From The Wreckage - Complete (31 page)

“Wow. You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

He sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “My mom was sick for a long time. We spent a lot of time talking about all of the things we’d do if she were well again.”

“I’m sorry,” she says softly and bites her bottom lip. West shakes his head and looks straight ahead.

“No, it’s okay. I want to tell you about it. I just don’t talk about her often, so…it’s hard, you know?” She moves to his side, still facing sideways, and her chest touches his arm as she leans against him and rubs his back. His strong hand moves to her jean-clad thigh; giving it a squeeze and resting there.

“She was full of energy before she got sick. I don’t know if you remember that about her, but damn, was she energetic. Always going…it drove my dad crazy. When she got sick, Carson was already playing ball at A&M, but Austin and I would lay with her in bed or on the couch for hours at a time. It irritated her. She kept telling us to go outside, to go live. It was a big deal to her, to know we were doing everything we could to enjoy life. It’s something I’ve been trying to do since she…left.”

“That’s an amazing gift she gave you.” 

He hesitates a second before replying, “Yeah, it is.” Giving her thigh another squeeze, he straightens and lightly shakes her off as he sits up. He gives her a contrite smile. “Think we can have one conversation that doesn’t make you cry?”

Jules smiles and looks at him with watery eyes. “Eventually. “ 

“No more heavy stuff tonight, deal?” he asks; moving to stand and holding out his hand.

She wants to hear more about his mother, about his life after her death. She’s always wondered why he retreated away from everyone, but she doesn’t have the heart to ask and make him open up any more than he already has. Painting on a happy smile, she agrees. “Deal. What are we doing now?”

“We’re going to go get ice cream and you’re going to tell me another bucket list item.”

They sit at a corner table in the ice cream parlor a few doors down from the coffee shop. Her hair and shirt are damp and cold from the heavy rain, but she wouldn’t change this date for anything. She enjoys getting to know West in ways she didn’t know him before. “You know what? There’s an item you mentioned before that struck me as odd,” he recalls.

“What’s that?”

“You said you wanted to kick a field goal.”

Jules laughs and licks her spoon. “I said that, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Well I imagine I didn’t say just any field goal. I want to kick a field goal at A&M,” she replies, and then tells him the story of how she wanted to be a football player when she was younger. “You know, for all of the time I’ve spent on a football field, I’ve never actually played football on the field. I’d like to run the ball across the goal line and do a touchdown dance, too.” She giggles at her ridiculous dreams.

“What would your dance look like?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’d make the Heisman pose or do the Wobble.” She laughs and West joins in.

“Well then, this is one bucket list item we’re going to have to make come true. I want to see you Wobble.”

 

“Wobble. What a ridiculous dance! I can’t believe I actually mentioned that as one I would do,” Jules says with a laugh. “We had an amazing first date that night. We talked and talked, and each of us revealed things we’d like to do someday. Some of the items were outrageous, while others were simple. He kept his deal, though. We stayed away from emotional topics and laughed the entire time.” 

Pressing her hand to her heart, she closes her eyes. “When he took me home, he stopped around the corner from my house and kissed me.
Thoroughly
. And I do mean thoroughly. It was the best kiss I’d ever had.” 

Her eyes stay closed as she allows herself to go back in time to that night. That kiss. 

“The next day he came over, much to Jason’s excitement, and hung out for a few hours. They built a made-up space center and debated the merits of different powers superheroes have. Jase quickly began to admire West. He looked up to him like a big brother and West allowed him to do so. Later, when he was leaving, West told me that he enjoyed the attention. He’d always looked up to Carson and Austin, and he enjoyed playing that role for my little brother. 

“I fell a little more in love with West that weekend.”

 

Monday rolls around with Jules moaning and groaning as she pulls herself out of bed. She has had another early morning nightmare to match the one she had Saturday night. 

Similar to all the others, she is in a field of crops with the sky turning red and black as a giant twister hops around in the distance. It teases her; dancing around and letting her know it can snatch her or anyone else it wants. 

West’s early morning text is the only reason she is up and moving when her alarm goes off.

Spike: Early morning trip through the drive thru?

Coffee and a biscuit with West sounds like heaven, and she throws herself together in record time; leaving the house to pace the driveway before her parents are even moving.

She slides into the passenger seat of West’s car with a smile and meets him halfway with a light kiss.

“Good morning, gorgeous. You look tired.”

“Do I?” Jules digs into her purse and pulls out her powder.

“Babe, I said you look tired. Not horrible.” He laughs and closes his hand over hers to stop her primping.

“Yes, and makeup is an essential key to making me not look so tired. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.”

“Makeup and coffee, huh?”

“Weeelll,” she sings; leaning his way again. “Morning smiles from my sexy boyfriend help too.”

“Smiles or kisses?” He tugs on her braid lightly.

“Both.”

West uses her long braid to pull her closer and smiles when she complies. He kisses her soundly, his mouth taking possession of hers, and she fights back an instinctive moan.

“You taste like peppermints and smell like strawberries,” he murmurs as they part; resting his forehead against hers.

“Would you believe I actually brush my teeth and wash my hair in the morning?” she admits and presses another peck to his mouth.

