by Holly Hood
Lucy took me by the arm, her face a lot more friendly than the first time she laid eyes on me. “You have a gift, and I can’t begin to say what that means for you. We say it to Slade all the time.” She looked at Slade now. He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Well, thanks. I had fun.” I smiled. She pulled me in for a hug.
“I want you to come back again. And I will make you anything you want for dinner. What’s your favorite meal?”
Slade groaned. I raised an eyebrow at him “I’m rather simple. Pizza is my kryptonite.” I grinned. Lucy did as well.
“Pizza it is. I will see you again soon. Slade, you make sure she gets home safely.” She walked away.
Wayne quickly joined us now, his tall frame towering over me. “That daddy of yours, maybe you could bring him to meet us sometime?”
I gave a nod. But Slade threw up his hand to Wayne, stopping him. “Her dad isn’t interested.”
“Interested in what?” I asked, confused.
Slade just shook his head, pulling me to leave. Erica even gave a wave before going back inside the bus. Oz and Kidd romped around on the lawn in front of the bus, each of them battling it out with their guitars, the music growing and falling with each chord, until it finally died as we exited Henry Park.
“You think your dad woke up?” Slade asked, his pace hurried as he made it across the sand.
I grabbed his arm, slowing him down. “I think he’s sleeping still, believe me it’s hard to wake him after the Jack.”
Slade finally slowed on his own. “Did you have a good time?”
“Of course. Anytime I get to hear you sing is a great time.” I smiled. But he brushed my compliment off, which annoyed me.
“Do you think you will be able to make it through school tomorrow? It’s really late,” he said.
It was late, and somehow time had sped by like lightning. I wasn’t sure how late, but judging by Slade’s question, it had to be pretty late.
“I’ll be fine. Lucy seems really nice, I like her.” I told him, hoping this would make him ease up a little. He was really tense. “At first I thought she didn’t like me, but I think she warmed up to me.”
“She likes what she hears. She loves music and anything to do with it. Don’t take it personally.”
We were nearing my house. I swallowed hard, feeling a bit offended by his statement. “Why are you always so grouchy?” I snapped, suddenly losing my patience with him.
Slade hopped the fence. He carefully shimmied my screen open and turned back to me, lacing his fingers together. “You need to get to bed,” he told me. I crossed my arms.
“You promised you would take this number off. And I also asked you a question. So answer the question and remove the ink and then I will allow you to toss me through my window.” I waited.
He sighed, grabbing me by the wrist. He ran his thumb down my arm, my skin heating up from the friction, and then he let go. He laced his fingers in a hurry. “Come on, up you go.”
I pressed down on his hands with my foot, and he pulled up quickly. I easily slipped through my window. I hurriedly poked my head back out, reaching out for him.
He looked at me, confused. “What?”
I waved my hand. “Come inside, I want to talk to you, just for a couple of minutes,” I whispered pleadingly.
He took hold of the window sill, pulled up, and slid through smoothly. Once inside he rested against the wall.
I sat down on my computer chair, looking up at him. “So, answer me.”
Slade licked his lips. “What answer are you looking for?”
I let out a sigh. “An answer to why you’re so grouchy all the time.”
He shrugged, taking a seat on the floor. He drew his knees up, his arms resting against them. The moonlight bathed him in a soft glow.
“Anything you have to say stays between us, I would never go back and tell anyone anything, I swear it.”
“There is nothing to say. This is just me, I don’t know. So you want to get together again sometime?” he asked, avoiding talking about his mood.
“Probably not,” I said, shrugging at him. I turned back and forth in my chair playfully, watching him.
He watched me, not saying anything, and then he grabbed the chair, pulling me across the floor to him. He rose up on his knees, his hands sliding over the tops of my thighs, gripping them roughly as they slid back down. burrowing underneath my legs.
“You don’t want to see me again?” he asked, looking up at me.
