by Sara Dailey
Great. Now I had Alli reminding me what an ass-tard I was. I flipped through my spiral and responded, “Nothing really.”
“Nothing? Really?”
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell her the truth: Oh, I don’t know what he wanted because I was a total bitch and he took off without telling me. I’m getting really good at avoiding him, though, don’t ya think?
Alli just sat there waiting for me to say something. I silently cussed Ms. Wallace for choosing now to let the class sit and talk while she finished checking her email, put down my spiral and admitted, “Well…I’m not sure what he wanted. He didn’t really say.”
“What do you mean?” She obviously wasn’t letting this go.
“Really, I don’t know. He just caught up with me, and I asked him what he wanted, then he just said never mind.”
Alli stared. I couldn’t read her. Finally, I said, “What?”
“Teagan, just give the poor guy a chance.”
I could barely wrap my brain around the fact that he even wanted a chance, which was what his sister’s words seemed to confirm beyond all doubt, but before I could ask her to elaborate our teacher decided to start class.
Lovely. Perfect timing. School’s always like that.
*****
After what seemed like an eternity and a half, the last bell of the day rang. I gathered my things and headed to my locker, and lo and behold Aiden Wright was standing there waiting for me. After the way I’d acted, it really seemed crazy that he was being so persistent.
I pasted a smile on my face, steeling myself to walk right up to him and be friendly. Yes, friendly, Teagan, I told myself. I know it seems a foreign concept for you lately, but you can do this. Don’t run him off again.
As I approached, he smiled that perfect crooked smile and said, “Hi again.”
“Hi,” I replied. Lame. So lame. But how was I supposed to not melt like ice cream on a hot summer day around this guy? It was either that or bite off his head, and I’d sworn not to bite off his head this time.
He moved aside so that I could open my locker, and I welcomed the distraction of swapping out books. Then he leaned forward , and I was suddenly overwhelmed by his closeness. Trying not to swoon, I continued messing around in my locker and hoped he would speak before me and my stupid mouth blurted something I’d surely regret.
Shifting from foot to foot, he finally spoke. “So…I was thinking that maybe—”
Out of nowhere, Becca appeared at his side. “Hey, baby, I’ve been looking for you all over. Thought I could drive you home.”
Aiden froze. Unable to control myself, I rolled my eyes and went back to fumbling inside my locker, even though there was nothing else that I needed. I wanted to see how he would handle this—assuming I could handle the way my heart was pounding. I wanted to take Becca and throw her out a window.
Before anything happened, Sean ambled our way. He stopped next to me, opposite of Aiden and Becca, and said, “Hey, Teagan. You busy this afternoon? Think you could help me study?”
Becca and Aiden were standing only inches away, and it was clear Sean was snubbing them. Great. He’d chosen that moment to start a war between the brave and the beautiful.
“Come on, Aiden. Let’s get out of here,” Becca said.
Sean asked again: “Well? Are you busy, Teagan?”
Holy Mother of God, this was awkward. I looked to Aiden, trying to gauge what he was thinking. Was I busy or not? I sure wanted to be.
Aiden turned to Becca. “Maybe another time. I was just about to see if Teagan wanted to hang out.”
Becca shrugged and strolled away, and her face was purposefully blank. She was making it clear that she hadn’t just got shot down, in case anyone was looking. A few people were.
Sean was still standing there. He lightly touched my arm and said, “Well…?”
Shit, shit, shit. Was I really going to go hang out with Aiden? Was I really going to put myself in that position, being alone with him, letting him make me all melty inside, when I didn’t know what his ultimate intentions were? Been there, done that. I turned and said, “Maybe some other time. But, thanks.”
My words sounded exactly like the ones he had used on Becca. Looking completely defeated Aiden echoed, “Sure. Some other time.”
He turned and walked away without looking back.
23.
Aiden
“If they don’t get a move on, we’re going to be late,” my dad complained as he plopped down next to me on the couch.
