Chapter 11

Shane

Back to school.

I was a new man, and nothing could stop me from achieving my goal. Keep me from my destiny. Destiny was probably putting it a bit dramatically, but something told me today was going to be important. Dallas wasn’t just some girl I wanted to see naked and fool around with. She was the kind of girl a man could spend his life with, and today was the first step in seeing if that could be the case for us.

I came in through the back door and found Jake standing by the art room. It was where he always waited for me in the mornings, even though half the time I showed up right before the bell rang. He didn’t have many other friends so if I wasn’t around he just sat and listened to music by himself. I would have felt bad for him if he didn’t enjoy it so much. It was what he spent half of his free time doing anyway.

“And on the third day, he rose again,” Jake greeted, pulling his earbuds from his ears.

I rolled my eyes and clapped him on the back. “Good to see you too.”

“Good? Just good? You wound me.”

I laughed. “Gotta keep you on your toes, or you might leave me for another.”

“Fat chance.” Jake snorted. “You’re the only person in this whole school who’s tolerable to be around.”

“Not the only one. In fact, there’s a pretty little girl in particular that I’ve got some business with.”

We started walking toward the cafeteria, where most of the students gathered in the mornings to work on homework, chat, and fool around in general. Jake and I didn’t usually go there, but it was my best bet for finding Dallas.

“I assume you’re talking about that Dallas girl?” Jake asked as we stepped into the crowded cafeteria.

I started scanning the room for a flash of her auburn hair.

“You would assume correctly.”

“I think you’re going to have a problem conducting your business then.”

I understood his meaning when my eyes landed on the back of Dallas’s head a moment later. She was seated at a table in the middle of the room with half of the football team and a couple of her friends. She wasn’t looking in my direction, but Wes was. The expression on his face was pure malice, and he slung an arm territorially around the back of Dallas’s chair. I watched her stiffen and my hands tensed at my sides. The douchebag may as well have started pounding on his chest like the ape he was.

“Hold your horses, John Wayne,” Jake said. “Why don’t you just wait to talk to her in math class?”

Much as I didn’t want to admit defeat, Jake was right. The other guys had noticed by now that I was standing there, and they all glared. Rob looked particularly deadly, silver glinting on his bared teeth. He would use the wire to carve out my eyeballs if I gave him a chance.

“Okay,” I admitted. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jake relaxed at my side, and we turned to leave. Their glares seared my back like thousands of red-hot needles, and I couldn’t help but feel like a loser as I made my retreat.

Why did Dallas hang out with those guys? There was nothing redeeming about them. I would know since I’d been playing football with most of them for the past three years. Nelson was a loud, obnoxious asshole who hadn’t respected a woman a day in his life. Rob was a brute with nothing but shit for brains, and though Paul was the nicest of the bunch, it was only because he was the quietest. He still went along with everything the others said. Then there was Wes, who seemed to take on the worst characteristics of all of them. Dallas was too good for them, and I doubted she had any real interest in being there. I only hoped when I asked her to prom, she would accept, and I could help her escape them for good.

Jake and I caught up for a little bit by our lockers, but I practically sprinted to class once the bell rang. I wanted to have as much time to talk to Dallas as possible, and she usually showed up early.

I leaned against my desk and waited for her. And waited. The classroom filled with people, but Dallas and Sasha were still missing from class. Then, just as the second bell rang, they came in and sat down at their desks.

It was too late. Mrs. Fairfax was already telling everyone to settle down, and I took a frustrated seat as I realized I would have to wait until the end of class to ask Dallas. Things weren’t going well for me this morning, but that didn’t mean anything. Dallas liked me. We’d shared an amazing kiss, and I knew that she wanted to go to prom with me just as much as I wanted to go with her. She was going to say yes.

I watched her during class, but something was different. Ordinarily, Dallas was loose, relaxed. She nodded along to points she found interesting and doodled in her notebook when she was bored.

