by Amber Garza
“Thanks.” I start to turn around, but Mom’s voice stops me.
“When are you going to tell me what’s going on between you two?”
I spin around. “What do you mean?”
Mom sets her book down on the cushion next to her leg. “C’mon. It’s obvious you two like each other. I’m not blind.”
I giggle. “Yeah, we’re sort of going out.”
“I figured. When that boy looks at you it’s like he’s seeing the sun for the first time.”
My body buzzes at her words. “You think so?”
“I know so.”
Through the front window I spot the car pull up in front of our house. Hurriedly, I finish tying my shoes. Then I snatch up my backpack and fling it over my shoulder.
“Bye, Mom. See you after school.”
“Okay, honey. Have a good day.”
Yanking open the front door, I step outside. The cold air stings my cheeks, as I scurry down the front walkway. Tripp waves from where he sits inside the car, and my heart flips in my chest. I’m still getting used to the fact that Tripp is my boyfriend. Boyfriend. I’ve never had one before. And never in my wildest fantasies did I ever think that when I did it would be Tripp.
Tripp hops out of the car, comes around the passenger side and holds the door open for me. I’m impressed with what a gentleman he is. My dad would be thrilled. He’s always lectured me on how a boy should treat me; how I need to date a boy who will open doors and pull out chairs for me. Although I have a feeling even this won't convince my dad that Tripp is the right guy for me. When I told him about my relationship with Tripp, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. Clearly he knows something I don’t, and it must not be good. I wish someone would tell me what it is. The last thing I want is to be blindsided by something the same way I was when Sonya spilled my secret. I’m not sure I can handle anything like that again, especially not when it comes to Tripp. As much as it scares me to admit it, I’m falling for him hard.
“Good morning, Leelee.” Tripp plants a kiss on my cheek.
I smile. “You’re not going to stop calling me that, are you?”
“Probably not.” His fingers brush over my back as I lower myself into the passenger seat. After closing the door Tripp makes his way back into the driver’s side. “Sleep well?”
“Not really,” I answer honestly. It’s funny how comfortable I feel with Tripp in such a short period of time. Usually I feel so guarded around everyone.
“Me either. I was too busy thinking about you.”
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow. “What were you thinking about?”
“This.” He leans across the center console and brushes his lips over mine so lightly I can barely feel it. Desire rushes to the surface, and I can hardly stand it. When he starts to pull away, I grab onto his neck and pull him back. My lips crash into his and I push my tongue into his mouth like I'm starving and he's the last thing on earth to eat. His hand grazes my cheek, his knuckles running the length of my jaw line. He pulls back and smiles. “As much as I want to sit here and do this all day, we probably should stop.”
“Why?” I ask, my heart hammering loudly in my chest.
“Cause your mom’s watching from the window.” He points over my shoulder.
“Oh.” My face flames. I slide down in my seat, my head in my hands. “God, how embarrassing.”
Chuckling, Tripp starts the engine and speeds away from the curb. “So, do you think your mom will still want me around after witnessing that?”
I swat away his words. “Are you kidding? She loves you. She’ll probably just want to have ‘the talk’ with me again.” Cringing, I think about the first we had to have “the talk.” It was so awkward, and I didn’t even have a boyfriend at the time. I can’t imagine how horrible it will be now.
Tripp reaches out his hand and turns up the volume on his radio. A country song I recognize plays from the speakers.
“I didn’t know you liked country music.” I turn to him.
“Yeah. You too?”
I nod. “It’s my favorite.”
“Could you be any more perfect for me, Hadley Summers?”
I giggle, glancing out the window. His words play over and over in my head. No one has ever given me so many compliments. Usually I’m the butt of everyone’s jokes, not the object of their affection. It’s so surreal.
“Hey, you coming to the game tonight?” Tripp asks.
I want to say no. The last place I want to be tonight is at a school football game, but when I look at Tripp his expectant look cuts to my heart. Clearly he wants me there. How can I say no? “Of course.”
