by Amy Sparling
"Bayleigh." The sound of my name catches me off-guard and I stop in the doorway, turning my head around to find the source of the voice. People shove past me to get to their next class and I feel a heavy hand come down on my shoulder. Trepidation builds in my stomach as I turn slowly around to find myself face to face with Mr. Harrison.
His eyebrows draw together and he frowns. "There are no cell phones allowed in class. I find a hard time believing that you are ignorant of this rule."
"I, uh, was just making sure it was turned off," I say, doing my best to sound sincere, but it comes out sounding like a question.
He gives me a less than sympathetic look and holds out his hand.
"No, please," I say, slapping my hand over my pocket to protect my phone.
He shakes his head. "Hand it over. You can get it back after you serve detention today."
My heart drops to my stomach and it takes everything I have not to cry. Not only do I have to give up my phone for the day, but I have to spend an extra hour after school in detention. Jace won't be able to get a hold of me and I have no way to tell him until after school. Reluctantly, I slide my hand into my pocket and hand him my phone while wearing the saddest face I can possibly make, hoping it will change his mind.
"See you in detention," he says.
Guess it didn't work.
I have to wait seven minutes and thirty-six seconds for the woman behind the desk in the office to get off the phone. I guess since it's an hour after the final bell rang and every student except for the delinquents in detention have gone home, the high school secretary finds nothing wrong with having an exceedingly long personal conversation about how her husband has gained too much weight and she doesn't find him sexually attractive anymore.
I clear my throat for the third time since I walked in the office almost eight minutes ago. She spins around in her chair that was facing the back wall, her face morphing into a startled expression once she realizes that I'm here. "What do you want?" she asks, her cheeks burning red. "How long have you been standing here?"
"I'm here to get my confiscated cell phone," I say, pointing to it where it sits on a shelf next to a few other phones. "And don't worry, I didn't hear anything about your husband's weight gain."
She gives me a pointed look, then grabs my phone and slams it on the counter a little harder than necessary. I grab it and practically dive out the office door and barrel down the hallway toward the parking lot.
It feels so great to have my phone again. I turn it on as I start the short walk home and slide it into my pocket while I wait for it to boot up. I expect several missed texts to come through, but my phone only beeps once.
I have one message and it's from Jace.
Jace: You'll see.
Disappointment creeps over me at the realization that he went the whole day without missing me enough to text me more, or leave me a voicemail or anything. I hate that he's so busy and I'm so…needy.
God, I need a life.
Mom's car isn't in the driveway when I get home, and even though I have to cook dinner on the days she works overtime, I'm grateful for it today. Now she won't know I had detention. The last thing I need is any strain with my mom after we've been getting along so well lately.
I'm staring at my phone screen wondering what to text back as I walk up to my front door. In my distraction, I almost miss the beautiful vase of flowers sitting on the welcome mat. I bend down and take the card attached to them, my heart filling with happiness when I see that they're addressed to me.
With the world's goofiest smile on my face, I open the envelope and read the words written in beautiful calligraphy.
Turn around.
My eyebrows crinkle in confusion as I turn over the card in my hand only to find it blank. What the heck does that even mean? It can't actually mean for me to turn around, here on the porch?
Feeling a bit silly, I spin on my heel, turning to face the street.
And then I shriek with excitement as I see Jace standing at the end of my driveway, hands in his pockets, and that freaking smirk on his face.
CHAPTER 4
"What are you doing here?" I manage to squeal as I throw my arms around his neck and hug him close to me. "It's not even Friday yet."
Jace hugs me back then pulls away to look at me. "I guess I learned my lesson in trying to surprise you. I thought you would have been home a long time ago."
"Sorry," I say as I pull him out of the driveway and walk up to the house. Jace grabs the flowers while I dig around my purse for my house key.
"Why were you so late?" He nudges me with his elbow. "Did you have a date with your other boyfriend or something?"
"Right, like I could keep up with two boyfriends," I say with a roll of my eyes. "I had detention."
He stops short on the front porch. "Detention? Babe…how did you do that?"
I poke him in the chest playfully and let us inside the house. "It's kind of your fault, you know. I was texting you and got caught with my phone."
He plops down on the couch with a heavy sigh and rests his head in his hands. "Bayleigh…" he says with this exhausted tone in his voice as though he's my freaking mother.
"What?" I snap. "You can't sit there and act all mad at me. I was just texting you. It's not like I streaked through the high school."
He shakes his head. "I'm not mad. I'm just frustrated. You finally got on peaceful terms with your mom and I don’t want you pissing her off again. I have plans for us. Plans that involve you not being grounded."
I snuggle in next to him on the couch and ignore the coldness that radiates off him when he's annoyed. "What kind of plans?"
He slides his hand down my leg, giving my knee a squeeze. "You'll just have to wait and see."
I groan. "I hate when you do this to me."
"Hate it all you want, but surprising you is one of my favorite things in the world."
I try to hold back my smile but it doesn't work. Everything he says and does is so freaking cute, I can't help but smile at him. I nuzzle my head into his neck as he wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. The urge to kiss him overwhelms me, but I don't do it because we're in the living room. We never kiss in the living room, except for an occasional forehead kiss from Jace when he's leaving. It's just too weird to show affection with my mom and brother around.
