A Fresh Start

by Lexi Bissen

  I shrug my shoulders. “The girl you were just talking to,” I say.

  He looks over his shoulder to the table Missy walked to. “The blonde?”

  “Yes, the blonde,” I say, almost incredulous. Is he stupid? Does he not remember the conversation he was just have five minutes ago? “Cheerleading outfit. It’s short. She has an annoying, squeaky voice when she talks.”

  He smiles at me and I want to punch myself in the face.

  “Why, Ronnie, by your tone, I would guess you either have a bad past with this chick or you are jealous.”

  “I don’t know where you got that idea. Why would I be jealous?” I ask, shrugging it off, though I’m shocked by the ease at which he calls me out. “I was just wondering if you’re meeting any of the other students around here. It’s been two weeks and I’ve only seen you hanging out with us.”

  “So, you’re jealous of me talking to that blonde chick and you’ve been watching me? Be careful, Ronnie. Any more of this and you’ll have me thinking you like me,” he retorts.

  My mouth parts, but his response leaves me dumbstruck. Allen bursts into a fit of laughter and my mouth snaps shut. “Itty, I think he has you there. This boy is good.”

  “I wasn’t watching you like…watching you, watching you. I just happened to notice you don’t take an interest in the other students,” I say, pointing my finger at Gibson before shooting Allen a death glare for being a traitor.

  Gibson leans back in his chair and rests his arm on the back of mine. He’s too close now and my body begins to heat up. He looks over to me, and says, “Should we just add this up with me not calling you out when you check me out either? I won’t say anything when you get jealous of me talking to another chick.” Ugh, I just want to punch him. And then kiss him. What? No, no kissing the bad boy. I look away before the urge gets the better of me.

  “As much as I’d like to open the subject of Ronnie checking out your goods, we’re going to be late for American Government if we don’t move our heinies,” Allen says, jumping in, which I am grateful for.

  Allen gets up to throw away our trash and I glance around the cafeteria, realizing he’s right. The place is almost empty. I hurry to grab my belongings and meet Allen at the front doors with Gibson right behind me.

  We make it to class just before the bell rings. We have a substitute teacher today and he looks just as thrilled to be here as we do. Usually I’d be upset because having a sub means we lose out on a lesson, but I’m not. My brain isn’t functioning properly and a certain tattooed bad boy might be the reason.

  We take our seats by the window. Gibson is in the seat behind me and Allen is to my right. The substitute starts the attendance role call and I feel something poke me in the back, hard. I look over my left shoulder to find Gibson smiling, waving a pencil between his fingers.

  “Can I help you?” I ask.

  He leans forward in his seat and the smell of mint hits me. He must be chewing on some strong gum. “Yep. What are you doing this weekend?”

  My eyes widen, surprised by his question. Weekends usually consist of hanging out with Allen or working. Lately, I’ve been working the week shifts so my weekends have been free. “Um, I think Allen and I are going to a bonfire Friday and then binge watching horror movies Saturday since his mom is working a double.”

  Gibson flashes his beautiful, white teeth at me. “Well, some chick told me about a party she’s having. I’m betting it’s that same bonfire you’re talking about. You two mind if I tag along?” he asks.

  I look over to Allen, who is now taking a nap on his desk. Figures he wouldn’t be any help. What can I do, say no? That’s rude, but I also don’t want to go to the party with Gibson. Knowing Allen, he’d leave us alone together. And being alone with Gibson isn’t safe. I have a bad feeling about this, but…I sigh. Being a nice person is the right thing to do.

  I shrug, and say, “Yeah sure. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m DD because Allen can’t be trusted, so you can drink or whatever.” And I’ll just be the boring sober one for the night. Drunk people are only fun when you’re drinking with them.

  “I’m not much of a drinker anyway,” Gibson says, but there seems to be more behind what he’s telling me.

  I raise my eyebrow at him. “The son of one of the biggest rock stars isn’t a drinker? My brother, the town prince, is a drinker—a heavy drinker.”

