A Piece of Heaven (Allendale Four 1)

“I just want to shake things up a bit. I’m sick of the girls at school looking at me like I’m a pathetic loser and the boys like I’m invisible. It was nice having a little attention today.”

“Even from Spencer?” His voice came out in a growl.

“Spencer’s a dick. But maybe I can help Eric the same way I helped Justin. That has to count for something, right?”

“I’m not sure it works that way,” he said, trying to be the voice of reason.

I didn’t say anything else, trying to sort out my feelings. Oliver wasn’t done.

“I think you’ll regret it.”

“They think I’m a whore anyway. What difference does it make?”

“Heaven...you don’t see yourself clearly.”

“Maybe I don’t,” I said. “Maybe it’s time I defined myself clearly, for me and everyone else.”

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, even after Oliver left and my mom came home. I had one night to decide if I wanted to alter my reputation forever. What did I have to lose?

*

The rain was coming down in sheets the next morning as I pulled into the parking lot at school. I spotted Eric’s beat-up Toyota in its usual spot and pulled my mom’s truck in next to it. Loud music shook his windows and I jumped in the passenger seat to get out of the rain.

“Hey,” I said, tugging off the hood to my raincoat. “Sucky weather.”

“Totally.” His fingers adjusted the volume, making it lower. When he looked up at me, his forehead narrowed. “Did you straighten your hair?”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t even want to know why he noticed. “Yes. I do that sometimes even though it’s ridiculous in this stupid weather.” I lifted up my hair. “I even burned my neck trying to get underneath.”

Eric didn’t seem impressed or concerned over my injury so I dropped my hair and sighed. “Look, I want to help you, but I really think this is the wrong way to go about it.

“What?” he asked, devastation crossing his face. “Come on, Heaven...”

“I thought about it a lot last night and this really isn’t the solution to either of our problems, you know? It’s six months and you’ll be gone. No biggie.” I smiled weakly, knowing my argument wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Oliver had been right though, the sacrifice was too much. He didn’t even know how much.

The rain slackened and I attempted a look out the window but they had fogged since I got in. I could hear the other students’ cars pulling into the lot—the bell would ring soon.

“No hard feelings, okay?”

He casted me a disgruntled glare but I could tell he wasn’t mad—more resigned. All in all, he was pretty good kid. I flipped my hood over my head and opened my door. When I stood up, I came face to face with Jennifer Stevens.

“Oh. Hi,” I said, slamming the door behind me.

“Heaven.” She peered over my shoulder. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Um... none of your business.” And it wasn’t. She was the last person who needed to know anything, about anything.

A door slammed behind me.

“Hi, Eric,” she said, glancing over at him. “So you gave Heaven a ride, huh?”

Oh, Jennifer. Really? I considered the places I could kick her. “No, my mom’s truck is over there. We were just talking.”

“Talking?”

“Yes, are you deaf? Talking.”

“Like how you and Justin Blackwood were talking?”