Full Count (The Catcher Series Book 1) (37 page)

             “B, are you okay now?” Tiffany worries from across
the table. I see Sam attempt to comfort her with his hand on her shoulder, but
she shakes him off. In this sense, Tiffany and I are the same. No one can
fucking make us feel better besides Buzz.

            When she doesn
’
t lift her head,
I pinch her side, and she flinches up in a mini panic. I catch her so she doesn
’
t fall off the bench, but I can
’
t help but
laugh. She was totally sleeping. “
Buzz?
” I acknowledge
her.

             “What?” she answers, looking around at everyone
staring at her.

             “Tiff asked you if you were okay now,” I rehash for
her.

             “Oh,” she says to me, but then she turns towards
Tiffany and the group. “I
’
m fine. Just tired.” She has no
idea of the contents of our conversation at all, but it
’
s
probably better that way so I leave it alone. Benny and Alex both give me timid
looks like they don
’
t believe her, but I telepathically
promise them I
’
ll take care of her.

            The final bell rings before first period, so we all
disperse to our lockers to start off the day. In the hallways I hear people
gossiping about their homecoming weekends and briefly hear Chase and Buzz
’
s names thrown out rather closely together, but I can
’
t be certain that it
’
s the same person
talking. To be honest, I really don
’
t fucking care what
anyone else is saying about them. She
’
s mine now.

            I walk Buzz to her locker and as I stand behind her,
I whisper in her ear, “I can take you home if you want.”

             “Look, I know my underwear gave you the invitation
last night, but can it wait until after school?” she snickers, and I see her
literally biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing hysterically. I
’
m glad she still has her sense of humor in tact.

             “Be careful what you wish for,” I tease back,
pinching her ass, hearing her yelp in surprise before heading down the hallway
towards my first class.

            I wait at Buzz
’
s locker for ten
minutes after the final bell rings out, but she never shows up. I panic that
something
’
s happened to her during the day, but I know it
says ICE (In Case of Emergency) next to my name in her phone. I have to believe
it actually means something, that I would
’
ve been called.

            I walk to the front office, thinking maybe the
secretary has a clue about Buzz
’
s whereabouts. Everyone is
keeping a close eye on her, not just me. I made sure of that on the first day
of school.

             “Pamela, do you happen to know where Buzz - I mean,
Bianca - is right now?” I ask her, forgetting that her nickname isn
’
t as well known with adults.

             “She actually has detention this afternoon. She
should be done in twenty minutes,” she informs me like she has been
anticipating me coming to the office. She doesn
’
t even
have to look up anything. I must
’
ve missed something.

             “Detention? For what?” If she can so freely remember
that Buzz has detention, she certainly will be able to tell me what she did to
deserve it.

             “Sleeping in class,” Pamela says sternly.

             “The girl has brain trauma and a teacher gave her
detention for sleeping in class? Unbelievable,” I roll my eyes in complete disgust.

             “Mr. Slone is stricter than her other teachers. It
is
advanced algebra,” she retorts like it
’
s a good enough
explanation for punishing Buzz when it
’
s really out of her
control.

             “Whatever. Thanks,” I snap.

            I wait outside in the parking lot for Buzz after
serving her detention. I hope that someone brought her a joint so she could
maybe bond with a stoner and at least half enjoy it. By the time she exits the
building, I
’
m the only student in the parking lot. Other
cars are still parked there for after school activities and sports, but anyone
who wanted to leave has left already.

             “Hey, sweetheart,” I greet her as I lean up against
my Jeep with my arms crossed.

             “You waited for me?” she questions the obvious. She
looks totally defeated, like this school day just slapped the shit out of her.

             “How else would you get home?” I tease.

             “Walk,” she answers.

             “Not on my watch,” I mutter, reaching for her
backpack to throw in the backseat with mine. I hold the door open for her, and
I can tell she
’
s trying to read the symbol of my gesture:
is it because I think she
’
s helpless or because she
’
s my girl? For the record, it
’
s because
she
’
s my girl.

            As I drive out of the parking lot, I ask her, “So how
was your day, Miss Trouble Maker? Did you try to make something of yourself or
are you still trying to impress other people?”

             “It
’
s Mrs. And I
’
m
pretty sure I was the Athlete,” she clarifies with a smile. She totally gets my
Breakfast Club reference. Her girly eyes and smirk are so fucking adorable to
see knowing she just had a horribly exhausting day.

             “Did you share a joint with the stoner?” I revise my
question.

             “Unfortunately no. But Leah talked to me at lunch,” she
tells me.

            Fuck. This can
’
t be good.

33 Bianca Ferrari

I sleep through fourth period, which is my advanced algebra
class. I honestly was trying so hard to pay attention because I actually love
math; it
’
s the one subject that isn
’
t
a struggle for me at the moment since I don
’
t have to
remember anything. All I have to do is figure out the answers. But I am so
freaking tired from spending the night in the hospital that my eyelids feel
like lead weights.

            I wake up to the bell alerting me that class is over
and a yellow detention slip on the corner of my desk. Mr. Slone is kind of a
prick like that.

