by Sadie Allen
“So, after school, Ally?” Elodie interrupted my inner musings.
“Huh?”
Elodie’s eyes widened a fraction, and she looked at me like I wasn’t very bright.
“Shopping. You wanna go shopping after school today with me and Blake?”
“I—”
“She can’t. She’s coming to my house today.”
Everyone went silent, while I kept my eyes downcast. I couldn’t stop the curl of my lips.
“Well, okay then,” Elodie stated the understatement of the year.
I played with my mashed potatoes as conversations swirled around me. Mostly, Elodie and Blake talked about the musical, with a few words from Sterling here and there.
“I can’t believe I have to play a character called Doody,” Blake groused. “Doody, Doody, Doody, Doody.” He dropped his plastic fork in disgust then set his tray away from him.
“Yeah, keep saying it because that’ll make it better,” was Sterling’s sarcastic reply.
“Our scripts are different from the movie. I don’t know some of the songs that are in there,” Elodie complained.
“You watched Grease Live, right?” Blake asked in a loud voice, but then continued in a much quieter one. “I remember some of the songs that weren’t in the movie from there. If you didn’t DVR it, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.”
She ignored him and went on like he hadn’t spoken. “‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ isn’t even in there, Ally.”
I noticed that this morning and was kind of disappointed. I was lucky to have grown up watching the movie.
I cleared my throat. “Then, why was that the audition song?”
Sterling answered, “Because it was the only solo Sandy had that most of the girls would know.”
“How do you know that?” Elodie asked in surprise.
“I heard her talking to someone on the phone about it before auditions last week.” Sterling cleared his tray then looked pointedly at mine.
“You can have mine if you want.” I pushed my tray toward him then unscrewed the cap on my soda, took a sip, and … Oh, holy crap! It burned! I choked, coughed, and spluttered. Some of it bubbled up my nose, which led to me scrambling frantically for napkins. I bent at the waist so I could hide my face as I blew my nose and wiped the mess from my face. My eyes watered, and my throat felt like I had just swallowed bubbling sandpaper. I didn’t remember it being like acid!
“Are you okay?” Elodie sounded concerned.
“What was that?” Blake was not concerned. He evidently found my near-death experience funny.
“Princess, come here.”
I lifted my watery eyes and peeked at him through my fingers. One of his hands was at my back, rubbing up and down soothingly, but the other held a bunch of napkins. Um, what?
He took his hand from my back, and I instantly missed the affectionate touch. Then he was peeling my fingers from my face. When he could see me, he proceeded to wipe me off himself. The gesture struck me as odd. It seemed almost fatherly in a way, which both weirded me out and exhilarated me.
“Been a while since you had a soda?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. I probably hadn’t had one since elementary school.
“We’ll break you in better next time.”
I wanted to laugh. There was no way there was going to be a next time.
When he was done, he wadded the napkins and threw them on the closest tray, which happened to be mine.
Elodie and Blake were arguing over soft drinks in the background and not paying attention to my embarrassing reaction to carbonated beverages.
The bell then sounded, and Sterling collected our trays.
Blake reached for Elodie’s as he muttered, “My turn.” Elodie smiled as she handed it to him and giggled as he huffed then jogged away.
“Wait here, and I’ll help you down,” Sterling commanded.
“I can get her sorted, Sterling,” Elodie offered.
“Okay.”
Sterling was down the steps and striding toward the tray depository when Elodie whispered in my ear, “I think he likes you.”
I jerked and looked at her. “Um …” I wasn’t sure how to answer that since I hadn’t even been single for twenty-four hours. What was the etiquette on those kinds of things? Still, I hoped it was true, because my slight crush was swiftly moving into serious territory rather quickly.
Elodie stood and reached out to help me up before she bent to retrieve my crutches.
“You don’t—”
“I really want you to play Sandy, and if you’re going to be able to do that role, you need to be in fighting form. Raven really wanted that part—still does—and if she can take it from you, she will.”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Raven would try to take my part? How?
Elodie handed me the crutches, and then bent down again to get my backpack before helping me put it on.
“I don’t think crutches are going to work on these steps.”
She laughed. “Oh, right.”
I tossed them down a few steps while a giggling Elodie grabbed my hand on my hurt side and assisted me down. When we were on linoleum, she went back for the crutches.
Once we were settled, Elodie got up on her toes, looked in the direction Sterling had gone, and then leaned closer to me as she said softly, “He was never like this with Raven.”
Before I could ask what she meant, a familiar chest was in front of me, and I looked up into the unhappy face of my ex-boyfriend.
“Ally, we need to talk,” he stated tersely.
Okay.
“Um …”
“What do you want, Thorpe?” Sterling practically growled from my left. I hadn’t seen him approach, but he was now plastered to my side and glaring at Miles.
“This isn’t your business, Chapman,” Miles growled back.
Both guys were glaring at each other with clear dislike, and it unsettled me. Yesterday, when Miles had talked about Sterling, it was like he barely knew him. But now, seeing them in each other’s space and feeling the hostility that clogged the air between them, I knew I was missing something.
