Wrecked

by Rachel Hanna

  With a huff, she tossed her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder and walked with purpose towards the boys. The twins greeted her with nervous smiles. They said something, but they were a little too far away to hear clearly. I saw Lexie turn towards Logan and cross her arms over her small chest.

  She said something, but he only shrugged his shoulders. At his indifference she slapped her hand across his cheek, fury registering on her face. Then she stomped away, throwing the doors of the dining hall open and nearly barreling into several incoming people.

  The whole thing was over in minutes.

  Turning to Kass, I asked, “What was that all about?”

  She shrugged mildly, picking around her salad—she was trying out one of those new diets in an effort to improve her brain power. “I don’t know,” she said. “Lexie’s been acting all funny since Movie Night. Hey, do you think a week without a call means that he regrets kissing me, or that he’s just trying to not appear too eager?”

  I sighed. We’d been having this conversation every day since her and James’s study date for French last week. “He’s probably just waiting for the right time.” Turning my focus to Danny, I raised my eyebrows in question.

  She took a moment to chew her bite before saying, “C’mon. Just ‘cause you’re all about the studying and work part of school doesn’t mean that you missed the way she threw herself at him on Friday.”

  She was right. I hadn’t missed that. No one had. None of us had said anything, because that was just how Lexie was, but when he threw his arm around her shoulders and walked her out it was pretty clear what their intentions were.

  Except I wasn’t a hundred percent what his intentions were. He’d taken a moment to glance over his shoulder and look at me. To wink at me.

  And I just wasn’t sure what that was about really.

  “She definitely slept with him,” Danny continued.

  Kass, who had been completely involved with her phone that day, snapped to attention at the sound of gossip reaching her ears. “You think so?” she asked, leaning forward and automatically dropping the volume of her voice.

  Danny rolled her eyes. “Of course she did! I mean, Lexie’s not exactly saving herself for marriage, and Logan’s exactly the type to take advantage of a free meal, if you know what I mean.”

  I did know what she meant. We both did. Kass glanced over at Logan and the twins who had gotten in line to pick up some food. I did my best to keep my gaze away from the trio. Instead, I kept my focus on my plate. I took a deliberate bite of my sandwich and chewed.

  “Lexie’s tried everything to get him back,” Danny continued. “I heard her on the phone earlier begging and pleading with him to take her back, and when that didn’t work she tried to bribe him with some kinky sex.” Danny made a face that clearly said she was grossed out. “And when that didn’t work, she threatened him.”

  Kass’s eyebrows rose up high on her face and I could see her interest in gossip grow. “Threatened him how? Logan isn’t exactly a push over.”

  Danny grinned. “She’s got an older brother or something who was into the wrestling thing in high school.”

  Kass laughed out loud at that, shaking her head. “The girl’s hopeless.”

  They continued to talk for a moment about poor, foolish Lexie and how she always got herself into these situations. They wondered whether or not she really cared whether she was with Logan at all or if it was more just about the getting rejected that upset her.

  Honestly, I found that I didn’t care. It bothered me that Lexie had thrown herself at him, but more than that, that she had just given it up to him. I knew all about the wanting guys, about the using feminine wiles to catch them, but going all the way with someone that was only a game? That had always been the line for me and I had never crossed it.

  I didn’t condone what Logan had done, but I didn’t think Lexie was in the right either. It seemed to me like they both messed up here, so I had little sympathy for either party. I took another bite of my sandwich.

  When I had swallowed, I said, “I knew he was trouble from the first moment I saw him.”

  Kass’s gaze was focused on the guys. They were shoving at each other and laughing about something. Maybe Lexie, though I kind of hoped not. I had respect for Mason, and even Mark sometimes, though he could be a real jerk to the people he didn’t like. So I hoped they weren’t getting a laugh out of Lexie’s… promiscuity.

  “Well duh,” Kass said in response. “I mean, he was suspended for Christ’s sake. Of course he’s trouble. I’d have been surprised if he hadn’t slept with Lexie.”

  Danny nodded her head in clear agreement.

  Frowning, I glanced between the two of them, confused. “Suspended?”

  “Yeah, you knew that, didn’t you?”

  I shook my head. “No. Suspended for what?”

  “Sure you did,” Kass told me, waving her hand as though to get rid of my surprise. “It was going around the whole school, remember? Logan Murphy got suspended for fighting or something. Everyone thought he was going to get kicked out, but then he somehow dodged both expulsion and suspension. He was let off the hook last week.”

  “Wait, that was him?” I asked, shocked.

  “Yep,” Kass confirmed.

  My eyes darted over to Logan. He and the twins were walking towards our table now, having gotten their food. I let my gaze slide over Logan from head to foot and decided I wasn’t that surprised actually. I had seen him tumble around—jokingly, I assumed then, but now I wasn’t so sure—with the guy from the other day and I remembered just how easily it had been for him to restrain him.

  “That’s why the name Logan sounded so familiar,” I murmured mostly to myself.

