JAMES HAD FINISHED cleaning up his cuts and much to my dismay he put the shirt on. My eyes widened as I realized what I had just thought. These fantasizing thoughts about his body, no matter how attractive, were not only inappropriate but also highly disturbing. He was the same asshole he was yesterday, and I had to keep reminding myself of that.
"I didn't mean to hit you with the rock," he said after a while of silence.
"It's okay, I'm a tough cookie."
"Let me see."
"I'm fine."
James didn't take that for an answer. He stepped toward me and rolled my sleeve up to inspect my shoulder. I took in a sharp breath when his cold fingers made contact with my skin. He pressed his fingers against my shoulder.
"Does this hurt?"
"A little."
"Ice it in the morning and you'll be fine." Just like that, he stepped back. Ironically I felt colder despite the absence of his cool fingers.
"Thanks." I went to my closet and took out some spare blankets. "Sorry the floor isn't carpeted."
"So long as I'm inside, I don't really care where I sleep."
He took the blankets from me and made a makeshift bed on the floor. I walked over to my bed and put my laptop away before laying down. I made sure to put my laptop in my nightstand drawer when he wasn't looking. I didn't know him well and for all I knew, he could've been a thief. I noticed he didn't have a pillow so I tossed him one of mine, aiming for the back of his head.
He glowered at me after the pillow smacked him. "How generous of you."
"No need to be so sarcastic all the time," I grumbled.
James looked me directly in the eyes, his gaze so intense I felt like I was melting. "Thank you."
I let out a yawn, cutting this rare moment of his gratitude short. "My family can't know you were here."
"I'll be gone before any of them wake up."
"Where are you going to go?"
He shrugged. "That's a concern for the morning."
I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but I didn't want him to lash out again so I stayed quiet. I turned off my lamp and closed my eyes.
"Do me a favour," he said. "Don't bring this up."
"Bring what up?"
"I can't tell if you're playing along or genuinely confused."
"Goodnight."
Despite the fact that there was a boy who I barely knew sleeping on my floor, I was already almost asleep. It must've been a result of sleeping at my desk last night when Monica decided to take over my bed, but whatever the reason I was exhausted. I studied harder than I had ever studied before and it was taking an evident toll on my body. I couldn't wait to take this test and hopefully ace it.
"1984," James said all of a sudden.
So much for sleeping. "What?" I asked.
"The name of the book I was reading in your car that day," he elaborated. "It's called 1984."
I held back a yawn. "Good to know."
"Hey?"
"Hm?"
"Go to sleep."
"What if you rob me?"
"The only thing I'd want to steal from you is your voice box so I can destroy it," he said calmly.
"Sounds painful."
"So is hearing your voice."
I tried to keep my eyes open, but they were shutting on their own. "You're jealous of my voice," I muttered, my words slurred.
Before I could fight the wave of sleepiness hitting my body, my eyes fluttered shut.
~*~
I woke up the next day feeling refreshed. There was nothing like getting a good night's rest. I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. I slowly opened my eyes and when I saw the heap of blankets on the floor I recalled yesterday's events. I bolted out of bed, breathing a sigh of relief when I realized James was gone. I folded the blankets and threw them inside my closet before anyone could come in and ask about the mess. I looked for James' bloody shirt to throw out, but it was gone.
He left no trace behind, leaving me wondering if last night had been a dream.
I went to the bathroom and completed my morning rituals before going downstairs to eat some breakfast. Mom was at work and my brothers were asleep, so I quietly poured myself a bowl of cereal. After I finished my breakfast I washed my dishes and went upstairs to study. I had a whole weekend of studying ahead of me.
Hours passed and I was cramped at my desk repeatedly reviewing every single word in James' review. Although today was slightly chillier, I left my window open in hopes James would be home and I could ask him some questions to clarify some of the topics I was unsure about. It was now close to the evening and I was still studying. I had finished the entire review, and all I had left was to go over some of the concepts that I was still iffy about. I had never felt as good about a test as I did for this one.
"Hey," Brenton said as he entered my room. "Jeez, it's cold in here." He walked over to my window and shut it.
"Is there something you need?"
"You've been cooped up in here all day."
