Peace in Flames: A Peace Series Novella

by Caroline Andrus

  "What about you, JoJo? Who are you rooting for?" Amelia asked.

  JoJo shrugged and gazed longingly at her potato wedges. "None of the above."

  "Seriously? You wouldn't want to date anyone from our school?"

  JoJo scanned the lunchroom, then turned her attention back to her friends. "Nope. Not a one. Too immature."

  "Ooooh," Mandy teased. "Apparently Joanna likes older boys."

  She wrinkled her nose at Mandy. "Never call me that again." She leaned back in her chair as a grin formed on her face. “I don’t care who wins me, but I do want to bring in the most money.”

  Valerie leaned back in her chair and watched her friends banter. She wished she could join in and speculate about her own date outcome, unfortunately it was all but written in stone. Chris "The Tool" Burkeholder had staked his claim—marked his territory if you will—and none of the other boys in school were dumb enough to get in his way.

  The school gymnasium was segregated. The boys were seated on the bleachers on one side, while the girls waited in an excited cluster on the other. Valerie felt a wave of dread wash over her as she scanned the crowd of boys and spied Chris. He caught her eye and puckered his lips at her, smirking the whole time. She repressed a shudder. I think I'm going to be ill.

  It was Friday afternoon. The homecoming pep rally had occurred during school that day, reminding all interested parties to stay after school for the date auction.

  Slowly each girl was called forward and the bidding began. Valerie watched as boys called out bids on the girls, and eventually money was handed over to Ms. Merryweather, the school secretary, who made a record of the winning bid. The winner returned to his seat, while the girl moved to the opposite side of the gymnasium.

  "Katie Harder," Principal Hemsworth called.

  Katie, a vivacious brunette, stepped forward and gave an exaggerated wink toward the boys. She grinned as the bids began to roll in. Eventually, once the bids slowed to nothing, Principal Hemsworth called, "Going once, going twice, gone!" and Katie skipped off to join the other girls who had already been purchased.

  Ugh. Purchased. Valerie still couldn't believe her parents talked her into this. Could there be a more antiquated tradition in this town? She needed to get out of Peace. This school year could not go by any slower. At least the date auction only required the couple to attend the semi-formal all school dance in the school gym the following day.

  JoJo was called forth and she pranced to the center. She blew kisses toward all of her admirers—to all of the boys who were too immature for her. She may not care who won her date, but she’d made it no secret that she liked to win. Valerie couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face as she watched her friend, even as her stomach churned with dread as she waited for her own turn.

  JoJo stood, prim and proper, a grin plastered on her face, as boy after boy called out his bid. JoJo didn't date—though there were plenty of boys who wanted her to—so it was a new experience for Valerie, watching these boys try and throw their money at her.

  Valerie didn't date much either. She'd been out with a few of the boys from her school, but nothing serious. She was pretty sure Chris scared them off when he made it known that he wanted her. That didn’t bother her though, she didn't want to get emotionally attached to anyone in this tiny town, not when she was leaving in eight agonizingly long months.

  More girls were paraded in front of the masses before Mr. Hemsworth finally called her name. She felt bile rise in the back of her throat but swallowed it down and stepped forward. She forced a smile on her face and silently chanted, It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause.

  It's for a good cause.

  Except it really wasn't. As she'd told Liam earlier that week, the money raised was going toward replacing the football team’s scoreboard. She supposed in a town like this that was important to some, but she'd rather they update the school computers, or maybe purchase a quality digital camera for the newspaper and yearbook staff. But of course, sports won out in the end.

  Mr. Hemsworth called for the bidding to start and a hush fell over the crowd. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the small ocean of boys before her. She spotted Chris again and he smirked. He gave a casual glance around before calling out the minimum bid.

  She sent a silent, desperate plea to JoJo. Her friend gave her a sympathetic shrug. Valerie’s attention returned to the boys, scanning through the faces for anyone who might be willing to take a stand against Chris.

