Blurring Lines (2 page)

Mackenzie

“See.” I chuckled as I waved down at Cade who was three branches below me. “Told you I’d beat you.”

Cade’s brown hair was sticking out in all directions and his face was set in a deep frown as a bead of sweat trickled from his brow.

“Yeah,” he grumbled, climbing slowly. “You forgot to mention the fact that you’re a freaking monkey.”

Carefully, I lowered myself onto the branch above Cade and grinned.

“I beat you at climbing,” I told him smugly. “And I beat you running.”

Cade’s cheeks turned red as he clung to the branch he was perched on.

“You were lucky.”

Wrapping my legs around a thick branch of the old oak tree in Cade’s back yard, I locked my ankles together and let go of the branch with my hands, allowing my body to dangle upside down.

“I knew it,” Cade muttered, staring at me with a look of pure astonishment. Reluctant admiration crept into his eyes. “You’re a ninja monkey.”

“You lost the bet, Cade.” Cade’s face looked funny from upside down. His blue eyes were wide and locked on my face. “You know what that means, right?”

“My best friend is now a girl,” Cade stated in tone of disgust that made me laugh.

“Yep,” I teased. “BF’s for life.”

****

“You moved from Phoenix?” Cade asked me later that night. “To a town the size of a shoebox?”

“Uh-huh.” I was leaning out of the windowsill of my bedroom talking to Cade. My bedroom window was opposite Cade’s. “My parents were having some problems in Phoenix,” I explained. I wasn’t supposed to know about Mom and Dad’s issues of course, but it was hard
not
hearing the arguments – especially when they happened in the bedroom next to mine. “They decided to move to Alabama for a fresh start.”

Cade was quiet for a moment as he contemplated what I’d just told him. I hadn’t told anyone about this before, and I think Cade realized that.

“That … sucks,” Cade finally said, and his tone was gentle. His brown hair was dark and shiny and his eyes looked almost navy as he leaned out of his window, with his gaze locked on my face. “I’m sorry you had to move because of your parents. That’s really shitty, Kenz.”

“It’s not so bad,” I said cheerfully, thrilled that Cade had called me
Kenz
.

Cade smirked and the dimples in his cheek deepened. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I had a good feeling about Cade Mathews the minute I laid eyes on him, and having spent the whole day with him, I was stoked to discover that my feelings were right. Cade was special. “I won myself a best friend for life, remember?”

Cade laughed and his voice sounded much deeper than other boys. “You tricked me into thinking you were a weak little girl, but you’re not weak, are you?” he teased. “You’re a freaking ninja monkey …”

A door slammed. Cade paused mid-sentence and I flinched.

“I’m not doing this again, Dee … Jesus Christ—”

“Well, I can’t live like this either, Mitchell. I’m miserable …”

Clenching my eyes shut, I tried to block out the sound of my parents arguing. I knew Mom and Dad loved me, but I didn’t think they realized just how bad their fights and hurtful words cut me. They didn’t have to be aimed at me in order to hurt me. I was a reflection of my parents and what hurt them hurt me.

“She is the only reason I’m still here, and I’m beginning to resent her for it.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I don’t love you anymore, Mitchell, and she’s the reason I’m stuck here – with you!”

“Hey.” A warm hand covered mine and I opened my eyes.

Cade was perched on a limb of the old oak tree between our bedroom windows and he was holding my hand. “Are you okay?” Cade’s blue eyes burned into mine.

I shook my head, because I wasn’t okay.

“It hurts,” I confessed.

Cade let out a heavy sigh before saying, “Scoot over.”

I stepped back from the window and watched as Cade climbed through.

“Nice jammies,” he teased, when he was standing in my room.

“I’m not ashamed of liking Barbie,” I told him.

“You should be,” Cade shot back with a scowl.

“Coming from the boy who plays with army dolls.” Clamping my hands on my hips, I glared up at this dark-haired boy whose voice made my tummy tingle.

“Whatever,” Cade muttered, stepping around me. “So, you take the top and I’ll take the bottom. Deal?”

I shook my head in confusion. “Um …”

Cade rolled his eyes. “The bed,” he clarified, before pulling back the covers and climbing onto the bottom half of my bed. “Don’t kick me.”

“I won’t,” I promised before climbing onto the top half.

I’m so glad I won that stupid bet ...

Settling under the covers, I was careful not to poke Cade with my feet, even though he wasn’t showing me the same courtesy. His foot was a couple of inches too close to my face than I’d care for it to be.

“I like you,” I whispered, making sure not to speak too loudly. I didn’t want my parents to hear and take this boy away from me. I didn’t know much about Cade, but I knew I would miss him if he were gone. It sounded weird, but something inside of my heart had wrapped itself around Cade Mathews – clinging to him like ivy on a drainpipe – and I wouldn’t give him up easily.

“Shut up, Kenz,” Cade grumbled, as he twisted onto his side. “That sounds so ... girly.”

“Newsflash, I am a girl,” I chuckled quietly.

“Don’t remind me …” Cade shot back in a grumpy tone before saying, “what the hell is that?”

“What?”

Sitting up, Cade stretched forward and grabbed the stuffed toy from my arms. “That,” he deadpanned, holding the yellow rabbit like it was diseased.

“That’s Robbie,” I explained, taking it back.

“Robbie Rabbit,” Cade stated flatly.

“That’s right.” I smiled to myself.

“Oh, God.” Flopping onto his back, Cade threw an arm over his face and sighed. “You’re such a baby.”

****

Summer 1998

Age 11

Mackenzie

July 23
rd
, 1998

I wasn’t sure if it was because Cade smelled so good or because he looked so pretty, or the fact that my palms got all sticky when he held my hand, but I had been crushing on my best friend all summer.

