When Its Least Expected Page 5

  sixteen, thing ...” He smiled mischievously. He had her. There was no way she’d let her go. The woman was the epitome of anal when it came to her young daughter actually dating.

  “It’s already taken care of. I asked Mom earlier tonight, and she said yes … as long as

  you were able to go with me.”

  And the truth comes out. Dammit!

  Ha! Their mother was counting on him not getting a date therefore he’d have to be the one to let Maisy down.

  What a load of crap…

  The lady had finally gone and fallen off her crazy rocker. Mason would show her, even

  shock her a little. He’d go to that stupid dance. Then she’d see who had the last laugh.

  “Alright, Mouse, you win. I’ll ask her tomorrow.” She looked a little like a lottery

  jackpot winner, with her blonde hair sprouting wings as she bounced up and down on the bed.

  The squeaking that seemed to be coming from her mouth sounded vaguely like a mouse, only

  reiterating his nickname for her.

  She looked genuinely … happy. It was sort of worth it.

  “Now get out of my room so I can go to bed, would ya? Not all of us can live on four

  hours of sleep you know.” He grinned and shook his head as he lied back down. That was the

  honest to god truth.

  Ever since their father had died, Maisy had been suffering from insomnia. No sleeping

  pills or herbal medicines managed to work on her. She just couldn’t asleep, and with that kind of excitement, hell, she’d be lucky if she slept at all tonight.

  “OMG, Mason, thank you soooo much! I’m soooo excited! I’m going to go call

  Chelsea.” Maisy was rambling off the head about colors and corsages as she ran from the room.

  Mason, on the other hand, cringed instead and squeezed his eyes shut.

  Dammit, what had he gotten himself into? He had to ask a girl to a school dance. A girl

  whom he wasn’t even sure liked him.

  Mason had never faced a more dreaded Tuesday in his life.

  Chapter Five

  Sixth period English Lit seriously blew. Harley hated her teacher and everything else

  about the boring class. The only bright side was that she shared it with Mason.

  God, did you really just think that?

  She couldn’t help it. The boy had her stomach completely in knots like Christmas tree

  lights shoved away deep in a tight container, the ones that nobody wanted to get out, but knew it was inevitable. The worst part was that she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

  Nothing was her best idea, because getting involved with another boy only spelled disaster.

  Besides, she had to stay focused on the tasks at hand, and that meant school and David.

  Nothing more, nothing less.

  “Psssst…” A deep voice slipped over her entire being from just two seats behind her. She

  rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that crept over her lips. She gave her head a quick shake and continued to focus on the teacher, but Mason’s persistent “pssting,” was

  garnering far more of her attention than finding out how many hydrogen atoms were in hydrogen sulfide.

  She wiggled in her seat trying to refocus when a tap on her shoulder pulled her attention

  away. She turned around just enough to notice a very annoyed looking Joseph Perkins gesturing towards something on the floor beside her. Unfortunately, her eyes had a mind of their own, and were drawn towards all six foot something of Mason instead.

  He was leaned back in his seat, legs crossed at the ankles, arms outstretched behind his

  head, with that dumb, goofy grin spread across his face. His eyebrows danced across his

  forehead and he winked. She harrumphed, and shook her head. How could a guy that infuriating be just as equally adorable? She narrowed her eyes at him, but then he winked and nodded

  towards her feet. She looked down then, noticing a little white, square paper strategically placed under her heel.

  Oh hell no, the little nutcase was slipping her a note? What did he think this was … the

  seventh grade or something? She huffed, but at the same time her heart did a little, excited stuttering dance as she casually bent down to grab it. She bit her lower lip, staring back up at the teacher and sighed in relief when she realized he was too engrossed with his work to notice.

  Her curiosity was getting the better of her, and five minutes post note recovery, resolve

  settled over her. Great. Now she was actually going to have to open the note. She uncurled the ends, biting her lip, as the soft paper noise sliced through the air. Her eyes widened as the words practically yelled back at her across the page in black ink.

  Little beast,

  I need you to do me the honor of attending the upcoming homecoming dance as my date.

  I promise to be a complete gentleman, and I will only try to kiss you once.

  Yours, Mason.

  No, no way! This was so not happening! She shook her head letting the paper fall onto her desk again. There was absolutely no way she could go to that dance with him! The number one reason: she wouldn’t be able to control herself if he did try to kiss her. And kissing Mason Daniel was a bad, bad idea.

  God, hadn’t she learned her lesson before? Getting attached and getting kissed, only led

  to bad, bad things!

  Still, she was flattered, and she smiled secretly at his chivalrous gesture. Then her wild, hair brained mind took over, taking her into a daydream she had no right to imagine. Him and her out on a dance floor… She licked her lips and closed her eyes. Would he go slow and take his time, touch her cheek and then her neck? She bit her tongue, moving her hand down the front of her throat, her eyes still shut. Would he fuse their bodies together, breathe her in, move his hands towards places that … she shuddered, and then she groaned. Her eyes flipped open darting from side to side. God, she hoped nobody was watching! Was she breathing heavy? She pressed her hand over her chest. Oh God, was that sweat dripping down her neck? She swiped a finger behind her ear. No. No way. Why was she even thinking about this? Her head had to get out of the gutter before it got smashed.

