The One For Me (16 page)

Chapter Nine

Liam w
on’t answer my phone calls. I si
t on my bed the rest of the night crying. I tell Mom
that I’m cramping. She believes me, she goes back down stairs.

I
cry until I can’t cry anymore. My eyes hurt, my chest hurts worse. I don’t know what time it is before I drift to sleep but my alarm wakes me a seven. I lay in my bed looking at the ceiling.

“Sweetie, are you---oh Katy, what’s wrong with you, baby?” Mom barges into my room. She sits beside me, resting the back of her palm on my forehead. “You don’t have a fever. What’s going on? Do you feel sick?”

“Liam, he broke up with me,” I whisper. “Just like that, broke up with me.”

“Ah, honey,” Momma says. “What happened?”

“Hayden came over, he just let himself in and then Liam saw him in my room and thought that something was going on. It wasn’t. I don’t want to make Hayden jealous, anymore. I really like Liam. I just want to be with him. Why can’t he understand that?”

“I know, baby. But, you need to get up and go to school, okay? Sitting in your room won’t make it any better, I promise. Go have a fun day at school with Jen.”

Fun? At school? Has she missed the last two weeks of my life
? I want to scream. “Alright Momma, I’ll go,” I say, only because I know she won’t let me stay.

After I drag myself through my morning ritual, I drive myself to school. Liam’s Jeep isn’t in the parking lot. He has missed almost all this week of school and my mom won’t let me miss one freaking day. I guess that’s a perk of having parents that don’t care; you get to do what you want to do.

“You look terrible,” Jen says when I open my car door. “Terrible, what happened? I heard Holly broke up with Hayden? That’s what he gets,” she says. “Now he is probably scouting for the next girl that will give him any attention.”

I nod.

“Okay, tell me, what’s going on?” she asks, turning me to face her. “You haven’t said anything and I know you’re doing a happy dance on the inside about Hayden. How could you not?”

“Liam broke up with me.”

“What?” Jen yells. “Why? I thought everything was going good? You want me to call my Asian cousins in L.A? They can whoop some serious ass. Even though my mom would whoop my ass if I even tried to call them. Last time she made me sit in my room in the corner all day. She said she wouldn’t have me associating with those hooligans, even if they were her sister’s children.”

I force a smile. “No, it’s okay. No need to sit and face the wall again. Hayden bursts into my room and then Liam came in. It was so stupid. I tried to get him to listen to me, but he won’t.”

“And it doesn’t look like he’s showed up for school, either.” She glances around before opening the school’s front door. “That sucks. Maybe he is just running late. Maybe you will see him today. And talk it out? Yeah, maybe he has cooled down and you can talk it all out.”

I nod. “Yeah, maybe”
Maybe not.

When I get to class I see Hayden sitting across the room. I avoid eye contact. It’s thirty minutes into class and I’ve felt five paper wads hit my head and my phone has buzzed eight times.

“Mr. Hayden,” the teacher finally yells, slamming her fist down on the table. “Could you please leave this poor girl alone?”

Hayden’s face is red when I finally look over at him. I kind of feel bad. His girlfriend did dump him and know he gets called out in front of the class. But, that’s no worse than him worrying about my reputation because it affects him, not to mention him dumping me  like I’m a sack of potatoes.

“Um, yes ma’am, sure. Sorry to interrupt.”

She rolls her eyes and goes back to writing on the board.

Hayden doesn’t bother me for the rest of the period.

Time is dragging on. There is still no sign of Liam. He hasn’t text me back, called or even emailed me. I was hoping for any of them. By the time Science gets here I’m completely tired and sick of the day.

“Still no sign of him?” Jen leans back and asks.

“Nope, no sign of him,” I whisper.

She shrugs her shoulders. “I bet he is just cooling off. He probably just needs some time. I think so.”

“Probably so,” I say.

Mr. Fringe starts to call the roll. I say my name and give him a little shrug when he calls Liam’s. I don’t really hear what Mr. Fringe is saying. I can’t make myself care. I’m halfway through the lesson when I hear some whisper my name. I turn back and Justin is smiling at me.

“Guess since Hayden is single now, you’re gonna jump back to him?” Justin says.

My face heats. I flip him the bird. “No thanks, heard everyone has already had it.”

“Fuck off,” I yell, standing up. “I’m so sick of you. I don’t know why you insist on being mean to me. I’ve never done anything to you.”

“Just telling the truth, sweet cakes. Everyone is thinking it, just too scared to say anything.”

“Sit down, Katy. And shut up Justin. I don’t want to hear a word from either of you two again.”

Anger roars in me. I ignore Mr. Fringe. His voice is fading out. I just want to hit him. Without thinking this through, I pick up my Science book and hurl it at his head. It hits the tip of his eyebrow. “Shit! Stupid bitch.”

“Out! Both of you now!” Mr. Fringe is pointing his finger toward the door. His face is red and I think he is on the verge of screaming. I turn on my heel and stomp toward the principal’s office.

Mr. Fringe is in there a while with Justin. I hope that means bad for him. He starts it every time. Thirty minutes later Justin walks out, a scowl on his lips. He stops in front of me. I look around him, begging someone to help me. He looks like he wants to punch me. I’m pretty sure he’d take me out too. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out.

“What?” I ask.

“Sorry, I won’t say it again.” Mr. Fringe walks up behind Justin and nudges him. He groans. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you those names.” He turns around and gives Mr. Fringe the fakest smile I’ve ever seen.

