Amber tried to put a hand on mine to stop me, whispering something like you don’t have to go. But I didn’t listen. Maggie may have spoken too, but my head had cleared itself free of all the background noise. I said in a normal tone that with the silence around us, I knew she’d clearly hear me, “I didn’t. And your invective against me proves just what a bitch you are and why no guy wants you.” So it wasn’t the best line, but it made my point. She paled for a second. With that, I walked with all my dignity intact. Tossing my uneaten lunch in the trash which had been broiled chicken over a Caesar salad, I exited the lunch room.
In the hallway, I had my next surprise of the day. I’d careened right into Tom, who was headed into the lunch room.
Chapter Three
perspicacity (adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness
Tom, Brent’s cousin, whom I met over Thanksgiving break last year when Brent ended up in the hospital after a bad bear attack, stood in front of me. I’d seen him maybe twice since then and on every occasion he’d made it quite clear that I was someone he needed to avoid.
“Hey trouble, where are you off to?” he asked with a grin.
I looked up into his gray eyes before I rolled my own with a slight laugh. “Hey yourself,” I said half heartedly.
His happy face changed into one of concern. “You look pissed. What happened?” he asked.
“You know me and misfortune,” I said, holding up the roses for him to see with a grimace on my face.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to head off any further questions directed at me. We continued to stand on the outskirts of the cafeteria. I hoped no one would come after me before I got away.
“Long story. Where are you headed?” he asked.
“Anywhere away from here,” I answered, my eyes traveling to the side exit door.
Following my gaze, he asked, “So you want to ride with me to get lunch then?”
Tom had made it a point to steer clear of me. So the question was so odd, I frown up at him.
“I’ll tell you why I’m here on the way,” he added, to sweeten the deal. I nodded at him thinking he was my best option to get away from things. Plus my curiosity was peaked, wondering why he was at my school in the first place.
Off campus lunch was strictly forbidden. But most everyone did it on occasion. And today I was in the mood to break the rules to gain my freedom from the situation in the lunch room. He peered again at the roses in my hand on our way out a side entrance closest to the cafeteria. “What are those for?” he asked.
Offhandedly, I said, “Val-O-Grams,” sighing so he could hear my disgust.
He grinned. “Who’re they from?” he asked.
Rather than answer him, I shrugged.
He shook his head then said, “I knew you were trouble.”
“Your perspicacity knows no bounds,” I said haughtily, while rolling my eyes.
We walked up to a car with the familiar intertwined circles that were the Audi symbol centered and the letters TT to the side on the back. It was a sporty looking car in silver. I had to admire it. He popped the locks then opened the door for me. “Where should we eat?” he asked.
Ducking into the car, I wasn’t really hungry because Nina had killed my appetite, so I said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“Taco Bell fine then?” he inquired.
“Sure. I’m surprised since, you know, I’m trouble and all. Why would you want to be seen with me,” I said smartly, eyeing him with a grin as he closed his door. Free of the cafeteria and all the prying eyes, I was starting not to feel so angry.
He started the car and said, “Trust me, if I hadn’t already heard that you and surfer boy weren’t together anymore, I’d steer clear of you.”
“Surfer boy,” I said, “Funny.” I drew out the last word. But inside I laughed because it was true.
His comment about my relationship status wasn’t lost on me. I was struck that he’d heard about my breakup. Did that mean I was the topic of conversation all the way back in New York? Boy, that was just wonderful and not in a good way if true.
“Why would you stay away from me?” I rebutted. “Clearly, you’re not interested in me. Why does it matter who I’m dating?” I added sweetly, raising my eyebrows at him to give him a hard time. I may have been flirting a bit in how I said it, but at the same time I wasn’t. He’d set himself right up for that question.
“You are a trouble magnet and I have enough of that on my own,” he replied.
Quick on my feet I said, “You’ve said that like a zillion times before, but that still doesn’t answer my question. Why are you curious about my dating status?” I flashed him my pearly whites. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. His words didn’t come fast and he almost struggled visibly to say them. “There is something about you. Maybe it’s that ‘I need to be rescued’ look you always seem to have. But I’m not interested in dating you no matter how lovely you are.”
He thought I was lovely. Nobody’s ever called me lovely. “I can’t believe you said something nice about me for once,” I said triumphantly, glossing over the rest of what he said. I sat back in my seat gratified I’d made him squirm. I did, however, speculate about the damsel in distress look he said I had.
“I try,” he said with a chuckle.
In the drive-through line, I ended up ordering a soft taco that he paid for. It was only a dollar, so I didn’t let it bother me, he wouldn’t let me pay. “So tell me, why were you in my school?” I asked, with a hand covering my mouth after I took a bite of my taco.
