by Donna Flynn
“Maybe I’ll run into you there sometime.”
“That would be great,” I answered nervously, noting Jess giving me a scathing look from across the gym.
“So where do you live?” he asked.
“Oh, we have a house on the outskirts of town,” I answered, not offering exact directions. I didn’t know him at all, and although I felt weirdly drawn to him, I wasn’t that stupid.
“Do you enjoy living here?” he hedged.
To my surprise, the answer came easily. I loved our small town and the protection it offered my family. “Who wouldn’t? It’s small, quiet, and we know everyone.”
“Seems like the perfect place for anyone who had something to hide,” he told me.
His answer bothered me so I played it off the best I could. “Are you kidding? With the local gossips everyone knows everyone else’s business around here. You can’t hide anything.”
“I’ve heard that about small towns,” he replied easily and I felt myself relax. It had to suck being the new guy in our small community, and I was sure he was just getting a feel for the area.
The bell rang and I stood, telling him I would see him later before I ran to the locker room to change. As I walked out of the locker room I saw Chad waiting for me, leaning on the wall. He watched me approach with a sad expression.
“Hey, Chad,” I said hoping he would let it go until after school, but clearly we were not of the same mind.
“What’s going on, Katie?”
“With what?” I answered, knowing quite well, what he was referring to.
His jaw ticked slightly. “Everyone tells me this Orin guy is following you all around the school.”
I was sure it was probably more like Brenda was whispering in his ear, but I let it go. “He is not following me around. He asked me to show him to the gym,” I explained.
“Is it not big enough for him to see?” I had never heard him sound so angry, and I was taken aback by his tone.
“Chad, I can see you are upset, but you do not have the right to be angry about another guy talking to me when you have never asked me to be your girlfriend.”
“Well, I’m asking now! Are we a couple or not?” he snapped, surprising me with the vehemence of his voice.
I shook my head sadly. “I’m sorry, Chad, but we’re not,” I told him, hating the hurt look that passed across his face. “I just don’t feel that way about you. We can still be friends, though, right?” I put my hand on his arm but he pulled it away.
“I don’t know, maybe later we can.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I watched him walk away, his shoulders slumped and his head hung low. I walked quickly to the bathroom so no one else would see how upset I was, washed my face, and took a few deep breaths, hating myself for hurting Chad but knowing I had done the right thing. We had no future together, not when I was in love with someone else. Taking one more deep breath to calm myself, I left the bathroom to go to my next class, surprised to find Orin there waiting outside the door as I exited.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly. “I could not help but hear you and Chad talking in the hall. I’m sorry if I had anything to do with your breakup.”
“We weren’t exclusive, so there was nothing to break up,” I explained, tears pricking the back of my eyelids. I hated that I hurt Chad. Although I did feel this weird pull toward Orin. He wasn’t the reason I told him I wouldn’t be his girlfriend. I just simply hadn’t realized until I saw his reaction to Orin how serious his feelings were for me, and once I knew I couldn’t allow it to go on.
Orin took my books and placed his arm around my shoulders. “Listen, let me walk you to class. Where do you go next?”
“World history.”
“What a coincidence, me too,” he said with a grin.
“Yeah,” I said, allowing him to lead me to class. “Coincidence,” I muttered.
*****
“Let me help you,” Orin said behind me, reaching out for my book bag as I finished closing my locker at the end of day.
“I, uh…well, I’m going to the parking lot to meet my brother,” I told him.
“That’s great. I’m parked there too. Red truck with flames right?” he asked, flinging my bag over his shoulder.
“Yeah, it’s my brother’s truck,” I explained, wondering how he knew that.
“I’m parked right next to you. I saw you getting out of the truck this morning,” he said, as if hearing my thoughts.
Relief flooded me. “Oh, are you the Dodge Viper we saw this morning?”
“I’m impressed; I did not think girls were into cars.” He smiled and leaned against the locker, staring into my eyes.
“Don’t be; my brother saw it this morning. I really don’t know a whole lot about cars.” I told him, looking away from his entrancing gaze, feeling uncomfortable with the emotions his being near stirred in me. It was weird: I loved Aidan, of that I was sure, but I felt an attraction to Orin that was inexplicable.
“Don’t you drive?” he asked as we walked.
“I have to take my driving test. I was in a bad accident and haven’t gotten around to it yet.” To be honest, even if I had there was no way Paul was going to let me drive anyway, since he was so concerned about keeping me safe.
“You’re okay now, right?” He looked me over with worry.
I smiled reassuringly. “I am fine now, but I had broken my leg pretty badly, which kept me laid up for awhile.”
“How did it happen? Was there anything odd about your accident?”
Anything odd? I thought. If only he knew. “No it was just a car accident. A deer was in the middle of the road. Why would you ask that?”
He visibly tensed, giving me a forced smile. “No reason. I’m glad you’re all right. Do you at least have a car?”
I could tell he was trying to change the subject but I wasn’t sure why. “Yeah, but it just sits in the garage.” Just talking about my beautiful car reminded of Aidan, and I forced a smile to my lips so he would not see the sadness I felt.
