by Sara Schoen
“Thanks for not letting me get high from your pot brownies, but that doesn’t exactly build trust. Why would I ever trust you?”
“Think of it this way, if you don’t trust me, then I can’t even touch you,” he said, lifting his eyebrow to remind me that not even a few minutes ago his touch made my skin crawl. “There goes the boyfriend façade and your new reputation, but don’t worry, I have limits. I won’t touch you if you don’t want it, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find yourself wanting this at some point,” he smirked as he gestured to his sculpted body.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Don’t count on it. I’m not going to start wanting you, it’s going to be you who wants me. I’m not some sexual animal like you, I can control myself. This is business, an agreement that works for both of us.”
“I like what I’m getting out of it,” he mused mostly to himself, but loud enough for me to hear. I shivered slightly, I just hoped this wasn’t going to be a mistake. Whether one of us got feelings for the other or not, he was going to get what he wanted most from girls. I just wasn’t sure I’d be able to give it to him if, or when, the time came. I was about to ask him if I could back out now, but he said, “We have an agreement, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try before it’s over. You clean up nicely,” he said with a smile.
“Why help me?” I asked, forgetting to ask if I could back out instead. “I don’t care how sorry you feel for blurting out my family secrets. You never would have agreed to this. There’s something else, isn’t there?” Kayden wasn’t known for his charity, so why help me? I was a complete charity case. The only thing he was getting out of this was a one-night stand with a girl he didn’t care about. If he didn’t care, he was sure spending a lot of time with me over the next few months in exchange for a lay.
“Maybe I’m lonely.” He shrugged, finally releasing his hold on my wrist and letting the cold air take over my newly exposed skin. “Or maybe I started to fall in love with you,” he said with a laugh.
I tried to read his face to see if he was being serious or not. Kayden would rather die than be with me, he had told me many times, but there was no falter in his voice now. There wasn’t a glimmer in his eyes that would give him away. Now I wasn’t sure what to think about Kayden. If he was being honest then there was more to him. No matter what there’s more to him—I barely knew him. We had stopped hanging out at a young age, so young I barely remembered meeting him or his family. We had gone our separate ways, and I hadn’t spoken to him again unless he was making fun of me.
I was about to ask him straight out when the front door opened behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see a tan, dark-blonde haired woman coming through the door with plastic bags from a grocery store. I felt a tingle in the back of my mind, something about her was familiar. I tilted my head curiously as I waited for her to turn around. I heard her say hello to Kayden before he grunted and said, “Hey, Mom.”
She turned around to start a conversation with him, but stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on me. Her green eyes looked me over with shock and disbelief, her jaw dropped as she let the grocery bags fall from her hands. She clearly recognized me, but I was still having difficulty remembering her until I heard her speak again.
“Who’s your new friend, Kayden?” she asked with a shaky voice.
I squinted, and furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to place where I knew her from as Kayden answered. “This is my girlfriend, for all intents and purposes,” he said, adding the last part in a whisper so no one would hear him.
I turned around to glare at him before it connected. Suddenly my face fell and I turned back to his mother. She could see the realization on my face as her eyes grew wide with worry. It was as if she was begging me not to say anything in front of Kayden, but before I could stop myself, the words escaped my lips and forced us into an uncomfortable silence.
“You’re the one my dad cheated with! You’re the reason my mom left,” I stated. I heard Kayden drop whatever he had been holding, and his mom gasp at my outburst. I was about to tell her what my dad had prevented me from telling her when we came back from the attorney’s office. I had been nowhere close to done when my dad ordered me to my room, but before I could start, Kayden grabbed my forearm to spin me around.
“You can’t accuse my mother of that,” he cried. His grip was tight on my arm, slowly closing off the circulation to my hand. “You haven’t even met her yet, and you’re accusing her of breaking up your family. You’re going insane! There’s no one responsible other than your father.”