            When I get to lunch there
’
s an
open seat at our usual lunch table, which I assume is mine. Without even going
through the lunch line, I walk over and am about to sit down when a tray almost
hits me in the face.

            I should
’
ve just skipped school
today.

            Taking a step back, I see that it
’
s
Leah holding the tray out about to claim the open seat. Not wanting to be the
little princess she labels me as, I tell her, “Sorry, go ahead.”

            I
’
m confused why there aren
’
t enough spots for both of us like there has been the past
three weeks. Perusing the table, I notice a newcomer: Makenna.
When did she
transfer?

             “Oh, I
’
m sorry,” Leah
apologizes, but she sets her tray down at the open spot and starts to sit down
when Rex rolls his eyes, about ready to stand up to give me his seat.

             “Here. You can sit here,” Makenna offers. I watch as
Leah looks at her in disbelief, and I give her a metaphorical high five that
would
’
ve accidentally (okay, purposely) hit Leah in the
face. Makenna has to realize what she just did with that little gesture.

             “I
’
ll just go
outside,
” I resolve the issue. I think fresh air might help me wake up
anyways.

             “Sit. Leah has something to say to you,” Rex
announces to me as he squeezes my arm in support. He gives up his seat to let
me sit next to her. I almost groan but decide to be grateful instead. I glance
at Benny and Tiffany who are unusually quiet but equally intrigued. Sam looks
like a deer in headlights as we await what can easily turn into a cat fight.

            Damn it, I wish Skyler was here.

             “Okay,” I timidly take Rex
’
s
seat next to Leah.

            An awkward few seconds pass, and I
’
m
about to make a sarcastic comment like, “Wow wasn
’
t that
nice of Leah to apologize for being such a bitch to me yesterday?” when she
finally squares her shoulders to me. Her perfect Blake Lively dirty blonde
beach waves almost hit me when she whips her head around, but I back away just
in time.

             “I
’
m sorry for yesterday. I was
out of line. We
’
re all here to support you in your
recovery,” Leah says, sounding more professional than my therapist, Samantha. I
want to throw up, but I figure I
’
m better off just
accepting the apology and moving on from this petty shit. No sense in holding a
grudge.

            I glance away to try to see Benny out of the corner
of my eye, and sure enough he
’
s rolling his eyes. I
telepathically tell him
thank you
, and then turn back to Leah to say, “It
’
s okay. I didn
’
t realize I was being so
needy.”

             “
You weren
’
t,”
Rex assures me from behind.

             “We
’
re here for you. Whatever
you need,” Benny promises, shooting Skyler-like eyes at me, dark and serious.
It isn
’
t often that Benny resembles Sky, but I
’
m grateful for it in this instance. It
’
s
nice that halfway through my day every day I get to see almost our entire group
for forty-five minutes. But my favorite piece of our puzzle is always missing,
and this Leah drama is annoying.

             “Sky said the doctor told you to lean on us more,” Tiffany
speaks up. Then she reaches her hand across the table for me to grab, so I
comply with a small smile and hand squeeze. “Just talk to us. We
’
re
all here for you.” Her beautiful sandy eyes have a storm brewing in them as she
glares at Leah, but I have to pretend like I don
’
t see
that signal.

             “He told you that?” I question, glancing at Tiffany,
Benny, Rex, and Sam individually. I know he wouldn
’
t have
told Leah or Makenna that. They all nod, and I sigh in disgust. This much
attention is too much for me to handle. I like to be the absent one that runs
away from the spotlight. “I didn
’
t realize it was too much
for him,” I mumble, thinking out loud.

            Tiffany yanks on my hand to regain my attention. “Hey!”
she lightly shouts. “It
’
s not too much for him. He would
do anything for you. Don
’
t overthink this.”

            With everyone acting like I
’
m
their newborn baby they
’
re all parenting, I
’
m
so done. I love them all, but I feel smothered.
Can I bolt without them
following me?

             “You
’
re lucky to have someone
who cares about you so much,” Leah pipes up again, and this time her voice is
genuine with a pinch of hurt, most likely from Rex. I rarely see how he is with
her, so I can
’
t judge.
He
’
s a good brother to me and Baylee, so I have to believe that it
transfers over to his girlfriend, too. Guys with sisters make the best
boyfriends because they know how girls are in their “real” state from living
with them their entire lives. They
’
ve seen them cry, when
they first wake up, when they
’
re angry, when they
’
re laughing at something ridiculously stupid, when they open
their Christmas presents and it
’
s exactly what they
wanted. Trust me, these things are useful to witness in order to effectively
keep up with a woman.

             “Rex cares about you, too. I
’
m
just not fully recovered, so everyone
’
s keeping an eye on
me,” I explain to her.

             “Well Skyler definitely has two on you,” Leah
giggles, lightly nudging me in the arm like we are suddenly besties. We
’
re far from it, but I applaud her effort, even if she
’
s faking it. Her lighthearted comment is enough to relax the
table
’
s mood and bring everyone
’
s
defenses down again.

             “I
’
m gonna go get a Gatorade.
You need somethin
’
, B?” Rex asks as he squeezes my
shoulders standing behind me looking down.

