But as I think about it, the violent anger inside me doesn’t seem to subside. I have to do something to get it all out and I know exactly how.
Luke’s car is very expensive and brand-new. It was so damn annoying to hear him boast about it on the way to the ball. I look around. It’s dark and quiet out here. No one is around. I have a wonderful plan. All I need is ketchup.
So I get ketchup and do what I have to do. I don’t know whether it’s good enough but this is the only thing I can think of right now.
Even though I’m pleased with what I see after I’m done, there’s still a lot of mess in my head. So I flag down a cab to get to where I wanted to go.
***
When I walk in the trailer, I am startled to find Devon sprawled on the beanbag. He straightens up at once when he sees me. I look away.
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t wanna see me but I don’t feel like going home right now and I could think of no other place so I came here. I thought you went home. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
I turn to head out of the trailer.
“Wait. Suit yourself,” Devon casually calls from behind. “I don’t live here anymore anyway. And I am here for the same reason as you are.”
I stay back and take my gloves off. My hands need air.
“You look tense.” He notices. “What did pig boy do to you?” he asks dryly.
“He didn’t do anything. I had a fight with Stef,” I lie, settling down on the couch.
Silence.
“Forget what I said back there,” he speaks after a while. “I let my emotions fuck me up back then but I’m good now. And I’m not done yet.”
I don’t know how to react.
“FYI, I was promised a date,” states Devon with a lopsided smile.
I raise a brow at him. “I didn’t promise you any date.”
“You did, Eleanor.”
“No, I didn’t, Devon. I clearly remember my response to you that day. It was ‘I have to go’.”
“Yeah. Since you didn’t mention where to, I took the liberty to assume you meant ‘I have to go pick a dress for our date’.”
Surprisingly that makes me laugh.
“And you look perfect tonight.” His tone touches a deeper chord. I had to stop myself from blushing.
“Come with me.” Devon jumps to his feet, grabs my hand, and hustles me outside the trailer.
A magical warmth spreads over my entire body when he holds my hand. Perhaps this is the reason why I had this tiny hope of finding him at the trailer on my way here—I don’t feel the mess that I am when he is around.
He takes me to the riverside. It’s cool and breezy. Not to overdo it or anything but it’s like being in a world that’s bathed in heavenly peace and tranquility under the moonlit sky where stars glitter like diamonds.
“And why are we here?”
“To dance with me?” he says with a charming smile.
I giggle. “Okay.”
We stand facing each other on the grass and intertwine our fingers. I rest my free hand on his shoulder while his settles on my lower back and we start to sway gently. To say that it is surreal to look into his stunning blue eyes would be an understatement.
“By the way, don’t freak out if I suddenly step hard on your toes,” I taunt him.
“FYI, that won’t happen when you have an impeccable partner such as me,” he counters calmly.
“Trust me, I can and I think I will,” I say with a sweet smile.
Devon smirks. “I went to a surgeon once and asked him to make me less irresistible. He told me he’d rather die than destroy perfection.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re not as perfect as you think you are,” I drawl as he twirls me. “I saw you once struggling to do Jackson’s shoe laces,” I add when my hand rests on his broad shoulders again.
“Not my fault,” he says bluntly. “It’s like forcing those shoelaces to have sex with all those twisting and looping. And I’m a saint.”
My jaw drops in shock. “You did not just say that!” I stare at him in disbelief.
“I think I just did.”
“You need to drown your dirty thoughts in holy water, right now.”
“You’re already enough to drown me, baby,” he whispers huskily.
I smile like a silly girl. Damn.
“Enough about me and my dirty thoughts. What about you? I have said this before and I’m going to say it again . . . I want to get to know you more, Eleanor.”
“What do you want to know?” I ask.
“Your likes, your dislikes, your dreams and how can I be a part of your dreams,” he responds hoarsely, looking at me intently.
I chuckle. “I’m okay with anything, and I don’t have dreams,” I tell him the truth.
