Contradictions

  “Whatever. I plead that.”

  Fran looked at us appraisingly. “I didn’t know you two were hooking up.”

  Trent turned away, but I laughed. Fran might be the only woman her age that used the term “hooking up.” If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn on a stack of Bibles that she was my biological mom. She had my foul mouth and sassy attitude. I’d gravitated toward her when I was much younger, sensing a kindred spirit. Mom tried to curb my fascination with Fran when I was eight because she thought my colorful language came from hanging around Fran’s store too much. It was no use, though. Fran and I were thick as thieves. Even when I was pranking her customers, she still kept me around.

  “Trent is tutoring me,” I replied, winking at Fran.

  She cackled at my words. “Is that the new word for it? In that case, I remember tutoring when I was younger. My lips saw more action than my schoolbooks.”

  “Fran, you dirty dog. I knew you were a tramp.”

  “Watch your mouth, missy, or I’ll be washing it out.”

  I snorted. She was a fine one to talk. “I learned from the master,” I teased.

  “I have no idea what you’re referring to. I’m nothing but a poor old lonely woman.” She looked at us innocently, but her eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “My ass. What about Mr. James and his afternoon visits?” I said, looping my arm through hers.

  “Bite your tongue. One thing you still need to learn, my dear, is that a lady never talks, especially when his kin is standing less than two feet away,” she said, laughing at Trent, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

  “You were just trying to pry into my love life and now you want to hold back on your own dirty deets? How fair is that?”

  “Honey, when you’re as old as I am, you don’t care about being fair.”

  “Obviously not,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Now, tell me everything that’s been going on. I feel like I’ve missed a whole season of my favorite show being away from here.”

  Fran needed no further prompting as we walked toward the town square. She launched into a full-scale account of everything that had been going on in the last few months while I’d been away at school. Trent trailed behind us silently. By the time we got to the square in front of the small city hall building, I felt like I’d been caught up on all the melodramas.

  “Who’s Mayor Fedderman dressed up like this year?” I asked, searching the crowd.

  “Oh, I can’t say. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. Just put it this way: You young people won’t be disappointed.”

  Trent, who had been silent during the short walk, finally piped in. “It can’t be any better than last year when he dressed up like Cleopatra.”

  “Oh, honey darlin’, it makes Cleopatra look tame.”

  Trent and I exchanged a look. Mayor Fedderman’s costumes were legendary. Much to the dismay of his wife of twenty-five years, Edith, Mayor Fedderman chose to dress up like a famous woman every year. Besides Cleopatra, some of his other memorable years included Jackie Kennedy, Amelia Earhart, and Oprah Winfrey.

  The town square was crowded with festival booths that ranged from food stands to arts and crafts for sale. The Woodfalls annual Halloween festival was legendary and drew crowds from several counties. Woodfalls used it as a way to fund school functions for the entire year. That’s why everyone in the community got behind it. During my senior year in high school, the festival raised enough money to send us to Washington, DC, for our senior trip.

  Fran ditched us when she spotted Mr. James across the courtyard.

  Her absence left an awkward gap between Trent and me for some reason. Maybe it was the knowing stares we were getting from the other residents. I knew I was going to have to eat crow when I showed up with Trent beside me. As much as I loved Woodfalls, 99.9 percent of the residents were total gossip whores. I felt a moment of panic. Was I really ready to admit to everyone I’d known all my life that I was dating the one guy I swore I’d never date? “You want to go say hi to your granddad?”

  “I’ll see him around. Besides, him and Fran flirting is not something I need a front-row seat for,” he said, shuddering.

  “Oh come on. It’s sweet. Besides, old people can get nasty too.”

  “La-la-la-la. I’m not listening to you,” he chanted, covering his ears with his hands.

  I could barely talk from laughing so hard. “I bet she knows just what he likes,” I said, yanking at his arms.

  “Gah, stop it. That’s so not cool.”

