Trystan walked faster. Shoving his hands in his pockets he felt the phone Mari gave him. He didn’t want to take it from her. It felt like a lavish gift that Trystan didn’t deserve, but when he saw her face, he knew that she needed him to have it. It wasn’t about stuff. It was about Mari. Trystan felt the edges of the little phone and wondered if he’d have to add minutes to it. He was totally broke, so unless it was prepaid for a while, that would create a problem. While Mari knew he didn’t have a lot of money, no one realized how strapped Trystan was. He did everything he could to keep it hidden.
Arriving at the condo complex, Trystan walked past the group of older guys who were drunk. The night air was temperate so they were hanging out in front of their door, sitting on the front step like it was a patio. They tried to get Trystan to come over, but he’d rather die than get hooked on alcohol. That damn stuff was what caused of all his problems. It wasn’t that his mom left them; it was that his dad refused to pick up the pieces and move on.
Trystan stopped at his front door and debated whether or not to go through his window. After a second, he chanced the door. Trystan slid his key in the lock and the door creaked open. Glancing around, Trystan didn’t see his father, but he could hear his insanely loud snoring carrying from the back of the apartment.
“Thank God,” Trystan sighed and locked the door behind him. That sound was music to his ears. It meant nothing could wake the old man, so Trystan headed for the shower. When he finished, Trystan unlocked the door to his room and closed it quietly, locking himself inside. Lowering himself to the floor, Trystan slept against the door to make sure his father didn’t try anything.
The next morning Trystan awoke with the door slamming into his ribs. “Get up, Trystan.” The door pulled back and slammed into him again. Trystan shook the sleep from his eyes and sat up and braced his back against the door to keep his dad out, but the old man didn’t try to come in. He was just in a foul mood. “Go to school today, before they come looking for you. And I swear to God, if you ever do that again, I’ll lock you in here and never come back.”
Trystan’s jaw tightened as his father spoke. If Trystan didn’t have to come back, he wouldn’t. There was nothing here for him. His life was ahead of him, but he couldn’t leave. Not yet. Trystan swallowed his pride and said what his father was waiting to hear, “Yes, sir.”
As soon as Trystan said those words, his father’s footfalls headed away from his room. A few moments later the front door opened and closed. He was gone. Trystan sighed in relief. Sitting on the floor, he pulled his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Lowering his head to his knees, Trystan sat in the quiet wondering what he should do. If the army was out, then he had to find somewhere else to live, and fast.
__
Trystan sat in the cafeteria looking out the window for Mari. He had an apple in his hand and was about to take a bite when Seth sat down hard across from him. Trystan stopped and scowled. “I’m not in the mood, Seth.”
Then, Seth did something very un-Seth-like and apologized. “He man, listen… I shouldn’t have said that. I knew you wanted to hit that, but I thought she was just another chick.”
Trystan rolled the apple in his palm, and lifted his gaze. He held his temper in check. Flatly, he replied, “I told you she wasn’t, so don’t try to bullshit me now.”
Seth rolled his eyes, and slammed his hands on the table making the metal fittings underneath jingle. “I’m not bullshitting you. I’m sorry, okay? I said it. If she means that much to you, I won’t go there again.”
Trystan wanted to tell him about Mari, about how things changed, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know how Seth would react and he’d promised Mari he wouldn’t. So Trystan nodded, “Fine. Enough of this crap. It’s over.”
Seth’s face lit up. He reached across the table and slapped Trystan’s shoulder just as Mari got out of her Mom’s car outside. Seth’s gaze followed Trystan’s and landed on Mari. “You want me to help you get her?”
Trystan flinched. He turned back to Seth. “The answer to that would be, hell no. Don’t even think about it. She’s mine. I’ll get her, eventually.” Trystan’s lips pulled into a grin. He already had her heart—she loved him. It made Trystan wish he could shout from the tabletops and dance across the hallways, but he didn’t. Trystan was careful to leave his poker face in place.