“I’m making her my business.”
I felt my heart flutter at his declaration.
“Look, guys, we need to get to class or we’re all going to be late,” Elodie interrupted.
I peeked over in her direction to see that she, too, was freaked by the confrontation.
“I was late this morning. I really don’t want to be late for another class today,” I added helpfully, but neither male tore their gaze from the other. “My leg hurts,” I added in a pathetic voice and reached behind me to rub my hamstring.
Both guys looked down at me at that.
Miles stepped closer and said, “We need to talk, Ally. Soon. There are some things you need—”
“Ally isn’t your concern anymore.” Sterling’s arm shot out, and he pushed himself in front of me and closer to Miles.
I peered around Sterling’s bicep—he was almost a foot taller than me. The position they were in reminded me of boxers before a fight, where they stood nose to nose and talked smack to each other while photographers flashed their cameras and cameramen recorded it. Something needed to happen before the actual fight took place.
I sighed in relief when I saw Mrs. Jones walk up with her empty tray, her short legs pumping when she saw the standoff.
“Boys!” she cried, nudging her tray and one hand between them. It was comical since she was so tiny yet acted like she was ten feet tall. When neither moved, she threatened, “If either of you raises a hand, I’ll whomp you with my tray.” She jiggled it threateningly.
I couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted from me, and evidently, neither could Elodie. Two boys over six feet tall brained by a woman who was barely five feet tall.
The boys scowled at us and stepped back from the other.
Miles opened his mouth, but Sterling cut him off, “You really want her to know?”
Miles snapped his mouth shut and twisted his neck like he had a crick, then looked down at his shoes, his jaw working.
What didn’t he want me to know?
I stared at Miles, but he wouldn’t look at me, so I looked up at Sterling, whose blues eyes were like chips of ice aimed at Miles.
“Know what?”
Neither would look at me.
I grabbed Sterling’s shoulder and repeated, “Know what!”
“Nothing,” Miles murmured before he turned and stormed away.
I looked toward Elodie to see if she had any freaking clue about what was going on. However, she looked just as shocked as me and shook her head at what must have been the silent question on my face.
“Now, Miss Everly, Thomas, and Mr. Chapman, y’all need to get where you need to go.”
I had forgotten Mrs. Jones amidst our drama.
I went to step around Sterling to go after Miles when a large hand clamped down on my forearm. I lifted my eyes to Sterling’s and noted that the ice had thawed, but was replaced with something unidentifiable.
My fingers felt cold, and my skin was starting to feel clammy. The whole situation was leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
“What. Is. Going. On?” I gritted through my teeth.
“It’ll work itself out.” He tore his eyes away, and I watched the movement of his Adam’s apple as it bobbed.
I didn’t know if he was lying, or if he was hoping he was telling me the truth. Nevertheless, it still didn’t answer anything.
“Miss Everly. Go. To. Class.”
My eyes shot to Mrs. Jones, whose head was tilted down, giving me her no funny business look from above the glasses perched on her nose.
She shoved the glasses back up her nose with a finger and delivered, “All of you.”
I squinted up at Sterling, but it was Elodie who grabbed my elbow and tugged.
“Let’s go, Ally.”
I reluctantly followed her toward my next class.
I fumed the entire period after lunch. My face full of thunder made everyone give me a wide berth, even Mrs. Lovelace, our art teacher, avoided me. Once the bell rang, it was time for theater class. I was ready, and I was going to find out what the hell was going on around here. I had too many questions and too few answers. Not only with Miles and Sterling, but when I got home, I was going to be asking more questions.
Where had my dad really gone? I had a feeling he wasn’t on a business trip, so … where was he? My parents were pretty insular, and the few friends they had were only “society friends.” They brunched, golfed, shopped, and cocktailed together—nothing else. Neither of my parents were close to their families. My dad was an only child, and he hadn’t been visiting my grandparents since both sets had passed years ago.
I clip-clopped—that was what I sounded like in my head—into the cafetorium and searched for the guy who was slowly driving me insane. He was sitting by the closest table, facing the hallway doors. When he saw me, he shot straight to his feet and prowled toward me. I tried to burn him to ash with the heat of my glare, but he was apparently heat ray resistant.
We stopped in front of each other, and I opened my mouth to let him have it, but he swooped me up in his arms so fast that I had to wrap my arms around his neck to keep from tumbling forward.
“Wait! Sterling!” I cried, my crutches falling to the linoleum with a clatter. I wiggled my backpack off, and it dropped in front of one of the tables with a thud. I hoped I didn’t have anything breakable inside.
Sterling didn’t even slow. He rounded the corner in front of the gym and passed the vending machines like he was going to the band hall. He stopped in front of a door that was to the left, set me down, and pulled out his keyring. He flipped through them until he found the one he wanted and jammed it into the lock. Then the door was opened, and he practically shoved me inside.
“Where are we? How do you have a key?” I asked in astonishment, unable to see anything in the darkened room.
“Don’t be mad at me.” He ignored my question, which reminded me of why I was mad in the first place. I could feel his breath on my face and the heat of his body as it barely brushed against mine every so often.
