The Eastwood Series

by M. E. Clayton

“I don’t know!” I cried. “It was never expected to go this far, Steele. I…I never thought I’d actually like the guy.” The second bell rang, but we still just sat there.

  After a while, Steele said, “Okay, Amelia, you gotta work with me here.” I looked over at him. “What do you want? Because I’m confused as shit.”

  “Welcome to my world,” I mumbled.

  “I’m serious,” he drawled.

  “Unfortunately, so am I,” I replied. “If it hadn’t been for Mackenzie moving here and dating Samson, I would never have befriended Ford, Duke, Samson, or Raiden the way I have. And…I found myself liking him the more I got to know him.”

  “What a fucking mess,” he grumbled.

  We ended up missing all of first period.

  Chapter 6

  Ford~

  I wasn’t going to be able to put it off any longer. I needed to talk to Steele about his sister, and I needed his blessing because. It. Was. Fucking. On.

  Friday night, Samson had taken Mackenzie and Charlie home, while Duke had stormed off, but not before yelling at us all that we better get our shit together because he didn’t need our fucking bullshit. And Raiden had driven me home before he ended up wherever he had ended up for the night.

  Saturday, Duke and I ended up driving Rachel and Tally to Hartford, a couple of towns over, and we had spent the entire day at Calico’s. Calico’s was an entertainment center that catered to children under ten. It was an arcade multiplied by a hundred. Our favorite things to play were laser tag and the escape rooms. In laser tag, I was always paired up with Rachel, while Duke and Tally combined forces. We usually did the escape rooms together, but a few times we’ve challenged each other to see who could solve their puzzle first and the teams were the same as laser tag.

  When the twins had come along, I had already been ten. However, that hadn’t stopped me from taking to them the way I had. I had been so fascinated that there had been two of them, I had constantly watched them and played with them. I turn eighteen tomorrow, but I’d still rather hang out with my seven-year-old sisters than do anything else.

  I was also grateful that Duke loved kids. I mean, the guy really was a kindred spirit to children everywhere. I knew whenever I invited Duke along, he came because he genuinely liked hanging out with us and not just to help me out. And since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, I’ll be having a quiet family dinner tomorrow to celebrate, then there was a big party scheduled this Saturday for friends. However, Duke was probably going to show up to my house tomorrow for the family celebration. That’s how much my family considered him family.

  On Sunday, I had spent the entire day wondering how the fuck I was going to get this thing with Amelia settled. I knew she was pissed at me for outing us, but it had been a long time coming in my opinion.

  The night Amelia had stormed into Sloan’s party, I had known she was in a bad spot. I had known because there was no way Amelia Prescott would troll a party for random dick. She wasn’t that kind of girl. She had been dating Ernest Miller for over a year, and even after he took off for college, as far as I knew, they had still been seeing each other. However, I wasn’t stupid. The next day, when I’d had time to think it over, I knew only a cheating situation could have brought Amelia to the point where she didn’t care who she got under. But while she had been super vulnerable that night, I also hadn’t been about to let her just end up in bed with whoever.

  The toughest part about it all has been holding myself to my word. Like I always did when I hooked up with a girl, Amelia had laid down the rules and I’ve been doing everything I could to respect them. There have been many times in my life where a girl had approached me the next day, looking for more, and I had to politely remind her of what she had agreed to. Some girls took it well, others didn’t. But because I’ve been on the receiving end of when it hadn’t gone well, I hadn’t wanted to do that to Amelia. Plus, knowing she was going through some stuff, I figured the girl had needed space.

  Well, after seeing Brian Cutler’s hands all over her, I decided the girl has had enough space. Or, at least, all the space I was willing to give her. I also had her in third period American History, where she was going to sit next to me whether she wanted to or not. And that meant I had to find her brother before then. I didn’t have Steele in any of my classes, but he wouldn’t be hard to find. Turns out, I hadn’t needed to go looking for him at all. After second period, I found him at my locker.

