Living Silver

September 7th, 9:53 am.

I liked being around Pax, but with school started up again, it got harder and harder to see him or hang out with him alone. Whenever we got bored in class and needed to get out, even if it was just to walk around the halls for ten minutes a day, we would usually text each other “S.O.S” and excuse ourselves to go to the bathroom. Of course, walking around roughly translated to slipping in a few quick kisses around corners when no one was looking. And after the first two days, we both began to keep track of what classrooms were in use and when, so that we could avoid accidentally walking in on a teacher giving a lesson to two or three students. We had made that mistake the first day.

“I have to go to class,” I laughed. “I’ve been out for like, twenty minutes now.”

Pax scoffed and ran his hand down my arm. “Like your teacher cares. She’s asleep half the time.”

“True, but I think Karlee is going to notice a trend when I disappear for this long every day and come back with a face as red as a tomato,” I said. “You haven’t told anyone about us, have you?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s our business. But I can tell you feel guilty about not saying anything to her.”

“And Trey,” I nodded. “Are we ever going to tell them?”

“Well I’m not going to but if you think it’s better that way, we can.”

I thought about it for a second, and then shook my head. “I don’t want to. I feel bad about keeping it from them but it would just cause more problems if we told them than if we didn’t. Besides, sneaking around is kind of fun.”

Pax grinned. “Yeah, I like it.” He kissed me quickly. “Must pee. Go to class.” He stepped around me and hit me on the butt quickly, before he disappeared into the boy’s bathroom. I smiled and walked back down the hall, but when I was just about to turn to get back into the math hall, I saw Dalton and Ruby standing together against a series of lockers. My curiosity and my need to eavesdrop on two of the most popular people in school got the best of me, and I hid around the corner, listening to their every word.

“So how are we going to pull this off?” Ruby asked, rubbing her arm and biting her lip. “This is going to be really hard. There is no way they’ll fall for it.”

“We can do it. Don’t worry. She’s as gullible as a three year old and he’s too love-struck to even be mad at us once this is over,” Dalton replied, putting his arm up by her head. “Come on. Who cares about them anyway? By the time this is over, they’ll be thanking us.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on,” he said, turning his body more so he was standing in front of her. He pushed her hair back behind her ear and my jaw dropped. She was dating Trey, and yet she was just standing there, letting him put his hands on her like that. “It’s not like you even like her, or him.”

“We’re talking about ruining someone’s life here,” she said. “This will totally set the school dynamic off course.”

“Who cares? It’ll be for the best. Everything will fall into place eventually and we’ll both get what we want,” Dalton said, smiling at her. “Are you with me or not? I can’t do this without you.”

“How are you going to seduce her? She doesn’t fall for people that easy. She’s a hard-ass,” Ruby replied, looking down at her shoes. “It’s going to take a lot of effort.”

He only shrugged. “I can do it. If I can get in with her friends first, then I’ll have some leeway. Give me a chance; I’ll get it done.”

She nodded. “I hope so. This has to go according to plan or we’re all screwed.”

“Got it. I have to get to class now.” Dalton kissed Ruby on the forehead and walked down the hall toward me, so I quickly came around the corner to make sure he wouldn’t get suspicious. He looked at me for a minute as I passed, and a smirk came onto his face. I heard him snicker once he was behind me, but I ignored it. When I looked at Ruby she remained against the lockers, her arms folded. She smiled at me, but I didn’t smile back.

What were they planning?



Only three days into the new school year and Karlee and Dalton were—from what I saw—on their way to a relationship. It made my blood boil because ever since the beginning of the time, it was basically written in the stars that she was supposed to be with Trey. It was even more frustrating because I just wanted to bash their heads together so they got some common sense. Trey was dating Ruby still, which I really didn’t understand, and Karlee was lusting after Dalton, who had my head spinning after witnessing him in the hall with Ruby today. I didn’t know what to think about him, and I also didn’t know if what I had seen meant he they were hooking up behind Trey’s back. But if that was the case, I was going to kick some ass. I had spent all lunch period with Karlee, Trey and Pax, getting extra help on math homework because I just couldn’t get the hang of it but every time I looked up, Karlee was looking at Dalton and he was looking right back at her. I didn’t want to make anything obvious, so I pretended that I knew nothing

I smirked at her. “You and Dalton have some love affair thing going on now?” I asked. “It’s only reaching the end of the week and already she’s made a new friend.”

