Prove Me Wrong Page 4

  “You look exhausted. Why don’t you stay home and catch up on some sleep?”

  “I can’t. It’s the second day of school. If I make the exception today I’m going to keep making the same exception and next thing you know I’m a high school dropout. Brady’s been out for a little over an hour, so you should be able to take a nap before he wakes up. I gave him a bottle and changed him before I talked to you. I’ll see you later.”

  I kiss Mom on the cheek then run out the door and hop into my car.

  Once I’m at school, I dash toward the office to check in.

  “Hi, I’m late. Can I get a pass?” I say to the girl at the attendance desk. I wish I could have a period sitting behind a window. She looks up at me and her eyes narrow on my shoulder and her lip curls up.

  My eyes shoot to my shoulder and my heart nearly stops when I see the spit rag. I rip it from my shoulder and shove it into my bag.

  I grab the pass and head out the door, running by the locker Luke was leaning against yesterday. He’s like the red button you’re not supposed to touch, but the curiosity is killing you and you can’t keep your hands to yourself. It’s just that. I’m curious.

  Classes seem to have gotten longer since yesterday. So by lunch, I’m a little too eager to get to the cafeteria. It also doesn’t help that I didn’t see Luke this morning in homeroom. I’m hoping to get a glimpse of him. I think that’ll be enough to keep my desire to be near him at bay.

  Roxy waves to me, the silver charm bracelets on her arm jingling as she points to the seat next to Dana. I didn’t notice yesterday how coordinated and put together she is. The bracelets compliment her navy blue tank top embellished with silver beading.

  I look down at my less-than-stellar outfit and wish instead of falling asleep in Brady’s room I could have put time into finding something more flattering than my jeans and t-shirt.

  Roxy and everyone else at the table glance over to me as I slide into my seat and I give them a half effort smile. I learned that the girl wearing the headband yesterday is Dana and she’s dating Paul. According to Roxy they have been together since the beginning of the summer and she still can’t believe it’s lasted as long as it has. I think they look cute together, but Roxy begs to differ and I’m in no position to disagree with her.

  I’m starting to get the vibe that Roxy isn’t as nice as I first believed, starting with her list of people who I can and cannot associate with. However, she lets me, the new girl, sit with her and her friends so maybe she’s not as bad as I think.

  “Hailey, you should come with us to the pier tonight,” Roxy says, and I search for an excuse.

  “I would love to but…” I don’t know how to say no without sounding like I don’t want to.

  “Nope. No buts, we won’t take no for an answer,” Roxy insists. I can agree to go and then just not show up, but that will look worse. For a second I wish I was back at my old school, at least there everyone knew why I couldn’t hang out. Then again because of that no one ever asked. I miss Becky. She knew. She understood. She never judged me. Ever.

  “No, I have to babysit. My mom works nights so I’m designated sitter.” It’s all I could come up with.

  “You have a brother or sister?” Paul asks, his voice much deeper than I expected.

  “Brother.” As soon as the word comes out guilt consumes me, running through my body until I’m ashamed of myself. I’m denying my son.

  “How old is he?” Dana shifts her attention away from Paul and onto me.

  “He just turned one.”

  “That must suck. You know, having to always watch your little brother.” Paul puts his arm around Dana and pulls her into him. “My brothers are two and four years younger than me, and I hate getting stuck with them. I couldn’t imagine having to change diapers on top of it.” I see pity in Paul’s eyes. I don’t want to be pitied.

  “Maybe next time,” Roxy says then turns to the girl to our left. I think her name is Kara.

  “Sure.” I want to ask what the pier is, but why bother? I’ll probably never get to go. My nights consist of feedings, diaper changes and building pyramids out of Mega Blocks so Brady can knock them over.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Luke’s table, and attempting not to be too obvious, I search for him. The bookworm from yesterday is there, but this time he’s not carrying as many books. Next to him the guy with the shaggy black hair and small build. But no Luke. Disappointment settles over me which is stupid. So I push it aside and divert my attention back to my own table.

