Dirty Little Secrets

Chapter Eleven

“I’d trade all of my tomorrows for just one yesterday.” –Fall Out Boy, Just One Yesterday

I had a lot of things on my mind that weekend.

            I had my arguing parents to worry about (divorce seemed imminent), a meth-addicted best friend and her drug-dealing friend with benefits, and the whole prank person who knew my secret.

Not much took me by surprise anymore; I was kind of numb to that kind of thing.

Still, when the doorbell rang early Saturday morning, a flash of shock still bolted through my veins. No one ever dared make their way into the coveted Stryker mansion, and not even Perrie really dared to step into the fortress of heartache and broken dreams.

I slowly descended the staircase, walking into the foyer and opening the door—since neither my mother or father were home. I almost gasped (I was pretty sure my jaw may have dropped slightly) when I saw none other than Zachary Templeton standing on the walk before me, a bouquet of roses in his hands.

“Zach?” I whispered, looking around nervously as if I were the brunt of a bad joke. “What are you doing here?”

He let out a breath. “I’ve been a jerk,” Zach said. “And I know that now. So I came here to make it right.” He held out the roses, almost nervously. “These are for you.”

            “They’re beautiful,” I said honestly, appraising the velvet red of them. “Thank you.”

I looked around, before taking his hand and leading him up the grand staircase and into my room, which was thankfully kind of clean. The doors of my closet were shut, meaning Zach had no way of seeing my Wall of Secrets.

“Look, Cammie,” Zach said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “What happened at my house—I’m sorry. I know that what I did is wrong.”

“Which part?” I asked, setting the bouquet on my desk and turning around to face Zach with my arms crossed over my chest. “The part about blaming me for sleeping with you, or the part about your girlfriend?”

“Both,” he said. “I was an idiot. I know I’m not the best person, but I’m trying. I broke up with Katie yesterday.”

I raised an eyebrow, taken aback for some strange reason. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I told her it was over and I’d fallen for someone else. The only problem is that I’m not sure if that girl likes me back.”

            “Well, why don’t you ask her?” I responded, smiling slightly. “Maybe if you’re lucky she’ll say yes.”

He stepped forward and cupped my jaw, before bringing my lips to his in a passionate kiss. I breathed in deeply and twined my arms around his neck, pulling him closer until we were pressed flush against each other. His hands moved up and down my waist and hips, his fingertips softly grazing the skin and sending shivers down my spine. His lips were soft and warm, and the kiss tasted of peppermint gum. It was intoxicating and addictive and perfect.