Forever Altered (8 page)

Alyssa
doesn’t look happy.  She slides her bag over her shoulder, grabs the
blanket, and starts walking toward the building.  Leah and I exchange a
look and I tell her I’ll go talk to her.  I catch up to her before she
rounds the corner to the door.

“Hey. 
Wait up,” I call out.  She stops moving forward, but she doesn’t turn
around or say anything.  I put my hand on her elbow causing her to look up
at me.  “What’s wrong?”

“What’s
wrong?”  She looks sad again.  “What’s wrong is that I’m going to get
stuck going to this wedding alone and have to deal with Jeff and his family.”

“What
do you mean alone?  Didn’t I just say I’d take you?”  I say pointing
over to where we were just sitting. 

“Yeah,
but something will come up and you won’t be able to go.  I’m not really
holding you to going.”

“Alyssa,
I’m not sure why you think that, but I’m taking you to that wedding.” 

“It’s
Thanksgiving weekend.  Won’t you be spending the holiday with your family?” 
She has a hopeful expression in her eyes.

“Looks
like this year, I’ll be spending it at a wedding with you.”  Without
warning, her arms are around my waist and her head is resting on my
chest.  My arms don’t even hesitate to pull her to me and my cheek is
resting on her head.  It feels like this is exactly where she
belongs.  I’m afraid to say anything because the thought of her releasing
her hold on me is agonizing.

“How
will I ever repay you, Rocco?”  That makes me smile. 

“I
have an idea.”  How did I not think of this earlier?  She gazes up to
me relaxing her grasp around me, but both of her hands are holding the bottom
of my shirt at the waist.  “How about you come with me to a charity dinner
my mom has in two weeks?”

“A
charity dinner?”  She looks nervous.  “I don’t think I’d be able to
find something appropriate to wear.”

“I
know my roommate and best friend did not just say that.”  Leah’s voice
interrupts our conversation and Alyssa let’s go of me the rest of the way and
takes a step back.  “Do you forget the kind of miracles I can
perform?”  Thank goodness for Leah.

“See,
problem solved.  I won’t have to go to the charity dinner alone and you’ll
have someone to keep your ex away from you at the wedding.”  Alyssa
visibly relaxes. 

“Okay,
if you are sure you’d want me to go?”

“Why
wouldn’t I?”  Not sure what she is talking about, I glance between her and
Leah looking for a hint into their unspoken dialogue.  Leah grins then
turns to look at me.

“She’s
going.  Just let me know when to have her ready,” Leah announces. 

“What
the hell are you guys doing over there?” Troy calls as he comes out of the
building.  “Are we going to eat or what?”  Shane and Logan are now
walking passed us telling me to hurry up. 

“You
girls want to come get something to eat?” I ask Alyssa and Leah.  They
look at each other and Leah shrugs. 

“I’ll
have to get changed and grab Ty,” Leah says looking over to Alyssa. 

“Where
are you going?” Alyssa asks.

“We
usually go to the bar on Main Street.  They have a restaurant there, too.”

“I
know where you mean.  We’ll meet you there in about twenty minutes, if
that works for you?”

“You
want us to wait?”  I really don’t want to let her out of my sight even if
she’ll be meeting up with us soon.

“Do
you really want to wait for Leah to get ready?”  The sarcasm that floods
her voice is irrefutable.

“I
heard that,” Leah shouts making her way up the steps to the door.  Alyssa
and I both laugh. 

“See
you in a little bit.”  I watch her catch up to her friend until they
disappear in the building.

“Got
your shit together I see,” Shane yells out when as I catch up to them by my
car.

“Get
in and shut the fuck up before I run your poor-excuse-for-a-friend ass over,
Shane.”  The smirk on his face isn’t enough to bother me this time. 
He’s lucky I’m in a very good mood right now.

