Warrior: A Salvation Society Novel

by A. M. Brooks

  He eyes my outfit and the makeup pallet in my hand, which only makes him frown more. I’m hardly dressed inappropriately. My jeans are new, but they cover what they should. I opted to wear a tank top with lace trim and matching cardigan sweater over it, instead of my usual graphic t-shirts.

  Sam Taylor looks mean with his tall build and broad shoulders. After years of being a high school English teacher, he’s perfected a stony face and gruff voice that keeps kids in line. Most of my friends are scared of him. Only my family and I know how much of a teddy bear he actually is. The tough guy facade he’s fronting right now is for Colt’s benefit more than him actually being mad at me.

  “It’s just pizza and a movie, Daddy.” I tilt my head to meet his gaze.

  “Colt’s a good kid,” my momma reminds him gently, placing her hand on his forearm.

  “The kid runs around with hardly any adult supervision. His dad is never home, and Colt gets to school late more days than on time. I’ve seen him and his buddies camping at the lake almost all summer. I swear they even had beer bottles, Haley,” he harrumphs.

  “That hardly makes him a criminal,” my momma argues and man do I love her even more. She is actually the disciplinarian in this household and the fact that Colt somehow has her wrapped around his finger is amazing to me. She had zero qualms about my first date when I asked her if I could go.

  “You know he’s had a rough couple of years. To lose a brother then his mother so young…he may be late to school, but he is in the top of his grade. He has a part-time job, plays after-school sports and he is always nice to adults when I see him.” I beam at her appraisal of Colt. Even though she left out how devastatingly handsome he is, I can’t deny everything she said is true.

  Ever since that day of his brother’s funeral, we’ve been glued at the hip. His best friend, Zane, finally came around and now he’s one of my closest friends, too. Since we went to different middle schools, I only saw them on the weekends or a few hours in the evening before dinner. Colt’s mom passed away two years later and we all became closer. After Colt’s brother passed, his mom was never the same. She became depressed and distant until she completely lost her will to live. It was the first time I’d really seen Colt cry. He sat between Zane and me, shoulder to shoulder, while his chest heaved with silent sobs. I cried silently with him. Zane teared up as well, even though he’d never admit it. It was a time that truly bonded us. Zane and I became the family Colt needed, the people he counted on to be around. I made it my personal goal to make sure he smiled every time I saw him.

  This past summer, though, things began to change. Colt grew up. And when I say grew up, I mean he grew. For a sixteen-year-old boy, he looks more like an eighteen-year-old. He towers over my average five foot six. I swear even his arms became longer and his hands…I’ve never been intrigued by or studied someone’s hands before, but Colt…the first time he held mine, they were swallowed by his. I’ve never felt safer than when his hand wrapped around mine. Strong and warm, and just rough enough that it sent shivers down my spine. His face thinned out and became longer, his jaw sharp and the bridge of his nose angular. His long dark hair is messy and always hangs over his forehead. I’ve seen him after his football practice without a shirt on and I can’t believe a boy my age could be as cut as he is. His tan skin stretches and moves over his abs. The veins in his forearms ripple and bunch every time he grabs a football. My eyes practically fell out of their sockets when I realized my friend was hiding all of this under his baggy t-shirts and jeans. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Half of the girls in the school were noticing as well. That’s when the first flare of jealousy erupted in my chest and I knew I was never going to see Colt the same again. Suddenly riding and jumping bikes wasn’t enough anymore.

  Apparently, he felt the same way about me. Our first week back at school for our sophomore year, he sat by me in all our same classes. He started meeting me at my locker in the mornings and offering to walk me home after. It didn’t matter that Zane also tagged along because Colt had asked me. After church this past week, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up chicken dinner and ran into Colt. He brought our groceries to the car and on the way out asked if I’d want to get pizza and go see the new comedy movie at our local theater. Hook, line and sinker…he had me.

  “I’m not happy about this. You’ll be home by nine,” Daddy says, directing his words to me. I frown. It’s already six.

