by Blair Holden
“So where do you want to go first?” he asks but I can’t make heads or tails of whatever’s come out of his mouth. I am way too aware of where his hand’s rubbing my back slightly. He slept in the same bed as me and that didn’t freak me out as much as this is. It’s not normal for this to happen, I cannot be blushing because of Cole Stone, it’s so absurd!
“Tessie?” He sounds a little worried as we walk up to where the escalators are. I cannot let him see that he’s affecting me the way he is. I’ll be just another girl who falls under his spell and then once he sees that he’ll leave me alone. I like being special and I don’t want him to leave me alone. Not just yet.
“Oh, sorry, I guess I just spaced out a bit.”
He grins, a satisfied gleam in his eye as he bends down and whispers in my ear, “I bet you did.”
***
We’ve been to about eight different stores and I cannot find a dress that doesn’t make me want to throw up. Why must society force us to wear that amount of glitter or pink? Seriously people, I’m not the love child of Edward Cullen and Tinker Bell, just a whiny teenager.
“Okay, that’s it, shortcake, I need a break,” Cole pants as he falls behind. He’s being so dramatic; we haven’t even been through half of this floor. Well, technically this is the fourth floor we’ve been on but the guy needs to get a grip.
“Come on, don’t be a wuss, Stone. Let’s just see what shops they have here and then we’ll go to the food court.”
He bends, resting his hands on his knees and shakes his head furiously. “No more dresses, I beg you, Tessie. If I hear one more thing about lace detailing, I’ll keel over.”
I sigh in defeat and decide to have pity on the poor guy. He’s not used to walking around malls all day and I’ve perfected the art. Since my friends and I don’t go to parties or do other recreational things, we shop on a regular basis so it’s not as tiresome for me.
“Look, how about you go sit in that café over there and I’ll meet up with you once I look through Shirley’s Boutique?” I point at the shop a few feet away from us.
“Amen,” he says and walks away without questioning my decision. I smile at his retreating back and realize that we’ve actually been having a good day. He hasn’t been crude, well, not too much. He’s only tried to hit on me once or twice and hasn’t directly insulted me, definitely progress.
I walk over to the boutique and am immediately nauseated by the smell of perfume. It’s pungent and making my eyes water. I fight back the coughing fit that’s threatening to arise and rush out of the store before colliding into someone.
“Tessa?” the person I’ve knocked into questions and I stop apologizing long enough to look into the ocean-blue eyes of the boy I’ve been smitten by since I was eight.
“Jay?” I ask incredulously.
Seriously, oh you fickle thing called fate? Am I like the butt of every joke they plan up there? This is really starting to get annoying.
“What are . . .” we begin in unison and then stop awkwardly. The stars that sparkle in front of my eyes whenever I’m around him are surprisingly absent. All I can do right now is think back to the words he said about my brother.
“I umm, I came here to find a dress, what about you?” I mutter, staring at my shoes.
“I just started working here as a salesman on some weekends. It’s good money.”
“That’s nice.” I tug at the sleeve of my cardigan and shuffle my feet. Well, this is uncomfortable.
“Did you drive all the way here alone? It’s not safe, Tessa.” He sounds stern with just a hint of possessiveness to his voice. I don’t want to feel giddy at the thought but I do. It’s nice to know that he cares.
“No, I got a ride.”
“With whom?”
“Listen, it was nice seeing you but I have to go,” I say hastily before he finds who I’m here with exactly.
“Wait up,” he calls and I know he’s following me as I scurry away. It’s not long before he catches up and pulls me back by the arm. His fingers curl around my forearm as he looks at me with confusion written all over his face. I refuse to meet his eyes and bite back my tongue. I do not trust myself to stay quiet and not yell at him or tell him how he’s hurt me.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking to me?”
I open my mouth but he cuts me off. “Is it because of what I said about you and Cole? Look, I’m sorry about that, really sorry. I saw you guys in the pool and I don’t know why I just exploded.”
