Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart

by Ashley Andrews

  "Now I know what to do if you ever get on my nerves," he said, laughing now.

  Tanner was somewhat like Lucas, but he was milder in the sense that his remarks were sarcastic and teasing, while Lucas' were, sarcastic, yes, but degrading. She didn't know if she liked Tanner. He was entertaining, but he was Luke's friend, even worse, Mallory's confidant. This was the first time she’d talked to him. She had met him before at parties, but they never really conversed. She had no idea if this guy was friend-potential or a backstabber. She had learned her lesson with Mallory. Anyway, back to their conversation, he was waiting for her reply.

  "Don't even try," she said warningly.

  "Or else?"

  "You can say goodbye to your one-night stands," Sicily said in mock-seriousness.

  "Are you hinting at what you might do to me?" Tanner had a full-on mischievous smirk stuck onto his face. He pulled his back away from the doorframe as he took small steps over to where Sicily stood. The guy was tall, probably only an inch smaller than Lucas. When he was in front of her she had to raise her head to meet his eyes.

  "Did you want me to get straight to the point?" she asked, feigning oblivion. "Well, here you go. I'll dismember you if you ever try to do something to me."

  "I didn't know you wanted to touch me that badly," he returned. "We can get it done and over with right now."

  Sicily tried to keep her cool since he was definitely flirting with her now. The subtle hints and the teasing remarks gave it away, and she literally had to stop herself from looking repulsed in front of him. No way in hell was she going to sleep with this guy. Maybe blindfolded and drunk…nah, not even then. The guy was too aggressive, and doing it with him would probably tire her out, and again, she didn't want to be defeated. Aside from that, Tanner wasn't her type. For one thing he was devoted to Lucas. Need she say more?

  "Tanner, you're scaring the girl." Another voice called out. "Drop it."

  "But we were in the middle of something," he said, frowning and defending himself.

  "I said Drop it," the voice repeated.

  The unmoving steel in that voice scarred her more than Tanner’s posturing. She thought. She moved her head to be able to see the figure standing behind Tanner. It was Zackary Evans, Lucas’ closest friend. Zack's voice had an edge to it, and she didn't know if that was how he usually spoke or if he was just putting on the I'm-tougher-than-you vibe. It did seem real though.

  Sicily wondered if this was how he spoke to Lucas, his best friend? If that were the case then he could possibly be the only one in the whole of Marina Del Ray who wasn't scared of their King or didn't worship the ground he walked on? It made Sicily feel better.

  "I was just playing," Tanner returned, slightly hurt that his manly pride had been stepped on.

  "You know that Lucas won't like it if he knew you were going to associate yourself with her, right?"

  Sicily couldn't stop herself. She stepped in. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded

  "We don't associate ourselves with the people who go to your school," he said, using the same hard tone he’d used with Tanner.

  Zackary's tone was really like that, cold, unmoving, hard, she soon realized. She thought it would be a benefit to her considering he was one of the very few people who didn't see their King as divine, but then his personality backfired on her. His attitude and his no nonsense voice would make her stay at the Mercer household any easier. Her nose flared up. Was he looking down upon her?

  "You don't associate with us?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to Zane's party later? Wouldn't that be association?"

  "Reality check," he said, moving much closer to her as his chest hit the front of her shoulders. "You invite us because you know your parties will be a bore without us."

  Sicily placed a finger firmly onto his chest. She decided that she disliked Zack as much as she hated Lucas. The guy was arrogant, acting as if he were better than she was. His height didn't matter. Okay, maybe it did. But a lot of her friends had bigger builds than he did.

  "Then don't go. And tomorrow you can ask your friends how tonight went without you," she said as if she were daring him.

  He took her hand away from his chest and placed it firmly at her side. He then cupped her shoulders as his eyes pierced hers. The intensity of his green eyes almost took her breath away. God just wasted his powers by gifting Zack with unbelievably beautiful eyes. They were looking at her like she was a specimen being studied under a microscope. Never in her life had she received this type of treatment, well, unless you counted yesterday with Lucas.

