Don't Trash the Heartthrob (Rockford High Book 5)

by Victorine E. Lieske

  For a moment, he thought maybe she would pull her hand away, but she didn’t.

  “Come on,” he said again, softer this time. “Let’s go. You don’t seem to be enjoying the party scene. And I think we’ve skated enough on this lake. Let’s go do something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  She started walking toward the grassy hill they’d come down. “A movie?”

  “Sure. Let’s go see a movie.”

  “And we can order popcorn and sit in the back where no one will recognize you.”

  He chuckled. “That sounds like the perfect…” He was going to say ‘date’ but stopped himself before that slipped out. “Night,” he said instead.

  She nodded and didn’t say anything.

  Chapter 19

  Stephanie could feel Brandon’s pulse in his hand. A million butterflies let loose in her stomach as his touch sent sparks of electricity over her skin. She wanted to pull away, but it would be too obvious now. She should have let go right after he stood. That wouldn’t have been so awkward. Now, she was stuck.

  Her shoe slipped on the ice and she yelped and clung to Brandon’s arm.

  “It’s okay. I got you,” he said, his grip on her hand tightening.

  Her heart hammered so fast she could barely breathe. Was it because she almost fell? Or because touching Brandon was doing crazy things to her? She wasn’t sure.

  As they stepped onto the grass, she used that as the excuse she needed to let go of his hand. “Thanks for keeping me steady on the ice,” she said as nonchalantly as she could.

  He gave her a sideways glance before he nodded. “Sure.”

  She found Jade among the crowd of teens. “I’m going to go. You okay staying here with Chris?”

  Jade got a funny look on her face. “Yeah. About that. How much do you like Chris?”

  Stephanie glanced around to make sure he wasn’t within earshot. She spied him by the cooler. “He’s a nice guy.”

  “So…” Jade twisted her hands together. “You like him?”

  “I like him okay. We’re friends. That’s all.” She squinted. “Why?”

  “No reason. You go. Have fun with Brandon.”

  “Okay.” Jade was acting all weird, but Stephanie didn’t see the problem. If Jade liked Chris, she should just go for it.

  She left with Brandon. The ride to the theater was uneventful. They pulled into the parking lot at the mall and got out of the car. Stephanie stuffed her hands into her coat pockets so Brandon wouldn’t try to hold her hand again. Not that it didn’t feel amazing. It did. She just didn’t want to get her heart broken. And one thing she was sure of. Brandon Travers was just the kind of guy who could shatter her.

  Before they reached the doors, Brandon pulled out his phone. “Let’s take a selfie to commemorate this event.”

  She made a face. “Going to the movies?”

  “Yeah. Going to the movies with the girl I like.” He grinned. “I can say that, right?”

  Her pulse jumped. Why was he such a flirt? She played it off as a joke. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

  He held up his phone. She smiled up at the camera, and he clicked. Then he fiddled with his phone. “I’ll send it to you.”

  She nodded, then motioned with her chin. “Let’s go see if there’s anything playing you haven’t seen yet.”

  When they got inside, Brandon lifted his baseball cap a bit so he could see the titles. “Which one do you want to see?”

  “I haven’t seen Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.”

  “Horror?”

  “I like a good scare sometimes.”

  Brandon’s lips curled up into a smile. “Me too. Let’s go.”

  She gave him a look. “Have you seen it?”

  “No.”

  She frowned. “Are you sure?”

  He chuckled and scratched his chin. “I’m sure. The premieres I go to are all the kinds of movies I’ve been in. Light comedies, or high fantasy stuff. I never get to go to these fun ones. But,” he pointed to the sign, “it doesn’t start for another thirty minutes.”

  “That’s okay. By the time we get through the line, it won’t be a long wait. Besides, we’ll have popcorn to snack on.”

  “Perfect.”

  They bought their tickets and snacks and were soon in their seats, just the two of them, alone in the theater. He sat on her left, which meant his good arm was to her, and she had the crazy thought that maybe he’d put his arm around her. Then she scoffed at herself. Why was she thinking that?

