“Yeah, well, apparently, I didn’t run away fast enough.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“The entire school thinks we slept together!”
“Oh,” he said smoothly. He shrugged one shoulder. “So?”
“News flash: we didn’t sleep together.”
“I know that. You know that. Why else does it matter?”
“Because I’m getting hit on by a ton of guys at school. I’m getting leered at and catcalled, and some guy smacked my ass in the hallway.”
“Okay.” He nodded his head. “And it’s bad that guys at school want to ask you out?”
“Yes! They are only doing it because they think I’m easy!”
“I don’t think you’re easy.”
“You are missing the point!” I nearly shrieked at him. Then I took a deep breath and let it out. “I want this to stop. So, whoever you told that we slept together, I need you to tell them the truth. I need you to make it stop.”
He shrugged again, unperturbed. “I didn’t tell anyone we slept together.”
“Well, can you let people know that’s the case?”
He held his hands out in front of him, all casual and cool. “No one would believe me.”
“What? Why not?” I demanded.
He laughed softly and shot me a look of pure sexual appeal. “Why do you think?”
“Oh God, Derek, gross. You’re such a whore that no one would believe if you said we didn’t sleep together?”
“Hey, you should take it as a compliment.”
“You’re a pig,” I snapped. “And the entire thing is fucked up. You get to be this awesome guy for having slept with a lot of girls. Whereas I’m suddenly the town slut for being associated with you?”
“It’s not like I asked for that to happen to you,” he said, his voice turning sharp after I called him a whore.
“No, of course not. None of this is your fault. And you’re not going to do anything about it.”
“There is one solution,” he said with a grin that said I wasn’t going to like the suggestion at all.
But I wanted a solution. So, I sighed and asked, “What?”
“You could just go out with me. I didn’t get your number on Saturday.”
I blinked at him and then burst into laughter. “Oh dear God, no. You think I’d want to go out with you after this shit? Do your pickup lines actually work on people?”
“All the time,” he said, tilting his head at me in a way that I sometimes looked at my Calculus homework.
“It’s not going to work on me. You can’t sweet-talk your way out of this.”
“Look, it’s not my fault that some guys are hitting on you at school. What exactly do you want me to do? Show up to a school that I don’t go to and hold an assembly to let them know that you didn’t get laid?”
“No,” I grumbled.
“Right. There is no way that would happen anyway.”
I glared at him. He was right. This wasn’t going to fix it. He wouldn’t tell anyone because he had his precious reputation to uphold. And there was no way I was going to go out with him and let the rumors be true. He was dangerous in all the ways that made me forget the world. I had no intention of letting him dig in deeper under my skin.
“Whatever. This is still your fault,” I snapped at him.
He laughed. “I like you, Marley.”
“You don’t even know me,” I said as I headed for the door.
“Not yet,” he called as I yanked the door open.
“Not ever!”
His laughter followed me as I slammed the door shut. What an asshole! This was his fault. His damn reputation was ruining everything for me, and he didn’t even care. And worse, just being in his presence got under my skin. I could have very easily said yes when he asked me out. And I didn’t want that. Did I?
“Marley and Maddox Nelson!” Gran called as soon as we walked into the house. “Where were you?”
“Uh… cheer meeting,” I tried.
She shook her head. “I called the cheer coach, and she said practice was tomorrow. Try again.”
I sighed heavily and let my head hang. “It wasn’t Maddox. I asked him to drive me.”
“Oh?” She held her hand out. “Maddox, keys.”
“Oh man,” he grumbled, passing them to her.
“No rehearsal this week. Go do your homework.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Marley, sit.”
I sat. “Gran, it’s not what you think.”
“What do I think?” she drawled as she eased back into her favorite chair.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“I think you lied to me. Tell me the whole story. Start from the beginning.”
I didn’t know how she knew, but she did. She always did. So, I told her what had happened—the party, the kiss, the kids at school, going to see Derek. She listened without comment through all of it. Even the kiss.
When I was finished, she finally asked, “And do you like this boy?”
“No!”
She arched an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me.”
I huffed. “I don’t know him.”
“Yet you kissed him.”
“I… yeah.”
“I see.”
“I mean, we did talk before it happened. I felt connected to him. Like he wasn’t going to be a bad guy. But obviously, he was.”
“I’m going to tell you the same thing that I told your mom at your age.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to hear about Mom.”
“Don’t speak ill of your mother, chickadee. She gave you life. She deserves your respect.”
“Even if she hasn’t earned it?” I grumbled under my breath.
“Yes,” she said confidently. “Now, I told your mom that every person is going through their own struggles. You can never know what someone else is dealing with or why they act the way they do.”
“But, Gran…”
She held a hand up. “But if you let them take advantage of you once, they’ll do it forever.”
I froze in surprise at the words she’d uttered. I had expected a Christian lecture about treating people the way you wanted to be treated.
“So, if this boy did you wrong and you showed him kindness, you gave him a way out. Then, you need to make sure he understands that he can’t hurt you again.”
I tilted my head. “I like the way you think, Gran.”
She laughed and patted my hand twice. “Your mom never quite learned that one, but I think you will. You have to assert yourself, or you’ll be walked over your whole life.”
“Thanks, Gran. For everything.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” She kissed the top of my head. “Oh, and you’re grounded for a week too.”
I groaned. “But my driver’s test is Saturday.”
“I guess you’ll need to spend all your extra time studying.”
“And the game Friday?”
“It’s an obligation. So, yes, but there and back, and I’ll be driving you.”