The Scars Keeper

by Scarlet Wolfe

  “I’ll sit here,” she says with a smile as she points to her usual seat we’ve walked up on.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. We don’t have to be together every second.” Looking back to Joey, she smirks. “Besides, I think your friend may have some things to say about this.”

  I look back at him, too, and see him grinning like a fool. Yeah, he’s gonna have a lot to say all right. Feeling a need to reassure her that everything is cool between us, I kiss her lips and head back to my seat.

  “Holy shit, it’s true,” Joey says. “A couple of girls in first period were gossiping about you two holding hands in the hall, but I didn’t believe it.”

  “Let it go.”

  “No, this is too good. Tell me you’re only playing the part to get inside her pants.”

  I give him a forewarning look.

  “Wow, you like her.”

  “Yeah, I do, and I need you to be cool with it and with her. She’s not like you think.”

  “Wait, you need to be careful. She might be a narc who’s trying to get close to me. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re not that important. I’m telling you, she’s cool, and you better be nice but not too nice.”

  “Jealous already.”

  “No, I’m trying to save you embarrassment from your lame remarks.”

  “Actually, you’re worried she’ll like me more.”

  I snort from the humor in that.

  “OK. I’ll give you one free pass to win her over with your charm.” I point to him and scowl. “But don’t even think about touching her. I’d hate to have to break my only friend into pieces.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Avery

  I’m worried Hayden’s changing his mind about dating me. He’s been under the radar at school, so I get how this is difficult for him.

  I’ll do whatever he needs to make him comfortable, and it’s why I have no issue with giving him space here. He did kiss me in front of everyone, so maybe I’m reading more into it.

  Mrs. Samuel enters class and smiles. Once she’s situated at her desk at the front of the room, she puts on her reading glasses and pulls out a stack of papers.

  “Good Morning, students. I’ll be handing out your assignment that makes up one-third of your grade for the semester. I’ve mentioned this several times, and I can’t emphasize the importance of completing this project.

  “In a nutshell, you will do a social experiment or study. Then, you’ll document your findings and turn in a report about it. The details are in this handout.”

  Hmm … I have no idea what I will do for this project, but I’ll figure it out since it makes up a big portion of my grade. I’m curious what Hayden will come up with, too, when he’s so quiet around others. We shall see.

  ***

  I spot Hayden outside the fence of the tennis courts when practice is over. Figuring he’d be waiting at his bike, I’m pleasantly surprised to see him watching me.

  “Hi, have you been here long?”

  “Twenty minutes or so. You’re good.”

  “I hope so since my college scholarship was awarded to me with that expectation.”

  He smirks. “I think I could spend hours watching those tennis legs of yours move.”

  “Tennis legs?”

  Yanking me to him by the wrist, he envelops me in his arms and kisses me. The tail end of it consists of my bottom lip being nipped at. In an instant, there’s a pulsing between my thighs and a flutter to my thumping heart.

  “Wow, maybe you should watch my tennis legs move for hours if it gives me this kind of affection in return.”

  “Your legs are the sexiest pair I’ve ever seen.”

  “If you take me home, I’ll let you touch them.”

  “Trouble.”

  “Maybe I’m looking for some.”

  “Be careful what you wish for, baby.” Granting me one last nip of my lip, he takes my hand and walks me to his bike. I guess I’m going to have a chilly ride home since I’m not changing first. I’ll just hug his thighs a little tighter with mine.

  The second ride is as exhilarating as the first. I’m beaming again as he helps me remove the helmet.

  “I need to shower. Will you give me thirty minutes?” I ask.

  “Yep, I’ll meet you in the woods. Oh, and since it’s warm today, I want to see those legs again.”

  “I’ll bring my bare legs if you bring your guitar.”

  “Negotiating … I like it.”

  Smiling bashfully, I take my book bag from him and trot to my car. It’s odd thinking I’m driving it just around the bend to my house.

  After showering, I throw my hair up in a messy bun. I apply a little makeup, and once I walk into my bedroom to dress, I notice my windows are wet from a rain shower.

  The sun is back out, though, so I put on a pair of blue jean shorts, along with a snug, low-cut lavender top.

  I’m giddy and practically skipping along the soaked path to the circle clearing. Our special place. I breathe in the air that smells like a brief rain shower on a scorching summer day.

  Our temperatures aren’t quite there yet, but the air still has that scent of what’s to come. I’ve never looked forward to summer as much as I do this year.

  Hayden’s there when I arrive, and I skid to a stop when I see him shirtless with an armful of firewood. He drops it right next to the fire pit that is surrounded by a round piece of rusty metal.

  “Hey,” he says as he wipes sweat from his brow with his forearm. My feet are stuck, and so is my gaping mouth.

  His body is trim but muscular, especially those shapely arms. My eyes roam down the rest of him and land on his firm thighs I can detect beneath his jeans. He’s barefoot, too, which surprises me.

  “Hi.”

  “You have seen me shirtless before,” he says, lifting one side of his mouth into a smile.

  “Yes, but I was too preoccupied with my injury to admire how beautiful you are. Scarred and rugged on the outside yet gentle and caring on the inside.”

