Chasing Butterflies (7 page)

After checking on
Mom, I’d spend the rest of the night between worrying about her and worrying about what one girl thought of me. I shouldn’t give a rat’s ass about the latter. Yet, I couldn’t get the gorgeous girl out of my head. Smart, confident enough to speak her mind, and beautiful was a deadly combination. Most girls I messed around with were more into clothes and reality shows.

I’d chosen poorly with Debbie and decided I should have gone with the sure thing when my mind wanted option number three, Lenny. Over the next week in school, I decided to move on and cut my losses and try and forget about the unforgettable girl.

A tap on my shoulder pulled me away from the blonde who was so ready for my kind of fun. Debbie’s stories hadn’t reached everyone, or maybe some just didn’t believe her. I glanced over my shoulder to see the tiny girl who’d invaded my every waking thought over the past week.

“Hey, give me a minute. Then I’ll find you, and you can give me the tour you were talking about,” I said to the blonde in front of me.

I squeezed her waist, sending her into a giggling fit.

“Don’t be too long,” she replied with better things to come.

She sauntered away. Her short skirt swayed with promise that I’d end my drought that night. Over a week of not getting any made me stupid like what I was about to do. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned around to glare at the brunette.

Her eyes were laser tag focused on my
sure thing
’s back as she walked away.

“What is it you want?” I asked, gaining her attention.

Whip fast, she turned to face me again. Only she met my eyes a second before turning her gaze to the floor.

“I’m, uh…Debbie cleared some things up.”

I wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She’d summed me up without giving me a chance to defend myself. Plus, she was cute as hell when she blushed. “You’re what?”

Her gray eyes rose, chin up, and she said, “I’m sorry, okay? I was given bad information, and I treated you horribly because of it. I want to help you get caught up.”

“There are things you can help me with.” I let my gaze fall over her, watching her pout change as I made myself clear. We didn’t have classes together, so I hadn’t seen her all day. She wore jeans and a tee that fit her. And even though she was all but covered, my imagination filled in the blanks. “But today’s no good.” I glanced behind me, but the blonde was gone. “And I can’t risk missing dinner.”

I had just enough time to make good with the blonde and walk the few miles home.

“If you think being crude will scare me off, you’re wrong. Let me buy you dinner?”

She didn’t have to buy me anything. I could feast on her all day.

“I’m not some charity case.”

She frowned, not getting it. “It’s not charity. I totally owe you for how I treated you. I’ll buy you dinner at the diner just down the street, and I can help get you caught up.”

The fact that I was wavering was a bad sign. I knew better.

“What will your boyfriend have to say about it?”

Joel had pointed the guy out as if in warning. Although he was one of a kind and stood out like a Cyclopes, I would have pieced it together myself. He was about my height, but stockier. He probably packed a serious punch, but he would be slow to my quick moves and have to catch me first.

“What can he say? It’s not like this is a date. Besides, he doesn’t own me.”

Her defiance was cute. But then everything she did I found cute. I reached out and touched her hand. Her skin was as soft as I imagined. Then I held it up, ring finger sparkled in the light from the windows.

“This ring seems to say otherwise.”

She snatched her hand from mine. You would think she’d been burned the way her eyes flared.

“It’s a promise ring. Not an engagement ring.”

Interesting choice of words. “Could have fooled me and not what’s being said around school. Guy doesn’t put a ring like that on a girl for a promise. He’s stating his claim loud and clear that you are his forever.”

“It’s a promise ring,” she said, and I scoffed. “Now do you want to go get burgers or not?”

Blonde forgotten, I shrugged. “Will I get in trouble for being out with the town’s princess?”

“I am not…” She snapped her lips closed and didn’t bother saying anything else. She stalked down the hall, and I moved to follow.

The view from behind was just as good as the front. My dick leaped for joy thinking he was getting some action. I groaned a bit, remembering the sure thing I left behind for the sure no, yet I followed like a dog wanted a bone.

She hadn’t lied. The diner was only a few blocks away. Seeing that it was just after four, the place was deserted. School was over and it wasn’t a Friday night. Everyone who didn’t have to be at school had gone home somewhere, to study or to bang. And I wasn’t doing either. The pretense that we were going to study was lost on her, because I hadn’t brought a book with me. Not that she’d given me time. She had a backpack, but we didn’t share any classes, to my utter disappointment. Needling her in class could have been the highlight of my day.

