Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
As planned, we meet in the home ec class a week after Monday.
I’ve decided to put my cooking skills to use.
Lake rests a hand next to the oven, a curious look on his face.
“Your grand scheme to get back at those bitches it to make them cookies?’
“Special ones,” I confirm.
“What makes them so special, Geni?”
I set the batch that I’ve been mixing to the side of the table, then lean down and begin to rifle through my backpack.
With a triumphant smile, I stand up and shake a little baggie in his face.
“What the hell is that?’ he asks.
“Laxatives.”
“You carry those around with you?”
“Swiped them from the nurse’s office,” I respond.
Lake folds his arms over his chest, and I can see the corners of his lips twitching. I think he gets it now.
“Did I ever tell you how pretty you are when you’re being so devious?” he asks.
I rub the top of the baggie with my thumb and forefinger, smiling when I see his cheeks and the bridge of his nose turn a slight shade of crimson.
“Not that I can recall.”
Once the seal starts giving way, the tip of my tongue pokes out of the corner of my mouth. It’s usually what happens when I concentrate too hard, but I’ve never really noticed until just now.
And the only reason is because Lake has reached over and poked it. I make a face as I swat his hand away.
I grab the bowl, gently shaking the entire contents into the mixture. Once I’m satisfied that it’s all in, I lean down to retrieve another one from my backpack.
“Jesus. How many of those do you have?”
“For those three? Not nearly enough.”
“I have a question. Something I don’t know if you’ve thought about yet.”
“Shoot,” I reply.
“How are they going to know this was from us?”
“That’s the best part, Lake. They’ll never know who did it but it’ll make damn sure that they don’t fuck with anyone in the school ever again.”
He chuckles as he rakes a hand back through his hair. I nod toward the cookie tray next to him and he slides it over dutifully.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“For a while there, I thought you were just like them,” he admits quietly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I know that. Now,” he continues with a chuckle. “But I thought I lost you.”
“And where exactly was I going to go?” I ask as I reach for the oven door. “Seems like no matter where my family moves to, you’re always right there.”
He clears his throat as he looks at me.
I cross my arms over my chest as Lake takes a few steps to stand in front of me. I move to the side, away from the pre-heated oven and he follows suit.
“Lake—”
He puts a hand on either side of my face and leans in, crushing his lips desperately against mine. I reach up and grab his wrists, hoping that I’ll have the will to pull him off, but when he parts my lips with his tongue, I know I don’t want to anymore.
The lost little boy who was so unloved, so used, and made to feel worthless by so many other people in his life, seems to have finally found otherwise.