by Tiffany Wood
“Yeah Thai, and I’ll call you if something comes up. I promise.”
Chapter Nine
As Thai pulled away, I saw Damian pulling into the parking lot. I didn’t want to talk to him right now, but I remembered I had to return his clothes. I could wait till after school, but then everyone would see and I don’t feel like having rumors going around that we’re sleeping together. I walk through the parking lot, reaching him right as he closes his door.
I throw the bag of clothes at him, “Here, you forgot this!” Not waiting for a reply, I turn and walk away.
“Sara, come back here please.” His pleas were falling on deaf ears. Now if I could only make it through the rest of the day without having to talk to him, I’d be good.
I get my stuff out of my locker and head to the classroom. Our seats are permanent so I was stuck sitting beside him. I opened a book and started to read. Class wouldn’t start for another twenty minutes. What was I thinking leaving so early? Damian walked into the room and I kept my head down. I didn’t want to look at him.
“Sara,” he whispers softly, “Please…don’t be mad. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I…”
I wasn’t going to listen to this. “No, you shouldn’t have saved me!” I managed to run out of the room and make it to the nearest bathroom before the tears started to stream down my face. I heard a knock on the door so I ran into a stall and locked the door.
“Sara, can I come in?” He pleads. “Let me explain.”
Why is he following me? “GO AWAY! I don’t want to talk to you.”
The door opens and I see his shoes come into the bathroom. He locks the outside door and walks over to the mirrors.
“Sara, please. Come out of there. I just want to talk. Why do I have to be so stupid?” Smash! He had hit one of the mirrors and it shattered. I could see blood dripping down his hand onto the floor. “Please, come out. I promise I’ll leave if you want me to.”
He doesn’t turn around but I know he can hear me unlocking the door. I wiped my nose with the tissue in my hand and tried to dry my tears. “I’m coming out. Don’t look at me. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
I ran over to one of the sinks along the other wall and splashed water on my face. I put my hands on the sides of the sink and started crying again. I couldn’t stop. Suddenly my shoulder was warm and wet. He slipped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck so sweetly. I let my head lull to the side. I felt like I was in heaven. He pulled away as fast as he had embraced me. I couldn’t turn around. Why does he keep doing this to me? Why do I keep letting him? I’m crying again and this time I don’t care if he sees. I turn and try to run back to my stall but he catches me before I can. I start to cry even harder. He turns me toward him and puts his hand on the back of my head to soothe me.
“Sara, I’m sorry.” He lowers us down to the ground and sits there with me crying on his shoulder.
I feel so stupid. I am stronger than this. I have never let a guy make me cry before and I’m not about to start now.
“Let me go.” I stood up and walked to the sink. I washed my face off and dried it. I held my head as high as I could and I walked over to the door. “I’ll see you in class,” I whisper. With that I unlocked the door and went back to class.
When he finally chose to follow me, the bell was just ringing. We didn’t talk to each other. He tried not to look my way unless Shaun was talking to him. We only talked in class if we had to. Shaun ran into study hall and grabbed me and Damian by the arms and led us both to the auditorium. Damian had learned not to ask questions. Our lunches were waiting and Shaun had news.
“What Shaun? I’m not really hungry.” I felt Damian’s glare even though I refused to look at him.
“Mr. Hitero just told me that you guys both have the leading roles. Isn’t that great?”
“You’ve got to be kidding. He didn’t like anyone else’s performance?” Of course I knew he hadn’t. He would say that Damian and I had a kind of chemistry. I would call it hate.
“I thought you would be happy Sara.”Shaun gives me a confused puppy dog face.
Oh no, not the puppy eyes. “Shaun, I am happy. I just don’t feel very well today.”
He knew there was something wrong, but he wouldn’t ask me in front of Damian. He wouldn’t embarrass me like that. “Oh, well…I forgot something in my locker, maybe I should go…”
If looks could kill Shaun would be dead right now. “That’s fine. I’ll keep Sara company while you’re gone.” Damian announces.
Damian was the next one on my list of dirty looks, but right now I was focusing on a if you leave me here alone with him I’ll kill you look aimed straight at Shaun. He must not have seen it because he turned around and left the room.
I turned on Damian, “One minute you can’t stand to be alone with me, the next you can’t wait to be. Will you make up your mind?”
I turned to stomp away but he grabbed my arm and spun me right into a longing embrace. I tried to resist at first when he started to kiss me, I can’t stand to keep doing this. The more I pushed on him the deeper the kiss became.
I hit his chest and tears streamed down my face. And then I gave in. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair. He started to pull away and I kissed him deeper. The lights turned on and we were still holding each other, but we had stopped kissing. The door was about to open and he picked me up and carried me onstage behind a curtain. He sat me down and we started kissing again. I didn’t want to stop.
He gave me one last kiss and then, “We need to get back out there before Shaun starts looking for us. I’ll go around the other way. You go down the stairs.”
I brushed my shirt down and I fanned my face. I came out from behind the curtain, went down the stairs, and went over to our table like I hadn’t moved. Todd looked at me kinda funny, but I just gave him a look, and he turned his head. Shaun sat down at the table and I reached for my chair but somehow, Damian had got there before me and pulled it out again. Mr. Hitero announced the roles for the play and then told us we had the rest of the period to ourselves.
