His Forever Girl

by Darling, Lucy

  “All right,” she agrees. Willow picks up my camera, snapping a picture of me and making me laugh. “Had to catch the moment. I’m still a little shocked.” I am too, but what’s the worst that can happen?

  It doesn't take long for us to get there. I think others are as shocked as Willow was about us showing up. It looks as though all of the football team is here. They rule the school.

  All of them act like I have the plague, so I won’t have to worry about any of them talking to me. They’ve never really given me an ounce of attention. They are decent to Willow. Not that it mattered much. There isn’t a lot of free time anyway when you’re trying to get into college with scholarships. It was easy to keep my head down. Doesn’t mean it didn’t burn.

  Since football season is over, we’re pretty much all just seniors now. The cliques have started to disperse a bit with the year coming to an end soon. The one thing that remains the same is that everyone still seems to look to Reid for direction. As if they need his permission to do anything. Willow says hi to a few people as we work our way through the house. I notice that some of the people here aren't from our school.

  When we reach the kitchen, someone hands me a wine cooler-looking thing. I give the boy I’ve never seen a smile as he pops the lid off for me. I pretend to take a drink. Alcohol really isn’t my thing.

  “Thanks,” I say. I watch Willow slip away to allow me to spread my wings a bit. I want to reach out and grab her, but I don’t. The boy is cute with his shaggy blond hair. He’s tall but not taller than Reid. I chastise myself for making a comparison between them. I complain that no one is ever interested in me. Then when a boy actually does show interest, the first thing I do is compare him to Reid.

  I bite my lip, not knowing what to say since I’m not so great at small talk. He says he’s from Raymore, and he earns a point when he says he doesn't play football. He does, however, play baseball. When he asks for my number, I freeze. I feel like a deer caught in headlights. I’m sure I look like one too. I, uncomfortably, ramble off my phone number. I have to admit it feels kind of good just to have someone ask for it.

  Suddenly, Willow is back at my side as the boy named Andrew programs my number into his phone. “They’re here.” Of course they are here. I think I knew that would happen. I casually take a full gulp of the drink. It’s sweet but has a weird aftertaste. “Nice to meet you, Andrew,” I say as I’m pulled away. I can tell from the look on his face he wanted to chat more.

  It felt nice to be hit on for once. I’m not even dressed up. I am in shorts and a hoodie. I don’t have any makeup on, and my hair is up in a messy bun. “Wasn't sure if you wanted to stay and chit chat, plus I wanted to let you know that-” She stops talking when my drink is plucked right out of my hand. I’m about to yell at someone, but when I look over my shoulder, my eyes meet Reid’s. I swear my mouth goes dry.

  I watch as he hands my drink to someone else.

  “Why, thank you, Reid,” Missy from the cheerleading squad says. She tries to grab at his arm as I try to get away from him. We both lose because, like always, Reid wins.

  4

  Reid

  “Mindy. Knock it off.” I guess me handing her a drink made her think she had an opening to grab me. I wasn't even paying attention to who I was handing it to. I was surprised to see Zoey here to begin with, much less with a drink in her hand.

  “Missy,” she corrects, like I give a fuck. This is one of the reasons I make it a point to stay away from the cheerleaders in any way possible. They take any opening they can to get handsy. It drives me insane.

  I continue to follow Zoey through the crowd of people. She’s short, which makes her easy to lose. Thank God I’m taller than most of the people here and spot her dipping out a side door. I’m almost to the door but stop short when Willow stands in front of it to block my way.

  I almost smile, but she looks so serious. Her arms are folded over her chest, making it clear she’s willing to go toe to toe with me. It makes me happy to know that she’s trying to protect Zoey from me.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, getting straight to the point. I know Willow isn't someone I get to tell to fuck off. Not if I want to win any points with Zoey. If anything, I’m indebted to her. She was a friend to Zoey when I couldn’t be.

  “I want to talk to her.”

