Flirting With The Enemy

by Henson, Sally

  She took the G necklace and put it on. I did the same with mine. Afterward, she whispered her answer, “Absolutely.” And then her warm lips met mine, turning the sparks inside me into an inferno.

  15

  Jaden

  Griffan and I pulled into my driveway. The sound of the lawnmower was coming from the front yard. The boys usually mowed earlier in the day.

  I climbed off the scooter, happy I didn’t have to walk home after working at the diner. “Did you eat lunch? I think we have ham if you want a sandwich.”

  “I ate, thanks. Can’t wait to show your brothers how nice she cleaned up.” Griff set the kickstand and stood next to me, admiring his work. He found the two-wheeled contraption underneath a tarp in the corner of his grandma’s garage one day and enlisted my brothers to help him get it running.

  The mower got louder, and his gaze moved past my shoulder. “Who’s that?”

  I turned around and saw Dad pushing the piece of junk that was on its last leg. My car wasn’t in the drive or parked along the curb by the house. I took a few steps to see if it was in front, but it was no where to be seen. My stomach sunk.

  “That’s your dad, right?” Griff’s breath brushed my ear.

  I nodded, not taking my narrowed eyes off of Dad. What was he doing here?

  The closer Dad came, the stiffer my body became.

  Griffan stood behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head but kept my focus on Dad.

  When he reached the concrete, he stopped and shut the mower off. “Hi, Jaden. How are you?” He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t remember the last time I saw you without your braids.”

  “What are you doing here?” All he ever did was leech off of us. I hated when he came around.

  Griffan’s thumbs slowly kneaded my shoulders.

  “Griffan, is that you? The boys said you were back.” He folded his arms against his chest. “You’ve grown a couple of feet since I’ve seen you.”

  Griff stepped around me with his hand out. “Mr. Seymour. It’s been a while.”

  Dad smirked before he shook it.

  My instincts said I needed to protect Griff, so I slid my fingers between his and asked Dad, “Where’s the car?”

  Dad wiped his brow and slid his palm across his shorts. “It’s in the shop.”

  Griff did not need to witness the lava explosion that was about to erupt. I lead him back toward the scooter. He followed without question until we reached it.

  “You look seriously pissed right now.” He ran his thumb in a circle on the back of my hand.

  I cleared my throat. “That’s because I am. This is going to get ugly, and I don’t want you in the middle of it.”

  “I’ll just go inside and wait.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll call you when he’s gone. I’m sure I’ll need to blow off some steam after this is over.”

  His hand caressed my shoulder. “I want to be here for you.”

  “Please, Griff. You will be. After he’s gone.” There was no telling what would come of this, and Griffan being here would only be a distraction that turned me into a softy. Dad got way too many breaks and softness from Mom. He didn’t deserve it. And he was not going to get it from me.

  Griff let out a groan. “Fine.”

  I reached for his waist, pushed up on my toes, and kissed him. “I think we need more practice.”

  He nodded. “Let’s practice now.”

  “I have something to take care of first. Here’s a taste of what’s to come.” I kissed him in a way I hoped would leave him wanting more. Bonus points if it ticked my dad off. He had never had anything good to say about Griffan or his dad. He hated the whole Stonebridge family.

  When I pulled back, Griff groaned again. “You’re killing me. How can I leave now?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dad head for the house. I mentally chalked two up for me and took a few steps backward. “I’ll see you later.”

  Griffan moped to the scooter and swung his leg over the seat, starting the engine. He rolled down the drive and held his hand up in a wave.

  I waved and watched him drive off.

  Dad was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water when I came in. Ben stood next to the table folding laundry.

  I planted my hands on my hips and took a wide stance in between Dad and Ben, readying myself for battle.

  “Griffan’s in town, huh?”

  He could deflect if he wanted, but I was getting down to business. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m mowing the lawn. What did it look like?”

  “We don’t need you to mow the lawn, clean out the garage, or any other excuse you come up with to take Mom’s money. What happened to the car?”

  “He shows up and poof,” —he flicked his fingers in the air— “you forgive him as if nothing happened?”

  “The car, Dad. What’s wrong with it? Can it be fixed? Did you wreck it?”

  “You know Griffan’s just going to use you. He’s just like his dad. He’ll take what isn’t his, and you’ll never get it back.”

  “Griffan’s not like that. You don’t even know him. Where is the car?”

  “The engine’s locked up.” He sat the glass down and opened the fridge. Of course, he grabbed Mom’s bottle of wine.

  I was still trying to understand what was going on with my car. “What do you mean? How did that happen?”

  He shrugged, ripped off the cork, and poured wine into the glass.

  The cup was already to his lips when I asked the question, “How much is it going to cost to fix it?”

  He chugged the entire glass before he answered, “When’s he leaving?”

  I narrowed my eyes while he poured another glass.

  “I don’t know. Before school starts.” Ugh, I didn’t even want to think about that. In fact, I’d deliberately focused on enjoying my boyfriend and not ruining it by the fact he would be leaving at some point.

