Hi, everyone! This chapter is going to be a long, but it has important information included in it. Part three begins next year. I hope everybody enjoys, and have a happy holiday!
Delcan guided me to a street filled with restaurants and fast-food chains that looked like they hadn’t been taken care of in decades. He laughed at me when I drove with one hand, asking him about where we were going and why we were here. His response was simple, “You do want something serious, right?”
I didn’t respond, turning into a parking lot. The parking spaces were practically faded, the only sign that there was a place to park covered in weeds. When I looked up, my eyes met a place called Zeke’s BBQ. The walls were practically conjoined with the convenience store next to it, and the darker red paint on the outside of the building was peeling off, revealing a pale blue shade that was there before.
Next to the wooden doors with windows to the side of it, a light had been smashed, the glass still remaining on the sidewalk.
“Huh,” was all I said.
Delcan opened up the car door. “Don't judge a restaurant by its broken looks,” he told me, shoving his hands into his pocket from the cold. I sighed before opening up my door and following him inside.
The minute I opened the door, I was met with the smell of burning meat and barbeque. The mixture combined and poured off of the walls, sparking my hunger. Delcan didn’t pay attention to the people who were looking at him in awe, but I couldn’t help but notice the eyes that followed me. People knew who I was. My name has been mentioned in thousands of articles (alongside Haven’s) and I’ve been talked about at a lot of social events held by EastLand. It wouldn’t shock me if these people were parents to children who hated me.
Then again, it wasn’t like people only hated me.
I wondered how many people Delcan knew from the past.
“Jordan,” Delcan gave the guy up front a nod. He looked like he was a college student, wearing an N.Y.U sweatshirt and some ripped jeans. I couldn’t see well from the dim lights, but there was something I noticed. His eyes were chestnut brown, and they followed Delcan’s hand. “I need a table, please.”
Jordan nodded, and he led Delcan and me to a table, a bit far from where everyone else was sitting, in a windowed area that looked out at a show of graffiti and dealers. “Enjoy, you two,” he gave Delcan a smirk before leaving to go back to the counter.
“No, I don’t know him,” Delcan told me, pulling down on his sweatshirt.
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
He gave me a look of disbelief, but I ignored it by looking down at the menu. The menu was designed to look like a 1950s diner-style, which I appreciated. There were a lot of choices of meats that were covered in barbeque, as well as sides that I’ve never heard of.
“What do you usually eat here?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHiL4c4yRg
Delcan looked at me in surprise. “Oh, um...the usual.”
I held back a smile, turning my head to see if anyone was watching us. Half of my brain told me that nobody was even looking up because it didn’t matter and it wasn’t a crime. But the second part of me believed that every single whisper, every single glance, was about Ezra Gatley somehow in Paris Heights.
With Delcan Heslop.
Delcan and I sat in silence for a bit before a waiter finally came to our table. She was short, maybe a bit taller than Annalise. Her brown hair was sharply cut right on her shoulders and her large doe eyes expressed excitement. She placed two glasses of water on the table with grace. “Hi, my name is Mick. I’ll be your waiter today! What can I get the two of you?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplNy6u4gta
“The water’s fine,” Delcan muttered, setting his menu to the side. Mick glanced at him in annoyance before she turned to me, a smile on her face.
“What could I get ya?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXWwW3QczQ
“A lemonade, please.”
Mick smiled graciously, looking at me for a few more seconds before her face settled normally. Without a smile on her, she looked upset, her full lips naturally formed into a frown. “I’m sorry, but you seem really familiar.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlb9U4sICx1
“Micki, not now,” I heard Delcan say.
I looked at Mick. “It’s fine,” I assured him. “Yeah, Ezra. Do your parents know mine or-”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0J1uxNhH1C
“Your mother is Sarah Jones, right?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhbE8UaN1s
I paused. Mom never mentioned what her last name was before she married Dad, and I never asked her at all. “Yeah, I guess so.” She ignored how on edge my voice sounded.
“My momma knew her,” Mick said, her voice distant. “In college. Before Sarah married, I was told she was pretty great.”
What’s that supposed to mean? “My mom’s pretty great now.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPldPRKlCA
Mick’s face flew into shock. “Oh, no! No, she was always awesome, I’m sure of it. I just meant...she was...free.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIq1DoBJTY
“Well, hell,” Delcan said, relaxing in his chair as he looked at me.
Mom works when she wants to, otherwise staying at home and taking care of the house. I don’t know how that’s not considered freedom. “What are you trying to say?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgqU4q1HwG
“I just…” Mick looked tongue-tied. “She was so much better whenever Armani and she were still talking.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Z0Xzn06Ey
Armani?
“Who’s Armani?”
Delcan took a long sip of his water.
I heard Jordan’s voice calling from a few feet away. “Micki, I told you to stop telling yo life story!” he joked. “Come back over here and give this man his drink.”
“Right away,” she called back. With a shrug, she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry I mentioned it.”
And with that, she left.
