“Ah, where are you parked?”
“Way in the back. I decided to come at the last minute, so I think I got the farthest parking space there is. In fact, I think it’s actually in another county.”
I laughed. “Okay. I need a minute to see what I can do.”
“I’ll get the burgers. What do you like?”
You. Oh, crap, where did that come from? I’m seriously walking on a very thin line.
“No, don’t get them yet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come back or not.”
“I’ll take my chances. I’ll meet you over there?” He nodded at an unlit part of the parking area behind the last concession stand.
“Okay, but if I’m not back in five minutes, you’ll know I couldn’t get away.” I forced myself to walk calmly to where Jenna and Tim sat on the bleachers. As I walked, I opened one of the candy bars and threw the candy under the bleachers, keeping the wrapper. I did the same with half of another. I sat down between Jenna and Tim.
“Got your candy fix?” Jenna said with a laugh, looking at the chocolate bars.
“Yeah.”
“Uh-oh. I know that look. You’re gonna hurl, aren’t you? You ate too much of that crap and nothing else.” She picked up the empty wrappers and looked at them.
“Yeah, I’m not feeling too hot.” I purposely talked loud enough that Karen, who was sitting a row behind us, would hear me. She would tell Jaden everything as soon as the game was over. “Do you think you can take me home?”
Jenna gave me a funny look. “Yeah. What about Jaden? He’ll be looking for you.”
“I’ll tell Karen to tell him I’m sick and had to leave. He’ll be fine with it. He won’t have to worry about my curfew and can go to Jamieson’s party after the game.”
“Okay.” Jenna grabbed her things.
I turned to Karen, who, like I figured, was listening to our conversation. “Karen, I’m not feeling so great. Too much candy, I guess. Can you get a message to Jaden that I went home and tell him I’ll text him after the game?”
“Sure.” She studied my face. I tried to look sick.
“Tell him I said to have fun at Jamieson’s party.”
“I’ll tell him.” She watched Jenna and me walk down the bleachers after we said goodbye to Tim and the others in our group.
As soon as we rounded the stands, Jenna grabbed my arm. “Spill. Now.”
“I’m having a burger with Brody. You were the only cover I could think of. I know you don’t really like the games anyway, so I didn’t think you’d mind leaving early.” I cringed, waiting for her to say something.
“Nope, don’t mind at all. He’ll give you a ride home?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“Well, have fun.” She winked and walked to her car. “I expect a full and very detailed report. It’s the least you owe me.”
“You’re the very bestest friend a girl can have, you know that right?” I gushed with a smile, swinging my clasped hands back and forth and batting my eyelashes.
“Of course,” she said and waved.
I ran to the back of the last concession stand where I was meeting Brody. He stood with his shoulder leaning against the wall, one thumb hooked in his belt loop. His other hand held a tray of drinks and a bag. He smiled when he saw me.
“I was just about to give up,” he said quietly and pushed off the wall.
“Sorry. I tried to hurry.”
“No problem. Let’s go. When do you have to be back?”
“Here, let me carry something.” I took the drinks from him, and my stomach growled.
Brody laughed. “You sound as hungry as I am. So? How long do we have?”
“Oh, um, I don’t have to be back. I said I was leaving because I was sick from too much junk food.” I smiled.
“Ah, three chocolate bars and a Coke on an empty stomach can make anyone sick.”
“Yeah, well, I’d already had two things of cotton candy, an ice cream cone, and a bag of chili cheese corn chips. Oh, and that was my second Coke.” Brody looked at me with raised eyebrows. And I shrugged. “I eat when I’m nervous,” I said.
“Are you even gonna have room for a burger?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m hungry for something that’s not full of sugar.” I grinned. “Something dripping in fat sounds good.”
Brody laughed and unlocked the passenger door to his Jeep, holding it while I got in and shutting it after me. I groaned. The Jeep smelled like him—oh so good. It surrounded me like a cloud. I wanted to open a window and let in fresh air because I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything but his smell as long as I was in his Jeep. Brody opened the door and climbed in the driver’s seat. The smell of burgers filled the space, masking his smell, and I could breathe again. My head started to clear and stopped spinning.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I had them put everything on the side,” he said, pulling out a tray full of lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese, putting it on the center console before reaching in and grabbing a handful of condiment packets. He took out a burger and held it out to me. I couldn’t stop staring at the mini buffet of burger toppings. “Hey, earth to Willow, do you want this?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.” I took the burger and unwrapped it.
Brody started piling his burger with lettuce and tomato. He stopped when he noticed I just watched him. “Do you eat yours plain? Or did I not get what you like? ’Cuz I can run up there and get whatever you want.”
“No. No, this is great.” I put a piece of cheese on my burger, looked at it, and then grabbed another. I piled my burger with lettuce and squirted mustard all over it before taking a bite. “This is so good,” I said when I swallowed, chasing it down with a gulp of Coke. “Jaden always orders my food for me, and it’s never what I want. I like mustard—he orders mayo. I want onion rings—he orders French fries. I can’t believe you did this.” As soon as the words were out, I wanted to suck them back in.