  He frowns, but quickly tries to cover it. “Nope…well, not anymore. I did the party scene a little too much. Decided I needed to cut back on my drinking and drug use.”

  The mention of drugs has me on edge. “Drugs? You use drugs?” I really hope he says no. I’ve never done any kind of drug in my life and to think of the guy I lik—nope, no liking. He’s just the guy who happens to sit with Allen and me in class and at lunch, who I also happen to give a ride home to every day. Maybe if I keep thinking of him like that, these feelings will eventually go away.

  “Used to, as in the past. I haven’t done anything like that for a few months now. Even before then, it was just small things at parties I went to. Nothing major. I wasn’t a junkie or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Gibson answers.

  I was worried about that. I didn’t want to hang around someone who used drugs. I’ve already been warned away from this guy by my brother and dad, imagine if they found this out.

  “So, if you gave up that sort of stuff, why would you want to go to the party tomorrow?” I ask.

  “Honestly? Because this town is really boring and all I have to do on the weekends is hang around my uncle’s house alone. Having the place to yourself isn’t as great as it sounds when you don’t have any friends around.”

  His comment stings a bit. I had no delusions that we were besties, but there is some potential friendship going on there. Well, a friendship where I can’t stop looking and thinking about the guy…maybe that isn’t the best kind of friendship to have.

  I turn in my seat and the movement brings my face closer to his. I catch the scent of the soap he must have used during his shower…where he was naked. No, Ronnie. No thoughts of a naked Gibson. He smiles and leans an inch forward, causing me to lean away. Distance is a good thing.

  “You seem nervous Ronnie. Am I too close?” he asks.

  He is too close. So close, his breath tickles my cheek as he talks. That’s borderline personal space area and I’m not sure if I like it too much or not at all.

  I clear my throat in an attempt to hide the slight affect he has on me. “I don’t get nervous around anyone, Gibson—especially you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

  He takes the back of his fingers and runs them along the top of my arm, causing goose bumps to break out. Stupid body selling me out. “Your body is saying something different,” he says, staring at my traitorous arm.

  I jerk my arm away and lean as far back as my desk will allow. There’s a tingle along the area he touched and I rub my arm, making it go away. “The only thing my body says is the air conditioner is on too high in this school.” I turn back around in my seat and face the front of the classroom. The substitute has put in a DVD, which has half the class passed out. I pull out my kindle and do everything I can to avoid the man sitting behind me.

  I have a new mission in life: get Ronnie Hamilton. I’ve done what River told me to do and avoided all the advances from the girls at this school. And by a lot, I mean almost all of the cheerleading and dance crew. The chick from the cafeteria was the most persistent. She seemed okay when she was asking me if I wanted to come to some party at her place…until she said everyone would love it if a rock star’s son was there. At that point, I just wanted to leave the conversation. Add her to the pile of girls who only want me for my dad.

  The three of us are on our way to Ronnie’s truck. I can’t wait to get back to my uncle’s place and collapse onto my bed. After not attending school for two years, it’s exhausting being back.

  Allen jumps in front of Ronnie and begins walking backwards while talking. “So,
Itty-Bitty told me you’re coming to Prissy’s party with us tomorrow, is that correct?” he asks me.

  “Not sure who Prissy is, but I did ask Ronnie what you guys were up to this weekend. Some chick in the cafeteria told me about a bonfire. Figured I’d see if either of you were going,” I answered.

  Allen and Ronnie share a look, no doubt sharing an inside joke. “Prissy is Missy, the girl who was talking to you. We deemed her Prissy Missy because of some shit that went down last year between her and Ronnie,” Allen explains.

  I look over to Ronnie, who is quietly laughing to herself. “Prissy Missy, huh? Now you’ll have to tell me this story.”

  We make it to Ronnie’s truck and before we can all get in, she says, “It’s not worth talking about.”