  “Sam!” my momma scolds and laughs, “be home by eleven, Lyric.”

  My dad opens his mouth to say more, but the look momma shoots him keeps his lips zipped shut. I slam my own lips together to stifle my grin.

  “Anyways,” my dad says sounding defeated, “the boy is here. You better go.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.” I jump to my feet and wrap my arms around him before doing the same to Momma. Grabbing my small purse, I quickly sprint down the stairs. To my surprise, Colt is helping Kyler play his video game. He stops when he sees me and a slow, lopsided grin pulls at his lips.

  “Hey, Taylor,” he calls, using my last name like always. I roll my eyes and move closer to them.

  “I’m ready whenever you are,” I tell him, hoping he can’t detect the nervousness in my voice. I’m going on my first date and with Colt of all people. It feels like a dream and I hope nothing horrible happens like getting pepperoni stuck in my teeth.

  “Sure.” He nods, pushing a jumble of buttons on the controller until Kyler’s team wins and ‘Mission Complete’ flashes on the screen.

  “Woah!” Kyler’s mouth drops open in awe. His gaze falls on Colt and I can see the hero worship in his eyes.

  “See you later, bud,” Colt says, before standing and taking my hand to lead me out of the house.

  His light blue truck sits in our driveway. Colt surprises me by walking me to my side and opening the door so I can climb in. I’m instantly thankful I decided on jeans for this date and not the skirt I had been toying with. He shuts the door behind me and rounds to his side.

  “So there is a six-thirty movie and an eight. Do you want to eat first or see the movie first?” he asks, while starting the ignition and backing out of my driveway.

  With my lip clamped between my teeth, I quickly toss the options around in my head. “How about eat first?”

  His smile widens and he nods his head. “Food first, it is.”

  Colt drives us into town and past the school. He waves every now and then when we see people in our grade. My cheeks tinge pink because I swear everyone knows we’re on a date and not just hanging out like normal. There’s a shift of emotion in the air and I wonder if he can feel it too. Or am I just being a girly-girl about it? I take a few deep breaths to try and calm myself. I’ve eaten with Colt many times. Usually Zane or a group of people is with us, but it can’t be that much different. Right?

  I don’t know if Colt can sense my nervousness or not when he pulls into the parking lot of the Pizzeria. Again he opens my door for me and takes my hand while we walk in. It might be my imagination, but I swear the loud chatter dials down to a muted murmur while the hostess walks us back to a smaller booth. We live in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, even if you don’t want them to. It can be nice and sometimes it can be super awkward, like right now. By Monday at school, everyone will know Lyric and Colt were on a date Saturday night. Once we’re seated, I can see the smirk on Colt’s face and a small chuckle escapes his mouth.

  “What’s so funny?” I ask, peering around us.

  “I think we’re the talk of the town tonight, Taylor.” He leans over the table, those coffee-brown eyes of his holding my blue ones. Butterflies nosedive in my stomach. I’ve never felt nervous around Colt, but for some reason, my hands feel sweaty and I’m tongue-tied.

  “Is this weird?” I ask suddenly, my thoughts too jumbled in my own mind.

  Colt’s lips tug into an easy smile and he shakes his head no. “I’ve been waiting a long time to ask you out.”

  “You have?”
The idiotic questions just keep coming. I hope the filter between my brain and my mouth decides to make an appearance tonight.

  He laughs. “Can you tell me you haven’t thought about it?”

  I have to look away because the answer on my tongue is going to cause a whole new round of girly blushing. Of course I’ve thought about it. I’ve had a crush on Colt before I even knew his name.

  My eyes creep back up to his and sure enough, he’s staring at me waiting for an answer. “I have.”

  “See,” he grins, reaching under the table to pull my hand into his, “it was meant to be.”

  My mouth quirks into a smile and we both exhale past the weirdness. It’s been five years that we’ve been hanging out as friends. He knows me and I know him. Still, I can’t help but feel my heart beat faster, knowing he’s been wanting to take me on a date for a while. He definitely hid his interest well.