  More and more people stopped in the middle of their conversations and activities to stare at us. In a matter of minutes, we would be the talk of the entire festival. Maybe if I put a little space between us, everyone would think Trent and I had just run into each other.

  Trent laced his fingers through mine, claiming ownership of our new relationship. So much for my plan. I guessed there was nothing I could do except follow along.

  Trying to ignore the whispers and stares, I dragged Trent over to the long row of food tents on the east side of the square. My mouth started watering as I breathed in the aroma of greasy foods that were all a heart attack waiting to happen. Fried food may be the downfall of mankind, but damn if it didn’t taste like a small slice of heaven. At least it would help take my mind off everyone watching us.

  “Do you want to eat now?” Trent asked. “Or do you want to pull off the Band-Aid first?”

  “Band-Aid?”

  “You know, face the firing squad. Admit that you’re dating Nerd Boy.”

  He had a point. I should be ashamed of myself for caring what any of the busybodies around here thought. It took a lot to embarrass me. Hell, I had done things in this town that would make Charlie Sheen blush. I needed to stop acting like such a wishy-washy wimp-ass.

  Dropping Trent’s hand, I turned to face him. His eyes held no judgment, but I would have deserved it if they had. Stepping closer to him, I could see the surprise in his eyes, despite the dim light as the sun dipped down in the horizon, when I looped my arms around his neck.

  “There’s no Band-Aid to pull off,” I said, bringing my lips to his. It was time for me to go ahead and lay my claim. Go big or go home.

  18.

  Word of my impulsive display of affection spread through the festival like a match held close to an old brittle newspaper. I didn’t feel boxed in like I had been expecting. Instead, I felt proud to be on Trent’s arm as we chatted with friends from high school and eventually our own families when we ran into them.

  Despite seeing me with Trent, my dad’s only concern was my probation at MSC. He had already received an update from Professor N and was pleased with my improvement. He asked if the police officers from David’s case had been in contact with me.

  “Only to return my phone. The fraternity suffered a lot. His parents were gunning for someone to be held responsible for what happened.”

  Mom clucked her tongue. “I don’t blame them. I couldn’t imagine being in their shoes, but I suspect my reaction would be similar to theirs if I ever lost your brother or you in a senseless accident.”

  I nodded. During the last month, I’d given everything that happened a lot of thought. I understood where David’s parents were coming from, but deep down, I knew it was an accident. We were all stupid that night and every night before that, but I wasn’t sure I agreed with some of the punishments that had been handed out to the fraternity. One thing was certain: The ripple effect of David’s accident would be felt for a long time.

  Dad changed the conversation after that, which I was thankful for. It was still upsetting to think about that night, and I had chosen to block it from my mind.

  After a few minutes of idle chitchat about how long we’d been dating, Trent asked if I wanted to visit the haunted house at the library.

  “Sure. It’s always on my list, even though I hate when people jump out at me. I always feel like I need to punch them or something to defend myself.”

  “Pleas
e don’t do that,” my mom ordered. “Your brother is working in the haunted house this year, and I’d rather he didn’t get a black eye from his big sister.”

  “Why? That punk totally deserves it for what he did to my Jeep this summer,” I grumbled, remembering the blown-up condoms that had covered every square inch of my Jeep.

  Both Dad and Trent laughed at the now-infamous condom incident.

  “That wasn’t one of my finer moments of being a parent to you two heathens,” Mom mused.

  “He was just expressing his displeasure over the sex ed class they forced him to take at school.” Dad laughed again.

  “Yeah, but that creep even tagged the picture on Facebook, so everyone in the world could see it.”

  Everyone laughed at my expense. That was fine with me. It would make my revenge that much sweeter on both him and his partner in crime, John. Giving Mom a kiss on the cheek, I told her if we didn’t see them again at the festival, I would see them at home later. Trent and I had decided that if we were going to come home for the festival, we might as well stay for the weekend. Now that everyone knew about us, I was glad I had agreed.

