Catalyst (The Best Days #1) Read online

“Uh, are you even listening?” Hilary’s tone was sharp. The pretty, popular teenager wasn’t used to being ignored and quite obviously didn’t like it one bit. People were supposed to turn and stare in envy or lust when she paraded into the room with her nose stuck in the air…and they usually did. For Rory to note hang on her every word was a blatant insult.

  Rory blinked. “Huh?” Honestly, she hadn’t been listening. Sometimes it was easiest to just tune Hilary out while she went on and on about whatever her latest “project” happened to be.

  Said “projects” could become tiring after a while, especially since, more often than not, they involved doing something forbidden. Hilary was pretty and popular and definitely knew how to have fun, but sometimes she secretly got on Rory’s nerves. She could be self-serving and reckless at the best of times and was all too happy to let someone else take the fall for her if need be. Although Rory considered Hilary a friend, she also walked on eggshells around her to some extent.

  “I said can you get your brother to buy us booze on Friday night?”

  Rory raised an eyebrow. “No...Justin’s away at college,” she replied, surprised that Hilary didn’t remember. “He won’t be home until summer, but even then it will only be for a couple of weeks. He isn’t moving back in this summer because he met some girl in one of his classes and doesn’t want to spend four whole months away from her.”

  Rory wasn’t sure how to feel about her brother not moving home. It would be the first summer without him – every other year he’d happily come home so he could spend four glorious months irritating her. As stinky and annoying as he could be, it would be strange to not spend the summer screaming at him to get out of the bathroom or turn down his music or stop deliberately standing in front of the TV while she was trying to watch.

  She was happy Justin loved his life away at college, but couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that he’d rather stay there than return to the O’Neil household. It felt like a slap in the face, although Rory knew without a doubt she’d do the same thing if she was in his situation. After all, who didn’t want to be in love?

  Hilary’s eyes narrowed briefly, and then she shrugged. “Fine, whatever, Jeremy can probably pull for us...he’s been able to before.”

  Rory had stopped listening again. Instead, she sat with her head resting on her hands, elbows on the table. Carson Keller had just walked into the cafeteria.

  Whenever he entered a room, everything else in Rory’s world faded into the background.

  Rory had been watching and waiting for him, of course. She always did. She always would. She lived and breathed for him. Well, maybe not literally, but it sounded awfully romantic when she thought of it that way. His presence had a way of lighting up the room. When he was around, she found it tough to concentrate on much else.

  Today was no different. He walked in with a couple of his football buddies, talking and laughing. He looked as handsome as always in his expensive jeans and letterman jacket. Even when he was just standing around in a high school cafeteria, there was something about Carson that said he was going places.

  A mousey looking girl standing in front of him dropped the small backpack she was balancing on top of her lunch tray and it fell to the floor. Without missing a beat, Carson picked it up and handed it to her, not seeming to know or care that as per high school code, a jock shouldn’t be associating with the likes of her.

  Inwardly, Rory smiled to herself. He wasn’t like the other jocks, most of whom were rowdy buffoons or womanizing man-sluts. Carson was different. He had class. He treated people with respect no matter who they were. He acted as though he didn’t know or care that he was a star football player and one of the best looking guys in the school.

  “I bet Carson is going to be at the party,” Hilary predicted, her voice low and husky as she followed Rory’s infatuated gaze. “I mean, everyone who’s not a total loser will be there. Are you finally going to make a move?”

  Rory’s face went red. She’d been crushing on Carson for what felt like forever. Rory had hung out with him casually in a group a few times but was always left feeling flustered and inferior. It wasn’t that he made her feel that way, of course. No, Carson had always been perfectly nice to her. But she always ended up kicking herself for not knowing what to say to him.

  She desperately wanted to be his girlfriend, but if she kept clamming up whenever he was around she knew it would never happen. Hell, it probably wouldn’t happen anyway.

