Arch Enemies Ch. 04

Erin jumped on the bus, Seventeen Magazine in hand, and headed straight for the back row. Brady was already there waving enthusiastically, his metallic braces flashed as he shot her an open and friendly smile. Her short, bright red curls bounced as she giddily found her way next to him.

"Look what I scored from my older sister." Erin lifted her hand to show the forbidden treasure to her best friend.

"Yes! Now I can look at hot models on the way to school instead of your ugly face," he said with a teasing smile as he warmly wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Unaffected, Erin comfortably settled next to Brady and began flipping to find the juiciest material. Ever since her older sister began to get these in the mail, Erin coveted the magazine as she did anything else she could read—especially something her parents forbid from her, and she had been stealing the magazines whenever she got them and replacing them after school with everyone none the wiser.

They came to a photo spread of one model, and the clothes and makeup she was wearing were more grown up, provocative, and beautiful than anything Erin had ever seen. Her own clothes were mostly handed down from her older sister, and Erin hated how ugly and out-dated she thought they looked. She knew there was no way she could live up to the beauty of the older girl on the page in front of her, and she began to blush at how Brady was staring open mouthed and silent at the spread.

"Let's read some of the funny stories in the back," she said, but before she could begin flipping the pages, a hand shot out between her and Brady and onto the page in front of them.

"Hey, what's that? Man, she's hot!" Billy Daniels, an 8th grader and overall bully said from behind them. Erin couldn't believe their luck that the jerk was sitting near them this morning and kept her head straight forward in an effort to ignore him.

"We were just turning the page, so if you could please remove your hand it would be great."

"Why would you want to do that Erin? That girl is great looking. Or is it the fact that you know you don't look anything like this?"

The bus began pulling into the school, but Billy grabbed the magazine completely out of Erin's hands. He looked closer at the picture.

"A blonde, blue-eyed and big boobed girl. Definitely something that you are not and probably never will be." He laughed at that and threw the magazine back to a steaming Erin as he began to walk off the bus.

Before he could take one more step, Brady shot his foot out and Billy, with a startled look, smashed face first onto the floor.

"She is not ugly you slimey jerk, and if I ever hear you say anything bad about Erin again I'll make sure more than your ugly face gets smashed!" Brady stomped his foot on top of a stunned Billy's head for good measure and the entire bus erupted in joyous shouts of cheering and laughter. He grabbed Erin's hand and the two ran off the bus before Billy could come after them. They were both laughing and wheezing when they reached the hallway where they would separate for homeroom.

They both smiled as they looked at each other, but Erin's grin began to fade as she looked down at the still open magazine in her hand to the picture of the model.

"Don't," Brady said as he grabbed the magazine. He threw it in the trash can and came back to stand in front of her.

"You are more beautiful than her." Erin ducked her head. "No, don't do that. You are the most beautiful person I know. One day you are going to be taller, prettier, and, er- bigger...boobed than that girl in the magazine. Just wait. And I think red heads are way better looking than ditsy blondes," he said as he playfully tugged on one of her curls.

He smiled as she lifted her head up to laugh at him. He awkwardly put his arm around her waist.

Uh oh. When had Brady ever been awkward? And when had he ever touched her around the waist like that?

"Erin..." he cleared his throat. "I like...you. I, uhhhh, like you more than a friend." His nerves became steady as he finally looked her in the eyes. "Will you go out with me?"

Erin shot up in bed panting and sweating and looked over to see her clock read 4:09. She placed her head in her hands as her breathing began to slow, and her memory of that day came flashing back to her.

Realizing sleep was futile, Erin pushed up out of bed and headed for her shower.

The day from hell had begun.

--------

Erin felt like a scared idiot at school that morning. Her past weekend had been a disaster and dread filled her at the thought of running into Brady or Jeffery, or really anyone she knew. She avoided her regular areas of socializing by going different and longer routes to class, and she skipped lunch all together to huddle in the library and continue research on her paper.

Erin was annoyed at the silly tactics she was taking to avoid people, but she was relieved when she was successful in not seeing any of her friends. However, dread filled her at the inevitable run-in of her last period. AP European History with Mrs. Williams was looming closer, and she knew not seeing Brady was impossible. Even seeing Jeffery seemed like a better alternative than him.

Deciding that no one, especially these asshole boys, was going to make her upset, Erin sped up her step to get herself to the classroom and reached the door right as the bell rang. Mrs. Williams was shutting the door when she saw Erin and let her in, surprised, because she was usually the first to be seated and prepared for her lectures.

Her eyebrows raised when she saw Erin huffily plop in her usual front row seat, square her shoulders, and raise her chin in the air as though daring anyone to mess with her. If she didn't know any better, and Mrs. Williams prided herself on being an observant person especially in the forays of love, it looked as though Erin Carlisle was avoiding Brady Knight, the latter watching the girl huff about with intensity in his eyes. Mrs. Williams grinned. Well, a gal could get herself in a worse situation. Brady Knight seemed to be just the type to stir someone up. The old woman gave a sigh to that thought and walked over to her podium to begin the class.