  "Well." Principal Hemsworth cleared his throat. "I suppose if there aren't any other bidders..." He paused, waiting for someone to bid against Chris. "All right then. Going once..."

  Valerie wrung her hands in front of her, her palms slick with perspiration.

  "Going twice..."

  Please, please, please. It was a desperate plea to the universe. She didn’t want to spend a second alone with Chris.

  "Go—"

  Her fate was almost sealed when a male voice called out, upping the bid at the very last possible moment.

  Valerie’s breath left her body and she thought she might faint with relief.

  The feeling was short lived when Chris called out another bid. His face was flushed red and a scowl marred his classically handsome face as he scanned the area, trying to pinpoint exactly who would dare defy his wishes and bid against him.

  The other bidder called out again and Valerie and Chris both seemed to spot him at the same time. Liam.

  Chris upped the bid once more and shot Liam a death glare.

  "Well, this is getting exciting now, folks!"

  Valerie risked a glance at Principal Hemsworth. He wore a delighted grin, his eyes alight at the sudden action.

  Liam called out another bid, which Chris upped a split second later. It seemed as though everyone in the gymnasium held a collective breath, waiting to see if Liam would keep going, or finally let Chris have his way. There was no doubt in Valerie's mind that Liam was going to pay for this. Her heart was aflutter with joy, while her stomach was coated in a thick sludge of dread for how Chris might retaliate. Even if he won, he was being forced to pay far more than the minimum bid.

  Chris smirked at Liam. Valerie couldn't see his face beneath Liam’s ever present hood, but she had a feeling he wasn't cowering in fear, because the next words out of his mouth was another bid—doubling Chris' previous bid.

  If Valerie thought Chris' face was red before, she was sorely mistaken. His skin now resembled an angry shade of puce. She was sure he would blow a gasket at any moment. In a fit of rage, he stood and stormed out of the gym.

  "Going once! Going twice! Gone!"

  The silence in the gym was deafening. Valerie felt a flood or relief wash over her and she let out the deep breath she'd been holding. A grin spread across her face as she watched Liam make his way down the rows of bleachers and fork over his cash to Ms. Merryweather.

  Valerie was numb with relief. It was as if she were outside her body, watching, as she crossed the makeshift stage to join her friends on the other side.

  "Well, it was nice knowing Liam," JoJo said solemnly. She blew a bubble with her gum and let it pop. "Chris is going to literally murder him for this."

  Valerie's sense of relief faded. JoJo was probably right.

  The Homecoming football game was only a few hours after the date auction. Valerie used to love attending the school football games, but it had lost its appeal when her brother graduated and was no longer on the team for her to cheer on.

  “Maybe Chris will still be so mad he'll be off his game and get the wind knocked out of him,” JoJo said.

  That was all it took for Valerie to willingly attend the game.

  She was only slightly surprised when Liam showed up and took a seat in the bleachers behind her. She and JoJo were seated with a group of their girlfriends surrounding them.

  "I didn't picture this as your scene," Valerie said. She swiveled her torso around to face him, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

  Liam
shrugged. "It's not. But my mom insisted I come and try to socialize with the locals."

  Valerie laughed. "Does she know about our date tomorrow?"

  His face was partially in shadow and she couldn't be sure, but she thought she detected a flush spread across his cheeks.

  "No," he admitted.

  "Am I your secret shame?" she teased.

  "What? No. No, I mean, I don't really talk about girls with my mom. That would be weird."

  She shrugged again, watching him appraisingly. "Would you do me a favor?"

  "That depends..."

  She smiled sweetly. "Will you lose the hoodie for just tomorrow night? I mean, it's semi-formal, which for most of the boys means a flannel shirt and a clean pair of jeans. So, don't worry about getting dressed up, just... no hoodie?"

  "I thought it made me look mysterious." His voice was serious, but she detected a note of joviality in it.

