Unfaded (12 page)

             
“Great,” I said. “I’ll invite him tomorrow night.”

             
Connor hesitated and I could see he didn’t really want to do it but was going to because I’d asked him. Beggars can’t be choosers; I’d have to accept what I could. I gave him a quick kiss and then had to shoo him out the door because Dad started calling my name. There were cars to be fixed and his teenage daughter had to put her life on hold in order to earn a paycheque.

             
Dad left the shop around five but I stuck around because I was working on my Algebra. The shop was always quieter than home. It wasn’t the first time I’d done it, last semester during finals I completely took over. At one point I had so many textbooks out on the customer service desk no one could get around to the cash register. I was lucky to have such an understanding father.

             
The doors were locked and I had on my iPod so I had no idea how long Kian was knocking at the door. When I finally did look up, I was surprised to see him, trying to balance hot cups of coffee in one hand while tapping on the glass with the other. He wasn’t wearing anything warmer than a shirt and a pair of jeans either and our sunny spell hadn’t lasted past Saturday. It had been snowing since about ten that morning and the wind was heavy and freezing. I could see him shivering through the glass.

             
I opened the door and an icy blast of ice and snow hit me straight in the face. Kian entered quickly and handed me both cups. Immediately he began brushing the white stuff off his shirt and arms.

             
“Wasn’t there something you said about teenagers being stupid and not dressing properly in this weather?” I said as I shoved aside some books so I could put the coffee on the counter.

             
“I was only walking across the parking lot,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d end up banging down your door for ten minutes trying to catch your attention. Perhaps I should have slayed a dragon on the way over. Maybe then I’d be worthy.”

             
I snickered. “I had on my iPod. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

             
“I see that.”

             
“You must be freezing,” I said. “I think I’ve got one of Dad’s sweaters around here. Do you want it?”

             
“No, I’ll live. But if I don’t, you can have my worldly possessions.”

             
“Wow. How lucky am I?”

             
I picked up my cup of coffee and opened it. Kian immediately reached into his pockets and pulled out packets of sugar and creamers. He handed them over and I poured in some of the cream and watched the white swirls mix in with the brown liquid.

             
“Here,” Kian said and he handed me a spoon. “I swiped it from Thelma’s kitchen. It’ll be our little secret.”

             
“Oh? So now I’m your accomplice in crime?”

             
“Don’t worry. I’ll take the fall if I have to. I’ll cover it up and do the time. Just don’t forget me while I’m in the big house.”

             
“I’ll bring you a chocolate cake with a big file inside.”

             
“Sounds good.” He picked up his coffee and took a gulp. The proper colour was returning to his face. Only his cheeks were still bright red. His shirt and pants however wasn’t doing so good. His jeans were covered in wet splotches.

             
“You’re going to catch a cold,” I told him. “You’re soaking.”

             
“I’ll be fine.”

             
“You’ll get sick.”

             
“I never get sick.”

             
I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s always a first time.”

             
“No, not for me.”

             
Fine. If he wanted to play the strongman role I wasn’t going to try and persuade him. I’d much rather wait for the ‘I told you so’ I could give him the next day when his nose was all runny. Besides, his shirt looked good wet. I found myself staring at his chest to the point where I had to force myself to look away. My eyes darted to his and he was watching intently. His lips were parted and I swear I could see the breath as it entered and left his mouth.

             
I had to turn away. It took every ounce of willpower created in the world but I finally managed to do it. My eyes scanned the room, frantically looking for something to focus on. I found my textbook open on the table, patiently waiting for me to return to it. Notes scattered the desktop and the numbers on the old office calculator glowed green.

             
“What are you studying?”

             
“Algebra” I said and the look on my face gave it all away.

             
“Not your favourite subject, huh?”

             
“Not even close,” I said. “I don’t mind the numbers part. I just can’t seem to understand why the letters have to get involved.”

             
He laughed.

             
“But I should really get back to it,” I said, regretting every word that came out of my mouth. What I really wanted was for him to sit down and stay with me. “You’re welcome to stick around but you can’t talk. If I fall any further behind I might not pass.”

             
“Then I’ll leave you to your studies,” he said which were not the words I wanted to hear. But what we want and what we need are never the same things.

             
“We’re going to be at Bean Town tomorrow night,” I said. “My friends and me. I’d like you to meet them. We kinda do a study group there but we mostly just hang out. We meet around eight.”

             
“Are you sure your boyfriend will be all right with that?”

             
Was there nothing that didn’t get past him? Was the guilty look on my face that obvious? “He’s fine with it,” I said. Or at least I knew he would be once the two of them sat down and talked for a bit.

             
“Ok,” he said.

             
“And I’ll see you in English tomorrow.”

             
“Yep.” He opened the door and a gust of wind immediately forced itself into the room. He stepped outside and then turned back to face me. “Make sure you lock the door after I leave. And don’t let anyone in you don’t know.”