  When our server returns, he orders my favorite pizza, which I know he secretly likes too, and we get two Cokes. The longer we sit, the more natural everything feels. As if we’re meant to be right here, right now in this moment, just the two of us. Time seems to stop. Every smile and laugh shared between us is a new string tethering our souls together. I know in my blood that I will never be the same after this date. I also know I never want to date again. I don’t care if this is my first one, I never want another. I only want Colt.

  “Oh shoot,” he says suddenly sitting back, checking the watch on his wrist.

  “Everything okay?” I ask, my eyebrows kicking up.

  He chuckles. “We were on a roll talking about old man Tomlinson’s cat, and I lost track of time. The movie started thirty minutes ago!”

  I snatch his wrist to look at the time. Sure enough, we’ve spent way too long just catching up that we may as well skip the movie. My smile falters. I was looking forward to spending more time with Colt. Missing the movie just cut off another hour and a half of our date.

  “Well, my dad won’t hate it if I’m home early.” I shrug, trying to keep it light, even though I’d do anything right now to spend more time with just Colt.

  His eyes dip to the table, suddenly very interested in his fork that’s lying in front of him. “Would you want to get ice cream instead? We could get it to go and take a walk around the park…”

  His voice trails off as if he expects me to turn him down. Little does he know my heart just jumped in my throat with excitement. “I never say no to ice cream, Street.”

  His lips pull into a lopsided smile and I don’t miss the small flash of relief in his eyes. My cheeks tinge pink. He finishes off our pizza before reaching for the check right when our server drops it on the table between us.

  “I can cover half,” I tell him, reaching for the spare cash floating in my purse.

  “Lyric,” he says my name and it sounds like a warning, “don’t even think about it. I got it.”

  I slide my hand out of my purse and sit quietly waiting while he throws down some cash. He stands and offers his hand to me. Mine slides into his as if it’s meant to be there, and I follow him out to the truck. We drive farther into town and pull off the main road and find a parking spot. This time I jump out before he can open the door and skip up to the front of the building. Addy’s Malt Shop is a local gem. They serve twenty different flavors of ice cream on any given day and during holidays, she always makes a special new recipe. It’s never the same twice and that’s part of the charm.

  “Hi Lyric,” Addy calls to me from the register and I wave. I see her do a double take when her eyes land on Colt, only to find our usual trail of friends aren’t with us. A knowing look passes over her eyes. “Hi Colt! That was some game last night,” she says, while walking over to us.

  His head dips and he flashes her a full smile. “Thanks, Add. Glad you and Jeff could make it.”

  “We never miss a Wolverine game,” she tells him. “The usual for you two?”

  We both nod as we make our way through the line, watching Addy’s magic as she smashes and rolls our ice cream into pretty masterpieces. In no time, she hands me my sundae, before handing Colt his waffle cone. This time I get my money out before him and pay. Colt frowns at me and I laugh. “I can treat you, too. Come on.” I gently tug his shirt sleeve, motioning for him to follow me out the door before he gets a crazy idea to argue with me. Addy waves goodbye to us as we head back out the door.

  We walk in comfortable silence, eating our treats, and follow the lighted path into the park. I lead Colt to my favorite red bench under my favorite maple tree, the one with the brightest colored leaves this time of year. The sun is almost completely set by now, yet the twinkle lights strung up throughout the park cast a warm, yellow glow. September weather is still pretty warm, with lows in the mid-sixties. With Colt’s body right next to mine, I can’t suppress a shiver.

  “Maybe we can see that movie next weekend?” He turns to me.

  “I’d like that,” I tell him, smiling.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t make it tonight,” he says, before taking another bite of his cone.

  “It’s okay,” I shrug, “this is pretty great too.”

  “Always looking on the bright side, Taylor,” he says, bumping his shoulder with mine.

  We eat again in silence. My stomach starts to dip and swirl when I notice only a few bites remain in my cup. Our date is coming to an end. Disappointment flows in my veins and for some stupid reason, my eyes prick with tears. I don’t understand it. I only know I wish this moment could last forever.

