Say You'll Stay

Chapter 2

Allie

“Allie, I swear you look perfect, okay? Just come on, you never get to come to these. Embrace being a teenager for once!” My best friend Charity, the preacher’s kid, somehow dragged me to this party after threatening to reveal my lifelong schoolgirl crush on her brother, Ted. He’s in his first year at college, visiting while on break.

“How can you wear something this short? I feel like my butt is hanging out. If my dad finds out, he’s going to kill me.” We fixed our hair and makeup at Charity’s house, but she made me change in the car with her, and I regret not trying this thing on before it became my only option. The slightest breeze will send me into a panic.

Charity and her brother came to parties like this all the time so she doesn’t understand I am on the verge of an anxiety attack. Despite being preacher’s kids, they have chosen their own way of life outside of their family’s churchy lifestyle. They have good hearts but enjoy life like any other heathen at our school.

In other words, they get to be normal. Somehow, I’m the nun here and my dad doesn’t even make us go to church.

“Please, you look hot. Besides, no one here is going to know you. They’re all from Bear Valley.”

“How are you aware of this?”

“Ted is good friends with the girl that lives here,” she shrugs.

“Oh.” I know Ted has girlfriends off and on and it’s not like he knows I draw his name in hearts in my notebook. I still hold on to hope that someday he will notice me as something more than a friend.

Charity sighs, holding my hand in hers while she gives me a small smile. “Allie, it’s not like that. At least, I don’t think it is. But seriously, who cares? Let’s just have fun tonight since your dad never lets you do anything.”

She’s right. My life is pathetic. My dad is the head coach for the football and basketball teams at my high school, El Dorado Union. He loves sports and played professional football for a couple of seasons, but suffered an injury and came home to coach his old high school instead. He loves his job. His life motto is “Family, football, food.” He’s a wonderful dad and has set a clear “no boys allowed” rule. He wants me to focus on medical school instead. Ted doesn’t count because my dad thinks his father’s position makes him a well-behaved young man and not some miscreant.

Yeah, that’s why I never get out or do anything kids my age do.

I’m not entirely sure how we persuaded him to let me stay with Charity for the weekend, but once we got my dad on board, Charity and Ted told their dad we were going to dinner and the movies together.

Charity drags me up the steps to the most beautiful glass house I have ever seen. It’s something one might find in a magazine. I’m guessing it belongs to the Vandenburg family, since they are the wealthiest people around. When we walk inside, the house is jam-packed full of drunk teenagers.

I notice some kids sitting around a table full of red cups and bottles with some green tube-looking thing. It almost looks like a potion bottle, but they’re sucking something out of it.

Truly, I don’t want to know. My brain can’t handle it right now.

It didn’t take long for Ted to acquaint himself with some guys that go to Bear Valley, since he knows practically everyone in town in these party scenes. He walked in before us after he parked his car, and Charity had to drag me out.

I grind my molars down when a girl with vibrant red hair approaches him. She looks confident in herself and the carefree laughter she directs right at Ted tells me she isn’t worried about people possibly seeing her ass hanging out of her dress.

Why can’t I be more like that?

Charity hands me a cup with something in it and tries to convince me to drink it so I appear less like a snob. One sip and I want to scream. Whatever it is, my insides are burning from it. A mint or gum would be superb right about now. Or a tube of toothpaste.

I’m just going to hold this cup and pretend to drink. When the opportunity approaches, I’m dumping it.

A few minutes later, we make our way further into this house and catch some girl dancing on the table. It’s like watching apes in the wild. I think she was trying to take off her clothes, but she was more so rearranging them on her body. Strong arms – definitely a guy – help her out of the room after she falls off the table. Lucky for her, she had a hero at that moment.

Once the show is over, Charity lugs me around the party, introducing me to a couple of people she knows, and then takes me dancing. It takes a few minutes before I can relax and enjoy myself, but I’m tired of pretending to sip the clear acid she got me, so I excuse myself to the kitchen.

I’m doing it. I’m dumping this garbage out.

There are people in the kitchen fixing drinks. Unless I want them to tease me, I am not pouring it out in front of anyone. I will not risk whatever social outcast jabs come with not finishing a beverage like this at a party. Nope. I just want to blend in.

The last three lingering people leave, and I am taking my chance.

Okay. Go time. Straight to the sink.

“Never. Again.” The acid swirls down the drain seamlessly.

“That’s just wasteful, you know. There are starving children in the world.” I turn around and see the guy that carried that girl upstairs from earlier is standing there, leaning against the wall. How did I not notice him before?

Gathering my courage to speak to a complete stranger, I clear my throat. “I’m sure starving children in the world don’t need to drink acid.”

The corner of his mouth lifts and I catch a glimpse of a perfect smile. Wow, he’s gorgeous. He’s at least 6’3 with short, but messy, dark hair. His chest and shoulders are broad and biceps stretch out the sleeves of his t-shirt, so I’m presuming he’s an athlete. That would explain the tan lines, too. Also, the air of confidence surrounding him. I would guess the pitcher for his baseball team or quarterback.

His best features are those eyes. He has one blue eye and one gray. They are unique and the power behind them pins me to my spot. They go perfectly with his handsome face, and promise loads of trouble.

I’ll bet my allowance he is going to be the king of his prom.

“True,” he says, slowly taking steps closer to me to lean against the counter beside the sink. “I’m not into that stuff either.”

