I bring him in to the kitchen. A visit from Patrick is a rare occurrence. It probably doesn’t mean anything good. “Everything okay?” I ask. My kitchen is dark like the rest of my house. Flicking on the overhead light I sit down at the table but Patrick remains standing.
“No, we have a problem.” He cracks his knuckles and paces nervously. “I think Kent is playing a dangerous game and I think a lot of people could get hurt.”
“What kind of game?”
“I don’t know what he’s doing with Ashley, the girl is…” The floor shakes underneath us as the pacing becomes more like stomping. “Wrong. She is just all wrong for him. He should be with someone like…” He looks at me and points. “You.”
I drop my head down, mortified, remembering what Patrick witnessed between me and Kent.
“What happened with you guys? When I walked in that night I know you said you were joking around, but what I saw didn’t look like two people joking around.”
I shrug swinging my head no.
“Robin?”
I’m concentrating on a crack in one of the tiles on my floor, continuing to shrug and shake my head no.
“Robin?” Patrick’s voice warns.
My body goes into full blown shrugs and nods. It’s like someone pushed a button I can’t turn off. Do I need medication or something?
“Alright, I think I see what happened here. What you’re doing right now is annoying as all hell. If you weren’t a girl, I would smack you.”
I stop moving. “That was blunt.”
“Sorry Robin, but if that’s what you did when the subject came up with my brother then I’m guessing that’s why you’re sitting here and she’s out there.” Patrick gestures outside.
“How do you know it’s a game and that he doesn’t really like her?”
“Because every time she’s over I spend more time with her, that’s how I know something’s up.” Patrick taps his fingers against his chin. “You need to keep her away from our house for now.”
He must be joking. “How would I do that?”
“Ask her to hang out. Go to the mall. Ask her to come over, go to her house. Anything, just keep her away.”
“I don’t know if I can. We’re not really that friendly.”
“Change that.”
I try and hide my smile. “Are they really not hanging out when she’s over?”
“Listen, she doesn’t really like him and he doesn’t really like her. It’s a game. That’s why I need you. I’m going do what I can, too. I need you to help me. Will you do it?”
“I’ll try.”
Ashley’s car isn’t parked out front when we get to my front door. Good, she’s gone. Patrick looks relieved to see the car gone, too.
It’s a twinge of hope, Patrick doesn’t like Ashley either. He wants to split them up almost as much as I do. I’m not sure why. What had Ashley done to make him dislike her so much that he wants her away from his brother and out of their house? Oh, a smile spreads across my face. Maybe the problem isn’t that he dislikes her.
“Patrick,” I call out to him. When he turns around I lose my nerve. “Forget it.”
Patrick walks back over and gives me a crooked smile. He shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head making fun of me. He is such a brat sometimes, but I understand the message.
“Why are you like my brother? And Kent isn’t?”
Patrick gives my shoulder a push, knocking me back a few feet. “’Cause me and you got a different kind of love little sis.”
“I’m older,” I laugh as he starts his walk back across the street.
“But you’re still little,” he says to me over his shoulder.
CHAPTER SIX
Ashley
Out of the blue, Robin asks me to go to the mall.
We can’t go until tomorrow because I already have plans to go to Kent’s, for the Patrick-free day. I’m a little relieved because I didn’t think Robin liked me. An afternoon of shopping is exactly what I need. It’s something I haven’t done since school started and my so-called friendship with Tessa and the others tapered off. This is great. If we go to the good mall I can pick up bronzer at the make-up counter. Bronzer is just one of those things you can’t run low on.
Once I get to Kent’s he keeps his word and doesn’t leave me. Instead he shows me how to play the video game like he said he would. When I don’t have someone screaming at me, it’s not that hard.
No sign of Patrick. A few times I think I hear him and I turn my head quickly but it’s not him. Part of me wants him to show up so I can be like “look how good I am at this game now, dickhead.”
After we finish a few games Kent suggests we go up to his room. The invite up to his room gives me mixed feelings. But I want to make him happy, and I want him to like me. It’s time to just get this over with and become his girlfriend.