“They’ve hardly even spoken,” Trey said, putting his hands behind his head comfortably and crossing her legs. Karlee glared at him, but he just grinned. I knew that he was acting bitter and saying those snarky little comments to make himself feel better. Dalton and Trey really couldn’t stand each other, but they acted like they did unless they had the opportunity to unleash their anger on each other. I knew that having Dalton and Karlee exchanging private looks and secret smiles all day was only making Trey even more stressed than he already was about keeping his feelings hidden from her. I had a feeling that his fury was going to bubble to the surface any day now. I could only hope that I wouldn’t be around to see him explode.

“Say Trey, how’s Ruby doing?” I asked, crossing my arms over my binder. I felt the need to change the topic.

He raised his eyebrows at me, confused. “Why do you two keep asking me that?”

“We’re curious,” I answered. I could see Karlee looking at me out of the corner of my eye. Trey shrugged his shoulders.

“She’s fine, I guess. Nothing really new, though,” he replied. I nodded and looked at Karlee now.

“What?” she mouthed, eyebrows furrowed. I pointed to the door of the cafeteria once I was sure that Trey wasn’t looking. Karlee understood then, cleared her throat awkwardly and pushed her chair back. She stood up quickly. “Well, Andy and I are going to the bathroom together now.”

“Thanks for the info,” Pax said, looking disgusted. “Didn’t need to know that.”

I jumped out of my seat and walked out of the cafeteria. I turned the corner once we had gone down the ramp and rubbed my hands on my jeans, a little nervous.

“What’s going on? You looked like you couldn’t have gotten out of there fast enough. Is something wrong?” Karlee asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“Sort of,” I said, shifting my weight to the other foot. I didn’t know how to word it, but I knew I needed to say something. If she was interested in Dalton, and he was fooling around with Ruby, than that meant Trey was being treated on and she was following a loser. They both needed to dump those two on their asses, even though nothing had really happened between Karlee and Dalton to this point. At least it was a start. “Okay, uhm . . . I was walking down the hall during second period, right? I was just heading to the bathroom to do a mirror check and, well, I ran into Ruby and Dalton.”

She looked very confused. “Okay?”

“They were kind of . . . really close to each other.”

She just shrugged. “Well they’re friends—have been for years. Maybe that’s normal for them.”

I shook my head assertively. “No way. This was different.”

“What, do you think Ruby’s cheating on him?” she asked, eyes widening.

“I don’t know but it’s worth investigating,” I said, biting my lip. “The way they were touching, that isn’t something that friends do. I mean, Trey doesn’t run his fingers through your hair or stand so close to you like he’s about to kiss you.” But he wanted to.

She paused. “That would be weird. All right, I’ll check it out.”

“Maybe you could talk to Dalton?” I suggested, but was really begging her so I could figure out what was going on. I would have talked to him, but even Hailey wasn’t as intimidating. “I can’t. I haven’t said even two words to him. At least you two have had conversation and you and Trey are better friends than he and I are so Dalton would understand you being pissed off. If I confronted him, he’d probably just ask who the hell I am and completely forget what the point of me talking to him even was.”

She shrugged. “I guess. But I hardly talk to him as it is, Andy. It’s only been like, twice.”

“So?”

Karlee sighed, frustrated. “Okay, fine, I’ll talk to him. You big chicken.”

I grinned. “I know.”



September 9th, 6:12 pm.

“So I found another one of these little shiny things in the bottom of your locker,” Pax said, leaning on the counter and holding up a silver pearl. “I guess this guy is still crazy about you, huh?”

I cocked a brow at him and took the pearl, setting the bracelet down on the counter and untying it. Then I slipped the recent pearl on and tied the string back up. “Why were you in my locker?” I asked, pushing the bracelet back up my wrist.