  "Good," he answered her in finality. "I can put my time to better use."

  Sicily wanted to curse him, hit him, or push him way. Unfortunately he was too big for her to move. Wasn't he going to stop and give way to her? Zack definitely had no respect as he continued looking down on her. Thankfully, Tanner stepped in. While she hadn’t cared for anyone in Lucas’ inner circle, she might be willing to change her mind.

  "Stop it, Zack," he said, holding his friend's chest to keep him off Sicily.

  The cheerleader breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to thank Tanner later.

  "You know she's no match for you," he then continued.

  Sicily rolled her eyes. Of course. Zack was still his friend and his loyalties would always fall with him. She got too carried away with being saved from Zack's apathy that she forgot she was a fish in a pool of sharks. Or she was a girl in a men–infested area, and in addition to that, their schools were rivals. She had the lower-hand in this, which sucked.

  "I know," he said, smirking.

  "Well, you have to admit, she brightens up this house," Tanner said to Zack, and the two continued to talk as if their topic of conversation wasn't present.

  "I was starting to get bored of listening to Luke rant about yadda-yadda this and that."

  Sicily let out a fake cough.

  "I didn't know I was so interesting," she then said. "First it was Mallory, and then you guys."

  Tanner smiled cheekily at her while Zack smirked. The two were like polar opposites, really. Tanner was flirtatious while Zack was just ignorant, and the former seemed outgoing while the latter, more secretive. But to hell with that. They were both like their captain in some weird way. They thought that everyone else was beneath them.

  "Hate to break your bubble princess, but degradation is different from admiration."

  "But still you guys talk about me," she said proudly, ignoring the fact that Zack didn't seem amused at all with her answer.

  "And here I thought Luke didn't have a woman counterpart," was what Tanner said.

  "Even Mallory isn't that self-absorbed."

  Sicily couldn't help but ask, "Why do all of you always compare her to me?"

  "Again with the pride," Zack said. "We're comparing her to you. And if you really want us to answer that question then we will. She's head cheerleader at our school and you are at yours. Comparison between the two of you can't be helped."

  Sicily let out a disgusted groan. The name Mallory wasn't even worth being in the same sentence that had her name in it. She couldn't understand why people saw the two of them as equals. Sicily was much better than that backstabbing heretic. Well, the people in Marina didn't seem to agree.

  "That bitch is so way down there," she said to the two.

  Zackary stiffened, and Sicily felt she had hit a nerve by saying that.

  "She's my friend," he warned. "Watch what you say."

  Sicily continued. She was a little frightened of Zack but not enough to stop. "And if I don't?"

  "I'd have to break your arm, and maybe then I’d have to babysit you."

  "Are you guys making fun of me?" Lucas appeared out of nowhere and caught everyone off guard. His presence was felt by everyone as Tanner, Zack and Sicily immediately looked at him and waited for him to say something else. The hall was getting crowded with four people. Lucas' lips formed a thin, grim line as he looked at each of them. His eyes landed on Si
cily and they studied each other emotionlessly.

  She put her hands behind her back and linked them together. He always made her feel cold.

  When no one answered him, he asked again, "Well, were you?"

  "We wouldn-" Tanner said but was quickly cut off by Sicily.

  "What if we were?" she threatened. "What will you do?"

  Lucas smirked as he strode over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  The touch was warm. She fought the wish that he would just draw her in, Sicily knew that was ridiculous. She shrugged her shoulders and the hand eventually moved.

  "You'll have to try it and see," was his answer.

  Before a heated argument could start between Luke and Sicily, Zack intervened, stepping in between the two as he put a firm hand on Lucas' chest and another one on the girl's shoulder. She looked into his best friend's eyes, they held an emotion of worry and with that she understood something. Like Lucas, Zack wasn't completely apathetic. He cared about his friend in some moronic manner Sicily couldn't understand. That was why he always kept his guard up in case the people he considered important to him lost theirs. Lucas was to Zack, what Theodore was to Lucas. Sicily shook her head to clear it. Their group was just too complicated.

