by Cole Lepley
He turns away from me, crossing his arms and focusing on the guys at the table in front of us. I’m so pissed right now I don’t say anything back to him. I hurry toward the small bathroom in the back of the garage. The lock on the door doesn’t work and the seat is always cold, but at least we don’t have to crouch down behind the barn or hover out in the woods.
After washing my hands with the gross orange soap guys always seem to have in garages, I make my way back out to the row of refrigerators. The first one is usually stocked with hard seltzers and lemonades for the girls, and the last two have an assortment of beer. Depending on the night, they don’t always have a keg handy.
I grab a can for Ollie, gritting my teeth at the way he asked me. He’s pushing his luck acting the way he is. I’m stressed too. It’s senior year—we all are. He doesn’t need to act like he’s the only one in the world that is having a hard time planning for the future.
The sight of him standing and laughing over by the beer pong table stops me in my tracks. He could hardly muster the energy to demand I get him a beer, and now the moment I walk away he’s flirting with some girl. Hell no.
Increasing my pace, I walk with determined steps and push myself between him and the unsuspecting blonde. She looks familiar, but I’m pretty positive she doesn’t go to our school. Most of the girls know by now he’s off limits, but it doesn’t stop them from trying.
With a glare in her direction, I shove the beer into his hands and push it to his chest. He raises an eyebrow. “Thank you?”
“Oh, you’re welcome Oliver.”
I spin on my heel before he can say another word, and start walking toward the garage doors. He follows me, the stomping from his boots echoing behind me.
“Charlie.”
I don’t stop, walking faster as I step outside and onto the gravel driveway. His boots crunch hard behind me and he calls my name again. This time I do stop, but my entire body is shaking. He reaches for me and I flinch away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Confusion etches his face and he holds his hand up. “What is your problem?”
“My problem?” The words barely make it past my lips in a rush. “You’re the one acting like you don’t even want me here.”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “How could you say that?”
I motion angrily back to the blonde still lingering by the table. Several guys have swooped in, but you can tell she’s still craning her head our way, hoping for Ollie to once again grace her with his presence. Jealously is ugly, but sometimes it’s an unavoidable evil.
“You said more to her than you did to me all night.”
Ollie causally glances over his shoulder and turns back to me, still confused. “She was congratulating me on my win. Did you want me to be rude?”
“Sure she was.”
The sarcasm in my tone seems to make him angry, which surprises me. As aloof as he pretends to be, he can’t be that stupid. I attempt to walk away from him, but he blocks my path.
“You think I was flirting with her? Is that why you’re mad?”
“No,” I spit at him. I try to side-step him, but he’s too fast. I almost stomp my foot in frustration. “Ollie, move!”
His arms shoot out to his sides. “So, you’re just going to leave me here?” He huffs a humorless laugh. “Great. Fucking perfect.” He runs his hands through his hair, rocking back on his heels.
My eyebrows rise, and it takes everything inside of me not to punch him in his stupid, arrogant face right now. But I’m not going to. We’ve already gained the attention of the half the party lingering in the field, and several of the guys from the team are discreetly staring at us, including Liam.
Not that I care, but the last thing I need is for Liam to try and be a hero and get in between me and Ollie. I step closer to him and lower my voice.
“You’re the one acting like an asshole.”
“Why?” He cocks his head at me. “Because I didn’t give you enough attention? You were sitting on my fucking lap.”
My fists clench at my sides and I release a frustrated grunt. “You’re trying to pick a fight with me because you don’t want to talk about whatever the hell is going on with you.”
He takes a step back, his face passive. “I’m fine. Nothing is going on.”
“So you’re just an asshole for no reason.” I nod once. “Good to know.”
He rubs at his lips with his fingers, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know what you fucking want from me. I honestly don’t.”
I laugh again, starting to feel a little bit crazy. “I want you to act like you give a shit. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I don’t even want to be around you right now.”
His jaw hardens and his posture remains rigid. “Go, then. I won’t stop you.”
The look in his eyes is conflicting. He appears angry, but I can see sadness lacing the edges. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, that’s fine—but this? He’s completely out of line.
I take a step closer and lower my voice. “Don’t think you can come over later and I’ll forget this happened.”
“Don’t think I’ll forget that you’re the one who left.”
I huff another laugh. “Right. Blame it on me.”
The apology I’m expecting doesn’t come. He stands motionless in front of me, the muscle in his jaw still working overtime. He wanted this to be a fight. He’s been pushing since I got my acceptable letter from NYU. It’s becoming more and more clear that our time together is temporary, and the possibility of staying together after graduation is getting smaller every day.
This time when I turn to walk away from him, he lets me. I get into my car at the bottom of the driveway and he’s back standing with the group, laughing like he didn’t just jam a knife straight into my heart. The nausea swirls in my stomach again and I slam my car in reverse. With the bonfire in my rearview, I make a promise that if he does show up later, I’m locking my window.
Chapter 37
Anger Management
Oliver - Now
It’s still dark outside when I open my eyes. Charlie’s tucked in my arms, her head resting in the crook of my neck. My arms tense around her, keeping her close to me when she stirs slightly.