Alyssa

The
feeling in my chest is like nothing that I have ever felt before.  My brain
is telling me to calm down because this is Rocco Matthews we are talking
about.  Wasn’t someone just telling me how much of a heartbreaker he
is?  No way can I allow myself to fall for this guy, but it won’t hurt to
let him take me on a couple dates.  They aren’t even real dates, are
they?  There’s no denying how good it felt to be in his arms,
though.  No wonder girls are always throwing themselves at him.  This
is the exact thing I need to avoid.

Leah
gets off the phone with Tyler.  “Ty is going to run out and grab his
car.  He said he’ll pick us up by our door in 10 minutes.”  Her smile
cannot get any bigger then it is right now.  “Well, I have to say,
Lyss
, I’m impressed.  Rocco may actually be good for
you.” 

Here
we go.  I grab my new jeans and blue sweater my dad bought me yesterday
and change quickly.  “Friends, Leah.  We’re just friends.” 

“That’s
funny because just a couple days ago, you were saying you were just lab
partners.”  Suddenly, a huge smile breaks out on my face.  “You like
him, don’t you?”  She’s serious, now.

“No. 
Maybe.  I don’t know.”  This isn’t easy to explain.  “Here’s the
thing.  Just ignore for one second how my last relationship just went down
in flames a little over a month ago.”  She nods to let me know she’s
listening and keeps quiet, so I can continue.  “Yes, I get that Rocco
Matthews is gorgeous and he’s been nothing but sweet to me.  Maybe the
reason I
think
I like him is because of all the things he’s done. 
How many times has he helped me out in less than a week?  Rocco doesn’t do
the whole boyfriend thing.  Even if he did decide to start dating, he can
definitely have anyone he wanted.  Why would he pick me?  He doesn’t
really even know me.”

“Okay,
so let’s start by ignoring the lying, cheating bastard for
forever.
”
 She gives me one of her glares.  “Maybe Rocco’s doing all those
things for you because he may actually like you.  Julia called me at home
this morning.”  My shoulders sink.  “Just listen before you throw one
of your tantrums,” she warns.  “She said that Rocco came to her asking
about you while they were at a party last night.  He was asking if she
thought you were over Jeff, about why you went home, and when you’d be coming
back.  She also said he ignored a whole shitload of slutty girls and went
back to his apartment alone and early.  Look, I cannot tell you what to
do.  I’m not even sure what I’d do if it was me in your position, but
maybe you should just be open to it.  Don’t shut him out, but keep your
distance at the same time.  You deserve to be happy,
Lyss
. 
What if being with Rocco is what makes you happy?”

A
car horn beeps outside of our window.  “I guess we’ll just have to see how
it goes.  Come on.  Tyler’s waiting.”  She checks herself in the
mirror one more time before looping her arm through mine and we head outside.

Within
fifteen minutes, we are walking through the door of the restaurant.  I’ve
never been in here before.  The older, dark wooden bar is off to the left
and stretches from the front of the place to the back.  Neon signs advertising
the various brands of beer they serve are hung on the wall behind it in between
the shelves holding the bottles of liquor.  Almost all of the stools lined
up along the counter are full, as well as the high tables in front of it. 
Directly in front of us are newer booths to the edge of the room, also in dark
wood to match the bar, and round tables in the middle for larger parties. 
There is memorabilia hanging around the room from professional teams, our
college, and the local high schools.  Televisions hang all around, so no
matter where you sit you can watch them.  It’s a typical small town
bar. 

“Hello,”
the petite hostess says.  “How many in your party?”

Tyler
tells her we are meeting friends and she directs us to a table in the back by
the huge TVs, all of which have a different football game broadcasting. 
The four of them aren’t hard to spot, even in the crowd that has gathered
here.  All of them already have half a beer downed and there are
appetizers just being placed on the table as I drop into the seat next to
Rocco.

“Perfect
timing,” he says as I reach over and take a nacho off of the plate in front of
him. 

“Couldn’t
have planned that better if I tried.”  The butterflies that have been
released in my stomach are driving me crazy.  We are interrupted by the
waitress who has noticed our arrival.  We all give our orders and she
rushes off. 

