When Its Least Expected (17 page)

thoughts.

Girls were too much work.

Eight-fifteen Monday morning and there was still no sign of Mason. She glanced

nervously between the clock and the door, biting her thumb nail. Where was he? Where
was their baby – their project? Harley stared at the door, willing him in with her
mind only to have her prayers answered five seconds later. She blew out her breath
and shook her head. He was there.

His eyes were moving; was he searching for her? She blinked, their gazes met, and

immediately his face turned apologetic as he rushed towards his seat. His stare held
hers, neither of them looked away, and Harley’s heart thumped just a little harder
when he mouthed the words
I’m so sorry
.

Mr. Carls didn’t say anything beyond his usual ‘nice of you to join us Mr. Daniel,’

leaving Harley to wonder – what was the deal? Mr. Carls
never
let anyone get out of a tardy.

Fifty minutes later, Harley found herself leaning up against a locker outside of their

classroom waiting for Mason. When he rounded the corner, he practically ran her over.
She tilted her head back to stare up at him, instantly noting his tired eyes and sad
frown. His words rushed out as he grabbed her by the forearm, pulling her backwards
away from the hurrying crowd.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t on time with the project today. We had an issue with my grandpa
this

morning.” Side by side, they walked to second period, their arms grazing on and off.
Mason had lost his normal swag, and worry for him pitted in Harley’s stomach.

Dammit, why was she worried about him again?

Stopping outside her locker, she spoke very little and only stole fleeting glances
at his

face while he told his story. She fiddled with her books and messed around in her
locker before finally slamming it shut. She turned, letting the side of her head and
shoulder prop back against a locker. Mason did the same, but his eyes stared down
at their feet. Their faces were so close that she could smell the mint of his toothpaste
on his breath. She licked her dry lips only to stare down at his chest.

Man was that a bad idea...

Mason and his t-shirts. Good lord, did the boy own one that didn’t look like a second
part

of his skin? Today’s was blue – the perfect match to his eyes. Harley ground her teeth
together looking away punishing herself internally for getting all hot and bothered
over the way it

stretched across his muscles. There was a time and place for ogling – this was not
one of them.

She cleared her throat, forcing her eyes upwards. “Is he going to be okay?” She touched

his upper arm. He blinked as if he wasn’t completely with her on a mental front. Something
hard lodged in her throat as his sad eyes refocused on her face.

“No, he’s not. I mean, he broke his hip and his wrist all because I wasn’t there to
help

him get to the bathroom like I was supposed to.” The strain in his voice was harsh,
and she flinched. Still, her hand held tight against his upper arm. He harbored guilt;
that was obvious. It was something she was all too familiar with. She’d be there for
him if only as his friend.

She reached up without even thinking about the consequences of her actions and brushed

some of his shaggy hair out of his eyes with her fingertips. His body went rigid;
his eyes never wavered from hers as a silent question seemed to pass through them.
Goose bumps danced along her arm. Neither of them said a word as she tightened her
grip on his shirt sleeve with her other hand. She was fighting an internal battle
of need – the need to step up on her tippy toes and kiss him like crazy right then
and there in the middle of the hall.

Mason reached up, tenderly grabbing her fingers within his. The hall grew silent;
their

stares never wavered. Just when she thought her urge to kiss him was going to come
true, Mason broke their trance as he pulled her, hand in hand, side by side, down
the hall.

“Well, here we are, little beast.”

“Yep, here we are.” Her cheeks heated while she bit her lip. Sweet Jesus, talk about

embarrassment. And honestly, could they get any cornier? They were seventeen, not
twelve.

Still, there they stood, corny and content. She fought a grin. Their linked hands
waved

back and forth between them as the crowded hall minimalized. For some reason though,
it didn’t matter that they were surrounded by curious eyes. It didn’t matter that
their words were simple –

silly even. All she cared about was Mason’s warm fingers and how they so perfectly
interlocked with hers.

