CODY
It only took fifteen minutes to discover who Blake’s weapon would be.
Lindsay sat in her car, head down, crying. I tapped on the passenger side window and pulled open the door.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she said between sobs. “It’s all my fault.”
I slid into the seat but kept the door open. “What are you talking about? This is between Blake and me. You had nothing to do with it.”
She wiped at her cheeks. “But I did. I told him I gave you my password. I told him you knew about the Torments List.” Her fist hit the steering wheel. “I’m the worst person ever.”
I shook my head trying to make sense of her broken sentences. “Wait. When?”
“He came over Saturday when my parents were out. I wasn’t going to let him in, but he was so spastic and angry that, I don’t know, I thought he might break down the door or something. He accused us of sleeping together. Can you believe that? And when I tried to deny it, he said my hanging all over you was why the school thought I was a slut.” She shifted in her seat to face me. “Cody, I snapped. I yelled at him. I’ve never yelled at him.” She dipped her head. “He interrogated me until I finally just told him whatever he wanted to know.”
I had a bad feeling that Blake’s “interrogation” was more than verbal. Not that I’d had any luck in getting her to admit it.
We sat in silence. There was so much I wanted to say, but trying to convince her that Blake was responsible for his own actions was like trying to convince a vegan to eat meat. She’d been programmed to take the blame for years.
“Oh, look at this. Two love birds,” A voice crooned, and I whipped around to see Jill standing in the space between my leg and the open door.
Arm perched on top of the window frame, Jill leaned over and sent a lethal smile to Lindsay. “I knew you were easy, but seriously, servicing Cody in the school parking lot is a little much.”
Lindsay’s face went sheet white.
“Shut up, Jill,” I hissed.
She backed away when I stood. “What is it about her that’s so freaking fantastic, huh? How is she any different than me?”
It had taken me a long time to truly grasp Matt’s words about being set apart. About using my influence to make a difference in someone’s life outside of my own. I’d let people down in the past. Turned away when I should have intervened. But I knew what I stood for now.
Lindsay was my redemption. My way to vindicate Fatty James.
“She isn’t, Jill, which should terrify you more than anything. Because one wrong move and this is you. That is what our silence has done.”
Her eyes widened, a hint of fear breaking past her stony stare. “She did this to herself.”
Very carefully, I shot back words she would know well, “Sure Jill, keep telling yourself that.”
*
A two-door guardhouse and security personnel with clipboards protected the entry in to Skylar’s neighborhood. I slowed to a stop and rolled down my window.
“Cody James. I’m here to see Skylar Wyld.”
The balding man scrunched his eyebrows and examined his sheet. Once satisfied, he lifted the barrier arm, and I drove forward.
Following the directions she texted, I wound my way past mansions three times the size of my house with acres of land between them. At the end of its very own street, Skylar’s house glowed against the setting sun. The two-story structure resembled a Spanish castle with terracotta shingles and cream stucco. My family wasn’t poor by any means, but this level of wealth brought an immediate reminder that I was dating a rock star’s daughter. Well, hopefully I was still dating her. Her texts had been too short to give me any sense of security.
I parked the car and gave myself a final pep talk before trudging up the three marble steps to the arched entryway. I had an hour before I needed to be at the radio station. I prayed it was enough time to fix everything today had broken. At least I had my topic for tonight—lies and heartbreak.
The door opened before my hand ever made contact and Skylar slipped out. Her long hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head, and her dress and boots were replaced with jeans and a t-shirt. I preferred this look—natural, beautiful. I stepped back, giving her room to come onto the porch. She shut the door behind her.
“I’m not ready for you to meet my dad yet.” Her arms crossed, shielding herself from me. Women aren’t easy to read, but everything in her stance screamed trouble.
“Sure. That’s fine. Do you want go somewhere?”
She shook her head, her mouth formed into a small pout.
When I reached out to touch her, she took one step back.
“I thought we were going to talk?”