“Burger,” she said to the waitress who appeared.

Then they both turned their eyes on me. I’d been watching Lenny, studying her face like the answers to a pop quiz were there. She was more than pretty. Yet, she didn’t paint her face or even wear that gloss shit on her lips. I wanted to kiss her and that was a first. I did it mostly because I had to on occasion. Wanting it was an entirely different thing.

“Yeah, what she’s having,” I said to end the scrutiny the two were giving me. “And fries.”

“Fries come with it, hon,” the older woman said. She stared at me. Finally, I turned my attention to her and stared back. Turned out she wasn’t exactly that much older than me. Maybe two or three years at most, and she had a decent smile. I was used to older girls. They liked me, and I liked them back. They didn’t play the games girls my age did.

“I’ll have a Sprite,” Lenny said, gaining the woman’s attention.

The cute waitress shifted her focus back to me. “Shake, vanilla.”

“Coming right up.”

She sauntered off with swaying hips. I watched in appreciation.

Lenny’s finger snapped in front of my face. “Are we going to study or what?”

“I didn’t bring any books.” When she started to frown, I added, “It’s not like you gave me any time to get to my locker.”

“I thought that was your locker.”

“No, that was
her
locker. You know, how you interrupted us.”

“Interrupted. You should be thanking me. She’s been passed around the entire football team.”

With an arched brow, I said, “I thought you knew better than to believe rumors.”

She sagged in her seat. “You’re right. That was mean. I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know why I said that.”

“I know why,” I tossed out.

Straightening, her eyes challenged me, and I liked it. “Why’s that?”

“Because you like me. Jealousy was written all over your face.”

“I…I…” she sputtered. “I’m not jealous.”

“Snapping your finger in my face so I wouldn’t check out our waitress.”

“That’s not true.”

“Lie to yourself. It’s okay.”

“I have a boyfriend.” Though she was grasping at reasons.

“Yeah, where is he?”

She closed her mouth and good thing. I imagined all kinds of things as our waitress materialized with piping hot food in record time. Then again, we were the only customers. The smells made my stomach stretch. It totally beat the school lunches I forced down unless I wanted to starve.

After the waitress set down our food, she placed the bill face down with her number face up near me. Lenny snagged it like a snake strike.

“I’ve got this,” she declared.

I smirked because she was so jealous. Bad thing was, her declaration that had nothing to do with me couldn’t have been truer. She had my complete attention like no other girl had ever before. I couldn’t resist needling her.

“Sure you do. But I’m pretty sure that phone number is for me.”

Her mouth dropped open. “She’s like too old for you. You’re like sixteen, right?”

“Soon to be seventeen.”

“Then I’m doing you a favor. She could go to jail.”

The paper crumpled in her hands. And I decided not to point out that the waitress not going to jail was a favor to her and not to me.

“Are you going to catch me up with school or what?” I asked, shoving a fry in my mouth.

“You said you didn’t have your books.”

“So, tell me all I need to know about my teachers. What they expect and shit. Who’s the hardest...yeah, that kind of stuff.”

And she did while we ate. She made me laugh as she gave me the lowdown, giving me rumors and pointing them out as unsubstantiated. Her use of a word like that made me wonder more about her. She was smart and beautiful, which only made me more interested when I shouldn’t have been.

“And don’t ever mention Mr. Wilk’s cowlick in his presence if you want to pass the class. I swear the guy could use plaster and it still wouldn’t stay down. And that’s so mean to say because he’s a great teacher.”

I chuckled, enjoying whatever she had to say.

“Your turn. I’ve done all the talking.”

“What do you want to know?” I asked, curious about what she would say next.

“Where did you move from? What brings you to our sleepy little town?”

There were a hundred things she could have asked, yet she’d given me an easy one.

“Galveston and my mom. She’s sick.”

“You don’t talk much.”

“Nope.”

By the time I made it home, it was well past dinner. Dad wasn’t home, or at least his truck was missing. Mom lay in the bed looking frail. I hated how fast things had changed.

“Kelley?”

I sat. “Yes, Mom. How are you feeling?”

She reached out and took my hand. “Better. Tell me about your day. Your aunt informed me you missed dinner.”

“It’s cool. I ate dinner with a girl from school.”

