by N. Natishna
“Come on, babe, don’t be like this.” He reached out and touched my cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
I looked up at him and smiled sweetly. “I can honestly say that I haven’t missed you in the slightest.” Then I slapped his hand away from my face.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I don’t understand why you’re being a bitch, Emma. We were good together, you know it, and I know it. Why fight me on this?”
Ugh, men. Some could be so dense. And majorly conceited. “Spare me, okay Cody? I’ve got more important things to do than fawn all over you.”
His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared out angrily. I looked at Luke who was glaring at Cody and waved my hand for him to relax. Cody wouldn’t do anything stupid in school.
“Like what, Emma? Fawning all over that freak instead? I don’t know what you people see in that guy.”
“It’s probably the piercings,” Deklan cut in from behind Cody. Cody jumped off my desk and spun around, tensing up to prepare for a fight. I stifled a laugh and looked at Deklan, who winked at me. I wanted to go all swoon-ish, like most the girls that did when it came to guys, but I ignored the feeling.
“Back off, freak, this is between me and my girl.”
I shook my head and mouthed ‘no way’ and Deklan chuckled.
“Your girl, huh?” He smirked and looked back at Cody. “I don’t think she sees it that way.”
“Shut up, asshole.” Cody’s face was turning red and I held back a laugh at how ridiculous he looked.
“I think maybe you should leave her alone, Hudson.” Deklan wasn’t smiling anymore. He looked more intimidating, and I knew that Cody was a little afraid by the way he almost took a step back. He tried to look brave though and straightened to his full height, which didn’t have anything on Deklan.
“You’ve got some nerve, coming here trying to be some kind of big shot. Let me remind you whose school this is, you little-”
“Mr. Hudson, if you’ll so kindly go back to your seat.” Mrs. Alvarez interrupted from the entryway of the class. Cody grunted, but obeyed. Deklan walked past me to his desk, touching my shoulder on the way. I compressed my lips at the feeling his touch invoked. Mrs. Alvarez started writing on the dry erase board, so I turned in my seat to face Deklan. He was watching me like he’d been waiting for me to turn around.
“Thank you,” I whispered, making him raise the pierced eyebrow.
“That guy is incredibly stupid.”
I chuckled at his blunt statement. “Yes, he is, and you’re my own white knight.” I smiled brightly and watched his eyes snap to my mouth then back to my eyes. “Thank you, again, Dek.”
He cleared his throat and nodded. “No problem.”
I turned back around in my seat and hid the smile that formed. My own white knight? Hell. Freaking. Yeah! I mean, I knew my guys would have my back if I was ever in trouble, but it wasn’t the same thing. When Deklan did it I felt a fluttering in my tummy.
Mrs. Alvarez turned away from the board and faced us. “Good morning, class. Take out your books and the homework from yesterday.”
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. I tried my best to concentrate on everything she was saying, but it was hard when I could feel Deklan’s eyes burning holes in the back of my head the whole time.
When class was over I stuffed my things in my book bag and stood up. Deklan came up beside me and took my bag before I could pick it up. I frowned and watched him sling the strap over his shoulder with his own bag. He chuckled and shook his head.
“I can carry it, you know,” I told him, this time with a smile.
He shrugged. “I know, but I need the extra weight. I’m tryna work out.”
He was such a liar, but I let it go because I thought it was cute that he wanted to carry my things for me. I turned and found Luke by the door talking to Cody. He looked pissed and Cody looked even worse. When he stomped out of the classroom Luke came over to us.
“I got your back, Slim.”
I rolled my eyes but pat his arm. “I know, Luke.” I chuckled and led the way out of class. Men, they were so ridiculous sometimes, but you gotta love ‘em. Luke waved goodbye and headed in the opposite direction than me and Deklan.
I watched him go with a smile. He was just an inch or so shorter than Deklan, but no less big and intimidating. He golden blonde hair was short, and he never let it grow out. His face was void of piercings, which I liked. Piercings didn’t go with his face, in my opinion. He did have a few tattoos on his back and chest, but that was it. The thing that stood out the most, was the scar that started just below his left eye and led down his face and neck. He’s had that scar since before we knew him, and none of us had asked him where he had got it from.
