"This feels unnecessary," I said to Parker.
He gave a frustrated sigh. "If you'd hold still, this wouldn't take so long and it wouldn't feel so unnecessary," he replied.
Parker held up the phone and angled his hand so that mine was twisted just so. Then he snapped the twentieth picture. I pulled my hand from his and flexed my fingers. His grip was way too tight.
"I think I got it," Parker announced as he swiped through the pictures.
I leaned back on the couch and sighed. "Thank God."
Emilio got up from the ground and stretched. "You two would make the worst the couple," he said to us.
"Bullshit. I'd make a good couple with anyone. I'm an amazing boyfriend," Parker replied without looking up.
I scoffed. "According to whom? Abi? Your ex- girlfriend that you broke up with without warning by telling her you'd found someone else?"
Parker raised his eyes just long enough to shoot me a glare. "Anyone would agree that I let Abi down easy."
I pursed my lips to keep from saying something that would most definitely start a fight.
"Okay, can we get to work? I have to be home before eight," Emilio replied.
I nodded. "Yeah, Parker. Stop wasting time."
Parker ignored me and continued to tap the screen of his phone. A few moments later, he sat up.
"Posted. Everyone on snapchat is going to know something's up."
Emilio smiled and plopped himself onto the couch between us and held up our textbook. "Great. Now, History."
We worked for about two hours. Half way through, Parker demanded we Uber eats some food. He decided on Chad Thai and also took it upon himself to order our food.
"You'll love it," he insisted.
The food arrived and I hadn't realized that Parker had ordered the entire menu. There were seven boxes filled with food. I was immediately drawn to the crispy wontons and veggie spring rolls. But, nothing compared to the Khao pad prik pao. I had to remind myself that it wasn't logical for me to eat all this food only to feel sick later on, so I paced myself. The guys didn't share the same issue and scarfed down the food like it was running away. Twenty minutes later, the food was all gone and the three of sat around, rubbing our round bellies.
"I think I gained thirty pounds," I groaned.
"Bro, I unbuttoned my pants a while ago," Emilio chuckled.
"You two are pussies," Parker added. "That was nothing."
I rolled my eyes and then proceeded to get up like a struggling pregnant woman. When I finally made it onto my feet, Parker's phone buzzed. He unlocked it and then bolted upright.
"Shit, it's Liz," he hissed.
"What did she say?" Emilio asked.
Parker cleared his throat dramatically. "She says, and I quote "You piece of shit! I know who that is! Delete that snap or I'll come over there and break both your legs, you low life piece of garbage. You don't deserve to breathe."
I tried to mask my shock. Liz was...direct in her approach, I'd give her that.
"Jesus, she needs to chill," Emilio replied.
"Hold on, she's typing," Parker said.
We waited until Parker's phone buzzed. His smirk fell.
"What?" Emilio asked.
"She said that Abi's had a mental breakdown. And that it's my fault. And...that they both want me to kill myself."
The three of us remained quiet for a long moment. We let those words hang in the air over our heads, until I bent down and gathered my stuff.
"Where are you going?" Emilio asked.
"I've got to get home."
"Don't take her seriously," Emilio said. "She's always been melodramatic."
I pursed my lips and lowered my gaze. Maybe so, but guys had a tendency to over look women's feelings and dub them "dramatic" when they didn't believe they had merit.
"Sure," I replied. "I'm going to see you guys later."
I took my backpack and slipped it on. I was heading for the stairs when I heard them whispering. I stopped and momentarily debated whether I should listen in to find out if they were talking about me. I chose to ignore them. Anything they said couldn't hurt me the way Abi had to be hurting right now.
I headed upstairs and walked through the hallway leading to the front door. I reached the foyer and looked to my right. Through a pair of French doors looked to be a sitting room. That wasn't what caught my attention. I walked to the doors and peered through the glass. Hanging on the wall was a huge black and white portrait of the Scotts.
Mr and Mrs. Scott looked well into their fifties. Mr. Scott's face was rigid. There wasn't a hint of contentment in his expression. He looked rather disconsolate.
Mrs. Scott on the other hand was the exact opposite of her husband. She wore a brilliant smile that showed every tooth in her mouth. Her eyes were crinkled so much that I could barely see her irises. Her whole face was alit and she looked like someone had just told her the best joke ever. In between them sat their sons. I could tell the picture was dated because of Parker and Nate. I hardly recognized either of them. I deduced that the one on the left, closer to Mrs. Scott was Nate. His birthmark was what gave him away. Otherwise, everything about him was different. His hair was a light brown, much closer to Parker's current hair colour. His face was rounder as his cheeks still had that youthful chub. If I had to guess, he looked to be about seven years younger. And then there was Parker. Parker's a catfish! Firstly, Parker used to be a big kid. His face had none of the sharp edges it possessed today. He was at least thirty pounds heavier and all of it was in his face and belly. His hair was more of a sandy blond than the dirty blond he was today. If someone held up a picture of him then and now, it would be incredibly easy to mistake them for two different people.
"It's not a great picture," I heard Nate's voice say.
I whipped around, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I grasped my chest in hopes of slowing it down.
"I didn't mean to scare you," he stated but his smirk said otherwise.
I stepped away from the French doors and walked to where he was standing. He was out of uniform and in a regular pair of black jeans and a grey t-shirt. Once again, I couldn't believe how good he managed to look in such plain clothing.
"You were a cute kid," I told him.
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes scanning my face intently. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better about myself are you?"