“Hey, are you alright?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah,” I murmured, looking at my brother who watched us approach with narrowed eyes. I could see and feel his anger that I was with a male he did not recognize, but I pasted a smile on my face, hoping he would not cause a scene. “Hey, Paul, Beth, this is Orin. He just started here today.”
“I wasn’t aware we had a new student starting today,” Paul said, his voice full of hostility.
Beth elbowed him in the side, but he continued to glare. “Nice to meet you, Orin,” she said.
“We need to go,” Paul told me.
I could swear I heard him growl when Orin took my hand in his.
“See you tomorrow,” he said, sliding his finger down the inside of my palm, his eyes glued to mine.
There was no mistaking the interest in his captivating eyes and it made me nervous. “Alright...tomorrow,” I stuttered.
“I am counting on it,” he said softly, before letting go of my hand and getting into his car.
I stared after him until Paul placed a hand on my shoulder directing me to the truck.
We were just out of the parking lot before he began his tirade about Orin. “What are you doing, Katie?” he spat out as he put his foot down hard on the gas pedal.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused by his attitude.
“Where is Chad? I don’t think he would appreciate you spending time with another guy like this.”
“Chad is not my boyfriend or my keeper. Besides we have parted ways.”
“What!” He clenched the wheel, and the truck sped faster down the road as he continued to glare at me. “It is this new guy, right? What has he got that Chad doesn’t?”
“Look, Paul, Orin is new here. I just met him today, for pete’s sake. He has nothing to do with any of this! I love Aidan, but none of you can seem to grasp that, so I dated Chad to make you all happy but I care for him only as a friend,” I yelled, feeling bad for Beth,
who was stuck in the middle of our argument.
“Chad is a nice guy, Katie. He would never hurt you, and he didn’t expect too much from you.”
“Great! I guess if that’s what I wanted that would have been okay, but newsflash: I want more!”
“There’s something off about this guy, Orin. I can’t get a read on him and I had no idea he was moving into town. That is odd.”
“And that just kills, you doesn’t it?” I sneered. “Believe it or not, Paul, you don’t know everything!”
“Why don’t you give Chad another chance? I bet if you called him he would take you back.”
We pulled up to the house and I jumped out of the truck, angry that he was once again trying to control my life. “I’ll tell you what, Paul, why don’t you date Chad since you like him so much!” I screamed before turning away, walking quickly into the house.
Paul was close behind slamming the door as he bellowed behind me. “Katie, we are not done with this.”
“Just leave me alone, Paul,” I shouted angrily.
My father came from the library to see what was wrong, looking between us with a frown. “Paul, why are you yelling at your sister?”
Before he could even open his mouth, I pounced. “He thinks he knows what’s best for me, as usual,” I hollered, rolling my eyes to emphasize my disgust.
“Young lady! You calm down right this minute. We don’t yell in this house,” Dad warned, then turned to Paul for his answer. “What’s going on?”
“She dumped Chad and now some other guy that we know nothing about, who appeared out of nowhere, is sniffing around her,” he explained with a snarl.
“Well, I’m sorry about Chad, your mother and I thought he was very nice, but why is this any of your business?” He looked at Paul with a questioning gaze and crossed his arms over his chest.
“She was good with Chad, he was safe, and this guy Orin seems like trouble,” he answered, glaring at me.
“We can’t tell your sister whom she can and can’t see. I asked her to date other males, and as long as there is no solid reason you can give me why he might be dangerous, I won’t interfere.”
I couldn’t believe he just said that when he was the one keeping me from the guy I truly wanted to be with, but I was sure reminding him of that point wouldn’t be wise, so I bit my tongue.
Paul snarled angrily, and my father gave him a warning glance before pulling me into his arms and hugging me, completely unaware that I stuck my tongue out at Paul over his shoulder.
Paul took a step toward me but Beth, who had been hovering close by, grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
“Now, don’t you have some homework or something to do?” my father asked.
“I do,” I agreed kissing his cheek. “Thanks for supporting me, Dad.”
“There isn’t any reason I shouldn’t right?” he asked.
“Of course not,” I told him, turning to run up the stairs.
I barely made it into my bedroom before my cell phone began ringing incessantly. I tossed my book bag on the bed, pulled my phone out of the front pocket seeing Jess’s name flashing across the screen, and sighed. I was sure she knew about Chad, and I really didn’t want to deal with her being angry at me too, but if I didn’t answer she would just keep calling, so I decided to answer and get it over with. “Hey,” I said, dreading the conversation to come.
“Are you okay?” Jess asked softly.
“Guess you heard about Chad, huh?”
“He’s just devastated that you dumped him.”
“I did not dump him, Jess! We were never a couple.” I clenched the phone tightly wondering why everyone was pushing me toward Chad.
“He thought you were,” she said sadly.
“We weren’t! He never asked me to go out with him exclusively,” I argued.