Nervously, I offer a smile and nod before turning to leave, swallowing the high-pitched giggle making its way up my throat from some random cute guy talking to me. My cheeks are burning already. If I stay any longer, I’m certain a girlfriend will show up and think this is something it’s not. This guy wouldn’t flirt with me, especially if he knew who my father was.

“You know, if you go out there, they’re just going to force another drink in your hands. You’d have to find another way to dump that one. Your night will be one trip after another, wasting perfectly fine alcohol that some other underage high schooler could enjoy right now.”

I stop and turn back to face him, trying to determine if he is being sincere. I can’t tell if he is a jerk or not. He seems to think my squinting eyes are amusing by the way he smirks back at me.

“I’m just saying this based on personal experience. It’s up to you to believe me or not.” He holds up his hands and shrugs his shoulders.

“Maybe I’ll hang out in the bathroom.” That doesn’t sound appealing to me at all.

“Then people might think you’re doing something other than hiding in there.”

“Like what?”

“There’s a girl in one bathroom giving blow jobs to half of my teammates. There is another girl that was caught cheating on her boyfriend last week. The possibilities of things people might accuse you of doing are endless.”

Great. I can see the rumors flying already about me. Whatever these people come up with, I’m screwed, no matter what. “My options seem to be limited. Tell me...” I put a finger to my lips and try to remember if we introduced ourselves or not. “What’s your name?”

“Lucas.”

I like that name. It suits him. “Tell me, Lucas. What would you suggest?” If there was a time to know how to appear confident, I fail miserably because he smiles again and pushes off the counter toward me. My heart beats wildly against my chest and my breath hitches.

“Follow me.” He grabs my hand and leads me through another door that goes outside. The evening chill offsets the sweltering heat from this afternoon. Lucas walks us toward the lake behind the house and up to the dock.

I stop in my tracks. This is called a boundary, and I am setting it now. “Umm, I’m sorry. If you’re planning to throw me into the water, please know you’d have to get me. I can’t swim and would drown. My father would have your head. Literally.” Not literally. I just need him to get the picture.

Lucas laughs, and I didn’t even know someone’s laugh could be attractive. It’s deep, like manly deep. “Good to know, but I wasn’t planning on throwing you in. Just wanted to sit and enjoy the view.”

I sigh in relief. “Fine, but if you try anything stupid, I have a black belt.” I am not lying about this. It’s just not a martial arts belt. It ties around my bath robe.

Lucas and I sit at the end of the dock with our feet dangling above the water. We talk for a while, mostly about him. The conversation is superficial, neither of us wanting to talk about anything deep or personal. Good thing since I wouldn’t tell a stranger my life story. He talks about playing football and how he had to sit out the last game of the season because of an injury.

“Wait, Lucas... Lucas Kennedy? As in, quarterback for Bear Valley, Lucas? Is that you?”

He chuckles. “Yeah.” His eyes narrow, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m a stalker. “Are you a fan or something?”

“No, I just know too much about local football teams.” I pause for a moment. “So, you had that busted shoulder. Are you completely done, or will you be able to play in college?”

“I got the scholarship and am going to play. I’ll see how the shoulder does. I doubt I’ll go pro or anything before my shoulder goes out altogether. Coaching is more of my dream, anyway.”

My dad was talking about that hit. Lucas got trampled by another player. A guy twice his size. Technically, it was an illegal move. But kudos to him for being positive.

“I’m sorry, that kid that hit you shouldn’t have a football career either. He shouldn’t gain from your loss.”

Lucas shrugs the good shoulder. “I’m over it. I shook the guy’s hand last week at a party and we’re cool now.”

Again with the friendly attitude. He isn’t the jerk I was afraid he might be. He seems like a genuine person.

We sit in silence, just taking in the scenery while the music and laughter of everyone at the party plays in the background. I lay on my back, gazing up at the stars.

“So beautiful,” Lucas murmurs.

“Yes, they are. I love the stars. They’re like diamonds in the sky.”

“I wasn’t talking about the stars.”

My heart leaps in my chest. I turn to see Lucas staring right at me. The dancing butterflies in my stomach are a first ever. They’re fluttering around at the sound of Lucas calling me beautiful. To have a boy pay me a compliment is foreign. What do you say to a boy when he tells you that? Thank you?

My brain misfires and thoughts spiral when he leans in to kiss me. He grabs the back of my head and cups my cheek with his warm hand while his lips move to mine.

The kiss differs from the one I had at Charity’s church camp which she, again, dragged me to. It was with that boy, Joel something. That was just quick and weird and I never counted it. This is... I don’t know what this is, but it has me floating up toward the sky.

Lucas’s tongue comes out and works my mouth open until it’s inside. With each stroke of his tongue, he drags his hands down my sides and pulls me closer until I’m on top of him.

I’ve never had much experience with guys at school or anything. The whole dad being the head coach keeps every guy at a distance from me. I wear the proverbial flashing sign that says “off limits.” Guys aren’t wrong to assume he is the shotgun on the porch kind of dad.

This is what freedom tastes like. Kissing this gorgeous guy. I guess I’d be just fine doing something bad for once in my life, even though it’s just kissing. No big deal, right?

Lucas breaks the kiss. “Do you want to go somewhere more private?”

“Okay.” Oh. My. Gosh. We are going to keep making out. I think. I’m not sure; I’m not positive about whatever going “somewhere more private” entails, but he seems nice. He wouldn’t try to take advantage of me. I’ll be able to set boundaries.