I shrugged and imitated his smirk. He took a small step forward and suddenly, there wasn't much space between us anymore. I had to tilt my head upwards to meet his eyes. They peered down at me, impossible to read. I would have paid a pretty penny to know what was going on in his mind.
"Are you leaving?" He asked, his voice coming out much lower than it had a few seconds ago.
I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth which cause his gaze to flicker down to them. They lingered there for a few seconds before returning back to my eyes. I nodded and opened my mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.
"Okay," he replied.
I released a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding. All I could think about was the way he smelled. Like aftershave and peppermint. He always smelled like peppermint. And the way he watched me, like he had all the time in the world to examine every inch of my face. And the way his lips crept upwards, smiling like he relished just being near me. Like somehow, I was enough for him.
"Maybe you could--
I didn't give him the chance to finish. I was desperate to know what his lips would feel like pressed up against mine and because I'd been so stressed lately, I figured this could be considered my reprieve.
He didn't pull back as my lips brushed his. In fact, in under a second, he closed the distance between us and pulled my body to his. I took that as the green light and just went for it. My hands snaked up his shoulders and latched themselves in his hair. I used them to guide his head down so I didn't have to strain to reach for his face. He didn't seem to mind one bit and the forcefulness of his lips egged me on. His skin, prickly from a few days worth of growth scratched at my cheeks and elicited a moan that built deep within me and moved its way up and out. But, my heart felt like it stopped as his tongue peaked out, searching for entrance. Despite the way my body begged for more, I hesitated. He misunderstood my hesitancy and disconnected our lips. Nate then rested his forehead against mine as we fought to catch our breaths.
"I...didn't..." he began to say.
I shook my head and then pulled back entirely. I kept my gaze down, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," I told him.
I tried to side step him to get around so I could walk to the door but he took me by the forearm.
"Don't be sorry. I'm not!" He said, his voice thick with emotion.
I kept my eyes on the floor. I didn't want him to see me, not after I jumped him like a dog in heat. I twisted myself free from his grasp and then moved towards the door. I stopped to put my shoes on. As I straightened, I caught his gaze. He didn't look happy which only made me feel worse.
"I-I'll see you tomorrow."
I didn't wait for his reply. I opened the door and slipped out, shutting it quietly behind myself. Then I stopped, taking a few seconds to process what just happened. I raised my fingers to my mouth feeling the ghost of his lips on my feverish skin. He tasted exactly how I thought he would—not that I'd thought about how he tasted of course!
I shook my head free of him and walked to my bike. I mounted and knocked off the kickstand and peddled quickly home.
***
I was early to school the next day. I had to print out an assignment for world religions and since my printer decided to run out of ink at 11 p.m., I had to use the library's. I texted Layla to see if she wanted to meet up early but hadn't received a reply. It didn't take me long to realize that she was not a morning person but high school forced her to be. And she hated it.
So it was just me, hanging out in a mostly empty library. After I printed my assignment, I chose to sit on the floor amongst the books. I pulled out my biology textbook and got to studying. I was beginning to fall behind, what with all the time I was spending with Parker and Emilio. Maybe I should have taken them up on their offer to do my work. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about making every deadline all by myself.
I was brushing up on mitosis when I heard someone walk by the aisle. I looked up to see Carrie. She looked about as surprised to see me as I was to see her.
"Hey," I said to her because it was the polite thing to do.
She smile and waved. "Hey Ciara."
Carrie seemed friendly enough. Granted, I didn't know her all that well and the people she hung out with weren't the nicest but I'd never seen her be anything but kind. Even in gym when Abi and Liz were staring daggers at me, she was always smiling my way.
"What are you doing here so early?" She asked me.
I lifted up my textbook. "Thought I could get in a quick study shesh."
Her smile widened. "You have Mrs. Szeto for biology right?"
I nodded, just as she approached me. She sat down on the opposite side, leaning against the bookshelf in front of me.
"You're lucky. I have Mr. Highmore. You should hear the way he lectures. Snore-fest!"
I let out a smile laugh. "I've heard Layla complain about him."
She nodded. "Layla's right. He's the worse. So count yourself lucky."
I closed my textbook and place it down on the ground. "I guess so."
"Hey, um I had a question for you," she asked, her eyes everywhere but on me.
I pursed my lips and braced myself. "Uh huh?"
"Well, I was wondering...are you and Parker like a thing now?"
My breath caught in my throat and I held my breath to keep from coughing. When I felt like I wasn't going hack my lungs out, I released the breath.
"Why do you ask?" I asked.
She shrugged. "It's just that Liz said he posted a snap of you guys holding hands. It really pissed her off."
I toyed with my fingers and tried my best to come up with something that didn't make me seem like boyfriend-stealing, heartless bitch.
"Oh...um, it's not serious," I stuttered.
She nodded. "It's fine really. Honestly, I never thought Abi and Parker made a good couple. They fought too much and she always trying to impress him but he never seemed all interested."
I wanted this conversation to be over before I could let something slip out.
"Uh, I don't know about that."
Carrie shrugged and checked her phone. "It's scary to think about though. Abi really loved him and to think that he could just break up with her and break her heart like that...Guys are terrible."
I nodded. "The worst," I agreed.
"Well, anyways I should get going. But I'll see you around."
"Okay," I replied.
She stood up and gave me another smile. "FYI, I think you and Parker would be super cute together."
I wasn't sure what to make of that but she didn't give me the chance to reply. She just turned and walked away. Once I was sure she was gone, I leaned heavily against the bookshelf, no longer able to support my weight. I felt like I was a few minutes from spilling my guts. This life of lies wasn't for me.