Chasing McCree (6 page)

“
Shit, this is serious.” He
gasped. “Last time that happened to me, I woke up gay.”

Wow. “So what should I do? I don’t feel
good dressed like this. Come to think of it, I never liked this
dress.”

He smoothed the front of this black
vest. “Your father will remove my liver with a fork if I let you
leave looking like that.”

Resigned, and happily I might add, I
peeled off the dress and donned a fluffy robe. Raphael took the
monstrosity out of the room, and was gone for about fifteen
minutes. I sat at his booth, eating candy almonds and spinning
around in the styling chair until I got dizzy, wondering how I
would go to the dance now. I would never hear the end of it from my
mother if I didn’t. At times like this, I wondered if I could just
move in with my grandmother.

“
Here we go,” Raphael
slipped back into the room and presented a wispy pink dress and
black flats. “I think this will be more your speed.”

“
Where did you get
them?”

“
My friend Shelly has a
vintage boutique three blocks away. I put in an emergency
call.”

The dress fit and it didn’t come across
slutty. Best of all, it matched my natural look. Light, silky
material floated at my knees, helping to hide the scrapes, a thick
black ribbon tide at my waist, and the black flats replaced killer
silver heels.

Instead of feeling cheap, I felt
beautiful and classy, like I was being myself for the first
time.

Raphael dabbed his eyes with a tissue
as I was leaving. “I should go into the fairy godmother
business.”

The driver my mother hired dropped me
off at the school gym. Everyone was already inside. Music the DJ
played pulsed the floor. I stood on the far side of the room
watching my classmates kick off their shoes and lose themselves to
the rhythm. I spotted Rachel and Nathan off to one side grinding
into each other. She was wearing a similar version of the dress I’d
originally bought. The bottom of it had ridden up to reveal black
lace panties. But no one seemed to notice or care. Not even the
teachers, who were busy ignoring all the students groping each
other on the dance floor.

I slipped my way through the crowd and
into the girl’s locker room. My purse was in my locker. I grabbed
my cell phone and wallet out of it, putting them in the little
black bag that went with my dress. To kill time, so I didn’t have
to go back out into the gym, I pretended to use the restroom. Then
I checked for messages on my phone. I had too many to count. They
were all from Rachel and Alex. Half of them were apologies, and the
other half called me oversensitive. I needed to loosen up and stop
worrying so much. I deleted every message and text. But then I came
across one from someone else. It was from Chase. He’d called my
phone so that I’d have his number. I smiled and saved it in my
contacts; thankful I had someone who wasn’t judging me like my
so-called friends.

After twenty minutes hiding in the
girl’s locker room I forced myself to go back out into the gym. It
was time for me to go. I couldn’t stand on the sidelines watching
everyone dance. That would only draw attention.

“
Hey, Briar!” Beth tottered
over in a pair of platform heels, wearing a silver dress that
looked too tight to breathe in.“Oh my god. I am having so much
fun!”

“
Great.” Super great…she
was already drunk!

“
You look different.” Beth
motioned to my dress. “It’s almost…sweet.”

From the inflection in her voice, I
didn’t take that as a compliment. “I felt over exposed in the dress
I bought with Rachel. This is a lot prettier. Besides, it’s
vintage.”

She sniffed. “Oh, I guess vintage isn’t
so bad. Chanel?”

“
Actually, I don’t know who
it’s by.”

Beth waved to someone behind me, and
then met my eyes, with pity. “Everyone has an off
night.”

“
I guess…” what was I
supposed to say, that I really didn’t care about the stupid dance?
Yeah, that would win me some major points.

She gave me another pathetically
pitying look before leaving, making an excuse about needing to say
hi to someone super important.

I headed for the door, not making eye
contact with anyone else. This was it. I’d officially screwed my
social life. It was finished. Poof. Out from the popular crowd. I
might as well change schools.

“
Briar, wait.”

I turned back to see Alex slipping out
of the sea of writhing bodies. He ran toward me. I knew I had to
face him sooner or later. Might as well get it over with now. My
cute dress seemed pretty repellant, and I was on a roll after
sending Beth running. Hopefully Alex followed her
example.

“
When did you get
here?”

I shrugged. “Not long ago.”

He jerked his tie off and shoved it in
his pants pocket. I had to give him credit. He cleaned up nice and
was good looking in his own right. But looks were
deceiving.

“
Do you want to dance?” he
asked as a slow song came on.

“
Actually, I’m going
home.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m
sorry. Briar, I never mean to hurt you. Dance with me, please,
that’s all I’m asking. I just want to talk.”

I sighed, knowing that if I danced with
him my mother would find out. She’d leave me alone, for a little
while. “Fine, one dance. That’s all the time you have, and then I’m
leaving.”

He led me to the dance floor. I rested
my hands on his shoulders, keeping a good amount of space between
us.

“
Say what you have to say
Alex.”

“
Like I said, I’m sorry.”
His hands settled at my waist. “It’s just that I get these urges,
and I have to remember to control them.”

Did he think I was going to fall for
this? “Okay.”

“
But I’m going to work on
it. If I knew when you would be ready, then it would be easier to
wait.” His hands slipped a little lower and I raised my
eyebrows.

“
Ready?”

“
Yeah, I’ll wait. I can
ignore my needs for a while.”

“
Alex, I can’t give you a
specific time. I’m not ready now, and I don’t know when I will be.
When I am ready though, I can promise you one thing.”

“
What’s that?” he locked
his arms around me and swooped in for a kiss.

I grimaced, shoving him back. “I
promise I won’t be ready for you.”

