A Piece of Heaven (Allendale Four 1)

He moved and sat behind the desk and tented his fingers. “I know about you and Justin Blackwood.”

“Yeah? So? The rest of the school seems to know, too.” I folded my arms defensively across my chest and waited.

He shook his head and said, “No. I know about you and Justin. What really happened.”

Well, that was a surprise. “What really happened?”

E

ric cleared his throat. “Justin and I are friends.”

I stared at him.

“You know,” he moved his fingers in air quotes and lowered his voice, “‘friends’?”

My eyes popped wide. “Wait...what? Really?” I thought of Justin. Tall, muscular, handsome Justin. And then I thought of Eric, not so tall or muscular. A little handsome. Interesting. I knew Justin had been questioning himself…things were starting to make more sense.

“Yes.”

“So what did you want to ask me?” I asked, not sure where this was going. Was he trying to blackmail me? ‘Cause I didn’t think that would work.

Eric leaned forward. “I want you to pretend you made out with me, too.”

I snorted. Out loud. “That’s not what we pretended to do, Eric.”

“Whatever,” he waved his hands. “David Nash has been calling me a flamer since the third grade. Not only am I gay, but they know I’m a virgin. I have six months before I get out of here. I have a scholarship to UCLA and I’m gone. Just help make the next six months a little easier on me, please?”

“Eric, no one cares if you’re gay.”

He stared at the papers on his desk. “I care.”

The identity crises were strong in this school.

“If I helped you, what’s in it for me?”

“My undying gratitude? A bump in the social structure? Good weed, invites to parties, a date to the prom? Maybe you can lose the label of being a frigid bitch for good.”

The last one was a slap in the face. I knew what people thought. They mistook my lack of social skills for being a bitch. Normally I didn’t care, but this last week made me look at things differently. I considered the offer and what it could do to change all this. Eric was extremely popular despite the issues he just brought up. Maybe if I got an invite to one of those parties, Anderson would be there...

Eric stood. “Just consider it. Meet me tomorrow morning at my car and we can discuss, okay?”

I studied the strange boy in front of me. “Okay.”

Again, I had a bad feeling about this.

Chapter 3

I left school feeling like crap. Worse than crap. If I said no to Eric, what would he do? Tell everyone Justin and I faked the whole thing? That would be social suicide for both of us. Things were awkward already. I can’t imagine what would happen if they knew we lied.

I mulled over Eric’s offer. If I said yes, what did that make me? I really didn’t know. Stupid was the only word that came to mind.

I started home, walking down the sidewalk that led from the school to my neighborhood. Mom and I lived in a small house, the only thing she could afford after my dad left. She worked long hours at the police station as a secretary with an erratic schedule, but at least the benefits were good. Her shifts alternated every few weeks. Sometimes day, others night. Currently she was on the day shift, which meant I had a few hours before she got home.

I loved and hated that time alone. I liked the quiet, but it also gave me too much time to think. That was when I’d go down the rabbit hole, allowing my anxiety to take over. Anxiety was stupid like that…you know it’s bad and it makes you feel bad, but it also has a strange sense of comfort. Comfortable pain.

I turned and took the long way home, walking past the Quick-Zip where all the kids with cars stopped to get drinks.

Fuck. Bad idea.