  Fucking great.

  I wasn’t a little bitch, though, so I walked towards him. Instead of opening my locker to put my calculus book away, I faced him head-on. “Prescott.”

  His lips pinched. “Abrams.”

  “Funny you should be here,” I said. “I was just coming to look for you.”

  Steele straightened to his full height, which was still a few inches shorter than I was. I was big for my age, I knew that. “Were you, now?”

  I made a quick decision to open my locker and throw my book inside. I was going to need both hands if Steele decided to take a shot at me. I wasn’t worried about who’d come out on top, but I knew he’d give me all he had. After all, he’d be fighting for his sister.

  However, I’d be fighting for her, too.

  After shutting my locker, I looked back at him. “As a matter of fact, I was,” I replied. “Amelia.”

  Steele’s chin lifted. “Amelia.”

  “It’s not what you think,” I automatically said, acknowledging my reputation for what it was.

  Steele scoffed. “So, Amelia didn’t go to a party looking for a hookup but found you instead?” he said, shocking the fucking shit out of me. “And you two didn’t just go about your business the day after, and every day from then on?”

  “She told you.” It wasn’t a question, obviously.

  He didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He regarded me with a kind of intensity I’ve only seen on the football field. Finally, he asked, “Wanna tell me what that shit was with Cutler?”

  “Yeah,” I huffed. “I didn’t like seeing his hands on what’s mi-your sister.” I almost said ‘what’s mine’ but we weren’t there yet.

  “Abrams-”

  “Look, Steele, I already know what you’re thinking and what you’re going to say,” I said, cutting him off.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head. “Oh, do you?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. I wasn’t going to apologize for my past because I wasn’t ashamed of it. Besides, Steele wasn’t a virgin his damn self. “You’re here to tell me I’m not good enough for your sister. You’re here to tell me to stay away from Amelia.”

  “And what if I am?” he challenged.

  I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t going to fuck around. “I like her, man,” I told him honestly. “I’ve been liking her. But she…she seemed like she needed time to…work out whatever led her to that party in the first place.”

  “You like her,” he repeated, sounding every bit like someone who didn’t believe me.

  “If you want the truth, I’ve had a thing for Amelia for a long time,” I admitted. “But she was with Miller until…well, until she wasn’t.”

  “She’s my sister, Ford,” he replied, saying everything he needed to say with those four words.

  “Even if she wasn’t, have you ever heard of me ever saying I like a girl, Steele?” I asked. “Have you ever heard of me chasing a girl? And, for fuck’s sake, have you ever heard about me yanking one out of the arms of another guy?”

  His brow lifted. “You know I haven’t. No one has.”

  “Come on, Prescott,” I coaxed. “Give me a break here. I really like Amelia.”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think so, Abrams,” he said. “I think my sister’s too good for you.”

  I laughed. “That’s a given,” I agreed. “But it doesn’t change anything.”

  Steele dropped his arms to his side and shook his head again. “I’m going to have to say no on this one, Ford. I got nothing against you,
and I trust you like a motherfucker on the football field, but with my sister? Not so much.” He narrowed his eyes a bit. “So, stay away from my sister.”

  I really had been hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I had really, really hoped Steele would have given me the benefit of the doubt because we did get along and were teammates. But I wasn’t going to back down. And I sure as fuck wasn’t going to give up on pursuing Amelia at the first hiccup.

  “Well, then, that’s just too fucking bad, Prescott,” I told him. “I’m going after your sister whether you want me to or not. We can settle this now, after school, on the football field, or however you want to do this, but you’re not stopping me.” I smirked. “Even if you do end up kicking my ass.”

  “And what about Amelia?” he asked. “Does she get a say in any of this?” I wanted to say yes. I wanted to sound respectful of her choices. I didn’t want to be a Neanderthal.

  But that’s exactly what I was.

  “No, she doesn’t,” I said, readying myself for a fight. “Amelia likes me, Steele. Now, whether or not she wants to, is a different story. But I know she likes me. I’m not letting this opportunity pass by without a fight. Whether it’s you or Amelia I have to fight, I don’t care.”

