“Tessa,” Leona called out. I turned back to look at her. “Be careful,” she said.
We stared at each other. Then I smiled like a true Smitten Kitten and left to spy on my sweetie. Or at least, the boy that used to be my sweetie.
Christian’s eyes widened as I got in his car, still in uniform. He had gone to the trouble of putting on a fitted black sweater and black pants. There was even a beanie on his console.
“You’re ... you’re spying in that?” he asked, sounding unsure.
“Yep. I draw my strength from the skirt.”
He laughed, but when I didn’t, he turned back to the street. Had I cracked? Possibly. But it didn’t matter. After this, everything I ever was could be wrecked. What difference would it make if I were wearing a cheerleading uniform?
“Do you have gear to set up?” Christian asked as he pulled his Honda into the street.
“Don’t need it.” Wow. I sounded pretty tough—like, monotone tough. Christian looked a little scared, but I was anxious. Numb, yet anxious.
“Tess—”
“I’m not recording anything,” I said. “This isn’t an assignment. I just need to know, okay? For myself.” My eyes stung, and when I looked at him, he met my gaze, looking sorry. It was nice of him to feel so bad for me. He looked guilty, even.
I turned toward the passenger window, feeling dread slowly creep in as I stared out over the darkened streets. Aiden and Chloe. Let it not be true. By Cleopatra’s crown! Let it be a lie.
Rolling down the window, I put my face out into the wind. I could remember Aiden at the recycling speech when I was a freshman. He presented the reasons I should go out with him. And his number one was, “Because she lights up my life with her own brand of sunshine.” It was even listed on the flowchart behind him.
Then he hopped down off the stage and walked across the auditorium straight to me. I just about died. People were calling out, cheering, laughing.
But rather than saying anything, Aiden just dropped down in the seat next to me and stared straight ahead, as if it was the most normal place for him to be. Stunned, I looked at the side of his face, deciding that it was not only adorable but sweet, too.
I’d turned to the stage and nestled back in my seat, shoulder to shoulder with Aiden Wilder. The rest of the school stopped watching us and looked up at Principal Pelli, who was still standing there, sort of shocked.
Aiden leaned his head sideways toward me, still staring forward. “Is that a yes?” he’d whispered.
I bit on my lip, glancing down as he held his hand out to me. Well, if that wasn’t strawberry smoothie, then I didn’t know what was. I took his hand—of course I did. And since then, I hadn’t let go. So why did he? Why did Aiden let me go?
I sniffled.
“Tessa?” Christian asked. “We’ll just wait at his house, okay? We don’t need to go driving all over town or anything.” He put his hand tentatively on my knee.
I was too sick at heart to push it away. Aiden out to dinner with another girl. I wondered if he’d ever done it before. Put food in his mouth alone with another girl.
I wanted him back. I wanted my Aiden back. My bottom lip quivered and I bit on it, trying to keep it steady.
After a long minute, Christian took his fingers off my body and put them back where they belonged. On the steering wheel. He parked down the street from Aiden’s house and cut the engine.
“I brought a couple of sodas, if you’re thirsty,” Christian whispered, turning the ignition key so that he could put on the radio. He might have been trying to be romantic since he had Radiohead playing low, filtering in through the speakers. I was sure the skirt didn’t help keep things platonic. Boys just didn’t respect it. It made them all goofy. Just then, Christian glanced at my legs.
Even though I wasn’t thirsty, I nodded when he offered me a soda from a cooler in the backseat. We sat quietly, listening to music. It was nearly ten o’clock. Could they still be at dinner?
“So what else did your sister tell you?” I asked. If she was sneaking around with my boyfriend, she’d have something to say about it. The boy was talented at more than just basketball.
“Nothing. My sister hardly talks to me at home. And she especially doesn’t talk to me about the guys she’s dating.”
Hold on. “She is not dating Aiden,” I said forcefully. I nearly spilled my can of pop. If he cheated, that was one severely messed-up thing, but dating? No. Not likely.