Nick started talking to us but Damian cut in, “Do you want to go for a walk Sara?”
It’s like he read my mind. “Sure, we’ll see you after school, right Shaun?” I didn’t like leaving him in the dark, but I didn’t feel quite ready to explain things yet either.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you at your locker.”
After we left the auditorium, he led me out to the football field and we sat under the bleachers. He held me like he never wanted to let me go. He caressed my face and ran his fingers through my hair.
“I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” We were both crying. I couldn’t speak. “Sara, I know I hurt you last night, but I was just trying to protect you. I’m not good for you. I meant it when I said that I was dangerous. I can’t explain it right now, but if you give me time I’ll figure out a way to tell you.”
I turn my head away from him. I don’t want him to see me crying.
“Please don’t pull away from me. I don’t think I could stand being away from you another minute right now.” He was making this sound too perfect. I didn’t want to turn away from him. I moved another inch so I wasn’t looking his direction at all. I had to see how far this would go before I could trust in it again
“Sara?” He put his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t move. “Please?” He runs his fingers through my hair. He brings his mouth against the back of my neck and if he inhales any deeper I think he will pass out. I didn’t want him to stop begging me. “I will get down on my hands and knees and beg if that’s what it will take for you to stay with me.” The tears stream down my face. I don’t even try to stop them. “Sara, say something, anything. I need to hear the sound of your sweet voice or I’ll go crazy.” I reach my hand up to my shoulder and take his hand. He pulls it back toward him and I turn a bit as he does. I’m still not looking at him, but he can see enough of my face to know that I’m
crying. He pulls my hand to his cheek and I feel that he’s crying too. “Please, just say anything. Say you hate me if that’s what you feel. Just say something.”
I can’t take it anymore. “Hate you? I don’t hate you. I’m just not sure whether I can trust you again. After you left me like that last night, I wished that you had just let that guy, Bane, take me. I wanted to die. I still might die.”
The tears are coming faster now. I start having trouble breathing. If I can’t calm down, I’ll hyperventilate and pass out.
“Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that. I couldn’t live with myself if he had taken you or worse, killed you. Sara, until I met you I could have went through life without any friends. Now that I’ve found you, I can’t imagine ever being without you. I thought that if I pushed you away, I would be protecting you. I could protect you without you knowing I was even there. You complicated my life in ways I could never imagine. I thought that if I hurt you last night, you wouldn’t want anything to do with me. And I was right, but I didn’t think that it would hurt me so bad to watch you torn up inside, trying to avoid even looking at me, let alone talking to me. I know it’s selfish, but I couldn’t do it. I’m sorry that I’m not strong enough to stay away from you.” He was trying to meet my gaze, but I still couldn’t look at him, not on my own.
“You wanted to hurt me, so that I wouldn’t want you? You should have let Bane have me, because at least I wouldn’t have to miss you now. If we hadn’t kissed in the bathroom, and then in my room, I wouldn’t have been feeling this way right now. I was living a boy free life. The only boy I had ever kissed was Shaun and that was in the first grade. We swore we would never go there again. You’re the only person other than Shaun that I’ve ever told about that. I didn’t know how I really felt about you until you kissed me again in my bedroom. So if anything, this is entirely your fault. It’s your fault that I can’t stop thinking about you even in my dreams.” I turn away again but he stops me. I’m looking at the ground and he lifts my chin with his hand. I keep my eyes down and he tries to meet my gaze.
When I refuse to look at him, he speaks. “I want to kiss you again. Tell me now if you don’t want me to.”
No, no. I’m thinking the word but I can’t bring myself to say it out loud. No matter how much I try to deny it, I do want him to kiss me again. He leans close to me and turns his head. I close my eyes so that he can’t see them. He brushes his lips against mine the same way he did in the bathroom. I don’t respond. He starts to caress my face and run his fingers through my hair. I open my eyes for just a second, but that was all it took.
He had been looking at my eyes with his face so close to mine that when I opened my eyes it was like our minds melded into one. He kissed me again but this time it was that passionate kiss he gave me in the bedroom. I tried to push him back as I had in the bathroom earlier today, but my hands quickly moved to his hair. I didn’t want him to stop. We lay down on the ground beneath the bleachers and continued kissing.
He was about to move on to my neck when we heard the fire alarm. We had missed part of Biology and if we weren’t careful, we were about to be seen by no less than half of the school when they walked over here for the fire drill.
As if he had read my mind, Damian grabbed my hand “I have two ideas: One, I can sneak us into class and no one will know the difference; or two, we can just go ahead and hide in the field and join the next class since we’ve probably already been marked absent.”
Crap, I’m going to have another detention this Saturday. Aunt Lynn is going to kill me.
“Do you trust me?”
I look up at him, “It depends on what you want me to trust you about. Why?”
He looks away from me, “Okay, will you trust me? I think I can keep you out of detention.”
How did he? “I don’t know how you would be able to do that. Are you a miracle worker?” That was a stupid question. He had saved me twice.