  "You guys are confusing," she said, looking sourly at them. "I think I'll just go now."

  "Why?" Tanner asked seemingly amused.

  "I have a party to get ready for," she returned as she turned her head and eyed Zack.

  "You can't leave," was Lucas' firm demand.

  The cheerleader turned her head and looked back. She settled her back against the wall in the hallway before she placed her crossed arms over her chest. "And why can't I?"

  "Your job here isn't done yet," he said in a forceful tone.

  She smirked in return. "Just admit you like my presence," she answered back.

  "Don't flatter yourself," Luke said in reply. "You entertain me. That's all."

  Sicily gave him a look of disgust. "You make me sound like a prostitute."

  "In my eyes that might be a step up," he replied smirking. "Now be a dear, do your jog, and entertain me."

  Annoyance flashed through Sicily's hazy blue eyes as the three guys looked at her in amusement. She pulled her back away from the wall she had been leaning on for a few minutes and began to walk away as she shook her head in disappointment.

  All she had received since she started taking care of Lucas were demeaning remarks and jokes intended to belittle her. She wasn't only disappointed but irritated too. She never received this kind of treatment from her peers. It deeply upset her that someone would treat her this way, and let’s face it, that she couldn't influence these guys like she did everyone at her school. She couldn't shout and make them stop, they were taller, bigger, stronger, and they didn’t seem to have any innate respect for women. They were guys to be afraid of.

  "I'm not entertained," Lucas called out from the distance.

  Before she went down the stairs, Sicily flipped her middle finger up, and raised her hand over her head. She started to smile to herself in triumph, but she had injured the groups pride and raised their anger. Before she could take that last step, a hand grabbed her shoulder, keeping her in place. It belonged to the person she least expected to react to her gesture.

  "Move your hand away from my arm," she said, teeth gritted. "It's not supposed to be there."

  Sicily turned around and came to face-to-face with Lucas. While she usually thought that he was the most gorgeous guy she would ever meet, today she wasn’t happy to be up close and personal with that face.

  Lucas returned her look with a sneer of his own.

  The cheerleader could only let out a grunt. Lucas and the rest of his gang annoyed her, treating her as if she were nothing more than a dumb blonde. For one thing she had dark brown hair with a few red streaks, and for another, she was far from stupid. She had four AP classes, Philosophy included.

  "Get your hand off my shoulder!" She said, her voice rising.

  As expected, Lucas didn't obey. His hand remained on her arm, causing shivers to skitter up to her shoulder. She tried moving away but it seemed like the guy was super-glued to her side. When she moved down the stairs, he followed after her. As she sauntered through to the grand entrance of the house, he remained beside her. She sighed. She should have just broken his leg if she knew it was going to be this way.

  She turned once more to face him. At this point all she could do was glare at him. What else could she do? She was puny compared to him.

  "You didn't want my hand on your arm, so I moved it to your shoulder," he replied. "And when I did, you tell me you don't want me to touch you there. So where do you want my touch, Sicily?"

  She shivered. "Not anywhere."

  "How about on your ass?"

  Sicily tilted up her head to make eye contact, and again, the guy was smirking as his friends began to laugh. She could try to run away from them but in heels, she wouldn’t get very far. When she had raised her voice to make it intimidating, they only mocked her. She was running out of options to protect herself from these bullies. She finally decided to play along.

  "How about my chest?" she said sarcastically as her internal self felt like gagging.

  Lucas, for a very brief moment, actually looked surprised but he quickly covered it with an amused expression.

  "Anything suits me just fine," he said in reply.

  "Only fine?" she asked in mock disappointment.

  She took a step closer to the door, and luckily Lucas didn't seem to realize her hidden agenda. He moved with her again, but not enough to cage her.