  Once Allen gets in the truck, he turns his body to face me. “Don’t mind Miss Nonchalant over here. What happened was actually pretty funny. Something you should know about Ronnie is people, mainly the females around here, like to try to use her. What these blonde bimbos don’t understand is Itty-Bitty is no idiot.” His voice gets a little louder, like a kid getting excited. “Prissy tried to become besties with my bestie over here last year so she could get close to Sean. He had turned her advances down cold and she wasn’t having that. Prissy thought Ron was falling for it, until someone got a little loud mouthed in the women’s locker room and Ronnie overheard. Prissy was so embarrassed. She had been telling all her friends how Ron was eating out of the palm of her hand.”

  “Ever since Ronnie left that locker room, telling Priss she was an idiot and how she wasn’t falling for any of it, Prissy hasn’t been a Ronnie fan.” I look to the driver’s seat and watch as Ronnie tries to hold back her laughter, but it starts to slip. “To top it off, Ronnie told Sean Missy uses this special cream for when you have crabs. That’s what really set Missy off. Sean won’t go anywhere near the girl.” All of us burst out laughing.

  Once Ronnie has quieted her laughter, she looks at me through the review mirror. “You can see why I don’t have many friends. This is what most of the girls try with me. Sean is really picky when it comes to dating and these girls just don’t get it. They all think befriending me will give them an automatic in. I don’t like being used, so when they do this and I tell Sean, he makes sure not only to avoid them, but that his friends do, too. It doesn’t always happen, though, since there aren’t a lot of females to pick from at this school, and I don’t blame them.”

  “They’re all just upset they can’t have you. You’re breaking the hearts of every guy in our school, so they have to cry on the shoulder of another blonde,” Allen says, teasing her.

  Ronnie leans over the console and punches him in the arm. “Oh, shut it, you. I’m not causing anything like that to happen.”

  I lean forward, interested in this part of the conversation. From Ronnie’s looks and personality, I’m guessing she has every guy in the school chasing after her. “Have you been breaking hearts, Ronnie?” I ask.

  She rolls her eyes and huffs out an exaggerated breath. “There is no heart breaking going on. Don’t listen to Allen, he’s crazy.”

  “I’m sure he’s not. I can see some hearts getting broken over you,” I say with a smile. Ronnie looks to me and then Allen before giving all her attention to the road ahead of her.

  Everyone is quiet after that and it takes me a second to realize we’re driving past Allen’s street. “You not going home?” I ask him.

  He turns in his seat to look at me. “Nope. Since we are hitting up that party tomorrow, I have to get a new outfit. Can’t be showing up in my party clothes from last year,” he answers.

  His response doesn’t surprise me. I’ve learned to expect anything to come out of his mouth.

  Allen leans over and nudges Ronnie’s shoulder. “I’m also going to try to convince this hot tamale to get something to wear. She needs to get some updated clothes that actually fit her.”

  I have noticed that. Ronnie doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to show as much skin as possible. Her clothes show off some—not that I’m complaining—but it looks more like her clothes are a size or two too small.

  “I will agree, I need new clothes. I already told you I’ll look for something tonight,” she says to him.

  “A dress. That is what I am telling you. You need to buy a dress and wear it tonight. No more of this jeans and shorts deal,” he says, his tone stern.

  The idea of seeing Ronnie in a dress piques my interest. One of the main things that made her stand out were her long, tan legs. She’s only worn shorts a few times, but damn, when those legs are on display, I can’t look away from them. I smile, thinking of how she’ll look in a sexy dress and pray Allen can convince her to wear one.

  We pull up to my uncle’s house and Ronnie puts the truck in park. She gives Allen a pointed look. “I already told you I would think about it. The more you pressure me, the more likely I am to say no. You know how much I hate dresses.”

  I collect my things and start to sneak out without being noticed, but Ronnie catches me. “So, are you coming to the party, or not?” Her tone is short, making me think the dress talk put her in a bad mood.

  I nod, and say, “Yeah, sure. If you are okay with driving me.”

  “That’s fine. The party’s at nine. We’ll pick you up around then.”

  As I’m lacing up my boots, a car horn goes off, letting me know Allen and Ronnie are here. I grab my wallet and cell phone off my dresser and head out the door. On my way out, I look around to see if Dan is around and find him sitting on the couch, watching The Walking Dead from this past weekend. The guy is obsessed with that show.