He smiles back and then faces forward. When his car turns the corner, the school comes into view, and a small ray of doubt creeps in. Will Tripp still want to be with me when he sees everyone’s reaction to our relationship? It’s one thing when it’s just the two of us. It will be quite another when he’s teased or shunned for it. I mean, he only had a small taste of it last week, and that’s when we were just friends. I don’t think he knows how ugly things will get now. Tripp has never been on this side of things before.
As if sensing my uneasiness, Tripp’s hand finds mine. His fingertips trace the lines in my flesh. “It’s going to be okay, Hadley.”
I nod, swallowing hard. I hope he’s right.
While Tripp guides his car into a parking space, I try not to notice all the eyes on us. It's like every student in the parking lot has nothing better to do than stare in our direction. When Tripp catches me hunching over and pulling my hair over my face, he tucks his finger under my chin, forcing me to look up.
“Stop doing that. Don’t let anyone make you feel small. You’re not small, Hadley.”
I give him a light smile. “What am I, a giant? That’s not exactly a compliment, Tripp. Most girls want to be small.”
He flashes me an exasperated look. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do, and I appreciate it.” I kiss him swiftly on the mouth.
“You know, you don’t have to stop. Your mom’s not here to see us.”
My gaze lingers on his lips, but then a group of students walk past reminding me that we have observers. “Yeah, but we’re not exactly alone.” I snatch my backpack off the ground and then push open the door.
“Not into PDA. I got it.” Tripp winks, and gets out of the car as well. His jacket billows around him, exposing the tight shirt underneath. My eyes catch on his muscles, and my brows lift a little. Tripp’s mouth curves into a knowing smile. “You’re rethinking the whole PDA thing now, aren’t you?”
“You wish.” Flinging my backpack over my shoulder, I whirl away from him.
He jogs toward me, snaking his arm around my waist. His mouth nears my ear. “Yeah, you’re right. I do wish.” The words tickle me, causing goosebumps to rise on my neck.
I shiver, and my knees buckle. Tripp’s arm keeps me upright, though, and I’m grateful for that. By the time we reach the school hallway, I’m practically plastered to Tripp’s shoulder. I hate how everyone is staring in our direction and whispering to each other. It’s unnerving.
“Just ignore them,” Tripp commands in a harsh whisper.
I nod, forcing my head up. He drops his arm, and for one second I panic. But then his hand closes over mine and he holds it tightly. Tripp opens the door to the hallway, and together we step inside. I squeeze his fingers and he gives me an encouraging smile. It’s one of his dimpled ones, and I start to feel calm.
As Tripp and I walk hand in hand to my locker, I spot Sonya watching from across the hall. She narrows her eyes at me and purses her lips. I keep my chin up, but avert my eyes from her evil gaze. Even though I’m not looking I can still feel her eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.
We get to my locker and I pop it open. Tripp rests his back against the locker next to mine, bends one leg and shoves his fingers into his pockets.
"How come you never went into modeling?" I ask him.
"What?" The expression on his
face makes me wonder if Tripp knows just how good looking he is.
"It's just that sometimes you look like you're posing for a magazine or something."
"Is this one of those times?" There is a teasing lilt in his voice.
"Maybe." I dip my hand into my locker and close my fingers around my math book.
"I told you that you're rethinking the PDA thing."
After dropping my math book in my backpack, I swat at his upper arm with my hand. "No, I'm not."
"Hey." Tripp's eyebrows lift and he thrusts his hand into my locker. "Is this what I think it is?" He extracts his hand, and in between his fingers he holds the wad of paper he left on my locker all those weeks ago. "Hadley, are you still plotting your revenge on me?"
I snatch the paper from his fingers. "Possibly." I give him a coy look. "So you better be on your best behavior."
Tripp's guy friends walk past us, a curious look on their faces.
“Hey Tripp,” Mav calls out.
“Hey.” Tripp waves in their direction, but doesn't move.
