by Leigh, T. K.
Feeling as if I’ve been labeled a social outcast, I’ve begun picking up extra hours at the movie theater where I got a job once I obtained my work permit. Dad’s rules. If I want to drive when I turn sixteen, I have to pay for my own gas and car insurance. We aren’t so hard off that he can’t help with those things, but he wants to teach me responsibility. Plus, having a job looks good on college applications.
“Pearl Harbor,” Spencer says on a Monday evening in early August as a couple I estimate to be in their early twenties enters and makes their way through the queue toward the ticket counter.
“Nah,” I respond, studying them. It’s a game we play during our shifts where we try to guess what movie each person or couple is going to see. It makes the slow nights go by much quicker. “That’s already been out a few months.” I pinch my lips together. “I’m going with America’s Sweethearts.”
“Care to put a wager on it?”
“What did you have in mind?” I waggle my brows, grinning deviously. Spencer’s not bad looking. Actually, I think he’s kind of cute in a nerdy way. He’s thin and brainy, but has this aloofness to him that makes him attractive.
“Loser has to clean winner’s children’s movies for a month.”
I whistle. These are some very high stakes. Everyone who’s ever worked in a movie theater knows the theater after a kid’s movie lets out is akin to the remnants of a massive tornado. The floor will be covered in popcorn, candy stuck to the back of chairs. If you’re lucky, you won’t reach under the seat to find some parent decided to leave a dirty diaper under there instead of tossing it into the trash bin. It’s the least glamorous part of this job, and Spencer knows it.
“Time’s ticking, Brook,” he jests, shifting his eyes to the couple who are now fast approaching us. “Lots at stake here, especially your reputation. Unless it’s all just been a bunch of crap and you’re not as brilliant as we’ve all been led to believe.”
“Fine.” I thrust out my hand and he shakes it with a grin. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
I turn from him, smiling at the couple, then mutter under my breath, “Hope you like scraping gum because you’re going to be spending the next month doing just that.”
“We’ll see.” He beams as he faces the couple, my heart pounding in my chest. Spencer could be right. It doesn’t matter that his guess is a movie that’s been out for a while. It’s still in theaters for a reason. “Good evening. How can I help you?”
My body tightens as I witness the exchange. Time seems to stand still as the couple looks at the board containing the showtimes, the man resting his hand on his chin and tapping his forefinger on his bottom lip, deep in thought.
“Two tickets…”
I say a little prayer when I see the man’s eyes zero in on Pearl Harbor.
“To…”
Then he shifts his gaze to Shrek. I know for certain they have no intention of seeing that. This is a college-aged couple here to probably make out away from the overbearing eyes of their parents.
“America’s Sweethearts.”
I breathe a huge sigh of relief, grinning. I wait until the couple leaves with the tickets Spencer begrudgingly handed over, then I break out into a dance, taunting him.
“That’s right! Who’s the winner now?” I keep dancing, laughing, oblivious to everything else. It doesn’t matter. The theater’s pretty dead tonight. Monday’s aren’t exactly a popular night to go to the movies. “You went up against the dragon and got burned!” I reach for the feather duster by the cash registers and hand it to him, although he’ll need a lot more cleaning supplies for the task ahead. It’s simply a token gesture. “I think Shrek just let out. Better get going, Spence!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles as he snatches the feather duster from me, trudging away and toward the theaters.
I’m so lost in my celebratory gloating, I don’t even notice when someone approaches the ticket counter until I hear a loud throat clearing. I whirl around, my breath escaping when I see Drew standing there. But that’s not what causes a snake to slither up and squeeze my heart. It’s the fact he’s here with another girl. And not just any girl. Mindy Jacobson. Popular. Beautiful. Head cheerleader. Homecoming queen. It makes sense. Drew was Homecoming king.
“Hey,” he says, his voice soft. It’s the first thing he’s said to me since the day he had me pinned beneath him. I wonder how many times he’s had Mindy Jacobson pinned beneath him since then.
