A Proscriptive Relationship (33 page)

BOOK: A Proscriptive Relationship
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“What did he say?” Mr. Heywood asked, grabbing the phone away from me and looking at it with a scowl.

“He asked how Lance was, told me he was still after you, and he said he had ‘plans for me,’” I quoted, staring down at the ground. “He said he didn’t care whether Lance lives or dies, but he was only going to rough him up.” I looked back at Mr. Heywood who was glaring at the phone. “They said it was because he was at the towing place that night.”

“What? Because of that? I need to put an end to this.”

“But you can’t—”

“Holly, I’m not going to sit around while they pick off people close to me!” he cried, his voice raising a notch.

“They want you dead though,” I breathed, blinking repeatedly to keep any tears from spilling. “Did you hear me? Dead!”

“Yeah, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What did you do?”

His expression went blank for a moment, but then it quickly became hard. He narrowed his eyes at me. “I told you it wasn’t any of your business.”

“Well now it is!” I responded, clenching my fists. “And Lance’s too! You have to tell me!”

“Holly, just stop. It’s not—”

Without warning, I punched him in the chest as hard as I could. He didn’t budge, but shock flashed across his face. I hit him again, trying to put as much force into it as I could. He let me hit him a few more times until his hand captured my wrist and stopped me.

I scowled, bringing up my other fist, but he caught it immediately. I attempted to kick his shin. He let out a small groan of frustration.

“Is it my fault you’re so violent?” he muttered. “Just like a child . . .”

I stopped struggling at once, a little hurt by his comment. Time for a different approach.


Please,” I begged, putting my head against his chest. “Please. I’m begging you now! Just tell me. Please, Chris!”

“Holly, your hand is cold.”

I pulled away from him, yanking my hand out of his grasp. The tears were now spilling out of my eyes. I glared at him, taking a step away from him. Now he was going to change the subject? “I hate you. I hate you!”

He sighed, closing his eyes. I shook my head in disbelief, taking another step away from him. How could he? I turned to walk away, but a hand enclosed on my wrist and yanked me back. Something warm enveloped me and I looked down to his jacket over my shoulders. I tried to shrug out of it, but he held it on by force.

“Let go of me,” I said coldly.

“Holly, you have to promise me you won’t hate me after I tell you.”

I looked up at him in shock. His eyes pierced into mine with a scary seriousness, complimented by his somber face. I slowly nodded, clenching his jacket tighter to my body. He reached out and brushed a few stray tears from my face.

Hate him? How could he even think that I meant that? Couldn’t he see how much I cared about him? It was quiet for a moment. Then I sneezed.

He abruptly pulled away and cleared his throat. “You’re really cold, let’s go get you warmed up.”

*


What took you so long?” I asked him in the car.  “Your date?” I guessed.

“Yeah.”

“Is she a nice girl?” I asked casually.

“Very nice.”

“Is she smart?”

He chuckled. “Sometimes.”

I hesitated before asking the next question. “Is she pretty?”

“Beautiful.”

I bit my lip, staring at the dashboard in front of me. Who was this girl? Mr. Heywood seemed to like her a lot. Did that mean I had no chance? My chest constricted uncomfortably. Probably not. After all this person was probably a grown woman and I was still in high school. The affection Mr. Heywood showed was probably just something he did to entertain himself.

When he noticed I was lost in thought, Mr. Heywood asked, “Thinking of me?”

“No, of Jeremy,” I responded thoughtfully. “He’s been helping me out a lot lately. I’m trying to decide what I can do to make it up to him.”


You can date Jeremy if you want.”

I turned to him in shock, not expecting that answer. Was he kidding? He didn’t care? I pouted. So he didn’t care . . . well, that was right. He still had a girlfriend.

He started snickering. “Sorry, Holly,” he apologized, his trademark smirk in place once again. “You know, your reactions—”

“Are too cute, I know,” I finished for him, rolling my eyes. “Except one of these days I’m really going to mean what I ask you.”

“I don’t want you to date Jeremy.”

Once more, I was shocked by his words. Since when did he say such things so bluntly?

I shrugged. “Then I won’t.”

“Good.”

If there wasn’t a blush on my face before, I was sure there was one now. I hated it, but I felt that by what Mr. Heywood had just said that I might have a chance with him. Maybe he did like me. Maybe he could return my feelings. But that meant I’d have to confess and there was no way I could do that right now.

But I wanted to. I wanted to so badly. I clenched my fists, now coming up to the road. Why did he have to be my teacher? And why couldn’t I be eighteen already? My feelings were already too much for me to handle. Suddenly my thoughts turned sour as realization set in. I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell him my feelings and have a chance of being rejected, or being accepted and making him lose his job.

Unless we kept it a secret . . .

The rest of the ride was silent. We had a lot to talk about when we got to his apartment.

*

 

Let’s go in the living room,” Mr. Heywood suggested when we arrived at his apartment, putting a hand on my back and leading me into the room. “Sit.”

I did as he asked, watching him curiously. “You aren’t going to order me to make you coffee or something?”

He smirked. “Do you want me to?”

I shook my head, looking away from him. In a way, I actually kind of wanted to. It just seemed like an ordinary thing between him and me. But I wasn’t about to let him know that.


I’ll make some hot chocolate.”

I frowned at him. “Are you feeling alright?”


Fine,” he responded, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”


You’re being so un-you.”

A wry smile appeared on his face. “I can’t be nice?”


No! That’s not it!” I said quickly, waving my hands in front of me. “It’s just that—”


Do you want to hear my story or not?”

I shut my mouth instantly, glaring at him. Well, good—he was being as rude as usual after all.

