Hearts Attached (8 page)

Me:
Is this because of Liv?

Kenz:
Yes. I can’t see her after what she said yesterday.

I don’t reply. If I tell her I’m coming to see her, she’ll tell me to stay with my friends.

“Sorry, Dalton, but you’ll likely have my sister crying on your shoulder. I’m calling her out. I’ve had it with how she’s treating Kenzie.”

He doesn’t reply as I go to stand. I think he’s still grateful I’m not giving him shit about dating her, and he knows Olivia has no grounds for being pissed over this.

I march to my sister’s table, and her friends glance up and smile. “Luke, where’s McKenzie?” Shelby asks.

“She doesn’t feel welcome after the shitty treatment my sister has been giving her.”

“I haven’t said a damn thing to Kenzie,” Liv spouts.

“Exactly, Liv. You’re avoiding her, and you know it’s going to hurt her, not to mention that she heard what you said to me yesterday about not missing her. I never thought I’d use this word with you, but you need to grow up and stop being a bitch.”

I have enough time to watch her swallow hard and see her friends eyes widen before I storm away. I’ve tiptoed around Liv long enough.

McKenzie

I
’m sitting outside when Luke approaches me, and he appears angry. “What’s wrong with you?” I ask.

“I told my sister off. I’ve had it.”

I bring my arm up and drop it back down.

“Are you trying to make her hate me even more?”

“Kenzie, she’s wrong. Everyone knows it.”

“You should go back inside and sit with your friends.”

Luke pulls me up from the ledge by my hand and wraps me in his arms. “No. I was missing you already, and getting to see your gorgeous face at lunch is what gets me through until the end of the school day.”

He begins kissing me passionately, but I quickly move away. “We’re going to get in trouble. There’s a lunch monitor right behind you.”

“Kissing you is worth it, but I don’t want you in trouble, so I’ll try to refrain from further PDA.” He smirks before directing us both back to the ledge.

“I have some good news,” he says.

“What’s that?”

“Dad and Liv are going back to see my grandparents this weekend, and he’s not making me go. I told him I needed to get some hockey time in at the rink before season starts. You know how my dad is; he’ll never take that away. God forbid I screw with his master plan.”

“Isn’t it what you want, too?” I ask.

“I guess, but it’s a lot of pressure. I’m afraid I’ll let him down somehow. Anyway, I will have the house to myself.”

Luke squeezes my hand as he leans over and plants a kiss on my neck. I giggle. “You’re already failing with the PDA.”

“I can’t not touch you, Kenz. It’s hopeless,” he whispers, his tongue finding my ear.

“Mr. Harris, that display of affection isn’t appropriate at school,” Mrs. Sparks says with a stern look. Luke lifts his head and grins at me with round eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Sparks. I won’t let it happen again. Well, that’s probably a lie, but I’ll try harder.” He never looks her way, but I watch her roll her eyes.

I hear several snickers from other students, and I feel my face turning red. Luke knows he’d have to do something way worse to be in trouble.

He’s an honor student, excellent at sports, and never causes trouble. He’s too important of an asset to our athletic department.

“Will you please stay with me? Your mom will be working, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t know, Luke.”

“I’ll try to behave,” he says with that adorable smile. “I want to sleep next to you.”

My heart is ready to experience everything with him, but in my mind I’m scared of the unknown. I would have never moved this fast with any other guy, and I don’t believe Luke would have with any other girl, but we’re comfortable with each other already.

Luke knows me well enough to have the courage to ask for what he wants. He’d never force me to do anything, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t going to see how far I’ll go willingly.

We can’t keep our hands off each other when we’re alone, so I’m not sending the message of resistance. The thought has me chuckling.

Luke

Kenzie appears to be laughing at me.

“What are you finding funny?”

“The fact we can’t keep our hands off each other now, yet we managed to for years.”

I smile at her bashfully, which is even funnier after everything we’ve done. “I think you’re mistaken. Over the years, I had a lot of trouble keeping my hands and mouth off of you.”

***

A
ge 12:

“Kenzie, what’s wrong?” I ask as I climb into the treehouse.