“Okay, good enough, go,” he says, pointing down the hall.

When Justin leaves I suddenly wish he would come back and block me from Mr. Fringe’s disappointed stare. “Katy, what has gotten into you?” he asks, shaking his head.

I guess it’s a rhetorical question because he sends me in the principal’s office. I’ve only ever been in here when I received the honor roll and got an award. I’m not a trouble maker.

Mrs. Shaw is a very manly woman. Her dark eyebrows are heavy, her lips are full and she has a wide set nose. “Katy Taylor take a sit, dear.”

I sit down, feeling small compared to her and her huge desk. Who needs a desk that big? “So, Mr. Fringe tells me that you threw a book at Justin, Katy?” She looks down at me. It’s very intimidating.

“Um,” I whisper, looking over at Mr. Fringe. If he wasn’t here I might try to cry or lie. But, I don’t dare risk it. “Yes, ma’am, I threw my book at Justin.”

“You made him bleed.”

I did? Damn I wish I would have gotten to see it.
“I guess, I didn’t see it.”

“Hmmm,” she says, intertwining her fingers that look like white tootsie rolls. It’s weird that her hands are so large and her fingers so small. “Did you hear me, Katy?”

“Um, no ma’am.”

She sighs. “You’ve never been in trouble. I hate to let you go with a harsher punishment that you deserve. So…I’m going to have you go back to class and apologize to the students. Then after lunch you have to go home for the rest of the day. Cool off.”

Whoever told teachers, sending a child home is punishment was seriously high. I smile. “Thank you Mrs. Shaw. I appreciate it.”

“I won’t see you back here again, will I?”

I shake my head. “No, ma’am.”

She nods. “Okay, then you’re dismissed.”

I nod and walk out of the office. Mr. Fringe follows me out. He walks beside me in silence. I wish he would say something. When we get to the classroom, Mr. Fringe grabs my shoulder. “Katy, I know you were sticking up for yourself. You understand I had to send you to the principal’s office don’t you?”

“I understand, Mr. Fringe.”

He smiles. “Well, off the record, I’m glad you threw that at him. He deserved it.” I laugh. “Now, get in there and apologize to the class. Since I’m sure they’re all so torn up that they got out of learning about sex.”

“Do I have to?” I whisper.

“Yes, now get in there.”

I walk into the class and everyone stops talking. Jen thrusts her fist in the air and mouths victory. I roll my eyes. I walk to the podium and stop. “Okay, guys, I just wanted to tell everyone I was sorry for the disturbance.”

A few people snicker. “And that I will never hit someone in the head with a book again,” I say.

More laughter. “Okay, okay, class, that’s enough. You can have your seat, Katy.” Mr Fringe pushes me toward my seat. I get a few high fives and winks. When I sit down in my seat I glance to my left. The empty chair seems emptier than before.

Jen hasn’t stopped
talking since we got out of Science. She has showed me her best fighting stance at least eight times,
I push my food
around on my plate and pretend to watch her.  I hear the chair next to me scoot across the floor. I look to my left. Hayden glances down at me, smiling.

Good, God.

“I heard about you throwing that book,” Hayden says. “Justin better be glad that I
wasn’t in there.”

What the hell.
Jen opens her mouth and moves her index finger around her temple in a slow motion
.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting up straighter.

“Eating lunch, like we used to.” His eyes avert to Jen. “What’s up, Jen?”

She shrugs her shoulders and pretends to eat.

“Okay,” I say, “let me rephrase that, why are you sitting with me like we used to? Nothing has changed. We. Are. Not. Getting. Back. Together. Did you not get the hint in class today? You’ve messed up enough, I don’t want to be near you.”

Hayden closes his eyes and shakes his head. “It has changed. You’re single and I’m single. We still love each other. I don’t get you. You moped around after we broke up. I miss you and I know you miss me, too.”

“Speak for yourself, Hayden. I love someone else,” I blurt out. I don’t mean to say it. Because I’m not one hundred percent sure myself, but it slips out. Like vomit. I might as well have vomited on Hayden’s lunch.

“You don’t love him,” he says. “You don’t even know him.”

“You don’t know him either. But, I do know that I’m not a disposable rag that you can just toss out and come back to get. Get over yourself, Hayden. I don’t want to get back together with you now, nor ever.” When I glance up the few tables surrounding us are all staring at me, mouths opened wide, eyes bulging out of their skulls.

Hayden makes this weird sound in his throat and places his hand on mine. “You don’t mean that, you’re just upset because Liam broke up with you. You will get over it,” he says.

Is he delusional?
“Hayden,” I say, “no, I won’t. I won’t get over this. Just take a hint and take a hike. I’m serious. I’ll go get the principal. I just want you to leave me alone.”

Hayden stands up, slamming his fist down on the table. I jump.
Jeez
. “This is your last chance to come with me. If you don’t now, I’m leaving for good.”

Where you gonna go? You have to finish the rest of the year.
I smile to myself. “Okay, then, go. Shoo,” I say, waving him off.

I turn my back to him. Jen is smiling ear to ear. “Is he still standing behind me,” I lean over and whisper.

“Yes,” she says lightly. “He looks like a fire hydrant he is so red. It’s kind of funny,” she says.

I bite back a laugh. “Well, he’ll just have to get over it.”

Chapter Nine

“Sam is my favorite,” I say and grab a hand full of popcorn.

“How predictable,” Jen says.