Chapter 6
It was finally the weekend, and I was bored out of my mind.
On Thursday, Scott had come home with a bag of board games he’d went out and bought, which I conveniently misplaced long after he went to bed for the night.
What I truly needed was some action, nothing this one-horse town was good enough to offer. If I were in LA, I would’ve ditched school and hung out with the boys until it was time to hit the streets for the night. Here, there was none of that, not even a phone call from back home.
Not that my mother hadn’t called all week, trying to get a hold of me. Wednesday, she’d smartened up and called Scott, and he tried to force me to talk to her. Wasn’t happening.
At school, I tried playing Where’s Waldo whenever it was time for lunch. Yet no matter where I sat, Cameron would find me. Some days she’d bring Vanity; others it was just us.
Today, Cameron found me toward the very crowded back of the cafeteria. Not even the hefty football players were enough to shield me.
Lovely.
“Hey, Saylor,” Cameron greeted me with a peppy smile.
Was she always happy?
“Afternoon,” I replied as I poked at a leaf of lettuce. Scott had actually listened when I complained about how awful the school food was and brought me a salad from Marty’s home the previous evening.
He wasn’t so bad.
A girl walked by our table, offering me a smile and a little wave as she did. I recognized her from one of my morning classes, I just wasn’t sure which—
An elbow lodged into my side and I realized Cameron had nudged me.
She was shooting me a look of disapproval.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s Tabitha,” she informed me before lowering her voice to add, “she’s Dreux’s ex.”
I looked around for where Tabitha had gone off to, finding her taking a seat at one of the tables occupied by the athletes.
She had a sweet face. Her long wavy hair was up in a ponytail, and her light brown complexion seemed to radiate.
She was smiling with some guy, a closer look found him to be bigger than Dreux, but not as good-looking—I guessed Dreux was good-looking.
“What? She break his heart or something?” I asked.
Cameron frowned, her distaste for Tabitha displayed across her face.
“Yeah. In a way, she did break his heart.” She peered down at her pepperoni stuffed breadstick.
“That guy she is with is totally the guy she two-timed Dreux with. Some girls can’t appreciate the good guys.
I guess it makes me love and value Aidan even more. ”
I was nice enough not to scowl at that last remark. “Wow, small town, juicy secrets.”
“I’ll say,” Cameron agreed. “I still can’t believe Uncle Scott has a daughter. I feel like I should’ve known I had a cousin. We could’ve spent so much time together in the summers.”
Cameron’s comment had been innocent, sweet even, but it ate at me that Scott had never informed his “friends” of his daughter.
It made me wonder if he would’ve ever reached out had I not gotten in trouble.
This uncertainty didn’t sit well with me.
Not too long later Aidan and Dreux were joining us.
This was new.
Aidan set a box of muffins in front of us. “We come bearing gifts.”
Cameron perked up. “Ooh, what flavor?”
“They’re new, orange-pineapple.” Aidan sat across from Cameron, leaving Dreux to sit across from me. “I got four so we can all have one.”
Dreux wrinkled his nose. He had Subway. “I told you I was good, man. I don’t eat sweets.”
No sweets? What was wrong with this kid?
Aidan opened the box and gestured for Cameron and me to partake of his goods.
I was too curious to pass it up. “Thanks.”
Cameron immediately started talking Aidan’s ear off.
It left me to my lonesome, which I wouldn’t have minded, but it was a bit awkward feeling and noticing Dreux’s presence.
I snuck a peek at him. He was wearing a black T-shirt with The White Stripes on it, one of the alternative bands I liked.
Something about this surprised me.
“You listen to The White Stripes?” I had to ask.
Dreux’s face remained neutral as he lifted his attention to me. “Yeah?” He seemed defensive, almost as if I were accusing him of something.
“Just was wondering, is all,” I said.
Dreux narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Ah, so we were going to be on rocky terms after my little Fuck Off the other day.
Dreux appeared to be easily bothered, so I decided to fuck with him for the sake of satisfying my boredom.
“They just seem too cool for you,” I told him.
He made a face. “ ‘Too cool’? Wow.”
Ow.
Someone had swatted me.
Cameron was sitting beside me shaking her head. “Cut it out, you two, and make up already. I’m sure you have a lot in common.”
Me, have something in common with the golden child?
Doubt it.
Cameron turned to Dreux next. “What’s your favorite color?”
Dreux did this thing, where he squeezed his eyes shut to think of his answer. It was kind of adorable, kind of childlike, and if I looked hard enough, I could see the halo above his head.
“Uh…” He searched deep within his mind for an answer before opening his dark eyes. “Pink?”