  JoJo, who was seated next to Valerie in the stands and had been watching the game, snorted. Some of the other nearby girls giggled. Clearly, they’d all been listening to their exchange. Valerie elbowed JoJo lightly in the ribs. She could just make out a smile beneath Liam's hood.

  "I'll lose the hoodie. Promise."

  She beamed. "Thank you."

  Valerie turned her attention back to the field; she wanted to see if Chris was getting the snot knocked out of him. He wasn’t. In fact, Chris was especially aggressive on the field that night.

  She was focused on the game, silently rooting for the other team to tackle Chris, when a scratching sound coming from behind her drew her attention. She turned to investigate.

  Liam was still behind her, a silver lighter in his hand. He didn't seem to notice her, his attention was focused on the small flickering flame.

  Valerie cast her gaze around her. The stands were full of cheering fans, all focused on the game. She was pretty sure Liam would get in trouble if he was caught with a lighter on school property, never mind a lit one.

  "You should probably put that away," she said.

  He startled and the flame went out. "What?"

  She indicated the lighter with a nod of her head. "You don't want the wrong people to see you with that. I'm pretty sure it's not allowed on school property."

  "Oh..." He cast a glance left and right, then slipped the lighter into the pocket of his leather jacket.

  "You're not a smoker, are you?" She wrinkled her nose.

  He shook his head.

  "Then why carry around a lighter?"

  "Reasons."

  She frowned. "That's....ominous."

  He shrugged again.

  She turned back to the game. What was she getting into with this boy?

  Valerie and JoJo arrived at the dance together, both decked out in the floor length dresses they'd purchased at the Walk-In Closet Second Hand Store a few weeks prior. Their mothers wanted them to drive to Billings to buy new dresses, but Valerie was saving as much of her money for college as possible. Besides, JoJo was a pro at finding thrift store gems and their Homecoming dress hunt was a success. JoJo was in coral strapless number and Valerie turned heads in an emerald green dress with spaghetti straps. They had styled their hair, painted nails, and applied their makeup at Valerie's house. They both wore jewelry that JoJo had created special for that evening.

  "There's my date," JoJo said. Chase Matthews was cute, in a nerdy sort of way, with curly blond hair and black plastic-framed hipster glasses. "I'll catch up to you later. I may need to fake an emergency depending on how this goes."

  Valerie grinned and waved goodbye. She scanned the room for Liam, pausing in her search to admire the white and navy blue paper streamers and balloons decorating the school gym. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. Liam was standing behind her. He wore his usual leather jacket, but beneath it he sported a nice dark blue button-down dress shirt—not flannel—and a black pair of jeans. For the first time since she'd met him, he was without the hoodie and she got a clear, unobstructed view of his face. He was cute. His skin was a deep bronzy tan and his hair was as black up close as it had appeared from afar; short and stick straight. His almond shaped eyes were also dark, a brown so deep they were almost black.

  He turned his head, distracted by something over her shoulder. The strobe light from the DJ stationed across the room swept over him. It lit up his face and glinted off an earring in his left lobe. A little thrill went through her body. Liam seemed like a good guy, but he was looking more than ever like a bad boy.

  "So... now what?" he asked. His gaze darted around the room uncomfortably.

  "Now we dance."

  His eyebrows shot up. "I don't dance."

  Valerie laughed and grabbed his hand. "Everyone dances. Some just do it better than others. Don't worry, nobody here can dance well." She tugged his arm until he reluctantly complied. The DJ was playing an upbeat pop song by Kedaisha, former Peace resident turned superstar, and when they reached the outskirts of the dance floor she dropped his hands, raised her arms in the air, and fell into step with the beat. Liam shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. She reached out again and grabbed both his hands in hers, trying to get him to loosen up. He was still stiff as a board, but she could see a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

  The song changed and a slow country ballad began. Liam dropped Valerie’s hands and ran one through his hair, sending it sticking up in sexy disarray. His gaze wandered around the dance floor and he rubbed the back of his neck. It was as though he were searching for an escape route. It was cute, she thought.

