Rival Love

by Natalie Decker

  Caleb latches onto my wrist as I head out of my room. “Wait. I don’t…I think my plan is better.”

  “Liv! Caleb! Come on, kids. I don’t want dinner to get cold,” my mother calls out.

  I shrug. “You’ll have to take that chance because if one of us doesn’t descend those steps, she’ll come up here and drag us both down there. And she’ll yell my full name while escorting us to the kitchen and then our little secret will be out.” He lets go and we head down the staircase. I enter the dining room with Caleb following and my mother glances up at us. Brian is already seated at one end, an extra place setting on his right. “What took you two so long? Caleb, I hope you don’t mind, but I told your friend that he could join us.”

  “I’m not passing up food that smells this amazing,” Caleb’s friend says.

  Caleb’s arm brushes against mine, sending off waves of nervous butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I feel as if I’m on a roller coaster standing next to him.

  Keeping my eyes low, I take a seat at the table. “Liv, why are you wearing that beat-up, dirty hat at the dinner table?”

  I feel a slight nudge to my ribs and I blurt out the first excuse that comes to me. “I’ve got a massive zit by my eyebrow. It’s beyond disgusting. Looking at it will make people revolt against this lovely…chicken dish.”

  My mother takes the seat on the other side of me. “It’s chicken Marsala.” I wrinkle my nose. Mushrooms are so disgusting. My mother proceeds to announce her sentiments for my fake problem. “Don’t worry honey, I’ve got a cure to get rid of those things. You’ll be zit-free by Monday.”

  Caleb busts out in a fit of laughter. His friend is laughing too and my mother is trying to console me with unnecessary apologies. I kick Caleb underneath the table and he grumbles, “Ouch.”

  Good. I hope he’s still sore from the other shots I took at him today.

  “So Derrick, are you excited about the upcoming football season?” Brian asks.

  “Oh yeah,” he answers as I sneak a peek at our guest. He looks away from Brian and over at me. I drop my head and mentally curse myself for being so careless. Enemy. We’re all enemies. Duh!

  “Liv, is it? What’s that short for?” Derrick asks.

  Wow, this is the kind of person Caleb hangs out with? No wonder he’s such an ape. “Olivia,” I answer without making any kind of eye contact with him.

  “Do you play any sports?”

  I’m about to answer but my mother already beats me to the punch. “Oh, Liv is a wonderful swimmer. She actually set records at state and I’m so proud of her. Some people think she’s a naturally gifted girl, but really, she works so hard. Year-round she’s swimming or playing softball.” My mother is about to ramble some more info that no one at this table needs to know so I must interrupt her. “Mom!”

  “Sorry, Liv gets a little embarrassed when I smother her with praise.”

  A burn settles on my cheeks. I can feel people staring at me. Caleb’s elbow brushes against my arm. Tiny pinpricks of goose bumps form all over my body. “Well, I think the swim team will be excited about getting you,” Derrick says.

  “I highly doubt that,” I mumble.

  Caleb snorts loudly. “Sorry.”

  Once the nightmare dinner is over, I clear away the dishes and offer to wash them. This will keep me away from the Bobcats and my mother. Turning on the faucet to a hotter-than-warm setting I squirt some dish soap into the water. Bubbles form instantly, and before I know it, take over one side of the two-basin sink. I begin easing the dishes into the soapy water and wash them one by one. I set them down in the empty side and let the warm water run all over them.

  After I rinse and place all the silverware and dishes into the drying rack, I start to head to my room. I’m right beside the door leading from the kitchen to the hallway when I hear, “Why didn’t you tell me about the new girl? I thought we were bros, man?”

  “I just didn’t. Look, you can’t tell anyone else. Got me?” Caleb says.

  “Why not? Is her face all assed up or something?”

  I swallow hard and readjust my sun visor before stepping out into the line of fire.

  “It’s not that. She’s hot.” I almost trip over my own two feet when I overhear Caleb’s words. “But she’s…a…” I step past the boys as if I were mute to everything around me.

  “Hey, Olivia.” I try to hold in my disgust as Derrick purrs my middle name as if I ever wanted it to be said like that. Ew. “If you want a ride to school on Monday I can give you a lift,” he says as I’m about to climb the stairs.

