The Nerdy Girl (White Oak Creek High Book 1)

by Lee Wardlow

I was really worried about Cal.

  “I just don’t know what to expect out of my Dad, Abby. That’s what is worrying me.”

  “Come on.” I didn’t feel as brave as I tried to sound. I slid into the car and Cal shut the door. He went around the front and got behind the wheel. When he backed out, I could see that he was still troubled about this morning.

  “Today is supposed to be a fun day for us,” I told him.

  He nodded. Cal was quiet the rest of the way to his house. Cal was never quiet which unnerved me more. He parked in his driveway behind a line of cars of different makes and models. My hands were trembling when he came to my side to open my door.

  I was even more surprised when we walked through the front door and Aiden and Luke were there, smirking at me. I knew from the look on their faces they thought they belonged here more than I did. Cal was not happy that they were there either.

  His dad appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. A surprise for sure. He was tall like Cal and I could see someday Cal being filled out like him but there the resemblance ended. His hair was dark like Rhonda’s. His eyes were pale blue, which was a strange contrast against his tan, weathered skin. He spent a lot of time outdoors, you could tell.

  Mr. Cooper didn’t smile at first. He was taking in the situation, I could see. Then he approached Cal and me. “I’m Dan Cooper, Abby. Nice to meet you.” His voice was soft and deep. He was trying to be inviting, I could tell.

  I extended my hand to him and he grasped it with both hands and tugged me to him. “It’s a pleasure to have you in our home,” he said to me, surprising me and I assumed Cal by the look on his face when his dad released me.

  I hadn’t expected this warm welcome. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Call me Dan. All my girls call me Dan or Dad.” He stepped back and gave me a wink. “Breakfast is almost ready. I’m just helping Dana finish up.”

  He turned and headed to the kitchen. I looked at Cal who was speechless. He shook his head at me. “I don’t know him,” he said.

  Rhonda approached and embraced me. “How are you?” She asked. “We’re hanging out here until Cal picks you up for Homecoming. I want to see your dress.”

  “I’m good,” I told her.

  “Liar,” she teased me. Then she smiled at me. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the Coopers.”

  She tugged me to her side and guided me around the room. I met Bayleigh and her boyfriend first. Bayleigh was three years younger than Sam. “She swears she will never marry Bo,” Rhonda teased her older sister.

  “It’s good to meet you,” Bayleigh said even as she scowled at her sister. “My boyfriend since high school, Bo.”

  “She’ll marry me someday,” he said smiling. They were perfect together. Both boy / girl next door good looks. Both dark in coloring. Bayleigh looked like Rhonda and their dad. “Nice to meet you Abby.”

  Then she took me to Sam and his fiancé, Kylie. A beautiful blonde with model looks. “It’s nice to meet you Abby.” She was warm and welcoming. Sam was a little more standoffish. Concerned? Waiting to see how this relationship worked out? How I affected his brother’s future? I didn’t know. Maybe Aiden had been talking to him.

  Even though I had been to Cal’s on many occasions I rarely ran into Blythe or just passed by her and received a head nod for acknowledgement to my greetings. “You know Blythe.”

  “We’ve met,” his sister replied in her usual bored tone. She looked more like Cal and their mom. Lighter chestnut brown hair. Warm brown eyes that Cal and Rhonda had but even she had the dark hair like their father.

  Sheena was next to be introduced to me along with her husband, Pierce. An Irishman with a thick accent. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied. “My husband Pierce.”

  I didn’t have a clue what he said to me because he spoke so quickly. Sheena was a carbon copy of her father more so than even Bayleigh. She was twenty-four. I couldn’t imagine being married so young.

  “They graduated together from UC. Got married right away and work together. I couldn’t imagine,” Rhonda whispered to me. “How are you?”

  I looked at Cal’s sister and knew that she understood me. “Terrified,” I replied.

  “Ah, honey. You’re going to be fine. Mom put Dad in his place. He’s cool with you and Cal dating now. He thought by bringing Aiden and Luke over he could help mend the relationship between the three of them. I take it there was a fight last night.”