None of the other boys at school looked as nice as Cade. They didn’t have dimples in their cheeks or long thick eyelashes that were black as coal. None of the other boys could kick a football over the telephone mast at the end of our road, or swim across the entire creek without stopping once. Cade always smelled so good, like fresh cut grass and clean soap. And he brushed his teeth everyday too. He was rough and playful and gentle and kind all rolled into one, and lying with Cade on my bedroom made my heart flutter like a caged bee.

I felt so nervous and excited and afraid and curious …

****

Cade

“Tell me a secret,” Kenz whispered, and it was the most ridiculous thing she had said all night.

We were camped out on the floor of Mackenzie’s bedroom; it was really late, and Kenzie wouldn’t close her eyes – or her mouth.

“I don’t keep any secrets from you,” I replied honestly. I told Mackenzie everything, even the things I wasn’t supposed to tell her. I told her my secrets. I told her my friends’ secrets – everything.

“I have a secret, Cade,” she said in a quiet tone of voice, and I twisted my head to face her.

“You do?” That surprised me, because Kenzie usually told me everything too.

She nodded her head. “Yeah.”

“Well, tell me already¸” I grumbled, feeling curious as hell.

“I have a crush on this boy,” Kenzie told me, and a sharp pain hit me directly in the chest. It was so painful that I couldn’t answer her. I couldn’t say a word. All I could do was close my eyes.

“Cade,” Mackenzie said after a pause. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah,” I croaked out. “I heard you, Kenzie, but I really don’t want to hear anymore.”

****

Summer 1999

Age 12

Mackenzie

May 25
th
, 1999

Cade was kissing Emily.

Cade Mathews was inside Ian Keller’s closet kissing Emily McAllister, and I was about to choke on my anger. This was the worst night of my entire life, and it just so happened that my five best friends in the whole world were here to watch it unfold. Rita, and Cade’s male best friend, Ezra, looked as uncomfortable as I felt – Rita’s face had turned as red as her hair – but Ian was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Damn that stupid bottle for landing on Cade.

Damn the stupid closet for ever existing and damn Ian Keller for thinking up this stupid game.

‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’.

What a joke. It should have been called seven minutes in
hell
, because that’s how I was feeling right now.

I loved Cade. I knew that sounded hollow coming from a twelve-year-old, but I didn’t care. I loved him so freaking much, and I’d had a crush on him for years. I wanted to be his first kiss. Me.

Ugh. Life sucked.

It totally sucked and I didn’t care if my friends called me a sore loser but I wasn’t playing this game anymore. I was going home.

I was just about to climb to my feet when the closet door opened and out came Emily. The smug expression on her face assured me that she had taken Cade’s
kiss-ginity
. But then Cade came out of the closet, locked his pretty blue eyes on my face, and I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his attention on me.

“Err … I’m tired,” I lied, “I’m going to go home.”

“Not yet,” Cade commanded, as he stalked over to where Ezra, Rita, Ian, Emily and I were sitting in a circle. “It’s my turn to spin,” Cade announced in a deep tone. He then twisted the neck of the bottle, purposefully pointing it at me.

“Whoooo-ooo,” our friends cheered and hooted; meanwhile, I started to hyperventilate.

Reaching across the circle, Cade grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

Without a word he ushered me into the pitch-black closet.

I swore I could hear my heart hammering in my chest. “Why did you do that?” My voice was barely more than a whisper. I couldn’t see Cade, it was too dark, but I could feel his hot breath on my cheek.

“If I have to play this stupid game and kiss a girl, then I’m kissing you.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond because Cade’s lips were pressing against mine and my mouth was moving against his.

I wasn’t sure who opened their mouth first, but suddenly our tongues were touching. Oh, my God, we were French-kissing. Cade was kissing me and he was using his tongue.

Cade’s hands were on my hips and my fingers were in his hair. He was pressing his body against mine and I was urging him to keep doing it …

“Time’s up, lovebirds …”

The closet door swung open, Cade pulled away from me, and we were back to reality.

I changed my mind.

This game really should be called seven minutes in heaven …

****

Cade

May 30
th
, 1999

“Don’t you two look cute,” Mom gushed as she cooed and clapped her hands like a crazed seal. “Darren, don’t they look adorable? Cade, sweetheart, put your arm around Mackenzie.”

Tonight was our end-of-year school concert. We were performing
Troy
and I happened to be the unlucky bastard cast as Paris. Wrapping my arm around Kenzie’s shoulder, I posed like a dumbass.

A dumbass in sandals and a dress …

My only consolation was the fact that Mackenzie had been cast as Helen. Standing next to her in her pretty white dress helped patch up my wounded pride. I’d seen the pictures in our textbook at school and I still thought Mackenzie looked nicer than Helen of Troy. She looked prettier than everyone. She looked like a yellow haired angel …

“I think I’m going to die of embarrassment,” Kenzie told me, and I had to bite back a laugh.

“
You’re
going to die,” I snorted. “How do you think I feel?” I gestured at my costume and groaned. “I’m wearing a freaking dress, Kenz. A dress!”

“It’s a
toga
,
Cade,” she shot back with a grin. “And I think you look great.” Kenzie’s face reddened and she turned away quickly, refocusing on our moms who were snapping pictures of us.

“It’s a
bed sheet
, Kenzie,” I corrected before asking, “Do you want to sleep over tonight?”

“Please,” Kenzie whispered, shuffling closer to me. “I don’t like sleeping on my own anymore – it’s your fault.”

“I know,” I said, with a smirk. And it was one thing I would
never
apologize for.

****