Chapter Eleven

Adler POV:

My eyelids burned when I tried to open them that night. I’d cried myself to sleep like a baby. Frustration burned up my throat when I thought about Huxley fighting Liam.

It didn’t make any sense. Huxley was my stepbrother but had never been so protective over me. It made me want to claw his face off. I regretted writing his paper for him, and all the times we’d spent together.

My phone blinked red from the middle of my bed, but before I grabbed it, I heard something at my window, which was odd since I was on the second floor. The only way up and down was a rose covered trellis with thorns weaved in and out of the wood.

I pulled back my covers, and walked toward my window, peaking behind my lavender curtains. A shadow formed in the moonlight beneath the magnolia tree in the yard.

After a few moments, I realized it was Liam.

Oh.

I shoved the window up and leaned outside. “Hello?”

“Hey, Adler,” he whispered. “Can I come up there?”

“There are thorns on the trellis—it’s—it’s up to you.”

“I’ll come; we really need to talk.”

We hadn’t got much out when Huxley rolled up like the terminator ready to destroy anything we’d built.

I backed up, nervously turning on my lamp and picking up a pair of dirty panties, and snotty tissues from my floor.

Panic set in quickly, and I tugged at the length of my t-shirt with no time to slide into anything else before he climbed inside.

His big frame looked out of place in my bedroom. His hair was getting longer on the top and it looked worn, liked he’d been running his big hands into it.

Liam smiled after a few seconds. “Hey.”

“Hi,” I said, waving awkwardly.

“Can I sit? I hope I didn’t wake you.”

I glanced at my clock above my TV. It read eleven, which was normally passed my bedtime, but I wouldn’t mention it.

“Take a seat.”

Liam sat on the edge of my bed and slid his palm down his face. I noticed a trickle of blood and flinched. “Looks like the thorns got you. Hold on, I’ll get you a Band-Aid.”

I snuck down the hallway toward the bathroom, noticing Huxley’s bedside lamp was on. I grabbed the stuff, and crept back to my room, locking the door incase Huxley did another breakdown.

I stood in front of him, placing a Band-Aid onto the center of his opened palm. I swallowed when he grabbed my wrist to draw my attention.

“Adler, I would have never in a million years thought this was you.”

“I know that,” I whispered. “I—I’m not your usual type, I was scared to tell you.”

Liam pinched the edge of my chin with his fingers. “That’s the reason I’m interested, Adler, you’re not like the other girls, and you’re just you. A good girl that would trust me and do good by me.”

Who ever said the good girls didn’t win in the end?

“I’m sorry I lied,” I said.

“I understand. You’re shy. So,” he said, leaning back, patting the bed beside him.

I’d never sat on a bed with a teenage boy other than Huxley before. My heart raced as I sat on my downy comforter.

“What’s up with Huxley?” he asked. “He is—was my best friend, but he’s been acting moody toward me lately. I’m not bad like he says I am.”

“I have no idea what’s wrong with him,” I said. “It’s been going on for weeks.”

Liam sighed. “I don’t want to lose him, but he shouldn’t stand in my way like this. Is something else going on that you know about?”

Other than Miss Play Your Man? “No.”

Liam examined my room for a moment with a smile. “I like you Adler. Maybe I can get your real phone number this time?”

I chuckled.

He offered me his phone and I typed my number inside and saved it. “What made you come over here?” I asked.

“You didn’t answer my text.”

“Oh,” I said. “I didn’t realize.”

“I figured you were asleep, but we needed to talk without Huxley over our shoulder.”

“Dad had a talk with us after you left. I think Huxley will back off. He’s not happy about it, and wouldn’t apologize, but he can’t do anything about it.”

Liam smiled, and he reached over to rest his palm against my bare knee. Blood rushed to my cheeks. I’d never been touched barelegged before the party.

It wasn’t too much, but it made it harder to breathe.

Liam leaned over and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I better go. Huxley spilled the beans about you being a—”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” I said, trying to hide my face.

He chuckled. “There is nothing wrong with that, Adler. I just wanted you to know that I’m not the type to force it, and I’m willing to give this a shot if you are.”

Yes. Yes, heck yes!

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, that would be great.”

Liam smiled and stood up to leave. Before he left, he said, “Thanks for telling me the truth.”

“I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

“I’m glad.”

He slipped out of my window, leaving me with nerves, and a smile. Nothing felt better than that small touch. What have I’ve been missing?

***

When I woke up Monday morning the paper I wrote for Huxley was taped to my bedroom door. Confused, I wasn’t sure if he’d copied it, and returned it, or didn’t use it to begin with.

It didn’t matter to me, but when I received two more notifications for Miss Play Your Man, I knew he hadn’t taken the website down. Which wasn’t too surprising since I’d pissed him off again.