“What is she? The only girl in the drama class that you haven’t nailed?”
Trystan stood and glanced at the doors. “Something like that.”
Tucker walked through, and turned his face at the two of them. It was as if he was looking for Trystan. Tucker waved Trystan over and Seth followed. “I need to speak with you, Scott. This weekend is the play and Brie refuses to go on with her nose the way it is. I told her we could cover it with stage make up, that no one would know, but she said she quit. Her parents pulled her out of the class. You have no co-star, Scott. Can you please go talk some sense into her? She listens to you.”
Seth glanced at Trystan, but Trystan was still looking at Tucker. “Maybe, but I have a better idea.” A sly smile lined Trystan’s lips. He cut his gaze to the cafeteria doors just as Mari walked by and flicked his chin up. “Her.”
Tucker’s face pinched. “What? You can’t be serious. Mari doesn’t know all the—” Tucker stopped midsentence. His eyebrows shot up as a smile lifted the worry off his face. Looking back at Trystan, Tucker seemed amazed at the idea, “She knows all the lines.”
“Yeah,” Trystan nodded. “And she’s been practicing with me longer than Brie. Mari can do it.”
Tucker glanced at the hallway, and watched Mari walk away. “Fine. Talk to her. You both get A’s for this. That might not matter to you, but it does for her. She’s the one that caused this issue in the first place by punching Brie in the face.”
Seth laughed and jumped from one foot to the other like a happy monkey. He pressed his palms together, “No way! Girl fight and I missed it? Little goodie-two-shoes took a swing at the slut?”
Tucker opened his mouth to say something and then snapped it shut again. He shook his head and walked away.
Seth turned to Trystan, “Seriously? Your new conquest bitch-slapped your old girlfriend? Ha! I didn’t think Mari had it in her.” Suddenly Seth seemed more interested in Mari, which wasn’t good.
“Brie had it coming,” Trystan snapped. “And now she thinks she can screw everyone else by not showing up on Friday.” Trystan grinned, thinking about acting opposite Mari, and that kiss at the end of act 2. Oh God, he’d get to kiss Mari like that in front of everyone without anyone thinking anything was going on with them. “This is going to be awesome.”
CHAPTER 12
~MARI~
“I’m not an actor, Trystan. I can’t do what you do.” He asked me to take Brie’s role. Part of me wanted to, but the other part said there was no way I could pull it off.
Trystan sat on the table in front of me. We were in the prop room under the stage. He waited to tell me until we had some time alone. Trystan’s hands found my shoulders and he gripped them gently. “Yes, you can. You already have, and you did it a lot better than Brie.”
My mind raced. If I said yes, this would be the third time I’d pissed off Brie in a really short amount of time. It just wasn’t smart. “Trystan, I wouldn’t know where to stand or how to respond to the other actors. This isn’t my thing. I’d suck it up.”
“Tucker said you have a C in his class right now. He wanted me to tell you that you’ll get an automatic A if you take her spot.” He watched my face as he spoke the magic words.
My face pinched. I wanted to say no, but that was too tempting. “Damn him—Tucker, I mean. That C will cause as much trouble as Brie.” I started thinking out loud without realizing it.
“What?” Trystan asked, confused.
“The C. My dad is a psycho with grades. I’ll catch hell for it. But, if I take Brie’s place so I get the A, I’m going to catch hell from her. I’m already on her shit list
.” I sighed and looked into Trystan’s face. “It’s not much of a choice.”
“I can take care of Brie.”
“Brie’s suing me, well, my Dad—” I just blurted it out. I’d managed to leave out that part last night. The conversation skirted around it. I made it sound like a teacher tattled on me and not Brie’s father. Trystan’s hands slipped off my shoulders, as his jaw dropped open. “because I punched her. That’s what caused the fight the other night with my Dad. It was Brie.”
Trystan pressed his eyes closed and shook his head, like he couldn’t believe it. He stood and paced, thinking. The muscles in his jaw worked as he walked. Trystan crossed his arms over his chest. The dark blue tee shirt he wore showed off his sapphire eyes. I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was beautiful.
