Waylaid

by Ruth J. Hartman

  “What’s that?” She tilted her head in a way that made me want to grab her and hold her forever.

  “What is Addy short for? Addison?”

  “No.”

  “Adeline?”

  “Adeline? Is that even a name?”

  “It’s kinda like Madeline, without the first letter.”

  The left side of her mouth pulled upward and the dimple appeared but she didn’t answer.

  Adorable. “So…” I moved my hand in a circle, hoping she’d continue.

  “What?”

  “Are you going to tell me what it’s short for? I already know the middle and last.”

  She shook her head, causing her hair to dance around her shoulders. “I’m not sure that’s such a great idea.”

  “How come?”

  Addy bumped her shoulder against mine, the slight pressure leaving me wanting more. Much more.

  I leaned against the side of the truck next to the sidewalk. What should I do next? I knew what I wanted to do. I just needed some encouragement from her first. So I waited.

  Addy let out a sigh. “I’m named after my grandma.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s one of those old lady names.”

  “And Hildegard isn’t? So, you’re not going to tell me?” Please tell me. Suddenly, I wanted to know everything about her.

  She lowered her voice even though no one else was nearby. “It’s top secret. I’d need something from you to know you wouldn’t spread it around.”

  I bumped her shoulder back. “What kind of thing are we talking about?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She looked at me from beneath her dark lashes. “Got any ideas?”

  “I have one, but you might not like it.”

  Addy stepped away from the truck and turned to face me. With one finger, she touched my cheek and then lowered her hand. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said, “You won’t know until you try it.”

  That’s all I needed. I reached out both arms toward her. She stepped into my embrace as if she did it every day. I held her close, rubbing my hand up and down her back. Addy was so warm. She let out a small sigh when I set my chin on top of her head. I wanted to stay like that forever.

  “Adelaide.” Her warm breath fanned across my neck.

  “What?”

  “That’s my name.”

  “I like it.” I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  Addy pulled back, but not very far. She looked me straight in the eye. “This probably isn’t a good idea.”

  “It isn’t?” I thought it was the best idea ever.

  “No.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck.

  With our difference in height, I had no choice but to bend down. Not that I minded. I breathed in her lavender scent and pressed my lips to hers. Last night’s kiss was great, but this one was better. Different. Addy wasn’t surprised this time. She seemed to want it too even though she’d said it was a bad idea.

  I’d worry about whatever she’d meant by that later.

  Her fingers kneaded the back of my neck and slid up into my hair. Shivers ran down my core and then lower.

  I pulled her closer and she rested her hands between us on my chest. Once again, she massaged my skin through my shirt. That girl had magic fingers. Her short nails pulled at the fabric. She’d obviously been kissed and held before. That was something I didn’t want to think about, though.

  I braced my back against the truck and spread my feet apart which dropped me a little nearer to her level. I couldn’t get close enough. I ran my tongue over her lips, an invitation. She opened her mouth. When her tongue touched mine I nearly jumped from my skin. I’d kissed girls like that before, of course, but something about Addy, the feel of her, her taste, her scent, I felt like I was in a different world where it was just me and her. Nothing else mattered. No one else existed.

  What was happening?

  Chapter Seven

  Addy

  I slammed my locker shut with my hip. Thankfully, the loud bang worked, jolting me from my daydream about Graham. Ever since a week ago Saturday night, the only thought running through my head was, what was I thinking? To not only let someone who was practically a stranger kiss me on Friday night when we’d barely spoken but then the next evening to make out with him as we leaned against his truck. If Marcus hadn’t walked out searching for Graham and scared the crap out of us, who knows how far we would have gone?

  “Hey, Addy.” Kendra hurried up from behind to walk next to me down the hall.

  “Hey.”

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  I shrugged. “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, right. Hey, I keep meaning to tell you that Marcus had said something about you making out with that Graham guy, but I told him he was full of it. I never even saw you there that night. Besides, why would you be playing kissy face with someone when you’ve got Jud?”