  He takes a sip of his beer and glances over at me. “Where are you heading tonight?” he asks.

  I point my thumb in the direction of the front door. “Some kids from school are here.” I don’t mention a party because I’m not sure how strict he is about underage drinking and I don’t want to be the person to snitch.

  “You heading to the bonfire party tonight?” My mouth drops open, surprised he knows about the party and is acting so casual about it.

  “You’ll come to learn there are no secrets in a small town like Freedom. I knew about that party the moment Missy planned it. Kids around here don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.” By his answer, he must have thought my silence was a question.

  I nod my head. I could believe that. “Well, since you already know, yes, that’s where I’m heading.”

  “Who with?” he asks.

  “What’s with the questioning?” When I lived with my mom, there was never a need for her to know where I was going, so this is new for me.

  Dan raises his eyebrow at my defensive tone. “Did you forget why you’re here? I’ll remind you. You are here because you’ve done a shit job of staying out of trouble. Asking you where you go and who you are with is me trying to keep you out of even more trouble. Not everyone in this town is law abiding and if I can keep you away from those people, I will.”

  He’s right, I know that, but it doesn’t make me like it. “Fine. I’m going with Ronnie and Allen. They’re outside right now.” Waiting for me, but I don’t add that.

  I can tell by his eyebrow raise and head tilt that my answer takes him by surprise. “Hamilton’s girl? She’s one of the best kids around here. Allen, too. Both come from good families.”

  “Yep, they seem great. Look, they’re waiting outside, so I’ll see you later.” I make my way to the door, ending the conversation.

  When I get outside, Ronnie’s truck is idling in the driveway. I make my way over and hop into the backseat, sitting behind Allen. I look to the front and the first thing I see is shoulder—a lot of nice, tan shoulder. I make my way down and notice a deep green…dress. She bought a dress. And in my favorite color. It looks short, which is hot. I can’t wait to see her when we get out of the truck.

  From a distance, someone calls my name and says hi, but I can’t look away from Ronnie. When she turns in her seat to look at me, I’m stu
nned. I already knew Ronnie was hot, but her dressed up like this blows hot right out the water. She’s beautiful. River was right when he said wait for that girl. This one is going to be worth it.

  Someone nudges me on the side of my head and I turn to see Allen staring at me. “What the hell, man?” I ask.

  “I’m sorry I had to get violent, but I was trying to put an end to the eye-fucking. Calling your name wasn’t working, so I had to smack you upside the head,” Allen says.

  I lean back and cross my arms over my chest. “There was no eye-fucking going on. I was just amazed Ronnie got a dress.” I turn to look at her. “I thought you were anti-dress.”

  She shrugs her shoulders and puts the truck in drive. “It was on clearance and in my size. Figured it was meant to be.”

  I nod my head response, because I’m a guy. I don’t care about clearance and sales and all that girl stuff. Allen though, goes into this whole talk about how the dress fit her curvy figure, which I couldn’t agree more. Not even sure what that means. He then proceeds to go on and on about the shopping trip and everything they bought. The story was long, but it made the drive go faster than when we listen to country music.

  We drive up to an open field with a huge open flame. Ronnie parks in a lot full of other redneck trucks. Guess owning one of these is the standard southern thing. The three of us hop out and meet around the front.

  That’s where I get to see Ronnie and that dress in all their glory. It’s hot, and short—my favorite kind of outfit for a girl. I make my way from her curly blonde hair to her face—she has some kind of crafty dark thing going on with her eyes—and then move to her dress, which is my favorite part of her entire outfit. That is, until I see her shoes. With a dress like this, you would expect a chick to wear some massive high heels they end up taking off halfway through the night, or even some type of strappy sandal. Not Ronnie. Nope, this babe is sporting Converse. And damn, that’s hot.

  Staring at her shoes, I can’t help but smile when she kicks her tiny feet together. “You like? I’m sure you aren’t used to a girl wearing dresses and sneakers together,” she says to me.