Wishing for Someday Soon (15 page)

“Yeah, I’m the king of Angry Birds now,” Kevin bragged.

“I bet,” Max said. “How are you?” he asked in a husky voice, turning his attention to me.

“Fine,” I said, finally looking at him.

He sucked in a gasp as he took in my eye. “What the hell happened?” He asked, reaching over to gently touch the swollen skin.

“I tripped and hit it on my dresser,” I said, hoping the excuse sounded feasible.

Max opened his mouth to say something, but looked back at Kevin who was eyeing us anxiously.

He clamped his mouth closed and drove the rest of the way to school in silence. I could feel the rage radiating from him as he drove. I turned and looked out the window, trying to fight back tears. I was confused by his anger and wondered if he was mad at me for my injury. By the time we pulled into the school parking lot, I yearned to tell Max just to take me home, no longer keen on the idea of facing the other students if this was the reaction I would get. I reached over to open my door, but Max stopped me by gently grasping my hand.

“Kevin, why don’t you head to class, I need to ask your sister a question about a homework assignment,” Max lied believably.

“Okay, bye, Katelyn.”

“Bye bud,” I said in a voice thick with unshed tears.

“What happened?” Max asked once Kevin closed the door.

I started to repeat my lie, but I could see he knew the truth.

“My mom,” I said simply, watching Kevin’s retreating backside.

“Why?” he asked, trying to get a handle on what my crime had been.

“I slept through her calling me.”

“What the hell could she have possibly needed that would warrant this?”

“To empty her ashtray,” I whispered, ashamed that he now knew all my secrets.

“She beat the shit out of you because you didn’t empty her ashtray?” he asked incredulously, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

“She only hit me twice,” I said, trying to defend her half-heartedly.

“Because you wouldn’t empty her ashtray,” he repeated disgustedly.

I couldn’t blame his disgust. We were white trash. The marks on my face were a glaring reminder of how different the world I lived in was to the one he lived in.

“Yeah,” I said looking down, wishing I was anywhere else. “Um, I’m sure this changes things for us, so we don’t have to go to the dance together,” I said, reaching for the door handle.

“Katelyn, what are you talking about?” he asked, grabbing onto my arm to once again stall my departure.

Anger welled up in me. “Look at me. Do you really want to date someone like me? I’m giving you an out!” I said in a rush as the anger that had briefly filled me dissipated, leaving despair in its place.

“Katelyn, I don’t want an out,” he said quietly, cupping my face so I was forced to look at him.

“You don’t?” I asked in a voice shaky with emotion.

“No,” he said, leaning in to brush a kiss across my lips. “But she can’t do this to you,” he said after our lips parted.

“There’s nothing we can do,” I said miserably.

“Yes, there is. I’m going to have my parents report her,” he said with conviction.

My blood froze at his words. “You can’t,” I said earnestly, grabbing onto his hand.

“Katelyn, you don’t have to fear her. By the time she finds out, they'll have a new place for you to live.”

“Yes, but without Kevin! You can’t report her because they will separate Kevin and me,” I said forcibly, trying to get him to understand.

“You don’t know that,” he said, sounding uncertain.

“I do,” I said in a flat voice. “You don't know how it works, you've never seen it. I have. I’ve met plenty of kids over the years that were placed in foster homes, and in almost every case they were separated from their families. Plus, I’m too old. I'll just wind up in some state facility.”

“You don’t know that,” he repeated in a defeated tone.

“Trust me, they would,” I said softly. “Look, I’m just waiting until I’m legally an adult. I have less than one year to go and then I can take Kevin with me.”

“So you expect me to turn a blind eye and let her do this to you?” Max said in a loud voice, clearly frustrated at the hopelessness of the situation.

“If you want to be with me, then yes, I need you to turn a blind eye.”

Max dropped his head into his hands.

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling sick that my home life was causing so much havoc.

“How often?” he asked.

I knew what he was asking. “Not that often.”

“How often?” He repeated, looking at me.

“A couple times a month, sometimes more.”

“I want to kill her,” he said, reaching over to drag me into his arms.

I sighed, as he kissed me gently. He pulled back slightly, but kept me firmly locked in his arms. “I’m not sure if I'll be able to handle it if she does this again,” he said, lightly pressing his mouth to the tender skin of my eye.

“You have to,” I said, pulling back so he could see I was serious.

“Katelyn, it rips my heart out to think of anyone hurting you, let alone your own mother.”

My heart swelled at his words. The fact that we had only known each other a few weeks seemed insignificant. He knew my every secret and his acceptance of my life had created a bond that I had never shared with another person. I pulled him close and rested my lips on his.

“We better get to class,” I finally said, pulling back.

“We could skip,” he said, enticing me with his sexy voice.

“Hmm, that could be dangerous,” I said, confused at the emotions he was able to evoke in me.

“Only if we do it right,” he said huskily, nipping on my bottom lip gently.

My pulse raced, sending liquid fire coursing through me as his teeth pulled gently on my lip.

“Um, class,” I said, finally finding the will to pull out of his arms.

He chuckled and released me. “Okay, class it is.”

