My Night Breeze (The Breeze Series) (18 page)

“You’ve wanted her all along. And
now you have her,” Valerie spat.

“What?”
he asked just as Audra said, “No!”

“Don’t bother lying. You can go enjoy
your slut now,” Valerie seethed before storming off.

Stunned silent,
Audra could do nothing but stare after her. Tobias groaned, clearly frustrated, but there were no words to give. Audra turned away from him, walking the usual lap route to homeroom. The security of the classroom did little to relieve the tension within her system. Something didn’t feel right inside, like a strange awareness of a downhill effect. She never agreed to get on this roller coaster, but it seemed to be taking over anyway.

Stephen sat
down beside her with an agitated expression. The mere fact that he actually sat down to face her gave her the awful sign first.

“We have a lot of damage control on our hands.”

“Meaning?”

“There’s a rumor going
around about you,” Stephen said.

“Fabulous. I should have stayed home.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, but people who don’t know you are going to believe it,” he said.

“Jim is going to lose it.”

“Exactly, but it’ll help. Who wouldn’t believe him?” he continued.

Audra shrugged
, contemplating an illness just to duck out for the day. The thought sounded better than the actions of going through it, but that would be showing Valerie that she’d gotten to her. Being straightforward was a quality that Tobias liked about her, and maybe it was something she could use to her advantage.

*****

The sound of the engine was muted behind the music blaring over the stereo system. Chris didn’t seem bothered in the least about the volume. Stephen was singing at the top of his lungs, and it didn’t matter to him whether he hit the notes or not. She used to find that endearing about him, but today it was rubbing her the wrong way.

It wasn’t
Stephen’s fault for her mood, though. She had been less patient and easily irritated since Tuesday, and the fact this was now Friday afternoon didn’t seem to offer much relief. The only solace was that she wouldn’t have to get up early the next day. Chris pulled up to the front of her house, and Stephen turned the music down to face her.

“Come with us.”

“No. The last time I had nightmares. You enjoy your cinema adventure.”

Chris sighed
in response. “Well, we’ll miss you, but the movie isn’t until seven. If you change your mind, meet us there.”

Audra clambered
out and into the house. With a short pit stop to the kitchen for a bottle of water, she ascended the stairs to her room, locking the door. She put on music before stretching out on her bed. Maybe a movie wouldn’t be such a bad idea if she had company who didn’t make out the entire time. She tugged out her phone and sent a quick text.

If
u’re feeling up to it, wanna c a movie 2nite?

She did
n’t hold her breath for a quick response. The last time she heard Mateo’s voice was Monday, and the memory was fading away. Had she been more comfortable with Ryan, she’d probably get in touch with him just to pass something along, but that’d be weird. Sending a direct message should get a faster response than a roundabout way of communication anyway.

A knock on the door interrupted her study session. “Come in.”

“
Hey, wanna hang out?” Tobias asked.

“With you and Jim? No
, thanks.”

“Jim is going out tonight. And you
look kind of down,” he persisted.

Audra looked
back at the science book that no longer made sense and closed it up. After a moment, she replied, “Okay, sounds good.

She grabbed
a cardigan and followed him out, making sure to let her mom know that she was going out for a while. She arrived shortly to his house, heading straight for the couch to relax on. Tobias made a big bowl of popcorn and put on a comedy to lighten her mood.

Halfw
ay through the movie, she noticed that he was sipping a bottle of beer instead of water like her. It was strange that she hadn’t taken notice of that fact earlier, but now she wouldn’t be getting a ride back home. At least not by him. He noticed her eyeing his bottle and raised it in her direction.

“I don’t drink.”

“Have you ever tried it?” he asked.

“I’ve seen what it does to people. I’d rather not.”

“Come on, one sip won’t do any harm. And you can decide if you like it or not,” he said.

He stuck
the bottle closer to her face, but she declined.

“One sip, Audra. That’s all I
’m saying. Please?” he continued.

She bit
the inside of her cheek, conflicted. He was right. What harm could one sip do? It wouldn’t make her a terrible person just to try it, and if she didn’t like it, then she’d know. Tobias wouldn’t try to harm her or get her into trouble, so she accepted. Taking the chilly bottle, she took a sip.

