Living With the Bad Boy

by Sharlay

  * * *

  To say that the day was going slow was an understatement. I’m pretty sure that it could go down in the Guiness Book of World Records, as the slowest day to ever exist. It felt like I had been at school for hours but I was only in first period. It didn’t help that my history teacher, Mr Eckleburry, actually spoke slower than a tortoise walks. All I could think about was the look on Caleb’s face at lunch, when he realized that I had his stupid necklace. I had even started thinking about what food I was going to eat, which was either a result of my complete boredom or spending too much time with Courtney.

  “Miss Taylor,” I heard Mr Eckleburry shout. The frustrated tone in his voice, told me that this wasn’t the first time that he had called me. As I came out of my daydream, I also noticed that a few of my class mates found it pretty funny that I hadn’t answered him yet.

  “Yes, Sir,” I replied.

  “Is sleeping in my class going to help you to achieve a good grade?” He asked in a frustrated tone.

  “Erm, Sir, I think that you’ll find that it is impossible for me to sleep with my eyes open-”

  “Yes, and that is why yours were closed!” Whoopsy, now I know why everyone was laughing.

  “Oh,” was all that I managed to get out.

  “Yes, oh-”

  He was suddenly cut of when the door to the classroom was violently swung open. Some entertainment at last, I thought as I awaited the person to appear. It wasn’t until I saw the expression on Caleb’s face that I prayed that he would walk back out.

  “Excuse me young man but you cannot just come in here-”

  “Where is it?” Caleb growled as he walked right past Mr Eckleburry and towards me.

  Now, any normal person would probably assess this situation. They would look at the way that Caleb’s hands were shaking, the fact that his face had no hint of humor, the tiny drips of sweat that were on his forehead and lastly, the angry look in his eyes. Yes, a normal person would assess all of this, and realize that it would not be a good idea to play games with him but let’s face it...I’m never going to be normal. Instead, I chose this moment to stand up from my chair, with a smile on my face and look Caleb right in the eyes, and say, “I’m sorry but I have no idea what you’re talking about, darling.”

  Rather than hearing the usual laughs that a comment like that would attract, I was met with complete silence.

  “I’m not playing around, Addy,” he replied through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists.

  “Oh, you don’t want to play around anymore? Sorry, it’s just that your arrogant and cocky behavior had me fooled,” I replied with a huge smile on my face.

  “Look, you two are going to be in big trou-”

  “Where is it?” He asked, angrily.

  “Where’s what, Caleb? You’ll have to explain a little better than that, I’m afraid. Are you talking about this dirty, little girly necklace that you wear around your neck, every day?” I asked as I slipped the necklace from my pocket and dangled it in front of his face. I could almost see the steam coming from every hole in his body, and he kept his gaze locked on mine. “Is this really that important to you? Does your neck miss it?” I teased right before watching Caleb grab the desk that I was previously sat at, and knock it to the floor. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he did this, however, I still noticed all of the people who screamed and jumped out of the way. He didn’t even have to ask twice after his little display because it was the point that I realized, that this really wasn’t a joke anymore. The funny, sarcastic and playful Caleb was gone, and I had no idea who the hell was stood in front of me. Although I would never say it out loud; I was scared. I let the necklace slip from my hand and drop into his.

  “Don’t ever touch my things again,” he said before storming back out of the classroom.

  “What the hell was that?” I heard Courtney whisper from beside me as the whole class just stared at me in shock.

  “I don’t know but this is probably the point where you say, I told you so,” I replied as I kept my eyes focused on where Caleb had just gone.

  “No, this is the point where I be a good friend, and make sure that people wear bright colors to your funeral,” she said in a serious tone.

  “Funeral?” I asked in a confused tone.

  “Yeah, after your dad hears about all of this,” she said in a sarcastic voice. Oh gosh, I had no idea what had just happened but I was in big trouble.

  * * *

  I was right; I was in trouble...Big trouble. I knew that I had upset Caleb by taking his stupid necklace but I couldn’t see what all of the drama was about. He was the one that came storming into my classroom and destroying the furniture, yet, he was locked up, safely in his room. My dad was treating him like the freaking president of the United States while I was being cross examined, like I had just been caught, planning his assassination. I can’t believe my dad sometimes, talk about family loyalties...ha!

  “I can’t believe you, Addy! Just yesterday, I sat down and talked to you, and you promised me that you were going to be more responsible-”

  “Dad, I can’t believe that you are putting all of this on me. You have no idea what that jerk is like. In front of you, he pretends to be all sweet and innocent but he’s not-”

  “This is not about Caleb, Addy, it’s about you. You are responsible for your own actions, and you could have done a lot of things to prevent him from behaving like that today-”

  “Me? So, you’re saying that I’m responsible for his crazy behavior? Oh, this just gets better-”

  “Don’t start with the sarcasm, Addy.”

