Grave Little Secrets

by Collins, Stacy R.

  “Aww, come on, pretty please!” Anna pokes her bottom lip out in a pout and lowers her lashes, her pitiful attempt at innocence. That look may have always worked on our parents, but she is kidding herself if she thinks it’s going to work on me. She pokes her lip out further. Hell, maybe it does.

  “Fine, we can go out,” I tell her. Maybe I can dig up some dirt on that Tyler guy.

  WE END UP AT PERRY’S Pizza, because it’s the only pizza place in town. It’s really crowded, but we’re able to find a table over in the corner by a window. The waiter, a guy about our age with a pimply face and thick glasses, comes over to take our order. We decide on a pepperoni pizza with mushrooms and extra olives, and Cokes to drink. After a couple of minutes, the waiter comes back with our beverages and a basket of breadsticks.

  “Wait, we didn’t order these,” Anna tells him, confused.

  “I know. The guy over there had them sent over,” he tells us, motioning over his shoulder.

  Anna and I look to the other side of the restaurant and see Luke waving at us. Anna waves back and motions for him to come over.

  Oh Lord, I think to myself. Earlier today, when we ran into Luke, I made a complete fool of myself, staring at him like he was a piece of meat and I was a lost puppy begging for scraps. Let’s just hope I can act like a normal person this time. I take a few calming breaths and a quick sip of my soda as he heads our way.

  “Well, hello, girls,” Luke greets us as he walks up to our table and takes a seat in one of the empty chairs that happens to be next to me. “Alex, bumping into you twice in one day must be some kind of new record.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I manage to reply while keeping my head down, feeling the heat rise into my cheeks. I stare at the table, hoping he doesn’t notice my awkward blush.

  “So, what are you two doing later?” he asks Anna.

  “I don’t think we have anything planned, do we, Alex?”

  I look up, hoping the evidence of my chagrin is gone. “No, nothing planned,” I say, but thinking that I just want to go home, crawl into my bed, and hide away for the rest of the summer.

  “Cole and I are gonna go shoot some pool at Tacks in a bit. You two should join us.” His arm grazes mine as he reaches for a breadstick, sending shivers crawling up my spine and making me gasp aloud. I jerk my arm away and place it underneath the table.

  Anna cuts her eyes at me, a puzzled look on her face. “That sounds like fun. We should go, Alex.”

  Hanging out at some stuffy pool hall is the last thing I want to do, but against my better judgment, I agree.

  Our steaming hot pizza arrives and I can’t help comparing Luke and our homely waiter. Poor kid!

  “Ooooh, black olives and mushrooms. Eatin’ good! You ladies enjoy,” Luke says as he heads back to his table, looking pleased with himself. My sister and I each grab a slice, and even though I’m still a little shaken from the dream and don’t have much of an appetite, I force myself to eat.

  As I reach for a second slice, I start to get that feeling again. My skin tingles and I begin to feel nauseated, and I know without even looking that Tyler must be here. I spot him instantly. He’s sitting five tables away, and he’s looking directly at me. I can’t see the guy with him thanks to the big fern planter, but I assume it’s his cousin. I struggle to swallow the bite of pizza in my mouth; it’s almost impossible to get it down with the huge lump that has taken up residence in my throat. Tyler isn’t wearing his sunglasses this time, but he has his hat pulled down so low on his face I still can’t get a good look at him. But I swear he’s smiling at me and it’s not one of those I’m interested in you smiles, it’s more like one of those I’m watching you kind of smiles. It reminds me of those weird stalker guys you see on crime shows. Ugh, why does it have to be so dark in here?

  “Hello, earth to Alex.” Anna snaps her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “I said, ‘Tacks also has karaoke.’ We should sing something together. Ooh, we could do a Katy Perry song!” Anna is practically bouncing in her seat, reciting the lyrics to “I Kissed a Girl.”

  I finish off my slice of pizza and cringe at the thought of getting on a stage in front of God only knows how many people. Back in Hilldale, I wouldn’t have thought twice about drawing attention to myself, but now I prefer standing outside the limelight. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” I tell Anna, wiping my greasy fingers on a napkin.

