My Night Breeze (The Breeze Series) (8 page)

“We
’re both honor students,” Jim added.

Dad put
down his utensils as his nostrils flared. Mom smiled at Audra and Jim.

“We just want to know you’re being educated well. Depending on our work schedules, maybe we can do more together
,” Mom said.

“My schedule is hectic enough as it is
,” Dad stated.

“You can’t make time for your children?” Audra ask
ed innocently.

Dad grunt
ed but wouldn’t respond. The rest of the meal was eaten in a strained silence, but glances from Mom and Jim caused Audra to smile inside. She had kept her word to Jim about not saying anything, but also made it clear that Dad couldn’t do anything harsh like sending him away. Jim just had to keep his side of the bargain and allow her to live a little. And Mom seemed delighted to spend more time with them as a family.

T
he only person against spending more time together seemed to be Dad, but she couldn’t figure out why. Even though family dinner was mainly Mom’s idea, he never seemed to be against the designated meal together. Audra thought back to the weekends that the family had shared together but couldn’t even make a handful of memories. She knew that she had been distracted with high school and sports, but she never wanted to lose touch with her family. She wondered if Dad was more okay with being away from them than he should be. Why wouldn’t he want to be with them?

Stephen was practically bouncing beside her locker, but she wouldn’t rush the pace. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the reason behind his good mood. She unzipped her jacket and slipped it into the locker as Stephen jumped into his story at a million miles a minute.

“Chris wanted to see a movie
, but I was starving. You know how I get. So we ended up at the diner, talking and laughing in between stuffing our faces. That boy has an appetite, but I have no idea where he puts it away. By the time we got the check, the movie was halfway through. He took it well though, and we ended up going back to his house. It’s a night I’ll never forget.”

Audra slam
med her locker shut with a bang. “What happened to taking it slow?”

“Oh
, please. We ended up watching TV and making out. I don’t count that as going too far. And can he kiss…”

“I don’t need the details
,” Audra stated quickly, holding her hand up in protest.

She scan
ned her surroundings and noticed Mateo at his locker. Just the sight of him caused her breaths to become shallower. She walked towards him with Stephen still gabbing at her side. She was only a few feet away when he turned and met eyes with her. Her feet stopped, planted in place. His gray eye held the stillness of the afternoon before, but it was darker, like clouds ready for a glorious thunderstorm. His forehead pinched as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed Ryan up the stairwell.

Audra wa
s practically stunned stupid. Did he really just snub her? Again? And look at her like she was piece of gum at the bottom of his shoe? She did nothing wrong; didn’t even say hello to him. And as far as the study session went, she was polite and courteous. Stephen shook her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” he ask
ed.

Audra could
n’t seem to get her words straight or her mind on track. She decided to go into homeroom and sit down. There was no excuse for her to feel so strongly about what just happened, but who wouldn’t? Friends didn’t do that to each other either.

Homeroom wa
s the usual humdrum beginning of the day. Audra didn’t bother trying to make small talk with Stephen. Even though she was still shocked about this morning’s non-event, she had to stay focused on her next class. She pulled out her notes, scanning them over and over until the bell rang. As she made her way towards the door, Mateo stood up silently but wouldn’t look her way. He made a hasty walk into the crowded hallway.

Stephen walk
ed beside her to class and wished her luck before he continued on to his. Audra settled down at her desk skimming her notes a few more times.

“Put ev
erything away,” Mrs. Palamino advised.

The test wa
s passed out, and with little to no effort Audra finished with a sense of contentment. There wasn’t one question she didn’t know the answer to. Even the essay questions didn’t slow her down for a moment. As she returned to her desk after turning in the test, the feeling of contentment withered away. There wasn’t any way she would have been able to not only get through the test so quickly, but actually know the content within it, without Mateo’s help. It left a strange anxiousness in her stomach.