"I have a test on Monday."
"Are you ready for it?"
"I hope so."
He grinned. "Perfect! Come get some dinner with us."
"Who's us?"
"Me and Holden."
"What about Alex?"
"Niko took him to the movies."
"Niko's here?"
Brenton nodded. "You missed him. He came a few hours ago."
I frowned. "Why didn't he say hi?"
"I told him you were being antisocial today."
"What about Mom?" I asked.
Brenton shrugged. "Let's go before we have to deal with that problem."
I was going to say no, but my stomach started growling. "Let me change my clothes."
"Holden's gonna be here in a few," Brenton said as he left my room. I took my hair out of the ponytail it had been in since last night and I brushed it out. I swapped Niko's clothes for a hoodie and a pair of jeans. I slipped on a coat, shoved my phone in my pocket, and joined Brenton.
"Look who decided to show up," Holden said as we entered his car. Brenton sat in the passenger seat and I sat in the back.
"I basically had to drag her out of her room," Brenton said.
"I only came for the food," I admitted.
"Dani Parker, the girl with the bottomless stomach," Holden said with a chuckle.
The remainder of the drive was filled with lighthearted conversations, teasing, and a lot of talk of the upcoming lacrosse semi-finals. Holden parked his car in front of the Stone Creek Café, and we all went inside. The biggest perk to coming here with Holden was that everything we ordered was free.
"Hey, Martha," Holden said to our waitress as we sat down at a table, Holden and I on one side and Brenton on the other.
She beamed at us. Martha was one of the longest working employees at this café. She was in her late forties and she had bright red hair which matched her flamboyant personality. "It's been so long since I've seen the trio together!"
"Well this one keeps bailing on us," Brenton said, pointing at me accusingly.
I rolled my eyes. "They're just mad because I didn't go to a party with them."
"You're a smart girl, Dani." She gave the boys a pointed look. "You two should be more like her."
"You're right, Dani's great." Holden smiled and threw an arm over my shoulder.
Martha laughed. "What can I get for you?"
Of course, Brenton was the first to speak. "Can I get a Philly cheesesteak burger with curly fries and a vanilla coke?"
"I'll take poutine and a root beer," Holden said.
I glanced at the menu. "And I'll take aâ"
"Cheeseburger with extra pickles, no lettuce, a side of onion rings, and a chocolate milkshake," Holden finished for me.
"Impressive," Brenton remarked.
"He's a keeper," Martha said. Before I could tell her she was looking too much into it, she left to give our order to the cooks.
"Are you guys excited for your game?" I said in an attempt to change the subject.
"We're gonna win," Brenton said confidently. "The school we're playing didn't even place last year."
"When's the game?"
"Monday evening," Holden answered. "You better be there."
I smiled. "Promise."
Another waitress brought over our drinks and sides. Brenton grabbed a handful of my onion rings and shoved them into his mouth.
"Mom said she's coming to the game," he said in between bites.
I took a sip from my milkshake. "You seriously believe that?"
He shook his head. "Not in the slightest. Something's going to come up, just you wait and see."
"Are your parents coming?" I asked Holden.
"My mom's at a conference in Washington, but my dad said he'd come."
I swirled my milkshake with my straw. "Must be nice having two parents."
Brenton sighed. "Dani, don't do this now."
"What is it that I'm doing exactly?"
"Don't play coy, you're better than that," Brenton said.
"I'm not that hungry anymore." I took my milkshake and I stood up.
"How are you going to get home?" Brenton asked.
I shrugged. "It's not like you care."
With my milkshake in hand, I walked right out.
~*~
The rest of the weekend went by agonizingly slow. I just wanted it to be Monday already so I could write this stupid test and get it over with. I stayed in my room all of Sunday as I studied and avoided Brenton. I never left my room for a second in case James came home, but he never did.
I was beginning to worry about him. The best-case scenario was that he was avoiding me. And the worst-case scenario was that he was out sleeping on the streets somewhere. I really hoped he was fine.
It was now Sunday evening and I had finished reviewing everything. My brain was oozing with information about infections, endemics, diseases, viruses, you name it. I was ready to ace this test. I slipped into my bed, ready to sleep the rest of this weekend away.
