Free Falling (5 page)

As if answering my question, Freddie jumped out of his seat,
glaring back at Mr Turner. “You can’t give us detention for nothing! You’re
just in a freaking foul mood and are taking it out on us. What’s up, Turner,
did you not get any at the weekend?”

The whole class had gone quiet, mouths hanging open in
shock. Mr Turner looked like he was struggling to breathe as he glared at
Freddie like he wanted to kill him on the spot. “You,” he hissed, pointing at
Freddie. He turned and pointed at me making me flinch from the hardness to his
eyes. “And you. Lunchtime detentions for the rest of the week, and after school
tomorrow. And if I hear one more peep out of either of you two for the rest of
the lesson, then it’ll be after school detentions for the whole week!” he said,
his voice so low that it almost came out as a growl.

Freddie laughed quietly to himself, and I knew what he was
going to do before he even did it. He was one of Luke’s jerk friends and I knew
Luke would do exactly the same thing in this situation. Act the big shot.
Freddie was a troublemaker, and was always in detention; this was probably
nothing out of the ordinary for him. Me on the other hand…

He sat back down, deliberately slowly, leaning back in his
chair, putting his hands behind his head as if he was chilling out. His face
was innocent and happy as he said, “Peep.” 

Mr Turner almost smiled, almost, but then it was gone to be
replaced by the hard stern face of a strict teacher. He just as calmly and
deliberately walked over to his desk and shuffled his papers there. “Very well,
Mr Silverton. You and Miss Preston will now both have detention lunchtimes and
after school for the rest of the week.” He turned to me and pointed to a seat
that was free at the front. “Sit!” he ordered.

I obediently trotted over to the seat and plopped down in
it, my mouth hanging open in shock and my eyes prickling with tears. I wanted
to protest and plead that it wasn’t my fault, but I didn’t dare say anything
else in case it made it worse. I had an excuse, I had a reason for being late
to his class, but he just didn’t want to listen.

I turned to glare at Freddie who was laughing quietly to
himself; he got a discreet high five from Ricky who was sitting next to him. I
wanted to kill him, I really did. But I knew Luke would do that for me once he
found out I couldn’t eat with him all week because of Freddie’s antics. I
pulled out my book and tried to concentrate on anything other than the fact
that I had just gotten into trouble at school for the first time ever. I
scrawled on the top of my notepad, ‘Mondays suck’, then I quickly scribbled it
out before anyone saw it. That statement wasn’t right anyway, it wasn’t that
Monday’s sucked, it was that the new guy sucked. If I hadn’t been waiting for
him then I wouldn’t have been late to class in the first place and my academic
record would be perfect, the same as always.

The rest of the day was just as bad, I was in a seriously
foul mood. I text Luke to tell him that I couldn’t meet him for lunch and that
I had detention after school too. As he replied, my phone got confiscated so I didn’t
even get to read his response. Freddie sat next to me in the lunchtime
detention, digging his finger into my ribs the whole time, throwing me little
notes with pictures that he’d drawn on them of me with my head stuck in a book
or some other degrading nerd joke.

I did my best to ignore him, I really did, but I secretly
hoped that Luke punched him in the face for this little stunt. I didn’t have
time to explain to Principal Bennett that I hadn’t found Zachary so he would
have to eat alone today, I was pretty sure I’d get into trouble for that too.
All in all, my morning was disastrous.

Gym class wasn’t much better; I fell over and scraped my
knees while we were running. Zachary didn’t turn up to this class either, and I
felt so guilty that I wanted to cry even more. I felt terrible as I thought
about him possibly hiding in the bathrooms because he didn’t know where he was
supposed to go or do.

Over the course of the morning, I figured that all my
troubles had originated because I had sat with Luke and his friends this
morning instead of going straight to the front doors to wait for Zachary. I
didn’t want to blame Luke, I really didn’t, but the more I thought about it,
the more annoyed with him I became. I knew I was being irrational, but
he
was the one that made me sit there and listen to that idiotic conversation this
morning. It was one of
his
friends that got me detention.
His
text got my phone confiscated.