“Stay here. Stay down, I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” That sounds familiar. Why does he always get to be in charge? I drop my mouth open to say something else, but he kisses me fast and runs off.
Chapter Ten
Damian’s POV
Okay. All I have to do is get into the classroom and change the attendance sheet before the drill is over. I crawl in the open Biology window and move to the teacher’s desk. I could change Sara’s to a present and then…wait. The teacher didn’t fill in today’s attendance sheet. She must have forgotten with the blood typing still going on.
Alright I would hurry back to Sara and we would be fine. Our table was in the back of the room so it would be easy to say we had been there the whole time. I sneak back out the window just in time to hear the principal coming up the hall. I listened as I moved slowly back towards the field.
“So you’re telling me that Shaun Rusnack pulled the fire alarm? I can’t believe it. He’s always been such a good kid.” I’ll have to thank him later. Whether he pulled it for us or not, he had done us a huge favor.
Sara’s POV
My legs are starting to cramp when I see Damian sneaking around the back of the field. I start to stand but he motions for me to stay put. I wait for him to get closer.
“Okay, we can get into class. Just act like we were there the whole time. The teacher hasn’t filled out the attendance sheet yet.” Great, now I can add lying to my resume. “Oh and remind me to thank Shaun later.”
I look at him puzzled, “For what, throwing me up on stage with you yesterday?” My attempt at sarcasm was horrible. “I’m kidding. Unless, that’s really what you want to thank him for. In that case, you can thank him for me too.”
He looked around and grabbed my hand, “Do you still want to sneak in? I have a feeling we won’t see Shaun at your locker later.”
What that had to do with anything I didn’t know, “Yeah, we better.”
*****
We held hands throughout the rest of the day. It was like we were attached at the hip. We didn’t even go to the bathroom. We walked to my locker after the last bell and sure enough, Shaun was nowhere to be found. “How did you know he wouldn’t show?”
He looks down sheepishly, “When I snuck in to see if I could change the attendance sheet, I overheard the principle saying that Shaun had pulled the fire alarm.”
I couldn’t believe it, “I don’t know which is more unbelievable, you sneaking into class and trying to change the attendance sheet, or Shaun pulling the fire alarm. Did you guys plan this?” I was furious that Shaun had got in trouble.
“Wait a minute. No we didn’t plan it, at least I didn’t. I don’t know why he pulled the fire alarm or if he really did. And I only snuck in to change the attendance sheet because you were afraid of getting another detention.”
I turn back to face him, “Well, thank you for that. Wait a minute. I never told you that I would get a detention if I was late from class. How did you know that? What have you and Shaun been talking about? What is this some kind of dating match game for you guys?”
I turn and run this time. I don’t want to hear what he has to say. I am so confused. I don’t know who to be mad at or believe. Thai is waiting in his usual spot and I get in.
“Let’s go, I can’t stand to be here another minute today.”
Thai starts to ask what happened, but thinks better of it when he sees my face. “Do you want to go straight home? You can go on my route with me. You know that offer always stands.”
It did too. Thai was so protective of me; I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to hide.
“Can you just drop me by the library? I’m supposed to do a book report and the school library didn’t have any copies of the book.” I knew Thai wouldn’t second guess me having to do homework. As we pulled away, I saw Damian standing on the front steps of the school. He was pushing his hair back like he knew he had made a mistake. I had to turn away or I would start crying again.
Damian’s POV
Crap! Why did I have to tell he
r all of that? I am so STUPID! I run to my car and hit the roof. I didn’t care if anyone was around to see it. I jumped in the window and peeled out of the parking lot. I knew where she was going, but so did he. I heard his thoughts from a block away. I had to hurry or he was going to hurt her. He was angry that I had stopped him the first three times and now it was personal. He wanted to torture her and make me watch. I broke the speed limit and caught up to the cab.
I followed them the rest of the way to the Library, but stayed back far enough she wouldn’t notice me. I parked around the corner and snuck down the street. I watched her get out and start up the stairs.
When I am sure the cab is gone, I follow her in. She stops at the desk to return a book she has out and I duck behind a shelf. I know if she sees me, she’ll probably run. I can’t risk her getting hurt.
She heads to the section she was in the first day and I follow her from behind the bookshelf. She stops. She walks back toward the tables. She stops again. She must have heard me. Think fast. I jump up and climb the railing of the second floor. She walks around the bookshelf looking slowly. She knows she heard someone. I lean back so she can’t see me.
“I know you’re there! I can hear you breathing.”
Just then, I realized that I was holding my breath. I could hear someone else breathing also. How could I be so stupid? I quietly jump down behind Sara and put my hand over her mouth. “Don’t make a sound!” I whisper. “When I say run. Run!” We both sprint for the door. She trips over a rug and begins to fall. I turn and pick her up. I carry her out of the library to my car. “Lock the doors!”
She grabs the door before I can shut it. “NO! Get in!”
I begin to argue, but decide it would be pointless. She wouldn’t lock the door and I’d still have to protect her. I slide over my hood and jump in my window. She had hit the lock while I was crossing the hood.
