Learning to Live (The Infinite Love Series Book 1)

  I break my eyes away from them, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks again.

  Today just keeps getting fucker better and better.

  Chapter Six

  Ciera

  I got off work early tonight, a rare occurrence for me. Turns out we were deader than they had expected they would be, so I took advantage of my free time to call up the number for the hair stylist Madalynne suggested. I don’t have a cellphone. We’ve never been able to afford one, so I’ve always been thankful my job allows me to use the phone whenever I need.

  Carly was at work and apparently free and suggested I drop by, so I walked there, happy her salon was coincidentally on the same side of town as my job. I’m out of breath when I walk in. There isn’t anyone in the salon, except for a couple of hairdressers, none of whom I know to be Carly, and then I notice Madalynne is also there.

  “Hey,” I greet her timidly as I enter the salon.

  “Hey,” she replies warmly. “Carly let me know you took her up on that favor, so I figured I’d drop by to make sure she doesn’t mess up your hair or anything.”

  My eyes grow wide and Madalynne starts giggling.

  “I’m only joking. Carly is fabulous. One of the best, for sure. I just figured you might like some moral support.”

  I smile back at her. I still have no idea why she is being so nice to me.

  A fire-engine redhead with tattoos and piercings walks up to us. “You must be Ciera.” She sticks out her hand for me to shake. Her green eyes are sparkling and she has a captivating smile. She has cheek piercings which create dimples and I rather like it on her.

  I take her hand and shake it.

  “So, Madalynne told me what those bitches did to you at school today.” Her face crinkles up with concern.

  “Yeah,” I respond, looking down at my shoes.

  “Well, don’t worry, you’re in luck. We’re going to have you looking fabulous in no time!”

  I can’t help but smile. Between Carly and Madalynne, I’ve never been treated so well in my life.

  “Come on.” Carly motions for me to follow her. Madalynne and I walk behind her to her station. Once I’m seated and she has draped a cover over my body she twirls my chair so I am facing the mirror.

  I hate looking in the mirror. Besides the whirlpool of blue in my eyes, I don’t really have much going for me. I’m rather a plain Jane. I don’t even wear makeup. One, I don’t know how to apply the stuff and two, I can’t afford it. I’ve always wondered what I would look like with a little mascara or lipstick.

  Carly grabs my hair and pulls it past my chin. “So, unfortunately, we are going to have to go short. But, I can do lots of layers and maybe we can even throw in some darker shades of blond. What do you think?”

  I’ve never dyed my hair in my life. I can’t even imagine what it would look like. “I appreciate the offer, but as I already told Madalynne…I don’t have any money to spare right now.”

  Carly giggles as she begins to grab her utensils out of a drawer. “Oh, don’t you worry. Just leave everything up to me!”

  An hour and a half later and I feel like a new person altogether. Between the haircut, style, and color, it really brings attention to my eyes. I’ve never felt beautiful before, but for the first time ever, I feel worthy of someone’s attention.

  “Oh my God!” Madalynne squeals, throwing her hands over her mouth. “Ciera, you look so good!”

  I break out into a small smile, touching my hair. I love it.

  “You are going to be breaking some hearts, that’s for sure,” Carly says softly.

  I grab my glasses from the countertop and begin to slip them back on.

  “Have you ever tried contacts before?” Madalynne asks.

  I shake my head. “No. I have some, I just…the idea of sticking my finger in my eye sort of freaks me out.”

  Carly chuckles. “I totally get it. But look at these.” She points at her vivid emerald green eyes. “Did you really think these were real?”

  “I…um…well…”

  She giggles as Madalynne joins in.

  “Naturally, I have brown eyes. But so boring, right? I love these!”

  I nod smiling.

  “Thank you so much Carly, I really mean it. I don’t know how I will be able to pay you back…or Madalynne for that matter.” She removes the cover with all my hair clippings and drops them to the floor.

  “It’s no biggie. Plus, you’ll come back and see me, right?” She winks.

  I nod. “I don’t even know if I can afford you though.”

  She smiles, her green eyes sparkling. “Oh Ciera, don’t be silly, you get the friends and family discount.”

  I blush. I’ve never had any friends other than Mack, and in one full day I’ve gained two. A day that started shitty ends up being one of the best days of my life.

  “What do you have planned the rest of the night?” Madalynne asks, her brown eyes boring into mine.

  I shrug. “Nothing really…why?”

