All We Know Is Falling: Fall With Me: Volume One (7 page)

Me: Are you going to tell me why you stole my stuff? By the way, you’re not allowed in the girl’s locker room.

Hale: You keep shutting me down. And I needed a reason to get you to speak to me. Just until you realize you enjoy my company and then want to talk to me of your own accord.

Me: Never gonna happen. Keep the clothes.

Hale: Well, that’s one way to have your clothes crumpled in the corner of my bedroom.

Ah, well that clears some things up.

Me: Okay, I get it now.

Hale: Do you?

Me: You just want to get in my pants. Not happening. So you can move on to one of the brain dead girls that have been following you all week.

Hale: If all I wanted to do was fuck you, trust me when I say I wouldn’t be trying this hard. And I would have taken the hint days ago and moved on. But that isn’t what I want from you.

Me: I’ve got nothing you’d want.

So, please just leave me be.

Hale: I’d just like a bit of your time. One day. After that, if you don’t want to speak to me anymore, I’ll never try again.

Tempting, but I didn’t believe him.

My phone rang and because I was stupid, I answered it. “Yes?”

“Hello,” Hale said, sounding far too pleased. “I decided that I’d rather hear your voice than a text tone. Your false annoyance is far cuter when I can hear the inflection.”

I sighed, “You’re trying so hard for something that you’re never gonna get. Why don’t you just hang up and go find another way to waste your time.”

He laughed. “Well, I would have, but what I find truly fascinating is how hard you’re fighting. It’s sparked an interest in figuring you out that is far too strong to shake at this point. So strange, you are. An innocent looking Lamb with some kind of darkness in her? How can I resist?”

The bubbles in my bath were starting to disappear and the water cooled. I wasn’t any closer to being relaxed than I was when I found my clothes gone.

I softened my voice and tried to sound as nice as I could, “Hale, it really is best for you if you let this go. I’m not the kinda girl you wanna get tangled with. It would get messy. And it would end with a lot of pain.” I didn’t mention that it would be my pain. Not his. I knew that if I let myself, I could grow to really like him. I wasn’t willing to do that.

“You keep proving to me that you are exactly the kind of girl I want to get tangled up with.”

“I’m hanging up now,” I said but didn’t do the action.

I heard his light breaths on the other side of the phone while he waited. “Are you?”

“Yes!” I snapped and hung the phone up. I sank into the cold bathwater and wanted to scream.

Now he wanted to know all my secrets. That made this so much more dangerous than before. The threat of friendship was one thing, but the real threat of him knowing what I was…that wasn’t acceptable.

At least I was safe for the weekend. He might have somehow gotten my number, but my address was a whole different matter.

I drained the bath water and got out. There was no use in trying to ease the tension now. But at least I had one more Hail Mary.

After I got dressed in my jammies, I headed out to the kitchen. Mom and Hadley were watching Brom Bones as he watched a cricket. His tail was thumping against the tile like he was trying to break it.

“Get him, Brom Cat,” my sister ordered him.

“No,” Mom said, “Get him in three minutes. I need that dollar for the vending machine at the store.”

The cat’s eyes were wide and they were glued to the cricket. He didn’t stand a chance and he had no clue.

“Rest in peace, Jiminy Cricket,” I saluted the little bastard and Brom Bones descended on him.

Mom cursed in a language I didn’t understand most of and slammed a dollar in front of Hadley. “Have it, brat.”

“Thank you,” Hadley ran it under her nose and inhaled before shoving it in her pocket.

Brom Bones was going to town on the cricket like it was his job and I walked over him and to the fridge. I pulled out the double chocolate cake. I threw in an extra handful of chocolate chips when Hadley was mixing the batter. I cut myself an insanely huge slice and took it back to my room so I could eat without shame.

I turned up my music to a volume that might get the police called and started in on my cake. All was calm and peaceful.

For five minutes.

My phone rang and I hit the ignore button. I knew who it was and I didn’t want him to ruin my cake as well as my bath.

But he called again.

And again.

And again.

On the sixth call in a row, I picked it up. “What!?”

“Hello to you too.”

I groaned. “Why do you hate me?”

I heard a dramatic gasp. “How could you think I hate you? I adore you, and your attitude.”

“Leave the girl be,” I heard another voice in the background. It was a man, older and also English. Maybe his father. “Have you never heard of playing hard to get?”

“Thank you, Mason,” Hale said. “But I think I’m doing just fine without your opinion.” So, not his dad.

I heard a woman laugh. “Clearly. I’m sure that you’ll still be saying that once she’s filled out a restraining order.” That voice, was very American. So I think it was safe to assume that she wasn’t related to either of those boys.

“Listen to them,” I said. “Let me eat my cake.”

“Aww. Are you not naked anymore?” Hale said. Then I heard a sound like someone being hit with a pillow and then a grunt. “Rude, Mollie.”

“So is asking a girl if she’s naked,” Mollie snapped.

I guess he was the crazy one of his family. I could believe that, no problem.

“This is your fault,” he said, not to me.

“Shut up,” Mollie laughed. “I told you to make a friend, not be a weirdo.

“Hale,” I said. “You need to listen to your family. Leave me alone, or else.”

“God, you’re cute. Or else what? Say it slowly, would you?”

Damn it. I didn’t have a threat. “Or else I’ll do something mean.”

“As opposed to how sweetly you’ve been treating me? Bring it, Rory. I’m not scared of you in the least.”

“Well you will be if you keep trying to figure me out,” I said flatly before I hung up the phone.



Most of the weekend was calm after that. I got the odd text but I just ignored them. I had nothing to say and every reason to not answer them. If only that was enough to make him stop. I drowned my worries in the rest of the cake Hadley made and tried to forget about it.