  “Whatever, Alex.” Her voice comes out dripping with anger. “I’m going to the bathroom, just grab the check so we can get out of here.” Anna stomps away from the table, clearly upset with me. If only she understood…if only I could explain everything, then maybe she wouldn’t expect so much out of me. But I can’t, and I hate that. I hate having to keep this concealed, but it would be ten times worse if she knew. So I keep it locked up tight with no chance of release.

  I look around for the pimple-faced waiter. He’s busy refilling drinks for a couple across the room, and then he stops off at another table to take their order. I’m finally able to flag him down as he makes his way toward the kitchen. “Can we get our check please?” I ask as nicely as I can, despite my impatience.

  “Yeah, no problem. Do you need anything else?” he asks, his voice shaky. His eyes dart around the room before coming back to rest on me.

  “Nope, just the check.” I smile up at him, wondering why he’s acting so strange. Oh, God, please don’t tell me he’s about to hit on me. I know that look. I’ve seen it on the faces of too many guys when they’re trying to work up the courage to ask a girl out.

  He hands me the check and then digs around in the pocket of his smock. “The guy over there asked me to give you this,” he says, handing me a folded-up napkin.

  “Uh, okay. Thanks.”

  He turns and walks away as I slowly unfold the napkin.

  Pepperoni pizza with olives and mushrooms. I would have chosen something different for my last meal. Hope you enjoyed it.

  I drop the napkin as if it were on fire and snap my head up to shoot daggers at Tyler. He hasn’t moved. He’s just enjoying his food, acting as if he were perfectly innocent, but I know he did this. Where’s that damn waiter? I look around, unable to locate him. Crap, why does everyone keep disappearing on me? I see Anna coming back from the bathroom, so I hastily snatch the napkin up and cram it into the pocket of my jeans.

  “Did you get the check?”

  “Yeah, here.” I hand it over, trying my best to still my shaky hands.

  Anna tosses some money on the table, minus the tip. “All right, let’s go. Luke and Cole are waiting for us at Tacks.”

  I risk one more glance in Tyler’s direction, fully expecting him to have mysteriously vanished again, but he’s still there, staring at me with a definite smirk on his face. He lifts his hat up just a little and winks at me. It’s not a flirty I like you kind of wink either, but a creepy I’ve got my eye on you kind of wink. Unease slithers over me and I can’t get out of the restaurant fast enough. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. I know him. I know this guy, but I can’t for the LIFE of me figure out how or why.

  ANNA AND I ENTER THE pool hall, the local hangout for the teens of New Hope, and are greeted by a horrible karaoke rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back.” Try as they might, those voices and bodies at the mic are not bringing sexy back without auto tune and a ton of plastic surgery.

  We spot Luke over by a pool table with another guy, and we head in that direction, but I’m sure that no matter what I do tonight, I’m not going to be able to shake this feeling of unease. Where do I know Tyler from? Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. He just looks familiar from school. But he just came here a month ago…. Did he even go to school? Maybe I met him in Hilldale. That’s it. I must remember him from Hilldale. I was involved in so many community activities that I en
countered practically everyone in our town and a few surrounding us as well, so maybe I met Tyler there, or, more than likely, he only resembles someone I met there. That has to be it, I try to convince myself. There’s just no other explanation.

  Luke bounces up in front of me, knocking me out of my thoughts and back to reality. “Hey,” he says. “Wanna play some pool?”

  “I’m not really good at it,” I say just loud enough to be heard over the couple butchering J.T.’s hit song.

  “Well, truth be told, neither am I,” he whispers. He lingers by my ear for a moment and I can feel his warm breath on my neck; it sends chills throughout my body. I close my eyes and have to focus on slowing my erratic breaths.

  “So, what do you say, Alex, wanna play?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Sure, why not?” I answer with a hint of apprehension in my voice.