Delcan was still drinking from his water as I looked at him. Whoever Armani was, the way Delcan was reacting made me believe it was Mom’s old boyfriend, maybe? “Did my mom date Armani?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjANlY7BMbI
He shrugged. “I’m not allowed to talk about it.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJa3b67ows
“You’re not?” I asked. He rolled his eyes, looking out of the window as a dealer handed someone a small white packet. “So your parents know?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWRVvx4D8O
“I have no clue,” he stressed. “They just said ‘Don’t tell tu pequeño novio.’”
Why was I trying to turn this date into an investigation case? There was no point in questioning Delcan, especially if he clearly isn’t going to give answers. This is a date. Your supposed to have fun on dates. You’re not supposed to think about other people who might like who’s yours, and you’re supposed to focus on the side he’s trying to show.
I just need to focus.
“Doesn’t matter,” I shrugged. “Any interesting stories you have?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZUDMrFmrB
Delcan sighed, looking at me in annoyance. “They’re not really interesting in a good sense. More like disgusting. But...I have this crazy story about what my dad did to someone when I was younger.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIUn9x5j61
I nodded, thanking our new waiter (his nametag was faded, so it was impossible to see his name) for my lemonade. “Proceed.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rUjpCVgU9
So he did. Delcan painted a picture in my mind about an old playground a few miles away from where the movie theatre was. He described the broken slide his sister almost broke her arm on, and swings his parents pushed Callie and him on when they were younger. I barely even remember ordering my food, because I was so invested in Delcan’s story. He explained that the grass was always high, so he and his only best friend would prowl through the playground like they were lions, pretending rocks were animals and catching as many as possible.
Delcan even told me about the time when Callie and he ran into the park alone, and Delcan was called names for playing with his sister instead of the other guys in their apartment building.
“I don’t really remember what they said,” he told me. I had been eating the barbequed chicken strips (fries and amazing green beans on the side) while Delcan picked at the straw in his water. “Most of the time, all the bad things people say to me roll into one. Lucky for them, I always find a way to slap it in their face three years later.”
He explained how the guys took his house key out of his pockets and how they pulled Callie’s hair, then his “coward ⟴” went home and he told his dad about it. “Your father beat up teenagers?” I asked, not fighting the grin I was feeling.
Delcan lifted up his chin, smirking. “I wish,” he told me. “But he did find who their parents were.”
Mr. Heslop, who I never suspected hated anybody but me, waited until the children all went to the park together with their parents, and one by one, he punched (or slapped) each parent in the face. Delcan’s dad came home without a single scratch on his body, and an apology letter to Callie and Delcan, signed by all of the parents. Delcan told me about something he heard his father say over and over again for years.
“‘The worst punishment to give a parent is through their child,’ he said,” Delcan whispered. “‘But the worst punishment to give a child is through their own parents.’ I thought it was kinda dumb, but you’d be surprised at how many times I’ve almost paid someone to do my dirty work for me.”
I shook my head. “So did they ever talk to you again?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmK9HxTaSWh
Delcan nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Three of them had girlfriends who knew me, and two of them had ridiculous crushes on me. Karmas a ⟴.”
“It must’ve been fun,” I said. The last time my dad did anything to defend anyone but me, it was when Emmanuel was six, and he wasn’t allowed on the baseball team. Dad marched down to the elementary office, holding onto Emmanuel as he yelled in the office until Emmanuel was put on the team.
What he doesn’t know: Emmanuel dropped it three days later. He would just randomly go into the game with a helmet covering his head so the coach didn’t realize.
He nodded. “Lots of things here used to be fun,” he told me.
“Well, I’m sure it was fun spraining Grayson’s arm.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5DHyITMoa
Delcan smiled. “I should’ve done his fingers too.” He shivered. “I can’t believe he laid hands on me.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxo3OV1CAOM
And if he does it again, I’ll do worse, I thought to myself.
Our new waiter handed us the check, and Delcan snatched it out of my hands quickly. “I’ll pay,” he promised.660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCMPG3iZjh
“No,” I protested. “You paid for the movie stuff. I’ll cover the date.”
“No,” Delcan dragged out the word. “I asked you out, therefore I pay for all of it.”
I looked down at my cleared plate. “Actually, Adam asked me out.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAAq31wbL7
“Then we have Adam pay for it.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7wcLOTJN3
“Agreed.” 660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRNEuSdDly
As I drove myself home, Delcan tapped on the side of the car, moving his leg to a beat I couldn’t hear. “Think you’ll be able to make it home without crashing?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rDerzgT34
He looked at me with annoyance. “Maybe you should teach me how to drive?”
I shook my head. “I have a feeling that would end horribly.”
Delcan turned away from me, chucking to himself at what he probably thought was a dirty joke. I rested one hand on the wheel, focusing on the two lines in front of me as Delcan began speaking again.
“So...I was gonna ask you something.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9PamJZ7qq
I was too. “Go on.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNC9uhrLZy
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him biting his lip. “Would you mind waiting until we get to your house? Or...a few miles away from it?”
