“Are you sure Robin? You had one slice of pizza. I think there’s still more on the counter.”
“I’m fine,” I insist. Even though it’s just pizza, I hate having a fuss being made over me. I can’t even believe I reached for the last slice.
After dinner Mr. Daniels leaves for a meeting and Mrs. Daniels goes out for a walk. Kent and I traipse upstairs to his room. His room is always a mess. Piles of clothes, both dirty and clean are stacked everywhere. Stuff piled on top of stuff covers every surface in his room. His mother is continuously after him about being a slob, even threatening to do an intervention once. I think the messy thing is kind of cute. So what, he’s a little pack rat and the room has a weird smell, he’s a guy. Guy’s rooms are naturally messy. I like it.
Kent grabs his guitar, the only thing he always makes sure is neatly in its place, and plucks the strings. A few chords in he starts to sing.
“Robin must be really hungry ’cause she only had one slice of pizza for dinner. But that’s her own fault ’cause she’s a big wimp. If only she could learn to speak up for herself then maybe her stomach wouldn’t be rumbling. She should grow a pair.”
“Shut up,” I giggle. “It’s no big deal. I don’t care.”
“With you nothing is ever a big deal. You let people walk all over you. What do you care about?”
“It was just pizza.”
“Today it was only pizza, but you always back down. You never stand up for yourself or fight for anything. Isn’t anything in your life worth fighting for?”
I don’t answer, just shrug the question off. Um, yeah of course, but speaking up is hard for me. Agreeing with everyone and keeping quiet is so much easier. I can avoid all drama that way.
Kent moves some stuff to the floor making room for us on his bed. I sit at the end with my legs crossed, leaning back against his wall. Kent lies back, stretching, before rolling onto his side to face me. He flips the hair away from his face showing off his clear hazel eyes. It’s unbelievably hot when he does that. And he does it about a thousand times a day.
“What time should we go tomorrow? You know the car wash thing,” he asks.
I had forgotten about the car wash. Our high school has one of the best music programs around. It’s one of the schools fortunate enough to have a band and an orchestra. The music groups combined with the drama club and we’re having an end of summer fundraiser to wash cars and raise money.
Kent’s true passion is the guitar, but he also plays the piano and pretty much any instrument he picks up. Kent is talented, gifted actually. Music is a huge part of his life. If I’m being honest, I know I only started playing the violin in junior high so I could spend more time with him in the after school music programs. Not that I don’t enjoy music because I really do. I can play well, Kent made sure of that. The way he would help me, taking his time, placing his hand over mine until I was comfortable with the bow. He’s amazing.
“Do you have the car tomorrow?” I never have a car or a parent able to take me anywhere. I’m completely reliant on others to take me everywhere. Luckily Kent has his mom’s old car. He has to share it with Patrick, but still, it’s better than what I have.
“No, Patrick needs it tomorrow, but my mom will drop us off. What time do you want to go?”
“I don’t care, whenever.”
Absently I pick up Kent’s guitar and strum. Watching him play over the years, I’ve picked up a thing or two.
“Sing me a song,” Kent grins up at me. “Make it up as you go.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Come on, do it. I always do it for you,” Kent pushes and of course I give in. I hate singing, but I reposition the guitar and start to play. Kent is the only person I would dare do this in front of. My off-key song begins in a low, barely audible tone.
“Kent is my friend - but he’s kind of annoying making me sing to him. Um, I don’t know what to sing. I must really like him ’cause I’m actually doing this. La la la.”
That’s all I can think of. I stop playing and place the guitar back down on the side of his bed.
“Hmm.” Kent puts his hands behind his head and leans back on his pillow with a smirk.
“Hmm, what?” Why is he smirking at me like that?
“No, just I didn’t know you really liked me.”
I swallow and my stomach flips. Is that what I sang? It wasn’t supposed to sound like that. “Of course I like you, we’re friends.”
“I know we are. It’s just you said really. I just didn’t know you really liked me,” he says with that same damn smirk.
The smug look on his face causes my cheeks to burn. This kind of stuff…I hate it. No idea how to even handle it. I get up and slide my shoes on. “I’m going home.”
