I jump to my feet, extending my hand across his desk. “Deal! When do I start?”
“Now,” he says, staring at my hand like it’s a bag of poop. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” Outside his office the gym is buzzing with activity, and he silences them with a whistle that makes my ear drums rattle. “Listen up, this is Alexa, she’ll be around the gym a couple mornings a week this summer.” A few of the guys make crude comments and eye me up. “Show her some fucking respect! Alexa is sixteen years old. Do not give me a reason to kick your ass, understood?” Their understanding echoes through the space. I smile at Z. I like this guy; he’s mean as hell but also sweet. Weird combo, but I dig it.
He sets me up in the corner, where I run on a treadmill for thirty minutes before he tells me to stop. I’m a gasping, sweaty mess; I’m not in horrible shape but jogging thirty minutes is not something I’m used to. “You need to build up your endurance, that’s what the cardio is for. Now I need to see how you can throw a punch.” Holding his padded hands up in front of him, beckoning me to attack him. “Go ahead, hit me.” I begin throwing punches, after each hit, he interrupts and corrects either my stance or my fists. When our time is up, my whole body feels like a noodle. I can barely drag my butt back home. When I raise my arm in the shower, a whimper escapes me. But I vow to show up there until I'm stronger.
And I do just that.
For the next two weeks, he teaches me how to overpower someone coming at me, and how to get away when being held down. He doesn't say, but I have a feeling Matty told him what happened to me. There is determination in his eyes, like he wants to make sure I’m never helpless again. He’s a good guy, quiet, kind of mean, but deep down a giant teddy bear. The other guys in the gym don't bother me much, a few say hello when I come in but mostly they mind their business and leave me to mine.
Three mornings a week I'm at his mercy. I learn how to put enough weight behind a punch to cause damage, which for someone as small as I am is tricky. I’m a fast learner as it turns out.
Today as I leave, the front desk is empty, and the phone keeps ringing and ringing. I glance around; no one seems to notice or care, but I just can’t leave it ringing. I pick it up, and hope Z doesn’t kill me. “Good morning, Z’s Gym,” I say with as much authority as I can muster. Thankfully it is just a customer asking for the hours of operation, which are posted on the door. So, I’m able to help quickly. As I stand to leave, the phone rings again. With a sigh, I settle myself into the desk and answer the phone. I turn on the computer and luckily their schedule and all the information I require is sitting there for me. I hang up the fourth call of the morning to see Z standing in the doorway, arms crossed, watching me.
“Uh, sorry, Z. I know I shouldn’t have done that but there was no one here and I could never just let a phone ring. Erica used to get so pissed when I would answer the collectors who would call our apartment, but I just can’t let it ring, you know? Anyway, I better go. Here are your messages. See you tomorrow,” I say in a rush, trying to get it all out quickly as he glances at the messages I handed him.
“Receptionist quit last week. Haven’t had time to find a new one. You want the job?”
“A job? Here?” I question in disbelief. Why would he want me, some stupid kid, working here? “Okay!”
He seems surprised that I agreed, but he nods. “You can work out until nine and run the phones until five, if Matt’s okay with you working that much. Talk it out with him and give me your answer tomorrow. Once school starts we’ll have to rework the schedule.”
“It’ll be fine, really. He won’t care.” And just like that, I got a job answering phones at the reception desk a couple days a week. I practically run home, bursting through the door before I squeal in delight. Best day ever.
***
Matty and I are arguing again. Seems like all we do is fight these days. I make him feel trapped, I know I do. He works all the time, doing god only knows what so we can eat and have a roof over our heads. I feel like a jerk saying it’s not enough for me. I want to ask him for the freedom to go where I please. Seems like an easy thing but when you were raised in the world Matty and I were, the idea of letting a teenage girl wander the streets alone is a scary thought.
“I can defend myself now, I've learned a lot. Trust me, it’ll be okay.” When he still doesn’t agree, I bring out the big guns. “This is ridiculous! Most girls are free to wander around the city! Keeping me here is like torture!” I say, over-exaggerating as only a teenage girl can. I know he’ll cave, it's just a matter of time.
