by Raathi Chota
“Thanks,” I said as I looked at the Mayday Parade and Alt-J label.
“Well, I gotta get to work. You kids enjoy, and baby, don’t call her a vegetable again,” Mrs. Gunner said as she stood up and kissed Axel on the cheek. Levi and I waved, then watched as she walked out of the kitchen. In the hall, I saw Blake walk out; he stopped when he saw his mother. She spoke to him, then gave him a kiss too. I looked opposite me to see Levi stand up as Axel motioned him to follow. I watched as the two walked in the direction of Blake. Levi greeted him with a handshake and pointed at me. I immediately went back to my cake when they turned to me. Out the corner of my eye, I saw someone enter the kitchen. When I glanced up, I saw Blake cut himself a piece of cake.
“Hey, baby girl.” He bit his lip as I scowled. He called me that recently, and it annoyed me.
“Please…don’t call me that,” I said.
“Why not? My brother can call you pumpkin and Levi calls you princess, so why not?”
“It’s just—no. Why do you call me that?”
“Because one day you’ll be my girl. Then I’ll call you baby.”
“Never.” I held my fork back and shot the cake in his face. It landed on his nose as I laughed. His finger reached up and wiped the cake off then ate it. “Ew,” I groaned. I shook my head at his immaturity then continued to eat my cake. I glanced up and noticed Blake’s stare. I raised a brow yet diverted my eyes to his crewneck. It was black and had The Killers on the front. “Nice crewneck.”
“Thanks, Axel got it for me,” he said.
“Cool. What’s your favorite song?” I asked as we locked eyes.
“Smile Like You Mean It,” he said. “Favorite My Chemical Romance song?”
“The Light Behind Your Eyes,” I replied. Blake nodded, then returned to his cake. I finished, so I stood up and walked to the sink. When I placed my plate in the sink, I remembered why I came.
“Oh. Your Christmas gift,” I said, then spun around. He got up and walked over to me with his empty plate. He stood in front of me and reached behind to put his plate in the sink. Blake looked down at me with a smile.
“Yours too,” he said, then walked out of the kitchen. I quickly followed behind him as we walked down the hall. Music blared through one room, which I assumed was Axel’s, followed by laughter. I entered Blake’s room and took everything in. Even though I’ve been in here once, it was during the night, and the next morning was an absolute blur since I ran to his bathroom to puke. It looked the same with the many posters on the wall. He had a clean desk and shelves built above with a bunch of tools displayed. Blake had his back turned to me as he rummaged through his drawer. I took out the little box from my coat pocket and waited. He spun around with a small box too, but he had a little bow.
“You go first,” we said in unison. We laughed as I raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll go,” I mumbled, then gave him the box. I nervously watched as he opened it. “I’ve noticed that you didn’t have one and you always used Levi’s or matches so…” I trailed off as he took out the Zippo lighter.
“Thanks.” He chuckled.
“Also, the guy said I could get it engraved, so I put your name, because it’s for you, and my name, since it’s from me.” I pointed to our names.
“Cool. Now my gift will be sorta cheesy.” He sighed then took out a cigarette. I watched in awe as he flicked open the Zippo and lit his cigarette. He inhaled the smoke then blew it in my face. He put the lighter in his pocket and handed me the cigarette. I put it between my lips as he held out my present. I took a drag and exhaled it in his face. He slowly bit his lip and laughed. “You do realize we indirectly kissed,” he said as I gave him the cigarette.
“Whatever,” I said, then took the box and opened it. I raised the familiar chain and observed it.
“I noticed that whenever you check me out, you look at my dog tag. So I got you one. Well, I always had more since my dad used to collect them,” he said.
“Thank you, but it’s your da—”
“I have quite a few. He used to travel around the country and collect one from each state. That one’s from home.” He pointed at mine.
“And yours?” I looked at his.
“Connecticut.” He smiled, then took the dog tag from me. “Yeah, so err…I did the cheesiest thing known to mankind because Axel said so. I got our initials engraved on it.”
