Forgetting Naomi

Chapter Four

                                                                 NAOMI 

Humiliation rolled through me. Why did Trent have to see me this way? Falling had been bad enough, but this? For him and everyone to see me covered in ketchup. It was beyond embarrassing.  

Oh, God!  

"Please put me down." 

Trent ignored me. He just kept walking, his face fierce and so close to mine, closer than it had been since Christmas break. 

"I'm okay. Really. Please let me go," I tried again, desperate for him to listen. "You'll get ketchup all over you." 

I felt his arms tighten and I couldn't say anything else. As my tears overflowed to slide down my cheeks, I buried my ketchup-covered face against his shoulder. 

"Stop," he choked. "Please stop crying." 

"I can't." My shoulders shook and I heard him groan. 

"What do you want me to do, baby? Please tell me." I could feel the fingers holding my shoulder flutter against my back as if he were caressing me. 

I don't know if I cried because of the horrible humiliation, the smell, or that Trent had finally touched me again, held me, even if he'd only been trying to help me. 

I found myself settled on the vanity in the second floor bathroom. Trent's arms left me and I ducked my head at his gaze. My ketchup-riddled hair fell in front of my face, providing some coverage. 

"You okay?" His husky voice sounded loud in the silence of the bathroom. 

"Yeah," I mumbled, hunching into my arms crossed over my chest. Would the humiliation ever stop? 

"OMG!" Amy rushed into the bathroom. "This is some cool house, Trent. I can't believe I've never been in here before. I don't think I was ever invited, not even when you and Naomi were dating." 

"Amy!" I shook my head at her. God! Could this get any worse? 

Trent cleared his throat. "Amy? Just help her out of these clothes and get her cleaned up. The shower's over there," he indicated to the dark brown tiled stall in the corner. His brows furrowed before he turned to look at me. "I'll go find you something to wear, okay?" 

The door shut behind him without further noise from Amy and I started to hyperventilate. 

"WTF, Naomi? What happened out there?" 

I shook my aching head and hugged my arms around my waist. "I should never have come here." 

Amy bit her lip. "I'm really sorry I talked you into it. I mean, really, in my defense I had no idea you'd end up with a bucket of ketchup on you. And how on earth did that happen anyway?" 

I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I don't know. Bryce mentioned something about Ryan and Elle's feud." 

"Ahhh, that explains it," she muttered knowingly. "It's gotta be Elle. I heard Ryan Kenridge put a stink bomb in her brand new car last week. It like totally ruined brand new Louis Vuitton hand bag she bought." 

I pulled my wet hair back from my shoulders. "I just need to get this stuff off of me and go home." 

"What about your ankle?" 

"It's okay." But it wasn't. Putting any pressure on it at all brought tears to my eyes. The shower was painful. Crap. I start my new job tomorrow. Great, just great. Mom and Dad are going to go bat-poop crazy when they see me.