Gianna’s giggle improved my mood.
Maybe I should join a sport, I had good aim. Julie would approve since in her unstable mind, wearing a jock strap equaled being good enough to date her daughter.
Moving my eyes down the table where Gianna sat, I saw Josh sitting at the end, watching our exchange. I flipped him off and turned back around.
This entire situation sucked. Last night that hateful woman, Julie, showed up at my dad’s condo and tried to reconcile with him. She must have realized what an idiot she’d been to lose a devoted husband.
I’d been in my room upstairs at the time, but cracked my bedroom door open to listen to what was going on down there between her and my dad. Whatever happened between them directly affected me and Gianna. I was a concerned party.
Plus, I’d been primed to go down there and protect him from her viciousness if I had to.
Instead, as I’d listened to her words, they were sugary sweet and mildly seductive. She’d been telling my dad how much she loved and missed him. How she just wanted things the way they were before. That they could be happy again and a divorce wasn’t necessary.
Unfortunately, my dad had sounded like he was falling for it. Until Julie mentioned it would be better off for everyone if I moved back in with my mom. That was when my dad had exploded in anger. I’d been so proud of him. Did she really think she could come over and manipulate him into seeing things her way?
The grin on my face was likely maniacal as I’d listened to him tell her off. He’d told her if she couldn’t accept me, then he wanted to go forward with the divorce. That was when her true crazy-ass colors had emerged and she’d started yelling about what a loser I was.
The words she spewed were offensive but my feelings weren’t hurt. No parent liked anyone badmouthing their kid, so I could imagine the look on my dad’s face.
She’d ended her tirade with threats if I ever came near her daughter again. How little she knew. I planned on coming near and inside her daughter as much as possible. She was just too stupid to realize that Gianna no longer belonged to her.
Unable to shut her up, my dad had yelled for her to leave and seconds later the front door was slamming shut. I’d quietly closed my bedroom door to give my dad some privacy. He’d done what he had to do as a man, but it’d probably still hurt him to do it. For some unexplainable reason, he loved Julie.
I was so lost in remembering the night before, I almost didn’t notice when Gianna walked past my table on her way out of the cafeteria.
Was the shake in that cute ass for me?
I was curious enough to send Gianna a text asking her.
She texted back: I’m surprised you even noticed me, with all those girls hanging on you
I smiled at her jealousy. What had been a turnoff in other girls was adorable in her.
I texted back: What girls? There’s only one girl in my world and that’s you
She sent back: Aw, I love you. Meet me at your car in two minutes?
Brushing off the girl who was hanging onto my arm, I tossed the rest of my lunch in the trash before leaving the cafeteria. I was contemplating how to convince Gianna to skip the rest of our classes with me as I walked out of the school and through the parking lot. Maybe we’d take a drive to the nearest park. That always worked well for us.
When I reached my car, Gianna was leaning against it, a naughty smile on her face. That was one of my favorite Gianna smiles. That smile usually meant good things for me. It was too bad I’d been so stubborn three years ago about meeting my stepfamily. I could’ve been on the receiving end of that smile years ago.
*****
For the rest of the school week, things pretty much went the same. We resisted ditching as much as possible, but didn’t resist the temptation entirely. On Tuesday morning, we went out to breakfast, but made it to school in time for third period. We took the entire day off on Thursday and went to Elitch Gardens amusement park before it closed for the upcoming winter. Gianna told her mom she was going with some of the cheerleaders.
Often I stared at her while we were in school. I felt better whenever she was near, like during the two classes we had together and at lunch. She’d be annoyed if she knew how vulnerable I saw her when I wasn’t around. When I was with her was the only time I could assure myself she was safe and happy.
We pretended we weren’t on speaking terms, but our eyes spoke to each other plenty. Sometimes they conveyed words of love, but a lot of the time it was pure lust. I couldn’t get enough of her and by her responses I figured it was the same for her. With a look she’d tell me how much she missed me or needed me.
Now it was Friday night and the football game was about to start. It was the last game of the season and my last chance until next year to see Gianna in her hot little cheerleader uniform. She was late meeting the other girls on the field because I’d talked her into the backseat of my car. We were parked at the far end of the lot where it was darkest.
She giggled as my hand crept up her thigh and under her skirt. I wanted to hear her moan. I liked the idea of her being out there cheering after I made her come. “Caleb, behave, I have to get to the game!”
“Shh,” I told her. “It doesn’t start for five minutes.”
She made a disbelieving sound. “Since when do you only take five minutes?”
“So true,” I muttered against her neck.
The next instant, I landed on the floor of the backseat with a thud. One thing bad about dating a girl who was a dancer was that her legs were damn strong. When I got back up on the seat, Gianna was sitting against the door straightening her clothing.
I sighed loudly in resignation. “Fine, I’ll wait until after the game, but I’ll have you know that watching you jump up and down out there is going to be torture.”
She laughed, opening the door to climb out of the car. I watched her walk away, loving the sway of her hips in that little skirt.