“He doesn’t let you order your own meals?” Brody asked around a bite of burger.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Let’s not… I don’t want to talk about Jaden.”
“No problem. So, how long have you played chess?”
“Fourth grade.”
“No wonder you’re so good. I used to play in middle school,” Brody said, before taking a sip of his Coke.
“Why don’t you play anymore?”
“We moved around a lot. It made it tough to do any extracurricular activities.”
“Ah. And now? Does your family still move around or are you going to be in Middleton for a while?”
“I think we’re here to stay.”
“Then you should join the chess club. I mean… ah, never mind.” I shook my head, taking another bite of my hamburger.
“What? Tell me what you were going to say.”
“Well, the chess club isn’t exactly something that would… your reputation isn’t one that would suggest… I’m not sure you’d enjoy chess club, that’s all.”
Smooth. Way to stick my foot in my mouth. Never mind just one foot—I just shoved them both in there. Jeez.
Brody looked at me for what seemed like hours before he spoke. “And you believe everything you hear about reputations? You judge people based on them?”
“I wouldn’t say I judge them—”
“Why are you here? If my reputation is such an issue for you, why are you here? Oh, wait, I get it. We’re in a car in a dark parking lot where no one can see you slumming it with the bad boy of Cassidy High, right?”
“No! That’s not it at all.”
“Then enlighten me, Willow. Why are you here?”
“You asked me.”
Brody blew out a breath and looked out the window. Throwing his half-eaten burger in the bag, he started clearing the remnants of the toppings and condiments from the Jeep’s console.
I opened my door and slipped out of the Jeep, throwing what was left of my sandwich into the field behind the parking lo
t. “I’m sorry… I…” I shook my head, turned, and walked toward the stadium.
Brody got out of the Jeep and called after me. “Where are you going? I thought you told them you were leaving?”
I shrugged. “I’ll tell them I’m feeling better and decided to stay. No big deal. I’ll see you Monday, Brody. Thanks for the burger.”
“Willow,” he called, just loud enough for me to hear. “Don’t go.”
I stopped with my back to him. “Give me one reason to stay.”
“Because I don’t believe you care about reputations, and I don’t want you to go.”
“That was two.”
“Then I should get extra credit.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“I can’t, Brody. This was a mistake. I’m sorry.” Back in the stadium, I sat down next to Tim.
He looked over at me. “I thought you weren’t feeling good and were going home?”
“I’m feeling better. I didn’t want Jaden to worry, so I decided to stay.” I was surprised at how easily it was becoming to lie to everyone. I hated myself for it.
I pulled out my phone and texted Jenna.
Me: Are you home?
Jenna: Had to pull over. Was driving. No. Not home. Why?
Me: Didn’t work out. Still at the game. Come back?
Jenna: Yeah. Be right there.
Monday. I dreaded seeing Brody. I thought about texting him a million times over the weekend. If I had known what to say, I would have, but I didn’t, so I didn’t.
I stood in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear. Make a statement and wear a T-shirt with a message on it or dress in something normal, as Jenna would call it? I opted for the message. I was in a crappy mood. It was a Monday, after all. So I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black tank that read, I’m allergic to stupidity so I break out in sarcasm. I wore a long-sleeved, red button down that matched the lettering on my tank. Tying it at the waist, I left it unbuttoned so people could read the tank. I slipped on my red plaid converse tennis shoes that Jenna despised, but I loved, and grabbed my messenger bag, darting out my bedroom door.
I came face-to-face with my mother. Her breath smelled like stale alcohol and cigarettes. Her long, bleached-blonde hair was matted to one side of her head and hung in knots, like she’d just rolled out of bed. “Watch where you’re going, Willow,” she snapped.
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”
She pulled the collar of my red shirt back and looked at my chest and shoulder. “When’d you get that one?”
“Friday night. He was mad about curfew.”
“Well, you have to do better to stay on his good side, won’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Make sure it stays covered. Better get before you’re late and he sees fit to give you another one.”
I hurried down the stairs and out to my car. When I was inside and the doors were locked, I let out the breath I was holding.
Breathe. Just breathe.
Brody was already sitting at our table when I walked into biology. He looked up when I walked into the classroom.
“Hey,” I said, hanging my bag on the back of my chair.
“Hey yourself.”
“Did you have a good weekend?” I looked at him, sitting down and angling my body toward him.
“Not particularly. You?”
“No. Not really. I did have another chess tournament Saturday.”
“Yeah? How’d that go?” he asked, looking down at his notebook, doodling on a sheet of paper.
“I lost two out of three games.” I shrugged a shoulder.
He turned his head to me. “You lost? What happened?”
“I guess I didn’t have any incentive to win. There were no promises of a burger afterward.” I gave him a small smile, trying to break the ice between us. It felt like the iceberg that took down the Titanic was sitting between our chairs.
He didn’t smile back. Sighing, I bent over to grab my biology book and notebook. I flipped open the flap of my bag and reached inside when Brody’s hand darted out and grabbed my wrist. His other hand moved my shirt to the side.
“Don’t,” I whispered, pushing his hand away. He waved off my hand, his eyes never leaving the mark on my chest. He made a fist with his hand, placed it over my chest, and inhaled sharply.
