Scrubbing my hand over my face, I pulled away from the curb in front of the school and made my way out of the parking lot. Five more weeks and I’d be out of here. Why did I let my step-dad talk me into waiting to sign my commitment papers at the recruiting office? I’d be done with basic training already if I’d done what I wanted and signed up as soon as I turned eighteen. I could have left the day after graduation. But summer was the busiest time of year for construction and Derrick needed the extra pair of hands. So, here I was still at home having inappropriate thoughts about a girl that was way too young for me.
It was time to get out of here. My thoughts have been my enemy lately, especially where Eden was concerned. Like I said, Eden’s always been cute and spunky and fun. But over the last couple of years all those qualities have been amplified and added to. And all of it was attractive. To me, especially to me. And I hated it. She was my best friend’s little sister for crying out loud! Josh would never understand the mixed-up feelings Eden stirred in me. Not that I would tell him. Or do anything about it. Because I wouldn’t. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to. Sometimes.
“Hey, Dylan. Getting a late start this morning,” Derrick said as soon as I exited my truck, like he’d been waiting for me, which he probably had been. Derrick was a good guy and he was a good husband to my mom and a dad to their kids, the twins, Hazel and Reed.
“Yeah, Josh left this morning and the Crenshaw’s asked if I’d give Eden a ride to school ‘til she gets her license next month.” Mr. and Mrs. Crenshaw both commuted and had to leave the house well before school started. Josh and I had made sure Eden had a ride since we’d started driving. One more month didn’t seem like a big deal and I was only a half hour later than usual to the construction site.
Derrick just grunted. He wanted to say more. Probably something along the lines of don’t make someone else’s problems your problems, but Josh’s family was like my own. They’d treated me like their own son since Josh and I became friends as toddlers. Letting them down was not an option. In the end, it all came down to the fact that I was leaving in less than five weeks and Derrick wanted me to stay here and prepare myself to take over the family business instead.
But I’ve known I would follow in my own father’s footsteps since I was just a little kid. My dad was in the Army. I didn’t know much about him, he died before I could even really meet him long enough to remember him. I’ve seen pictures and Mom’s told me stories, but there was a huge hole in my life where he should have been and wasn’t. Derrick tried to fill the void, but I wasn’t ready to let him, even after ten years of him being my step-dad. For some reason, I felt that if I joined the Army, lived some of the life my dad had lived, I would understand what the big deal was, why he chose to do something that could, and did, take him away from us. From me.
My mom cried for a week straight after I signed commitment papers. Derrick didn’t understand why I’d want to join the Army after what happened to my dad. I think Mom got it, but she still didn’t want me to go. As for me? The last thing I wanted was to stay home and work for my step-dad for the rest of my life never going out on my own and seeing what the world had to offer.
I suppose I could have gone to college like Josh but that wasn’t for me. I hated high school- well, the academic side of high school. Four more years sounded like a special kind of torture. I was meant to be a soldier. I’d been spending time hanging out at the recruiting station, picking their brains about what job to take and what training to do as I progressed in my career. I joined an MMA gym at the start of the summer and loved every minute of training. I was ready. I’d be able to pass all the physical training tests without any problems. I was focused and determined. I was ready to kick ass at basic.
The work day was long and hot, and I couldn’t get my mind off Eden in her short skirt and leather boots. I wondered what the reaction was at school that day. No way the guys weren’t talking about her and it made me want to punch something. Hard.
Which was how I found myself driving to the gym after work even though I was dead tired.
“Hey, Dylan. Didn’t expect to see you here today.” Mark Andrews, my sparring instructor, greeted with an outstretched fist once I emerged from the locker room, ready to hit something, mostly Mark’s face.
I bumped it with my own gloved fist. “Needed to get rid of some excess energy,” I told him, my thoughts returning to Eden without my permission. Damn that girl.
Mark grinned. Nodding, he began dancing around the mats like a boxer with his fists up by his face. “I think I can help with that.”
