Safe with You (6 page)

I want to give her a dramatic eye roll, but since I don’t feel like arguing with anyone I decide against it. “Just a couple people from school.” I shrug my shoulders and take another bite. Mom gives me a look that plainly says, ‘you know that’s not the answer I’m looking for’. “Their names are Bo and J and they are seniors like me. They took me home today so I wouldn’t have to walk thirty minutes in the torrential downpour that is currently going on.”

“You don’t have to be a smartass Cassie, she was just asking. You know that we have to know this information,” Dad snaps.

I want to laugh humorously. Of course, you do. You need to make sure that they are working for ‘you know who’.

“For whose safety, mine or you guys?”

Dad points his fork at me. “Don’t start young lady. You know this is how it has to be right now.”

That’s what you say all the time!
“Is this how it’s always going to be? Huh?
You
may be fine living like this, but I want to have a life!” I want the life I had before they changed. I want my old friends back and if Zack hasn’t moved on by now, I would even get back with him.

“Enough, Cassie!”

I stab my fork in my bowl and finish my food quickly so I can go to my room. I want to shake them and bang their heads together so hard that it will knock some sense into their drug filled heads. Maybe then they would wake up and see how awful it is to live like this.

After lying in my bed for a couple hours just staring at the ceiling, I finally notice that it has stopped raining. The sun is peeking through the clouds, trying to make its appearance before it sets. I jump up and head to my room to switch out my clothes for my running gear. I yell at my parents that I’m going for a run and jog out the door, not even caring if they heard me or not.

My feet hit the pavement at a fast, steady rhythm while my arms stay tucked to my sides. I feel the familiar burn in my legs knowing I’ve gone farther than my body is used to, though I don’t stop, I keep pushing forward despite my legs’ protest. Three Days Grace is blaring in my ears as I continue my run to nowhere particular. Normally, I run in different directions so I can see this whole town, see what all it has, or doesn’t have in this case.

The sun casts an orange glow over the field next to me, signaling it’s time to turn around and head back. The guys have grilled me relentlessly on how it isn’t safe to run when it’s almost dark. Not that I don’t agree, but in a town where everybody knows everybody you would think you’d know who would be more likely to do kidnap, rob, or whatever. They would probably crap their pants if I told them the real reason why my parents and I are here. Bo and J wouldn’t want anything to do with me after they found that out, nor would Jess. Not they would ever know because we will be long gone soon. My chest tightens at the thought of leaving them. Jess is quickly becoming my new best friend, one like I used to have, and even though Bo and J are pain in the butts most of the time, I’d miss them and their constant nagging. Other than my best friends and Zack, who I left behind back in Indy, I haven’t felt that connection with anyone else.

I see headlights shine in front of me and the sound of a car slowing down, but I don’t stop running. Panic starts to set in when I don’t recognize the car. I try to keep it under wraps unless I actually need to panic.

A head sticks out of the passenger window of a white Nissan Altima just as it slows to a stop in front of me. Reluctantly, I stop and pull my headphones out of my ears. “Well, well, isn’t it the new school slut,” a female voice booms, making me cringe from her words. Who is this chick? Her nose scrunches up as she eyes me up and down assessing me. “What? Is J not gentleman enough to take you home afterward?” Both girls in the car snicker. Great, I knew this would happen.

I lace my fingers behind my head to steady my breathing. I don’t want to answer, but if I don’t they’ll think they are getting under my skin. “My life is none of your business, but I will go ahead and tell you anyway. We’re just friends, nothing more.” Truth be known, we don’t even need to be that because when I leave it will be hard. I’ve already had to deal with losing friends and I don’t want to go through that again. I need to find a way to tell them to leave me alone without having revealing the truth.

When she smiles, I know without a doubt what she was thinking and it makes me feel…surprisingly jealous. “Sucks for you, but it is great for me.” She flicks her blonde hair back and rolls up the window as the car drives away. Just freaking great, drama is the last thing I need.

Though my legs scream in pain, I jog the last two miles back home. The jealous feeling is still there by the time I reach my driveway so I try to bury it deep within me, but it won’t disappear. The last thing I need is to get attached to this place and the people in it because soon enough I will be in a new town with new people. Brilliant, AL will be part of my past like the other places I’ve lived in. Bo, J, and Jess will soon just be three people that I’ve encountered in this town.

Chapter Eight

Cassie

Today has just been oddly weird. Random guys have been coming up and asking me if I wanted to go with them to a bonfire this Friday. I don’t think they realize that I’m from the north, not to mention the city, so I have no idea what happens at a bonfire. Plus, I don’t even know these guys’ names so why would I go with them? I’ve successfully managed to avoid Bo and J all morning. I know my luck will eventually run out because I can’t hide from them forever, but hopefully they can take a hint.

I stop at my locker on my way to lunch so I can go through my History binder to see if I can find the page of homework I am missing.

“Are you trying to avoid us?” I hear a rasp in my ear.

I jump, startled by the voice behind me, hitting my head on my locker door in the process. Dang it! That plan didn’t last but a few hours.

“Are you trying to get me killed?” The irony of that question isn’t lost on me.

J curses, pulling a handkerchief out of his back pocket. Why he carries one around is beyond me. He dabs the cut above my eye lightly, but I feel his touch deep in my bones. I hold my breath as J continues to try and stop the bleeding above my eye.

“We asked you a question first,” Bo answers, crossing his arms.

I sigh dramatically. “No, I’m not trying to avoid you guys. Why would think that?” I’m not exactly sure why I lied to them. I guess so I wouldn’t have to answer their relentless questions on why I was avoiding them.