  She stares me down. “Oh. Excuse me. Now you want to talk to her? What the hell is wrong with you?” I don’t know how she does it, but she makes me feel two feet tall. “I’m going to give you one chance.” She holds her finger up. “One. Do you understand me? If she tells me that you’ve done one thing that’s hurt her—” She pauses to think for a moment. “Well, you know, I’m rich enough to have you killed, dismembered and buried out on my grandpa's farm.” She smiles as she says it like she is enjoying the idea of me coming to a painful end.

  “Deal.” At this point I'm willing to fall on a sword if that’s what it takes to get Zoey to forgive me.

  “Are you planning on taking her home tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Took you long enough, asshole,” she says before she steps aside. I’d stop and ask what the hell she means, but I want to get to Zoey as fast as possible. Who knows who might be outside with her right now? I think Willow might be rooting for me. I’m not sure.

  It doesn't take me long to spot Zoey. She’s leaning up against Willow’s car looking down at her camera. I also see that Mitchell from Raymore High has his eyes locked on her and is heading her way. I know what he’s thinking. Fresh meat. Zoey never comes to parties. I pick up my speed.

  “Don’t even think about it, Mitchell,” I call out to him. His head jerks my way. He's been inside half the cheerleaders in our school and his own. No way am I letting him anywhere near Zoey. She’s sweet and deserves the fucking world. I’m not even good enough for her, but I’m not sure I have the will to stay away anymore. Each reason I’ve had has melted away over time.

  “She yours?” the cocky bastard asks me with a smirk. Mitchell is a pass rusher on his team. He never did get the quarterback sack on me that he’s always wanted, but right now we could go. There is no line between us.

  “What?” Zoey gives us an adorable, confused look, having no clue as to what's going on. Another reason she shouldn’t be alone with someone like Mitchell. I move to stand in front of her so that Mitchell can’t even look at her anymore. I can feel the heat of her on my back. It’s not long before I feel her hands come to rest on my back. Her touch almost brings me to my knees. I’ve missed her so damn much. I’ll take whatever she’ll give me.

  “I’m not fucking around.” It must be the look on my face that finally clues him in to how serious I am because he stops walking.

  “She’s not worth all that.” He shakes his head and turns to head back inside. If I weren’t trying to mend things with Zoey, I’d chase him down and make sure he knew that she’s worth everything. That’s not an option right now because Zoey’s hands are on me, and I find I can’t move.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, dropping her hands from my back. I turn around and stare down at her. There is still a touch of light out, and I’m close enough to see the small freckles that dot her nose and cheeks.

  “Taking you home.” I go for her hand, but she shakes me off. I settle for wrapping my hand around her wrist to pull her along to my truck. She tries to pull back. I stop walking and grab her by the hips before I lift her and put her over my shoulder. Her little fists beat into my back, and I wonder if this will get me in trouble with Willow.

  “What are you doing? Put me down.”

  “I already told you what I was doing.” I open the passenger side door of my truck, placing her inside gently like she's a porcelain doll. I reach up and put her seatbelt on her. I think I’ve shocked her because the only thing she’s doing is staring at me. Her pink lips are parted. I shut the door, rushing around to the driver’s side and taking off before she tries to make an escape.

  I can feel her eyes on
me the whole way home. When I pull up outside of our houses, she’s out the door before the truck rolls to a stop. I call after her, but she ignores me. I stand there knowing that I can’t rush after her. I want to, but I know her mom would come outside if she heard us.

  She stops when she gets to the porch. She turns to stare at me for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Reid, but trust me when I say that I don’t trust you.” With that, she enters her house. I drop my head. Her words are like a knife to my heart. I think I would have rather had her say she didn't like me more than she doesn’t trust me. It burns deep inside of me. I have no one to blame but myself for any of this.