“I left my textbook in your locker, remember? You gave me the combination.” He widened his eyes at me, hoping I would remember and when I nodded, he went on. “Anyway, I went to grab it before I went home and the pearl was just sitting at the bottom. Seems as if your admirer still has a major crush on you.”

“I think it’s sweet,” I said, turning away from him and grabbing the flour from the cupboard. My hospitality class had me working in partners together on a project where we had to make something simple, like cupcakes—which we were doing now—and then test our skills with something difficult. I had yet to choose that but with Pax around, chances were it wasn’t going to be hard at all. The boy certainly knew his way around the kitchen. I had practically dragged him into it because I chose to work without a partner, so I kept him firmly by my side in case I screwed up.

“Didn’t you used to think it was creepy?” he asked.

“Yeah, a little bit but it’s something that grows on you.”

“Like body hair?”

I scowled at him in disgust. “That’s gross.”

“I know but I’ve been waiting all day for an opportunity to say that,” he said with a shrug. I tossed him the container of baking soda and he had to step back to catch it or it would have whipped him in the face. “Rude.”

I smiled and got the rest of the ingredients out of the cupboard and walked around the counter space to stand beside Pax. He looked over the recipe and began separating and measuring everything. I remembered then, that every time we were in the kitchen baking together it was customary to start a flour fight. I grabbed a handful out of the bag while he was distracted with the eggs and reached my hand back, tossing it onto the back of his pants. Then I smiled, satisfied, and walked over to the sink to wash my hands.

“All right, powder time,” he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs. I glanced over my shoulder at him and saw his face squish into a look of confusion and when he lifted his hands up to his face, they were covered with the egg remains when he put the shells on the counter, and now the flour as well. “What the hell?” he asked.

I couldn’t hold back the laugh. “Awh, poor Pax. Maybe you should watch where you put your ass.”

He raised an eyebrow expectantly, smirking. “That sounds dirty.”

I paused. “Oh.”

“You do realize that you’re in the corner of the room and I have the bag of flour next to me, while you have nothing . . .” He picked it up then and stepped slowly toward me. I only blinked at him, and grabbed the bag of icing off the counter and pointed it at him.

“Don’t take another step.”

He scoffed. “Damn you, I’ll make a bitch parfait.”

“Come at me!” I exclaimed, and he tossed the entire bag at my front side. At the same time, I squeezed the icing bag and it shot him in the face.

“Ow! Not in the eye!” he yelled, dropping the flour on the ground and covering his face. I laughed and tossed the bag to the side of the room, feeling suddenly sympathetic.

“I’m sorry. I was just aiming for the shirt. I wasn’t expecting—”

I suddenly had a huge lump of icing land on the top of my head, and my jaw dropped while Pax just stood in front of me with a cocky, satisfied, deceiving grin on his face. He poked me in the hip and when I lunged for him, he ducked down where I couldn’t see and slipped behind me. The icing my trickling down my forehead and into my eye and I quickly wiped it off, but not fast enough, because Pax’s arms wrapped around my waist and he spun me in a circle so I couldn’t get at him. I laughed, and tried to elbow him from behind but it didn’t work. He shifted away and put me down, but when he did that he put me down on his own feet. Then he tried to move, but we both toppled to the ceramic floor with a screech.

My head hit the handle of the cupboard, and his hit the countertop.

“Ow,” we both moaned, then took a look at each other and burst out laughing, forgetting about the pain we had just experienced.

“There’s going to be a bruise there tomorrow,” I said, putting my hand on the back of his head. “Are you okay?”

“You’re bleeding!” he exclaimed, eyes wide. “Shit. One second.”

“I am?” I brought my hand to my own head. “Are you sure that’s not just the icing?” But Pax was already jumping up and wetting a cloth with warm water. “Pax, I’m fine,” I laughed.

“Fine people don’t bleed,” he said, turning off the tap. He bent down in front of me and dabbed gently at the cut. I winced. “I’m a jerk. This is the second time in like, two weeks that I’ve made you bleed.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Do you have to bring that up?”

“Sorry.”

Nick stepped into the kitchen suddenly—looked at the mess and then looked at Pax and I on the floor—and frowned. “What the hell did you do this time?” he spat out. Pax looked at me for a minute, debating whether or not to say something. I just shook my head at him because I didn’t feel like seeing him get his ass kicked by my big brother.