Audra climbed up the steps of the bright yellow bus and sat down next to Molly in the front. She adjusted her spandex shorts comfortably for the half hour drive two towns over. Molly pulled out one of her earbuds and offered it to Audra, but she declined. Molly pulled out the other and pressed pause on her mp3 player.

“You okay? Stephen
tell you the details of his date, too?” Molly asked.

Audra roll
ed her eyes, knowing all too well that Stephen was more of a girl than she was. “I’m okay, just a long weekend.”

“I hear that. I had to work the night shift at the pizza parlor on Friday and a double
on Saturday, only to have to get up early on Sunday. I need a weekend for my weekend,” Molly said.

“I had to take Stephen shopping for his date.”

“Then we were equally abused. At least it was done to us and not by us. Poor Mateo and his bad luck,” Molly commented.

Any lack of attention ha
d gone on high alert. Audra tilted her head in question.

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t see him? I don’t know how you missed it,” Molly continued.

“Missed what? Quit with the cryptic.”

“His lip is all busted up. He was just lucky it wasn’t the pierced side.”

“What happened?” Audra ask
ed.

“He said he wasn’t paying attention and pushed on a pull door. Someone on the other side pushed it right into his face.”

Audra took a slow, deep breath and tried to think back to this morning. She had seen him. She didn’t notice anything other than his eye. Was he embarrassed? That wouldn’t explain his dodging her if the explanation was that simple. She had seen people make mistakes like that all the time, not even counting her tripping up the stairs. He was there for her, caught her and held her securely to him.

*****

Audra placed her book into her locker with frustrated vigor. She had been trying all week long to be friendly and not-too-obviously concerned, but her efforts went unnoticed. Not only had Mateo not said one word to her, but he had been avoiding her completely. He even skipped the study session yesterday. At first she tried to make an excuse like he needed space or that he was concerned about his own classes. The excuses all made perfect sense, except that every time she saw him, Ryan was there and they were laughing and talking.

She st
uck her head into the locker and sighed, trying to get it together. Maybe she was making this into something that it wasn’t, but it didn’t feel right. Was she asking for too much from him? Had she made him uncomfortable or angry without realizing it? No matter the questions she asked in her head, the only person who could answer them was the one acting like she didn’t exist. Could she really miss someone that she barely knew?

“Need help?”

Audra sighed out loud. “Not from you.”

She shut
the locker before walking towards her next class. Tobias grabbed her arm, bringing her to a full stop. He didn’t waste a second, coming to step in front of her. His light green eyes clearly pled for forgiveness, but she had nothing to offer him. He had nothing to offer her either.

“You told me that you were grown up
,” Tobias stated.

“It doesn’t matter what I said. You’re not my friend. You have no loyalty to me.”

“Jim is my best friend, but that doesn’t make you any less important to me,” Tobias said.

“I don’t care
.”

Audra bit
the inside of her cheek as her emotions started to betray her. She lived in a world where the only thing that was real was the unknown. She didn’t know where her fears stemmed from, why her family treated her so strangely, or where her future was headed. Maybe if she just stopped caring, everything else would fade away, too. What’s the point in waking up to life only to realize that you couldn’t live it?

“Please come to the party tomorrow night. Jim will be there and
—”

“No.”

“Audra, we can talk then,” he promised.

The sincerity was clear
in his eyes and curiosity started to build once again. As quickly as she decided not to care, she couldn’t disguise the interest she had. Tobias released her arm and leaned in close to her ear. The close proximity caused her back to stiffen with tension. It must be Jim’s influence.

“I need you to think about what you’re asking for. You weren’t told for a reason, Audra.”

“I can’t not know my own life.”

“Just think about it. You can’t unknow things
,” Tobias said.

He squeeze
d her shoulder gently before taking a step back. Audra glanced up to notice Valerie glaring back with hands on her hips. Audra took another deep breath. Was it really necessary for Valerie to be so obsessive about Tobias? They weren’t even dating, and she knew how Jim would react if anyone tried to come near her.

