St Mary's Academy Series Box Set 1

by Seven Steps

  The DJ skillfully moved between the latest pop and hip-hop songs and even threw in some salsa, which Mikayla enthusiastically danced to.

  Ollie ended up in front of me and twirled me around.

  Then, he leaned forward and shouted in my ear. “Is this a great party or what?”

  I leaned forward and shouted back. “It’s amazing.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to hear tomorrow.”

  I pointed at my ear. “I can barely hear now.”

  He smiled and did a little shimmy that made me laugh.

  After dancing with all the boys and the girls, and sweating through every stitch of clothing, my throat felt like the Sahara Desert. I pointed to the bar and waited for Purity to grab on to me.

  She did, followed by Bella, Ariel, and the guys.

  John’s place was way too small for the amount of people here. I must’ve stepped on a thousand toes just to get to the kitchen.

  Fortunately, it was less crowded in the kitchen. It was still hot and stinking of sweat, but at least I could breathe a little.

  I went to the beer area where three guys were standing around a keg.

  I recognized the one in the middle.

  Brian Vasquez.

  He was on the football team, and we’d hung out a few times. He was the type of guy who cared more about his cars and his reputation than he ever would for a girl, and I couldn’t stand his better than everyone else attitude, so I stopped returning his calls. He didn’t take the rejection well, based on the glares he’d given me in the hallway, but we never discussed the end of our not-really-a-relationship.

  Now, as I approached him, he smirked.

  “Well, if it isn’t Sophia Johnson.”

  I smiled back tightly. “The one and only.”

  He poured some beer into a cup and handed it to me.

  “Sorry I didn’t return your numerous phone calls.” He smiled. “My doctor told me to get less hoe in my diet.”

  His two friends burst out laughing, while my cheeks went hot, and my anger went through the roof.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t remember calling you at all. No, wait, I did call the zoo once. They said you were too busy throwing your feces at the other apes to come to the phone.”

  His eyes narrowed as his friends howled.

  “You’re a slut.”

  Before I could stop myself, I threw my beer right in his face. His salmon shirt darkened with it.

  I hoped it stained.

  He swore and wiped the fuzzing liquid out of his eyes.

  “Seriously?”

  “Oops. My bad.”

  He stood up from the keg and took a step toward me. His eyes were dark and threatening.

  Maybe soaking Brian in beer wasn’t the best idea. I saw in his eyes that he intended on doing some damage. Whether that damage was verbal or physical I couldn’t tell, but I knew things were about to get really bad, really fast.

  He took another step toward me.

  My gut sank, and I took a step back, turning my hands into claws, just in case. I could take being yelled at, but if he tried to swing at me, I was definitely going to try to scratch his eyes out.

  “Hey!”

  Suddenly, a large body in a dark blue dress shirt, jeans, and what looked like a camo hat was between us.

  Josiah? What was he doing here?

  “Back off,” he said, his voice strong and deep, his accent rich.

  “Who the heck are you?” Brian asked, his voice flipping between anger and confusion.

  “Josiah Walker. New quarterback for the Lions.”

  Brian scoffed. “I’ve never seen you before.”

  “Well, now you have. Back off the lady.”

  Brian laughed derisively. “That’s no lady. That’s a skank.”

  It was the last thing he said before Joe’s fist slammed into Brian’s face, sending him spiraling to the floor. His friends cried out but didn’t come to his aid.

  “Mind your manners,” Joe said softly. Then, he shook out his hand and turned to face me.

  “You all right?”

  All right? I was shaking! Here I thought I had to defend myself against Brian and Joe came out of nowhere and broke his face.

  What was going on? What had just happened?

  My body was so full of fear and confusion I thought I was going to explode.

  “Come on,” Joe said. “Let’s get some air before this jerk figures out what hit him.”

  “Sophia!” A hand grabbed me from behind. It was Ariel, looking at Brian, then at me. “What happened? We turned around for two seconds to get a soda and you were gone.”

  “I’m fine. Brian threated me, and Joe… uh… took care of it.”

  Ariel frowned, first at me, then at Joe.

  “Josiah Walker,” he said, holding out his hand.

  She eyed it like it was a rattlesnake.

  “I know who you are,” she growled before looking back at me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just… I really need some air,” I said, my voice shaking. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  My heart was beating louder than the music coming through the speakers. I’d been in danger. Real danger, and Joe had rescued me. Yes, I was primed to fight back, but still, he’d rescued me. Why? I thought he hated me.

  Ariel had that righteous defender look on her face.

  “You can’t go by yourself,” she said. “Rule number one.”

  “I know. But I won’t be alone.”

  “You won’t be with your friends.”

  “I’ll.” I turned to Joe. He was looking at me with an odd expression. Like he was waiting for something. I turned back to Ariel. “I’ll be with Joe.”

  “Are you sure?”

  No, I wasn’t sure. I shouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere with Joe. Not with the way he’d treated me at school. Still, he punched someone in the face for me, and though I was extremely grateful, I was extremely confused too.

