Authors: Stella White
Chapter Four
Joanna looked in the mirror, examining her face closely. She was glad to have smooth skin with no scars left from the few bouts with acne she’d had through her teenage years. She had a few marks from when she got chicken pox during her freshman year. It had kept her from enjoying her Christmas vacation. What a time to get chicken pox!
She smiled, remembering how she’d zoned out in front of the TV, not even interested in playing the Playstation.
She put on a bit of mascara and touched her lips with lipstick. She used very little make-up, generally. She didn’t see much need to be dolled up constantly. Mark was coming over this
evening,
and that was the only reason she was bothering
to even apply make-up
on a Saturday.
Over the last week and a half, Mark had lunch with her and Lydia every
day,
and she and Lydia had gone to football practice every day. She had become resistant to Teresa’s taunting. The girl was relentless. The more Joanna got to know Mark, the more she understood Teresa’s behavior. Mark would be quite a loss. With him being on the football team and one of the best players, it put any girl he was interested in on a pedestal. Teresa didn’t want that pedestal taken from her.
But it had been. And Joanna was happy about it.
She was still a little worried about what she would do at the end of the school year. Summer was
approaching,
and she was distracted, thinking about all the things she wanted to do with Mark. They would go to the beach, the swim club, the tennis courts. They would go biking and hiking and to the mall sometimes too, probably at Lydia’s request.
But her plan to go to UVA for the brain studies program was nagging at her. She didn’t want to let go of something that was so dear to her, something she’d been planning on and hoping for since she was a little girl. She didn’t want to make stupid decisions with her life.
But Mark was not a stupid decision. She was sure of that.
She couldn’t change how her heart felt anyway. She wanted to be with him. All the time. They texted each other until very late at night, sometimes causing her to lose needed sleep. She still managed to get her studying done, but it was interrupted quite often by conversations with him that ranged from two or three texts to an hour and a half of talking.
She pushed her hands through her hair and let it fall back over her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection.
“Okay, Mark. Where are you?” She turned and headed to the door of her bedroom. He would be there any moment. She was waiting anxiously for the doorbell to ring.
Instead of waiting inside, she decided it was too nice outside not to stand on the porch and stare down the street until she saw his black car approaching. When she did see it, she felt ridiculously overjoyed and was then privately embarrassed by her delight. She lifted one hand to cover her mouth while she giggled and then waved at him with
it
as if that’s what she intended to do all along. She kept her big smile and walked down to the curb to meet him. He jumped out of the driver’s side and rounded the car quickly.
“Hello, pretty girl.” He said, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.
“Hello, handsome.” She responded. She tilted her head back and let him press his soft lips against hers.
She sighed. There was no way she would be able to go to UVA now. She wasn’t going to able to leave him for any
reason,
and she knew it.
“You want to go for a walk in the park?” He asked.
She nodded. “That sounds great!” She reached out to grab the handle of the car
door,
but he stopped her.
“Let’s walk there. It’s only a few blocks.”
“Okay.” She smiled up at
him,
and he took her hand.
“So do you know what Lydia’s doing today?” He asked as they began to walk.
She looked up at him. That was a strange question. Why was he suddenly asking about Lydia? She felt a little sick to her stomach. He laughed when he looked down at her.
“Don’t look so distraught!” He said. “I only ask because I know what she’s
doing,
and I’d wondered if she’d mentioned it to you yet.”
She shook her head slowly. “Nooo.” She said, dragging the word out a bit. “So, what’s she doing?” She raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes in mock suspicion.
He laughed again. “I better answer the right way or I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“Count on it.” She replied, trying not to smile.
“She’s going out with Bill.”
“Say what?”
“Bill Daughtry. You know, from the…”
“Football team.” She ended the sentence with him. “I know who he is. I’ve seen him on the field with you. He’s the quarterback, isn’t he?”
“Wide receiver but close enough.”
She laughed. She had no idea whether that was really close or not but he didn’t seem to care. “Well, well, is that so?”
“Yeah, you should have seen him!” Mark was practically ecstatic. “He was in the locker room going on and on about the two girls who were suddenly coming to practice. I told him you were mine…”
The words sent a thrill through Joanna’s body.
“And that your friend’s name was Lydia. He’s been bugging me
for days
to ask you about
her
if she’s taken or any of that. I waited too long because he ended up catching up with her at school and asked her out. They’re going hiking up Dragons Tooth Mountain today!”
“No way!”
“Yes! Isn’t that great?”
“That
is
great!”
“Now she won’t be feeling like some kind of
third
wheel or something when we go
out,
and she comes along. She’ll have her own distraction!”