This intimate connection was almost more intense than the kisses they had shared in

Harley’s bedroom. It felt more real and safe too but not necessarily on her heart.
She was at a loss for physical words, but the mental ones were pounding around in
her head with crazy loony thoughts of perfection. Nothing was perfect, but the act
of simply holding his hand was close enough for her.

When their hands finally did separate, she had to nibble on her lower lip just to
hide her

cringe. She shouldn’t miss the contact so quickly. It wasn’t normal, but nothing about
her

friendship with this guy was normal.

His responding smile was bright, and his mouth twitched as his eye brows rose. His
eyes,

however, were greedy focusing more intently on Harley’s the further he backed away.
Then just before he finally turned, an unexplainable thought popped into Harley’s
head, and she blurted it out without a second thought.

“If you want to call me, Mason, then you can...”

He rewarded her with his lopsided grin over his shoulder as he turned to walk away,
but

not another word left his mouth.

There was no need for words. She saw the acceptance in his eyes and the eagerness
too.

Harley smiled dreamily, staring at his backside. Oh what a back side that was too…
She

rocked on her feet only to turn around and have her gleeful mood stomped on by a hard,

unannounced body stepping in her way.

No … not him. Anything but him.

“Wow, Harley. I didn’t know you were slumming with the pussies now. I feel bad I

couldn’t sway you to my side sooner, but I’d still let you in. I’m nice like that.”

Toby’s arm snaked around her waist with a fierceness she would never appreciate while

his fingers curled under the hem of her shirt along her backside.

Oh hell no, he wasn’t trying to feel her up in the middle of the hall, was he? Then
he

pulled her closer, his nails dug into her back. She winced. He was evil personified
to a t.

“Let me go, you asshole.”

“Ah, come on now, you know you like it when guys touch you like this. I’ve seen the

way Mr. Pussy’s touched you. It’s only fair that I get to do the same thing, or maybe,
then again, you just like guys who are screw ups. Guys who like to blow bullets through
their brains

instead…”

“Step away, douche bag, “

Harley’s body was frozen. Her mind raced. Bolts of electricity darted through her
veins

and back into her heart. Her breath caught in her lungs. She barely noticed Abigail
was there; her low menacing words filled the air before she finally peeled his fingers
from around Harley’s waist. Like the helpless bimbo she suddenly perceived herself
to be, Harley let her best friend fight her battles without thinking twice about it.

Her breath heaved in her chest, or was she suffocating? It was like an asthma

attack that wouldn’t quit. Her lungs closed, her eyes watered, and her body began
to sweat. Still, she shivered as it pooled against her temples. She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t think, and as Abigail led her into the classroom towards her desk, she
somehow managed to cover her face to hide the unexpected sobs that threatened.

Abigail might have been rubbing her back, but she didn’t know if it was actually

happening or if it was just a figment of her imagination. She lowered her head taking
slow

breaths of air, but the racing of her heart wouldn’t cease. She squeezed her eyes
shut, blocking out the image of Toby, hovered over her.

Her attacks hadn’t been this bad for nearly two years.

“Harley? Are you okay? Because we can totally go to the nurse’s office and stay there

until your mom comes to get you.” Harley peeked over at her best friend nodding a
quick yes as her stomach kept on churning, eating her from the inside out. The panic
wasn’t receding like it usually did, and if she didn’t get out of there soon, then
they’d be peeling her off the floor.

Abigail helped her stand, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her as they left
the

room. “God, that guy is so
evil
. Can’t you just … stay away from him?”

A buried anger arose in Harley; she snapped at her best friend assumptions. “I didn’t
even

know he was there, Abigail. Jesus! Do you think I wanted to get groped like that?
Do you think I asked to be treated like a tramp? Because if you do, then I guess you
truly don’t know me as well as you think.” Whipping herself out of Abigail’s grip,
Harley gained enough balance and

strength to run down the hall towards the nurse’s office. She made it half way there,
only to feel Abigail’s grip upon her shoulder again. She yanked Harley around to face
her.