  “Typical. Ditching already,” Roxy says with a roll of her eyes. “Besides what did I say about him?”

  “Who?” I play innocently. She sees right through it and just snorts in answer, taking out a compact and checking her teeth. I wildly throw the subject off course. “That’s a great shade of lip-gloss.”

  “Thanks. It’s called Strawberry Fizz.” She reaches into her bag, pulls it out, and passes it to me. “It’s my favorite.”

  “Raspberry Dazzle is good too,” Dana says.

  We continue talking about makeup and our favorite colors and brands, but my mind keeps drifting to my new favorite color. Sparkling blue. Luke hasn’t shown up. Not that I noticed. I refuse to look for him, so I focus on the people at the table, and continue our conversation.

  The rest of the day is brutal. In art class we had to practice sketching. We could draw anything our hearts desired. My heart desired sleep. So much so that I wound up with my head resting in the circle of my arms. If it wasn’t for the girl to my left slamming her backpack on the table next to me, I’d probably still be there.

  Now I have gym. Thankfully, I remembered to throw a pair of shorts in my bag.

  The locker room is one of my least favorite places, and I sigh on the inside as I enter. Most of the girls are changing into their clothes with no inhibitions about it. Some are hiding behind their locker doors, but the locker door isn’t big enough for me. I might have lost the baby weight, but I have a few hideous stretch marks.

  Mom bought me stretch mark cream after I had Brady and it worked a little, but they’re still there. No longer dark and scary, but shiny, ugly jagged lines that no matter how much cream I put on will always be there.

  There’s a bathroom at the back of the locker room so I head there to change. A girl who clearly had the same idea walks out, folding her jeans into her arm. We share a knowing smile as I pass.

  I squeeze into the tiny stall and elbow the wall when I try to pull my jeans off. Two elbows to the stall and an almost fall into the toilet later, I finally have my shorts on. I take my Paramore t-shirt off then decide to put it back on. It’s eighth period. It’s not like I’ll be sitting in the shirt the rest of the day.

  In the gym everyone is sitting on their assigned painted dot. I’m in the last row, three dots from the back. I remember Luke’s in the second row and close to the front. Nowhere near me. Not like I have to dodge him today anyway. He’s not even here.

  No sooner than the thought leaves my mind, I see him. His Doc Martens have been replaced by sneakers and his jeans have been swapped for basketball shorts.

  My cheeks warm and I curse myself for allowing just the mere sight of him to have any effect on me. An annoying smirk forms on his face, as if he knows all the stupid thoughts going through my brain. What is he doing here anyway? I thought he had ditched.

  After a minute I realize I’m still staring. I dart my eyes away and think of more important things. Like sleep. Glorious sleep.

  The coaches walk in and silence falls over the gym. I swear I’m going to pass out right here on the floor while they call attendance. But then Coach Hamilton tells us we’ll be playing soccer, my eyes peek open a little more. Soccer might give me the energy boost I need.

  “I’d like for you to partner up today with someone from the opposite sex.”

  A whole new level of suck just got added to my day.

  My eyes search the crowd for a potential partner. A guy with a Superman t-shir
t smiles and heads my way. I’m about to declare victory when he keeps going by, stopping at the girl behind me. Darn.

  I don’t have to look at Luke because I can sense him looking at me. I don’t want to talk to him. Well, I do, but I can’t, partnering off with him would be a huge mistake. So I continue searching for someone. Anyone.

  Coach Hamilton blows her whistle and everyone joins their partner. I keep my eyes peeled for the one guy who has yet to find one. No such luck. Luke comes towards me and I have nowhere to hide, no excuses, I have no choice but to be his partner.

  Crap.

  “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he says with that adorable grin and I want to smack it off.

  I offer my hand to help her up, smiling the entire time, even though I can tell it’s annoying the hell out of her.