“Liar, liar Sanchez on fire,” he remarks as we stop dancing.
“It is the truth,” I argue, taking my hand off his shoulders.
“In that case, I’ll change your truth.” Devon leans closer, tilts his head, and presses a kiss ever so tenderly on my lips that I feel fireflies shoot up from the pit of my stomach.
If my heart was fluttering in my chest before, it just got worse now.
I hold his face as his lips touch mine again for a slow kiss. His lips move over mine ever so softly that I feel my pulses flame beneath my skin. I part my lips, and his tongue is so gentle with mine that my legs wobble in delight. I gasp in his enticing mouth when he pins me to a nearby tree. He lets out a sexy groan as he tastes me with utmost leisure. I grab his biceps, feeling my heart pound against his steel torso. I feel his tongue heat up in my mouth, and I taste paradise and lust at the same time.
Chapter Fifteen
Daylight starts filling the room, chasing the darkness away. It’s morning, I know. But I’m not ready to open my eyes yet. I’m too sleepy to feel awake yet. I’m too lazy to leave the comfort of the bed. I roll over to switch to another sleeping position but I bump into a warm and solid thing that smells incredibly good.
I moan softly snuggling up to it, letting its exotic heat radiate to my body. I breathe in the tempting scent and before I know it, my hands roam over that thing. I know I’m smiling in delight. Soon I feel firm bumps under my fingertips, which excite my senses.
“Can’t get enough of my abs, sleepyhead?”
I snap my eyes wide open hearing that sexy mischievous whisper and I look up. “Devon!” I yelp in horror as I jump away from his bare chest and sit up on the bed.
“Don’t worry, you can explore me further down. I won’t mind,” he says huskily with a cheeky smile.
“What the hell! Get out of my room! Now!” I shout, struggling to keep up with the frantic beating of my heart.
I had been cuddling up to him all this while!
“Seriously? Your room? Did my kisses intoxicate you so much last night that you forgot everything that happened between us?”
And it all comes back to me in a flash. I was making out with Devon by the riverside last night, then we got back in the trailer and continued to kiss in his bed before we fell asleep.
“I remember,” I sigh, pressing a hand to the side of my head. “But hey, nothing happened between us last night,” I add, narrowing my eyes at him.
Devon rolls his eyes and gets off the bed. He should honestly put some clothes on. It’s not possible to think straight when he is going around in just his black pants.
“I meant having given you my shirt, not having taken your virginity,” he remarks bluntly.
That catches me off guard but then I roll my eyes. I wore his shirt to sleep last night ‘cause my gown had gotten too tacky for comfort. As I get out of bed and stand on my feet, I’m glad that his white full sleeved shirt is oversized, enough to hide my black lace panties.
“This is a very interesting piece of clothing that you took off last night.”
I look in his direction only to find him standing near the couch and studying my black lace bra.
“Give that to me!” I snatch the bra off his
hand, ignoring the lazy smirk on his face.
Gathering my gown that lay on the couch, I look at Devon again. “I’ve to change back into my clothes. Can you please, like, go outside?”
Last night changing into his shirt wasn’t a problem because it was dark enough here in the trailer for me to be bothered about him seeing me change.
“I’m an artist. I should be allowed to watch you get naked,” he responds, mischief evident in his twinkling eyes.
I sigh. “Please cooperate, Devon.”
“Fine, I’ll be decent.” He is about to walk away but stops short and turns back at me. “FYI, you look sexier than me in my shirt.” He flashes a lopsided smile.
And I feel a jolt of arousal shoot through my spine as goose bumps start to climb up my bare thighs. I watch Devon walk over to the kitchen counter and stand with his back towards me. I start to unbutton, feeling strangely reluctant. Wearing his shirt makes me feel so hot, so dirty, and so alive that I don’t want to let go. But I do.
I hear the clanking of pots and spoons over at the kitchen.
