by Kyra Lennon
Anyway, I’d had to beg because I knew Kayla would love the experience and I wanted her to feel good about herself instead of driving herself crazy by telling herself she was a loser for not blowing that guy.
“A little make-up,” Mrs Shaw agreed. “Bree, I’m trusting you not to make my daughter resemble a hooker, okay?”
“Mom!”
Laughing I said, “I promise. I’ll go easy on the make-up.”
Kayla rolled her eyes then gave me a cheeky wink while her mom took another glance out the window.
“Mrs Shaw, I swear I will keep a close watch on the weather. It’ll take us just under an hour to get back from the studio so the second things start to look bad, I’ll bring Kayla home. I’ll keep her safe.”
Mrs Shaw nodded, giving me a more confident smile. “I know you will. Okay, you two go have fun, and give me a call when you’re on your way home, okay? I’ll have dinner waiting for you. Well, my husband will.”
Kayla and I giggled. Aside from cakes and biscuits, Mrs Shaw was known for her terrible cooking, and Mr Shaw, Jesse and Kayla took turns to make the family meals. Jesse once told me it wasn’t worth the indigestion to eat anything his mom made. A little shiver slid down my spine when I thought of him. He’d be home when we got back and I really hoped he’d have some time to talk to me. I needed him so much after the last few days with Jude, plus, I hadn’t had a chance to tell him how cool work was. I’d pushed aside the fact I betrayed him by hanging out with his ex, but hopefully I could explain when we were face to face… but what if he already knew? Oh God, what if Taylor told him? I wouldn’t put it past her. She loved telling other people’s secrets, and… oh, even worse. What if she told him everything I said? What if he knew I had feelings for him, and she-
“Hey, Bree!” Kayla waved her hand in front of my face, and I blinked, trying to get a grip on my racing thoughts. In the time I’d been panicking, she’d put her coat and shoes on and slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m ready to go now.”
Not gonna lie, the drive to the studio was a little rougher than I expected. As always, the traffic was slow and the whole way rain hammered against the windows forcing me to keep my wipers on at the highest speed. However, by the time we arrived, the rain wasn’t quite as heavy as before and I hoped the weather reports were wrong, and it wouldn’t ruin our day.
After introducing Kayla to Tanya and Nick, Tanya and I took Kayla through to the make-up room.
“Okay, missy. Let’s have a peek inside that backpack!”
Kayla grinned. She was already dressed in a cute outfit; blue jeans, a close fitting black sweater, and a cream, silk scarf with giraffes printed on it.
“Hey, I totally want that scarf,” I said. “It’s adorable.”
“It was a Christmas gift from Jesse. You should ask him where he got it.”
“I am so doing that,” I told her, making a mental note to remember when I saw him later.
Rummaging through Kayla’s clothes lifted my mood and it only took a short time for us to decide which outfits she’d wear for the shoot. We had the whole morning but we had to factor in make-up time, plus time to actually take the photos, so we picked three outfits. Two casual, one dressy. Because I was such a huge fan of it not to mention a little jealous of Kayla’s style at such a young age, we started with the dressy outfit. Luckily, the studio was warm, because the dress was pretty short. It was made up of black and hot pick lace flowers, and of course it had lining underneath so she didn’t look like a hooker. This dress was mom approved. Tanya let me get to work on the make-up. Challenging because I wanted to go crazy with it but as promised, I kept it fairly low key.
When Kayla was ready, Nick was in position, so Kayla took her place in front of the white screen that had already been lit. I could feel the heat from behind the camera.
“Okay, Kayla, let’s start with a few basic shots. Just smile for me.”
She shuffled her feet for a second like she couldn’t decide how to stand.
“Relax,” Nick told her. “We’re gonna keep it simple. Pretend like it’s picture day at school.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
What happened to my girl? She’d been confident and excited seconds ago. With the camera pointed at her she’d fallen apart a little.
“Are you okay, honey?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just… I’m not a model. This feels weird.”
I honestly didn’t see this coming. I wasn’t sure if this was part of her feeling down on herself after what happened with that guy but she looked so uncomfortable, I had to go give her a hug.
“Hey,” I said, as I embraced her. “You still wanna do this? I can take you home if you want?”
“No, I do want to. I don’t know how.”
I’m no model either but as soon as I’m wearing great clothes I can’t help getting a little… posey. All I had to do was channel that feeling, and put Kayla at ease.
I turned to the camera, dramatically flicking my hair over my shoulder. “Well, it’s like this.” I raised my chin like a diva. “You gotta think you’re the most awesome person in the world.”
Kayla giggled and I stuck my hip out to one side, leaning forward slightly and doing an over-the-top pout towards the lens. Nick snapped a photo of me, and I spun around so my back was to him then looked over my shoulder, giving it the teenage girl duck face. He snapped another photo, and I faced him again, blowing him a kiss.
Beside me, Kayla laughed her ass off and I pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Say cheese!”
