Hometown Girls: Beginnings (Hometown Girls Series Book 1) Read online

  “Good, now get your rears back in your places and do the cheer like I taught you.”

  The girls did as they were told and by the end of practice every girl knew how to plant like she wanted them to at the end of the cheer.

  Marissa Lou stepped out of line to turn the music off then turned to the girls. “Good job, girls. I think that was enough for the day.”

  The girls mumbled something that resembled “thank god” or maybe it could have been “good-bye” but Marissa Lou wasn’t really paying them attention. Not until she heard someone clear their throat behind her. When she turned around, she found Katie a few feet away, staring at her.

  “Yes?” Marissa Lou asked unconcerned and turned back around to continue to pick up her things, trying her best to ignore her.

  Staying where she was, Katie replied, “I’ve been trying to give you your space, because, umm, I know this has all been hard for you, but I really wanted to talk to you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, because I’m fine and dandy.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Katie said sarcastically. “You need to know, what you said earlier was wrong.”

  “Oh yeah, which part was that?”

  “The part where you said I was trying to steal your life. I hope you really don’t believe that.”

  Marissa Lou stopped what she was doing, faced Katie, and slapped her so hard on the side of her cheek that it made Katie’s head jerk to the side.

  Katie instantly grabbed her cheek and looked at Marissa Lou shocked.

  “Prove me wrong. History really isn’t on your side. I have my proof. Do you really need a list?”

  Katie silently stared at her, so Marissa Lou continued.

  “My boyfriend, my friends, my squad, it’s all I have and you are a part of all three. And the worst part is, you are the one that screwed me over, your best friend, and everyone still loves you, yet I’m treated like the asshole. What does that say for me? I must be a really crappy person for everyone to so easily walk away from me.”

  Feeling her own fury, Katie pulled her hand back and slapped Marissa Lou back. “I’m so tired of you blaming me. You are the one that gave us your blessing like you were the queen of England or something. You are the one that told me to go for him even after I told you I didn’t want to say anything!”

  Marissa Lou closed the distance between them until she was merely inches from Katie’s face. “Oh, so it’s my fault? Y’all were already there. I’m not blind. I could see it! Y’all just needed me out of the way.”

  “BS, Maris!”

  Marissa Lou slapped Katie again, except this time Katie didn’t comfort her wounded face, instead she struck her back.

  Marissa Lou screamed out and grabbed a hand full of Katie’s brown hair and knocked her to the hard gym floor. Katie grabbed Marissa Lou’s hair back and they rolled around on the floor.

  “Stop it!” Katie yelled.

  “No, you stop trying to steal my life.”

  “I’m not! I don’t care about your life,” Katie said and looped her arm around Marissa Lou’s neck and squeezed.

  “Fine! You win!” Marissa Lou squealed, then screamed when Katie didn’t let go, “You win!”

  Katie let go of her and rolled onto her back.

  “You win,” Marissa Lou repeated and sat up. “You can have my life. Everyone loves you more anyway. I’m done with it all.”

  “Marissa Lou, stop it!” Katie yelled in frustration.

  “Why not, it’s true,” Marissa Lou said, crossing her arms over her knees and rested her head on them, not wanting Katie to see her eyes burning from tears.

  “I swear to you, it’s not true,” Katie said sitting up and closing the distance between them. She then grabbed Marissa Lou’s hands, forcing her arms to un-cross. Partly so she wouldn’t hit her again, and partly to demand her attention. “I love you and so does everyone else. We always have. You are Marissa Lou for Christ sakes. That name alone makes people swarm in your direction. I’d be lying if I said I weren’t one of the many that are envious of you. Hell, look at you, but I would never try to steal your life or intentionally hurt you.”

  Marissa Lou looked down at their intertwined hands and the tears that she had been fighting began to drip off her long dark eye lashes. Katie noticed the tears when a drop fell on her hand. She quickly looked up at her friend’s bent head and her heart melted in her chest.