Christian shook his head. “Sorry. You’re right. I just mean, she hasn’t said anything about him to me. Other than that they were going to dinner.”
Franks and beans! I wanted to cry again. I couldn’t take this emotional roller coaster I was on. This was all too much. I should just call Aiden and ask him what was going on. He’d tell me. Aiden wouldn’t cheat. He would never ...
His car drove past us and turned into the driveway. I swallowed hard and set my drink in the center console as I leaned forward. My heart rate was through the roof. I couldn’t tell if anyone was with him.
Aiden sat in his car for a long time. His outline was visible through the back window. What was he doing? Was she with him? Good golly! I was going to have a heart attack.
His door opened. I held my breath as I watched his long body climb out. He looked nervous, darting his eyes around the neighborhood. I almost didn’t recognize him. He was still in his track pants, but he had a baseball hat on, pulled low. A disguise?
“Is Chloe with him?” Christian asked. He was staring at me and not out the window.
“I don’t know yet.”
I put my hands on the dashboard and tried to steady myself. I was shaking so badly with adrenaline, I felt like I could lift a car or do some other superhuman thing like that.
Aiden turned back to his Jetta and walked around to the passenger door. I gasped. She was with him, wasn’t she? I whimpered.
He opened the door. Aiden reached his hand in, and Chloe took it as he pulled her out. She stood up, clad in a cute, yellow sundress, and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him. I moaned.
“There it is,” Christian whispered.
No. Not Aiden. Not him.
I began to cry but didn’t look away. I felt Christian’s fingers touch my knee, and they were warm. He shouldn’t have been touching me, but I was too sick to care. My heart hurt.
I stared out the windshield, mumbling to myself, wanting to curl up into a ball. Aiden was looking down at Chloe, his hands at her shoulders, near the thin straps of her dress, while they talked. I wished I had audio. She was all over him, and at least Aiden had the sense to not do anything in his driveway. At least he had that much respect for us.
Then he put his arm around her waist and moved her away from the car so that he could shut the door. What was he doing?
“So sorry,” Christian said next to me, squeezing my knee and moving his hand to rub at the skin just above it. I looked over at him. He turned quickly to me and apologized again. I would have thought his concern for me was sweet if I weren’t having a complete breakdown. I couldn’t even feel his touch.
I focused back in on Aiden. He led Chloe up the stairs to his big front porch as she clutched onto him, his T-shirt balled in her fist. I hated her. I’d never hated anyone in my whole life, but at this moment, I hated her. And if I talked to her, I’d tell her as much.
Aiden turned back, looking over the street guiltily. One hundred percent. One hundred percent of the time, they cheated. I thought that maybe Aiden could be the one exception, but it sure as heck didn’t look that way.
As Aiden walked into his darkly lit house with Chloe and shut the door, I covered my mouth with my hands. He’d brought her inside! He was cheating on me. I was too stunned to move.
I was Mary Rudick. I was just like her when she found out about Kyle. I’d become her. I’d become the meaning behind SOS.
“Tessa?” Christian asked softly, his hand moving dangerously close to the hem of my skirt. But I didn’t tell him to move i
t. I didn’t care. And I wasn’t going to answer him either. Instead, I just stared at Aiden’s house, hoping he’d come marching outside and walk over to this car and yank me out. He would tell me he loved me and that this was all a big mistake. That nothing happened or was even going to happen.
The light in his upstairs bedroom flicked on, and my heart officially broke.
No.
No.
Not my Aiden. Not him.
I bent over, sobbing violently. This wasn’t real. It was some nightmare, and I was still in Aiden’s room, letting him hold me like he did last night. He wouldn’t hurt me. Never.
Christian’s hand moved off my leg and touched my shoulder. He wasn’t Aiden, but I wished he were. I let Christian pull me into him, and I cried against his shirt. Hard.
I’d lost everything. I reached up and wrapped my hands behind Christian’s neck as I continued to shake. What would I do? What could I possibly do now?
“Don’t cry, Tessa,” Christian whispered into my hair. His voice was soft. I liked it.
