Saving Face (a young adult romance)

by Dell, T. J.

  When they turned onto her street Alyssa noticed Brent’s house was dark. His car was in the drive, but his mother’s wasn’t. Maybe Jenn had picked him up? It was too early for him to be home from a date already. “Let me out here.”

  Tommy pulled over in front of Brent’s house. “It looks dark.” He sounded skeptical about letting her out.

  “There’s a hide-a-key under the porch swing.”

  Tommy nodded resignedly and waited until she was inside the Carter’s front door before pulling away.

  Alyssa didn’t bother with any lights. She knew this house as well as her own. She would just nap in Brent’s bed until he came back from his date, and by then she’d be sober enough to go home. It was a good plan.

  “What the! Alyssa?” Brent bolted upright when she crawled onto the bed.

  “You’re not supposed to be here.” Alyssa mumbled at him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He’d been fully clothed both times he’d shared her bed last month. Actually he’d been sleeping in his jeans and tee shirt those nights. That was probably unusual. Boy he smelled good.

  “Where else would I be? Are you okay?”

  “Yup.” Alyssa considered him for a moment. “I wish I’d kissed you after the dance.” Alyssa leaned forward and kissed him.

  He still tasted like toothpaste; probably he hadn’t been in bed long. His large muscled arms reached out and tugged her the rest of the way into his bed. She remembered this. The warmth of his skin penetrating through her clothes and the feel of his weight pressing her into the mattress were both familiar and new at the same time. She felt dizzy. Well she’d been feeling a little dizzy since Pete had brought her that second drink, but this was a better dizzy. Brent rolled her body more completely under his. Alyssa cried out.

  “What?” Brent levered himself off of her. “Are you all right… Jesus! What’s wrong with your arm?”

  Alyssa looked down to where his eyes were fixed on her arm between their bodies. It did look kind of swollen and red… oh right. “Someone fell on it.” She reached up to kiss him again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The sun was brighter than usual, and someone was pounding on the door. No. The pounding was in her head and there was an awful taste in her mouth. Why couldn’t she move? Alyssa shook herself more fully awake. Brent’s thick arm was pinned around her waist where she was wearing a large green tee shirt. Crap. This was Brent’s room. Shifting slightly she felt a damp spot on the sheets against her side. Wide eyed, Alyssa’s eyes shot downward. Oh. There was a melted icepack strapped to her arm. The bendy kind with Velcro straps. Last night’s activities rushed back to her.

  The party. Pete being a jackass. Getting into bed with Brent. Alyssa eased Brent’s arm to one side and slipped out of bed. Cold morning air tingled on her bare legs. What had she done? Stupid question, she chided herself as she spied her jeans in a pile at the foot of the bed. She knew exactly what she’d done. But what had she been thinking! Any hope she’d had for saving their friendship was out the window now. The window! Alyssa hopped into her pants and crawled out his window.

  Back in her own room she exchanged his green lantern tee shirt for her flannel pajama top and crawled into her own bed. Immediately she got back out of bed and flipped the lock on her window—just in case. Back in bed she pulled the covers tightly over her head and willed herself to fall back asleep. What was she going to do now? Everything was so screwed up. She hated Pete for bringing her that beer. Why had she taken it anyway? Right, he’d brought up Jenn.

  “Oh man.” Alyssa moaned out loud when she realized that Brent had been out on a date with Jenn just before she’d accosted him in his bed.

  Her stomach turned over. She wasn’t sure if it was the hang over or if it was more about Jennifer Pastings. Alyssa forced several deep breaths into her lungs. She remembered thinking his breath tasted minty, and felt and absurd rush of relief that he’d at least brushed his teeth between girls. Her life was ruined. She’d never be able to cheer on the same squad as Jennifer this semester. Although having a quasi-reasonable reason to quit the squad was a bit of a relief. That would definitely be the last party she’d go to with Beth and Tommy. So there went her social life.