“Wow, Blake Gunner.” I observed our initials, B and L, that were drawn in cursive. He took the chain and walked around me. I bit the inside of my cheek as he moved my hair to the side so that he’d put it on. His fingers grazed on the back of my neck as he clipped it. I spun around and looked up. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, then put the cigarette to his lips.
“Did Levi ever go to Minnesota?” I randomly asked. Blake slowly shook his head and raised a brow. I bit my lip and looked down. My thoughts diverted to earlier in the kitchen when Axel said he knew my name, then looked at Levi and his mom. “Did Axel ever visit Illinois before you guys moved here?”
“Yeah, we all did. Once a year for the summer and then we’d stay at Aidan’s,” Blake replied. “Last summer was weird, though. He stayed longer.”
I opened my mouth to say something but cut off when my phone rang. I mouthed a sorry to Blake as I took out my phone then walked out of the room.
“Hello.”
“Hey, babe,” Benny greeted as I leaned against the wall.
“Hi, you leave for the game yet?”
“Yeah, we just got here. Listen, err…I need a favor. That’s if you’re not busy.”
“N-not at all.”
“Well, my parents left for Wisconsin this morning, so Sam’s all alone at home, bu—”
“He’s all alone!”
“No, no, no! There are people there. I just need you to check up on him…and, well, them too,” Benny mumbled. “But if you’re busy, I understa—”
“No, it’s cool. I’ll go. Enjoy the game,” I said as I walked back into Blake’s room.
“Oh, thank you. You’re a lifesaver and thanks again for the tickets,” he said, then ended the call.
“Who was that?” Blake asked as he played with his lighter.
“Benny, he wants me to go to his house.”
“Okay, I’ll take you.”
“Are you sure?” I asked as we walked out of the room and into the living room.
“Yeah, it’s cool,” he said, then put on his black denim jacket. He grabbed two helmets that were hung up and handed one to me. We walked out into the cold weather where Blake’s motorcycle was.
“C-can I drive?” I mumbled. He turned to me with a confused look and eyed me up and down.
“Can you?”
“Yes! How do you think I got to the station that night of the drugs?” I asked as I put on my helmet.
“Sure, okay.” He chuckled. I walked to the motorcycle then swung my left leg over it as I gripped the handles. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed Blake’s stare.
“You just gonna stand there or what?”
“Sorry, just enjoying the view,” he said as I sat on the motorcycle. A few seconds later, I felt the weight as Blake sat behind me. I turned the key then started the bike. Blake’s arms wrapped around my waist as he kicked the side stand in. I drove out of the driveway and onto the road. At first, I turned slowly and got used to the motorcycle, but after five minutes, I cruised. A smile formed on my face as the wind sent chills through my body. I felt Blake’s hand on mine as we held the accelerator. I kept my eyes on the road as he turned it. The motorcycle roared as I laughed. After ten minutes, we arrived at Benny’s house. I parked the bike in the front as Blake kicked out the side stand. I removed my helmet then got off the motorcycle.
“That was fun.” I grinned.
“It was. Not bad. I’ve taught you well.” He smirked as I gave him the helmet.
“You’re acting kind of weird these past few days. What’s going on?” I asked as he scooted to the front of the mo
torcycle.
“Actions speak louder than words, baby girl,” he said, then put the visor on. Without another word, he started the motorcycle and sped off. I was frustrated, so I stomped my foot on the ground. Since there was snow, I almost fell but quickly regained my balance. I walked to the front and raised my hand to knock, but the door flew open with Carter in front of me.
“Ugh, you’re not the pizza guy,” he groaned, then spun around. I stepped into the house and shut the door behind me.
“What gave you that idea?” I asked sarcastically.
“Well, first, you don’t have pizza; second, you’re not a guy; and third, you have nice boobs,” he said, and I immediately covered my breasts. “Take it as a compliment.” Carter laughed as he pointed at me. I rolled my eyes as I watched him sit on the sofa and scroll through his phone.
“Wh-where’s Sam?”
“He’s in the basement. Ugh, it’s been thirty-one minutes and fifteen seconds. Ha, thank goodness, I ordered five boxes.”
“Wow, that’s a lot,” I said as I walked toward the basement.
“Well, we’re hungry as fudge,” he said as I walked downstairs.
