He could be such a dunce sometimes, I laughed. “Oh, honey. A girl doesn’t take a guy tuxedo shopping unless she is in a relationship with him.”
His smile returned to his eyes. It was the kind of smile that could calm a raging sea and ignite a fire inside of me at the same time. For a moment, I wondered who was more surprised. All I knew was that of the two of us. I was the lucky one.
“Bowling it is then,” he said as he pulled me close.
“And next week, maybe we could go to a party. Jerry Sands is throwing a full on blow out. The last of the year. What do you think?”
He frowned for a moment. I could tell he wasn’t thrilled, but then he shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, if you want to.”
I knew he was doing it for me and that simple fact made me feel special. It took a lot to get Ryan Hardy to do things he didn’t want to. But, a simple request from me had him stretching his boundaries.
I pulled him close and let him take me bowling. Sometimes, life can be just so great.
Chapter Fifteen
Ryan
The party was pretty much as I expected. Loud, with the sweet reek of Marijuana greeting us as we walked towards the house.
Jimmy lived in the better part of town. It didn’t take much. The better part of town were the houses without a car on blocks in the front yard.
Hailey shot me a look from under her brow. I think she was as nervous as I was.
I took her hand and threw back my shoulders. If we were going to do this, no use hiding it.
Jimmy was the first to greet us. His eyebrows shot up a little when he saw Hailey holding my hand, but he recovered quickly.
“Hey guys, great, thanks for coming,” he said over the loud music as he handed each of us a red plastic cup of beer. “You know everyone. Chips and stuff are in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Hailey said as she pulled me into the crowd. The place was fuller than the mall on Christmas. A thick cloud of smoke hugged the ceiling. Kids were standing and talking, dancing, or draped over couches. Kelly Long and Sam Warner were making out on the stairs. The heavy beat of a Taylor Swift song pound through my body.
So, this was a high school party. I didn’t see what the big deal was. It reminded me of the cafeteria at school.
I did notice that it wasn’t only Celebs. Band Guys, Drama Queens, even a few Delinquents were in attendance. In fact, every one of the different social groups except for Nerds seemed to be there.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I caught people glancing our way. Wide eyes and dropped jaws being the typical response. I just knew they were all thinking.
’So it’s true.’ Or, ’Wow, she sure has fallen a long way.'
I started to take a drink of the beer. It seemed to be some kind of automatic reaction to holding a cup. But, then, I remembered I was driving and placed it on the mantle over the fireplace.
Hailey smiled and took a sip from her cup. Her face made a slight grimace before her tongue darted out to wipe those luscious lips of hers. A warm chill ran down my spine.
We stood there for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. We might have stood there all night, but Hailey’s friend Bri, wove her way through the crowd to her side.
“Hey, you guys made it,” she said. I could see a hesitant worry in her eyes as she glanced out towards the back yard. “Jarret’s here,” she stage whispered over the music.
Hailey shrugged her shoulders, then turned to me.
“Come on, you want to dance?”
My heart jumped to my throat. What did I know about dancing? Besides, there didn’t seem to be enough room to think, let alone enough to dance.
Before I could figure out a way to avoid it, she pulled me into a semi-bare spot and started to move her body in time with the music. She looked at me provocatively with a cock of an eyebrow as if asking if I was going to leave her hanging.
Swallowing hard I tried to catch the rhythm without looking like a total dork. I felt all long and narrow. My arms seemed to be about three times too long and my feet felt like they were encased in lead sandals.
Everyone was looking at me. Not only was I a crummy dancer, but this was Ryan Hardy, King of the Nerds, dancing with Hailey Martin. In public. Or, at least, trying to dance. God, how I hated being the center of attention.
Hailey, on the other hand, acted as if was no big deal. Of course, she’d been the center of attention her entire life. To her this was normal. People staring, talking about her behind her back. Thinking and judging. Every day, every minute she had to put up with this. I’d have exploded a long time ago.
Her body moved and swayed in a sexy, curvy twist that made the blood rush from my head. I forgot about everyone else for a moment. All my attention zeroed in on the girl in front of me.
The music morphed into the next song and I eventually started to relax and enjoy myself. It was impossible not to smile. Hailey Martin. The most beautiful girl God had ever invented was dancing with me and enjoying it.
She smiled up at me, then leaned forward and whispered.
“Thanks for coming with me.”
All I could do was nod. I wanted to tell her she could have asked me to attend my own execution and I would have gone gladly if it made her happy.
“You want to get some air?” Hailey asked finally. We’d been dancing for fifteen minutes. Or, at least, she’d been dancing. I’d been moving around enough to pretend like I was trying.
“Sure,” I said, thankful for the break.
She nodded to Bri, who was talking to Lance Johnson by the fireplace, but watching us out of the corner of her eye. I was glad to see that Haley had one true friend here tonight.
For the seventh time, I wished Mark was here. He’d have made a total ass of himself, but at least, I would have had someone to watch my back. We could have laughed with each other about the stupid teen rituals and expectations.
Besides, I could have rubbed his face in the fact that Hailey Martin was my girlfriend, again. Voluntarily, I might add. No guilt trip, no pressure placed on her.
