Rewriting History

by Missy Johnson

  It’s the day before New Year’s Eve and it’s a rare day where the rain has stayed away. The snow has been falling sporadically, but it melts away quickly as the sun bathes in the sky. Mom is home and my afternoon is spent outside in the garden with her. Our house backs onto a reserve, so behind our yard are tall pine trees. The location is peaceful, until I hear two men bickering in the distance.

  Standing up, I walk toward the argument. It’s coming from Jamie’s house. Crouching down behind a large bush that divides our properties, I spy Jamie and his dad outside on the back porch.

  “I fucking told you to stay away from her, didn’t I? I swear, Jamie, if I get one more call that you’ve harassed her again, I’ll beat your ass to the point where you won’t be able to walk for a couple of weeks. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you fucked up?” A few seconds go past and then I hear their back door slam.

  I stand up until my head is just over the fence and work my hands to part the bushes, just enough so I can make out what’s happening. The sounds of the trees moving, along with the wind rustling the leaves, echo in my ear. Jamie turns his head my way.

  His eyes meet mine and remain stoic. They’re so cold. I shiver, holding my breath, realizing I’ve been caught. I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to say something, acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation, or will that just make it worse?

  “Fuck,” Jamie curses. He tears his gaze off me, storming into the shed at the rear of their yard. A resounding slam echoes through the air.

  Fucking great. Because this is just what I need: another reason for him to hate me. Jamie’s father’s words echo in my mind. What the hell was he talking about? The only person Jamie is harassing is . . . well, me.

  At least I think it is.

  “What are you doing, Jill?”

  Jumping, I turn around, my heart pounding, and stand back up. My face flushes. Mom is standing there, eying me suspiciously.

  “I didn’t realize you knew our neighbors,” she adds.

  I pick up something in her voice, but I’m not sure what. Uneasiness? Anxiety?

  “The, um, boy goes to my school,” I mutter, wiping my hands on my shorts. I’m desperately trying to think of a way to finish the conversation when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

  It’s Sophia. Thank fucking God.

  Sophia: Want to catch up?

  Me: Sure, come over if you like.

  “I better get showered. Sophia is coming over,” I say, brushing past Mom.

  I can feel her gaze follow me as I race inside. I don’t want her knowing what an ass Jamie is to me, because I know she’ll try to fix it and end up making things worse. I need to figure out what he and his dad were arguing about. This might be my only chance to have something over him. If he knows something about me and Eli, I’m going to need all the ammunition I can get.

  Sophia comes over later that afternoon, and we’ve been lying on the bed reading magazines for the last hour. Every now and then she will ask a really weird question like ‘Have you tried anal?’ which will have me in hysterics. Worse, she seems to have no idea why I’m laughing.

  I haven’t had a real friend since Alice, so this is a nice change. I’m beginning to feel like a teenager, which is ironic since I just turned eighteen and I’m sleeping with my teacher.

  “Do you know what college you are applying for?” I ask, reading an article on deciding the right path for your future.

  Sophia sits up from the bed and crosses her legs. “Yes, I’ve gotten into an exchange program at The University of Colorado. What about you?”

  “I’ve applied to a few.” I sigh. “UC has always been where I wanted to go to college, ever since I was little. That’s part of the reason we moved to Denver. Alice is going there because they have an awesome art program, and their history courses are pretty damn good too. But now, I’m not sure.”

  I hesitate, not wanting to go into too much detail. What if Eli goes back to New York? Sophia sits up, her hands combing through her short blond hair.

  “Because of Eli?” Sophia asks, raising an eyebrow.

  My heart begins to pound. I can feel the blood draining from my face as I begin to panic. Did I just hear her correctly? She cannot have guessed. If she has figured us out, then who else has? Jamie, Sophia . . . who next?

  “Why would you think I have anything going on with Eli?” I frown, placing a confused expression on my face. I can feel my heart beating in my head and I’m praying to God I can pull this off.