“Coffee?” Devon asks as I finish clasping my bra.
“No, thanks,” I respond, slipping into my gown. I struggle to zip up the dress but I am able to do it by the time he asks me if I’m done. I respond with a yes. But I’m left startled when he cracks up all of a sudden.
“What is it?” I ask curiously as he turns around and continues to laugh at something on his phone.
“Someone wrote a very interesting message last night for your pig boyfriend on the hood of his car with ketchup.” He snickers. “Let’s just say I’ve another reason to love red.”
I grab my phone to check the notifications on Instagram and Facebook. Yes, indeed. My anonymous tip did the job alright. Last night, someone from school had uploaded a bright pic of Luke’s car with my words sprawled on the hood, and there are thousands of comments under it already. Looks like half of Westford High has seen the car before Luke could rub the ketchup off.
“Whoever wrote this has undoubtedly earned my deepest respects,” Devon smirks. “But the question is who could be this savage? Any theories, Eleanor?”
“I don’t know who did it,” I say, reaching out for my gloves.
“Liar, liar Sanchez on fire.” He scoffs.
“Whatever,” I drawl.
“To the most popular guy of Westford High,” Devon starts to read my message from his phone while crossing over to me, “Dearest Luke Thomas, you neither have a dick nor do you have a head. I hope you’re taking care of that soft bright yellow ping pong ball in your boxers.”
Devon gives me a knowing look as he keeps his phone. “The message has sassy Eleanor Sanchez written all over it,” he says matter-of-factly. “But no one would be able to guess that ‘cause nobody knows you the way I do.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do it,” I say with a straight face.
“Say that to the smirk on your lips right now,” he responds crisply.
“Fine, I did it,” I admit. I feel so proud having trashed Luke’s so-called reputation in school. People are probably laughing and taunting him right now.
“Revenge is a dish best served by Sassy Sanchez,” Devon remarks with a lopsided smile. “But what does this mean, Eleanor?” he asks, turning solemn. “Did you finally decide to kick the pig boy far out of your life or was this just a passive-aggressive act because you’ve no intention of leaving him.”
“Gran’s waiting for me. I’ve to go.”
And that’s what I do. I leave the trailer without looking back, leaving a very upset Devon, I’m pretty sure.
***
I have neither spent the entire night out with a boy nor have I ever lied to Gran about my whereabouts. But that was before last night. Because now I have done both. Yesterday, I got on the phone with Gran and told her that I was at Stef’s for a sleepover. And since Gran trusted me, I didn’t have to text my best friend to cover for me.
“Your father called this morning, sugar bun,” Gran informs as I sit down for a breakfast of cornflakes, sausages, and pineapple juice.
My ears perk up, and I feel a cold shiver race down my veins.
“What did he say?” I ask cautiously, as I start with the cornflakes.
“There’s good news for you, cupcake,” she smiles. “Eron is taking a flight back to New York. Your father is coming home!”
I was not expecting to hear that at all, not even the least bit. It feels nothing less than a dream. I’m so happy and I feel like a huge boulder has been lifted off my heart and conscience. I feel relief course through my bones like never before. When I go upstairs to my room, I have tears in my eyes. I’m so happy that he is finally coming back. I’m very, very happy.
Maybe I can do something now to make Dad happy. Maybe there’s a chance for me to make amends, for redemption. Maybe there’s a chance that he might forgive me. Maybe there’s a chance the guilt would stop haunting me.
So I decide to play matchmaker for my father.
I’m aware of the fact that my father has dated a lot of women over the years although I’ve never met any of them. But I know there’s this one New Yorker named Linda Pierce he was with for the longest time last year. I just happened to meet her once by coincidence at the mall. We went for lunch. She seemed to be a very nice person. I’m gonna talk to her and see if she could work things out with my dad again.