  Stephanie leaned her reclining seat back. “I hope more people come.”

  “Why? You afraid to be alone with me in the dark?”

  His tone was teasing, but there was an underlying question there. Kind of like he was asking if she trusted him. Which was silly. She trusted him wholeheartedly.

  She just laughed off his comment. They sat for a few minutes, snacking on the popcorn. The mood became relaxed between them, until their fingers brushed against each other in the bucket. “Oh, sorry,” she said, pulling back. She waited until he’d grabbed a handful to get her own.

  Brandon gave her a look, but she wasn’t quite sure what it meant. He worked his jaw, then steeled his gaze. “How long has it been?”

  His voice was soft, as if he was concerned for her. She knew what he meant, but she asked, anyway. “How long has what been?”

  “Since he hurt you.”

  Stephanie swallowed back the rush of emotion that swelled into her throat. Her instinct was to turn away, to shield herself from the questions. She wanted to tell him to shut up, and not to ask about Kyle. But for some reason, she found herself talking instead. “Not that long.”

  “Months?”

  “No.” She stared down at her jeans. She hadn’t told anyone the whole story. Not even Jade, who knew pieces but not the entire thing. She took in a breath and let it out. “It’s only been a few weeks since…it happened.”

  “Tell me.”

  She didn’t need a lot of prompting. The words kind of starting falling out on their own. Like she’d bottled them up inside and now needed to release them. “He first asked me out for the Homecoming dance. He was so attentive to me. And he was attractive. I fell for him fast.”

  “I hate him already.”

  Stephanie glanced up at Brandon. He seemed like he was trying to be casual about this, but his hand was balled up into a fist and his jaw muscles were tight. It kind of melted her heart a bit that he would care so much. It also made her want to tell him the truth even though it was embarrassing.

  She gathered up her courage. “He was the perfect date that night. A real gentleman. He bought me flowers. Showered me with compliments. I was so into him, I thought he was going to be the perfect guy. You know, the one you date through high school, and then you get married, go off to find a life together and have three kids.”

  She could feel the heat creeping up her neck. This was the embarrassing part. “But it didn’t take long for him to start to get demanding.”

  “What do you mean?” Brandon’s voice was low, hoarse.

  “We kissed that first night after the dance. I thought it was sweet how he kissed me at the doorstep. So tender, and he left with my heart in his hands. But soon after that date, he became more aggressive. He wanted to spend every evening with me. I didn’t mind at first, but soon, all he wanted to do was make out with me. It started to make me uncomfortable. And then he got handsy and I told him I wasn’t ready for any of that. But he got mad.”

  Brandon didn’t say anything, but his eyes held a silent fury. She sucked in a breath and continued. “I thought he was just passionate about how much he liked me. I thought he was so in love he couldn’t help himself. I allowed things to go further than I had wanted, because I thought it would make him happy. And it did, for a short time, but he wanted more.”

  This was so embarrassing, but she continued, because Brandon looked like he was going to jump out of his r
ecliner and punch someone. “Two weeks after we started dating, after school, he didn’t come by my locker like usual, so I went looking for him. Sometimes he stayed after to get help with his math, so I went to the classroom where he usually met his tutor.”

  She blinked, the memory still stinging. “I found him making out with her. And you know what he said to me?”

  Brandon sat rigid, deathly still. “What?” he said, almost growling.

  “If you’re not going to give it to me, I’ll get it from someone else,” she whispered, the words too horrible to say very loud.

  Brandon narrowed his eyes.

  Stephanie wanted to bury her face. To hide from the humiliation. But she forced herself to continue. Even though she didn’t want to, this is the part not even Jade knew. “He broke my heart. But even worse, as I ran out of the building, one of his friends called out to me. He said Kyle had wasted good time with me. That he wanted to thank me for putting him ahead in the game.” She swallowed back the bile threatening to come up. “See, it was nothing more than a challenge between him and his friends.”