  Not that it was either Beth or Tommy’s fault—she’d behaved like an idiot. But still she could hardly expect Beth to start skipping parties, and doing what? Ordering pizzas with her? Nope. Her social life had definitely come to a crashing halt. It was only four months until graduation. She didn’t really need a social life. Feeling strangely relieved that her future as a social reject was decided Alyssa finally drifted off into sleep.

  She stayed in bed all day. Not that Sundays were all that busy for her these days anyway. She woke up long enough to silence her phone when Brent called and again in the afternoon when her mother shook her awake and asked about the night before. She seemed pretty well satisfied with Alyssa’s story that the grocery store sushi bar had messed with her stomach and that she’d asked Beth to bring her home late in the night. If her mother were more observant she might wonder why there was a man’s green lantern tee shirt lying in the middle of her daughter’s floor, but thank goodness for small favors.

  In the afternoon her mom knocked on the door again. Brent was at the front door, and did Alyssa feel well enough for visitors? Nope. She was much too sick for company.

  “Honey, did you forget to set your alarm? You’ll be late.” Alyssa opened her eyes to see her mother standing in the bedroom doorway.

  It must be morning again. Monday. School. Lame. “I’m too sick for school today mom.”

  Her mother gave her a disbelieving look, but there was sympathy in it too. “Is there something you want to talk about sweetheart?”

  “I’m just sick mom. I have a temperature.”

  “Really?” Parents shouldn’t use sarcasm. It is a young person’s tool.

  “Yes. Really. It’s one thousand and four. I’d probably faint in the middle of English class.” Alyssa pulled her blanket up higher and rolled towards the wall.

  “Okay, I’ll call the school”

  Alyssa waited until she heard two cars pull out the drive before wandering down to the kitchen and polishing off three half full take out containers of Chinese food. She was still wearing her blue jeans from Saturday night. Sleeping in blue jeans was not something she would recommend. Upstairs, Alyssa striped down for a shower. For the first time she actually looked at her arm with sober eyes. A disgusting splotchy purple bruise was spread over her entire forearm. No wonder it had been feeling tender. Flexing and rolling it experimentally Alyssa satisfied herself that it wasn’t broken or seriously injured.

  At least the weather was still cold. She could hide her arm under long sleeves until it cleared up. After her shower she slathered a chamomile and vitamin k cream on her arm, pulled on a fresh long sleeved shirt, and climbed back into bed.

  On Tuesday morning her fever was gone, but she felt quite sure her tonsils were swelling up. Surprisingly her mother agreed that it would be irresponsible for her to spread potential germs around school. In the afternoon Beth brought her homework by the house. Alyssa made her leave it on the dresser by the doorway. To save her from the dreaded germs, of course.

  “I’m not going to ask you what happened. You can tell me when you’re ready. But you should answer your phone. I called all morning. You’re inbox is full.”

  Alyssa flopped her arm over the side of the bed, and groped around on the floor until her fingers brushed against the phone—still where she’d left in Sunday morning. It was dead. “I wasn’t ignoring you, it just died and I didn’t realize that’s all.” Beth rolled her eyes and left.

  Alyssa plugged in her phone. She had over 30 missed calls. Her voicemail box was indeed full. She pressed play.

  “Lyssa, call me back.”

  “Lyssa. It’s Brent. Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t you see me? I’m sorry about last night. Please call me back.”

  “Stop being weird and call me back.”<
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  “Beth says you weren’t in school. Is your arm okay? I should have looked at it better.”

  “Please, Lyssa!”

  “Okay, remember when you were worried about things being weird. We passed weird about 18 hours ago.”

  “I can’t believe you locked the window! I didn’t even know that damn lock worked”

  “Whatever. You are being childish and melodramatic. I don’t find it cute anymore’ Lyssa.”

  “______” His last message was just empty air. Alyssa could almost hear him sighing and rolling his eyes.

  Maybe it seemed childish to him, but this was old territory for him! Not that she’d been saving herself exactly. But it would be nice to actually be able to remember what it had been like. She didn’t even know if she liked it or not. Although judging by the butterflies she hadn’t been able to shake since November she was pretty sure she had liked it. Probably, she liked it a lot.