“Be patient, old man,” I said. “Not everyone here is as naturally good-looking as we are. They have to get ready.”
I leaned back and put my feet up on the coffee table. Things weren’t tense between us for some reason. I didn’t know exactly why. My mom wasn’t alone in lying to me for all those years, but I knew that more than anything Dad wished he really was my biological father. I guess the pain in his eyes somehow made me less angry with him.
He didn’t seem to heed my advice about my mom and sister, though. “All right, ladies,” he called. “I’m going to warm up the car. Please be ready in the next five minutes.”
A short time later he was saying, “Remind me why we’re going to watch a musical starring that mean girl who left my baby at a pizza parlor penniless, phoneless, and twenty miles from home.” We were on the way to the high school.
“Paul, we talked about this,” my mom replied. “We have to try to get along and fit in now, and if one of the pack kids is in a play, that means we go and support them.”
“Whatever,” Dad muttered.
Even I had to admit Shari wasn’t all bad. She’d been hanging with the wrong girl. She hadn’t stood a chance going against someone like Kendall, and she had redeemed herself when Alli was kidnapped. If she hadn’t shown us that text from Dylan, we would have never found my sister in time.
We pulled into the high school parking lot right behind the Walkers. Marcus, Noel, Cade. Awesome. Them and us, one big happy-ass family. Alli and Cade immediately took off together, so I was left walking in with my parents toward the auditorium. All four of them.
It was hard to believe, but I’d begun to appreciate the frigid weather here a little more. It calmed my nerves, actually, made that slight itchy feeling I’d been getting under my skin lately ease a bit, but I wanted to get away from the uncomfortable situation of walking with the two sets of parents so I faked that I was freezing and walked quicker into the school.
I knew Teagan was there the second I entered the lobby. I could sense her like I had radar—or really, I could smell her. After a quick, awkward smile to some waving girls, I set off to find the source of that delicious scent.
It didn’t take long. She stood by the stage door with that guy friend of hers, Sean. When she smiled up at him, I felt this panic, this rage deep inside my gut, but I swallowed it down and listened instead. They weren’t acting all lovey-dovey or anything, so hopefully that was a good sign that there wasn’t anything romantic going on. Then I heard her tell him to break a leg.
Oh, he was in the show. Good. That meant he wouldn’t be sitting with her during the performance. I definitely didn’t need anyone else getting in the way of my asking her out. I’d had a hard enough time already.
As soon as he walked off, disappearing through the stage doors, I knew it was time to make my move. I forced myself to forget her refusal of the ride home from school and focused on nothing but her person: the shine of that long blonde hair, the curve of those hips in those jeans—
I was completely blindsided by my sister and Cade. They got to her just before I did, and at that moment I wanted to rip every single hair from Alli’s head and shove them down Cade’s throat. What was she doing? This was my chance!
“Teagan, come on. You’re sitting with us. Right, Aiden?” my sister said, glancing over her shoulder at me.
Oh.
Alli took Teagan by the arm and led her into the auditorium. I just stood there with my mouth hanging op
en. She was pushing pretty hard for us to get together. I supposed I should thank her.
I caught up just as the lights dimmed. Shari had several rows of seats reserved, many of which were already filled, but thanks be to God we passed all of them and went down a little closer to the stage. There were three seats open, but we needed four now that we were with Teagan. It looked like Becca was saving a seat down at the other end of the row for me, but that was never going to happen.
Cade—being Cade, and the pack’s original next-in-line alpha—acted. He just asked the people sitting there to move down. The giggling girls gladly scooted over, and suddenly the problem was solved. It made me both grateful and nervous. Now I had about an hour and a half to woo Teagan. If I could just figure out how.
The show started. I tried paying attention, but to be honest I’m not a fan of musicals and the intoxicating scent of Teagan didn’t help. It seemed to pour off of her.
