Unbreak Me (Second Chances #1) (7 page)

“It’s getting late. I think we should probably get you home,” he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and the two began to walk hand in hand back to his truck.

When they approached Melanie’s brownstone, Austin hopped out and walked her to the door.

“I had a great time tonight,” she smiled at him.

“Me too. I look forward to next time,” he gently rubbed her arm. She took off his jacket and handed it back to him.

“Until next time,” he whispered as he leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Yes, until next time,” she turned to unlock the door.

Austin waited until she was inside before walking back to his truck. He couldn’t help but whistle as he climbed in to drive off. The night had gone better than he could have imagined.

Melanie leaned against the closed door, unable to help the smile that slowly graced her face. She couldn’t remember when she’d had such a nice time. She turned off the porch light and made her way to her room. As she sat at her vanity, she brushed her fingers across her lips, blushing as a smile graced her face. As she began removing her pearls, she glanced at her hand. Her wedding rings sparkled in the dim light of the bedroom. She silently wondered if Austin had noticed that she still wore them, and if so, how had it made him feel? She had noticed that he didn’t wear a ring, and wondered how long it took him to remove his.

She glanced over at the photo of her and Sean on their wedding day. It had stood on her dresser since it had been taken. She stood up and walked over to pick it up while pulling out the box of items she’d saved from her closet. She’d been hanging on to the memories for too long. She opened the box and lovingly placed the photo inside.
I’ll never forget you Sean. I’ll always love you, but I need to move on.
She placed the lid back on the box and pushed it back into the closet, then stood and walked back to the vanity.

She opened her jewelry box and pulled out the drawer where she kept her valuable pieces, removing her engagement ring and wedding band in the process and placing them inside. A tear slowly made it’s way down her cheek. She swiped at it, and smiled.
Today was the start of something new
she thought. She made her way over to her bed and climbed in. After turning out the light, she slid down into the soft covers and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter 7

Two days later…

As Katie was walking up the sidewalk heading for the front door to St. Vincent’s, she heard a voice. She looked up from her book just in time to see Zach standing on the front steps.

“You didn’t show yesterday,” he stated.

“I never said I would, you just assumed,” she grumbled as she walked past him. “I told you I already studied with Hannah.”

“Right, Hannah,” he flipped his hand in the air.

She tried to push past him, but he was blocking her way. “Can you move please?”

“No, not until you agree to go out with me,” he put his arm across the door blocking her further. “One date, that’s all I’m asking. You go on one date with me, and if you don’t have a good time I’ll leave you alone.”

“What makes you think my mom will even let me go out with you? You‘re everything she tells me to stay away from,” she crinkled her brow.

“
You know… older guy with a reputation and all,” she waved her hand up and down in front of him. “Besides, don’t you have someone in the junior class that you’d rather go out with? Why me, a lowly freshman?”

“Moms love me. She’ll let you. You just need to ask,” he winked “And no, there’s no one in the junior class that’s noteworthy at the moment. You being a freshman has nothing to do with my desire to take you out. Age is only a number, right?”

“You’re so corny,” she rolled her eyes. “Fine. One date, in a public place, you pay, and you meet my mom sometime before we go out.” She put her hand out. “Deal?”

“Deal,” he shook her hand. “Friday night, I’ll pick you up at eight. Anthony’s having a party at his house; you’ll be around all your friends.”

Katie pushed past him and marched to her locker to unpack her book bag. Hannah and Sam were talking nearby.

“What crawled up your butt this morning?” Sam giggled.

“Zach Lawson, need I say more?” Katie huffed.

“What’d
he
want?” Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Well, apparently he thinks that I should date him. He won’t leave me alone,” she whined.

“You didn’t say yes, did you?” Hannah raised her brow.

“I
had
to,” Katie complained. “He said if I had an awful time, then he’d leave me alone.”

“Where’s he taking you?” Sam was bouncing up and down with excitement.

“This isn’t a good thing, Sam,” Hannah scolded.

“Speak for yourself,” Sam gave her a slight shove.

“His party Friday,” Katie pointed at Anthony as he walked up.

“Wait, you’re having a party and you didn’t invite me?” Hannah looked at Anthony and scowled.

“That’s why I’m here now, to invite you,” he waved in the air. “Party at my house, 7:00, bring whoever you want.”

“Won’t that be a lot of people?” Katie looked shocked.

“My parents are out of town, the neighbors are supposed to be looking in on me. They won’t rat me out. Will you guys come over the next morning and help me clean up?” he gave them the puppy dog eyes.

“Oh I know how this goes. I’m not committing to clean up duty until I see what the damage is. The last party I helped with kept me there all day,” Hannah groaned.

“Wait, if the party’s at seven, why did he want to pick me up at eight?” Katie mused.

Just then the bell rang, sending the students scurrying to class. “Zach always shows up fashionably late,” Sam yelled over her shoulder.

Katie sighed, grabbed her books, and made her way to class.

By the end of the day everyone was talking about Anthony’s party. Katie was exasperated. Zach strode up behind her and draped his arm around her shoulders.

“So, can I walk you home?” he smiled at her.

She glared at the offending limb and pushed at it with her fingers. “No”.

“Suit yourself,” he laughed. He turned on his heel shrugging and began walking back in the direction of the school.

Boys
she thought,
they just don’t know when to quit.

As she was nearing the Red Line stairs, she heard Sam call after her, “Hey wait up!”

Katie turned and smiled when she saw who it was.

Sam came to a halt a few feet away, “If you really don’t like him, I have a way to get rid of him.”