“Bye.” Kent doesn’t even try and stop me.
“Bye,” I say lingering for a moment at his door, surprised he’s letting me leave like this. He usually walks me across the street when I leave. This stinks, it’s still early. That stupid song. Now I’m going home to my lonely house and I’ll be all by myself the rest of the night.
I walk slowly out of his room and down the hall, but stop when I hear the sound of the guitar followed by Kent’s voice singing.
“Robin really likes me. She really, really likes me. Ooooh Robin really likes me.”
I fling around not sure if I’m more embarrassed or angry by his song. Marching back into his room I grab a pair of balled up socks from a pile of clean laundry on his dresser and chuck them at his head. I miss.
Kent laughs at me, unrolls the socks and puts them on his bare feet. “Thank you.”
Oh, that’s so annoying. I grab another pair stepping as close as I can for better aim.
Kent catches my arm before I throw the socks. “Oh, so you do have a little fight in you. I like it.” In one swift motion he tosses me onto the bed, pinning my arms down by my sides.
I squiggle and squirm under his grip. “Let me go,” I beg through breathless giggles.
Instead Kent holds me tighter, pressing his body on top of me. “Do you really want me to let you go?” he says, his mouth just inches away from mine.
I feel my heart race and I stop moving. What’s happening? There’s no time to think. My eyes close as Kent leans in brushing his lips against my lips. We’re kissing. He relaxes his hands freeing my arms and I automatically reach up, both hands land on his face. I’ve wanted this for so long. My fingers scratch up through his hair and I pull him in closer. He parts my lips with his tongue and my body reacts arching up. His hands linger at my waist and I feel his hand graze the skin under my shirt. Slowly, the lingering hand starts making its way up my stomach.
“What-is-going-on-in-here?” The deep voice says slowly. We quickly break from the kiss, hands back where they belong and look up to see Patrick standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging wide open. “Oh my God, is that what you two do up here? You didn’t even close the door,” he laughs.
Kent sits up freeing me and I immediately spring up on the bed jumping away from him.
Patrick strolls right on in to the room. “I had no idea you guys were boyfriend and girlfriend.”
My whole body starts to shake, first the kiss and now being caught by Patrick. Most people who interrupt a couple kissing wouldn’t barge in and ask questions. But not Patrick, the guy has some serious boundary issues. I’m completely freaked out. I nervously shake my head back and forth. Not sure what else to do, I just keep shaking my head no.
“Wait, you’re not?” Patrick looks at Kent for confirmation. I lower my head, away from the surprised look on Kent’s face.
“Well are you or aren’t you?” Patrick steps back, reaches up and taps his hands on the wooden door frame.
Why isn’t Kent saying anything? I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know what just happened. “We were just joking around,” I finally say, hoping Patrick will leave.
“There’s your answer, Pat. Just joking around,” Kent repeats my words.
Patrick rai
ses a puzzled eyebrow before shaking his head and leaving.
As soon as Patrick is gone Kent faces me. “Just joking around?” he says again, this time making it sound like a question.
I shrug. It wasn’t a joke, nowhere near a joke to me, but I’m not sure what to say or do. It’s up to him. “Whatever you want Kent.” My voice is small and scared. Basically…pathetic.
“Whatever I want? What do you want? Do you even know what you want? Am I no big deal? Just like the pizza?” Kent’s words are like little punches to my heart.
No, I say to myself, but not to him. What if I say the wrong thing? There’s no need for all this drama, he can just say what he wants and I’ll agree. I say nothing, just shrug…again.
“Robin? Nothing? Really?” Kent’s fuming. “I thought I might…” He doesn’t finish the sentence, he looks away and I know he’s angry.
This is awful. But I have no words. This is exactly the kind of stuff I hate dealing with. Didn’t my actions say everything? Wasn’t that enough? Couldn’t he tell what I feel for him, without me having to actually say it?
The scowl on his face says no.
No more talking, no more singing, no more kissing…I just need to get out of there. Without even saying goodbye I escape from his room and run down the stairs, quickly racing across the street to my empty house.