  Sophia glances out the window and bites her lip. It’s as if she’s trying to figure out whether she wants to say what’s on her mind or not.

  “When we arrived home from the party the other week you told me you were with Eli before you fell asleep.” She pauses, hiding a smile. “It would be more accurate to say you went on and on and on about him. Apparently he has quite the . . . how do you say . . . package?”

  My face heats as I throw my hands up to cover it. I can’t believe this. What the hell was I thinking? That’s right, I wasn’t—because I was illegally intoxicated. I’d made a stupid mistake that could cost Eli his fucking career. Do I trust Sophia enough to admit the truth? I hesitate. We are friends, but I’m nervous about anyone knowing about Eli and me.

  “I’m so embarrassed.” I moan, shaking my head. “I was so drunk, I must have been fantasizing about him. I do that a lot. I may have a tiny crush on the guy.” I let out a small laugh.

  Sophia raises her eyebrows and smiles. She believes me.

  Well, I think she believes me.

  “He is pretty hot, isn’t he? He’s got the best-looking derriere I’ve ever seen. So tight, just begging to be squeezed.”

  I fake a laugh, but deep down, her comment has downright pissed me off. It’s not her fault, and I know that half the school would be thinking what she just said, but I’m jealous. It’s going to be a long five months.

  ***

  The aroma of the spaghetti bolognaise fills the kitchen as Mom stirs the sauce. Sophia and I are sitting at the kitchen counter, making apple pie. Well, we are trying to make pie, that is. I’m pretty sure Grandma’s homemade recipe didn’t include getting flour everywhere except in the actual bowl.

  “This is all gooey,” laughs Sophia, pressing her hands into the pastry. “I’ve never made pie before. This is so much fun.”

  I gasp as I try and compose myself. Tears are running down my cheeks, I’m laughing that hard. This is definitely not how pie is made.

  “Oh, girls.” Mom sighs, shaking her head. “What are you doing?” We all crack up in hysterics when we look at the clumps of pastry. “All right, how about I do the pastry and you girls start on the filling?”

  Minutes later, I glance over at Mom and Sophia and smile. They’re talking about school, college, and France. I don’t contribute much to the conversation in front of me; instead, my mind is on Eli. Or more so, on all the dirty things I want to be doing with Eli.

  My phone pings with a text and a smile stretches my cheeks. Speak of the devil.

  Eli: Can I take you out tomorrow? That is, if you don’t have plans yet.

  Me: As long as it involves you putting your hands on every inch of my body, then it’s a deal ;)

  I love teasing him, but I’m serious. I need my fix of Eli. He’s an aphrodisiac. Besides, I can’t think of a better way to see in the new year than in his arms.

  Eli: It wouldn’t be a date if it didn’t end with my cock deep inside you. I’ll pick you up at 5pm tomorrow. Wear something casual.

  Me: Who said anything about ending? I was hoping for starting too. See you then x

  I giggle and shove my phone back in my pocket. Looking up from the table, I see Mom and Sophia starting at me, both wearing strange expressions.

  “What?” I ask, looking back and forth between them.

  “Who’s got my daughter all tied up in knots?” Mom leans across the counter toward me. “I know that giggle. That’s the sound of a girl in love.”

  I
duck out of the way as she tickles me, her hands trying to get hold of my phone.

  I squeal and run away from her. She thinks we’re playing, but we’re so not. Like hell she’s getting ahold of my phone. “It’s just a funny text from Alice,” I beg, putting my hands up in surrender.

  She narrows her eyes at me and turns to Sophia. “You’d tell me if my little girl has a boyfriend, right, Sophia?”

  “Of course, Mrs. Wilson. I’m on this.” She winks at Mom, who laughs and throws a piece of apple at me. I stick my tongue out at her, but inside, I’m dying. The first thing I’m going to do when I’m out of sight is change his name in my phone and erase all our old messages.

  Mom and Sophia chatter like old friends while I wait for my pulse to return to somewhere in the vicinity of normal. We were that close to being discovered. Mom wouldn’t have known who Eli was, but it wouldn’t be hard for her to figure it out, and then I’d have to explain to Sophia why I’d lied to her.