When Trystan stopped, he said, “Brie is a pain in the ass, but we have a shot at handling her. Your father, on the other hand, we have no control over him at all. I’d get the grade and deal with the Brie, if I were you.”
I smiled at him. That was what I was thinking, I just wished there was another option. Standing, I walked over to him, “And this decision has nothing to do with the kiss at the end of the second act?”
“Do you know how hard it is to stand in front of you and not touch you? Right now—” he shook his head, “I can’t even tell you what I want to do right now. It’s more than a kiss Mari. It’s more time together, more kissing, and more you. Of course I want you to say yes.” Trystan looked down into my eyes. He held my gaze making butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“Yes.” My voice was light.
Trystan blinked at me, like he hadn’t heard me right. “Seriously?”
I nodded and stepped closer to him, slipping my arms around his waist. “Yes. You’re right. I know the part and I really don’t mind kissing you, actually I look forward to it.” I ran my fingers through his hair while I looked into his eyes. Trystan’s gaze remained locked on mine.
“You’re wicked, you know that? The only thing I can think about now is kissing you.” Trystan’s fingers pulled at my waist until my chest was firmly against his. The way we fit together made me feel tingles all over. It felt like I was blasted with a heater when he touched me. Suddenly I was hot and breathing like I’d run miles. He didn’t even kiss me yet. We were just talking about it.
“All part of my plan, kiss assassin.” I flirted back.
“I wonder if tha—” Trystan didn’t get to finish his remark because I reached up and grabbed his neck, and pulled his lips down on mine. Trystan’s hands held me tight as he kissed me back, his lips gently tasting mine before he lost all control and kissed me harder. I think I forgot to breathe at one point. The whole thing was perfect; the way he held me, the way he kissed me, the way he said my name like there was no one else and there never would be.
When we pulled apart, I sucked in ragged breaths and tried to calm down. Trystan smiled at me. I grinned back, and swatted his arm. “I’m wicked? That was supposed to be a little kiss?”
“I didn’t see you keeping it little,” he said, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. Trystan was happy, happy like I’d never seen him before. Every inch of Trystan was alive and resonating with mirth.
“Ha! Like that’s my fault. It’s kind of hard to do things half way with you. When you kissed me, while we were rehearsing, I almost died. No one’s ever kissed me the way you do.” I sat down hard on the couch, fanning myself. My heart was still pounding in my ears.
Trystan jumped onto the couch beside me. “And who else kissed you?”
My spine straightened and I turned slowly to look at him. I didn’t want to talk about that. Instead of answering, a blush stained my cheeks. Trystan took my hands, his eyes glittering with curiosity, and said, “Or should I ask how many? Are you really a sexual deviant? Could I be that lucky?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “A sexual deviant?”
“Back on track, Mari, my love. How many others have there been?” When I hesitated, he said, “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“I don’t want to know how many girls you’ve slept with! God, Trystan.” I pulled my hands away and rubbed my eyes.
He was still smiling, “Are you sure? You might be surprised. I’m not the male slut everyone thinks I am. I’m only a little slutty.” He pinched his fingers together, leaving a tiny space between.
That got my attention. “What do you mean?”
Trystan shook his head, still smiling, not offering more information. “You tell me your’s first.”
“You’re evil,” I laughed. Trystan waggled his eyebrows at me and grinned widely. “Fine…I had one serious boyfriend. We didn’t do everything, but it didn’t matter. He still crushed me when we broke up. He goes to another school, so at least I don’t have to see him every day.” Trystan kept his hand on mine, rubbing the back of my palm. I glanced up at him from under my lashes, feeling foolish. “I haven’t been with anyone. Seth’s nickname for me is accurate.”
Trystan leaned forward and kissed me on the end of my nose. Grinning, he sat back slowly. “You’re perfect, Mari. Holding out for the right guy isn’t stupid, and guys who say it is just want to get in your pants.”