He nearly had his burrito almost to his lips when I asked the question. He thought for a moment before dropping his hands back into his lap with the untouched burrito in it. “I moved down here for a while,” he said. Then unceremoniously, he took a huge bite of his food giving me a chance to digest the information.
I took another bite thinking he might explain further. Nothing, before my next bite, I said, “And?” Then I bit into my taco again.
Swallowing, he took a long drag on his coke before clearing his throat. “I thought I could help Brent better if I was here,” he said. “And my parents had to go to Ireland to take care of my sick grandfather for a while. He’s not doing so well and my mom wanted to spend time with him. So instead of staying at the house by myself, I thought I could help Brent get through his new reality. He’s having a tough time with the fact he may not play football again,” he added soberly. His words clued me in on what may have been going on with Brent and his anger.
Taking another bite, I let the silence fill the car. There just wasn’t more to say about that topic. Sooner than later further conversation revealed that Tom was a junior too. I was surprised. I would have pegged him as a senior. I thought back to last year when I saw him last at Brent’s welcome back bash. Brent had nearly choked some poor kid to death for touching Maggie on the bottom. The poor guy had pleaded it was an accident, but Brent wouldn’t listen. It had taken both Luke and Flynn to pull him off the guy before Tom had swooped in and manhandled the bigger boy. Surprisingly, Brent had cowed under his scorn. It seemed odd then and seemed odder now. There had to be more to who Tom was.
“Hey, wait a minute,” I said when we pulled back into the school parking lot. “I can’t believe I missed this,” I said pointing to the little figurine of R2D2 from Star Wars tacked to his dashboard.
“Yeah, I love that movie,” he said.
“Oh my god, I do too,” I said in shock, getting out of the car. Once we were headed back to the school, I said, “The original trilogy I mean, not the prequel. Although, the last one of the prequels was pretty good.”
He stopped and looked at me for a moment longer. “You look more like a Princess Diaries kind of girl,” he said.
I lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Hey, what’s that suppose to mean,” I said with a scowl.
“Most girls aren’t into science fiction,” he said, arching a brow at me.
/> “I’m not most girls,” I said wryly, wiggling my eyebrows. There I went again with the flirting. It was harmless though because neither of us was interested in the other. I think that’s why it was so easy to do. Talking to Tom was like how it used to be between Paul and me.
“That much I’m sure of,” he said, giving me a wink. Then he paused and narrowed his eyes for a quick moment. He spoke slow and careful when he asked, “So what are you doing tonight?”
We were halfway to the school from the parking lot when he said it. I turned to eye him suspiciously, but I didn’t stop walking. “I’m doing the un-Valentine’s Day thing,” I said cautiously.
He laughed. “And what’s that,” he said, while trying to suppress his chuckles.
“It means ice cream and movies,” I said proudly. Actually, I wasn’t sure I was going to do that, but it’s what I’d done in the past.
“Do you want company?” he asked. He looked serious.
This time I did stop. I paused on the top step. We were almost to the front door of the school. He’d taken a few steps before realizing that I wasn’t in step with him. “What?” he asked, turning to look down at me.
“You’ve made it clear that you’re not into me, so why would you spend Valentine’s Day with someone you’re not interested in?” I asked, with one eyebrow arched.
He held a hand up. “First its un-Valentine’s Day, right?” he asked. I nodded. “Second, Brent and Maggie have something planned and have asked, very kindly I might add, that I not be home tonight,” he said, enunciating his words so that we both understood what they were up to. Brent was pretty well off too. So his house was not small. However, my guess was that Maggie didn’t like the idea of someone being in the house at all.
I almost forgot my earlier conversation with her. I needed to find out what she decided. There was nothing to do about it now though. The bell would be ringing soon. The halls would be filled with students long before the warning bell.
“Well, I guess you’re stuck with me then. How about we watch Star Wars?” I asked.
He laughed again. “That sounds cool. We can go for ice cream after school, unless you have other plans.” He eyed my hand full of roses. For a minute, I wanted to toss them in the trash. The burden of not knowing who sent them made me tired of carrying them. But what if one, if not all was from Luke, I thought.
“No plans. I’ll meet you by your car straight after school,” I said. I hoped not to be seen by gossips if we left right away.
Our conversation had me make a classic error in judgment. We entered the front of the school building. I knew better and should have taken one of the circuitous entrances like the gym or cafeteria, but I wasn’t thinking. Vice Principal Wright was at the door waiting, tapping her black lace up clad foot. Her gray suit and nude stockings made her look old and mean. Her graying hair was pulled back so tight she had no lines on her face other than the frown she bore.
“Well, I’m shocked,” she said to us. “You are new,” she said pointing at Tom. “But you missy,” she said pointing at me with beady eyes, “you know better.”
