Scarlett White (22 page)

"D-Decided to use the door this time?" she asked, her voice cracking from her previous melt down. Damn it.

Tristan didn't crack a smile. He looked down at Scarlett; eyes filled with pity and sorrow. "Scarlett, I—"

Tristan didn't finish because Scarlett had flung herself into his arms, crying again. Tristan instantly wrapped his arms around her and was stroking her loose and wild hair. He tried to say something soothing and comforting, but he soon learned it was better to just let her cry until no more tears came. She didn't know why she had done it, but she needed someone to comfort her. Maybe she was sadder from Francis's breakup than just the popularity. And then there was the humiliation from his public display of affection to another girl besides his girlfriend. There was no doubt in Scarlett's mind that his cheating and her slapping would be the top gossip tomorrow at school. But still, she was sad about not having anyone to hold her hand or hug her or stroke her hair. She would be so lonely.

Tristan and Scarlett sat on the living room couch just talking for hours after she had regained her composure. Scarlett had stopped crying about two hours ago and now she was laughing at Tristan's jokes. Tristan's heart always rose a little higher every time he heard her laughter. It was like music to his ears. And now he wasn't even ashamed to admit it.

It wasn't until Tristan's cell phone rang that either one of them realized they weren't the only ones on this planet. Tristan, after apologizing about ten times, flipped his phone open, "What?"

"Mom is getting worried. Where the hell are you? It's like nine o'clock." Mary's voice spoke from the other end of the phone.

"Shit," Tristan breathed. "Tell them I'll be home soon." Tristan shut his phone and looked at Scarlett; eyes filled with regret.

"Go," Scarlett replied. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. And thanks for this." After a short pause she said, "I'm glad you came by, Tristan."

Tristan's chest filled with something light when he heard his name on her lips, "But—"

"Don't worry your parents."
At least your parents care about you,
Scarlett thought shamefully.

Tristan sighed, looking down. "I'll leave," and then to Scarlett's surprise he added "...right after this."

Tristan leaned in, and Scarlett, startled at first, followed him. Tristan's hands found Scarlett's waist and pulled her body against his. Scarlett's hands wrapped themselves around Tristan's neck, and then their lips met. Scarlett's heart filled to the point where it could have popped. She felt so light and free. It was like being back on the motorcycle, but one hundred thousand times better. Tristan's heart was racing like the fastest jet ever made. Scarlett's lips felt so warm and sweet against his own. Her scent was delicious, and he inwardly moaned from pleasure. Scarlett's hands tangled themselves in Tristan's hair as their lips moved against each other faster and with more fervor. But then suddenly something clicked in Scarlett's brain. Her eyes snapped open, and she jumped off the couch in fright and shock as her chest heaved up and down.

"No, we can't do this," she whispered.

"What? Is something wrong?" Tristan asked as he stood up from the couch.

"You just had sex with Alice. You two are a thing, an item. You can't be kissing me," Scarlett said, backing away.

"Listen to me, Scarlett; Alice drugged me and she had sex with me. I'm pretty sure that's illegal. I don't even remember having sex with her. It was just a big mistake," he explained as he took a step closer to Scarlett.

"But you two are dating." Scarlett shook her head in denial.

"No, we definitely are not. She just keeps telling people that we are to get attention. I don't like her. I hate her actually. She's like a little annoying gnat that won't stop bothering me."

Scarlett felt as if a light load had been lifted off her chest as Tristan spoke, but there was something else nagging at her brain, and she turned around, her back facing Tristan now.

"I can't do this again. Not so soon after what Francis just did to me. He betrayed me, and it hurt. A lot. I don't think I could do that again."

Tristan placed a gentle hand on Scarlett's shoulder and guided her to turn back around and face him. "I wouldn't do that to you, and deep down, you know that," he said in a gentle voice.

Scarlett licked her dry lips. "Teenagers are fickle. They say they'll do one thing and end up doing the complete opposite. That's why statistics say that over seventy-three percent of American parents keep their kids on such a tight leash because if they don't, then their children might rebel against them and end up doing drugs and drinking and—" Tristan placed a finger over her lips to stop her from rambling and bent down to kiss her.

Scarlett tried to resist it at first, but she was like putty in his hands. She melted completely, and all of her defenses broke in that exact instant.

"I won't ever hurt you, I promise," Tristan whispered and kissed her again, except this time the kiss was a lot longer as their lips moved against each other.

Finally they had to part for oxygen, but after a quick breath they returned to their previous position and started over again.

Tristan silently wondered if Scarlett had ever kissed a boy before, or if she was just naturally this fantastic at it. Tristan remembered when he used to worry about kissing girls and had routinely practice on his pillows. He wondered if Scarlett had ever done that or if she was above that stupid little action, which she probably was. Soon enough Tristan's phone rang again, and Scarlett reluctantly pulled away from him.

"They want you home." Her voice came out breathlessly. She was dizzy with pleasure and joy. "I'll see you at school tomorrow," she whispered, her heart coming back to its normal pace.

"I'll pick you up," Tristan said.

Scarlett smiled and nodded before her better judgment could decline the sweet offer. They both walked to the front door.