She volunteered to answer questions, unlike Sasha, who was much too cool. Today she did none of those things. She sat still in her chair and stared straight ahead. I had a feeling if I could see her eyes, I would find them blank. Something was on her mind.

The second the bell rang, Dallas shot up from her chair and headed for the door. I barely had time to gather my stuff up and follow after her. Jake tagged along behind me since our next class was together. He had the good sense to keep his distance.

I caught up with Dallas at her locker and tapped her on the arm.

“You practicing for a marathon or something?” I asked, exaggerating my breathing.

Dallas smiled, but her expression was guarded. “Practicing for a marathon?”

“I’ve never seen someone leave a class so quickly. I figured either training for a marathon, or you found something aggressively disgusting about tonight’s homework.”

She chuckled. “As much as I despise homework, all I was trying to do was get from A to B in the least amount of time. You know me, always like to be on time.”

“I won’t keep you long then. I’ve been trying to find a time to talk to you all day.”

“Oh? About what?” Dallas clutched her books tight to her chest, eyes flickering with curiosity. She kept looking over my shoulder, sneaking a glance off to the side, like she was keeping an eye out for someone. I found it strange but continued anyway.

The words tumbled out of my mouth smoother than anticipated. “Will you go to prom with me?”

Dallas’s mouth split into a wide grin, but a half-second later the smile dried up into a frown. In my head, I heard a record scratch, and trepidation darkened my mood.

“I’m sorry, Shane. I would love to go to prom with you,” she said, forehead creased as if she were in pain. “Only I’m not going to prom.”

“You’re not?” I frowned.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Dallas looked down the hallway again, and when she hadn’t answered after another couple of seconds, I gently guided her chin back to front and stared down into her eyes.

“Dallas, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes, endless pits of blue, widened. She stepped back, and my hand fell to my side.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I just don’t want to go to prom.”

“Then let’s not go to prom,” I suggested. “We can go for a ride down to the beach and make a big bonfire or something. I just want to spend my night with you.”

“I can’t.”

“Dallas—“

“I just can’t, okay?” she snapped suddenly. People around us turned to look, alarmed by the sudden noise.

I took a step away from her, palms up. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

She sighed, grinding her teeth, and walked away. I could’ve sworn I heard her mutter, “Me too.”

Someone clapped me on the back, and I looked to my left to see Jake standing beside me, watching Dallas go.

“That was cold of her,” he said. “I wonder who pissed in her cornflakes.”

“I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” I replied.

Jake shrugged. “It happens, dude. Girls can be hot and cold at a moment’s notice. I don’t want to shit on your dreams or anything, but maybe she’s just the kind of girl who can be nice to a guy when they’re alone but embarrassed of them when there are people around.”

I snorted. “Gee, thanks, Jake. You think I’m embarrassing?”

“To a girl who hangs out with the football team?” Jake raised a ginger brow.

I scowled and started walking to our next class. Jake kept pace beside me, chatting away in a way that I’m sure he thought would make me feel better.

“...a ton of girls at this school who would kill to go to prom with you. They think you’re a babe. I know you’ve got this thing for Dallas, but it’s probably a good thing that she showed her true colors now. At least this way—“

“She’s not like that!” I rounded on him, catching his eye, so he knew just how serious I was about it. “There’s something wrong with her today. Something on her mind. You may not believe I know her well enough, but something I do know is that she isn’t the type of girl to act a different way in public. She’s completely genuine, always has been. She doesn’t put up a facade or walls, and she doesn’t lead people on. You can think that I’m being delusional and believing what I want to believe if you want to, but that’s the truth. Something’s the matter with Dallas, and as soon as I know what it is, I’m going to try my damnedest to help her.”

Jake blinked up at me in surprise. “Well, shit, dude. Why didn’t you just say so?”

I gave him a small shove, and he laughed. I didn’t understand my best friend at times, and I doubted I ever would, but I was glad I had him. Before Dallas, I never thought I’d find someone I liked quite as much.