“I don’t understand,” I choked out, letting go of him to wipe my face. Christian was holding me tightly, and although I knew I needed to pull away from him, I didn’t. I felt so lonely. So dead.
“He’s an asshole,” Christian said.
“No,” I mumbled, trying to let the numbness take me over. I didn’t want to cry anymore. I didn’t want to hurt.
Christian slid his hand from my shoulder to hold the back of my neck. It was actually very comforting. I suddenly felt protected.
“Shh . . .” he said into my hair. His breath was warm on my ear.
It made me feel special, the way he wanted me. I didn’t love him. He wasn’t Aiden. But Christian liked me even without the pep. I sniffled and looked at him.
“I want to go home,” I said, and slowly began to pull away. Only, when I moved back, Christian kept his hand on my neck, tilting my mouth toward his.
His face was slightly blurry as I tried to look back at it, blinking through my tears.
“You said no touching,” I whispered.
“I’ll take care of you.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. While his one hand was on my neck, Christian’s other touched my leg again. I looked at him, ready to tell him to stop, when he leaned forward, pressing his mouth against mine. He held me to him as his tongue slid into my mouth.
He wasn’t mine. And although I wanted to stop, I found myself kissing him back, letting his tongue touch mine. My body was responding despite myself as his hand moved from behind my neck to my shoulder.
He was making out with me, and I was letting him. Why the flip was I letting him?
“I’ve wanted you since that first day in class,” he murmured in between my lips. His hand moved up my leg, but the minute I felt it touch me, touch me in the place where only Aiden had been, I pushed him back, breaking our connection. Wait. What was happening?
Oh. Heck, no! My mind cleared, and I moved to my side of the car and stared at him, pressing myself to the door. My face was on fire, and my breath was coming out in gasps. There was a tingling between my legs, but it wasn’t because I was hot for him. I felt ... violated.
My eyes were wide as I watched him lick his lips. Bloody Mary! He’d just totally taken advantage of my distress, and he didn’t care. He didn’t care about me. Only one guy did, and I needed him. I needed Aiden!
Desperately, I grasped the handle of the car door and pushed it open, dashing out. Christian called my name in a loud whisper from the driver’s window, but I was a cheerleader. I knew how to hustle.
I ran across the street and hopped the curb, headed straight for Aiden’s house. I didn’t care if Chloe was in there. I didn’t even care if she was naked. She was leaving. Aiden was mine. He was my Wildcat.
There was the sound of a car door, and I had the feeling that Christian was coming after me. Chances were that Aiden’s front door was locked, so I turned and ran to the side of his house. I got to the lattice and began climbing like mad. My breathing was so heavy, I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk when I saw him. And I knew that I’d be in for something awful when I found them together. But I didn’t care. I needed him. My mother forgave my father, and I could forgive Aiden. He was my only guy.
“Tessa,” Christian whispered up at me as I reached Aiden’s window.
I ignored him and put my hands on the cold glass, sliding open the pane. The lattice wouldn’t support Christian’s weight, so I knew he couldn’t reach me. Trying to steady my breath, I threw my legs inside Aiden’s window, letting the familiar smell of it fall over me. Then I braced myself for what I’d find.
It was Chloe. Alone and lying across his bed. Dressed. She sat up in shock and stared at me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she hissed, looking toward the closed door.
I curled my lip. Not only was she in my boyfriend’s room, she was cussing at me. I snapped.
It took me about one and half seconds to reach her before I grabbed her pale-white arm, yanking her off the bed. Her blond hair whipped around, smacking me in the face as I tossed her to the floor. She glared up at me, her yellow sundress pooled around her hips, displaying her white lace panties. I clenched my jaw. She didn’t belong in here. I wouldn’t let her take my boyfriend.
Chloe jumped up and stepped to me, pushing me hard and making me stumble back a few feet. As I recovered, she wound up and slapped me hard across the face. Ouch. It stung. I’d never been slapped before.
“Snake,” I snarled, reaching out to knot her hair in my fist.