  “So, tell me more about this boyfriend of yours,” Sophia says, rolling onto her stomach. We are both in my bed, trying to sleep after watching movies for half the night. My stomach tightens at the mention of Eli.

  “What do you want to know?” I ask nervously.

  “What’s he like? I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve kissed guys, and done things and stuff, but my parents are so strict they’d never let me actually date anyone.” She smiles. “That’s part of what I love about being over here. I dream about falling in love with an American boy and having little American babies. Is that weird?” She giggles.

  Eli enters my mind and I smile. “No, not weird. I know exactly what you mean.”

  “So, tell me: How old is he? Do you have a photo?” She stares at me, waiting for answers.

  I hesitate, torn between telling her the truth and keeping our secret. “If I tell you about him, and you happen to guess who he is,” I begin nervously, “will you keep it between you and I?”

  “Oh, so I know him?” Her eyes light up. “It’s Jamie, isn’t it? Jamie and Jill, sitting in a tree,” she sings before collapsing into a heap, laughing. She sees my horrified expression and laughs even harder. “Relax, I was joking! You Americans have no sense of humor.”

  I shudder. “God, I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit. I have no idea why he hates me so much.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. They were the family I was with when I first arrived here and I asked to be moved. The whole family is crazy. His father is a scary man.”

  “I saw them arguing today in the yard. Jamie saw me watching him, so now he’s going to make my life even worse.”

  “What were they arguing about?” she asks curiously.

  “I don’t know. Jamie hassling someone.”

  Sophia’s eyes widen for a second, and then she reaches over and nudges me. “Don’t think this is getting you out of revealing your mystery man,” she teases.

  “Okay, okay. He’s twenty-five.” I lie back on the bed and stare at the ceiling, not wanting to see the look on her face when she guesses. “He’s tall and sexy, with beautiful deep brown eyes, and short, dirty-blond hair that I just want to run my fingers through.” I smile. “He makes he feel special. I feel safe when I’m with him, like nobody else in the world matters, you know?”

  She smiles as I turn to look at her. I can tell she knows, but she doesn’t delve further and I don’t tell her any more.

  Until school is over, Eli needs to stay my dirty little secret.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jill

  It’s New Year’s Eve and Eli surprised me with strawberries and champagne on the banks of Lithgow Lake before dinner. I sigh when his large, soft hands envelope mine as we walk along the edge of the water. The sunset is casting its final light upon us as the breeze starts to cool. Eli wraps his arm around my shoulders and places a kiss on my temple.

  “I love being with you, Jill,” Eli says. My heart flutters.

  Turning my body so my front is against his front, I wrap my arms around his waist and look up at his soft eyes. I can’t believe that in a few days we will be back at school. I cannot wait to graduate. Things will be so much easier when I’m no longer his student.

  He still hasn’t mentioned ‘us,’ although I know the talk is coming, and I know what he’s going to say. The only reason I haven’t brought it up is because I don’t want to hear it. I’m racking my brain, trying to think of a way around this . . . around us, but I’m coming up empty.

  “I love being with you too,” I respond with a small smile.

  Resting my head on his chest, I hug him tightly. It’s moments like this when nothing in the world matters. It feels like it’s just us, and nobody can stop us from being together.

  We stay that way till the dark night greets us. He kisses my forehead, his arm enveloping me. There is a definite chill in the air.

  “Come on, babe, let’s go eat,” he whispers softly in my ear as his hands run up and down my back.

  Pulling away from his face, I grin. “Can just I eat you?”

  He laughs and swats my ass. “Food, woman, food. A man’s gotta eat to keep his energy up.”

  Eli has booked us into the little tapas bar that sits overlooking the water. It’s a quaint restaurant with dim lighting coming from big black industrial lamps, and old black and white pictures hanging from the red brick walls. We are sitting opposite one another on one of the several long thin black tables that line the room. Our fingers are entwined as his thumb rubs gently over my skin. There are no words needed to express how relaxed I’m feeling right now, with him.