“Jay, I . . .”
“I’m so sorry, Tessa. I’m an idiot, I know that. Can we just start over?”
“You got the idiot part right.”
Cole’s lazy drawl has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I know he’s right behind me because I can feel his breath fanning the nape of my neck.
Jay’s face hardens as he looks at his stepbrother but he stays where he is, close to me. His fingers tighten around my arm to the extent that it hurts, making me wince.
“So you two are here together.”
“And you’re an oblivious prick. Now that we’re done stating the obvious, you can let go of her.” I get chills just from listening to his voice.
“You don’t own her, stop acting like her damn father.”
I look at Jay like he’s grown a second head. Whoa, when on earth did he become so brash?
Cole scoffs, “Trust me, right now she might just prefer my fatherly behavior to your face.”
Jay’s eyes dart to mine as if waiting for me to deny Cole’s words but I can’t bring myself to do it. His face falls in disappointment as I remain silent. It hurts to know that I’m causing Jay Stone pain but he shouldn’t have insulted my brother like that or stood by silently for years letting his girlfriend walk all over me.
“I get it. I’m sorry for interrupting whatever you two are up to.”
“It’s not . . .” I begin but he’s not listening to me but is instead glaring at Cole. I’m let out of his grip and Cole brings me to his side, an arm wrapping around me protectively.
“You don’t have to explain. I know when I’m not needed, you have him now.”
Why is he making it sound like I’m the bad guy here? Why does he care so much? He raises his hands defensively and backs away from us.
“Remember, Tessa, when he screws up and ends up hurting you, I’ll still be there.”
He turns on his feet and walks away from us, leaving me standing there absolutely baffled. What just happened?
“Forget about him, he really is an idiot.”
Cole grabs my hand and takes me to the other stores I wanted to go to but all I can think about are Jay’s parting words. Is there any truth to them?
Chapter Thirteen: Is That A Rhetorical Question?
Beth is a lot of things. She’s tough; she’s confident, outgoing, unapologetic, and a little too punk rock. What I haven’t pegged her as is someone who’s as interested in my love life as the rest of the town is at the moment. Beth, yes, my perfectly-sane-if-just-a-little-out-there friend is starting to freak me out with her constant look of absolute amazement on her face. It’s somewhat uncomfortable to have her liner-rimmed eyes on me like this, especially in response to what I’ve told her.
“You’re going to the charity gala?”
“Yes.”
“You’re participating in that demeaning competition?”
I cringe at her words but nevertheless repeat what I’ve previously said.
“Cole’s your partner?”
I nod my head and she sighs. “I knew I’d lose you to the establishment one day. Megan I could imagine pulling this on me but you, Tessa? I’m just disappointed.”
“Oh come on, there’s no establishment. My mom’s blackmailed me into entering the pageant and I have to go to the gala, my dad’s the mayor.”
“Details, details.” She dismisses my rebuttal with a flick of the wrist and collects her books from her locker. We walk side-by-side to homeroom and yet another hour of watchin
g Miss Sanchez being attacked by spitballs.
“But I’ve always gone to the gala, ever since I was a kid. Why are you getting mad?”
“I’m not mad,” she sighs again. “It’s just that for the last two years you’ve been the only person I can trash the stupid tradition with. Remember how we always snuck out halfway through your dad’s speech?”
I smile, remembering good times.
“It’s different this year. I feel like my family’s finally getting it together and I want it to work,” I reply, clutching my books to my chest as I’m shoved into by someone who closely resembles one of Nicole’s minions.
“Watch it, you bimbo,” Beth yells over her shoulder and then shakes her head. “I have a bad feeling about all of this. Nicole’s not going to be happy about you entering; God knows how desperate she is to win this thing.”
“Though,” she continues without me having added a word to ease her concern, “if you beat her it could change everything.”