“We were baking,” I said.

“Could have fooled me. It looks like you were plotting the Apocalypse,” he said, reaching across the counter and grabbing an apple.

“Ha ha,” I said dryly, pushing myself off the floor and offering Pax my hand once I was on my feet again. He took it and helped me to hoist him back up as well. Since Nick’s program was only two years in class and he was now participating in a paid internship, he had, unfortunately, not returned to University and left me in peace. He was going back to the states to continue with it, but not for another week and we were all flying out to help him settle. His course required a co-op or a substitute for it, so when he found an advertisement for the internship, he jumped right on it but University started two weeks prior to what he was involved in. I had looked forward to seeing him go away, because I was tired of fighting with him.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Nick asked, and cast a quick, curious look at Pax. “Alone?”

“Uhm, sure.” I looked at Pax and he put his hands up, walking into the living room while he dusted himself off, dropping a path of ingredients along the way. If he ever got lost, all I had to do was follow the flour trail he left on the floor. I crossed my arms and turned back to my brother.

“I want to . . . apologize,” he said, casting his narrow eyes to the side so he didn’t have to look at me when I said it. I let my smirk show proudly on my face, and he grunted. “I’m sorry.”

“For?” I asked, needing to hear him say that he was out of line.

“For acting out on you, and pretending that your problems weren’t important. I—” He stopped himself in the middle of his sentence when he looked back at me, and I was still staring at him, amused. He let out a deep breath. “I was wrong.”

“I can imagine this is very hard for you,” I teased.

“Oh, it is.”

“I forgive you.”

He looked up, surprised. “That easily? Wow. I was expecting to get slapped or something.”

“Why would I slap you if you’re apologizing?” I asked, confused.

“Because you enjoy slapping me.”

I chuckled. “That’s true.”

“Are we cool?” Nick asked, putting his hand out to me. Any time we said we were sorry to each other for something, it was never glamorous. Neither of us made a big thing out of it, because we knew that the very next day, we would be right back to arguing with each other again. I took it and gave it a quick, firm shake.

“We’re cool,” I said. “Now get out of here. I have homework to do.”

“Got it . . .” He smirked at me. “Squirt.” He poked my stomach and I looked down, but his finger quickly hit me in the nose and he walked out of the kitchen laughing.

“You’re a jerk and I will kill you!” I yelled at him.

He stuck his head back around the corner very quickly and smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”



September 12th, 8:39 pm.

Karlee and Dalton were getting a lot closer, and I really didn’t like it. When Pax, Trey, Karlee and myself all went out for dinner with her parents and she had ran into him, it became obvious that something was going on. The minute she left the table to go speak with him, Trey got all pouty, and it really just killed me to see him like that. Trey walked home with Pax and me while Karlee left with her family, and to say that it was awkward was an understatement.

“Andy,” Trey said, giving me a little nudge. “You’re a lot happier lately.”

I was confused, and it obviously showed. “I am?”

“Yeah, I noticed it a while ago but I just didn’t say anything. Don’t you think she looks happier, Pax?” he asked, hitting his brother on the arm. Pax froze, seemed to stutter over his words for a second and then took a quick look at me.

“Uhm, I don’t know,” he said. I knew that if I was happier lately, it was because of him. I loved spending time with him, even if it wasn’t the hooking up part but he had a way to just make me instantly cheer up the minute I saw him. But I wasn’t about to tell Trey that.

“I’m just happy to be back at school,” I said, and felt pathetic for thinking he would actually buy that. He looked at me doubtfully and I shook my head, giving myself enough time to think up a better excuse. “I’m happy that Hailey’s gone?”

I probably shouldn’t have said it like it was a question.

“Yeah, whatever,” Trey laughed, and I heard Pax join in on it as well. “I bet it has something to do with a boy.” My eyes went wide and he smiled. “I won’t say anything. Relax. I don’t want to harass you about whoever you’re interested in.”

“And who says I’m interested in someone?” I snapped a little too harshly.

“Your face.”

I frowned. “Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“No!”

“Oh. Well I don’t like anyone.”

