Unbreakable Rules (Too Many Rules Book 3) (11 page)

"Oh, My!" I said breathlessly. It was all I could think of.

The moment froze in time as we stared into each other's eyes. I hadn't known it could be like this. To think Ryan Hardy had such a poetic soul. If I found out that line was from a movie I was going to kill him.

We continued looking longingly at each other. His eyes were a smoky brown that smoldered. I was sure he was going to kiss me. I wanted him too, desperately. I didn't care who saw, who knew, I just wanted him to hurry up and do it. The moment between us continued on. I was about to kiss him myself when the theater speakers boomed with the opening credits and the lights dimmed.

He pulled back as if remembering where he was and who he was with. I saw the look of alarm cross his eyes. The moment was lost and a large part of my heart was deeply disappointed.

I turned in my seat to watch the movie, but couldn't stop myself from leaning into his shoulder. He reached down and took my hand in his.

Since when did holding hands become so exciting?

As we left the movie theater, Jenny Simpson passed us coming in with her boyfriend. She flashed Hailey a look that could have frozen water. A mean, hateful look, chosen to hurt. I was taken aback for a second.

"You okay?" I asked.

Hailey laughed. "Last week she was begging me to set her up with a senior. Now, she's all high and mighty because I broke the code. It's all so childish. Don't you think?" Her eyes didn't seem as okay with it as she was making out.

Before I could answer, Megan Kirks bumped me with her shoulder. Hard. Hard enough to let me know it was on purpose.

"Wow, it seems you've broken some rules also," Hailey said. "Friend of yours?"

I watched Megan stomp off. "I thought so," I answered. Was Megan really that mad? Why? I hadn't done anything to her. Surely dating a Celeb wasn't that terrible that it'd ruin friendships.

"Come on," Hailey said as she took my hand, "Let's give them something to talk about. Let's go sit in the middle of the food court, right out in the open, and flirt with each other. That will drive them crazy."

She was right. The stares and dirty looks were priceless.

On the ride home, my mind jumped to what was going to happen at her front door. Do I kiss her good night?

My heart felt like it was going to beat through my chest. This could go so wrong in so many ways.

As I parked in front of her house, I was out of my door and opening hers before she knew what was going on.

“Um … Thank you,” she said with a strange look.

All I could do was nod and turn to escort her to her door. The porch light was on. Of course. I couldn’t catch a break. Her mom was probably on the other side waiting to drill her about her date.

I swallowed hard and put my hands in my back pockets. I couldn’t really figure out what to do with them. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her good night. To kiss her in such a way that she would never forget it. To make her forget about guys like Jarret McGee and Steven Puller.

Instead, all I could do was look down at her, lost in her crystal blue eyes. The suburban smell of mown grass and chocolate chip cookies seeped away into the cool night air. The sound of night birds and distant TVs disappeared.

“I had a very good time, thank you,” Hailey said with a small smile. My mind snapped back to the reality of my situation.

“Yes, me too,” I answered. Wow, a three-word sentence, which was two more than I thought I would get out.

“Maybe we could do it again sometime,” she said with a hesitant, but deadly cute hitch to her voice.

My world jumped into overdrive, “Really?” I asked.

“Yes, if you want to, of course.” Her brow narrowed as if she were nervous or something. How was that even possible?

“You did say you had a good time,” she added.

“YES,” I answered a little too quickly. “Yes…” I repeated, “I’d like that. I really did have fun.”

She smiled back up at me and nodded her head. Pressing her lips together tightly as she rocked back and forth on her feet. One eyebrow slow rose in question.

I just looked back at her, lost.

At last, she shrugged her shoulder, then said, “I guess I should go. I really did have a good time.”

Giving me one last smile, she turned to step towards her front door.

She’s leaving, I thought, this is your chance, do not screw it up.

“Um … Hailey …”

“Yes?” she said as she whipped back around.

I didn’t think. I didn’t analyze. Instead, I gently took her by the shoulder and leaned down to kiss her.

She didn’t flinch. She didn’t slap my face. Instead, she seemed to melt into me. To fit against me as if she were designed for it. My arms naturally wrapped around her as our lips caressed and tasted.