Speaking of… I glance out the front window to confirm that Mom's car still isn't home. She's never home this late and when she goes shopping, she usually brings me with her. Not that I'm complaining, because today is the perfect day for her to be gone—now she will never have to know about my detention.
"I'm gonna call my mom," I tell Jace as I get off the couch and look for my phone. "Maybe if she won't be home for a while, we can make out," I tell him with a wink.
He stretches out his arms and locks them behind his head. "Sounds great to me."
Mom doesn't answer her phone so I send her a text asking when she'll be home. I play it off like I'm hungry and want dinner, and not like I'm dying for her to stay gone long enough for me to get some heavy make out action with Jace.
My phone beeps a few minutes later.
Mom: Bentley is with Aunt Jamie. I'll be home after dark. There's food in the fridge.
I lift an eyebrow at her odd text. "Weird," I say as I turn my phone around to show Jace the message. He skims through it and then wiggles his eyebrow at me. "Looks like it's just me and you tonight, my dear."
My smile only lasts a second before it's replaced with a look of worry. "It's just so weird that Mom isn’t here and didn't tell me why. I hope she's not in the hospital or anything."
Jace pulls me close to him. "You're worrying too much. I'm sure she's fine."
A while later, my cheeks are flushed and my lips are actually tired from all the kissing. We take a small make out break and cuddle on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. It's a little past nine at night and Mom still isn't home. It's way past my brother's bedtime so I wonder
if he's going to spend the night at Aunt Jamie’s house. I can't get over how weird all of this is, but I don't want to keep harping on it to Jace, because it's not as if he can do anything about the situation.
I'm sure Mom is fine, it just feels weird. She's never gone.
Jace grabs the remote and mutes the television. "You're being incredibly anxious about watching your phone," he says. "You don't need to be so worried about your mom. Is there anything else on your mind?"
With a sigh, I nod my head. He prods me for an answer.
"Well," I begin as I stare at my lap, tracing my finger down the front of his shirt. I can't meet his eyes because I don't want to see the annoyance on his face when I tell him what's bothering me.
"Well?" Jace says.
"I just…you hardly texted me at all today. We usually text a lot, and today you were barely there and you didn't even try calling or texting when I was late from school."
He takes a deep breath before answering. "Bayleigh, I was busy all day. And then I was driving over here to see you and you hate when I text and drive."
I nod, agreeing with him. I don't know why I'm hurt by his lack of communication today; I guess I'm just overly clingy.
Jace continues, "Babe, you have nothing to worry about with me. And you have nothing to worry about with your mom. You have to stop freaking out all the time."
I pull back and cross my arms in front of my chest. "I do not freak out all the time!"
He lifts an eyebrow and stands up from the couch, grabbing his wallet and car keys off the coffee table. It takes everything I have not to beg him to stay longer.
"I'm gonna go before you start freaking out about not freaking out."
I stand up with a heavy sigh and put my hands on my hips. "It's only nine-fifteen. You don't have to leave for fifteen more minutes and that's only if Mom comes home before then."
He checks his phone and puts it back in his pocket. "I know, but I need to go. I have to teach early lessons tomorrow."
I know I'm pouting but I don't exactly care right now. I follow him to the door and he kisses me on the cheek. "I'll see you Friday," he says, hooking his fingers into my jeans pockets and pulling me toward him for a hug. "Oh, and, Bay?" he asks with a hopeful look on his face.
"Yes?" I say.
"Don't piss off your mom before Friday. I have something very important to ask her and she needs to be in the best possible mood."
CHAPTER 5
Friday seems to take two hundred million years, but eventually, it arrives. I stayed true to my promise to Jace and didn't piss off my mother at all. Of course, it's pretty easy to do when she hasn't gotten home until after I was asleep for the last three days. Something's up, but she won't tell me what.
Becca walks with me out to the parking lot after our last class. Her boyfriend is home sick today so she actually has time for her dear old forgotten best friend. "I'm so glad it's the weekend," she says, pulling a hair tie off her wrist and twisting back her hair. "The first week of school is always the worst."
"My classes were okay," I tell her as we step outside and into the parking lot. Becca grabs my arm and her cold fingers make me jump.
"Um, Bayleigh?" she whispers from the side of her mouth. "Some guy is staring at you."
I shrug, my eyes still on my cell phone as I type a message to Jace. "I don't care, I have boyfriend."
"Oh my god, he's walking toward us," she says, her whisper turning into a high-pitched shriek. We're at a high school, surrounded by guys who are just as eager as we are to get out of here for the weekend, and yet she's acting like we're about to be murdered. I look up to see the mysterious guy for myself.
He lifts his hand in a little wave toward me as he approaches. Becca grabs my arm, probably wondering why someone so freaking hot is waving at me. "Oh shit that's Jace," I tell her as I roll my eyes and pick up my speed, desperate to be in his arms.