“Are you sure about this? Chad would probably forgive you and take you back if you wanted. ”
I knew that would make everyone happy, but it wasn’t what I wanted. If I was doing what I wanted, I would be with Aidan and none of this would be happening. I sighed. “I’m sure, Jess. You’re supposed to be my best friend, please do not make this harder than it has to be.”
“I am always your best friend and I can’t tell you who to date, but he was so good to you.”
Never had I heard her push so hard, and I couldn’t help but wonder why she did now. “Look, Jess, let’s just agree to disagree on this, okay?” I said firmly, unwilling to let our friendship suffer over something that wasn’t going to change.
“Okay. Well I have to go. Josh and I are going out tonight.”
“Have fun,” I said before hanging up the phone, sad that Jess would choose Chad’s side over mine.
My stomach growled and I left my room to go find something to hold to over until dinner.
My mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner when I walked in, humming softly, her back to me as I entered. “Hi, honey how was your day?” she said knowing I was there even though I had not made a sound.
“Chad and I are not seeing each other anymore.” I could tell by her expression she already knew, which meant she had probably already spoken with my father.
“Are you okay with that?” She stopped working and leaned against the counter across from me, patting my hand sympathetically.
“I didn’t feel the way he did. It was the only fair thing to do.” My voice cracked and tears pricked my eyes. I was confident I had done the right thing, but I hated hurting Chad who really was very sweet.
“Then you did the right thing. I know you didn’t hurt Chad on purpose. You aren’t that kind of girl.” She hugged me close, her comforting scent bringing me a calm I had not felt all day. “Now, dinner is done. Why don’t you go into the dining room and I’ll bring it out.”
My mother thought eating was the answer to all problems for humans, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that was not the truth. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Not a problem,” she said, turning back to the meal she had lovingly prepared for me.
I walked away, my stomach growling in protest as I left the aromatic kitchen and headed into the dining room.
“Are you feeling better, honey?” my father asked as I entered the dining room.
“I’m okay,” I told him, taking my usual seat.
He eyed me speculatively. “So who is this Orin person?”
I knew it had been coming; my family made it a point to know everyone and anyone who surrounded me, so someone new would raise their suspicions. “He’s new, Dad. I don’t really know him, but he seems nice,” I told him, hoping to ease his mind.
“Whom are we talking about?” Mom asked as she came to join us, setting a plate of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables before me.
My stomach growled loudly and they both chuckled, amused by my very human reaction.
“The new boy Katie met at school today,” my father explained.
She frowned, but quickly covered it with a thin smile. “Oh, well, I am sure he’s very nice,” she said, exchanging a look with my father that I knew meant they were both uneasy about the newcomer.
I knew they were just being overprotective after my accident, and I certainly didn’t fault them for it, but I wished my life could be simpler. I had a feeling, though, that that was never going to be the case.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next morning Orin was leaning against his car waiting for me as I got out of Paul’s truck.
“Good morning,” he called out, ignoring Paul completely.
“Good morning, Orin,” I answered, suppressing a smile at his arrogance, which I knew would not bode well with my brother.
“I thought maybe I could walk you to class?”
“Sure.” I put my bag over my shoulder, but he reached over and took it from me, easily lifting it despite its heavy weight.
I felt everyone staring as we entered the school and walked down the hall together. It was clear that the gossip mill had been working ov
ernight, but that was to be expected, so I lifted my head high and ignored them all.
Once at my locker, I introduced Orin to Jess and Josh, but the tension in the air was palpable.
“Nice to meet you,” Josh said shaking his hand firmly.
“Good to meet you too,” Orin told him staring at him quizzically.
“Yes, nice to meet you,” Jess added, before rudely turning her back to Orin. “We are going to the movies Saturday night, Katie. Do you want to go?”
“Maybe it would be better if you went without me. I don’t want to be a third wheel,” I said, more than a little angry about her reaction to Orin. It wasn’t like Jess to be so openly rude and it bothered me.
“We could find a date for you,” Jess returned with a sly smile at Josh.
I had a feeling I knew just who that date would be. “Uh…”
“I will go with you,” Orin said quickly, pushing past her to my side. Jess’s eyes snapped to Josh’s with disbelief and I knew then that she really had been planning on springing Chad on me.
“Oh, well, I don’t want to inconvenience you,” I told him.
Instant relief filled Jess’s eyes.
“No, it would be fun,” Orin said with a smile. “I don’t know the area at all, so it would give me the chance to get to know the town.”
Jess’s face became taut once more.
“Okay, then,” I told him, noting Jess’s disappointment that her plans had not succeeded.
“It’s a date then,” he said, with what I would describe as a triumphant smile in Jess’s direction.
“We should invite Chris and his girlfriend too,” Jess added, as if adding more people would make it less like a date.
“Whatever you want,” I murmured, just wanting to end the uncomfortable meeting.
After agreeing to meet at Kelly’s we all moved on to class and my daily routine began, which was oddly comforting given all the tension in my life. I went through the rest of the day trying not to think about how much easier my life would be if my father would just relent and let me and Aidan be together. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have to worry about dating, fighting, or even arguing with my brother, who had to answer to Aidan.