Deciding to distract myself with food, I got in line at the concession stand. I missed kickoff, but found a choice spot at the bottom of the bleachers, right in front of the cheerleaders. Digging into my nachos, I didn’t pay attention when someone sat down next to me.
“She should wear that outfit every day.”
I almost spit out my food. Swallowing it down, I glared at the shithead sitting next to me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Ian gestured to the cheerleaders below us. “I’m here to support Gianna in her extracurricular activities.”
“Oh really,” I bit out sarcastically. “Well, you can just go back home because I’m all the support Gianna needs.”
He pointed at Gianna, who was watching our exchange with a curious look on her face. “She’s already seen me. It’d probably hurt her feelings for me to leave so soon.”
“I doubt it,” I muttered. “Why are you bothering me? Find somewhere else to sit.”
He shrugged. “Besides Gianna, you’re the only person I know here.” He turned his sly grin on me. “Plus, I knew it’d annoy you.”
Tossing my food into a nearby trash can, I was reluctant to change seats. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
In an indulgent voice he asked me, “Have you ever seen anything more adorable than Gianna shaking pom-poms?”
In response, I ignored him.
“So, which of the cheerleaders have you screwed, Caleb?” Ian leaned over to ask in a conspiratorial whisper.
I turned my head to give him a dirty look. “Only Gianna.”
He scowled for a moment before wiping the look off his face and bumping his shoulder against mine as if we were buds. “Come on, you can tell me. I won’t tell Gianna. Who have you messed around with? The brunette with the big tits?”
“Do you think I’m an idiot? First off, I’d never cheat on Gianna. Second, if I were stupid enough to do so, I definitely wouldn’t tell my biggest rival.”
His face transformed into satisfaction. “So, you admit I’m competition?”
“Not. Even. Close.”
Why was I letting him aggravate me? Rationally, I knew I had nothing to worry about. I’d already won the girl and her heart.
He scowled, not liking my confidence.
I grinned wide.
Scanning the field, he changed the subject, “So which number is her ex-boyfriend Josh?”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “She told you about him?”
“Yep. If I get bored, I might kick his ass tonight.”
“Already took care of it and I have no idea what his jersey number is.” Though, it wouldn’t be hard to find out.
“What about that Seth guy?”
He was trying to act nonchalant, but I sensed seriousness in him. Just how much did he like my girlfriend? Maybe he wasn’t pretending to be interested in her to piss me off. I’d prefer it if his motivation was to annoy me. I didn’t want him liking her for real. Hating the thought of another guy wanting a relationship with her, I wondered how I could get Ian out of her life.
“Don’t know Seth’s number either,” I carefully explained. “Why do you care?”
His eyes didn’t leave the game. “Just wondering.”
Uh-huh. Sure.
Picking a plan, I asked him, “Do you want me to hook you up with one of the cheerleaders?”
He rolled his eyes at me derisively. “No thanks, you have crappy taste in chicks. Other than Gianna, you usually go for the dirty skanks.”
“Before Gianna my taste in chicks was hot and easy. No different than you. When have you ever had a problem with that? Don’t forget we’ve messed with some of the same girls.” Saying it out loud made it sound skeezy. I shook off the memories with a shudder.
He laughed with genuine humor. “It was always fun stealing your dates.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “I had just as much fun stealing yours.”
We grinned at each other and I got this weird feeling we were bonding or something lame like that. Turning my head away, I coughed into my fist.
Awkward.
For the remainder of the game, we didn’t talk much, but instead watched the players and one cheerleader in particular. Although, I saw Ian’s eyes stray to a couple other ones from time to time. Maybe he wasn’t falling for my girlfriend after all. I’d ignore his taunts and see if I could get Gianna to hook him up with one of the girls. He had pointed out the brunette.
GIANNA
When was this freaking game going to end? It was torture having my man in the stands and unable to go near him. I’d tell my mom I was going to a party thrown by one of the football players and instead spend time with Caleb tonight. ‘Cause in her mind kegs and wild parties were much more acceptable than being with the guy I loved.
As much as I would have preferred not to hide our relationship, it hadn’t been so bad. Caleb and I had managed to spend quite a bit of time together this week. And it hadn’t been all about sex, either. Sometimes we just held hands and cuddled, like when we went to the amusement park yesterday. Afterwards, we went to the Rocky Mountain Diner for dinner.
Ian had turned out to be a really good friend. He’d even come to watch me cheer tonight. I waved towards where he and Caleb were sitting together. They were actually talking to each other without throwing any punches, so maybe there was hope they’d become friends one day.
At the end of half-time, one of the other cheerleaders had handed me a piece of paper. I’d opened it to find a note from Caleb. It said in sloppy boy scrawl: Meet me in the cafeteria after the game, love Caleb.
So romantic and so naughty. But that was my boyfriend. He wanted to meet in the cafeteria probably for some naughty reason. I knew he liked to rebel against authority and school, but having sex in the cafeteria was just bad. Of course, I’d meet him anyways.
By the time the game ended we’d won by eight points. I was bouncing around like I had to go pee. I didn’t, but I was antsy to be back in my boyfriend’s arms. First, I went with the other girls to the locker room to grab my duffel bag.