It was like touching heaven. Powerful, tender, and soul wrenching at the same time. I had never felt anything like it before. The universe tilted to one side, the ground shook, and thunder erupted from the sky. Or, at least, that was the way it felt.

Her hands came up behind my neck as if she were afraid I would back away. A soft tingle traveled across my skin from where her fingers touched me. We became lost in each other. A gentle, sweet moment of perfections.

At last, she backed away. Her eyes still closed as if she were trying to savor the experience.  It felt as if someone had torn a piece of my soul away. I had always known it would be like this. The heart-stopping pleasure of kissing Hailey Martin had lived up to every dream and every hope.

Her eyes narrowed as she examined me, looking at me as if for the first time. Like I was someone she had never seen before.

“Wow,” she said. “Ryan Hardy, I never would have guessed. You sir, know how to kiss.”

I couldn’t keep from smiling. I guess some guys are just born with it.

“Wow,” she said again, shaking her head. “I think maybe we should try that again. Just to make sure.” Her voice had a hungry lilt that sent an electric shock down my spine.

Before I could move, she was in my arms again, with our lips locked in pleasure.

This time, there was more devouring than caressing. It was as if we couldn’t get enough of each other. I felt my world turn over, as my heart raced. My brain became numb with happiness and want. A burning need boiled in my stomach, sending out a warm desire that threatened to overwhelm me.

My hands slid to her back as I focused on tasting pure heaven.

I have no idea how long we kissed like that. It might have been minutes, or it may have been a lifetime, eons in fact. All I know was that I was in love. Head over heels in love. I always had been and always would be.

This was Hailey Martin. What had been my infatuation, my secret dream, had just become my reality. The world was so perfect, I thought, as happiness flowed through me.

My hands started to drift. Without planning it, they began to wander. I needed her so much, all I could think about was taking.

A soft moan escaped her lips, sending a surge of need through me.

There is no telling what would have happened, but her mom chose that exact moment to flick the porch light on and off.

It was as if someone had doused us with a cold bucket of water.

We separated. Resting our foreheads against each other’s.

“Oh Ryan,” Hailey whispered under breath.

All I could do was try to catch my breath and nod in agreement.

“I better go in,” she said at last. The regret in her voice filled me with happiness.

“Sure,” I somehow said. “I should probably be going as well. I’ll see you at school on Monday.”

The little pout of her lips was priceless. As if someone had taken away her favorite new toy.

I stepped back. I had to put some distance between us or I’d take her in my arms again and she’d never get out of there.

She bit her lip, then smiled while she nodded. Turning, she placed her hand on the door knob, then looked back at me over her shoulder and said, “Wow, who knew?”

The smile she gave me was different. It wasn’t the normal, perfect, friendly, Hailey smile. This one was laced with meaning and surprise. This one was for me, just mine.

My heart continued to thunder as I watched her slip into her house and shut the door.

“Yes!” I yelled quietly, as I pumped my arm back and forth.

“Yes!”

I had to stop and rest my back against the front door. Wow, was all I could think. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. It was as if we were made for each other.

Resting my hand on my stomach, I tried to calm the millions of butterflies that were throwing a party. I swear it felt as if I could have floated right away.

Ryan Hardy! Wow!

I just couldn’t grasp the reality of what had just happened. We had a most excellent date. I loved talking to him. The way he paid attention to what I had to say. When he didn’t agree he wasn’t afraid to tell me so, but when he did agree with me, it felt as if someone important approved of me.

My heart slowly began to return to normal, although a little part of me wondered if I would ever be normal again. Who would have believed that Ryan Hardy would be the boy to shift my world into a new normal?

“Hailey?” My mom called from the living room. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, Mom, everything is right,” I said with a smile to my voice. A smile that I don’t think I could have erased for anything.

“How did it go?” she asked as she stepped into the hall.

“Great,” I answered.

She tilted her head to one side as she waited for more.

I usually avoided discussing my dates with my mom like the plague. The thought was enough to make me physically ill. But tonight … tonight was different. For some reason, I wanted to tell the world, even my mom, about Ryan Hardy.

“It was great, Mom. We had a very good time. Ryan’s a great guy.”

She didn’t have to ask how special, she could see it written all over my face.

