Labeled Love (11 page)

Be my girl
.

She closes the homemade card and raises it to her chest. Her long, dark eyelashes close, and when she opens them, she looks at me and says, “You have my heart.” I reach up with my sweaty palm and run it over her warm cheek. Her blue eyes never leave mine. We’re pretty much lost in each other. She shakes her head with the biggest, widest smile, as her eyes get a little watery. Grabbing the note I wrote that fell away, I hand it to her. “Oh, I… I’m sorry. I was kind of taken for a moment by what you wrote in my card.”

I lean over and kiss her cheek. “You don’t have to read it now. Actually, read it when you get home. But, can you write down your address for me?” She does that thing that I love when she’s confused. She scrunches up her cute nose. I don’t want her to know why I’m asking for her address. I want to surprise her. “I just want to know where you live.”

“Can I have yours, too?”

Shaking my head, I tell her no about wanting to know where I live. She frowns, but scribbles down her address. I take her chin in my hand. I want her to look at me. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know where I live… It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

I hesitate. “It’s not good enough for you.”

“Jace…”

Her hand finds mine again on my lap. I give it a little squeeze, trying to reassure her. She drops the conversation. I hate making her feel bad. I just feel really protective of her, and I can’t let her in that environment.

We spend the rest of our time together making cards with the little kids. It is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. When I get home, I go into my room and open the white paper bag. I smile immediately.

Inside, there are two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into the shape of a heart with a little note attached.

You have all of my heart.

For the first time in a while, I don’t go to bed hungry. At this moment, I know what I feel for Shay will be protected. My love for her is real and unending. Shay is the only girl I will ever give my heart to.

I fall asleep with a smile.

LARGE, SWEATY HANDS
surround me. I fall back with the force of his strong body. He really is starting to bulk up. Even through his sweatiness, light cologne lingers on his skin. Warm breath fills my ear, tickling me as I try to get out of his chokehold.

“Play with me, Starkie,” he whispers.

“I don’t want to,” I say.

He moans, and then he says it again. “Come on. Please… I miss playing with you.” Finally, I remove his strong arms that were pretty much crushing me. I turn around and face him. “I don’t want to play, Cole.”

“What’s the deal, Shay?” He looks angry.

I see Jules ahead, getting ready to walk into chemistry. “There is no deal. We’re in high school. We don’t have recess anymore if you haven’t noticed.”

“Don’t be like that, Shay.” He lowers his voice. “I just miss you.”

“Really, Cole? I think you have plenty of girls that can take my place on the field.”

He turns away. “I only like to play football with you.” As he walks away from me, he yells over his shoulder, “I guess I got replaced.”

I chew on my bottom lip. I’m sure every girl in the school thinks I’m crazy for turning Cole away. They all beg for his attention, but the only attention he wants is mine. I love Cole as a friend; I always have. It’s just sometimes I wish we didn’t go to the same school. I begged my parents enough since I was in the sixth grade to let me go to public school for my high school years. Without much convincing, Jules and I enrolled in the same school together. But, Cole and Brett followed us.

When it comes to the opposite kind of feelings, there is only one boy I have any of those for. I only have eyes for Jace. I try hard not to hurt Cole, but he has to start respecting the fact that I’m not interested in him in that way. If Jace knew Cole touched me the way he just did, he would not be happy.

Walking into class, I see Jules checking her phone. Cole is sitting a few seats away from us. He glances at me, but I act like I don’t see him. Jules leans over. “Saw Cole mauling you in the courtyard.”

“I know. He just doesn’t stop,” I tell her. She looks back at her phone then sets it on her desk.

“How’s your bad boy doing? I bet he’d be pissed if he saw Cole all over you.”

“First off, Jace is not a bad boy.”

“Oh my God, Shay. Don’t get your panties in a tiff. You know I’m just kidding. He just has that whole sexy bad boy look,” she says. I will give her that, but there is nothing bad about my boy.