Chapter 3
Eden
Item number three on my get-a-boyfriend-plan was to pick my guy. For the whole first week of school, I scoped out the hottie pool. It was more extensive than I would have given credit. There were several likely candidates in the sophomore pool, but I didn’t really want to date any of those guys. Too many of them hadn’t even gotten their license yet and those that had were such bad drivers I would be too afraid to drive anywhere with them, and driving was essential for a prospective boyfriend. The last thing I wanted was to have to pick up a guy in the old Ford once I got my license. A guy with wheels was a must.
That left the upperclassmen. It was setting my hopes too high with the seniors, so I set my sights on potential juniors. And there were a lot of them- starting with Connor Sanders, who was unfortunately off limits. The good news about Connor was his endless supply of hot friends and the fact that I already had an in with Connor in the form of our mutual best friend, Allie.
This was why I currently sat on Allie’s bedroom floor painting my toenails while Connor and Allie played the newest zombie shooter game on a Saturday afternoon. Ugh.
“What is with you guys and zombies? Seriously, this game is so freaky and gross.” And it was. I hated zombies. Thankfully, Josh and Dylan played war games like Ghost Recon and Call of Duty. They weren’t scary at all.
“Here I thought you were fearless, Eden,” Connor teased, his eyes glued to the television screen as his character ran down a long, dark hallway in a worn-down building.
“She is fearless unless we’re talking zombies, then she’s a huge wimp.” Allie’s character walked at a slower pace on the split screen below Connor’s character. Allie wasn’t as reckless as Connor.
Scowling at them both in their blessedly angstless state, I moved onto the top coat, applying a thick layer over the hot pink color I’d already done. “I’m not a wimp. I just get freaked out by zombies. Decaying flesh is not at all attractive.”
“That’s right. Eden likes pretty things,” Allie said, her fingers clicking away at the controller in her hand.
“I like pretty things, too,” Connor informed her with a wink. Allie blushed and nudged him with her shoulder while her feet moved to rub against his where they lay on her comforter.
Goodness, these two. Were they ever going to figure out how in love they were? If so, they needed to get their act together before Connor left for college.
“I do like pretty things and that’s why I need your help, Mr. Quarterback,” I told Connor, screwing the lid back on the jar of clear nail polish. Allie leaned over to admire my toes.
“Looks good.”
“Thanks. Want me to do yours? That is if you can pry your feet away from Connor’s,” I teased her.
“I’m good. It always just chips off anyway.”
“Besides, she can’t get enough of my feet,” Connor said, twining his legs through Allie’s.
“That’s true,” Allie admitted.
Ugh, the cuteness was going to make me gag! Hence, the need for a boy of my own.
“So, are you going to help me or not, Sanders,” I asked, glaring at him from my position on the floor.
“Help with what? Take that, sucker!” he yelled at the television.
“Finding a boyfriend, of course,” I answered casually.
Connor paused the game, eliciting a mild protest from Allie, and stared at me. “Find you a wh
at?”
“A boyfriend, dummy.” Lightly pressing a finger to my polish, I tested to see if they were dry yet. Not quite. I should have waited until I got home and put them under the LED light in my room, but I needed something to occupy my time while working up the courage to talk to Connor about introducing me to some of his friends.
“How exactly am I supposed to do that,” Connor asked, the furrow between his brows deepening as he considered me.
“Introduce me to all your hot friends, of course.” Look, I got it that I came across confident and maybe a little too brash and full of myself, but confidence was necessary to get anywhere in life. I knew what I wanted, and I was prepared to do what it took to get it. And if that meant swallowing any pride I possessed and putting myself out there- well, so be it.
Connor choked on his laugh. “Are you serious?”
Sitting up straight, I leveled him with a look. “Of course, I’m serious. It’s hard to meet anybody when your brother is Josh Crenshaw. Between him and Dylan, nobody will ask me out and I never get invited to parties because people are afraid Josh will get mad. Even from Syracuse he’s ruining my social life. Help me, Connor Sanders, you’re my only hope.”
