by Fox, Cathryn
Once the game is over, I pack up and head toward the bus. Ivy comes running up to me, a big smile on her face. “Hey sis, wasn’t that a great game?”
“It was.” I take in her energy, as she bounces around. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, you can.”
“What do you know about Cameron Reid?”
She grins. “Oh, are you interested in him?”
Maybe I sort of want her to think I am. “I don’t know. He wants to grab a drink, and I was just wondering what his story is. He and Landon don’t seem to get along.”
“I don’t know the details, really. But I think something happened between them in their freshman year. I think there was a girl involved. Some game they were playing.” The word ‘game’ rings in my head, and I recall my conversation with Cameron. He thinks life is a game.
“Do you and Cameron get along?”
“Yeah, we’re friends.” She puts one hand on her hip and eyes me, a sly smile on her face. “I had no idea Cameron was your type.”
“I don’t have a type,” I say, with a casual shrug.
“Sure, sis,” she teases.
“If we’re speaking of types, I thought he’d be more your type.” Cameron is attractive, with his perfect features, and he’s usually the kind of guy she goes for. I still can’t quite wrap my brain around her and Landon.
She crinkles her nose. “Cameron’s okay, I guess. I’m more into football players though.”
“Yeah, I know.” I hike my bag up higher on my shoulder when it slips. “Landon and all.”
She smiles, glances around and then leans into me all conspiratorially. “Don’t say anything, but I’m going to ask him to come home with me for Thanksgiving weekend.”
I try not to let my eyes bulge out of my head, as my heart nearly misses a beat. “You are?”
“Yup, already talked to Mom and Dad.”
“You guys are serious then?” Holy crap, Ivy has never brought a guy home to the farm before.
“He might be the one,” she says with a chuckle. Just then all her friends come running over, laughing and cheering.
“Let’s get back and party,” one of the girls yells, grabbing Ivy’s arm, all the while completely ignoring me.
With my stomach in a tight knot, I stand there as the girls all bounce away. A moment later, the guys make their way to the bus, and I jump on first, taking my seat up front, wanting to be alone with my thoughts.
I pull my phone from my pocket, and see a text from Cameron. I scan it as a big, hard body drops into the seat beside me. I don’t need to lift my head to know it’s my new friend Landon. That thought nearly makes me laugh. For the last three years, I was invisible and now I have two guy friends—two jocks who have their pick of girls, and have never bothered with me before. I should probably spend more time analyzing that.
“Did you get it?” Landon asks.
“Yup, I got all the action.” I glance over my shoulder and inch away from him. “Shouldn’t you be back there with the guys celebrating?”
His eyes narrow in on me. “Are you okay?” he asks. “You seem upset about something.”
“Not upset,” I lie, trying to wrap my brain around the fact that my sister is going to ask him home for the holidays. Has their relationship progressed that quickly? Another thought hits me like a punch. I’m Ivy’s twin. Perhaps he’s only being kind and friendly to me because some day he’s going to be my brother-in-law. Ivy is here to get her MRS. She doesn’t even hide that fact. Now that she’s in her fourth year, she must be buckling down and thinking about cementing her future. Of all the jocks on campus, vying for professional careers, Landon is a sure thing. He’s definitely going to make it, and everyone knows it. “I just have some work to do.” I lift my phone. “And a few texts to answer.”
He frowns, a storm in those dark eyes of his as he stands. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight at the Growler.”
“I’m not sure I can make it, Landon. I’m kind of busy and I have a bit of a headache.” I’m not lying about the headache, and I think I really need to distance myself from this guy. I don’t think being near him is healthy for my head or my heart.
He scratches his head, and the little boy lost look on his face cuts into my core. “I can skip the partying. We can watch the movie instead.”
“No, I don’t want to take you away from your friends.”
My phone pings again, and Cameron’s name flashes. Landon’s entire body stiffens. “Ella, are you and Cameron—”
“Yeah, we’re friends. Just like you and I are friends,” I tell him. Honestly, I don’t have to explain myself to him, and Ivy said Cameron was okay. Do I really have anything to fear?
“Ella, he’s not a good guy.”
“Whatever is between you two is between you two. He’s been perfectly nice to me,” I tell him.
“That’s exactly how he plays it.” Landon snorts and brushes his damp hair from his forehead. “He draws you in and gets you to trust him, because he’s only after one thing.”
The comment hurts, to be honest. “So, you’re saying all I’m good for is a fuck?”
His chest rises quickly as he sucks in a breath, and I resist the urge to ask if that’s all I was to him. He probably wouldn’t have any idea what I was talking about, though. He thought I was Ivy. Either that, or he drew me in with his charm, because he was only after one thing, too.
“Ella, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“Everyone take your seats,” the driver calls out as he stuffs his big body into his seat and closes the bus doors. They clang shut, and a big breeze washes over Landon and sends his scent my way. I try not to breathe in the aroma of freshly soaped skin and shampooed hair, and the way it reminds me of our night together.
“It’s not what I meant,” he says again, and hikes his bag over his shoulder. The bus starts moving and he grabs the back of my seat, his hand brushing my shoulder as he holds on.
