Audrey
Get some sleep. Yeah, right. As if I could get any sleep after a conversation like that. I had tossed and turned all night, replaying Brody’s words to me over and over, trying to make sense of them. He liked me. At least that was what I thought he admitted, but he couldn’t act on it because I was, what? Seventeen? Too young? Living under the same roof? Fragile? Emotionally not ready? If I was eighteen, would it change things? I was more confused than ever.
Groaning when my alarm went off again, I threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. Today was the day.
The day I returned to school.
I gulped and tried to push the fear aside.
It was a new day. A new me. I could do this. Ignore the losers and hold my head high. Simple, right? I wished. My stomach rolled, and I lunged for the bin under my desk, emptying the contents of my stomach until there was nothing left. Wiping my mouth, I slumped against the desk and buried my head in my hands. This wasn’t going to work. I could study online or something. Facing one person in a shop was one thing, but an entire school of teenagers? Teenagers were cruel and superficial by nature. Not all, but some could be mean. Was I ready to deal with that? I didn’t think so, but my therapist said otherwise.
A knock on my door had me scrambling to my feet, but I wasn’t quick enough. Brody walked in and took one look at me and knew I wasn’t okay. He rushed over, brushed my hair out of my face, and hugged me. I smiled into his chest, breathing him in. I wished he could come to school with me. With him by my side, I knew I’d get through the day.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He grabbed the pile of clothes I had laid out the night before, then took my hand and led me upstairs to the bathroom where he filled a glass of water for me and sat me on the bathtub while he ran the shower.
God.
Could he be any more perfect?
His firm, tanned forearms flexed as he twisted the taps. If I was one of those overly dramatic girls, I’d swoon, throw myself at his feet. But I wasn’t. I played it cool, reined in my emotions, and it wasn’t because I was cool at all. Far from it. It was because I had no idea how to behave around a guy when I liked them, and these feelings for Brody were all new and intense and frightening as hell. I’d never had a boyfriend. Never kissed a boy. And here I was, watching as this man took care of me, wondering if I could convince him to have a shower with me.
I was clearly more screwed up than anyone gave me credit for.
Who thought like that? Not me. That was for sure. Well, at least until this week when I became fully aware of how good-looking Brody was. His smile, the dimple, his hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Close your mouth. You have a little drool,” Brody said, suddenly appearing right in front of me.
I slapped his hand away. “Shut up.”
Real mature. No wonder he didn’t want things to happen. I was a child.
He laughed. “Don’t worry, you have the same affect on me.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me to a standing position. My chest brushed against his, and all I wanted to do was lean in, maybe press up on my toes and bite his jaw.
“You all set now?” he asked, placing his hands on my shoulders and holding me in place as he took a step back, putting some distance between us.
I nodded.
“Good. I have to go, or I’m going to be late. You’re going to be great today.” He sounded so confident in my ability to push through the bad and come out on top. I wasn’t so sure.
Nervous laughter erupted from my chest, and my heart was beating a thousand times a second.
“Have a good day,” he said and walked out of the bathroom.
I stood there in the center of the room, twisting my camisole between my fingers and staring at the water as it streamed down. The steam that was filling the room evaporated the moment the bathroom door opened again, and Brody came back in.
I jumped, startled, and wondered what he was doing when he came to a stop in front of me. His hands gripped the sides of my face, his fingers slid into my hair, and then his mouth…
Oh, my god.
His mouth was on mine. His lips soft, demanding, rough, and calming all at once. I leaned in, gripped his shirt in my hands, and closed my eyes, letting instinct take over as he sucked the fear out of me while simultaneously breathing the life back into me that I’d lost over the last year. I parted my lips, hoping he’d take more, dive in deeper, but he pulled back, only to press three quick kisses on my mouth again and whisper, “For luck.”
Then, as quick as he walked into the bathroom, he was gone again, and I was left standing there breathless with wobbly knees. My heart hammered in my chest, and he didn’t even use tongue.
Realising I couldn’t stand in the bathroom all day fantasising about the magic of Brody’s lips, I stripped off my pyjamas and climbed in the shower, wanting to get this day over as fast as possible and maybe, just maybe, see if Brody kissed me for luck tomorrow as well. Was it possible that a kiss changed a person? You read in books and heard in movies how people changed or felt different after they’d slept with someone. They got that glow. Was it possible to glow from a kiss? I felt like I was glowing. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face no matter how hard I tried.
Once I was dressed in skinny jeans and a black long sleeve t-shirt Kenzie picked out because of the low-cut V-neck that was covered with lace, I made my way downstairs and threw on my hoodie.
Leanne was already in the kitchen with two cups of coffee, one of which she pushed in my direction.
“Thanks.” I took a welcome sip, hoping the caffeine hit would inject some confidence.
“You’re smiling,” Leanne said, tilting her head as she examined my face. “You feeling good about today, then?”
I shrugged. I was feeling something, that was for sure. Good about going back to school. No. Something for Brody that was better than good, but I could never admit that to Leanne. What would she think of me?
And suddenly I understood Brody’s hesitation. If people talked about me now, imagine what they’d have to say if they found out about us. The accusations would be unbearable. I doubted anyone would approve.
“Audrey, you okay? You’re looking a little pale.”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was getting ahead of myself. It was one kiss for luck. That was all. “Fine. Just want to get this day over with.”