“Shocking amount of hygiene.” He grins and takes a whiff of her hair one last time before returning to his position behind the wheel. “Coffee and breakfast, then?”

“You are
so
my hero.”

That day, school is different. Her first class is par for the course, but as she walks the hall to her second class, she is aware of the increased amount of stares she receives. She thought she'd received a lot of stares last week, but this is different. These are curious stares, followed by whispers behind palms and folders.

“Hey Jules!” 

She turns to see two guys wave at her as they approach. She recognizes them from the bonfire as friends of Carter’s, but doesn’t know their names and hasn’t spoken to them before. Smiling politely, she stands outside the door to her second class and waits to see what they want.

“Girl, you earned some props Friday night.” 

“Yeah?” she asks with an unconcerned shrug.

“Dude, you totally stood up to Aubrey’s crap. It was impressive.”

“Yeah, it was.” Fist bumps abound as the two laugh and give her props.

“Chalk it up to liquid courage.” She laughs and dread sinks in as she realizes the crap she is most likely in now. It’s never a good idea to poke the Queen bee, not unless you want to get stung. 

“We gotta run — see ya around!” they call out, already moving down the hall. 

Stepping into second period, Jules takes her assigned seat next to Alexis, another former Hillsdale student. Alexis brightens the moment she sees Jules and her eyes go wide as she leans over.

“Jules! I heard the craziest rumor in Econ this morning.”

Jules takes a deep breath and braces herself for the inevitable questions. Unzipping her backpack, she pulls out a folder and gives Alexis a noncommittal, “Yeah?”

Alexis’ mouth drops an inch and she looks like someone who was let in on a huge secret. She smiles and claps her hands excitedly.

“You did it, didn’t you? You totally went off on Aubrey Pratt at some bonfire Friday night?” she squeals; trying to keep her voice low.

Jules mentally formulates a reply, but is thankfully cut off by the arrival of their teacher. Instead, she turns towards the front of the class with a shrug and manages to ignore Alexis’ not-so-subtle gestures to get her attention for the remainder of class. 

Five minutes before the bell, a slip of paper slides onto her desk as their teacher lingers over an issue with another student.

The paper is folded in half and Jules rubs her chin against her shoulder as she looks next to her covertly, catching Alexis’ silent nod. Her anxious eyes prod her to open the note and Jules sighs in defeat. Her gaze darts around the room to verify no one is paying attention and unfolds the sheet; flattening it out and reading the scribbled bubble script scrawled across the bottom of the page.

You told her you would kick her ass???

A million answers cross Jules’ mind as she reads the words.
Why does it matter?
she wonders. Irritated that anyone would expect an explanation from her, she forms two large block letters no one could easily identify as hers. 

SO
?

She folds the sheet again, fakes a stretch and drops the note on Alexis’ desk. The eagerness of juicy gossip drops from Alexis’ face when she opens the note and takes in the one word; a small frown visible on her thin lips.

‘Saved by the bell’ takes on new meaning as class ends. Jules jumps up and swings her backpack over her shoulder, trying to hurry from the room before Alexis has time to corner her for more information. She rushes to third period; eager to see West and hear how much gossip he’s had to endure this morning. 

A soft touch runs across her back as West walks behind her desk and slips into his chair just as the bell rings. 

“You okay?” he mouths silently and she nods once; registering the skeptical look crossing his face. That look is all the confirmation she needs that he’s heard something. 

Lauren slips into her chair in front of West as well, and Jules gets the idea they were walking together since they came in at the same time. Mr. Stiles starts in on his lesson and Jules is forced to pay attention to his lecture instead of the worried glances West gives her.

Lunch time finally creeps around and West wraps her in a quick hug as he pulls her from her desk with a low voice.

“You sure you’re okay?” he murmurs; kissing the top of her head as he moves her from a hug to walk beside him.

“I’m fine, West.”

“You haven’t seen Queen B or her minions then, huh?” Lauren interrupts as she steps up to West’s left side.

“Uh, I assume you mean Aubrey?”

Lauren rolls her eyes with a firm shake of her head. “The one and only.” When Jules only gives a derisive snort, Lauren’s hand shoots up and grasps her by the wrist. She glares at the offending hand as Lauren pulls Jules with her to the side of the hall by the exit into the courtyard. 

“Look, I told West earlier and now I’ll tell you. Aubrey Pratt doesn’t like being made to look like a fool. She is fuming about Friday night, so just watch your back.” 

She releases Jules’ wrist and pauses to give West a look before stepping away. Jules watches her long blonde hair swing from side to side as she saunters down the hall. The loud click of the glass and metal door pulls her back to West, and she exits the building and goes out into the warm September sun.

“Why does she care?”

“She’s just a friend, babe. We ran into each other on the way to class and she warned me Aubrey was talking smack in second period.”

“Whatever.”

“Wait up,” calls Jeff. He comes up beside her; his heavy arm slinging across Jules’ back, almost knocking her to her knees as he crows, “Our little Jules is getting street cred, man.” 

West frowns and Jules elbows Jeff in the ribs before ducking under his arm.

