Last to Know Page 2

  He steered me away from the crowd and towards the now empty bleachers. A crew was packing up the stage equipment and loading it onto a truck with the Willow Creek logo—a willow tree with a tire swing.

  “Anyway,” he continued, leading me up to the very top of the bleachers and sitting down, “I figure if we know each other a little better tonight, then the hard part is out of the way for our date.”

  I was still shocked that I’d actually agreed to go on a date with him, but he had a point.

  He stretched his legs out on the bleachers in front of him. “So, tell me a little bit about yourself.”

  “There’s not much to tell,” I shrugged, playing with a strand of my wavy blonde hair.

  “You really suck at this whole getting to know each other thing.” He grinned.

  “You’re right,” I frowned. I guessed I’d spent too much time avoiding people that now I didn’t really know what to do. I took a deep breath and tried to think of something to tell him that wouldn’t be too personal or exposing. “I play piano. Does that suffice?”

  “It does,” he grinned. “I happen to play the drums.”

  “Really?” I asked, surprised. “You’re not just telling me that so that I’ll think you’re cool, are you?”

  He laughed, ducking his head so that the brim of the baseball cap hid his face. “Not at all. Scoot over.”

  I slid away from him and he leaned over, plucking drumsticks from his back pocket and hit them against the bleachers—creating a beat. “Believe me now?” He quirked a brow.

  “I believe you.”

  He continued to drum, spinning one of the sticks around his fingers in a fancy trick. “I can keep going if you don’t believe me,” he grinned boyishly.

  “I said I believed you,” I laughed.

  He smiled, and the drumming ceased. “Ah, that’s what I wanted.”

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “To hear your laugh. It’s beautiful, just like you.”

  “You’re full of all kinds of cheesy lines,” I laughed.

  “Cheesy?” He faked that he was offended. Removing the baseball cap he said, “Most girls eat that stuff up.”

  “I’m not most girls,” I stated. I wasn’t like most people my age and I was fine with that. I was happy to be a free spirit like my mom.

  “I’m beginning to see that.” He smiled, closing the space between us so that our legs touched.

  I hadn’t even wanted to come to the stupid fair, and I’d been pissed at Sadie for abandoning me, but sitting here with Maddox made me glad I had come. Even if he was a bit cocky, I liked him for some reason.

  Looking out at the dark sky, I frowned. “I better call for a taxi,” I mumbled. Since apparently Sadie had left I had no choice. She was getting a mouthful later.

  “Taxi?” Maddox’s eyebrows furrowed together and he looked at me with a perplexed expression. “Why would you call for a taxi?”

  “Uh…” Now it was my turn to look at him weird. “Because I need to go home. It’s getting late.”

  “I can take you home,” he offered.

  “No, that’s not necessary.” I waved away his concern.

  “Don’t be silly,” he stood up. “I’m heading that way anyway. We’ll go together.”

  “I don’t know,” I frowned.

  I might like Maddox, but I didn’t know him. Getting in a car alone with him could be dangerous.

  “Come on,” he coaxed, “I’ll find my brother and we’ll head out. What do you think?”

  Brother? So we wouldn’t be alone. I guessed that made it better. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Great,” he grinned. “Here, let me help you,” he held a hand out to me.

  “Uh…”

  “It’s just my hand and these steps can be shaky, plus it’s getting dark. Just let me help you,” he pleaded.

  He was right and I was being stupid. He just… he made me nervous.

  I placed my hand in his and he helped me off the bleachers. There’d still been enough light when we climbed up them that I hadn’t had a problem, but now I was glad for the security his hand provided.

  When we were on solid ground again he released my hand. For some reason I missed the feel of it.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting his brother I assumed. A few seconds later his phone vibrated with a response.

  “He says he’s at the entrance.”

  “Cool,” I said for lack of anything else to say.

  “So, you said you were seventeen?” When I nodded, he added, “Does that mean this is your last summer before you’re a senior?”

  “It is,” I nodded.

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do after school?”

