Shielding Lily (7 page)

I
spend
the better part of my morning rearranging my schedule in the guidance office. Some might say it’s crazy to move all my classes around so that Lily and I have a mirrored schedule. I don’t care what those people think. I am crazy. Besides, it doesn’t even matter what classes I take. I’ve already gotten into college.

Our kisses this morning were enough to send me over the edge of sanity and now I’m in full-on insane mode. I never felt like I was living my life before she walked into it, and now suddenly she’s here, and I can’t picture a moment without her. She’s quickly becoming the center of my world, and I’m okay with that. I’ve never been obsessed about anything before. Not winning in football or getting the best grades. Not beating some dumb video game or working on my Jeep. But since my eyes landed on Lily, she’s consumed my every thought. I didn’t see her coming, but I’ve never been happier to have been blindsided.

“Okay, Ren. You should be all set.” The counselor looks over his notes and back to my schedule. “You’ve more than met all your prerequisites, and your transcripts are well above marks for your scholarship. I see no need to change your schedule this late in the year, but honestly these are all bonus classes for you as they are. Your attendance will still be counted, but I don’t see the teachers here giving you any grief about it.”

I nod, looking over my new classes for today, and smile. Mythology, civics, lunch, and then art. We both have free periods at the end of every day, so that gives us more time to be together. “Thanks Mr. Green.”

“No problem. But can I ask why the sudden change?” He watches me as I stand and grab my bag.

“I’m broadening my horizons.” I don’t wait for more questions as I turn and leave, eager to meet Lily after her first class.

The bell sounds as I get to the door, and I look in and see her stay in her seat as everyone else stands up and grabs their bags. I walk past the crowd and she spots me, smiling so big I see dimples in her cheeks. It takes my breath away. She’s truly beautiful.

I grab her bag and take her hand, leading her from the classroom and down the hall. “We’ve got civics before lunch, with art after that.”

“So you
do
have the same schedule as me?” Lily beams, and I’m glad I made the change.

“I only had to shuffle a couple of things around, but this last semester is cake. I’d rather spend the time with you.”

Her cheeks redden and she ducks her chin. “That’s really sweet of you. Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me.” I squeeze her hand and she looks over at me. “Just don’t try and get away.” I wink at her and she elbows me. It’s playful and fun, and I can’t remember the last time someone made me feel special. I’m warm and gooey inside, and I feel like one of those cartoons with the heart eyes. God, I must look like a fool following her around like a puppy dog. But I’d rather be her puppy than nothing at all. If being by her side as a loyal partner is a crime, then lock me up.

We sit beside each other in civics, and I find a few chances to reach out and touch her. Something about making sure she’s real. When I touch her, she smiles at me and lights up. It’s like she’s never been touched before, and she leans into it, craving the attention. When class is over, we walk hand in hand to lunch, and much like the day before she sits while I bring back trays of food. Only this time we aren’t interrupted and we get to finish a brownie together.

“You like sweets?” she asks me, and I smile back.

“Almost as much as I like you.” I wink at her, and she nudges me with her elbow again. I’m starting to think she likes touching me, too. “Seriously. Sugar is like crack to me. Give me a cake and I’ll marry you.”

Her face flushes red.

“It’s too bad you missed my birthday. You could have made me one,” I tease.

“When was it?”

“Thanksgiving. My mom jokes that I like to eat so much that I was born on a day dedicated to it. When’s yours?”

“Umm.” She looks away and then looks back at me. “Friday.”

“As in this Friday?” Excitement builds in my chest.

She nods and shrugs. “It’s not a big deal. Just finally eighteen.”

“Hey.” I take her chin in my hand and make her look at me. “It’s a huge deal. We’ll celebrate. Okay? I’ll take you for cake. I know a great place.”

Her face lights up and she nods. The little cloud that formed has passed, and I vow to do that for the rest of our lives. To push away her clouds and make sure she’s only seeing sunshine.

We finish lunch and walk to art class together, and I can see the change in Lily once we get there. There’s a look of excitement in her eyes as the teacher talks about what we’ll be working on today. She asks us to do a charcoal sketch of the statue in front of us, and I set up my easel next to Lily. She beams over at me as she takes the dark stick and begins to draw right away. I’m not really that good at art, but I try as best as I can and do a pretty decent job. The statue is of a woman wrapped in a cloak, so the curves and shading are difficult. I’m sure if I’d taken art any time during my four years of high school I’d understand what I was doing. As it is, this is my first time, but I muddle through.

I glance over at Lily a few times, but she’s deep in concentration. I love to watch her face as she draws and see the focus she puts into her work.

By the time the hour is up, the teacher calls for us to stop and examines what we’ve done. I can’t see Lily’s from where I’m sitting, but I see the teacher come up behind her and her eyes spark.

“Miss?”

“Parker. Lily Parker. I’m a transfer student.”

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Bennett says and looks over her drawing. “My dear, you have an extraordinary talent. I look forward to the next class.” She gives my paper a cursory glance before the bell rings and everyone packs up.