The day dragged beyond belief and felt like it lasted a
lifetime. After another excruciating hour of detention spent with Freddie at
the end of the day, I headed to the office to go and explain to Principal
Bennett that I couldn’t find Zachary. I just hoped I would be able to convince
her to talk to Mr Turner, and I could get out of the detentions for the rest of
the week.

As I approached the office, I winced, wondering if I was
about to get into more trouble for being irresponsible and not meeting him. I
held my breath as I walked up to the receptionist. She looked up and
recognition shot across her face. “Oh, Maisie, I meant to send you a note.” She
smiled apologetically.

“A note? You found him then?” I asked.

She shook her head, leaning in closer to me with a
mischievous look on her face. “No. As it turns out, he decided he didn’t want
to start today. He skipped. Principal Bennett has been talking to his aunt for
the last half an hour. I think he’s in big trouble, and he hasn’t even started
here yet. Not really a good start, skipping on your first day.” She laughed
quietly to herself, looking like we were having a good gossip about the new
delinquent.

My hands clenched into fists at her revelations. The stupid
guy couldn’t even be bothered to show up to his first day? I had sat there
waiting for him, searched the school, got detentions, and had my phone
confiscated, all because of him. Everything was his fault and I already felt
myself hating him for it. I had never taken an instant disliking to someone in
my life. I had always believed in giving people chances, forgiving and
forgetting, making the best of something and not holding grudges. I hadn’t even
met Zachary Anderson and it looked like he was the exception to that rule. If
he were in front of me in that moment I would probably punch him in the face
for tarnishing my academic record.

I frowned. “I don’t have to meet him tomorrow, do I?”

She smiled sadly. “Principal Bennett would like you to.” She
shrugged and looked at me questioningly. “His aunt has promised he’ll be here
tomorrow.”

I closed my eyes and huffed in defeat. “Fine.” I stomped out
of the office, heading to the parking lot to wait for Luke by his car. His
football practice would be finishing soon. I pulled myself up on the hood and
settled on my back, closing my eyes, taking calming breaths. After a few
minutes I remembered that I hadn’t asked to get my detentions quashed. I shook
my head at myself in disbelief, I didn’t have the mental strength to go back
into the school though, I’d just have to sort it out tomorrow.

After another ten minutes, someone grabbed my ankles and
pulled me forward, making me slide down the car. I squealed and snapped my eyes
open quickly, in a state of panic. I looked up to see Luke smirking at me. Just
as my butt crashed into his crotch, he bent forward putting his arms either
side of my head, his face inches from mine, his whole body pinning me against
the car.

“Now this is a nice way to meet me, sprawled out on the hood
of my car. Maybe next time you could do it in a bikini or something?” he
suggested, waggling his eyebrows at me.

I laughed and wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him
closer to me. Looking into his big brown eyes made my mood lighten instantly, they
made me forget what a crappy day I’d had, and how annoyed I was. His playful
smile made an unconscious smile to creep onto my lips too. “Maybe for your
nineteenth birthday,” I teased, running my hands up his back.

He pouted. “But my birthday’s not for another eight months!”
he whined.

I grinned and shrugged. “The wait will build the
anticipation.”

He laughed and kissed the tip of my nose. “Come on then,
baby, let’s go home, and then you can whine about your day while I try my best
to cheer you up.” He pulled back, taking my hand and helping me down from the
hood of his car. I smiled gratefully, already knowing he’d have me smiling and
laughing by the time he left my house tonight.

Chapter 4

As it turned out, Zachary Anderson obviously didn’t feel
like starting school at all. He skipped the whole week. I gave up waiting for
him after Wednesday. Every day the Principal would call his aunt and apparently
she would apologise profusely and promise he would be there the following day,
but as of Friday he had officially skipped all week. I was secretly hoping that
Principal Bennett would just tell him not to bother starting at all if he
couldn’t even drag himself here willingly. She didn’t strike me as the kind of
person to give up that easy though, she liked a challenge, and Zachary was
certainly turning out to be that. So far, he was certainly living up to his
‘I’m a delinquent and I’m repeating senior year’ reputation.

