Authors: Linda Oaks
"No thanks," I said, and pulled the door closed and turned to face him. "You're going to make me late."
"So?" he said, as if he didn't care if we made it there are not.
"We're seniors, and I for one would like to graduate this year." With an attitude like his, he needed a voice of reason, and today, that was me.
I spotted the Harley sitting in the driveway, and momentarily forgot my irritation with Chance. In the early morning sunlight, the black metal gleamed and beckoned. The allure of its dangerous beauty tempted me to come closer. A shiny matching helmet waited for me on the leather seat, holding the promise of wicked excitement, but there was no way I was going to do this. I'd made up my mind, and that meant staying away from Chance and finishing my senior year without losing my sanity or having my reputation ruined. When I started past him, he grabbed my arm. His grip was firm but gentle. "Now Addie, don't be like that. I drove all the way over here just to give you a lift to school."
"I didn't ask you to," I retorted, huffily. Then my curiosity got the best of me, and I glanced away from him back to the steel temptation that sat in my drive. "Nice bike," I said, and felt my resolve slip. The voice of reason just took a flying leap.
"It's my dad's. He'll be pissed when he realizes it's gone, but you're worth it. I wanted to ride to school with a really hot chick on a smoking bike. Call me crazy, but it's kind of a fantasy of mine, not to mention it will do wonders for my reputation as the new guy. After all, my brother and I seem to be in competition involving said smoking chick, and I prefer to win at everything." He winked. At his overly confident words, my lips curved into a smile and my heart fluttered wildly. "Come on, I know you want to. Live a little, Addie. What are you afraid of?"
I wavered, and contemplated sticking to my guns, but the combination of Chance and the motorcycle made me weak in the knees. The promise of what he offered was too great of a temptation to resist. He guided me down the steps, toward the bike, and I glanced with a twinge of longing at my little red Jetta. Driving myself would have been the safer choice, but my feet of their own accord followed after him.
This is a bad idea,
I thought, even as he plucked the helmet from the seat and slipped it onto my head before I could utter a single word. His fingers grazed my chin as he buckled the strap into place.
"Safety first," he whispered, his head bent low and angled toward mine. His breath smelled minty and tempting.
"Where's yours?" I asked, noticing the bluish black highlights of his raven hair catching in the morning sunlight.
"I'll be careful," he promised, and I stood there and watched helplessly as he swung his leg over the bike and kicked up the kickstand. "Hop on. You don't want us to be late."
My chest was pressed against his back. My hands fisted tightly over his washboard abs. Even through the leather he wore, I could feel the heat that radiated off his skin, and it kept me warm despite the damp chill in the early morning air. He stopped at the end of the driveway and made sure it was clear both ways before he pulled out onto the highway. For an instant, his warm hand covered mine, his leather glove baby soft against my skin. When he released me, I instantly missed his heat. Then he gripped the throttle and gave the bike some gas and we roared down the road sailing along the asphalt.
If I had thought I'd known what freedom was by having my own car, then I had not known the definition of true freedom until now. With my cheek pressed against the leather covering Chance's back and the wind tugging at the strands of my hair trailing from the helmet behind me, it felt as if any moment we might take flight. My mind was a blank slate, and my heart was carefree. My lips curved into a smile. For the first time in a long time, I was alive.
We arrived at school early even though I'd been positive we were going to be late. Heads turned as we drove past the throng of students still standing outside in the parking lot. Chance revved the engine and the rumbling throaty growl drew even more attention. By the end of the day, it would be known throughout the school that I, Addison Hayes was a force to be reckoned with. My mouth gaped at the thought of that; of me perched on the back of this Harley with my arms wrapped around the new hot guy at school while all around everyone whispered and gave us looks. This was so not me, but I liked it, and all I could do was sigh with contentment. Natalie would be proud.
Wait! My heart stuttered in sudden panic.
What had gotten into me? Had the ride changed me so much that I no longer cared what everyone thought?
Yes…apparently it had. I was with Chance. But maybe, the time had come to be daring. Maybe, it's time to take a chance. I smiled. Chance had told me to live a little right before he'd shoved the helmet on my head. Maybe, I should follow his advice and throw caution to the wind.
