The Taming (28 page)
Authors: Teresa Toten,Eric Walters
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Love & Romance, #Social Themes, #Physical & Emotional Abuse, #General, #Social Issues
Evan inhaled so sharply, I thought he had cut himself.
The swelling had largely subsided by this morning, but the bruise was already transforming into a kaleidoscope of reds, blues and purples. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll reapply street makeup. But Travis and Lisa have seen it.”
“God.” He shook his head. “I don’t know where to go or what to do with the … you were right, I
am
a pig.” He fell more than sat in the chair.
“Petruchio never apologizes,” I pointed out.
“But Evan Campbell does. And Petruchio does confess to Baptista that he loves Kate. Remember?
I love her ten times more than e’er I did
. That’s true for me, Katie. I’ll prove it. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you. Just forgive me, this one last time.”
“Words and flowers.” I stared at my face. Even the little swelling that was left made me look lopsided and freakish. “Did you think you
were
Petruchio, Evan? That you could manipulate, bully and smack
me
into submission? Tame me, like when Bianca asks about the “taming-school” and Tranio admits that Petruchio is the master of it? Did that sound irresistible to you, Evan? Was it too tempting for someone like you to turn someone like me into the worshipping, mindless plaything?”
“Me?” He snorted. “Get over yourself, Katie. The play’s gone to
your
head, not mine.”
Evan stood up, and I was aware of how much of the room he occupied. I wouldn’t be able to get past him, to the door. When he got big like that, he took up all the oxygen.
“You were no Katherina when I met you. Don’t
you
confuse the roles and real life. Katherina is power and guts and—”
“All that I am
now
.” I put down the cleaning sponges and lifted my face to him and made him look. He sat back down. “Thanks in part to you, Evan.”
His face actually lit up under the makeup.
“What I mean is, you need help. Your father … Get help, Evan.”
“Sure!” He nodded. “I get that. Absolutely. In fact, in my pocket,” he patted his grey tights. “My pants pocket, I mean. I brought the card of a therapist. Dr. Grimmel, I think.” Evan nodded to himself. “They gave it to me at St. Anthony’s and I never called, but I’m going to call him now.” He nodded some more, trying to convince me, or himself? “Yeah, I brought the card to prove it to you. I’ll go see him for you.”
“See him for you, Evan, not for me.”
“Yeah! For sure! I meant that, of course!” He crossed and uncrossed his legs, his arms. He seemed uncomfortable in his costume and in his body.
“I’d do anything for you, Katie. It didn’t start out that way, I admit it, but that’s how it is now. You give me courage. You give me …” he whispered, “you give me everything. I have never loved anyone like I love you.” He put his head in his hands. “I have never been loved by anyone like I have been by you.”
He had me there. I stood up but didn’t say anything. Then Evan Campbell started to cry. His lovely, powerful shoulders contracted and heaved. Tears ran freely down his face. “Please, Katie …” His eyes were the colour of an angry ocean. “Please …”
And I couldn’t catch a breath. He’d cried before. He reached for me and I stepped back. It, he, reminded me of something. I searched for the memory, still dizzy with confusion. All that sobbing, all that pain. You’d do anything, absolutely anything to stop it, to make it better.
Found it. My mother cried like that, just exactly like that.
“I do forgive you, Evan, but we’re done. I don’t want to be with you any more. You will never hurt me again.”
“No!” Again, he snapped. It stopped me in my tracks. “Liar, I don’t believe you!”
There was a knock on the door.
Travis stuck his head in and I bent down to the mirror, playing with foundation, trying to cover up my cheek, even though he already knew the bruise was there.
“Hey, no rush, you’re our star and all. Just checking on when you guys will be—”
“Evan can’t come to the party,” I said.
Evan’s head shot up. Thankfully, Travis could see only the back of it. His tears dried up even as his face darkened. I knew that look. He was furious.
“His folks are planning something special.” The lie rolled out easily. “Come back for me in five, though, okay?”
“You got it!” Travis looked at Evan, and looked back at me. I nodded and he shut the door. I had a feeling that he was going to wait right on the other side of the door even if we took all night.
“Who is he?” demanded Evan.
“Who is who?
Travis?
”
“The other guy! There’s another guy, isn’t there? From the party? Josh! I’ll kill him.”
I shook my head. “There’s no one, Evan. We’re just over. Finished.”
“You’re lying!” The rage was building within him. I knew now how it came at him in little waves, building and building until he had to act or drown.
“Nobody just leaves me.”
