14. Bailey
14
Bailey
I made it to art class with no incidents, which I was grateful for. After using first period to brood and lose myself a little, I was able to breathe by the time I was in class. Even when Nolan walked right in and sat next to me, immediately asking, “Are you okay?” I eyed him suspiciously. “Rumors are going around that some chick started a fight with you?”
“Seriously? I didn’t fight anyone.”
Nolan sagged in his chair and lay his head on the table. “The gossip in this school is exhausting. They made it sound like someone ended up in the hospital.” He closed his eyes, as if he needed a break.
I had come to the conclusion that Nolan was a hidden introvert. So many would deny this—an introvert? Nolan? Ha. It was a joke. But I was serious. Surrounded by the football team, or even a few players, brought out the extroverted side of him. Almost like he was a different person. He was loud, told jokes off the top of his head, and kept the conversations going, acting like the stereotypical jock type.
However, in the quiet, when it was just the two of us, or even Lachlan included, Nolan was introverted. His dominant demeanor took a back seat, and a submissive side came out. He was happy to sit back and let us carry the conversation, only speaking up here and there. Even his body would relax and almost deflate, as if he had been holding strong for so long, and around us, he could let it go. Like now, as he deflated on the table and closed his eyes.
Once his introverted side came out, I knew the nerdy talk would follow close behind. He was not only a closet introvert but also a closet nerd, which Lachlan enjoyed, since they could geek out together. At times, I swore Nolan Reeves was two people crammed into one body.
I rubbed Nolan’s back as Lachlan sat down on my other side. “What happened to him?”
“Gossip mill got him down,” I said sympathetically.
“Yeah, I heard some things. What happened?” He casually draped his arm around the back of my chair. I didn’t miss how Nolan’s eyes tracked his movement.
I grumbled, not wanting to hash it out anymore. “Hadley happened. She really has some sort of chip on her shoulder.” I didn’t think I could make it any clearer that I wanted nothing to do with her. I held up my hand, which still displayed a shoe print on the back.
Lachlan’s gaze turned to ice. He moved to take my hand, then paused. I set my hand in his, so he could get a better look. “Can you move your fingers okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s just stiff. Probably will be a nice bruise.”
Nolan sat up and took my hand. Lachlan didn’t let go right away, but slowly, his fingers slipped from mine. “She’s seriously getting annoying.”
“She is used to being the center of attention. She lives in our town, and her dad is a member of Parliament.” Lachlan shrugged. “She was nice when we were kids, but as she got older, her bitch started showing more and more.”
Hadley never hung out with us when we were younger. She’d hated boys back then and had always stayed close to her group of girlfriends.
“I really don’t care,” I mumbled, pulling my hand back. I’d just wanted my hat back. Hadley was a class-A bully, and I would have to try harder to stay away from her.
“She could’ve seriously injured you,” Nolan said. “You can’t exactly catch a ball with a broken hand.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Luckily, she didn’t. She just stole my hat.” I stared at my hat in front of me. It might be worn and old, but it was mine. She had no right.
“Ahh, that’s what happened,” Lachlan said, as if it all made sense now. “That’s why Chase flipped her off for you.”
“Wait, what? That’s not what happened.”
Lachlan shrugged. “That’s what my sources say.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great, more ammunition for her. Chase wants nothing to do with me.”
“Why’d she want your hat?” Nolan asked.
“Because it’s awesome.”
“Looks like you need a new one,” he said, reaching over and picking it up. He turned the floppy hat around a couple of times. There were some spots where the thread was coming out, and yeah, the color was faded, but no way would I ever replace it.
I leaned forward and took it back from Nolan, dropping it into my lap. I liked Nolan, but the hat was special to me. “I can’t replace it.”
“Why?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Because it has sentimental value,” Lachlan said. “Chase gave it to her.” And then he chuckled. “Well, he won it for her.”
Nolan looked back to me, waiting for the story. I sighed, sitting up straighter. “Chase has money, like a lot. His family is loaded. Anyway, one summer, he broke his ankle and couldn’t do anything, so we hung out with him all summer. When he finally got his cast off, we went to the fall fair together, and he wanted to buy us something to say thank you. The guys got their thing.” I waved toward Lachlan.
“Hey, my funnel cake was more than worth it.”
I laughed. “Well, I didn’t want him to spend money on me…”
“I didn’t take you for the materialistic type.” Nolan lifted his head with a smile.
“Oh, just wait.” Lachlan grinned.
I smiled sweetly. “I wanted him to pay for all those times he rang his stupid bell and made me run up and down the stairs for popsicles and drinks. Anyway, they have this mechanical bull ride, where you have to stay on for eight seconds, and you win a prize. I told him I wanted the hat, and he had to ride the bull and get it for me.”
Nolan’s smile turned into a grin. “You’re evil.”
“Oh, oh, not just that.” Lachlan sat up. “She got the operator to turn up the difficulty of the bull. We watched Chase get thrown around at least six or seven times before he won that stupid hat. I thought he was going to break his ankle again. He probably could have bought her one cheaper than what he spent on the ride. But she insisted she wanted that one.”
