by Claire Raye
“Where’s your brother?” Ruby asks, stumbling a little as I let go of her and she looks around at our empty and quiet house.
“He’s down at Reid’s. You want to walk down there and meet him?” I ask, slipping an arm around her waist as she teeters precariously in her heels. “Why don’t you change your shoes first? Toss on some flip flops because I’m a little concerned you’re going to break an ankle.”
Ruby giggles and kicks off her shoes, one flying toward the front door and the other toward the kitchen. “Don’t worry. I’ll get those later,” she says, her hand flitting in the general direction of where each went.
She doesn’t bother with shoes, cutting across the grass of the neighboring house as we walk toward Reid’s. Of course there’s a party happening there and everything is incredibly loud and before we can even reach the house, Reid and Caleb are coming through the front door.
“Reid!” Ruby screams, running to him and throwing herself into his arms. “I’m so happy you finally fucked Sienna. That was getting out of hand. Am I right or what?” she now says, her words slurred just a little and mildly inappropriate.
“Hi Ruby,” he replies, setting her down but leaving his hands on her hips as he steadies her. “Yes, I would say you were right, and I really appreciate your crassness in describing the situation between Sie and me.” He winks at her and she giggles, her drunkenness even more obvious than before.
“Ruby, this is my brother Caleb,” I add, now interjecting myself into the conversation with her and Reid.
Caleb reaches out a hand, but instead of shaking it, Ruby throws her arms around his neck as a way of greeting and for a split second, Caleb is taken aback.
“Brothers don’t shake hands. Brothers hug,” Ruby sputters out, quoting a line from Tommy Boy, one of her favorite movies. She then laughs, her perfect twinkling giggle that you can’t help but be drawn in by.
“Whoa,” he mumbles, stumbling back as he’s caught off guard by her abruptness, but she isn’t normally this wild and his smile tells me he might actually be enjoying this exchange.
“It’s just the booze,” I tell Caleb, rolling my eyes. “She’s much calmer sober, I swear.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Reid inserts. “A little calmer I would say.”
“You two need to stop giving me so much shit. I’ve missed you guys and I’m so happy you’re home,” Ruby insists, now stomping her foot.
“Okay, okay. We missed you, too,” I tell her, placating her just a little as I run a hand over her wild dark brown hair.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ruby,” Caleb says, his words a little soft, a simple smile on his face now, and if I’m reading him correctly, he’s trying to play it cool.
“You too,” she replies, suddenly seeming more sober than she was just seconds ago. “I’m going to go see what’s happening at Reid’s house and see if I can score myself a few more drinks.” She giggles again and then I watch her tiny shoeless feet scamper off into Reid’s house.
“Well, she’s going to be good and hung…” Reid starts but doesn’t bother finishing his thought as he calls out, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Caleb looks over at Reid and I turn around to see what Reid is looking at.
Fucking Justin Hamilton.
I can’t even believe that prick would have the nerve to show up here after what he did to me. He has some balls walking up to Reid’s house.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” Reid asks, his tone clipped and I’m sure if I wasn’t standing here, he would’ve already decked Justin in the face.
“When did you get back?” Justin asks, his question shaky, the nervousness in his voice now mirrored in his tense posture. It’s obvious he’s been coming around and partying at Reid’s, knowing Reid has been gone all this time.
“Today and I’m pretty sure this will be the last time I see your ass anywhere near mine or Sienna’s house after what you did,” Reid hisses, and I almost commend him for how controlled he is. I guess finally landing the girl has made him a hell of a lot calmer.
“Did I miss something?” Caleb asks, his brows furrowed and judging by the look on his face, he already knows this guy fucked with his sister.
“Yeah, you did,” Reid tells him, turning to look at Caleb. “This prick here was trying to fuck my girl to get back at me. Thought he’d fuck with Sie. How do you feel about that?” Reid now asks, the conversation directed at Caleb, but clearly meant for Justin’s ears.
“Not great given she’s my twin sister,” he replies, clicking his tongue. “Probably best that you walk away now.” Caleb’s words are a simple but important suggestion to Justin. Caleb now lifting his chin as if to say get moving.
“You’re a real asshole, Bowen,” Justin spits out, pointing a finger at Reid and I laugh out loud. He has some nerve calling Reid an asshole given the things he called me and that was just to me directly. I can only imagine what he said to everyone else around him.
“I think you better take his advice, Hamilton and start walking,” Reid says. “And don’t even think about trying to manipulate another girl on this campus because I’m watching.” Reid adds, slinging an arm around my shoulder and kissing the side of my head.
“That’s really fucking rich coming from you, Bowen,” Justin growls, but as Caleb steps toward him, Justin flinches, moving back just a little.
“Sie’s mine now and honestly, I don’t fucking care what you think of me, but what I do care about is you not coming near her ever again.” Reid’s arm drops from my shoulders and he now steps closer to Justin.
This isn’t going to last long if Justin doesn’t see himself out of here. Caleb and Reid will wail on him and I won’t feel the least bit bad about it.
Justin obviously thinks wiser about continuing to go at it with the two of them though, and he disappears into the darkness of the dimly lit street.
