by Dia Cole
I craned my neck to look around his shoulder. “You could say that.”
“Do you go to SAU?”
Before I could respond, Reed appeared next to me. His eyes narrowed on Scooter. “No offense, man. She’s out of your league.” Without another look at the guy, Reed tugged me into the kitchen.
I shot him a questioning look. “That was a little cold-blooded.” Reed was usually nice to a fault. Hell, he’d even offered a glass of water to the guy who repossessed our car last month.
“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”
I snorted. “Better not come to the club then.” The men there made the drunken college boy look like a gentleman.
Reed’s eyes darkened, his grip tightening on my arm. “I hate that you have to work there.”
I opened my mouth to remind him that we needed the money, but was distracted by the state of the kitchen. The avocado-colored laminate counters were covered in red cups, wadded up chip bags, and bongs. Spying the keg sitting over by the fridge, my skin grew hot and tight. “Reed—”
“Before you say anything, I promise everyone will be out of here by two. Ronnie’s going to take the keg with him and I’ll clean the entire house.”
A couple of the guys playing beer pong on Gran’s old oak dining table waved at Reed. “Awesome party, man. When is the stripper getting here? Ronnie said there would be a stripper.”
I stared hard at the peeling white cabinets, pressing my lips together to keep my rage from spilling out. I couldn’t handle this right now. Every part of my life was in crisis. Neither job I had was paying enough to cover our bills. My boss was pimping me out to a drug lord who’d probably end up killing me. My sister was in jail. My house was a disaster and filled to the brim with douche bags.
“Oh, I wanted to give you this.” Reed reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a wad of twenty-dollar bills.
I looked at the cash he pressed into my hand in confusion. “Where did you get the money?”
“I sold the bass.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “But you loved that bass.” Reed’s mom had given it to him for his fourteenth birthday. Just days before the car accident that had taken her life and nearly taken Reed’s.
“I need to help you out with the rent, and the time I’ve been practicing with the band could be better spent looking for a job. I’ve got more interviews lined up next week. One of those will work out. I know it.”
This was too much. Yes, we needed the money. But not at the cost of his hopes and dreams. I pushed the bills back at him. “Reed Jarin Marshall, you buy that bass back.”
“The big sister act doesn’t work with me.” He smiled and touched my cheek. His gaze shimmered with an emotion that startled me.
When had he gone from the sweet neighbor boy who followed me around to a man?
He wasn’t blood, but after the accident when Gran took him in, I’d treated him like family. I’d had to temporarily make him my ward when Gran died to keep him out of the system. That had only reinforced our familial relationship in my mind. But the way he was looking at me was far from brotherly. My skin tingled under the warmth of his fingers.
When had things changed so completely between us?
Needing some distance, I took a step back. I shoved the cash in my purse. “Fine, I’ll keep this for now, but as soon as we have enough money, I’m buying you an even better bass guitar.”
“Okay,” he said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Here, have a drink.” He snagged a red cup off the table, filled it with beer, and handed it to me.
Oh, what the hell.
I took a sip and choked on the bitter malty taste. The next sip wasn’t too bad. I lifted the cup and tilted it toward Reed. “Happy birthday, bro.”
His face darkened. “I’m not your brother.”
Could nothing go right tonight?
“But you’re family. You, Duncan, and Eden.”
“True that.” He filled a cup for himself and drank.
The sound of instruments warming up told me we were in for more earsplitting torture.
Maybe Reed quitting the band wasn’t such a bad thing.
“I’m going to change.” I motioned down to the wet stains on my sweater. Without waiting for him to respond, I headed out of the kitchen, and down the hallway to my room. Opening my bedroom door presented me with the sight of two half-dressed strangers rolling around on my bed.
Really?
The fury I’d been trying to bottle in for the past thirty minutes exploded. I flipped on the light. “What are you doing?”
A Goth-looking guy and girl, who didn’t look much older than Eden, pulled apart.