  “I’m not but I don’t see how you can blame all of this on me. You seem to think that Caleb is this innocent guy, who I’m trying to give a hard time to. Yes, I did pranks on him and maybe this one upset him a little more than the others but how was I supposed to know that-”

  “You ask-”

  “What, like he asked when he got chocolate sauce on my dress or when he ruined my date and then left me to walk home alone, or perhaps when he handcuffed me to my bed yesterday, and made me miss my test-”

  “Alan,” suddenly both of our heads turned as we watched Bill walk into the room. I was so mad at my dad, he has always had a frustrating way, of making it seem like everything was my fault. I saw the look on his face when he heard all of those things that Caleb had done to me, and still, I know that he would have found a way for it to all be my fault. To make things worse, Bill had come to defend his son as well, so I guess its team Addy, verse team everybody else.

  “Sorry that you had to hear all of that, Bill,” my dad said as he gave me a funny look.

  “It’s ok, do you mind if I talk to Addison for a minute?” He asked as I felt the nerves start to bubble in my stomach.

  “Yeah, good luck,” my dad replied before shaking his head and walking out of the front door. No doubt he was heading to work, early, as always.

  “Hey,” Bill said in a gentle voice, catching me slightly off guard.

  “Hi,” I mumbled.

  “Do you mind if I sit here?” He asked politely, pointing towards the space on the couch, next to me.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “What a day,” he said as he chuckled, quietly to himself. “Don’t worry about your dad, he will have calmed down by the time that he comes back later.” He said as he watched me staring at the front door. “To be honest, this is my fault-”

  “It’s not your fault, Bill,” I said as I looked at him as though he were crazy.

  “No, it is. I asked your dad not to tell you exactly why we moved here, and I guess, if you knew more then things wouldn’t seem so crazy and you’d understand why your dad was acting like that,” he said as he gave me a weak smile. I hadn’t really spent much time around Bill or talked to him but for the first time, I could actually see how much Caleb resembled him. I could tell that Bill was probably a very good looking guy when he was younger. Being a security guard meant that, like my dad he was very toned and
fit. He didn’t look scary right now but I imagine that he could be, if he really wanted too. His eyes were a really dark shade of brown and they looked so warm, but so sad at the same time. It’s like he was hiding a secret behind them, one that he was struggling with. His dark skin looked so smooth that I actually wanted to run my finger along it, just to see if it felt as soft as it looked. I didn’t, of course because that would have just been weird.

  “What do you mean?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.

  “Caleb and I moved here because our home was set on fire, we lost everything. All of our clothes, furniture, memories, we lost everything. None of that matters though, I would sacrifice it all because some things are just more important,” he said before taking a deep breath, “the night that our house was set on fire, we were going to celebrate my wife’s sister’s birthday. My wife had been looking forward to it all week. I remember looking into her big, blue eyes and seeing the excitement. She was close to her sister, they were best friends. Anyway, we had been planning this night for weeks. Caleb didn’t want to go, as usual, it wasn’t his thing.” He said as he smiled, gently. “We told him that he had to though, family was important to my wife and she never allowed Caleb to miss any family events. You can imagine how devastated she was when she got sick the night before. She was so upset that she couldn’t make it, and I wanted to stay home and look after her but she insisted that we went ahead without her. She said that at least Karen - her sister - would know that we came to support her,” he said as he took a deep breath. I felt a pang of pain go through my heart as I knew where this story was heading.

  “You don’t have to-”

  “It’s ok, I need to. Anyway, we went, and it was a beautiful night. My wife’s brothers, sisters and father were all there, and it was great. It wasn’t until half way through the night that one of my neighbors called me, to say that smoke was coming from my house. I’ve never moved so fast in my life but it was too late, she was already dead by the time that I got there,” he said as I watched him hold back the tears.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I thought about how horrible that night must have been for him. In a strange way I felt honoured that he would share that with me, even though it looked like it was breaking his heart.

  “Caleb was distraught; I didn’t know what to do with him or how to help him. No matter what I said, he blamed himself. We spent a short while at my brother’s house but we needed a fresh start, and that’s when your dad said that we could stay here. Your dad’s a good guy, you know. We all handle grief differently and he understood that, better than most. He’s really helped us out. He wanted to tell you everything but I asked him not to. I wanted Caleb to have a fresh start, around people that didn’t know about his past but maybe that was my mistake. Maybe he just needs the right people to talk to,” he continued as he kept his eyes on the floor. “I know that Caleb’s behavior is confusing but that’s just his way of dealing with it. Caleb just pretends that he is ok, pretends to be strong and cocky but he does have a breaking point. Anyway, when they pulled my wife’s body-”

  I felt sad as he paused, to try and compose himself.

  “When they pulled my wife’s body out of the house, they figured that she tried to go back inside for something, that’s why she didn’t make it. She went back for something that her mother gave her before she died, and they found it clutched in her hand. It was a heart shaped necklace,” he said as a gasp escaped my lips. The anger that I had had towards Caleb, disappeared and was replaced by pure guilt. How could I take something so precious from him, something of such value? I should have known better. I was disgusted with myself.

  “It’s ok, you didn’t know,” he continued as he watched the expression on my face. “It’s the only thing that survived, it was a bit burnt in places but it’s the only thing that he has left, and he wears it every day. I know that my son can be difficult sometimes but he has his reasons, and he just needs to find a way to open up and deal with them. Your dad has been helping me, and I’m so grateful, I just want him to get that same help. There’s more to that night, that explains why Caleb blames himself but that is something that he has to tell you himself-”

  “I doubt that he ever will. He probably hates me-”

  “He doesn’t hate you, Addy. Since he came here, you’re the first person that I have actually seen make him genuinely smile. So, just give him time, ok?”