  "You know you're great, baby," he said, winking, making sure that everyone knew he was just pacifying her.

  As quickly as possible, Sicily opened the door and made a run for her car. She immediately got in, turned her engine on, and drove away. She was too caught up thinking about getting away from Lucas, Tanner, and Zack that she forgot one tiny but dreadful detail. The Mercer Mansion had a security gate. Apparently Lucas had told the guard not to open it for Sicily no matter how much she begged. So she had no choice but to go back and face the devil and his minions. When she entered the house, she found the three guys sitting down on the steps of the double staircase. Waiting for her. Again, they were smirking.

  "Thought you could escape so easily?" Lucas grinned. He was sitting down with his good arm leaning on the steel railing.

  Sicily just very badly wanted to break that one.

  "Forgive us for our horrid deed," Tanner said.

  Zack chimed in, “I never realized how fun you were until now."

  Sicily blinked her eyes, wishing that she were dreaming. She was back inside Lucas' lair. She wasn't really scared of these guys. For one thing there were too many servants around for them to actually do more than play with her mind. But she was tired and slightly annoyed with the treatment she had received. Tanner was the only one who had been even remotely civil to her.

  "I know we're hot," Tanner said, bringing her back to reality. "But please don't stare."

  Sicily smiled. She was thankful he was there even though two days ago she wished him dead when he was following after Zane and her. Tanner had made this experience bearable. He made her grin with his remarks and amusing facial expressions.

  "Oh, don't worry, I wasn't staring,” was Sicily's reply. She was still standing in front of them. Her feet hurt, standing in these heels. She wanted out of here. But if Lucas knew her weakness, he'd probably use it to his advantage and annoy the wits out of her.

  "Honesty is always the best policy," Lucas stated. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that?"

  Sicily was about to answer when she was cut off by Lucas when he said, "Oh, I forgot. According to you, they never raised you."

  Sicily flinched at the mention of her parents. She knew that was his intention. She felt anger inside her. So she didn't have a close relationship with either of her parents, she still had feelings, just like any other person, and she
was emotional, just like every girl. She wanted to be loved, and the only person she could say who truly loved her was Zane. Of course, that was only as a friend, but that still really mattered to her.

  "Did I hit a nerve there?"

  Sicily grunted and almost stomped her foot petulantly when those words came out of Lucas' mouth.

  He knew she didn't like what he was doing or saying, but that didn't make him stop, and deep inside him, he was even enjoying antagonizing her.

  A thought suddenly came into Zack's mind – the two fit each other perfectly. They were both drop-dead gorgeous, filthy rich, unbelievably arrogant, and they were both complete asses.

  "Are you speechless in the presence of my handsome looks, or too scared to say all the wrong things?" Lucas snarled.

  “I am not the only one with parent problems," Sicily said, about to tread dangerous waters. "At least my parents keep their distance."

  "And your point is?"

  "They don’t fight, yours do, all the time and loudly," she said in response, and as she thought, it upset Lucas when she mentioned his parents.

  A few seconds passed, and no one spoke a word. Sicily took the opportunity to get the last words. "What’s a matter, Lucas, did I hit a nerve?"

  "Luke, what is she talking about?" Zack asked, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

  The four hadn’t moved, they were still in the foyer of the Mercer mansion. Lucas' servants would pass from time to time just to clean a few spots here and there and to keep everything tidy, but they wouldn’t interfere in the whole situation. This situation would only get worse because neither Sicily nor Lucas would ever back down.

  "She's been stalking me like every other chick," he quipped. "If you want to know more about me sweetheart, just check out my MySpace."

  Sicily smiled while Lucas remained silent and apparently unmoved by her words. But she and Zack both knew that Lucas was fighting a whirlpool of unwanted emotions, deep inside him. He was a really good actor, and Sicily had to give him credit for that. But of course, Lucas had to give Sicily some praise too. The girl wasn't like any other. She was bitchier than Mallory.