“Who did that to you?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. I just shook my head.
“Willow, who did that to you?”
“No one. I mean, I just got pushed in the crowd at the football game Friday night. It’s no big deal.”
Brody’s face turned hard. “You’re lying,” he said through clenched teeth. “That’s not from getting pushed. That’s from a hit.”
Pushing Brody’s hand away, I pulled my shirt back over my shoulder before anyone walked by and saw the bruise covering it.
“Who did it?” he asked again.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Willow—”
“Just drop it. Don’t say anything to anyone. Please.”
Running his hand through his hair, he let out a frustrated sound before flipping his book open. He stared at it a few seconds before slamming it shut so hard I flinched. He stood quickly and his chair rocked backward, hitting the table behind us. I watched him as he stalked out of the room without a word.
Class was half over before he returned. After handing a tardy slip to the teacher, he sat down next to me. He didn’t look at me the rest of the class period and when the bell rang, he slid his things off the table and left the room. He didn’t speak to me in English class, leaving as soon as the bell rang.
“How’d things go this morning?” Jenna asked on our way to history.
“They didn’t,” I mumbled.
“That good, huh?”
“Yup. I think we’re back to square one. Open hostility. Brody Victor and I just aren’t meant to be friends, or anything else. We just don’t gel.” I stared at the floor so she couldn’t read the disappointment in my eyes.
“What about Brody Victor?” Jaden hurled himself over the railing of the stairs and landed in front of me. He slipped his arm around my waist, kissing my neck.
“He’s a jerk and a royal pain in the ass,” I said and smiled at Jaden, turning my face up to his for a kiss.
Brody and I sat next to each other in every class for the rest of the day except one, and he didn’t speak to me in any of them. I wasn’t sure why he was upset with me—it wasn’t any of his business—but it was obvious that he was pissed. It wasn’t until independent study that he spoke to me. We’d gotten in the habit of sharing a table in the back of the library. It was quiet and secluded. Generally, we worked on our homework separately, sometimes we’d work on our assignments together, and occasionally, we’d talk—although that didn’t happen often without one of us insulting the other.
“Is it Jaden?” Brody asked. He pulled out a chair, flipped it around, and straddled it.
I sighed. “No. Please, just drop it.”
“Who else knows? Jenna? Tim?”
“They know some, not everything.”
“And they’re fine with it?” he asked, his voice rising.
“Shh! No, they aren’t fine with it, but they respect my privacy and understand that, while they might not agree, it’s still my decision to handle it the way I want.”
“The bruise on your arm the other day, that wasn’t from a fall, was it?” When I didn’t answer, he nodded. “And the long sleeves even when it’s warm outside, that’s why you wear them. You’re hiding bruises.” It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t answer. “There are places to get help—”
I fiddled with the pages of my open textbook. “I’m fine.”
He reached out, gently took my chin in his hand, and pulled my face around so I was facing him. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see pity in his.
“Look at me,” he whispered. “Willow, look at me.”
I opened my eyes. There was
no pity in his eyes, only concern. “I want to help. Let me be here for you. Anyway you need me, just let me help.”
I plastered on my best fake smile. “Thanks, but I really am fine.”
“A bunch of people are going to The Dive,” Jenna said as we shoved our books in our locker after school.
“What’s the occasion?”
“It’s the end of this freakin’ horrible Monday, that’s what the flippin’ occasion is,” she muttered, mashing her notebook on her overstuffed shelf.
“Sounds good to me. I’m in,” I said. I had homework in calculus I really should’ve taken home and worked on, but it wasn’t due until Wednesday and I didn’t feel like doing it. “Screw it.” I shoved the book in my locker.
I’ll do it tomorrow in independent study.
I drove to The Dive. The place was already jumping by the time I got there. Music was blaring from the large speakers hanging in the corners, and the noise from people talking was almost deafening. I looked around until I spotted Jenna and Tim sitting in a booth in the corner of the restaurant.
“How’d you score this booth? It’s my favorite,” I said, scooting in. It was a circular booth that looked like it’d been pushed into the wall. It was nearly surrounded by windows overlooking the outdoor eating area, which was always hoppin’ during the summer.
“Someone got here before us and saved it,” Tim said. He didn’t look at me when he answered. That was my first clue something was up.
“Oh, yeah? Who?”
Jenna shrugged and changed the subject. “Hey, look, there’s Sarah. I wonder who she’s doin’ today.” That was my second clue.
I opened my mouth to ask them again who saved the booth, but I felt someone slide in next to me, and then I smelled him. Third clue and ding, ding, ding. The light bulb went off.
Oh. Just. Kill. Me. Now. It can’t be him.
“I’m going to hurt you,” I whispered to Jenna.
She smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “He asked us to sit with him.”
“Hey,” Brody said, his voice both husky and smooth at the same time, which, of course, sounded ridiculous, but somehow he pulled it off. And, holy Hell, it was sexy. My stomach fluttered every time he spoke, and, yes, even when we traded insults.
Unspeakable (Freedom Series Book 1) Page 9