“Dude, come on, you can’t be on your phone all the time. What the hell you even doing on there? Watching anime po—”
“Checking your mom out on Tinder!” Sam said as I reached downstairs.
“Damn, that hurt,” Aidan said as he put his hand on his chest.
“I don’t need babysitters!” Sam exclaimed, then spun around to face me. His expression immediately changed as he smirked at me. “On second thought, maybe I do need one.” He grinned then walked toward me. Aidan and Liam scowled and strolled to the sofa. “Hey, cutie. If I were an octopus, all three of my hearts would belong to you.”
“Damn,” Liam said as he flicked through the channels.
“Err…yeah,” I said.
“Pizza’s here, blokes!” Carter said as he carried five boxes down the stairs. I sat between Liam and Aidan as Carter put the boxes on the coffee table. Sam came and squeezed between Aidan and me.
“Hey!” Aidan pointed out, since he was halfway off the sofa.
“Got a problem? My house,” Sam stated as my eyes widened.
“N-no, here, eat pizza,” Aidan mumbled as he shoved a slice in Sam’s mouth.
“Hey, you’re wasting good food!” Liam called out as he reached over me to get the pizza Aidan shoved down Sam’s throat. Sam swallowed the whole thing, and Liam’s jaw dropped. Aidan reached over for another, but I quickly stopped him.
“That hurt,” Sam whined as he pointed at Aidan. “Lana, it hurt!”
“Aidan!” I scowled as Aidan threw his arms up and backed away. Sam frowned as he put his arms around me and cried.
“I was playing!” Aidan said as he looked at Sam. “He’s faking it!” He pointed. I scoffed as I swung my arm around Sam’s shoulder. I glanced down and noticed he pulled his tongue. Aidan opened his to argue, but I quickly leaned forward.
“Okay…let’s see what’s on TV,” I sighed as I took a slice of pizza. Carter agreed as he flicked through the channels.
***
“Ugh, I’m bored,” Sam whined as he leaned his head on my shoulder.
“Yeah, let’s do something fun. This is boring,” Aidan said as he turned off the television.
“Well, it’s almost nine p.m. What do you guys wanna do?” I looked at my phone.
“Oh, meet me by the car in five minutes. We’re going out.” Liam grinned, then bolted up the stairs.
“Finally.” Sam sighed in relief as he continued to play on his phone. We did as told and gathered our things. We walked to Aidan’s car and got in. I sat in the back with Sam and Carter while we waited. A minute later, Liam ran to the car. He knocked on the trunk and Aidan opened. We heard things being moved as Liam put stuff in the back. He shut it then got into the passenger seat. Aidan started the car then turned to Liam with a questioning look.
“What’d you put in the trunk?” he asked as we pulled out the driveway.
“A body,” Liam dramatically said as my eyes widened. “Just kidding, bro. Skateboards. Since you had yours in the trunk, I came with mine, so all I had to get were three more for them.” He pointed to us. “There’s this underground place I always go to after school.”
After we drove for ten minutes and listened to music, we finally arrived at the underground skate ramp. I didn’t want to skate, so everyone else carried a skateboard except me. We entered the place where most guys skated. A few girls lingered around, and they looked so cool.
“What’s up, guys?” a voice said as I turned my head to see Tyler. He was one of Liam’s friends, and he was on the basketball team, but other than that, I barely knew him.
“Hey, this is Benny’s weird little brother Sam.” Liam pointed to Sam, who looked around.
“’Sup, dude, you know how to skate?” Tyler asked as he fist bumped Sam.
“Hell yeah.” Sam grinned as he dropped his skateboard on the ground. He followed Tyler and Liam where they went skating. I leaned against the wall and listened to the music that played through the speakers. Everyone seemed so chilled and enjoyed themselves.
“Hey, Lana,” Aidan said as he skated toward me. I smiled as he stopped right in front of me then picked the board up. He stood next to me as he put one leg up to lean against the wall.
“You’re not skating?” I asked.