“I,” I stammered. I’d never been caught doing anything wrong before. I had no practice on how to handle it. I could see in the distance several students leaving the cafeteria early. They darted down a different hallway to avoid the Vice Principal. I sighed. I’d been seen, so rumors would ensue. I so didn’t want to be on display for anymore to see.
Tom was quick on his feet though and helped me where I had failed. “We didn’t go out,” he said. “I walked her to her car to get Brent’s homework.”
“When did you get a car?” she asked, focusing her dark eyes on me and I swear she could see the lie. Even though our school in no way could be considered small, Principal Wright prided herself in knowing each and every one of us. I don’t think however she remembered my name which is why she called me missy.
“He means Flynn’s car,” I said thinking clearer and quicker now hoping to end this soon. I pulled out my key for Flynn’s car from my pocket. David said I was welcome to drive it, but I hadn’t taken him up on that. But I kept the key so I didn’t have to stand by the car waiting for Flynn every day.
Tom was muttering an explanation that I didn’t quite follow. Halfway tuning them out, I had been eyeing the hallway knowing more people would be coming out at any moment before the bell signaled lunch was over. I prayed we could get through this before anyone else saw. My luck was on a dive southward, however. I watch in horror as Flynn strode out of the lunchroom followed by Luke, Paul and Sebastian in that very order.
Vice Principal Wright couldn’t have picked worse words to say then. “We don’t allow students to go make-out in their cars at lunch.” Her words were stern and clear. Although she hadn’t yelled them, the empty hallway carried her voice all the way to the frozen faces of the guys that were now watching the exchange. My face was horrified and I made the mistake of looking down at the floor like I was guilty.
Looking up, I was just in time to see Luke’s face sour. My newest rival walked out at that point and assessing the situation quickly, her face quirked a smile. He abruptly changed directions striding down one of the perpendicular hallways out of sight once she linked her arm in Luke’s. Tom must have noticed too because he said, “Shit.” All I could think was that Nina was wasting her efforts on me. There was someone else she should focus her on.
Ms. Wright hearing the curse chided Tom on language. I looked at Flynn who shook his head with a grimace then went down the same hall following after Luke. Maggie and Amber caught up with Paul and Sebastian catching sight of me. Maggie narrowed her eyes then began talking to Paul backing him away from the scene. Amber and Sebastian followed with nothing else better to do.
Finally, after being released with just warnings, thanks to Tom’s smooth words, the bell ending lunch rang. Tom and I headed into the mob of students heading to class. Before we parted ways, Tom muttered sorry to me. He’d obviously seen we’d been caught. It wasn’t his fault. But all I could do was to nod at him and headed to my locker before class. Lucky for me, Maggie’s locker next to mine was vacant. I needed to talk to her, but last I saw her, she was with Paul.
Afternoon classes would drift by in a blur. I was surprised when Tom turned up in my history class right after lunch. He’d entered right when the bell rang, so we didn’t get a chance to speak. Then the teacher called him up after class, so I headed on to my next class without saying one word to him. It was just as well. If anything had been said about us, maybe the rumor mill would die down if there were witnesses to us not talking to each other.
Second semester had changed classes around. So I didn’t have the next class with Paul and Maggie. Instead, I shared last period with them both. Just when we sat down, before I could talk to her about lunch and her impending date with Brent, my earlier cupid girl showed up with the same glower on her face. She gave Maggie six pink roses to add to the six red ones I saw her with at lunch. I gave her a super smile trying to be happy that her relationship was rosy, pun intended. While Maggie read the single hang tag tied around the bunch, the sour faced girl turned to me and handed me two yellow roses.
This time there wasn’t a mystery as to who had sent me the pretty flowers. The tag said I’m sorry, your un-Valentine. The writing was scrawled and I had to assume Tom had written it himself. Apparently, there were last minute Val-O-Gram sales. Who knew? I smiled to myself. Tom was a nice guy if not a little annoying with the whole ‘I’m not interested in you’ mantra. Just then Paul sat down in his usual spot behind me. Maggie had to ask at that exact moment, “Who are those from?”
I didn’t have to see Paul because I heard him shift in his seat. I needed to think before I spoke but I also couldn’t think too long because then they may think I was finding an excuse. I saw the anticipation on Maggie’s face and it started to slip. Time was up, I had to answer. And for a second I wondered why I even cared what Paul thought. To him, we weren’t even friends. “Tom,” I said fla
tly. “He is apologizing for getting me in trouble for a big misunderstanding.”
“Eme,” Maggie said with a long sigh.
“Maggs, there is nothing going on between me and Tom. He was just being a friend. And if you don’t believe me he will proudly tell you he has absolutely no interest in me.”
She frowned. I didn’t have time to react because the teacher started class. In a way I was happy because I hadn’t been subtle in my conversation. In fact, I was hoping to be overheard. You know the best way to start a rumor that favors you, is to start it yourself.
Waiting for Mercy (Cambions) Page 4