“Tobias, will you walk me to class?” Val
erie asked.

Tobias
agreed, turning in the direction of the stairwell. Valerie walked by, firmly stomping upon her foot. Audra gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Valerie flipped her hair over her shoulder with a fake sympathetic look.

“
Oh, so sorry! Your feet are just so big,” Valerie said.

Audra
gave the girl her back and walked towards the gym. She wouldn’t slow down to speak with anyone; anger was rolling around inside her stomach. No one deserved to get the full brunt of it except Valerie. Audra changed into her clothes and sat down on the bleachers. She closed her eyes taking slow, deep breaths, the emotions starting to take over out of nowhere. This wasn’t the time or place to have a breakdown.

A
sudden nudge from her side sent a narrow glare straight at Stephen.

“What crawled up your butt?”
he asked.

“I don’t want to get into it. I just need time to shake it.”

Stephen sighed aloud but kindly placed his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes again. Could this be what she needed all along? A simple gesture of friendship to prove that she wasn’t as alone as she felt? She wrapped her arms around him in a strange sideways hug, but he reciprocated by holding her closer.

“You’re turning into a clingy chick
,” Stephen joked.

“I don’t care.”

He rubbed her back a few times until she pulled back. She looked over her best friend, the only person she would fight for and runaway with if asked. Stephen quirked an eyebrow with a smirk.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
he asked.

“I love you is all
,” Audra admitted with a smile.

“Have my parents managed to brainwash you into thinking I’d turn straight for you?”

“Totally. I’m head over heels.” Audra’s smile widened with a slight chuckle. “No, you just know how to make me feel better.”

“That’s my job
,” Stephen said.

Audra and Stephen d
id the quick lap around the gym and some stretching. Mr. Adams advised for the class to divide up once again for basketball. Luckily, this time Stephen was on her team, and they dominated the court without even breaking a sweat. It was just the right activity to focus upon, and it lightened her mood.

Mr. Adams
blew the whistle, ending the game and sending everyone to the locker rooms to get changed. Audra came out at the same time Mateo did. She didn’t bother trying to talk to him or attempt to walk in his general direction. If he wanted to talk to her, he would. She glanced down at the floor and walked toward the door, waiting for the bell to ring. She only needed to worry about fixing one issue at a time, and right now, it only concerned her.

*****
           Audra buckled up the seatbelt as Jim started the car. She leaned her head against the window. The anxiousness in her stomach had started to cause a slight nauseous effect. She was actually going to a party with her brother, no lies or cover-ups. All she could hope for was that she would get to have some fun when some girl distracted Jim. In the silent drive towards Tobias’s house, she could practically hear Jim screaming at himself for not finding a way to get her not to come.

The houses pass
ed by in shadows and lit up curtains. She glanced up towards the dark sky, but not a single star could be seen. Jim pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. She undid her seatbelt just as Jim faced her. She knew he would try to give rules about the party. It wasn’t like she was an idiot; she was more than aware of the scrutiny they were going to be under when they got back late tonight.

“There are going to be a lot of people here tonight so stick with Stephen, okay?” Jim st
ated.

Audra nod
ded in response.

“Don’t drink anything anyone hands you. And don’t drink anything that isn’t sealed.”

“Jim, I get it. Relax.”

“This is your first party, al
l right? You have no idea what it gets like,” Jim advised.

“Yes
, but it is a party, and I want to have a good time. So don’t turn into Dad.”

“Don’t do anything to make me turn into him
,” he warned.

“Oh
, look…” Audra tugged a strand of his hair. “A gray hair already.”

She laugh
ed getting out of the car, while Jim grumbled, annoyed. He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. A short brunette opened the door and smiled wide at the sight of her brother. Jim smiled back but kept a firm hand on her shoulder. He was going to have his hands full trying to play bodyguard and chase the girls at the same time.