             
There was that paranoia again. I wanted to make a joke about how monsters never come up and rang the doorbell but the look on his face stopped me. He was so deadly serious. His jaw line was tense enough to break rocks and his eyes were fiercely concerned. I had this feeling that if I were to tell a lie, he’d instantly see right through me. So unlike Connor who never saw anything—I couldn’t even remember the last time he’d ever made a comment like that to me.

             
“What are you afraid of?” I finally asked. “Addison is a safe town. There’s nothing to worry about.”

             
“Any place that has a road is unsafe,” he simply said.

             
Once he was gone I locked the door as promised and tried to resume my studies. But a nagging doubt had crawled into my brain and laid some sort of paranoia eggs. Maybe he was rubbing off on me but every time I glanced out the window I couldn’t escape the feeling that someone was watching me. The trees across the road, once so beautiful and majestic, suddenly appeared omniscient. The cars in the back lot became hiding spots for people to lie in wait.

             
I shivered although the shop wasn’t cold. This wasn’t going to work. I gathered up my books and shoved them in my bag. It was getting late and I should probably head home anyway. Granny would be going to bed soon and I wanted to spend some time with her. She was remembering less and less every day and I had seen the pamphlets Dad had about Pine Valley Care Centre in the city. None of us wanted Granny in a home but it was getting harder to take care of her. Marley could only do so much. Dad had the store and I had school.

             
Setting the alarm, I headed off into the night. Once inside my car, I locked the doors, keeping one eye on the woods behind me as I started the engine. I glanced over at Thelma’s motel. The lights were on but I couldn’t see anyone at the windows. If Kian was watching me, he wasn’t making himself obvious.

             
But I couldn’t shake the feeling. It followed me the entire way home. It wasn’t until I was safe in the house and Marley told me she’d left some spaghetti on a plate in the fridge, that I began to feel safe again.

                                                        *              *              *

              My Algebra test was over in the morning and I managed to get through it without having any major meltdowns. Lunch was easy; all I had to do was sit there while Amber talked about her date with Scott on Saturday night.

             
“He didn’t even try to give me a kiss,” she wailed. “He must think I’m a whale.”

             
“You’re not a whale,” Claire and I echoed.

             
“Something’s wrong with me.”

             
“Maybe he’s a gentleman,” I suggested. “Not all boys want to suck your face on the first date.”

             
“The good ones do.”

             
That was the extent of lunch.

             
English wasn’t much better. Ms. Gray wanted to go through the movie step by step for those who were too lazy to read the book. She spent the majority of the class asking questions that no one was able to answer. As it turns out, Kian and I weren’t the only ones who hadn’t paid attention. But at least we had read the book. I was thankful when class was over and she told us we’d be reading the Knight’s Tale for the rest of the week. The wedding of Palamon to Emelye was one of my favourite parts.

             
“Are you still coming tonight?” I asked once the bell rang. Everyone was making enough noise for me to ask without being overheard by a certain girl whose name started with B and rhymed with banana.

             
“Absolutely.” He gave me a wink and my stomach bounced around inside my belly.

                                                                      *              *              *

              Bean Town was full when Connor and I pulled into the parking lot. I had wanted to meet him there but he insisted on driving to the point where I finally gave in. It probably had nothing to do with me, but Connor was acting weird. He was quieter than normal, he barely said two words to me once I got into his car. I chalked it up to basketball practice earlier. They were getting ready for a big game and there was a lot of stress on the team.

             
Amber, Claire and Eugene were all ready there. Amber, excited for the chance to finally meet Kian, was dressed as if she was ready to go party. It even looked like she’d spent a significant amount of time on her hair. She looked lovely and I smiled when I noticed that quite a few boys were staring in her direction as she waved at us from across the room. If only that girl could truly see how beautiful she really was. She’d get over that fear of being overweight in a hurry.

             
We took a seat and Connor pushed his chair over until he was just inches beside mine. I had planned on pulling out my laptop and tossing my notes over the table but he was making it hard for me to have any room. The table was full as it was, but it seemed odd to me that he wanted to get that close. But I discovered the answer quick enough. Kian had walked in and Connor had noticed him before me.

             
“Ohhh,” Amber said. “There he is!”

             
Great. I had a boyfriend who was jealous of my new male friend and my best friend was acting like he was some sort of movie star.

             
This was going to be an interesting night.

             
Kian approached the table and Amber immediately took her jacket off the chair she’d been saving for him. He sat down across from me and smiled as he waited for introductions. I rambled off all the names of my friends.

             
“Claire, Eugene, Amber and Connor,” I said. “This is Kian.”

             
“I’m Mai’s boyfriend,” Connor corrected me. He held out his hand to shake and I could see him squeeze Kian’s hand as hard as he could. Kian only smiled. If he was in pain he didn’t show it. I was proud for him. It was like passing the first test in some sort of teenage competition that boys have. Before long Connor would be inviting him to play basketball and they’d be hanging out in no time.

             
“Where are you from, Kian?” Amber asked.