  Removing a black t-shirt that was hanging off his back pocket, he shakes it out and pulls it over his head, giving me another show of how his muscles flex and bend. He stalks over and grasps my chin.

  “You can’t say things like that to me.”

  “Why?” I whisper.

  “Because I can’t keep you forever, and talk like that is going to make me want to.”

  “Who said you can’t keep me?”

  “The future.”

  “Well, the present is turning out to be pretty dang special, so maybe it’ll be strong enough to change the future.”

  “Persistent, stubborn and trouble.”

  “And you like it. You like me, Hayden, so stop causing me to have this panicked feeling that you might leave me.”

  Moving his hand to the nape of my neck, he pulls my forehead toward him and kisses it.

  “I’m sorry, and you’re right; we should live for today. Sit with me.”

  We walk to the benches where his dark boots are, and the white socks shoved inside them stand out. I kick off my flip-flops and join him on one of the benches.

  “The first day I saw you here in the woods, when you were holding the knife, you said you wanted to die for both relief and revenge. What did you mean by that?”

  “Well, the relief from all the pressure I have on me to excel at school and sports. The relief from feeling like I never measure up to my parents’ standards, and of course relief from Mr. Bradford’s torment.”

  “And revenge …”

  “The revenge would’ve been against my parents. I feel their expectations are unreasonable. I’m never good enough, and they remind me often.

  “Also, and you can’t go beating up my dad when I tell you this, he smacks me. It’s better than the belt spankings I’d receive out of nowhere as a kid, but the smacks to the face are a more emotional sting.”

  “You’re telling me your father hits you?”
/>
  “It’s not like he’s punching me or anything.”

  “He’s abusing you. Period. You’re eighteen. I mean, this isn’t about a six-year-old needing a swat on the butt for throwing a tantrum in a supermarket.”

  “It’s strange because I know he loves me, too, but my parents don’t comprehend how much pressure they’re putting on me to be this perfect person.

  “And I wonder if I could ever please them enough. Why can’t they love me for me? They’ve never taken the time to stop moving long enough to see who I am.”

  Becoming frustrated at Hayden for bringing this up, I retaliate and ask him, “Why did you move to Indiana?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “That answer isn’t fair to me. You’ve seen my pain, and know some of the reasons for it, yet you don’t trust me enough to tell me about yours.”

  He clutches my hand between us.

  “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I can’t bring myself to tell the story. I haven’t even talked that much about it with my aunt and uncle. My father told them for me because I couldn’t say the words out loud.

  “All I can tell you is it wasn’t safe for me to stay in Arizona. My life was in danger, so I moved here to live with my aunt and uncle. This is where my mom was from. My aunt Jewel is her sister.

  “I’m in hiding, and I know it’s asking a lot from you, but I need you to accept that I can’t share the rest, or we can’t be together, and I’d hate for it to come to that.”

  Panic pummels me. My stomach sinks in and twists from his words.

  “Is there a chance someone could find you here and harm you?”

  “There is, but I don’t want you to worry. It’s a minuscule chance.”

  The tears breach, my fear and anxiety pushing them over the edge. Hayden brushes them from my cheeks.

  “Baby, don’t cry. Everything is OK. I’m safe here, and if I didn’t think so, then I wouldn’t be seeing you because I’d never do anything to put you in danger. Let’s quit talking about this heavy shit. This place should be our escape.”

  Wiping my eyes, I smile at him. I want to be stronger, so I’ll show him I’m at least working on it. We sit quietly, and before long, my feet are mimicking his, our bare toes playing in the dirt below.

  My breathing slows, and I direct my senses to the space around us. My heart is taking notice, too, on the way Hayden makes it feel.

  I believe it tethered itself to him that first day he rescued me from my own demise, when he carried me in his arms away from danger.

  I lean my head over against his shoulder and breathe in the aroma of rain, pine and leaves and all things that make up Hayden’s scent.

  Is it possible to fall in love with someone this fast?

  I think I have.

  No, I know I have.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Hayden

  What I said upset Avery, and it’s partly why I don’t want her learning about my past. She’s calmer now, and it amazes me how much I enjoy her company even without touching or kissing her.

  It’s as if we’re talking without words, our minds linked together. We’re both deep thinkers, and I love that about her.

  My phone rings and brings me out of my serene state.

  “It’s Joey.” I hit the answer button. “Hey, man. What’s up?”

  “Are you with Avery?”

  I roll my eyes. “Yeah, she’s right here.”

  “Let’s grab dinner. I want to talk to this chick.”

  I’m crazy for doing this, but I bring the phone down and cover the screen.

  “Joey wants us to go eat with him.”

  “Your friend wants me to go, too?”

  “Yep.”

  She grins like it’s the best news ever, like this makes her feel special, and I can attest that’s Joey’s least intention.

  “I’d love to. We can take my car and pick him up.”

  “Are you sure? He’s gonna make a fool of himself.”

  “I love that he’s willing to spend time with me.”

  Like I have so often, I shake my head in disbelief over how wrong I was about her. She doesn’t think she’s better than anyone.

  “OK, she said yes. We’ll pick you up in her car.”