Instead of confronting him about it, I decided to stop answering the questions. I had enough to worry about with Liam. Huxley’s truck was gone when I left for school, so I grabbed an extra muffin from the counter and ate them both.

It was a two-muffin kind of morning.

Ledela waited for me in my normal parking spot, hopping as I got out. Her Tie-dyed crop top hardly met the top of her high waist black jeans, but as usual, she looked magazine worthy.

“Oh my God,” she said in a Spanish accent I didn’t know why she used when excited. “You’re never going to believe this!”

“I’m sure I won’t,” I said with a smile. “What is it?”

“Alissa Miles, a huge YouTube star, asked me to do a vlog with her! AH!”

“Great,” I said, pulling up my bag strap.

“There is a catch,” she said, stopping me. “See, I know that you said you’re finished with the website, but she wants to talk about it, so I need you to keep it up a bit more.”

I frowned. “Ledela,” I whined. “It’s only up because I had one hell of a weekend and Huxley refuses to take it down.”

“Good!”

“No, not good, I told Liam at the party that I was his anonymous text buddy. He showed up at my house Saturday, and then Huxley and him got into a fist fight.”

“Gasp!” Ledela said. “No freaking way. He’s still mad at you for texting Liam? He’s being obsessive about it. Look at this, guys fighting over you. Yas, Queen!” She raised her hand about her head and snapped her fingers.

“Ledela, it doesn’t count if one of the guys is your brother.”

“Step-brother,” she corrected. “So what happened with Liam? Did he put one on you?”

“No, we hardly got to talk before Huxley came home from detention. Liam had to sneak into my room las—”

“You slut!”

“We didn’t do anything. It was the only way to talk without Huxley. We’re going to give us a shot.”

Ledela grinned ear to ear. “I’m so happy for you, Baby Girl.” She gave me a hug and squeezed. “But I still need you to answer those advice questions.”

“Ugh!”

“Just until Wednesday when I do my joint vlog, please?” she asked, hopping up and down.

I could handle a few more days.

“Okay, just until Wednesday though.”

She squealed. “Okay, you have to tell me all about Liam. Did he at least hug you? Have you texted him since? Are you sitting together at lunch? Does he expect anything from you because don’t feel pressured—”

“Oh my God, Ledela, calm down, it’s been one day.”

“I’m just so excited for you!”

I smiled when she looped her arm through mine. We walked toward our lockers, Ledela doing most of the talking about how I should wear something more appealing—typical—when I noticed Huxley at his locker. He shot me a death glare.

I felt a ping in my chest.

When we passed him, he said nothing. No ‘hey Poops,’ or ‘missed you at breakfast.’ He stared into his locker to avoid me, his sister.

Ledela talked my ear off, while I pulled my books from my locker, and grabbed my calculator for math. This wasn’t right. I needed to make things good with him, but I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t want to choose between Liam and Huxley. It wasn’t fair.

Ledela stopped talking, and I glanced to see why. Liam stood behind me. A plain black t-shirt hugged him. His dark eyes stood out beneath his light hair, but most of all he smiled at me, and I knew he wasn’t here to ask about Huxley.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning.”

Liam looked down at Ledela who looked star struck for some reason. “Hey, Ledela.”

“Hey,” she said. “I’m gonna head to class.”

She raced down the hall before I could say bye.

Liam gestured toward my books. “You have math first period?”

“Yeah, Thomas’ Algebra II. You?”

“History. Can I walk you?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

We started down the hallway. I watched my feet move over the tile for a while when I noticed him watching me. “You want to sit with me at lunch today?” he asked.

I knew he normally sat with Huxley, and I’m sure he noticed it on my face. I really didn’t want to cause any more hostility between the three of us.

“Huxley will either sit with us or move, who knows, but I’d like to get to know you.”

“Okay,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure.

“Ledela can sit with us too.”

I smiled. “That’s thoughtful.”

“I’ve never seen you without her.” He laughed.

That was true. We made it to math class, and when I turned, I tucked my hair behind my ear, noticing a few girls standing by their lockers. Jacee stood in the middle of them, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion. Panic erupted in my chest.

What if she got curious and started digging? Could she find someone to trace the website back to us? The look stayed there as Liam said bye to me and I walked into my classroom.

Had I told Liam too soon? Would Jacee even care enough to dig? She looked cozy with some other guy at Michael’s party. I bit my nail for the entire length of first period.

I felt nervous to walk the halls to get to my next class. What if she cornered me or called me out? Señor Seth already wanted to know.

I shuffled all of my books into my bag, so I wouldn’t have to go back and forth, when I noticed Jacee leaning against someone’s locker.

My jaw dropped when I noticed who stood with her.

Señor Seth

“No,” I whispered, fishing my phone from my pocket.

