SCARS

  A couple of people raise their hands, but mine stay put. I know what they are, but I’m more interested in whether my stalker has answered me back yet or not. It’s important—one way or another—to find out if he is the one who did this to Max.

  I grab my bag and delicately pull my phone out while Miss Mullens isn’t watching. Once in my hand, I carefully glide it underneath my desk and dip my head down to look. I have it on silent, but my phone is flashing, alerting me to a possible message. I light it up and see it’s from him. I don’t know why, but I smile just before my thumb hovers over the message.

  “Lily, are you still with us?”

  My head snaps up to Miss Mullens as my heart reaches my mouth. “Yes, sorry.”

  She looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “Well, can you answer the question?”

  My face flames with embarrassment. I hadn’t been listening. “Um… Would you please repeat the question?”

  She sighs, and a couple of people giggle slightly. “The question I asked you to answer. The one on the board.” She points to the board, and sure enough, there’s Miss Mullens’ typically messy squiggle written in white chalk. I squint, trying to make it out. The teacher walks towards me and holds out her chalk. “Care to work this out in front of the class?”

  My face flames again, but I slip the phone in my pocket, get up, and do as she requests. I walk up to the board and take a good look at the equation.

  I think for a moment and start writing down the answer. Once done, I place the chalk down and turn to her with a smile. She looks shocked that I’ve managed to answer it correctly.

  Satisfied that I’ve done enough to get out of this, I start walking back to my desk, but Miss Mullens stops me in my tracks and holds one of her hands out. “I believe you’ve forgotten something.” She raises her eyebrow at me in challenge.

  I sigh, but dig my phone out and hand it to her. She smiles, walks back to her desk, places my phone in the middle, and turns to address the class. “Now that we have fewer distractions, we can get on with it. Unless anyone else wants their phones confiscated until the end of the day, I suggest you switch them off now.”

  I groan at the knowledge that I won’t see my phone for a few hours, but the noise I make is drowned out by the scraping of chairs. I look around and everyone is getting their phones out and either switching them off or putting them on silent. This sucks. At least they have them to switch back on once class is finished.

  I sink my head in my hands for a few seconds as I think about the fact that I won’t know his answer for a while.

  This is going to be a very long day.

  The day passes like it was on slow motion. I had no phone, and I hadn’t seen Christine all day. She either didn’t show up for the classes she was in with me, or she just didn’t show up. No one else had seen her, so I guessed it was the latter.

  Once I get my phone back from a very stern-looking Miss Mullens, I race outside before anyone else can stop me and start walking to catch a bus. As I do, I put my phone back on and quickly pull up the message I have been dying to see all day.

  SMIHG: He forced himself on you. What else did you expect me to do?

  My eyes widen, but focus again when I see that he sent another text about an hour after his first.

  SMIHG: Why aren’t you answering? Are you mad at me? Come on, Lily. You can’t expect me to not want to protect you from obviously unwanted advances.

  My heart speeds up again with the knowledge that he had hurt Max. He didn’t need to punch his lights out like he did. I hit REPLY.

  Me: I had my phone confiscated at school because YOU were distracting me. And by the way, FYI, I don’t need your “protection.” I told Max “no,” and he accepted it. There was no need to make his eye turn purple!

  I angrily hit SEND and start walking again.

  “Hey, wait up. Don’t you want me to give you a ride home?”

  I turn to find Max running towards me. I smile when I see him, but at the same time, now I feel guilty too. It was my fault that he had this bruised eye. “Sorry, Max. I’m a little distracted today.”

  He frowns at my expression. “So I see. What’s up?”

  I could answer with the words “a lot” in response to his question, but I don’t. “Christine didn’t show up for school today. I’m worried about her. I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days.”

  “Really? That’s not like her.”

  I nod my head in agreement. Christine usually loves the attention. “I know,” I say just as my phone pings. I look down at it, hoping Christine has answered, but it’s not from Christine. It’s from him.