  “Steph,” Brandon whispered, his jaw clenching. He reached over to her and tenderly wiped at her cheek. She hadn’t even been aware that a tear had escaped until his fingers came away wet.

  “I was so stupid.”

  “Hey,” Brandon said, leaning closer. “You’re not stupid. Don’t ever say that. He’s a jerk. End of story.” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek, and this time the gesture sent waves of electricity through her. His skin was warm. Soft. “You should be relieved he didn’t talk you into it.”

  Stephanie swallowed, hurt and humiliation rising within her. He didn’t know the worst part. That she was about to give in to Kyle. It won’t happen again. She wouldn’t let it. She was never going to be stupid like that again. She’d learned her lesson.

  He cupped her cheek. “I want to pound that jerk into the ground for what he did to you.” He closed his eyes for a second, like he had to gain control of his emotions. “But I don’t want you to ever blame yourself.”

  A couple of people filed into the theater and took their seats a few rows above them. Stephanie lowered her voice, moving even closer to Brandon. “Okay. I won’t.”

  “I hope you mean that.” Brandon settled into his chair and she did the same, but she missed the warmth of his touch on her cheek. As the room darkened and the pre-show stuff started playing on the screen, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

  And when he did put his arm around her, she didn’t move out of the way. She closed her eyes and let herself be comforted by him.

  Chapter 20

  After the movie, Brandon climbed into Stephanie’s car. His arm was starting to ache, and he wasn’t sure if it was just the meds wearing off, or the falling on the ice, or a combination of both. He just knew the rest of his pain killers were at his aunt’s house, and he couldn’t wait to get there.

  Stephanie turned on the ignition. “Where does your aunt live?”

  “Staplehurst Street. I’ll point the way.”

  “Okay.”

  As they drove, he realized he was bouncing his knee. Was he nervous? That was odd. He was never nervous around girls.

  “Did you like the movie?”

  “Yeah, it was awesome. I love edge-of-your seat stuff.”

  “I thought it was okay.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Oh, no. Here we go. The movie critic comes out. What the heck was wrong with that movie? It was good-natured scary fun.”

  She made this face and he could tell exactly what she was thinking. “You thought the acting was sub-par.”

  “A little.”

  “You didn’t like the horror movie clichés that abounded.”

  She winced. “Yes.”

  “And you hated the fact that the entire plot would have been ruined had just one person not taken that letter seriously.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You picked up on that?”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled. “But it was still fun. Horror movies aren’t art. They’re not even that well plotted usually. They’re just for jump scares and silly fun. This was no exception. You jumped a few times, I noticed.”

  She smiled and gave him a quick glance as she turned the corner to his aunt’s house. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Okay, then. The movie did what it was supposed to. It entertained you. And scared you a little.”

  “I suppose so.”

  When she pulled up into the driveway, he leaned toward her. She gave him a small smile, but he could tell she was holding something back. It was reserved. “You okay?” he asked.

  She blinked slowly. “Yeah.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Probably because you’ve gotten to know me really well.” She stared at the console sitting between them.

  She was like one of those wooden puzzles that look simple when they’re put together, but after you take them apart, you can’t figure out how they go back. She intrigued him. He wanted to know her secrets. “Steph—”

  “It’s late. You should probably go inside.”

  “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  She ran a hand over her hair. Not like most girls do, though. This wasn’t a flirty move. She looked like she wanted to grip it and pull it out. She exhaled. “Do you really want me to tell you?”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t want to sound like an idiot.”

  “You could never sound like an idiot to me.” He played with the zipper of his jacket while he looked at her. “Is this about your ex?”

  She nodded. “I didn’t tell you the worst of what happened.”

  Oh, no. What else did that jerk of a boyfriend do to her? He was almost afraid to ask. “What?”

  She took a moment before meeting his gaze. “I had decided to give in to him,” she whispered.

