“You two have a good time. Tell Miss Lisa hello for me and your mother.”
Maven agreed. She gave Henri “the look” before she turned on her heels and started down the sidewalk.
“Your dad is scary,” Henri said as they walked down the cobblestone road to Portwood square. It literally was the end of the line, the last bit of property owned by Portwood. A cul-de-sac strewn with willows, park benches and a little concession stand for drinks and food. And one aged barn that housed all the summer decorations.
“He’s so not.” She gave Henri a smile, staring down at her feet. “He’s a doctor. And he’s super nice to all his patients. He’s more scary to us, if anything.”
Henri’s expression fell. Maven waved a hand. “I didn’t mean it that way. He’s a good man. He just…expects a lot from us kids.”
“That’s not so bad,” Henri said. “It’s good that your parents expect a lot from you. If they didn’t care who else would?”
“I understand that. But most kids my age don’t. A lot of people give us a hard time. I’ve been called a goodie goodie my entire life.” She shrugged. “I got used to it a long time ago though.”
Henri couldn’t help but feel bad. “I’m sure your real friends didn’t think that right?”
Maven laughed. She had no real friends. “The friends I had, I no longer talk to. We haven’t spoken since Jake and I broke up. They decided being friends with Jake was more important I suppose.”
At one time, Maven had had lots of friends. Friends she confided in, ones that spent the night at her house. The kind you called all hours of the day and night to gossip with, but soon that all changed. An imaginary divide had her on a totally different level than everyone else. Her friends were no longer her friends. They were Jake and Tatiana’s.
The days of gossip and sleepovers were all too quickly a memory. And the only friends she had were her family. And Maggie wasn’t the greatest at relating to her. Maggie hated her for being sad all the time.
Henri took her hand. “Then I guess they weren’t very important after all.”
She smiled. “No, they weren’t.”
“I know the feeling.” He stopped walking. “When everyone in Tennessee found out I was sick they suddenly forgot how to call. Nobody wanted to invite me out because they were afraid I was going to drop dead.” His own girlfriend had bailed. Someone he thought cared about him. She stuck around for a week, but soon the medications and testing became too much of a burden and that’s when he found out she was dating one of his close friends. It was also when he decided he had had enough of Tennessee and moved to Georgia. His parents were upset. They just wanted to take care of him. But he was tired of the disappointment—he was also tired of feeling like a disappointment.
Maven tugged his hand, bringing him back to life. “What are you thinking about?”
Henri smirked. “I am thinking about how pretty you are.”
Maven laughed. “You so are not.”
“I so am.” They fell silent. Henri pulled her close, his hands resting on her shoulders as he stared into her eyes. “How could I not?”
Maven lifted her head, kissing him on the chin. Henri dropped his head, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away, wiping at the lip-gloss now coating his lips.
“That’s so your shade.” She teased.
Jake Summit blindly painted a wooden sign with white paint, watching Maven and Henri talk to Miss. Lisa. He had also caught the tail end of their kiss. He dropped his brush into the paint tray, hopping down from the step ladder. He drew the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat away before approaching the three of them.
“Henri you can come with me, and I’ll show you what there is to work on,” Miss Lisa said leading Henri away. This was perfect timing.
Jake slung his shirt over his shoulder and tapped Maven on the shoulder. She spun around and gasped. “Jake.”
“Hey there, Maven.” He grinned. “Didn’t think you would have it in you to come.”
She couldn’t believe he was bothering her. She had hoped the day would go well, but already it was proving horrible. “Don’t let me keep you.” She shoved past, but Jake grabbed her by the arm.
“Oh, don’t be like that.” He brushed her hair from her shoulder, his fingers grazing her skin. “This used to be our thing. You always looked so cute painting in your little dresses.” His gaze fell to her dress. One she had worn several times on dates with Jake. Now she wanted to burn it.
“Isn’t Tatiana wondering where you are by now?” She bit her tongue before she said any more.
“Tatiana wasn’t allowed to come. She’s grounded.” He ran a hand through his hair, his tanned torso gleaming with sweat. Maven looked past his fit physique, disgusted at the sight of him. At one time she had found herself lusting over his body, but not anymore. It meant nothing to her.
“That’s right, she’s a junior,” she said under her breath. She and Jake were officially out of high school and he was dating Tatiana who would be a junior while they were off at college. He sure knew how to pick them.
“Her parents sort of walked in on us. You know…bad timing.” He stepped closer whispering in her ear. “Remember that night you snuck me in your bedroom and your parents almost found out?”
Maven looked away, pushing into Jake. “No, I don’t.” She lied. It was now nothing more than the biggest mistake of her life—the night she slept with Jake and many times thereafter. She turned away before he could see how upset he was making her.
“Those were great times, Maves,” he said from behind her.
“Go away, Jake.”
Jake smirked. “You can’t tell me you don’t think about you and me anymore.”
Maven pulled it together turning to face Jake again. “No. I don’t think about you and me anymore. There’s nothing to think about. You’re a big fat mistake, a regret I wish I could totally remove from my memory.” She kept a straight face daring him to say anything more.
“You moved on huh?” Jake shot a look in Henri’s direction. Henri was fast approaching with a gallon of paint and two brushes. “He’s kind of scrawny. A bit weird too. Doesn’t seem like your type.”
Maven ignored him. She had nothing to say, nor did she feel like she had to defend Henri or any guy to Jake. Jake meant nothing.
“I hear the kid has issues.” Jake really knew how to get under somebody’s skin. “I wonder what’s wrong with him. I’m sure it’s something dreadful.”
Maven slapped Jake in the arm. She pushed him next, almost taking down a group of girls walking behind them. “Just get the hell out of here, Jake!”
He stared at Maven, shocked she was lashing out at him. It wasn’t like her. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Nobody cares what you have to say!” She screamed before he could form words. “You cheated on me and lied to me our entire relationship. Why do you think I care what you have to say?”
Jake shook his head. The gathered crowd had heard every word and he felt stupid now. He didn’t like looking like an idiot. He pushed through the gawking crowd, taking off.
Henri dropped the paint at his feet, watching Jake hightailing it down the middle of the street, his tail between his legs. Whatever Maven had said really did a number on him. He looked over at her, careful not to step in her space. He knew Jake was a sensitive issue for her.
Maven brushed her bangs from her eyes, sniffling. She was crying as she made her way over to him, and doing a wretched job at hiding behind her hair so that the crowd couldn’t see her misery.
“I’m sorry. He just really knows how to get to me.” She lifted the paint. “You would think I would know how to ignore him by now. But he’s always right there in my face.”
Henri shrugged. “No worries, looks like he is long gone now.” He kneeled down, dipping a paint brush into the black paint.