  SMIHG: I like that I “distract” you. It makes me feel wanted. Oh, and FYI, tell Max that if he ever touches you again, he will be seeing just how hard I can punch with my other hand.

  Me: I can’t believe you. Don’t you dare go near him again.

  SMIHG: So him forcing himself on you was perfectly acceptable?

  I sigh and a voice startles me. “Are you okay?”

  I look up to Max and he’s squinting at me in the sun. As a result, he pulls his sunglasses out from his pocket and puts them on. “Yeah, sorry. It’s my mom asking me questions about dinner tonight.”

  Max chuckles and places his arm around me. “Your mom’s quite the cook. I remember that time when I came by a few years ago and she cooked me chicken parmesan. Best goddamned food I’ve ever had.”

  I look up at him with a cheeky smile. “Ohh… So, that’s why you came over. It wasn’t to see me. It was because of my mom’s cooking.”

  Max pulls me closer until our lips are almost touching. “You caught me,” he says in a whisper.

  My phone pings, making me jump. I glance down at it and see it’s from him again.

  SMIHG: He’s getting too close again.

  ME: Will you stop this?! Besides, how do you know what he’s doing?

  I’m not sure what to make of this guy. We’re not even an item, and yet he’s behaving like an overprotective boyfriend.

  “Are you ready to go?” I nod my head, but I’m distracted again when my phone alerts me to another message.

  SMIHG: Because he’s standing right next to you.

  I look up and the color drains from my face.

  He’s watching me? Right here? Right now?

  I hastily look around, but all I can see are the remaining kids from school either milling around or hitching a ride from their friends or family.

  “Lily, what’s wrong? It’s like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

  Max looks worried, and at first I don’t know how to answer. My heart seems to be stuck in my throat. “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw Christine. That’s all.”

  “Is everything okay with you two?”

  I sigh. “I don’t know. We had a little fight. Nothing major. I’m just concerned she hasn’t turned up at school because she’s trying to avoid me or something.”

  Max tugs at me to start walking, so I do. “Come on, let’s get you home. I doubt you have anything to worry about as far as Christine is concerned. She wouldn’t stay away from school just because of a little argument with you. Just think of all the attention she’s missed today.”

  I laugh, but say no more. As I settle into Max’s car, I can’t help but think something is wrong. Max is right, of course. Christine does love the attention she gets from everyone, but I can’t help but think her absence has something to do with what happened on Saturday.

  Just as Max pulls away from the sidewalk, my phone pings again. “Wow, you’re a popular girl this afternoon.”

  “I guess it has something to do with the fact that Miss Mullens took my phone from me this morning, and I didn’t get it back until about ten minutes ago.”

  He looks at the phone again and then back up at me. “Is it from your mom still?” He turns to face the road, so I press the button on my phone to see who it is. I’m thinking it’s from him again, but almost gasp when I see it’s from Christine.

&nb
sp; Christine: Hey. You want to meet up at Bernardo’s?

  “It’s from Christine. She wants to see me.”

  Max smiles. “See, she’s still talking to you.” I sigh with relief, but I’m still a little worried. “Where does she want to meet you?”

  “Bernardo’s.”

  “I’ll take you there now … if that’s what you want?”

  I smile at him. “That would be great. Thanks.” I then look down at my phone and hit REPLY.

  Me: On my way there now.

  Christine: Ok. See you there in five. xx

  The relief at seeing those two kisses at the end is immense. Maybe she isn’t angry with me anymore. I’m not sure why she would be, but she certainly seemed like she had a reason on Saturday.

  Almost exactly five minutes later, we pull up to the coffeehouse. “Thanks for the ride. It’s appreciated … as always.”

  Max smiles and takes my hand. “Anytime. Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow morning?”

  “That would be great. Thanks.”

  He picks up my hand and kisses it. “See you tomorrow, Lily.”