  “Did I hear my name?”

  Jud. Oh no.

  My face burned hot. How much had he heard? I glanced over at my boyfriend. The one I hoped not to be attached to in the very near future. I forced a smile.

  Jud bumped in between me and Kendra. “Hey Kendra, you mind?” He pointed his thumb behind him.

  “Do I have a choice?” Kendra stomped off in a huff.

  “Now, where were we?” Jud, never one to shy away from public displays of affection, pulled me close and kissed me. Right on the mouth.

  I pulled away. “Jud…”

  “What?” He tried again.

  “Stop.” I didn’t want him standing so close, much less putting his hands on me.

  “Why?” He ran his hand down my back.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Since when?”

  “You know it makes me uncomfortable when you do that… here, where everybody can see.”

  Jud stopped walking. A curse came from someone who had nearly run into him. “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?” I couldn’t look him in the eye. Instead I stared at his chin.

  “Something’s different, Addy.”

  I glanced down the hall. “Can we not do this here? Right now?”

  His large puppy dog eyes, the ones that pulled me to him in the first place, appeared as if they were ready to cry.

  Oh no…. not that.

  “Addy, so there is something going on, isn’t there? And here I was ready to ask you to prom.”

  “Oh, well I—”

  “Although since we’ve been dating for a couple of months, I assumed we’d go together. Asking you was just a formality.” He sounded like a toddler who wasn’t getting to play with his favorite toy. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d stomped his foot.

  Though I had really wanted to go to my senior prom, the idea of going with Jud suddenly wasn’t all that appealing. “Listen—”

  “What is it? What? Am I not good looking enough? Not smart enough?” His voice rose with every word.

  Why now? Why couldn’t this have waited until we were alone and I could break the news gently? “It’s nothing like that.” The bell rang signaling the next class was about to start. I really hated to be late and tried to walk away.

  He grabbed my arm. “Then what?”

  “Jud.” I took his other hand but he yanked it away. “I wanted to talk to you… but not like this. Not…”

  His face turned an ugly shade of red and he raised his voice even more. “Well that’s just wonderful, isn’t it? Where am I supposed to get a date now who is halfway decent looking?”

  Was that the only thing he worried about? A date for prom? Maybe I don’t feel as bad about breaking up now. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble, Jud. You’re very cute and sweet.”

  “Just not what you want, right?”

  “I’m so sorry. I really am.” Everybody still in the hall was staring. One of the more hateful cheerleaders pointed and giggled.

  “Shove it! I can do a lot better than you!” Jud tur
ned and walked the opposite direction, flinging his arm around the shoulders of the first girl he saw. Making sure I was watching, Jud whispered something in the girl’s ear that made her cover her mouth with her hand. He smirked at me as if he’d won something.

  Whatever. Go for it, Jud.

  I lugged my books to chemistry class, one of my least favorites. Although if I wanted to be a vet, I’d have to take a lot more of it in college. Blech. The final bell rang just as I sat down. The only seat left was in the front row. Naturally.

  The teacher droned on, and I took notes, somehow. But I doubt if I caught half of what he said. Please let the stuff I need to know for the test be in the book. Mr. Hoardes was basically lazy, so there was a good bet he’d just rambled off what was in the next chapter.

  I glanced down at my paper, and discovered I’d hardly made any notes. I had, however, made lots of doodles and written the name Graham a few times.

  Papers shuffled and chairs scooted. I blinked and turned around. Everybody was leaving? Had the bell rung?

  Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I glanced up. It was Kendra. “Hey, Ad.”

  “Hey.” I stood and grabbed my purse and books, not wanting to talk to Kendra after what Marcus had seen me doing with Graham that Saturday. Maybe if I hurried—

  “Addy, wait.” Footsteps sounded behind me.

