“Sounds good to me.” I offer to help, but Caleb only grunts a no, so I sit at the same table I sat at when he cleaned my wound. So crazy. I still can’t believe Caleb Evans played nurse for me. It’s enough to make a girl swoon.
We don’t talk much while we eat: Caleb just because he’s quiet and me because I’m afraid I have food in my teeth. When we’re done, I take both our plates and rinse them off, before putting them in the dish rack. Then, there’s that silence that always warns of an idiot-Abby moment. I don’t know what to say and either he feels the same or he just doesn’t feel like talking, but I’m starting to feel nervous, the whole reality of this day reviving itself inside me.
I feel that familiar pitter-patter of my heart, which excites the butterflies and before you know it, I’m psycho again. “So…” Don’t say anything stupid… Don’t say anything stupid… Figuring my legs could use a stretch from the whole ten minutes we sat at the table, I start circling his small living room. “No pictures?”
“Huh?” He looks at me like I’m an alien with two heads.
“Pictures. You guys don’t like to take family pictures? Mom is crazy about them. She takes photos of every occasion. I swear there isn’t a corner of my house that doesn’t have some kind of lame picture of me.” I should have shut up like two sentences ago. My face heats.
“You blush a lot.” Totally ignored my question, but I don’t call him on it. Instead my body heat goes up more. “Why are you embarrassed now? All I said is you blush a lot and you look like you’re going to explode over there, Kitten.” Caleb stands. “You don’t have to be shy around me. I’m nothing special.”
To me he is something special. He took care of The LP when I needed him, offered to walk me to and from school, and when no one else wants to be caught dead with me, he invites me here. But I can’t say that. “I don’t know why I’m like perma-red around you. I guess it’s because I’ve never had a boyfriend before.” As soon as the words slip from my mouth, I want run. Run from his cabin and sew my annoying, flapping lips closed so I never say something stupid again. “I did not mean boyfriend, boyfriend. I meant, boy that’s a friend. You know. Boy—friend. Like, you know, a guy I hang-out with.” Shut up!
Caleb opens his mouth and I’m ready to get kicked out of his cabin and asked not to come back. Freak show, remember? See, I don’t even need vampires to make me crazy. But he doesn’t kick me out, instead a loud, boisterous laugher rolls out. Honestly I never would have thought he could laugh so hard and part of me wants to sit back and enjoy the sound, but the logical part of me knows he’s laughing at me which makes it not-so-cute anymore. “I’m glad you think I’m funny.”
“I’m not laughing at you.”
“Could have fooled me.” I pout and right now, I’m not even embarrassed about it.
“I’m not laughing at you… I’m laughing with you?”
I tighten my frown and scowl with my eyes. “Okay, so not with you, but still, not at you either.”
I feel my features start to soften. How can I stay mad at him? But then he opens his mouth and I realize I can be hurt at least. “You know we’re just friends, right? I’m not trying to sound like a prick, but… there’s just too much shit going on right now.”
I know this…of course I know it, but his words still stake me in the chest. So much so, I can’t even smile at my own pun. “Yeah.” I try and wave him off but really, I just want to cry. It slams everything else back home again. “How about we forget everything I said in the last five minutes though? Actually, can we start over from lunch?”
Caleb gives me his half-smile. “Yeah, I think we can.”
Chapter Eight
We leave his house about ten minutes after school got out so I’d get home about the same time. Like he did the day before, Caleb walks me to the stop sign about a block away from my house. As if he knows I don’t want him to walk me any further, he stops. “Thanks for contributing to my delinquency today,” I try for a joke and either I suck at it, or Caleb is really freaked out about me becoming a delinquent, because he drops his head back and shakes it. “Yeah, still working on the whole joke thing.” I make a second attempt.
Now, he’s shaking his head, but somehow it’s a lighter shake. His lips aren’t tense and I think I might have made him happy. Go me! “You’re officially a juvenile delinquent. Welcome to the club.”