  “See you tomorrow,” I say, freeing my hand from his grip and getting out of the car.

  As I close the car door, Max speeds off, and I immediately spot Christine sitting in the corner. She’s holding up a cup of coffee to me with a smile. I smile back and walk in.

  “Peace offering,” she utters delicately.

  I sit myself down beside her and wave to Bernardo as I do. “Thanks.”

  Christine looks coy, and she never normally looks that way. I have an uneasy feeling seeing her like this. “I feel I owe you an apology. It’s the least I can do after the way I spoke to you.” She takes a little sip of her coffee. She looks uncomfortable apologizing. Christine has never had to apologize for anything before.

  “Is everything okay? I’ve been worried about you all weekend.”

  “You have?”

  I frown at her. “Don’t look so surprised. We are friends.”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry. I just haven’t been feeling very well, and it got me worrying.”

  “What are you worried about? That there might be something wrong?”

  Christine bites her lip. “Well, sort of. I’ve been feeling sick, and Saturday morning I realized I was two days late.”

  I sink back in my chair. “Shit.”

  She nods her head. “Yeah, shit. I’m sorry. I should have told you. It was on my mind the whole time, and I still didn’t feel well yesterday. In the end, I got a pregnancy test and did it last night.”

  I lean forward again, eager to hear the answer. “And?”

  “It was negative.” She sighs as if in relief.

  “Well, thank fuck for that!”

  “My sentiments exactly.”

  I watch as she shakes her head. “But you’re still unwell?”

  “Oh, I’m a lot better now. My mom took me to the doctor, and they said that some virus was going around. He said that with plenty of rest and fluids, I should be okay to go back to school in a couple of days.”

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed now? I don’t want you to get even sicker.”

  She smiles. “I feel a lot better now. Besides, I wanted to come and see you to apologize for my behavior. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that.”

  I grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay. I understand why now. All I ask is that—next time—please talk to me first.”

  She vehemently shakes her head. “I’m going to make sure there’s never a next time. I never want to worry that I’m pregnant again. Well, unless it’s because I want to be … when I’m much older, of course.”

  I start laughing and pick up my coffee for a sip. “I understand that. What I really meant to say is that if you ever have something bothering you like that again, please come to me. I won’t judge, and I won’t tell anyone. You’re my friend, and I care about you.”

  She sighs with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  With all forgotten, we go on to talk about other things, including the upcoming dance. It reminded me again of what happened on Saturday. “I have something for you, but it’s back at my house. Do you want me to bring it into school for you in a couple of days?”

  Her eyes widen. “No. If it’s a surprise, I want to see it now. I’m impatient like that. Besides, you’re going to need a ride home, aren’t you?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “It’s only a twenty-minute walk back.”

  She nudges me. “Don’t be silly. I want to see what you got me anyway.”

  I smirk. “You seriously can’t wait?”

  She shakes her head. “Whenever have you known me to wait for anything?”

  I laugh. “That’s true.” I tug at her arm and make a move to get up. “Come on then. No time like the present.” I’m suddenly excited about showing her. I know she’s going to love it once she sees it.

  We both make a hasty retreat outside the coffeehouse—our coffees still with us. “So, how was school today?” Christine asks as she pulls away from the sidewalk.

  I shake my head as I think about it. “Well, Max has a nice shiner on his right eye, I got my phone confiscated, and Jerry is still a douche… Oh, and Max apologized for Friday night.”

  Christine stares out the window in confusion. “Hold up,” she says, putting her hand in the air. “You need to rewind here. What’s all this about Max?”

  Oh, shit. I haven’t told Christine anything about what happened between Max and me after the party on Friday.

  I take a deep breath. “Okay. Long story short, Max tried to kiss me Friday night, I turned him down, and once he got home, he was jumped by someone who punched him.”

  She gasps. “Oh my God! Is he okay? What was stolen?”