God, life can be great at times.
The cool night air greeted us like a long lost friend as we stepped into the back yard. Jimmy had lit the place by strategically placing camping lanterns. A soft yellow glow highlighted the shadows as people mingled and joked. It seemed there were even more kids out here than inside. The music was just as loud and the smell of beer and pot even stronger.
“So, if it isn’t Nerd slut and Douche bag,” a slimy voice said behind us. Two other voices cackled in support.
I turned, yep, Numb Nuts McGee and his two leeches, Oaks, and Wheaton. My heart kicked into high gear as I stepped in front of Hailey. She’d gotten that pissed off scared look.
“Listen you jerk …” I started to say.
My world erupted into a shower of sparks. Something had hit me upside the head. It felt like a sledgehammer, the big kind. I never saw it coming. Hadn’t even really thought it could happen that fast. Nothing could happen that fast.
Jarret had sucker punched me.
A gray misty fog intermingled with the sparks and stars floating in front of me. My knees felt weak and I was having difficulty seeing.
Surprise, pure, clear, surprise finally registered in my brain. Where had that come from and why? Then I saw him before me. He became clear and focused. That stupid grin, eyes that danced with joy at what he had done.
My fists clenched as I launched myself at him.
“Grab him,” he yelled as he stepped back.
His two big goons, Oaks and Wheaton clamped onto my arms like vice grips and held me back. I twisted and turned, stomped and kicked, but they continued to hold me like some kind of robotic machine. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t get loose.
My insides tightened into a ball as I thought about what was going to happen. Hailey was seeing this. My mouth went dry and a true fear washed through me.
“Nooooo!” Hailey screamed as she turned towards Jarret. Several girls gra
bbed her as well. This had been a planned event I realized. The jerk had set it up ahead of time. No way could they be this organized.
Jarret smiled again, then swung his fist into my gut. It was like getting hit by a telephone pole. The air whooshed from my lungs and I was afraid I was going to throw up right there all over the grass.
Suddenly, the most frightening thing in the world became the idea of getting sick in front of Hailey.
Shaking my head, I gulped in as much air as I could and tried to figure out a way to escape. Please God, don’t let this happen, not in front of Hailey.
Everyone else in the back yard had turned to watch.
A sudden quiet had come over the crowd. I would have expected them to be yelling “Fight, Fight.” But, they stood there in shock. Give them a minute and I was sure they would find their voice.
Another fist slammed into my ribs. A hard grunt gurgled out of me in response.
“That’s for fourth grade,” Numb Nuts said as he leaned in to make sure I had gotten the message.
I didn’t know what to do. The hands holding me felt like iron clamps. There was no one in the crowd who would help. I saw several smiles, as if pleased to see me getting what I deserved.
Hailey continued to twist. She got one hand free and started to bring her hand towards a girls face like an Eagle reaching for its prey. But, another girl grabbed her and pulled her hand down to her side.
Seeing an opportunity, I did the only thing I could think of and brought my forehead down onto the bridge of Jarret’s nose as hard as I could. I felt the cartilage crumble under the force of the blow. A stream of crimson blood squirted onto my shirt.
Jarret howled and stepped back, bringing both hands to his nose as if trying to keep it on his face.
I smiled back at him.
“You’re a loser,” I said. “Does your mom know she gave birth to such a jerk?”
The smile had fallen from his face to be replaced with an insane look of anger.
He’s not right in the head, I thought. I’d always known there had been something missing inside of Jarret McGee. Some crucial ingredient that made a person whole.
His fist slammed into my face and I felt my lip split into a million pieces. I really needed to learn how to slip punches.
Oaks next to me laughed and squeezed harder. Hailey looked at me with wide eyes. That anger in her face had been replaced by fear. It tore my heart in two to see her afraid like that.
Another fist hit me in the left eye followed by a quick knee to the groin. A loud “Ohhhhh” went up from the crowd as half the boys cringed.
I was surprised at first at the lack of pain. Instead, there was a sick feeling at the bottom of my stomach that grew and grew until it threatened to erupt. The only thing that stopped it from showering my new friends was the sudden pain that exploded throughout my entire body.
It was as if my body knew how much pain was coming and tried to hold it back, but was quickly overwhelmed and succumbed to the inevitable. When it broke through it was twice as big and twice as powerful because it had been held back.
I gasped and sunk in on myself. My staunch stanchions holding me let me drop and laughed. At least, I assume it was them. My eyes were closed as tight as a ducks butt.
It could have been the moon laughing, for all I knew. I didn’t really care. At that moment, I would have preferred dying to tell you the truth.
My mind was trying to get a grip on what was going on when one last shot hit me in the ribs as Jarret kicked me in the side, lifting me off the ground.
“Youth don’t ‘elong ‘ere,” Jarret said through his broken nose as he stepped over me to join his friends and be greeted like a long lost conquering hero.
I had broken the unbreakable rule. Claimed the Princess. They could forgive a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.
He turned to say to Hailey, “Nowth it’s over, bitch.” Another laugh erupted, this time, led by the girls in the group.