Erin answered nearly every question in class. She was right every time too. Erin dominated class discussion, voicing the answer before anyone could even have a chance to speak up. The class was almost over, and Erin had just finished giving a brisk answer about religion in the Middle Ages, when she heard the dreaded voice behind her.

"You're wrong again, Erin."

Erin's cheeks flamed with anger, but she would not allow him to get to her. So she decided be mature about it.

She completely ignored him.

The class was silent as everyone waited for Erin's usual quick rebuke to Brady's provocations, but she remained facing forward and silent. Mrs. Williams looked from Brady to Erin and smiled.

"Do you have anything to say to the disagreement of your answer, Ms. Carlisle?"

Erin looked at her teacher and gave a smile like an angel.

"No mam. Because I know I am right, and I do not respond to stupid statements that come from unintelligent dicks. I know Brady has nothing worthy to say, so I believe that continuing on in our lesson will be the best choice."

The class fell silent to that, and Mrs. Williams cleared her throat. She was about to respond to the outrageous statement, and probably punish her for the language, when the bell rang and the class jumped up excitedly from their seats and darted out of the classroom.

Erin was the first to leave the class, thank God, and she speed-walked in an attempt to get to the parking lot. She could hear footsteps behind her and increased her pace to a near jog. Brady began calling her name, and she ran as fast as she could through the school. She was almost out the building when she ran face first into a brick wall.

The same damn brick wall that was Jeffery Daniel's chest.

"Good, I've been wanting to talk to you," and before she could gather her bearings or make a response he dragged her into a corner.

"Erin, God, I am so sorry."

Erin raised her head from sneering at his chest to look at him curiously. She gasped when she saw his black and blue face. He smiled at her response, but winced when it seemed to cause him pain.

"Erin, I-I don't know what happened this weekend. I promise you, I never meant to hurt you. I was about to stop those guys from touching you. I just wanted you so bad and am so attracted to you that I don't know what came over me. I couldn't help myself."

He shrugged deprecatingly. "If Brady hadn't interfered, I would have gotten those guys off of you and taken you somewhere where we could have been alone. I would have taken care of you." He looked intently into her eyes.

Erin found herself looking intently back. When she replayed the events of last Friday night in her head, she started to see things differently. Brady was right. She had been a flirting tease, and she had reacted passionately to Jeffery's advances. Although things had gotten a little too rough, she had wanted him.

"Erin, I still want you. Please know that I still care about you. You are just so beautiful and passionate, I couldn't help myself. But I promise I will be better. I promise. Okay?" he smiled and Erin slowly smiled back.

She let Jeffery take her hand as they walked together to their group of friends in the parking lot. She could hear Mike give a woop to the sight of them.

"Finally the lover's spat is over! It took you two long enough! Now Jeffery, get your ugly face over here and bring your girlfriend with you!"

They both laughed and headed over to their friends, who seemed to laugh and offer congratulations to the newly revived couple.

Everyone was smiling at them, except for Brady whose dark look seemed to follow Erin everywhere. She continued to ignore him as she chatted happily with everyone else there, and Erin found herself enjoying the day much better now that she wasn't ignoring her friends. And that she was back with Jeffery.

When they left, Jeffery followed her all the way home to make sure she got there okay. He parked behind her, ran out, and kissed her full on the lips before he got back in his car to return home. They shot each other full grins as he drove away.

Erin sighed as she headed into her house. She dropped her book bag on the floor and plopped on her couch as she ran the past day in her mind. She had dreaded that Monday, but it had turned out better than she could have imagined. A pair of condescending and dark blue eyes kept nagging her thoughts, but she pushed them away.

Just then she heard the chime of the door bell. Jeffery, that rascal, must be back for more. She laughed as she opened the door and stuck her puckered lips up in the air.

Those condescending eyes angrily looked back down at her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he nearly shouted.

Erin quickly pulled herself back into the doorway. Her smiling face became haughty as she bravely stared back at him.

"What the hell do you care? I am back with Jeffery, and I couldn't be happier."

"He nearly raped you the other night," Brady growled from clinched teeth.

"Really? Hmmm. Wasn't it you who told me I instigated that rendezvous? Didn't you tell me that I had wanted it from the beginning, and that you could read the pleasure on my face?"

"What pleasure?! He hurt you!" Brady shouted with barely controlled fury.

"Things with Jeffery may have gotten a little out of hand. But when I really think about it, nothing Jeffery has ever said or done to me compares to the things you have said and done to me...." Her eyes probed his. "Nothing."

And she slammed the door in his furious face.