“That’s nice,” she said as if I’d mentioned getting a good grade in school.

No Mom, I thought, you don’t get it, he is super special. Like perfect. But, I kept my mouth shut, this was a discussion for a best friend, not your mom. There was no way I was going to tell my mom what Ryan did to my insides. The feeling he created. Nope, not going to happen.

Smiling, I kissed her on the cheek, then ran upstairs before she could pump me for more information.

Flopping onto my bed I immediately texted Bri.

“RYAN HARDY is Amazing.”

She answered almost immediately, like I said, best friend.

“Who are you, and how did you get Hailey Martin’s phone?”

I laughed. This was going to take more than texting. Thirty seconds later, we were deep in conversation on the wonder that was Ryan Hardy.

Bri took a little convincing. She thought I’d gone crazy at first, but, she eventually came around. She’s cool that way. Supportive, but not afraid to tell me when I am wrong.

When she realized she wasn’t going to be able to change my mind, she sighed and accepted. Then, proceeded to help me break down the evening into minutely examined detail.

The run in with Jarret. The choice of movie. The stink eye from Jenny Simpson.  I told her about our discussion before the movie. His sweet words.

Bri sighed a little when I told her what he said about me being touched by an angel, and how I wasn’t perfect. We discussed everything except the kiss.

That I was keeping to myself. I wasn’t ready to pull it out and examine it, yet. I wanted to just savor it. To enjoy the memory without second guessing myself.

At last, we said, ‘good night.’ As I placed my phone on my bedside table, I noticed a new text message.

Pulling it up, my heart skipped, it was from Ryan. How cute. He was so sweet. So like him. He didn’t know he was supposed to wait two days before calling or texting.

That was the thing about Ryan. He didn’t know there were rules to this game. Unbreakable Rules that he constantly ignored.

I couldn’t stop from smiling as I pulled up his message.

“Hailey, I was wrong. You are perfect. Thank you, again.”

I couldn’t stop smiling. A girl could get addicted to these drunken butterflies in her stomach.

“It’s about time,” Mark said as he climbed into my new car on Monday morning. “If I’d known all it would take to get you to spring for a new car was a date with Hailey Martin, I’d have set it up last year.”

I laughed and pulled back onto the road for school.

“So, how’d it go?” Mark asked.

“How did what go?”

“Man, you can be dense,” he said. “The date? The epic adventure into becoming a celebrity.”

“Fine,” I answered, trying hard not to break out into a stupid grin.

“Fine?” he yelled. “Fine? That’s all you can say? You finally get to spend some alone time with the girl of your dreams and all you can say is it went, ‘fine.’ Half the internet is talking about you two going to the movies. You’d think you guys had joined Al Qaeda or something. It’s like you betrayed half of humanity by associating with each other. And, all you can say is, ‘it was fine.'”

I laughed. “Okay, it was better than ‘fine.’ It was freaking ‘awesome. How is that? It was the most ‘awesome’ of things ever to be associated with ‘awesome.’ Other than that, it was ‘fine.’”

Mark shook his head. “You do realize, you’ve upset your people. It’s not cool when the King turns his back on them.”

“I didn’t turn my back on them. I went on a date with a girl.” My stomach turned over a little. I didn’t like the idea of people being disappointed in me. Especially people I cared about.

“Oh, that’s okay then,” he said sarcastically.

I ignored him. Nothing was going to kill my buzz. It was as if I’d been walking in the clouds for two days. This feeling of power that coursed through my veins was something I never wanted to lose. A feeling of rightness. This was how a person was supposed to feel.

The giddy happiness, the solid belief that the world was perfect and everything in it was there for my pure joy.

Mark looked at me with a wrinkled brow and shook his head. But, at least, he was smart enough to keep quiet.

I left Mark at his homeroom and made my way to Mr. Seaver’s room.

School was pretty much the same as always. The same steady hum of kids talking, horsing around, and generally getting in my way. I found myself constantly looking for Hailey. My head on a swivel, as I scanned the hallways.

A sickening little sadness seeped into my heart when I didn’t see her right away.

‘Get a grip Ryan,’ I mumbled to myself. Do not ruin this by becoming all weird on her. The last thing she wants is some weird creep that stalks her through the halls. Back off and give it time. Do not scare her away.