  “All that just to date my sister?”

  “All that and more,” I told him truthfully.

  After a few seconds, Steele smiled and reached out to shake my hand. “I was hoping you were going to say that.”

  It had been a test.

  “You fucking asshole,” I said as I took his hand and shook it.

  And now, Amelia.

  Chapter 7

  Amelia~

  I almost skipped third period American History. Shame and regret were the only things that compelled me to show my face.

  After talking with Steele, he had made me realize I owed all the guys an apology. It hadn’t been okay for me to take my confusion out on them. And even though I already knew that, it had been a harsh reminder when my big brother was lecturing me.

  When I walked into class, the first thing I noticed was Roger McMillan sitting at my desk. My feet faltered a bit, but when he looked up, he just grinned at me like everything was normal. It wasn’t until I noticed the empty desk next to Ford in the back and I realized Ford must have made him switch seats.

  Great.

  I made my way to the empty seat, and my pride was trying to convince me I was doing it because I did owe him and the other guys an apology. But then, irritation quickly replaced cooperation when the sound of metal screeching across the tiled floor had everyone turning their heads our way.

  Including Mr. Parker, our American History teacher. “Mr. Abrams, do you mind telling me what you’re doing?”

  “In the best interest for our football season this year, it’s imperative that Amelia sit next to me,” Ford replied like a lunatic.

  Mr. Parker crossed his arms over his chest. “Do tell.”

  “Amelia’s my girlfriend,” Ford announced to the entire class, who had their phones out already. “If you want me to be able to concentrate and keep my grades up, so that I can continue to play football, Amelia needs to sit next to me.”

  Mr. Parker looked perplexed and the rest of the class looked enthralled. “But…she is sitting next to you, Mr. Abrams. She is, literally, in the aisle next to you.”

  Ford shook his head. “She’s in the aisle that’s way over there,” Ford argued.

  “Mr. Abrams-”

  Ford shook his head. “Imperative, Mr. Parker.”

  I wanted to sink into the floor. I wanted to slither away and hide in my embarrassment. Not that I was embarrassed to be dating Ford, but he could have announced it with better finesse.

  And because Eastwood was a football school, Mr. Parker caved. “Hands on top of the desk at all times, Mr. Abrams.” He glanced around the class and saw that Ford had commanded everyone’s attention. “Everyone, eyes up front.” Several people grumbled but complied.

  As soon as Mr. Parker started class, I leaned over and whispered through the side of my mouth, “Really, Ford?”

  “What did you expect?” he replied as if this shit were normal.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I hissed. “A conversation before you announced to the entire world that I was your girlfriend, maybe?”

  Ford just shrugged as if being a caveman in this day and age was okay. Ignoring my comment, he said, “I spoke with your brother this morning.” I looked over at him and his grin reached clear across his face. “I got the official stamp of approval.”

  I rolled my eyes and faced forward again. “The final stamp of approval is my parents, jackass,” I remarked dryly.

  Ford scoffed. “Your parents love me.”

  I decided to test him a bit. I looked over and arched a brow. “As Steele’s friend and teammate, maybe. But what makes you think they’d approve of you dating their daughter?” I asked coolly.

  His brows drew downward. “Why wouldn’t they?” I cocked my head, and his reaction was exactly what I hoped it would be. “I swear to God, Amelia, if you’re going to tell me they’ll have a problem with a White boy dating their Black daughter, I’m going to lose my fucking shit,” he hissed. “We’re going to have the most beautiful babies on the planet. How can they object to having beautiful grandchildren?”

  I choked out a laugh and Mr. Parker turned around. “Seriously, Ms. Prescott?” he reprimanded. “I was sure Mr. Abrams would be the problem.”

  “He is,” I quickly confirmed. “I was just…telling him to pay attention, Mr. Parker.” He didn’t believe my lie. He just turned back around and continued teaching.