“My dad ... he’s so mean.” Kenzie sniffles and wipes her eyes with her shirt sleeve. She’s lying on the carpeted floor, so I lie next to her on my side.

“Liv is at the store with Mom. I’ll send her over when she gets home.”

“Everything is wrong. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are the only male on the planet who likes me.”

“That’s not true.” I drape my arm over her waist and pull her closer. I hate when Kenzie is sad, and I hate when her dad is an asshole and hits her. 

“Instead of me, Jordan asked Missy to go to the spring dance with him. Dad punished me when I got home. If you weren’t so dang nice, I’d probably hate males altogether.”

“Go to the dance with me,” I say.

“You don’t have to do that. I know you wanted to ask Carmon.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

“You said you were going to ask her.”

“That was when I thought Jordan would ask you. I’d go with you before her.”

“I can go alone.” Kenzie’s eyes stare back at me and look like a stained glass portrait of the sky from the tears over them.

“I don’t have the nerve to ask her. You’ll probably have to hold my hand and yank me through the door. You know how nervous I get.”

“You’re the most popular guy in our class. Any girl would go with you, so you’re just saying all this to make me feel—”

I press my lips to Kenzie’s and hold them there. I don’t know why, but I want to. She pulls away and rolls onto her back.

“Why did you kiss me?” She sounds anxious as she covers her face with her arm.

“Um, I don’t know. To shut you up.” I say this more like I’m asking, unsure of my answer.

Her head jerks my way. “To shut me up? God, you are the most confusing boy ever,” she says angrily. I grab her face and kiss her again, but she jumps up and stomps to the door of the treehouse.

I’m such an idiot. What is wrong with me? To shut you up ... that’s the best I could do? Now, I’m the third asshole to hurt her today. We both need to forget that ever happened.

***

K
enzie went home with Shelby after school, so Dalton is over playing some basketball before he hangs out with Liv. I make a three pointer before he rebounds the ball.

“It looks like things are pretty cool between you and McKenzie.” He dribbles and shoots.

“Yeah, it’s awesome. I wish we’d gotten together a long time ago.”

“It appears you’re making up for lost time.” He chuckles. “You two can’t keep your hands off each other at school, so I can only imagine what it’s like when you’re alone.”

I stop and wipe the sweat from my face with my shirt and think about what he said. I don’t know how much I should share with Dalton.

“All I’m saying is that it’s obvious you have it bad for each other, considering how innocent McKenzie was before you got together.”

“Do you think we’re moving too fast?” I ask before I take another shot.

“That’s for the two of you to decide. I don’t know the details of what you’ve done with her.”

“Not everything, but we’re getting there.”

“I’m fairly certain you’re the only guy she would be moving that fast with.”

I think about what Dalton said. He’s right. I’ve had my hands everywhere on her body, and there’s no way in hell she would’ve let another guy do that this fast.

Shit, she even tried to tell me today that she wasn’t sure if she should stay over this weekend, and I tried to talk her into it. If I witnessed another guy treating her that way, I would kick their ass, so I shouldn’t think it’s OK for me to do it.

McKenzie

Luke has been different lately, and it’s beginning to worry me. He hasn’t joked around as much or been near as affectionate. He’s still sweet but something’s off.

Last I heard, Liv hasn’t spoken to him since he told her off the other day. Maybe he’s more hurt by it than he lets on. I decide to confront her after one of the classes we have together.

“Liv, wait up.”

She slouches her shoulder before slowly turning around. “What?”

“Look, please don’t take this out on Luke. He’s only desperate for us to get along again. He misses you, too.”

She sighs and looks away. “He really hurt my feelings, but everyone keeps reinforcing what he said. It seems I’m the only one who doesn’t want you two together.” She glances back at me.

“I didn’t mean what I said about not missing you, Kenzie, but I’m upset. I feel as if you both have stolen the other one from me.”

“Liv, it isn’t like that. Please try. I miss you so much, and I hate that you haven’t shared with me about Dalton.”

She tries not to, but a devilish smile appears.

“I do owe you for that one. He’s amazing. I’ll think about it.”

I grab her and hug her, giving her no choice but to let me. “Oh, thank you. I want us to be close again.”