  “Ok,” I whispered as I tried to understand all of the emotions that were running through me. I didn’t know everything but what I did know, explained so much.

  “I don’t want you to change with him, don’t feel sorry for him, he’ll hate that, but just understand him,” he said before standing to his feet.

  I can’t explain why but I suddenly rose to my feet, and hugged Bill. I felt him hesitate for a moment before allowing himself to hug me back. I don’t know why I did it, I can’t explain it but it felt right.

  “Thank you for telling me,” I whispered, once I had finally stepped back.

  “Thanks for listening,” he said before slowly picking up his jacket and walking out of the front door. I was left staring at the door for several minutes before I finally escaped to my room, and immersed myself in a world of guilt.

  * * *

  I had no idea how long I had been sat in my room, thinking but it eventually caused me to fall asleep. As I looked over at the clock, I realized that I had been sleeping for three whole hours. Outside was starting to get dark and the house sounded so quiet. Caleb probably went out, to get away from me, and I didn’t blame him either.

  I slowly rose to a sitting position on my bed and wiped my eyes. What a strange day. I really didn’t expect things to end like this. I never even thought for a minute that Caleb had been through all of that, he always seemed so confident and happy, I guess he’s a better actor than I thought. Thinking about what Caleb and Bill had gone through, made me think about me and my dad. I quickly grabbed my phone from my dresser and opened a new text.

  Sorry

  That’s what I wrote before finding my dad’s name and pressing send. I stood to my feet and turned on the light, and that’s when I saw the tragedy of my hair. It was sticking up in so many crazy positions that I didn’t even know where to start. I ran my fingers through my long brown hair, and put it into a messy bun before wiping the smudged eyeliner off my face and checking my phone. There was nothing there yet but I hoped that he would accept my apology.

  As I made my way through my bedroom door, I suddenly froze as I saw Caleb stood right outside, looking as though he was about to knock. I had no idea what to say to him or how to act. I suddenly felt a lot of different emotions running through my body as I thought about Bill’s story.

  “Hey,” I whispered, nervously as I tried to avoid eye contact.

  “Hey,” he replied in a sad voice. It didn’t sound like Caleb’s voice, and I couldn’t help but think that I had caused it. We stood in silence for a few seconds before he finally spoke. “I’ve ordered a pizza, so, if you want some, it’s downstairs,” he muttered as I stood there and just stared at him. I understood something about Caleb; he wasn’t a talker which meant that we were supposed to pretend like earlier never happened, and to be perfectly honest, I was thankful.

  “Ok, thanks,” I mumbled before he turned around and began walking away.

  I have no idea why but I suddenly reached out my hand, and grabbed a hold of his arm before I could even think about what I was doing.

  “Wait,” I whispered as he gently turned back around, so that he was facing me again. He instantly locked eye contact with me, and looked at me as though he was searching my eyes for something. I knew what I wanted to say but it was so hard. I never spoke to anyone in the way that I wanted to speak to him right now, and I just didn’t know where to start. We stood there, staring at each other, in silence for what felt like hours before I finally opened my mouth.

  “She...She died while she was giving birth to me...so I get it...an
d I’m sorry,” I whispered, slowly as I tried to get the words out. I watched as Caleb just stared at me. It wasn’t until he lifted his hand, and used his thumb to wipe my cheek that I realized that I had let a tear escape.

  “The pizza’s getting cold,” he finally whispered as he stared into my eyes. I let a small smile appear on my lips. I was glad that he didn’t say anything else apart from that, I needed him to do what he did; I was grateful. For the first time since Caleb had moved in here, we had finally communicated in a way that made sense to both of us, and it actually felt pretty good.

  CHAPTER 13

  Old Habits Die Hard

  “If you’re up there trying to rearrange your face then I can tell you from now, it won’t make things any better. Only some of us are blessed with the gift of beauty,” I heard Caleb shout from downstairs as I washed the last of my make up off my face. It was obvious that someone was back to their usual, ‘pleasant self’.

  “Ouch,” I heard Caleb say as I snuck up behind him and slapped him in the back of his head.

  “Whoopsy, I tripped, I think that I may have put my eye back in the wrong place, after rearranging my face,” I said, sarcastically as I watched the smirk on his face grow. “Erm, why do I have less pizza than you?” I asked as I sat down on the couch and looked at the plate on the coffee table.

  “Because I’m the man,” he said as he winked at me.

  “Yeah, the dead man, if you don’t give me some more pizza,” I said as I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “It’s only food, calm down,” he said as he took two slices of pizza off his plate, and then placed them on mine.

  “Good boy,” I said as I patted his head.

  “Funny.”

  “Aren’t you going out tonight?” I asked as I bit into my first slice of pizza. It was ham and pineapple which happened to be my favorite. The extra slices that Caleb gave me were the biggest, so I decided to save them till last. I really have spent way too much time with Courtney.