Caleb isn’t a delinquent. A week ago, I would have said he is, but not now. “Whatever.” I roll my eyes a little proud of myself that I’m actually pulling off this totally-comfortable-around-you-thing when my insides are really melting. As much as I hate it, I say, “I better get going. I don’t want to be late for work tonight.” If I’m still allowed to go, that is.
I start to walk away, but he reaches out and grabs my arm to stop me. Okay, I know I’m a little loony, but as he’s turning me, I see it all in my head, like it’s a movie. He spins me toward him, pulling me tightly against him. I melt into him and sigh as he looks at me with that tortured look of his and says, “I tried to stay away from you, but I just can’t.” And then he kisses me and we really do become one. Our tongues tangle together, Caleb’s hand running through my hair. My whole body feels as though it could explode and I fear I might. Caleb is kissing me!
“Did you hear me?”
His words snap me back into reality like an elastic band. He’s not kissing me. I’m not in his arms. And I’m officially a pervert. “Huh?” My voice sounds grainy.
Caleb scratches his head. “The woods.” He’s mumbling and I can tell he’s embarrassed by what he’s saying. “Can you just…not go out there by yourself? I’m having these weird…I’ve heard strange…”
I want to tell him to pick a sentence and go with it, because the longer I stay out here, I risk my vampire-loving mom seeing us, but I can tell this is important to him, so I don’t. He’s struggling to say whatever he’s trying to say. I know what that feels like. “Sure.”
“Huh?”
“Sure,” I shrug. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not curious about the why’s of it, but I know there’s things I feel funny talking about, so why would I make him do it? “It’s kind of freaky out there by myself anyway. If I were you, I’d never want to be home without my parents.”
Caleb touches my face. I swear I almost go into convulsions as his fingers brush my cheek. There’s nothing I want more than to lean into him, but it’s like I’m frozen.
“Thanks.” He jerks his hand back, almost like he just realized he touched me. Then he steps around me, hands shoved into his pockets he’s walking away.
Caleb Evans is going to be the death of me.
***
My day comes crashing down when I walk in the front door to Mom standing here waiting for me. Oh no! She knows. My first time skipping and I get caught. Totally like me. “Um, hi,” I say. Even though I’m mad at her, I smile, hoping it draws her attention from the tattoo on my forehead that says, ‘I skipped school’.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.” Please don’t let me get in trouble. Please don’t let her make me quit my job.
“I want to apologize for last night. You have to understand this isn’t easy for me, Abbs, but I know you’re getting older, and I can’t keep you under my thumb forever.”
I’m shocked stupid by her words. She’s sorry? It feels like we’re saying that a lot lately and I hate it. “Mom.”
She holds up her hand. “This doesn’t mean it’s okay to speak to me the way you did last night. I won’t allow that, Abigail, but I am sorry and you’re taking the car to work tonight. I promise I won’t come down there. You’ve never let me down before, and I’m trying to make myself remember that.”
Guilt socks me in the stomach. Mom is finally giving me the respect I crave and it has to be the first time in my life I did something wrong. Karma really does hate me. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll be home by nine-thirty every night. I know the dangers and the rules. I promise I’ll be careful.”
/> Mom gives me a weak smile, so I walk forward and hug her tightly. “I’ll be okay. Thanks for trusting me.” My grip loosens, before I pull away completely. There’s no way I can hold back the huge smile on my face as I race to my room to get changed for work.
I think about Caleb the whole time I bus tables. Yeah, I know I did the same thing my first night, but this feels different. Now, I remember the feel of his hand on me. How he looked when he asked me not to go into the woods alone. That has to mean he cares, right? But why doesn’t he want me out there? It doesn’t make any sense. But…he cares, right?
And I obviously need a life since I haven’t stopped thinking about him. Over and over the same thoughts run through my head. The only reprieve is when I thought I saw Gabe outside, but he never came in, so I assume it wasn’t him after all.