My mind kept telling me, but my soul kept demanding I find her as soon as possible.

As I entered homeroom, my eyes instantly shot to her normal seat, but it was empty. I kept my face as still as possible as I silently slipped into my seat, back left. 

Several people shot me looks. You know the types of looks. Like who did I think I was? And, what did I think I was doing?

Jarret and his buddies were holding court in the far back right corner. The look of pure hate he shot my way was enough to let me know this was not over. The run-in at the mall jumped into my mind. Was he really going to make a thing out of this?

My ruminations were interrupted by the door opening and Miss Hailey Martin floating into the room. The girl was pure class. Even in jeans and a cute pink top, the girl looked like she’d stepped off a movie set.

She smiled at me and my heart melted. She turned to say something to her friend Bri, then smiled back at me before taking her seat in the front of the room.

A soft hint of lavender enveloped me and I sunk into happiness. Okay, I had it bad. But, at least, I knew I did. I could keep it under control.

Mr. Seaver let the students check their phones and talk quietly amongst themselves while he took attendance and passed along the morning announcements. We were only there for the first fifteen minutes each morning. It was our time to prepare for the day. A way to shift from civilian life to the horrors of high school.

I was trying very hard not to stare at Hailey. But, when she turned and smiled at me, I could feel half the room cringe. I knew what they were thinking.

So, it was true. She really did go out with the Nerd. What is more, she wasn’t ashamed of it.

Several of them glanced over at Jarret to catch his reaction. The anger and hate seemed to be flowing off him in waves. The boy didn’t know how to keep his emotions under control. The idiot.

The more upset he became, the more exciting it became for the audience. Didn’t he know anything? This was going to be the story of the day and they were there when it happened.

Every tick of the clock seemed to hang in mid-air for half the morning. Every minute was an hour. I needed to talk to Hailey. I needed to know if what had happened between us the other night was real or had I imagined everything. Or worse, misread it.

A sickening thought occurred to me. Maybe she was just being nice. Maybe she hadn’t enjoyed herself as much as I had. Was Friday night for real?

I couldn’t know until I talked to her in person.

At last, the bell rang. I gathered my books and waited at the door for her.

“Do you have a second?” I asked, rather proud of myself that I sounded semi-normal.

She turned to Bri and lifted an eyebrow. Bri rolled her eyes, then laughed. “Sure, I’ll catch you later. Watch your back,” she said as she left, her head shaking back and forth like a bobble head toy.

The hallway felt like wet cement as we both tried to maneuver our ways through the crush of students.

“How are you doing?” Hailey asked with a smile as her hand came up to gently touch my arm.

“Me? I’m doing great. How about you? What did Bri mean about watching your back? Are you okay?” Suddenly the thought of Hailey in trouble sent a surge of adrenaline through me. Nothing was allowed to bother her, nothing.

“I’m fine,” she laughed. Somehow, I was pretty sure she could read every thought I had. “Some of my former friends think I’ve betrayed some kind of secret societal trust or something. It’s like I gave away the secrets of the kingdom or something.”

She laughed again and shook her head. “Screw ‘em.” Then without warning, she took my hand.

Yes, life was cool. Way cool.

Ryan was so cute. I mean, wanted to eat him up cute. He was wearing a flannel shirt, unbuttoned, and not tucked into his jeans. The man could learn. I’ve got to give him that.

But, it was more, a strong, quiet confidence seemed to surround him. I don’t know why, but when I was near him, I felt as if the world was settled. Things were in balance. I realized I was being ridiculous. It had only been one date and I was already writing our names in the sky. But, there was just something that told me this was right. This was what life was supposed to feel like.

We reached his first period AP Trig class, but he kept walking. In fact, he walked me all the way to my psychology class and then opened the door for me. Like I said, cute.

“Do you want to meet for lunch?” he asked.

My heart jumped, things were moving fast. I knew I should be slowing things down. It was only lunch. But, this was telling everyone we’d rather be together than with our friends.

It all seemed so stupid, the rules and expectations. Besides, I had an obligation.

The hopeful look in his eyes tore at me, but I really couldn’t ignore the paper. Mr. Sinclair was depending on us.