  I sighed. Might as well get the harassing over with. When she reached me, I turned around. “What’s up?”

  Dumb question, Addy. There’s only one thing it could be.

  Kendra checked her cell phone and then stuffed it in her purse. If she’d wanted to talk to me so bad, couldn’t she have waited to do that later?

  “Addy, what did Jud want?”

  I released a long breath. Maybe she wouldn’t bring up Saturday again. “He, uh, asked me to prom.”

  “Cool! The four of us can go together.”

  “That’s not gonna happen.”

  She pouted. “Oh. You want to be alone with him? You can do that any time.”

  “What I mean is, I’m not going to prom.”

  “Not with Jud? Did someone else ask you first?”

  Mr. Hoardes was glaring at us so I motioned for Kendra to follow me out of the classroom and down the hall to my locker. I put my books inside, relieved that Chemistry had been the last class of the day. School was hard, but with Jud yelling at me in front of a bunch of people, it was even more awful.

  “Addy.” Kendra frowned. “What’s going on? Who asked you to prom?”

  “Nobody.”

  “It’s prom. Our senior prom. The most exciting event of our lives. I doubt anything, short of wearing a gorgeous wedding dress, will ever top it. We’ll still be talking about the prom when we’re old, like forty or something.”

  I had to force my eyes not to roll. My dear, short-sighted friend… “Yeah. I wanted to go to prom. And I had assumed I’d go with Jud.”

  “Since you guys are dating.”

  “Were.”

  She opened her eyes so wide, it looked painful. “You were dating like an hour ago! What happened?”

  Tired of being the center of attention for all of our classmates, I grabbed Kendra’s arm and tugged her to a bench near the gym. I pointed at it and she sat. Then she pulled out her phone again.

  “Kendra. Do you mind?”

  She continued to scroll through her messages. “Just a sec.”

  “Listen. I don’t have time for this. I need to get home.”

  She huffed out a sigh and put her phone away. “All right. So what’s going on?”

  “Jud started… you know, kissing me in the hallway.”

  “I wish Marcus went to school with us. I’d let him kiss me anywhere.”

  No joke. “Anyway, since I was trying to figure out a way to nicely break it off with Jud, it just sort of… happened.”

  She lowered her eyebrows. “How did he take it?”

  “Do the words, ‘I can do a lot better than you’ answer that?”

  “Oh, shit.” She chewed on a red polished fingernail. “So… you’re boyfriend-less?”

  How to answer…. Hmmm. “Technically, yes.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Remember what Marcus told you, about seeing me making out with…” My face heated and I swallowed hard.

  Shock widened her eyes and her mouth dropped open. “What? You mean it’s true? Addy!”

  I nodded. “Well, I didn’t… we didn’t plan it. It just sort of happened.”

  “Sort of happened? You barely know him.”

  “And just how long had you known Marcus before you let him stick his tongue down your throat?”

  She narrowed her eyes in a triumphant look. “One week.”

  “Not a big difference there, Ken.” I sighed. Why was her reaction suddenly making me feel like the new school slut?

  “It’s a huge difference.” She grabbed my arm and shook it, trying to make her point. “A whole bunch of days.”

  “Okay… Anyway, Graham hasn’t called me since then, so…”

  “He hasn’t?” Her face screwed up into a frown. “Doesn’t a guy usually call a girl the day after… well you know.”

  “That’s what I thought. But this time, I guess not. Maybe he just wasn’t that interested. Besides, I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

  “Oh right. The plan.”

  Annoyed, I shook off her hand. “I have to stick to it, Kendra.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the rest of my life depends on it.”

  “You can’t plan everything out, Addy.”

  “I can try.”

  I waved good-bye to her and headed out to my car. If you could call it that. The poor old piece of junk was barely held together with duct tape. The heater didn’t work in the winter, but did pop on occasionally when the outdoor temperature hit ninety. A couple of guys in my biology class said they’d love to have a car like mine, ’cause it was cool. A sixty-seven Chevy could be cool, sure. But not mine. On mornings when it died every ten minutes on my drive to school, I was tempted to let the guys just have it. But for now, it was all I had.