  I teared up. I couldn’t speak so I nodded.

  “Come on.” She led me down the hall to the bathroom and shut the door behind us. Then Rhonda hugged me. “What happened?”

  I explained what had been happening for weeks. Taunts, remarks tossed at me in the hallway at school and after the football games while I waited on Cal. Then last night, Aiden was throwing apples at me. I stepped away from Rhonda and showed her my shoulder and back. Lucky for me, they wouldn’t show with my dress.

  I also told her that he shoved me. That is when the fight broke out, because of Aiden trying to hurt me and or scare me.

  “You have to understand where he comes from,” Rhonda said.

  I didn’t know what that meant.

  “His dad is an ass. He’s mean and abusive. Luckily, he isn’t home much because he’s an over the road truck driver. I’m not excusing Aiden, but I’ve known him a long time, Abby. He’s a bully because he’s bullied.” Rhonda hugged me hard wanting to comfort me. “I’m sorry honey. He shouldn’t be hurting you.”

  “I try to avoid him. Last night was the worst. Aiden has never left bruises on me before.” I sniffed. I had been keeping this torment locked inside me. “I wanted to go back to Cal and Tyson, but they wouldn’t let me.”

  “I know honey. I understand.” She comforted me. “You were scared.”

  I nodded as she patted my back.

  “They gave me no choice. I had to go with them. Aiden kept shoving me. I assume it was him throwing the apples at me.”

  We hadn’t realized that the door had opened or that Cal stood there listening to what we were saying. “Abby, why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?” He asked. Cal was upset with me.

  “Cal, she was protecting your friendship with Aiden. Duh.” That only made him angrier. He turned. She called his name. “Calvert,” he turned back to her. “Do not go out there and do something stupid.”

  “Like what? Shove him. Hit him with something? At least I can defend myself. Abby was terrified last night when Johnny, Tyson and I reached her. She was trembling in my arms. I just want to ask him one question,” he said.

  “Cal, please don’t,” I begged.

  I walked out of Rhonda’s embrace and went to him. I touched his arm and I could see the hurt in his face that his friend was bullying me, his girlfriend.

  “Abby, I’ll be calm, but I want to ask him when it happened that he became his father.”

  With that Cal walked away from me.

  “Oh shit, this isn’t good,” Rhonda declared, and I had to agree. That would spark Aiden’s anger even more.

  We followed Cal out of the bathroom. Me wiping tears on my sleeve as I went. In the kitchen, Cal found Aiden and Luke talking to Mr. Cooper. He looked at his son as he entered the kitchen and knew how upset he was.

  “Aiden,” Cal said his name.

  He turned away from Dan Cooper and faced his friend. I stopped behind him and placed my hand on his back. I didn’t want him to do anything. I hoped that by touching Cal I could keep him calm.

  Aiden crossed his arms in front of him. He waited for Cal to say his piece.

  “I just have one thing to ask.”

  “So, what is it?” Aiden was cocky and somewhat bored right now.

  “When did you become your dad?”

  Aiden didn’t like it one bit that that Cal was comparing him to his father. Mr. Cooper was leaning against the counter. He pulled himself away and stepped towards the two boys. “What’s this about?” He asked his son.

  “For weeks, my friend
has been bullying my girlfriend.”

  Aiden snorted.

  “Last night he took it one step further and started pushing her around. He hit her with apples and left marks on her that I saw with my own eyes, Dad.” Cal glared at Aiden. “She’s bruised Aiden.” Cal turned to his dad. “Dad, apparently, Aiden wants to be like his father.”

  “That’s enough,” Aiden shouted. “I’m nothing like him.”

  “Oh really? Sounds to me like you’re are. Hurting Abby is something your old man would do.”

  “I wasn’t. I didn’t.” He was frustrated by Cal’s words. “I’m going home.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  He stopped by me glaring at me long and hard then he walked on by me and headed out the front door letting it slam shut in his wake.

  Dana Cooper stepped around Cal. “Abby, are you okay?” She asked.

  I couldn’t speak. I was afraid my voice wouldn’t let me. I nodded. She asked to see what Aiden had done. I turned and lifted my shirt knowing I was showing my bra to my boyfriend again and his father.

