Tag You're Mine

by Catherine Charles

  I motion for Liv to sit with her, and she wraps her arms around her. “Hey, sweet girl. I don’t know what’s going on, but everything’s gonna be okay.”

  Looking back at her one more time, Trey pats me on the shoulder. “We’ll take care of her.” I nod and follow Mrs. D out to the living room.

  “Care to explain what’s going on?” My question came out far harsher than I ever intended it to be, but my girl is hurting, and I can't protect her from whatever it is. I’ve wanted to protect her before, but this level is new to me. I want to physically hurt the person causing her pain.

  “Robert, it’s Presley’s father.”

  Fuck me. I sink into the couch as a knot in my stomach begins to form. I remember this conversation. The one my mother had with me, when she told me he was dead. Please don’t let it be the same one.

  “Robert, their unit disappeared about a month ago. Complete silence. A couple of days ago, one of the men was found dead. He was completely unrecognizable. They had to get a bone marrow sample to do a DNA test. It was the father of one of Presley’s friends. Her best friend after you, actually.”

  I feel as if all the oxygen has been taken out of the room. “Does Presley know?”

  “She knows he’s dead, it’s all I could bring myself to tell her.”

  We sit in silence. Mrs. D is staring at a spot on the carpet, and I can tell she is trying to hold it all together. “Listen, Mrs. D, we both know that sometimes in cases like this, no news can be good news. Mr. D. is one of the smartest people I have ever met, and right now, he is using his intelligence to his advantage. He is a way better soldier and man than my father ever was. He’s gonna be back. He’s gonna surprise us all. We have to have faith.”

  She nods her appreciation and then looks at me once more.

  “I’m guessing by the looks on your friends’ faces they don’t know you by your real name. I’m sorry for letting it slip.”

  “It’s okay. I was thinking of telling them soon anyway.” I shuffle in my seat before speaking up again. “Hey, Mrs. D, would it be okay if I stayed here until you hear something back?”

  She looks at me and wrinkles her brow a little. Definitely not what I was expecting. Usually, it would be a resounding yes.

  “I’ll have to discuss it with your mother. We both want you two to enjoy being kids. Don’t be in such a rush to grow into adults.”

  “We’re both eighteen ma’am.”

  “And both living with your parents. Age doesn’t make you an adult, Robert. It’s what you learn, and the choices you make that help do that. You will both be on your own and in a new state without your parents guiding you in a couple of months. Be children for a few months longer. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, young man.”

  It’s not the answer I was hoping for. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I head back towards Presley’s room. It’s quiet. I open the door and see Presley asleep on the bed, while Liv plays with her hair. Trey has on the comedy show from last night, laughing, and I shake my head at how blissfully ignorant he can sometimes be.

  “Hey, can I talk to you both out here?”

  Trey looks up from the TV and pauses it, “Aw man, it was just getting good.” Liv smacks him with her free hand and squints her eyes at me.

  “Yea, ROBERT,” Each letter of my name is annunciated with purpose.

  We walk back out to the living room, and Liv immediately lays into me.

  “Okay. Spill. What’s going on? And start with the name first.”

  “Yeah, man. Is it a middle name or something?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose, close my eyes, and take a deep breath. “I’m only doing this once. Call Marcus.”

  By the time Marcus shows up, Liv and Trey are taking bets on whose theory is right. Trey is sticking with the middle name theory. I was in trouble with Presley’s mom, so she skipped over my first name and went straight for the middle name. Liv is a little closer to the truth. I can't wait to see Trey in a dress at practice next week. What a way to kick off the season.

  “Okay. So, the name thing. My real name is Robert Lucas West. When I was younger, my mother and I went into hiding. I don’t want to get into the particulars, but we were both given new identities and placed here.”

  “So, that’s why your mom changed her name a couple of years ago!” Marcus looks as if a light bulb has gone off in his head. “I thought she was too embarrassed to be related to you.”

  Liv smacks him hard upside the head. “You’re an idiot.”