They stare at us with confused expressions. It’s obvious that they don’t approve of their friend’s choice in a girlfriend, and it makes me feel sick. “You should go talk to your friends.”
“Not this again.” Tripp groans.
“No, it has nothing to do with us.” I force a smile. “It’s just that I don’t want to be one of those girlfriends who demands all of her boyfriend’s time. So, go talk to your friends and I’ll see you at lunch.” I shoo him away with my hands.
“You’re the best, you know that.” He leans down and presses his lips to my cheek. Then he spins around, heading toward his friends. Biting my lip, I watch his retreating back. The minute he starts talking to Maverick, Sonya and her friends saunter in their direction wearing their cheerleading uniforms, since it's game day. It makes me feel left out. If only I were strong enough to go over there with him. If only I were part of his group.
When I turn back around to close my locker, I wonder if I’m fooling myself thinking that this will work.
TWENTY-FOUR
TRIPP
“What the hell is wrong with you, man?” Mav whispers harshly through his helmet after I fumble the ball for the second time tonight.
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Just can’t get my head in the game, I guess.”
“Well, get it in the game.” He slaps me on the back.
Nodding, I lift my eyes to the stands again. Where is she? She promised she’d be here but I haven’t been able to find her all game. My gaze lands on my dad who is glaring out onto the field. Turning away, I feel a little sick.
“You’re not looking for nerd girl, are you?” Mav says chuckling.
“Don’t call her that,” I say through gritted teeth.
Before he can respond, the referee blows the whistle and we scramble into position. After a couple more disastrous plays I get benched. I don’t dare look in Dad’s direction as I hobble off the field. It’s not like I need to see his face to know how pissed he is at me. Right before I plant my butt on the bench, I spot her. My spirits lift. Never before has one person had the ability to make me feel so content before. Just knowing she’s here causes peace to rest over me.
Her eyes lock with mine, and she flashes me a thumbs up sign and a smile. It almost makes me laugh out loud. Only Hadley would think I’m playing well, even though all I’ve done is screw up the whole night. Then again, it’s nice to have someone actually support me for once. My heart skipping a beat, I smile back before sitting down. The rest of the game is a blur. We end up losing, but all I can think about is being with Hadley, so I don’t care. When the game ends, I head to the locker room to get my ass chewed out by Coach Russell in front of the whole team. Not that I expected it to go any differently. I'm beyond relieved when he finally stalks off. I can hardly stand to go another minute before seeing Hadley. Without even changing my clothes, I tear out of the locker room and race toward the stands to greet my girl.
She stands up, her face lighting up at my approach. Her eyes bear her surprised reaction that I sought her out so quickly. It makes me wonder if she’ll ever trust our relationship; if she’ll ever stop doubting herself.
“Hey.” I draw her to me, planting a kiss on her lips.
“Hey,” she responds, leaning into me.
I glance down at Paige who still sits on the bench. “Hi, Paige. Thanks for keeping her company.”
“Yeah, don’t expect me to do it again. This was the longest night of my life,” she says with a groan.
I just chuckle and return my attention to Hadley.
“You played great,” she says.
“Yeah, right.” I force out a light laugh.
Hadley shrugs. “I don’t know anything about the game.”
“Well, the object is to hold onto the ball, not drop it,” I clarify.
“All I know is that my man looked sexy out there.” She grins, running her fingers up my arm.
I kiss her on the tip of her nose. People chat and laugh all around us and a couple of people shove past us to try to get out. I don’t care. All I care about is this girl in my arms. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too,” she says, resting her head on my chest. Then she scrunches up her face, touching my pads. “These are kinda annoying.”
I chuckle. “I’ll go change in a minute. I just wanted to see you before you left.”
“I’ll wait for you.” She pushes away from me, and starts to sit down next to Paige.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” I turn around and walk straight into my Dad. Mom stands next to him, her hands fluttering over her chest. Her nervous energy radiates from her like a heat wave.