  “The car?” I snapped my fingers in front of his face a couple of times. “How much?”

  He chugged that glass too. “Three grand. Just for the engine.”

  I stumbled back a step. That knocked the breath out of me. I didn’t have three thousand dollars.

  “Did you check the oil every day?” Tucker asked from behind me. I didn’t even know he was in the room.

  Dad waved him off. “Of course, I did.”

  Ben jumped in, “Was the oil low?”

  Dad took a long slug from the bottle. “I was on my way to the gas station to put some oil in it when it died. I tried to get it started, but it stopped cranking or turning over…whatever it’s called.” He chugged the rest of the bottle.

  This entire exchange had my core quaking down deep. A warning that havoc would follow depending on the shift of the conversation. Three thousand dollars and a bottle of wine was a big shift. “I don’t know why Mom lets you come over here and eat out of her fridge or use my car. You ruin everything!”

  “I’m the dad, you’re the daughter. You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

  “A real dad wouldn’t ruin their kid’s car. A real dad doesn’t show up only when they need something. A real dad doesn’t get his family kicked out of their house, turn into a drunk, and make their kids a laughing stock at school!”

  He stabbed his finger toward me. “Maybe I wasn’t as lucky as Griffan’s dad with my investments. I thought it was a sure thing. The only sure thing about it was that I lost everything. Everything!” The bottle flew across the room and shattered when it hit the cabinet.

  I turned back to Ben. Tears were streaming down his face. He and Mom were the only two holding out hope for Dad. His outburst ripped a piece of that away from Ben.

  I nodded toward the hall and gently said, “Go to your room.”

  He backed away from the table.

  “Ben,” Dad called after him.

  Tucker stepped next to me. “Leave him alone.”

&nbs
p; Dad’s face hardened as he locked in on me. “You know that boy will drop you like he did before. You’re just a summer toy to him. Once it’s time to leave, he won’t think twice about you.” He pushed past us and out the back door.

  Tucker blew out a heavy breath. “You’re right. He does blame his problems on everyone else.”

  Tucker helped me clean up the broken glass before we went to check on Ben. Though he rarely showed it, the way Tuck stuck beside me and comforted Ben proved he was growing up.

  They started a video game, and I headed for the shower to wash the diner smell off of me.

  Dad’s words clung to my heart, and I desperately wanted to wash them away, too. I didn’t want to think about what would happen when Griffan went home. Or when that would be.

  16

  Griffan

  Jade guided me down a less traveled dirt path on the north side of Sterling Beach. It was overgrown with trees and tall grass. I ducked and tried to shield our faces, steering the scooter until we reached the dead end. I never knew this place existed.

  “This is it.” Her warm breath brushed against my neck. “And if you tell anyone about it, I might have to kill you.” She gripped her legs around me and squeezed. “Got it, punk?” she teased, kissing my head.

  I sat the kickstand and stepped off with her on my back. “Where to?”

  “Straight ahead.”

  I traveled straight toward the water.

  “Now left,” she ordered.

  I turned and saw a hammock hung between two trees. “A hammock for two?”

  “Yup.” She slid down my back and tugged me to sit down.

  “I always fall out of these things.” I sat on the edge. It wobbled back and forth.

  Jade pushed my shoulders back and twisted my legs up, somehow getting me situated without toppling over the edge. She laid down beside me and kept one foot on the ground so she could swing us.

  “I wish you didn’t have to work so much.” Her dad really knew how to screw things up for her. No wonder she had two jobs. “Does your dad do that a lot? Like, do things that you end up paying for?”

  “I don’t want to talk about my dad.”

  I wanted to understand what happened when we left. “Did my dad have anything to do with your parents losing their house?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  It wasn’t a clear no. The tension in my chest from the thought of Dad screwing their lives up didn’t leave. I would have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of my life.

  Jade pushed off the ground again. The rhythm of our swing was going against the roar of the high tide coming in. I hoped I could live on the beach again one day.

  It was hard to look too far in the future, though. Every day brought its own trouble. But when I was with Jade… nothing seemed impossible.

  “Do you think you’d be able to visit me during Christmas? It’ll be a lot warmer in Miami than here.”

  She twisted closer to me. “I don’t know. How much is a plane ticket?”

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched for a plane ticket from Virginia Beach to Miami. “Do you get a full week off of school?” I showed Jade the list of prices.

  A smile lifted her cheeks. “I should be able to swing that if I save every penny.”

  “I have Lacrosse in the Spring. Do you have any days off in the fall I could come up? Thanksgiving?”

  “A couple of days at least. Will that work?”

  I traced the outline of her face, and said, “I’ll take what I can get.”

  Her body stilled and then she pulled away.

  My eyebrows knit together. “Did I say something wrong?”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. Sorry. It’s nothing. Just something stupid my dad said the other day.”

  “Are you sure?” It didn’t seem like nothing, but she refused to talk about him earlier. With the end of summer coming quicker than I wanted, I didn’t want to push her away by asking more questions.