Now what?
I barely sleep. How can I? Every time I close my eyes it’s the same thing. Kent, the guitar, the socks, the kiss, Patrick busting in, what was said, or more like, what wasn’t said.
My eyes are wide open as the sun creeps in illuminating my pale yellow walls. I put a robe on over my pajamas and go down to the kitchen to make some coffee. Yuck, the first sip is a mouthful of grinds, I’m too scattered to even make a decent cup of coffee.
My phone goes off causing me to spill the crappy coffee all over the counter. Kent’s sending me a text message about the carwash. Hopefully this is good sign. At least he still wants to see me. Showered and dressed I brace myself before heading over to the Daniels’ house.
He’s in his driveway waiting for me, and his mom’s already in the car. He doesn’t say anything, just opens the door to the backseat and I climb in. Knotting my hands together tightly I stare out the window wondering what he’s thinking. Mrs. Daniels talks the whole way to the school, but I can’t concentrate on anything she’s saying. All I’m able to do is keep glancing at Kent thinking about the kiss we shared, what it meant and what happens now.
The parking lot is jammed. Some of the girls have taken their shirts off, showing off skimpy bikini tops. Guys are squirting them with the hose as they squeal and run away. I will never be one of those girls. I didn’t even wear my bathing suit under my clothes.
We step out of the car in to the buzzing crowd of kids and I’m quickly ushered away from Kent. Mr. Parker, our music teacher, assigns me to the group in charge of pre-rinsing the cars. Two of my friends, Sarah and Megan, are already busy spraying cars and I jump in following their lead.
The time goes by fast and so far it’s actually fun. The hustle of the car wash temporarily takes my mind away from my romantic woes with Kent. By the afternoon we’ve established a good system and I run over to the next car to give it a pre-rinse.
Ashley
“Are you like totally pissed at me?”
Those are the first words out of my friend Tessa’s mouth once I sit my butt down in her mom’s white Jag.
Two days after becoming Josh’s new girlfriend, and finishing what we started in the car, he hooked up with Tessa at a party. So, basically at a party of a person I don’t like, the boyfriend I can’t stand, hooked up with the best friend I hate. My life is a joke.
“No, I’m not pissed.” I’m really not pissed, more like relieved. Josh is repulsive. If Tessa wants him she can have him. I’ll find a new boyfriend.
“Good. He really likes me. He said ‘Tessa I really like you.’ So that means he really likes me, right? Right?”
I watch Tessa trying to convince herself of this. It looks like Tessa might actually like Josh. Too bad, ’cause I don’t believe for one minute Josh is capable of liking anybody. Not that I should talk. Every time I think I might like someone, it turns out I don’t.
Tessa continues carrying on and on, giving specific details about her torrid encounter with Josh in his car. According to Tessa he’s this romantic guy with magical hands. I know those sweaty, fumbling hands. There is nothing magical about them. I highly doubt those hands have transformed in the course of a week. But I give Tessa polite nods and smiles making it look like I believe every word she is saying. Tessa is beautiful, popular and easily one of the most insecure people I have ever met in my life. Again – like I should talk.
Tessa picks up Holly and Jennifer, repeating her sensual story over again for each of them. They are on the edge of their seat devouring every dirty detail she gives them. Some of the details she gives don’t even make sense. How could his hands be in all those places at once?
“You’re so bad,” Holly purrs leaning into the front seat.
“I know, right.” Tessa’s in her glory. In our group being bad is very good.
We’re on our way to the mall when we pass the high school. There are glittery signs and students flagging down cars in their bargain store bathing suits.
“Oh my God,” Tessa squeals. “The band losers are having a car wash. That’s so pathetic. We need to stop. We need to have them wash my mom’s car. That will be hilarious.” She pulls up to the appointed spot and parks.
With my new turquoise purse flung over my shoulder I reluctantly follow my friends through the crowd of people. I find nothing “hilarious” about it.