I listen to her talk about the new world order and the possibilities of world domination. She sounds a lot like Cole right now. Both are under the impression that winning a beauty contest would ultimately help me dethrone Nicole and take her place as the new Queen Bee. I don’t want that, nor have I ever wanted that, but to see her lose what she cherishes most . . . well, it would be quite a sight. That’s the plan, taking away all that she treasures most and, being as shallow as she is, that mostly means her popularity.
***
I don’t see Cole in any of our classes and nor do I see Jay. At first I begin to worry that the encounter at the mall might have led to something more, but then Beth points out that all the jocks are missing. Cole has joined the football team and not surprisingly he’s been made the varsity quarterback. As the first half of the day progresses into lunch I learn that the boys are volunteering to set up for the gala. A kind of fear creeps into me as I walk into the cafeteria to find that my safety blanket isn’t there. If it’s not Cole then one of his teammates from the football team would watch out for us, keeping the bullying to a minimum. We also got to sit at the table Cole had claimed on his very first day but today Beth and I are confused as to what will happen.
Cautiously I take a seat at said table and take a look around the room. Sure enough Nicole’s glaring at me from where she’s sitting but as time ticks by and she does nothing to inflict humiliation on me, I begin feeling relieved.
Someone taps my shoulder and I immediately start conjuring vicious scenarios in my head. This is it, Tessa, this is where Nicole unleashes her wrath on you. It’s all been too good to be true.
“Why is that plankton at our table?” My friend’s staring at whomever is behind me and I let out a breath when it’s obvious that it isn’t the “Let’s make Tessa’s life miserable” squad. I crane my neck to find a burly freshman boy smiling widely at the both of us. Typically, we stick to the food chain in this school and don’t fraternize with those below us. They in turn stay away from the big bad world of eighteen-year-olds. Which is why I’m confused as to why he and his friend, a few feet behind him, are looking at us expectantly.
“Can we help you?” I ask as politely as I can manage.
“Actually, we wanted to know if we could help you. Cole told us you don’t like cafeteria food so do you want us to get you something off-campus?”
Beth and I look at the two boys thinking that they’ve obviously lost their minds. Why would these strangers whom we treat like scum half the time want to spare us the torture that is mystery meat Tuesday?
“Why would you want to do that?” I ask.
“Because it’s part of our job requirement. If he finds out we’ve been slacking, he’ll kick our . . .” the freckled freshman with a head of brown floppy hair pauses to think of a more ladylike word, “butts. We have to make sure that you’re taken care of,” he says with a serious nod of his head. The two stand so tall and proud, it’s like they’ve been entrusted with national defense.
“Wait, let me get this straight. Cole’s got you guys watching over us?” Beth asks with barely hidden amusement as she makes air quotes over the words “watching over.”
“Everyone but the freshman players from all the teams are helping out with the charity gala so he told the two of us,” he gestures between him and his olive-skinned friend, “to make sure that no one bothers you guys today.”
I don’t know whether to feel giddy that he cares so much or worried that he has the power to “employ” freshmen as bodyguards. This explains why we’ve been left alone the entire day, why no one’s tried to attack us or take advantage of the fact that Cole’s not here.
It’s all because even though he’s not here, he’s still taking care of me.
“In that case, boys,” Beth is disarming the boys, who stand no chance when it comes to resistance. Giving them her best flirty smile and twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, she says, “Can you get me a cheeseburger?”
***
“Should we go check up on Megan?” I ask Beth as she’s driving me back home. Her mother’s finally given in and let her buy a car. It’s a little old and needs work but Beth might as well have given birth to it seeing how much she loves it already.
“Her text said that whatever she has is probably contagious so we should stay away.” She frowns as she turns into my street. Megan missing a day of school is pretty rare so it’s believable that she’s sick, but something doesn’t feel right about this.
“I know what you’re thinking. Let’s give her a day before barging into her room, okay?” I nod as I realize it’s probably best to give Megan the space she needs. Things have been a little difficult for her, what with Alex relentlessly pursuing her and her mother’s insistence that she lives a nun-like life until she’s thirty.