“Fine, you can go exploring. Just wait until I get you a cell, okay? That way if you get in trouble I can come get you.”
I nod, excited. “Um... could I maybe get a camera too, like a real camera, Matty?” I feel bad asking him to spend his money on something special, just for me. I would be saving for years if I had to pay for it with my own money. He smiles, knowing I've always wanted a camera. He messes up my hair and says, “Yeah, kid, I can get you a real camera. Anything you want.” He hugs me close. I'm so lucky to have him. Best brother ever.
True to his word he gets me a camera, a cell phone, and a laptop. I’d say he bought them, but I assume he stole them or bought them from someone who’d stolen them. I’m too excited to care. He also leaves me an allowance on the kitchen counter, for whatever I might need while he’s away. The possibilities are endless; I could get my own food, I could go to the movies, go shopping. I've never gone shopping for clothes anywhere but the thrift shop, never gone to a movie theatre. My happiness is dulled by the small voice in the back of my mind wondering where the money is coming from. I just hope whatever he’s doing, he’s being safe.
I play with my new camera for two days straight, even bringing it to Z’s with me. I spend most of my shift poring over as much of the manual as my brain can take. I snap hundreds of pictures inside the apartment, the gym, and anything that piques my interest on my walk to and from work. Watching how the light and shadows change in each setting, I'm entranced.
Tomorrow is my day off, and the day I leave this apartment to explore the city, on my own. I open my laptop and search out maps and places to go. I can barely sleep with the excitement of what I’ll see.
Chapter Four
I wake up early, shower, and get ready to go. With my camera around my neck, I step out into the sunny morning. It’s like seeing the world through new eyes when I’m looking through my camera. After I wander around the city for a couple hours, I make my way to the skate park I found online. There are kids my age everywhere. Here, I’m not a runaway from a broken home. I'm just a regular kid hanging out with other regular kids on a lazy summer day. I sit on one of the benches and watch the skateboarders do their gravitydefying tricks. Lifting my camera, I start snapping pictures of everyone and everything. I want so badly to get closer. I bet if I lay on the ground while they jumped over me it would make an incredible picture. I wish I had the nerve to ask one of them; making friends was never my strong suit.
A girl starts walking towards me, watching me curiously with her bright blue eyes. I must seem kind of crazy sitting here taking pictures like I'm the paparazzi. I smile politely at her as she sits next to me. She’s pretty in an almost angelic way, with long, pale-yellow hair framing her face, then falling down her back in waves. She’s stunning, and her smile is warm and friendly. I decide right then that I like this girl.
“Hi, I'm Elise. Do you go to West High? You don't look familiar, have you been here before?” she asks with a smile, tucking her fly-away hair behind her ear.
“Um... no. I just moved here, so I don't know which school I’m supposed to go to. I'm Lexi,” I return her smile.
“Oh cool, so you like to take pictures, huh?”
“I do, yeah,” I say, beaming. “My brother got this for me, today is the first day I’ve had off since I got it, so I'm trying it out. Wish I could get closer to the action, though.” I point at the skaters, explaining the angles I want to shoot from.
“That wou
ld be so cool!” She stands up, searching the crowd. “MARCO!” she yells into the crowd, and when nothing happens, she shouts again, “Marco!”
“Polo?” I ask with a giggle, standing up next to her. She falls against me, laughing so hard she snorts, which sets us off laughing again.
“Oh my god, I can't believe I never thought of that before! I must look insane, I'm always yelling at Marco.”
“Who's Marco?”
“My husband. He's here somewhere skating or eating; you know guys, it's either sex, food or skating.” She laughs it off. Husband? She seems way too young to be married. “No, not really. I mean I don't... talk to guys, I mean I talk to my brother and to Z, but they aren't guys, they’re like grown men. I've never, I mean I don't...” I cringe, turning away. I don't want to talk about my inexperience with guys.
“Hey, it's okay. I shouldn't run off at the mouth like that. It's better to wait for someone you love,” she reassures me with a smile.