“Cute bag, Ashley.” Tessa takes the leather tag dangling from the zipper and twists it between her fingers to check the designer. Her impressed smirk shows me it passes inspection. Okay, in her defense, we’re both kind of snobby when it comes to these things. No one knows a label like we do. We’re both loaded, have nice things and judge each other relentlessly.
Tessa prances right over to Robin Barnes, a shy girl with black hair. She holds out a ten dollar bill to Robin’s extended hand and purposely lets the money drop to the wet pavement.
“Oops, sorry,” she giggles walking away leaving Robin to bend down and peel the wet bill off the ground.
We stand with our arms folded sneering at the timid girl aiming a hose at the already spotless white car.
Jennifer leans over and whispers, “Hope Robin doesn’t fall into your mom’s car Tessa, she might dent it.”
We all break into laughter, all of us, including me. It’s not even funny. Robin’s as thin as any of us are. She’s just fortunate enough to have the big boobs we’re all jealous of. I mean it. I’d kill for those boobs. Thank God for push up bras.
“Robin, you missed a spot,” Tessa yells, pointing a French manicured fingernail at the car.
Robin looks scared as she turns around to face us. Her quiet voice is unsteady. “Where?”
“Right there, on the very bottom. It’s not wet,” Tessa snickers and looks over for us to approve how wonderfully bitchy she is. Bravo Tessa, maybe if you keep it up she’ll cry.
We all watch Robin bend down to spray an imaginary dry spot. When she stands back up Tessa yells over to her once again, “God Robin, you still missed it. Are you blind or something?”
Robin’s face is bright red and I know she’s on the verge of tears. I feel bad. Still, I make no effort to save the poor girl from Tessa’s torture. Just because this girl is some band loser does not make it right for us to make fun of her. Watching her adds to the pit in my stomach. My gigantic, miserable, pit.
“Robin, give me the hose. I’m going to take care of this car.” Tall, lanky with a mop of dark brown hair hanging in front of his face, Kent Daniels comes to Robin’s rescue. He actually looks like a superhero in a blue t-shirt with a big red “S” on his chest. Kent grabs the hose and tells Robin to take a break. She disappears immediately.
>
“Okay ladies, now where is this spot? I don’t seem to see it.” He runs his hand through his wet hair and glares at us.
“Listen loser, it’s your job to wash the car, so it’s your job to figure it out.” Tessa put her hands on her hips and cocks her head. We are all a bunch of bitches, but really…Tessa is the worst. I can’t figure out why. She has looks, money, a normal family and now a dreamy relationship with the romantic Josh Brewster. Yeah right. But still, I’d kill for a normal family.
“Tessa, you are always such a pleasure.” Kent drops the hose, before taking a wet sponge and slapping it on the car.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tessa makes a hurt face like all of the sudden she’s the innocent victim. Kent ignores her and she swings her shiny blonde curls towards us, her blue eyes are bulging out of her head. “Seriously, what the hell does he mean by that?” She’s gone from hurt to mad, in an instant.
Why must there always be a scene everywhere we go? “It means you’re not a pleasure, he was being sarcastic.” I want to end this.
Kent gives me a sideways glance and grins. I can’t help but smile back at him. Maybe it’s the Superman shirt? I do have a thing for heroes.
“Oh really, well then we’ll just see about that.” Tessa picks up the hose laying on the ground aims it at Kent and squirts the water right into his face. Then she turns slowly towards me ready to do the same thing. I throw my arms up to cover my face but the water never reaches me. Once again Kent saves the day and is able to snatch the hose from Tessa’s hands just in time. It’s impressive.
Furious and with a stamp of her foot Tessa demands her keys and for all of us to get in the car. She slams her foot on the gas and speeds out of the parking lot. Dust swirls all around us settling onto her wet car. Smart. Now she actually needs to have the car washed.
“Ashley that was really messed up back there, you made me look stupid.” Tessa gives me a dirty look in the rear view mirror.
“Messed up like hooking up with my boyfriend last week? Is that the kind of messed up you’re talking about?” I’m not in the mood for her shit and I know the Josh comment will shut her right up.
Fast (The Fast Series) Page 2