My jaw dropped in mock pain. “How dare you call my hat stupid?”
“So, you’ve worn that ever since? Since you were how old?”
“Twelve,” I said.
“Well, she stopped wearing it last year,” Lachlan pointed out.
My smile faded. He was right…I had. Ed hadn’t liked it when I wore things that weren’t feminine. I’d been afraid he would throw it out, so I’d kept it in my room. Sometimes, when I thought about the things Ed had and hadn’t allowed me to do, I could look back and recognize I’d obeyed him out of fear…when, back then, I would swear up and down I wasn’t afraid of him. I obeyed him because we loved one another.
Lachlan and Nolan kept me fairly distracted as they went back and forth over whose abstract drawing was more abstract. I knew they were doing it to cheer me up. Lachlan made some sort of joke to Nolan that they didn’t want an angry Bailey; it wasn’t good for anyone’s health.
We walked to the cafeteria for lunch but were stopped by a petite girl with blondish brown hair, pulled back into a bun. She had striking brown eyes. “Bailey,” she said.
“Hey,” I answered out of politeness, but I didn’t know who she was.
“I’m Beth. Listen, you might want to let whatever is going on in there cool off a moment. Come with me.” She pulled me away from Lachlan and Nolan, both of whom didn’t look too happy.
“Hey!” Lachlan shouted.
“We’ll be right back. Girl stuff,” she said over her shoulder. I shrugged to him and let Beth pull me into the girls’ restroom. “I’m Wes’s girlfriend, by the way. Sorry for swooping in and taking you.” Wes was on the football team, on the defense side.
“It’s okay.” I got good feelings from Beth; she seemed nice. “But what exactly are we doing?”
“First of all, your makeup is everywhere. You can tell you were crying.”
Shit, I forgot I was wearing any, and I’d been rubbing my eyes during art class. “Ugh, Lachlan and Nolan didn’t say anything,” I grumbled as I turned toward the mirror to inspect my raccoon eyes.
“You think they would’ve?” Beth laughed. She pulled out a small makeup bag and handed me some makeup remover. I gave her a grateful smile as I cleaned up my face.
“Hadley and Chase might be breaking up,” she said, and I winced. “Don’t worry, it's totally not your fault. They are always off and on. Hadley is accusing him of putting you before her.”
It bothered me, though. I didn’t want to cause drama for Chase, but I knew Chase…rather who he was before. Chase had always been one to stand up for the underdog, for the one being hurt. He and Lachlan used to be so close, and all of us protected Lachlan like mad because he was always a target. Not to mention, he stood up for me when Ethan put sand in my hair. And then the time Ethan said he got a black eye from the kid next door, and Chase was ready to go over and knock that kid out. So, if Hadley thought she was winning points with him by tearing me down, regardless of whether he hated me, she was mistaken.
“What happened this morning had nothing to do with Chase putting me before her and everything to do with Chase not letting someone get hurt. If Hadley was being that mean to anyone, I’m sure he would’ve done the same thing.”
Beth raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? Hun, because every time I’m around Chase, he has some sort of stick up his ass.”
I frowned.
“Yeah, well, now Hadley’s telling everyone you made moves on him and are stealing him from her. It’s a huge dramatic mess, and she was making a scene in the cafeteria. Chase asked me to stall you, so you wouldn’t be dragged into it.”
I turned off the water and dried my face. Chase…said that?
“Do you have makeup with you?” Beth asked.
I shook my head. “Back in my locker. I’ll be fine, though.”
“Your eyes are puffy. Hold on, I have some fresh sponges.” She went through her makeup bag and pulled out a few items. Beth stepped closer to me and began applying makeup to my face. She had clean Q-tips and cotton pads she used. “I promise I’m not making you look like a clown.”
I laughed, and she smiled at me.
“You know, I haven’t seen you around much before this year.”
“I mainly kept to myself.” I was now coming to realize it was a shame. Who knew how many opportunities I’d missed out on these last few years?
“There are a few football girlfriends. Some might not like you because of Hadley, but I can help you navigate it. I know you’re not a girlfriend, but I’m sure you need a break from the guys after spending so much time with them.”
She’d help me navigate…? I fought not to tear up.
“Hey, now, don’t go crying again. I just put new stuff on.” She smiled kindly. “You might need to invest in some waterproof mascara.”
“Sorry. I’m not normally this emotional.” I laughed. I waited a moment before deciding to go for it. To open up. “It’s just, I’ve never had a friend,” and then, realizing how pathetic that sounded, I quickly added, “that was a girl.” Damn it, was I coming on too strong? I tried not to feel embarrassed. Beth, though—she didn’t miss a beat.
“Well, I’ve got you,” she said with a smile. “What good is girl power if we don’t fix each other's makeup in the bathroom now and then?”
I could see why Wes liked her. Beth was one of a kind, especially at this school.
When she was done, I turned around and smiled at myself. I kept my makeup simple and light, anyway, but she did a better job than I did. “You’ll have to show me how to do this.”
“Anytime.” She packed up her stuff. “Ready?” she asked, hooking her arm in mine. We walked back to the cafeteria. “Okay, hold your head up, stay strong. You are so much better than Hadley. Don’t worry about it, all right?”
