Chapter 3
Lily
"Damn girl! Did you see Derrick this morning?" My friend, Stevie, sighs, tilting her head and dropping a cheek to her hand. "He really wears the hell outta those jeans, doesn't he?"
I laugh at her dreamy expression. You can see the little cartoon hearts dancing in her eyes like a Pepe LePew cartoon. "Are you forgetting that 'Derrick' is also 'Mr. Hastings. Our History teacher? And that you definitely shouldn't be looking at his ass? Fine or not." I say, like I am the epitome of everything proper and appropriate and didn't let my boss finger me till I came all over his hand last night.
But, Stevie doesn't know that. I'm not sure I want to tell her either. Who knows what she'll think. Hell, I don't even know what to think!
"I know, but a girl can dream, right? Why do teachers have to have casual Fridays? I mean, his ass looks fantastic in slacks too, but those jeans just say 'Come take a bite, Stevie'" She finishes her statement with a lip bite and an 'mmm' like she's eating some delicious chocolate cake.
I roll my eyes and smile. "Maybe if you spent more time staring at the board and less staring at his ass, you would have a better grade in his class," I say with a laugh.
She groans. "Ugh..." Her head falls onto her hands on the table with a thunk. "I know. I can't help it. Math is really not my subject."
I roll my eyes. She's been in love with Mr. Hastings since Junior year when he first started here. Not that anyone would blame her. He's only twenty nine and one of the hottest men in this town, aside from Jared. In my opinion a least.
"Hey bitches, what's goin on?" Lydia says as she strides up to our table with her lunch tray. "Why is Stevie's head on the table?"
"She's imagining Mr. Hastings with no pants again." I say and giggle as Stevie punches my arm.
"Why don't we talk about you, Ms. I'm in Love with My Boss," Stevie says with a raised brow.
I feel the blood rush into my cheeks. "I'm not in love with him.... It's just... a slight obsession." I watch my hands as I spread mayo on my sandwich, trying to avoid her prying eyes.
"Oh really? Then what's that look you get everytime you tell me you have to go over to his house?" Stevie waves her finger in my face, like pointing at me is going to force me to confess all my crazy feelings.
I blow out an irritated huff as I swat her hand away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lydia knows what I'm talking about." She looks over to our other friend who's flashing a knowing grin in my direction.
"It's true, girl. You're definitely catching some feelings. Either that, or these harsh cafeteria lights are suddenly giving you one hell of a sunburn." She reaches over and pinches one of my quickly reddening cheeks.
"Oh, both of you shut up." I swat her hand as well as they both laugh. "Like neither of you have ever had an inappropriate crush." I stare pointedly at Lydia.
"Well," Lydia says as she brings her breadstick to her mouth to take a bite. "I'm not sure it's still considered a crush if you bang the camp counselor in pool equipment room." She smirks and raises one eyebrow. Not one bit of her carries any shame about her little summer fling last year with Jennings our twenty six year old camp counselor. She had just turned eighteen at the time, so I don't really think she has anything she should be ashamed of. Plus, that boy was hot as sin.
"Have you talked to Jennings, by the way?" I ask.
"Nah. He was cute and all, but he's definitely one crayon short of a full box." She says, making Stevie giggle. "And don't think I don't notice you changing the subject right now, hooker." She points her breadstick at me in accusation.
I huff out a breath. "Ok. Fine. I like him-"
Stevie interrupts me with a disbelieving snort over her yogurt.
"Like him a lot." I say giving her a sharp look. "But it doesn't matter because he is married, and older, and my parents friend... and married-"
"You said that last one already." Lydia pipes up again.
"I said it twice because it's important!" I say over their laughing.
"Look, Lils. In all seriousness, you gotta get over this thing with Mr. Donovan. It's not good for you. You said it. He's married and the feelings you have for him are only gonna hurt you in the end. We just don't want to see that." Stevie says, sincerity shining in her hazel eyes. I can tell she is truly worried over the depth of my feelings for Jared and it's at this point I let myself start to realize it as well.
"It's true, honey," Lydia says with a nod. "Do you know how much ice cream you will need to get over a man like that? I'll tell you right now, I think we'd have to buy out all three of the closest grocery stores for that shit."
We laugh over our half eaten lunches and I tell myself at this point, I need to strengthen my Jared resistance. But that means I have to decide whether or not I am blowing him off his invitation for Friday. Everything in my body is telling me I don't want that, meanwhile my head says I have to. I can't let him break down my will power. I can't give in. If I do, I have a feeling my consumption of copious amounts of breakup recovery Ben and Jerry's will be the least of my worries.
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Jared
"Up, Up dada!" Sammy squeals as make airplane sounds, lifting her higher over my head then bringing her back down.
"Ok, ok. One more time and then it's bedtime for you missy." I lift her once more before she can pout about the bedtime issue. "Alright. It's time to go to bed now. Let's go get all those yucky bugs out of your teeth." I tickle her side and she doubles over in laughter.
"You shouldn't get her all worked up before bed, Jared." Vicky's voice calls down the stairs. She's lugging a suitcase for her weekend away that would suffice most people for a month.
"You sure that's everything, Vick?" I ask with a raised brow.
She rolls her eyes as she finishes her trek down the stairs. "You know how mother is. I need to have options or else I'm not trying hard enough."
"Yes, we all know how Margaret is. Thankfully, it's been two years since I've seen that woman and if God really loves me, he'll make it twenty more." I set sammy on the floor and tell her to say goodbye to her mother and go upstairs to wait for me to brush her teeth and tuck her in. Vicky gives her a hug and kiss before Sammy trots up the stairs.
"You know, It's really not fair that you don't have to go." Vicky says once Sammy's made it out of the room. "She should do her little check ups on you too." She narrows her eyes at me, as if it's MY fault that her mother doesn't 'request my presence' bi-weekly as she does with her daughter.
"She probably just knows her 'request' will go ignored. And Margaret can't have that, now can she." I shake my head.
She scoffs. "You're lucky your fathers gone."
I freeze. Even five years later, the pain is still as fresh as it was the day he passed. I know I must have let the pain from her remark leak onto my face because when she looks up, her eyes go round.
"Shit. I'm sorry." She shakes her head, rubbing her fingers against her forehead. "George was a good man. Not like my mother."
I know she didn't mean it the way it came out but the sting still lingers in the center of my chest. I have to keep myself from reaching up to rub it away. "It's ok."
She looks at me with a mixture of concern and pity. It's a look that I don't like from anyone.
"Well, have fun. Tell Theo I said 'hello'," I move across the marble floor to the bar and start make myself a scotch on the rocks, preparation for the night ahead.
"I'm not seeing him anymore. Turns out he wasn't a fan of the arrangement." She says, fluffing her hair in the hallway mirror. 'The Arrangement'... What a nice way of putting our shittastic situation. I guess out grandparents never realized we could find a loophole in the plan they concocted before we were out of diapers. Theo must not have been as accepting of Vicky's marital status as she was hoping for, however theoretical it may be.
Huh... Theo never struck me as a 'by the book' type of guy. He was cheating on his taxes after all. I should know. My company does his books. "Really?" I turn to look at her over my shoulder. "Any new blood in the water for you then, Vicky?"
She gives me a steely side eye from her spot at the mirror. "Funny, Jared." She turns back to her luggage, grabbing it up and moving to the door. "We shall see. Wish me luck!"