Evan opened and closed his fists, got up and circled the chair. He looked to the ceiling as if some kind of answer was written up there.
“Of course, you deserve the best kind of guy.” The words came out measured, controlled. “You deserve the best, and I promise that I will rise to the occasion. I can be the boy, no, the
man
you deserve, Katie. All I need is
one
more chance. I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. I can’t be without you. I’ll do anything,
please
, baby.”
I felt like I was a shaken snow globe, except that someone had replaced all the tiny snowflakes with tiny shards of glass. How could he be that gentle and vulnerable and still be a Petruchio, still be a monster?
I stood up and faced him. “I don’t want you to call, touch or contact me in any way.” Evan reacted as if he’d been jolted. “If you bother me in any way, shape or form, even if you think you are charmingly trying to win me back, I will find that poor girl you confessed to molesting, and I will give her the tape.”
He stepped back, puzzled.
“This tape, Evan.” I reached for the iPhone and pressed.
“
Yeah, sure, there was a bunch of us there and things got out of hand, ’cause we were stoned. She was after me all term. So sure, I did it, and maybe we had an audience, but she couldn’t prove it was me specifically. The only reason I got drummed out of the school was because her old man had bigger ones than my old man
.”
“Stop it!” he spat.
And I jumped despite myself. Then I pressed cancel. “Both Lisa and Travis have a copy. Between that, her record of complaint and your expulsion file, you could find yourself in deep enough that even your father’s best connections won’t be able to clean it up for you.” Evan was shaking. “Never mind the prospect of having to tell your father that it’s all back again.” He had gone white under all that stage makeup. “Stay away from me. Do you understand?”
“Why would you do this? Why are you doing this? Why do you want to destroy me? I love you, Katie. There is no one else for me but you. I’d do anything for you, anything. Why?” His eyes filled, but didn’t spill over.
“Do you understand?” I asked.
“I understand, but I don’t believe that you don’t love me. Not for a minute.”
“I don’t.”
“Let me hold you,” he pleaded.
“No.”
“Let me hold you one last time. Dear God, Katie. That’s all I ask. I promise, I’ll never go near you again, or contact you in any way. You leave me no choice. You’re blackmailing me.” He smiled. “Didn’t think you had it in you.” Evan held out his arms.
I had no will, no choice but to go to him, to fall into his chest and be held. Us against the universe. My boyfriend still smelled like a beach. I disintegrated.
“I love you, so much.” He placed his hand at the back of my head, tenderly. Then he kissed the corners of my eyes. “Tell me you don’t love me and make me believe it, and I will never go near you again.” Evan wrapped his arms around me and almost made the world go away.
I would never be held like that again. My first love.
He kissed my hair. I breathed him in once more and then pulled back and shook my head. “We’re done, Evan. You ruined it. Get help for you, not me, because I do not love you any more. It’s gone, you beat it out of me. It’s not there. No one will ever lay a hand on me again.”
He flinched. I looked up at him, clear-eyed and fierce.
“No, Evan, I do
not
love you.”
He let go.
I grabbed my purse and my coat. I picked up the flowers and put them in his arms and then placed the iPhone on top of the flowers.
“Do you get it? Do you believe me?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” I could barely hear him.
“Good,” I said. “Because I’m late and my public awaits!”
With that I opened the door, stepped out and put my arm around a startled Travis. He squeezed my hand tight and mouthed, “Bravo!” Together we pranced down the empty school hall as if we were Dorothy and the Scarecrow winding ourselves around the Yellow Brick Road.
I was incredibly proud of myself.
Now
that
was a performance!
I didn’t even start crying until we got to the car, and then, of course, I couldn’t stop.
Dear Reader,
The Taming
deals with issues that are dark and difficult. While we found the book challenging, we both truly enjoyed the writing and the interaction involved in two writers working in union. Really though, this book was the product of more than just the two of us. We would like to extend our thanks to Deb Ellis, Phillipa Sheppard, Marie Campbell, Catherine Marjoribanks, Amy Black, and, of course, that Shakespeare guy.
While we’re glad when teachers and other adults like our books, we’re even happier when children and young adults like them. Those are the people we write for. We want to know what you thought of our book—what did you like, what didn’t you like, what would have made the book better, and what do you think we should write about next?
Email Eric at
[email protected]
and Teresa at
[email protected]
.
We promise that we will read your email. Your opinion doesn’t just matter to us—it matters a lot.
All our best,
Eric and Teresa
Table of Contents
Table of Contents