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“Why did you break up with him?” Declan
asked.

I shushed him “Can you keep it down. He
really wasn’t my type.” I said in a softer voice and, now that I
thought about it, he really wasn’t. “Why are you so
interested?”

“Just curious, since I got my own car I've
been driving to school and we haven't really chatted lately.”

“Hmm” was all I said and I started walking to
the doors with him slowly.

“Did you know you are the first girl in
history to ever break up with Cale Winters? It's awesome! A lot of
us guys loved hearing it.”

“I didn't break up with him because it's a
game to me you know; I didn't intend to hurt him and I certainly
didn’t want to be the first one to break up with him. He just was
sort of boring, so serious all the time.” I heard a little chuckle
behind me. I turned and noticed none of the other wrestlers were
talking; they were all trying to chime in on our conversation. I
said to all of them “Guys are the worst gossips I swear! Mind your
own business, besides, I'm sure Declan will give you a full
play-by-play in the locker room.” I waved them on to pass us.

As the wrestlers were filtering out of the
room, I happened to lock eyes with Jett just for a moment. Declan
made sure everyone was out of ear shot and asked me straight out
“Did you break up with Cale because of Jett?”

“What do you mean?” I asked “Why would I do
that? I don't even know Jett, I've met him once.”

“Well I heard you broke it off with Cale, and
I noticed you around Jett so I put two and two together.”

“You noticed me huh. That obvious?”

“Oh yeah, she's crushing on Jett.” Nic said
walking toward us.

“Declan, I really don’t want to talk about
this with you, I don’t want rumors floating around the locker room.
And I didn't just break up with Cale to go after Jett. I know
you're going right back in that locker room to tell the guys
everything, to give them the scoop.” I felt a tingle at the back of
my neck, my senses were perking up.

“I promise I won't tell them anything you
tell me about Jett, and I apologize for that too….
but
….. I
gotta tell them all about Cale, it's just too funny and juicy to
keep to myself. I'm asking as a friend, besides I’m friends with
Jett. I can put a good word in for ya.... ya know he asked about
you.”

“What? What did he say? And what are you
apologizing for? Is that how Storm knew....?” I asked slowly and
cautiously. ”Huh, Declan!” I put my hand over my mouth, I shouldn't
have been shocked but I knew; he was my leak.

“I thought you liked him...”

I just smiled. “Well that doesn't mean you go
tell the whole school, and shouldn't you have checked with me
first. Maybe find out for a fact that I really liked him before
blabbing to people.”

“I apologized for that and from now on, I
promise I'll check in with you first, but it wasn't like I planned
on telling anyone. Storm and I were just having a conversation and
it came up. I promise it won't happen again.” Declan seemed sincere
about it.

Nic added “If we can't trust you Declan, we
can't tell you anything and you won't get any more of these,” she
gave us a group hug. Declan crossed his heart after.

“So do you wanna know what Jett said or
what?” Declan said grinning.

“Absolutely!” Nic responded.

My face lit up waiting for Declan to
continue.

“He asked if I knew who you were and I told
him you were dating Cale but I guess you aren’t now so I could give
him an update and I'll tell him anything you want me to tell him.”
He said quickly without taking a breath. I saw Nic shaking her head
in the background.

Nic said, “That's all he said.... I guess, at
least he asked about you.”

“Well... because I don’t want to come off as
a little school girl that gossips all the time, kinda like you.” I
said as I looked at Declan squinting my eyes smartly. “You can tell
Jett and all the guys that I broke it off with Cale because he just
wasn't my type. And tell Jett, if he needs to know anything else
about me to come right up and ask me himself, I won’t bite.”

Declan laughed and pleaded for juicy gossip
one more time, but I didn't want any more rumors flying around than
necessary. Even though I would like to tell him the whole low down
on Cale, I have enough issues with him already as it is. I may be
sarcastic, but I'm not a mean or vindictive person. I would never
try to hurt someone on purpose.