I took a left, taking the shorter way to my house. “If a kiss is what you’re asking for, I have no intention for Mrs. Harrington watching me kiss you.”
He shrugged. “I’d like to see her reaction,” he expressed. I turned my head away from him, focusing on which windows in our house could see the car from there. Delcan tapped on the gear shift. “You’ve been flirting with me more often.” He shrugged. “I kinda like it.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZiOAZz3Li
I looked at the trees outside of my car, feeling my heartbeat skip. “Thanks.” I pulled over to the side, allowing a familiar looking car to pass us. Hopefully, the windows were tinted well enough where you can’t see anything. “You can ask me now.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS13QNVMS1
Delcan nodded. “Great.”
We sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before I finally turned on the music. I’ve either hated or enjoyed the quiet at times, and right now, I can feel the tension in Delcan’s body, something I never thought I’d feel. As Thinking Out Loud played silently, Delcan twisted his hands in his lap.
“Okay,” I tried again. “What is it?”
He looked at me, biting his lip. “Do you, um...are-God, I’m not good at this.” Delcan ran his hands through his hair, messing it up as he pressed himself against the car door. “You know, I’ve always been great at teasing people.”
I raised my eyebrows, and he held out his shaking hand. “Let me continue,” he instructed. I sat back in my seat, watching him as he slowly pulled himself off the glass. “I’ve been great at getting people to do what I want, and convincing them I want them...but it’s always been fake. I’ve never - in a long time - I’ve never really liked anyone.
“But I like how you make me feel. I have no idea what the hell I’m feeling, but I really like it, and I don’t want it to stop. I’m tired of you assuming I’m dragging you along only to break your heart in the end, because I’m not. I...really like you. You might already know that, but...yeah.” I must’ve had my mouth open or something because Delcan smiled before opening up his mouth and closing it tightly.
I did the same.
“I like that you care about people, though. I...it’s kind of amazing that you put others before you, but you’re still the smartest kid in school. I lov-like how you handle pressure, even though I’m positive you’re about to have a panic attack every three seconds. And most of all, I like how you look at me.
“Most people still like to believe I’m in love with the idea of being paid to obey grown men, but you don’t give me that look. You don’t call me names, and you give me second chances when I don’t deserve them. And...and when you kiss me, you concentrate enough to make me feel like I’m the only one in the universe.” Delcan paused, but I didn’t care. I was watching him being nervous. I was watching him say words I didn’t even know existed in his vocabulary. “And even though I should never have you to myself-”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAQl6ShaLp
“Be my boyfriend,” I breathed.
Delcan slapped his hand on the glove department. “I was getting to that, Ezra!” he cried out.
I nodded. “Yeah, I know where you were going, and the answer is yes. It’ll never be anything but yes. I want you to be my boyfriend more than I care about some stupid grades, but thank you for the compliments.”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3b91FshStq
Maybe if I had leaned in, I would’ve noticed the dark hue of blush on Delcan’s cheeks. “Wait, I’m above grades?”660Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadBo1Y7JO7
I nodded.
Delcan practically threw off his seatbelt, and I laughed as he pressed his lips to mine. Stifling my laughter, I kissed him back. This felt right. This felt better than agreeing to become Haven’s boyfriend, and it felt much better than receiving an A on a test I studied all night for. This - kissing Delcan when I know there’s a 60% chance my parents are watching - is what I’ve been missing. I sighed as Delcan put his hand behind my neck, his fingers touching the ends of my hair.
We both pulled away at the same time, but Delcan didn’t move back to his seat. “Thank you for the date,” I said, breathless. “And thank you...for that.” Delcan looked down at my hands, which was going up and down his arm.
“Any time.”
I turned my head to see if the curtains to our house had moved, but it stayed silent. Truly, the home was beautiful from the outside, all of the secrets nestled beneath each door. Looking back at Delcan, I kissed him on the cheek. He looked up at me when I moved, and I wished I could stay here forever. I wish I could waltz into school, kiss Delcan, and admit that I had everything in my arms.
But I couldn’t, because nothing good lasts forever.
With his eyes amber, Delcan gave me finger guns awkwardly. “See you tomorrow,” he said.
I smiled. “Yeah.”
Delcan and I watched each other for another few seconds, and then I opened my door, almost falling out. He smiled, biting his lip as I gave him a wave. “Drive safe boyfriend.”
“Walk safe, boyfriend.”
Delcan hopped into the driver’s seat, giving me a wink as he drove away, moving probably twenty miles less than I was. Shaking my head, I walked the half-mile into my driveway, opening up the door silently. The time was 9:30, meaning I couldn’t be bothered for coming home late.
Mom was sitting in the living room, and for a second, I wanted to run over to her and tell her all about my night. Instead, I shoved my hands into my pockets, watching her as she turned around, her blonde hair falling behind her back. “Hi, baby,” she smiled. “Why were you out so late tonight?”
I shrugged. “I guess we all have our secrets, right Mom?”
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