The Line That Binds Series Box Set (41 page)

Ben was already in the cafeteria when I arrived for lunch. He had my chair pulled out with a sandwich and a tea on the table for me.

I plucked out my earbuds. “You didn’t have to buy my food,” I said, trying hard to focus on him and not the headache suffocating my thoughts as it gained intensity. The pains stabbed my mind like a group of daggers during a target practice. I rubbed my temples and Ben frowned. Nodding at Izzy and Spaz and taking my seat, I said, “Hey, guys.”

“Hey,” they both replied.

Ben slid my chair closer to him and rubbed a hand over my knee. “Eat up,” he said. It was a gentle order. He knew the headaches killed my appetite, but he didn’t want me to risk passing out again. He kissed my lips gently while I unwrapped the turkey sandwich.

Izzy smiled and swept her long bangs behind an ear. She set her elbow on the table and propped her hand under her pointy chin. “You guys are too sweet,” she cooed. “Why haven’t you bought me food, Spaz?” She backhanded his arm in jest.

“Because you have a job, and I’m unemployed,” he replied between bites of his meatball sub. His blond hair was spiked today, the strands slicked back like a porcupine instead of upright like a pin cushion.

“Your mom still gives you an allowance for watching your brother and half the time I’m the one watching him,” Izzy said irritably.

“Babe,” he mumbled with a mouthful of food. She rolled her eyes and looked away. He swallowed the food and moved closer beside her to whisper in her ear. She blushed and giggled, which made me look away.

“I wish I had the endurance to swim the two-hundred medley.”
I looked over my shoulder at the brunette in the corner of the cafeteria whose voice I’d heard. She was looking at her phone screen with headphones on.

“I wish I was smart enough to understand freaking calculus,”
another voice said. It was from a guy at the table in front of ours. He was facing the other direction with his head tipped down. I couldn’t see him, but I knew it was his wish.

Over the last few weeks, the origin of the voices had become easier to trace. It didn’t matter if I was buried in a crowd of people or across an empty hall. I was able to locate the source without much difficulty. The invisible link was clearer.

Ben stared at me and smoothed his hand along my leg beneath the table. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied to keep him from worrying, then glanced past him toward the popular table. They’d look over at our table sometimes, but hadn’t really bothered us since the fight. Actually, even though Emily had come back to work after the suspension, she hadn’t spoken a word to us either. Well, until this morning. A month must’ve been enough time for the embarrassment to wear off. Right after I’d looked at him, I caught the eye of Ryan—the panty raider involved in last month’s fight. He grinned at me. It wasn’t malicious or hateful. It was just a simple smile.

Ben tracked my eyes. He noticed Ryan staring and his hand tightened on my leg. I couldn’t see Ben’s face, but I was pretty sure, by the smug look on Ryan’s, Ben was throwing punches with his eyes.

He turned back to me with flared nostrils and a clenched jaw. “I can’t wait for this day to be over.”

“Me either,” I admitted, grabbing some Tylenol from my bag and popping two.

“That sleepover idea is sounding better and better,” he whispered, leaning over and kissing my neck. I let my eyes close around the feeling. His lips barely touched my skin, brushing the surface in a way reminiscent of his labored breaths the night of his birthday. That simple touch blanked the voices in my mind and willed my whole body to focus on him. I was tempted to take him by the hand and ditch the last few hours of school if it meant I could have more of that feeling. It was exactly what I needed.

Instead, I called his bluff. “I won’t hold my breath.”

He smiled when he leaned away from my neck. “Let’s just focus on the rest of the day first. You have a conversation with Simone to get through and I need to find out about the party. If we’re having it, we’ll probably start decorating this afternoon.”

“Party?” Spaz asked, perking up at our conversation.

“Are you guys having one this year?” Izzy asked Ben.

More voices invaded my thoughts.
“I wish I had the strength to tell him,”
a guy’s voice said by the cafeteria door. I closed my eyes a moment and pushed my fingers into my temples. It was getting harder to concentrate.

Ben shrugged at Izzy. “From what Simone told me last year, the property made a few bucks, so I’m pretty sure it’ll happen.”

“Oh! The Halloween party!” Spaz finally caught on. “Killer. Last year’s was insane. Will she hire that temp bartending place again? They hooked us up,” Spaz said.

“Not sure,” Ben replied, stacking the trash on his tray.

“I wish I had…”
another voice said from the opposite side of the cafeteria.

“I wonder if the costume place in Lancaster has anything decent left to rent,” Izzy said, biting her nails unconsciously. “What are you going to wear, LJ?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. After spending some of my recent paychecks on clothes, using any for a costume didn’t seem like a good idea. Especially since Dad and I were doing so well getting the family back on track.

“As soon as you guys find out, you have to let me know. I’ll call the rental place to see what they have left,” Izzy said.

“I’ll text you,” Ben replied.

The bell rang and everyone jumped to their feet around us. Ben turned his body to me and placed his hand on my cheek. “I’m still trying to think of something so you don’t have to sit here and suffer. I wish this stupid school let us go outside for lunch. That would help a little,” he whispered.

I nodded and pressed my face into his palm. He smiled then kissed me, hard, in the midst of all the cafeteria chaos. Along with the loud voices, rattling chair legs, and shuffling feet, I heard a few whistles directed our way.

“See you in metal shop, lover boy,” Spaz said with a laugh.

I felt Ben’s hand leave my face. He was either flipping Spaz off or waving him away. I smiled against his lips and his hand returned to me, this time settling high on my thigh. As the footsteps and voices faded, Ben pulled back from my lips and smiled sincerely. The corners of his eyes crinkled. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” I said, dazed. I knew he was asking about my head, but I was slow to process after that kiss. He laughed as he stood, then reached for my hand to help me up. “What?” I asked at his laughter.

