Fourteen Page 12

  He’d driven me home half an hour after I’d arrived and was about an inch away from kissing me goodnight when the front door opened and my father walked out. He leaned against doorjamb of the door with his arms crossed over his chest and looked annoyed. So I’d settled with a kiss on the cheek and made it into the house in enough time for my dad to tell me that I was grounded before he disappeared into the living room for the rest of the night. I’d merely gone in there to get my books before I went up to my room and finished my homework, going to bed early.

  Despite that, I was still in a good mood because when I opened my eyes this morning, I realized that I got to see my boyfriend at school. For the first time in longer than I could remember, I was actually excited about having to go to that prison, disguised as a high school.

  I shoved my bag into my locker, looked wistfully at the dried orchid I had hanging off the hook in the back, and grabbed my books for human physiology. When an arm wrapped around my waist, I jumped and then tensed, preparing myself for the worst before I felt him drop a kiss to the top of my head.

  “Good morning, girlfriend,” he said.

  I smiled and closed my locker door, turning and looking up at him.

  “Good morning, boyfriend.”

  “How’s it going?”

  “Better.”

  “Compared to?”

  “I’m grounded.” I shrugged and his face fell. “We can only work on our project if we’re being supervised.”

  “Supervised?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I don’t know what the big damn deal is.”

  He sighed heavily and leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine. I wasn’t able to bite back the grin that spread across my face, and he chuckled.

  “What has you so happy?”

  “You,” I answered honestly.

  “Is that right?”

  “Mm-hm.”

  “What about me?”

  “Fishing for compliments, are we?” I asked.

  He laughed and stood up straight, his arms back around my waist as he backed me up against the locker and looked down at me.

  “No more than usual.”

  I saw a flash go off from the corner of my eye before I heard, “You two might actually rival the two of us.”

  Kyle and Ashley—with her ever-present camera hanging around her neck—stood behind us, both of them looking a lot more relaxed and comfortable than they’d been the last time I’d seen them. I felt a little cautious around them because, to be honest, I still didn’t know if they’d been a part of the locker incident. It had seemed like they’d tried to keep me from seeing it, but there were too many questions still bouncing around in my mind to feel completely comfortable around them.

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” Evan said casually. He kept his arms around my waist and leaned against the lockers next to me, linking his fingers on my hip.

  “Yeah, well, you know how we are,” Kyle said, draping an arm around Ashley’s shoulders.

  “We? No, that’s all you,” she disagreed, pinching his side.

  He yelped, and I looked on in thinly veiled amusement.

  “I’ve never heard any complaints!”

  “How can you when you won’t let me breathe?” she asked innocently, batting her eyelashes at him.

  I laughed, and Kyle pouted as he crushed Ashley against his chest.

  She scoffed and pushed him away from her. “Where are Christina and Vince?” Evan asked.

  “They both have study hall first period, so they got their parents to write them a note to get out of it.”

  “Lucky bastards.”

  I laughed and agreed with him.

  “So,” Ashley began, eyeing Kyle as he stood next to me, glaring at his girlfriend, “are you two going to Steve’s party tonight?”

  “Uh . . .” I looked over at Evan. “I can’t.”

  “And I probably won’t.” He sighed.

  “How come?” Kyle asked, making his way back to Ashley’s side.

  “Have you not been here all week? I’m not exactly talking to the same people anymore.”

  “You’re talking to us.” Ashley shrugged, eyeing Kyle as he slid his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve always talked to us. Nothing’s changed there.”

  “Why can’t you go?” Kyle asked, his gaze focusing on me.

  Stepping closer to Evan, I said, “I’m grounded.”

  “Oh, well . . . that sucks.” Then he got a mischievous look on his face. “Do you want to go? I’m sure I can concoct a plan to get you out of the house.”

  “You are not going where I think you’re going,” Ashley immediately said, pointing at him.

  “What? Babe, come on! I hardly ever get to wear my ski mask!” Kyle whined, going so far as to stomp his foot.

  “Damn good reason for it, too.”

  “How long have you two been married now?” I asked, laughing a little and forcing myself to relax.

  “Too damn long!” Ashley exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “He’s like a damn dog with a bone, you know. He can’t just let things go.”

  “Think so, huh?” he asked.

  “Oh Jesus,” Evan said, leaning in and burying his nose in my neck. He looked up after placing a small kiss against my shoulder, resting his chin there. “Was there a reason you wanted to know about the party?”

  “Come with us,” Kyle said. “Come on, Ev, it’s the last one before the big game! It’s the last time we’ll get a chance to relax before Coach tries to kill us during practice.”

  “I think my invitation was revoked.”

  I looked down at my feet, hugging my books to my chest. He still would’ve been invited had I not been in the picture. He stood up straight, his hands still linked around my hips.

  “Fuck him. I just re-invited you.”

  “I really don’t want to deal with his bullshit.”

  “It’ll give me an excuse to smack him around a bit.” Kyle shrugged. “Come on, dude.”

  “You should go,” I said.