“Sean, right?” I leant in close and whispered into Teagan’s ear when he came onstage, and as a small gasp escaped her perfectly shaped mouth I hoped it was me, not Sean, causing that reaction. Whatever caused it, the reaction was sexy as hell and made my pulse quicken.
Teagan nodded and gave me a small smile.
“He’s good,” I said, trying to act as if her mere proximity wasn’t killing me.
This time, Teagan replied. “The best. He plans on moving to New York after he graduates.”
The best? Her praise of Sean cut into me, but I figured it’d be best to wait until he finished his big first scene to ask if they were more than friends. This killed me to do, but I managed.
Teagan was still trying to act like my interest in her romantic life was no big deal, but even in the dark of the auditorium I could see a blush creep up her neck. She didn’t answer right away when I did ask. Instead she said, “Well, what about you? Becca looks pretty upset, probably because you’re not sitting with her. In fact, right now she’s giving me a death stare.”
I leaned forward to check it out. Sure as shit, Becca was watching me and Teagan—and she wasn’t the only one. My flirting had caught Marcus’s attention as well. He shook his head in a disapproving manner.
Seriously? I pretended not to notice.
“Becca is just a friend,” I told Teagan.
“Bullshit,” she pretended to cough.
I smiled then quickly set her straight. Turning in my seat, I looked Teagan square in her beautiful blue eyes and said, “I swear. She’d like us to be more, but I’m not interested.”
Teagan seemed skeptical, but she nodded and let the subject drop. We didn’t speak again until the show was over, and all the curtain calls.
The house lights came up. I knew this was my moment, as I hadn’t managed during intermission. It was now or never. I had to ask her out, had to make my move. It was already crazy that it had taken this long, but I couldn’t focus on the negative. Time to go all in.
The side theater door opened, so we were soon to be bombarded by overly excited actors. Like Sean. I gathered my courage, leaned over and whispered, “I’m interested in someone else.”
Teagan looked stunned for a moment, like she was confused, but then I winked at her. She got it. Our eyes locked, and I held her gaze until it became too much. For both of us.
24.
Teagan
Aiden’s green eyes bored into mine, and I had to look away. It was that or just take off and run the other direction.
Oh, what this guy did to me. I could hardly stand to be in his presence without turning to mush, and then he’d brazenly admitted he was interested in “someone else.” Someone other than Becca. That someone had to be me, otherwise he wouldn’t have said it, right?
Shit, it had better be me.
But did I really want him interested in me? He was one of them, part of a group to which I could never belong. Not only did Becca now look as if she wanted to rip my head off, the man I’d assumed to be Cade’s dad hadn’t taken his eyes off of Aiden and me all night. What the hell was up with that? Creepy. Aiden’s own dad hadn’t seemed to notice me, and here this stranger was getting all hot and bothered by us being in close proximity. They were definitely very cultish, that group.
I left the theater trying to shake off Aiden’s spell. He was trailing behind, and I wasn’t sure why or how to react, but before I could make up my mind, Alli grabbed my arm and said, “Hey, we’re all going out for pizza. You should come.”
I wanted to go. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to spend time with Aiden—but not if Becca was going to be there. Not if Cade’s dad would be there. I might not know how I felt about hanging out with this group, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to hang out with those two. I couldn’t just ask if either was going, though.
Alli’s persistence won out; she didn’t let go of my arm until I agreed. We all walked together through the parking lot, but Aiden continued to keep his distance.
Soon we approached my car and I told Alli that I would meet her at the pizza place. As I did, Cade’s dad turned and glared at me. He was getting into a car with his wife and Aiden’s parents. Again, I wasn’t so sure that this was a good idea. But they didn’t seem to be joining us. That was something, I guess.
I got in my car and toyed with the idea of just driving home, but I knew Alli would be pissed. Pushing the desire aside, I followed Cade’s car to the pizza joint down the street.