  “Well, if you’re cool with it, I was thinking maybe we could hang out a bit more. I know there is a football game tonight, if you’d like to go.”

  Madalynne wants to hang out with me? Like…voluntarily? I swear I’m hallucinating.

  I haven’t been to any of the football games. Mack and I don’t really care for the sport all that much and there has never been anyone I’ve wanted to hang out with there before. But, when a member of the A-Team is actually being nice to you, you can’t pass it up.

  “That would be nice,” I reply.

  “Cool.”

  We say goodbye to Carly and begin walking out to Madalynne’s car.

  “Hey, there’s a few pit stops we need to make before the game.” She looks at her watch. “I think we can make it.”

  The pit stops she is referring to turn out to be my house and the mall. First she urges me to run inside and grab my contacts and solution, which have all never been used before. I do as she asks, but barely make it back outside again, as my mom and siblings hold me up, ogling over my appearance.

  By the time we head to the mall, we have less than forty five minutes until the game. We head into a boutique-looking store called Maurice’s, and Madalynne eyes me up and down. “What size are you?”

  I want to bury myself under a rock. Well, I’m definitely not a size four like you! My cheeks begin burning up.

  She senses the uncomfortable tension in the air. “Look, we’re friends…right? I’m not going to judge you.”

  She’s acknowledging the fact that we are friends. This morning I started the day out with one friend, and I’m going to be ending the night with three. It still feels surreal. I nod, swallowing my fear down. “I’m not really sure. I wear my mother’s clothes, and I’m pretty sure we are not the same size.”

  Madalynne shrugs. “No big deal. Let me grab someone to help us.”

  As it turns out, I am a size eleven. Double digits. But, Madalynne must have known something prior to bringing me in this store, because they have clothes ranging all the way up to a size twenty four. Madalynne rushes around the store grabbing a handful of clothes, and pushes me into a dressing room. She urges me to make it quick, and I do my best. Although she knows I have no money to pay for any of it, she continues to urge me to try on everything she finds.

  When I get to a flowery, yellow sundress, Madalynne’s eyes brighten. “That’s the one.”

  I look down at the dress, and then back up to her. I love it. I loved it the minute I had it on. But she can’t be serious.

  She asks the sales lady to grab some brown cowgirl boots, and has me try them on with the dress. Then she walks me to the full-length mirror.

  “Look.” She motions toward the mirror.

  I do, and I swear a complete stranger is looking back at me. If it weren’t for the glasses, I wouldn’t even recognize myself. She’s good.

  She turns to the sales lady. “We’ll take it.”

  A worried expression spills across my face. I alread
y owe you for the haircut and now clothes too?

  She shakes her head dismissively. “Stop worrying. You don’t have to pay me back.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” I know it’s a repetitive question, but it’s been gnawing at me all day.

  Her face falls. “One day you are going to realize that there are good people out there in the world. I just so happen to be one of them.”

  I take her word for it, and we make one more pit stop to her house before the game. She helps me figure out how to put my contacts in, which is just as difficult as it seems, and then she insists on applying some eyeliner, blush, mascara, and a touch of lipstick to me. When I look at myself in the mirror afterward, the girl staring back at me is not someone I dreamed I’d ever get the chance to know. I look like a completely new person. The make-up and dress enhance my eye color, and I look happy.

  I don’t know how I am ever going to be able to reciprocate. What Madalynne did for me…speaks volumes about her character. I’m more excited about my new friend than I am about my transformation. My stomach fills with butterflies as we head to the game. I want to call Mack so badly and invite him, but I don’t have a cell phone and frankly, I don’t have his number on me.

  I’m nervous what people are going to say or think about us showing up to the game together. I’m nervous I am going to regret it. But I finally feel ready to hold my head up high. I’m not the same girl who’s been bullied for the past six years. I’m not the same girl who let the A-Team treat her like complete and utter shit this morning. I feel rejuvenated. I feel alive.

  Chapter Seven

  Topher

  We lost the game. The first game of the season we’ve lost and it’s all my fault. If I wasn’t so preoccupied being worried about my father, and his special friend in the stands, I may have not fumbled the passes. One of my teammates mentions that my father is waiting outside the locker room for me, but I can’t even bare to look at him, so I slip out the opposite entrance and out the front of the school. The party is still on, we all need to lick our wounds, and alcohol will be a great distraction.

  When I make it to my car, I notice Sophia leaning against it. “Hey, your dad was looking for you…did he find you?”