His use of the word “distraction” brought back her thoughts from earlier and how for the past week, she could feel her future plans slipping away from her. He saw the change on her face and lost his smile.
“Are you okay? You look like you suddenly had a really bad thought.”
Joanna shrugged. “I…I have been thinking.”
“Uh oh.” He sounded like he thought she might not want to see him anymore. When she looked up at him, she noticed his face reflected those thoughts, as well.
“Well, not about bad things, not really. I mean, well, you know, I had these plans. I’ve been working all my life practically to be one of the best brain doctors on the East Coast. And I’ve got a full scholarship to UVA because of my grades and my extra studies and credits. I…I didn’t expect to meet you…or feel the way I do. And now I kind of feel like those plans aren’t going to happen. It’s either my college and career or…you.”
She felt his hand squeezing hers.
“I knew about your plans, Joanna. I knew you were accepted to UVA.”
“You did? How did you know that?”
“I take Psychology as an elective, too. I take the period after you. You may not know
it,
but Mr. Clapton has spoken about you before. He’s mentioned how advanced you are and what you plan to do in college. I think to motivate the rest of us, probably.”
Joanna didn’t know how to feel about that. She was made a mini-celebrity and didn’t even know it. “Wow.” She said.
“Yeah. So I…I kind of talked to him about it a few weeks ago.”
“A few weeks ago?” She looked up at him again. “We’ve only been going out for a week.”
“Well, it’s not like I suddenly noticed you were alive, Joanna.” Mark chuckled.
She looked down, embarrassed.
“So anyway, yeah, I asked him about your plans. He was more than happy to tell me all that you’ve accomplished and plan to accomplish, including being accepted into the degree program at UVA because of your grades.”
“You have a scholarship too, don’t you? For football?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I do. I was accepted into a college in Florida. But I turned them down a long time ago.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I have to…” He paused for a moment and she noticed he wasn’t smiling anymore. “I kind of have a responsibility to my brothers and my dad. I mean, he’s got so much he has to deal with, running the office for the Veterans and everything that’s going on there. I really wanted to be around to help him with Grady and Gage.”
“I understand.” She nodded.
He stopped walking and turned to face her, putting his hands on her arms. “But you’re not the only one who has been thinking about the future and making plans, Joanna. I don’t want you to give up what you have been working so hard for, not for me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll have a choice, Mark. I have to do what I feel is best for me to make me happy and as much as I’ve done for the UVA program, I really can’t turn away from you now. I don’t think a long-distance relationship will work. They never do.”
He nodded. “I know. I don’t think that would be a good idea either. Especially because I can barely get my mind off of you as it is.”
“I don’t want to be away from you. I will have to put my college on hold.”
“That would mean giving up your scholarship.”
“I know.”
He shook his head. “That won’t work, Joanna. You will end up regretting that and resenting me. I’m sure of it.”
“But I don’t want to go away now, Mark. I can’t.”
“That’s just it. You don’t have to.” He reached behind him and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He handed it to her, a sly grin on his face.
“What’s this?”
“Open it. Read it.”
She unfolded the paper and began to read. The words gave her chills. When she spoke, her voice was breathless and quiet.
“You applied
for your scholarship
to be transferred to UVA.” She looked up at him with
wide,
shocked eyes.
“I didn’t want to wait. I did it as soon as Mr. Clapton told me that’s where you were going. I got back their response yesterday. You don’t know how hard it’s been for me not to tell you before
now,
and it’s only been 24 hours.”
Tears filled Joanna’s eyes. “But what about your brothers?”
“I had a long talk with Dad. He’s hiring a special nurse to be with the boys and take care of anything that they need that I have been doing for them.” He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear. “I don’t want to be without you, Joanna. I never want to be without you again.”
Joanna wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close to her as she could, listening to the beat of his heart against her ear.
“Oh Mark. I love you!”
He pulled away from her just enough to rest his forehead against hers, his voice betraying his happiness. “Joanna Fletcher, I love you, too. I really, really do!”
*****
THE END
Table of Contents
YOUNG ADULT Romance – Follow Your Dreams
MOTORCYCLE CLUB Romance - Bad Boy Biker’s Bride
ROCKSTAR Romance – Hardcore Rockstar
BILLIONAIRE BOSS Romance – The Boss’s Orders
BWWM Boss Romance - The Billionaire’s Love Child: Nia’s Story
MAIL ORDER BRIDE - The Heartbroken Bride and the Stolen Baby
WESTERN BILLIONAIRE Romance - Gold in Texas
SPORTS Romance - The Hockey Rockstar
Five years is a long time. It would have been longer if my mother hadn’t up and got sick. She was an old bat, crazy as they come, and to
me,
she always seemed invincible when I was younger. I guess I was wrong.