Shaking my head, I led the way down the hall.
“Your friends are pretty awesome,” Deklan told me as we walked – or at least tried to walk – through the unbelievably crowded hall. I grunted in a very unladylike way and nodded, keeping my focus on pushing people out of the way. After first period was the only time I didn’t have time to rush to my locker because my chemistry class was too far out of the way already, and I barely had time to get there before the late bell rang.
Deklan chuckled and suddenly he’s gripping my waist, stopping me. I glanced up at him over my shoulder, my eyes wide with alarm. “What are you doing? We’re going to be late!”
He shook his head. “I got this, little girl.” That damn name again! Although…it didn’t infuriate me like it did last time. He brought me close to his side and my heart stuttered. Oh wow, he was so warm. My right breast tingled as it pushed against his ribs. He started walking, and oddly got people to move out of the way. When I looked up at his face I knew why. He looked as intimidating as he did earlier when he told Cody to leave me alone. Talk about effective, am I right? People were scattering out of our way like we had a deadly disease. I freaking loved it.
We got to Mr. Oswald’s class before the warning bell even rang. We sat in our seats and I giggled. Deklan smiled at me and set our bags down.
“That was so awesome, Dek!” I cheered and squeezed his tattooed bicep with both of my hands. Even with both they didn’t reach all the way around. “You’re so big and scary that people move with just a look from you!”
He laughed. “Big and scary? You sure think a lot of me, huh, little girl?”
I shook my head and smiled at him. “No, I don’t think you’re scary. Big, heck yeah, but not scary. But you looked so intimidating out there. Like ‘Get out of our way or I’ll stomp you!’” I laughed, but when he didn’t, I frowned at him.
His blue eyes seemed to darken more and I realized that I was caressing his upper arm with my fingers. I looked down and moved one hand down, tracing over the guitar just below his elbow.
“They’re so beautiful,” I told him softly as I smoothed over a couple of the lightning bolts. I’ve never met anybody who had a sleeve tattoo. I saw guys with them on television and concerts, but I never got close enough to actually admire them. I absolutely loved Deklan’s.
His arm pulled away from my touch and I felt disappointed and a little embarrassed. I gripped my hands together in my lap and faced the front of room, waiting for Mr. Oswald to start class. I was such a loser. I was practically drooling over him in public. My face heated at my ridiculousness.
I felt calloused fingers brush down my cheek to my chin, and gasped; it felt amazing. He turned my face so I had to look directly up at him.
“Your hands are so soft, pretty girl,” he whispered so quietly that I had to lean in to hear him. “I like the feel of them…a little too much.” His minty, warm breath slid down my neck, making a quake start in my belly.
I frowned in confusion and his tongue slipped out in the slowest, sensual way. It lingered on his piercings, rubbing over them softly. I swallowed a breath and he chuckled, breaking the spell.
“Get my point, Emma?” he rasped out and I nodded. I totally got it now. If my touch did to him what licking his
piercings did to me, then I’d better keep my hands to myself, especially while we were sitting in class, surrounded by many students. I cleared my throat and grabbed my bag off the floor, taking out my chemistry binder and book.
“By the way, I love the getup. It’s very you.”
I smoothed my palm down the sides of my blue and white uniform top. “Thanks,” I mumbled. My phone buzzed just as the late bell rang and I pulled it out. I made sure Mr. Oswald was busy before I checked it.
Aria! Bonfire tonight after the game, U in chica?
Me: Yeah, want me to drive?
Mr. Oswald went to his laptop and pulled up a presentation through the ceiling projector, telling us to take notes. Deklan took out a notebook – a different one than the black one he always had with him – and started writing. I watched his arm as his muscles worked while he wrote.
My phone vibrated.
Aria! Riding with Zane. Catch you later.
Putting my phone away, I started writing some notes. When lunch came around I walked to my locker and put away the books I didn’t need and took out the ones I did. I turned and bumped into somebody and looked at Cody’s smug face.