  Trey takes a chance by asking a question and flinches away from Liv, “So why did your mom change her name?”

  “We were no longer in any danger and she wanted to go back to her birth name.”

  “Well, if your mom changed her name, then why didn’t you change yours?” Liv leans forward, her forearms resting on her knees.

  “Because I didn’t want to have this exact conversation.” I let out an exasperated sigh, and Marcus raises his hand. “You know we’re not in school.”

  “I didn’t want to get slapped by Liv again.” The group definitely has its fair share of comedic relief. “So, do you have any secret skills we should know about?”

  Marcus is eager for an answer, and I almost feel bad disappointing him. “Nope. Still the same guy I was thirty minutes ago.”

  “Wait!” Liv suddenly gets all bouncy and giddy. “I remember Presley asking about a Robert West a couple of months ago. Then you started acting weird. Oh. Em. Gee! Did you two know each other? You did! You two totally knew each other! This is so romantic.” Liv is grinning like a Cheshire cat while Trey rolls his eyes and tries to calm her down.

  “Liv, real life isn’t like one of those crazy shows you watch.”

  “Well…”

  I look back and see Presley standing at the entrance to the living room, still clad in her pajamas, her shoulder again playing peek-a-boo, and she still has the same effect on me as last night.

  “Hey, you,” I say through my smile, as I stretch my arm out to her, beckoning her to come to me. She happily obliges. She sits on my lap as I wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck as she drapes an arm over my shoulders, giving me a smile only intended for me.

  “Our mothers got it in their crazy heads when we were three, we should end up together. So, from the day this crazy plan was hatched till about the time we were eight, until Robert and his mom moved away, we were inseparable.”

  “Wait, what? How is this even possible? Didn’t you move like all the time?” Marcus has a valid point, one most people would assume.

  “Yes, but because of the position both our fathers had, we were usually stationed together. Sometimes we would move first, and other times Robert’s family would go first.”

  “So, let me get this straight. Your moms actually set you two up when you were little kids?” Trey is perplexed like his whole life has been a lie. Fairy tales don’t exist in real life until they do.

  Liv continues to grin from ear to ear as the guys try to wrap their minds around everything. “I told you, Trey! Romance does exist.”

  “But you guys had no idea where each other lived. So how is it you both ended up there?” Poor Trey.

  “Mom and I were placed here after we kept getting found. The odds of getting found in a town where the population was less than three thousand seemed to be in our favor.”

  “And my mom wanted to move back here while my dad was deployed.”

  Presley tenses in my arms at the mention of her father. We’re both startled when Liv claps her hands.

  “It’s fate!” She has the biggest smile on her face, while Trey and Marcus still look confused and are trying to play catch up. I look up at Presley and I can see the tears starting to form behind her eyes.

  “So, what do we call you now?” Marcus asks.

  “Yeah, I mean, we’ve only ever known you as Brice,” Trey chimes in.

  “Either one is fine. Pres calls me Robert, but only because she’s only ever known me as Robe
rt.”

  “Well, I like Robert. It’s so manly,” Liv chirps.

  “And what—Trey’s not?”

  “Eh, I’ll think of a good name for you, teddy bear.”

  “Teddy bear! Hell yes! I’m totally using that against you.”

  “Like hell, you are Marcus! I’m the only one who gets to call him that. You wanna give him a nickname, then make up your own damn one, but leave my man alone.”

  Trey holds himself like a proud peacock. Not only did Liv give him a pet name, but she called him hers. She could call him teddy bear, shnookums, puddin’ pop, or any number of soft names, and he would answer willingly because they came from her, the girl he has had a crush on since freshman year.

  The mood changes after Liv tears into Marcus, and once again, all eyes settle on Presley and me.

  “So, Pres? Why were you crying earlier?” Liv is honestly concerned about her.

  I hold her closer to me.

  Both Trey and Marcus seem concerned as well and knowing this isn’t something she wants to deal with right now.

  I answer for her, “Right now, all we know is Presley’s dad is missing.”