“That was before you punched Blake and hung out with Lindsay in the parking lot. You said no more surprises, but that’s all it’s ever been with you. Since we’ve met you’ve been hot and cold. Sending me mixed signals. Giving me one half of a story. It’s not enough.”
It was unbelievable how fast Blake’s minions worked. I pointed to the steps. “Can we at least sit?”
Begrudgingly, she sat keeping several feet between us. I ached to close the gap. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I should have.”
“So, what exactly happened?”
This was my chance. My opportunity to explain the Torments List and why I needed to protect Lindsay. But even as the words rolled around on my tongue, I couldn’t say them. If she knew about Fatty James, she’d see me differently. I’d see me differently. I’d be the weak boy on that locker room floor, not the man who’d fought to become the very opposite.
No. I’d have to find a way to give her the truth without digging up my past. “Sometime between getting to school and the middle of first period, someone put that picture in my locker. It wasn’t Lindsay and it wasn’t me. I don’t know who has my combination, but I would bet money it’s Blake.”
She shook her head. “He was with me the whole time in Ms. Yarnell’s class. It couldn’t have been him.”
“Skylar, he had one of his many followers do it for him. That’s how he works.” I was one breath from mentioning Henry’s name, but if I ratted him out, he’d surely turn around and lie about me jumping him.
Her bare feet tapped on the stone steps in no set pattern. “I thought you were going to talk to him,” she said, looking down. “He pulled me aside before sixth period. He was really messed up about us and the rumors.”
Hair prickled on the back of my neck. “You need to stay away from Blake. He’s a master manipulator and he’s not safe.”
She flinched at the sharpness in every word. “Is that why you punched him? Because he spoke to me? For the record, I’m not into the whole alpha male, possessive thing.”
“This isn’t me marking my territory, Skylar. He’s a liar, and he still wants you.”
Skylar bit her lip and suddenly the last thing I wanted to do was talk about Blake. I ached to kiss her.
“Cody, I wanted normal for the first time in my life. I don’t want to be stuck between some power struggle with you and Blake. All my friends are his friends.”
Because he knew inviting Zoe and her friends to the head table would make it impossible for Skylar to walk away. I ran my hands down my face. “I don’t want that for you either. We’ll find a way to make it all work, I promise.” I didn’t usually make promises I couldn’t keep, but something in her eyes made me wish it were true. That I could make this nightmare I’d dragged her into vanish with a snap of my fingers.
Her head dropped, her voice much too quiet. “I try not to let things get to me like this. I know people misrepresent the truth. It’s just when Zoe told me about you and Lindsay together, I felt jealous. Which is a stupid emotion and one I wouldn’t feel if things between us were more clear.”
“Then I’ll make it clear.” I inched even closer, allowing my thigh to graze hers. “You’re the only one I think about. The only one I want to do this with.” My hand reached up and touched the delicate skin on her face. I leaned in, my goal nothing less than to find out what flavor lip-gloss she was wearing.
“I can guarantee my father is watching us on the security camera.”
Lightning shot through me, sending me sprawling to the farthest side of the stairs.
She burst into giggles at my stricken face.
“That’s not funny.” I searched for the camera that had been monitoring my every move.
“No, it’s pretty funny. You looked like you were going to have a heart attack.”
“I almost did. All I could picture was Donnie Wyld coming at me with a guitar in one hand and a .45 in the other.”
“You’re crazy. My dad would use a shotgun.” The stress was gone from her features, replaced by the smile I’d come to rely on.
She stood and offered her hand. I let her tug me until we were inches apart. My heart beat irregularly, but not from panic like earlier. From her closeness, from the heat searing the small space between us.
I swallowed. “Are we good?” I had to remind myself that kissing her was out of the question.
“For now.” She walked me back to my car. “So, what happens tomorrow?” Her hesitant question made me curse myself for ever making her doubt my feelings.
“We let the whole school know you’re my girlfriend.”