Declan pleaded with Nic and she patted him on
the shoulder and said “Sorry but that's all you get for now.” As
Declan headed for the lockers, Nic said loudly “But you can tell
him she's nice...and funny too!” He just waved his hand back at
us.

Nic came up to me “You handled that very
well. Since our break up with Cale I think we have both matured.”
We laughed, locked the supply closet, locked both gym doors and
went to wait in the lobby to give the keys back to Coach. He came
out promptly.

That Friday I started feeling on edge and a
little tense. Today is our homecoming game, but that's not why.
This is the first year for it, but our school decided to sell roses
as a fund raising event, I can't help wonder if Cale and Topher
didn't help get this started. Guys or girls can buy a rose for a
dollar and have it messengered to any student in any class. Each
color rose means something different, red meant love, yellow
friends, pink sweethearts and white means you have a secret
admirer. Nic received a pink one from Topher which I thought was
sweet, since the two of them still talked from time to time. I
thought they should date but they obviously didn't think so. I
received one red rose in every single class, too bad they were from
Cale. I have no idea what he's up to but he's making me feel
uneasy.

After school, I showed Nic all eight of my
red roses before I deposited them into the garbage. “You know I had
a dream I got a bunch of red roses once.”

“Oh yeah,” Nic replied as we headed for the
buses. What a good friend she was for helping me through all this,
I would definitely have to return the favor.

Nic and I were holding up the fence near
the end zone, as usual, during our last home football game of the
season. We were finalizing our plans for the homecoming dance
tomorrow; we were going with a group of friends. The field was
pretty crowded, everyone we knew from school was at the game. Storm
and Shelby stopped to chat with us when Cale and an older girl
walked up to us; Cale asked if he could talk to me. I looked at him
and shrugged a shoulder.

He led me toward the guest side, it was a
little more secluded. I hoped this wasn't going to take long, of
all places for Cale to show up – he never comes to the games.

The weather was nice, I had a t-shirt on and
a sweatshirt tied around my waist. I noticed Cale was in long
sleeves and now that I think about it he always wore long sleeves.
He was still dressed cool – wearing the same type of clothes he did
in school, so he looked good, unlike the grandpa I dated. His hair
was getting darker, no doubt from lack of sun and his eyes were
very blue today with a darkness encircling them. I never noticed
his eyes being blue before, just soft tones of grey.

I crossed my arms and looked down at my feet.
There was a bit of a pause and he finally started speaking, “I
think we should still go out.”

I looked up at him in surprise. “Really
why?”

“Because I really care for you and we're good
together.”

I was shocked. “We're good together? Cale you
and I both know there is no chemistry between us, and sure, we're
good as friends, but that's it.”

“Why didn't you break up with me? Why did you
have Nic do it?” I looked him right in the eyes they seemed a
little wild tonight.

I dropped my eyes and said with no emotion,
trying to keep the peace. “I tried breaking it off with you a
couple of times and Nic was upset with me that I hadn't followed
through so she said she'd help. Plus, I'm not a real fan of hurting
people's feelings.”

“I had no idea you felt this way.” His face
tightened, his jaw flexed. “I want you to come with me, I need to
show you.”

“Show me what?”

He stepped closer to me and went to kiss me
on the lips and I turned my cheek. With a little more enthusiasm I
said “You'll show me what? That you do everything better than me?
Forget it Cale, we're done.”

Under his breath, “No one's ever broken it
off with me before!” He was hurt you could tell and he was getting
agitated. He was upset I broke up with him sure, but only
because I broke it off? Whatever!

Me and my mouth had to keep going “Oh, so
sorry I was the first girl to ever break up with you Cale, but
that's why you’re mad and want me back!” I was almost yelling at
him now. “I felt nothing from you, we have nothing in common, there
is nothing between us Cale.” I said pointing back and forth between
the two of us. Trying to calm down with each word.

Well technically, I didn't break up with him,
Nic did, but it was by my hand, my idea, I wanted it. Technically,
maybe he needed to hear it from me, so maybe tonight would be it.
“Cale we're done. I don't want to see you anymore. I'm sorry, now
please leave. I know you hate coming to the football
games anyway.” I said shaking my head looking down at the ground
again.