  I look towards the kitchen and see Mrs. D, and Gramps standing there, and I tighten my hold on her. I’m not going anywhere, not when my heart is broken outside of my chest. Gramps gives a firm nod of approval and heads outside.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Winter formal is tonight, and as usual, Olivia is getting ready at my place. Everyone seems to hang out here ever since Mom and Diane agreed to let Robert stay over on Friday and Saturday nights.

  I guess we have the cool parents, except they’re not necessarily cool; they’re tough as nails and strict beyond belief. They heightened their level of expectations, and our room for mess-ups is razor thin.

  The minute Robert or my grades slip, we don’t help around either of the houses, or we give any form of lip, we are grounded from one another. Robert is allowed over Monday through Thursday, but he must be home by ten, and then home by five on Sundays. However, there is some flexibility in the schedule. Diane usually comes over to our house for dinner Sunday nights, and they stay till about nine.

  I promised Liv before homecoming we could coordinate for prom, and she took it to mean winter formal as well. She really has become my best friend through all of this.

  “Let’s go! Chop. Chop, missy. I wanna see your cute butt out here in thirty seconds.”

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a bit bossy?” I call out from the bathroom.

  “All the damn time. Now let’s go.”

  I round the corner and see her admiring herself one final time. She’s wearing a petal pink knee-length dress with off the shoulder cap sleeves and lace accents. She smooths over her full skirt and messes with her hair, making sure every strand is perfectly in place.

  Her shrill pitch almost causes me to go deaf. “Hurry up! The guys are almost here, and I want a picture of the two of us. And don’t say we can get one when we get there because we both know Robert won't keep his hands off of you.”

  I clear my throat, and she spins around; finally, a short-lived moment of silence.

  “Pres, you look like a princess.”

  “You don’t think it’s too much? I’ve never worn a dress like this before.” My dull satin, sky blue dress, hits right above my knees, spaghetti straps rest on my shoulders as the material widens and forms a deep plunging V-shaped neckline. Just like Liv, I have lace accents on the bodice and a few scattered on the full pleated skirt. Swarovski crystals follow along the neckline, and I left my hair down like Liv’s, opting for a beachy wave look.

  “I’m so glad I talked you into getting that dress. We look amazing together.”

  I laugh at her comment and do a little twirl, sending my skirt flaring out around me. As I stop, I notice Robert and Trey have both walked in. Trey kisses Liv on the cheek and Robert seems to be frozen, eyes wide, speechless as he runs a hand over his open mouth.

  “Wow.” His eyes never leave me, and I feel myself start to blush.

  “Liv, I don’t think you could get any prettier.” Trey is completely taken by her, and I think this may be the first time I have ever seen her get flustered as she leans into him, adjusting his tie as a way to keep the attention off of her.

  “Aren’t you just my sweet teddy bear,” she says before leaving a pink lipstick mark on his cheek, which he happily leaves there.

  Robert has finally made his way over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against his toned chest. Baseball practice is most certainly paying off.

  “Hey, handsome.” I slide my hands up Robert’s abs, pecs, over his shoulders and up along his neck while his fingers gently massage their way up my spine.

  “You look beautiful, Pres.” He cups my neck as he pulls me closer, his lips gently graze across mine, leaving little smacking sounds in between each eager peck.

  “Where’s Marcus? I thought he was meeting us here so we could all ride together,” Liv asks.

  “He said his date was running late, and he would meet us there,” Robert replied, helping me with my jacket.

  “Anyone know who he’s bringing?” I ask, hesitantly.

  “Nope,” Trey responded as he gently pulled Liv’s hair from her coat.

  Usually, Marcus would be proudly boasting about his date, but the fact he’s kept deadly silent about her, causes us all to wonder.

  We take a quick picture out in the snow and climb into Robert’s truck, thankful he left it running when they came inside to get us. It’s early February and one of the coldest days all winter. If pants were socially acceptable as formal attire, I would have definitely worn them, but Liv insisted on dresses.

