“Right. The only other reason you’d be in the bathroom for hours is if you’re getting reacquainted with Mr. Lefty. I’m not sure which is more pathetic.”
“Whatever. Don’t you have a party or something to go to?”
“Yup and you’re coming with, so get your ass up. Now.” He raised the pillow again, and when he swung I grabbed it and ripped it from his grip.
Putting it in its rightful place, I tucked my hands behind my head and laid back. “Hitting with pillows? What are you, a twelve-year-old girl?” I closed my eyes again and a second later something hard slammed into my gut.
“Don’t make me drag you.”
~ ♥ ~
He was seriously going to catch something. Benji ran his tongue up some random girl’s stomach, licking a trail of salt. He then grasped a shot glass nestled in her cleavage with his teeth, threw it back, and then took a lime from her mouth. The crowd went wild, and Benji pumped his fists.
I cringed wondering what number in line was he to put his mouth on the girl.
The same girl he’d just salivated over grabbed his neck and pulled him down to her height to whisper in his ear.
A sly grin spread across his face, he whispered something back then slapped her ass. She scurried off and he turned to face me. “Gotta love college girls, freaky and experimental. That little vixen is going to find one of her sexy friends so we can all get to know each other a little better.” He winked at me then took a swig of his beer.
I could never understand it. Benji had this way with women, even when he dogged them they still flocked to him. I shook my head at him, he was too much. “Why’d you bring me here?”
“To have fun. What else?” He offered me a drink, which I declined.
“Not my type of fun. I’m out.”
He smacked his lips. “So you’re gonna crawl back into your hermit shell and waste away?”
“No I’m going to study, which you should be doing before you fail and Pops kicks your ass.”
“Whatever, I’m ‘bout to get my drink on, find my freaks and spend my night getting satisfied by two bad bitches.”
“You gotta stop referring to them as bitches?”
He smirked and sipped his beer again. “What else would I call ‘em?”
I looked him over for a moment and shook my head. “You need to quit letting your relationship with your mother affect the way you treat women.”
His face morphed into a scowl. “Fuck you, Jay, and her.” He shoved my shoulder, making me stumble a bit. “Take your joy killing ass home.”
I turned and headed for in the direction of the door. Half way there I paused and backed up. I know I didn’t just see...
Standing in a corner, beer in hand, was Brooke.
I marched my way over to her and snatched the bottle. “Are you kidding me?”
She stared up at me wide eyed, then glanced around. “W-what are you doing here?”
“What am I– What the hell are you doing? Drinking while you’re pregnant? Are you crazy?”
Loud cackling on my right drew my attention that way. I recognized the girl as one of Brooke’s obnoxious friends. She had her head thrown back, cracking up, and clearly drunk. “This bitch ain’t pregnant.”
Brooke slapped her friend’s bare arm. “Seriously, Jazlyn?
Jazlyn stood there clueless. “What?”
I grabbed Brooke’s arm and led her outside where there was less noise. Once I could hear myself think I stopped and turned her to face me.
She back pedaled, her eyes darting around. “I can explain.”
I crossed my arms and glared down at her, my heavy breaths making small gray clouds in the cold air. “This should be good.”
“I panicked and I–”
“Are you pregnant or not?”
She looked away, her eyes filling with tears. “No.”
I dropped my arms, fisting my hands at my sides, and spoke through clenched teeth. “Were you ever?”
She shook her head.
“So you lied to me?” My temperature rose tenfold and my heart beat thundered in my ears. “You lied to me!” I took a few steps back, taking in deep breaths through my nose. “Where the hell did you even get a positive pregnancy test?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground. “My cousin.”
For a moment I could only stare. “Wow. I cannot believe this shit.”
“Jay, I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to lose you.” She came closer, gripping the front of my thermal, and sobbing into it.
I pried her hands away, and moved back, shaking my head. “An entire month of my life wasted on a lie! Time I could’ve spent–”
“With her?” The tears in her eyes vanished in an instant. “I had you first. Did you think I was gonna give you up to that bitch?”