  Luke leads me over to the table where Anna and some guy with hazel brown hair and a chiseled jaw like I’ve only ever seen on male models are playing, sort of. He’s all “Watch this shot, Anna,” and she’s all, “Oh, my God, Cole, you’re so good. Can you teach me?” Her eyelashes are fluttering a mile a minute at him and the googly look she is giving him is nauseating. Gosh, Anna, could you be any less obvious? I fight the urge to roll my eyes in disgust. Luke places a quarter on the side of the table and lets them know we’re next.

  “Ooh, I have a good idea,” Anna exclaims, jumping up and down in obvious excitement. “We could play doubles, Luke! You and Alex against Cole and me.”

  “That’s cool with me,” Cole says, throwing his arm over Anna’s shoulders. “But let’s make it interesting.”

  “What exactly do you have in mind?” Luke asks.

  “Well, if we win,” Cole says, motioning to himself and Anna, “you and Alex have to kiss. And not some quick peck on the cheek, either. I mean a real down and dirty kiss.” Cole puckers his lips and starts rubbing his hands over his body, mimicking a serious tonsil hockey session.

  “And if we win?” Luke asks, breaking up Cole’s solo make-out demonstration.

  “Your choice,” Cole tells him, a smirk lingering on his face.

  “Okay, well, if we win, then you have to kiss someone, too.”

  “Ooh, I like the sound of that,” Cole says, licking his lips at Anna. “I may have to lose on purpose.” He pulls Anna closer and she lets out a giggle, sounding like one of those ditzy valley girls. God, when did Anna turn into one of them? You know, the ones who twirl their hair around their finger, smacking on gum and laughing at everything the boy says no matter how crude it is, just so he’ll notice her?

  “Oh, you won’t be kissing Anna,” Luke says, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Alex, who should we make Cole kiss?” he asks, rubbing his hands together menacingly. I snap my head up and look at Luke in shock. Why is he asking me?

  “I don’t know,” I tell him, hating that I’m being put on the spot.

  “Come on, just look around and pick anyone you want.” He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face the crowd. I hear Anna and Cole laughing, probably thinking I’m not going do it, or if I do I’ll pick the first person I see. Well, Mr. Cole, I have a surprise for you.

  “Her,” I say, pointing to a girl on my left. They all turn to look and laughter erupts from everyone except Cole, who’s standing there with a sour look on his face like he just sucked on a lemon or one of those sour Cry Baby candies.

  The girl I chose isn’t necessarily ugly, but she could definitely look better if she tried. She’s short, maybe five foot, with short red curly hair, and braces. Her clothes are about two sizes too small, which emphasize the twenty extra pounds she’s carrying around on her butt and stomach. I don’t think she is horribly unattractive, but I know guys like Cole, and he would rather die than be caught kissing her.

  “Fine,” Cole says, a hateful look stamped on his face. “It’s a bet. It’s not like I’m gonna lose anyway, so let’s get this over with.”

  Luke approaches the table to break, and the balls shoot across to all sides, bouncing off the edges, but not one makes it into a pocket. Cole steps up and gets two balls in with one shot, but misses on his second.

  Now, it’s my turn. Luke hands me the stick, which apparently is called a cue, and I make my way to the table. I don’t even know how to hold the thing, and it must be obvious based on the snickering coming from Anna and Cole. They won’t be laughing when I take this stick and ram it up their….

  “Here, let me show you how to hold it,” Luke says, coming up behind me to give me a hand.

  He stands at my back and wraps his warm, muscular arms around my waist, his hard chest pressing against me. He places his hands on mine and encircles them around the cue. His breath tickles my cheek and the warmth of his body mingles with mine. How am I supposed to learn anything when all I can think about is how close he is to me?

  “Hold it like this,” he whispers in my ear. His voice sends a jolt of electricity across my nerve endings, making me jump. He laughs lightly, his lip brushing against my ear, which just adds to the already heightened sensations in my body. “You just pull back…” he tells me, pulling both our arms back toward his stomach, my arm grazing his chiseled ab muscles, “…and then lunge it forward.” He thrusts the cue stick and it makes contact with the white ball, sending one of the solid colored balls into a pocket. “See, you’re a natural,” he says softly, stepping away from me. “Now, just do that again and we might actually win. That is…if you want to win,” he says, flashing a sexy smile at me. Maybe losing wouldn’t be the worst thing, I think to myself.

