Beauty, @((Y^!@ Allyvia [books to read in a lifetime .TXT] 📗

of me, "but about last night. I... I should have told you I went out with Jake. I shouldn't have said those disrespectful things to you about...-" I trailed off, even the name making my heart ache. It was two syllables, and yet they made my heart squeeze in my chest and knees go weak.

"He's back, you know," she said, making my stomach turn.

"You know? I mean, yes, ma'am, I know. I... he... I've heard."

She didn't question it and placed the hot skillet on the stove, untying the apron from her neck. She sat down in the chair next to me, the smell of lavendar invading my nostrils despite the heavy oil in the air. She always smelled of lavendar soap, tickling my senses from an early age. The feeling of her warm, soft hands over mine made comfort root itself in my stomach. She smiled softly and squeezed my fingers, making me drop my fork. The frosty edge in her eyes melted before me, like the snow that melts before it hits the ground.

"Are you going to talk to him," she asked, raising a brow in interest. It was weird to think my grandmother wanted to have a girl talk with me, and yet I didn't exactly mind. It was kind of nice, in an awkward way.

"I don't know... Do I have a choice? I mean, he left thinking he'd come back and have a... a cure for us," I said, trying to make sense of it. Cure? Since when were we sick; why would we need a cure?

She simply chuckled and patted my hand lightly. "Vienna, that boy has his heart in the right place. Give him a while. Maybe he'll become a growth on you once again. You two were inseperable at one time-"

I rolled my eyes, and looked at the clock in means of distraction. My grandmother was secretly in love with Avery, I had rationalized long before. She had supported him up until he left Wickerville. Those means of distraction though, proved to be my escape route. I choked down my bacon and took a gulp of milk before pointing at the clock.

"Thanks, Grandma, but I have to get going," I insisted, grabbing hold of my bookbag and car keys, and jumping from my spot. I scrambled out of the creaking floor-boarded, yellow shuttered, old Victorian house faster than my legs would carry me. I desperately needed to get to school; I desperately needded to avoid any more girl-talks with my grandmother. Those girl talks were reserved for True, from now on.

 

Lovely

 

He cheated on me, that bastard! I hate him! That f-

-fat! She looks so fat in that... should I tell her? No, she'd just get pissed. Maybe, I could get Kelsey to-

Ohmygod. Mr. Tanner looks so hot today. I mean, the receding hairline isn't exactly a big deal- I like older men. I wonder if his ass really looks that good bare... maybe after class I could-

Everyone's thoughts swam around in my head, making it hard to hear my best friend over the swarm of voices.

"Shit, girl you look like a zombie hit you with a truck! And what, my little slut-muffin, the eff are you wearing?! Since when are varsity jackets back in season? And why wasn't I informed," True jabbered, nudging my shoulder. Truman Leighton the Third was the only guy who knew me like the back of his hand, who could pinpoint almost every one of my emotions.

I laughed, and nudged him back. The front door to the high school loomed over us, and yet I found myself straining my neck to catch sight of Jake... or so I told myself. I couldn't help but look for that mop of midnight hair in the process.

"Thanks, True, that is such a rager for my self-confidence," I said, sarcasm dripping quite heavily in my voice, weaving in and out of freshman squealers and tongue-tied couples who seemed to be playing a very intense version of oral thumb war, "and I didn't get much sleep."

The cool, late September air breezed by us. True, waggling his blond brows, walked next to me, loyal like a puppy. Since I was dating Jake and had a position on the cheer-tastrophe known as he Wickerville Wolves, people either loved me or hated me. Although the latter applied to many, as I had accidentally peeked into their thoughts, True had latched onto me like a leech during the end of sophomore year, the year Avery had left.

"Ooh," he drawled, his blue eyes widening, his large hands wrapping around my wrist in heavy interest, "what were you and Hottie McCuteness doing all night? Did Mamaw catch you guys-?"

"No," I laughed, fond of True's newest nickname from my boyfriend and grandmother. He had the best, if not gayest, intentions, which always kept me from rudely telling him ice cream and boy-talk wouldn't fix the hellhole that was my life. Giving him a naughty grin, I confided, "We did it in his car. Far from my house."

He clucked his tongue playfully and rolled his eyes. "Whores these days. Vienna Banana, you can't just give the milk out for free. He has to buy the cow first."