She was laughing so hard, I started to laugh too, and as the two of us messed around together, Nick kept on snapping away and she began to forget her nerves. I didn’t care that I wasn’t perfectly dressed or made up, it wasn’t about me. As soon as Kayla relaxed, I stepped away and let her do her own thing for a while.
Two hours passed, and one outfit change and a make-up update later, Kayla had really found her groove. I had to keep her in check any time she got carried away, and attempted something her mother would consider whore-ish, but for the most part, she just looked like a teenage girl having fun.
“Hey, Bree. Can we do some photos together? Proper ones, not like when we were messing around before.”
I combed my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know. I’m not wearing great clothes, or make-up for that matter.”
“You look beautiful! You always do. Go throw on some lipstick and mascara and get over here!”
How could I possibly say no? As I made a quick trip to the make-up room to touch up, I felt a swell of pride. Not just for making her happy with the photo shoot. Because I saw how special she was. So young, and still learning about who she wanted to be but she wasn’t afraid to let go of her fears and try something different, something that made her feel good. She really was becoming the little sister I’d always wanted. I wished we could do this every weekend.
Jesse flashed into my mind. If I was with him, Kayla would be my sister for real. I wouldn’t dread going home because I knew he’d listen to me no matter what I wanted to talk about. And I’d listen to him, too. I was used to soccer talk, and with Jesse it would be different soccer talk.
I knew I was getting carried away when I lost concentration and poked myself in the eye with my mascara wand.
Truthfully, I didn’t know if any of that was what I wanted. But I knew I felt things for Jesse I probably shouldn’t.
Knowing Kayla was waiting, I quit daydreaming and hurried back to her where she waited, chatting easily to Nick and Tanya as if she’d known them forever.
“I’m back,” I said. “Let’s-”
My sentence got cut short as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky – and the room – before the lights flickered off, plunging us into darkness.
Kayla screamed and grabbed hold of my arm. “What just happened?”
Panic crept into my gut. I promised Mrs Shaw I’d keep watch on the weather, but we’d been having so much fun, I to
tally forgot about the storm. Rain battered the windows behind the closed blinds.
The lights flickered back on, but my heart pounded so hard I barely noticed.
“Okay,” I said. “I think we need to pack up and get you home. I swore I’d get you back before things got bad, and… I think I’ve already messed up.”
Kayla shook her head. “I think this is just the beginning. If it had been like this for a while, Mom would have called by now.”
She was probably right. The change outside had come out of nowhere. Sure, it had rained but suddenly the downpour was heavy enough to rattle the windows, and another flash of lightning told me it was definitely time to get moving.
“Kayla, go get your things packed up, okay? I’m gonna call your mom now and then we’ll go.”
Chapter 8 – My Mind Was Like A Jigsaw Puzzle
It was a good thing we left when we did. In spite of the hammering rain, strong winds, and the thunder and lightning that made Kayla and I jump every time, it still took us less time to get home than usual. There were way fewer cars on the road, and even driving as slowly as I needed to to keep us safe, we still knocked ten minutes off the usual time.
I’ve never been so relieved to get out of my car. Concentrating so hard really exhausted me, and Mrs Shaw wrapped Kayla and me in a huge, warm hug as soon as we got through the door. Much needed since I’d gotten soaked through.
“Thank you, Bree.” She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you for getting her home. I’m glad you’re both safe.”
In any other situation, her words would have sounded overly dramatic but I’d never seen a storm like the one that had started to whip itself into a frenzy outside, and I’d witnessed some big ones over the years. Because I’d been focusing so hard on keeping Kayla and me alive, I only just thought; Jude was still at work, unless he’d been sent home early.
I pulled away from Mrs Shaw’s hug and rummaged in my purse for my phone. “Need to call Jude,” I mumbled as the shivers took a hold of my body, making me shake. I must have been in shock from the speed everything had happened. It seemed like a second ago Kayla and I were laughing and modelling. Now we were back at her place, drenched, and my brain hadn’t caught up yet.
Mrs Shaw nodded. “I’ll go get some towels and find you something to wear so I can put your clothes in the dryer.”
She put her arm around Kayla’s shoulders and led her upstairs while I hit speed dial one. Glad to hear the phone lines hadn’t gone down yet, I waited for Jude to pick up. Hoped he would pick up.
“Hey, Bree. I’ve just got home. Where are you?”
A sigh of relief left my body. “I’m at Jesse’s. We just got back, too. It’s scary outside.”
“It sure is. The weather reports say it’s only going to get worse. Richard called off training about an hour ago and most of us left right away.”
My stomach lurched. My friends. What about my friends? Another gust of wind forced the rain to crash against the window, a huge boom of thunder followed, making my trembling violent enough that I had to grip the phone harder.
“Jude,” I said, my voice breathless. “Is everyone else okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. A bunch of us left for home but some of the guys decided to stay at the training ground to wait the storm out. There’s plenty of food there, and things to do to keep them entertained.”
“Who came home?” I asked, panicked. “Freya and Will? Radleigh? Miguel? Bryce? Do you know where Leah is?”
“Calm down, honey. Freya went home, andWill had the day off to go see his mom, remember?”