  Her lips pressed against mine as an answer. And then it turned into a longer mouth to mouth conversation. She was great at wordless discussions.

  Jade pulled away and nuzzled against my chest. “What’s your house in Miami like? Is it gigantic?”

  My house. I got caught up in Jade, and sometimes forgot what was waiting for me when I left. I scrubbed a hand down my face.

  “What’s wrong?” She guided my face so that I would have to look at her.

  I worked my jaw to the side. “When I’m with you, sometimes I forget about my dad being in jail and not having any money.” I shook my head. “I heard Mom talking to the lawyer. She was upset we might not get to keep our house.”

  “Oh, no. What’s going to happen?”

  “I don’t know. But when it’s just the two of us, everything is perfect.” Would it stay perfect when I went back? Could I handle the judgement from my classmates? The ones whose parents Dad ripped off? Could I even face them?

  If they were taking the house, would they take Mom’s money? Mine? Would we have anything at all?

  “Griffan.” Jade smoothed her thumb across my cheek and left a streak of wetness. “You can talk to me.”

  My breathing had turned erratic. I blinked and wiped at my eyes. Tears? I didn’t freaking cry. “Oh, my God. I’m turning into a cry baby now?” I had to laugh. My life was so ridiculous.

  Jade leaned up on her elbow and kissed one eye. “It’s…” She kissed the other eye. “Super…” And then my mouth. “Sexy…” Her fingers combed through my hair, sending chills down my body.

  If she was trying to distract me, it was working.

  110 percent.

  But deep in the crevices of my mind, I was fighting off the probability that buying a plane ticket could be out of the question.

  17

  Jaden

  The ocean had turned into a black abyss as day gave way to night. Even though it was getting cooler by the minute, I didn’t want to leave our bubble. A shiver ran through me, leaving goosebumps covering my skin.

  “You’re cold.” Griffan’s warm voice washed across my neck, causing me to shiver again.

  I giggled and shook my head. Truthfully, I didn’t know if it was him or the breeze or both. It didn’t matter.

  “Should we go?” he asked, skimming my palm, up my forearm, and back again.

  I shook my head and said, “Don’t stop. You're hypnotic.”

  He chuckled. “A kiss, please.” His voice was a smooth, creamy liquid I wanted to bathe in.

  I puckered my lips and waited. When his lips met mine, a sigh slipped out of me. It felt so good I didn’t care. I was putty in his hands.

  Griff continued his feather light touch, and I didn’t think I had ever been so relaxed in all my life.

  “Jade?” His breath kissed my eyelids.

  I was caught in the euphoric state between sleep and heaven. One wrong move would ruin it. “Hmm?”

  “We’re going to be okay when I leave, right?” He brushed his mouth against mine.

  My Zen was about to be broken and I didn’t want to think about him leaving. “Do we have to talk about this right now?”

  He kissed his way from my cheek to the spot behind my ear. “We don’t have to talk right now.”

  His fingers continued their magic, leaving a heated trail on every patch of exposed skin he touched. It felt amazing but was also accompanied by a stomach full of jitters. I’d never been so connected to someone who wasn’t my family. But he’d brought up the fact that he wouldn’t be staying. And just like that, my Zen was being replace by my dad’s words.

  They tried their best to ruin what was happening between Griff and me. And I tried to tell myself that Dad didn’t know what he was talking about. Yes, Griff would be leaving, but we were going to see each other throughout the year. A guy who wanted that wouldn’t use me as a summer toy, would he?

  18

  Griffan

  I pulled along the curb at Jade's house. The li
ght above their kitchen window was on.

  “You want to come in?” Jade asked.

  I reached over the console, slid my fingers along her temple, and into her hair. “I love it when your hair is free like this.” I pressed my lips to hers.

  After a long kiss, she pushed me away. “If Mom catches me coming in one second after curfew, I’m grounded.”

  “What if I come back after your Mom’s asleep and pick you up? You could stay with me. No one comes up to my room.”

  She turned to look out the passenger window. “I can’t.”

  That didn’t make sense. I leaned back against my seat. She’d told me about sneaking out to go to Luci’s or down to the beach at night. “Can’t or won’t?”

  She turned to face me, and it was as if the Jade that slapped my face at the Pizzeria was staring back at me. “Does it matter?”

  I raised my palms to her. “I’m sorry. I just thought we could spend more time together. What’s with the sharp edge?”

  “That’s exactly the problem. Time.” She twisted in her seat. “Your mom announced at dinner you’re leaving next week, and all you can think about is getting me up to your room.”

  “Do you want me to sneak in your room instead?”

  She took a swing at me, tossing a few curses out when I laughed.

  “I’m teasing.” I captured both wrists in my hands. “Jade, I was kidding. What’s going on with you?”

  She barked, “Let go of me.”

  I released her wrists. I only wanted to keep her from flipping out.

  We sat there staring at each other. I assumed my eyes were as big and round as hers.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m not ready for this.” She pulled her hair back and tied it in a knot. “You are, in fact, leaving. And I’ve worked really hard to embrace the harsh person people think I am.”