  “Lucky me.” She’s amped up the sarcasm and purposely avoids my hand as she pushes herself up from the floor.

  “So you like Paramore?”

  “How’d you…duh.” She looks down at her shirt. “Yeah.”

  “I went to their concert last year at the beach with some friends. They were awesome live.” I don’t tell her Amanda—my date that night—was the one who got us tickets.

  She looks like she’s going to blow me off, but then she gives me a half smile. “I’m so jealous? I was supposed to go.” A sadness passes her hazel eyes, that are more green today, but she quickly blinks it away.

  “Why didn’t you?”

  Her mouth snaps shut but then she slowly opens it. “I…I was sick.”

  “That sucks. You missed a great show.”

  “That’s what I was told.” She runs her hand through the pieces of hair that don’t stay in her ponytail and tries to tuck them behind her ear. Most of it falls right back in her face.

  “Grab a soccer ball, head outside and start practicing kicking the ball back and forth. I’ll go around and give you pointers,” Coach Hamilton says.

  “I’ll go get a ball.”

  Hailey nods and shyly looks down at the floor. The bouncing of balls echoes against the newly shined wood floors as I make my way to get us one.

  There aren’t many left and I have to hang over the edge of the basket to reach. A sneaker squeaks beside me. I look up and see Travis Vanderport.

  “Thanks for the lookout,” he says, shaking his head to the side to get his hair out of his eyes.

  Travis smoked a cigarette in the shower no one has used since 1983 and I just made sure Coach didn’t show up. He used to do the same for me when I smoked. “Don’t mention it.”

  “So you got the new girl, huh?” He pats my shoulder and gives me a knowing smile.

  “We have a couple classes together,” I say.

  “She doesn’t seem like your type.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I glance back at Hailey, my gaze drifting over her loose fitting shorts that hang lower than her upper thigh and her perfectly fitted t-shirt. Her clothes don’t look painted on like Amanda’s. Hailey’s clothes leave much more to the imagination and my mind is all too ready to start undressing her, so I glance back to Travis.

  “New girl doesn’t look like the type that would blow a guy on the first date.” He elbows my side. “And we all know Amanda does.”

  “Which is why she’s not my type. Just convenient.”

  “I’m feeling you.” Travis smirks then takes off after Sandra Donnelly, a girl he’s been chasing since freshman year. With her long black hair, long tan legs, and big blue eyes, I can see why he has a hard-on for her.

  Hailey waits for me at the back of the gym. I drop the ball to the floor and showcase my dribbling skills as I head toward her. The shock in her eyes is not easily hidden, even though she tries. I’m full of surprises and if she gives me a chance she’ll see that.

  “You ready to head out?” I kick the ball from the floor into my hands.

  “You never told me you were a soccer pro.”

  “You never asked.” I walk away, count to three in my head and she’s at my side. The smell of green apples fills my senses, and all I can think about is having my nose close enough to her neck so I can take her scent in completely. I raise my eyebrows and turn my head until the delicate features of her face are in my view.

  “So what else are you a pro at?” she asks.

  “Origami, ninja fighting, video games.”

  “Seriously?”

  “No. Except for the video games.”

  “Well, I can see you’re a pro at lying.” Her lips tug up in a playful smile. “Not good. I don’t like liars.”

  “Lucky for you I’m not. I’m actually brutally honest.” I stop when we reach the middle of the massive field. The ground is soft beneath my sneakers—probably due to all the rain we had last week. I kick the ball lightly to Hailey, not sure how well she can handle one of my real kicks. To my amazement she effortlessly stops the ball with her foot. I look at her intrigued.

  “I’m kinda a pro myself.” Her lips separate and turn upward revealing her two front teeth which are slightly longer than the rest. It only makes her that much cuter.

  “So what else are you a pro at?” I raise my voice slightly so she can hear me.

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

  “Does that mean you want me to find out?”

  She doesn’t answer. Instead she kicks the ball back, and it lands directly at my feet. Hailey shifts her weight from one foot to the other and crosses her arms under her chest.