  There was a time when she would have trusted me with anything. When she looked at me as if I hung the moon. It’s why I pushed her away. I couldn’t trust myself around her anymore. Yet I still managed to break the one thing I’d tried to protect. That isn't going to stop me. I don’t care what it takes. I’m going to make her trust me again. Even if it's the last thing I do. I’ll never give up. Not on this. Not on her. Zoey is worth the fight. She always has been.

  5

  Zoey

  I shove another spoonful of cereal in my mouth as I swipe my finger across the page on my e-reader. My phone buzzes across the table again. I’d turned the chime off. The sound kept distracting me from reading. I was distracted enough with my own thoughts. My mind has been racing ever since Reid dropped me off last night.

  “Someone is popular today.” Tell me about it. My phone won’t stop going off, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Not only is Willow texting me, but so is the boy from last night that I’d given my number to. I pick up my phone to check my messages because ignoring them seems hopeless at this point. I click Willow first.

  Willow: So you’re going to go, right?

  Me: I think so.

  Willow: Do it. It will be fun.

  Me: Fine, I’ll go.

  I am really still on the fence about going. I woke up to a text from Andrew. I didn't think he’d text me so soon or at all after how Reid acted. I heard there were rules to this dating thing. That maybe you wait a few days so you seem busy and not too desperate. Personally, I think that’s all bullshit, so Andrew gets his second point with me. I decided that I should text him back and tell him that we could meet up.

  Me: Sure. Can I meet you there?

  With the way Reid has been acting, I’m not so sure I want Andrew to show up at my house. Plus, I’m not ready for the whole meet your parents thing. It’s not that I’ll hide what I’m doing from my mom. I’m eighteen, so I can go on a date if I want. I just don’t want to introduce him because this will probably be a one-time thing. So what would be the point?

  There was no spark between us, if I’m being completely honest. I was more excited that someone actually hit on me than anything else. I worry my lip between my teeth. I don’t want to waste the guy’s time either if I’m already thinking it won’t work. Maybe a spark will grow once we go out? Okay, I know that’s not how sparks usually work, but it could happen. If nothing else, I’m hoping a new friendship will blossom from this.

  “What are you debating?” my mom asks as she takes a sip of her coffee.

  “A guy.” Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “I was asked on a date. I’m not sure I’m into him, though. I was going to go, but I don’t want to waste his time or….”

  “Go,” Mom says, cutting me off before I start to ramble more. “Pay for your own stuff and no harm, no foul. You never know what could happen. Don’t close yourself off.” She shrugs.

  “Okay.” That does sound like a good idea.

  Andrew: See you there at 7?

  Me: I’ll be there. Seen you then.

  I guess that’s that. I have a date. That should not feel weird to me, but it does.

  “Are you excited?” Mom sits down at the small table we keep in the kitchen. We hardly use the dining room. I do sometimes if I’m doing a cram study session.

  “I’m not sure what I am,” I admit. Reid is messing with my mind. I keep playing last night over and over in my head. Why is he suddenly giving me the time of day? I should be thinking about Andrew, but nope. All my thoughts lead back to Reid. Why did he give a crap if some guy wanted to talk to me last night? Why did he give a crap about me at all! The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets.

  “It’s just a date. You remember to be safe and all the things we’ve talked about.”

  “I know, Mom. I promise.” She stands, giving me a kiss on the head before she heads back out of the kitchen. I love my mom to pieces, and I’m lucky to have a mom like her. It’s always been just her and me from the beginning. From my understanding, my father was a one-night stand not looking to be a dad. I’ve never really asked about him. I know that she’d be more than willing to share whatever information she had about him, but to be honest, I don’t really want to know. He made his choice to not be a part of my life.

  Mom, on the other hand, took it as a blessing when she found out she was pregnant. She always wanted kids, but there had never been the right time or right guy. Then it just happened. We’re kind of our own family.

  Even this house was the one my mom had grown up in. She lost her parents a few months before she found out about me. She’d planned to sell the house, but she changed her mind because of me. She said she had so many fond memories of growing up in this house that she wanted me to have that environment too. She wanted to make new memories here with me. Not that it would have been hard for her to sell it. It is her job, after all, and she is really good at it.

