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Ch. 1: Hidden Intentions

Bailey laughed full-heartedly as her friend finished her story. She wasn’t exactly listening, it was apparent on her face, but everyone else was laughing so she figured that it would be the appropriate reaction. She stood there with six of her friends in her brand new red halter top and jean miniskirt at her friend’s boy-friends party. He was a mutual friend.

She looked so short standing with all of her friends because she was the only one who wasn’t taller than five-foot six. She is only but a mere five-foot four. Her long brown hair fell casually over her shoulder as she took another drink of her soda.

“Damn, she’s fine.” Andrew said to his friend, Jamie who was admiring the group as well. “I wish I could get a piece of that ass.”

“The blonde? Yea I guess she is okay, if you like that sort of girl.” Jamie said gazing at the group of girls across the party.

“Nah man, the burnet in the red is smoking. I would love to-” he was cut off when he received a smack to the head.

Jamie shook his head as he looked down at his friend with a grave expression. “No.” Jamie hadn’t needed to say much, the look and posture said it all. Jamie was six-foot one while Andrew was only five-foot ten, so the three inch height difference helped as well.

“Oh right, I forgot.” Andrew said rubbing his sore head.

“Let’s go talk to Christine. I’m sure she would love to hear how you are thinking about other girls.”

“Ratting me out to my girlfriend? Man, you’re harsh.” He said as he followed Jamie over to where his girlfriend was. She was talking her best friend on the couch. “Enjoying yourself?” He asked as he sat down next to her.

A few hours later, when the party was over, Jamie walked over to where Bailey was sitting. “Ready to go, squirt?” he asked.

“Do you always have to make fun of me, James?” she said, stressing his real name know that he hated it.

“Just c’mon, I don’t want to be seen with you.”

“Then why did you offer to give me a ride?” she laughed.

“Pity.” He shrugged. He would never reveal his actual intentions.

“I thought you told Andrew that you didn’t want to go.”

“A man can’t change his mind?”

“A man can but a boy can’t” she laughed again as she walked out the door in front of him. He had never really wanted to go to the party. He hated them, in fact. But once he found out that Bailey was going, he had to be there to keep jerks like Andrew away. She was gorgeous and he didn’t want anyone to hurt her. He had known her since they were babies, but they were friends. That is it. That is all it would ever be, or so it seemed at the time.

“You sure know how to hurt ones pride.” He said as he grasped his heart in mock pain. She got into the passengers seat of Jamie’s car.

“You have no reason to pity me. I am happy with my life. You just need to learn to get your own.”

“I have my own. I was merely doing a charitable act for someone in need.”

“Ugh, I am not in need. Next time I will drive myself and you can leave whenever you want.”

“I was fine with staying. Why would you care what I want anyways? You were to busy chatting it up with your other stupid little friends.”

She laughed. “Are you saying that you are one of my stupid little friends? I glanced at you occasionally to see what you were up to. I could see that you didn’t want to be here. Why did you come, anyways?”

To keep all of those filthy bastards away from you. “I wanted to come. You don’t know everything about me, Bailey.”

He pulled into her driveway and stopped the car. “Sure I do! Thanks for the ride,” she said as she leaned over and hugged Jamie, “see you tomorrow!” She smiled and waved as she got out of the car. He watched her walk up to her house and after she was safely inside, he drove away.

The next day after school, Bailey met up with Jamie outside her locker. “Sup, Bailes?” he asked as he rumpled her hair.

“Stop, Jamie!” she said as she pushed his hand away. “Why do you always have to act like you are so much better than I am?”

“Uh…because I am.”

She rolled her eyes as she walked with him out to his car. He playfully pushed her and she pushed him back. “It’s not nice of you to use your size to push me around.”

“I know, but I am still going to do it. Do you want to hang out Friday? That new movie is coming out and I want to go see it.”

“I can’t. I have a date.”

His heart almost stopped as that last word rolled out of her mouth. He quickly regained his composer before he asked, “With whom?”

“Peter, from math.”

“That!- I mean that kid is a jerk to you.”

“He was just teasing. He said it was because he liked me.”

Or because he is a jerk and he wants to get in your pants. “He freaking groped you!”

“He apologized! And then mysteriously the next day he showed up with a black eye. Funny.” She said as she eyed Jamie.

“Yea, funny.”

She shifted in her seat to face him. “I know you did it, Jamie! Why?”

“Uh… he groped you.” He said like she didn’t hear him.

“So you just took it on as your responsibility to get him back for me?”

“You weren’t going to do anything. You didn’t even tell anyone. I had to witness it.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She shifted back to face forward with a frown on her face. “I can stick up for myself.”

“Are you mad?”

“No, I guess not. I guess I should…well…thanks.”

“Was that so hard?” She glared at him. “It was my pleasure. That jerk needed a beet down.”

“Don’t do it again.”

“Fine.”

“Anyways, he is taking me to that fancy Chinese restaurant.”

“You hate Chinese food.”

“So?”

“So if he knew you at all he would have known that.”

“Well he is going to get to know me.”

“Hopefully not as well as I think he is planning.”

“He doesn’t want that!” she said as she hit his arm.

“Hey, you are going to make me crash the car!”

“You deserve it!”

“Yea but then you would die too.”

“It would be worth it.”

He looked at her slyly. “You don’t want me to die.”

“I know but sometimes I wish you just wouldn’t be so…so…I don’t know but I don’t want you to be it.”

