Chapter Fifty Eight

This chapter is dedicated to Nathen'sraven because it is her birthday and because it she is awesome. And to BrookenLucas12: go right ahead.

I waited nervously outside Sawyer's math class, anxiously anticipating the moment he'd appear. I pictured it in my mind: his fury, first at John and then at me. My pleading. My explanation. His pain. Then we'd make out. Right?

I wrung my hands anxiously as the bell rang and students began to pour out into the hall. Sawyer was the third to appear. I ran to him and began to speak.

"Sawyer I'm so sorry, I…"

"Hey babe. What's wrong?" he asked, taking my hand and kissing my cheek. He didn't know. He hadn't seen.

"Nothing," I said, quickly and guiltily.

"Cool. So, I have basketball practice after school," he began.

"And I have cheerleading. That works," I said brightly. He stopped and went in front of my to look closer at my face.

"You okay? You're kind of red," he said.

"I went running," I lied quickly. He brushed a curl away from my eyes.

"Sounds fun. Have you talked to your Mom?" he asked.

"No, but I have another spare, last period. I was going to go then, before practice," I said.

"Sounds good. And Jenny?" he asked.

"Maybe in ten years," I suggested, as we reached Chemistry class.

The two of us took seats beside each other.

"Welcome to grade twelve Chem lab. I'm going to assign lab partners and we're going to have the first lab on Monday. Consider your partners final," said the teacher shortly. I looked sideways and smiled slightly-we'd been made partners in everything so far, the alphabetical system worked for us.

He read off a long list of name. I turned in surprise when Sawyer's name was mentioned alongside a boy in our class. We raised eyebrows at each other. Finally my name was mentioned:

"Callie Scott and Mark Delaurier," he recited. I looked up and across the aisle. Marks' ocean blue eyes met him, and he shrugged before smiling. I smiled back before I noticed my husband's piercing gaze on me.

Hours later, after chem. Lab and the entire rest of the day, I found myself on the front stoop of my parent's house. My hand hovered at the doorbell before I pushed the door open.

"Mom?" I called. She came running, and hugged me when she saw me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked anxiously.

"Oh, about the soap opera? I'm all good. I want to talk to you about Jenny," I said. She nodded slowly.

"Has she tried to explain herself yet?" she asked.

"I haven't really let her. She said she wanted to come home, and I don't want her to. I don't even want to talk to her," I said.

"You want me to?" asked Mom.

"Could you?" I asked desperately.

"I don't want to come between the two of you," she said slowly.

"Come on! If she came home, it could only harm us! She slept with him!" I cried.

"I know. I didn't know at the time, but now we all know. Yeah, I'll talk to her. I'll convince her that you can do better later if you let it rest for now," she said.

"Thanks. I love you. Now I have to go home and convince my husband that I don't want to sleep with Mark," I said distractedly. The intense look in her eyes was replaced with a slightly amused one.

"What?"

"Oh, my lab partner. Gotta go!"

Sawyer wasn't home when I arrived. I wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a snack before changing into my running shoes and sweats and heading outside.

I began to run slowly along the beach, picking up speed as I went. At first I went along the sand, but eventually the tide grew higher and I went onto the boardwalk, running along the smooth wooden planks.

"Hey," came a voice from behind me, after I'd run several miles. I turned around and put my hand over my eyes to block out the sun.

"Hey Mark," I said, as my lab partner came into view.

"What's up?"

"So you're too cool for running?" I asked, indicating the skateboard he was riding.

"Nah, it's just fun. Want a ride?" he asked. I looked at the narrow board and slowly shook my head. "Come on, it won't kill you."

"No, but he will," I answered.

"Mr. Scott's mighty protective, isn't he?" he teased. I rolled my eyes, and quickly realized he'd backed me into a corner-I now couldn't refuse without looking like a loser. I nodded, put my feet on his board and tried to relax while his arms came around my body, holding me tightly to him.

I waved goodbye and ran into the house when we reached it. I stopped in the kitchen door when I saw Sawyer with his back to me, an apron around his waist, fussing with a pot on the stove.

"Hey," I said softly, thinking of how many times during the day I'd betrayed him.

"Hey," he replied, coming over to kiss me. For a moment his face and John's flashed between each other in my mind.

"Watching you cook… it's kind of sexy," I said. He dipped me and kissed me again.

"Good to hear. I was going to make a salad, so I bought all these cherry tomatoes, but I can't find any of them," he said. I blushed, thinking of the snack I'd had after school.

"I ate them," I said guiltily. He raised an eyebrow.

"You ate an entire box of cherry tomatoes, all in one sitting," he said skeptically.

"Yeah. I love cherry tomatoes. I could have eaten more," I said. He laughed.

"Guess we'll do without the salad. Come here," he requested. He put his hands on my waist and lifted me onto the marble countertop. I kissed him again and his hands went to work taking off the camisole I'd put on for running. He slipped his hand into my bra while I fussed with the buttons on his shirt and his upper body slowly came on top of mine.

"You're perfect," I said, between breaths.

"I'm glad you've finally noticed," he joked.

He was gone before I was awake the next morning, gone to meet with his own lab partner. I wandered over to the fridge and looked inside.

I smiled when I saw two full boxes of cherry tomatoes, just there for eating.

Author's note: Sorry this took so long to get up, and that it's so short. Two things are to blame for this: exams and Adam Brody, who compels me to watch the OC all night long. Well, almost.