I hated
her
while I was growing up. We never saw eye to eye. She was devout and resolute in her beliefs. I was always the carefree spirit, ready to hit the road when the whim took me. She probably hated that about me, kept wanting me to settle down and start a family. She should have known that just wasn’t who I was.
When the taxi dropped me off in front of the old house, I wanted nothing more than to set the place on fire and leave, almost did when I was younger. Too many memories
were made
in this house, and most of them I wished I could forget.
The
house
looked as it always had, run down but taken
care of
. The paint was faded and
cracking, and
the windows were so grimy they couldn’t
be seen through
. The small white picket fence was still there, almost entirely knocked over now.
I wondered what my dad would think of it after all these years. I always thought of his grizzled face staring down
at
me from whatever cloud he was sitting on; judging as he always had. I’d still received messages from him the entire time I was away, but they stopped after he caught a bullet. I guess if you live as loud as he did, you’d end up in a grave sooner rather than later.
“Hey momma,” I shouted from the front door.
“Tara, is that you?” she replied from the den.
I clomped around the house in my old motorcycle boots till I found her.
“Yeah, it’s me, momma. How
you
feelin’
?” I asked.
“How the hell do you think I’m feeling? I can barely get up to take a piss. Get over here and give your momma a hug,” she said.
I learned from an early age that you don’t say no when your mother asks you to do something. I leaned over her and gave her
a solid
embrace.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked.
“You can get me the last twenty years of my life back; that would do it,” she laughed only to start hacking and coughing.
I patted her back in a vain attempt to help her. I looked through her prescriptions; one of which was
empty,
looked like painkillers.
“How about you just get me a refill on that before my aches start acting up again? I was just going to watch TV
anyway
.”
“Alright, momma. I’ll be back.”
“I think your old bike is still in the
garage,
if you want to use that to get around. I haven’t had a car for a
couple of
years now.”
“I’m glad you never got rid of it,” I said.
“Some things you can’t get rid of,” she replied.
I gave her a kiss on the forehead and took the pill bottle, tucking it into my pocket.
I went back outside and
circled around
to the old garage. My dad’s old car was still sat there, waiting for someone to care. I eyed my old motorcycle, peeking out from behind a canvas sheet I’d thrown over it years ago.
My hand moved automatically, tugging the sheet away. She was a killer ride, and I wondered how I’d gone so long without her in my life. The day to day just didn’t have the same feel as it had when I was younger and more irresponsible.
I ran my hand along the gas tank, wiping away the layers of dirt she
was covered in
. She wasn’t the biggest bike, nor was she the fastest, but she was
mine,
and that was all that mattered.
I threw my leg
over,
and a cloud of dust met me as I settled into the seat. I jerked down on the starter and just as she always
had;
she turned over on the first crank.
I hadn’t ridden in so many years; I started to get antsy.
She wanted to be taken out to flex those old muscles. I walked my way out of the garage carefully avoiding the old car.
I started feeling that sense of freedom I’d had all those years ago. The freedom I had when I snuck out late at night to meet up with my old boyfriend; the nights when
I
’d make a mistake and come home in handcuffs; even the nights when I wouldn’t come home at all, the memories were all flooding back.
I steered myself away from my old home and joined up with the road. There was a canyon road that had some of the finest sights in the
area,
and I felt it the perfect time to see them, momma could wait a few more minutes.
When I was free from the town I let loose, my hair whipped in the wind, and the sun warmed my face. I opened her up and leaned into the
corners;
I had these roads all memorized and could ride them blindfolded.
Then the familiar rumble of a motorcycle gang filled the canyon. I sense of dread befell me; if it was the person I thought it was, then
I
had no idea what I’d say to him. I pulled my cycle off the road and clicked her off.
From the bend in the road, a band of motorcycles
filed
out. I didn’t recognize any of them, which left me with a feeling of relief. But, the guys still made eyes at me as they
rode by
.
I was used to it. I’d had a lot of guys fight over me in the past. But, none
were
as
strong
as Buck. I once saw him beat up three guys at the same time just for looking at me. He knew how to impress a woman.
There was a time when I would have done anything
for
that man, but he could never see me as his one and only. I’d always catch him with another girl, and he never understood why I thought it was such a big deal. If he wanted me to be his, then he needed to be mine.
Two of the bikers from the gang pulled off, and I knew what was coming.
“Hey there,” said the taller of the two that stopped.
“Howdy,” I replied.
“Who do you ride with?” he asked.
“I’m with Buck and his boys,” I replied.
The two of them looked at each other,
in
a sort of horrified way.
“Pleasure meeting you,” they said as they turned and zoomed back to their motorcycles waiting nearby.