I'd closed myself off for so long, I'd become afraid to live; afraid to feel anything because it hurt too much when things went to hell. Just maybe, this time it would be different. I needed to be brave.
I'd forgotten my book. Oh well, I didn't care. Miss York would be pissed when already there weren't enough to go around for the entire class, but she'd get it over. A sense of smugness brought on a smile as I unbuckled the strap and pulled off the helmet then handed it over to Chance. The sun was warm against my skin. I hadn't been this lighthearted in a long time. Life was looking up.
Chance was still sitting on the Harley smiling back at me when he shifted his gaze to something over my shoulder and murmured, "Busted."
I turned around and saw an achingly familiar black pickup truck heading straight for us. Then, it dawned on me, the depths of his betrayal. "You lied to me." I was horrified and could only stand there frozen in place and stare wide-eyed back at him. I'd trusted him, and he had set me up only to fall.
He wore a nasty smirk, and by the look on his face he was either completely unaware of the damage he had inflicted or he didn't care. "You had fun though, Addie. Admit it."
I couldn't speak even if I wanted to, but there was no way I could stay here with him one second longer. My shoulders curled inward. If there were any way that I could shrink inside myself, I would gladly disappear. My eyes focused on the ground, and I wished that it would open up and swallow me whole. I'd thought he was Chance. Humiliation sent a tear trickling down my cheek, and I turned away before Chase managed to see it. What he had done was despicable. He'd probably laugh and make fun of me. He was horrible. I'd believed that Chance had been trying to manipulate me when he warned me to stay away from his brother. I should have listened, but it was hard to tell who was who when they were both almost identical. I'd made a mistake. I'd followed my heart, instead of my head.
It was all my fault. I should have followed my rules and never allowed this to happen. I deserved this for thinking that I could ever be normal. I deserved this for stepping outside of my comfort zone. That was what happened to foolish girls who allowed themselves to take risks. They were made a joke of by boys who played childish games. I had been nothing more than a pawn in their sick sibling rivalry.
Struggling against the squeezing sensation in my chest, I marched quickly across the parking lot toward the school without looking back. From behind me, I heard a truck door slam. Chance and Chase were yelling at one another, but I kept on walking and didn't bother to turn around. My chest ached. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, and I wanted to throw up. His deception hurt, and it was so much worse when compared to the first stinging bite of the razor slicing my skin.
"Fight!" someone yelled from behind me.
Tears ran down my cheeks, and angrily I brushed them aside. Brandon and Kara had just pulled in, but my steps quickened. I rushed past Brandon's car. With the condition I was in, I couldn't talk to anyone right now. Let Chase and Chance kill one another for all I cared. Two security guards ran past me as I headed up the steps, pushed open one of the double doors, and slipped inside. Only then did I allow myself to turn around and look through the door's slim glass panels out into the parking lot.
A large crowd had gathered, and I couldn't see anything until they moved aside, allowing the security guards into the barrier they had formed around Chase and Chance. They were circling one another with their fists raised and already, they'd drawn blood. The evidence was smeared on both of their faces.
"Good job, slut," Miley sneered, and I turned to find her and Mia standing behind me. "You couldn't be happy with just one of them, could you? No, you had to be a greedy little bitch."
"You don't know what you're talking about," I replied hoarsely and gritted my teeth as I pushed past them. Running into the two of them made things a million times worse. I may have walked away, but their mocking laughter followed right behind me.
"By the end of the day, Addie, everyone will know what a whore you really are!" Miley yelled after me. I hated her! I hated this school, and I hated Chase Logan!
After I rounded the next corner, I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. As I leaned against the wall, silent tears streamed down my cheeks. I hated what I'd done. Even though it hadn't been my intention, everyone would think the worst. High school was good for that. It was the one place where every move you made was scrutinized like an intricate game of chess. Make the wrong move, even if it was unintentional, and the entire meaning of your existence went straight to hell. The bell rang, but for the moment, I chose to stay right where I was. Even though, I couldn't sit in the bathroom stall all day, I needed a few more minutes to pull myself together. It was one thing to have made the mistake of climbing onto that bike with the wrong brother, but it was a totally different story to have to walk into the classroom with everyone knowing my shame. It was one walk I wasn't prepared to take…not yet.