Her eyes perked up before they softened. She squeezed my hand. “Kelley, I know girls flock to you like pigeons. But you need to be smart. Don’t be like your father. A pretty face and he forgets himself.”

I didn’t respond. We both knew Dad cheated on Mom. Why she stayed, I didn’t understand. Plus, her statement was a departure from the day before when she acted as though me finding a girl was a good thing. Maybe that’d been for my aunt’s benefit.

“It’s not like that with this girl. She’s got a boyfriend. She’s just helping me get caught up with classes.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

It had been. But seeing Mom put everything in perspective. She hadn’t said it, but I assumed that’s what my aunt wanted her to tell me. I’d used the library computer when I left lunch early to do some research. I’d found out that although MS wasn’t deadly, there were the rare few who did die from complications related to the disease. Mom followed that pattern. She was going to die. I could see it in her eyes and the way she held my hand.

I lay in bed that night, tossing my football up in the air. I needed a plan, and I needed a job. If Mom did die, I wanted to be able to be on my own. And wasn’t that a sucky way to think about things, which only made me think of my dead brother and how very alone I was.

Silence rang out
like a school bell on the other end of the phone. I’d called Debbie once I got home.

“Well?” I demanded.

Debbie said nothing at first, which made me want to reach through the phone and smack her. “I can’t believe you called him out on it in the middle of a classroom.”

“I didn’t mean to.” I hadn’t. “But you know I’m not the type to smile in someone’s face and talk behind their back. I just blurted it out. So were you telling the truth or not?”

There was a pause, and I was about to demand an answer when she finally spoke.

“It’s complicated.”

A huff escaped my lips. “Complicated. I think it’s an easy yes or no. Did he or didn’t he—”

“No,” she blurted. “No, he didn’t try to rape me.”

I fell back on my bed with the phone pressed to one ear, and I covered my eyes with the other. There was no way to understand.

“Why?” I asked softly.

“Why?” she repeated, only grating on my nerves.

“Why did you lie?” I didn’t get it. I didn’t get her.

“Because I was embarrassed. He rejected me and told me to be more like you.”

He’d told me he’d said that. But I still didn’t quite comprehend why she would make up a lie that big just because he compared her to me in some way. It seemed stupid. Was she lying about that too? Could I even trust her? My thoughts circled to the offhand comment Trina made about not trusting people close to me. Had she meant Debbie? What did she know?

“When I told him I didn’t want to because I was a virgin, he basically wrote me off. So I tried.”

“Tried what?” I asked tiredly. I knew I should be more sympathetic, but I couldn’t muster the energy to do so.

“To give him a blow job. But I failed at that too. That’s why my legs were dirty. He had to jack himself off because I couldn’t even get that right.”

She’d seen him naked? Why did that bother me? And not for her sake, but a jealousy that she’d seen him bubbled up in my chest.

“Why do you allow yourself to get in these situations?”

“Because I’m not pretty enough, okay? You’re like my parents. You see something no guy sees. The only thing I have to offer to keep their attention is sex. And I’m a virgin.”

Her sobs broke through the hard feelings I had toward her.

“Debbie, you have to believe in yourself and not let some guy place value over you.”

These were some of the things my parents had told me until Dad’s job had become more important than my self-worth. So why was I even repeating their words when they didn’t truly believe it themselves?

The next day I swallowed my pride and approached Kelley after school. He was saying something to the girl flattened against the locker as he leaned in. She giggled, and I saw red. I had to breathe through the insane thoughts I had. I was with Ox, not Kelley, I repeated in my head.

He hadn’t seemed excited to see me, but somehow I convinced him of my sincerity. After an awkward start, we actually laughed during dinner. When I mentioned Mr. Dunnon’s unibrow, he nearly spat out his drink.

“I didn’t think you had it in you to go there, princess.”

I shrugged and ignored the princess comment. “It’s not like it’s a fact. It all moves as one.”

He laughed so hard. And boy when he smiled, he was even more gorgeous. When the check came, I saw the number the waitress had left for him. She’d graduated from school a few years ago when I’d been a freshman. The fact that she worked there and gave her number to him was sad, but pissed me off. Did she assume there was no way I was his girlfriend? Had to be. Otherwise, why had she blatantly done it?