The looks of shock and fear on their faces didn’t soothe my anger one bit.
“Get the hell out of my room.”
The heavyset, pink-haired girl hastily pulled her skull-covered skirt down, while the rail-thin guy with black spikey-hair buttoned his fly.
“Dude, we were just—”
“Trespassing. That’s what you were doing. There better be nothing missing or I’m calling the cops.”
With almost comical haste, they ran from my room.
I bent down and picked up a forgotten Doc Marten boot. I threw it in the direction they fled. “And stay out.”
I slammed the door behind me and locked it. Crinkling my nose in disgust, I surveyed my wrinkled mink-brown suede comforter. It probably needed to be fumigated now.
What would possess people to sneak into a stranger’s room to have sex?
Maybe I didn’t get it because I’d avoided romantic relationships my whole life. I’d never considered rolling around with anyone on my bed or anyone else’s. Men were pigs. I’d seen enough at the club to know that. Besides, I wouldn’t end up making the same mistakes that my mother made. Falling for the wrong man had cost her and my older sister their lives.
Still shaking my head, I walked over to my closet. Kneeling on the warped wood floor, I felt for the loose floorboard underneath a stack of shoe boxes. The plank came away in my hands. I reached down into the space and pulled out the money I’d socked away. I added tonight’s earnings along with Reed’s contribution.
I held the too-small roll of bills in my hand. Since our landlord had jacked up his rates, it was barely enough to cover this month’s overdue rent. And now I’d have Eden’s latest legal fees to contend with…
With a heavy sigh, I slipped the money back into the hole. As I reassured myself that Gran’s small jewelry pouch remained untouched, my fingers brushed against cool metal. Unable to stop myself, I pulled out a two-foot long military knife.
My father’s knife.
My warped image reflected back at me from the shiny blade. The screams of my mother and sister seemed to reverberate in the air around the deadly weapon. Tears prickled my eyes as dark memories threatened to overwhelm me.
All my life I’d tried to forget that horrific night. Finding the knife among Gran’s things had brought the nightmares back. The horror of what my dad had done. Of what he’d forced me to do…
Someone pounded on my door hard enough to shake the wood frame.
6
For a second, my fingers tightened around the blade.
It better not be the Goth couple. They’ll regret messing with me tonight.
“Come on out, sugar. No hiding in your room when there’s free beer and single men to be had.”
The breath I was holding came out in a rush.
Cami.
I quickly pushed the knife back in its hiding place and covered it back up with the plank. “One of those single men poured his free beer all over me.” I hastily swapped my wet sweater for a black crop top hanging in my closet, and then opened the door.
My best friend stood in the hallway still wearing the teeny-tiny plaid skirt and white thigh-highs from her set at the club. She’d tied her white button-down shirt into a knot under her ample cleavage. It showcased her tanned abs and the dangly belly button ring that m
atched my own. She swayed unsteadily, a vodka bottle dangling from between her fingers.
I laughed. “Couldn’t wait to start the party?”
“No nagging. I feel like crap. My head is throbbing. Thank God Robin drew the short straw tonight. There was no way I could’ve danced back-to-back sets.” She took a healthy gulp from the bottle.
“What do you mean?”
“The evil-bitch-of-the-West didn’t bother gracing us with her presence tonight. Max is livid, and I’m sure Robin wants to kill her. She wasn’t thrilled about having to dance in cowboy boots and chaps. Not good for her dominatrix rep, ya know?”
Goose bumps ran down my arms. “Jess didn’t show?”
“Nope. But the good news is that I think she finally crossed the line this time. Given the way Max flipped his lid, she can kiss her job goodbye.”
Oh, God. It wasn’t a prank.
The room spun around me. “I saw Jess outside the club.” Before my legs could give out, I sat down on my bed. “Some guy had torn out her throat…her guts…”
“What?”
Remembering what I’d seen in the alley made me wrap my arms around myself. My tongue thickened as if reluctant to speak the words out loud. “Then she got up and came after me. I think… I think they were zombies.”