After disappearing into the kitchen for a few minutes he returned with two steaming mugs, setting them on his coffee table. He took a seat on the chair across from me, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Now this is a long story.”


I’ve got time,” I pressed, a frown on my face. “You promised—”


I’m going to tell it to you,” he cut me off, rolling his eyes. “Don’t whine.”


Sorry,” I muttered bitterly.


I guess I should start by saying that I lied to you.”

My eyes snapped back to him, growing wide with surprise. He had lied to me? “When? About what?”

He sighed again, running a hand through his messy, still damp hair. “Remember the time at the fair when you first followed me into the forest?”

 “
Yeah . . .”


Everything I said on the Ferris wheel was a lie,” he admitted.


Everything?” I echoed.

He nodded. “There was no friend I wanted to protect. I joined the gang out of my own free will. I liked fighting. I liked the thrill it gave me.”

I recalled that conversation and how I had cried because I thought I had had the wrong opinion on him. “So I was right.”


You were right?”


Back then,” I started slowly. “I thought you were a conceited jerk. But that story about your friend made me change my views. But it was fake.”


I’m sorry about that,” he apologized. “I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t tell you the reason why they were after me. I didn’t want to scare you away.”


You wouldn’t have told me the truth no matter what, then, huh?”


Probably not. The part about the lighters was the truth though. They did burn me at one point, so the scars were real.”


It would be that part that was the truth,” I said, a frown slipping onto my face.


Before I go into all the details, tell me what Jeremy told you about me.”

My eyes widened. “What? H-he didn’t tell me anything!”

Mr. Heywood snorted. “Yeah? And I invented the punching bag.”


Well I wouldn’t be surprised—”


Holly.”


He didn’t tell me a lot,” I said, biting my lip. “Don’t get mad at him! I basically forced him to tell me.”


Just tell me,” he responded, a new edge to his voice. “I don’t want to hear you defending Jeremy. I just want to know what he told you.”


Well, he told me you were gang leader, which was surprising,” I said begrudgingly. “And he also told me that you skipped two grades in middle school and he showed me a picture of your ex-girlfriend.”


He
what
?” Mr. Heywood said, suddenly sounding furious.


It was just a picture of you with her in the yearbook.”


Did he tell you her name?” he questioned.


No,” I responded, narrowing my eyes in confusion. “Why?”


No reason.”


What is her name?”

He pursed his lips at me for a second before reclining back in the chair with a sour look. “Haley Pierce.”


Oh.” What an unusual last name . . . I repeated it in my head a few times trying to think if anyone I knew had that last name. I couldn’t think of anyone.


What else did Jeremy tell you?” Mr. Heywood asked, changing the topic.


Um,” I hesitated, glad to not be talking about his ex-girlfriend. “Oh, yeah! You graduated college at age twenty, right?”


That’s right.”


So how come you didn’t get a job as a teacher right away? Why did you wait a full year?” I questioned.


If I tell you that now, it will ruin the ending of my story,” he responded. “Do you want me to ruin it?”


No,” I said immediately. “I want you to start from the very beginning.”


From when I joined the gang?” he asked, looking over at me with a skeptical expression. “If I start from there, we’ll be here all year.”


Fine, then start from wherever the reason Shawn wants to kill you comes from.”

He chuckled. “Straight to the good part.”


I don’t think that should be considered good.”


Well there are multiple reasons,” he started, ignoring me. “I’m guessing one of them is the fact that I became gang leader even though I’m six years younger than him. He really wanted to be leader. He would’ve, too, if I hadn’t accepted. Honestly, half of the reason why I accepted was just because Shawn wanted to be the leader,” he continued, ignoring my glares. “I still remember the look on his face when it was announced. It was priceless.”


And that’s why he wants you dead?”

He rolled his eyes. “Be real, Holly.”

I clenched my teeth together. “I am being real! From what I gather, someone from the gang could want you dead just for looking at him the wrong way.”

 “
That’s true,” Mr. Heywood chuckled. “Probably not death though, but you could be beaten up for it. “


What were your reasons for fighting people?” I asked, looking at Mr. Heywood curiously.


I was challenged,” Mr. Heywood responded simply. “I was never the one to start a fight. Provoking people is a different story though.”


But, why?”


Because I thought fighting was the best thing ever when I was younger,” he explained, shaking his head. “It excited me. It made me feel alive. And no one could stop me.”


What do you mean?”


My parents weren’t around,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “And all my relatives lived too far away to even know what I was doing.”

His parents weren’t around? A twisting feeling crept into my stomach as I quickly did math in my head. He’d joined the gang at age sixteen and he said his parents weren’t around.


Mr. Heywood . . .”


Chris,” he corrected me. “How many times—”


Did you lie?” I said quietly, turning accusing eyes on him.


About what?”


About your parents.”

He looked at me in confusion. “What are you talking about?”


You just said your parents weren’t around when you joined the gang. But the time you were giving me a ride home you said your parents died the same day my dad died, which was only two years ago. Did you lie about that?”


What? No!” he responded. “Do you honestly think that I’d lie about something like that?”


Then what did you mean?”


I meant they were so busy with work they were never home,” he explained, a frown on his face. “Why would you think I’d lie about my parents dying?”


Well, you lied about all the other stuff.”


Holly, I’m sorry I lied to you, really,” he apologized sincerely.


Do you promise not to lie to me again?” I blurted out suddenly. Then I realized what I said and blushed. “No, sorry, ignore me.”

To my surprise, he started laughing. “If I promise not to lie to you, you can’t lie to me,” he bargained.


I don’t lie to you.”

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