“Nothing, really,” he replied, taking the lunch tray to dump the trash. He waited for me to grab my books and we walked into the hall. “It’s just nice that you let me kiss you that way in a packed cafeteria.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I have to stake my claim, right?” I said with an arched brow, thinking clearly again as the headache dulled.

“If they didn’t know before, they certainly know now.” He eyed me sideways with a wicked grin.

We walked the halls quietly until we reached the shop and art wing. Ben backed me against a wall between a break in the lockers, my head settling inches from a cork bulletin board. He dipped his mouth into the bend of my neck and ran his hands down my sides.

“You’re such a tease,” I joked.

“Mmm,” he hummed below my ear. The light scruff on his jaw brushed over my skin, awakening every nerve and giving me goosebumps. “I love it when you shiver.”

I looked down the hall and met the eyes of a couple underclass girls. They giggled at our scandalous behavior and rushed past. “It’s been happening a lot lately. Maybe I’m sick,” I teased, smiling as he stepped back to look at me.

“You must be. You’re with me,” he said, standing up straighter. His hooded eyes peered down at me in such a seductive way I almost shivered again. He was unbelievably sexy, and all mine.

“Please,” I scoffed.

His eyes darted up, glancing at the hall clock behind us. “We should go,” he said, then leaned down to kiss my lips. I protested by frowning when he pulled away. It was entirely too short after such a huge buildup. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, walking backward a few steps before turning.

I watched his long, confident strides down the empty hall. His shirt tightened and shifted across his back muscles as his body moved. Just watching him walk made me smile. The thought of seeing him in private later added to that smile, and made my whole body flush. Tearing my eyes off him, I looked at the bulletin board and noticed a paper with the words Cooperative Work Program written at the top.
Co-op.
I snatched it off just as Ben yelled, “Move that cute ass, LJ.”

“Yes, sir,” I called to him and shoved the paper between my books.

“So I’m thinking this may solve my lunch problem. What do you think?” I asked after I handed Ben the paper from my backpack. I’d waited to tell him until we were home. The headaches at the end of school proved no better than at lunch so I didn’t want to stick around to tell him there.

With the kickstand down, he leaned his butt back onto his bike to read the paper. “Co-op? You sure you don’t want to think about it first? It’ll cut your credits and that could hurt school applications.”

I glared at him. He didn’t comprehend the situation as well as I thought he would. “It’s not just about my mom screwing me out of tuition anymore. You take a jackhammer to the head every day any time you’re around groups of people and tell me what you’d do!” It came out harsher than I intended, but I needed him to understand since no one else could. There was no end in sight, which meant I had to deal with it whatever way was best for me.

He grabbed my hands and pulled me to stand between his legs. “I’m sorry, babe. It does sound like the best way to get you away from people,” he admitted. “You’ll probably leave before lunch.”

“I would,” I agreed. “I went to the guidance counselor this afternoon during study hall and he gave me the paperwork. I just need signatures.”

“Is your dad going to be okay with this?”

“I’m not sure, but I won’t take no for an answer. I don’t think I can handle it anymore, Ben.” I thought about the pain and let out a long sigh to fend off the tears.

“I know,” he said, rubbing my arms. “Simone will have to sign off too.” His brow scrunched and he glanced over at the event house.

“Yeah.” I knew getting her to agree would be the biggest challenge. How would I convince her to let me come to work earlier on top of asking her to teach me the business? It was a long shot.

He backed me up so he could stand. “You should go talk to her now. You’ll have more luck than you would at the end of her shift.”

“Right,” I agreed. “I’ll meet you outside in a bit.”

His arms surrounded me and crushed me to him. I gladly surrendered my head to his chest and listened to the calm rhythm of his heartbeat. He loosened his grip and leaned down to my lips for a soft kiss. “Good luck with the warden,” he said with a smile.

I shook my head while I watched him straddle his bike. “Which one?”

He laughed, started the engine, and then pulled off around the drive.

My head felt much better after the ride home. It was because of Ben. I was able to numb the pain by concentrating on our connection. His strength also helped. It enveloped me, whether he realized or not. I was so grateful to have the comfort and the escape. I’d probably go insane without him.

After ditching my bag and helmet, I made my way over to the event house. The walk took twice as long. I stopped to look at the papers in my hands a few times then paced back and forth in front of the ten-foot oak doors before finally pushing through one. The mansion was so quiet I could hear something ticking, possibly a light bulb in one of the chandeliers. “You can do this,” I said to myself, moving up the curved staircase with renewed purpose. I knew what I was there to do. I needed to be assertive with Simone, yet gracious enough that she wouldn’t quit or feed me to her pet dog, Emily.

The office door was open when I arrived. I leaned against the doorjamb and peeked in. Simone’s high-back leather chair was facing the far wall with no movement. The room was as quiet as downstairs. She never ended her work day before five o’clock so I wondered where she could’ve been. As I turned to go hunt her down, I saw the chair move slightly.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said. Her voice was soft and warm. “Well, sure, but—” The person on the phone cut her off. She let out a cute, flirty giggle, which startled me enough that I had to cover my mouth to keep quiet. “I’m serious. No, quit joking. I know, I know. But what if someone finds out?” she asked the caller. “Now I know you’re full of it.” She giggled again then her chair spun around before I had the chance to get out of the doorway.

I pushed my knuckles up to the door like I was just about to knock even though I’d already been caught eavesdropping.

As my presence dawned on her, her relaxed posture straightened. “I have to go,” she said in a clipped tone then hung up before the caller had enough time to say goodbye. “LJ,” she said and waved her hand for me to enter.

“Sorry, I—” I faltered. “I wanted to talk to you.” While I walked around the guest chairs—not daring to sit in either—I could feel the heat in my cheeks and I cursed my body for displaying my guilt.