  He looked down at me, clearly surprised.

  “What?”

  “You should go,” I said again, chuckling nervously. “You’ve had a rough week and getting out with some friends is probably what you need.”

  “But they’re not my friends anymore. Not really . . .”

  “We’re your friends, dammit!” Ashley exclaimed, tapping her foot on the linoleum. “We invited you. You’re coming, and I don’t want to hear another damn word about it!”

  “I don’t want to go without Anna,” he said.

  I turned to him, leaning against the lockers so that I was facing him. He tightened his arms around me and pulled me close, smirking.

  “I can’t go, Evan. And I probably can’t see you at all this weekend unless you really want to spend all of it working on the project.” He grunted. “So go to the party.”

  “Why can’t we just go somewhere else?” he asked, turning to face Kyle and Ashley. “Maybe a movie or something?”

  “The only thing going on anywhere tonight is Steve’s party,” Ashley said slowly, as if Evan were dumb. “Why wouldn’t we go there?”

  She probably was a very nice person, but right now she sounded like the typical cheerleader that I’d done my best to avoid for the majority of my high school life. I forced my muscles to relax.

  “I don’t really feel comfortable—”

  “Since when has that ever stopped you from doing something?” Kyle interrupted, waving his hands around. “You’re Evan Drake. Fuck them.”

  “It’s his house, Kyle.”

  “Did he ever un-invite you outright?”

  “He doesn’t say much of anything to me at all, which is another reason why I shouldn’t go to the party.”

  “You can’t say that you were uninvited if he hasn’t said anything to you. The invitation is still on the table, and he hasn’t said otherwise.” Kyle held his hands out to his sides as if to say he was a genius. “You are still invited.”

&n
bsp; “What are they going to think if Anna isn’t there?” He turned back to me. “They’re going to think that they won.”

  “We’ll know the truth.” I smiled shakily at him. “That’s what makes the difference.”

  “Yeah, it’s not like you’re going to jump on Brittany and start humping her the minute you walk in. Right?” Kyle said, shrugging nonchalantly.

  Evan slowly turned on his heel to face Kyle. Ashley slapped her boyfriend on the back of his head, and I giggled at the perplexed look on his face. Kyle fidgeted when Evan kept staring at him.

  “Right. So . . . no problems.” He laughed nervously, grabbing Ashley’s arm and pulling her in front of him in a sad attempt to hide.

  Evan turned back to me.

  “You’re really okay with this?”

  Fuck no. I’m freaking out. My heart is beating ninety miles a second, and I’m terrified that you’ll realize how much you miss everyone else and everything will go back to the way it was before.

  “I’m really okay with this,” I said instead, smiling brightly at him.

  “I’ll call you first thing tomorrow morning.” He leaned in close to me.

  “As you should.”

  He smiled, and I sucked in a deep breath before he kissed me.

  “And you said the two of us were bad?” Ashley teased.

  “Go away, Ashley,” Evan said, pulling back from me and brushing the end of his nose against mine.

  “If I remember correctly, you said it first,” I stated, turning again and pointing at them.

  I made the mistake of looking down the hallway and found that everyone still lingering and waiting for the warning bell had been watching us. It was easy to pick out Brittany Feldman with her jaw on the floor and her face turning a brilliant shade of red. It was almost impossible to miss her. Kyle turned to see what I was staring at and threw his hands in the air. “Move along! Mind your business, please and thank-you.”

  He turned back to us. “Sheesh.”

  I looked down at my feet again, tapping my fingers against my books. Weird that Kyle would choose to help me out now when before, he was happy to ignore me. I knew he was Evan’s best friend, but I also knew that it didn’t automatically make him mine. Was he being genuinely nice to me in an effort to make up for everything or was he just showing off for Evan, intent to run back to Steve and tell him all that was being said? I was so confused.

  “This is bullshit,” Evan mumbled.

  “I’m sorry,” I said nervously, trying to take a step away from him.

  “What did I tell you about that shit?” he demanded, pulling me completely against him.

  I looked up at him, my arms tightening around my books.

  “You had a good . . . life before me.”

  “Anna, he was an ass,” Ashley said bluntly. “Sorry, Evan, but it’s true.” She waved a hand in his direction, and he grunted at her. “And while he’s still an ass, at least I can tolerate him a little better.”

  “Thanks, Ashley,” he said dryly.

  “Deny it; I dare you.” He glared at her, and she smiled smugly when he remained silent. “That’s what I thought.”

  “How do you put up with her?” he asked, looking at Kyle.

  Kyle merely wiggled his eyebrows, and I laughed.

  “Stop apologizing,” he said, seeming to remember where we’d left off before Ashley had interrupted. “I’d do . . . well, I wouldn’t . . . hell.” He moved, and pressed his lips into a thin line. “This is what I want, right here.” He squeezed me. “So stop.”

  The bell rang and Evan groaned.

  “See you at lunch!” Kyle exclaimed.

  “Huh?”

  “Didn’t you hear?” Ashley said, sliding her hand into Kyle’s. “We’re sitting with you from now on.”