The week passed unbelievably slowly. I had to go to the
detentions because Mr Turner refused to let me off of them and made a big show
to the Principal that it was more about the conversation and lack of respect,
rather than me being late for his class. The only good thing about detentions
was that I got my homework done quicker than normal, which meant I could spend
more time with Luke in the evenings.

Tonight I planned on letting a little lose though and having
fun. It was Ricky’s eighteenth so he was having a party at his house. I dressed
up a little more than usual, going for a blue all in one, strapless playsuit.
It looked cute and showed off a lot more leg than I would ever dream of
flashing, but I was with Luke all night and I knew he’d appreciate it. I was
staying at his place tonight; my parents didn’t know, of course, they thought I
was staying with Charlotte. Alex had agreed to cover for me, in exchange I had
to do all of his chores for a month and make him grilled cheese whenever he
asked for it.

I’d just finished packing my overnight bag when there was a
knock on my bedroom door. I turned and shouted for them to come in, knowing it
would be Luke. As soon as the door opened, his eyes went wide, and his mouth
dropped open as he raked his eyes over every single inch of my body. I bit back
a smile at his lustful expression.

“Holy shit, Maisie. Damn!” he almost growled.

I laughed and did a little twirl. “Look okay?” I asked, not
really needing confirmation, I could see the approval in his eyes.

“Okay? My God, baby… or maybe I should say, my Goddess.” He
bit his bottom lip, his brow furrowed as his eyes raked over me slowly.

I laughed and grabbed my red sandals that Luke had bought me
a couple of weeks ago. I pulled them on then walked over to him. He was still
checking me out, obviously thinking of all of the dirty things he wanted to do
to my body tonight.

“Let’s go get this party over and done with so that you can
take me home with you for the night, huh?” I purred, tracing my hand up his
chest lightly.

His hands went to my outer thighs, brushing across them
teasingly. “These legs blow my mind,” he breathed, shaking his head, looking
slightly pained. “I think maybe you should change. I’m not sure I’m gonna be
able to drive us there without killing us.”

I laughed at that. “What?”

“I’m warning you now, I’m not going to be able to keep my
eyes on the road on the way there,” he admitted, shrugging casually as if this
was no big deal.

I slipped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to
me, pressing every inch of my body to his, trying not to shiver as his hands
trailed up to cup my butt. “If you kill us then we won’t be able to do any of
those dirty things that you’re thinking right now.”

He laughed, smirking at me. “I am thinking a lot of dirty
things.”

I kissed him lightly, pulling away as he went to deepen the
kiss. I purposefully left my lips close to his so they would brush together
when I spoke. “And I’ll do every single one of them, so long as we live to see
the end of the night.”

He moaned breathily, taking my hand and tugging me towards
the door quickly. “Let’s just go to the stupid party so we can leave already.”
He stooped and picked up my overnight bag, practically dragging me out of the
door as I giggled at his eagerness.

The party was in full swing by the time we got there; people
were already wasted even though it was only just after eight thirty. Luke had
his arms securely around my waist, his chest pressed tightly against my back as
we headed to the kitchen to find Ricky and wish him happy birthday.

“So we tell Ricky happy birthday, have one drink, one dance,
then I take you home with me for some naked private time. Deal?” Luke
whispered, tightening his arm across my stomach.

I giggled and nodded in agreement, subtly brushing my body
against his teasingly. “Deal.”

He groaned in my ear and pushed me against the kitchen
island lightly, pressing his whole body to mine possessively. “You’re being a
bad girl tonight,” he breathed seductively in my ear.

I looked over my shoulder at him, trying to appear innocent.
“I’m never a bad girl. I’m Maisie Preston, innocent to the core,” I protested.

“I took that innocence, Maisie. You can’t claim to still
have that!” He laughed and kissed me, making my knees tremble slightly, and I
was glad I went for flat shoes tonight instead of heels; otherwise I might have
fallen over because of the feeling that went into the kiss.