“Hi.” I swallow hard, my face flushing. I do my best to pretend the thought of him here with another girl doesn’t hit me square in the gut. I wonder if I’ll always feel this pull to him that he doesn’t even know exists.
“How are you?”
“Fine.” I don’t bother to ask him how he’s doing. The silent treatment I’ve received the past few weeks is all the answer I need to know exactly how he feels. He probably just saw me as another notch in his belt, like my dad warned me about.
I hear the things the boys at school say behind my back, especially now that I have a pair of boobs and hips that they, and I quote, “would love to get a hold of and go to town on.” After the episode with Damian, I honestly thought Drew cared. He doesn’t. He just wanted to have bragging rights himself.
“How can I help you this evening?” I plaster on the fake smile I use with complete strangers, which is precisely what Drew feels like to me…a stranger.
As I await his response, I hold my breath, saying a silent prayer like I did with Spencer. This time, it’s not because cleaning a dirty theater is at stake. It’s because I hate the thought of Drew coming here with a girl for the same reason every other teenage boy does. Certain movies are more advantageous to that kind of thing than others.
“Two tickets to Original Sin,” he says.
I do my best to not react, not let him see how disappointed I am. I have no claim over him. Gritting a smile, I take his money, gauging his response. I normally don’t charge him. But that was before. Before the almost kiss. Before he brought Mindy Jacobson here and asked for two tickets to the steamiest movie we’re allowed to show.
Once the tickets spit out, I hand them to him, along with his change. “Enjoy the show.”
“Thanks, Brandy,” Mindy says with an overabundance of enthusiasm, like every sentence she speaks should be a cheer.
“It’s Brooklyn,” I mutter as she begins to retreat, pulling Drew along with her.
He glances over his shoulder, his gaze confusing me. It almost looks regretful. I brush it off. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter.
The next half-hour passes slowly. All I can think of is Drew in a darkened theater, making out with Mindy. I don’t want to even consider what other things they’re doing. I actually wish I had lost to Spencer. Then I would have been cleaning and never would have seen Drew, never would be faced with the reality that I’ll never be enough for him.
“Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Spencer says as he walks up, removing a pair of rubber gloves and tossing them into the trash. I flash my eyes to his, forcing a smile, but it’s lacking. His grin falls and he furrows his brow. “Are you okay? I thought you’d still be doing your little dance.”
He starts shaking his hips, moving around the ticket counter, not caring that his dance skills are nonexistent. It doesn’t bother him. Nothing ever does. When he does a horrible impersonation of “The Carlton” from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I laugh at how absolutely ridiculous he looks. There are few things that are certain to bring a smile to my face, but horrible dancing is one of them.
“There’s my girl,” Spencer says. I quickly shoot my eyes to his, surprised by his words. He sucks in a breath, obviously just as shocked as I am. “I mean… I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you weren’t yourself. Not that you’re my girl or anything. I wouldn’t want Drew to get the wrong idea, especially after what I heard happened to Damian Murphy.”
My momentary happiness immediately evaporates when I hear Spencer mention Drew. Feeling tears pr
ickle the corners of my eyes, I step past him.
“Can you hold down the fort for a few minutes?” I manage to say through the lump in my throat.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
I keep my head down, doing everything I can to steady my voice. The last thing I want is for Spencer to witness my breakdown. And over a boy. Now I understand why my dad doesn’t want me to date. It’s too distracting, keeps me from doing what I should be — working and getting ahead with my schoolwork for the upcoming year. I’m already behind on the summer reading list. I can’t fall behind during the regular academic year, too.
“I just need to use the little girl’s room. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“As long as you’re not heading into a theater to mess it up just so I have to clean it.”
I glance over my shoulder at him, my lips curving into a sly smile, but it’s not as vivacious as it usually is. “I wasn’t going to, but now that you’ve given me the idea…”
His eyes widen. “You better not, Brook!”