  We stand at the same time while I dump my bowl in the trash can nearby. I can’t bring my eyes to look at Colt. I’m overwhelmed with nerves, not sure how to end this date, while also being ready to cry that it is over. Instead of talking, I take a step to move around him in the direction we came from.

  “Lyric?” My name on his tongue sends my heart soaring, while the warmth from his fingers sinks into my skin where they are wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to a stop. My feet shuffle until we’re standing chest to chest. I feel his intake of breath when our eyes finally meet.

  My head tilts in question, then words die in my mouth. In one second Colt’s staring at me like I’m his world and the next his large hands are cupping my face, before his lips crush against mine. Kissing him is nothing like I thought it would be. It’s way more, and a thousand times better. I can taste the strawberry from his ice cream on his lips, which are still chilled, while they glide against mine. I breathe in his intoxicating smell of citrus, spice and fresh air, before moving closer into him.

  I’ve never been kissed, but suddenly I know what everyone is talking about. Why some people would trade their lives for one more kiss; why others would complete impossible tasks; why song writers would dedicate whole ballads to commemorate it. I swear there’s a pause in the beat of my heart while my brain screams his name at the same time. My blood rushes to my head and every sense I possess goes into overdrive. By the time Colt pulls his lips from mine, I know I’m changed. I know my heart, my soul, and my mind will never be the same again.

  Chapter Three

  Lyric

  Age 17…

  My pulse thumps in my ears the faster I push my legs. I’m late. Colt and I were supposed to meet up twenty minutes ago, but my boss needed extra help at the flower shop. I couldn’t tell her no, as tomorrow was another busy Saturday for weddings. “Crap,” I mutter to myself again after looking at my phone. I’m officially twenty-two minutes late.

  Tearing down the sidewalk, I’m thankful at least it is late enough that it isn’t congested with people. Today is our one-year dating anniversary. Three hundred and sixty-five days have passed since Colt gave me my first kiss then asked me to be his girlfriend. It had been his idea to meet up at our bench, the same one we sat at on our first date with our ice cream. I want to kick myself for almost ruining what should be a romantic moment. I did text him saying I’d be late, but I never heard back from him. I hope he isn’t mad. Colt and I barely ever fight. Our biggest a
rgument was after he gave Jackson Pruitt a black eye for grabbing my butt at a party. I didn’t like the grab, but the last thing Colt needed was to get in trouble for fighting or worse for the football coach to find out.

  Colt is making a name for himself as the Wolverine’s youngest team captain. Despite being a junior, everyone on the team looks up to him and thrives under his leadership. He is versatile and can play both sides of the ball. He is already sitting at over 1,000 rushing yards to go with his 10 touchdowns, 250 receiving yards in 17 passes, and he also has 50 tackles. His coach and several bigwigs in the community are already saying it is only a matter of time before colleges start scouting him seriously. Everyone is talking about Colt having an NFL career. Of course this only makes Colt work harder. He wants to play at Alabama then on a pro-team. He’d never say it out loud, fear of what his dad thinks stands in his way of voicing what he wants; plus, he is beyond modest. He is the guy who is always first to praise his teammate or jump in to offer help when someone’s struggling. He accepts praise with a slight head nod and a practiced smile. No one but me, and maybe his best friend Zane, know how much Colt hates the hero worship. He shows up each week to play his favorite game and if that leads to an NFL career then he’ll cross that bridge when, and if, he gets there.

  Colt treats every part of his life with the same optimism as he does the game of football. When we disagree, he is the first to try and look at it from my perspective, which often humbles me and forces me to open up to him. After our first date, Colt and I became even more inseparable. It helped that we started out as friends and had the same friend group, so no one felt like we were leaving them out. It just became a thing that we arrived together and left together, holding hands and often sharing some PDA. I still get butterflies every time I see him and each time we kiss and go maybe a little too far in the back of his blue pick-up, I only fall for him more. He’s my addiction. The one person I think of before I drift off to sleep and whose face I want to see when I wake up in the morning.