When I opened my car door, Aiden stood nearby. My insides flipped-flopped as I saw that dazzling smile. He didn’t seem to be hanging back anymore. He must have decided on a course of action.
“Glad you decided to come.”
I couldn’t have stopped the girly grin that spread across my face if I tried. “Well, your sister wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” I admitted.
“Why would you have said no?”
And there it was: the question I needed to answer. Why would I have said no? Actually, it was easy. Because these people, Aiden’s people, made me a panicky mess. His mere presence somehow made me feel like a bumbling disaster, reminded me that I had a mother who’d abandoned me and a drunk for a father and that I was the farthest thing from one of his beautiful people friends. So, there was no way I was answering truthfully.
“Well, I figured I’d do something with Sean. He’s probably wondering where I went. I really should have stayed and at least congratulated him.” There, I really was planning on seeing Sean afterward, so it wasn’t a complete lie.
Aiden’s smile slowly faded. Shit. Why had I mentioned Sean?
“Well, I guess his loss is my gain,” he said after a moment. “I’m glad you’re here.”
My face flushed, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he had this same effect on every girl. Unfortunately I knew the answer. Of course he had this effect on everyone, even if I wanted more than anything to be the exception. Why couldn’t I just be the exception?
Trying to appear nonchalant, I strolled past him toward the entrance. Acting cool and casual had never been a strong suit, but I knew better than to let Aiden Wright think he could get in my pants by simply paying me a bit of attention. If that’s what he was trying to do. Was that what he was trying to do?
Aiden sauntered after me. I had to convince my raging hormones to stop jumping up and down. The last thing he needed to know was how much I wanted to kiss him, to full on, no-holds-barred kiss him. I closed my eyes, attempting to clear my head, but his hand brushed the small of my back as he guided me through the door. Right then, at that small show of chivalry, a tiny piece of my heart was stolen. A piece I knew I’d never get back.
My previous fears returned. My subconscious was screaming again, Wake up, Rhodes, he’s bad news. Way too hot for you. Way too everything. Remember where you live. Remember where he lives. Remember who your father is. Aiden could never really care about you. He’ll hurt you just like everyone else in your life has, you should get out now before it’s too late.
I stopped in midstride. Before I could stop t
he words tumbling out of my mouth, I asked, “What exactly are you doing?”
That caught him off guard to say the least, and it was Aiden’s turn to blush. Standing in the doorway he asked, “What are you talking about?” There was true concern in those emerald green eyes.
“I just don’t get it, that’s all,” I said. I resumed walking toward our table. It was filled with a group too beautiful to be real. They looked like they belonged on the set of 90210, not at a small-town pizzeria. The adults were gone, so it was only Allison, Cade, Shari, Luke, Sammy, Cami, and five other kids whose names I didn’t know. I’d never said more than five words total to any of them besides Allison. Thankfully, Becca wasn’t there.
Aiden caught up. All eyes were on us as we took our seats. Surprisingly, the others smiled and greeted us. Maybe it was just for Aiden’s sake, though. Who knew what any of them would have done if I had showed up alone.
As we sat, Aiden leaned over and whispered, “What don’t you get?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything,” I replied, regretting I’d spoken up and hoping he’d let the subject drop. What had I been thinking? Why couldn’t I just keep my big mouth shut for once?
We settled in, and everyone began to rave about how great Shari had performed. She beamed, and I hated to admit that she had been really good, and suddenly I felt guilty for not sticking around to tell Sean the same.
Drinks and several large pizzas were ordered. Aiden’s leg brushed against mine, and I could tell he was looking my way. I did my best to ignore both him and the goose bumps that rose on every inch of my skin, taking a long swig of Coke and turning my attention to the conversation taking place at the table.
His leg gently grazed mine again, and he leaned over to whisper, “Are you going to tell me what you’re talking about?”
His nearness sent chills through me, and I had to focus not to shudder. Damn, but I wished my body would behave around him.