I didn't see him coming toward me right away.
He grabbed my arm and said he wanted to talk to me alone, pulling
me toward the gate. I pulled my arm loose and he tried
grabbing both arms, but as he went to grab me I pulled away again.
When he finally got hold of me, with his face so close to mine, he
said under his breath, “You're coming with me!” He was gritting his
teeth, his eyes full of rage and excitement. I pushed my hands
together, up toward the sky and then outward breaking his hold on
me.
Without thinking about it I moved both arms
back and with a huge sweeping movement forward, stepping into it at
the same time, I shoved him right in the abdomen with such
precision and fluidity you would have thought I had training. I had
no idea what I was doing, it was purely an automatic reflex and
adrenaline.
I didn't think I pushed him that hard but he
went flying back a few feet and landed on his ass. His friend
lunged toward me but I stepped back and sideways, gave a little
shove, and she stumbled into the fence.

I yelled at him, looking him right in the
eyes, getting closer with each word. “Tell me why you still want
me! Tell me why you were so distant when we dated! Tell me what's
different now!”

Cale, as he pulled himself up said “I'm glad
to see Logan didn't break you, you still have a lot of fight left
in you. And in the eyes of death, even as a human, you were
fearless.”

I swallowed hard and looked at him in
confusion. “What?” came out of my mouth, weak and exasperated, I
was confused.

“I didn't push you,” Cale said “I was going
slowly for you, but I see I was wrong. You're stronger than I
thought. Even though your brother saved you, I wonder if you really
needed the help. I was going to step in but Kit saved the day.”

“What? What are you saying? You were there?”
I asked, shaken by the possibility that he knew all along, or that
he witnessed
it
.

“I have feelings for you now, I need you for
more than just love.” Cale said tapping his heart with his
hand.

I turned around, people were starting to
gather so I wiped my tears and backed up. I felt Nic put her hand
on my shoulder. I looked back at Cale, and out of the corner of his
mouth glimpsed a look of sheer devious pleasure, it sent a cold,
revolting feeling down my spine. I took Nic's hand and she weaved
us in and out of the crowd as quickly as possible until we were
almost to the other side of the field, yet still with a crowd of
people to surround us. 

Nic said “What did you do?” She sounded
upset and froze for a minute and said “You knocked him down and now
he’ll be maaaad…” She started to cry, no, wait a minute, she was
laughing. “You knocked Cale Winters on his ass!” She laughed some
more and it was contagious! As upset as I was, I couldn't help but
let loose with a chuckle.

And my laugh then turned into tears. “Did you
hear what he said? Did you tell anyone? I never told anyone
about...”

“No Addie! I never told a soul, I never told
anyone. Logan may have told people he was in love with you but I
highly doubt he told anyone that he sexually assaulted you.” There
was silence between us. “What I do know is that Cale is one messed
up crazy person and he is obsessed with you for some reason.” Nic
explained.

I put my trembling hands to my face and wiped
away my tears. “That night there was someone on the front lawn, do
you think....” was all I said. This has turned into such a
nightmare.

I leaned on the fence trying to spot Cale and
his girlfriend, or whoever she was, but I didn't see them. So I
scanned the parking lot hoping they were leaving and straight
across from us, behind the guest side bleachers, I saw them and
they were kissing! He backed her off right away, but I swear I saw
her kiss him. They got in a truck that I knew, that I’d seen
before, it looked very familiar. It was dark, black or navy blue,
and old, with big nubby tires and it was all dented up.

Nic touched my shoulder and I just about
jumped out of my skin. She scooted up next to me and I nodded
toward the parking lot, pointing. “That's Cale and that girl, I
think she's his girlfriend, I saw them kiss.”

Nic covered her mouth “The truck from your
dreams…” I nodded, she's very smart and catches on quickly “If
that's his girlfriend then why did he feel the need to come looking
for you, I mean why would he need you as a girlfriend? “

I looked at her and said “Exactly!”