Chapter Six
Darcy
I sit in the cafeteria, pretending to listen to Cindy and her friends chatter pointlessly while eating their lunches. I’m grateful she thought to include me, but I would’ve preferred to eat alone, outside under a tree, so I could think. I’m not much for socializing at the best of times and today is no exception.
This whole thing is such a mess and I made it worse by not telling him what I suspected sooner. If it were the other way around, and he’d figured it out, I would’ve been livid if he hadn’t told me.
Somehow, I get through the rest of the day, but I struggle to think about anything other than Lennon. Twice I saw him in the hallways outside of class, and both times I quickly walked the other way.
***
The bell sounds, signaling the end of the day, and nobody is more relieved than me. I check my phone to see if he’s texted, but he hasn’t. Frustrated, I shove it in my backpack and follow the flood of students exiting the school building.
The second I’m outside, I cross paths with a guy I recognize from my English class. He calls out to me and I stop and glance around to make sure it’s me he’s talking to. He jogs over and gives me a winning smile.
“Hey. You’re the new chick, right?” I nod, immediately suspicious of being referred to as the new chick. “I’m Jack.” He offers me his hand, and it clicks that this is the guy Cindy warned me about.
“Darcy,” I say curtly. “Nice to meet you, but I’m kind of in a hurry.”
He puts his arm out against the brick wall I’m walking next to, blocking me from leaving. He’s too close for comfort and I don’t like it one bit. I tense, feeling scared. I don’t like being trapped, and right now, that’s exactly how I feel.
“Jack!” a female voice calls out from behind him.
His head whips around and an angry-looking girl scowls at him, then turns her scowl onto me. Let me guess. Jessa or Mara? I’m doing everything I can to fly under the radar, and I still find myself walking into the firing line.
“Sorry, I really have to go,” I mutter, pushing past him, and this time he lets me leave.
***
By the time I arrive home, I still haven’t heard from Lennon. I send a text, but get no reply. I’m growing more frustrated by the second, so I try to occupy myself by working on my car. Just the smell of the grease and oil helps lighten my mood and I feel myself calming down. Fuck massages and salt baths, all I need is a vat full of grease and I’m completely relaxed.
By eight in the evening, I still haven’t heard from him. I didn’t eat much dinner, which quickly got my mother’s attention.
“How was school?” she asks, her eyes filling with that familiar look of worry.
“Okay,” I say, sounding as upbeat as I can. The last thing I need is for my parents to think that something’s wrong. “Are you still going out tonight?” I vaguely remember her saying something about late night drinks with some friends of theirs before they jet off overseas for six months.
“If you’re sure you’re okay?” she replies.
“I’m fine,” I laugh. “I’m just tired. I’ll probably be in bed before you leave.” I carry my plate over to the sink and scrape it into the bin, then run it under the water. “Cindy was great showing me around, and the school is really nice.”
Mom’s face softens. “That’s good, I’m glad you two are getting along so well.”
I hide a smile. I knew that would do the trick. I walk over and kiss Mom on the forehead, and then do the same to Dad, before walking down the hall to my room. Once I’m inside, I check my phone again. Still nothing.
Sighing, I sit on my bed. I hate being this girl—the one waiting around for the guy to call. I just want to know where we stand, but I can’t do that if he won’t talk to me. Maybe he just needs space, but that doesn’t help me when I have to face him tomorrow morning, anyway. I probably won’t sleep tonight, stressing about it.
What I should do is go over there. If I see him, then we can talk and work out a way to deal with it. Neither of us are winning if things stay like this. I get to my feet, throw on a pair of jeans, and put on the same figure hugging shirt I wore to school. I hear my parents’ car pull out of the driveway and I breathe a sigh of relief. At least there won’t be questions when I walk downstairs and go out after claiming I was so tired.
When I get outside, I realize I have a little problem in that I don’t know where he lives. I jump in the car, tap the wheel and think. Short of breaking into the school and finding his details, my only realistic option is my cousin, Casey.
I find her number in my phone. The only reason I even have her number is that Mom insisted I text her to apologize for what happened at the wedding. It feels too weird to call her, so I send a text.