“Star Wars quotes will not work on me!” Connor pinned me with a glare.
“Yes, they will,” Allie fake whispered with a wink at me.
“Whose side are you on, anyway,” Connor complained, shaking his head at Allie. “What makes you think I’m not worried about Josh and Dylan? Just because Josh is in college doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have friends around here and the last thing I need is Dylan going all Rambo on me.”
Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. “Connor, don’t act like you aren’t untouchable. You’re the best quarterback our team’s had in a decade. No way Josh is going to mess with winning games over my social life even if he isn’t on the team anymore. And Dylan’s too busy at work to be worried about me.”
Connor shook his head again. “Eden, this goes against every guy code out there. Josh is my friend. I can’t set up my friend’s little sister with some douchebag.”
“For heaven’s sake, Connor. I’m not asking you to auction my V-card to the highest bidder or anything.” Connor cringed, almost making me laugh. “I just want a few introductions. An invitation to a party. Isn’t there a party at JJ’s after the game on Friday? And isn’t JJ your best friend?” I let him connect the dots.
“Uh,” Connor glanced at Allie and sighed after she gave him the look. Turning back to me, I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head. “Are you sure about this? Aren’t there guys your age you want to go out with?”
“Our age? No way.” Uh-uh.
“Okay, tell you what. I can probably get you an invite to JJ’s-” I squealed. “But-” he raised his eyebrows at me. “But you better behave yourself. I meant what I said about being friends with Josh and Dylan. I don’t want to get into it with either of them.” The look on Connor’s face suggested the offer had been about as painful as a root canal.
Squealing again, I jumped up from the floor and onto the bed beside Connor and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Connor patted my back awkwardly. “You’re welcome. But listen,” he pushed me away and met my gaze with a serious expression. “I mean it, Eden. You have to be careful. JJ’s pretty chill, but even his parties get out of hand sometimes.”
Huffing, I scowled at him. “I can take care of myself.” I mean, seriously.
“A lot of stuff goes on at these parties,” Connor said cryptically.
Now, Allie was frowning. “Why are you going, then?”
Connor smiled that sweet smile he reserved just for Allie. “Brittany wants to go, and I can’t let her go by herself. Besides, JJ’s my best friend, he expects me to be there.”
Allie’s frown turned to a full-fledged scowl at the mention of Brittany Walters, Connor’s flavor of the month. As much as I believed Connor had the hots for Allie, he sure tried to hide it behind a smokescreen of gorgeous girlfriends. They never lasted long, and they were all jealous of Allie, but being Connor, he never lacked a willing bimbo on his arm even if she only got a few dates out of the deal.
Sometimes boys were just huge jerks.
“Okay, I’ll take the invite to JJ’s party. And any other opportunity for you to introduce me to any of your hot friends.”
“Good grief, Eden. Don’t you know all of Josh’s friends?” Connor was beginning to look at me like I was crazy and maybe I was- a little bit.
“Mostly, he just hangs out with Dylan. Anyway, their friends really are too old for me and already off to college.” Sad, but true. “Plus, they’d kill anyone they thought was interested in me, especially someone their age. They can be pretty persuasive when they want to be.” Persuasive was another way of saying downright mean. “And I think they’ve threatened bodily harm to any of their friends that get any ideas about me.”
Connor’s eyes slid shut. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Chapter 4
Eden
There he was. Connor stood not ten feet away and he was surrounded by half the football team and most of the cheerleaders. The first bell wouldn’t ring for another ten minutes. Plenty of time for Allie and me to come up with some reason to talk to him while he was joking around with all those gorgeous boys. Plenty of time for Connor to introduce me to Marshall Simpkins.
Marshall Simpkins. I’d spent most of Sunday gazing at the program from Friday night’s game. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Because in the center of the program was a full page, color photo of the football team. While checking out each of the guys on the team for several hours on Sunday afternoon, my gaze kept being drawn to none other than Marshall Simpkins.