I bit my lip in angst. Slade pulled me and the seat closer, putting himself between my legs. I raked my fingers through his hair, taking his aviators off the top of his head. I put them on, shielding my eyes from his.
His thumbs stroked the sides of my legs, making my heart palpitate. He pulled me closer until I easily slid off the chair and down onto the front of him. My knees pressed against my floor as he lifted me and himself from the ground, quickly shoving the chair away to allow himself room to lay back.
I leaned in, letting his lips envelop mine. He rested on his elbows letting me do all the work. I attacked his mouth, securing a hold on the back of his neck as I kissed down his throat, finally sending him back into a sitting position. He took the back of my head in his hand, gliding his fingers through my hair.
Slade stopped kissing me, pulling his head back. “You don’t want to see me again?” He lifted his aviators up, revealing my eyes underneath.
My heart raced as we stared at each other. I wanted to see him again. I just wished he would be more open with me. “Yes, I want to see you again,” I said, breathless. I wrapped my legs around him as he leaned forward, lowering me to the ground.
He pushed my hair away from my neck. “Then we shall see each other again.” He planted a kiss on the side of my neck. I arched my back in pleasure at his intense touch, my body dying for more from him. He kissed me again, enjoying my reaction. “Get some sleep,” he whispered in my ear, standing up.
I laid there on the floor, my body buzzing with sexual tension, my heart pounding as it tried to escape my chest. The only thing I could do was look up at him and nod as he hurried out of my window.
Once he was gone, I rolled over and let out an irritated groan. I raised my arm in front of me, letting out a gasp. The number was indeed gone, only to be replaced by a black heart. I was astonished. And then I fell asleep right there on my bedroom floor, totally confused and totally worked up.
Fitting in
“Pencils down everyone,” Mr. Rudner said. He stood up and began collecting papers, starting at the first row. Today was the big test before the weekend.
Tucker stuck a finger on my test, sliding it to him. He neatly placed his on top of mine, passing them forward. “That was a piece of cake,” he mentioned, leaning towards me.
I was glad he thought so, because I had been up all night studying for the stupid test and most of it still made no sense to me. I hoped for a C at least.
“Yeah, no problem,” I said with a shrug, looking at the clock.
Time was dragging today. Before school Dad had asked me to stop at the store for groceries. He handed over his credit card and told me to buy enough for the week. Money was tight and the cupboards were bare lately. We had been waiting for his first paycheck, and once that came and was eaten up by bills and school supplies, there wasn’t much left.
I mentioned to Dad to just ask Nona for a loan, but he didn’t want to seem desperate. Besides, he knew Nona would get on him about buying liquor.
“So what’s on the agenda after school?” Tucker asked, his fist holding the side of his face up as he stared at me.
I traced my finger over the names scrawled on our table. “I have to pick up some groceries for the house.”
“You?” He scratched his head in confusion. “I thought that was what parents were for?”
“In some households, sure.” I fell silent when Mr. Gardner started passing out more work. I nearly died when I saw the periodic table sitting in front
of me. It was my arch enemy.
Tucker grabbed a hold of my wrist, poking at the black heart. “What is this?”
I covered it up, trying to play it off as nothing. “Nothing,” I whispered, writing my name on the top of my paper.
“Don’t tell me you let someone talk you into getting inked.” Tucker scoffed.
I brushed my hair behind my ear, ignoring his jab. Mr. Gardner informed us we had five minutes to fill as much in of the periodic table as we could for extra credit. And I needed all the extra credit that I could get. I took a deep breath, trying to pull from my memory. Tucker easily conquered it.
School was finally done for the day. I spun my combination on my locker quickly, in a hurry to get the groceries over with so I could go home and be lazy. This school found lots of ways to take its toll on me.
A hand swatted my locker shut. It was Tucker.
“It’s Friday, what do you have going on for the weekend?”
I pushed him out of the way, giving another try at opening my locker. “I’m not really sure.”
He perked up. “Well, then, say you’ll come over for a get-together at my dad’s house.”