I heard my name being called by my mother and I opened my eyes. She was standing in my doorway with a mug in her hands. “Morning, love. Forget something?”

I was groggy from sleep and I sat up. “What did I forget?” I slurred.

She took a few steps closer and held her phone out to me. The screen was on and I stared at it for a long while. “I don’t get it,” I yawned.

“What time is it?” she sipped on her drink. Coco, by the smell of it.

I glanced back at her phone and the numbers said it was just past ten. “OH MY GOD!” I shot out of bed like I was on fire. Not that I would know how that felt, since I was fire proof. “I’M LATE!” I dropped the phone on the bed and went to run. But Mom caught me by the waist.

“Hold on,” she handed me the mug, “Drink this. And breathe.”

I did.

“Don’t panic, you delightfully uptight little girl,” she said as she smoothed my hair down. “I’ve called the school and said you won’t be in today. What’s a single day going to do?” she shrugged.

I calmed down as the warmth of the coco filled me up. “Okay,” I said. “I guess that’s fine.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “The only child in the world who won’t jump for joy at getting to play hooky. If I went to school when I was your age, I would have skipped all the time.”

The panic in me died down a little.

When I was younger, I used to miss my alarm all the time. When I woke up I’d have panic attacks over being late to school. My teachers were nice enough to put the fear of God into us and they said if we were late then we’d get kicked out of school. That was why Hadley started waking me up. She must have skipped today due to her own sleeping in. Probably hungover.

“I thought we could maybe watch a movie,” Mom suggested. “Little Shop Of Horrors is playing and I know you haven’t seen it.”

I shrugged, “Okay. I’ll shower and meet you in the living room.”

Turns out Mom is a liar. I got out to the living room and she was opening up a brand new DVD of the movie we we’re about to watch. She put it in the DVD player and hopped up on the couch.

I didn’t know why she lied and I didn’t bother asking.

The movie began and I quickly realized why the word ‘horrors’ was in the title.

To say the movie was bad…wasn’t the right word. It was cheesy in a way that made my teeth grind. The only Saving Grace was Seymour. He was adorable.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket without realizing what I was doing.

Hale: Where are you?

Me: Home. Overslept.

I wasn’t even sure why I answered him. I’d been ignoring him for a whole day. Even not responding to the picture he’d sent of my clothes in which he was holding a bottle of bleach over them.

Hale: You’ve abandoned me in favor of sleep? You break my heart, darling.

Me: I didn’t do it to upset you, you girl. I would have come in if my mom didn’t rope me into watching a terrible movie.

Hale: What might that be?

Me: Little Shop of Horrors.

There was a silence from him that lasted a few minutes. I expect it was because he was in class. I thought his phone might have been taken from him. But I had no doubt he could get it back.

Mom started singing along with the movie and I giggled at her. She was unaware of me.

Hale: I wish you all the best.

Me: Thanks. I’ll need The Force on my side to get through this one.

Hale: If you text me your address I can come and save you. You can make up for your abandoning me Saturday.

Me: I didn’t abandon you. I never said I’d hang out with you.

Hale: Your eyes made all of the promises your mouth refused to make.

I rolled my eyes but I smiled the whole time.

“What are you doing?” Mom asked. “Are you texting your sister? She’s in her room.”

My face reddened and I felt like I was caught doing something wrong. “I’m not texting Hadley.”

An orange eyebrow rose on her forehead. “Who then?” She shot me a sly smile.

“No one,” I said as my phone buzzed.

Hale: Still with me, Lamb?

“Oh my goodness,” Mom gasped. “It’s a boy! Have you got a boyfriend?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

My eyes widened with mortification. “NO! He’s not my boyfriend. I hate him and he’s been stalking me for a week.”

“Aww,” she kept smiling. “How cute. I was starting to wonder if you were really the daughter of The Devil. You’ve shown so little interest in boys.”

“I’m still not interested,” I said flatly.

My phone rang and I jumped a little. I checked the caller ID and it was Hale.

“IS THAT HIM!? ANSWER IT!” Mom commanded me. She paused the movie.

I tapped the answer button. “Hello? Why are you not in class right now?”

“I’m in the hall. Family emergency, I said. And you stopped answering me back so I thought I should check on you.”

“Oh my…” Mom whispered. “That accent…” She dipped her head back to the back of the couch. My mother wasn’t the kind to care about a voice. This was just to bug me.

“Shut up,” I play-hit her.

“Hello, sweetie,” Mom said into the phone after she hit speaker without my permission. “I’m Maddison, Aurora’s mother. Who are you?”

I wanted to smash the phone against the wall.

“Hale,” he told her. “I’m friends with Rory. Though she fights me on it.”

I almost growled.

“Rory?” Mom cooed. “How sweet. And I wasn’t aware she had a friend. She’s quite standoffish.”

“Oh, I know. And if I’m her only friend…I suppose that means I’m her best friend. Huh.”

“We’re not friends, Hale,” I said hotly. Mom flicked my ear.

“We are,” he said and tossed the sentence away. “And, Maddison, maybe you can help me? I very much would like to spend a day with your daughter but she keeps denying me.”

“Does she?” Mom eyed me. “Stubborn thing, my daughter.”

I held a hand up. “Can we stop talking like I’m not in the room?”

Mom pointed to the phone. “Why don’t you tell me why you won’t go on a date with this lovely lad?”

“It’s not a date. And because I don’t want to.” She knew my reasoning. She just didn’t agree with it. Not surprising.

She sighed. “Hale, just keep poking at her. Her resolve will crumble eventually. I know her too well.”