I’d snatched the check, which he’d thought was hilarious. I’d said half-truths to hide my jealousy, but bought him dinner as I promised. I’d seen the pride in his eyes and was sure he would pay, so I hurried to do it first.

He’d walked me back to school where Mom was waiting. I had an urge to hug him then lift on my toes and kiss him. Only he waved and was gone, moving fast down the sidewalk.

“Who was that?” Mom asked once we were off. “I’ve been waiting fifteen minutes.”

“Just a guy I’m tutoring.”

Her next words shocked me. “What does Ox think about you tutoring a boy? And you didn’t come from school.”

I glared at her. “We went and had burgers. He’s new, and Ox doesn’t own me. I can have friends, even ones that are boys.”

She clammed up, and I felt more like the parent. I popped ear buds in my ears to drown out any further conversation.

The next day Kelley showed up to tutoring with books in his hand. Carl got up without being asked to. When Kelley plopped down in the chair next to me, I wanted to roll my eyes but managed not to.

“You should really put the guy out of his misery and kiss him,” he said.

“What?”

He shrugged. “He’s what you girls call hopelessly in love with you.”

“He is not.”

“Believe what you want. But if your fiancé finds out, he and the rest of the football team will fold him in a locker and leave him to starve to death.”

“Boyfriend, not fiancé.”

“Interesting you didn’t say your boyfriend wasn’t a bully.”

I couldn’t. He was and he was right. If Ox thought Carl liked me one bit, he’d shove him in a locker just like Kelley said.

“You’re too good for him.”

His statement was flat and said without any emotion.

“And you?” I breathed, because I held my breath after.

“You couldn’t handle me, princess.” We stared at each other for a while and my heart raced. I wanted to challenge his statement, but who was I fooling. He was beautiful in a way no boy should be. On top of that, I liked our conversation, which turned into sparing matches. I liked him. Before I could put voice to any of it, he opened his math book. “Show me.”

His words were simple, but I wasn’t sure what he was asking. His bi-colored eyes held mine in challenge. I licked my lips before I took the easy way out. I started tutoring him. Well, that was a stretch. He was smart and caught on quick. The ease at which he grasped everything I showed him made me lose myself in time.

“You’ve got this. You don’t really need my help,” I said. “You’ll get in whatever college you apply to.”

“Maybe.” His response was nonchalant.

I wanted to know more about him. He was a contradiction and that fascinated me.

“Are you going to college? What do you want to be?”

He pushed his dark hair back. “I hope to play ball. You?”

It was as if he hated talking about himself. There had to be more to it. He was too smart and didn’t want to show it. But I answered him anyway.

“I want to go to Layton University in Oklahoma. Far enough from my parents, but not too far.”

“Babe.” The word was said like a dog pissing on a tree. I glared up to see Ox. “It’s late. I’m sure your parents want you home for dinner.”

I didn’t like the way he told me what to do. “We’re not finished. I can find my way home.”

Ox opened his mouth, but Kelley beat him to it. “It’s cool. I got plans with a hot girl anyway.”

My ass of a boyfriend couldn’t leave it be. “Yeah, you should leave.”

Kelley stood, making Ox raise his eyes to meet Kelley’s head-on. “You think your intimidation tactics scare me. Think again. Or maybe that word is too big for you, like my dick.”

Ox got red in the face. “Then why are you leaving, freak? I’ll shove your little pacifier down your throat.”

“Sorry, I’m not into dudes. And my pacifier would choke you anyway.” Kelley’s eyes assessed Ox like he wasn’t a threat. “And you should stop treating her like property. That ring doesn’t mean you own her. As far as history goes, slavery ended a long time ago.”

Ox wisely said nothing else as Kelley walked away.

“Are you into that guy?”

“What? This is after school tutoring, Ox. I help whoever needs it.”

I slammed the book shut, only then realizing Kelley had left it. I tucked it in my backpack, saying nothing about the fact that it wasn’t mine. If Ox had known anything about me, he would have realized I wasn’t taking AP Algebra 2.

“You should stay away from that guy. His eyes are freaky as shit.”

“His eyes are cool, and he has a name.”

“Yeah, what is it? I’ll be sure to mark that on my to-do list.”

“His name is Kelley.”

Ox barked out a laugh. “He’s got a bitch name.”

“The name is universal. Besides, he doesn’t look anything like a girl. And that’s all that really matters.”

That shut Ox up as I sauntered from the room.