"You in there?" A familiar voice asked, and then a slim, tanned hand with hot pink nails waved back at me from underneath the stall door. "Addie, I know that's you," Kara said. "Those red toenails and flip flops are a dead giveaway. You can't hide in here forever. Open up."
I slid the lock from the door and pulled it open a tiny crack. "Aww, baby," Kara cooed when she saw me, sounding so pitiful, I started crying once again. She pushed open the door the rest of the way, stepped inside the stall, and wrapped her arms around me. "Shush," she whispered soothingly. "It's alright. No one was hurt too bad, but I think Chance may have broken Chase's nose again. Oh, and Chase busted Chance's lip. That's all. They're suspended for the rest of the week though. No biggie."
She drew back and looked down at me with eyes that shone of both pity and love. Her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, and the bright red streaks ran along the side of her head like flames. Her teal eye shadow complemented the look and drew attention to the striking color of her blue eyes. Her lips were iced in her favorite, Goddess Pink.
"It's not as bad as you think. After what I saw no one with any brains in their head will say a word to you about what happened. Chance was a maniac. They had to pull him off of Chase."
She let me go, bent and grabbed a huge wad of toilet paper from the roll and shoved it at me. "Blow your nose. Dry your eyes. No more pity." she said with a gentle but firm smile.
I did as she asked then she ordered me to the sink and held back my hair while I splashed water on my face. "Let's get to class. I'm sure we'll have detention together after school for being late. Brandon and I will give you a lift home. I'll be so glad to get my car back. Brandon's in an eighties phase and if I hear "Take on Me" one more time I just might rip my hair out."
I laughed even though I didn't want to. She grabbed my hand, pulled me out of the bathroom and into the hall. It was empty, except for a few stragglers we passed headed for the stairwell. I was numb, but Kara held my hand, as she dragged me along behind her. Chase had worn gloves. I had not been able to tell the difference between them… that sneaky bastard. He'd also smelled different, but I would have never in a million years suspected him of anything so vile or underhanded.
Kara stopped outside the door of Mr. Shilon's classroom. "You ready?" she asked; her eyes filled with concern.
"Yeah," I said, not sounding too convincing and wanted nothing more than to just get this over with. The sooner this day ended. The sooner I could go home.
At that one word, she smiled at me. I tugged on her hand which caused her to momentarily pause when she opened the door. From over her shoulder, she looked back at me curiously. "You know you're the bestest best friend in the whole wide world. I really don't know what I would ever do without you."
"I'll always have your back, Addie," Kara replied sincerely. "Chin up, girlfriend. The good guy won. Make him proud, Addie," she said with a brave smile, and let go of my hand. Together, we both walked into first period with our heads held high.
Chapter seven
A
FTER DETENTION,
B
RANDON PULLED INTO THE SCHOOL
parking lot where Kara and I sat waiting for him on the steps. He'd washed his Camry, and there wasn't a single speck of dust to be seen anywhere on his shiny navy blue paint job. The windows were down. He glanced at us then turned the volume down on his radio. He held up a bag of Mickey D's like it was an offering to the gods or goddesses in Kara's case. His expression was sympathetic.
"Comfort food!" he yelled, and grinned. I guess, he'd thought after spending an hour with Mr. Shilon, it would be safer for him if he came bearing food; especially McDonalds. It was one of our favorites.
Kara looked over at me and sweetly smiled. "That boy knows us well."
"Shotgun!" she cried and darted from the steps to the car as I trailed along right behind her.
After the day I'd had, I didn't feel like protesting over who got to sit up front. I pushed down the seat and climbed into the back. Brandon turned around; his eyes intent and curious. If it were anyone else, I would have ducked my head and looked away but this was Brandon. "You alright?" he asked; his voice filled with concern.