I stepped back, glowering at him. He was six-feet-tall, so he was still much taller than me. His eyes ran from the white headband that kept my straightened hair back, down to my cheer shoes, and then back up again. His grin grew and I scoffed.
“You’re such a perv, Cody.” I pulled down my cheerleading skirt, feeling a little violated. “You’re disgusting,” I spat and just walked around him. I marched down the hall and turned the corner, running into another brick wall of a chest. “Dammit!” I muttered and rubbed my now sore nose as I looked up to see Deklan smiling. I returned the smile, ignoring the pain in my nose.
“Hi,” I said cheekily. All my negative energy seemed to drain away now that he was near.
“Hey.” He pulled my strap off my shoulder and slung it over his. Hmm, I could get used to him doing that. When he rested his hand at my lower back as we walked to lunch, my body warmed and I sighed slowly. I could maybe get used to that, as well.
Zane, Aria, and Jeff were walking into the cafeteria from the other side of the room as we were walking in. We all dropped our stuff at our table and went to the line. Liam and Reggie walked in and joined us. When Nicole, Rebecca Friedman, and Gina walked up behind them I watched them eye Deklan’s backside.
“Hi Deklan,” Nicole purred. I really hated this girl. I mean, she’s a total whore and I didn’t get it. Sex couldn’t be that good that she had to give it up to every hot guy she meets. My mom and sister both told me that their firsts were with their husbands. They may not have been married at the time, but they knew that they were meant for each other when they did. Nicole had no boundaries, which I found just gross.
Aria raised an eyebrow and waved Nicole away. “He doesn’t want you, Nicole. Go pollute somebody who doesn’t actually care about their health.”
“Fuck you, Alvarez. You’re just jealous because I got a taste of your boyfriend before you did.”
Aria exploded in a rush of Spanish and Zane held her back before she could go after Nicole. I rounded on her and pushed her off Deklan, mostly because I hated her touching him. “You’re such a liar, Nicole. You know for a fact that Zane wouldn’t go anywhere near you.”
“Oh please, virgin girl, I -” Nicole snapped her mouth closed and took a step back as Bianca came up. If there was one thing that could shut Nicole up, it was Bianca; ever since Bianca smashed her head on a bathroom stall when Nicole called her a ginger. Bianca wasn’t the chick to mess with. She was tall and super skinny, but she was unnaturally strong.
I put my hand on Bianca’s arm and glared at Nicole. “Do you have a death wish, Nicole? Go run your mouth elsewhere. We can only hold these chicks back so long.”
She scoffed and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Didn’t you know that chastity is overrated, Princess? They’re bound stray at some point.” Her knowing smile told me just what I figured; Cody, the dog that he was, wasn’t exactly faithful when we were dating. Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.
Molly came from behind her, Luke trailing her steps. She bumped Nicole hard with her shoulder and gave her the same look I saw in Deklan when he wanted to intimidate someone. Molly was a good 5’6, just a hair taller than Nicole, but she looked like she could take her. I’d put my money on Molly any day.
We just had friends coming out the woodworks to get at Nicole. I should have known these hotheaded girls wouldn’t stay quiet.
Molly gave Nicole a disgusted look. “Get lost. My brother isn’t into chicks that have seen more ceilings than Michelangelo.”
Nicole gasped angrily, her eyes bulging, and her face turned red. I, along with everybody who heard, busted out laughing.
“I am not easy!” she screeched.
Molly shook her head. “I’m not saying you’re easy.” She pursed her lips and then sighed. “But then again, when I tried looking up something cheap to do in this town, your name was the first to pop up.”
“Bitch,” Nicole sneered, her face a deep shade of red, and then she stomped away, her girls right behind her.
Molly snorted and called after her, “Actually, it’s Molly, but Bitch is my middle name, so I’ll let it slide!”
I couldn’t control my laughter, like most the people who just witnessed Nicole getting her ass handed to her. I fell back against Deklan and held my sides.