“
Damn it, Briar.” He jerked
me closer. “Our parents expect this.”

I balked at him. “What?”

“
After high school we’re
going to announce our engagement.”

This was more than just about Dartmouth
hiring my dad. This was about a merger. The Walkers and the
Thompsons. It would be front-page society, just like my mom wanted.
We would be family, and then my dad would get his shot at the big
time position he craved.

“
I’m not marrying you.
We’re too young, for one. And I can’t stand you.”

“
Sorry, our parents have an
agreement.” He laughed, trying to kiss me again.

Just to emphasize how serious I was, I
kneed him in the crotch and ran out of the gym.

Chapter 6

“
W-why do boys have to be
such je-jerks?” I sobbed, blowing my nose in a wad of paper towels
I’d snagged from the girls bathroom under the stadium
bleachers.

“
Oh, Briar baby. Not all
men are jerks.” Grandma said. I’d called her as soon as I was in
the clear and no one would hear me talking. The safest place was
the football stadium. No one came out here to do anything, except
get high. And the druggies were slinking in the shadows, far enough
away that I wouldn’t be noticed. “Some are bastards that should be
castrated and sent to hell, but not all. I married your grandfather
because he was one of the decent ones.”

I sniffed. “I kneed Alex in the crotch
in front of the wh-whole school!”

She sighed. “And I once laughed so hard
I peed my pants at a Yankees game. Life goes on. I am proud of you
for giving the little shit what he deserved.”

“
Thanks. You always know
what to say to make me feel better.” I sucked in a breath, wiping
my eyes. “I can’t believe my parents would do that to
me.”

“
Ha, I can.” She clicked
her teeth together, “I think you should let me take care of talking
to your father. I’ll give the little shit a piece of my
mind.”

“
Thanks,” I said. “Can I
stay with you until this blows over?”

“
Of course! My door is
always open, you know that. Now why don’t you stop your bawling and
go have some fun? It’s not even ten yet.”

I groaned. “I’ll go home.”

“
Why?”

“
Because I don’t have any
friends, not after what I just did.”

“
Not even that nice
cowboy?”

I laughed. “Chase?”

“
Sure, you seemed to get
along fine together. I’ll bet my bottom teeth that he’s nothing
like Alex. He’s one of the good ones. The kind of boy who won’t
grab your ass unless you ask him to.”

“
I really like him, but I
can’t call him.” I wanted to. Chase was just nice to be around. I
didn’t feel like I had to impress him or that he was judging me.
“He’s going to think I’m a needy crybaby.”

“
Honey, you just described
half the women in America. Give him a call, what have you got to
lose? Nothing. But you could gain a friend. Maybe even a
boyfriend.” Before she hung up she made kissy sounds and told me to
start the night over and have fun.

That was easier said than
done.

It took me ten minutes to actually work
up the nerve to call him.

Chase answered on the forth ring and
put me on speakerphone. “Hello?”

Here goes nothing. “Hi, Chase. Uh, it’s
me, Briar.”

There was a whizzing sound, and then he
came back. “Hey, what’s up?”

“
Oh, nothing.” It was time
to think strategically, and play dumb. Something I learned from
Grandma. “So…I don’t see you anywhere. I was going to ask you if
you wanted to dance or maybe grab something to eat.”

“
Uh, where are
you?”

“
Prom.”

Another whizzing sound. “I didn’t go.
Are you having fun?”

“
Not exactly.”

“
Those friends of yours
being jackasses?”

“
Yeah,” I
smiled.

“
Just ignore them. They’ll
get bored and leave you alone.” Another whizzing sound.

“
What are you
doing?”

“
Shooting apples off a
fence.”

“
With what?”

“
A crossbow.”

Right, of course he was.

“
Briar, darlin’, what is it
that you called to ask me? It wasn’t to dance.”

Darlin’? I smiled. I couldn’t help
liking the way that sounded.

“
You want me to be honest
with you?” I asked

“
Sure do.”

“
Wait, why are you shooting
apples off of a fence?”

“
I’ve got nothing better to
do and sitting in my room is driving me nuts.”

I laughed. “So you’re
bored.”

“
That about sums it up.”
The sound of another arrow whizzing and hitting its target filled
my ear. “And you called because?”

“
Well, since you want me to
be honest, I called because you said you would be my friend. And
friends hang out…so I was wondering if you wanted to do something.”
I hurriedly added, “I’m not asking you out, like on a date. No
pressure. Just two friends being bored together.” I winced. “You
know, I’m not usually this inept.”

“
You said it a lot better
than I ever could.” He chuckled, taking me off speakerphone. “So,
what did you have in mind?”

“
Food. I haven’t eaten
dinner. Have you?”

“
Yeah, but I’m always
hungry. Where is this dance?”

“
In school in the
gym.”

“
Great, I’ll meet you in
the parking lot. Ten minutes.”

I climbed down the bleachers and picked
my way across the field. The driver my mother hired was easily
called off, and I even told him to double his usual tip, just
because I was in such a good mood now. The dance was still going
strong, music hyped and practically shaking the windows. I stayed
in the shadows, hoping no one saw me. I didn’t need any more
problems tonight.

The lights of Chase’s truck lit the
parking lot as he pulled up. I slipped down the front steps,
smiling. He was wearing a white cowboy hat. It suited
him.

“
Briar?”

I jerked to a halt, glancing over my
shoulder.

It was Alex’s best friend,
Nathan.

“
Yeah?”

He pushed his shirtsleeves up, nodding
at my dress. “That’s nice.”

“
Uh, thanks.” I said,
glancing back at the truck. Chase parked and sat patiently,
watching me.