He laughed. “Well even though you are not sure of what I am doing that is so wrong, I will try to stop.”

She smiled at him. “I am trying to be mad at you. You aren’t supposed to be nice.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop it!”

He smiled as he pulled into her driveway. “This is your stop, madam.” He said as he put the car into park.

“Mom and dad aren’t home. Do you want to come in? I can make some lunch.”

“Sure.” He turned off the car and they walked into the house. He sat down at the breakfast bar and she got down two plates and slapped two pieces of bread on each. “Peanut butter and jelly?”

He laughed. “I thought you said you were going to cook.”

“I am cooking.”

“Making sandwiches doesn’t count as cooking.”

“It does now.”

“Move aside.” He said as he was suddenly beside her. He used his hips to nudge her out of the way. He immediately started rummaging through her cabinets to find something to eat. He brought out some pasta, sauce, cheese, and spices. She sat down at the bar and watched him starting to cook. He made an amazing pasta dish that they sat down and started to eat when Bailey’s cell phone rang.

“Hello?” she said as she sandwiched her phone between her shoulder and ear as she finished eating with her other.

“Hey, darling, what’s up?”

“Oh hey, Peter!” she said as she gave Jamie a sly look.

He mimicked her as he picked up their plates and brought them over to the sink.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Just eating lunch with a friend at my place, why?”

“I was hoping that you were at home. I’m on your porch.”

“You’re right outside?” she said, panicked, so that Jamie could hear.

“Yea, but your door is locked. Come open it up for me.”

“Okay, bye!” she said as she quickly hung up the phone. She ran over to Jamie at the sink. “Hurry, go up to my room.”

“Why? I want to see little old Peter again.”

“Please, Jamie? For me.”

“Fine, fine.” He left the dishes in the sink and ran upstairs to her room.

“Hey, babe.” Peter said as she opened the door and kissed Bailey.

She pulled back and looked up at him. “Hi, Peter.”

He brushed past her and walked into the foyer. “Nice house.” He said as he looked around. “You’ve got to be loaded.”

“Um…well, my mom is a doctor and my dad owns a hotel in Vegas. I mean, yea, I am sort of wealthy, but does that really matter?” He ran over, picked her up, and twirled her around.

“Not at all, baby.”

“Um, Peter, I don’t like to be picked up.”

“Oh.” He set her down.

“Everybody thinks that just because small I like to be picked up.” She flattened her t-shirt that had been rumpled.

“Yea, whatever, where is your friend?”

“Um, she left.”

“When? I was at the door when you said that you were here with her.”

“She left through the back.” She said shakily.

“Whatever. Why don’t you give me a tour?”

“Well, this is the foyer. Through there is the kitchen and dining room. Over there is the living room, a bathroom, and a game room thing. Up stairs there is the bedrooms, more bathrooms, the office, and art studio thing. My mom likes to paint.”

“Why don’t you show me your room?” he said as he started up the stairs.

“NO!” she shouted as she rushed up and pushed in front of him. “We shouldn’t go in my room.” She shouted so hopefully, if all else failed, Jamie would go somewhere else.

“You don’t need to shout, I am right here.”

“Okay.” She said with a smile. He pushed passed her and went upstairs. “This is your room, right?” he asked as he opened the door to her room that had her name on it.

“Would you believe me if I said “no”?”

He laughed as he went in. She held her breath as she followed him.

“Nice.” He said looking around at the spacious room.

She released sigh of relief when she saw…or didn’t see Jamie. “Yea, now let’s go.”

“Hold on.” He sat down on her bed and patted for her to sit down.

She reluctantly sat down next to him. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Wait.” He kissed her lips, then her neck, then her chest, then- her cell phone rang.

“Hello?” she said as answered and pulled away from him.

“It’s Jamie. You don’t have to say anything. I was just calling to give you an out. I am in your bathroom and if you want him to leave just say something dramatic like “No, mama, you can’t die!” or if you want me to leave just say “You have the wrong number.” and hang up.”

She paused trying to think of what she wanted to do. “Mom? Mom, you need help? I will be right there!” she screamed as she shoved her phone back into her pocket and stood up from her bed. “I have to go. My mother is in trouble.”

“Is she in the hospital?”

“Yes.” Well she wasn’t exactly lying, her mother was a doctor. Doctors worked in hospitals.

“I will give you a ride.”

“No! No, I will do it. She probably doesn’t want company.” Still, not a lie, her mother hates it when she drops in without calling.

“Alright then, call me later.” He got up and they walked to the door together. They both got into their cars and Peter drove off while Bailey drove around the corner and back into her driveway.

“What was that about?” Jamie asked as Bailey flopped herself down onto the bed.

“I don’t know…maybe you were right.” She sighed.

“Well at least I wasn’t completely right, he wanted into your wallet, too.”

“Ugh, at least you’re modest!” she said sarcastically. “Do I always attract jerks?”

“Hello.”

“You don’t count. I was the only other living thing in that playpen that our moms stuck us in. You had no choice but to like me.”

“Yea, I guess you are right.” He said solemnly as he sat down in her computer chair backwards and spun to face her. He rested his head and hands on the back of the chair as he stared at her. “I guess it’s not my fault that I’m stuck with you.” They laughed.

“Well, I have a butt-load of homework that I need to do. Feel free to chill around here if you’d like.”

“Nah, I have to get home. I have homework, too. I will see you tomorrow.” They got up and hugged before Jamie left.

Thank you for reading. Please, please review.