"One more goodbye kiss," Tristan said, and Scarlett intertwined her fingers in Tristan's hair again while Tristan pressed her body against his once more. This time he moaned aloud. He grudgingly let Scarlett go and walked to his car. Scarlett stared after him in a wonderful daze until he was out of view of the naked eye.

As soon as Scarlett's heart calmed down and came back to its usual pace, another car pulled up into her driveway, and her drunken mother fell out of the passenger seat, giggling. "Good-bye...Timmy...See ya tom...orrow," Rosa hic-upped and then fell onto the lawn. The car drove away, leaving Rosa lying on the lawn.

"God, mom." Scarlett rushed to her mother's side and dragged her to the couch. The couch where Tristan had just sat. The couch where they had shared their first kiss. Scarlett's first kiss. Scarlett giggled at the thought of Tristan and couldn't wait to see him again. Even her passed out mother couldn't bring Scarlett off cloud nine. She was too happy. Nothing could make her angry or sad. Or, at least, that was what she thought at that exact moment. Little did she know that her bitchy brunette neighbor had seen them…

Alice Barrington had just happened to be walking outside her door to head over to Kirsten's house for some cheerleading practice and, of course, the latest gossip. She had heard something about that senior Francis Rogers making out with one of the Jennas in their class. And she knew for a fact that Francis was currently dating Scarlett White. She chuckled to herself.
Serves that bitch right for stealing my man's attention for a little while, but I'm sure I can get Tristan's eyes back on me in just a few, short days.
Alice thought to herself as she headed to her car.

But as she was making her way to the driver's side of the car, her eyes just happened to glance in Scarlett White's house's direction since her thoughts had been on her. And she saw a horror movie playing out right in front of her. She screamed in her head as fumes spurted out of her ears while her entire face turned beet red with anger and frustration. Scarlett White was eating Tristan's lips right off his face. What a slut! Didn't she have a fucking boyfriend? An unfaithful one, but one all the same. That whore!

Tristan looked dazed as he walked to his car and drove away. She must have slipped something in his drink while he was over—damn, that girl was devious; it almost reminded Alice of herself. But that was beside the point right now. In her mind, Alice concocted the theory that Scarlett had called Tristan over to help finish their lab project, and had slipped him some alcoholic beverage, so that she could get her greedy, little, desperate lips all over him. Alice could only hope that Tristan would get home safely with that alcohol in his system. Scarlett was such a bitch for allowing him to drive home buzzed. He could die in a car wreck. Alice would have at least offered to drive Tristan home had he accepted the drink she had spiked for him the night they had all gone out to the club.

Alice's new French manicured nails dug into her steering wheel as her high heel clad foot stomped on the accelerator of her car. She sped down the freeway until she reached Kirsten's house. She marched up her long driveway and slammed the glass door as she trudged up the spiral staircase and into Kirsten's large bedroom.

"Whoa, girl, what's the matter?" Kirsten asked from her bed where she had been flipping through this month's edition of
Seventeen.

"That bitch," Alice spoke through clenched teeth, "was kissing Tristan."

"Slow down. What bitch?" Kirsten closed the magazine and perked up on the bed as she was preparing to hear the latest news from Alice.

"Scarlett White."

Kirsten gasped, "When?"

"Literally, like, ten minutes ago. He was at her house. She must have drugged him up or something. He would never kiss that
thing
sober and willingly."

"Well, I don't know. She got pretty damn popular pretty damn fast. I mean, Tom is, like, obsessed with her," Kirsten replied.

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying…"

"I don't want to hear about that right now." Alice plopped down on Kirsten's bed.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, that is definitely not the Alice that I know," Kirsten replied, sitting Indian style on the bed. "The Alice I know would have a plot forming in her mind about how to ruin that bitch and throw her off the totem pole of the high school's social ranks. She would have the girl begging for forgiveness by tomorrow afternoon with her designer jeans soaked in mud from the parking lot ground. She would be laughing at her humble opponent's ignored pleas and step on her enemy's Gucci purse."

"Scarlett doesn't own a Gucci purse."

"Whatever, you get the idea," Kirsten said with fire lighting in her eyes. "So what's the plan, boss?"

"I don't have one. I'm too sad," Alice said with a pout.

"Oh, suck it up and think, idiot. You always have a plan."

"You know…you're right. I do have a plan."

"Talk to me," Kirsten said as she pulled out a notebook and a pink fuzzy pen to write with. "I want details, honey."

Alice and Kirsten spent the next hour discussing what they were going to do to ruin Scarlett White's life at Watson High School. They had their plan written out with as much detail as a Stephen King's novel. And they had their heads together as they drew diagrams of their plan. Their scratch sheets lay all around them as they sat on the bed, calling up the girls from the cheerleading squad to tell them what was going to go down at school tomorrow. And they were getting prepared for the take down of the decade. The only thing worse than their plan would be murder, but Alice couldn't murder the girl because then she wouldn't get her cheerleading scholarship to college. And she couldn't have anything ruin her chances at her much needed scholarship. And she definitely could not have anyone ruining her chances at being the Queen Bee of Watson High School nor could she have anyone stealing her man.