“So,
Alyssa, Rocco was just telling us how he’s going to take you to your friend’s
wedding,” Shane says.  Looking at Shane from across the table, I notice how
he is almost as attractive as Rocco, but in a completely different way. 
His sandy brown hair is buzzed on the sides and slightly longer on the
top.  He is thinner than Rocco, but still muscular.  My favorite
physical feature of Shane is his gray eyes under the longest, blackest
eyelashes I’ve ever seen.  On top of all of this, he is such a
sweetheart.  He could definitely have any girl he wanted. 
    

“Yup. 
Hopefully, he doesn’t wise up and change his mind,” I tease leaning into him.

“You
let me know if he bails.  I’ll be more than happy to take you.”  The
two of them exchange a glance. 

“I’m
not bailing,” Rocco says and takes a long drink of his beer.

“Where
is this wedding, anyway?” Shane wants to know.    

“It’s
about half an hour from my house.  I’m about two hours south from
here.  She’s having it at a hotel which is cool because no one has to
drive home.  I’m not sure staying at the hotel with Jeff and his family
will be a good idea for me, but we’ll see.  I made my friend book me a
room just in case.  You don’t mind staying overnight in South Jersey, do
you?”  My attention goes back to Rocco.

“I’m
sure I’ll manage.”  He winks at me and gives me the smile my heart is
growing so fond of seeing.

Our
food comes out pretty quickly.  The guys talk about the games on TV while
Leah talks about what I should wear to the dinner with Rocco.  We make
plans to go shopping on Saturday.  She says that will give her enough time
to prepare my hair and makeup.  Even though we aren’t engaged in the same
conversation, Rocco is constantly reminding me that he’s next to me.  He
is nudging my leg under the table, offering me one of his fries, or asking if I
need anything.  I cannot help but notice how attentive he is.  If he
keeps this up, I’ll tumble into the Rocco Matthews trap for sure. 

When
everyone has finished, we all leave together.  Rocco stops walking when we
get to a black sports car which looks brand new.  He presses a button on
the remote in his hand and the lights flash causing me to stop.

“
That
is your car?” I ask turning around to look at him.

“Please
tell me you did not just refer to this fine piece of machinery that way.”
 You would think by the look on his face, I slapped him.  

“Uh
oh.”  Shane and Logan came up behind the two of us.  “I think she
did, Rocco,” Shane provokes. 

For
a split second, I look at them, but my attention is drawn back to Rocco when he
starts talking again.  “
That
just happens to be a 2014 Mustang
Shelby GT500.  This car was built especially for me.”

“Here
we go,” Troy groans throwing his head back.

“I
don’t care what it is,” I playfully reply continuing down the sidewalk toward
Tyler’s car.

“Really?”
he questions mockingly from behind me, but I don’t turn around.  That is
my mistake because the next thing I know, Rocco flings me up over his
shoulder.  “Guess I’ll just have to show you how awesome she is.” 

My
screams start right away and I’m smacking him on the back.  “Rocco
Matthews, put me down right now!”  Leah is laughing and keeps walking with
Tyler.  “Leah, you traitor!” 

He
doesn’t put me down until we reach his car.  Shane opens the passenger
side door and Rocco places me in the front seat.  “Buckle up,” he advises
shutting me in. 

I
try to get out but Shane is blocking the door.  “Shane, let me out.” 

“Sorry. 
You got him started.  Now I’ll never hear the end of it unless he shows
you his most prized possession.  Enjoy your ride, Alyssa.”  Shane
runs to catch up with his friends who are piling into Tyler’s car.  Rocco
slips in the driver’s side and starts the engine. 

“You’re
really going to just leave your friends?” I ask shooting him a look.

He
beams at me.  “I’d leave them anywhere if it meant going for a ride with
you.”   

How
can I be mad at him when he says stuff like that?  “It’s not very nice of
you.” I pretend to sulk. 