  Dana’s cool fingers traced across my skin where the deepest bruise was to the right of my shoulder blade. Another less noticeable one but still turning purple was on my shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry Abby. Aiden is troubled.” She pulled my shirt down and turned me around. “Will your dress hide those?”

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “I can’t wait to see you in it,” Dana told me. She kissed my forehead and informed us that breakfast was ready. “Luke are you staying?”

  “I’d like to.”

  Cal turned to Luke. “I want you to apologize to her.”

  He kicked his shoe around on the tile floor. “I didn’t really do anything. Most of it was Aiden. He was the most pissed off at her.”

  Dana was heading towards the dining room carrying a bowl of scrambled eggs. She stopped and frowned at him. “Language.”

  “Sorry, Dana.”

  “Now apologize to Abby. You weren’t innocent, young man.” She clucked her tongue against the rough of her mouth and went towards the dining room.

  Rhonda walked past me to help her mother.

  Dan watched over the two boys looking between me and each other. I felt awkward. I didn’t feel like Luke should be forced to apologize if he didn’t mean it.

  “It’s fine,” I finally whispered.

  Cal turned to me. Angry at me and for me. “It isn’t fine Abby. He and Aiden have been verbally abusing you.” He turned to his friend. “Did you throw anything at her?”

  “I didn’t. That was all Aiden. Abby, I am sorry that you were scared last night.” He stopped looking at me. “I could see how terrified you were. I didn’t like it.”

  Mr. Cooper was rubbing his hand over his neck. “Luke what the hell, son?”

  “It just got out of hand. You know Aiden,” he explained. “He’s a hot head like his dad and he takes his frustrations out on everyone else.”

  “Not girls, Luke.”

  “I know. I know.”

  Dan Cooper shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Luke.”

  “I’m sorry Sarge. Really. It won’t happen again. At least not by me,” he promised.

  Dan grabbed Luke around the neck and took him with him towards the dining room. Cal’s mother and sister returned several times to take more food to the table.

  Cal’s eyes were intense when he gazed down on me. “No more secrets Abby.”

  “I just didn’t want things to get worse between you and your friends.” I wanted him to understand.

  “Abby, let me worry about my friendships. Don’t keep what they are doing to you from me again.”

  “I won’t.”

  Cal leaned over and kissed me quickly before his mother walked in the room again. “Come on. We need to go to the table.”

  I must admit that the breakfast was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Even if we had our whole family together, grandmas, grandpas and my Dad’s sister we didn’t have this many people, but I liked it.

  There was love and good, natured teasing. Cal’s dad was getting caught up on what everyone was doing while he had been gone. Soon he would be leaving again, and I could see the effect that it had on everyone. I don’t think he realized it.

  When he got up to put his plate in the kitchen, he stopped by Rhonda’s chair and kissed the top of her head. Her miscarriage was on his mind, I could tell. She teared up at his sweet gesture. Then she looked at her fiancé and he reached beneath the table to touch her. It was something that only the two of them could understand.

  Dan left the room for a few minutes. I liked him and I think he liked me too. When it was time for Cal to take me home, he walked Cal and I outside. It was already ten minutes till one and soon I had to get ready. He told Cal to get in the car, he would open my door for me. Cal frowned but did as he was told. I don’t think that he ever defied his father.

  At the passenger door, he put his hands on my shoulders. “I have to admit I gave Cal a lecture last night about letting you interfere in his plans for the future.” I didn’t really know what he wanted to do in the future. “Cal has big dreams Abby. College football. NFL. Every boy dreams of the NFL who has played football for as long as Cal has. I don’t know if has the talent. Stranger things have happened.”

  I knew why he was worried. We were young. Things happened. There was a teen who was pregnant at school. One who just broke up with her boyfriend. He didn’t take it well and broke her car window. Were we too young to feel this way? I didn’t want to imagine my life without him in it. That is all I could say.