“I walked in on her with my dad! It was pretty clear what going on. I showed her out and told her never to come back, but she did after I came back home. I’ve never lied in my life, Kayden. How can you think I’m lying now?”
“If that was true you would have told me before coming here!” he retorted. “Why would you come here knowing she was going to be here?”
“I didn’t know she was your mom! We aren’t exactly great friends, Kayden, but she was the one my dad cheated on my mother with. I know it,” I stated strongly, hoping he would see I wasn’t lying.
“I can’t believe this, Lauren. Just tell her she’s mistaken, Mom!” Kayden yelled angrily while he glared daggers at me. He was breathing heavy, his shoulders tense, and his posture rigid. He was clearly upset, but I wasn’t going to apologize. I wasn’t lying, and I knew it was her. Of course Kayden reacted worse when his mom didn’t answer. He turned to look at her, completely baffled as to why she wasn’t defending herself. “Tell her you would never do that. Tell her please!”
“Kayden, she’s telling the truth,” she said, causing Kayden’s jaw to fall to his chest. “I cheated on your father.”
Chapter 13
NASCAR Driver
I shuffled my feet, suddenly wishing I hadn’t brought it up. Kayden was in shock, allowing the silence to creep in and resonate through the room. His mom had told the truth, he had taken it poorly, and I was just here. I had never heard silence so loud. Kayden looked as though he was about to either start crying or screaming. From the somber expression that had taken over his features, I wasn’t sure he knew which one to do. I prayed that he took a different route entirely. I hated being present when families argued, now I understood why Parker raced out when we caught my dad. It was uncomfortable to be in the middle of a family squabble.
“What did you say?” Kayden asked in disbelief.
“I cheated on your father with her dad,” she rephrased. I guess she was hoping that saying it differently would help, but it didn’t work. I heard Kayden yell, and then something crashed to the floor. I tensed and shut my eyes momentarily as I waited for him to calm down. When I opened my eyes, I could see the disdain on his face, and the need for an explanation. “Lauren caught us, and it stopped a few months ago. I haven’t seen him like that since. I did go over to offer condolences when I heard the news about Lauren’s mother, but she quickly told me to leave and never come back.”
“Is that why Dad went to visit my grandparents? Not because they needed him, but because he needed to get away from you?” Kayden stated. His words cut me, and they weren’t even directed at me. I flinched under his gaze, as if he was daring me to say something else he didn’t know. I took a step back and hid behind him as he waited for his mother to explain more thoroughly.
“Kayden,” his mom said as she reached out for him.
He quickly sidestepped her before she could touch him. She looked hurt, and then cast me a sorrowful gaze. I couldn’t tell if she was apologizing to me, as if she understood now how I felt around my father, or if she was telling me she wished she hadn’t said anything. Either way, I didn’t care. It was best Kayden knew the truth know matter how much it hurt. Sometimes it was for the best, and I would know that better than anyone after learning of my father’s infidelity.
“I don’t want you anywhere near me. Don’t touch me, and don’t talk to me. I can’t believe you did this. You cheated on Dad, lied to me about it, and then
tried to cover it up. Would you have ever told me if Lauren hadn’t been here?” Kayden asked, once again dragging me into the middle of this fight. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
His mom didn’t answer, she just looked shamefully at the floor and shook her head no. I could see Kayden’s anger growing while his mom tried to avoid having to say anything at all. She knew she had messed up, just like when I caught her with my dad, except this time she couldn’t run away. This was her home and there was nowhere for her to escape to.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Kayden growled before he walked past her. He walked around her, she refused to move as he approached, and slammed the door as he left the house.
As the door reverberated from the force Kayden exerted to slam it shut, I met his mom’s eyes. There were tears and shame in her eyes. It looked like she was trying to plead with me so I would accept her apology or get Kayden to. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I couldn’t believe anyone’s mother would do this, cheat, lie, and then try to hide it. There was no point, and look where it got her. If anything, I felt bad for Kayden. He just learned about it when clearly his father and I had learned it a few months ago. I had the sudden urge to comfort him, but the need to say the last word won out before I could leave.