I laughed; Buck’s reputation was still just as
serious
now as it was before. He had a bad
temper
and a lousy habit of letting everyone know.
Despite all his faults, I still wanted to see him. I somehow felt that he deserved to know that I was back in town. Not a single member of his crew would come through without at least paying homage to the leader. I felt no different.
I slung myself back in the saddle and kicked the old girl back on. I tore down the road and towards the old bar that raised me; it wasn’t very far from here.
The Whiplash Tavern was a sort of landmark in these parts. The sign outside was well past any state of repair. The front of the bar was full of motorcycles of all shape,
size,
and color. The signs in the windows hummed their neon tune as I eased my cycle into an empty place.
Before I could finish pulling in, I heard a loud crash echo from inside the bar. Then what sounded like glass breaking, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
Then I saw Buck, sauntering out the front door with another man held by his collar and his belt.
“You take your shit and stay out of my town,” shouted Buck in his grizzly tone.
He threw the man to the ground as though he were a sack of flour.
“You’ll regret this,” said the man on the ground.
“I get told that a lot,” started Buck, “and I’m still waiting.”
The young pup picked himself from the ground and sprinted to a nearby motorcycle. Another man, about his same size, ran out of the tavern and joined him. They looked like they were in a hurry.
Then Buck turned over to me. It was the first time I’d seen him in five
years,
and it looked like he hadn’t aged a day.
He
was still the
barrel-chested
and grizzled man I’d known since I was a girl. He towered over nearly every other man I knew, and when he wasn’t the tallest, he was still usually the biggest. His cropped and disheveled beard was starting to show slight signs of
grey
, giving him a distinguished look, and his tattooed arms still looked just as strong as the first day I met him, maybe even a little bigger than before.
He clenched his
jaw
and let out a grunt before disappearing back inside. Maybe he wasn’t excited to see me, and it made me a little nervous.
I entered quietly, but recognized everyone, and they all recognized me. A loud cheer echoed through the small
establishment,
and I waved a meek hello.
“Thought that was your bike
comin’
down the road,” Buck said as he walked back behind the bar.
“I’m amazed you can always tell,” I said.
“I damn near built that bike myself,” he replied, “I know my
own
work.”
He shoved a beer my direction. I took it and sipped anxiously.
“What brought you back to town,” he asked.
I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye, so I just stared into my drink.
“My momma’s
sick,
” I said.
He stayed silent and washed a glass with his dishrag. He wasn’t one for words.
“I’ll be here a
couple of
months till she either gets
better
or dies,” I said, “and I don’t know which one would be better.”
“That old hag won’t die,” he started, “Paul knew how to pick his women. And, he picked a good one.”
Paul was my Dad’s name; he used to run the gang here. Buck was always his second, and when Dad finally kicked the bucket, all his assets went straight to Buck; the bar, his bike, and to some extent, me.
“Whatever happens, I just don’t want to be here too long. I got a new life to get back to.”
Buck slammed the glass
on
the counter so hard it shattered.
“Why the hell
you gotta
go
sayin’
stuff like that. You just got
back,
and you’re already
fixin’
to leave.”
“I’m not
fixin’
to leave nowhere, yet. But, my eye is always on the door,” I replied.
“I’ll never get what made you take off the first time.”
“The train of girls that was always
walkin’
out of your bedroom would be a good place to look.”
“I quit all that, and you know it,” he said.
“I never saw any of that,” I replied.
“Well, maybe if you stuck around like you were supposed to, you would’ve seen it.”
I turned to look him in the eye. He still had that
soulful
glare; I could never tell if he was getting ready to break something or kiss me, but sometimes I’m sure it was both.
“I’m here now, Buck.”
He started sweeping the shards of glass from the bar with his hand.
“That’s right, you are,” he said.
The men around the bar seemed entranced by our conversation, but as I looked around at
them,
they all did their best to return to their
normal
conversations.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” I asked.
He leaned over the bar, which I could hear
crack
and groan under his weight, and whispered in my ear.
“Now that you’re here, I’m going to make you remember why it was so hard to leave. You always get me hard when you walk in the bar in those tight jeans.”
I wanted to have him, but I knew that if I
did,
I would regret it for the rest of my life. I needed to keep that part of my past closed. His boyish charms were the hardest to resist.
I leaned over and whispered a reply in his ear.
“I can’t do it, Buck. I can’t go back to that life.”
He stood back up, only to lean on the back bar. I made the mistake of letting my real feelings show with my eyes, and he knew it. I always had large expressive eyes; which were a blessing and a curse. Buck told me, once, that he could tell what was on my mind by what showed through my eyes. I didn’t want to believe it but knew it to be true.