The taste wa
s bitter and not at all what she expected. She frowned, handing it back to him, which caused him to laugh in response. He took a big swig before placing it down on the coffee table. She grabbed a handful of popcorn to chew on to get the taste out of her mouth. Even chasing it with water didn’t clear it.

“You’ll get used to the flavor.”

“I’m not having any more of that. It’s disgusting,” she said.

“Next time
, I’ll make you something sweeter.”

“There isn’t goin
g to be a next time,” she stated.

Not bot
hered in the least, he continued to chuckle before grabbing some popcorn himself. She tried focusing on the movie, but it was difficult. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was half past seven. The movie playing at the cinema had been going on for a while, and she had yet to hear back from Mateo. Not that she’d want to be around him at the moment. Guilt started to plague her as realization started to come forward.

What was she doing? She did
n’t drink or allow others to pressure her into doing so. If it were anyone other than Tobias, she would have easily declined firmly. She looked at him, lay back and relaxed, enjoying the movie. He wouldn’t risk getting her in trouble, but why would he want her to drink in the first place?

Her phone
pinged an alert of a text message, and she fumbled trying to get it out of her pocket as quickly as she could. Tobias gave her a strange look but didn’t comment. ‘A Message from Mateo’ flashed across the screen, and any guilt residing in her chest was trumped by the sheer excitement of finally getting a response back. She clicked the read option.

No
.

Audra stared
blankly at the message. That’s it? Just ‘no’? He couldn’t think of anything else to say to her? A surge of hurt started to take root deep inside. Maybe she was overreacting, but it seemed much harsher in text than it might have if he had called. He hadn’t attempted to call her though. The feeling of being shafted became clearer and clearer.

It’s not the first time he had
treated her that way, but it seemed much more obvious than usual. Had she been reading all the signs wrong? Granted, even if he didn’t want to date her, as a friend he’d been so kind and caring. What could change all of that into meaning nothing?

“I knew not to trust you.”

“
Oh, c’mon. It wasn’t that bad,” Stephen replied.

“It wasn’t great either
,” Tobias jumped in.

“I thought it was good
,” Jim advised.

“You only liked it because of the exploding he
ads. You’re gross,” Audra stated.

The group started
to walk out of the cinema into the chilly night air. The parking lot wasn’t huge, but arriving late caused Jim to have to park at the farthest end. Audra zipped the coat up to her chin before slipping her hands into the pockets. Stephen taunted her playfully, pretending to be a zombie.

“I’m not amused.”

“Oh, yeah?” Stephen asked.

Tobias join
ed in, circling her like a zombie on the attack, leaving Jim the only one laughing. Audra shook her head at the immature way they were acting. The movie was gross, pointless and a waste of money. For every step she made, Stephen stepped in her way. She shoved him aside only for Tobias to take his place. Jim grabbed her by the waist, lifting her over his shoulder and making a run down the sidewalk towards the parking lot.

“Stop! Stop! Put me down!”

Jim only did once they had a good distance away from Tobias and Stephen who were now chasing after them. Jim pulled out the car keys making his point clear to pretend to leave them behind. She ran with him at a full pace, enjoying the sprint towards the vehicle until a familiar face stopped her dead in her tracks. Jim didn’t notice, continuing on.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Mateo responded.

Audra opened her mouth when Tobias ran
into the back of her, unaware that she wasn’t running anymore. Her words were lost in the awkwardness of it all, especially when Stephen bumped into both of them. Stephen laughed, unable to help himself.

“We’v
e got our hostage now,” he huffed.

“Where’s Jim?” Tobias asked
.

“He ran ahead to the car. I’ll catch up with you
guys in a minute,” Audra managed to get out.

“I’m actually about to go, so d
on’t worry about it.” Mateo said.

Ste
phen walked on ahead, but Tobias looked between her and him with confusion. Audra nodded for him to go, and he did reluctantly, leaving her alone for the moment. Mateo kept his eyes away from hers in a strange manner. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it wasn’t a good sign.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you? How’s your dad?”

“We’re fine.”

“That’s good. Are you coming back to school?”

“Listen, I have a lot on my plate right now. I don’t really have time for
this
,” he advised.