“Har, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t see everything that happened,
so I

guess I shouldn’t have assumed anything. I’m sorry.” Abigail inhaled, her eyes watered
with fear, “All I know is that I saw him rubbing up on you, and I knew you weren’t
cool with it.” Her voice was genuine, and Harley’s shoulders dropped.

Yeah, okay, so she shouldn’t have snapped at her because she didn’t exactly deserve
the

backlash, especially when she just saved Harley’s butt. “I’m sorry I freaked out.
Let’s just try and forget this ever happened, okay?” Abigail nodded, looking entirely
unconvinced as she

stared back at her with her bright blue eyes. She linked their arms together. Quiet
became their third best friend, but the tension never left. It wasn’t going leave
anytime soon either.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Disgust and filth practically covered her

body from his touch. A scalding hot shower was in order, and then it was time to talk
to her mom again…

She couldn’t let the attacks come back; they would overrun her life again and take
over

like they had once before. She couldn’t live that way. She couldn’t let the pain,
the worry, and the fear consume her life anymore.

Mason was on a happy high, and it was all because of his little before school incident

with Harley. That all changed when he tried to find her later on at lunch, then again
during fifth hour, and during sixth hour, and after school too. It was like she just
went completely MIA, and nobody bothered to give him a straight answer when he asked
about her.

Abigail was the worst of them all with her evasiveness, telling him some sort of bullshit

excuse about her being
under the weather
. Hell, nobody said “under the weather” anymore.

Except for maybe his great Aunt Margo…

“You’re awfully broody tonight. What’s going on in that so-called brain of yours,
big

brother?” Maisy flicked Mason upside his head with her homework pencil. He snarled
back at

her as he attempted to stomach the left-over frozen manicotti from two nights ago.
He’d been pouting since he got home and had debated on talking to Maisy about it.
She was a girl … she’d have advice for him, right?

It was becoming a habit to think about Harley. It would just take him a little while
before he could actually come to the conclusion that yes, Harley was going to be his
no matter what. He didn’t have any real answers as to what would happen when he moved
home in two months, but

he did know one thing. A short time with Harley was better than no time at all

Maisy smiled at him, continuing to flick his arm over and over again with her finger.

Mason snapped; lunging for the ridiculous cheetah colored thing, only to snap it in
two a second later. Too bad the move didn’t ease his anger.

Thoughts of that guy popped into his head, the one from the picture. Snapping that
twig

of a dude would be way better than snapping a pencil. He smiled menacingly before
turning his eyes back on his sister. He expected her wrath not a knowing, cheesy smile
instead.

“I’m not
broody
,” he spat. “I’m just … thinking. I need peace, and you are not giving it to me. If
I seem broody, then you’re the reason why, Maisy.” She sobered with eyes almost

sympathetic, but she was way too much of a wicked brat to pull it off completely.

“Fine, you big baby. I just wanted to talk about the dance plans for Saturday. What
time

we’d be leaving and stuff like that. Got any idea?” Mason shrugged as he picked around
the

burnt ends of his meal. “I told Aric I’d find out tonight and then let him know tomorrow.
So, can’t you just like, call Harley and find out? Otherwise, I could do it,” she
shrugged. Her mouth continued to twitch as if she was harboring a secret.

“Since when are you and Harley such
good buddies
? You don’t even know her!” She bit her lip, and guilt lined her face as she sighed
and shrugged at the same time. She reached down into her book bag to pull out another
pencil. Her innocent act didn’t fool Mason. Something was up between his sister and
his little beast, and he had every right to know exactly what that was.

“Answer me, Maisy June. What’s going on with you and my girl …?”

He cursed himself mentally at his
almost
mistake. Maisy though, didn’t miss a beat as she smiled up at him. “Oh, no. Don’t
you dare try to hide it! Girl-what, Mase? Girlfriend? Is that what you meant to say?”