“I agree, I think if you love someone it's okay. I mean I don't sleep around or anything. It’s just, I was attacked by my mom’s boyfriend, so I avoid putting myself in situations that are dangerous. Anyways, Matty doesn't let guys talk to me, or let me out of his sight really. He worries too much. If it weren’t for Z, he would keep me locked away from the big bad world. Today was a big deal for him... and me.” I manage to stop talking. I can't believe I dumped all that on her; she's going to run a mile to get away from the crazy chick with the camera. Her smile disappears and her eyes gloss with tears as she processes my word vomit.
“Oh, Lexi, I'm so sorry,” she says, hugging me. It's an odd thing, to be hugged by a stranger.
“No, I'm sorry, I don't know why I told you all that. It's okay, I mean obviously it’s not okay, but it happened, and I can't change it. Matty is the only one who knows, though I think he told Z. Anyway, I can't seem to stop talking. I’m sorry, I must look insane,” I ramble, shaking my head. I must be lonelier than I thought, if I tell my life story to the first girl to speak to me.
“Hey, it's okay, we all have our stories. We all have these dark things trying to pull us under. Trick is to fill your life with things that make you snort laugh. Then the hard days don't seem so bad. You are lucky to have your brother watching out for you.” She flashes me a smile I return; she’s awesome.
“You hollered for me like a crazy person, your majesty.” A tall, tatted-up guy walks up to us, rolling his eyes and bowing, watching our exchange with curiosity.
“Yes!” she declares with an exasperated sigh, “like a hundred hours ago! Marco, love of my life, meet my new best friend, Lexi. Lexi, meet the love of my life, the man of my dreams, Marco.” She waves her hand back and forth between us. I reach out to shake his hand, he smirks at this but offers his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Lexi. What brings you to the park today?”
“Oh!” Elise yells, slapping him on the arm. “That's why I called you over! She's a photographer, isn't that cool! She wanted to get closer shots of some of you guys in action. Think you can help her out?”
He’s rubbing his arm where she smacked him. “For you, my wife, anything. Let me go ask a few guys and we will call you over,” he replies before kissing her on the cheek.
“Wife? That's cute.”
She holds up her hand, smiling, showing me a wedding band. “Oh, it's for real. We did it a few months ago, right after I turned eighteen. We are blissfully in the honeymoon phase.” She sighs, smiling towards where Marco is talking to some friends. “I know it probably seems crazy, but I've loved him my whole life. We don't have much family except each other, and Noah of course.”
“It sounds like a fairy tale. It's sweet.” Then my brain catches up. “Who's Noah?” I ask, thinking about that cute guy I met at Jax’s place. “Noah’s my little brother, and Marco’s best friend. We’re the three musketeers, have been since forever.” She points to the guy talking to Marco. Holy crap, it is the guy from Jax’s house! Oh lord, I feel my face flush bright red. I can’t stop staring at him. He’s so gorgeous my stomach flips. He glances over our way. We lock eyes and he smiles when he sees me. I look away.
“Oh, God. I should probably just go home, I don’t know how to do this,” I say to myself and turn to grab my bag.
“Do what?” she asks, touching my shoulder. I feel so exposed out here. I'm second guessing the shorts I'm wearing, it's too much skin. I don't want to seem slutty.
“I kissed Noah at a party. I’ve never done anything like that before. I don't know how to talk to guys like him, he was so sweet. I thought I was being brave, but now I feel like an idiot,” I babble, glancing over my shoulder. Oh god, they’re coming this way. “He's just so damned cute, I caved and kissed him. I never thought I would see him again, he probably thinks I’m a crazy stalker.” Panic is now evident in my trembling hands. Elise just stands there listening to me, smiling.
“Okay, settle down. We just met and you're already one of my favorite people ever. You know, he told me about a girl he met at Jax’s party. He couldn’t stop talking about you. Noah would never say or do anything to hurt you, that I can promise you. It'll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’ve already adopted you into my family. Wanna know a secret?” she asks, and I nod. She leans in and whispers in my ear, “I'm pregnant.” My eyes bug out and she laughs, bumping shoulders with me. “Now you’ve got to be my best friend because lord knows I won't be able to do this alone,” she confesses with a smile.