  Mason and Mark took up the seats next to us, Mark sitting with Kass and Mason taking Lexie’s vacated seat. Before he got settled though, Danny got up. “Take mine. I’ve got to book it to make it to practice on time. See you guys later.”

  She waved at us and Mason took her seat, just sliding his plate across the table.

  “So what’s new?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Not much. Just discussing your ‘not as bad as you think’ friend over there.” I motioned towards Logan who had split from the twins to go to a different table that was filled with several girls. He was smirking at them and more than one was giggling and twirling her hair around her finger.

  Mason winced, not even bothering to look at who I was pointing at. “I know he hasn’t made the best impression…”

  “He slept with Lexie and dumped her,” I pointed out blandly.

  Letting out a sigh and running his hands through his hair, he nodded his head. It wasn’t really something he could deny. “Which makes him kind of a jerk,” he admitted reluctantly. “But Lexie’s an adult. She was the one who was throwing herself at him.”

  Point for him. “Yes, and that makes her dumb, but it doesn’t change the fact that he still just threw her to the curb afterward.”

  Mason nodded. “I know. Logan’s never been particularly good with women…”

  “Or maybe too good,” Mark filled in, nudging Kass and laughing. “Seems like he’s always got a girl wrapped up in him.”

  Mark’s comment was a point in my favor, whether he realized it or not. I lifted a single eyebrow triumphantly at Mason who sighed again. Crumpling up a napkin, he tossed the ball at his brother.

  “Thanks, that was very helpful.”

  Mark batted the ball away. “Hey! What did I do?”

  Mason just shook his head at his brother. I rolled my eyes at the boys. They were such goofs sometimes. They began to argue as my gaze shifted from our table over to the one where Logan had settled. The one with the giggling idiot girls…

  Just as I found him, his eyes met mine. Our gazes locked and even from across the room I could feel the intensity and power of his blue eyes. After a moment, I heard my phone vibrating on the table, breaking whatever spell had formed between us two. Logan gave me a wink and I jerked
my gaze away, turning back to our table. I put my hand over my cell phone, not wanting to look at it and not wanting anyone else to either.

  Mason was glancing back and forth between me and Logan with a frown, but Mark was cracking up with laughter.

  “Uh-oh,” he said with a grin. “You’d better watch out, Addy. Looks like Logan’s gunning for you.”

  Kass shoved at Mark. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just being stupid.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Mark and scoffed in as haughty and snobbish of a tone as I could muster. Gathering up the remainder of my lunch, I jerked my phone off the counter and shoved it into my pocket as I stood from the table.

  “C’mon Addy,” Mason began. “Don’t go. Mark’s just messing with you.”

  I didn’t tell him that it wasn’t just Mark’s teasing or Logan’s wink that had me flustered. I didn’t have to check to know who that text was from and I didn’t want to think about what it said.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said stiffly and turned away, marching towards the dining hall doors.

  Kass called out a goodbye, frowning as I left and Mason looked like he wanted to get up and come after me, but he didn’t. He remained seated, tossing something else at his brother. When I made it out into the empty hall and several paces away from the dining hall, I put my back against the wall and slid down to the ground. Reluctantly, I pulled my phone out and stared at the screen.

  Sure enough, there was another text message blinking up at me.

  I dreaded what it said. The last thing I wanted to do was open it. My mother had been sending them all weekend and had even tried to call me. The last time she had done that, it was about Mrs. Ansell having her first heart attack and ending up in the hospital.

  Which meant that no matter how curt and cold her text messages were now, this was getting serious. And it was about Miranda.

  I knew that I needed to just face my fears and talk to my mother, but just seeing Miranda’s name typed out on my screen had me freaked out. I couldn’t face whatever she had to say to me.

  Taking a deep breath, I opened the message.

  She wants to talk to you.

  As soon as I saw it, I clenched my eyes shut, placing my hand over my chest in hopes of calming the spike of pain there, but it didn’t work. I knew better than to think anything ever would.

  It’s all your fault.

  Chapter 7

  I was relieved that it was Monday. Monday nights were reserved for my extracurricular class, Self Defense. It was taught by a tall, limber woman with strong shoulders and those lean muscles that come from years of physical training. Amber was a graduate student focusing on physical therapy. Her goal was to one day own her own gym that offered free self defense lessons to every woman who walked in and wanted one.

  I liked her a lot and while I wasn’t like a lot of the girls here who took it because they were nervous, or shy, or felt weak, or had at some point been put in a bad position, I appreciated the strength and confidence self-defense gave me.

  Today, especially, I appreciated the class and was looking forward to it. All of this Miranda stuff was stressing me out to the point where my muscles felt sore and tense all of the time. Defense would give me a way to get rid of some of that tension in a helpful, productive way that no one would question.

  Here, girls were encouraged to take out their frustrations physically.

  I was early to class and switched out my shoes to the ones I was allowed to wear on the mat as a couple of the other girls who were also early chatted with each other. Amber came in maybe ten minutes later, her dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She moved to the middle of the mat and clapped her hands together, getting our attention. Most of the other girls had filtered in by now and class was starting.