  “And no. My parents would never object because of race,” I admitted, putting him out of his imagined misery.

  He leaned back, but I could feel his stare on me. “That’s cold, Amelia.” I smiled because the asshole deserved it.

  After class, Ford had walked me to my locker where Alistair was waiting for me. Alistair and I had Calculus together, and we always walked each other to the classes we shared. Alistair was my best friend, and I wouldn’t give him up for anything.

  When we stopped in front of my locker, Ford continued to be an ass. “Hey, Brown, you can be the first one to congratulate us.”

  Alistair’s blue eyes darted back and forth between me and Ford. “On what?”

  “Amelia agreed to be my girlfriend,” he announced as if it were the truth.

  I grabbed my Calculus book from my locker and looked at Alistair after shutting it. “That’s not entirely true,” I corrected. “Abrams, here, announced our relationship status in American History without even asking me.”

  Alistair snorted. “Did you really think he would?”

  I shook my head of the madness. “Okay,” I said. “That’s enough male testosterone for one day. Can we just get to class?”

  Alistair grinned. “Sure thing, Amelia.”

  Then an arm wrapped around my waist, and I was hauled up against the hard body of Ford Abrams. I had to tilt my head back all the way to look up at him. Ford was tall as hell and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get used to his imposing presence.

  “I’ll see you at lunch,” he said before leaning down and surprising the shit out of me with a chaste kiss on my cheek. When he let go of me and walked off, I was just left standing there staring after him.

  “Ford Abrams, a romantic. Who would have thought?” Alistair quipped.

  I blinked myself out of my stupor and looked at my best friend. “You know, I’m not really entirely sure I know what’s going on.”

  Alistair hooked his arm around mine and we headed towards fourth period. “You know, Amelia, it’s quite possible that Ford Abrams likes you and it’s really just that simple.”

  I choked out a laugh. “Ford Abrams doesn’t like girls, Alistair,” I reminded him. “He’s…well, he’s Ford Abrams.”

  “Okay, bear with me on this crazy idea, okay?” I laughed. Alistair really was one of the good guys. His recent fame of getting jumped by Rid
geview has got girls running after him, but Alistair wasn’t the type to get blinded by lights and cheers. Besides, he might be okay with indulging, but his heart had been taken years ago by his first true love, and I was quite sure she still had it. “Could it be that you shared a night of mind-blowing sex with the guy, but he wasn’t as insensitive as you credited him with being, and he knew you were going through some serious shit that night, so he was just giving you time to sort your shit out?”

  We were approaching class, so I stopped to look up at him. “You’re giving Abrams a hell of a lot of credit, Alistair,” I remarked.

  “Babe, it’s quite possible that Ford’s liked you for some time, and he just didn’t know what to do about it,” he insisted. “You were dating Earnest for a long time, then you show up at a party looking to sleep with some random guy like that’s normal for you. If Ford was wary, he had every right to be.” Alistair cocked his head. “What’s the problem? You’ve admitted you like him, Amelia. You’re kind of getting everything you want here.”

  I looked up at my best friend and confessed why I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the entire thing. “He’s Ford Abrams. Ford Abrams.”

  Alistair grinned. “And you’re Amelia Prescott.” He kissed the top of my head. “Don’t forget that very important fact, Friend.”

  It wasn’t that Ford’s slept with a lot of girls that bothered it; he’s a teenage boy. A gorgeous one, at that. It was that he’s never shown interest in a girl and it was hard to trust that. It was hard to trust that this wasn’t just a novelty for him. I knew what it took to be in a relationship, Ford didn’t. How good or how bad was he going to be at this?

  But then, I suppose every relationship is a novelty when it’s with someone new. Even if Ford has had girlfriends before, he hasn’t had me for a girlfriend, so I suppose it’d all be a brand-new experience no matter what.

  I smiled at Alistair and we headed into class. The truth was, this was a conversation that needed to be had with Ford, not Alistair.