“She’s not a bitch, and you have one more time to call her out of her name.”
“Woah, woah, what’s going on here.”
I glanced to my left and saw Haikeem standing a few feet away. This guy.
“Mind your business.”
“When it comes to the well-being of a lady it is my business.”
“Well-being?” I scoffed. “You think I’m gonna hurt her?”
“Well.”
“I’m not that guy, so you can relax.”
He nodded but it was clear he had no intention of leaving. “What’s the problem? Maybe I can help.”
I gave him a hard look then turned to Brooke. “You know what? Maybe you can, because I’m confused. Explain to me why this…girl felt the need to ruin my life. Why she lied to me for a damn month about a non-existent pregnancy.” My voice rose as I continued. “And why I walked away from the most amazing woman on the planet, to save her the pain of having to deal with my indiscretions, when this whole time there was no baby to begin with.”
Haikeem cocked his head to the side and stared at me for a few seconds. “That’s why you ended things with, Gabi? She told me you chose Brooke over her.”
I shook my head. “Brooke and I weren’t together then, and we aren’t together now.”
“And you couldn’t have just told her the truth?”
“I tried.”
“Obviously not hard enough.”
“I know I screwed up. But I wasn’t going to ask Gabi to be with me knowing I’d be tied to Brooke the rest of my life. That wouldn’t have been fair to her. She deserves to be happy.”
He shook his head at me. “You’re an idiot.”
“So I’ve been told.”
He glanced around, and then looked behind him. “Where’d Brooke run off to?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Just as I turned to leave Benji called my name.
He jogged over to me, breathing hard. “You need to get in here. Your ex girl is fighting your next girl.”
“Benj, what the hell are you taking about?”
“Brooke and Gabi. Cat fight.”
I brushed past him, and rushed toward the house, then paused, waiting for him to catch up. “Where?”
“Basement.”
I had to force my way through the people congested at the basement door trying to get a peek at the action. Soon I just started pushing people out if the way. I finally made it down the stairs and elbowed my way to the center where I assumed the fight was taking place.
When I got there I had to pause. Gabi was on top of Brooke raining punches down on her face and body. Brooke struggled to fight back but Gabi had her arms pinned under her knees. I’d forgotten how good that girl could fight, and had to admit she looked damn sexy doing it.
Shaking myself out of my haze, I went over and lifted Gabi up before she killed the girl. The crowd booed me and Gabi turned and swung on me. I jerked back to dodge a blow to the head. I’d thought the swing had been an accident brought on by the heat of the moment until her fist connected with my chin. She’d wanted to hit me.
I dodged her again, ducking low to throw her over my shoulder. The crowd parted to avoid Gabi’s flailing feet as I m
arched her through the party and outside. Once away from the loud music I could hear the many expletives she was shouting at me.
“Put me down, Jayson, or so help me.”
When I didn’t comply she gave me a hard slap on the ass.
“Calm down,” I said as I eased her to the ground.
As soon as she was on her feet, she was in my face. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. I was minding my own business when your crazy girlfriend attacked me.”
“She not my girlfriend.”
Her scowl faltered and she stepped back. “What?”
“I broke up with her, a month ago.”
“Y-you–” She blinked a few times like she was having trouble focusing. Her frown returned and she splayed her hands in my chest giving me a forceful shove. “Unbelievable!”
Luckily the freshly fallen, fluffy snow cushioned my fall. I laid back, paying no mind to the freezing ice on my back and chuckled softly as her feisty butt stormed away. The ten-ton weight lifted from my chest and for the first time in weeks...I could breathe.
~ ♥ ~
Morning came and my smile still hadn’t faded. Why would it? I’d dodged a fatal bullet and Brooke was out of my life forever.