  “No,” I admitted, wincing. “Are you in college or working?” I asked, tilting my head back to look up at him.

  “…I guess you could say I’m working.”

  “You guess?” I questioned, confused.

  “It’s complicated,” he shrugged.

  I wondered exactly what he meant by complicated, but I didn’t think he was likely to answer if I asked.

  “I see him,” Maddox pointed up ahead.

  I squinted, not sure if I was seeing right.

  “Uh…” I paused, looking from his brother to him. What the actual fuck? Were they clones or something? I guessed the more plausible explanation would be that they were twins, but a Maddox clone sounded a hell of a lot cooler.

  We stopped in front of his brother and Maddox introduced us. “Emma, this is my twin brother Mathias.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” I smiled.

  “Whatever.” Mathias rolled his eyes, and strolled off towards the parking lot.

  “Sorry,” Maddox frowned. “He doesn’t like people… or animals… or living.”

  I laughed. “Is there anything he likes?”

  “Sex.”

  “Of course,” I sighed. I should’ve known that would be his reply.

  “Just ignore him. It’s what I do,” he shrugged, and we followed after his brother.

  Mathias stopped in front of a gray Nissan sports car I’d never seen before. “What kind of car is that?” I asked, pointing. It looked futuristic, like it could take flight to outer space or something.

  “Nissan GT-R,” Maddox answered, “isn’t she gorgeous?”

  What was it with guys and cars? Honestly.

  “Looks nice to me,” I shrugged. In my humble opinion a car was a car and nothing more.

  Maddox looked at me like my simple statement was downright murderous. “Nice? Nice? This car,” he reached out and lovingly stroked the hood of the car, “is what dreams are made of.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Can we get in the fucking car?” Mathias asked, sticking a cigarette between his lips and lighting the tip.

  “No smoking in the car,” Maddox warned with a raised finger.

  “Fucking killjoy,” Mathias rolled his eyes, tossed the cigarette on the ground, and opened the car door. I was surprised when he slid the seat forward and climbed in the back.

  “Milady,” Maddox extended his hand towards the car, “get in.”

  I gave him a smile and got in the car. Even though I wasn’t that tall I had to practically sit on the ground to get in the low vehicle. Who the hell wanted a car like this? Well, obviously Maddox.

  He started the car and caressed the steering wheel, making a sound that could only be described as a moan. “Do you hear that purr?”

  Was it too late to run away?

  “You’re scaring the poor girl,” Mathias said from the backseat. “Shut up and drive or I will light a cigarette in here and good luck ever getting the scent out of the leather.”

  “Asshole,” Maddox groaned, turning on the headlights and speeding out of the parking lot.

  “Whoa,” I grabbed onto the door.

  “Sorry,” Maddox gave me a sheepish smile. “I should’ve warned you about the power she has.”

  I’d never been in a car like this before. I drove an old 1972 Volkswagen Beetle that didn’t start half the time, and it sounded like the engine was going to go up in flames anytime I actually drove it. This one sounded nothing like that. Maddox was right, it did purr.

  Since Mathias was in the car we didn’t really talk. Maddox turned on the radio and let that fill the silence.

  When we got close to Winchester I started giving him directions, leading him to the simple brick one-story house that I called home.

  To someone else it might’ve seemed like a dump, but I loved it.

  My mom and I did our best to keep it up and decent looking. The front windows had white shutters and flower boxes overflowing with purple petunias. The grass was freshly mowed and green, instead of brown like the other houses on the street.

  “Thanks for the ride,” I reached for the door.

  “Wait!” His warm hand wrapped around my arm and I turned back to look at him. “I don’t have your phone number.”

  “Oh, right,” I mumbled, rattling off the numbers so he could enter them into his phone. “I’ll call you.”

  “Call?”

  “Yeah, call. Is that a problem?” A single dark brow rose.

  “No, not at all,” I stammered nervously, “I just assumed you’d text.”