  On Wednesday her Dad came in instead of her mother. “Hey buttercup.” She hated that nickname. “How’re you feeling today?”

  “Bronchitis?” She tried weakly.

  He shook his head. “If you like I can stay home from work today. We can go see a doctor.”

  “I don’t think I need antibiotics or anything.”

  “I don’t think so either. That isn’t exactly the kind of doctor I was thinking of.”

  Oh-my-god! He wanted to take her to a shrink. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Actually she knew a couple of kids who had seen therapists. Mostly post divorce stuff when they were in grade school, but still. “I’m fine Dad.”

  “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it with me.”

  Eww. Of course she wasn’t going to talk about it with her dad!

  “But I know how you felt about him.” He was still talking. How did he know? Even Alyssa didn’t know how she felt about Brent. “We weren’t always very close, but he was my dad you know? I miss him very much.” Pop. Her dad thought she’d spent three days in bed because of Pop.

  Guilt stampeded through Alyssa’s heart. She hadn’t thought of him once since Saturday night. She was too wrapped up in her own drama. Damn. Brent was right, she was acting childishly.

  “I know you do Dad. I’m sorry if I’ve been acting umm… childishly.” This seemed to catch him off guard. “I’m going to school. I feel much better this morning.”

  When her dad left, Alyssa headed for a shower. Her arm was a patchwork of greens and browns today. That vitamin K cream was such a crock. After a much needed rinse and repeat (it was gross how grimy you could get just from laying in bed) and after choosing a simple blue long sleeve shirt to go with her jeans and sneakers, Alyssa went to school.

  At her locker before homeroom Alyssa felt many eyes on her. But it was possible that was just her inner drama queen. They couldn’t know any better than her dad could have known.

  “Hey Alyssa.” She turned to find Pete shifting awkwardly from one foot to another next to her. His face was black and blue on one side and he had a thin splint taped to his nose.

  “Hey Pete.”

  “Umm… about your arm—it was an accident. I mean… I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

  Alyssa didn’t have any emotions to spare for being angry with Pete and they’d both been drunk. “The arm’s fine. Better than your nose anyway. What happened there?”

  Pete’s eyes narrowed a little. “You didn’t hear?”

  “Nope, I’ve been sick.”

  “I got sacked. On Sunday, in a game at the park.”

  “Sucks.” Alyssa turned back to her locker.

  “So, friends again?” Pete was smiling at her. Had she ever really found that smile appealing?

  “Nope.” Alyssa closed her locker door. “We never really were Pete. And just so we’re clear—driving by my house is not okay. Actually it’s a little stalker-y”

  “Right. You got it.” Pete raised his hands, backed off and walked away. That went easier than she’d originally expected it too.

  After school she stayed late to hunt down Miss Barb the Cheer coach. Quitting the squad was a little more difficult than blowing off Pete. Apparently being chosen as head cheerleader was a big honor and she had a responsibility to her friends. Alyssa was suddenly struck by the thought that the only friend she had on the squad was Beth. “You should think about appointing Beth. She’d do a much better job than I ever did.” There, responsibility fulfilled.

  With that taken care of Alyssa felt relieved and terrified at the same time. She wouldn’t have any reason to deal with Jenn any time soon, but she also was looking at a lot of empty afternoons. At least she would have time for homework. Maybe Brent was right, and her grades would improve with better study habits. Oops, she hadn’t meant to think about the B word.

  After a couple of weeks she realized that there was probably a little something to Brent’s studying theory. Now that she had zero social life her grades were picking up. She’d had a pop quiz in English class on the Canterville Ghost and she didn’t even break a sweat. It was really too bad that colleges didn’t pay much attention to the end of your senior year. She bet she could get herself accepted to Penn State based just on that quiz. It was almost definitely going to be an A. Brent would have been proud of her. If they were speaking—which they weren’t. He’d stopped calling. Alyssa wouldn’t know what to say if she called him, so she didn’t.