“Don’t tell me not to be mad at you when you’re ignoring my questions.” I started to pant. I didn’t know if it was from anger, or being in a dark, enclosed space with someone I was extremely attracted to.
“We’re in the supply closet that the theater department shares with the music department.” His cheek brushed against mine, his breath tickling my ear. “Mrs. Cullen gave it to me during OAP last year and never asked for it back.”
I made a noise in my throat. He knew that wasn’t why I was mad and was avoiding the issue.
“Did you just growl at me?” His voice held a tinge of laughter, something I could feel against the shell of my ear.
“What is going on between you and Miles? He acted like he barely knew who you were yesterday, and today you know something I don’t know about him. It also wasn’t jealousy you were throwing his way today. You lied to me.” I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but I failed spectacularly.
“I didn’t lie to you, princess. I was jealous yesterday. I explained why, and it wasn’t anger at you that made me act like an ass. I don’t like Miles. I never have. I think he’s a douchebag.”
“Then, what were y’all getting in each other’s faces about?”
I felt him stiffen, but then he relaxed. “It’s something that’s between me and him. He’s dealing with a situation.”
What situation?
I started to interrupt him, but then his lips pressed hard against mine, and my brain just … well … it short-circuited.
His warm and surprisingly soft lips were a dose of pure electricity. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the hair on my head stood on end. My whole body tingled.
I pressed in closer, absorbing his heat, the energy that flowed from his body to mine. I wanted more.
When I was about to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.
“Wh-wha …? Huh?” I panted. His kiss had evidently made me stupid.
“Don’t interrupt me.” Sterling skimmed his nose along mine, making me shiver.
“Okay … What were we talking about?”
He laughed, and I closed my eyes.
“Well, if you can’t remember, I’m not going to remind you.”
I had to think for a moment, trying to recall what we had been discussing before he had scrambled my brain. All I wanted to think about was kissing him again and the fact that I wished he had the lip ring.
No.
Miles. Sterling. Secrets.
“What’s going on?” I asked softly, wishing I could see his face.
“Do you trust me?”
Did I trust him? Well, he was the reason I was standing in this broom closet. If he had not knocked the pill bottle out of my hand …
I swallowed. The sting of tears pricked my eyes and burned inside my nose.
“Yes, I trust you,” I whispered.
“Then trust me when I tell you that this is something you don’t need to worry about.”
I opened my mouth to refute his statement, but he again pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss.
“Y’all broke up, right?”
I nodded, but then remembered we were in the dark and he couldn’t see me. “Yes.”
“He’s not yours to worry about anymore, and it’s not your business.”
I felt my spine stiffen, affronted. It wasn’t my business?
I paused. Well, he was right. Miles’ situation wasn’t mine to deal with anymore. The lying, the cheating, the … everything—it was not mine anymore.
I felt a weight I hadn’t realized I had been carrying lift from my shoulders. Miles wasn’t a weight sinking me down anymore. But, what about Sterling? What did Miles want to tell me about him?
“But, what was Miles going to tell me about you?”
Sterling went still, and this time, he d
idn’t relax. Again, I wished I could see his face.
“I don’t know. Probably some more bullshit.”
Why did that feel like a lie? Should I call him on it? I did just tell him that I would trust him.
Before I could decide, he said, “We should probably get out of here.”
I heard the clank of the door opening and squinted at the light that invaded the room.
He then yanked me to him, and I yelped.
“You okay?” he whispered. Our bodies were pressed together, and his head was tilted down to mine. His unusual eyes were all I could see, and it made my breath hitch and heart stutter.
“I love your eyes,” I replied in a breathy voice that made me inwardly cringe.
Said eyes lit up, and the skin at the corners crinkled. I felt a rumble come from his chest where my fingers were digging into the fabric of his T-shirt.
“Thank you,” he said, still chuckling.
“They’re two different colors,” I went on inanely, like he didn’t know and we had all the time in the world.
“Congenital segmental heterochromia iridis.”
“Um, what?”
“That’s the medical term for it. Don’t know if it’s genetic, or if I’m just a freak of nature. The doctor nixed the mutant gene when I was a kid. So, no hope of joining the X-Men, but less than one percent of the population has it.”
“X-Men? What superpower did you want?”
A devilish look crossed his face, and I would know why when he said, “What kid didn’t want X-ray vision?” He leaned back and trailed his eyes from the top of my head to my chest, and then he leaned to the side like he was looking at my behind. His eyes traveling over me was like a physical touch, and my body flushed with heat. I was both hot and shivery, which shouldn’t be possible. It was like my body was at war with itself.
I covered my discomfiture with a giggle and smacked his shoulder, which was hard with muscle. I had the urge to let my hand linger and possibly squeeze it.
He smiled back unrepentantly, so big and wide that I was dazed by the sheer beauty of it.
“We should probably get back to class.”
Class. Right.
I gave myself a little shake and said, “Yeah, I hope she hasn’t done attendance yet. You better have a good excuse for us being late.”