             “I kind of just want an ice cream,” I admit, trying
to hide my childish smile. I
’
ve been craving an Oreo ice
cream bar all day long, which is so weird, but I know the cafeteria has them.

             “Really?” he laughs.

             “Yes, please,” I whine.

             “Alright,” he caves, walking away from the table to
go back in line.

             “Okay, so just between us girls, how good of a
kisser is Skyler?” Leah whispers as soon as Rex leaves.
Us girls? Benny and
Sam are still here. What the fuck?
Makenna starts coughing on whatever she
has been eating, and I immediately start choking on my own saliva and shooting
daggers at Tiffany to make a dramatic exit with me. We beeline towards the bathroom
but continue down the hallway without looking back at Leah
’
s
jaw that is probably on the ground with her squinty bitch eyes. I can
’
t believe Leah expects me and Makenna to compare notes on
Skyler. How does she even know I
’
ve kissed Skyler? We
purposely don
’
t do that in front of anyone. Rex will
probably be mad he has to eat the ice cream now, but I just don
’
t
want to talk about Skyler like that.

             “How was your first half of the day?” Tiffany asks
me with wide eyes beneath her side bangs, holding onto my arm I link with hers.
She totally gives Leah a run for her money in the beauty department. Tiff is
the Serena Van Der Woodsen to my Blair Waldorf - beautiful inside and out. And
she is definitely the most loyal girl in town.

             “I fell asleep in math and got detention,” I have to
laugh as I say it.

            “Nice… You alright after that grooling?” she jokes
once we are for sure out of Leah
’
s earshot.

            “Yeah, but I wanted to tell you I plan on trying to
switch lunches,” I confess.

            “Took you long enough,” she smirks, playfully rolling
her eyes. I expect her to be surprised and a little insulted, but that isn
’
t her reaction at all.

            “What?”
I question her.

            “Skyler has a different lunch than the rest of us. I
’
m surprised it took a cat fight with Leah to make you want to
switch,” she explains. For a blonde she is pretty smart.

            “It
’
s not that I don
’
t love you guys-“ I try telling her, already feeling guilty.

            “I know. It
’
s okay, B. We
understand,” she speaks for the group. It
’
s then that I
know
almost
everyone has figured out about me and Skyler. We have to
avoid talking about it just in case it gets out and around to McCallum. And
actually I
’
m not certain Rex knows; our friends know to
keep talk of Skyler and me to a minimum with him around. Sky and I still have to
deny at all costs.

            “Speaking of, we need to talk,” I remember.

            “Are you breaking up with me?” Tiffany snickers
jokingly. Her greenish brown eyes squint into a deep dark forest color.

            “No, seriously,”
I tell her.
“I
know you know… about me and…
Cookie
.” I blush as I
refer to Skyler as the code word we used to have for him when we were younger
and didn
’
t want
anyone knowing we
were talking about him. Tiffany shares in laughing at this ridiculousness but
lets me continue. “I just need you to-”

            “Be quiet? Yeah. I
’
m not about
to start World War III,” she assures me.

            After discreetly exchanging our secret best friend
handshake, we part ways to our separate classes where I spend the hour sleeping
again. Thankfully my study hall aide doesn
’
t care.

            After eighth period I go straight to detention in
hopes of Skyler not finding out about it. I should know better. However, I
’
m grateful he waited for me so I don
’
t
have to walk home.

            “So how was your day, Miss Trouble Maker? Did you try
to make something of yourself or are you still trying to impress other people?”
he flawlessly quotes Breakfast Club and I have to smile in appreciation for him
liking one of my favorite movies. I swear I was born in the wrong decade.

            “It
’
s Mrs. And I
’
m
pretty sure I was the Athlete,” I tease, although it
’
s
totally true. Everyone else in detention was a complete gothic bad ass. It was
nothing like the Breakfast Club.

            “Did you share a joint with a stoner?” he asks me. I
wish. It would probably make my head feel better.

            “Unfortunately no. But Leah talked to me at lunch,” I
enlighten him. His face falls into a deep concern most likely because he knows
he wasn
’
t there to back me up. “Rex and everyone had my
back.”

            “Was she fucking mean to you again?” Skyler huffs
like he
’
s about to go to her house and run her over with
his Jeep.

            “No. She apologized but it was all for show. I guess
it was her way of clearing the air,” I brush it off. I
’
m
not going to tell him she asked me about his kissing abilities, which are
absolutely fantastic by the way.
Just don’
t tell Leah.
 

            “What a bitch,” he mutters.

            “I have an idea, and I kind of might need your help,”
I interrupt his insults. I just want to let go of everything with Leah. It isn
’
t worth my time or energy anymore.

            He totally thinks my mind is running evil thoughts. “B,
we can
’
t actually kill her,” he blurts out, which makes me
laugh unexpectedly.

            “Whoa, slow down slugger,” I giggle. “I just want to
switch my lunch and have my study hall before.”

            “Oh,” he says in a serious tone.

            Damn. He really doesn
’
t like
Leah; his mind is definitely drifting into a scheme plotting.

            “I think I could convince Pamela to do it for me,” I
add.

            “Then we would have lunch together,” he states as if
it isn
’
t my reason for wanting to switch.