I walk over to where Lily is sitting and see the breathtaking sketch she’s drawn. It’s so lifelike, I feel like it could climb off the paper. “Wow, that’s incredible,” I say, and I mean every word of it. She’s gifted.

“Thank you,” Lily says, looking it over. “I love art.”

“You’re amazing.” I look into her eyes when I say it and see her blush again.

Taking her hand, I pull her from the room, and we stop by my locker to grab out coats before heading out to my Jeep. When I pick her up and put her in the truck, I give her a quick kiss. “Buckle up, babe. We’re headed to the hardware store.”

“
I
have
a feeling my mom might show up tonight,” Ren says, glancing over at me from the driver’s seat. He pulls out of the school parking lot and heads towards the hardware store. We get to leave early, and I’m grateful it will give me more time to work before I need to get home.

“Okay.” I push a lock of hair behind my ear. I knew his parents owned the hardware store, but I hadn’t really thought about meeting them.

“She’s supposed to work at the hospital today, but knowing my mom she won’t be able to help herself and she’ll show up tonight to see you.” He gives me a half-smile, like
you know how moms are.

“Because she wants to meet the new girl at the hardware store, or because—”

“’Cause you're mine,” he says, cutting me off. I glance over at him again. His eyes are on me while we sit at a red light.

“Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” I ask. That’s what it’s called, right? I haven’t had a boyfriend since the fourth grade, and it only lasted through one recess and ended because I tagged him out in kickball. Johnny pulled one of my pigtails and called me a runt. I’d always been the smallest in my grade, and I figured that meant we were over. I didn’t play kickball anymore after that.

Ren reaches over, grabbing my hand and pulling it to his lap. “Whatever you want to call it, babe.”

“You like calling me that.” Ren rub little circles on my wrist with his thumb as he takes off when the light turns green.

“You don’t like it?”

“I do.”

“Good, because I don’t think I can stop. It just sort of comes out with you.”

“You’re so sweet to me.” I look over at him again, unable to stop myself. I'm always looking anywhere but at people, hoping they don't notice me, but not with him. I love when he sees me. A small blush hits his cheeks, and that makes me smile. I’ve been doing that all day with him. I can’t remember that last time I smiled this much. I bet my face will hurt tomorrow. He doesn’t look like someone you’d call
sweet,
but he is. Nor does he look like someone who would blush, for that matter.

“Another thing that seems to happen around you, too.”

“I know the feeling. I don’t care much to talk to people, and here I am. I barely know you and I’m in your car chatting away.”

“Keep going. I want to know more about you.”

I shrug. I don’t really want to talk about me. I’d rather talk about the moment, or maybe the future, but I know I’ll have to give him something. “It’s just my dad and me. I moved here from Brentwood.”

“Brentwood. That two hours south of here, right?”

“Yep.” I don’t tell him I was barely even there. That before Brentwood it was Greenville, Clinton, Franklin, and my hometown of Madison. I might have missed one. Who knows? It all blends together into a mess I really don’t want to try and clear up. I want to forget.

“Your mom?” He squeezes my hand when I give him a sad look. “You lost her when you got that scar?”

My whole body freezes, and I try to jerk my hand from his, but he doesn’t let me go. We pull into a parking lot and he shuts off the engine.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me.” He doesn’t say
yet,
but it’s implied. I don’t want to talk about it. I want to pretend it never happened. I want it all to disappear. I unclip my seat belt, lean forward, and press my lips to his. Like every time we kiss, everything else melts away and I’m back in my safe place as his mouth moves against mine.

He slides his hand into my hair as he deepens the kiss. I push back, wanting more as our tongues touch softly.

“Babe, you have to stop.”

I moan and keep going. God, this feels so good. Better than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. I move my hips, and that’s when I realize I’ve somehow crawled into his lap.

“Lily.” Ren says my name, and it almost sounds painful. I open my eyes and look into his. He’s breathing heavily and his face is hard, like he’s angry. I try to recoil—I don’t like the hardness on his face—but there’s nowhere to go. I’m pinned between him and the steering wheel, and I’m pretty sure I’m the one who got us in this position to begin with.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to be as close to him as I could get. I was desperate to forget about the past and only think about him, back in our little bubble he makes for us.

“Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me, Lily.”

“You look mad,” I tell him.

“Not mad, babe.” He takes a deep breath, trying to get his breathing under control. “Trust me. I’m anything but mad. I’m trying to get myself under control, and that’s hard with you wiggling on top of me.”

My eyes widen as my mouth falls open a little. I feel his hardness against my ass, and I blush even harder. I can tell from what I’m sitting on that he must like it when we kiss, but for some reason he wants me to stop. I don’t want to stop. I want to go back to him saying my name in that gruff voice of his.

“I’d love nothing more than to lie back and let you move on me as long as you want, but not in a parking lot for everyone to see.”

My mouth forms a little O, because I forgot where we are. I glance around and see we are in the parking lot of Hendricks Hardware, and that’s when I see an older couple standing by the entrance. The two of them are staring at us.

I look at a man who looks just like Ren, only a little smaller in build.

“Oh my God.” I drop my face into his neck, wishing the ground would swallow me. I just made out with Ren right in front of his parents.