HIDDEN CREEK LOVE: a hidden creek high novel, page 2
“Nothing,” I said. “That’s fine. Tell her I said hey too.”
“Jealousy always turns me on,” Wes said.
I put my foot up and kicked at his stomach. “Get away from me, Wes. You’re not using her to get hard.”
“I never would,” he said.
“Sometimes I do hate you,” I said.
“I know. But I’m not going to lie to you, darling.”
I hated that Noelle was such a big part of his life. Maybe that was me being a petty bitch, but when she flat out told me she was in love with Wes and had no issues with kissing his cheek all the time or the fact that she moved into the house I had lived in next to Wes and had all those teenage years with him…
“Look,” Wes said. He showed me his phone. “She texted me something about Cherry. I guess Cherry made some food for Ma and wants me to pick it up.”
“And Cherry can’t call your mother? Or Noelle can’t?”
“I guess not,” Wes said. “Do you really want to end this by fighting?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t want anyone else to fuck with my heart, Wes.”
“I’m not fucking with your heart, Aira. I love you. I’m crawling through your damn window. I memorized the sounds of the floors so I know when to hide under the bed when Julia’s coming.”
Wes grinned.
“What’s so funny now?” I asked.
“I just said Julia’s coming… so now I’m thinking about you and her…”
“Oh, fuck off,” I yelled.
I grabbed a pillow and threw it.
Wes knocked it out of the way and jumped at me.
He was on top of me on the bed and hovered over me. “Tell me you love me, darling.”
“You know I love you,” I said. “You’re nothing but trouble, Weslee.”
“Oh, my full first name,” he said. “That’s sexy.”
“Go,” I said. “You have enough to deal with.”
Wes growled. “I should have just fucking killed him when I had the chance.”
I swallowed hard.
“Please don’t ever say that,” I said.
“Maybe that’s the only way to end this for good,” Wes said.
He kissed me and pushed from the bed.
I watched him climb out of the window and licked my lips to taste him again.
I knew he hated Ryland. And I knew his punishment for messing with Ryland’s motorcycle was getting to him.
But I did not want to ever hear him talk about killing Ryland.
Because the look in his eyes… made me believe it was actually possible.
Chapter 2
Wes
I finished my smoke and went back inside the garage.
I coughed and cleared my throat and spit at the neon green street ride.
“That’ll fix it,” Jett said.
“What? It’s a spit shine.”
Jett laughed. “Just fucking fix the thing, Wes. You did this.”
“You know what he did, right?” I asked.
“I know what he did,” Jett said.
“This is all a scam,” I said.
“Of course it’s a scam,” Jett said. “But this scam is keeping your ass out of jail.”
“I’d rather be there than touch this piece of shit ride.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Jett said as he wiped down a piece of metal with a cloth. “You did this, Wes. You went right to him and did this.”
“No choice.”
“Didn’t say you were wrong.”
“I wanted to get him,” I said. “But I knew I’d lose Aira then. Didn’t expect Dusty to show up and arrest me in front of her. Right when her mother told her about her house.”
“Arson,” Jett said. “That’s terrible. Someone wanted to send a message.”
“And she runs from there to here,” I said. “What a mess.”
I grabbed a rag and wiped my spit off Ryland’s street ride.
It was all just body damage to the ride. Which took time and care, both of which I didn’t want to give to Ryland. But it was the deal I made with Dusty. Well, it was the deal Jett made on my behalf. To get me out of jail. At that point though I would have done anything to get out to check on Aira. That was maybe one of the worst feelings in the world. Not being able to be near her when she got the devastating news.
I crouched down and studied the custom neon paint job, shaking my head.
“Looks good,” Jett said. “You’ll be done in no time. Then you have him come here and pick it up. And you two could shake hands and make up like old friends.”
I stood up and turned to face Jett. “That will never happen.”
“I know, Wes.”
“Don’t even say it then. There’s been a lot of shit he’s done. But this…”
“You know what, Wes?” Jett asked as he touched my shoulder. “Why don’t we focus on Aira. How is she?”
“She’s amazing,” I said. “Fucking amazing.”
“Do I want to know how you’re able to see her?”
“Nope,” I said.
Jett shook his head. “Maybe in some other life we are related.”
“Who knows,” I said. “What I do know is that this is bullshit. And this isn’t over.”
“Of course it’s not over,” Jett said. “But you need to control yourself. Pop isn’t too happy right now with this either. Having that ride in the garage. You know he and Ryland’s family go way back. This isn’t good.”
“I fucked up big time here,” I said. I threw the towel to the floor and looked back at the office. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“Careful. He’s in a mood.”
“When isn’t he in a mood?”
I walked to the office and found Pop standing up, leaning over the desk, one hand flat against it, the other holding a phone to his ear. It was kind of funny to see someone as old as Pop holding a cellphone.
