Assumptions
"Ohmigod, did they like, have sex or something during the fundraiser?"
"No, you idiot- their clothes are still on. I mean, it's not like all rumply or something."
"Aw guys, it's so cute! Reed and Sawyer are perfect for each other!"
"Why does Reed always get the hot guys?!"
The voices coming from the front of the room were becoming increasingly louder, and I wanted whoever they were to shut up. I was impossibly warm and comfortable, and I was not moving.
"Move over you idiots! Why aren't you guys-" the voice stopped and the room was deathly quiet.
"Holy fuck! Is that Reed and Sawyer? Damn, he finally got her!"
OK, now I was up.
My eyes instantly tore open at Gage's loud voice and I was greeted with the sight of all the Billings girls around me, including Gage. Their mouths were hanging out. Why, though?
Goodness gracious. I was in the arms of Sawyer Hathaway. I was lying comfortably on his chest, happy, warm, and content while everyone else thought that we had a little party in here. My head was hurting like crazy and my throat was beyond parched.
Sawyer's arm was around my body, all snug and tight. He was breathing deeply and calmly, and I didn't want to wake him up. He looked beyond peaceful, his brood chest falling up and down in a perfect rhythm. I silently cursed all the people in front of the room, disrupting our down time.
My body snapped up, and Sawyer's arm was thrown away from me. Our legs were all tangled up, and it was getting impossible to get out of Sawyer's grasp. The whole room was quiet, and a blush worked its way up to my face, and eventually covering my body. At my sudden movement, Sawyer's eyes fluttered open, looking up at me with earnest admiration. This time, the blush wasn't from shame.
I didn't say anything, aside from the fact my hands were resting on his chest, holding me up, while our legs were wrapped in unison. Our faces were mere inches apart, and my eyes flickered over to his lips more than once. My heart beat faster, thinking about whatever transpired between us: the honesty, the comfort, and the closeness. . .
"Reed, is everything all. . ." He paused, noticing my expression. His eyes locked into mine, and understanding soon dawned on him. He released me, managing to sit up straight, while I shamefully sat up.
I finally looked up at the crowd in front of me. Gage was holding back his laughter, and the rest of the girls were apprehensive, save Amberly and Noelle. Amberly's face pretty much told me she thought I was a slut and Noelle . . . Well, she seemed kind of smug. Really smug.
"All right, well, I think we can all conclude Sawyer is not a virgin anymore (which is awesome, man) and uh, well-"
"Out!" Noelle's voice rang out. She effectively cut out Gage from his dirty talking, and everyone else jumped at her sharp voice. She turned around and faced the whole group. "Are you dumb? Get out!"
There was a shuffle of feet coming from the door, but I kept my head cast low. Why was it such a big deal? Sawyer and I had a deep conversation (something no one needed to know), but people were just plain dirty and stupid.
"Guys, wait. Nothing happened. Jesus, get your mind out of the gutter." I looked up at everyone; their eyes told me I was lying. I stood up and rolled my eyes, swaying a bit due to the massive headache I had. "There's nothing else to say."
They just shrugged and walked out of the room, including Gage making some very naughty hand gestures. I yawned and stretched, fully realizing this was the best sleep I had in a month. Maybe drinking a bit before bed was the trick.
The door shut with a click, and Noelle finally faced us. Her Herve Ledger cocktail dress hugged every curve, but barely concealing the fact that she looked down right curious. She was tapping her red pumps impatiently, waiting for me to spill the beans.
"What are you doing here, Noelle?" I heard Sawyer ask from behind. He seemed very embarrassed, and he nervously ran his hand through his hair. Which was decidedly tousled.
She smiled, hardly containing her smirk. "Well, I was looking for Reed and then," Noelle waved her hand at the both of us, "we saw you two together. Rest is history."
I groaned and wanted to shake her until all the dirty thoughts were gone from her head. "Noelle, God, can you not think the inevitable?" Wanting to change the subject, I asked, "What time is it?"
"It is 6:02, and please don't try to change the subject. Now, what were you guys really doing here?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Talking. You guys are beyond immature," Sawyer said. He scoffed and went to pick up his khaki jacket, fumbling a bit as he did so.
Noelle jeered at Sawyer. "Yeah, I highly doubt that's what you really wanted, Virgin Boy."
My face instantly reddened. Sawyer's looming figure was behind me, and I suddenly felt hot. I didn't like how Noelle was taunting Sawyer. It was rude. I picked up my clutch that I had thrown in the corner and said, "Noelle, stop."
She smirked in return and said, "Come on, Glass Licker." Noelle began to walk confidently out of the room, until I heard Sawyer say:
"I'm not as prude as you think I am. Let's leave it to that." We both turned around and faced Sawyer, since I was in front of Sawyer the whole time. His face betrayed nothing, and he was telling the truth. In fact, he seemed proud of it. I was shocked. And so was Noelle.
"Well then, I guess. . ." She paused and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Reed! Let's go." With that she left, obviously confused at this new revelation and upset she didn't know.
When she left, I smiled at Sawyer. "So. . ."
"So, I'm not who everyone thinks I am. You don't mind, do you?"
A happy feeling rose in my chest, and I giggled. "No, not at all."
***
Monday. After a weekend of drama, I was glad of school. I was glad we had a day called Monday. Despite feeling jubilant and happy, I knew I messed everything up. Ivy had broken up with Josh (thanks to me), and I pretty much cheated on Upton. Everything was ruined.
Not only that, Sawyer and I had gotten really close. Like, super close. I wasn't sure what to think of our relationship. Did Sawyer really have a crush on me? It seemed like it, considering how much he disliked Upton, and the fact that he was warming up to me. But did I like him? Should I even consider him? Would it be possible?