“Oh
come on.  Any one of them would leave me in a heartbeat if they had the
chance to be sitting here right now.”  His bantering makes me laugh. 
He pulls out of the parking lot behind Tyler.  When Tyler makes the left
to turn into the campus, Rocco speeds around the side of him going
straight.     

“Um,
where are we going?”

“You
in a rush to get back?  You don’t turn into a pumpkin at a certain time do
you?”  He switches on the stereo and one of my favorite songs happens to
be on. When he goes to change it, my hand reaches over grabbing his. 

“You’re
not seriously going to change that song, are you?”

“Oh
no!  You don’t actually like these guys, do you?”  His smile cannot
get any bigger right now.  “What is this song even about, anyway?  I
haven’t seen one of those things in years.  Can’t they afford cell phones
with all of the money they make?”

“I
just happen to be madly in love with the lead singer and he can sing about
anything he wants to,” I defend my favorite band.  “He’s right, you
know.  Not everyone gets a happily-ever-after.”   

“Hmm. 
Guess I have my work cut out for me then,” he says almost to himself turning up
the stereo.  Of course, he leaves the song on.  I’d ask him what he
meant by that, but I’m afraid of what he’d say.  When the song ends, he
turns the volume back down so whatever comes on is background noise.  It’s
quiet as he drives around for a while.  “You know you don’t have to come
to the dinner with me, right?  I’ll still take you to the wedding.” 
That makes me upset for a second because I think he’s regretting asking
me.  “You seemed uneasy when Leah was talking about it with you at the
restaurant.  I don’t want you to be nervous,” he clarifies. 
           

Feeling
relieved I say, “Wouldn’t you be nervous if Leah was threatening to do your
hair and makeup?”  For some reason, we both find this amusing. 

“You
sure you don’t mind coming?” 

“If
you want me to go, I’m going.  What is it for anyway?”  It was rude
of me not to ask earlier.

“There’s
no one else I’d rather take.”  He pauses just long enough to glance over
at me then back to the road in front of him.  “It’s to benefit families of
fallen police officers.  My mom works hard all year putting it
together.  She told me once that this is her way of honoring my dad for
saving my life.  They were only married for a couple of years, but they
were still good friends.  I don’t think it’s only about him saving me,
though.  He would have done that even if he wasn’t a cop.  Sometimes
I think she never stopped loving him.”

“You’re
really lucky to have great parents,” I tell him.

“Why
do you say that?” 

“My
dad is great.  I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for him.” 
Talking about my mom makes me uncomfortable.  He seems curious,
though.  “My mom took off when I was about three years old.  Being a
parent wasn’t her thing.  Wish she would have figured that out before she
had me.  Anyway, I haven’t seen her since.” 

“Wow. 
I’m not even sure how to respond to that,” he replies reaching over to stop my
hands from fidgeting with the sleeves of my sweater.

“Nothing
to say.”  I don’t want him to feel bad for me about anything else. 
“My dad recently married and things have been great for him.  That’s all I
really want.” 

The
gates at the front of the campus have come into full view.  He turns in
and slowly drives all the way around to the parking lot.  When he pulls in
the space and shuts the car off, he doesn’t immediately get out.  “So, do
you now have a new found appreciation for her?” he wonders rubbing his hand
along the steering wheel.

Biting
my lip is the only thing that stops me from laughing.  What is it with
guys and their cars?  “Would you be mad if I told you that I wasn’t paying
attention to the car?”

“Nope. 
It just means you’ll have to take another ride with me sometime.”  He
exits the car.  I follow and meet him around the back of the car.  He
puts his arm around my shoulders and leads me to the main entrance of the
building. 

“You
know we could have just knocked on my window and someone would have let us in,
right?”

“Yeah,
I know, but this way takes longer,” Rocco admits as he swipes his card in the
scanner on the wall.  The audible click sounds and I open the door. 
We walk over to the stairwell and up to the second floor in silence.