  “That’s okay. I’ve got my own ride. Nice meeting you.”

  “You should let me see what you look like without the hat shielding most of your face.”

  I continue up the steps as if I didn’t hear him.

  Chapter 6

  Caleb

  “What’s the deal with you two?” Derrick asks. The question shouldn’t catch me off guard. In fact, I should expect this from him. Derrick always has a flock of chicks hanging around him. And he’s always on the search for more. But his question does take me back a little.

  “Nothing! There’s nothing there.” And there never will be. Not if I have a say in the matter.

  “She’s hot, right?”

  Of course she is. In fact, more than once today I noticed how hot she is. Perfect curves. Tiny waist. Endless dark curls that drape her face like a curtain. I swallow uncomfortably. “I already told you that.”

  “Then what’s the issue? Why aren’t you trying to call dibs on her?”

  Because she’s a Bulldog and literally a bitch. Annoying. Appears to be super smart. Hates my guts and, once again, she’s a Harris Academy Bulldog. I don’t say any of this aloud. “It’s weird. Her mom is dating my uncle.”

  Derrick shrugs. “So can I try?”

  “Try what?”

  “Hooking up with her.”

  I shrug. “Whatever man. I’m going to go for a run, you coming?”

  “Nah. I should get back. Tell Olivia to call me.”

  I secretly cringe at Skylar’s middle name. Ugh. Shortened, it doesn’t sound so bad, but I prefer Sky. Ignoring this, I nod at Derrick, but I have no intention of relaying this message to her. He leaves and I head up to my room. I pass Skylar’s door and it’s cracked open. “Hey, Skylar,” I say, pushing it open more. My eyes find her at the same moment she lifts her t-shirt over her head. She turns around and her eyes lock with mine. She’s obviously listening to music and the look on her face is making it clear she didn’t hear me come in.

  “Get out!” she screams as her hands quickly shield her bra.

  “I’m sorry.” Okay, I’m really not because her body is a whole other world of hot.

  “What?”

  I close the space between us and yank one of her earbuds out. “I’m sorry. I said ‘hey Skylar’ before entering.”

  “Get out,” she whispers.

  “Okay. I’m leaving.” Reluctantly, I turn away from her and make my way out of her room and into my own.

  I quickly change into my running shorts and my white beater. Next, I snatch up my iPod from the charger and head back out of my room. My body collides right into Skylar. She dusts herself off and shoves me into my door. The side she assaulted with punches earlier bumps against the doorknob and I wince as pain ripples down my backside. “I said I was sorry!”

  “I know, but sorry doesn’t take away the moment. It doesn’t erase the mortification you’ve caused me not once, but twice today. Mark my words, Caleb Morgan, you’re going to regret messing with me.”

  “I’d love to see you try, Skylar Fletcher. Or should I call you Liv?” Even as I say it I feel myself cringing.

  She makes a sour face, narrows her eyes, and slams her hands into my chest. “Never call me Liv.” She turns away from me and marches back to her room. She’s at her door when she glances back, “Game on, Morgan!”

  “You’re cute when you’re mad.” I push past her and head down the stairs
while laughing at the thought of her trying to get back at me. She’s got no idea who the hell she’s messing with.

  I stuff my earbuds in and run out the door.

  Chapter 7

  Skylar

  My phone blares, Breathe Carolina’s song “Blackout” at eight-thirty in the morning. I roll over and grab my cell from the charger and listen a little longer to the upbeat tempo. I run my hand through my hair and shudder at my own repulsion with my unwashed strands.

  The house is really quiet. Good. With any luck that Neanderthal left for the day. I head down to the kitchen and look around. A note on the counter catches my attention. Sky, your dad needs you to call him. Not happening. I’m done doing what parents want and getting the crap end of the deal. Brian went to the school to set up his classroom. The hospital needed me to come in. I left you two hundred dollars and your school supply list. Go shopping. Love you.