Marshall was a senior and played defense. He was six feet, two inches of rock solid muscle who didn’t take crap from anybody. He wasn’t traditionally handsome. He looked more rugged and tough than model-like pretty. Honestly, I didn’t usually think guys like him were my type, but I was willing to take a chance on Marshall. Why? Well, because last year when he was a junior, he dated a freshman. He was obviously not afraid of dating a younger woman. And let’s face it, he was good looking, popular, drove a nice car...so, why not?
Taking a deep breath, I turned to Allie who’d gone so pale I wondered if she was going to faint on the spot.
“Breathe, Allie, sheesh. It’s not like you don’t know Connor. For heaven’s sake, he was laying on your bed most of the day on Saturday.” We had no time for second thoughts.
“Sunday, too, but this is different. You know I don’t like hanging out with Connor at school. Those girls,” Allie’s voice trailed off.
I shook my head, disgusted. Allie didn’t know it, but she could take those girls any day of the week. She was beautiful and funny and just plain awesome to be around. She was the most loyal and best friend anyone could ask for. The only thing she lacked was confidence.
And maybe a decent wardrobe.
“Let’s go.” Before I lost my nerve. I acted tough, but even I was intimidated by the crowd surrounding Connor. Clamping my hand down on Allie’s elbow, I towed her toward Connor.
Connor’s eyes widened as he watched us approach before narrowing knowingly. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the locker behind him, looking as though he planned to enjoy the show.
I quirked a brow at him eliciting a grin. His gaze shifted to Allie, his lips softening into an affectionate smile.
“Hey, Connor,” Allie squeaked, fidgeting uncomfortably when all conversation around us stopped.
“What’s up, Al,” Connor asked. He would never leave her hanging or give her reason to feel any more uncomfortable than she naturally did under the circumstances.
“Hey, Al,” JJ, Connor’s best friend greeted Allie, raising his fist for her to bump, which she did with a little giggle.
“JJ, don’t forget to come to the training room before practice. Coach wants that ankle taped.�
�� Allie pinned JJ with a look. If there was one thing Allie was confident about, it was training. It wouldn’t surprise me if she ended up working for a college or professional team in the future. She loved the game, loved the athletes, and had a knack for getting them to trust her.
“Dude, she’s bossing me around off the field now.” JJ pointed to Allie while turning to Connor with wide eyes.
Allie, in her element talking to football players, smacked JJ’s shoulder with the back of her hand. “You just do what you’re supposed to, and everything will be fine.”
“You guys know Eden, right,” Connor asked, gesturing toward me.
Working to keep my expression neutral, I glanced around at the popular people surrounding us. There was JJ and his on again off again girlfriend, Jasmine. This witchy girl, Kayla, who was gazing at Connor as though he was a god even though his girlfriend, Brittany, held his arm like it was an extension of her own body. Other guys from the football team were there, too. Clint Moore. Brennan Trumble. James Snow.
And, of course, Marshall.
Marshall leaned casually against the lockers on the edge of the group. He was the only senior standing around Connor’s locker. I tried to play it cool, but my gaze kept straying to where he stood.
He was largely built with thick muscles. His biceps strained against the confines of his long-sleeved Henley. His shaggy dark blonde hair hung low over his eyes, so his head was always leaning to the side to keep his hair out of them. His deep-set light brown eyes took in the scene around him with caution. He had a bad-boy look I suddenly found irresistible.
I let my gaze rest on him longer than what was acceptable, barely paying attention to the conversation going on with Allie and the football guys. The bell was about to ring, and I didn't know when I’d have another excuse to get this close to Marshall.
Suddenly, he looked straight at me. Heat rose in my cheeks under his unwavering gaze. Throwing back my shoulders, I took the two steps to stand directly in front of him.
The Perks of Hating You ( Perks Book 2) Page 2