Gabi weighed on my mind. I’d stayed up half the night thinking of a master plan. I finally had a clear vision of my future, and every bit of it involved Gabrielle Tanner. As my love, my wife, and the mother of my children. Whatever it took to make things right with her, I’d do. I could not fail. I had a lot of work cut out for me, but I wouldn’t stop until her heart was mended, and all mine.
I ripped out the notebook page and tossed it. Expressing everything I wanted to say in a poem wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be. I just couldn’t seem to get the words to flow right.
Gabi was my first love. I’d lost her, had her returned to me, only to push her away, shattering something once so precious. I wished I could just start all over from our first hello. If I could do that knowing what I know now, I’d walk up to her, tap her shoulder, and kindly ask: Excuse me, first love? Could you spare a moment of your time? From there I’d tell her the most epic love story, ours. She’d be so head over heels for me, she’d marry me on the spot...well maybe not, we were only twelve and thirteen the day we met.
Something about those words clicked, I sat forward and began scribbling down verses as fast as my hand would allow.
Later that night when I walked out of the bathroom, Benji did a double take. “There’s something different about you.” He sized me up, tapping his finger on his jaw. “Did you lose weight?”
I shook my head, chuckling. “Shut up, dumbass.”
“So does you shaving mean what I think it means?”
“It means...I need your help with something.”
Twenty - Three
Gabi
“I cannot believe I missed it! Please tell me she has a black eye.” Cam paced around the room, flailing her arms.
I blocked her out, still focused on what Jay had said. Those words ricocheted around my mind. He’d broken up with her, a month ago. He’d broken my heart, a month ago. But which had come first? If they weren’t together then why had he shattered my heart into a million pieces on that beach? Why had he told me he never wanted to see me again? For the life of me, I couldn’t comprehend any of it.
I stood, rubbing my aching scalp and wanting to whoop Brooke’s ass all over again for catching me from behind. Yanking my hair was the only hit she’d gotten in before I’d laid her out. A sort of sick satisfaction swelled inside me from the sight of blood dripping from her nose. “I’m gonna go take a shower and get ready for class.”
Cam planted her hands on her hips gawked at me. “You’re not going to give me any details?”
“Later, Cam, I have class, and so do you.”
Before I could make it to the bathroom there was a knock on the door. Sighing, I went to answer it. Who the heck was at the door this early?
When I opened it no one was there. “Real mature,” I mumbled, preparing to close it. Something sitting on the floor caught my attention. Stooping down, I picked up a rose and a card, and then looked up and down the hall.
“Who was it?” Cam asked from behind me.
I brushed past her and went to sit on my bed. The yellow rose and card were attached with a bit of tape. I removed the flower with care and brought it to my nose, inhaling the flowery scent.
Cam stood over me trying to peek at the card. “Who’s it from?”
I stared down at the post card with a photo of Juniper Lake covered in ice and snow, then flipped it over to look at the other side. My name was scrawled in the corner, and there was a fancy letter S further down taking up most of the space. Beneath it were the words: ‘six o’clock’. There was no signature and the hand writing was unfamiliar.
“Well?”
“I don’t know. It isn’t signed.”
I showed her the card, and she twisted her face into a frown. “S?” She turned the card over, admiring the front. “The lake is so pretty in the winter.”
I nodded and took the card back. “I’m assuming whoever sent it wants me to meet them at the lake.”
“You’re not thinking about going, are you? It could be from some murderous secret admirer creep.”
I shrugged and sat the gifts on my dresser while heading to the bathroom. I wasn’t concerned about a stalker. Even with the mysterious hand writing, I knew there was only one person who’d request my presence at Juniper Lake.
~ ♥ ~
The day crawled by, the invitation on the forefront of my mind, despite me trying to ignore it. When six o’clock rolled around I had every intention of going straight home, but curiosity got the best of me.
I shivered against the bitter wind, large flakes of snow obstructing my vision. He had better have a damn good reason for dragging me out in this weather. The beach was deserted because I was the only one crazy enough to be outside in below freezing temperatures. I walked until I reached the one spot I knew he’d be, but when I got there, it too was vacant. Well, almost.