“I wasn’t trying to steal Chase,” I said. “He was…just helping me. We used to be good friends, but he doesn’t want to be friends anymore, so there is literally nothing for her to worry about.”
Beth nodded. “Don’t worry about it, girl. Wes has told me about you. You’re good people.” She patted my arm, and we laughed.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but everything seemed relatively normal. Beth guided me over to the guys at the football table. Lachlan pushed a tray of bacon mac and cheese at me, and I was already drooling. Beth walked around the table and sat across from me with Wes.
“You’re the best,” I said to Lachlan. I pulled out some money, but he pushed it away.
“On me.” He smiled.
I took a quick look around and noticed Chase wasn’t at the table. My eyes met Ethan’s briefly before he looked away and continued talking to Sam. It wasn’t hard to notice glares from a couple of the girls at the table as well, though. Emma being one of them. I smiled and waved at her.
Beth laughed. “Okay, I need your number. Give me your phone.” I slid my phone across the table, and she added her information.
When I pulled it back, I stared at the contact. “One,” I whispered to myself.
“One what?” Lachlan asked. He looked at my contact list, and I felt somewhat embarrassed until he spoke. “What the hell, why aren’t I there?” He held out his hand, and I placed my phone in it. He thumbed through and added himself, then he pulled his phone out and started adding more contacts from his phone.
“Who are you adding?” I asked, trying to see over his shoulder.
“Stop being nosy.” He turned away, so I couldn’t see it.
“Send me a text, so I can add her,” Nolan said.
“Might as well put me in there,” Sam said. I hadn’t realized he’d been listening.
My smile grew, but I tried to play cool and hide it behind large bites of food. A few of Beth’s friends got Lach to add them. In his distraction, I also stole two breadsticks. I think I deserved them after the roller coaster of a morning I’d had. He handed my phone back just as the bell rang for the end of lunch.
“I swear, if you just gave out my number to the whole school…”
He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. My heart did a funny flutter, and I tried to hide my smile. How was I going to survive this guy?
Gym class was the best yet. We didn’t have to run the track and started a first aid course which, over the next week, would dive into common athletic injuries. Lachlan, Nolan, and I grouped together while going through our CPR portion.
Trying to do chest compressions while Lachlan and Nolan sang Another One Bites the Dust was a great feat. I was holding back my laughter to the point that tears ran down my cheeks. I nearly lost it when Lachlan started moving the dummy’s mouth, getting him to say stuff like “Oh, thank you, my lady for saving me.”
That night, I was doing my homework in my room, my history book spread out across my bed, when the banging started. I froze and closed my eyes, trying to bring myself back to where I was now. I’m in my room. The door is… My eyes flew open, immediately finding my door that wasn’t fully shut, meaning…it wasn’t locked.
On my way to the door, I peeked out the window and saw the small shed. It used to house the saddles and bridles before the new barn was built this past summer. Now, it sat empty. Mom talked about turning it into a chicken coop but hadn’t had the time to do it. And that damn latch refused to close properly.
I walked out of my bedroom and down the hall to the stairs. I could hear Dad and Mom talking at the bottom.
“They are giving him another week before they take him off,” Dad was saying.
“Is there any chance he will recover?” Mom asked.
Dad was silent for a moment. “Well, I wouldn’t think so, but the nurse was saying one scan showed a possibility. But he needs to recover from the injuries some more.” My stomach rolled.
“Dad?” I called.
“Yes?” he answered back, walking over to the bottom of the stairs to look up at me.
“The garden shed is open again.”
Dad shook his head. “Bailey, you have two perfectly good working legs, you can go close it yourself.” He turned to walk away, but over his shoulder, he added, “I’ll go to town tomorrow and get a lock for it.” I understood why he was getting annoyed; this wasn’t the first time I’d asked him to go out and close it.
I took a deep breath and went back to my room, trying to ignore the noises. It only got worse, though, almost like it was getting louder and echoing in my mind. The creak as the door opened, the hinges straining, and then the slam as it shut. Again and again. An ache settled right at my temples. I tried to rub it away, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I left my room and ran down the stairs, slipping on my boots and trudging out the door. I hesitated a bit when my feet hit the gravel, but after taking a deep breath, I continued around the back of the house.
The closer I got to the shed, the dizzier I became, but that probably had more to do with the fact I was now holding my breath. I reached out to push the door in place, allowing the latch to catch, so I could have a few hours of quiet before it started again. The moment my hand touched the wood, an icky feeling slithered down my spine and my stomach rolled yet again.
The wood disappeared beneath my fingertips, and in its place, my nails dug into the leather of a saddle. The saddle oil filled my nose and tears rolled down my cheeks. “ Easy, princess…this is going to hurt.” Ed’s voice sent a tremor of pain rolling through me.
And then the banging started. As if someone were laying their fists against the door from the inside, smashing into it with all their might. “Let me out!” he screamed. “Let me out of here, you lying bitch.” I braced my back against the door as it shook, every blow sending a tidal wave of fury through me. “LET ME OUT!!!”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, and then I screamed, “I’m sorry!”