Her eyes flutter open. “Good morning.”
My chest tightens at the sweet sound of her voice. She isn’t angry in this moment and as much as I still want to be upset with her, I can’t. She loved a version of me that didn’t deserve it. I need to prove to her I’ve changed, that I’m capable of being the type of man she can spend her life with.
I press my lips to her temple and rest my cheek on the side of her head. “Good morning.”
She squeezes my wrist. “I need to get up.”
I shake my head, wrapping my leg around hers. “Not yet. Give me a few more minutes.”
Charlie gently places her hand on my face, rubbing her thumb across the stubble on my jawline. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
I close my eyes when she kisses my cheek. She’s not leaving. I didn’t say anything terrible last night to make her want to leave, and it surprises me.
Reluctantly, I release my hold of her and sit up on the couch. I run my hand through my hair and take a breath as she stands and stretches.
She lets out a yawn. “I didn’t plan on staying, but Elliot needed someone to talk to.” She pauses, biting her lip. “I guess I did, too.”
“I still want to talk,” I say quickly. “There’s a lot of things I want to say.”
Her eyes drift away from me for a moment and then she nods. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
I push up from the couch, walking over to her and kissing the side of her head once more. “I’ll make coffee. Go do what you need to do.”
I shoot her a wink and she smiles before disappearing down the hallway toward the bathroom. The grin spreads across my face as I head into the kitchen and try to figure out the coffee maker Elliot got our mom for her birthday. Thinking about my sister br
ings the warm and fuzzy blood rushing through me to a cold stop.
Gripping the countertop, I narrow my eyes on Judah’s truck still parked behind mine.
“Mother fuck,” I growl.
I take a calming breath through my nose before stalking toward the stairs. It would set a bad example if I’m the one who hits him. My blood pressure rises immediately as I’m about to intercept Judah at the bottom of the stairs. He gives me a sheepish smile while sporting some seriously messed up hair.
“What the fuck, man?” I give him a shove to the chest and his smile fades.
He holds his hands up, stumbling back a step. “Ollie, I swear we just talked. I fell asleep.”
I clench my jaw. “I don’t fucking believe you. I had a feeling something like this was going to happen.”
Judah pulls his hand into his chest. “I have a girlfriend. Elliot and I are still friends, she’s upset and I was trying to help. I don’t like it when she’s sad.”
I lean into him slightly. “Don’t you think it would be more appropriate to have conversations outside of her bedroom?”
“Dude, I know.”
Elliot comes strolling causally down the stairs, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “He’s telling the truth, Oliver.”
I point my finger to her. “Do you know how bad this looks? What if…”
My words are cut short as the back door opens, and of course, Hunter walks in. Does anybody knock anymore? I pinch the bridge of my nose and whisper harshly through my teeth. “You are so fucking stupid, Elle.”
The next few moments happen in slow motion. It’s either that, or I’m completely exhausted by all the drama currently surrounding us.
Elliot instantly positions herself in front of Judah as Hunter makes short strides toward them. I cross my arms and lean back against the wall. I decide to let them kill each other.
“I knew it,” Hunter grits out.
Instead of her usual angry defensiveness, Elliot actually looks remorseful. “Nothing happened.”
Hunter laughs, but his face turns a dangerous shade of red. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Judah makes the unfortunate mistake of wrapping his arm around Elliot’s waist and moving her to the side. My stellar reflexes aren’t enough to stop the chaos that ensues next.
The blur of fists flying from both of them distracts me for a moment until Elliot screams for them to stop. The fact that Judah’s fighting back this time is not to my advantage. Truth be told, he’s a rather large guy. I was impressed the first time Hunter was able to fuck him up.
I manage to make my way in the middle of them right before Hunter lands a particularly forceful right hook to my temple. I let out a few mumbled choice words before the darkness consumes me. I welcome it at this point.
My eyes flutter open to a pair of distressed grey ones. I attempt to sit up, but Charlie pushes on my chest to halt me. “Don’t,” she says, her voice gentle. “You hit your head pretty hard.”
It takes me a minute to orient to my surroundings. I’m lying on my back in the middle of the hallway. Everyone is standing above me, staring silently. I bring my hand up to the side of my face. “What the fuck?”
Hunter kneels down beside me, anguish on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
He offers me his hand, but I slap it away with a scowl. Charlie tries to keep me down again, but I push up from the floor and stand beside her. She keeps her hands on my waist to steady me.
“You should sit down,” she says softly.
Instead of arguing, I loop my arm around her shoulder and let her lead me into the kitchen. I feel perfectly fine, but the worry in her eyes is fucking cute—and I like having an excuse to hold onto her.
Hunter steps in front of us, pulling out a chair at the table. “Dude, I’m so fucking sorry.”
I lower myself onto the wooden chair. “It’s fine.” I motion to Judah, who’s standing off to the side. “I should have known better than to get in between you two.”
Elliot’s chewing on her thumbnail, leaning against the counter. I’m honestly more pissed at her than anyone else. She knows how jealous Hunter gets, and I don’t care who you are, having a sleepover with your ex is a no-go under any circumstances.