I scanned his eyes for more of an answer. “What kind of get-together, Tucker?”
“Its semi formal, so wear a dress. Dad has one big shin dig a year. There’s lot of food, a band, and a few speeches. I thought you could keep me entertained, they tend to get a little boring.” He touched my shoulder playfully.
I barely had money for groceries, let alone any to buy a dress with. Tucker seemed to be totally oblivious to what kind of home I lived in. Or maybe he just assumed we all came from really rich parents, I wasn’t sure. But today was not the day for me to explain my situation.
I shot him a tired glance, slamming my locker shut. “Call me later, Tucker.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder.
Tucker spun around in the middle of the hallway, confused. “What is going on with you?” he called after me. But I didn’t answer.
I pushed open the doors, the sunlight flooding my vision. Kids hurried to their cars and bikes. The usual sounds going on all around me, laughter, yelling, bells and horns.
Campbell caught up with me. “Hey, what are your plans for the weekend?”
I smiled at her, hitching my backpack higher on my shoulder. “Hey, not really sure, I got to take care of some errands for my dad.”
Campbell nodded. “Well, maybe I’ll call you later?”
I gave her a nod as she ran for Lydia’s red convertible. Jesse sat in the passenger seat. He simply shot me a look, nothing more.
I didn’t expect anymore, Jesse didn’t seem too fond of me now, but he was too polite to say anything rude to my face.
I looked both ways and then ran across the street, trying to put as much distance between the school parking lot and myself as possible. I didn’t want Tucker forcing me to ride with him.
I kept a steady jog, cutting between the lawns of some of the houses. I knew there was an easier way to make it to the grocery store by my house, one that would keep me out of Tucker’s view.
I hurried down the alley, telling myself I was an idiot for traipsing around alleyways alone. Garbage collected around the large dumpsters. Large brick buildings towered on both sides providing a barrier from any witnesses if need be. I hopped over muddy puddles, kicked past beer bottles, and finally settled my nerves once the sign for the Shore Market came into view on the loading dock at the back of the building.
Once inside I tossed a couple loafs of bread into the shopping cart, checking things off of the homemade list that I’d made in school during lunch. I wheeled my miniature grocery cart past an elderly couple, stopping in front of the marked down canned goods, the ones they threw in a giant heap in a circular bin. They gave them away cheap because the labels fell off or the cans were dented.
I caught a couple dirty looks as I grabbed four cans of dented tuna from the pile. Next was the cereal aisle, a staple in our home. Sometimes we ate cereal for breakfast and dinner. Dad wasn’t home enough to cook, and I only had so much time as a high school kid to pull great meals together.
I chucked the generic brand of cereal in my cart, moving forward. Two gallons of milk, a bag of apples and a bunch of bananas, the essentials, that was it.
I hurried around the corner, almost crashing into a young girl and her baby. She gave me the evil eye, moving right along. I couldn’t believe the level of rudeness in this town.
I pushed my cart to the back of the line. The grocery store wasn’t that large so there were only two registers. I tapped my pocket, feeling for Dad’s credit card. About every five minutes the line moved an inch or so. I was sure the girl cashing everyone out was in my biology class, but I wasn’t positive.
As soon as she let out her high pitched giggle, I was.
Darby Harrington. The violinist. She had long golden hair, bright blue eyes and a sleek body with a perfect set of lungs on her. Her clothes fit her too tightly and her body craved everyone’s attention. She was tan, and absolutely perky.
I watched her crack and pop her gum as she flirted with every male that came through her aisle, making sure to lean extra far over the counter so they got a great shot of her large breasts, her pink bra popping out from underneath her Shore Store apron.
When it was my turn I quickly loaded my groceries on the counter, and then avoided looking at her. I hoped if I pretended I didn’t notice her, she wouldn’t notice me.
“Hey there, Hope,” she said, accenting the o and p in my name as she said it. She cracked her gum, really looking over each item she scanned.