As I look at the clock to see it’s seven, Liz comes up beside me. “Things are a little slower than usual, Abby, so I’m going to let you off at eight instead of nine for the next few weeks.”
“Okay.” I’m a little bummed. My second day of work and my hours are already getting cut? Why did she hire me then?
“Things will pick up again. They always do,” she tells me. “Why don’t you spend the last hour getting caught up on dishes?”
I start the dish water and wonder what I’m going to do with my free hour. Well… not a lot to wonder, really. It’s just another hour to spend at home. I turn on the sprayer and start the mountain of dishes in front of me when I hear a soft rapping on the door. Gabe. When he didn’t come in earlier, I didn’t think he’d show. I know it’s only a matter of time before he starts meeting people around Karma and our little get-togethers will stop. Which is a bummer, because I like him.
The rapping starts again, so I peek around the corner toward the front of the restaurant to be sure no one is there. After confirming I’m alone, I open the backdoor a sliver.
Just because I don’t believe in vampires doesn’t mean I’m just opening this door all the way without know who is on the other side.
“Abigail?”
I recognize the smooth tone of Gabe’s voice. “Yeah.” I pull the door open further. “Hey. I didn’t think you were coming tonight.”
“Sorry, I had a few things I needed to take care of. Is it okay if I come in and talk again?”
With one more glance over my shoulder, I motion for him to come in. I’m becoming a regular rebel! Sneaking people in the restaurant and skipping school. Who would have thought?! “I’m blaming you if I get in trouble.”
Gabe steps inside, leaving the door slightly propped open again. “I would never do anything to get you in trouble. I promise you, nothing will happen.
I start on the dishes again half in awe by his confidence, but the other half a realist. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.” So he knows I’m kidding, I wink at him.
“I’m not.”
Cue eye roll. Men. They think they know everything. Of course, I hope he’s right, but I know there’s no way he can make that statement. “Oh, guess what? I get off at 8:00 for the next few weeks. I guess it’s kind of cool, but really, just means I’ll be bored earlier.”
“And washing dishes is fun?”
“No, but being home is worse.”
“You shouldn’t go home, then. At least you know people around here. I’m bored all day long with nowhere to go. Now, you’ll see how I feel.”
His words lit a light bulb inside me. Mom thinks I’m getting off at 9:00 every night, but I’m getting off at 8:00! I can do whatever I want! It’s not as if I have anything to really do, but I have that freedom.
It would kill her if she finds out. I’m finally getting some kind of freedom, but something in my belly just doesn’t feel right about lying to her though.
What will it hurt to take one teeny, tiny hour and run with it? I won’t cause any trouble. Maybe hang-out with Caleb or Gabe. What could go wrong?
“You’re awfully quiet over there. I obviously did something wrong again, but I can’t figure out what it is this time. You remind me how rusty I am with people. Hard to have friends when you’re home schooled.”
I suck in a deep breath. It’s like he said the perfect thing because I feel the same way. I’m always screwing up with people and I don’t have home schooling as an excuse like he does. We’re more alike than I realize as he stands there, staring at me. “You, um, you never really had many friends?”
Storm clouds darken his blue eyes. “Nope. My parents were too busy with their parties and people much more important than me. The housekeeper was—is my teacher. She’s the only one who gives a shit about me. Especially when I started getting into trouble. They definitely didn’t,” he shakes his head, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. They don’t want anything to do with me since that.”
My heart breaks a little for him. No matter what, I’ve always known Mom loves me. From the sound of it, he doesn’t even have that. For some reason, I need a minute so I turn toward the sink and work on the dishes. After what felt like only half a minute, but could have been longer because I’m somehow almost done with the dishes, Gabe speaks. “Listen, I know for some reason you’re not completely comfortable hanging out with me. But I like talking to you. One night, one hour, that’s all I’m asking.”