“Who is this?” Dad bellows, pointing toward Hadley.
My stomach rolls making me feel like I might puke. I had forgotten about Dad when I came bounding over here. Now I wish I had stayed in the locker room a little longer. Hadley does not need to be subjected to my dad. Ever.
“Hi, Mr. Bauer.” Hadley walks over to us, sticking her hand out. “I’m Hadley Summers.”
“Hi,” Dad says gruffly taking her hand. “Summers? Why does that sound familiar?”
I find it difficult to draw breath, and I’m desperately praying that he doesn’t make the connection.
“And you must be Mrs. Bauer?” Hadley continues with the introductions, oblivious to the tension all around us.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Hadley.” Mom takes Hadley’s hand in hers, offering her a sweet smile. Gratitude sweeps over me as I take in the scene. At least Mom has the decency to be polite.
“C’mere, son.” Dad grabs me by the arm and yanks me away from Mom and Hadley. Mom’s gaze flits over to us warily, but then she ushers Hadley back toward her seat, and I’m grateful to her once again. I know Dad’s going to berate me, and I have no desire for Hadley to witness it.
“What was that?” Dad says harshly once we are out of ear shot. “You blew the game.”
I glance around making sure no one is listening to us. There are still a few groups of people on the bleachers, but they are all immersed in their own conversations. I guess I should be grateful that we’re going to have it out here instead of at home. At least here there are witnesses so Dad will have to keep his temper in check.
“Sorry, sir.” I lift my eyes to meet his. “I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s that girl, isn’t it?” The way he refers to Hadley like she’s dirt angers me.
“No, sir.”
“I know who she is. She’s that quack’s daughter. Rob’s stepdaughter.” He shakes his head. “She’s a nobody. Definitely not the type of girl you should be with. Hell, she’s not even that cute.”
I blow out a breath, fisting my hands at my sides. “She is too.”
“Excuse me?” Dad cocks his head to the side, challenging me.
I straighten my fingers back out, and will my body to relax. “Sorry.”
“I will not put up with this.”
Dad gets right up in my face. “You stop seeing that girl and you get your act together. Understand?”
I nod, unable to formulate words.
“I said, do you understand?” His face is so close to mine, I can smell the stink of his breath.
“Yes sir,” I say. I’ve never disobeyed my dad before, but I can’t let him take Hadley from me. She’s my whole world. Without her I have absolutely nothing. He’s taken everything else. This time I’ve got to find a way to fight back, to hold my ground.
TWENTY-FIVE
HADLEY
“So, where were we before your parents interrupted?” I give Tripp a seductive wink once his parents take off.
He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Tripp’s smile is one of my favorite things about him. His joy is contagious most of the times. But right now his smile is almost sad.
“You okay?” I ask, concerned. Normally he loves when I flirt with him.
“Yeah, fine.” He clears his throat, his eyes shifting around as if he’s looking for someone.
My insides coil into knots. I glance down at Paige, but she’s playing a game on her cell phone and doesn’t seem to notice anything at all. She has the innate ability to tune everyone out when she wants to. “Okay,” I say in a chipper voice hoping to bring the mood up. “What do you want to do tonight?”
“Actually, I’m kinda tired. I think I’m just gonna go home, Hadley.” Tripp stares at the ground by his feet.
“Oh.” I furrow my brows, searching Tripp’s face. Everything was fine ten minutes ago. What changed? “Did something happen with your dad?”
His head snaps up, and his face pales. “No. I’m just tired, okay?”
I reel back from the harshness of his words. “Sorry. You’re just acting so strange all of the sudden.”
Tripp’s face softens, and he reaches for me. I melt into him, grateful for the affection. “I’m sorry, Hadley. It was just a tough game, and I’m beat.”
I nod against his chest, believing him. Even though I don’t know much about football, it did seem like quite a work out with all the running and tackling. When we separate, I peer up at him. “See you tomorrow then?”