“Yeah,” he growled. “You motherfucker.”
He ended the call and threw the phone across the office.
He looked at me. “In my day you used to be able to hang up on someone. Really slam the phone down and send a message.”
“I guess cellphones ruined that.”
“Technology ruined everything,” he said. “What the hell do you want, grandson?”
“I’m sorry for what happened here,” I said. “That Ryland’s motorcycle is here.”
“You did it for a woman, huh?”
“Yeah. What was done to her…”
“I get it,” Pop said. “Sending a message. Can I tell you something about messages?”
“Sure.”
“They don’t mean shit to the people involved,” Pop said. “Messages are for those on the outside to hear. You want to send a message, you do it so others don’t fuck around. But if this is one on one then you take it one on one.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
Pop looked forward. “But in today’s world, who knows what I’m talking about. There’s no hiding. Everyone is too close. Everyone knows too much. Each day I open my eyes and I think fuck, another day of this shit?”
Pop laughed.
“You always know how to paint life in such a good way,” I said. “Let me go get your phone in case you need to finish that call.”
“Don’t worry about that call,” Pop said. “Go back to work.”
Pop moved faster than I ever saw him move.
Hurrying to get the cellphone.
He didn’t want me to see it.
I left the office shaking my head.
More people hiding more shit.
* * *
I walked through the kitchen as Cherry put food containers in a grocery shopping bag. She tied it three times and handed it to me. She gently slapped my face and grinned.
“You’re so handsome, Weslee,” she said. “You should get a haircut. Really clean up.”
“Do I look like I want to be cleaned up?” I asked.
“Such a smartass,” she whispered.
“Why do you use grocery bags?” I asked. “You could afford a nice bag, right?”
“That’s the problem with you young ones. You just want to waste, waste, waste.”
Cherry slapped my face again.
“I’ll tell Ma she has dinner.”
“You better. Don’t you steal that. That’s my good lasagna.”
“And what do you give me?” I asked.
“The quick stuff,” she said.
I smiled. “Cherry, do you remember me and Aira when we were little?”
“Of course I do. She always wore those dresses. Always had her hair done fancy. Everything matched all the time.”
“Yeah, I remember that too,” I said. “But what about her parents? Do you remember them?”
“Jack and Stella?” Cherry asked. “I guess I remember them. Why are you asking?”
“Well, Aira’s house burned down.”
“I know that. She told me. I spilled the beans at dinner, remember?”
“Yeah. But she found out it was arson.”
“Someone set the fire on purpose,” Cherry said. Her eyes went wide. “With Aira inside the house?”
“Scary, huh?”
“Someone wanted to…”
Cherry lost her words.
“Wanted to kill her,” a voice said.
Noelle stood in the doorway to the kitchen, twirling the white wires of her earbuds.
“Yeah,” I said. “I guess I’m just wondering if her parents were involved in anything…”
“And why would you ask me?” Cherry asked, lifting her left eyebrow high in the air.
I swallowed hard, realizing I had touched a nerve.
I backed off and held up the food. “Thanks for this.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Noelle said.
“You go outside and wait,” Cherry said to Noelle.
Cherry closed in on me and hugged me. “Just remember one thing, Weslee. Her parents left in a hurry from here. That’s all I can say to you.”
Cherry planted a wet kiss to my cheek and I left the house.
Nothing made sense in what she said, but was something there? Aira’s life didn’t just move from Hidden to another town and back to Hidden. It was a tangled mess.
Outside, Noelle stood at the top step of the porch with her earbuds in.
She looked at me and I started to move my mouth as though I was actually talking.
Noelle ripped the earbuds out. “What?”
I laughed. “You’re gullible.”
“So are you.”
“How so?”
Noelle shook her head.
“No, what?” I asked. I touched her hand. “Come on. Tell me.”
“What are you doing, Wes?”
“With what?”
“Everything. Are you ever going to go to class again?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Not sure yet.”
“You have a spot at Tech. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do,” I said. “But I know where I want to be.”
“With Aira,” Noelle said.
“Yeah, Noe. With Aira. Things are bad.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said. “I saw what they did to Walker.”
“That was a weak move,” I said. “They jumped him to piss me off. And then Ryland set me up. You too, Noe. He took pictures of us to make it look like we were…”
Noelle looked down. She bit at her lip really hard. “I hate him so much.”
I moved my hand from her hand to her back.
She blinked fast and sucked in a shaky breath.
I pulled her close and hugged her.
She broke down in tears.
It lasted only a few seconds before Noelle turned away and put her earbuds back in.
I quickly grabbed her and spun her around.
She looked right at me, her blue eyes shining brighter from the tears.
I hated the feeling it made me feel.
I plucked the earbuds out again. “That’s not over. What he did…”
“Yes it is,” she whispered. “Can never get it back, Wes. And nothing will ever be done about it.”
