The Girlfriend Shield

by S. A. Hunter

  Noah clenched his jaw. “I don’t want to be with them. I’m much happier here.”

  Cora shook her head. “Jesus, you are wasting this. Christmas is even better with divorced parents. You get two Christmases with each parent trying to one-up the other. If you play it right, you probably could get a Lamborgini.”

  “I can’t drive.”

  “You can save it until you can. Imagine learning how to drive in a Lambo. Gah! I could teach you!”

  “You want to, but you can’t. Your license is suspended,” I said.

  “How old are you?” she asked Noah.

  “Fifteen. I’ll be sixteen in eight months.”

  “I’ll be reinstated in four.”

  “Why is your license suspended?” Dean Crowe asked.

  “Just a few too many points.”

  “She has a lead foot,” I said.

  “So maybe the wrong person to put behind the wheel of a Lamborghini,” the dean said.

  “Or maybe the best person. I’ll show the boy what that car can do.”

  My earlier horror at what Cora had said had faded away. It seemed like the Dean was all right.

  He’d finished eating and rose. “Lamborghinis aside, call your mother,” he said.

  The DJ started playing Rumpshaker. Cora got excited. “Get me up! They’re playing my song!”

  I helped her get up with her walker. She headed to the dance floor.

  I retook my seat by Noah.

  “And they say teens are party animals,” he said.

  “Cora is a teen at heart, the kind my parents warned me about.”

  “Did Dean Crowe have kids?”

  I winced at being reminded of Cora’s terrible statement. “Yeah, he had a son who died from cancer.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “It’s not something he tells people when they meet him.”

  “It’s really sad.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Dammit,” he muttered.

  “You going to call your mother?”

  “Yeah, I guess I have to.”

  “You going to spend Christmas with her?”

  “I really don’t want to.”

  “It won’t kill you, and it is the season of giving.”

  “You know it’s not unusual for the girlfriend to see the parents over the holidays.”

  “Oh no, not happening. I’m staying here with the crazy I know.”

  Noah got up, and I watched him leave the party dragging his feet. I was glad he was going to call his mother. His mother may have been extremely rude to me, but that didn’t change the fact that she was his mother.

  With Noah gone, I was the only teen now at the party, and I felt out of place again. Cora was still dancing, but I spotted Mom and Dad eating. I threw away Cora and my plates and went over to them.

  “Hi, honey,” Dad said when I sat down with them.

  “I’m going home. Will you make sure Cora doesn’t stay out all night?”

  They looked over at where Cora was on the dance floor. A circle had formed around her. Five different people were dancing with her and she was loving it. “We’ll take care of her. You have a good time?” Mom asked.

  “Yeah, it was good.”

  “Where did you and Noah disappear to?” Dad asked. So he’d seen us leave earlier.

  “We went to skip stones at the pond.”

  My answer surprised him. “Oh.”

  “He’s going to call his mother. The Dean and Cora guilt tripped him into it.”

  “Good,” Mom said.

  “I love you both.”

  My sudden declaration delighted both of them. I got a double hug and headed home.

  I went to my room and pulled out my phone. No missed calls and no new texts.

  Noah was hopefully calling his mother at that very moment.

  I sent Damien a text. *What have you been up to?*

  I waited a few minutes but didn’t receive a reply.

  I sent Angela a text next. *Hey, how was skeet shooting?*

  I didn’t receive a reply to either text that night, and I didn’t get any the next morning either. I’d thought one of them would reply to me. I was hoping to see them to give them their Christmas presents. We had finished putting all the goody bags together. Mom and Dad had gone out that morning to distribute them to various friends in the building. I had three bags.

  I sent Noah a quick text. *You still on campus? I have something for you.*

  *Yeah, I’m not getting picked up until ten.*

  I grabbed the gift bag of candy and headed out.

  “Going to see your boyfriend?” Cora asked as I headed through the living room.

  “I’m going to see Noah,” I said.

  “So the answer is yes. Going to give him some Christmas sugar? Wanna borrow my mistletoe?”

  “Cora, I told you that Noah and I are only pretending to date.”

  “Yeah, I know it’s fake, and you’re still fooling me.”

  I frowned at her statement. “We are not attracted to each other.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yes. Stop trying to stir the pot. I’m on to you.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  Cora’s teasing though haunted me as I went to meet Noah. We’d been hanging out a lot and getting to know each other a lot better. I didn’t necessarily like him better now than before, but I had more sympathy for him. I entered the West Dorm and buzzed Noah. He unlocked the elevator for me, and I went up to his room. When the elevator doors opened. He peaked over the couch at me.

  “Hey, what’s up?” he said.

  I didn’t see any suitcases, and he didn’t appear to be about to go anywhere. I went around the sofa and held the gift bag out to him.

  “We’re exchanging gifts?” he asked in surprise.

  “Don’t get me anything. I just thought I should give you a bag if I’m giving Angela and Damien bags.”

  He peered into the bag. “Did you make these?”

  “My mom made them. I only helped.”

  All of the candy was in small individual zip lock bags. He took out the bag with Rice Krispy treats. I wondered if he’d ever had them.