I sent Huxley at text, not caring that he was pissed. He’d have to get over it.

Mayday. They’re going to figure me out. Help, please.

When lunch rolled around, and I hadn’t heard back from Huxley, I realized he wasn’t going to help me. I knew nothing about the website, or how to take it down. Without his help, I’d have to ask someone else, and I knew no one else.

Maybe they wouldn’t find out before Wednesday, and I’d have someone to help take the website down by then. I needed to think hard.

There was a club—what was it called—Computer Science or something? But I’d have to tell them I was Miss Play Your Man.

I groaned and slammed my milk down onto the table when Liam slid onto the bench beside me.

“What did that milk ever do to you?” he asked with a smile.

“Oh, nothing, an accident. Have you heard from Huxley?”

He shook his head while fixing his hamburger on his plate. “Nah, dodged me all morning. You?”

“Same,” I sighed.

“You know the homecoming dance is in a few weeks.”

I snapped to attention. “Yeah.”

Liam smiled. “Want to go with me?”

I’d never been to the homecoming dance. I always came up with lame excuses to miss out. I didn’t want to miss out anymore. “That would be fun.”

“Cool,” he said, diving into his hamburger.

I checked my phone while Liam was mouth deep in his food. No texts or calls from Huxley, only new notifications from Miss Play Your Man.

Can I get pregnant during oral sex?

No!!!!!

I turned off my phone and tapped my foot against the tile. Ledela made her way into the cafeteria late with a glum look on her face.

Dramatically, she dropped her plate, and crossed her arms. Liam gave me a look. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“I have Saturday detention for two weeks.”

“What did you do?” he asked.

Big mistake.

I could tell by the lack of a top that Principal Burkhart got a hold of her this morning.

“Nothing,” she spat. “I was just trying to express myself through my clothes, and like always, Principal Blowjob came up and ruined it for me!”

Liam cringed at every syllable. “Well, maybe wear a jacket if you know it bothers him?”

Ledela gasped, pressing her palm against her chest. “I shouldn’t have to, Liam Hems. Do you not understand that we live in America?”

Here we go.

I tuned her out, letting Liam take the blunt of her rage since he started it, and glanced around the cafeteria for Huxley. Still no sign of him. I bit my bottom lip in an attempt to keep calm when I noticed Jacee sitting at an unusual table, a side table with one other person, Señor Seth.

And they stared right at me.

I let my eyes fall to my plate as heat rushed my ears and neck. They were together again, probably plotting my demise, and Huxley wouldn’t answer the phone.

Instead of sitting and feel their glares for an entire lunch period, I grabbed my burger and stood up, but someone stood behind me.

Jamieson lifted a perfect brow, eyeing our table with demise. “Ledela, we have some business to tend to.”

Ledela flipped her hair dramatically.

Please do not start a musical number in the middle of my melt down.

“I need to leave—”

Ledela stood up, giving me the eye to stay by her side, because it was three against one.

“Yeah, what do you need, Jamieson? A lesson on dance, or advice on keeping Dayton happy?”

Liam looked up at me with his hamburger hanging out of his mouth. “What the hell?” he mouthed.

I shrugged. He might as well get used to it.

“Ha!” Jamieson said. “Right now, me and you, outside. I’ll show you how to dance.”

It was happening. A musical number from Hell.

Ledela eyed me over her shoulder while leading the way out of the cafeteria.

“Are they seriously going to have a dance off?”

“Welcome to my life,” I said sarcastically.

“Come on, I’ve got to see this,” he said, grabbing my elbow and dragging me outside where a small crowd gathered.

The kids formed a semi-circle around the two girls. Someone with impressive speakers started playing their dance song, and Jamieson started her solo.

Oh my God.

I had no idea the terms for the dances, but people seemed to enjoy it, especially after Ledela started twerking, and landed in the splits in an impressive kick thingy.

Liam shook his head and leaned over to whisper, “Your friend is crazy as hell, you know that?”

“Tell me about it, but as much as I am not enjoying this, I have to go to the computer lab. I forgot to print something off.”

Liam gave me a look that pleaded for me not to leave. “I can come, too.”

“No,” I said, pulling my strap up. “You just finish your lunch and I’ll see you later? Can you tell Ledela that I started my period or something?”

Liam’s face said it all.

I didn’t even care, I was too nervous about Señor Seth and Jacee to know I’d just made a fool of myself and left my potential boyfriend there to watch my best-friend do some lame dance off with her revival.

I felt bad but my reputation was on the line here. The computer science club spent a lot of time in our fancy computer lab next to the library. They held meetings and did whatever they did, which most kids didn’t know what that was, including me.

Their president was Lincoln Chow, a hipster in his finest with gauged earrings, and long dark hair hidden beneath an array of beanie caps. He always looked like he knew more than you did and might be on the verge of telling you the difference between vegan and vegetarian at any given moment.