My plan was halted when Brenton entered my room. "I know you've been avoiding me, but I just want to say sorry. I was being insensitive and I shouldn't have said that."
"Do you miss him?"
"What?"
"Do you miss him?" I repeated.
"Not really. You?"
I nodded my head. "I do. A lot."
"Good luck on your test tomorrow," he said before leaving my room.
My mind was racing with so many different thoughts, but the mental strain of all that studying was enough to make me fall asleep within minutes.
~*~
"Pencils down everyone," Mrs. Frazer said.
I exhaled as I glanced at my finished booklet. I had no idea how I did on this test, but I was grateful it was over. Mrs. Frazer collected everyone's tests before letting us go.
"How was it?" Amber asked me as we walked out the door.
"I think it went fine. You?"
"That last question totally stumped me! I didn't know we were even supposed to memorize the lifecycle of..." I tuned her out as I searched for James. I hadn't seen him since that night and he didn't even stick around to get a ride from me this morning. The hallway was filling up with students, but none of them were him. "Don't you agree?"
"Huh?"
"I said her tests are so stupid," Amber repeated.
"Yeah, for sure."
There he was! I noticed him walk out of the classroom though he didn't see me. I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding in. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
"I'll see you at lunch," I told Amber. I waited for her to leave before I caught up to James.
"Long time no see, neighbour."
"I'm going to be late for my next class," he said briskly.
"Your class can wait a few minutes. I haven't seen you since Friday night."
"I have to get going." He walked past me to get to his next class.
A part of me felt deflated at how quickly he shut down the conversation. To think I wasted my time worrying about him.
~*~
I was counting down the seconds until the school day was done. The biology test drained out all of my energy and I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep.
"Since I know how much you all love Shakespeare," Mr. Ridgeway grinned despite the chorus of groans across the room, "you're going to work in pairs and do a presentation on Macbeth. I'll give you a theme from the play and you and your partner will do a presentation for the class on the significance of your given theme to the play."
Someone raised their hand. "Can we pick our partners?"
"Go for it!" Mr. Ridgeway said cheerily. "Once everyone's in their pairs I will assign themes."
"Partners?"
My lips curved upwards. "I thought you'd never ask."
Holden sat down in the spare seat beside me. "How have you been since Saturday?"
"Same old, I guess."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Rollins, Parker," Mr. Ridgeway said as he approached us. "Your theme from the play will be the consequences of ambition."
Holden grinned at me. "We've got this, partner."
"Ready for tonight?" I asked.
"We're going to kill it, no doubt."
I raised my eyebrows. "Cocky, are we?"
"Just a little," he admitted with a chuckle. "You're coming, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it."
"Thanks, Dani."
I smiled. "No need to thank me."
When the bell rang, we walked with each other to the parking lot, chatting the entire way there. I knew James wouldn't be at my car waiting for me, but I was still a little upset that he wasn't there.
"Brent's coming with me, but we'll see you tonight," Holden told me.
"Good luck." I got inside my car and drove home.
For the first time in over a week I didn't enjoy having my car all to myself. I was tempted to offer Holden a ride, but he had his own car. And I would have driven Amber home but she was meeting with Lesley again before the game. Hell, at this point I actually didn't mind if Brenton was driving right now. It was quite strange that the absence of someone I hardly considered an acquaintance left me feeling so lonely.
When I reached home, I parked my car on the driveway and went inside. No one was home so I helped myself to one of the frozen dishes Niko made. I took a frozen shepherd's pie out of the freezer and tossed it in the oven. In the meantime, I decided to shower and change into something nice. I already knew there was going to be a celebration get together at Holden's house after the game and I would be forced to come, despite it being a Monday. Mr. Rollins threw this celebration every year after the semifinal win since we'd started high school.
Lacrosse was a legacy in the Rollins' household. Mr. and Mrs. Rollins both played lacrosse in college, and Holden was expected to do the same. If Mom were to ever show up to one of the games, this was the one. The team captains were always hailed as heroes after the semifinals victory and Mom could use this for campaigning advertisement. Brenton didn't expect her to come, but deep down I knew he wanted her to. For his sake, I hoped she came.