“Bitch,” she screamed, and she elbowed me hard on the chin. I reached up to put my hand over my face, feeling the vibration through my jaw. But the minute I raised my arm, she punched me hard in the stomach. Shoot. She was kicking my tail.
“You!” I yelled, working through the pain and getting a fresh grip on her hair. “Are a seriously bad person and I hate you!” I swung her around, but she kicked me in the shin so hard, I let her go and fell back on the bed. She lunged on top of me.
“He’s mine now,” Chloe spat, putting her hands around my neck to choke me. “He knows you’re with Christian.”
“What?” I tried to say, but, well, she was choking me. Her little revelation gave me a temporary adrenaline rush. I rolled over, taking her with me, and we tumbled off the bed and onto the carpeted floor.
I straddled her and tried to pin her arms down. “I am not with Christian,” I said in her face. She sneered.
“That’s not what my brother will tell him.”
My stomach turned, not liking the ominous tone of her voice, but before I could question her further, she punched me in the jaw, knocking me off of her. I was on my back and she got up, looming above me. I scrambled to my feet and put my hands up defensively as she tried to punch me again.
Aiden’s door flew open. “What the hell?” he said, looking around.
Chloe used the temporary distraction. The lunatic reached out to pick up Aiden’s alarm clock, yanked it from the wall, and threw it at my head. It blasted me in the forehead and for a second, I saw stars. Lots of them.
“Are you nuts?” Aiden yelled at her. I opened my eyes to see him take her by the arm and push her toward his door. “I thought you were too drunk to go home, but instead you’re assaulting my girlfriend?”
Girlfriend? I blinked quickly. My head was hurting. “Aiden?” I called.
He turned around and his mouth dropped. “Oh, baby,” he said, letting go of Chloe and moving toward me. “You’re bleeding, Tess.” He put his palm on my face and looked down at me. He brushed my hair away from my head and I felt relief sweep over me; I also felt wetness run down my cheek. But he was looking at me the way he always had. He loved me. He still loved me.
“What happened?” he asked quietly, glancing with concern between my forehead—which was already swelling, from the feel of it—and my eyes. “Why are you here?”
Chloe laughed. Aiden and I both looked at her. Blue light s
pecial! I might have a concussion. Chloe swiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, checking to see if it was bleeding. It wasn’t, but I wished it were.
Her voice cut through me. “She’s spying on you, Aiden,” Chloe said. “Your sweet little Tessa doesn’t trust you. Why should she? She obviously can’t be trusted.”
Aiden shook his head and turned back to me, grabbing a T-shirt off his desk to hold it to my head. I was bleeding. That wasn’t good. But Aiden was taking care of me. I smiled, putting my arms around his waist.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him, gazing up into his green eyes. I felt unsteady, out of sorts. “I love you,” I whispered to him. “And I don’t care what you were doing. I just need you, Aiden. I forgive you.” I wasn’t sure if my speech was slurred because Aiden was staring down at me, looking completely confused.
“What I was doing?”
Chloe laughed again, but neither of us turned to her.
“Tess,” Aiden said. “Chloe called me saying she was stranded at a party and that she needed a ride home. So I picked her up, but she said she was too drunk to go home and that her dad would freak. I told her she could come back here until she felt better.” He stepped back from me and then took my hand to put it on the T-shirt that was against my forehead. He dropped his arm. “Were ... were you spying on me?”
If only I weren’t so dizzy, I could explain. But I’d just gotten my tush thoroughly kicked by a nasty little blonde.
“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out for him. “Christian said—”
“Christian? What the fuck does he have to do with this?”
I didn’t scold Aiden about his language. I’d like to know what the eff Christian had to do with this too. And his sister.
“She was with him tonight,” Chloe announced, sounding like a spoiled five-year-old.
Why was she still here?
“Go home,” Aiden said to her, without looking back. He was studying my face. And he was being rude to her. I liked it.
“But she was with him, A. Right outside in his car—”
Aiden closed his eyes. “Chloe,” he said in a very controlled voice. “Please get out of my house before I call your father to have him come pick you up.”