  I bite my lip, already knowing exactly who had done this. “That’s the weird thing about it. He didn’t steal anything.”

  “That is a little weird. Didn’t he see who did it?”

  I wince, knowing what’s coming next. She’s going to find out sooner or later once she gets back to school, and if I don’t tell her now, she’ll get suspicious. “All he said was that he thought it was a guy with tattoos.” Just as expected, she turns to me, but in doing so, she almost hits the car in front that’s stopped at a red light. She slams on the brakes, and the tires screech. “Shit, Christine!”

  “Sorry,” she splutters. “He had tattoos? Just like SMIHG.”

  I nod my head. “I know it sounds coincidental, but—”

  “Coincidental?” she interrupts. “It has to be him, doesn’t it?” She shakes her head. “Wow, this guy has a serious crush on you. Max hits on you and then he gets punched. Come on, you’ve got to admit it sounds plausible.”

  “I must admit, it did cross my mind.”

  “If only we knew who he was. Have you heard from him since Friday?”

  “No,” I lie.

  Why am I lying to her? She’s already aware of him, so why am I still keeping it a secret?

  “Hmm,” she ponders a moment, but then smiles. “Don’t you think it’s kind of sexy?”

  I frown. “What?”

  “I wish I had a man who fought for me in the way that this guy did. Was Max forceful with you?”

  I look out the window for a moment, trying to figure out how to best answer her question. “I guess he was until I pushed him away. Once I did that, he retreated.”

  “Sounds to me he got what he had coming.”

  “Christine!” I shout, unable to fathom what she’s saying.

  “What? Max was out of line. He needed someone to teach him a lesson.”

  “I don’t think getting punched in the face was the lesson he needed. You haven’t seen him, Christine. It looks really sore.” I sigh, looking away again and back out the window.

  “Okay. I’m sorry. Maybe it was harsh. I guess I’m just trying to say that it’s nice to know that someone is out there looking out for you.” I watch her expression change suddenly. It?
??s almost as if she’s trying to work something out. “Hold on… How did he know what Max did unless he was …” her words trail off as her eyes widen. “He must have followed you home.” I don’t say anything, so she turns to me. “Well, that has to be it, right? You have a tattooed stalker.” She starts chuckling.

  “I don’t think this is very funny.”

  She clears her throat. “Sorry. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to go to the police?”

  “And say what? That I made out with some guy I’ve never met before, and he punched my friend later on for kissing me? ‘I’m sorry, Officer, but I don’t know what he looks like. All I know is that he has tattoos, and my friend Christine and I call him Seven Minutes in Heaven Guy.’ Can you imagine how that would look?”

  She parks up by my house and turns to me with a smirk. “I think I get where you’re coming from. It does sound a little cray-cray.” She waves her fingers by the side of her head and goes cross-eyed to emphasize the craziness.

  “Yeah, it does. This kind of shit doesn’t happen in the real world.”

  Christine opens up her door and steps out, so I do the same. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Lots of women get stalked.”

  I shut my door, and we start walking up to my house. “Yes, but how many of those women have played Seven Minutes in Heaven with their stalkers?”

  She points at me with a frown. “Fair point.” She turns her head back to the house and frowns again. “What’s that?”

  I look to where’s she’s pointing and sure enough there’s a lily sitting by the door. This one is red today. I wonder if that’s to tell me how mad he is. I internally shake my head. This is ridiculous.

  As get closer, I pick it up. “It’s a lily.”

  Christine glowers at me like she believes I think she’s stupid. “Yes, I know what that is. But what is it doing by your door?”

  I shrug, trying to feign ignorance. “I don’t know. I think it’s someone playing a prank on me. My name is Lily after all.” I hold the lily up in front of her. “This is a lily.”

  She rolls her eyes at me. “There’s something you’re not telling me. This isn’t the first time you’ve found a lily at your door. You didn’t look surprised at all. Am I right?”