“Noe…”
“Stop it,” she said. “If something was going to be done, it would have been. I mean, let’s be honest… the second he messed with Aira, you went after him. You got arrested trying to protect and save her. You didn’t do that for me.”
“That’s not fair, Noe. What happened-”
“Gotta go,” Noelle said.
She went back inside and I stood on Cherry’s porch alone, feeling a little empty inside.
I lit up a cigarette and shut my eyes.
I pictured Aira and I smiled.
* * *
“Here, I’ll draw it for you,” I said as I pointed up. “Shut your left eye and follow me.”
I used my left pointer finger and drew a picture from star to star.
Aira and I were on a blanket on the beach, listening to the rushing of the waves and wasted the midnight hours together.
“I don’t get it,” she said.
“It spells your name.”
“No it doesn’t.”
“If you follow my finger it does,” I said.
“You know there’s an app you can use to see what star you’re looking at.”
“Fuck that,” I said. “I’m telling you what I see.”
“Okay, so what’s this one?” Aira asked.
She used her finger and moved it through the air, pointing at the stars.
“Looks like a set of tits,” I said.
“Perv,” Aira said.
She elbowed my gut and I fake cried and pretended I couldn’t breathe.
Aira jumped up to her knees and hovered over me. “Oh, no, he needs mouth to mouth. I better save him.”
I nodded, then pretended I was gasping for air.
Aira put her lips to mine for a second. “Did that work?”
I shook my head.
She did it again, this time her tongue flirting with my lips.
“How about now?”
I shook my head again.
“Fuck,” she said. “I can’t let him die on me.”
The next time she kissed me it was wild. I slipped my fingers into her hair at the back of her head and we were fully engaged in a one in the morning make out session.
She was brilliant and perfect and beautiful and she deserved a long and happy life. Why those thoughts went through my head as her flirty tongue wrestled with mine I didn’t know. Maybe I was actually growing up a little. Or maybe I just loved her that much.
I pulled her on top of me and we kissed for what felt like hours. Under the stars. The tide rushing up toward our feet.
Not a care in the world when the world seemed to be falling apart all around us.
I slowly sat up and cradled Aira, still kissing her. She touched my face and broke the kiss, staring at me with eyes that managed to make me forget to breathe. That never fucking happened. Ever.
“When are you coming back to HCH?” she whispered.
“What?”
“Answer me. You need to make a decision.”
“Says who?”
“Says me. You’re not going to be some bum who doesn’t finish school.”
“You realize I’m well off,” I whispered. “I don’t need to worry about anything.”
“I don’t care about that, Wes.”
“You just want me back in class. You miss me stalking you in the hallway.”
“Is that wrong?”
“No,” I said. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” Aira whispered.
I loved when she whispered like that. In between kisses. Her voice almost as soft as her lips.
“Does anyone bother you in class?”
“What do you mean?”
“About what happened,” I said. “I mean, you kind of went right back. Which was brave.”
“I owned it, Wes. I did this to myself. And I have nothing to hide. It’s what I used to do.”
“You didn’t answer my question though.”
“When they see Mika’s face, they get it,” she said with a grin.
I groaned. “That’s sexy. I hate that fucking girl.”
Aira nodded and quickly looked away.
I took note of that.
I grabbed Aira’s hand and walked her down to the water.
We stood with the waves hitting our ankles and Aira put her head to my shoulder.
This was heaven.
This was everything I could have ever wanted in my life.
But the fight was far from over.
“I better get back,” Aira whispered.
“Right,” I said.
We walked in silence just taking in those last few minutes together.
I kissed her like forever wasn’t real and watched her sneak up the steps and through the sliding deck door.
The only relief I had then was a cigarette.
I lit one and took a deep drag.
“I want to know something, Weslee.”
I turned and saw Julia standing a few feet from me.
“Oh, shit,” I said. “You’re sneaky.”
“I’m the sneaky one?” she asked.
“Sorry,” I said.
“I want to know what’s going on with everything,” she said. “That girl in there means everything to me.”
“Me too,” I said. “I’ve been around a long time. Even the years when we were apart I thought about her all the time. When I found out what she was doing to herself, it crushed me.”
“She says you made her stop.”
“I don’t know if I made her stop, but I told her the truth. Of who she really was. And I kept my promise to protect her.”
“She’s lost, Weslee.”
“We all are, Julia. It’s nice to have someone when you’re lost.”
“Smoking isn’t good for you.”
“I could be doing worse,” I said.
“Next time you come over, use the front door,” Julia said.
I grinned. “Okay. That window is a little tight for me.”
“Is she having nightmares again?”
“Not that I know of,” I said. “Tonight we looked at the stars and kissed.”
“My gut keeps telling me you’re trouble.”
“Listen to your gut then,” I said.
“But if I do that then Aira gets hurt.”
“Tough call, Julia. But just know, I will do anything to keep her safe.”