  “I was sixteen when I met Dana which she reminded me of this morning before Cal arrived with you.” He released me and touched my cheek. “You remind me of Dana which is probably why Cal likes you so much. He needs someone soft and tender hearted who cares for him. You’re different than the girls I’ve met in his class. You’re sweet.”

  I laughed. He wasn’t exactly wrong about that. The girls the football players tended to hang out with weren’t nice. They had their clique and no one else fit into it well if at all unless you were in line with their ideals and styles. I wasn’t. I was me. My mom? She would have been perfect for them when she was fifteen. I just had to be me though.

  “What I’m trying to say Abby, is that I like you,” he said.

  “Thank you, sir.” I couldn’t bring myself to call him Dan.

  He chuckled at me. Then he peeked into the window. “Cal is getting restless.” Mr. Cooper surprised me when he gave me a hug. “One more thing, Abby. Don’t hide it from either Dana or Cal or your own parents when someone whether it is Aiden or Luke or someone else are being abusive to you. It isn’t right. They could have hurt you last night.”

  He released me then. I took a step to the door. I could see he was looking across the street. I looked there too. “What is it?” I asked.

  “That’s Aiden’s house,” he pointed out. “And that,” he pointed two houses down, “is Luke’s house. These boys have been friends since they could walk. I’m disappointed in how they have treated you.” He looked back at Aiden’s house. “There’s a lot of hostility bottled up in Aiden, Abby. He’s hurting because of how his father treats him. He’s like a bomb ready to explode and I don’t want you to be caught in the middle.”

  I looked at the house then at Dan Cooper. “I won’t be. I’ll encourage Cal to make up with him.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

  I got into the car when Dan Cooper opened the door for me. “See you later son,” he said.

  “Yes sir,” Cal replied.

  He shut the door and immediately Cal wanted to know what that was about. I laid my hand on his thigh and reassured him it was fine. “He likes me.”

  Cal shook his head in disbelief then he started up the vehicle and backed out of the driveway, heading towards my house, late as usual but not as bad as the day we went to Rhonda’s.

  Chapter 12

  I sh
owered and let my hair air dry which is why I needed more time. In my bathrobe, I faced my mother, sitting on the bench at my mom’s vanity. She applied the paint which made her happy while it made me cringe. I was not a make-up kind of girl, I realized. A little mascara sometimes. A lip gloss or Chapstick but not this war paint routine she was going through.

  Contouring here and there. Highlighting too. Bronzer. I did have Dad’s skin tones which was good, she told me. She was paler in the winter and hated it while I had Dad’s olive complexion. Tyson wasn’t as pale as Mom but not as dark was me. We really didn’t look like twins.

  Then she started on my hair. Two different kinds of product. Then she attached a diffuser to her hair dryer to prevent my wavy/curly hair from frizzing. I would have just straightened as always but she had something in mind.

  I played with my phone while Mom did her magic on me. This was the happiest day of Kat Gardener’s life. Her daughter, Abigail was becoming a girly girl if only for one day.

  When she was done drying. She fluffed and puffed my hair. Then she began strategically pulling pieces away from my face and pinning them on top of my head. Just a few not too many.

  She had given me a bump. I hate bumps. I rolled my eyes. She curled a few pieces tight to frame my face. Then Mom sprayed Misty Shine Hairspray on my hair which I discovered when she turned me around gave me a glittery glowing after effect.

  Hopefully I didn’t leave any behind on Cal.

  It was now three-thirty. Cal would be here in half an hour for gobs of pictures. “I’m going to my room to get my dress on.”

  “Need help?” Mom asked.

  “Nope, I’m good.”

  “Abby,” Mom said my name when I got to the door. I turned. “Tyson told me about last night. He usually tells me about everything that goes on in his or your life that he feels is important. Are you okay?”

  I could tell that she was concerned. I walked back to her and slid my robe down past my shoulder showing her the bruises that the apples hitting me had caused.

  “I’m sorry Abby. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  I chewed on my lip. I didn’t want to cry and ruin my make-up that Mom had worked so hard on creating. I didn’t know why. I was embarrassed. I wasn’t Tyson. He was the golden boy at school. I was the Nerdy Girl.