“Frankly, you and my dad deserve each other. Cheaters have to stay together, after all,” I said as I walked past her.
She started to speak, but I opened the door and slammed it in her face so she knew I wasn’t in the mood to hear her excuses either. She had gotten out of explaining it long enough, and now she needed time to suffer as my mom and I had. I glanced up to see Kayden sitting in his mom’s Porsche waiting for me; I just knew this was going to be trouble. I groaned internally as I lightly jogged toward the waiting car. The carefree, joking atmosphere was clearly gone and I had the feeling I should go home, but I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want to go back to my own lying parent, and from experience I knew Kayden needed someone to be there for him. Who better than someone who had been there before?
I sighed heavily as I got in the car. Kayden didn’t even wait for me to buckle my seatbelt before he raced off. I slammed into the back of my seat as I forced my belt buckle to click to hold me in place. Kayden made a tight turn and almost scraped the car in the other lane as we sped past. He didn’t even slow down for speed bumps when leaving the neighborhood. He bounced me into the air with a bump and I hit my head against the roof of the car. My hands went to my head just in time for another bump. I let out a hiss as the pain erupted in my head.
He made another quick turn and slammed me against the car door. Did he think he was in Fast and Furious or something? I stole a glance at the speedometer, he was going fifty in a thirty-five zone. He refused to slow down for turns, other cars, even the stray walker. I clamped onto the seat for security as he made another turn. We didn’t make it much further when the stoplight turned red. He slammed on the brakes and sent me flying forward until my seatbelt caught me. I felt the belt tighten to hold me in place just before I was slammed into the back of my seat again.
“I can’t believe this!” Kayden screamed as he slammed his hands down on the steering wheel, causing the car horn to go off.
“Kayden, please calm down. You’re scaring me,” I cried as the light turned green and Kayden sped off. My back pressed against the seat once again as we sped away to a destination unknown. He made a tight turn that caused me to slide in my seat, and lean against his body by the force. I was so scared the car was going to flip over as he accidently hit a curb and jumped off of it. The car slammed back to the ground, which left Kayden completely unaffected, but threatened my sanity as he continued to speed.
He let out a growl for a response as he continued down the road. Where we were going was a mystery to me, I’m not even sure Kayden knew from the seemingly random turns he took. I let out a high-pitched scream as Kayden turned another corner and almost got us into a head-on collision. He swerved just in time to avoid it, but it gave me flashbacks to driving to school in the snow and my brakes weren’t working. I had to make the choice to run into the back of another car or to slide onto a main street. I choose the latter and almost had my first accident just to skip a fifteen-minute walk.
I felt my stomach clench as Kayden raced into a shopping center. I could feel the bile in my throat rising, and there was no way I was going to stop it. “Kayden, stop the car right now!” I cried as he started to do circles in the empty section of the parking lot. “If you don’t stop right now, I’m going to be sick in your car!”
“Don’t you dare,” he threatened as he turned his angry glare toward me.
“Then stop driving like you’re a rookie NASCAR driver! My stomach can’t handle it anymore!” I yelled back at him. He must have thought I was bluffing though because he raced out of the shopping center and skidded out of a turn. My stomach rebelled. I retched and threw up all over the car’s floor. He didn’t react, and I didn’t feel any better. I had to think of a different tactic to get him to calm down, or at least drive like a normal person, otherwise I’d ruin the new clothes we just bought, including the shoes I just blew chunks over. “Kayden, what has your mom never let you do?” I questioned as I tried to catch my breath.
“Why does that matter?” he yelled as he turned his glare on me, and taking his eyes off the road longer than he should have before he stopped the car on the side of the road.
“It matters because you should take revenge that way—not by killing me!” I screamed back. I could see the shock in his eyes from my outburst before a smile teased the end of his lips. I guess he was proud because I had grown a backbone; all it took was multiple near death experiences at one time. Before I started working with him, I would brush him off like dirt on my coat, but now that I had to work with him I needed to stand up for myself or he’d walk all over me.