“I understand. I’m so proud of you for doing this. And you know, the first day will be the hardest, but you’ll make new friends and settle in, and then you’ll wonder what you ever worried about.” She squeezed my hand in support. She was so optimistic that I couldn’t bring myself to burst her bubble. It wouldn’t be anything like that, but if believing that made it easier for her, I wasn’t going to prove otherwise.
Leanne checked her watch and turned around to put a bagel in the toaster. I frowned in confusion and wondered who it was for. There was no one here, I definitely wasn’t eating, and I knew Leanne didn’t eat breakfast either. She pulled out a plate and went to the cupboard to grab the peanut butter. As the bagel popped, the front door opened and closed, and in walked Bailey.
“God, I’m so hungry,” she complained, pulling up a stool next to me at the counter.
“I know.” Leanne passed her the bagel loaded with peanut butter.
“You’re too good to me,” Bailey mumbled through a mouthful of bread.
“Because I want you to look out for my girl today.” She glanced at me.
“Duh, Mrs. K. Of course.” Bailey rolled her eyes and finished her bagel in record time.
I stared wide-eyed at her and wondered how she could eat so much so fast.
“Ready?” She looked at me.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Umm…” I winced. I wasn’t ready. I’d never be ready.
“Come on. It’ll be fine. I have a staff meeting this morning, but you can sit in my room until the bell goes if you like.”
“Okay.” I stood and grabbed my bag from the floor.
Leanne came around the counter and gave me a hug. “Have a good day.” And then she turned away to wipe her eyes, because facing away from me so obviously hid the fact that she was crying.
I followed Bailey out to her car.
“You’re going to be fine, you know. And you’re not the only new student starting today.”
“I’m not?” I asked as she pulled out of the drive and headed to school.
“No, and trust me, I think the entire school will be focused on the other.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s the principal’s son.”
“Oh.” It would have to suck going to the same school your father was in charge of. I hoped the poor kid was prepared. Maybe we’d be outcasts together and become friends.
“What’s so funny?” Bailey asked. I hadn’t even realised I’d been laughing.
“Just thinking me and the principal’s son may be outcasts, and maybe I’d actually make a friend.”
“You’re not going to be an outcast, Audrey. Everything will be fine. I’m not going to lie and say it will be smooth sailing. I know what high school kids can be like, and there will be some who are cruel, but most, once they get to know you, if you give them the chance, will treat you no differently than anyone else. I promise. It’ll take time and won’t be easy, but it will happen. And if you have any problems, you can always come to see me.” She reached over and squeezed my hand.
“Thank you. For telling me how it is and not sugar coating it like everyone else has been.” Why had Bailey and I not spoken more? Oh, because I was a bitch and a recluse, but I actually really liked her.
“My senior year absolutely sucked.”
“I find that hard to believe,” I scoffed.
“My boyfriend of two years dumped me for my best friend. Then they proceeded to rub it in my face, and I lost all my friends. I was miserable. But then Ryder came along, and all the bad disappeared. He gave me the confidence I needed to stand up to Chace and Christina—”
“Chace? As in…?”
“Cole’s sperm donor? Yeah.”
“Whoa.”
What the hell happened at that school?
“Kenzie actually went to a school in Storm Cove. She never wanted to attend this school. But Chace and Ryder were best friends, and that’s how she started dating Chace. She fell pregnant and left town with Ryder when Chace demanded she terminate the pregnancy. And because she never went to school here, I never knew any of it. I thought Chace was perfect. And when he asked me out just a week after Kenzie had left town, I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. He turned out to be a narcissistic ass who cheated on every girl he ever dated. Ryder and Indie were my heroes. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have made it through that year unharmed. Having a friend I could count on made all the difference. And having someone who loved me as much as Ryder, even if I didn’t know it at the time, gave me all the confidence I needed to stand on my own, to face up to the rumours and laughter and the kids who sided with Chace and Christina. Ryder was and still is my knight in skinny jeans.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had no idea any of that had happened. Guilt settled in my stomach. The way she was talking about Indie and Ryder broke my heart. She loved them more than anything, and they were lying to her about something. I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know what they were lying about and didn’t want to assume the worst because I’d seen how good a friend Indie was and how perfect Ryder was. So, I kept my mouth shut.
“I think if you give the kids at the school a chance, you just might find your own Indie and Ryder.”
“Were you always this cheesy?” I laughed, trying not to dwell on the fact the people she trusted most were betraying her.
“No. It’s these damn pregnancy hormones.”
We’d arrived at the school, and I hadn’t noticed because I was too busy talking. Bailey had eased my mind and distracted me without me realising.
“Right, I’ll show you where you need to go and then take you to my room, okay?”
“Okay.” I grabbed my bag from the floor and got out of the car. The school was empty, for which I was grateful. I was able to follow Bailey inside and to the office without being seen, where she grabbed my class schedule then took me to her classroom.
“Huh. Perfect.” She smiled. “You have English with me first up, and form directly across the hall. So, when the bell goes, you head over to that room.” She pointed to the blue door across the hall. “Then come across here after that. Also,” she glanced at the paper in her hands again. “Your locker is down there. And your code is here.” She pointed down the opposite end of the hall and handed me my schedule with my lock combination on it. “You good? I have to go because I’ll be late, and Sawyer will kick my ass.”
Bailey gave me a reassuring smile and hurried off. I stood in the middle of the hall, unsure of what to do next. Every minute I stood there was a minute closer to other students arriving, and I didn’t want to be caught in the hall alone.