  He chuckled. “If I text you I wouldn’t be able to hear your voice and that would be a damn shame. Texting is so impersonal.”

  “Oh,” was all I said.

  I’d never met a guy like Maddox before and I hadn’t decided yet if that was a good or bad thing.

  “I’ll see you soon,” I smiled at him. “Nice meeting you Mathias.”

  I heard a grunt in reply from the back of the car. Mathias was clearly a guy of few words. Besides their looks the twins were clearly polar
opposites.

  I was surprised when I closed the car door and heard another one close.

  I looked over the top of the car and saw Maddox.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, perplexed.

  “Giving you a proper goodnight,” he shrugged. “Did you really think I’d just drive off without knowing you got inside okay?”

  “I-I don’t know,” I stuttered. Maddox had left me flustered.

  We walked up the pathway together and stopped outside the front door while I fumbled for my house key. Once I got the door opened I expected him to leave, but he didn’t.

  Instead, he lowered his head and whispered, “Thank you for making tonight worth remembering. Goodnight, Emma.” He pressed his lips to my cheek and walked away, leaving me standing there flabbergasted.

  I forced myself to move and stepped into the house.

  I leaned my back against the closed door, my mouth parted with surprise. I raised my shaking fingers to press them against my cheek and closed my eyes. A part of me was convinced that tonight had been a dream and I’d wake up in the morning and find that Maddox didn’t exist. And that, surprisingly, left me feeling heartbroken.

  I DIDN’T DREAM IT.

  How’d I know?

  Because at seven in the morning the next day the sound of my phone ringing woke me up.

  “What the hell?” I groaned sleepily, slapping my hand against my nightstand for my phone.

  I looked at the unknown number flashing across the screen. Who would call me at this time of the morning on summer-freakin’-vacation.

  “Hello?” I asked, smacking a hand over my mouth to stifle a yawn.

  “Emma!” A cheery voice chirped.

  “Who is this?” I asked.

  “Maddox,” the person answered.

  “Maddox?”

  “Do you know more than one Maddox?” He chuckled.

  “No, I’m just wondering why the Maddox I know is calling me so early?” I rolled onto my back and covered my eyes with the crook of my arm.

  “Early? The sun is out, therefore it’s not early.”

  “It’s seven,” I mumbled. “That’s early.”

  He tsked. “Someone is clearly not a morning person.”

  “Nope, not at all,” I agreed.

  “Do you think you’ll be feeling more chipper this evening?”

  “Uh…”

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

  “Maddox, I didn’t—”

  He hung up.

  I stared at my phone and the blinking screen that declared call ended.

  I shook my head and set the phone back on the nightstand. Something told me I’d bitten off more than I could chew when it came to Maddox.

  I rolled over and closed my eyes in the hopes of going back to sleep, but when I saw that it wasn’t going to happen I pushed the covers back with a groan.

  I padded down the hall and into the kitchen.

  I wasn’t surprised to find my mom sitting at the table reading the newspaper with a mug of hot tea.

  She looked up when she heard me approach and smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Her blonde hair, the same shade as mine, flared around her head in wild untamable curls.

  “What are you doing up so early, Emmie? Are you sick?”

  I waved away her concern with a flick of my hand. “No. I…” I couldn’t exactly tell her that Maddox had called or she’d ask me a bunch of questions, particularly about who Maddox was, and I’d have enough explaining to do later before he showed up for our—gulp—date. “I had a bad dream,” I lied.

  “Let me fix you some tea then.”

  My mom thought tea could fix everything.

  Your dog died? Drink some tea.

  Your bike got stolen? Drink some tea.

  The world is ending? Let’s all drink some tea!

  “No, thanks.” I pulled a chair out and sat down, but she was already making the tea.

  “How was the fair?” She asked. When I’d gotten home I’d showered and went straight to bed. I hadn’t even bothered saying goodnight to my mom. She was working in her studio—the garage—and I knew she hated when I disturbed her cosmic energy or some shit like that.