“Are you all right?” Hailey asked, ignoring his taunt. Her voice was heavy with concern as she knelt beside me. Her hand lightly brushed my face as if trying to wipe away the bruises.
I wanted to say something smart, something funny. To try and save this disaster somehow, but my mind refused to work for some reason. Instead, I curled up in a fetal position with my hands between my legs as a sickening sense of shame washed through me. Fighting with the ache in my groin.
The beautiful Miss Hailey Martin had watched me get my butt kicked by her ex-boyfriend. Is there anything worse? Is it possible for a life to be any more useless?
“Do you want me to call the police?” she asked.
“NO,” I barked as I rolled away from her touch. The last thing I wanted was more attention to this fiasco. I’d slink away and fix it later. Believe me, I was going to get them. They’d never see it coming.
“No,” I repeated. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Um, Okay. Are you sure? He attacked you.”
How could I explain it to her? Getting the police or any authority involved would just multiply my shame. Couldn’t she understand? I just wanted to crawl into a hole and heal.
Every second I was there was a reminder of what she had seen. What they had all seen.
I got to my knees, then slowly stood up. I had to lean forward with my hands on my knees. It hurt to breath. Those shots to the ribs had left an impression. My head pounded on the inside like someone was using a pickaxe to try and to get out. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my knees were about to give way.
The yard became fuzzy for a moment, but finally came back into focus. It is amazing what oxygen can do to a system.
A large laugh erupted from the Jarret crowd. Someone had said something funny about the King of Nerds learning a few things.
I looked around at everyone else in the yard. They stared back with covered glances. There were a few looks of concern, even worse, pity. A few blank stares, as if asking, ‘what did you expect?' Most people though just turned their backs, obviously hoping I would just disappear.
“I’m so sorry Ryan,” Hailey said. “I didn’t think he’d do that. I swear. I just wanted my friends to meet you. To learn the true you. I never thought…”
She reached up and placed a hand on my arm. I twisted away and said, “That’s okay Hailey, it wasn’t your fault.” The last thing I wanted was her comforting me like some sick puppy. “Come on, let’s go.”
Her eyes crinkled in concern. I know that I’d hurt her by turning away from her touch, but I didn’t care. The anger building up inside of me fought with the shame. They combined to become a raging fire of emotion. I had to get out of there before I blew up.
Without waiting to see if she would join me, I started towards the backyard gate. No way was I making my way through that crowd inside the house. Let them regret their absence from the great beating. They would have to get their stories from those that were there.
I was half way into the front yard before Hailey caught up.
“Do you want me to drive?” she asked.
“I’ve got it,” I mumbled through my split lips. My teeth hurt. Hell, everything hurt. My vision was getting blurry on the left side, but there was no way I was going to be driven home like a little kid.
“I think you need to go to the hospital. You might have a concussion.”
“No,” I snapped. Then seeing how she drew back in shock I took a deep breath. “No, no doctors. No police, no to you driving. I’ve got it. I can, at least, do this and get you home safely. Please let me do that, at least.”
“Ryan,” she gasped. “You can’t be thinking like that. You were great. It took three of them and you still broke his nose. Improved it if you ask me.”
I looked over at her, was she serious? How could she see it that way? I had failed. Been beaten like an adopted step-child. Left her alone and undefended. There was nothing between them and her except me moaning on the ground. Every part of me that had ever hoped to be a man felt lik
e I had failed her.
I could take the pain, I could take the humiliation. I couldn’t take the fact that Hailey had been placed in danger because of my failure.
Without looking at her, I got into the car and waited for her. The drive home was quiet. I couldn’t look at her and I was pretty sure she didn’t know what to say.
My hands gripped the steering wheel like I was trying to break it in two. The anger wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t shake it off. All I wanted was to get home and start planning my revenge.
Chapter Sixteen
Hailey
His jaw was set in stone and his knuckles where white. He was angry. I could understand why. Hell, I was pissed as hell. But, why was he taking it out on me?
Was he going to not want to see me ever again? Was this the last time he would talk to me? My soul felt crushed at the thought.
Yes, it had been my idea to go to the party, but I didn’t think something like this would happen. Who would think that Jarret would be such a jerk? A little piece deep inside of me acknowledged that I should have known.
A flash of sorrowful guilt settled over me. I glanced over at him. The side of his face was already starting to turn purple and his eye was swelling shut. I worried about his ability to drive.
As I looked at him, his tongue reached out and wiped at his bloody lips. Cool air flowed in as he rolled his window down and spit out a wad of blood. He glanced over at me as if embarrassed or something.
“Ryan, we have to do something.” My heart wouldn’t stop pounding and my mouth was dryer than anything I had ever experienced.
He signed and said, “I’m okay, nothing permanently wrong. I can tell. I’ve still got all my teeth and the bruises will go away.”
“Yes, but …”
“Hailey, drop it. Please.”
I shut up and scooted to the side of my seat. He was going to dump me. The beginning of something really good was going to be ruined.
As we continued on, I couldn’t get rid of the picture of Jarret punching him, then Ryan bringing his head down on Jarret’s nose. I could still hear the crunch it made.
Unbreakable Rules (Too Many Rules Book 3) Page 12