  At the end of chemistry class one day Beth jogged to catch up to Alyssa in the hallway. “Are you still angry with me for dragging you to that party? Cause I think Pete got what he deserved.” Alyssa smiled a little remembering Tommy’s swift kick to his ribs.

  “I was never mad. You didn’t force me to drink, or to dance with my ex-boyfriend.”

  “So why aren’t you talking to me then?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Duh! You haven’t said two words to me since that day I brought your homework after school. At first I thought it must have something to do with Brent. He seemed concerned you weren’t calling him back…”

  “When did you talk to Brent?” Alyssa wasn’t very sure she liked the idea of Brent talking about her to anyone else.

  “He’s just worried about you. Cut him some slack. But what about me? I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. But I don’t really miss cheering. I am thinking of taking up a new hobby.”

  Beth looked confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well you’re busy being the new head cheerleader—congrats by the way—and I am going to be busy with, whatever. I haven’t thought of a new hobby yet.”

  “So you don’t want to hang out because we are going to be doing different extra curriculars? Didn’t you ever have friends that weren’t on the squad?”

  “No. Well—Brent.”

  Beth was shaking her head. “Okay. This afternoon, you, me, and my new spring wardrobe. Meet me at the mall?”

  “I’d like that yeah.” Wow. Maybe she could still have a social life.

  Alyssa thought about that on her drive home after school. Why had she thought Beth wouldn’t have time for her if she wasn’t wearing a cheer skirt anymore? Beth wasn’t that shallow. Uh-oh. Maybe she was the one that was shallow. It did seem a little over the top now—that she’d made Brent trail after her at social events like an accessory to her cheerleading uniform. She was single now, and it was hardly powering any major rumor mill. Of course she was no longer a part of Jenn’s inner circle so there was the distinct possibility that the rumors were out there. But if she didn’t have to listen to them did she really care?

  Man! Brent was just getting righter and righter. At least one benefit to not speaking to him was that she did not have to hear him say I-told-you-so. Of course Brent wasn’t really the I-told-you-so kind of person. Okay so new plan: instead of lying around waiting for graduation Alyssa would—what? Well something not shallow that’s for sure.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Didn’t you need anything?
” Beth’s voice was coming through a dressing room door. Alyssa stood in the small waiting area guarding Beth’s already significant pile of bags.

  “Not as much as you.” She joked.

  “I like clothes.” Beth wasn’t offended in the least. “Anyway—my dad pays my credit card and he can afford it.”

  Alyssa giggled a little. Her parents could afford it too, but that didn’t mean she was going to rush out and run up a credit card bill. Of course her parents would never give her a credit card to begin with, so the point was moot.

  They were having a great time. There wasn’t a store in the mall they’d left out. Even Pam’s pet emporium had warranted a visit. The kittens were so cute! Alyssa had missed fun. It was possible, she realized, that she’d been wallowing a little bit in her own drama.

  “So tell me about this new hobby.” Beth asked when they’d settled themselves in front burgers and fries in the food court.

  “Nothing to tell at the moment. I just have a lot of free time on my hands at the moment. Maybe I’ll get a part time job or go out for softball.” Even as she said it Alyssa was deciding against working. The money would be nice, but somehow that didn’t seem to fulfill her nonshallow requirements.

  “Umm… Alyssa? Softball tryouts were last week. I don’t think any of the sports teams are open.”

  Oh. Well sports weren’t really nonshallow either. Too bad though. Softball sounded like fun. “Okay—I’ll think of something.” Alyssa put on a bright smile, but this was hard.

  It took a few weeks of empty afternoons, but Alyssa finally thought of something. She suddenly remembered that Brent had been very impressed when she worked at the hospital’s carnival. It was fun too. Probably growing as a person wasn’t supposed to be and fun, but if it was good enough to impress Brent… Brent was definitely the least shallow person she knew. Or used to know, since they weren’t really friends anymore.