Chapter 29
Only in porn movies
“Wanna go shopping for Winter Formal before your shift at the movie theater on Saturday?” I asked Melinda on Monday morning as she joined me in my driveway so we could ride to school together.
She would be training after school, and I wanted to hit the gym so our schedules matched, and riding together had become our thing whenever we could make it work.
“I thought it would look cool if my tie matched your dress. Just an idea.”
Winter Formal was in two weeks.
“You want us to match? Are you sure you’re not sick?” she asked, hoisting herself onto the passenger seat after she discarded her book bag on the backseat. Leaning forward, she touched her hand to my forehead. “Nope. No fever.”
I laughed, something I seemed to do a lot around her. “Not sick, I swear. And here I almost wished I were so you could transform into Nurse Shepard. The time you bandaged the cut on my abdomen is branded on my memories forever. And the nurse uniforms are hot. Just sayin’.”
“Only in porn movies, Mase. Real-life uniforms are not sexy, I swear.”
“And just like that, you killed one of my fantasies.” I rolled my eyes in the most exaggerated manner possible. “Thank you very much, Shepard.”
She patted my hand. “You’ll survive, Mase. For your information, if you had been sick, I would have cared for you.”
My face lit up. “For real?”
She sighed. “No questions asked. Until you transformed into a big baby and I had to quit.”
“I love your faith in me. I’m tougher than you give me credit for.” We both laughed. “Back to business.” I put on my most serious expression. “The theme this year is Midnight Frost. It could be fun to dress the part. Think about it and let me know what you decide.”
“I’m free Saturday morning. If we do this, indigo or arctic blue would work best. If I can find a dress in those hues.”
“That sounds like something doable. Not that I know a lot about dresses, but I’m sure blue is a pretty common color.”
“Yeah, but there’s a whole rainbow of shades.
We gotta find the right one.” Melinda toyed with the radio button for a moment.
“Hey, Mase. Do you have plans for the winter break? Craig and Paige talked about going to the mountains to snowboard. They’re renting a cabin for two nights, and they have a spare bedroom.
Christmas present from her parents. Could be fun to join them if you’re up to it.
They offered. I’ve never snowboarded before, but I heard it’s not that hard.
I would like to give it a try. And three days away from everything would be amazing after the semester we just had.
As long as I can fit my work schedule around it and my parents agree. ”
“Craig said something about it the other day, but we were interrupted, and we never broached the subject again. Could be fun, though. You sure it’s okay with them if we tag along?”
“Yes. Paige called me last night. They’re going the weekend before Christmas.
She said they would love for us to join them.
We would only have to pay for our tickets and our food.
We could split the money for gas. She even offered we ride together, the four of us…
” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Or the two of us can ride alone. Whatever we decide.”
“You’ll love the slopes. Let me run it by my brother first and get back to you.” I stopped at a red light and watched my girl when an idea hit me. “Wanna skip morning classes?”
“Skip? Like skip school?” From the look on her face, it was like I had suggested we commit murder and bury the body together.
“Yeah. Like you said, we had one hell of a semester, and I need a break. Time to cool off. Football season has been exhausting with the extra training I put myself through. I kinda feel like going to the lake and walking…and talking.” Last Saturday, we won the state championship, which meant practices were over—and my high school football career too.
The guys and I were still hitting the gym at least three times a week to stay in shape for the spring off-season training.
Dedication was the key to our well-oiled machine.
And even if technically my high school football days were over, I was still the captain and called the shots—at least until the end of the school year.
Melinda sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. My fingertips itched to brush the silky strands. “Even though it sounds tempting, I can’t. I have a quiz and if I miss it and my parents hear about it…let’s just say it’s a complication I’d prefer to avoid.”
I scratched my temple. “Oh, okay. Maybe another time.”
I really wanted to talk to Melinda alone.
It was time we had the conversation. We’d been tiptoeing around each other for months now.
Our deadline was approaching, and after sleeping in the same bed on my birthday, I was done pretending we weren’t together when we did everything, except kissing and the physical stuff, like other couples did.
I couldn’t have her so close to me all the time without being with her—like really being with her—anymore.
It had become torture. I was combusting inside each day, not knowing how to get rid of the tension tightening my body.