"Oh my god, are you Jace Adams!?" The voice comes from our right as a pretty blonde girl with hot pink streaks in her hair and a tattoo of an anchor on her forearm dives in front of us on a mad dash toward my boyfriend. "Oh my god, it's totally you, isn't it?"
I stop dead in my tracks, my mouth hanging open like my jaw has fallen out of its hinges, as I watch this ridiculously beautiful girl run up to my boyfriend and grab his arm. Seething jealousy fills me as I watch her stupid fingers wrap around my boyfriend's elbow. That is my elbow, not hers!
She continues to badger him, asking why he's here and what he's been doing lately and if he's actually off the professional motocross racing team for misconduct. I glance down at my faded denim capri pants and dark green T-shirt with our high school mascot on the front. Oh god, I'm wearing a school spirit shirt. I am such a loser! This girl is way cooler than me, and she's obviously eighteen and I'm not and oh god oh god, I'm an idiot. Jace is going to realize this any second now and leave me for her.
The sound of Jace's voice breaks me out of my mental freak out. "…just here to see my girlfriend…" The girl steps out of the way as he motions toward me. I suck in a deep breath and pretend I'm not one hundred percent embarrassed at my appearance, and walk into his open arms.
I love when he wraps his muscular arms around my shoulders, bringing my head under his chin. It is my favorite type of hug and he does this right now, right in front of this girl.
Life is good.
Becca says a quick hello and goodbye, stating that she has to leave quickly so she can go take care of her sick boyfriend. Jace and I hang out in the parking lot while he talks to this girl who seems to know freaking everything about him and his motocross career.
I suddenly feel like I don't know my boyfriend at all. I mean, I know he was mildly famous in the professional motocross world—so much so that he was mentioned in magazines and had corporate sponsorships and stuff. But I thought that "fame" only applied to people who are into motocross…and I didn't even know it existed until I met Jace. But now that I'm standing before one of his self-proclaimed biggest fans, I feel small and ignorant and unworthy.
I tell him all of this on our drive back to my house. Unfortunately, the drive only takes a few seconds since I live two blocks from the school. By the time I finish talking, we're already in the driveway. Jace gives me a sympathetic look and says, "Babe, I chose you and I don't give a shit about any other girl in the world."
"So…what was the Friday night surprise thing you promised?" I ask as we go inside my house and head toward the hallway and to my bedroom. "I'm happy to report that I didn't get into any trouble."
"That’s good. I need to talk to your mom about it," he says, glancing around the living room and peeking in the kitchen. "Where is she?"
"Probably in her room," I say, motioning for Jace to wait in the hallway. "Don't come in, she might be naked or something," I say jokingly as I grab the doorknob to Mom's room and twist.
And let me reiterate here: I said it jokingly. I did not expect to find my mother naked in her room.
But that's exactly what happens.
"Bayleigh! Close the damn door!" My mother's face is both pale and flushed as she runs toward me, completely naked, waving her arms as if to shield me from seeing anything else. But it doesn’t work, because as I stand in the middle of the hallway, my hand on her door, I am completely unable to move, despite how much I want to run away. Even though I wish I hadn't seen the naked man on my mom's bed—I did.
I think I scream, or something, I don't know. All I know is that the door slams shut in my face a moment later, and Mom's ranting and raving continues on the other side. She's yelling something about keeping track of time, and a male voice apologizes several times.
I turn on my heel to Jace, my mouth open and my eyes just as wide as his are. "Holy shit," he whispers as he tries to hide his laughter.
"Holy shit," I repeat as I grab his arm and pull him into my bedroom.
"Did you know your mom was seeing someone?" he asks, still whispering even though we're now safely inside my bedroom with t
he door closed.
I shake my head. "My mom never dates. This is weird. And I feel so gross right now."
Jace laughs. "Before my parents got divorced, they had sex like fifty times a day. I grew up listening to them going at it all night. I guess I'm just used to it by now, so it doesn't gross me out."
"If they had sex that much, why did they get divorced?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Hell if I know."
There's a knock at my door and I stiffen, too scared to answer it but knowing that I have to. Jace walks to the door before I do, pulling it open with such confidence, you'd think nothing embarrassing happened a few minutes prior. "Hi, Miss Maize, what's up?"
Mom wears an entire outfit this time—jeans and a shirt and even a bra. Her face is shiny with sweat. "I would like to apologize for what happened earlier. That was…inappropriate and…I am sorry."
I gnaw on my bottom lip and stare at the wall just next to Mom, unable to look her in the eyes. Hell, I can't even bring myself to say anything…I just want her to leave. This is so awkward!
Jace speaks instead. "No worries, we're all adults here. Listen, while I have you here, I'd like to ask your permission to take Bayleigh with me to the races at Mixon Motocross Park this weekend."
I lift an eyebrow. That was Jace's big surprise? Mom isn't going to care if I go with him to a dirt bike race. She proves this by saying, "Of course, that's no problem. What day is it?"
"That's the thing," Jace says. "I need to be at the races at five in the morning, and they're forty-five minutes away from here. Since Bayleigh doesn't have a car to drive herself, I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to let her come to Mixon on Saturday night that way she will already be there for the races."