I take a shower and change into a blue crew neck bodycon dress. Gathering all my hair behind my head into a high ponytail, I brace myself for the long drive ahead of me to Upper Manhattan. As I get behind the wheel, Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ plays loudly on the radio. I let out a snort thinking of Jerk Luke. And I’m good to go.
But driving all the way to the city proves to be fruitless. It is that sheer disappointment I just wasn't expecting after having had a near perfect start to my day. There is a party happening when I get to Linda’s address. Turns out it is a post wedding celebration for Linda and her husband.
I quietly slip out of there without being seen.
I am gutted. A lot.
I find a bench to sit on at a roadside park to contemplate on what to do next. The autumn breeze kisses my face as I sigh. I honestly had great hopes and now that it’s all trashed, I can’t think of anything else right now. The wind causes the red and brown leaves to rustle on the nearby trees.
The evening here is colder than in Crawford Lane. As I get to my feet to drive back home, I happen to spot a familiar car on the other side of the road.
It’s Luke’s car.
What is he doing here?
Soon enough, I see Luke coming out of the cafe across the road with a hot brunette. They walk over to his car and start to make out. Wait, that’s not all. They get into the car and Luke drives it behind the bushes. It’s obvious why. I roll my eyes and walk off.
I get in the driver’s seat of my car and put on the seat belt. As I insert the key into the ignition, my phone beeps. It’s a text from Josh. If I thought I already had enough for a day, I was wrong. Turns out Devon instigated an awful street fight and is likely to face jail time. I try calling his phone but it’s switched off. Just great.
***
I arrive at the Parkers’ and find Devon’s father standing near a window, speaking on his phone. I don’t have to wait for long ‘cause he gets off the call almost at once. “Eleanor.”
“Is Devon okay?” I ask anxiously.
“Yes, he is. He’ll have to do community service though. Picking up garbage for a day.”
“That’s, uh, nice.” I nod. That’s very minimal punishment considering Devon’s reckless history.
“I’m afraid my son is back to his old ways,” Mr. Parker says grimly. “I thought he was done with all of it. But then again I never quite understand what suddenly got him so keen on moving to Crawford Lane.”
“What do you mean, Mr. Parker?” I asked, feeling intrigued.
“Devon left me with no other choice
but to give up trying to convince him to move with me and my family. But then something strange happened. He changed his mind overnight about this neighborhood. I still can’t figure why. Do you know anything about this? Did Devon mention anything to you?”
“No, Mr. Parker.” I shake my head.
“Oh. Anyway, he’ll never go to jail. I won’t let that happen,” he says with conviction. “I promised his mother that I’ll do everything to protect him always. Although I’ve…I’ve failed to keep my word in more ways than one.”
A look of pain creases his face. Dave Parker is a very powerful and influential man but a helpless father.
“Devon is upstairs in his room,” he says, looking grave. “You can see him if you want to. I’ll be in my study if he needs anything.”
I nod and climb upstairs. Taking a deep breath, I enter Devon’s room only to find him fast asleep. There’s a bruise over his right eye, and I can tell he was bleeding from his nose and that he got a harsh blow on the cheek. His right hand is bandaged too. It’s very disturbing to see him that way. I don’t have it in me to imagine him getting hit, punched, and kicked all over or even him doing the same to others.
I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed next to him. In spite of all the chaos inside him, Devon looks so serene while asleep. The calm rhythmic rise and fall of his chest belies the fact that he had just been involved in something dangerous. I sigh. I should probably leave but I’m tempted to kiss him. So I lean close and peck him softly on the lips. And then I stand up to leave.
“Stay, Eleanor.”
I look at his face. His eyes are closed but the very next second they open. “Did you only just touch my lips with yours?” Devon scoffs. “That doesn’t even count as a kiss.”
“Yeah, because that’s a peck.”
“FYI, I don’t do pecks,” he counters at once as he slowly and carefully sits up on his bed and rests his head against the headboard. “I only do make outs and sex.”
Again: A Young Adult Romance Page 12