  “Maybe there is still hope for us,” Katie whispered to herself. “Maris, I miss you so much. Will you please forgive me?”

  “I don’t know,” Marissa Lou whispered.

  “Marissa Lou, please. I’m begging. Tell me what I can do. I’ll do anything.”

  “It’s too late. What’s done is done.”

  “So that’s it? It’s over after all these years?”

  “I don’t know,” Marissa Lou said again.

  “Oh,” Katie replied sadly and dropped Marissa Lou’s hands, letting her own hands fall to her side. “I understand,” she said defeated and got up to walk away.

  “Maybe, if you call me sometime, I’ll answer,” Marissa Lou called out to her.

  Katie stopped and turned around to face her. “Really?”

  Marissa Lou shrugged her shoulders. “Baby steps.”

  “Baby steps,” Katie repeated before turning around to leave again.

  Chapter Eleven

  For the next week whenever Katie saw Marissa Lou she’d give her a friendly smile or wave to her. At first Marissa Lou was hesitant, even put off, but after a few times she began to wave back with a playful eye roll. The first time it happened, Katie had to hold herself back from running up to her and giving her a hug. Instead she silently relished in the small victories.

  By the following Friday, Katie’s confidence was sky high. So much in fact, after they won their game against one of Pamlico High School’s biggest rivals, West Craven, Katie excitedly rushed up to Marissa Lou like old times.

  “I can’t believe they won,” Katie said jumping up and down.

  “Did you really have any doubts with us keeping them going?” Marissa Lou said brushing her shoulders off proudly. “We are the backbone of the team after all.”

  “Be as that may, I still almost pee’d my pants. It was too freaking close.” Both girls laughed at that, then Katie said, “Hey, I heard there is going to be a party at the Lower Bluffs to celebrate the win. I guess people were confident it would happen.”

  “Yeah, I heard something about it,” Marissa Lou said sounding uncomfortable and shifting her feet.

  “Oh, are you going to go?” Katie asked hopeful.

  “I, umm, I don’t know,” Marissa Lou stuttered awkwardly. Normally she would be the first to agree, but nothing was normal any more.

  “Please, you have to come,” Katie said and quickly grabbed both of Marissa Lou’s hands and squeezed to make sure she knew she was serious.

  “I don’t know. It might be awkward. Don’t you think?”

  Katie looked at her confused. “I don’t see why it should be. I can call Jess and Becca, so they’ll be there too. It’ll be like old times.”

  “Hardly,” Marissa Lou said softly to herself, but Katie heard her. She looked around the field at all the smiling faces before turning back to Katie.

  Katie pleaded for her to say ‘yes’ with her big blue eyes.

  She said after a long pause, “Fine, I’ll go.”

  “Yay!” Katie squealed and wrapped her arms around Marissa Lou and hugged her tight.

  * * *

  By the time Marissa Lou got to the party it was well under way. Everywhere she looked in the open space were kids from school, sipping from red plastic cups or dancing on the sandy beach to a song by Hank Williams Jr. that was blaring from a portable radio. It was something she’d done and taken a part of many times before. She lived for nights like these, but tonight she felt self-conscious. She was used to being the center of attention, and half the time she didn’t even notice it, but the reasons for this attention was dif
ferent. It was of scandal. And the reason for the scandal was just a few yards away huddled together by the bonfire.

  Marissa Lou watched as someone whispered something to Daniel and Katie, and from their immediate look in her direction she knew what was said. There was no doubt it was about her. When Marissa Lou and Katie locked eyes, Katie instantly dropped Daniel’s hand and quickly jumped to her feet with a look of both shock and excitement on her face. Marissa Lou deflated and looked away with an eye roll.

  “Here we go,” Marissa Lou mumbled.

  She turned back and forced a weak smile at Katie, who was making her way to her with Jess and Becca on her heels. When the girls reached her they each gave her a hug, which actually made her feel pretty good. But it didn’t compare to the look on Daniel’s face when he saw Randy standing beside Marissa Lou with his long arm draped over her shoulder. That look; a look of anger, jealousy and even a little envy; would be what would get her through the night.