A small pink lump lay in the snow. I scooped it up and brushed the light dusting of snow from it. My heart seized. The pink dolphin from the night everything had gone so terribly wrong. Was this some sort of cruel joke? I had a mind to go knock on his door and punch his face again. I ripped the card from it, screw being careful. This one was a photo of Angelo’s. It had a large ‘O’ on the back, and the words: six o’clock...tomorrow.
Great, now I had to wait twenty-four hours, for what? Another stupid clue, with some other painful memory attached? Well he could just forget it.
~ ♥ ~
I was either an idiot or enjoyed being tortured, because there I was the next day, six o’clock sharp, standing inside of Angelo’s. The place was crowded as usual, but no Jayson.
One of the waitresses came over to me and smiled. “Right this way.”
I eyed her for a second before following. Angelo’s was more of a seat yourself kind of place. Besides the classier part up the steps that is, and I really hoped he didn’t expect me to sit up there dressed in worn out jeans and a sweat shirt.
Thankfully the waitress led me to a booth. On the table top was an orange iPod Nano with another card underneath. She left and I slid into the seat.
I picked up the Nano and turned it on. Scrolling through it, I found myself smiling. Every last one of my favorite songs was present, right down to some obscure artists that I could never seem to find available for download.
I plucked the card up with my free hand and looked it over. This one had a photo of the Ursa Minor. I could only assume the next location was the Planetarium. His parents had taken us as kids. I was there I’d fallen in love with astronomy.
My stomach sunk a little, realizing he wouldn’t be here. As much as I hated to admit it, his game was a tad bit fun. I turned the card over, wondering what I’d find at the next location. It again said: ‘six o’clock’, but this time had a big ‘R’ written
on it.
I’d tucked it in my pocket, prepared to leave, when the waitress returned. She sat an entire lemon cake in front of me. The writing on top made me double over in laughter.
She jumped, her eyes buldging at the crazy red head. With a strained smile, she sat an empty plate in front of me along with a fork and knife.
Once she left I pulled the cake closer, still laughing and shaking my head at the message: ‘I dare you’. I cut a huge chunk and dug in. Challenge accepted.
After a slice and a half, I had the rest boxed and took it home to share with Cam, who’d been pressing me for information for two days now. But I wasn’t quite ready to reveal...whatever this was, to her. I wasn’t even sure where it was going or what the end result would be. My heart wanted to soar with thoughts of the possibilities, but had been caged in iron, encased in cement, locked in a deep freezer, and the key thrown into a volcano.
I didn’t know whether I could trust him again, or if I even wanted to. Although I missed my friend terribly, I wasn’t sure it was worth risking my heart again.
I skipped the trip to the Planetarium the next day. After a long night of contemplation, I’d decided that I couldn’t...wouldn’t, suffer a third time. Two was enough, that chapter of my life was long overdue for an ending.
A knock at the door interrupted my concentration, causing my hand to slip and ruin my fourth attempt at adding French tips to my nails. I screwed the top on the polish and went to answer it.
The hall was vacant yet again, and outside my door laid another card attached to what looked like a DVD case, beneath it was some type of binder. I collected them all and went back to my desk. I had to give it to Jay, he was determined.
I peeled the card from the DVD case, which turned out to be Love & Basketball, making this the third copy in my possession. The postcard was an image of books, the library, and on the other side, another ‘R’. A second note was attached to the DVD case. In Jay’s terrible handwriting were three words: Be my Monica.
I sighed and set the movie down. He wasn’t playing fair. Love & Basketball was my all-time favorite movie, and a secret dream I’d shared with him. I’d always admired relationships that started as close friendships, and was always wishing on stars for my own. When Jay came along I actually hadn’t given it a second thought, not until the first night I’d knocked on his window in tears because of my parents’ verbal abuse of each other.
Excuse Me, First Love (College Daze #1) Page 21