We walked through the quiet hallway toward our class. Before I could turn the knob, Max turned me to face him and eyed my injury critically. “If she does this again, it won’t go unpunished. You got me?” he said.

I opened my mouth to argue.

He shook his head to halt my words. “Look, Katelyn, as long as we’re together it’s my job to make sure no one harms you, including your mom. I’ll let this time pass, but it kills me.”

I mulled over his words as he pulled the door open, but any retort was halted when every eye in the room swiveled around at our entrance.

“Max, this is getting a bit ridiculous….” Mr. Graves started to say until he took in my swollen eye.

“Katelyn, are you okay?” he asked, stepping in between Max and me.

“Yeah, I tripped at home,” I said, embarrassed at the attention I was getting.

“Tripped?” he asked, looking at Max who merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Um, yeah, I tripped in my room,” I said.

“Did you ice it?” Mr. Graves asked.

I nodded. “Most of the day,” I said.

“Hmm, maybe your mom needs to take you to the doctor to make sure nothing is broken.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, trying to imagine telling Lucinda she needed to take me to the doctor. I nearly laughed out loud at the thought.

“Are you sure?” he asked, still not looking convinced.

“Positive,” I said, glaring at Max for leaving me hanging.

He smiled at me and I could see he had been expecting this kind of reaction. I swallowed a groan. I was going to have to be extra careful not to set Lucinda off. It was becoming quite clear that it wouldn't be as easy to hide things from the administration at this school like I had been doing for years at other schools.

Chapter 9

The rest of the week passed by relatively drama-free, with the exception of Max studying me critically each time I climbed into his SUV anyway. By Wednesday, unease had crept in and I could tell Max meant his threat. He would not hesitate to turn Lucinda in. We discussed it endlessly throughout the week and I tried to get him to see my side, but he was convinced that if we were taken away, a judge would keep Kevin and me together. I knew it was highly unlikely, but Max remained optimistic.

Scared of giving Max the incentive he needed, I catered to Lucinda’s every whim throughout the week. She drank up my attention, creating relative harmony throughout the trailer. By the time Max picked me up for the Halloween dance, I was confident with my ability to keep the peace.

Max knocked on the door at precisely six p.m. on Saturday evening. His eyes brightened when he saw me.

“You look beautiful,” he said as he helped me into the vehicle.

“Thanks, even with this?” I asked, pointing to the somewhat faded black eye I was still sporting.

“Well, I'd prefer that you weren’t someone's punching bag, but it doesn’t take away from how nice you look,” he said, looking at me appraisingly. “I like this too,” he added, twirling a small lock of hair that had escaped my French braid.

“Thanks,” I said shyly. “Lucinda was in a good mood so she fixed it for me,” I added, trying to come up with something to say.

His face took on a pinched look at my words and he dropped his hand.

I grimaced at my mistake. Max hated it when I mentioned Lucinda since he found out she liked to take her frustration out on me. “You look pretty snazzy too,” I said, trying to change the subject.

He took my hint and smiled at me. “In this old thing?” he asked, indicating the tailored black suit that fit him to a tee.

“Old, huh? I'm sure.” I said, raising my eyebrows.

He laughed. “After the countless fittings my mom made me suffer through, believe me, I feel like I know this suit better than my own skin.”

“Well, kudos to your mom because it looks quite yummy on you,” I said brazenly.

“Yummy? You think I look yummy?” he asked suggestively, placing a warm hand on my knee.

“Well, it’s the first word that comes to mind,” I laughed, blushing slightly as I looked down at the fingers massaging my leg.

My gaze left his hand when I felt the vehicle abruptly turn off the road.

“Are we here?” I asked confused as he pulled the vehicle into a narrow opening that looked like it had been notched out of the forest as an afterthought.

Max unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face me. “Yummy?” he asked again, making me giggle when I realized why he had pulled over.

“Um, you could say that,” I said just before his lips claimed mine. I shivered in anticipation as he deepened the kiss and explored my mouth with abandon.

“Give me your tongue,” he begged against my slightly parted lips.

I succumbed to his demands, giving myself to him as he moaned against my lips. He released my seatbelt and dragged me across his lap in one fluid movement without ever breaking the contact our lips shared. I ran my hands up under his suit jacket, feeling the soft skin of his neck under my fingers as I anchored him more firmly against me.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, pulling back slightly to gaze at me hungrily.

“You’re just biased because your choices have been limited here. In a school of a couple thousand kids I'd be lost in the crowd,” I said, not used to compliments.

“It could have ten thousand students and I'd still think you were the most beautiful,” he said before crushing his lips once more on mine.

I was the one to moan this time as his tongue met mine. I felt his hand on my ribcage, slowly caressing me through the velvety material of the dress. I shifted closer, yearning for his touch like none other. He understood my unspoken plea and adjusted me so I was straddling his lap, bringing us together intimately although we had layers of material between us. His hand continued slowly up my side until it rested just below where I wanted it to be.

“Max, we should go,” I finally said, dragging my lips from his. He nodded, but shifted slightly to bring us even closer.