  I drove home, but the car and I both must have been on automatic. I’m not sure I even really saw much on the way. Surprised, I pulled into the driveway, not really knowing how it had happened. All I could think of was Graham. Those kisses. His warm hands as they caressed my face and back. The sweet taste of his lips. The musky fragrance of his aftershave.

  And why hadn’t he called me? Who does that? Makes out with a girl, kisses her nearly to death, makes her melt against him as if she’s nothing more than gelatin slipping off a plate. Was he avoiding me? Did he not really like me? Had I done something wrong?

  Maybe he thought I wasn’t a good kisser. But I was! I had lots of experience. I had kissed lots of boys.

  Something must have turned him off. But what? Was it my hair? My perfume? My laugh?

  Maybe he thought I was too young. Once he found out I was still in high school, he might have gotten cold feet. Though if his feet were cold, nothing else had seemed to be.

  The heat coming off of his mouth, chest, and arms had been enough to nearly ignite me from the inside out. I can only imagine how hot he’d been getting below the waist. I know I’d been.

  As if I was still standing with Graham, leaning my whole front side against his, my body temperature rose. Now I was all sweaty palms and hot breath, just waiting for Graham to come by and cool me down. That wouldn’t happen though. If the two of us generated that much heat and we barely knew each other, what would happen if we got to know each other a whole lot better?

  Come on, Addy. Do you really think that’s gonna happen? Face it. He’s not into you.

  Yeah, well I wasn’t hunting for a boyfriend anyway, right?

  I got out of the car, grabbed my stuff, and slammed the door. If my mom had been looking out the window, I’m sure she wondered what I was doing. As soon as I stepped inside the house, I noticed a message for me on the dry erase
board by the phone.

  Graham Stewart called. Wants you to call him back.

  I sucked in such a huge breath that I almost hyperventilated. He’d called? He’d actually called me! I tossed my book bag and purse on the couch and dove into the chair by the phone. My hand was shaking when I picked it up to dial.

  Wait, Addy. Aren’t you forgetting something? He waited over a week to call you after practically mauling you. Shouldn’t you be mad?

  I set the phone back down. Come to think of it, I was mad. What was his deal, anyway? Who does that? If you’re really into someone, you don’t leave them hanging.

  Besides, it wasn’t the kind of conversation I really wanted my mom to overhear. Now I wished I had only given him my cell number and not our home phone, too. Had I been so hyped up from our kisses that I’d just babbled everything that popped into my head?

  I grabbed my cell from my purse and hurried upstairs to my room. I closed the door and sat down on my bed. Hold on, though. Graham made me wait for him to call me. Should I just rush right in and call him the second I got his message?

  Homework. I could do that first and get it out of the way. It had to be done anyway, right? I tossed the phone across the bed and ran downstairs for my books. Back in my room, I made a concentrated effort to study.

  Yeah, right. Only if studying involved warm, full lips pressed against mine and being held tightly against the broadest chest I’d ever seen. I had to face it. Homework just wasn’t gonna happen.

  I checked the time on my phone. Looked like I had at least tried to study for forty minutes. So it was either call Graham now, or do something meaningless like help Mom vacuum or dust.

  No, then she’d know something was up. Better call Graham. I dialed the number, already memorized from the one time seeing it on the phone board. I was usually horrible at memorizing numbers but this one had seemed very, very important. My mind must have sucked it in or something and plastered it to my brain.

  It rang four times.

  Come on, come on. Answer! I tapped my fingers on my thigh. Maybe it was a sign. The universe telling me to leave well enough alone. To quit thinking about Graham Stewart before I was reeled in too far.

  Too late. I was pretty sure it happened the first time he kissed me that first night. Maybe even before the kiss.