  She took one last breath, finally putting her pen to the paper. She smiled wickedly,

  signing her name with x’s and o’s even. She was at least being nice!

  Surfer boy,

  Sorry, I’ve got to wash my hair that night. And, who said I’d let you try to kiss me

  anyways …

  Not yours XOXO, Harley

  Harley grinned as she dotted the I in night. She bit down on her lip again as she passed the note over her shoulder.

  As the last few minutes of class slipped away, her demeanor began to deteriorate. Her

  nerves were getting the better of her. She slouched in her seat, her stomach clenched tight. The second hand ticked by. Ten, nine, eight seven…

  He didn’t write her back.

  He didn’t psst, anymore.

  She shut her eyes. God, she should have just ignored him. Now she was a hot,

  embarrassed mess, and all she wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

  The bell rang, she jumped. Quickly she gathered her books and papers, sticking them in

  her back pack, and then without a second thought or glance, she was out of that room and out of her mess.

  Yeah, she was a chicken, but she sure as hell couldn’t run the risk of seeing him again.

  Most likely he’d have a witty comeback and try to kiss her right then and there. Or worse yet, he’d ignore her all together. She had to take control of the situation.

  “Washing your hair, huh? That’s the best you’ve got, little beast? Why not tell me

  something a little more believable? Like maybe your Grandma’s gonna die that night, or you

  have a twenty page essay due in two months that you have to start on that same night.” />
  A hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her flush against a warm, very yummy smelling

  body. Crap, how had she not noticed how good he smelled before? She secretly inhaled. If the sun had a scent, then he wore it right there on his body. Warm, yummy goodness. It took all of her will power not to turn and run her nose up and down his neck.

  Finally she did turn around, but instead of acting like an animal, she gasped like the total girl she was turning into, just as Mason leaned in close. He eased her back against a set of lockers, but she had no memory of actually getting to that point. It was more than obvious that he had no issues with making a scene. At that point though, neither did Harley.

  “I don’t do dances, Mason. So, just … leave it.” She placed her hands on her hips. That way she didn’t actually have to touch him, but he was so close, that a single slip of any one of her body parts could equal disaster … for her heart.

  Hell, they’d only known each other a few days and already Harley had revealed too much

  about herself to the guy. He was practically a stranger; a stranger who she felt the need to kiss the hell out of.

  Down, girl! Calm the hell down!

  “Well, I think you could … if you went with me...” That lopsided, dimpled, melt your

  heart kind of grin packed a punch, and she grasped the metal behind her, just to stay upright.

  This boy all decked out in the most edible, blue button up, short sleeved shirt and worn to the core jeans, looked so tempting, so perfect. She squeezed her eyes shut as he placed his hands on either side of her head. She couldn’t look at him anymore. Her body contemplated doing too

  many things to his.

  “Listen, Harley. Can’t you at least think about it a little more before completely blowing me off?” He sighed, blowing his breath across her cheek as he leaned in even closer. Her chest heaved with each and every breath she took. “I’m not that bad of a guy,” he stroked a hand down her other cheek as he moved in for the kill, “…promise.”

  A steady breath in, a steady breath out, and then she opened her eyes, finally pushing him

  away. With a jilted looking face, he obliged.

  Good. That was needed…

  “Why me, Mason? I’m nobody special.” Harley tilted her head to the side as she hitched

  her backpack higher onto her shoulders. There were over a hundred other girls in that school.

  What made her stand out? He didn’t know her, and probably wouldn’t want to know her if he

  knew about her past. Any guy she’d ever been close to, whether it was a boyfriend, brother, friend, should have worn bubble suits when they came into contact with her.

  Harley Anderson was nothing more than a jinx.

  “Well,” he paused, scratching his chin. “I kind of told my mom that I’d go with my sister

  and her date as a chaperone, if I found a date myself.” M’kay, it was finally making sense. “And I don’t exactly know of anybody else to ask, and I know you don’t have a date yet, so…”

  Her heart dipped, her eyes watered. Dammit it! She was going to be a pity date? It was

  worse than she thought.

  “I’ve gotta go,” she snapped. Two lone traitorous tears escaped from her eyes. With an

  extra-large stomp of her foot, she moved away, flipping her black curls over her shoulder.

  There was no way she’d be his pathetic, charity date.

  “Harley, wait a second!” he shouted. She didn’t stop, her arms tucked against her

  stomach. It hurt like hell. “Where are you going? Come on, get back here, please?” he whined.

  Harley spared a glance around her, noting multiple eyes watching them.

  Nosey butts, that’s all they were.

  Besides that, Harley was not a dog that he could just whistle back, and his assumption

  that she’d just fall to his feet pissed her off. “Stupid, arrogant, asshole,” she muttered, picking up as much speed as she could without looking like a weirdo. Unfortunately, she just wasn’t quick enough because seconds later, he was gripping her shoulder, whipping her around to face him.