  Was I losing my mind or was this just a side effect of the shock from Brian’s almost attack? I wasn’t sure. I felt like I wasn’t sure of anything right now.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’m sure.”

  “Where are you going?” Ariel asked.

  “Just to the front of the building to get some air,” Joe said.

  Ariel eyed me. “Is that okay with you?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

  My voice was a little stronger now.

  Ariel nodded slowly. “Keep your phone on. Be back in ten minutes or else I send the brute squad after you, okay?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, mom.”

  She eyed Joe again. “I’m watching you, Josiah Walker.”

  He tipped his hat at her. “Good to know, ma’am,” he replied.

  She seemed taken aback by that, but before she could say anything more, he’d taken my hand and was leading me through the crowd.

  I was still feeling off, but even that couldn’t dull the odd sensation of having my hand in Joe’s. His hand was big, warm and rough, like he’d been working outside all his life. It’d been a long time since I’d touched his hand but having them in mine again felt wrong.

  And, yet, kind of right too.

  We stepped into the elevator and it was suddenly so much harder to breathe. Everything in me felt tight. Like my body had picked this very moment to suffocate itself.

  He dropped my hand and leaned against the wall.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Joe asked.

  I looked into his eyes. They were guarded, but there was concern for me there too. For some reason, that made my lungs tighten even more.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Who was that guy?”

  “Just some dope who couldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Does that happen a lot?” he asked. His eyes were soft. Curious.

  I sighed and crossed my arms.

  “Sometimes.”

  He nodded slowly. “Must be tough.”

&nb
sp; “Look, if you’re about to spout off some macho crap about how I got myself into this situation or how I should cover up more, then save your breath. I’ve heard it all before.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

  “All I was saying was that it must be tough.”

  I squeezed my lips together, unsure of how to take him. Was he secretly judging me, like every other boy, drawing conclusions about the type of person I was? Or was he genuinely empathetic? Heck, why was he speaking to me at all since our last interaction had been so bitter?

  The elevator dinged, and we stepped out and strolled through the lobby in silence. When we reached the door, he held it open for me and we stepped out into the cool night, taking a seat on the front step.

  He didn’t offer me any words, and I didn’t offer him any either.

  The silence stretched uncomfortably, and I laced my fingers together in front of me, anxious to fill it.

  “I guess I should say thank you,” I finally said.

  He gave me a crooked grin.

  “Just doing my duty.”

  “Duty? Is it your duty to punch some guy in the face?”

  He laughed shortly.

  “No. I mean, not that in particular. I just… No one should be talked to like that. Not even you.”

  I nodded. “That old Southern charm.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  I bit my lower lip and stared at the building across the street.

  “I just thought that, given our past, I would be the last person you would want to stand up for.”

  His eyes slid to me, then slid away.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” His shoulders rounded, and he leaned forward a bit. “Our conversation this afternoon got me to thinking. A lot. And I think I’ve been a little hard on you.”

  My brows shot up. “A little?”

  “Well, maybe a lot. And I’m sorry for that.”

  The comment blindsided me that I almost didn’t reply.

  “Apology accepted,” I whispered.

  We stared off into the dark night, his words softening my heart.

  “I’m sorry too,” I said. “I should have told you who I was and about my mom. I should have trusted you.”

  He nodded slowly, then pulled at the rim of his hat.

  “Well, two sorries makes a right, now, don’t it?” His Southern accent thickened, giving him a sexy, gravelly tone. He smiled wide at me.

  I smiled back.

  “I guess this means we can be friends now.”

  “Friends?”

  “Yup. Friends.”

  Friends? What did that even mean? A couple of hours ago we were screaming at each other in the hallway. Now he wanted to be friends? What kind of friends? Did it just mean he’d stop pointing out every mistake I made in the play or was it deeper than that?

  Did I even want to be friends with him?

  He didn’t elaborate, and I was too confused to ask anything further. He simply reached for my hand, and the next thing I knew, I was shaking it.

  Crap.

  I should have held out for more clarification, but it seemed like everything was going by me in a whirlwind. Why did I always feel so off balance when Joe was around me? More so than I’d ever felt with any other guy. It was annoying.

  He squeezed my hand once before pulling away. For some reason, that made me blush.

  “Well, I guess I better get you back up to your keepers before they get too worried. That redheaded one looks like a fighter.”

  I snorted. “Ariel? Yeah. You have no idea.”

  We stood up, and I started to head back in.

  “Whoa. There’s an, um…” He stepped close and gestured to my high ponytail. “There’s a bit of yellow string there. May I?”

  My defenses immediately went up.

  There are many unwritten black people rules, and rule number one is never touch a black woman’s hair.

  Ever.

  But Josiah had a better view on whatever was hanging in my strands.

  I stood there, torn. If he yanked too hard, then he might pull out my hair. The hair I’d been working for years to get to mid-back length. But, if he left it there, then I’d have to walk around with yellow string in my hair for the rest of the night.