Charlie leaves my side, walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out the ice drawer. I sigh and then make the mistake of touching the side of my face again. The burn floods across my cheek where my fingers touch, and I hiss through my teeth.
“How bad does it look?”
Nobody answers right away and I start to panic. It’s literally my best feature. Charlie laughs from over by the sink while she continues to wrap a bag of ice in a towel.
“You’ll be fine, Ollie. The swelling should go down in a day or two.”
My pulse quickens and I motion to Elliot. “Give me a mirror. I need to see what I’ve become.”
She rolls her eyes. “Stop being dramatic. I’m surprised you don’t get punched more often.”
“Elle,” Hunter chides. She glares at him, but he keeps going. “He has every right to be upset.” He laughs once, locking his eyes on her. “So do I.”
The distance between them isn’t much, but the tension is so thick the large kitchen feels stifling. Her shoulder tense. “Or maybe you could talk to me before throwing punches?”
“Talk to you?” he breathes, his tone incredulous. When he moves to step closer, I put my arm up. He looks down to me and then sighs, shaking his head. He looks over at her again, this time calmer. “How would you feel if I had some girl in my bed? Any girl, let alone an ex.”
“It was wrong, I agree with you. But nothing happened. We fell asleep talking, that was it.”
Judah, who’s remained quiet, clears his throat. Hunter’s eyes narrow at him.
“She’s right,” he says. “We were just talking. It was a stupid mistake, and I honestly feel bad about it. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Hunter laughs. “Really? You expect me to believe that.”
“You should believe me,” Elliot interrupts, stepping between them. She locks her eyes on Hunter. “This is the reason we’re fighting in the first place.”
Charlie steps around them and over to me, gently pressing the bag to the side of my face. I snake my arm around her waist, and she leans her hip against me. My eyes continue to scan back and forth between Hunter and Elliot. This fight is stressing me out. I decide I need to put an end to it.
“All right,” I say loudly. Three sets of eyes turn to me. “All of you are fucking wrong.” I pull the bag from my face and hand it to Charlie before standing. She gives a look of protest which I ignore and move to stand in the middle of them. I address Judah first.
“You need to learn boundaries. If I were Hunter, I would have punched you, too.”
Judah nods, remorse lacing his features. “You’re right.” He nods to Hunter. “I’m sorry, man. I really am.”
Hunter’s jaw ticks, clearly not ready to the throw flag. I walk over and grip his shoulder overly hard, leaning into him to whisper harshly. “This is the point of the conversation where you also say you’re fucking sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he shoots back through his teeth. “He slept with my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, but you’re a psycho and you need to learn how to express yourself without assaulting people.”
“Fine.” Hunter blows out a forceful breath and then looks to Judah. “I’m sorry I hit you.”
I nod, pleased with myself. I focus my attention to Elliot next, draping my arm around her shoulder. “As for you, say good-bye to Judah and talk to your boyfriend. The longer you two avoid this, the bigger this shit will grow.”
Her eyes fill up with tears and she looks to Hunter. “I would never cheat on you,” she whispers. Her chest rises with a shaky breath. “You have to know that.”
She pulls away from me and runs straight into his arms. He holds her tight to his chest and whatever she says next is muffled by crying. I risk a g
lance to Judah, who is now uncomfortable again. Poor bastard.
I nudge his arm. “Come on, man. I’ll walk you out.”
He gives a terse nod before starting back down the hallway toward the garage. Charlie walks up beside me, still clutching the bag of melting ice.
“You should probably lay down for a bit,” she says, gently touching my arm.
I lean down and kiss her once. “Only if you lay with me.”
She smiles and if it didn’t hurt so bad, I’d smile back. Lounging in bed with Charlie is never a bad way to spend a Sunday. My only wish is that the conversation we need to have didn’t come with it. I’ve had enough drama for one day.
Chapter 38
Saved
Charlotte - Now
Ollie’s freaking cute when he’s injured. He’s probably a tad overdramatic, but I enjoy taking care of him. He’s more vulnerable this way, more real. Honesty is hard to hide when your defenses are lowered, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that right now.
This is the time we need to be honest with each other. If we really are going to try and make this work, there can be no secrets between us. No one can hide from feelings they’re too afraid to feel or make excuses for doing the wrong thing. Both of us need to know where the other’s head is at.
I’m lying on my side with Ollie on his back beside me. We’re not talking yet; I’m just lazily running my fingers through his hair. He made a few comments about other parts of him he’d like me to stroke, but I ignored those. The last thing we need is a distraction.
He laughs and it stirs the parts of me pressed up against him. He turns his head to me. “You must think we’re crazy. I swear it isn’t usually this dramatic.”
“Oh, I think it is,” I say with a small laugh. “Elliot told me all about last year and the shit you helped her orchestrate to keep her relationship with a Hunter a secret.”
“I fucking had to,” he cries. “Hunter could have gotten locked up for messing around with his student. I couldn’t let my boy go down.”