  “Mr. Hannon, what a pleasant surprise.” I look to my side to see Coach Peterson.

  “How’s it going, Coach?”

  “I was just helping Coach Hamilton out. You planning on going out for soccer, baseball, any sports this year? It’s your last chance to prove yourself on the field. We’d like you to join us. Show everyone what I’ve always known.”

  Definitely not. I gave up sports when my dad gave up on me. “I don’t think so.” I turn an eye up at Hailey, who has left her place across from me, getting closer to this conversation I don’t want her to hear.

  “I think you should reconsider,” Coach says.

  “Like I said, I don’t think so.”

  Hailey stands only a couple of feet away now.

  “Think about it,” he says before moving on.

  “What was that about?” Hailey asks. If it was anybody else, I would blow it off like nothing. I didn’t want her to hear at first, but because I feel like I can talk to her, I want to.

  I shrug, kick the ball back and tell her the truth. “Coach wants me to go out for the soccer team.”

  She moves closer before returning the ball. “Why don’t you?”

  “It’s not my thing.”

  “What exactly is your thing?”

  I stop the ball and juggle it a bit before sending it back. “I’m not sure.”

  “Scared you might like being on a team?” she teases, returning my kick.

  “It’s more complicated than that.”

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “Look, you don’t know anything about me. So drop it.” My tone’s a little harsher than I intend it to be, but I can’t bring myself to talk about the real reason I don’t play. Hailey’s beautiful eyes widen, and she steps back. She puts a hand over her cheek but it’s too late, I can already see the red spreading from one to the other.

  I pick the wet, grass-covered soccer ball up from the ground with a grunt. I’m such an asshole, letting that shit from my past have so much control over me. And of course, instead of apologizing for taking it out on her, I do what I do best and walk away.

  I know it’s a shitty cowardly thing to do, but I don’t know what to say without revealing too much. Nor do I trust myself to speak about it without the anger forcing its way out. Some things are just better kept inside, so instead of speaking, I leave her alone on the field. I don’t look back. Remembering her look of shock is enough to keep me walking. I’m such a fucking idiot.

  Everyone
places or tosses their soccer balls nicely in the basket. Not me. I’m so pissed with myself I slam the ball in using both hands. The coach yells my name, but I keep moving.

  Taking my anger out on a basket of soccer balls actually eases the tension in my neck.

  In the locker room I throw my jeans on and stick my arms into the sleeves of my button-up, leaving it open. I’m tempted to bum a cigarette off of Travis. I could ask CJ but he knows the hell I went through to quit. He’d set the pack on fire.

  I fight the urge and head to the parking lot, but not without first grabbing the college brochure and pamphlets Mrs. McNamara gave me.

  The lot is packed with cars as everyone pulls out of their spaces. However, the Caddy is nowhere in sight. Where the hell is CJ? I search the lot in hopes he’s still making his way out. No luck. He must’ve thought I ditched when I didn’t show up for lunch. Shit. What am I supposed to do now?

  I glance around the parking lot for anyone. Bobby, Travis, hell I’ll even take Russ at this point, but I don’t spot any of them.

  I tighten the laces of my Doc Marten’s and begin my trek home. At least it’ll give me time to figure out how I’m going to explain things to Hailey when I see her tomorrow in homeroom.

  If she even shows.

  I’ve only known Luke for two days. Two days. How can I have possibly become so infatuated with someone? Roxy would say that it’s his charm, not like I would tell her, but it’s more than that.

  I have two options. Forget about Luke and save myself the heartache and grief. Or give him a chance and get to know him better. Option A is the choice I should choose. I know it is. For my sake. For Brady’s. I just can’t. I’m not ready to give up on him yet. For some reason I want to know all there is to know about Luke. Call me crazy or a gluten for punishment, but my gut instinct is telling me there is so much more to him than what everyone is telling me, and I want to find out for myself. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but lucky for me I’m not a cat.