I frowned up at him, “I’m sorry. I’ve got to help with the paper. We’ve got to finish it up, today.”

“Oh. Okay, I understand,” he said. He didn’t frown or pout. I really think he accepted what I said without looking for an alternative meaning or making any kind of judgment. How refreshing. A girl could grow to like being treated like this.

But still, I felt bad about disappointing him. Besides, I wanted to spend time with him.

“How about we eat out in the quad tomorrow. Brown bag it?”

He smiled and nodded his head. “Sure, that sounds great.” He paused a moment as he stared down into my eyes. It was like being held in a tender embrace. I could have stood there forever, but the warning bell rung.

“I guess, I’ll see you around,” he said as he took a step back. The look of loss in his eyes was priceless.

I smiled up at him. Except for homeroom and lunch, we wouldn’t see each other all day. We traveled in different worlds. We didn’t share any classes. It was going to be a long day.

“If I don’t see you, meet me at my car after school. Okay?” I asked.

“Sure. Why?” he said with a confused frown.

“Because I want to see you, you idiot,” I said as I gave a quick squeeze to his arm before hurrying into class. Ms. Johnson insisted we be in our chairs before the bell rang and I was already going to be late.

Ryan stepped back to watch me into class. At the last second, I turned and hurried back to him. Reaching up, I quickly kissed him on the cheek and gave him my best smile.

His face lit up with a smile a mile long and ten feet deep.

The boy had made my day special just by being there.

The cafeteria was as noisy as usual. The same cliques as always, the same buzz of teenage hormones and earth shattering angst. God, I couldn’t wait for high school to end.

I thought of what that would mean with Hailey. She would be going off to college probably to the east coast. I’d be at the UW.

Suddenly the world didn’t seem so perfect. Now, finally, I had met someone. Someone unbelievably perfect and it was all going to end in a couple of months. It was enough to make a guy question the meaning of life.

Sometimes, life can be so unfair.

I paid for my food and headed to Nerd corner. My mind was lost in thinking about Hailey and college as I approached our tables. The solid stares of discontent and disdain brought me up short.

Really? Now, they were upset? I could understand the nasty looks from the Celebs. I’d taken their prize Queen. Or, at least, that was how they saw it. But, my people? How couldn’t they be happy for me? Besides, it was only one date.

Meagan looked at me as if I’d just erased her hard drive. Scrubbed it clean. Howard just shook his head. Even Tony seemed disappointed in me.

My insides tightened up a bit, then I thought about what they were upset about. Hailey Martin.

Little did they know that I’d dump the lot of them on the side of the road for a few more minutes with Hailey Martin. Especially, if they were going to treat me like this.

Even young Amy looked as if I’d killed her favorite puppy.

“So, where’s your girlfriend?” Meagan sneered. “Too embarrassed to be seen with you?”

I laughed, “Careful Meagan, you claws are showing. It’s not a pretty look,” I said.

Mark almost choked on his burger, then patted me on the back. “Don’t listen to them, big boy. They’ve only been your friends since second grade. No need to care what they think.”

I looked over at him. Was he going to give me a hard time about this, as well? He knew what Hailey meant to me. Why couldn’t they see how important this was? Why all the hassles?

Sitting up straight, I looked at each of them. My friends, my tribe.

A few of them shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, but most of them defiantly returned my look. As if daring me to try and justify my actions.

I studied them for a moment and then said, “Get over it.”

That was it. Nothing more needed to be said. I was the King of our tribe. If they didn’t like it, they could go find somewhere else to be.

The table remained quiet for a moment as they processed my statement. I think they really expected me to apologize or, at least, try to justify my actions.

Well, to hell with them. If they didn’t like it, tough.

Tony was the first to accept it. He shrugged his shoulders, then resumed eating. Howard was next. Soon, everyone else returned back to normal. All except Meagan, she continued to stare at me with cold eyes.

At last, she grabbed her tray and left, using her shoulder to wipe something from her eye.

“Why is she so upset?” I asked Mark.

He just looked at me and shook his head. “Idiot, you wouldn’t understand.”

I chose to ignore him and focused on finishing my meal. If I hurried, maybe I could meet Hailey outside of the journalism class and we’d have a few minutes together.