  She reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. His body froze in place and his eyes shifted back to meet hers.

  "You're supposed to put your hands on my waist," she instructed softly, offering him a kind smile.

  "Right," he said. He gently placed his hands on either side of her body and they swayed to the music in a slow circle.

  "So... why did you bid on me?" She bit her lower lip, then released it. She hoped she hadn't smudged her lipstick. When he had spoken up and outbid Chris she'd been so grateful that there was a chance Chris might not win, she hadn't even stopped to consider why Liam would throw away that much money on a date with a girl he barely knew.

  "I hate guys like Chris." He met her gaze. "When he placed that first bid, he had this cocky look on his face that made me want to punch him."

  Valerie grinned.

  "So I did one better. I bid against him. Besides, he really is a tool and you're...nice. You shouldn't have to be stuck with him for one minute, let alone a whole night."

  "Thank you," she said.

  Her voice was so soft he probably couldn't hear her over the music. He must have figured it out though, because he said, "You're welcome."

  They swayed silently for a few beats, then Liam said, "So... it's not that I'm not enjoying this, but how long do we have to actually dance at this dance?"

  She threw her head back and laughed, her arms still circled around his neck. "We can take a break after this song."

  His body visibly relaxed at her proclamation. She hoped he hated dancing in general, not dancing with her specifically. The song ended shortly thereafter and Valerie removed her arms from his neck. His hands lingered at her waist a moment too long before he dropped them to his sides.

  "Punch?" She gestured toward the refreshments table under the basketball hoop.

  "Sure."

  They held hands as they waded through the mass of bodies surrounding them until they reached the refreshments table. It was covered in a white tablecloth, already stained with red punch from previous students seeking refreshment. They each took a plastic cup of overly sweet liquid. Valerie sipped hers while she scanned the familiar faces surrounding them. She wondered if Chris had come. She hoped not. If he did, she had a feeling he would try something with her or Liam—or both.

  "Hey." She flagged down Evan Patterson—one of Chris' more tolerable friends—as he sauntered past.

  "Sup, Val?" His gaze trailed up and d
own her body, lingering a little too long on her chest. "Nice dress."

  She repressed the urge to roll her eyes. "No Chris tonight?" she asked casually.

  He laughed. "Oh man, no way! After what happened at the date auction, he's staying far away tonight. Be glad. He's still pissed."

  "Thanks," she said. He was already walking away, his date tugging him onto the dance floor.

  "Well, that's good news," Liam stated.

  Valerie grinned at him. "Very good news." She thought for a moment, then her grin widened. "I'll give you two choices."

  He raised his eyebrows at her in question.

  "Either we get back out there and dance... or we find someplace quiet and you let me question you."

  "Question me?" He sounded skeptical.

  She laughed. "Yes. In return, you can question me."

  He looked between her and the dance floor, a slightly pained expression on his face.

  "There is no wrong answer," she said. "And I don't bite."

  "You choose."

  "Nope. I asked you."

  He considered. "Where would we go to talk?"

  She shrugged. "Anywhere. We could go cruise Main Street or just walk around town. We could even go over to Generic Eric's and grab something real to eat."

  "I like that last option."

  "Cool," she said.

  "Did you drive by chance?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "No, I rode with JoJo."

  He frowned. "I walked."

  "Well, one nice thing about Peace is that most everything is in walking distance."

  "All right. Let's go then."

  They discarded their punch cups and stopped by the coat check to pick up Valerie’s purse. Exiting the school, Valerie pulled her phone out of her clutch and shot a quick text to JoJo, letting her know she'd left.

  They walked the three blocks down McBride Lane before turning left down Main Street. Valerie peered in the window displays of the closed up shops with mild interest and gave Liam a mini tour of Main Street. As they neared Generic Eric's she could hear laughter coming from Toppin's bar as the door opened to let a new customer in.