Outside the locker room, I had my phone in my hand to text Caleb when I ran into Seth.
“Hey, Gianna, how’s it going?” He was obviously headed for the boys’ locker room, sweaty and carrying his helmet under one arm.
“It’s going good, Seth. How about you?”
It was nice that he seemed to be taking the breakup much better. Tilting his head back, he grinned. “Got a date tonight.”
“Nice,” I drawled in approval. “See you later.”
“Yeah,” he replied, disappearing into the locker room.
My phone rang. Looking at the screen, I answered it while heading in the direction of the cafeteria. “Sup?”
“I am so mad at Dante right now,” Cece informed me.
That could mean anything with Cece. “What happened?”
“We were supposed to go to the movies tonight but he cancelled to hang out with his friends.”
“Which movie?” I asked, knowing Cece’s horrible taste in films.
“That new Emma Stone one,” she replied, confirming my guess.
I left the gym, cutting across the dark school grounds to the main building. “Well, there you go. It probably wasn’t you he didn’t want to see tonight, but the chick flick you were trying to make him go to.”
“You think?”
“I know,” I assured her.
Standing outside the doors to the cafeteria, I told her, “I gotta go. Call you later?”
“Sure, but I’m still mad at Dante. We always go to movies he picks. Sometimes I should be able to pick the movie, too.”
“I totally agree. Bye, Cece.”
“Later, Gigi.”
I pressed the end button and dropped my phone into my bag. Yanking open the heavy cafeteria door, I walked into the large, dark room calling Caleb’s name.
Huh, I thought I’d beat him here.
When an arm wrapped around my waist from behind, I jumped automatically then relaxed back into Caleb’s chest. “I missed you.”
He pressed his face into my hair and inhaled. “I’ve missed you too, Gianna.”
That was when I realized it wasn’t Caleb holding me.
I immediately started struggling in Josh’s grip.
Until he flung me against a wall.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I have decided to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
GIANNA
As I hit the wall, thankfully my head didn’t bang against the concrete. But my back took quite a hit. I landed on the cafeteria floor, but was panicked enough to get myself in a sitting position within seconds. My eyes were squeezed shut in pain until a light shined on my face. Squinting them open, I tried to see past the glare of the flashlight shining on my face. I scrambled to my feet as the light moved steadily closer.
Putting on a brave front, I asked, “Hey, Josh, what do you want?”
“You.”
Well, that didn’t sound good.
“Listen,” –psycho- “Josh, I really can’t hang out with you right now. I’m supposed to be meeting the girls in the parking lot.” Thinking quickly, I added, “Do you want to walk me there?”
“No.”
Crap.
When he was just inches away with the flashlight now pointed down, I could make out his face in the soft glow. How did I ever find him attractive? All I saw now was his ugly personality.
I tried a different approach. “Whatever you think is going to happen, Josh, you’re delusional.”
“Am I?”
Well, duh.
Okay, enough of this. I very calmly turned to walk away and get the hell out of there. Grabbing my arm roughly, he effectively stopped me. Not wanting to show my rising fear, I tried to yank my arm away. “Let me go.”
He shook his head. “No, that was my mistake before, letting you go.”
Now I was starting to get annoyed. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“It’s all his fault,” Josh said in a d
istracted tone.
I didn’t have to ask who he meant.
Caleb.
He’d be wondering where I was right about now. The original plan had been to meet out in the parking lot after the game. Unfortunately, I’d been stupid enough to fall for that fake note and ended up in the empty cafeteria with my psycho ex-boyfriend.
Tired of playing this game, I used my free arm to try pushing away from him. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps, losing his grip on me, and I spun around to sprint towards the exit.
Not fast enough, though, because within three seconds he’d tackled me to the ground. We landed gracelessly on the cold linoleum, his arms wrapped around me from behind and me facedown against the floor.
“Get off me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear.
“Shut, up!”
Wasn’t there supposed to be a janitor here late at night? A dedicated teacher who practically lived here? Not about to give up on that idea, I screamed, “Help!” before Josh had the chance to clap a hand over my mouth.
Which I promptly bit.
He yelped in pain, yanking the meat of his hand out from between my teeth and using the same hand to grab me by the hair. Now I was really getting freaked. I started fumbling for the phone in the bag I still had over one shoulder. Pulling it out, I unlocked the screen, frantically trying to redial my last call.
“Give me that,” Josh snarled, ripping the phone out of my hand and throwing it against the nearest wall. The sound of plastic cracking was discouraging. I doubted it even rang long enough for someone to pick up the other line.
Using his grip on my hair and around my waist, he slowly turned me over. The dropped flashlight was still rolling back and forth a couple feet away from the scuffle. As it slowed down, I could see the demented smile on Josh’s face. A school psychologist would’ve been real handy right about now. And a taser gun. Unfortunately, my mace was on my dresser at home.
“Just say what you have to say, Josh. I need to get going. My mom is expecting me home soon,” I bluffed.