  As we ride to the school, all of us are trying to figure out who Marcus is bringing. Neither Liv nor I have heard anything, and ever since Christmas, Marcus seemed to stay away from the four of us, something about not wanting to feel like a fifth wheel and all.

  “Honestly, I don’t know if he was even asked to formal,” Liv mentions, “there are more girls who hate him than actually like him.”

  I do feel bad for him. Marcus is a good guy, but he plays the role of a cocky playboy. In reality, I’ve yet to see him with a single girl. Maybe I notice it because I’m the outsider of the group, but I really do hope Marcus is able to find happiness like the four of us have.

  “Hey, Ladies.” I feel a hand on my lower back and spin around to see Marcus all smiles.

  “Hey!” Liv gives Marcus a big hug and pulls away from him, admiring his suit before letting her mouth get away from her. “We were about to take bets to see if you would show up.”

  “Why wouldn’t he show up? Once I knew he was free, I couldn’t wait to ask him.” Heather is standing behind Marcus now, a demonic grin on her face and disdain dripping from her words.

  Liv shoots Marcus a look of disgust before walking off and yelling over her shoulder, “Seriously?”

  Heather’s eyes rake over me as she looks back and forth between Robert and me. It isn’t long before I notice we are wearing the exact same dress however, she’s cut out the nude mesh lining holding the dress together where it splits, and her boobs are quite a bit larger than mine. Her cleavage is on full display. Could this night possibly get any worse?

  “It’s nice to see you enjoying my sloppy seconds, Presley. Have you figured out his most sensitive spots yet? You know, the ones that cause him to stand at full attention within seconds?” She shoots me an evil, arrogant smirk before leaning into Robert, grazing his ear with her teeth before he pulls back from her.

  A lump in my throat threatens to cut off my air supply, but I will not allow her to see me shaken by her words or her actions. Heather chuckles as she turns to walk away from us, but not before she drives her knife deeper in me, making sure to turn it as she goes. “Cute dress, by the way. However, I think it looks better on me.”

  Rage burns in Robert’s eyes as he shoves Marcus hard against the wall. “What the hell!�
�

  “Look, I’m sorry. But she asked, and I said yes. Whatever happened between the two of you is, well, between the two of you. I was trying to be a gentleman. Heather has been our friend for a long time, and I felt bad for her. She wanted to come to formal and didn’t have a date, so I said sure.”

  Forget what I said earlier about feeling sorry for Marcus; he just landed himself on my shit list. He meets Heather out on the dance floor, and she follows him like a puppy out into the hall.

  Robert attempts to wrap his arm around me, and I brush it off. He doesn’t get to touch me yet.

  “Babe, I’m sorry. I had no idea he was gonna bring her. We can leave if you want to.”

  He’s sorry she was here, not the fact he couldn’t control what was in his pants. “I’m going to find Liv.” I’m at least gonna attempt to have fun and salvage what’s left of the night.

  -----

  Liv and I have been on the dance floor for what seems like hours, my feet are killing me, and I’m hot. The music is loud, so I motion towards the restroom and she follows. Trey and Robert have been sulking in a corner all night, knowing they’re in trouble.

  “So, it looks like you’re actually having fun,” she says to me as we get to a place where it’s finally quiet enough to hear one another.

  “Yea. I am actually. Despite the fact, Marcus showed up with her, and Robert apparently has a thing for skanks.”

  Liv stops me before we enter the bathroom. “Presley, you know nothing serious happened between the two of them.”

  “I know. Robert told me. I want to believe him, but—”

  “No buts, Presley. Heather has tried to take things further with Robert for years, but he’s constantly turning her down. It never went more than a make-out session. I promise.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of him kissing her,” I sigh, as she bumps my shoulder before we open the restroom door.

  “Trust me, I don’t think the little thing she did is special to just Robert, I think it’s a guy thing. Trey went crazy when I did it to him. Besides, from what I’ve heard, she’s slept with half the baseball team already this semester.”