  By the time the game is almost over, I must admit, I’m really having fun, something I haven’t allowed myself to do in a long time. Luke and I have four balls remaining on the table and Anna and Cole only have two. It’s now Cole’s turn, which probably means he and Anna are going to win.

  “All right, Alex, you better start puckering up,” Cole says, making kissing noises at me. I look over at Luke and see he is trying to hide his smile. I’m about to say something smart in response to Cole’s remark when I see him. Tyler. He’s sitting at the bar, glowering at me with a look on his face that says he’s never hated anyone as much as he hates me, but I refuse to let him spoil my night. I turn back just in time to see Cole make the last shot, which makes Luke and me the losers.

  “Oh, yeah, who’s the man!” Cole yells, running a lap around the table and pumping his fists in the air, drawing the attention of the people nearby. He stops in front of Luke and me and starts blowing kisses at us.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Luke tells me. “It was just a stupid bet.”

  “Oh, yes she does, dude. A bet’s a bet, and you two have to hold up your side of the bargain. Isn’t that right, Anna?” Cole asks. Anna laughs and shrugs her shoulders. Thanks, Anna, way to stick up for your sister, I think, but don’t say.

  “It’s fine,” I tell them. “Like Cole said, a bet’s a bet.”

  “Are you sure?” Luke asks, his blazing green eyes burning into mine.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just a kiss, no big deal.” But to me, it is a big deal. I haven’t kissed a boy since Jake. Heck, I’ve never kissed anyone other than Jake. He was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything.

  Jake. Just thinking about him makes my heart speed up. Big brown eyes, long lashes—I must admit I was envious of—flawless olive skin, perfect white teeth, and pothole dimples. He was the classic tall, dark, and handsome. And his muscles…I loved wrapping my hands around his bulging biceps. He oozed charisma. It wasn’t just about his looks, though. He was the nicest guy I had ever met and he never had anything bad to say about anyone. He was the total package.

  I allow my mind to wander back to the last kiss we shared. It was the day my life took an unexpected drastic turn. We met up after his football practice to grab a bite to eat, but his mom called as we were about to leave the school an
d needed him home right away. She was notorious for doing things like that. I think she secretly hated me and did everything she could to keep us apart. Jake apologized several times and promised to make it up to me. He folded his strong arms around me, pulling me into him. I can still remember how it felt to be pressed against him. His hard chest against my delicate one, and the smell of his cologne that would linger on me hours after he left. He leaned his face down toward mine, just enough for our lips to brush lightly. He knew this drove me crazy, so he made it a point to do it as often as he could. I get short of breath now just thinking about his soft kissable lips touching mine. The heat from his mouth seeping in and spreading over me, causing goosebumps to stipple on my skin. He drew back and smiled that crooked smile at me, knowing without any doubt I was all his. I fisted his shirt in my hands and tugged him down, needing to taste him again. His wet lips caught mine and I had wished we could stay locked together forever, our bodies connected and melding as one. He ran one of his hands up my back and brought the other one up to cup my cheek.

  We stayed like that for a few more seconds, our bodies and lips pressed against one another until he pulled away and said he had to go. I gave him a light kiss on the cheek and watched him walk away. If I had known that would have been our last kiss, I would have made it last a lot longer. I never would have let him leave. God, I miss him, I think to myself, tears pooling in my eyes.

  “Alex, are you okay?” Luke asks, placing his hand on my arm.

  I blink away the tears. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I wave my hand dismissively. “I guess we need to settle up on the bet, don’t we?”

  “Yeah, you do,” Cole says, his arm slung around Anna’s shoulder. “Like I said earlier, this isn’t gonna be a quick peck. We want some entertainment, and if we aren’t satisfied we’re just gonna make you do it again.” He smirks.

  “Fine,” Luke and I say at the same time.

  “You don’t have to do this. If it’s Cole you’re worried about, don’t. I’ll deal with him.”