“Really,” Katie was intrigued.

“Ever seen that movie
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
?” she cocked her head to the side. “Well, that’s what you need to do. Make this date the worst date he’s ever been on.”

“I like the way you think,” Katie giggled. “Thanks!”

“No problem, see you tomorrow,” she turned and bounced back in the other direction.

When Katie arrived home, Melanie was still at work. This wasn’t unusual. Katie was used to coming home to an empty house. She tossed her backpack on her bed and flopped down. She began plotting just how she was going to make Zach leave her alone. The sensible part of her brain kept telling her that she needed to guard her heart. Zach was bad news. She’d heard the rumors; all of his former girlfriends hated him. He had the reputation of being a “player”. He never stayed with anyone long enough to call it a relationship, and he left his conquests heartbroken. However, the other part of her brain told her to go for it. He was cute, and seemed to really like her.
Why did he like her though?
She kept asking herself if he liked her for
her
, or did he see her as a challenge?

She stood in front of the mirror in her room and examined her reflection. She was pretty enough. Her hair was one of her best features, long and blonde. Guys liked blonde hair, right? Most of the models in her magazines had long blonde hair. Maybe she should wear it up. Maybe Zach liked it down, and pulling it up would make her less attractive to him? Just then Melanie knocked on her door.

“Katie, you about ready for dinner? I’m making veggie wraps,” she stood in the doorway watching her daughter.

“Yeah, I guess…,” she huffed.

“Something wrong?” Melanie asked.

“Mom, what do you do when a guy likes you and you don’t like him?” Katie sighed.

“You tell him you’re not interested,” Melanie raised her brow.

“But what if that doesn’t work?” Katie sighed.

“What’s going on?” Melanie questioned.

“Well, remember that boy I was telling you about, Zach? He wants me to go on a date with him. I don’t like him, at least I don’t think I do,” she rubbed her forehead. “He won’t stop asking, so I kinda told him I’d go on a date with him this Friday. Which I was totally going to ask you about,” she flipped her hand in the air. “Anyway, he said he’d leave me alone if I didn’t have a good time. I just…I don’t know. I guess I want to discourage a second date,” she almost had a questioning tone to answer.

“Well, if you don’t like this boy, you shouldn’t string him along,” Melanie stated. “Just tell him how you feel, and be firm, but sincere. He’ll get the message, and if he doesn’t I’ll talk to his parents,” Melanie’s mother bear instinct was coming out.

“No mom, please don’t do that. It’s so embarrassing. I’m not a little kid anymore. Let me handle it,” Katie begged.

“Fine, let’s eat ok?” Melanie stepped in the room and hugged her.

“Yeah, I need a break from thinking about this,” Katie turned and walked out the door.

As they were walking out to the kitchen, Katie looked over, “So can I go?”

“Go where?” Melanie asked.

“On the date. It’s a party at Anthony’s house. Hannah’s going,” Katie pleaded.

“Ok, if Hannah’s going, then you can go, too. I know Austin wouldn’t let her go anywhere that wasn’t safe,” Melanie hugged Katie’s shoulders.

Friday afternoon…..

“So, are you ready for tonight?” Sam giggled.

“I guess,” Katie sighed. “I don’t have much choice, do I?”

“We’ve got your back,” Hannah slung her arm around Katie.

“You say the word, and we’ll make Zach regret the day he messed with you,” Sam laughed.

“Thanks, but I think I’ve got this,” Katie smirked.

Once she arrived home from school, Katie went straight to her room to get ready for the party. As she stood in front of her closet looking at her clothes, she contemplated what to wear. She’d never dressed to turn a boy off. This was a first, and she wasn’t sure what to wear. She thought back to all the comments that Zach had made in the past few weeks. He liked her legs
...
maybe she should wear pants? The more she thought about her plan, the closer she came to deciding that it was a bad idea.
Maybe I should dress in something that would kill him, how sweet would it be to meet someone else at this party?
Her brain was moving at a rapid pace.
Maybe he wasn’t as bad as everyone thought?
She couldn’t decide.

Finally she just decided to be herself. No matter what effect it had on Zach, or whether she met someone else, she wanted them to like her for her. She finally decided on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a tank top that had a sequin design. Even though fall weather was fast approaching, she knew that with the amount of people that would be in Anthony’s house, it would be hot. Sweating was not attractive for a first date. She grabbed a jacket to wear on the way there to cover herself. Zach had met her mom earlier in the week, so Katie had bargained with him to let her meet him at the party. He was reluctant to agree, but Katie had all but insisted.

After dressing, she trudged into the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and straightened it. After applying some smoky eye shadow and pink blush, she finished off the look with some pink lip-gloss. She stood back and admired the finished product.
I look hot
she thought. Zach wasn’t going to know what hit him.

She walked into the family room where Melanie was reading, “Well, what do you think?” She spun around.

“I think you look beautiful sweetie,” Melanie smiled. “Let’s go so you’re not late.” She rose from the couch and grabbed her keys and jacket. “Are you sure that Zach said he could bring you home?” she glanced at Katie as they made their way out to her car.

“Yes, Mom, he said he’d meet me there and bring me home by curfew. It was my idea to do it that way.”

As they drove in silence for most of the way, Melanie mused that the older Katie got, the more of herself she began to see in her. She’d talked to Katie already about the dangers of drinking and partying. About how boys sometimes tried to get away with more than what their date was ready for. She knew that Katie had a good head on her shoulders.

Melanie began to reminisce about the first party she and Sean attended. It seemed so long ago.