I shrug, chewing on my lower lip, then continue walking, grateful for the brief moment of levity Spencer’s geeky antics provide. But that levity is short-lived as I pass the theater showing Original Sin. I slow my steps, telling myself to stop thinking about him, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I veer toward the theater, slowly opening the door and walking in.
Apart from a few aisle lights, everything’s dark. Even the screen doesn’t give off much light, considering how dark this movie is. I shouldn’t be in here. When they hired me, the management was adamant I not step foot in any of the theaters showing R-rated movies until they were over. I could lose my job if anyone catches me, but that’s not a good enough reason for me to leave.
I scan the seats. There aren’t many people here, making my perusal easier. As my eyes float over the back few rows, I notice a familiar silhouette, his mouth attached to Mindy’s, her hands running through his hair. Jealousy bubbles deep. A voice inside tells me to turn around. After all, I’ve seen Drew kiss plenty of girls over the years. But this is the first time I’ve seen him kiss someone after he almost kissed me. A part of me feels like that’s my kiss Mindy’s enjoying.
I step closer, unable to look away. I wonder if Mindy realizes how lucky she is to feel his lips on hers, his body next to hers, his woodsy aroma invading her senses. I notice movement beneath Mindy’s shirt and realize Drew’s hand is making that motion.
My face heats even more, embarrassed but curious at the same time. Mindy’s sitting in the chair against the wall, Drew the next one over, his back toward me. I can make out the expression on Mindy’s face as he touches her. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything that would make me look like that, like I’m ready to lose control. I’ve seen some intimate moments in movies, but they were actors, putting on a show for maximum benefit. Bearing witness to Drew with another girl is yet one more reminder that I could never be what he needs. I would never be so bold as to let him touch me like that, especially in public.
As I begin to slowly retreat, blue eyes meet mine and I freeze in place. I expect Mindy to pull away since I caught them, but she doesn’t. She smirks, digging her hands into Drew’s scalp. Her stare still trained on me, she leans closer to him, nibbling on his earlobe. Then she palms his crotch, slowly lowering herself toward his waist.
When I faintly make out the sound of a zipper, I abruptly spin around, hurrying out of the theater. I’m smart enough to know what she’s about to do. I want nothing more than to erase that, erase Drew, from my memory.
Chapter Six
Drew
“Thanks for the movie,” Mindy says flirtatiously as I pull up in front of her house. The instant I put the car in park, she reaches across the center console, her hand landing on my crotch. “It was quite enjoyable, although I can’t tell you what it was about.” She squeezes and I feel a slight twitching in my pants from the gesture.
Mindy’s probably every guy’s dream. Tall. Long legs. Wavy blonde hair. Mesmerizing blue eyes. She’s beautiful and she knows it, but not in an attractive way. She uses the fact that everyone in school thinks she’s hot to her advantage. I fell for it, too, although I didn’t realize it at the time. Now I can’t remember why I asked her out in the first place. She’s sexy and always up for a good time, but something’s lacking. Something’s been lacking ever since I felt Brooklyn’s body beneath mine. Seeing her again tonight brought up all these feelings I’ve been trying to suppress for the past month. I’d hoped spending more time with Mindy, even though we’re both heading our separate ways at the end of the summer, would help with that. I need it to help with that.
Inching toward her, I brush my lips across hers. I want to feel some sort of connection to her, a spark of electricity burning low in my stomach. That doesn’t happen. Just as she always does, she grabs the back of my neck, turning the kiss from soft and sweet to erotic and intense. I don’t mind deep kisses, but this seems like it’s just a means to take things to the next level. Sometimes I just want to kiss for the sake of kissing, not as a way to get laid.
“Oh, Drew,” she moans, her mouth moving down my jaw, to my neck. “Let’s go to the overlook.” Her breathing comes hot and heavy as she nips at my skin. “I leave for Notre Dame at the end of the month. I need you as often as possible between now and then.”