“First of all its
y’all
not “you guys” and secondly we haven’t seen you in almost twenty-four hours,” Bo says, shaking his head.

“You were already gone when we went to pick you up this morning,” J adds, sounding gloomy.

“Wow…miss me that much?” I retort sarcastically. On the inside, my heart flutters at their disappointment. “I needed to get here early to fill out some paperwork they forgot to have me do when I transferred,” I lie easily, but by the looks on their faces they aren’t buying it.

They didn’t get a chance to reply to my lie because arms slinked around their waists and the bodies of the two girls were pressed up against them. I grip my books so hard my knuckles turned white.

No sooner than the blond chick from last night had her arms around J, they are they removed, forcefully. Of course, she pouts like little five-year-old who had gotten her favorite toy taken away. Bo eats up the attention from the other girl.
Pig.

The blond one from last night sizes me up just like she did yesterday. “Goin’ for a run again today? From the looks of it, you definitely could use one.”

“Ellen!” Bo and J reprimand.

“Really? That’s best you could come up with to insult me? How long did it take for you to come up with that one?”

She scoffs, getting right up in my face, but I refuse to back down. “Listen here slut, father runs this town and what I want I get, so you better think about that next time.”

“Bring it on bitch, I’m not scared of you. You are the least of my worries.” My eyes flicker briefly to J. His head is cocked to the side like he is assessing my statement and now I wish I wouldn’t said it because I think I just said too much.

“We’ll see about that.” She backs away and turns to J. “When you are done wasting your time with her, I will be waiting for your return.” Return? Please tell me J didn’t date that snob.

I spin on my heels, disgusted by her and head to the cafeteria.

Lucky for me, there are five people between J and I.

“I have to ask you something later,” J says out of nowhere while we are standing in lunch line. Darn it! How did he get behind me?

Wait-what? Ask me something? He ignores my confused look and keeps talking. “Remember to tell all the other guys no.”

“Why can’t you just ask me now? Why wait until later?”

J leans in close to whisper in my ear. My breathing falters from his close proximity. “Because I want to ask you in a certain way and I can’t do that here. Besides, it will give you a reason to think about me the rest of the day,” he smirks and I almost want to slap that smug grin off of his face. He is affecting me and he knows it. J pulls back slightly so that his face is directly in front of mine, his lips are a couple inches from mine. His tongue darts out and licks his lips. His eyes then drop from my eyes to my mouth like he is debating whether or not to kiss me. “We have practice after school so you have two choices. You can either see if Jess will take you home and then we’ll swing by after practice and get you or you can stay here and watch us practice.”

I rack my brain trying to figure out the best option while I leave the line with my lunch and head to an empty seat. If I go home my parents may not let me leave. If I stay here I probably would be bored,
but
I could work on my homework while they practice. Wait, practice what? “Practice what?” I ask when J takes his seat next to me. Bo takes the one across from us by Jess.

“Oh, my bad, I guess I never told you. Bo and I play football. He’s the quarterback and I play running back,” J says proudly. I know little about football. I know that the quarterback hands the ball off to another player or he throws it. I know that they score touchdowns, too. Other than that I don’t know anything else about it.

“Cool, uh, are you any good?”

“Good?” J sputters while Jess and Bo laugh loudly. “We’re alright, nothing special.”

“How many games have you guys won?”

Bo groans when I say “you guys”.

J snorts. “I think the better question is how many games have we lost.” Jess nods her head in agreement.

“Are
you guys
that bad?” I emphasize “you guys” because I know how much Bo hates hearing me say it.

“Thanks for kicking us while we’re already down, darlin’.”

“Oh please, I was surprised to hear you say that you guys suck. I figured your ego would be bigger than the cafeteria.” I wave my hands around, gesturing to the smallest lunchroom I’ve been in. That’s only considering I’ve been to bigger schools.

“I never said we sucked, you two did,” Bo pointed out. “I think I’m pretty awesome thank you very much.”

“I think you need to tone that ego down several notches there, Bo, don’t you think?” Jess chimes in.

I thrust my finger in his direction. “See I’m not the only one!” Jess and I high five each other and laugh at his annoyed expression.

“J, how ‘bout a little help here?”

J shakes his head. “Nah brother, I’m sorry, but you’re on your own against these two.”

“Thanks brother, I really appreciate you having my back,” Bo grumbles. “I’ll remember that next time.”

The rest of the lunch period is spent with Jess and I conversing about our interests. I swear she and I are so much alike, we could be sisters for sure.

J leans closer to me. “Have you figured out what you wanted to do yet?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m staying.” J’s face lights up like a kid looking at his idol. “I’m just going to work on my homework while you do your thing.”

“I hope coach let’s practice out early,” J mumbles. I think he sort of meant to say it more to himself than to me.

“How long do you normally practice?”

“Until about five thirty or six,” he replies. Mom and dad are going to flip their lid when I don’t show up until dark. Then again they may not even care. They go out all the time so I think it’s only fair that I get to.

Yeah, here’s hoping time goes by fast because I swear all my brain wants to focus on is the supposed question he’s supposed to ask me later.

Chapter Nine

J

I’m a blubbering mess, a nervous wreck, all because Cassie is sitting on the bleachers to my right, about twenty feet away from me. She makes me want to be a star on the field. I don’t just plain out suck, I’m actually pretty good. A running back can only carry the team so much, though. Eventually, the opponent picks up on the best players and shuts them down. That’s usually when we start getting creamed.

Practice actually has been great today. So far no one has had butterfingers and dropped a pass, which is odd since every one of us drop at least five passes or handoffs per practice. Maybe we are actually going to do better this season?