"Miss Brennen? Have you gotten deaf over the weekend?" I heard Mr. Barber's voice call. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up, embarrassed.
"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't paying . . ." I blushed, and looked back down.
"Miss Brennen, I didn't ask you to put your head down; I asked you whether or not you knew the underlying cause of WWI? But clearly . . ."
'The underlying cause of WWI?' What? What was I supposed to say? 'Well, Mr. Barber, I believe the underlying cause of WWI was your fat ass annoying the hell out of those fine Germen men. Would that be correct?'
I flushed some more, and I saw Constance give me a sympathetic look. "I . . . don't know, sir."
Mr. Barber gave a fake sigh and asked someone else the same question, making me feel really stupid. I all but banged my head on the table, so far not liking my Monday at all. This was going to last forever.
After I was done hearing Mr. Barber drone on for the last hour of the day, I ran out the class building, needing some coffee to stir my body up. As much as I didn't want to, I silently thanked God for Amberly's dad coming up with Coffee Carma in Easton's campus.
I threw the door open, finding it already full with other students. I looked around, trying to find an empty spot, when I saw a curtain of jet black hair, hunching over some school books.
Ivy.
All right. I was going to talk to her. If she called me a whore, so be it. If she made a scene, I didn't really care. If she slapped me square in the face, I wouldn't mind at all. I just needed to tell her the truth. And I needed some answers.
I slowly walked forward, careful with my steps. A lump formed in my throat, and I fought hard not to let that get the best of me. I finally approached her, suddenly very nervous.
"Ivy? Can I talk to you; please?" I begged. Goodness, I've resorted to begging.
She turned halfway, and I was glad there wasn't any menace or anger in her eyes. Ivy looked at me for a full minute, deliberating. I could the see the gears running in her head, and, for the second time that day, I prayed to God, asking him if he could send Ivy some sense into talking.
"Yeah, whatever." I love you, God. I fucking love you.
I timidly sat down across from her while she resumed looking back at her books. I sat there, legs crossed, my heart beating frantically, not sure what I should say.
"So . . . What's up?" I squeaked out.
She glared at me for another minute, and I almost died from her penetrating stare. She gave a hard laugh. "You're asking me what's up. OK. Yeah. Like I'm going to answer," she started off. Ivy dropped her pencil and looked up at me, her eyes blazing. "But you know what? I think I'll let you know.
"Let's see: I feel like crap, Josh and I are a little messed up for now, and none of this feels right. And you know what else doesn't feel right? You. You're like some secret agent full of some scary shit, and you wreak everything in your path. It's like you have a machine gun stuck on your hand," Ivy finished.
Now I was officially pissed. She had no right to say any of that. She was just upset, and I needed to make sure. But, for now, I needed to get her attention fast.
"So, you're here, calling me some secret agent, but you're the one who really is." Ivy looked up, curiosity filling her clear blue eyes. "You're telling me you have nothing up your sleeve? You're telling me that whatever you and Josh are hiding from me is nothing?"
That did it. I could see Ivy tense up, and a flicker of fear washed over her face. Her face immediately went to calm and passive, but I already saw. Too late, I thought.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she huffed. Ivy resumed looking at her books, but her pencil was moving back in forth in her hand, not being used on paper. It was a clear sign of agitation. Anxiety.
A small sigh came from my lips. "Yeah, you do. Don't lie. It doesn't suit you," I added.
A wicked smile crept up on her mouth. "And what about you, Reed- do you have anything to tell me? Is there a lie somewhere hidden in your brain?"
Now it was my turn to freeze. Did she know about the incident between Josh and I? Was that why she broke up with him? Oh God, how much did she know?
Just then, a low vibration was heard. It came from my cell phone, indicating I had a text. I fished my phone from my pocket, somehow keeping a straight face and staring right at Ivy. I momentarily looked away from her, and saw that the text was from Josh.
I swallowed, and I felt the bile rising. Why was he texting me? Did he want me to come over for a 'booty call?' In addition, did he not learn anything this past weekend? I was feeling increasingly frustrated. But on the other hand, I knew Josh and I had to talk. Have a major, down to earth talk. No interruptions, no . . . nothing. Just us. So, was it OK if I opened it?
My fingers slid over my iPhone, pressing on "Accept." My pulse soared, seeing that Ivy was right in front of me, and a text from Josh was right in front of me. I looked down at the screen. A simple message was laid out:
11:30. Cemetery.
My lips pursed, and I debated. Should I go? Was it a good idea? And what about Ivy?
I raised my head up, and peered into her. Boys, boys, boys- I could live without that for now. I could live without drama for at least a coupld of weeks. "No, there's nothing," I said while I pressed delete.
Another three minutes of silence went by, but I didn't care. For some odd reason, I felt liberated. If I didn't want to meet Josh, alright then; I wasn't going to meet him. I could at least control that. And I could at least have a friend, other than Josh. A true friend.
Finally, Ivy asked, "Cheese cracker?"
I smiled a true honest smile. I took a couple from the bag, and threw them in my mouth. One landed back in my hand, and it juggled a bit before it fell down on the floor. I frowned, upset I lost one of my crackers. As I looked back up from under the table, I saw that Ivy was slightly smiling. She handed me a couple more crackers. I took them gratefully, not because I was hungry, but because it was a gesture of kindness. Of forgiveness.
I decided I rather liked cheese crackers.
thanks for reviewing folks!
yes, i know, another filler. i'm trying guys, i really am. i have a load of stuff planned out, and i know i won't be able to finish before the actual book comes out. so, bear with me! also, updates are coming rather slow because i have a crap load of school work. sorry.
reviews please! and don't forget to check out the playlist i have for the brunch, if you're into old french music and classical music :)