The downhill effect erupted
in her stomach at the stern tone in his voice. It didn’t take a genius to read in between his words. She realized that she’d been an idiot, but it didn’t take away the pain plaguing her heart. Every word in the English vocabulary slipped out of her mind as her feelings started to crash all at once. She couldn’t stomach even glancing his way.

Audra
turned and wordlessly walked away down the sidewalk in a strange trance. No sounds or sights were recognizable; she only knew to push on. Stephen threw an arm around her shoulders, grabbing her attention in the right direction of the car, but it didn’t go deep. The sensation of a whirlpool started going round and round, sending her into a loss of reality. Somehow, she managed to get into the car, but she didn’t notice anything else.

Idle
, muted conversations went on around her, as though everyone was underwater. Everything was a little muddled and unclear. Stephen assisted getting her into Tobias’s house while Tobias phoned for a pizza. Stephen sat beside her, leaning in, whispering things that didn’t register fully. Nothing seemed to be registering fully.

“Audra…”

She looked into Stephen’s brown eyes, wanting to say something to express herself but instead, she sat mute.

“
Wow, you really like him, don’t you?”

A mixture of pain, rejection, caring, hurt and hopelessness crumple
d her into his shoulder. A soft, strangled whimper slipped from her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. This was all her fault. She should have stayed with the normal way of things. Not getting involved, just allowing things to happen. If she had, she wouldn’t be hurting to the point that it hurt to breathe.

Stephen rubbed
his hand up and down her back to soothe her, but it only spurred on further tears. Memories of something she held dear, of a relationship that she clearly made up in her head, fading away leaving only the cold clarity of reality. It was more than obvious that she did this to herself. Lying to herself that there was something worth trying for, worth risking ‘normal’ for.

She sat up as Tobias placed
down two glasses of soda. She quickly swiped at her face, not making eye contact with anyone. Jim emerged from the kitchen only to set up video games on the TV to play against Tobias. Stephen sipped his glass and smirked before offering it to her.

Without questioning
it, she sipped it, but the flavor seemed off. Stephen didn’t say anything but took her glass, drinking it up. Tobias kept an eye on her, but she barely noticed. Warmth started to collect down her throat and into her stomach. When she finished the glass, the pizza had arrived and was being dispersed.

“Can I get a refill?”

“You like it?” Tobias asked.

“Water has no calories
, but I’m not opposed to soda.”

He did
n’t respond, going into the kitchen to refill her glass. Two slices of pizza later, she was exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open to watch the video game. Stephen was beside her comfortingly, but didn’t attempt to make conversation. She laid her head on his shoulder, finally complying with her body’s wants.

*****

Molly pulled out a flyer from her folder, holding it up for the table to see. The big, black letters saying ‘Winter Cotillion’ took up most of the page. Audra averted her eyes back down to her assignment, scrawling another answer to the math problem. Chris and Stephen were making enough excitement to cover hers.

“I don’t want to go alone. C
an we go as a group?” Molly asked.

“Sounds good to me
,” Chris said.

“I feel a shopping
spree coming on,” Stephen joked.

Audra finished
marking up the assignment before slipping it into her backpack. She pulled out her reading assignment for English, finding her place just as Stephen nudged her shoulder.

“I’ll help you pick out a dress if you join me this weekend?”

“No, I’m not going.”

“What?” Molly and Chris ask
ed at the exact same time.

Audra cleared her throat but kept
her eyes down. “I said, I’m not going.”

She leaned
back in her chair using the book to hide behind while getting her reading done. The strained silence wasn’t unnoticeable, but she refused to let it get to her. She’d let it go, moved forward without looking back. Flipping through pages effortlessly, she did a quick write up for the class to type when she got home. As she put away the assignment; only one subject lingered, but she wouldn’t dare go there.

She checked
the clock noticing only ten minutes left before the library closed. Not wasting a moment, she organized her backpack between what she needed to keep and what was headed to the locker. Even then she had time left, but she could feel the glances from several of the others, and it left her anxious.

Not bothering to wait, she grabbed her stuff and walked
out. The walk down the stairs and into the empty hallways no longer sent words to her. They no longer called to her. Nothing called anymore. Audra opened her locker only to put her belongings inside when the warmth of someone was felt on her side.

