2. Alternate Forms of Communications
“Did Crawford finally decide he was too cool to work with you this year?” Landon says to Hannah as she moves her desk up next to his. He glances back at me, smirking. I open my mouth to put that nerd in his place when Jack elbows me in the side. My nostrils flare, and I press my lips together, fisting my hands. Guys like him are the reason God created the middle finger.
“Don’t bother with that idiot,” Jack says, stealing a couple of sour patch kids.
“Thanks.” I blow out a breath, letting the comment go. I can’t seem to take my eyes off Hannah. I hate that she’s not working with us, which is stupid. It’s only twenty minutes, but it’s one more reason that makes me regret agreeing to her bet. Especially after Landon Phillips opened his douchebag mouth. I need to remember that when I win this bet, she has to go on a date with me. I know exactly what the date will be, and we’ll have the entire night together.
In chemistry, Mr. Kazansky lets us sit wherever. “We’ll worry about seating arrangements next week when we do our first lab. Then you’ll sit at your assigned lab table next to your lab partner for the rest of the semester.” I sit at the table behind Hannah because if I sit next to her, I’ll say something without thinking, and there goes my win. I’ve made it this far. I’m not about to jeopardize it now. I like Mr. Kazansky. I think he’s the smartest teacher at Lake City, but boy, can he get long-winded. He was reviewing the class syllabus with us, and he mentioned the periodic table. Now he’s still talking about the importance of noble gasses. I let my mind wander, reviewing football plays in my head. I glance at Hannah. She has her head propped up in her hand, trying to keep her eyes open. She catches me staring, tilts her head, crosses her eyes, and sticks her tongue out. The urge to mouth ‘yes, please’ is on the tip of my tongue, but I refrain. I just shake my head and smile. One thing’s for sure, my girl knows exactly how to play me.
After class, Landon follows Hannah into the hall, still talking about his “educational” family vacation to Washington, D.C. I roll my eyes, eavesdropping on their conversation. “Want to eat at Poncho’s truck for lunch?” Jack asks, catching up with me.
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
Jack points to Hannah. “What’s the deal with this guy?”
I shrug. “No idea.” Landon seems harmless enough until he puts his arm around Hannah. I point at the two of them and look at Jack. “Uh, excuse me while I beat up a nerd.”
Jack grabs my arm. “I’ve got this.” He cuts between them, pushing Landon out of the way. “It’s lunchtime, sis. Time to pay up.” He swings his arm around Clark’s neck, steering her away from Landon and down the hall toward our lockers.
Hannah rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll give you four bucks for the school lunch. I heard today’s special is fish sticks. Yummy.”
“Hmm—think again. We’re heading off campus. I’ve been craving pork tacos all day.” Hannah purses her lips, but she doesn’t make any further objections. I open my locker and try to shove my chemistry book inside, but there’s something in the way. I remove a couple of notebooks and reach down between the books and pull out my little kissy face, Micky. My heart trips in my chest, and my mouth drops open. I turn to Hannah but remember the damn bet and bite my tongue. Hannah peeks over at me, glancing from me to the toy and back to me. She gives me a little smirk, and I realize my mouth is still hanging open. I hurry and pop it shut. If she only understood that, she’s completely made my day. Hell, she’s made my week. I thought this toy was gone for good. I left it in a pair of shorts after I took it from Hannah’s room the night I snuck in and stayed with her. It was after she’d been bullied at the party on the bluffs, and Jack was taken to the police station. After I broke up with Hannah, I went to find it, and my mom had taken all my laundry. I looked everywhere for it. I tore both my bedroom and the laundry room apart, hunting for it. I searched every nook and cranny of my car. I even pulled the washer out and looked in the drain. I thought it was gone forever. It felt like a sign, telling me that any chance of Hannah forgiving me and us getting back together was gone.
I fist my hand around the little toy. I have so many questions, and I can’t ask a damn one. At least not yet. Hannah told me I couldn’t talk to her, but she didn’t say anything about other forms of communication. Hannah closes her locker and turns to walk away, but I grab her arm, pulling her back and pinning her against my locker. I crash my lips down over hers, pushing her lips apart with my tongue. She whimpers into my mouth. Her hands twist into the front of my shirt, and she kisses me back, tangling her tongue with mine. I let my fingers wander along her neck and jaw, caressing her soft skin. I rub my thumb along the base of her throat where the necklace I gave her dangles. She hasn’t taken it off. Every time I’ve seen her since my mistake, it’s one of the first things I look for. It’s a thread of hope. As long as she’s wearing it, I still have a chance to make things right. I kiss her and kiss her, putting everything I have into it. Telling her thank you for having my dumb little toy. Letting her know how much I love her and how sorry I am for messing up what we had. I don’t let up because when we break apart, that will be it. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance like this. Hannah’s hand skims up my chest to my neck, accidentally scratching me, but it only adds to my desire for her. She knows what this kiss is and what it means.
Finally, Hannah breaks away. “Ford,” she whispers, gulping for air. Her breath is coming out fast and hard. I cup my hands around her face, letting my forehead rest against hers. There’s so much I want to say, but it can wait. I brush my lips against her cheek before I straighten and turn around. Tyler and Jack are leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for us and trying to look bored. I grab Hannah’s hand. “Are you ready to go?” I ask my friends.
“Just waiting for you.” Tyler smirks, looking between Hannah and me.
“I’m ready.” I tug on Hannah’s hand and head toward the parking lot.
“Hannah!” someone calls, and we all stop and turn, watching a girl with long brown hair run toward us, waving. It’s Hannah’s friend June. When she gets closer, she stops looking at the four of us.
“Hurry up, Travers,” Tyler yells. “We don’t bite.” All of us look at Tyler, who shrugs. “What?”
“Ignore him,” Hannah says, holding out her hand for June. “Do you know all the guys? That’s Tyler, my brother Jack, and Ford.”
“Um, yeah, hi,” June says, giving everyone a small wave.
Hannah glances at all of us. “Guys, this is June.”
“Hey, I text you a couple of minutes ago to let you know my phone works again,” June tells Hannah.
“Oh, great.” Clark smiles. “Are we still on for tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m so excited.” June is practically jumping up and down.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” Jack asks.
“June is sleeping over.”
Jack looks surprised. “Does mom know?”
“Yeah, I talked to her Wednesday about it. Why?”
“Because me and Ford are staying the night tomorrow.” Tyler wags his eyebrows being a goofball.
“Oh.” Hannah looks at June. “Do you think your parents will care?”