All I wished for was to hold her hand and kiss her whenever I felt like it.
Watch movies tangled up together under a blanket and go on dates.
I didn’t want to have to come up with excuses to see her anymore.
The other day, I’d caught myself doodling her name next to mine in my notebook when the math teacher went on and on about limits, and I couldn’t care less about the lesson.
“Are you okay?” Her voice brought me back to the present.
“Yeah. Sure. All good.”
Craig met us in the parking lot. “How is it going, lovebirds?”
I made a cutthroat gesture and glared at him.
He winked as if he could read my thoughts. I would have vaporized him with my eyes if they had been laser beams.
“Need something?” I asked, not in the mood to kill him this early in the morning.
“Nope. Waiting for Paige. I thought I should come and say hi since it would be impolite not to say hello when you cross paths with your favorite brother and his gir—and his friend in the school parking lot.”
Fucker, I mouthed at him.
He clapped my back as I pushed him aside to walk past him. “I’ll see you later, man.” The sound of his chuckle still made me want to murder him with my own hands. I didn’t need my brother to mess up my plans. No thank you.
We entered the building, and I fist-bumped a couple of guys before making it to the seniors’ wing to walk Melinda to her locker.
“Can you give me a minute?” she asked as we passed the restroom.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll wait here.”
With my back against the wall, I scrolled through my phone, studying every picture we snapped of us in the last few months.
My heart would burst if I didn’t come clean to Melinda soon.
If we started dating before Winter Formal, we could go as a couple.
Officially. The real deal. And spend our winter break together with nothing standing between us.
Not being some third or fourth wheel on Craig and Paige’s mountain vacation.
Chase joined me, offering me a donut from the box in his hands. I hesitated at first, but indulged, picking a vanilla one with chocolate frosting and violet sprinkles. After all, football season was over, and I deserved a treat—and some sugar courage. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Waiting for Mel.”
“Are you two—? Is this real? You guys have been hanging out together like a couple for months, and I don’t understand why you haven’t tapped it yet.”
I pivoted and glared at him. “Respect, man. Don’t talk about her like that. Whatever we are or aren’t isn’t your business or anyone else’s.”
“Relax, Mase. I was just kidding. I have eyes, you know. I’ve been seeing how you two have become inseparable. I’m just surprised because it’s not like you to spend time with a girl without banging her on the side and dumping her ass afterward. What happened between you two at State?”
“Drop it. She’s not like the others. Anyway, why am I even explaining anything to you?” I waved him off. “Shoo. Now. She’ll be back, and I don’t want you in my space.”
Chase burst out into a fit of laughter, grabbing another donut from the box and pushing it whole inside his mouth. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think Mason Pierce was in love.” He spoke with a mouthful, waggling his eyebrows as he did.
I poked his shoulder. “Shut up. Again, none of your business.”
He sidestepped and shook his head, a smirk curling his lips. “You’re so screwed. You’re my idol, Mase. Jesus, you are the best. How have you been surviving the longest case of blue balls known to mankind?”
He walked away, the sound of his laughter reverberating through the hallway as he traipsed toward the rows of lockers.
“Everything okay?” Melinda asked from behind me.
I turned to face her and grabbed her hands in mine. “Yeah, just Chase being his idiot self. Are you feeling all right? You’re staring off into space.”
She flicked her wrist. “I was dizzy. Moved too quickly. It’s better now.”
I nodded. Something wasn’t right. The nagging feeling I had experienced in the past returned.
“Don’t worry, okay?”
I removed Melinda’s bag from her shoulder and slung it over mine.
We walked side by side, and the instant I spun to reach for her hand, her eyes lost all focus, and seconds later, her knees buckled. I caught her limp body right before she hit the floor. I kneeled down with her in my arms. “Mel. Open your eyes. Talk to me. Mel? Wake up.”
One by one, her eyelids peeled open before closing again.
“Mel. No. Someone get the nurse. Mel, open your eyes.” I pulled her against me, cradling her inert body, urging her to wake up. My eyes burned with unshed tears. “Mel. It’s not funny. Don’t do this. Open your eyes. Now.”
A palm molded to my cheek. “Mase?”
“Mel. What happened?”