I lean my head back against the headrest. Something inside me sparks to life when she rubs her hand between my legs. I was able to forget about Brooklyn briefly when Mindy went down on me tonight. Maybe I need more of that so I stop thinking about her altogether.
“And this time we won’t have an audience, so I can really let loose.”
“You’re the one who wanted to go to the movies,” I remind her.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
I bring my eyes to hers. “What do you mean?”
She smirks, leaning toward me. “That little friend of your sister’s.”
“What about her?”
Mindy grins slyly, her lips landing on my neck, her tongue tracing circles. “She was watching us,” she whispers in a throaty voice.
My chest rises and falls in a faster pattern. Not over what Mindy’s doing to me right now, but over the idea of Brooklyn seeing me with someone else. Guilt settles in my stomach, weighing it down. It’s never been like this before. Being with Mindy, with anyone else, suddenly feels wrong.
I grip Mindy’s biceps, forcing her off me, my eyes fierce. “What do you mean?”
She wipes a finger along her mouth and I release my hold on her. “Exactly what I said. She was standing in the aisle of the theater, watching us. I figured if she wanted a show, I’d give her one. But once I reached for your cock, she disappeared.”
My jaw grows slack as I study Mindy. I can only imagine what Brooklyn must think of me right now.
“What? It’s not that big a deal. Hell, she’s seen us make out before.”
I close my eyes, running my hand over my face. I need to smooth this over with Brooklyn. I’ve tried to avoid her the past month, my obsession with how perfect her tall, lithe body felt below mine unnerving me. Every time I’ve thought about it, I remind myself how sweet and innocent she is, how I’m not the right person for her, how I’ll only hold her back, how she’s not yet sixteen. But I need to explain myself to her.
“I have to go,” I say curtly.
“Go?” Mindy arches a brow. “What about the overlook?”
“I promised Gigi I’d help cover the morning shift at the café,” I lie. “Maybe another time.”
She pouts, studying me for a moment, then leans toward me. “Okay. I’ll definitely be taking you up on that offer.” She places her hand on my crotch once more. “I need more of this.”
When she presses her mouth to mine, it does absolutely nothing for me. Finally, she pulls back and steps out of the car. I watch to ensure she makes it into her house safely, as my aunt taught me. Gigi also taught me to never go to bed without reco
nciling your differences. While Brooklyn and I haven’t had a fight, she must be upset. I know I’d be if I were in her shoes, if I walked in on her locking lips with someone else, if I witnessed anyone else putting their hands on her. The last time I saw something like that, I sent the kid to the hospital with a broken nose.
Once Mindy blows me a kiss and closes the front door behind her, I put my car in drive, heading back toward the movie theater in the hopes of catching Brooklyn while she’s still there. I don’t want to show up at her house, especially if her father’s home. After his call to my dad, warning me about getting involved with her, he wouldn’t take kindly to me showing up at night.
As I approach the movie theater, I notice a familiar silhouette walking down the street. Reducing my speed, I make a quick U-turn, lowering the passenger side window.
“Brooklyn,” I call out.
The instant she hears my voice, she slows her steps, shooting her eyes toward mine. A slight smile builds on her lips before she hardens her expression, facing forward once more.
“Date get cut short?” Her tone is harsh as she continues down the sidewalk.
“Get in the car,” I order, driving along beside her. “I’ll take you home.”
“I’m fine. The bus stop is just a few blocks away.”
“Why didn’t your dad pick you up?”
“He’s working. I take the bus when he can’t get me.”
“You shouldn’t be walking by yourself. It’s not safe. You should tell me when you need a ride.”
“I do it all the time.” She glares at me. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need your help.” I hear the double meaning in her words.
“I know you don’t, and…” I pull my lip between my teeth, pausing.
“And?” When she abruptly stops walking, I step on the brakes. A hand goes to her hip as she taps her foot in irritation. It’s absolutely adorable, but I reel in my smile, wanting to give the situation the seriousness it deserves.