  “It was okay,” I shrugged, taking a deep breath. I figured since she brought it up now would be as good a time as any to tell her about Maddox. “I met a guy while we were there.” I purposely left out the part about Sadie ditching me.

  “A guy?” She handed me the cup of tea, her eyes wide.

  “Yeah,” I nodded, blowing on the steaming liquid to cool it.

  “Tell me about him,” she smiled, sitting down once more. “He must be worth knowing if he’s caught your interest.”

  “Uh… he’s…” How did one possibly describe Maddox? “He’s kind of a jokester,” I supplied. “Very nice.” I figured it was best to keep the details to a minimum.

  “Is he cute? He must be cute.”

  “Mom!” I groaned, and felt my cheeks flush with color.

  “Oh, he’s definitely cute,” she pointed at me, rolling her finger in a circle.

  “Yeah, he’s hot,” I finally agreed.

  “Oooh, do I get to meet him?” She asked excitedly. “Your first boyfriend! This is so exciting!”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I snapped. “I just met him, so let’s not go putting labels on it yet. And you’ll get to meet him… soon.”

  “Soon?” She repeated.

  “Yeah, like tonight… at six-thirty.” I mumbled, staring into the cup of tea to avoid her eyes.

  “Are you going on your first date, Emmie?” She started clapping her hands. It was safe to say that my mom was more excited about this than I was. Maybe she’d been worried that she’d be eighty and I’d still be living at home, unmarried, with a bunch of cats. But what was wrong with that? Sounded pretty peaceful to me.

  “I guess I am,” I sipped at the tea.

  Despite his phone call this morning I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I was going on a date and that last night had been real. The whole thing seemed too good to be true. Guys like Maddox didn’t have anything to do with girls like me. I was too quiet and different. I didn’t go out and party, I stayed home and read a book. I didn’t listen to popular music, read magazines, or even watch many movies. I was, as my mom liked to say, “an old soul”, just like her. I couldn’t figure out what Maddox saw in me that made him think I was worth his time.

  “Emma,” my mom said, jolting me out of my thoughts, “stop it.”

  “Sorry,” I frowned. “I can’t help it.”

  “You’re a beautiful, sweet girl and this boy can obviously see that. Don’t let your doubts hold you back.”

  I nodded, she was right. But it was more than my… quirkiness, that made me nervous. Ever since my dad walked out, I’d feared that if I met a guy he’d only do to me what my dad did to my mom, and I wasn’t sure I could survive the pain of it happening again.

  “Drink your tea and go back to bed,” she picked up her newspaper once more, but her eyes remained on me. “We’ll go out for lunch and do a little shopping. Get a new dress for your date. Does that sound good?” She smiled.

  “It does. Thanks mom.” I stood up and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “I love you.” My mom was all I had and the greatest person I knew. I didn’t know what I’d do without her.

  “I love you too, Emmie.”

  I picked up the cup of tea and went back to my room. Maybe it was the tea, or maybe I was just really tired, but this time I did manage to fall back to sleep—and I dreamt of a dark haired boy with a smile that stole my breath.

  “WAKE UP!” SADIE bounced on my bed, jostling me from my dream.

  “Sadie,” I groaned, rolling over to see that the clock on my nightstand said it was after ten in the morning. “Get off my bed.”

  “Your mom let me in.”

  “I don’t care who let you in,” I mumbled.

  She ignored my grumbling and settled onto the bed beside me. “What happened to you last night? You just disappeared.”

  I snorted. “I didn’t disappear. You did. I couldn’t find you and you didn’t answer my texts.”

  “My phone died,” she defended. “Josh and I spent at least an hour looking for you.”

  “Who’s Josh?” I asked even though I didn’t care.

  “I met him at the concert. Anyway,” she babbled, and I wondered if she ever stopped to breathe when she talked, “we ran into Kayla—you remember her from school right?”

  “Uh… yeah.” School had ended a few days ago for the summer and we attended school with the same kids we’d known since kindergarten, so did she really think I’d forget who Kayla was?