  “Alright, ladies,” she said in a pumped up voice. She was always enthusiastic for class, passionate about what she was doing and fully believing in its positive effect on all of her girls. “We’re going to start today with our normal work out and then we’ll break into groups to practice some of the moves we learned last week. Today’ll be a little different, though. I’ve asked for a guest to help out with demonstrations. I don’t want anyone to be alarmed and if you’re not comfortable, you can opt out, but it’s important to know how to handle yourself against someone who’s bigger, and stronger, than you are.”

  We all murmured in surprise. Amber had spent our entire learning experience reminding us that we were smaller and usually physically weaker than our attackers, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t win. It meant we had to be ready, to be alert, and to be smarter, but it never meant we couldn’t win.

  I had always admired her for that.

  We spent the next twenty minutes warming up, and already I was feeling better. My muscles were starting to burn as my skin warmed up, a nice sheen of sweat covering me. When we paused after warm ups to get water—and to give Amber a moment to go find her guest—I pulled out my ponytail to shake out my hair. The humidity in the room coupled with my own sweat was causing ringlets to start in my hair again. I did my best to comb the out, but it was clear that the straightening wasn’t going to hold.

  It rarely did during Defense. Making it at least manageable, I pulled it back up just as the door opened again and Amber walked back inside. Trailing behind her was her guest: Logan.

  My jaw dropped.

  Logan? What was he doing here?

  The impression I’d gotten of him—womanizing prick—hadn’t really seemed synonymous with helping out with a self-defense class that focused specifically on teaching women how to take down people like him.

  “Everyone,” Amber called when the girls had started to whisper amongst themselves at the sight of Logan. I understood why. He was something to see. “This is Logan Murphy. He’s a good friend of mine and was happy enough to volunteer his time for us today. Let’s make the most of it.”

  The group quieted down as Logan made his way across the mat. I thought that it was the jeans and the jacket that had given him that roguish sex appeal, but even dressed as he was in a pair of UMass sweats and a gray t-shirt, he looked amazing.

  He stood next to Amber and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. She nodded her head once and said something in response, equally as quiet so that none of us girls could hear it.

  He gave her a single nod of understanding, then backed up several steps, staying on the balls of his feet and bending his knees. He was graceful in his movements and seemed like he might have had some kind of formal fighting training.

  Or maybe he got into enough of the on his own that he’d picked up a few things. The latter seemed more likely to me.

  Amber was looking at Logan, but addressed us in her calm, smooth voice. “Alright, ladies. I asked Mr. Murphy here to help out today because he’s a pretty big man.”

  My eyes scanned over his body, all six feet plus of him made of hard muscle it seemed like. Yep. She was right. He was definitely a pretty big man.

  “And he’s not just bigger than you—he’s physically stronger,” she continued, still calm to keep any of the nervousness the girls might be experiencing to a minimum. She had a real knack for keeping everyone in a good mood, feeling safe and confident. Part of that was her own confidence, but a lot of that I attributed to the soft tones of her voice, too. “I want you all to know what it’s like to face off against someone bigger, but in a controlled environment. I know he looks scary, but he’s a pushover,” she said to us with a wink, making several of the girls laugh.

  I didn’t, however, because I was pretty sure he was anything but a pushover. It wasn’t just the sleek, taut muscles that convinced me of that either. He was built to fight, I realized, made for violence. And I thought he was probably the type to enjoy it.

  It didn’t make me eager for sparring with him and I hoped this would be a demonstration only guest.

  Moments later, Amber made a motion with her hand, tiny and subtle, but it was clearly what Logan had been waiting for. He moved like l
ightning, darting across the mat towards Amber. Several of the girls gasped, myself included. We were sure he was going to catch her, but Amber moved deftly to the side, missing him completely and spinning on the balls of her feet so that she was standing behind him instead. Using his own momentum against him, she gave him a shove so that he went several more steps. He caught himself on the wall and spun back around so that he was facing Amber again.

  I thought maybe he was going to rush her again, but he just paused there, waiting for another sign. While he waited, Amber spoke to us again. “Bigger people tend to be slower,” she said, although I didn’t think Logan had been very slow. “And when they’re not, it’s usually because they’re putting more power behind their movements in order to get that extra burst of speed. When you’re smaller, use your size and speed to your advantage. You don’t have to use near the energy to move quickly, especially if you keep your movements small and specific. If he’s rushing you like Logan just did, then use his own momentum against him. Let him propel himself across the room and away from you.”

  They had all of our attention now. We watched with wide eyes, riveted to their bodies. Amber signaled again for Logan to come for her. He obliged, but didn’t head straight for her. Instead, he faked her out, heading to the right and then aiming around for her left. He managed to get ahold of her wrist.

  I tensed, waiting for him to give her a sharp yank and throw her off balance or something, but he paused right there. Amber remained calm and as he held on to her, she continued her lesson. “If you don’t manage to get away, don’t panic. It happens sometimes, but you aren’t down for the count yet.” She motioned towards her wrist, held by one of Logan’s. “He’s got me here and it only takes one good yank to throw me off balance and likely make me fall, right?”