  Carson had everything going for him. He was athletic and ambitious, though that wasn’t why Rory was attracted to him. Rory didn’t have an athletic bone in her body, so she didn’t particularly care how many touchdowns Carson got. She wasn’t very bookish either. The reason she liked Carson so much was that he had an air of mystery about him.

  She’d been watching him. The high school senior hadn’t dated anyone in over a year. Rory didn’t understand why…he could probably have any girl he wanted with his tall, athletic build, short dark hair and easy smile.

  He wasn’t just easy on the eyes. Carson also had a quiet confidence that Rory found very attractive. It was like he was self-assured enough to not feel the need to gloat about it. Despite his popularity, he seemed almost introverted, as though he preferred to hang back from the crowd and people watch.

  The fact that Carson was a bit standoffish attracted Rory to him, maybe because that was so different from her own personality. Rory was animated and bubbly enough that she needed someone like Carson to balance her out. Being with an outgoing, life-of-the-party sort of guy just wouldn’t work. It would be like he and Rory were in competition or something. But with Carson, it seemed like the dynamic would be perfect.

  Rory had noticed him watching her on occasion – at least she hoped she hadn’t imagined it. He didn’t leer the way some of the creepy high school morons did, their eyes crawling over Rory’s curves like she was just a piece of meat. No, Carson seemed to actually see her. Every time their eyes met, little shockwaves of excitement exploded in Rory’s body.

  She liked to imagine that somehow, Carson saw past her giggly demeanor. At the end of the day, it was all a façade. Not many people knew that about Rory. They thought she was just naturally drawn to the limelight, always eager to have all eyes on her. But that wasn’t the case…not really.

  The truth was that Rory was deeply insecure. She couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment in her life when her confidence had plummeted. Most likely it was the result of a million little things – her brainy younger sister’s A+ report cards hanging on the fridge, her athletic older brother’s room full of sports trophies...it was difficult being the only unremarkable child in the family.

  But the popular kids preyed on the weak. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that and Rory had figured it out early on. That’s why she’d made sure to wear the right clothes, say the right things and hang out with the right people when she’d started high school. It had been a survival mechanism, really. And it had worked.

  But sometimes when Carson was absentmindedly looking in Rory’s direction, she liked to imagine he was looking past her meticulously applied makeup and carefully styled but infuriatingly uncooperative hair. (The cruel reality was that some days it looked better when she did nothing to it than when she spent half an hour styling – and cursing at – it. It was almost enough to make her throw her hands up in defeat and resort to boring, low-maintenance ponytails like her sister’s…almost.)

  In reality, Carson was probably just wondering why Rory was such a dull, boring person. Or maybe he thought she was standoffish and rude because she never really knew what to say to him. She hated that he might think those things of her, but she could understand if he did. Rory didn’t think she was dull or boring and she knew she wasn’t usually standoffish or rude, but Carson brought out something strange in her.

  Rory had conversations with Carson in her head a million times a day, but whenever the opportunity to actually talk to him presented itself, she found herself at a
loss for words. It was highly unusual for the normally spirited, talkative social butterfly, but he had a peculiar effect on her.

  Rory always seemed to clam up around Carson. In fact, she doubted she’d ever said more than ten words to him. Truth be told, even though they’d hung out in a group on occasion, she wasn’t sure he even knew her name.

  “I said,” Hilary repeated herself impatiently, “Are you finally going to make a move?”

  “I don’t know,” Rory mumbled, suddenly very intent on studying her plastic bag full of carrot sticks. They were so...orange. And they tasted like carrots. Gross.

  Hilary pursed her lips disapprovingly. Rory hated when she did that as it usually meant she was going to go off on someone. Oftentimes, that someone was Rory. For a so-called friend, Hilary was kind of a bitch.

  “You’d better do it.” Hilary informed Rory bossily. “It will be your last chance. He’s graduating this year, dummy. Next year he’ll be off to college and you won’t have a hope in hell of getting with him then.”

  Rory sighed. Even though the advice was really just a giftwrapped insult, Hilary was probably right. “Do you think I have a shot with him now?” Rory asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling even more insecure than usual.