  He took a bite and made an appreciative sound. “Tell your mom thanks.”

  With gift delivered, it was time to go. “Have a safe trip.”

  “Wait,” he said. He got up from the sofa and disappeared into his bedroom. I didn’t know what he was doing.

  He came back out. “Here, take this.”

  He held out a small blue gift box.

  “I told you that you didn’t need to give me anything.”

  “Just take it.”

  I took the box. “Should I open it now?”

  “If you want. I don’t care.”

  I took the top off and found a silver necklace. The pendant was a small cherubic angel. It was beautiful. It also sparkled greatly even in the dim light. “Are those diamonds on the wings?”

  “Maybe. I don’t remember.”

  I put the top back on the box and held it out to him. “I can’t accept this. Give it to who you bought it for.”

  “Don’t worry about it, and I should give you something.”

  “No, really, give this to your mom or your sister.”

  “I didn’t buy it for either of them.”

  “Then who—“ An angel for Angela. He’d intended to give this to her at some point.

  “Take the necklace. Wear it. If people ask, tell them I gave it to you. It’s perfect.”

  “But—“ I couldn’t imagine accepting the gift. It had to have cost hundreds of dollars.

  “Either you take it or I throw it away.”

  “If you were going to throw it away, you would have already,” I said.

  Noah glared at me, but I knew I was right. The intercom buzzed. “Who is it?” he asked irritably.

  “Your mother, dear.”

  Chapter 7

  Hearing Patricia’s icy voice over the intercom made me immediately tense
up. I had no desire to cross paths with her. I wondered if Noah would let me wait in his suite until they were gone. If not, I could hide in Damien’s rooms.

  He let out a long sigh. “She’s a half hour early.”

  “And you’re not packed,” I said.

  “Why would I pack? I’m going home. I don’t need to bring anything.”

  I guessed he had a point.

  “So, can I just wait here—“ I began.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re coming down with me.”

  “But—“

  “You’re going to show my mother the necklace.”

  I looked down at the box in my hand. The whole reason he had given it to me was for his mother to see. This was the perfect opportunity to show her, but I didn’t look forward to the reveal. Patricia would have something cutting to say, and while I didn’t take it personally, the verbal abuse still bothered me.

  We rode the elevator down together in silence. Right before the doors opened, Noah took my hand. I instinctively tried to snatch my hand back, but I didn’t succeed. He clasped my hand firmly and stepped in closer to me so that the lengths of our arms were touching.

  Patricia was waiting in the lobby with someone. I wasn’t sure but guessed he was personal security, judging from the black suit and his resting bitch face. Patricia turned toward us when she heard the elevator open.

  “Ready to go—“ she cut herself off when she saw me.

  “Hi, Patricia. I was just leaving.”

  “Just leaving?” she asked, her eyes traveling down to our clasped hands.

  “She came by to give me her gift,” he said, holding up the gift bag.

  Patricia noticed the gift box in my other hand. “Isn’t that sweet,” she said dully. She indicated the gift box with a wiggle of her fingers. “What did my son give you?”

  I ducked my head. “A necklace.”

  “Really? May I see it?”

  I had the wild urge to not let her near it. For some reason, I didn’t want to share it with her, but I couldn’t think of a sane reason not to let her see it, and he wanted his mother to know that he’d given me jewelry to make the charade seem more real.

  I took the top off and tilted the box toward her. “Isn’t it beautiful?” I said.

  She took the box to peer at the necklace more closely. “It’s excellent. But Tiffany’s jewelry is always top-notch.”

  I’d thought the blue gift box had seemed familiar. Forget hundreds of dollars, had he spent thousands?

  “Mom, come on,” he pleaded as though he was trying to keep her from letting me know how much money he’d spent on a gift for me. But the gift wasn’t for me, it had been intended for Angela. I understood now why he hadn’t thrown it away. Imagine throwing away thousands of dollars.

  “That’s from Tiffany’s?” I asked.

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s from Tiffany’s?” I repeated.

  “You’ll wear it right? Don’t worry about where it came from.”

  “I can’t wear that. What if it gets messed up or I lose it or—“

  He startled me by pulling me close. “Wear it for me, please? I like the thought of you wearing it while I’m gone.”

  I was embarrassed by how truly flustered he’d made me, but I had to remember we were putting on a show. His mother was watching all of this, and she didn’t like it. I shyly looked away. “I’ll wear it for you. And I promise to take really good care of it.”

  He smiled. “I know you will.”

  He pulled me in for a hug. But it wasn’t a polite farewell hug. His arms went around my waist. His chest met mine. He pressed his cheek against mine. “I’m going to really miss you.”

  “It won’t be that long, and we can text.”

  “Still,” he said and sighed against me.

  I tried to let him go and step away. But he wasn’t done yet.

  He leaned in and before I could avoid it, he kissed me. It wasn’t a wet smack of the lips like last night nor was it a kiss on the cheek for a selfie. His tongue pushed into my mouth and rubbed against mine. My hands flailed on either side of his body. We’d agreed on no kissing. Had Noah lost his mind? My first instinct was to push him away and scrub my mouth, but I couldn’t do that with his mother standing right there. But he was over the line, way over the line.

