"So what's the damage, Harry?"
It's Tuesday morning and I decided not to waste any time getting the ding in my car fixed, so I'd taken it down to the local mechanic first thing in the morning and asked Spencer to follow me so I could have a ride to school.
Harry's a sweet old guy that I'd worked for a few summers ago. I did odd jobs like cleaning and sweeping for a little extra cash, but they needed someone more full time and I could only offer weekends and after school.
"Well darlin," he readjusts the oil-stained cap on his head as he glances down at the dented bumper. "I'll do it for four fifty. That's as cheap as I can go."
It's a good deal, a very good deal. This could have cost anywhere up to a grand at any other repair store so I give him an appreciative smile and pull the notes out of my uniform pocket.
I'm left with a one hundred afterwards and contemplate getting myself a new outfit with it. But I immediately squash the thoughts, knowing that I'll give it back to Drayton. Unfortunately, my conscience doesn't allow me to pocket it.
"Thank you Harry! You're a lifesaver!"
"She'll be done in a few days okay." He pats the top of the car before signalling one of his employees to fetch the keys and move it inside.
"Thanks Harry!" I call out as I start running across the road to Spencer's waiting car.
"Have you still not fixed the air conditioning in this thing?" I wave my hand in front of my face, gasping for some cold air as Spencer sits in the driver's seat taking selfies.
Over winter the air con in her little Mazda hatchback had carked it. It wasn't a big deal at the time but now in summer, even towards the end of it, the need for fresh air is high. The windows are rolled down but even the breeze is warm so it really doesn't help at all.
"I remember why we used my car all summer now!" I groan, wiping at the sweat beads on my forehead. I grip the front of my school blouse and start fanning it in and out. Our uniforms aren't the worst in terms of appearance and comfort. The girls wear a navy skirt and blouse while the boys wear the same colours but with pants and a maroon tie. It's casual for the most part.
"It's not that hot," she playfully scoffs, starting the car and heading towards school. "I swear you're like ten times more sensitive to the weather than a normal person."
"Yeah, you migh-"
"Ahh!" Spencer cuts me off with an excited squeal as she clutches the steering wheel and bounces in her seat. "I just remembered! Tell me about last night. Like everything."
"I already have!"
"No no no! Last night when we were talking you said it was uneventful. I refuse to believe that having Drayton Lahey over for dinner could possibly be uneventful."
A pang of guilt starts to surface for keeping secrets from Spencer. We tell each other everything. Drayton had confided in me that Emily had cheated on him... with his uncle! But when I promised to keep it to myself, I didn't realise how hard it would be to include Spencer in that promise.
"Honestly, him and Nathan just talked football all night. I disappeared to my room pretty early."
I leave out the part about his help with the dishes and our little confession session under the stars, because those things had made him seem more down to earth than I'd believed him to be and for some illogical reason, I wanted to be the only one who knew about it.
"But," I grin as we pull into the school parking lot, deciding that I'll give her something to satisfy the need for petulant gossip. "He did tell me that I have a nice ass."
My head flies forward as the brakes are slammed on and when I turn to ask Spencer what the hell she's playing at, I find her staring at me with wide eyes and pure admiration. Her dropped jaw starts to turn upwards into a cheesy grin, a choked squeak sounding from the back of her throat.
"You need to stop!" I warn her with a pointed finger as I glance out the window and notice an array of students watching us curiously. "This is why I don't tell you things."
"He said you have a nice ass!" She carries on driving into a free parking space and then kills the engine. "Drayton Lahey said you have a nice ass."
"Stop saying his name like that," I roll my eyes, mirroring his words from last night. "And don't put so much emphasis on the compliment, you should need more than a remark about your ass before you drop your panties girl."
"Oh I know." She laughs. "But I think I'd be pretty ecstatic if Drayton Lahey gave me any sort of compliment to be honest."
"Why do you keep saying his last name?"
"Because he's like celebrity status," she shakes her head as if I don't know a damn thing and clearly, I don't. But in all fairness, I had been referring to him the same way up until last night. "Ya know when you talk about someone famous and you just always use their last name. He's that level of hot."
"Gross. Please don't idolise him. He's a football player. He can't heal with his hands."
"I bet he can do something else with his hands though." She nudges me with her elbow.