  Maybe she was fooling herself. Maybe Carson was out of her league. After all, why would he want Rory when he could be with a skinny cheerleader, the age old cliché? That coupling made sense. Carson and Rory, the unremarkable blonde girl with a muffin top who just happened to sit at the cool kids’ table, didn’t.

  She bit her lip apprehensively, bracing herself for Hilary’s answer.

  Hilary shrugged noncommittally as she inspected her picture perfect manicure and then pulled a nail file out of her canary yellow carry on suitcase sized purse. “You’ll never know if you don’t try. I mean, the worst that can happen is he laughs in your face and rejects you in front of everyone, right?”

  A loyal, kind, supportive friend was one thing Hilary was not. But she was fun. A bright smile lit up her pretty face again. “The party is going to be amazing!” she proclaimed confidently. “Just wait, you’ll see! Everyone will be talking about it for years to come!”

  Rory didn’t answer. Even though she hated to admit it, Hilary’s cavalier comments had stung. While she was excited by the prospect of a killer party, she also couldn’t help but wonder whether Carson would ever be interested in her or if she was wasting her time.

  * * * * *

  It was fifth period. Rory was supposed to be in algebra class, but was bored out of her mind – not to mention starving to death. Thankfully, her algebra teacher had slipped out of the room halfway through the class like he normally did.

  That had provided Rory the opportunity to ditch the class herself.

  There were all sorts of theories about where the thirty-something year old algebra teacher went and what he did during that time when he disappeared from Room 103. Speculation ran rampant amongst the students. Masturbating in the janitor’s closet was a top contender, as was getting high in the teachers’ lounge.

  Of course, it was more likely he was just chatting with colleagues in the teachers’ lounge or enjoying a long, leisurely smoke in an empty classroom, but those theories weren’t nearly as scandalous and therefore, they were quickly discarded. The Belleview High gossip mill’s motto was the more outrageous, the better.

  The point was that Rory was able to slip out of the classroom at precisely 2:31 p.m. like usual. She immediately made a beeline to the vending machine outside the cafeteria.

  Who could survive on carrot sticks and diet soda? Glancing over her shoulder, she hurriedly bought two bags of chips and a chocolate bar, her stomach growling angrily. She then quickly made her way to the girls’ bathroom located outside the school gym. She always went to that one because it was usually deserted so she could enjoy her mid-afternoon junk food break in privacy.

  Rory slipped into the furthest stall from the door, dropped her oversized purse and algebra textbook on the floor and tore into the wrapper of her chocolate bar frantically.

  “Mmm,” she moaned as she sunk her teeth into the forbidden chocolaty goodness. It was gooey and dripping with caramel. It was heavenly.

  The diet that Rory and her friends were on was crazy, she concluded, pushing away thoughts of guilt and inadequacy. She always ended up lightheaded and woozy by mid-afternoon if she didn’t have a snack. The only reasonable thing to do, Rory had eventually concluded, was to cheat on her diet.

  How could her friends do it? She wondered if they secretly cheated on their diets, too. Maybe a few of them did, Rory decided, but not Hilary. Hilary was supermodel thin, to the point where Rory hated to stand next to her lest their asses be compared. Rory wasn’t exactly fat but she definitely had curves – too many, in her opinion.

  The chocolate and potato chips probably didn’t help.

  When Rory had polished off her hoard of junk food, she wandered out of the stall and thoughtfully studied her reflection in the mirror above the sinks. She didn’t look like she binged on junk food every afternoon, she decided, even though like every teenage girl she thought she could stand to lose a few pounds.

  Rory wished she was tan like Hilary, but she had what her mother referred to as a “peaches and cream” complexion. At least she didn’t suffer from acne the way that one sophomore girl did…Rory didn’t even know her name as everyone simply referred to her as Pizza Face.

  Rory also had her long, stick straight blonde hair going for her - people were always complimenting it even though some days she felt like it was the bane of her existence. Her eyes looked even bluer than usual under the florescent lighting and her generous application of black mascara made them pop.