Ah, right. Will’s mom had had minor surgery, and he’d taken a couple days off to spend time with her, so he was probably safe at her place.
“Sure,” I said. “What about everyone else?”
“Radleigh went home to be with Leah because she hates storms, and Miguel and Bryce stayed at work. I want you to stay where you are, okay? I don’t want you driving home until everything has calmed down.”
I nodded as if he could see me. Staying at Jesse’s would be no problem. As long as his parents didn’t mind. Once I got out of my wet clothes, spending the rest of the day/evening with them would actually be kind of fun. It would sure give me time to get my speeding pulse under control.
“Bree?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I’ll stay here.”
“Good. I’ll try to call you later but I’m pretty sure the phone lines will go down sometime before this is over. Stay where you are until it’s calmer outside.”
“Okay. You’re staying in now, too, right?”
“Of course. I’m gonna go down to the gym and workout for a while to make up for the exercise I missed during training.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll talk to you later.”
“I love you.”
“You too.”
I hung up before giving myself a chance to feel guilty for not actually telling him I loved him. The storm didn’t take away how totally confused I was about everything, or how angry he’d made me over the past few weeks. Perhaps some real time away from him would help me put things in to perspective.
Before I relaxed, I had to call Leah and Freya to make sure they were safe, and that Radleigh had gotten home. Thankfully, Radleigh had arrived at the house a few minutes ago, and Freya said Will was on his way home from his mom’s, and searching for a place to stop and wait until the worst had passed.
A little over an hour later I’d showered, and my clothes had been washed, dried and returned to me. Is there anything better than clothes fresh out of the dryer? Especially when it’s dark and creepy outside. Actually, everything about Jesse’s home was warm and comforting. His parents were super cute together, all hand holding and private jokes. They reminded me of Freya and Will, and how they would probably be in twenty years’ time. I tried not to compare my relationship with Jude but I couldn’t help myself. We used to be that way. When I thought of him I still got butterflies but they were quickly followed by disappointment and hurt. Jude’s face faded out of my image of us in the kitchen, and Jesse replaced him. More butterflies. Huge butterflies. I forced myself to snap out of my trance because thinking of him that way while he sat across from me at the table was pretty awkward. I watched as he ate the chicken noodle soup he’d made – which was totally delicious, by the way – and tried to keep up with the conversations happening around me.
When we’d finished eating, Kayla said she wanted to go finish the book she was reading, so Jesse and I went up to his room, where I’d spent so much time over the last few weeks.
Perched on his bed, for the first time I felt sort of… uncomfortable. My stupid, confusing thoughts about him made me super aware of everything. Did my hair look okay? Probably not since I’d had to blow dry it and then scrunch it back with a hair tie because I didn’t have my straighteners with me. If I sat with my feet up on the bed, would I seem too over-familiar?
Sheesh. I always sat with my feet up on the bed. Sometimes I even sprawled myself out while we chatted because he made me so damn comfortable. Not now, though.
Was he really that hot when I first met him? Or did he seem hotter now because I’d only recently opened my eyes to it? To him. His blond hair was shorter than when I first met him, more cropped, and his eyes… green, sparkling.
It wasn’t only about the way he looked. It was everything.
“Are you okay?”
I blinked at the sound of Jesse’s voice, bringing myself back to the moment instead of daydreaming.
“Yeah. I’m okay. I think I’m still recovering from the journey home. I’ve never driven in weather like that before.”
We both threw our glances to the window. No change. If anything the sky had gotten even darker, the cracks of thunder were louder and the lightning flashes were brighter. When Jesse turned back at me his face had grown serious.
“Bree, is everything cool between you and Jude?”
Crap. He knows. He’s figured me out.
“Bree
?”
“Yes. Everything’s cool. Cool, cool, cool.”
I’m such a loser.
The faintest smile graced Jesse’s lips before fading again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. After tapping a few buttons, he handed it to me.
Jesse, I think u should know. I talked 2 Bree, we went 2 Genies & she told me she doesn’t want 2 b with Jude anymore. She said she’s in love with u and she wants to break u and ur girlfriend up. I thought I should warn u.
My throat closed over, my mouth opening and closing unattractively as I tried to locate some words to explain.
“How much of that is true?”
“Jesse-”
“Bree.”
I tugged at the end of my ponytail, desperately trying to figure out where to start. Everyone was right. I was dumb and naïve and way too trusting. Even though I didn’t really trust her. I just couldn’t stop my mouth vomiting out the words. Like always, Taylor had twisted them, making them into something more than they were.
“This isn’t… this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
His eyes burned through me, not in an angry way, more like a totally confused way. The strength of his stare made my stomach tighten.
“I saw her. We did go to Genie’s. The rest is…”
Unable to figure out what I wanted to say, I bent forward, placing my head in my hands.
“Why were you with her?”
“Fight with Jude,” I mumbled, wishing I could melt away into nothingness to end my humiliation. “Taylor was… there.”
“What else is new? She’s always there.”
My head snapped up. “Has she been here?”