  The haunted house was the most popular part of the festival, so the line was always long. To make it spookier, they waited until the sun went down and only took in small groups of six people at a time. The haunted house weaved through the library, but also extended into the forest behind the building. It took a good twenty minutes to walk through it.

  By the time Pam, who controlled the line, chauffeured our group in, I had already freaked myself out in anticipation over what waited for us. I was by no means a chicken, but I hated walking through dark places and found myself cowering against Trent as we entered the first room.

  “You do know it’s fake, right?” He slid an arm around me to pull me close as he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes, but it doesn’t make it any less scary,” I answered, snuggling into the crook of his arm. He tightened his arm protectively around me when someone dressed like a mummy jumped out, making two tween-aged girls in our group shriek with fear. I found his protectiveness extremely sexy, and being wrapped in his arms in the dark, I could think of a few other things I would have liked to be doing in lieu of walking with a couple of squealing girls.

  The scares continued throughout the rest of the haunted house. I had to admit, the performers were acting their parts with gusto this year. The two loudest members of our group chickened out just as we were about to enter the forest section, which left just Trent, me, and a couple I didn’t recognize.

  The soft hue of the moon provided just enough light to keep the forest from being blacked out. After walking for a few minutes past fake webs with overgrown spiders and a pack of mutinous werewolves, I spotted a break in the trees and pulled Trent off the path so we could be alone.

  “Are we allowed to leave the tour like this?” He looked around like he expected someone to catch us.

  “That’s the fun part of being bad,” I said. “I had something else in mind that we could do out here, but we can go back if you want.” I pulled him toward me, pressing my lips to his. He was a willing participant and returned my kiss with so much vigor my legs were literally shaking by the time we separated. It was all I could do to resist the urge to push him on the ground and straddle him. The steady pulsing of desire was making every nerve ending feel like it had been charged with electricity.

  He cupped my face between his hands. Even in the faint light, I could make out his features and the intensity behind his stare. “I’d always imagined you kissing me like that,” he said, stroking a finger over my bottom lip.

  I sucked his finger into my mouth, wanting his desire to match mine. I swirled my tongue around, smiling with triumph when he moaned with pleasure. My actions fueled his fire as he slid his free hand inside my jacket. His palm stroked across the bare skin of my abdomen before making its way to my lower back and then down to my ass. Pulling his finger from my mouth, he tugged me tightly against his hips, allowing me to feel his body’s reaction to me. I let my hands wander, sliding them down between his legs. To say he was ready was an understatement. His hands shimmied underneath my costume, finding nothing but my bare-skinned ass. Our kiss had become a dance of seduction. I nearly lost the last shred of self-control I was holding when he gently sucked my tongue into his mouth and began grinding his hips against mine.

  “I’d say get a room, but damn if this isn’t hot,” a snide familiar voice said, breaking through our haze of desire. “Once a slut, always a slut, I guess.”

  I could feel Trent stiffen. I pulled away from him and stepped back. Pivoting around, I stepped in front of Trent, hoping to shield him from what was sure to be a slew of insults. Jackson stood before us with his typical shit-eating grin. I wanted to pick up a stick and knock that smile off his face. Trent shocked me by wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I found his actions endearing. Stupid, but endearing. Compared to Trent, Jackson was a bear and would most likely sweep the forest with him.

  “Jackson, are you lost? I’m surprised your mom let you go to a haunted house all by your little self, or is she waiting for you on the other side?” I made a point of looking around him like I was searching for her.

  “Same old Tressa. Can’t come up with any new material, so you insult my mom. What a surprise.”

  “Actually, that was meant for you, stupid, but ten bucks says I’m right.” There had never been any love lost between his mom and me. Ultimately, I’d come to realize that Jackson was exactly like her.

  “You’re just upset because she saw the person you really are.” His tone was mild, but I knew him well enough to know he was mad.

  “What do you want, Jackson?” I sighed, deciding it wouldn’t be worth it to allow things to escalate further.