  “I’m so glad you came,” Jess said to her.

  “Me too. Longest two weeks of my life. I’ve missed my partner in crime,” Becca said bumping Marissa Lou’s shoulder.

  Marissa Lou sheepishly looked up under long dark lashes at Katie. No explanation was necessary. They all knew what happened to cause the rift, even though it was Marissa Lou’s choice to stay away.

  “Maris, can I speak to you for a minute?” Becca asked Marissa Lou after a long awkward silence. Marissa Lou turned to her in time to see her stealing uncomfortable glances at Randy. “In private please.”

  “Surreee,” Marissa Lou drew out, looking between Becca and Randy, who in turn appeared unimpressed by the looks or the on-coming secret conversation. Instead he rolled his eyes and dropped his arm from her shoulder.

  Becca grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the group.

  “So, is this a thing?” she asked once they were far enough away from prying ears.

  “Is what a thing?” Marissa Lou asked confused.

  “You and Randy Farris. What’s going on there?”

  Marissa Lou turned around to look at Randy. She felt bad for him when she noticed him looking so uncomfortable standing there, practically alone with Katie and Jess a few feet away and their backs to him. It was obvious he felt very out of place amongst the cliché of kitschy teens because though he liked to party, he did not mingle with the types of kids she hung out with.

  “Yeah, I guess it is,” she said smiling at him and without saying another word she walked back to Randy, grabbed his hand, and walked him away, leaving Becca staring after her with her mouth wide open in disbelief.

  “Where you taking me, girl?” Randy asked her.

  “Away. Is that okay with you?”

  He looked up and down the growingly quiet beach where she was leading them then looked down at her and smiled. “Yeah, away is good with me.”

  As they were walking, he reached into his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out a silver metal object. Marissa Lou stared at it curiously when he put it to his lips, only making out some of the shape by the moon light.

  “Whatcha got there?” she asked.

  “Here, have some,” he said handing it to her.

  She sniffed the opening on top and wrinkled her nose. “What is it?”

  “My good friend Jim. Now say ‘hi’ and drink up.”

  Hating the smell, she pinched her nose and tipped the flask back, not expecting so much to come out of the little hole all at once. She immediately handed it back to him and fanned herself vigorously, hoping to put out the fire in her throat, which was quickly creeping down into her chest.

  “Holy crap that burned!”

  Randy burst out laughing and swung her around to face him. Without giving her a chance to let her alcohol fueled dizziness subside, he crushed his lips to hers. He proceeded to grab at places he had been thinking about for a week.

  “Hey, hey, slow down mister,” she said giggling.

  “Shh…” he replied. “Have some more Jim.”

  She took the flask from him and tipped it back. It didn’t burn as bad as it did before. As a matter of fact it felt pretty good. With every sip the images of Daniel’s disapproving face faded from her mind, along with the judging stares from her three best friends. All that remained was Randy in the moonlight on the sandy beach and a fog clouding her intoxicated brain. With her inhibitions out the window, she allowed Randy to do whatever he wanted to her.

  After what seemed like hours, they were walking back to the party, hand in hand and laughing all the way.

  Once back in the inner circle, Marissa Lou grabbed a cup from a girl who happened to be walking close by and handed it to Randy as a way to make amends for drinking all his Jim, who in turn tipped the cup back and drank what was left of the girl’s frothy beer.

  “Oh my god, I love this song,” she squealed and began to dance right where she was. “Randy, dance with me,” she whined in a pouty, sexy tone and he did. She didn’t notice, or care, about all the eyes watching her public display as she latched her arms around Randy’s neck and swayed slow and close to him. “Come on y’all. It’s a party. We kicked West Craven’s butt, celebrate, dance already,” she called over Randy’s shoulder to the kids around them, and they did. Before long half the beach was covered in grooving people.

