The Princess and the Pauper (6 page)

April asked tonelessly, “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

He looked pained, his gaze sweeping down to center on the tips of his scuffed sneakers. April was so incredibly furious that she could hardly see straight.

“Get out of here,” she said through her teeth, brushing past him.

“April—”

“Get out!”

They glared at each other for several moments, but Lance was the first to avert his eyes. Then, assuming a belligerent air, he stalked to the front door, slamming it in his wake.

April covered her face with her hands. She thought about Jesse’s kisses, and misery welled up inside her. How had things become so crazy? It was terrible. Nothing was ever going to be the same again!

With a cry of anguish she ran upstairs and flung herself across her bed, beating a pillow until her arms ached.

Graduation day dawned gray and overcast, the air thick and heavy with moisture. By the time April was slipping her arms into the sleeves of her black graduation gown and fixing the mortarboard atop her hair, rain was misting the air, covering the windows with a soft curtain.

“Hurry up, it’s time to go,” her father called. April scurried down the stairs and into the Mercedes sedan.

Her younger sister Nicole eyed her appearance critically. “Caps and gowns are ugly.”

April turned away and looked out the window. Soon it would be over. High school would be a memory. The sweet vista of college loomed on the horizon. She couldn’t wait to shake the dust of Rock Springs off her shoes.

The auditorium was packed with parents and students. The background noise was a dull, fuzzy roar, like the static on a radio station. April lined up with the rest of her class and filed in to her seat; the obligatory graduation march played in the background. Two rows up and one seat over, Lance sat down beside Kristy Kramer. He glanced back, and April met his eyes for one brief instant.

It was the least she could do. He’d tried a dozen different ways in the past few weeks to try and see her.

He smiled and winked at her, and April looked away, uneasy. The truth was, she wasn’t sure if she wanted Lance to be her boyfriend again. She didn’t know what she wanted.

Two hours later, she had her diploma in hand and was being hugged and kissed by all her friends and family. Euphoria filled her. She’d made it! It was over!

Suddenly Jordan Taylor was swooping her into a big hug. “April Hollis!” he exclaimed, grabbing her and spinning her around.

“Jordan Taylor,” she responded, laughing. “So they let you graduate.”

“Only because none of the teachers could stand having me around for another year. Are you going to the party at Tasha’s tonight?”

Her look was cool. “Are you serious?”

The faint smile that touched his lips reminded her so much of Jesse that she caught her breath. She stared at his mouth. She couldn’t help herself. “Come on, April,” he said in a serious tone she wouldn’t have expected of the class clown. “The whole senior class will be.”

“Lance will be there.”

He nodded. “He’s yours, y’know. If you want him.”

April wasn’t sure what amazed her most – his advice or his resemblance to Jesse. Before she could decide, he was yanked by the arm toward a crowd of jubilant graduates near the front door.

Which left April standing face-to-face with Jesse Cawthorne.

He’d deigned to give up the jeans and leather jacket for gray slacks and an open-throated, white shirt. She glimpsed a flash of surprise in his amber eyes the moment before it was extinguished.

“Well, hello,” April said shyly.

“Hi, Princess.”

He glanced away, seeming as uncomfortable as she. Searching for something clever and witty to say, she remarked, “Looks like your brother and I made it. Graduated, I mean.” Heat flooded her face as she heard her innocent double entendre.

But Jesse didn’t embarrass her by pointing out her little slip. “I was just looking for Jordan, but he disappeared.”

“He went thataway.” April pointed to the open doors.

“Thanks.”

Jesse started to walk away. Unable to help yourself, April trailed behind him, her eyes fixed on his wide shoulders. He possessed a grace of movement she hadn’t noticed before, a strong, purposeful step that made him seem to glide.

“Jesse…” He glanced over his shoulder and April moved up beside him, buffeted by the crush of people pouring from the auditorium. “Jordan said he’s going to Tasha’s party tonight. I just wondered if… you were.”

“Me?” He swept her look of disbelief.

“Well, you were at the last party.”

“Not by my own making.”

“Would you go with me?”

The words were blurted out before she could think them over. The searching stare Jesse sent her made her wither inside. “No,” he said at length.

April waited, feeling so small that she thought she might be able to crawl beneath the mat. He offered no explanation. No words of reassurance. Humiliated beyond belief, she turned away, just as Lance’s hand stole around her waist.

“April, my love, come away with me tonight,” he said in a stage whisper into her ear. “It’s time to
celebrate!”

A chant began. “Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!” April twisted around to see Jesse tap Jordan on the shoulder, say something that made Jordan laugh, then melt into the mass of people. She watched his blond head for a long time, but he was swallowed up by the crowd long before he reached the outer gate to the parking lot.

Evening shadows were creeping over the stone steps of the Bennington’s front porch as April leaned good-naturedly against Lance’s shoulder. A driving beat sounded from an immense stereo system inside the house; even the stone slabs beneath her feet seemed to be throbbing. Lance, who had only consumed alcohol once before, at Three Bears, was making up for lost time. He was working on his fourth beer.

“You’re not driving me home,” April pointed out.

“Okay, you can drive me.” He was apparently as eager to oblige as she was. “But let’s not go home.”

A rain-laden breeze swept across April’s cheek. “What do you have in mind?” she asked carefully.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he murmured, turning her to face him. A sloppy kiss missed her mouth and landed somewhere on her chin. April wrinkled her nose. “How about Mill Road?”