Cami burst into laughter.
I rubbed my temples. “I know how it sounds.”
She came over and sat down beside me. “It sounds like you’ve been working too hard. Are you sure you saw what you think you did?”
“Pretty sure.” I grabbed the bottle from her hands and gulped. The straight vodka tasted like rubbing alcohol and left me sputtering.
Cami slapped me on the back so hard I nearly fell off the bed. “Get a grip.”
“Ouch.” She was strong for her slight frame. Pole dancing made for killer biceps.
She flashed me a chastising look. “Remember, I’m the girl with the weird conspiracy theories.”
No argument there. She was always trying to convince me of inane things like the idea that the army base had been infiltrated by lizard-like aliens.
“Don’t you think it’s more likely that Jess was punking you? She probably got the idea about zombies from the news. Just yesterday, I overheard her telling one of her friends that she was planning her best prank ever.”
I took another sip. My hand shook the bottle so hard that vodka spilled over the side. “That’s what I thought, but why wouldn’t she show for her set?”
“Who knows why that crazy bitch does what she does? Maybe she gets her kicks from having Robin and me suffer through her horrible country routine. Maybe she went crazy with the special effects and couldn’t clean up quickly enough.”
That makes sense.
Feeling relieved, I let out a weak laugh. “She did go all out with the guts and blood. She even wore creepy white contacts.”
Cami pulled the bottle out of my lap and took a swig. “We gotta get her back for this. Any ideas?”
I shook my head. “I’ll think of something epic though.”
Jess is going down.
“That’s my girl.” Cami rubbed her hand. “Damn, even my hand’s gone numb now and I’m feeling really out of it.”
“Maybe you’re coming down with something.” I felt her forehead. It was strangely cool to the touch.
“Maybe I’m dying from that stupid vaccine. I knew better than to trust the government. They probably put arsenic in it as a form of population control. China’s been doing that for decades.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, who’s crazy now? And why did you get the shot anyway?” A government-mandated vaccination seemed exactly like the type of thing she’d boycott.
Cami scowled. “My sister’s due any minute, and she told me I couldn’t meet the baby until I got the vaccine.”
“Quite the hostage negotiator, eh?”
“Yeah, that’s my sister for you, but at least she’s not spending the night in jail.”
I winced. “Touché. Well, it’s not like I can get Eden out before court tomorrow anyway.” I knew from experience the police wouldn’t release her before her hearing.
Cami pushed herself to her feet, wobbling on six-inch stilettos. “Hopefully, another night in the slammer will teach her a lesson. I’m sure she’ll be pissed that she missed the party.” She glanced down again at her arm and frowned. “Well, if tonight is my last night on earth, I’m gonna get drunk and laid. Come on. You’re getting drunk too. Let’s get this party started.”
Cami wasn’t kidding. Within a half an hour she’d bullied me into a drinking game with Reed, Ronnie, Morgan, and Scooter.
Two hours later, my vision was hazy. Ronnie’s lame jokes were getting funnier, and Scooter, who refused to leave my side all night, was getting better-looking.
Once the keg ran dry, the other partygoers cleared out. It left just the six of us sitting around the kitchen table along with Cami’s almost empty vodka bottle and Gran’s gin collection. An indie cover version of “When the Levee Breaks” was playing on Reed’s vintage record player, the perfect soundtrack for the Never Have I Ever drinking game we were playing.
Ronnie cleared his throat. Over the course of the night, his freckled face had taken on the hue of his cup. “Never have I ever had sex with two people at the same time.”
The rest of the guys and I shook our heads and looked down at our red cups.
Cami scoffed and took a healthy drink from her cup. “Come on. You’re all losers. At this rate, I’ll be too trashed to have sex with one of you guys.” Her gaze rested briefly on Reed.
He pointedly ignored her, as he’d been doing all night.