“No! I’m not uncomfortable spending time with you, Gabe. I want to. My mom’s a little overprotective though. She doesn’t really like me out at night by myself…” But I’m not going to be by myself. I’m going to be with a friend. And like I told her earlier, I know the rules. He needs a friend, and I know how that feels. There’s no way I’m walking away tonight. “I can’t go far and we have to be sure I’m home exactly when I would have been if I stayed at work.”
He smiles at me and it gives me a case of the warm and fuzzies. Now, I’m apparently not only a pervert, but a slut too, because for the first time, Gabe makes me feel like Caleb does.
“I’ll take care of you. Your mom won’t suspect a thing.”
This rebel thing is kind of fun.
Giddy, I glance at the clock. Yikes! It’s already 7:45. “I need to hurry and finish these dishes if I want to get off in time.”
Gabe takes off his jacket, and pushes up the sleeves on his dark, button-up, expensive-looking shirt. “Scoot over. We’ll get these knocked out in no time.”
I might have squeed a little inside.
Chapter Nine
My hands are shaky as I open the passenger door for Gabe. It’s weird seeing a guy in Mom’s tiny car. She’s never dated and of course I never got to know my dad.
“Is there somewhere you want to go?” Gabe asks me.
My answer is embarrassing. “No… I don’t really know where we should go.” I know there are places people my age go, but the last thing I want to do is risk seeing the LP somewhere. “You?”
“New in town, remember?” He crosses his arms. “Hmm, I have an idea.”
I’m a little shocked when Gabe tells me to drive to the parking lot of the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes and on his instruction, I park under a street lamp that’s out of the way, but not completely isolated. What are we doing here? My thoughts must show on my face because Gabe immediately answers my question.
“We don’t want to go anywhere completely public and risk seeing someone who might mention to your mom they saw you. I thought you might not want to go anywhere completely private either, so this is all I could come up with.”
I feel like an idiot. Like he has to wear his kid gloves with me because I’m the girl with no friends. “I wouldn’t have minded somewhere private.”
Gabe smiles. “I guess I’m being a gentleman for no reason, then.”
We both laugh. The urge to ask him more about his parents and his life bubbles inside me, but I’m not sure how to bring it up. I’m apparently not very good at this friend thing. But he just seems so different. Like he’s seen so much and I wonder if it’s because of the way he grew up. He said he’s eighteen though
. Shouldn’t he have graduated by now, or if he does this year, is he leaving afterward?
“Want to play a game?” His blue eyes glint in the interior light and I notice the darker blond mixed in with his lighter yellow hair.
O-kay. Totally not what I expected us to do. “Um, sorry. I left my board games at home.”
“Very funny. I mean a get-to-know-you game. You ask me a question and then I ask you one.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he could read my mind. I’m of the thought that’s a little too close to believing in the impossible for comfort, so I don’t. “Sure. You want to go first?” Because I honestly don’t know what to ask him. I know what I want to know, but what if he’s talking about favorite colors and most embarrassing moments?
“As a matter of fact, I do.” He smiles. “What really happened to your forehead the other day?”
Ugh. Great. He has to go and start with a hard one. What happened to being a gentleman? What am I supposed to tell him? I’m known as the vamp freak and got cornered by Stacy Cavanaugh and her friends? But the lies are starting to pile up for me and I feel pretty bad about that, so I decide on a mostly-truth. “There’s this group of girls who don’t like me. They decided to show me how much. That’s all.”
The look on his face tells me he already knew it was something like that. “Why were you embarrassed to tell me that?”
“I don’t know.” Now that he mentioned it, it does seem silly. “I guess I just feel like an after school special or something. You know, being that girl in school. The one who’s teased all the time.”
“All the time? What about your friends?”
This sucks. Like deadly-vampire bite, suckage. “Really?”
Gabe touches my hand. It’s so different than when Caleb did it. They feel different. And with Gabe, it looks easier…like it’s not this internal war Caleb always seems to fight. “You agreed. It’s your turn next and I’ll be in the hot seat. You can trust me, Abigail.”