He stood at a podium with a board behind him. The entirety of the club, four people, glanced at me when I walked into the room.

I stopped in fear of being recruited, because I was shy, or being forced to sign some petition.

“Uh, I need to print something off for class.”

He sighed but waved his hand in a dismissive way.

I dropped my bag and pulled up my email, trying to find something to print, while eavesdropping and contemplating a plan on getting help.

Sally Swayze, the school’s biggest tomboy, laughed. “Have y’all heard of the website going around? Miss Play Your Man? The web building is actually good, it’s not one of you is it?”

They laughed but said no.

Lincoln huffed. “Just another desperate attempt from an underclassman to gain popularity and keep the student body guessing. What kind of person would want to do this? We need to start something positive for our school, let’s think about it for the rest of lunch. How can we as students, help trump over Miss Play Your Man, and find a healthy alternative for the student body.”

Sally laughed. “Or we could trace the designer, call them out?”

My heart dropped to my butt crack. Lincoln thought about it but shook his head. “No, nothing positive would come out of calling them out. We need to be the change.”

Thank you ‘change.’

The room went silent, and I felt my opportunity run for the window. I wouldn’t have the lady balls to ask for their help after they just ragged the website. Since my email was nonexistent, besides inappropriate Viagra ads and proposals from Nigerian Princes, I printed a page from my English homework and walked toward the printer.

Lincoln cleared his throat. “Are you a junior?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, tapping my fingers along the top of the printer.

“We are looking for more people to join our computer science club, would you be interested?”

“No, not really into computers,” I said, snatching my printout and walking toward the door. “But,” I said, holding up my finger. “You should try Huxley Jacks, he’s amazing with computers.”

Lincoln wrote down his name, and I smiled to myself, as I raced toward my next class.

The rest of school dragged by with my nerves scattered all over the place like a dropped pill bottle. Huxley hadn’t returned any of my calls or texts, so by the time I got home, I was nervous and pissed.

His pickup sat in the driveway, and I kicked his tire on my way inside. The smell of Mrs. Shana’s cooking wafted from the kitchen.

“Hey, Adler,” she said. “School okay today?”

I stopped my climb up the stairs and turned toward her. “Yeah it was fine.”

She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel that hung over her shoulder and placed her palms on her hips. “Was Huxley okay today?”

“I have no idea. I didn’t see him all day and he hasn’t answered any of my texts.”

Mrs. Shana frowned. “I don’t know what is going on with him. Has Huxley—I mean—has he did anything inappropriate to you? Made you feel uncomfortable?” I couldn’t imagine the array of thoughts Mrs. Shana had while trying to figure Huxley out.

“No.”

“I just can’t understand why this upsets him so much. Plus, y’all were closer than this before the Liam stuff.”

“I don’t know.”

She waved me off, and I raced toward Huxley’s room. He shuffled around when I knocked but didn’t come to the door. “Huxley, please. They are going to track down the website.”

Nothing.

I tried his doorknob, but it was locked.

All my anger boiled to the surface, and I kicked his door hard. “This is why I don’t listen to your opinions, you’re a douchebag!”

I regretted it, but I needed his help.

I slammed my door, locking it behind me. My phone buzzed and I tossed it against the bed. A reminder dinged on my watch to tune into Ledela’s vlog. Rolling my eyes, I opened my laptop and logged on.

Ledela shared a screen with who I assumed was Alissa with a huge grin and perfect makeup.

I sighed, pulled out my books, and started cleaning out my backpack. Another ding came from my phone. I reached back to grab it and noticed a notification from anonymous. That seemed to be the buzz lately.

Making sure you received my request. Huxley Jacks doesn’t looked played to me?

Someone really wanted him played.

Tried, he isn’t falling for it.

My finger rested over the button to send. I wanted to try again, but how? I ripped a page from my notebook and wrote, Dear Huxley in my disguised handwriting.

But I stopped. I couldn’t do this to him, not after he politely wrote this girl back. Even if he was tearing my heart into two pieces. Huxley was part of my everyday life, or had been, and now he just disappeared into nothing.

I pressed my fist to my forehead and let out a frustrated groan.

This wasn’t right.

I didn’t want to choose between being Huxley’s sister or Liam’s potential girlfriend? When did life become so complicated?

Kicking my feet up on my bed, I pulled my homework to my lap and started on algebra II. Ledela’s over the top voice lingered from my laptop about the stupid website.

“So, Ledela, do you know who the mystery person is or are your interactions really anonymous?”

Ledela batted her eyes. “It’s anonymous, of course, but I’m glad this person is keeping the students on their toes. Someone had to do it.”

Yeah, at who’s expense?