  “I heard you shacked up with fucktard here and I had to see if the rumors were true for myself. I can’t believe you’re that hard up you’d sleep with this pencil dick,” he said, nodding at Trent. “If you’re that hard up for cock, I can give you a freebie. If you ask me nicely,” he said, cupping his hand behind his ear.

  My fist clenched and I was on the verge of thrusting my knee at the cock he’d just offered me when another fist came up from behind me and clocked him in the mouth. The power behind the punch hit Jackson like a Mack truck and had him sinking to his knees with his head snapping back from the impact.

  “In case you missed it, you lug nut, that’s a no to your offer,” Trent said, grabbing my hand and dragging me around Jackson’s body, which was now flat on the ground.

  My jaw dropped at the sight of Jackson touching his now-busted lip. As Trent and I made our way out of the forest, I stumbled over downed tree branches with my mind stuck on what had just transpired. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.

  This was the first time a guy I was dating had stood up for me. At that moment, nothing else mattered. I didn’t care about how different we were or that we were a complete and utter contradiction. Trent had stolen my heart.

  For the rest of the evening, it was I who clung to Trent’s hand. I wanted everyone in Woodfalls to know he belonged to me. Hell, I wanted the word to spread that he had just kicked Jackson’s ass, but I left it alone. Seeing it for myself was enough. The best part was that it hadn’t ruined the evening. Trent acted like nothing even happened.

  We couldn’t tell which of us was having more fun as we moved from one game booth to the next, trying to win worthless prizes for my roommates. I was convinced I needed to win a goldfish for Cameo, even though I felt sorry for them in their little glass bowls.

  Unfortunately, it turned out that both Trent and I were equally bad at bouncing a Ping-Pong ball into one of the glass bowls. My lack of skill was no surprise. At MSC, I always lost at beer pong. Since drinking was a perk of losing, I never felt my lack of skill was a downfall. Here at the festival, with no booze as a consolation prize, I was only losing my money. I plunked another five-dollar bill on the counter
to try again. “Cameo better appreciate this if I win.”

  Trent was so bad at the game, he had been banned from playing again. He had already spent ten bucks with nothing to show for it. Unless you counted dirty looks from the people running the game when he lost three Ping-Pong balls after they bounced off the sides of the bowls and were swallowed up by the darkness.

  “Here, blow on this one.” I held up my last ball in front of Trent’s mouth so he could blow on it for good luck. “This is it. If this one doesn’t make it, I’m out. I will not let this game make me its bitch.” My comment was greeted with a gasp of disgust from behind me. Turning around, I watched a mom dragging her two young kids from the booth. “Oops,” I said as she glared at me.

  “Corrupting another generation?” my brother, Chris, asked after suddenly appearing at my side. “Is it not bad enough that you corrupted your own flesh and blood?”

  “You wish. You were rotten before you even clawed your way out of the womb.” I slung an arm affectionately around his shoulders. He was a total punk, but I was crazy about him.

  “Come on, not in front of the guys, Tress,” Chris said, looking over at his buddies with embarrassment. He tried to squirm away, but I tightened my arm around him. I was going to kiss his cheek, but ended up licking it instead.

  The look of disgust on his face was priceless as his friends hooted with laughter.

  “It’s definitely on now,” he threatened, squirming away.

  “Don’t even waste your time, junior. It’s not going to happen in this lifetime.” I socked his arm.

  “Whatevs. One of these days, when you’re least expecting it.” I laughed at his words as his friends cackled with glee. He ignored us, pulling out his wallet. “Give me one,” he said, plopping a dollar on the counter.

  “One?” I scoffed. “I wouldn’t put my wallet away, big spender.” My words had barely left my mouth when his one solitary Ping-Pong ball fell cleanly into the narrow opening of one of the glass bowls. To add insult to injury, both his cronies made their shots too. Great, they had a bright future in beer ponging.