  I turned my face away to break the kiss. I wanted to spit and brush my teeth, but I had to maintain my happy girlfriend façade. “Noah, stop it. Your mother’s watching us.”

  “Oh, don’t mind me. I find all this fascinating,” she said derisively.

  I hated how gentle I had to be, but I pushed Noah away. He let me go and turned to his mother with a lazy smile. “Ready to go?” he asked.

  She turned on her heel and strode out of the dorm. Her security guard left with her.

  With her no longer watching, I shoved him. “What the hell was that?” I hissed.

  “You were great. You really should consider joining the drama club.”

  “No, thank you. And if your mouth comes near me again, I will bite your lips off.”

  He smirked. “Kinky.”

  “Get the hell out of my sight, Noah.”

  “Merry Christmas, Sarah.”

  I didn’t wish him the same.

  I went to nearest girl’s bathroom and washed and rinsed my mouth. I wanted to wash my brain and scrub away the memory. Remembering his tongue made me want to hurl. The taste of vomit would be better than his mouth, but I didn’t force myself to get sick. My lips were puffy and red when I left the bathroom from scrubbing them with paper towels.

  As I walked down the hall, I realized that I was now the only student on grounds. That was how it should be. I went back to the apartment intent on having a normal Christmas with my family. And it seemed that was all I would get too because Damien had still not answered my text. In my room, I gave him a call. It went straight to voicemail. “Hi. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope you’re having a good time. I miss you.”

  I cut the call there. Was he mad at me? Had Noah “leaked” more pictures of us? Had he seen the kiss from the staff holiday party? A lot of people had taken pictures of it.

  I texted Angela. *Hey, can we talk?*

  I didn’t get a reply.

  I tried calling her and went straight to voicemail again. “Hi Ang, I hope you’re having a good time. I haven’t heard from you or Damien. Could you contact me? I’m starting to get a little worried. Noah went home by the way. Anyway call or text me, please.”

  I WAS TURNING INTO a puddle of goo on the couch with Cora watching television. When my phone rang, I initially wasn’t going to answer because I didn’t recognize the number, but I was so bored that I picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Sarah, it’s Angela.” Hearing her voice surprised me.

  “Is something wrong? Where are you calling me from?”

  “Damien took my phone. I’m using the butler’s right now.”

  “Why’d he take your phone?”

  “So I won’t tell you what he’s doing.”

  My stomach dropped. “Oh, God. What’s he doing?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  Her easy assurance reassured me, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust it. “So everything is all right?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. Great even. Mrs. West has been so awesome. We’ve been to the skeet range twice.”

  “What has he been up to?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “But he’s there, right? He’s not in jail or on the run from the authorities?”

  “He’s here and in no trouble.”

  “He’s not upset about anything?”

  “What’s happened?”

  I sighed unhappily. “Noah has been playing up the whole happy couple thing. But he’s gone home with his mother now.”

  “How much has he been playing it up?”

  “He kissed me.”

  Angela gasped. “That rat bastard!�
�

  “Yeah, and I couldn’t stop him. The worst time was when his mother was watching us.”

  “Wait. There have been multiple kisses?”

  I winced. Angela didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, but the worst one was in front of his mom. The one at the staff party was a joke.”

  “Sarah, are you sure Noah is only pretending to like you?”

  “Yeah, he’s definitely pretending, but I think he’s enjoying the charade if that makes sense.”

  “He likes pretending you’re his girlfriend.”

  “More like he likes pretending to have a girlfriend. It doesn’t matter that it’s me.”

  “It does matter to Damien.”

  I slouched into the sofa. “Yeah, I know. If Noah keeps acting like this, Hawaii is going to be a mess.”

  “Don’t worry about that. You’re going to be home tomorrow?”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s Christmas. Are you two coming to Noble?”

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See ya.”

  I turned off my phone feeling much better.

  “Your honey coming out tomorrow?” Cora asked.

  “Sounds like it, but it’s a secret.”

  “I can distract your parents while you make a run for it.”

  I didn’t bother trying to tell Cora nothing like that was going to happen.

  CORA WAS THE FIRST one up on Christmas morning like every Christmas, and she woke all of us up this year by blaring Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Carol of the Bells”. Last year she’d played Crazy Frog’s version of “Jingle Bells”. We’d all about tackled her to shut that racket off. But we let “Carol of the Bells” play out. We gathered in the living room, and I handed out the presents. It was a happy Christmas morning. Everyone was laughing and enjoying their presents. Around ten, my cell phone rang. I checked it and saw it was Damien. He’d finally broken his silence.

  “Merry Christmas!” I said as a greeting. I was a bit hyper from having eaten several candy canes.

  “You too. Can you come out to the courtyard?” he asked.

  I frowned slightly. “I’m still in my PJs.”

  “That’s fine. Come out to the courtyard.”

  I was going to ask him why he couldn’t come to the apartment building, but he’d hung up.