  Brandon wanted to punch something. Someone. Preferably her ex. She was sweet. Innocent. She’d believed he was in love with her. If he ever met the guy, Brandon was sure he would go ballistic on him.

  Stephanie rushed on. “I didn’t, of course. But only because I found him with his tutor. If he had held out one more day, I would have.”

  Words failed him. What do you say to something like that? ‘I’m glad you didn’t’? No, that was stupid. Lame. And didn’t really cover what he was thinking. Sure, he was glad, but he was also angry at the guy who would do that to her. Angry that things like this happened to girls. All the time. He wanted to say something that encompassed those thoughts, but nothing came to mind. He couldn’t think of anything that might take the pain out of her eyes. Luckily, she continued.

  “It’s stupid, and I know I should be relieved he showed me his true colors before I slept with him, but just knowing I was about to makes me feel like he won. He got his way. Even though he didn’t…he broke me down. I was about to make the worst decision of my life.”

  He let out a breath. “Steph,” he said.

  “He took something from me. He took my trust.” Her fingers trembled as she played with her seatbelt. “He showed me how weak I really am.”

  Brandon shook his head. “You are one of the strongest women I know. You were a victim.”

  “But I don’t want to be a victim.”

  “Then don’t let what happened change you.”

  She looked at him, her eyes full of sadness. “It already has.”

  He wanted to smack himself upside the head. “Of course, it has. That was dumb of me to say. Forget I said that. Let it change you. Strengthen you. You now know what to do if someone pressures you.”

  She raised one eyebrow. “What?”

  “Deck the guy.”

  A smile crept onto her face and she ducked her head. “Yeah.”

  “Seriously. You’ve been through something awful, but now you know. If a guy is trying to do something you don’t want to do, you can say no.”

  She slowly nodded. “I know.”

  “So, put
all guys out of your mind.” Wait. That wasn’t what he wanted. Now he had to backtrack. “Except me,” he added on, grinning.

  “Especially you,” she said, her gaze returning to his.

  Ouch, that hurt. Was she rejecting him again? To his face this time? How did she expect him to react to that? He decided to play it off as a joke. He faked an arrow to his heart. “Why you gotta hurt me, girl?”

  Her shoulders slumped. She wasn’t taking the joke bait. He could see the corners of her mouth twitch downward. “It’s not about hurting you. It’s about not making any more mistakes.”

  What exactly was she saying to him? “And I’d be a mistake?” he asked quietly.

  “The worst kind,” she whispered.

  His heart beat out a heavy rhythm in his chest. Stephanie’s face didn’t hold a hint of a smile. She was being serious. And he suddenly wanted to know the truth from her. “Why?” he said, his smile gone.

  “Because you come with an expiration date.”

  Chapter 21

  The air between them grew cold as Brandon stared at her. “What do you mean?”

  She mentally groaned. Why had she said that? She should have guessed he was going to probe her about it. Now what was she going to say? Wasn’t it obvious? Emotion swelled in her throat and she swallowed it back. Now was not the time to get all teary-eyed. How stupid. She didn’t even really know him. Why was she getting like this? “You’re leaving,” she finally said, putting as much normal into her voice as she could.

  “Leaving? I just got here.”

  “I know.” She looked down at the small pieces of gravel that were on the car mat. She should vacuum her car. It had been forever since she had. “But you’re not staying.”

  Brandon’s eyebrows pulled together. “That is a lame excuse.” He huffed and leaned back in his seat. “You’re so not telling the truth right now.”

  Anger flashed through her in a wave of heat. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m telling the truth. I wouldn’t lie. You are leaving. You live in Hollywood. You’re famous.”

  “So what? I’m here, with you, right now. And I think I’m making it very clear that I like you. You can’t tell me you won’t date me because you don’t think we’ll be together forever. Who thinks that way? You only want to be with me if we’re going to get married?” He scoffed. “That’s stupid. We’re seventeen.”