“Besides running off with the daughter of her latest conquest, not much else,” he said. I rolled my eyes and turned to look out the side window. After a few moments of deliberation, I heard him sigh before he spoke again. “She never wanted me to get a tattoo. She said I would look unprofessional and never get a job, and a lot of other bullshit parents make up.”
“So instead of getting put in jail for reckless driving, or probably taking me with you to the grave, how about you just go get that tattoo you want? Then we can call it a day because I’m not looking to die or get arrested today!”
“What about tomorrow?” Kayden asked with a smirk.
I clenched my teeth as I glared daggers into Kayden’s eyes. There was a twinkle in the blue of his eyes as he lifted an eyebrow at me. “Not tomorrow, the day after, or next year either.”
“I guess that means I’m stuck with you then, until I get us into a car crash,” he said as he put the car in gear. I felt my eyes grow wide as my jaw dropped to my chest. “I’m just kidding. Calm down, Lauren. I’m not going to kill us until after we complete our little arrangement. Speaking of which, I got a friend that will hook us up if you’re in,” he said with a devious smile.
“If I’m in for what?”
“Getting a tattoo. It was your idea, after all,” he said with a wicked smile as he stepped on the gas pedal again and raced off toward downtown without waiting for an answer. I was starting to regret ever agreeing to this mess.
Chapter 14
Tattoos
“This is one of my best friends. So if we want everyone to think we’re together then we have to make him believe it. I hope you did theater when you were little, because you’re about to play a big role in this production,” Kayden joked as he slipped his hand into mine and led me into the tattoo parlor. “Just play along with everything—don’t be shy or he won’t buy it. Be spontaneous and do what you would do if you were actually in love with me, but then again, who isn’t?” he asked, flashing a breathtaking smile.
“Anyone with some brain cells and isn’t looking for an easy lay,” I said with straight face. Kayden glanced at me. At first I thou
ght I saw pain written across his face but it changed quickly. He started to laugh hysterically as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I felt a blush race across my face as he hugged me to him and let me feel his laughter vibrate through his chest. It reverberated through me and echoed in my heart. I was pleased to see his foul mood had vanished for now, and the Kayden I knew and loathed was back.
“Now, just do exactly like that and we could make this work,” he said with a smile as I opened the door
I took a deep breath to relax myself as we walked in. It was a small place, with a few chairs in front. I couldn’t believe Kayden had gotten me to agree to this. What was I even going to get? I wouldn’t be able to get rid of it once it was on my body. There would be nothing I could do about it once the needle stuck me. The ink would be under my skin forever, mostly because I heard laser removal hurt worse than getting a tattoo. Could I get out of this somehow?
“Hey Ryan,” Kayden said as he pulled me behind him. I glanced around the shop, trying to ease my mind before meeting his friends. We were in a waiting room with four faux leather chairs, and magazines piled up on the table. I peeked out from behind Kayden’s shoulder to see a half wall that the owner had made into a desk area before the store opened up for two tattoo chairs that were in the back.
“Hey Kayden, I never thought I would see you here. I guess my offer for the two tattoos was too good for you to resist,” a voice said. It sounded deep, smooth, and welcoming. If he was as friendly as he sounded, then I could see why he opened a shop. He seemed like a people person.
“You got that right. I was hoping the offer was still good.”
“For you? Not a chance, but your lovely friend, on the other hand, she is welcome to a discount if she tells me her name and gives me a little kiss for good luck on dealing with you,” Ryan stated.
Kayden pulled me out from behind him and chuckled when I tried to hide behind him again. “She’s a little shy, but she’s feisty when she warms up to you,” Kayden said as he placed his hands on my hips and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. I smiled at the gesture and followed his lead by leaning into him. I took a deep breath and tried to think of something funny to say, but I was having a hard time. I was never funny, especially when I tried to force it.