The twins looked at each other. “All right,” Trey said, and we all fell back into a silent line. When we got to their house around quarter to nine, Trey went right inside to work on his homework but Pax stayed outside with me. It was a pretty humid night for September, and the sun had hidden behind the trees.

“What are we going to do about those two?” Pax asked, leaning back against the car in his driveway and putting his hands in his pockets. His dark jeans and black t-shirt really helped to show off his muscles, and it made me tingle inside because I got to touch them whenever I wanted to.

“We could tell her the truth, but that probably wouldn’t help,” I said, lifting my shoulders. “Other than that, we can’t do much of anything.”

Pax smiled and looked passed me at the grass. “Want to play some basketball?” he asked.

“Sure.” I walked over and picked up the ball, tossing it to him. He caught it and dribbled it between his legs, before throwing it at the net. It hit the backboard and came right back at him.

“Damnit,” he said flatly, pushing himself to a standing position and walking around to stand directly in front of the net. “How are your classes? I remember you said you had some guy bothering you in first period?”

“Oh. Yeah, he’s still as annoying as he ever was,” I said. I had met Liam Mackie in biology when I asked him if he had a pencil sharpener I could borrow, and he took that as some sort of invitation to sit down on my other side and chat up a storm. Of course, the one person I expected to save me from him actually took pleasure in seeing my discomfort be broadcasted so obviously. Liam didn’t see it though, because he talked until my head nearly fell off. And Trey . . . well, Trey just found it hilarious.

“My brother isn’t helping the situation all that much, is he?” Pax said, taking another shot at the net but it bounced off the rim this time, and rolled right to my feet. I picked it up and shook my head.

“Nope. But that’s kind of expected, after knowing him for so long,” I said, dribbling the ball and throwing it at the net. It hit the back and fell in.

“Nice shot,” Pax smiled, picking up the ball. “So you don’t like this guy, I take it?”

“Trey? No, I don’t go for guys that are in love already.”

He laughed. “No, Liam.”

I snorted unattractively. “If you even have to ask that question, you’ve got a problem,” I said, tapping him on the side of the head. He dropped the ball, grabbed my hand and backed me up against the car all in one fluid motion. Then he pressed his lips against mine rather roughly, but it softened after a few seconds. I didn’t even care that people were probably watching from out their windows, or how an old lady and her dog were walking past us and the dog was now sniffing my feet. It only lasted for a second, and then they were gone.

I gave him a thump on the chest and he grunted, but didn’t move away. “Aren’t you worried your brother’s going to see us?”

“Not really. When he gets into his homework, not even a naked Karlee could draw his attention away from it,” he said. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Okay, maybe a naked Karlee.”

I kissed him again, just because I could. I liked kissing Pax; it was just so relaxing and it felt like something we should be doing all the time. But it also felt like something was missing and it wasn’t that the chemistry wasn’t there—it was definitely there—but it was because we couldn’t do it all the time. The worst part about hooking up with someone was that even the smallest twinge of feeling could set everything off. I had held his hand before while we just lied around on my couch and watched television together, but that was as far as it could go. We couldn’t touch each other outside of our houses, because we were only hooking up, and a relationship was out of the question. It was something we agreed on. I didn’t want to screw things up with him, but I didn’t want this to be how it was all the time.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted more from him, but I didn’t want to think about it right now. I just knew that eventually, it would come down the whether we did want to be with each other outside of our bedrooms, or if this was as far as it was ever going to get.

Pax pulled back and smiled, putting his hands on my hips. “So I make you happy, huh?”

I blushed. “I never said that.”

“You never didn’t say it,” he retaliated. I opened my mouth, prepared to retort but I couldn’t think of anything, so I just closed it again. Pax chuckled and kissed my nose sweetly. “I make you happy.”

“You’re making me frustrated right now,” I grumbled.

“All right,” he said, leaning back to look me in the eyes and pushing my hair back behind my ear. “An eye for an eye, huh? To tell you the truth, you make me happy too.”

“I do?”

Pax grinned. “Andy, I can’t imagine myself being this close with anyone. So yes, if that answers your question,” he said. “You make me very happy.”