  She smiled tentatively at her reflection and then scrambled to wipe chocolate off her front tooth. She didn’t look so bad, although her opinion might inexplicably change at any moment. She was beginning to feel hopeful that maybe Carson could be attracted to her after all.

  Suddenly the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Had she really been in there that long? Pulling herself away from the mirror, Rory collected her belongings from the bathroom stall. She threw the crumpled junk food wrappers in the trash and, satisfied that all evidence of her binge had been concealed, hurried out into the hallway.

  Ten minutes later, Rory stood by her best friend Sheck Jackson’s locker, impatiently waiting for him to show up. Even though she was frequently tardy herself, Rory couldn’t stand to be kept waiting! Sheck jokingly called her a diva. Rory retorted that she simply knew what she wanted.

  Rory’s parents were good friends with the Jacksons. The families were also neighbours, with the Jacksons living three houses down from the O’Neils. For as long as Rory could remember, the children had moved freely between the two homes.

  Every summer her brother Justin, Sheck and their dads would block off the road and play street hockey late into the night. It had become a long standing tradition and was something Rory had always looked forward to even though she didn’t play herself. The friendly rivalry was fun and there was something nice about just hanging out on the front porch cheering on her team and heckling the opponents.

  Ever since he’d gotten his driver’s licence last year, Sheck faithfully picked Rory up in the mornings for high school and drove her home in the afternoons. He was ridiculously proud to be cruising around in his parents’ old station wagon. It wasn’t glamorous but he had a car and at seventeen years old that meant independence and freedom.

  It worked out well because Rory didn’t have her licence yet. After failing her first driving exam, she’d refused to try again; the only thing more embarrassing than failing once would be failing twice. And she hated taking the bus. Thank God for Sheck.

  Of course, it would be even better if Sheck was punctual. He was probably off flirting with that little redheaded freshman who’d caught his eye. She was cute, Rory guessed, if freckles were your thing.

  “Hey Rory” came a voice from behind he
r.

  Wait – she knew that voice. She dreamed about that voice! Rory spun around, dropping her textbook in the process, and came face to face with Carson Keller. His dark hair was sexily askew and she longed to reach out and brush it out of his handsome face.

  “Hi,” she croaked, her voice suddenly failing her. Why did that always happen? Her voice, just like her hair, was a dirty, stinking traitor.

  “What’s going on?” Carson asked, effortlessly picking up her textbook and handing it to her. Her heart fluttered at the tiny, insignificant act of chivalry. He was so gorgeous. He could be talking to any girl in the crowded hallway right now, but he was talking to her. Ohgodyes.

  Rory swallowed hard, praying she wouldn’t make an ass of herself. “Just riding on my wait,” she blurted out and then immediately cringed. Shitshitshitshit. He was going to think she was an idiot – and she was an idiot! How could she have said that? Not only were her hair and voice traitors, but apparently so was her brain!

  Carson’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement and a grin played over his perfect, oh-so-kissable lips. “I see. Your boyfriend’s running late,” he observed over his shoulder as he turned away and began fiddling with the combination on his locker.

  A look of confusion passed over Rory’s face. “Sheck? Oh no, he’s not my boyfriend,” she informed Carson quickly, anxious to clear up his misconception.

  “He’s not?”

  “He’s just a friend. I mean neighbor…well, he’s my friend and neighbor,” Rory babbled nervously, unable to stop talking even as her brain screamed at her to shut up. “He lives three houses down…our families are friends. We’ve, uh…we’ve never dated,” she finished lamely, cursing herself for getting tongue tied.

  Carson stopped rummaging through his locker and turned around to look at Rory. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, Rory noted giddily. “I’d just assumed you two were a couple since I always see you together. My bad...so um, are you still dating that other guy you were with last year?”

  Rory raised an eyebrow. “Oh, him…I wouldn’t say we dated. We only went out once or twice,” she said dismissively. “I’m not dating anyone.”