  “Hey girl, whatcha doin over here?” Becca asked Marissa Lou, feeling the need to come to her friends rescue.

  “Becca!” she said happily and unlatched her arms from around Randy’s neck and attached them to Becca. “Where ya been? I’ve missed you!”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yep.” She began to sway again to the music.

  “Looked to me that you were doing just fine without me.”

  “Oh, I am fine. Did you see me out here? I was dancing away.”

  “You call that dancing? Please. Y’all looked like you needed to get a room or something.”

  Marissa Lou shook her head back and forth. “We already did that,” she whispered and put a finger over her lips and shushed her, as if anyone in their proximity couldn’t already hear her.

  “Girl, you’re too much,” Becca said laughing, although she was slightly concerned for her.

  “I know. That’s why you love me, right?”

  “Right’o you are about that.”

  “Hey, I love you too,” Jess said, standing beside them with her arms crossed over her chest with a look of discontent on her face.

  “We love you too, Saint Jessica,” Becca said bringing her into their circle to make it a three way dance.

  “Well, now I’m feeling left out.”

  All three girls turned to see Katie standing beside them.

  “Any room for me?”

  Becca and Jess froze at the question and turned to look at Marissa Lou to see her reaction. When Marissa Lou smiled and opened a space for her, the girls thawed and let out their held breath.

  * * *

  The four girls laughed and danced while Randy and Daniel looked on; each boy staying in their own separate spaces. Randy watched Marissa Lou’s lean body as she swayed to the music, while Daniel glared at Randy. His anger growing by the minute, but Marissa Lou wasn’t his anymore. He was with Katie now and Marissa Lou made it clear she didn’t need him to rescue her. Not from Randy and definitely not from herself. It wasn’t his nature to stand back and not protect the people he cared about, but it was something he would have to learn to get used to.

  Chapter Twelve

  As the weeks went by everything went back to normal, well as normal as it could be. Marissa Lou and Katie managed to regain a good portion of their damaged relationship, which made Jess and Becca happy, but it wasn’t like it once was.

  Katie kept her relationship with Daniel completely separate from her friendship with Marissa Lou, not once bringing his name up when the girls were together. In order for the love birds to see each other outside of work and school, they set aside one day a week to dedicate to just them. Katie had feared that the separatio
n would be too much of a strain on their relationship, but it wasn’t.

  Daniel didn’t really mind since his plate was already full with everything else going on in his own life. Plus he was happy that the girls were able to make up and was willing to do whatever he could to make it easy on them. Despite it all, Daniel and Katie’s romance was growing stronger by the day, but so was Marissa Lou and Randy’s.

  Their relationship was different from Katie and Daniel’s by leaps and bounds. Theirs wasn’t centered around falling in love or thinking about the future. Instead it was pleasurable in every sense of the word. Marissa Lou had fun with Randy and that made her happy. So much so, she felt a tinge of depression, almost to the point of withdrawal, whenever they were apart. It was to the point that her normal bubbly witty personally took on a new role in his absence. One of quiet and glum.

  The separation of love and friendship was going well with the group until Katie’s eighteenth birthday neared in late fall. All she wanted for her special day was to have dinner with the people that meant the most to her. When Marissa Lou was approached about the idea she gave a very convincing acceptance even though her mind was screaming, “Are you freaking crazy? There’s no way in hell I’m going on a group date with y’all.” Unfortunately she didn’t listen to her inner self.

  As the day of the dinner wore on, Marissa Lou’s nerves began to unravel. She paced around her room, mindlessly toying with random things, too anxious to sit down or relax. She felt like she had been doing a good job keeping up appearances and concealing her feelings and thoughts within herself, thanks to an almost daily concoction of alcohol and marijuana. It was going to be the first time she’d be around Katie and Daniel together in a personal setting, on Katie’s birthday of all days. There was no way she could expect them to not play the part of a couple and that wasn’t something she was prepared for.