"I totally walked into that one."
• • •
I spend the first half of the day looking out for Drayton so that I can give his money back. I'm in adamant denial that there's any other reason I want to talk to him again.
It's just about giving the money back.
When lunch rolls around I scoff down my sandwiches and apple while I sit with Spencer and listen to her prattle off about a fresh batch of rumours that have started circulating.
It's not unusual in the slightest for all the summertime scandal to make its way through the school at a rapid pace. Everyone's dirty secrets are coming out now that everyone's back in the same facility again. It's gross but Spencer surprisingly gets hold of a lot of news considering her social status is as meek as mine.
"I gotta go," I interrupt her story about David Lowinski's epic coming out party and spring to my feet. "Cheer. Do you wanna come?"
"Na," she packs up her bag and we both head out of the cafeteria. "I'm gonna go to the library. I'll see you after school."
We part ways and I quickly make my way towards the locker rooms. I decide that yesterday was more attention than I need for one year, so I'll wear the cheer uniform for practice to avoid Emily breathing down my neck. Once I've changed, I jog out on to the field and line up with the rest of the team who are, not surprisingly, dressed in casual active wear.
"Why are you in uniform Dallas?" Emily sneers, earning a few snickers from the line up. "This is just practice."
I suppose I could argue, stomp my feet, point out what a sadistic and horrible bitch she is for going out of her way to humiliate me and we're only on the second day in. But instead I take the high road, pulling my skirt and cheer top off so I'm down to my boy shorts and sports bra.
"Better?" I smile, tossing the uniform towards my bag on the bleachers.
She doesn't respond, not verbally anyway, I suppose the hateful scowl is some form of communication but I ignore that and the glances of my other teammates until she starts barking orders about today's warm up.
The evil dictator allows us a break after twenty minutes of non-stop intense warming up. I really should have spent more time working out over the summer break. Three hours a morning wasn't up to par I suppose. I guzzle back my water and spot Drayton in the middle of the field, talking to a few of his friends with a casual demeanour. His black T shirt clings to his torso and I once again find myself admiring every curve and outline of his incredible build.
Remembering why I needed to seek him out in the first place, I get the hundred dollar note out of my bag and start walking towards him.
"Dray!"
He turns his head towards my voice, his group of friends eyeing me with confusion and disbelief as I make my way towards him. He looks nervous as his eyes dart from side to side, looking like a cornered kitten.
"Hey," I give him a small smile when I'm in front of him. This feels awkward and I'm not entirely sure why. It becomes even more awkward when he doesn't respond.
"Um, it didn't cost as much as you thought it would." I leave the explanation brief so that his friends don't find out that he hit my car. I imagine that's where his nervous behaviour stems from. "Here's the rest of that cash."
He eyes the money but doesn't move to take it as his eyes dart from the bill in my hand towards his curious buddies and back again.
"Don't worry," he chuckles, folding his arms over his chest. "They know I help people out with getting hold of dope."
The group of brain dead halfwits gasp, widening their eyes as they look me up and down. Scandalous thoughts of the cheerleader on drugs are obviously plaguing their small minds. I stare him down, willing him to change his story and trying not to dwell on the fact that he himself is involved in drugs. It's not shocking information, a lot of the guys around here indulge in the odd Mary Jane. But after the way he'd opened up to me, the way we'd talked, I was naive enough to think he wouldn't treat me like such a leper.
"Oh and keep it," he smirks, "for that extra service you threw in last night."
"Woah!" Derek, one of the linebackers covers his mouth and gasps. "What?!"
They all start slapping each other's backs, cackling and carrying on like idiots while my eyes stay glued to Drayton's.
"You're lucky I can handle rumours," I bite with an unwavering tone. "Because I don't think that you could handle them knowing the truth."
His eyes widen, hearing the double meaning, hearing the promise to keep his secret even though he doesn't deserve it. Sadness seizes him as he visibly swallows, but I don't stay to watch the pity party and instead I throw his money at him and storm back across the field towards the squad.
• • •
"Dallas?"
A familiar voice softly calls my name as I walk out of the locker rooms and into the warm afternoon air. I gaze over to where Drayton is leaning against the wall, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"Leave me alone," I order with a tired tone. I turn to walk in the opposite direction but I'm quickly cut off by his masculine body that serves as a wall, completely blocking my path.