Marco and Noah are talking and laughing, his easy smile lighting up his face, and I watch him walk toward me, the way he moves, the way his muscles shift under his shirt. I've seen hot guys before, but none have shaken up my body the way this guy does. It's scary and exciting. I look away, staring at the ground. My body is a traitor.
“Noah, this is Lexi, but I’m guessing you already know that?”
Marco shifts his gaze between us, confused. “You know each other?”
“She’s the girl from the party!” Elise bursts out, causing my whole body to flush with embarrassment.
“No way.”
“I know, right! It’s like, destiny.”
“Shut up, Elise.” Noah scratches the back of his neck nervously. “I went back to Jax’s, but tragically, there were no hot messes on the step.”
“Noah King, don’t you dare call my new best friend a hot mess.” Elise gasps, clearly outraged by his words, not getting our inside joke.
I smile at the memory of that night. “We had to move out
a little earlier than planned.”
“Yeah, I heard that.”
My eyes shoot to his, he’s staring down at my covered wrists. He knows. Jax must have told him about the ‘suicidal’ girl he found in his bathroom. I shift awkwardly, wishing the earth would open and swallow me whole.
“Anyway, can she take some pictures of you guys doing jumps and stuff?” Elise asks, nudging my shoulder. “Right, Lexi?” I nod, freaking out inside. Maybe it’ll be easier to face him with a camera between us.
I take a deep breath and look up. He’s gorgeous and intimidating, as perfect as I remembered. Standing almost a foot taller than me with a lean, muscled build. His eyes, that seemed black the night we met, are now a deep, dark brown and they’re staring right through me. A small smile tugs at the corner of his perfect, kissable mouth.
“Um, yeah,” I say, the world’s most eloquent speaker, ladies and gentlemen.
Without saying a word, Noah reaches out to take my hand, and the moment our hands touch it’s like the earth shifts on its axis and my soul feels grounded, almost magical. We just stand there holding hands. I wonder if he feels this too. I can’t stop staring at him. I had convinced myself that he wasn’t real, that I had dreamt it all.
“Okay. Guys? Could you ease up on the eye banging, there are children present,” Elise says, laughing, holding a hand over her nonexistent baby bump. Her words are enough to snap us out of whatever that was.
“Would you mind if I take some pictures of you? I mean you guys.” My cheeks heat with his eyes on me.
“Yes, sounds fun. Let's do this!” He claps his hands together. He and Marco walk in front of us, laughing and pushing at each other.
Elise locks arms with me. “That was one hell of a second meeting, Miss Lexi. I wish I’d caught the first. What on earth were you doing living with Jax?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.
I smile back. “He let my brother and I stay there until we found a place. Noah was really nice to me, on a night when I really needed it,” I say with a shrug. “It felt so strange, like we were in a bubble and the whole world fell away. Is that normal?” I love that I finally have someone to ask about these things.
“Normal no, but real and amazing and worth holding onto with both hands, hell yes.”
The guys lead us to another part of the skate park where there are fewer people. They skate around while I sit on the edge and snap pictures. After a while they both take their shirts off, and I'm taken by surprise at how many tattoos they have, for being fresh out of high school. I take a dozen pictures from all angles, until the sun dips low in the sky.
“We are going to grab some food, wanna come with us, Lexi?” Elise asks.
I smile. “Love to, all I have waiting for me at home is an empty apartment.”
We walk a few blocks to a pizza place. It smells amazing. We sit in a booth while the guys place the order and return with our drinks. When Noah sits beside me I think my heart is going to explode. His leg presses against mine for a moment, skin against skin, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest.
Needing a distraction, I take out my camera and start flipping through the shots I took. Noah leans closer, so he can see. His shoulder is against mine, his breath a whisper on my cheek. My breath hitches when I meet his eyes, we are inches apart. I lose the nerve to hold eye contact and watch his lips, licking mine unconsciously.
Exposure Page 3