“Geez, is there a video circulating around Rossview or something?” she huffs; speeding up and throwing herself down in the grass next to Katie, who shoots her a sympathetic smile.

“I need to hear the story, J. Come on?” Jeff prods; laughing as he lowers himself to Katie’s other side. 

She tears into her sandwich; ripping off a piece of bread and popping it into her mouth. 

“No, it was just a stupid drunk rant. End of story.” 

“Aw, come on…West?”

Katie busies herself with a slow, thorough examination of her own lunch as West sits himself directly in front of Jules.

He levels a dead gaze on Jeff. “Knock it off, man.”

“Jules Blacklin gets drunk and threatens to kick someone's ass, and I miss it.” Jeff sighs and shakes his head. “What a positive influence you’ve had on her, Rutledge.”

Jules picks up on the angry frown that pops up on West’s face. Her hand darts out immediately to touch his knee as she throws a glare Jeff’s way. She expects his hand to cover hers, and is surprised when her arm falls to the ground as he pulls himself back up.

“West?” she asks; looking up at him as he towers over her.

“I need to grab something from my locker. I’ll be right back,” he explains, and starts off immediately.

“Right now?” she questions. He turns with a nod, repeats he’ll be back, and Jules shouts after him, “Wait! I’ll come with.” He’s already turned his back on her and doesn’t respond, so she tears into Jeff.

“What the heck? Are you an idiot?” she barks; already crumpling her paper lunch sack and coming to a standing position.

He cusses as he jumps up. “Yes, I am. I’ll talk to him.”

“You’ve done enough. I’ll talk to him.” She feels like screaming at his stupidity but walks away instead, following West’s form as he crosses the quad; his steps quick and sure as he makes his way through other students eating their lunch.

Jules watches him duck around the science building and she hurries her steps, afraid of losing him. Rounding the corner of the cream stucco building, she freezes as she takes in the scene before her.

Leaning against the building is Aubrey, her body clad in skin tight yoga pants with a flowing tee shirt that neither covers chest nor rear. Jules blinks rapidly and tries to clear her vision, because standing over Aubrey is West. His arm is braced on the wall directly next to her head and his face is scant inches from hers. She is vaguely aware of the presence of others to her right. There’s a murmur of voices, some laughter, but her focus locks in on Aubrey and West.

From this view, she can see Aubrey’s face lift as her upper lip curls up in a flirty smile. Her hands stretch out to skim West’s waist and wrap around his back. She arches her body and pulls him towards her, her mouth moving and West’s head dipping closer to her face.

Jules’ breathing stops. For one terrifying moment, she watches in horror; waiting for the moment when West’s lips will touch Aubrey’s and her heart will shatter into a million pieces. She can feel it standing there, before it’s even happened; the crack is already forming as she takes in the intimate pose of their bodies, the way his head tilts to the side. The fissure slowly grows across her already fragile heart, and each slow moment splits the break deeper and deeper until she is just waiting for that final confirmation of a kiss before it splits in two.

She feels jolted when Aubrey’s face falls as she realizes West isn’t going to kiss her. Instead, he must whisper something into her ear. Aubrey’s hands drop to her side as West remains close to her face. Jules sees the force in which he speaks reverberate in his shoulders, and his whole body jerks with each word he must be saying. Aubrey’s head rolls to the side, but West slaps the wall and snaps her gaze back to his.

He pulls away from her, points his finger one last time before stepping back, and Aubrey crosses her arms across her ample chest. Jules wishes she could hear their conversation as she watches the cheerleader try to say something when West takes a step back and turns to leave. And finds himself the focus of Jules’ gaze.

A moment of shock flashes in his eyes, similar to a child who’s been found stealing candy, when he realizes he’s been caught. They both step towards each other; Jules ready for an explanation and West looking like he’s terrified to give one.

“Buffy?” he speaks when they’re finally face to face, and his voice is low and laced with worry.

She looks past him at Aubrey. Although she has pushed away from leaning against the wall, she still stands there with her arms crossed, only now her face is wreathed in a grin clearly made to piss Jules off.

“Excuse me,” Jules hisses at West; nudging him to the side and walking up to Aubrey. 

She maintains a safe distance — for Aubrey’s sake, not for herself — and gives the girl a once over. Jules makes sure Aubrey can see every ounce of contempt she has for her written on her face before she speaks.

“If I see your hands touch my boyfriend again, you will never lift another pom pom again. Got it?” There’s an audible gasp from the minions lounging around who’d all quieted when West and Aubrey realized Jules was there. She doesn’t give them the time of day, but Aubrey’s reddened face swings their way before she looks back to Jules.

Her grin is triumphant and Jules braces for some type of BS to fly out of her shiny, pink-stained lips. “You should probably talk to your boyfriend then, since he’s the one who can’t seem to stay away.” 

“How stupid are you?” Jules laughs sardonically and takes one step closer to Aubrey. “You think I don’t know how to play this game? You think I don’t know the hierarchy of your little school? Your little clique? Stay the hell away from West. Period. Don’t screw with me, because I’m not afraid of you,
sweetie
.”