Jules did come to the center with me once, like she said she would. I was afraid she would say something offensive without meaning it. When we got there, we walked inside, and the first thing she said was, “I told you it would smell like a dirty locker room. We won’t be here long, will we?” Thankfully, she said it quietly so no one heard her. After that, she was fine. She met Jace and thought he was ‘super sweet and hot’ as she put it. They got along well. I think she amused Jace.

Our teacher, Mr. Perkins, walks in right when I’m about to answer her, so I whisper, “I know you’re kidding. He’s perfect. So… perfect. And, he would not be happy. He’s pretty protective of me.”

Jules giggles low and says, “He’s kind of like those boys we read about, right? You know… the alpha guys, all bad ass.”

“Jules, those would be men, not boys.” She rolls her eyes while Mr. Perkins goes to the front of the class.

“But, Jace totally looks like he will be alpha like that when he’s older. I can totally see him getting off a motorcycle with his sexy hair all windblown. He would grab you by the waist and say, ‘Kiss me woman.’” She says it dramatically, making me laugh. She raises her eyebrows and turns back around as she says, “You know it’s true, Shay.”

“Oh my God, Jules. Now who needs to stop reading all those fantasy books?”

She whispers back to me, “That’s the in-thing, Shay. Everyone is reading those books now. And, seriously, where are we ever going to find a bad boy like that, when we’re surrounded by boys that still get their asses wiped by their mommies? You totally landed the sweetest bad boy, girl.”

“I told you he’s not bad.”

“Duh, Shay. I know. It’s a figure of speech. Geesh.”

“Quiet,” Mr. Perkins says in our direction.

Chemistry is so boring. Days like today I wish I’d taken this class over the summer so I wouldn’t have to during my sophomore year. We spend the next hour taking pointless notes that I will never need to know when I’m older. Between the notes and Cole’s lingering stare, I just want class to end.

“PUT YOUR HANDS
behind your back now!”

“Are you serious? I was trying to make sure my mom was okay!” I spit blood onto the ground to clear my throat while Grace yells behind me.

“These are my friends. My son always starts fights.” The officer looks over at her as I shake my head. I look up into the bright blue sky. How the hell did this just happen?

“Listen, kid. Your mom wants us to take you in, but I’m going to cut you a break this time.” He looks over at Grace who looks completely out of it. It doesn’t take a genius to see she has major problems.

“I think he needs a lesson, Officer.” She points her shaky finger at the officer standing next to me.

“Calm down, please,” he orders her, walking her back into our apartment.

“Don’t touch me! I can walk without you touching me!” she yells, continuing to make a scene.

I grit my teeth. I’m so pissed. Blood pools in my mouth, and I spit again trying to clear it. My left eye throbs. An officer is talking to the three guys I had the scuffle with, as all the neighbors stand outside watching the commotion. The officer who led Grace into the apartment walks back outside and shuts the door behind him. He walks up to me. “So, what happened here?”

Our landlord walks up with a huff. “I can tell you what happened. His mom is always smashed, in and out of the house all night long. I actually feel bad for this kid.”

The officer turns to me. “Listen. It’s not that bad,” I lie. I don’t know what will happen, so I try to ease his suspicion. “I came home, and those guys were in the apartment with my mom. I’m pretty protective. When I asked them to leave, they didn’t like it.” I spit blood onto the concrete again.

“I’m not taking those guys in. They said your mom invited them in, and when you walked into the house, you went at them first,” the other officer says. He looks back at his partner who looks at me for an answer.

“What would you do if you walked into your house and saw your mom, who obviously is intoxicated, sitting with three strange guys? I did what any good son would do and got them out of my house.”

He nods, saying, “Just don’t use your fist next time, son.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go inside and stay out of trouble,” he orders. I nod as they both turn and walk away. I suck in the biggest breath and pull at my hair.

Shit.

THE NEXT DAY
I plan to work out to let off steam, or I will go crazy in this little apartment. Grace pretty much ignores me, so it’s a welcome distraction when Landon shows up to work out. We head to the local elementary school nearby where we use the playground as our makeshift gym.