  I weighed my options, then sighed and took a huge leap of faith.

  “All right. Just, don’t pull too hard.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I turned and closed my eyes, waiting to feel the hard tug of his huge hands. Crap. Maybe I should have just walked around with the string.

  “There. Got it.”

  I opened one eye.

  He got it? I didn’t feel a thing.

  I reached back and felt my hair. My ponytail was still in place too.

  Relief swept through me, and I turned to Josiah. He held the offending string up for my inspection.

  “Ready to go?”

  I plucked the string from him, staring at it. I hadn’t even felt him pull it out.

  “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  I dropped the string and walked through the door Josiah held open for me.

  I’d taken a big risk with him tonight.

  I just hoped I didn’t live to regret it.

  We stepped into the elevator. He didn’t take my hand this time. I bit my inner cheek before my heart could interpret that information. No, I told myself. Not Josiah. After what we’d been through, I couldn’t think about him in… those terms. It would be too… personal. Too painful.

  We were just friends and feelings were strictly off-limits. Plus, I’d given up on boys. And even if I hadn’t given up on boys, Josiah would not be the kind of boy I’d choose for myself. Maybe a year ago, but not now. I was a big city girl, and he was a small-town boy. I needed someone a bit more worldly. Someone who wouldn’t laugh at my dreams of becoming a singer. Someone whose sole goal in life wasn’t to move back to his home town and start a family.

  Joe seemed like one of those types.

  A family starter.

  I let out a breath and refocused myself.

  Swerve the feelings, Sophia. Just let them breeze past you.

  “You all right?” Josiah asked.

  I purposely didn’t focus on how much I liked the sound of his voice. All Southern and sexy. Nope. I didn’t think about that at all.

  “Yes,” I replied. “I am absolutely, one hundred percent all right.”

  10

  It was the end of the week and we’d finally reached the final scenes of the play.

  I thought I’d get better as the days went past but, to my chagrin, I didn’t. I was just as lost as before.

  I really had to start studying those lines. It was just that every time I saw the thick script, I felt overwhelmed and closed the book again.

  It was the same reason I didn’t like to study for class.

  All of those words and equations and dates. It made me all jittery inside.

  I scanned the script, looking for the next line.

  “Are you sure we are awake?” Hershel was standing to my right. Next to him was Charlotte and to my left was Joe. “It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think the duke was here, and bid us follow him?”

  “Yea,” I said. “And my father.”

  “And Hippolyta,” Charlotte added.

  “And he did bid us follow to the temple,” Joe said.

  Hershal stepped forward. “Why, then, we are awake. Let's follow him. And by the way let us recount our dreams.”

  We all ran off stage right, while Alex Milano, our Nick Bottom, came in and pretended to be asleep stage left.

  “One second before you start, Alex,” Mrs. Simpson said. “Can I have my two couples back on stage, please?”

  Gah. What did she want now? Every time Mrs. Simpson called us back on stage, it was never good. Either we had to re-do the entire scene or she was throwing in one of her famous monkey wrenches. The last time it was the forced hug between Joe and me. What coul
d she possibly want now?

  We walked back on stage, and I braced myself.

  “So, the four of you are now where you should be. Demetrius and Helena are together, and Hermia and Lysander are presumably safe from her father’s wrath. How do you think your characters are feeling? Charlotte, how do you think Helena feels?”

  “Happy,” she answered.

  “Just happy?” Mrs. Simpson asked. “Think about it. The love of her life, who has been literally running from her the entire play, is now confessing his undying love for her. How would you feel at that point?”

  She smiled and lifted on her toes. “Ecstatic.”

  “Yes. Ecstatic. Jubilant. Elated. Let’s throw in a kiss here between the two couples. You can write it into your books later. You don’t have to do it now, but we’ll rehearse it next go around, okay?”

  A kiss? Crap. I thought I’d be able to avoid those. At least for the time being.

  I was just getting comfortable on stage. Granted, I still didn’t know any of my lines, but at least I wasn’t breaking out into cold sweats anymore. And now she was throwing a kiss into the mix? How many times would she do that? I inwardly groaned. Joe and I had just become “friends.” Well, we’d said our first hello to each other in the hallway earlier.

  And now I had to kiss him? I knew it was coming, but I’d hoped it would be put off a little longer. This was going to be awkward. Really awkward.

  We walked back off the stage, and I sat in a chair while Alex started his monologue. I had a few minutes to kill before I had to go onstage for the final scene.

  To my left, Charlotte and Hershal were talking. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but Hershal nodded, then leaned in and kissed her. She pulled away quickly and started pushing and pulling at his head, turning him more toward the audience and whispering something that he kept nodding at.

  From the huge grin on his face, I could tell he couldn’t care less what Charlotte was saying. He just wanted to kiss her again. I chuckled.

  Men were all the same. They were all after the same thing, whether on stage or not.

  “So, is that something we have to rehearse too?” I turned to see Joe giving me a small smile. He glanced over at Charlotte and Hershel’s kissing practice, then looked back at me.