“Like you?” I said, kiddingly.
“Like me,” Trystan continued to hold my hand, his fingers gently brushing against the side of my fingers as he gazed at me. “Well, like me before I met you, and I’ve heard your chastity sermons for a few years now. Let’s just say you weaseled your way into my brain and I didn’t hook up with every girl I came across. The rumors of my conquests have been greatly exaggerated.” Trystan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Meaning?” My heart was racing. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? That couldn’t be true, but I could tell from the expression in his eyes that it was—this was a secret that he was happy to share—one that he couldn’t wait to tell me.
“Meaning, I’m still a novice at this. I only had one relationship and it was with Brie.” He cringed. “Obviously I’m a total moron and have no idea what I’m doing. Besides her, I messed around and made-out, but…” Trystan looked at me for a second and then looked to the side, his lips curling into a bashful smile. “Are you really going to make me say it?”
I blinked at him, assuming I was dumb as a post and not following. “I think I have to. Are you seriously telling me that you were only with one girl? What about all that stuff Seth said?”
“Seth’s a moron. He’s all bluster, Mari. Have you ever seen him do anything but suck face with a girl?”
I cringed, “No.”
“Well, same thing for me. Appearances are deceiving. I hope you won’t use this information to tarnish my bad-boy persona at school. I like all the ladies drooling when I walk by.” He was laughing now, watching me with laughter in his eyes.
Grinning, I swatted him with my hand, “Oh, gross! Now you sound like him!”
Trystan and I laughed and kissed until the bell rang. When I emerged from the auditorium, I ran into Katie. She instantly noticed my swollen lips and blotchy skin. “Sucking face? With whom might this suckage be occurring? Or should I go look for him?” She glanced behind me, hoping to see the object of my affection.
I yanked her arm and led her down the hall. “No one.”
“Yeah, right. And that’s why we’re running away, so I can’t see the invisible man who ate your strawberry lip gloss.” Katie’s tone was light, teasing. She kept looking over her shoulder like the guy would magically appear.
“Where’s Mathboy when I need him?” I glanced around hoping he was nearby.
“He’s my sexy nerd, and he’s not going to save you from the slew of questions I’m going to hurl at your head.” We walked into the classroom and Katie set her books on her desk.
I looked back to the spot where Brie sat. Her chair was empty. I swallowed hard wondering if I could really go up against her and walk away intact.
CHAPTER 13
~TRYSTAN~
Rehearsal was much more enjoyable with Mari in his arms and Brie god-knows-where. Trystan tried as hard as he could to live in the now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it would all slip between his fingers at any moment. The more time he spent with Mari, the more they kissed, the more he realized he wanted her—and not in a temporary kind of way. There was something about Mari that made him come alive when she was around. All the years of jaded cynicism melted into giddy glee around her.
Tucker barely corrected Mari. She remembered everything, because she’d been prompting the entire time. She’d only lost a couple of days when Tucker threw her out. The cast had a different feel with Mari among them. She affected Trystan’s performance for the better and everyone around him strove to be as charismatic as Trystan. It was a domino effect and it started with Mari.
When Tucker first announced Brie’s replacement, no one though Mari could do it. She sat in the shadows, reading books—she wasn’t an actor—but Mari proved them wrong by the end of the first scene. Tucker didn’t stop the play, he let the entire thing run from start to end and when they finished, Tucker just sat there, staring at them with one eyebrow lifted too high.
The entire cast stood on stage, waiting for him to say something.
“Did he have a stroke?” Tia whispered out of the side of her mouth to the girl standing next to her.
Tucker laughed one sharp, “HA!” And then stood in his seat, clapping his beefy hands until they were all deaf. “I couldn’t have imagined that a high school cast was capable of this skill level. Trystan and Mari, I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about you two that pulled the whole performance up a few notches. I didn’t think this was possible.” Tucker stood there, arms folded across his chest, shaking his head.