“I have to go. Have fun with my brother this weekend. I know you’re the reason he got out of going to see our grandparents. If I didn’t love you both so much, I’d rat you out.” She smirks and walks away. There’s hope yet.

At the end of the day, Luke is waiting for me at my locker. “Guess what,” I say excitedly.

“What?”

“I had a breakthrough with Olivia. She was actually semi nice.”

“I knew she’d come around eventually. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” I take his hand and walk to the car. He doesn’t say anything on the way, and when we get inside, he doesn’t try to kiss me.

“Luke, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve barely touched me the last couple of days. I normally can hardly get the car door shut before you’re trying to kiss me.”

After Luke begins driving, he takes hold of my hand but doesn’t speak. “Luke, you’re scaring me.”

“I’ve hardly touched you because I’m trying to slow us down.”

“Oh, no, you’re having second thoughts.”

“Lord no, Kenzie. I want nothing more than to be with you. I meant I’m trying to slow us down physically.” He glances over while he drives, looking to reassure me with his eyes.

“OK. Can I ask why the sudden change?”

“I thought about it, and you and I wouldn’t be moving this fast if we were with other people.”

“True, but we also know each other in a way we would never know any other guy or girl we started dating.”

“I’m trying here, Kenzie, so please don’t convince me otherwise.” I watch his grip on the steering wheel tighten.

“That’s not what I want. Did it ever cross your mind to ask me?”

“We’re slowing down.”

“But you sound mad about it,” I say, pulling my hand away.

“I’m not mad. I’m–I’m sexually frustrated, but that’s my issue, not yours. I know I was going without before, but I wasn’t kissing and touching you then. I didn’t have your body against mine, and I wasn’t smelling your sweet skin.”

Luke releases my hand, and now both of his are gripping the steering wheel firmly.

“I don’t want to slow down,” I say.

“I know you, Kenzie. You’ll do it to please me.”

“I should get to make my own decisions. I appreciate that you’ve been protecting me my whole life, but it’s ridiculous that you’re trying to protect me from you.”

“We’re slowing down,” he says as he throws his car into park.

“Like many other times, you confuse the hell out of me, Luke.” I get out and slam the door before I march to my house.

I understand he’s trying to be considerate of my feelings, but I want him as much as he wants me, so it shouldn’t be an issue now that I’ve told him.

Luke

I
t’s six o’clock, and my dad and Liv are getting ready to leave to go stay with my mom at my grandparents. Since Kenzie said Liv was coming around, I feel the need to apologize to her, so I go to her room.

“Sis, can I come in?”

“Sure.”

I open her door and see her packing a small suitcase on her bed. “I thought you might try to stay home, too,” I say to her.

“Why? Then I’d be here with you and Kenzie. I figured that would be weird.”

“Liv, please accept this,” I say exhaustingly.

She stops packing and puts a hand on her hip.

“I’m trying.”

“I’m sorry for what I said in the cafeteria.”

“It’s fine. You were right; I was treating her badly. Growing up, when it was only Kenzie and me hanging out, it was great.

“When it was only you and me, it was fun, but I always felt out of place when it was the three of us, which was often.” Liv plops down on her bed.

“Liv, we never tried to make you feel that way.”

“Well, I did. Now, I feel like I’ve completely lost the both of you. I always worried this would happen.”

“Kenzie and I both want to spend the same amount of time with you as we used to. Dalton could hang out with us, too. It would be cool.”

“I’m not there yet, Luke, but I’m trying to accept it. I have to finish packing. I’ll see you Sunday.”

I scratch my head and start out the door.

“Luke.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you serious about being with Kenzie? This could destroy her if you’re not.”

“Yes, Liv. I’ve always wanted to be with her. I was too chicken to do anything about it and too afraid of this right here happening.”

“I’m the reason you haven’t been together.” My sister bites on her nail and stares off. She has to accept this, and I believe she will eventually.

“Liv, are you ready? We have to get on the road. Dalton’s here,” Dad says as he approaches the doorway.

“I’ll go talk to him,” I say, leaving my sister and Dad alone.