“You two,” I say, narrowing my eyes at them and shaking my head. “None of that again, got it? I’m twenty-one years old and don’t need you two fighting my battles for me.”
“Come on, Sie. You gotta admit that was a little fun. He looked like he was gonna shit his pants,” Reid jokes, slapping Caleb on the back.
“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to intimidate a boy who treated you like shit,” Caleb adds. “It was kinda fun, but you’re right. You can take care of yourself now.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m with Reid now,” I deadpan, pursing my lips at him as I hit him with an annoyed stare.
“So we both win then,” he retorts back and I can’t help but laugh.
“Let’s go home. I’m exhausted,” I tell them as I take Reid’s hand in mine and loop my arm through Caleb’s, squeezing a little tighter today than I ever have.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Reid
“Caleb!” I shout as I walk out of Sie’s bedroom and into the living room.
“What?” he calls from the kitchen.
I grin, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “You ready to go?” I ask him, standing behind the couch where Sienna and Ruby both sit.
“Yeah, sure,” he says, shrugging.
I turn to Sie, leaning over the back of the couch as she looks up at me, a smile on her face. “I’m taking Caleb to football practice with me,” I say, my hand sliding over her jaw and down her neck, before slipping under her t-shirt so I can grab her boob. “We might grab a few beers after, don’t miss us too much.”
Sienna rolls her eyes, pulling my hand off her boob even though she’s smiling at me. “Have fun.”
My grin widens as I lean down to kiss her. “Wait up for me,” I murmur, my mouth against hers as I sneak my hand back to her boob, pinching her nipple and making her gasp.
Ruby laughs and I kiss Sie once more before pulling my hand from her shirt and straightening. As I walk past, I ruffle Ruby’s hair, knowing she’s hungover as fuck right now after joining the party that was raging at my place when we got back last night. “Late
r, Rubes.”
“Bye, Reid,” she says, flinging a hand in the air to swat me away as I head to the front door, Caleb following behind me.
We head outside, where my now sort of former roommates, Matt and Logan are waiting for us and the four of us start walking over to campus.
“So, now you’re all like pussy whipped and stuff, are you moving out of our place or what?” Matt asks, a stupid grin on his face as he punches me in the shoulder.
“Dude,” I say, glancing back at him as Caleb scrubs a hand down his face. “This is Caleb’s sister we’re talking about here,” I add, chuckling a little when Caleb glares at me and mutters, “Doesn’t seem to stop you.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Matt laughs, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “But seriously, are you?”
I shrug. “Yes and no,” I tell him. “I mean we have the lease till the end of the year, right? So I’ll keep paying rent till then, but yeah, I don’t know how much I’ll be staying there.”
Matt’s grin widens. “So does this mean we can rent out your room, make a little beer money?”
“No!” Logan and I both shout at the same time. “And no letting people crash there either,” I add. “I do not want anyone but me having sex in my bed. Fuck, I think I need to get a lock for the door.”
“Fine, fine,” Matt says chuckling a little. “So, Caleb,” he asks now, glancing at him. “What do you think about all this,” he continues, obviously hoping to start something. “Your best friend and your sister?”
Caleb shrugs, giving me a quick look as he says, “I’m fine with it.”
“Really?” Matt asks, clearly surprised.
“Yeah, really,” he says.
“Wow,” Matt murmurs, almost to himself. “And you do know Reid, right? I mean like…”
“Dude,” Logan says, punching Matt’s arm.
“What?” he asks.
“Fuck’s sake,” Logan groans. “It’s his sister, Reid’s girlfriend, shut the fuck up about it.”
“Yeah, but,” Matt continues, seemingly not realizing how much he is sticking his foot in his mouth by continuing this conversation.
Caleb chuckles a little, turning so he’s walking backward as he says, “Do I know Reid used to fuck anything that moved? Yeah, of course I do. I’ve known the guy since we were five,” he says, grinning at me. “But do I also know that he loves my sister and will never do anything to hurt her? Yes, that I definitely know,” he adds.
I clap him on the shoulder, grateful that he feels this way, that he knows how serious I am about Sie. “And this,” I say, shooting a glance back at Matt. “Is why he’s my best friend, and you’re a fucking idiot.”
Logan lets out a laugh as Matt rolls his eyes, even though he’s grinning too.
When we get to campus, we make our way to the locker rooms and change into our football gear, Caleb waiting out in the bleachers. I dragged him out here tonight, partly because I want him to meet the guys and start to get used to being here in Hawthorn, now that this place is his home. But I also did it because I want to remind him of what his life once was and what it still could be if he chose to let it happen.
We’ve only been back a day and I know he’s still getting settled and has a shitload of other stuff to deal with, so I’m not expecting any life-altering decisions overnight. But he’s still being stubborn about the whole going to school thing, so I thought if maybe he saw us practice, got a reminder of how much fun it could be, he might reconsider.
The coach takes us through drills for over an hour and I gotta admit, despite going for a few runs and getting a workout in other ways while we were back in Rhode Island, I can definitely tell I’ve missed a lot of practice. I’d like to blame it all on the forced concussion break I had to take, but it’s not just that.