  The pressure of his hand on her shoulder was unwavering, just like the determination on his face.

  “I’ve got to get to class, Mason. Please leave me alone.” She bit her lip. It would surely

  be cracked soon.

  He didn’t say another word as he just stared down at her. Confusion was etched in his

  eyes. She held her chin high, determined to keep her spirits up. He still hadn’t let her go...

  “Please, Mason… ”

  Mason moved closer, his voice was whispered but firm, “Harley ... did I do, or say

  something to hurt you? If so, then help me understand because I have no idea what happened.”

  Behind what appeared to be genuine confusion in his eyes, there seemed to be a blip of sympathy there too. She gritted her teeth.

  She absolutely hated sympathy.

  “No, you didn’t, Mason. I’m … just having a bad day.” It was only half a lie. He didn’t

  need to know that her bad day started only seconds ago, when he asked her out as a date of

  convenience. Besides, she didn’t need to turn all doom and gloom. He wasn’t worth the

  emotional stress. No boy was. “I’ll see you later.” She forced a tightlipped smile before finally turning away.

  This time, he didn’t follow.

  ***

  Well, that went well.

  Mason stared holes into Harley’s retreating body. Call him a dumb ass, but he honestly

  had no clue what he’d done. He knifed a hand through his hair. God, girls sucked! All pretty to look at, but crappy to deal with. This was exactly why he didn’t do the whole dating thing. No matter what he did or said, he always managed to F-up a perfectly normal situation.

  The problem was he had no idea how to fix this one.

  He walked towards seventh hour, his eyes narrowed as the face of his little beast

  continued to distract his thoughts. Her tiny tears did it every time. Especially if they were caused by him, and on someone he cared about.

  He stopped, right there in the hall. His jaw clenched. Cared about? Where the hell did

  that come from?

  He shook his head, and with more purpose to his step, he headed into study hall. He had

  an idea; now if only he could get it to work.

  He slid the chair out next to the girl with the blonde hair and blue eyes, the girl who

  would hopefully be his savior. That is, if she didn’t kick his ass first.

  “Hey, Abigail, how’s it going?” She turned to face him, a hateful scowl on her face. Shit.

  She knew. How in the hell did she find out so fast?

  He glanced down, noting the tapping of her finger against her cell phone.

  Freaking technology…

  Now how was he she was going to get her in on his plan?

  “What are your intentions with my best friend pal? She’s been through hell and beyond these last couple of years. Things were finally starting to look ahead too, that is until you showed up.” Her eyes were fierce, spiteful. He shrugged and looked down at his desk.

  Yeah, like he could genuinely help the fact that he was uprooted from his home and his life, but he bit his tongue. He did admire the girl. She was someone you’d want in your corner.

  Abigail, the best friend, was just doing her job.

  “And if you plan on breaking her heart, I swear to God that I will break your skull! Do

  you understand me?”

  His mouth twitched, laughter bubbled up inside his throat. He either wanted to high five

  the girl or smack the taste from her mouth.

  Lucky for her, he was a nice guy.

  He leaned forward in his desk, his elbows on the surface and his hands clasped together.

  “Well, I can tell you right now that my intentions are friendly … nothing more. I just want to g
et to know her a little better, that’s all. She’s … cool.”

  Cool. Yeah … real smooth words, Mase.

  She frowned harder. Her eye brows went back and forth between pissed and hateful, not

  that there was much of a difference. Her face was full of contempt, and piss and vinegar. She was unnerving him. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn’t sit still.

  “I don’t believe you,” she hissed, turning away.

  “Well, believe me, it’s true,” he spat. Her answering glare wasn’t nice. Apparently she

  liked to be right, not contradicted. Her jaw clenched.

  He smiled slowly, his cheeks ached with wicked intention, and no, he couldn’t stop the

  next jab from leaving his mouth. She was too easy to tease, just like Harley was. No wonder they were best friends. Their attitudes were one hundred percent identical. “Umm, so, will this be okay with you, or should I fill out an application? Will there be an interview process too?

  Because I kind of need to go buy a new tie if that’s the case …”

  Her face relaxed, and even a smile founds its way to her lips. Ah, yes, the sweet smell of

  success was in the air. He needed her approval but didn’t stop to think why that was. The

  reasoning was obviously too complex for him to understand.

  “Look, Mason, I don’t want to be the one to tell you all of Harley’s secrets, but I think in order for your friendship to move forward, then you need to find out a little more about her.

  She’s an awesome girl. She, uh, well just … has issues opening up to people. Especially guys like you.”

  Mason lifted his brows, going immediately on the defense. Sure, he was an ass most of

  the time, but this chick didn’t know him. How could she judge him already? But once again, he bit his tongue. Arguing wouldn’t get him where he needed to be.

  “Anyways, she could use a friend more than anything, especially one who doesn’t know

  much about her past.”

  More secrets. Run dude, while you can.

  He ignored his inner voice. Whatever happened to his little beast must have been pretty

  epic … otherwise her little friend probably wouldn’t be this dramatic about it. Then again, she was a girl …