“You’d better take your seat,” I say.
He stares at me for a moment longer, and I get the impression that he really wants to tell me something, but he just clenches his jaw and makes his way to the back of the bus.
My throat burns as I fight tears, and I work to concentrate on the text messages. I read the one from Peyton, letting me know she made lasagna, and set a plate aside for me. The next one from Cameron actually makes me smile.
Cameron: Hey Peaches, what’s up.
Me: Just sitting on a bus.
Cameron: I hear the guys won.
Me: Yup, it was a good game.
Cameron: Speaking of games, want to play one?
Me: You really into games, huh?
Cameron: Who isn’t.
Me: I’m not big into them.
Cameron: That means you don’t want to play?
Me: Depends.
Cameron: On what?
Me: What kind of game you want to play?
Cameron: Two truths and a lie?
I laugh at that. I haven’t played that game since my junior year of college when Peyton had a bunch of her classmates over and we all drank a little too much wine. That night I learned my virginity was a rarity. Do I regret that I gave it away to Landon? I guess in a way I do, because he doesn’t even know it.
Cameron: Bet you thought I was going to say something ridiculous like spin the bottle, didn’t you?
Me: Well, no, we’re not twelve anymore.
Cameron: Okay, fine. We can play spin the bottle if you want. Geez, I had no idea you were so pushy.
Me: LOL, I am not pushy and wasn’t suggesting that.
Me: I was thinking you meant play sports or something.
Cameron: Actually, that does sound like fun. What sports do you like?
As my fingers fly over my phone, I can feel Landon’s eyes drilling into the back of my head, and it takes everything in me not to turn around. I concentrate on my answers.
Me: Um well, I’m not much into sports. I’m into cinema.
Cameron: Right, my smart girl.
The word my trips me up.
Me: I’m not your girl, I’m your friend.
Cameron: Yeah, I know. What do you do for fun, Peaches?
Me: I take pictures, and videos, and watch movies. You?
Cameron: I play baseball and text beautiful girls.
That makes me laugh out loud. At least he’s honest about how he lives his life. He’s a man whore and isn’t ashamed of it.
Cameron: How much longer before you get back?
Me: We just left, so a couple hours.
Cameron: Hungry?
Me: Starving. Peyton made lasagna.
Cameron: I like lasagna.
I consider that for a moment. Peyton is working tonight and I won’t be watching a movie with Landon. Maybe I should invite him over for something to eat. I mean, we’re friends, and it’s Friday night, and I don’t have any big plans for the weekend.
Me: Subtle much?
Cameron: Subtlety isn’t really my specialty.
Me: I guess I could share.
Cameron: See you soon.
Me: How do you know where I live?
Cameron: I know everything, Peaches.
As soon as I read the words, something uncomfortable niggles in the back of my brain. Am I being smart? Should I be listening to Landon? He’s not given me anything solid to go on, and their hatred of each other was over a girl, according to my sister. I toss that around in my brain, when his message comes in.
Cameron: White or red?
Me: Uh, what?
Cameron. Wine.
Me: Red.
Cameron: Done and once we empty the bottle, you might be able to twist my arm into using it to play spin the bottle.
Me: First, we’re not playing anything, and you need more than two players. Second, do you flirt with all your friends?
Cameron: Nope, only you.
Me: How did I get so lucky?
Cameron: You could get lucky if you wanted to. But you need to get over Brooks first.
I shake my head at his teasing, and resist the urge to tell him getting over Landon might be impossible. When I don’t readily answer, he texts back.
Cameron: Sorry, not sorry.
Me: See you later, Cameron.
Cameron: I’ll be waiting for you, Peaches.
14
Landon
I stare at my phone, waiting to see if Ella is going to text me. She was definitely upset about something, and now she’s up at the front of the bus texting away, and I can only assume it’s with Cameron. He might be the star pitcher, but I know firsthand baseball isn’t his number one game. No, hitting on innocent girls is his game, and I never should have brought Ella into our world.
The bus finally comes to a stop on campus, and Ella hurries off before I can get to her. She disappears inside the recreation building, and I lose sight of her as we all head to the locker rooms. Coach chats with us all, goes over a few plays that Ella recorded, with no extra conversation anywhere on the recording, and once he’s done, we head to the Growler to celebrate. I’m just not in the mood to party. But I don’t want the guys worried about me, so I decide to go for one beer.
The place is alive with music and laughter and everyone is celebrating our win when we get there. I glance around, hoping to find Ella, but knowing I won’t. Peyton is behind the bar, and I take a seat.
“Hey,” I say.
“Beer?” she asks with a raised brow.
“Only if you’re not going to spill it on me,” I joke. She grins and slides a beer across the counter to me. “Where’s Ella tonight?”
“Probably home studying. Why are you asking?”
“No reason. Just wondering. She uh, just took off so fast after we got back from the game.”
I pick up my drink and turn to face the crowd. My heart jumps when I spot Ella, but then quickly realize it’s Ivy. From a distance they really do look alike. In the dark they do, too. But you know what? I’m sick of this. I need to know if Ella was in my bed that night. Maybe it was Ivy. I guess she could have been on her period. I take a big drink of beer, set it down, and dodge Ivy as she comes my way.
