Fragile(34)
Author: M. Leighton

“Laugh at me, will ya?” Hardy said, working his fingers up and down her sides. He didn’t notice that her shirt was coming up as he did so, exposing her skin to his touch.

But she did.

Miracle’s laughter died off and she quieted, pushing gently at Hardy’s hands so that she could lower her shirt. Hardy glanced down just in time to see her cover the scar.

When she’d righted her clothes, Miracle stood to her feet and dusted the forest floor debris from her pants. “Well, I’d say we got plenty of pictures for this assignment. I guess we’d better head back.”

Without a word, she swiped up Hardy’s camera and walked to pick up the bag off the ground, tucking the camera safely inside as she walked away. With or without him, she was heading back.

Hardy didn’t know what to say, or if he should say anything. He got the feeling she was more embarrassed than anything, in which case drawing more attention to it with an apology would only make things worse. With that in mind, he followed Miracle back to her house and let her say her stilted goodbyes. Then, much as he loathed doing it, he left her in peace without saying another word.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The next day, Miracle avoided Hardy. She wasn’t rude about it or so blatant that it was hurtful, but he could tell she was avoiding him. She showed up late for Chem Lab and squeezed into a seat right near the door, far from Hardy. She left as soon as the bell rang.

Hardy’s one saving grace would’ve been their shared photography class, but Mr. Gault made individual assignments. Hardy’s was in the field. Miracle’s was in the gymnasium, where afternoon sun poured in through all the windows. She wasn’t the only one assigned the gym either, so there was no chance Hardy could catch her in there alone and talk to her. He didn’t really fret, though, thinking he’d have a chance the next day to test the waters with her.

Only he didn’t.

Miracle did an amazing job of avoiding him all week, and the longer it went on, the pricklier Hardy became. Not only was he bothered by her reaction to the whole stomach debacle, he’d come to the realization that he was increasingly miserable without her.

He couldn’t help but wonder if avoiding him was taking a toll on Miracle. Although she acted no different—she was still her dreamy, sweetly smiling self when he saw her—the dark circles beneath her eyes and the uncharacteristic pallor of her skin made him wonder. It also scared him. He couldn’t discount her having a legitimate health issue, which worried him even more than her avoidance of him. All in all, Miracle was driving him crazy.

By the time Friday rolled around, Hardy was in a terrible mood and he’d decided that he was going to pay Miracle a visit on Saturday. If he could wait that long. At the very least, he had to know that she was okay, physically.

“You coming over this afternoon?” Nate asked that morning when Hardy arrived at his locker. Hardy was almost completely out of touch with what was going on with his friends. He’d done nothing but obsess about Miracle. He knew his friends had kept him in the loop; he’d simply paid their words—and their plans—zero attention.

“Huh?” Hardy was clueless as to what Nate was talking about.

“Dude, I told you on Tuesday that I was having a pre-game party at my house this afternoon. You said you were coming.”

“I did?”

Nate snorted. “Yeah, you did. What’s your deal, man?”

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“A lot of a five foot brunette maybe?” Nate teased with a knowing grin.

“Drop it, Nate. I’m not in the mood.”

“I can see that,” he murmured. “But, if you want some cheering up, especially the kind that involves eighty proof, stop by.”

With that, he shut his locker and sauntered off. Hardy sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair in frustration, as he’d done a thousand times of late. Miracle had turned his world upside down and now he was lost without her. She was all he could think about and it was wrecking his life.

After lunch, Hardy decided to go to Nate’s. He could use the distraction. Besides, he wanted to prove to himself that he could do just as well without Miracle as she seemed to be doing without him.

Hardy drove around for a while before he went to Nate’s. Before he realized where he was going, he was on Miracle’s street. He’d wondered several times what she was up to this Friday afternoon. When he saw a Jeep parked in front of her house, the rag top and doors taken off to enjoy the beautiful, sunny afternoon, Hardy thought with a sinking heart that he knew exactly what Miracle was doing. Or at the very least with whom she was spending her time.

Jonah.

Gritting his teeth and using every ounce of his willpower not to speed away, Hardy turned his car in the direction of Nate’s.

When he arrived, the party was in full swing. As usual, Cheyenne was at the center of everything, surrounded by a group of her friends. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from seeing him. Immediately, she left them and made her way to him.

“Couldn’t stay away, huh?” she gloated.

“I’m not here to see you, Cheyenne. I’m here because it’s my best friend’s party. That’s it.”

Hardy started to walk off, but Cheyenne stepped into his path.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this. You know we belong together. But if you really need to have your…fling with this girl, then I can wait. I love you that much.”

Hardy examined Cheyenne’s flawless face. He smirked when he saw absolutely nothing beneath that perfect exterior. She was cold and shallow and had no clue what real love was. Until recently, he hadn’t either. But he did now. The way he felt about Miracle made what he’d felt for Cheyenne pale in comparison. It made him want to laugh at Cheyenne’s ridiculous statement. But he didn’t. There was no sense stirring up a hornet’s nest.

“I’m not having a fling, Cheyenne,” Hardy stated matter-of-factly before turning to go find Nate. He was beginning to regret coming.

When Hardy finally found Nate, he was in the rec room with Charlie and Robert. They were standing at the bar behind the pool table, preparing to do shots of tequila. He knew from experience that they were just blowing off steam. Getting drunk or even getting a buzz before a game was strictly a no-no. They’d get kicked off the team, no questions asked, if that ever happened.

“Shot time, dude!” Nate called when Hardy stopped in the doorway.

Hardy considered it. He wanted desperately to forget about Miracle for just a little while, but he knew it wouldn’t happen. All the tequila in the world couldn’t get her out of his mind and he knew it. She was in his head and in his heart to stay.