  Right next to my note is an almost identical one left for Caleb. Except in his she doesn’t talk about calling a father or put love on it. His has a smiley face. I shake my head and grab my two hundred off the counter then go up to my room. Once I set the money on my dresser next to my keys, I pull out a clean set of clothes and go shower. While in the hot shower, I try to forget about Kevin’s words. “You’re turning into one of them. I can’t love a Bobcat, Sky. I just can’t. Goodbye.” I’m not a Bobcat! I scrub my skin vigorously, as if this will cleanse away the knots in my stomach. Closing my eyes, I turn to the water letting it spray my face.

  The loud bang of a door hitting a wall causes me to jump. “Hello?” I call out.

  “I’m taking a piss,” Caleb growls.

  “Get out! I’m showering!”

  He groans and then I hear him pee. Oh my god! That’s beyond disgusting. It forces me to rescrub my entire body. “You better close the lid and then flush!”

  “If you say so.” His voice is full of mischief and has me worried. The toilet flushes, and the water in the shower instantly turns scalding.

  “Ahhh!” I hop out without thinking, almost taking the shower curtain with me. Caleb chokes at the sink. A full grin with foamy toothpaste lines his lips while a deep, burning blush spreads over my entire body. My hand grips onto a towel and I quickly wrap it tight around myself, but the damage is done. “You did that on purpose.”

  “I just did what you asked. Now, I’m kind of glad I did.” He eyes me and that grin gets wider. Balling up my fist, I walk over and slug him in his shoulder.

  “I hate you!” There’s no way I’m getting back into the shower, so I shut it off and rush out of the room. Fleeing to the kitchen where I’m rinse the rest of my hair, twisted, self-conscious, and deeply mortifying thoughts fill my head. No one’s ever seen me naked. Not the grown version of me anyhow, and for him to get a peek makes me feel super icky.

  I need to get the hell out of this house before I have any more encounters with Caleb. Quickly dressing in my Coffee Junky’s Dream, or as I like to call it the CJD, t-shirt along with my black dress pants puts me a step closer to escaping. I notice the shower is on. Freaking Bobcat is going to pay. I don’t care if this is his territory or not, I’ve had it. That stupid boy has messed with the wrong girl!

  Snatching my money for school supplies, then my keys and phone from my dresser, I turn to the door. The shower is off, and the bathroom door pops open. Steam fills the hall as Caleb steps out in nothing but a towel. I’m gawking at his sculpted body with ripped muscles in places no one should have muscles. He clears his throat. “Liking something you see, Fletch?”

  Ouuuphhh! That boy is so infuriating. But jeez he’s gorgeous. Swallowing away my short lapse of weakness I snap, “Nope.” Ignoring the rest of his towel-covered body, I push past him and head down the stairs. He catches my elbow, causing me to turn, and our eyes lock. Damn he’s sexy. I hate how much he’s affecting me at this moment. My heart races while butterflies swarm in the pit of my stomach. “Where are you going?”

  “To work, now let me go.”

  He does but not before his eyes inspect me from head to toe. I should slap him and tell him to dream on. Instead, I shove him away and leave the house.

  ***

  Driving thirty minutes to work might seem ridiculous for someone my age. Especially when it’s for minimum wage, but I love the drive. I also love my job. No one cares that I’m Skylar Fletcher. No one cares that I’m a talented athlete. Here, I’m just the barista chick making their caffeine-infused drinks.

  Pulling my cherry-red Mini Cooper into a space in the back parking lot, I lock my doors and head into the coffee shop. Upon entering, a delicious blend of ground coffee, chocolate, and pastries hits me like ton of bricks. I inhale deeply and smile. “Skylar, strap on an apron and take over for Jon will ya?” my boss Alex asks.

  I nod and make my way toward the back. Tying an apron in place, I squeeze behind Jon and help him with his last order. “Finally break time,” he says.

  Once he steps aside from the cash register, I begin jotting down the rest of the orders. The first is an extremely tall guy with a lot of swagger appeal and a shaggy Bieber kind of haircut going on. “I need a large bold coffee, no cream, no sugar.”

  “Coming right up.” Grabbing a cup, I fill it with the coffee swagger dude wants and set it on the counter. Jon already cleared out. Snapping on a lid, I say, “Okay, one large bold, that’ll be two-twenty.”