“I just hope she survives spending all that time with her mom.” I shudder at the thought as I get out of the car. I would invite Beth in but she has to get to work so we say our good-byes for the day and I go inside.
I’m in the process of pouring myself a bowl of Cocoa Puffs when my phone buzzes in my back pocket. Surprisingly it’s a text from Cole. It’s about four in the afternoon so it’s possible that he’s done for the day.
Cole: Dress warm, we’re going out. Pick you up in ten.
The old me would like to argue with him, to tell him that I have better things to do on a Friday night but the new me has other plans. The new me actually wants to spend time with Cole Stone and is excited at the prospect of “going out” with him.
Me: Okay.
In five minutes I race upstairs and try to salvage something of my appearance. I spring my hair free from the messy top bun I made in a hurry this morning and run a brush through it. Taking off my oversized sweatshirt I slip on a soft pink top with lacy scalloped edges over my dark-wash jeans. I decide to stick with my white Converse and race downstairs. Peeping out the kitchen window, there’s no sign of Cole’s Volvo. It gives me time to put on some of the makeup stashed in my purse and spritz on some perfume.
The doorbell rings as I’m trying to calm my nerves. It’s just Cole, the guy who’s made me cry more times than I can count. There’s no need to feel all light-headed.
“You should remember that I only ring the bell out of courtesy. I still have my key.” He saunters in wearing his black leather jacket over a snug white T-shirt and jeans, rendering me speechless.
“Are you done checking me out, Tessie?” he says smugly, making me realize that I need to do damage control. I cannot let him think that I like him like that.
Or like him, period.
“Are you not aware that you have grease all over your face?”
Actually it’s just a smudge on his forehead but hey, I’m not Tessa O’Connell if I don’t exaggerate.
“What? I thought I washed all the damn stuff off.” He groans and walks over to the kitchen sinks and starts splashing water all over his face.
Oh no, this is way worse.
The water’s soaking
his shirt and trickling down his throat muscles, which flex as he swallows.
I must not stare. I must not stare at the gorgeous human standing a few feet away from me. Averting my gaze I look for minuscule tasks around the house. I pick up a cleaning cloth and begin rubbing at a spot on the counter even though it’s already gleaming.
“You ready?” he asks once he’s drying himself using a whole wad of paper towel. I don’t look at him but just nod, grabbing my purse.
He tugs at my arm and pulls me back before I walk over to the door. Turning me around he grabs ahold of both my shoulders then tilts my chin to look him. His eyes penetrate into mine like they’re trying to figure something out.
“Are you okay?” He’s scanning my face and visible parts of my body for I don’t know what.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I detest sounding so breathless but he doesn’t make a big deal out of it. It’s very un-Cole-like and goes to show that our relationship is changing. I don’t know if I want that to happen. While it’s nice that he isn’t terrorizing the living daylights out of me, it’s even more unnerving to have this sudden tension between us.
“You’re acting a little weird. Did something happen in school? I’m going to kill those . . .”
I roll my eyes as he threatens his freshmen lackeys. “Calm down, Butch, I’m fine. Don’t we have somewhere to go?”
Getting out of his grip, I turn my back on him and take a few deep breaths. It’s getting easier to lie to him but I would never profess to be a professional. It’s hard to believe that the guy whose sight I once couldn’t stand has started causing all these strange feelings to explode inside of me.
“Every day, Tessie, every day you get weirder.”
Turns out he didn’t drive his car to my house, which is why we end up walking up to the park after getting some pizza. I still don’t understand what we’re doing; at this point he seems so animated and happy that I don’t want to ask him to stop. He’s talking a mile a minute about how we’re going to crush Nicole in the pageant. If I wanted to rain on his parade I would tell him that winning doesn’t mean much to me and that I’m only doing it for my mom. Strangely, though, I want him to think that I’m just as excited about this as he is.