“I did. Can’t beat Liam, though. He’s in the zone.” Aidan chuckled as he pointed at Liam. I followed his gaze to see Liam; he was magnificent. The tricks he did were so cool, and he seemed relaxed. “Carter told me what happened before Christmas…with Parker,” Aidan blurted out. I turned to see the concerned look, yet he lowered his gaze and sighed. “I knew it. That first day when I saw Parker push you into the janitor’s closet, I knew it…yet I didn’t do anything. I asked him, and he said it was nothing. I should’ve known better. I could’ve saved you. I’m sorry, Lana.”
“It’s okay. It’s my fault. It’s over, and it happened.” I shrugged.
“I’m not leaving you alone with Parker or Austin ever again. Not only did Parker sexually assault you, but he and Austin stole the two parcels. We’re in deep shit, Lana. When we get our new schedules, I’ll make sure that none of them are in your classes.”
“Thanks, Aidan.”
“No, thank you. You’re the brave one. With everything you’ve been through, you stuck strong. You’re one of the bravest and strongest people I know,” he said, then dropped his skateboard again. He stood in front of me and opened his arms. “Come on, I know you wanna. I love hugging,” he said. I playfully rolled my eyes as I hugged him and placed my chin on his shoulder since we were almost the same height. After a few seconds, I tried to pull away, but he squeezed and mumbled in my ear.
“No, no, just a bit longer.”
For the next hour, the guys skated. Tyler and Liam insisted on teaching me how to skate, and let’s say I almost face planted if it weren’t for Aidan and Carter. Sam was pretty good, especially since he tried to show off his moves to me. We went back to Benny’s house pretty late and fell asleep after we watched a few movies.
***
“Lana, Lana, wake up!” Benny yelled as my eyes snapped open. I jolted up to see that I was in Benny’s bed. I glanced to my side and noticed Benny’s face drained of color. “Hey, are you okay? You’re sweating like crazy.” He wiped my forehead with a cloth.
“Yeah, I just…” I trailed off.
“Nightmare?” he guessed.
“Y-yeah…well, no, a dream that I keep on having. Well, it’s not a dream since it happened,” I mumbled as Benny laid down beside me. I rested on his chest. His fingers grazed through my hair as I let out a sigh.
“What was it about?”
“The night of Homecoming. When I was running in the industrial area. It was raining, and I don’t even know how I ended up there. Then the part when I ran to the alley and just when I turn around to face Jack, I wake up.” I sigh
ed. “Then the next night it replays, just that part.”
“Well, maybe it’s trying to tell you something,” Benny said. “What do you see?”
“Well, when I ran, gangs walked past me. None of them took note of me. I got closer to the alley and cars were parked,” I said.
“Are there people in the cars?” Benny asked as I sat up and glanced at him.
“I-I don’t think so,” I mumbled, then rubbed my eyes. I yawned, then glanced around the room. I raised a brow since the sun shone through the window. “What time is it?” I asked and collapsed on his chest. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around me, then kissed my forehead.
“Well, I didn’t want to disturb you, so I left you to sleep. It’s now one p.m.” He looked at his phone.
“What? How did I get here?” I asked as I straddled him.
“Last night I came home, and you were all passed out in the basement. So I brought you up here, put you in comfy clothes, then in my bed,” he said as I looked down. I didn’t even notice that I was in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweater. “You’re quite a heavy sleeper, babe, but don’t worry…I didn’t look.” He gave me a cheeky grin. “You can get done up here. I’m gonna go check up on the guys.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled as he got up and walked out of the room. I brushed my teeth with the toothbrush I used the last time I was here. Since it was already late, I decided that I’d shower when I got home and get ready for the party there. I put on my clothes from yesterday then walked downstairs where I heard voices.
“If you clear the dining area then we can have beer pong over there!” Nick said as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Most of the furniture was pushed back or out of the living room. Melissa was on a sofa as she texted on her phone while everyone else worked.
“Hey, Lana,” Aidan and Tyler greeted as they walked past.
“Hi,” I murmured. “Where’s Benny?”
“He’s in the kitchen,” Aidan replied. I thanked him then went into the kitchen, where I saw tons of Solo cups on the counters. Benny had his back faced to me while he was busy with the stove. I sat by the island and watched him. He spun around with a pan in one hand and spatula in the other. He placed the fish on a plate then looked at me.