Deciding it’s well past time to get to the bottom of the matter, I head outside. Darkness falls over me, and the night air is warm as I walk to Ella’s place. I knock hard, and my body goes stiff when I hear voices inside. A male voice in particular. Jesus Christ, she’s in there with Cameron.
Ella opens the door, and her cheeks are a soft shade of pink, like she’s been ‘exercising’ or engaging in some other strenuous activity.
“Landon,” she says as my phone pings, a million texts coming in. “What are you doing here?”
“Yeah, Landon, what are you doing here?” Cameron asks, as he comes sauntering down the hall behind Ella, standing so close to her I want to punch that smirk right off his face.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I say, and take a deep breath to control the rage welling up inside me as Cameron hovers close.
Ella blinks dark lashes over vibrant blue eyes. “I have company.”
I glare at Cameron. “I know what you’re doing. I know what this is about. Why don’t you just leave her alone.”
“What are you talking about, Landon?” Ella asks as Cameron flashes white teeth in some semblance of a victory smile.
My hands fist at my sides. “He’s trying to get back at me.”
“For what?” she asks.
We all took an oath, never to tell of our games, but I’m not going to stand back and let anyone hurt Ella. “Freshman year, there was this girl, this thing…”
“Why don’t you tell her what the thing was, Brooks. Tell her about the initiation game you footballers play.”
“Motherfucker,” I say under my breath. “It wasn’t like that and you fucking know it. And who are you to talk? Your baseball team is no better.”
He laughs in my face, and puts his hand on Ella’s shoulder. “If you got something to say, just say it.”
Ella stands there for a moment, her gaze going back and forth between the two of us and I can almost hear her brain spinning. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Nothing,” I say. Fuck, if she knew the initiation game the teams played during their freshman years, she’d hate me for sure. Cameron fucking knows it. We were nothing but stupid kids, and the game never sat right with me from the beginning. I have sisters, for fuck’s sake—and morals. Cameron and I both set our sights on the same girl, Rebecca Holloway. He tried to charm his way into the virgin’s panties—like the game dictated—and I’m no better. I did the same. Only thing is, I couldn’t go through with it, and ended up falling for her. Cameron was just trying to fuck her for the win, and when she found out about the game, she dumped me, assuming I was playing too. It might have started out that way—and I’m not proud of that—but things changed fast for me. Would Ella believe me if I told her, though? I don’t want her to feel like a goddamn piece of meat here, but that’s all she is to Cameron—sex and revenge. He’s been wanting to get me back for stealing his prey before he closed the deal with her.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, and as much as I hate to do what I’m about to do, I need to let Cameron know she’s not a virgin. Maybe then he’ll back the fuck off. “The other night, in my bed…us, it was you and me, right?” Shit, I didn’t mean to pose it as a question, it just came out that way because I’m still questioning that it actually happened myself.
Her entire body goes stiff, and a strange garbled noise crawls out of her throat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I think you should leave,” Cameron says.
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do, asshole.”
Ella grips the side of the door, her knuckles white as she clutches it.
“Ella, listen to me. He’s out for revenge, I promise you.” The sadness that edges her downturned lips is like a kick to the nuts. Shit. I don’t want to hurt her feelings, or make her think she’s anything bu
t perfect and beautiful, and that any guy—besides Cameron—would be privileged to have her. She deserves respect, not getting fucked—as well as fucked over—so this guy can settle a score is deplorable. “None of this is what you think.”
“Why would I be out for revenge, Brooks?” Cameron taunts. “And if I was out to get you, why would you think I’d go through Ella? You two are just friends, aren’t you? You’re with Ivy, right?” Ella nods like that makes perfect sense to her and panic grips my nuts.
My phone continues to ping, and Ella says. “That’s probably her, wondering where you are. Good night, Landon.”
The smirk on Cameron’s face sets off a storm inside me as Ella shuts her door. That fucker has to know I like Ella. That’s why he’s doing this. Has he been waiting for four fucking years to get back at me for stealing the virgin he’d been baiting? I turn and punch the side of the house, hard enough to bruise my knuckles.
I curse and shake my hand out. Jesus Christ, I should have kept my fucking distance from Ella. I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly as I stand on her doorstep staring at the closed door, my blood boiling in my veins. So help me God, if he touches one hair on her head, hurts her in any way, I’m going to kill him.
I shove my hands into my pockets and stalk back to the pub, trying to figure out how to get Cameron out of her life. As soon as I enter, Ivy throws herself at me.
“Where have you been?” she asks.
“I was checking on Ella. She’s with Cameron.”
Something flashes in Ivy’s eyes, appearing and disappearing so quickly, I can’t quite decipher what it was. If I had to guess, I’d lean toward jealousy, but that can’t be right. Ella always takes backstage in her presence.
She gives me a big smile. “Aren’t you a nice guy, checking on your girlfriend’s sister, but don’t worry. She likes him. She told me earlier.”