“Is that where you took Tasha?” She smiled thinly. “And I do mean that literally.”

“April, don’t be like that. It was a stupid, stupid…” He waved one arm, as if he couldn’t remember how to finish. “How can I make it up to you?” He leaned down to meet her eye-to-eye, grinning like a lascivious oaf. “Remember, we gotta celebrate.” He yanked lightly on her long, dark hair, and kissed her forehead.

Unfortunately he stumbled and nearly knocked April off her feet. She righted him with an effort. “Why don’t we go somewhere and eat?” she suggested. “I’ll get Carrie and Philip.”

It turned out that Kristy Kramer and Spencer Tamblin, Tasha’s ex, who had somehow found each other during the last few weeks of school, wanted to join them, too. Tasha, in a bright red tank top and hip-hugging jeans, glared after them, as if they purposely set out to spoil her party. April actually found herself smiling as she drove Lance’s car into town. Am I really that petty? she asked herself as she pulled up in front of Rock Spring’s one decent restaurant. Yes! I am!

“What’s so funny?” Lance asked, as he heaved himself out of the passenger’s side.

April shook her head, running for cover from the now peppering rain. She waited inside the door for her friends, amused that Tasha hadn’t won everything, after all.

They were seated at the only available table – a booth that was directly in line with the swinging door to the bar. As April sat down, the bartender slammed a stop under the door with his heel, holding it wide open. April could see straight into the smoky room. The bar itself was of polished brass and mahogany; behind it, glittering bottles stood before a huge mirror.

April gaze fell on a pair of familiar, broad shoulders. Jesse Cawthorne was seated at the bar. And right next to him sat a young woman with sun-streaked brown hair and curves. As April watched, she leaned intimately toward Jesse, smiling.

April yanked her gaze away, her pulse jumping erratically. The waitress handed her a menu, blocking her view to the bar, and in those precious moments April gave herself a hearty mental shake.
What’s the matter with you? It’s not as if you’re in love with him or anything
.

The waitress moved away and April dared another quick glance. Jesse was leaning in toward his date, listening attentively to her every word, stabbing the ice cubes in his glass with a narrow straw. Abruptly he glanced the woman’s way – they were so close that they almost touched noses – and favored her with an ironic smile that did crazy things to April’s heart.

“Know what you want?” Lance asked, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

“No.”

“Well, I want a hamburger,” Carrie announced, slapping her menu closed. She giggled as Phillip pretended to bite her neck, making disgusting growling sounds deep in his throat.

Spencer sat on April’s left. He, too, could see straight into the bar. He sucked in a breath and said out of the side of his mouth, “Lance, look. Look! You know who that is?”

April stared at Spencer.

“That’s Bettina.”

“Bettina who?” April asked, as Lance nearly upset his Coke in a sudden attack of hysteria. Annoyed, April demanded, “What’s so funny?”

“If she was in our class, she’d be voted the girl most likely to ‘put out.’ You know what I mean?”

April drew a slow breath and looked down her nose at Spencer. She’d never liked him. Now he made her skin crawl.

And Lance was eating it up. Even the repressive glance she sent him only seemed to add to his amusement, as if he and Spencer shared a secret joke. Men, April thought in disgust. No,
boys.

The woman half-turned in her seat, as if aware of the high school boys’ conversation. Lance erupted into another fit of giggles. April pretended not to notice, but a part of herself mentally photographed the woman’s features for further review: straight, silky, brown-blond hair; clear, gray eyes; smooth skin; high cheekbones; a pair of legs that wouldn’t quit.

The woman oozed sensuality without even trying, April thought miserably. No wonder Jesse wanted her.

“What I wouldn’t give to feel that wrapped around me,” Spencer muttered.

April shot him a venomous look, then slammed her heel into Lance’s shin before he could dissolve into even more laughter. Lance yelped in protest.

“What the hell was that for?” he demanded.

“Immaturity,” April answered through her teeth. She gathered up her purse. “I’ll be in the car. I’ve lost my appetite.”

“What’s got into her?” she heard Spencer ask, but Lance’s muttered reply was indecipherable.

April stood outside, letting the rain dampen her hot cheeks. She was seized with frustration. Only a few more months and she would be out of this small town. Her application to UCLA had been accepted. She couldn’t wait.

The door opened behind her. The hair on her arms rose, as if in premonition. She didn’t turn, but wasn’t surprised to see Jesse walk into her line of vision.

He stood on the curb to her right and regarded her casually. April glanced behind her. His date was still inside.

“How is Tasha’s party?” he asked, when she didn’t acknowledge him.

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“I see you and Sir Lancelot patched things up.”

April narrowed her eyes. “Lance Broderick is a drunken, childish boor. Which is a whole lot better than I can say for you!”

He made a sound of surprise. “Okay, I’ll bite. What am I?”

“Oh, leave me alone. Go back to your girlfriend.” April turned away, feigning a lack of interest.

“You mean Bettina?” he asked, after a long moment.

The object of their discussion strode through the door at that very moment, shivering a little, even though the night was a cold. Jesse shot her a glance, but something in her expression clearly sharpened his interest. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Her smile was brittle but trembled around the edges. Something squeezed inside April’s chest. Lance and Spencer hadn’t done something awful, had they? In the rain Bettina looked less sophisticated, more vulnerable. She seemed almost ready to splinter.