These past four weeks have been crazy in so many ways and honestly, with everything that was going on, school and football were pretty much the last things I was thinking about. As a result though, it looks like catching up on classes and exams isn’t the only painful part about coming back home.
“Bowen,” the coach shouts at me, signaling for me to come over.
I pull off my helmet and jog toward him, wondering if I’m about to get a lecture on my form or match fitness, both of which suck right now. We don’t normally practice on a Friday night, but it’s close to finals, so the coach insists. God knows I need it right now.
“Yeah, Coach?”
“How’s the head?” he asks, arms crossed over his chest.
“Yeah, it’s all good,” I tell him, shoving a hand through my sweat-drenched hair.
“And ah, everything else?” he asks, clearing his throat a little.
I stare at him for a few seconds as I try to figure out if he’s asking me what I think he’s asking me. Even though it happened on the other side of the country, it still made the news here, the crimes my dad has been accused of big enough that they made it all the way to California. Plus, I know my professors know, given I had to explain to them why I was missing so much school and I’m sure that info got passed on to the coach too. It’s good, because it means I didn’t lose my scholarship, but it’s shitty because I’m still not sure how many people know about it. How many people are talking about my asshole dad and what he did behind my back.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I tell him, having no desire to discuss what happened in Providence with anyone other than the two people who were there with me.
The coach nods once. “Okay,” he says. “Go give me four laps then, we need to work on getting your fitness back.”
I grin, nodding as I turn and do as he asked, grateful he’s not pushing it.
After practice, we hit the showers and then me, Caleb and some of the guys head down to one of the bars for some drinks. When we reach the street that the bar’s on though, I point in the opposite direction.
“I’ve just gotta take care of something,” I tell them, catching Caleb’s eye. He nods, not asking as he joins me and we wander down the street to one of only a handful of stores that are still open.
Caleb follows me inside, not saying anything as I walk up to the counter and let them know who I am, as I hand over some cash. We both head back to small rooms out back, Caleb taking a seat as I pull off my t-shirt and climb up onto the bench. I hand the guy the design and he gets it set up, asking me where it’s going.
“You know she’s gonna lose her shit when she sees this,” Caleb finally says, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest and a relaxed look on his face.
I grin. “I know,” I tell him, lying back. “Means I’m also getting laid tonight, too.”
Caleb chuckles, even as he shakes his head at me. “Fucking hopeless,” he mutters.
Thirty minutes later and we are back on the street, heading down to the bar to join the rest of the guys. We hang out and have a few beers, Caleb easily fitting in with everyone, even though he doesn’t talk much.
I can tell all of this is still overwhelming for him though, the way he sits with his back to the wall, the way his eyes flick to the door every time it opens, or the way he’s never fully engaged in the conversation. It’s gotta be hard, but the fact he stays tells me he doesn’t want things to always be like this. I know he wants to get better, even if he still doesn’t really want talk about it.
After a couple of hours, I finish my beer and say, “You wanna go?”
He glances at the rest of the group, who are clearly all settling in for a long night. “You sure?” he asks.
I nod, knowing it’s what he needs. “Yep, besides,” I can’t resist adding. “I gotta go cash in, remember?”
Caleb shakes his head and we say our goodbyes and head outside.
“So what’d you think?” I ask, as the two of us slowly walk home.
Caleb shoves his hands in his pockets, a relaxed look on his face that might be due to the beers and might be due to him finally being away from Providence and knowing he’s safe now. “Yeah, the guys are all cool,” he says,
glancing at me. “I can see why you like it out here.”
“You will too,” I say, hitching my bag on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” he murmurs.
I take a deep breath. “Thought anymore about going back to school?”
“Reid,” he warns.
“What, I’m just asking?” I say, hands up defensively.
Caleb shakes his head. “Nah, it’s not for me,” he says. “Not anymore.”
“Not even to play football?” I ask, even knowing it’s a longshot.
He glances at me, a smile on his face. “Dude, I’m even more out of shape than you,” he says, chuckling a little.
I grin. “Yeah, but we can change that.”
“Nah, I’m good,” he says, still smiling. “It’s time for me to move on.”
“So what are you gonna do?” I ask, realizing the school thing is definitely a lost cause.
Caleb takes a deep breath, letting it out in a long exhale. “Well, I need to get this off first,” he says, holding up his cast wrist. “But I did notice that bar we were at is looking for staff, so…maybe I’ll check it out.”
I nod, clapping a hand on his back. “I think that’s great.” And it is, because a job, a return to some kind of routine, can only be a good thing for him. “And, it’ll be a great place to score with the ladies,” I add, knowing it’s a popular bar on campus.
Caleb smiles a little, shaking his head. “Maybe,” he mutters and I realize now that despite being away from Providence, normalcy for Caleb is still a long way off. Sie and I got lucky because we both know everything about each other. Our shitty families, our shitty pasts and everything that happened these past few weeks. For Caleb though, that won’t be the same. Eventually, whenever he meets someone, he’s going to have to tell them and I can only imagine how hard that’s going to be.
Still, now is not the time to think about that.
