he'd given me mere hours before. His hands were all over her.
The next thing I knew, Lena was dragging me down the hall, swearing. "That piece of shit. That motherfucker! Fuck him. Fuck him, Tasha! You're way too good for him!"
Everything was a blur. I nearly tripped a few times - not because I was drunk but because my limbs didn't seem to be working properly. It was like too much of my brain was occupied with processing what I'd just seen. I hung back, silent and stiff, as Lena explained to the rest of the group what we'd just seen.
"We're leaving," she announced as my friends all crowded around me with gentle hugs and support. It was probably only their presence that meant I was able to hold it together long enough to make it out to the limo we'd rented for the night. Once we were in the limo, however, I immediately yelled at the driver to pull over and leaped out onto the edge of the road, bent over double, to violently throw-up. Andrea and Lena stood on either side of me, stroking my hair.
"It's OK, Tash," Andrea said. "Just let it out, it's OK. We're here."
As soon as I was finished puking I sank to my knees in the gravel as the reality of what I'd seen in that classroom sunk in. It was Kaden. I wasn't mistaking him for someone else. It was Kaden with his hands casually all over Kelsey, as if the afternoon we'd just spent together hadn't meant a thing.
"Oh my God," I wailed, covering my face with my hands as the sobs poured uncontrollably out of me. "Oh my God. That was Kaden! That was him!"
To their credit, my friends stayed with me. They didn't try to coax me back into the limo or listen to the driver when he started getting impatient with us. They just stayed next to me, putting their hands on my shoulders, stroking my hair, telling me they were right there. It took a long time for me to calm down, too. A long time for my ugly sobs to ebb into deep, shuddering breaths. When I stood up my knees were studded with gravel and my mouth tasted of vomit. Someone handed me a bottle of water without my having to ask and someone else brushed off my knees. Then they helped me back into the limo and I lay down across Lena's lap, despairing.
"Where do you want to go?" Sadie asked as the driver pulled back onto the road. "Because we're with you tonight, Tasha. And if you don't give us some directions I think we're all going to end up charged with murder before the night is out."
I looked up, assuming she was joking but her face was deadly serious. "No," she said. "I'm not joking. I hate him. I fucking hate Kaden Barlow."
There was general affirmative murmuring and nodding and I burst into tears again - tears of appreciation.
"Thank you guys," I blubbed, wiping the tears and snot off my face with my wrist. "Thank you so much for just...for just..."
"Tasha," Lena said, holding my face up so she could look me in the eyes. "Where do you think we would be? Where would you be if someone had done this to me? Or to any of us? Here, right? Well, that's where we are. Here, with you. And we're not going anywhere. So tell me what you want to do tonight and we're with you."
What did I want to do? I wanted to turn back the clock an hour, maybe two. I wanted to have that image, the one I could not get out of my mind, of Kaden's hand on Kelsey's ass, out of my mind. But I couldn't have those things. I didn't want to be around anybody except my friends. So no parties. No driving up to the hills, either, because that would just remind me of the afternoon I'd just spent there, in Kaden's arms.
"You know what?" I asked, looking around at my friends, at all of their faces shrouded with concern. I'd told them all about what happened with Kaden in the hills. "I'm still sore. From this afternoon. I'm still sore."
Many arms were around me. Lena punched the limo door hard enough to earn a rebuke from the driver.
"FUCK HIM!" She yelled, rolling down the window and leaning out to scream it louder: "FUCK KADEN BARLOW!"
I smiled at that. "Come
The next thing I knew, Lena was dragging me down the hall, swearing. "That piece of shit. That motherfucker! Fuck him. Fuck him, Tasha! You're way too good for him!"
Everything was a blur. I nearly tripped a few times - not because I was drunk but because my limbs didn't seem to be working properly. It was like too much of my brain was occupied with processing what I'd just seen. I hung back, silent and stiff, as Lena explained to the rest of the group what we'd just seen.
"We're leaving," she announced as my friends all crowded around me with gentle hugs and support. It was probably only their presence that meant I was able to hold it together long enough to make it out to the limo we'd rented for the night. Once we were in the limo, however, I immediately yelled at the driver to pull over and leaped out onto the edge of the road, bent over double, to violently throw-up. Andrea and Lena stood on either side of me, stroking my hair.
"It's OK, Tash," Andrea said. "Just let it out, it's OK. We're here."
As soon as I was finished puking I sank to my knees in the gravel as the reality of what I'd seen in that classroom sunk in. It was Kaden. I wasn't mistaking him for someone else. It was Kaden with his hands casually all over Kelsey, as if the afternoon we'd just spent together hadn't meant a thing.
"Oh my God," I wailed, covering my face with my hands as the sobs poured uncontrollably out of me. "Oh my God. That was Kaden! That was him!"
To their credit, my friends stayed with me. They didn't try to coax me back into the limo or listen to the driver when he started getting impatient with us. They just stayed next to me, putting their hands on my shoulders, stroking my hair, telling me they were right there. It took a long time for me to calm down, too. A long time for my ugly sobs to ebb into deep, shuddering breaths. When I stood up my knees were studded with gravel and my mouth tasted of vomit. Someone handed me a bottle of water without my having to ask and someone else brushed off my knees. Then they helped me back into the limo and I lay down across Lena's lap, despairing.
"Where do you want to go?" Sadie asked as the driver pulled back onto the road. "Because we're with you tonight, Tasha. And if you don't give us some directions I think we're all going to end up charged with murder before the night is out."
I looked up, assuming she was joking but her face was deadly serious. "No," she said. "I'm not joking. I hate him. I fucking hate Kaden Barlow."
There was general affirmative murmuring and nodding and I burst into tears again - tears of appreciation.
"Thank you guys," I blubbed, wiping the tears and snot off my face with my wrist. "Thank you so much for just...for just..."
"Tasha," Lena said, holding my face up so she could look me in the eyes. "Where do you think we would be? Where would you be if someone had done this to me? Or to any of us? Here, right? Well, that's where we are. Here, with you. And we're not going anywhere. So tell me what you want to do tonight and we're with you."
What did I want to do? I wanted to turn back the clock an hour, maybe two. I wanted to have that image, the one I could not get out of my mind, of Kaden's hand on Kelsey's ass, out of my mind. But I couldn't have those things. I didn't want to be around anybody except my friends. So no parties. No driving up to the hills, either, because that would just remind me of the afternoon I'd just spent there, in Kaden's arms.
"You know what?" I asked, looking around at my friends, at all of their faces shrouded with concern. I'd told them all about what happened with Kaden in the hills. "I'm still sore. From this afternoon. I'm still sore."
Many arms were around me. Lena punched the limo door hard enough to earn a rebuke from the driver.
"FUCK HIM!" She yelled, rolling down the window and leaning out to scream it louder: "FUCK KADEN BARLOW!"
I smiled at that. "Come
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