“Really?” Her lips tilted playfully. “The infamous Cody James who never does relationships is ready to put a label on us? I’m shocked.”
I wrapped an arm around her slim waist and pulled her close. “I’ve wanted to stake my claim since you walked into Madison High.” My fingertips brushed her perfect, fresh skin. “Do the cameras reach this far?”
Her hands inched up my chest, and she shook her head.
I moved slowly, wanting to savor every second. My lips touched her forehead and trailed down the side of her face. Her skin was smooth and tasted sweet, like a garden breeze. Skylar’s breath caught, and I continued my exploration until I reached my goal. Her mouth was as warm as I remembered, soft and open. I pulled her body flush with mine connecting every part of her with every part of me. Her fingers explored paths through my hair causing a jolt that traveled down to my toes. Never before had I felt this kind of sensation, this need to hold on like my world would end if I dared to let go.
Being with her made me feel invincible, as if I could do anything and be anything. When I kissed her, I didn’t dread tomorrow.
*
No one spoke to me at school. Not a word. Not an echo. I tried not to care. Tried to focus on what mattered as I waited at Skylar’s locker. Ten minutes later, she rushed in, looking as if she just came from a teen magazine photo shoot.
She stopped short when our eyes met. A sweet smile replaced the stressful concentration that had been there moments ago.
A tingle raced through my limbs. “Morning,” I said as she fiddled with her combination lock. “We’ve got like two minutes to get to class.”
She glanced at me sideways. “Yet, you still waited. I’m flattered.”
“You should be. I hate being late.”
She slammed her locker and placed a hand on her hip. “Well, here’s a fair warning, I’m never on time.”
“Maybe together, we can work on that.” I reached out and captured that same hand in mine and motioned for us to walk. Her light touch made me forget I was officially back in exile.
Blake and Chugger were already at our table when we entered class and neither acknowledged our laced fingers. It’d be an hour of awkward silence, but I didn’t care. I held victory in my hand.
My books barely hit the table when Ms. Yarnell called me to her desk. She was shuffling papers when I approached, the stench of herbal tea drifting from her “Teachers Rock” coffee mug.
“Cody, it’s come to my attention that you and Mr. Mason are unable to remain in the same group.” My pulsed jumped. “Blake volunteered to move to another group. Unfortunately, the only one that isn’t full declined working with him. Some bad history, I guess.” Then she muttered something about teenage drama.
I spotted the table with only three students. I knew them all. Two were Jill’s besties and the third was Gary Lawson from the football team. Didn’t get along with Blake? What a joke. They worshiped him.
“Anyway, I have no choice but to move you instead. You’ll be working there for the rest of the year.” Her curt tone and dismissive wave made it clear that arguing would be futile.
I grabbed my books in a daze. Blake’s smug expression made me itch to add more bruises to his already discolored face.
“Where are you going?” Skylar’s hushed voice only added to my frustration.
“It seems the games have begun. Isn’t that right, Blake?”
Skylar glared at Blake like she was waiting for an explanation.
He raised his hands. “I offered to move. Ms. Yarnell felt Cody leaving was best. I tried to argue, but she was pretty firm. I’m sorry, Skylar, but I can’t be around a guy who betrayed me.”
My jaw ached from how hard my teeth clamped down. His ability to lie without so much as a flicker of guilt rivaled notorious sociopaths.
I kept my focus on Skylar, afraid of what I’d do if I had to see Blake’s satisfied grin one more time. “I’ll see you after class.”
The minute I slumped down in my new chair, Karina stopped picking at her split ends to sneer at me.
“The fall from grace is a painful one, huh Cody? Hope slut Barbie was worth it.”
I didn’t bother responding. She was obviously in the camp that believed Lindsay and I betrayed Blake, and no denial from me would change her mind.
Across the room, Chugger chatted away, showing no remorse for my banishment. Blake’s responding laughter drifted past the tables and settled like a chain at the bottom of my stomach.
He’d just declared war.