

  “That doesn’t matter. You will do what I tell you. None of this painting foolishness. You will go to this internship, you will go to med school, and you will become a doctor and I won’t hear anything else about it!”

  I tried to be strong. I tried to stand tall and to argue my case. But the tears had already started to fall, and I couldn’t hold them back.