Me: Hey Casey! It’s Darcy. Again. I’m after Lennon, Gary’s friend’s address? He left his jacket with me at the wedding and I wanted to send it back to him.
I’m impressed with my ability to think on my feet, and even more impressed when it works and she coughs up his address. I put it in my GPS and start the short drive to his house. I’m shocked at how close he lives to me. Less than five minutes later, I’m out the front of his apartment building, asking myself what the hell I’m doing.
My heart pounds as I get out of the car. I’m convinced I’m making the worst decision of my life, but I can’t seem to stop myself from doing it. I need clarity, and I need it now, and this is the only way I can see of getting it.
I thump on his door, my hands shaking. God, I’m so nervous, I feel sick. The door swings open and Lennon stands there, still in his button-up shirt and pants. My throat constricts as I wait for him to react. Say something… anything.
“What happened to your skirt?” he mumbles, then his face flushes like he can’t believe that was the first thing out of his mouth. I hide a grin, secretly thrilled that my attire obviously had some effect on him.
“It wasn’t me,” I admit. “I’m more of a jeans and sweater kind of girl. I got caught up in trying to impress people on my first day of school and felt uncomfortable for it.”
“Impress people?” he asks inquisitively, his eyes on mine.
“You,” I admit. I shove my hands deep in my pockets and wait for him to answer, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Darcy…”
I close my eyes. God, I know where that tone is going.
“Look, can I come in?” I ask, biting my lip.
He hesitates, then steps back, waving me inside. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure. I’ll take a beer, or a shot of vodka.” He frowns. “Bad joke,” I mumble, my face flushing.
“Coffee, water, or soda are your choices,” he says, somewhat sternly.
“Really? Aren’t I a bit young for coffee?” I quip. He glowers at me and I cringe, wishing I could stop the words from tumbling out. “Okay, I’ll stop,” I promise him. He sighs and rolls his eyes as he tosses me a can of Coke.
“Darcy, why did you come here?” he asks.
“Because I thought we needed to sort this out. I tried calling and texting, and you wouldn’t answer. Turning up here unannounced was the only way I thought you’d see me outside of school.”
“How did you even get my address?”
I blush and consider telling him I broke into the school office. “Casey.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “There’s nothing to sort out,” he says weakly. “What happened shouldn’t have happened, so we forget about it and move on. Easy.”
“Fine, but I don’t want things being awkward between us because of what happened.” I wish I could rewind ten minutes and rethink this godawful decision of coming over here, because I’m feeling like a dick. “I thought if I came over here, we could clear the air and get off to a fresh start.”
He nods. “Sure. A fresh start sounds good.” He narrows his eyes and steps closer to me, his brow furrowing as he reaches out and touches my elbow. “Is that grease?” he asks.
I blush and wipe it away, grazing past his hand in the process. We both jump. “Yeah. I must’ve missed it during my shower. I spent some time working on my car.”
“Your car?” he says with interest. “A Porsche?”
“I wish,” I laugh. “No, it’s an old Mustang that my dad got me for my sixteenth birthday. I’ve been fixing it up ever since.”
“Wow,” he says, softly. “That’s pretty cool. You’re the strangest eighteen-year-old girl I’ve ever met.”
I chuckle, unsure if that’s a compliment or an insult. My eyes widen as someone knocks loudly on the door. Every thought runs through my head, from my mother following me, to it being the principal, ready to catch us in the act. Lennon winces.
“Pizza,” he explains, heading for the door. “I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner.”
“I’ll get out of your hair, then,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Why don’t you stay?” he asks softly.
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude,” I reply, not sure my staying is a good idea. Wasn’t the whole idea five minutes ago to forget about us and move on?
He chuckles again. “Something tells me intruding is kind of what you do.”
“You might have a point,” I say with a grin.
I sit down on the couch, curling my feet up under me. A shiver runs down my spine as I watch him open the door and collect the pizza. I know I shouldn’t push it, but I’m not ready to give up on him. I don’t care what society says, I’m an adult, and I’m more mature than half the adults I know.
I trust my instincts, and my instincts are screaming at me to keep trying.