  “I’ve never quite met anyone like you.” He gazes at me. “You’re like the complete package—everything I’ve wanted. I’ve never met someone who I’m so compatible with.”

  And here I thought I couldn’t like this guy any more than I already do.

  The waiter walks over, and plates of deep-fried Spanish food fill the table along with a large carafe of sangria. I’m so glad they didn’t ask me for ID as that would have ruined the night. I’m surprised Eli actually ordered the wine, but I love acting older than my age, living the grown-up life.

  “Open,” he murmurs, placing a spoonful of paella at my lips. As I suck the spoon, I can’t help but smirk at how many ways his “order” could be taken.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” I grin. “I like it when you tell me to open.”

  He rolls his eyes and laughs. “I’ve got myself a classy girl.”

  I giggle. “Don’t you forget it.”

  The food is fucking amazing. Rich in spice with a hint of heat, my lips are burning from the sensation and it’s making me hot. In more ways than one.

  I undo the top button of my shirt in an attempt to cool down. Eli groans, his gaze falling on my chest. He adjusts himself, looking a little uncomfortable as his face colors, and I smirk. Obviously I’m having the same effect on him as he’s having on me.

  He leans over and whispers to me. “If you’re going to play with me like that, you need to hurry up and eat so I can bury myself in you.”

  I laugh.

  My man is on a mission.

  We finish dinner and make it out to the car, kissing and touching each other. It’s nearing midnight, but neither of us cares about anything other than being with each other. He groans and pushes me into the vehicle, mumbling something about going back to his place right now. I grin as he revs the engine and accelerates off, because I’m not prepared to wait.

  Loosening my seatbelt, I flip my hair over my shoulder and lean over toward him. His eyes leave the road for a second as he raises his eyebrows at me, his expression amused. He can probably guess what I’m about to do because I can guarantee his mind has gone there. He’s a guy: their minds always go to sex—or in this case, blow jobs.

  “Eyes on the road,” I say, taking charge for once. He laughs, but obliges.

  Undoing the button of his shorts, I can feel how hard he is. I reach in and grab his cock from the confine
s of his clothes. I lean forward and lick from one side to the other before taking as much of him as I can handle. He gasps as my tongue swirls around the circle, loving the salty taste of him.

  My eyes lock on his face as I run my tongue down his shaft. He groans, grabbing my hair forcefully, holding me just out of reach.

  “Christ, Jill, if you don’t stop I’m going to crash,” he moans.

  I roll my eyes and back off. He’s no fun.

  The front door of Eli’s house slams behind me and I reach out and grab his hand. He’s too focused on getting to the bedroom, but that’s not what I want now. Not tonight. I drag him into the living room and crawl onto his sofa. He eyes me suspiciously.

  “I thought we could talk or something,” I say, teasingly.

  He raises an eyebrow. “You want to talk? I had to forcefully remove you from my cock in the car, and now you want to talk? Is this payback or something?” he jokes, sitting down next to me, his tongue flicking my ear lobe. “I thought we could do something more intimate to see in the new year.”

  “I’m glad to hear you think having a conversation with me is payback.” I giggle, climbing into his arms. “Remember when we first started talking, how deep and serious our discussions were? I miss that. One of the things that drew me to you the most was your knowledge, and how passionate you were about the things I love.”

  “Yeah.” He grins, kissing me on the forehead. “We had some good arguments, too.” He chuckles.

  “Discussions,” I retort, sticking my tongue out.

  “Sure. Discussions,” he repeats, his eyes twinkling.

  “You know what I want to do?” I say suddenly, twisting my body around so I’m facing him. “I want to go to Greece.”

  “You should. I’ve been. I spent nearly a year in Greece and Italy back before I started college. One of the best experiences of my life.”

  “But then that means I’ll be away from you,” I pout.

  “I could always take leave from teaching and work abroad and you study.”