"I shouldn't have said that!" He puts his hands on either shoulder, gazing down at me.
"Don't speak to me Drayton," I shrug his embrace away. "Like ever again!"
"I feel like a dick," he stuffs his hands in his pockets and takes a deep steadying breath. "But I'll tell them it was just a joke. Don't stress, I'll make sure they know I was teasing you."
"It's probably too late Drayton. This school will already be feeding off the news like a bunch of hungry animals because that's what they do!"
"Well..." he stares at the ground as he rubs the back of his neck. "I mean it's not that bad. People will just think you slept with me. That's not the worst thing."
"Oh my God!" I throw my head back and let out an empty laugh. "You are so up your own fucking ass it's not even funny! Apart from not wanting people to think that I slept with you for the sake of my own self preservation, ya know I'd rather not be a statistic. There's also the fact that Emily is my cheer captain and she'll kick me off the team if she thinks it's true!"
"She won't kick you off the team."
"Um have you met your ex? She's the epitome of evil!" I shake my head with frustration, deciding that I can't take a second more of this brain dead conversation. "Like I said Drayton, don't speak to me again. We had one conversation, I thought it was nice, I thought there was more to you than this hollow and shallow person you make out to be. But I guess not. Goodbye."
I step around him and start to leave before he grips my wrist, forcing me to turn around.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Come on, what can I say or do?"
"If you don't know the answer to that, then we have nothing more to say to each other."
I rip my wrist away and storm towards my next class, praying to the good lord above that no one thinks that Drayton and I actually slept together. The bastard is right, it wouldn't be the worst rumour that could be spread about oneself. Girls would be envious, guys would probably view me in a new light. But that's exactly why I don't want people to think that it's true. It'll be fleeting, it'll lower me to the pits with the rest of the nameless and faceless of his conquests. It wouldn't mean a thing because I'd be one of many and that's not the light that I want to be seen in.
Much to my relief no one seems to be whispering or pointing at me throughout the rest of the afternoon and it would seem the false news may have actually stayed in the unstable confines of the small circle that had heard it. The real test would be when I see Spencer, she's the ears of this institution and if anyone's heard anything, it'll be her.
"Hey," I slide into the passenger seat of her car after school and glance over to where she's furiously typing away on her phone. I wait a few moments before she locks the phone and dumps it into the centre console.
"Hey, what's up." She turns on the engine of the car and starts reversing as I eye her cautiously, waiting for the outburst over the recent gossip. But the more silence that follows her the more that I'm convinced that it really didn't go anywhere. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Oh, sorry," I re-focus my attention to the road. "Zoned out. Thanks for waiting for me."
"Yeah of course," she smiles. "So I was thinking we should go to Castle Pines this weekend. There's this sixteen plus club opening. Apparently everyone's going!"
"I dunno Spence. Castle Pines is like an hour away. How are we meant to get there and back?"
"The train between Archwood and Castle pines runs all night and day during the weekends!"
I knew that, I was just hoping that she didn't. Clubbing isn't and never really has been of any interest to me but Spencer enjoys it. She enjoys parties and the night life and she's always here for me when I need her so the least that I can do is return the favour.
"Yeah, alright," I nod, leaning an arm on the door handle. "We can get ready at my place."
"Obviously. As if I'd tell Mom that I'm going clubbing an hour out of town."
Spencer lives with her Mom. She's never met her father, he took off one day with no explanation, leaving Spencer's Mom alone, struggling to come up with enough money to keep their small cottage over her head and prepare for the baby that she'd be having alone.
Spencer no longer spares him a second thought, convinced that she's better off without him.
The lack of parental authority in my household means that we're both free to come and go as we please. Nathan does his best to enforce some rules, but he's often out himself and knows that I'm not all that social any how.
"Let's go shopping on Saturday?!" Spencer parks the car in my driveway but leaves the engine running as she bounces with excitement in her seat.
"Alright, that actually sounds fun." I smile knowing that I've made her week. I'm the only person that she has to do these things with and I don't want her to miss out on account of me not giving two shits about it.
• • •
If you're still with me, I love you ! Thank you for reading ! Please let me know your thoughts and if you're enjoying so far ! Some foreshadowing has been sprinkled in this chapter. 😆