“Molly, I think you just topped Reggie!” Liam said in between laughs.
“You’re so badass, Moll,” Jeff praised at the same time Reggie said, “I resent that!”
She shrugged. “I’ve learned a lot the past couple years. This was nothing.”
When the laughter calmed I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I felt something hard behind me and when I looked up Deklan grinned down at me, his hands rubbing up and down my upper arms. I cleared my throat and stepped away, and he dropped his hands.
When we got our food, we sat at our table. Deklan sat at his normal spot next to me and pushed my tray towards me. He insisted that he carry it and I found it to be another thing that was too cute to ignore.
“So I was thinking,” Aria said after a drink of her soda. She looked at me and smiled. “We should throw a big party for your birthday this year.”
I groaned and dropped the fry I was about to stuff in my mouth. “Aria, you know I hate having big parties on my birthday now. Do you not remember what happened?”
For my fifteenth birthday three years ago my parents threw me a huge party at our home. I was really excited and wanted it to be perfect. Well, during the night somebody spiked the punch and almost everybody got so wasted and ended up trashing most of my house. My parents were livid and I was traumatized. Somebody had puked in the kitchen and I ended up slipping and landing right in it. It was so freaking gross, and I vowed that I wouldn’t go through that again. There were no more big bashes for my special day. I’ve been just fine with a small get together with my family, and my best friends for the past two years now.
Aria rolled her eyes. “Listen, we won’t go as big as that one, okay? We can even have it at Liam’s parent’s beach house. That way if things get a little outta hand, you’re not on clean-up duty.” She pouted and grasped my arm. “Por favor, mejor amigo. Te amaré por siempre y no te arrepentirás!” (Please, best friend. I’ll love you forever and you will not regret it.)
I groaned and looked over at Liam. “Your parents won’t mind?”
I heard Aria cheer in triumph and Liam shook his head. “Nah, you know them. They never give a shit.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. I’d give them this, but only because they were my best friends, and I knew they wouldn’t let me down. Loyalty played a big factor in our group, no matter what.
After lunch Deklan walked with me to French class carrying my book bag. I didn’t even try to pick it up anymore, knowing that he would just take it from me. After French we went out to our picnic table and
sat down. I sat on the table surface this time and pulled out my sketch pad and drawing pencils. I was better at painting than I was at sketching, but drawing was easier than setting up my paints and brushes.
“So, you going to this beach bonfire tonight?” Deklan asked as he drummed on his chemistry book. He was sitting on the bench next to my legs. I liked how comfortable we were becoming with each other. Ever since he pressed me against him in the hallway, sitting close to him just seemed right, now.
I nodded and glanced at him. “Yeah, what about you?”
He shrugged. “Might as well. Molly wants to go and I’ve got nothing better to do. Will there be alcohol?”
I pursed my lips and tilted my head as I looked at him. “Yeah, but my friends and I don’t drink a lot when we have bonfires on the beach. There was this incident where Amanda Cornwell almost drowned. I guess some guy left her passed out down by the shore. If Luke hadn’t been trying to find Liam and saw her, I’m sure Amanda wouldn’t have made it. That’s something that made a big impact on some people.”
“That would suck. I don’t drink anyways,” he said and changed the beat of his drumming. Before I could ask him why he doesn’t drink, he cut me off. “So…you want to go with me?”
I stopped fidgeting with my pencil and looked over at him. He smiled and raised an eyebrow. I guess we moved on from my needing space, which gave me a little thrill at the thought. This feeling inside me wasn’t going to die any time soon, so the least I could do was take a leap of faith and give it a chance. I’d done nothing but think of him for two weeks anyways.
“Sure.” Riding around with him sounded like something I’d really enjoy.
“Cool, I guess Molly’s riding with Aria and Zane, so it’ll just be us.”
I liked the way he said that, as if he was actually glad that nobody else would be around us in the car. To be honest, I was pretty stoked as well.
It was about time to break out of my shell.
“So I guess this changes things between us, right?” he asked warily and I sighed.
“I guess you’re right. I can’t see why we can’t be friends.”