Aidan snickered and Cameron was quick to toss her wrapper from her utensils at him.
I didn’t find this answer funny, but unique.
“Why?” I genuinely wanted to know.
Dreux shrugged. “It reminds me of the strength my mom had when she was fighting breast cancer.”
On his wrist, beside his gold chain and beaded bracelet, I was suddenly aware of the pink Breast Cancer Awareness band he wore as well.
Dreux St. Julien was a decent guy.
“Your turn, Saylor,” Cameron went on. “What’s your favorite color?”
As if possibly sharing a favorite color would make us close.
“Don’t have one.” I gathered my Snapple Apple and uncapped it. “I think every color has their purpose.”
Dreux was looking at me funny. “Is that bullshit or real?”
“Real.”
He didn’t say anything, but Cameron got this goofy look on her face as if she’d just found the key to World Peace.
“You up for some baseball after school?” Aidan asked.
Dreux ate some of his sandwich as he agreed to a game with Aidan.
These goody-goodies were cramping my style.
Not too far from our table, I found Bonham and his herd of friends. Bonham was lounging back in his seat, his legs spread apart as he lazily peered around the lunch quarters, bored out of his mind.
When he found me, he stuck his tongue out at me, and I took that as my cue to get up and leave the Breakfast Club.
Everyone said Bonham was fire, but I craved the burn, I wanted the fun, and I wanted the trouble. I needed to feel alive.
Bonham watched me approach him, his eyes eating up my figure as he sank lower in his chair.
His wavy hair was a mess, and he looked like a rock star in that leather jacket.
It was hard to believe he was Aidan’s older brother.
Aidan was Mr. Fundraiser and Goodwill, while Bonham was Mr. Mayhem and Debauchery.
I set half of my muffin down before him, as if I were making an offering to a god. “A gift.”
Bonham threaded his fingers together and rested them on his lap. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he drawled as he gazed up at me.
His buddies were too busy laughing and mixing their food together to pay us any attention—I thought they were high.
I pouted. “I’m bored.”
Bonham’s lips curled into a smile. “What are you getting into this weekend?”
“Perfecting the knot to my noose.”
“I picture you drowning. You know, captain going down with its ship and all.”
“Drowning is painful and slow.”
“Real men can take it, Say-lor.”
I whistled. “One with the water, what a way to go.”
Bonham chuckled, amused by me. “We can’t be friends if you choose to associate with St. Julien.”
Dreux.
Bonham was definitely serious as he sat back staring up at me.
Boys and their bullshit.
“You and Boy Wonder enemies or something?” I asked.
Bonham scowled as his green eyes shifted over to the boy in question. “St. Julien is a narc.” His attention was back on me. “His daddy’s a big lawyer and his cousin’s a deputy sheriff. So, it’s either me or him.”
The pieces to Dreux’s puzzle kept getting more and more interesting. “You’re definitely a hot piece of ass, Bonham, but no one tells me what to do.”
Bonham shrugged. “Just sayin’. The guy can’t be trusted, but if you want to go and be all lovey dovey with him, go right on ahead.”
I couldn’t have cared less about being one-half of an annoying couple where we were destined to get engaged or have babies straight after high school.
Then we’d be like those annoying parents who were pretentious and referred to their kid as “eighteen months,” instead of just saying their child was almost fuckin’ two.
“He’s just my neighbor. Besides, I’m not interested in this town’s latest teen drama, what I want is a good time,” I demanded.
Bonham appeared thoughtful. “What are your digits?”
I gave him my number, very much aware that his friends were still playing in their food—they were definitely high.
Bonham typed in my number with a bob of his head. “Feel like doin’ a little livin’ tonight?”
“As wildly as possible?”
“Wouldn’t live any other way.”
“Deal.”
Bonham held up his half of my pastry. “Thanks for the muffin, muffin.”
To the outside world, I was probably about to make a huge mistake, but I honestly didn’t care. If the night went as planned, I would go out, I would drink, I would potentially smoke, I would have fun, and I would get laid.
I hadn’t slept with anyone since Kevin, and with Bonham…I just wanted to. Kevin didn’t deserve to be my first and only.
When I returned to my lunch table, Cameron and Aidan were focused on each other, and Dreux was holding his sub in one hand while reading something on his phone with the other.
I couldn’t wait until the evening.
I was going to let loose.
All week, I developed a routine. Larry and Cameron would drop me off, and I would lay out all my schoolwork on the living room floor, sift through Scott’s vinyl, and play a record as I did my homework. My mother would call two or three times, and I would ignore each one.
Eventually, my homework would be done and Scott would be walking in the door.