“Hi, uh, I forgot your name,” I said, shoving my hair behind my ear.
She tossed my bread behind her shoulder roughly. “Darby.”
I realized I had been right about who she was, but wasn’t willing to risk being wrong. So I was satisfied with her thinking that I didn’t notice her at school. She punched some buttons on the register and then extended her hand.
“Uh, could you tell me the total?” I asked, standing on my tiptoes, trying to see the register.
Darby sighed. “I see someone is on a budget. Are you sure you don’t have any coupons for me?”
I ignored her wisecrack.
“Fifty two dollars and seventy-five cents. Are you paying in food stamps or cash?” She shot me a big grin, playing it off as innocent.
My heart thumped, pushing my blood into my ears. I dug in my pocket, handing over the credit card. She stared at it for a long time. The old lady behind me moaned and groaned about her bunions and the poor service.
“It’s my dad’s,” I told her before she called somebody up here to accuse me of stealing.
“I know your dad. He’s that hot piece of ass that is always up here buying Jack Daniels. It’s a shame such a man drinks himself stupid.” She looked down on me, literally, swiping my card and holding it out of my reach as if taunting me while we waited.
I bit at my lip, really using every ounce of patience I had in me not to freak out on her.
Darby punched a button on the register and then groaned loudly. “Declined, what else you got?”
My cheeks warmed in embarrassment as everyone behind me let out their own grunts and groans of disdain. Dad had obviously overspent. I didn’t have any cash. I thought about calling Nona, and then thought against it.
“Come on, Hope, these lovely people don’t have all day!” Darby hissed. She crossed her arms, waiting.
“Darby, back off,” Slade said, stepping in front of me. He handed over a hundred dollar bill.
Darby was shocked to see him, it was written all over her face. She took the money, giving it a swipe with one of those counterfeit markers, and shoved it in the drawer.
“Slade Andrews to the rescue.” She twirled her finger, rolling her eyes. Slade snatched his money from her hand, then he took my bags. “He’s a handful,” she told me, leaning over the bagging station.
Slade stepped forward. “Shut your mouth, Darby.”
Darby clutched her chest as if he stabbed her in the heart, “Slade used to be my number one dream boat. Right, Slade? Remember those nights I used to give you head in the back seat of my daddy’s car?”
I cringed at her foul mouth. How she didn’t care that the whole store was listening.
“That’s about the only thing I would’ve allowed you to do to me. You fucking wish.”
I followed him outside, completely baffled at the antics back in there. “Thank you,” I told him, trying to take some of my groceries off his hands.
“I can carry them. And you’re welcome, it’s not a problem,” he insisted as we headed back to my house.
I shoved the card back in my pocket, feeling a bit embarrassed suddenly. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” I told him as we trudged through the sand.
Slade let me open the gate for him and followed me up the steps.
Elliot pulled the door open, giving Slade a weird look. “I didn’t know they had bag boys that carried groceries all the way home,” he said, snagging the bananas from one of the bags Slade was carrying.
“Finally, some food in this house,” Easton exclaimed to the whole world, taking the box of cereal. They were like buzzards swarming around us.
I helped Slade sit the groceries on the table. “One thing, I’m making dinner tonight!” I yelled at them both. They cleared the room quickly. I let out a sigh.
“I guess I kind of see why you would want to be far away from them. And by the way, which one is which, they’re identical.” Slade smiled. He handed over the loaf of bread that Darby nearly smashed.
“Easton has the scar on his chin. I sometimes think my parents put it there on purpose because that really is the only way to tell them apart.” I opened the cupboard as I explained. It was nice to talk about something other than parties or clothes like all the kids in school did.
I bent down, tossing a roll of paper towels underneath the sink, and suddenly remembered something. Crawford.
I tensed up, taking off toward the hallway. But it was too late. Crawford was already released from the boy’s room. He slowly stalked into the kitchen.