  I clean up my mess before lying down on the sofa to watch some TV. I must have passed out at some point because before I know it, Willow is shaking me awake.

  “What are you doing?” she asks.

  “What the hell does it look like I’m doing?” I rub my eyes, sitting up.

  “You have a date to get ready for.”

  “That’s not till…” I stop talking when I see the time. I took one hell of a nap. I think I was making up for last night's crappy sleep after the whole Reid thing.

  “Let’s get you looking extra hot.”

  I look down to see the giant bag she brought with her. “You’re going to make me do hair and makeup, aren't you?”

  Willow and I have two very different types of hair and makeup. I’m more laid back when it comes to getting all prettied up. I usually put on a little lip gloss and mascara. That seems to work perfectly for me. To me, leaving my hair down meant it was styled.

  “You’ll give me this.” I nod in agreement. She’s so excited that I can’t say no to her. She grabs my hand, pulling me up from the sofa. I let her do her thing while I talk about Reid and how weird he is being. “Have you ever noticed that you talk about Reid a lot?”

  “Do I?”

  “Part your lips a little more for me.” I do as she asks. She’s putting lip stain on me. It’s always so hard to get off, but I have to admit it makes your lips look incredible. “Yes, you always make off handed comments about him.” Do I really? I try and think back. “Don’t!” she snaps at me.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Eat your bottom lip like you always do when you’re thinking too hard.”

  “Oh.” I make sure not to because I don’t want lip stain on my teeth. I make a conscious effort to stop talking about Reid and focus more on talking about my date with Andrew.

  “You should be more excited. Andrew is not bad on the eyes.”

  “He’s been nice,” I admit. He has the whole boy next door look. Not my boy next door but most others. Reid is not yours, I remind myself for the millionth time since he stopped speaking to me all those years ago.

  “Nice is good. You only spent a few short minutes together. Give it a chance.”

  “I’m not sure we should give anyone a chance at the moment. We’re leaving soon.”

  “Kingston might be in another state but it’s only three hours away.” That is true. I’m already making up reasons why I shoul
dn't go.

  “He might be going somewhere too.” I can’t stop myself.

  “Yeah, it could be Kingston. There’s a question you can ask on your date.” I should make a list of things to ask so there won’t be those awkward silences. “Stop making a list of things to ask him.” She smirks, knowing she busted me.

  “Are we done yet? I still need to get there.”

  “I think so. On that note I’m going to drop you off.”

  “I can drive myself.” I stand up, wanting to get a look at myself. I have on black wide leg pants and a cute knitted sweater that keeps falling off one shoulder. “Wow,” I say when my eyes meet the mirror. I still look like myself, but I look older. I would even go as far as saying I look sexy. My freckles are gone, and she made my eyes pop out more. “I look hot.” I should have trusted she wouldn't overdo it. Willow would never steer me wrong or make me look bad.

  “I’m driving,” she insists.

  “Okay.” This is not the hill I am going to die on. Willow always wants to drive. I have my own car, it’s a cute sky blue Beetle my mom got me for my sixteenth birthday. Willow always insists on driving, and since we are almost always together, it seems as though I never take it out.

  “Should I change my top, though? If you look close enough you can see my bra through it. You can see this bra strap too.” Even as I’m saying the words, the sweater falls off my shoulder.

  “Nope. That’s how it’s supposed to be. It’s sexy without really trying to be sexy, which is totally your thing.”

  “By not trying to be sexy I end up making myself sexy?” I have no idea what she is talking about.

  “Yes.” She nods her head. “That’s the Zoey appeal. Sweet and smart with this underlying sex appeal. The fact that you don’t know you have it is what makes it even more hot.”

  “Okay.” I’m not sure I follow, but I get the drift. I grab my purse and head for the front door. I stop in mom’s office before I go. She’s working but kisses my cheek and tells me to be safe.