  She shook her hair over her shoulder, waved, and towed Kyle down the hallway.

  “Why are they going to be sitting with us from now on?” I asked, pointing over my shoulder at their retreating backs.

  “I think this is their way of saying that they’re on our side.”

  I sighed heavily. “I don’t understand.”

  “You know how Christina and Vince were the only two you could talk to before I showed up?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Kyle and Ashley are my closest friends, and they’re supporting me.” He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. “They’re supporting us.”

  “But they . . .” I trailed off and blew out a breath. “It’s going to be one of those days isn’t it?”

  “Clarify, please.”

  “The ones that make no sense whatsoever.”

  “Yes,” he said. He grabbed my books from me and grinned when I stared at him in confusion.

  “Come on, milady,” he said in a horrible British accent. “Human physiology awaits.”

  I slid my hand into the crook of his arm when he offered it to me.

  “You’ve lost your damn mind.”

  “Nah. You helped me find it.” He leaned over and kissed me. “Thank you.”

  “Cheesy.” I nudged him.

  “Complaining?”

  I grinned up at him. “No.”

  “Okay then.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I’m up and about tomorrow,” he said against my lips, his hands pressed against the window of my car as he leaned in. “Are you allowed to use the phone?”

  “He’ll be gone all day anyway.” I tilted my head. “So, you know, if you just happen to drop by . . .”

  “I’m not crossing Mister Lawyer Man,” he joked, cupping my cheek. “Sorry.”

  I sighed dramatically, and he chuckled, leaning down and kissing me again.

  “Have fun, okay?”

  “It’s all Kyle’s fault, you know,” he grumbled, resting his forehead against mine. “Maybe Ashley’s too.”

  “You had planned to go before . . .”

  “Before I started hanging out with you,” he said. “Everything’s different now.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “Do you really need me to answer that?”

  I did everything I could to keep the smile off my face. He caught it, of course, and kissed me again.

  “You should get home.” He nudged his nose against mine. “I don’t want you to get into any more trouble because of me.”

  “He’s just grouchy,” I said, hesitantly placing my hands on his chest.

  I could feel his heartbeat as I moved my hand over it, marveling over the way it was racing much like mine always did with him around. I looked up when he covered my hand, and smiled slowly as he threaded our fingers together.

  “Grouchy or not, I still want to take you on that second date. Preferably before we graduate.”

  “You and your expectations.”

  “I know. Pain right in the ass, huh?”

  “You really are.”

  He laughed and kissed me again before stepping back from me. I sighed and let him fully link our hands together.

  “Have fun tonight, okay?”

  And come back to me.

  “I’ll try. Won’t be much fun without you.”

  “Kiss ass.”

  “But, oh so true.” He pulled me against him, placing one more kiss on my lips. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Talk to you tomorrow,” I said and squeezed his hand before I made myself let go and watched as he walked to his car. We were the only two left in the parking lot, everyone else damn near flying out the minute the last bell rang in anticipation of the two days of freedom we’d all been granted. It had been a normal day for me; the stares and whispers were only a little worse than usual, but not altogether something I wasn’t used to. Evan had seemed tense and uptight most of the day, but he still held my hand whenever we met up in the hallway, so things couldn’t have been that bad, right?

  I sighed and finally climbed into my car, strapping the seat belt across my lap and turning the key. He waved at me when he drove past, and I waved back and then shoved the car into gear and
pulled out of the parking space.

  I made it home within ten minutes, very unhappy when I saw my father’s truck sitting in our driveway.

  Normally it wouldn’t have bothered me that he was home early. Today, all I could think was that he wanted to check up on me, which really only served to annoy me. I slammed the door to my car, threw my book bag over my shoulder, stomped up the steps, and pushed through the front door.

  “Anna, we need to talk,” he said as soon as the front door shut behind me.

  I resisted the urge to yell at him and dropped my bag to the floor before trudging my way into the living room. Surprisingly, the television was off, and he was sitting in the armchair as opposed to the couch where he usually sat. I hung my head, accepted the fact that I was about to get one hell of a lecture, and plopped myself down on the middle of the couch. After taking off my shoes and propping my feet up on the coffee table, I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for it to begin.

  “You were right about some of the things you said last night, Anna, but that doesn’t mean that you had a right to say them.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the silent television and hunched my shoulders.

  “Your mom’s death was really hard on me . . .”

  “It hasn’t been hard on me? It’s not like this didn’t affect me, too.”

  “Would you let me finish?” I grunted. “I don’t know how to raise a teenage girl, Anna, and you’re a complete mystery to me. I don’t know what to do or what to say, so I just thought that it was better not to say anything at all. That was wrong.”

  I snorted.

  “But this is my house, and you have to respect my rules.”

  “When have I ever not respected your rules, Dad? It’s not like we were having sex in the middle of the living room when you walked in or anything!”

  “Close enough.”

  “Right,” I looked over at the front door.

  “I still don’t want you to be alone with him.”

  I ground my teeth together and said, “Fine.”