“Hey.”

Audra only glanced over her shoulder to acknowledge Mateo’s presence before finishing up with her task. She closed the door and twisted the dial, waiting for the point to be made.

“Do you stil
l need me to tutor you?” he offered.

“No
, thanks.”

“Are you sure?”
he persisted.

She nodded in response. As she started
to walk towards the parking lot, she barely noticed that he had walked with her. She hadn’t been aware that he would be getting a ride home with Molly, and the realization of being confined near him made her additionally uncomfortable. Another set of footsteps attracted her attention. Chris came up with his usual smile in place.

“You should really come to the
dance. It’ll be fun,” Chris said. “You’re coming, right, Mateo?”

Mateo shrugged indifferently
.

“At least think about it for Molly’s sake.”

Audra grabbed her straps and nodded. Her mind was already made up, but if it would make him happy to think there was a chance, then so be it. Chris smiled, leaning against the car effectively trapping her between him and Mateo. The clear effort being put forth had now been put in bright neon lights for her. This was a set up that he concocted to bring them together.

She chuckled
wryly, not even close to amused, gaining looks from both of them. What a mess. She gripped the straps of her backpack and walked towards the exit of the parking lot. It was true they didn’t know all the facts; but they should have at least respected the fact she made the decision to not be part of it.

*****

“Apparently, this is the new place to be.”

“Only the cool
kids are invited,” Stephen mocked.

Audra shook her head as Tobias joined them. Stephen laughed
with the newest addition, but she didn’t. Tobias had been a pleasant presence since his break up. Even Valerie wouldn’t look her way anymore. I guess most of her wants had come true. Couldn’t be upset about that.

“You’ve got
some gray on you,” Stephen commented.

“Huh?”
She looked down at herself, searching until it struck her. Mateo. Shrugging as a response, she leaned against her locker.

“
So what are you doing tonight?” Tobias asked.

“I don’t know yet
. Why?”

“Jim and I might hang out
. You can come over too,” he advised.

She tried
to give him a smile, but it felt forced. Stephen nodded in the direction of second period, and she agreed. The gym felt like an empty vessel without the nets or practices. Audra headed into the locker room to get changed for class and came out to sit on the bleacher, waiting for Stephen to come out.

Stephen took
longer than usual to arrive, only just reaching her as Coach began to give instructions on flag football. The rules were easy to catch up on, and she stood ready, paired up with Stephen, when Coach advised he would be picking opponents and teammates. It was only dumb luck or a universal joke that Audra was put up against Mateo of all people. At least Stephen was on her team as backup.

She adjusted
her belt holding her team’s color, waiting for the whistle to blow. At the sound of it, she ran in between two other teammates using them to block as she got into a more open area. A female had the ball and couldn’t see Audra clearly. She waved her hand back and forth but as the ball soared in her direction, Mateo tried to intercept.

Audra jump
ed up just before he did, grabbing hold of it tightly, only to end up sandwiched between Mateo and another teammate. He reached out to grab one of her flags, but she passed the ball to her teammate who made the score. He narrowed his eyes playfully at her, but she ignored him.

The whistle blew
as the opposing team set out with the ball. Audra kept an eye on Mateo to keep him clear of the ball when another teammate got a hold of it with an interception, scoring a second time. Stephen nudged her side with a huge smile. The game went back and forth for a while longer, but the opposing team won in the end.

Mateo put
his hand out to her, his tiny smirk in place. “Good game.”

She swallowed
hard making a point to keep her eyes lowered, placing her hand in his. “You too.”

As she tried
to pull back, he gripped her tightly, warming her wrist and sending tingles out like the very first time they touched. It caused an inaudible gasp to be released past her lips. He stepped closer, leaning into her ear. The warmth of his breath gently caressed her ear making her bite the inside of her cheek.

“Tonight. I’ll come to you.”

“You don’t—”

“Tonight, Audra.”

He released her, heading for the locker room. He didn’t even give her a minute to get herself together, let alone understand the meaning behind the message. Whatever he had planned was happening tonight, leaving a pulsating anticipation for the unknown.