  The guy smacks the money onto the counter and walks away with his drink. Next up is a teenage couple. A girl with long, fiery hair and a dark-haired boy. They interlock arms with one another. The girl is sporting a white St. Peter’s School shirt with a red number ten embroidered in the right corner. Her boyfriend is wearing a Pac-Man shirt and some shades. I dislike people like him, not because of his choice of arcade game shirts, but the fact he’s wearing sunglasses inside an already dimly lit coffee house. Only douchebags do that.

  “Welcome to Coffee Junky’s Dream, what can I make you today?”

  The couple giggles as if I’m the most humorous person ever. They’re quickly trying my patience as well as the people behind them. “Would you two like more time?”

  “Ummmm…don’t I know you?” the girl asks.

  I raise a brow and shake my head. “No. I don’t think so.” I glance back at the huge blackboard behind me, and say, “We’ve got lemonade, tea, water, and hot cocoa along with many fruit-blended drinks if you don’t like coffee.”

  The girl shakes her head. “I can’t really decide.” She does this weird rhythmic jiggle and asks in a whiney tone, “What do you like here?”

  I stifle back my annoyance. Pasting a fake smile upon my face I answer, “I like a blended ice mocha, with caramel drizzle. I also enjoy a vanilla-swirled cocoa on colder days. But that’s me.”

  The guy says, “I want a small chia.” He nudges the girl.

  “Yeah the mocha thingy sounds good. Uh, small.”

  The boy behind them sighs. “Finally.” I couldn’t help but agree with him. I hand the cups off to Alex and start taking the rest of the orders.

  It’s almost noon when the bell to the door chimes and in walks a crowd of football players with some cheerleaders from Harris Academy. I feel all the warmth drain from my face. Oh God! What will they do to me? Do any of them know?

  Kevin is among them. The broken pieces of my heart seem to crack and split even more when his arm slides around Mia Spring’s waist. Why is he touching her like that? Does he like her?

  They all seem to be laughing and having a great time until Roger spots me. “Hey Kevin, it’s Sky!”

  Kevin tilts his head up and our eyes lock. His face quickly turns red, and then he clears his throat. “Hey, Sky. I didn’t think…ummm…”

  I finish his sentence. “That I’d still work here? Yeah, I do. So what can I make for you?”

  He leans closer to the counter and whispers, “Look. It’s not what you think. Mia and I are just friends. So please don’t be difficult.”

  My anger ignites. How dare he
come in here and tell me how to act. He broke up with me. He had the nerve to wrap his arm around that skanky girl’s waist at my work and he’s telling me not to be difficult. I narrow my eyes. “Difficult? You’ve got some nerve.” Turning away, I call out, “Alex, I’m taking my break now.”

  The girls in line drool at the sight of my boss coming near my register to take over for me. He’s twenty-two, totally has that mysterious glint in his blue eyes, and fresh out of college. Yes, he’s drool worthy. Kevin hates Alex, but that’s because he thinks Alex flirts with me. Men and their egos.

  Slipping around the counter, I hear Roger ask Kevin, “Dude, what’s up with you two?”

  “Sky’s no longer one of us. She’s going to Delmont this year.” And there it is, the elephant in the room. The dreaded words hang in the air like decorations for a long-past holiday, and they literally steal all the air out of me. Avoiding their faces, I exit CJD and take a deep breath.

  Sulking toward my car, I hear, “Skylar?”

  Chapter 8

  Caleb

  Walking out of Music Muses, the smile on my face quickly unfolds to a frown when I spot Skylar. She’s pressed against the side of the coffee shop, not even ten feet away from me. A guy wearing a backwards Bulldog baseball cap is hovering near her. Either she’s hooking up with this dude, or she’s in trouble. I can’t really tell from this distance.

  Something inside me is telling me not to ignore her. Another part of me wants to walk away. Keep walking. Those are her dumbass people, just keep walking.

  When I get closer to the coffee shop, I hear her sob, “You’ve been what?”

  “Look, things happened. It’s not like we were going to be together forever, you’ve got your heart set on Duke and I plan on going to Alabama. And now, you’re a…” He leans in close, too close for my comfort.