  I nod quickly. “Yeah, I already talked to him.” I have no energy to tell her the truth, nor want to.

  “Who was that guy with him?” she asks curiously as I unlock the doors of the Porsche.

  I shrug. “I’ve never met him before.”

  We climb into the car, and I speed all the way to Joe’s.

  I can feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, but I ignore it. I know exactly who is on the other end. The reason I lost the game for our team tonight. No one else knows what really happened, and they have been supportive even though I could see the frustration on their faces. The win should have been in the bag. Especially against a team like Central…but I’m the fuck-up who ruined our undefeated title; our winning streak.

  “Are you okay?” Sophia asks from beside me. I can feel her green eyes boring into the side of my face.

  I turn my head to meet her gaze and then switch it back to the road. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You’ve just been really quiet, and you’re driving like a lunatic!” I steal another glance her way, noticing just how terrified she looks.

  I flick my eyes to the speedometer. Crap. I’m going seventy in a thirty. Maybe I should slow down just a bit. I ease my foot down on the brake, noticing some of the tension leave her body as she exhales deeply…almost like she’s been holding her breath.

  When we walk into Joe’s house, half the team is there along with a handful of the cheerleading team and other jocks. I head straight to the kitchen where there is an assortment of hard liquor and beer sitting on the countertop.

  I notice some of my peers already taking shots, and I grab one of the small glasses myself, filling it to the brim with tequila. I’m three shots deep by the time Sophia emerges beside me.

  “Shots?” she asks surprisingly, knowing I prefer beer.

  I nod. “You want one?’

  She grabs a clean shot glass off the counter, and hands it to me.

  I fill it halfway knowing she can’t handle as much alcohol as me. I clink my shot glass with hers, and down my fourth one in less than ten minutes. She grimaces, quickly grabbing for a lime slice off the counter, and sinking her teeth into it.

  “So, I’m afraid to ask what happened, man.” Joe slaps me on the back, opening up a Bud Light and taking a swig off of it.

  I shake my head back and forth. “Can we talk about this another day? Like…any day but today? I just want to enjoy myself after that shit storm.”

  His eyebrow raises slightly, and then he nods, a tight smile forming at his lips. More commotion comes from the front of the house as people continue to arrive. I notice Parker making his way toward us.

  “Hey,” he greets us as he walks around the island in the middle of the kitchen, helping himself to a beer. “So…that was some game…” he treads lightly, his eyes darting between Joe and me.

  “Oh, hell!” I throw my hands in the air in surrender, and then march away from the scene. I push my way past the slew of our peers lining the hall, and into the living room. Just as I enter, I notice the front door open and Madalynne, Parker’s girlfriend enters. But that isn’t what stops me dead in my tracks. It’s who is with her. Ciera.

  This day just keeps getting weirder.

  What the hell is Madalynne doing with Ciera and why the hell would she bring her to one of our parties? Ciera would never be invited, much less step foot in any of these things voluntarily. My eyes are fixated on the pair as they make their way inside. I feel frozen in place.

  I’m still not sure if she saw Sophia and me earlier behind the bleaches or if my eyes deceived me, but when her eyes meet mine, I know something has changed. I’ve never seen her look anyone in the eyes.

  She holds my gaze for what feels like an eternity, and then breaks the stare on her own accord when Madalynne begins to pull her toward the kitchen. Unable to stop my curiosity, I follow the pair. I watch from a distance as Madalynne embraces her boyfriend, and then introduces Ciera and Parker. He warmly shakes her hand, and then offers them both a drink.

  Joe is eyeing Ciera from head to toe. I can tell he is trying to remember where he knows her from. Funny that someone who has made it their life mission to embarrass the girl, can’t even recognize her, even with her make-over.

  Sophia is glaring at Ciera, and I know she doesn’t need a refresher course. “What the hell are you doing here?” She exclaims, venom dripping off of her voice.

  I inch closer, wanting to see how it all will play out.

  “I invited her,” Madalynne says sharply, handing Ciera a mixed drink.

  Sophia’s death glare turns to Madalynne. “What in the hell gives you the right to invite that trash to our party?”

  Joe is chuckling from behind his beer, enjoying the drama playing out right in front of him.

  “Chill out, Sophia,” Parker warns her. “You wouldn’t want anyone to think you’re jealous now, would you?”

  I can’t help stifling a laugh. I love that he has no problem putting her in her place.