  ***

  Avery insists I drive her Volvo, a vehicle I never imagined I’d be inside of. It’s crazy how suddenly life can change.

  We pick up Joey at his apartment complex a town over. He waves at her through the passenger window, practically smashing his face up against it. She giggles, and I’m already rethinking this whole idea of his.

  Hopping into the backseat, he reaches out and slaps me on the shoulder.

  “Hey, bro. Hi, Avery. Ready for some Arni’s pizza?”

  “It sounds good, and thank you for inviting me.”

  “No problem. I had to get to know the chick who’s giving this grumpy loser the time of day.”

  She pats my shoulder.

  “Aww, Hayden’s not a loser. He only grumbled a little when he saw he had to drive my Volvo.”

  “Ha! I hadn’t even thought of that. You in a Volvo. Dude, how fast things can change.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I mumble.

  Once we enter Arni’s, which is an old but good pizza place teens especially like to hang out at, I ask Avery what she prefers on her pizza.

  “Anything. I’m not picky, and I can only eat a couple of small pieces, anyway.”

  My eyes dart her direction as we stand in front of the counter.

  “Why is that?” I have a feeling I know where this is going, and I already don’t like it. She steps up closer to me to give us more privacy.

  “My parents keep me on a strict diet. My mom thinks I’m curvy enough, and Dad’s stupid reasons are about my endurance, stamina and what foods give me the most energy. Blah, blah, blah.”

  “That pisses me off, so you’re eating pizza until you feel so full you need to unbutton those shorts.” I flash her a sly smile. “Or need me to unbutton those shorts.”

  With her green eyes round as saucers, she gives me a shy smile and reddens.

  “I should disobey my parents then.”

  I kiss her cheek. “I’m kidding. We’re moving slow, remember?”

  “Are we ordering pizza, or are you two gonna keep mentally undressing each other?”

  Avery covers her bottom lip with the top one so as not to laugh, but her eyes give her away.

  “Pizza, yeah, let’s do it. Get an extra-large, too, I’m hungry,” she orders before she sways her cute, firm ass over to a booth.

  “That ass … She’s so damn hot.” Joey’s mouth is agape as he stares at her, so I scowl and smack his chest.

  “Stop checking her out. I mean it.”

  “Hey, you said this is my chance to steal her away. If she’s not the stuck-up queen bee she seems like at school, I might give it a try.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  While I’m ordering, he struts toward the table, and I’m sure it’s to take advantage of time alone with her. I order, pay, and fix our fountain drinks.

  As I carefully walk with the cups to sit down, I see the asshole has taken the spot next to her in the booth and is sitting right up against her. Yeah, that’s not gonna fly.

  As I reach them, Avery abruptly turns her body sideways so she’s facing Joey. She shoves her back against the wall.

  “You can’t touch me,” she says with a look of panic.

  Joey holds his hands in the air.

  “Hey, now, I wasn’t meaning nothin’ by it. I swear I don’t have cooties, but I guess a girl like you might think so.”

  I glare at him. “What’s the problem?”

  “He scooted over against me, and I knew you’d get pissed, and I swear I didn’t ask him to get that close.”

  Fear is owning her eyes, and I’m kinda speechless. I stare at them both, and Joey’s looking as confused as I do.

  “Damn, is this because of what I said ab
out you not letting guys touch you?”

  She nods, and I grimace. This is messed up.

  “Move it. You’re in my spot,” I say to Joey.

  Without a word, he gets up and sits on the other side of the booth.

  “I’m sorry, Avery. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he says to her.

  “This is my fault. I told her not to let another guy touch her.” Turning to Avery, I kiss her temple. “I wouldn’t blame you for his actions. That’s not quite what I meant, but we can talk about it later.”

  “You’re such a douche. You scared the girl.” His eyes shift to hers. “He’s not keeping you tied up in his room or anything is he? Because that would totally explain you two being together.”

  She laughs, easing the tension around us. Thank. Fuck.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve had to practically beg him to date me.”

  “Douche. Canoe,” Joey says. Once again, he looks to Avery. “Hey, I’m sorry about what I said that day in sociology, when you were talking about the social classes. It was out of line when I don’t really know you.”

  “Thanks, but I’m used to it. I mean, we all stereotype, right?”

  Like he needs a minute to think about it, he stretches an arm across the back of the seat to get more comfortable.

  “Yeah, I guess we do.” He grins. “So, if that’s the case, what’s my stereotype?”

  “Well, let’s start with stoner. Then there’s drug dealer. Uh, funny and cute guy. Guy who doesn’t come from money and has little ambition and—”

  “Damn, girl. You can stop there. Let’s just stick with cute.”

  She laughs. “Sorry, but you asked.”

  “He’s only offended because it’s all true.”

  His eyes widen. “Don’t tell her my secrets. Are you trying to get me arrested?”

  “Avery’s cool. She wouldn’t turn you in. Trust me.”

  “Yeah, but if you weren’t with Hayden, you’d never speak to me.”

  My girl sits straight up. “You’re right. And it’s because I’m shy, and you seemed a little scary. BUT, would you have ever spoken to me if I wasn’t with Hayden?”