"True, did you just call me a heffer," I asked, raising my brows and slapping his arm playfully. Just then, the feel of arms around my middle made me flinch. Fear shot up my spine, and the first thing I thought of was my dream, and the pebble that now lay in the pocket of Jake's jacket. The second thing I thought was of Avery holding me. It never crossed my mind that it was Jake, and I spun around, disappointment and fear and something that made my heart beat madly, and palms moisten, masking my face. I tried to hide it, to smile peppily, but he caught on too quickly.

"Have I told you how hot you look in that jacket," Jake smiled, before loosing the goofy grin and placing a thumb under my chin. Concern rippled on his perfect, strong-boned face and he tightened his grip just a bit. "Hey, Vee, what's wrong?"

"She left her favorite thong in your backseat, babe," True insisted, earning an eye roll from me and an awkwardly too-nice smile from Jake. For some odd and concerning reason, Jake put up with True's pet names, which True mostly said as some sort of fellatial sex invitation. I had heard it in his thoughts plenty of times... unfortunately.

"Thanks, darling," Jake joked back, the Southern drawl in his voice making both True and I weak in the knees. Snapping his attention back to me, Jake held me close to his chest in an awkward hug, as we tried to navigate through the swimming sea of bodies. Lowering his voice to a serious tone, he said to me, giving True a dismissive glance, "Now, Vienna Hale, you're going to tell me what's wrong, or I will tickle it out of you."

A genuine smile cracked the fake-happy mask I had tried to keep on, and I leaned my head into his shoulder. "I think I really did leave my thong in your car," I joked, watching in pleasure as he smiled at me and shook his head.

"You, Vee," he chuckled placing a kiss on my temple, "are a card."

"Hopefully not a Hallmark one," I smiled weakly, secretly loving the thrill as his breath tickled the shell of my ear. I didn't go slightly weak in the knees until he whispered, in my ear, quietly and intimately and too perfectly privately, 'I love you. I never got to say it first the last time, so I'm making up for lost time.'

"I must be a pretty damn nice card," I smiled, smiling as he lands another kiss on my cheek. 

"The best," he reassured me, slipping a hand into my back pocket playfully. I laughed, and did the same to him. True just watched, his thought trickling in and out of my head like radio static.

-so cute. She just better not get pregnant or I will kick her barefoot hillbilly ass-

I had never lost signal of a thought, as weird as the phrase was. No matter how many times I tried to block out someone's thoughts, they always came tumbling back to me, in a flurried rush that made no sense. But suddenly, I was loosing sight of True's thoughts, my head becoming an unbearably new type of silence. I always had someone's thoughts flitting around in my head and yet for a moment, it was silent. Confused, I glanced over at True. He was smiling teasingly, catching my misguided puzzlement as an invitation to shoo away Jake.

"Look, Jake, babe," True sighed, clapping a hand on Jake's shoulder and trying to sound sorry, "Vienna and I need some girl-to-girl time. I promise, I'll return her to you right after lunch. Kay?"

He didn't wait for Jake to say anything, and slapped Jake's butt when he stayed frozen momentarily. "You go, tiger. Make Daddy proud," he cried down the halls as Jake confusedly and hurriedly made his way as far from True as possible. I didn't know whether to duck in embarrassment or laugh when he then wrapped an arm around me. Shooting me a quizzical look, he asked, "Slut muffin, are you okay? You look a lil'... shitty."

I shook my head, and bit my bottom lip. Silence. My head was silent. I couldn't hear his thoughts, or anyone else's for that matter. "No...," I managed, pinching the bridge of my nose before putting on a weak fake smile, "No, I was just wondering how many Daddy Complexities you have, Truman Leighton. And why, in God's name, you are so hell-bent on queerifying my boyfriend."

He just chuckled, and placed a kiss on the top of my head, a flourish of his hands producing a notebook from his backpack. "Oh, you know you love it. It just proves how straight and totally crazy he is about you."

I smiled at that note, right before my insides froze and I caught sight of raven-colored hair out of the corner of my eye. I glanced that way, not even in the subtlest of ways, but felt that excitement and terror and something else diminish in my stomach. No, it was just Penelope Kendall, her dark ponytail bouncing down the hall as she made her way to class.

Calm down, Vienna, I told myself. You're just being paranoid. If Avery were back, he'd be insulting you and making you go crazy this very moment. I really didn't want to admit he was doing the latter, no matter how far away.

Pretty

 

 Lunch was