Feeling unexpectedly relieved that he wasn’t interested in her subtle and not-so-subtle attempts at seduction, I grinned. “We can’t all be skanky hos.” I turned and winked at her. I must’ve moved too fast because I nearly fell off my chair.
Scooter caught my elbow to steady me.
Ronnie, who’d never taken his eyes off Cami, wagged his bushy eyebrows in her direction. “You’re my kind of woman.”
Cami gave him a once-over and flashed him a thousand-watt smile. “But are you man enough for me?”
Oh, God, not Cami and Ronnie.
My best friend and Reed’s best friend. That was a recipe for disaster. I met Reed’s gaze across the table and rolled my eyes.
Instead of sharing my disgust, he wore a strained expression on his face. His gaze was focused on Scooter’s hand still holding my arm. “Hey guys, I think it’s time to pack it in for the night.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “Come on, we’re having a good time.”
“Lee, I’ve never seen you drink like this. Look at you. You can barely sit upright in your chair.”
Feeling self-conscious, I straightened in my seat. True, I wasn’t much of a drinker. I was always working too much to party. But I thought I was holding my own.
Scooter slid an arm over my shoulder. “What are you, her dad? She’s just having fun, man. Lay off.”
Reed tightened his grip around his plastic cup, nearly crushing it in half. Clearly, he wasn’t having a good time and it was his birthday.
Maybe we should cut the night short…
The rebel inside me flipped off that idea. It wasn’t fair. I hadn’t felt this light and free in forever. I was tired of always being the responsible one.
Didn’t I deserve to live it up a little?
Scooter gave everyone at the table an assessing look. “Never have I ever had a Big Mac.”
Cami gasped. “No way.”
Scooter’s face reddened. “Yeah, I have wheat and dairy allergies.”
Ronnie slapped him on his back. “That’s so sad, man.”
Everyone at the table knocked back their cups.
My eyes didn’t even water. The vodka went down like apple juice at this point. Feeling bad for Scooter, I reached over and touched his arm. “I can’t eat Big Macs either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. My
sister is forcing us to eat vegan.” I wrinkled my nose thinking about the tofu sandwiches she’d made for lunch yesterday.
He laughed and slid an arm around my shoulder. “How about I take you to the Red Dog Saloon for our first date,” he said naming a popular steak restaurant. “I won’t tell if you won’t tell.”
Reed slammed his cup down on the table. Gin sloshed across the top. If he glared any harder at Scooter, college boy’s head would’ve exploded.
What is up with him?
Trying to diffuse the tension, I shook off Scooter’s arm and fisted my cup. “My turn.” I thought for a second, and then said, “Never have I ever been in love.”
Reed held my gaze, tipped his cup up to me, and slowly drank.
Feeling like a butterfly pinned to a wall, I swallowed hard and broke his stare. A quick glance around the table revealed everyone was drinking. Everyone but me had been in love. I should’ve been rejoicing the win. Instead, I felt like the bottom of the floor had dropped out underneath my chair.
Is something wrong with me?
In that moment, a whole lifetime of choices flashed through my mind. Me rejecting Josh, the cute boy with dimples, who’d asked me to the eighth grade dance. Me spurning Darren, who’d stubbornly spent most of sophomore year trying to get me to go out with him. The countless faces of boys and men who’d asked me out in the years since then. I’d never regretted my decision to avoid all things male until this moment.
Scooter leaned over. “You just haven’t met the right guy,” he whispered into my ear. He reached down and rubbed my jean-clad thigh.
Instead of pulling away, I smiled. Maybe he was right. He was kind of sexy in that clean-cut, boy-next-door way.
Scooter responded by dragging me into his lap.
I giggled, enjoying the feeling of a pair of arms around me.
Why had I been avoiding this my whole life?
The sound of Reed gritting his teeth had me jerking my head up.
What’s his deal tonight?
Next to me, Morgan swiped his dark hair out of his face and leveled the table with a serious look. “Never have I ever killed someone.”
As his words registered, I felt the blood leaving my face.