I can’t wait to get a glimpse of the place where he sleeps. It’s a dark room with the blinds closed tight letting very little light in. Posters on the wall, clothes sloppily piled high on an old arm chair and a guitar propped up next to his bed. The little lamp on the dresser he flicks on does little to brighten the room. Good, keep it dark, it will make kissing him easier.
The pile of clothes on the chair gets tossed onto the floor. Kent offers for me to sit but I jump onto his bed instead. We’re gonna wind up here anyway.
“Make yourself comfortable.” He laughs sitting down on the chair he just cleared.
I lie back on his bed and look up at the ceiling blowing a big pink bubble. “Why don’t you come sit next to me?” I scooch over showing him there’s plenty of room.
“I’m good here.” Kent stays put on the chair. He reaches for his guitar and starts to play a song I recognize. I have chills, he’s amazing. Okay, good, this is what I need, this will make him cute. He’s a hot guitar player, super-hot, smoking hot, really hot. If I keep saying it, I might start to believe it.
I close my eyes listening to my soon-to-be boyfriend, finish the song. The day before plays over in my mind. Stupid Patrick and his stupid game. Was he downstairs right now being all wonderful and cute with Matthew? Why couldn’t he have been that nice to me? I shake the thought out of my head, and open my eyes. Back to Kent, time to do this already.
I get up from the bed. This is probably his first time and he just needs a little help getting started. I sit on the arm of his chair and run my fingers through his hair.
“I like playing with your hair. Doesn’t it feel good?” I ask him.
He tries to swing my hand away with his own. “No, it feels weird.”
“I think you’re lying, I think you love it.” I give his hair one last shake before sliding my hands down and resting them on his biceps. I actually feel some muscles as I squeeze my hands down his arms. “You’re in such good shape. You’re thin but you’re all muscle.”
Kent gets up and walks away from the chair. Either he’s really shy or worse he doesn’t like me. I need him to like me. He has to like me.
It’s time to make a move on him. I’ll do whatever he wants. I walk over and slide my arms around his waist. My face tilts up to meet his and I give him the look letting him know he can go ahead.
“Ash.” He closes his eyes and exhales. “Don’t confuse things. We’re just friends.”
I brush my lips softly against his. “I want you to like me.”
It’s quiet while I study his face wondering what’s going through his head. He looks at me. And for a second I think he’s going to change his mind and kiss me.
Patrick barges into the room without knocking. “Ashley, you need to move your car, you’re blocking me in.”
I don’t move away from Kent, I move in even closer. Not caring or noticing what Kent’s reaction to this is, I fix my eyes on Patrick.
It seems to bother him, I like that.
“Let’s go. Move!” Patrick hollers stepping forward.
I jump, it doesn’t just bother him, he’s furious. Everything about this makes me
happy.
“Go, we’ll talk tomorrow,” Kent says making his way clear across the room away from me.
Patrick’s big arm swoops behind my back, ushering me out of the room and down the hall. I barely have time to grab my purse. We’re moving so fast I’m worried I might trip and fall. His massive arm clenches around my waist once we reach the stairs and he lifts me up slightly so that my feet don’t touch a single step. “Pa-tr-i-ck.” The name bounces out of me as I fly down the stairs hoisted up on his hip. This is insane. He doesn’t put me back on my feet until we’re outside on his porch.
“What’s the big rush? Are you mad because you were wrong?” I taunt him flushed and breathless. I’m not sure why I’m the one out of breath, he carried me, I didn’t carry him.
“Wrong about what?” His powerful voice demands an answer.
The sky is dark and the temperature has cooled considerably. I fold my arms to keep warm. “About me and Kent,” I shiver. Mental note time to start wearing warmer clothes, it’s getting really freaking cold.
Patrick tugs the sweater he’s wearing over his head. He stands there un-phased against the cold in an only a white t-shirt. “Put this on,” he orders handing me the warm burgundy sweater.
The way he says it makes me feel powerless. I slip the oversized sweater on, warmth and his delicious scent surround me, making me forget all about the question he just asked.
“Tell me how I was wrong, Ashley.”
Dumb sweater making my mind all jumbled. Focus Ashley. “You were wrong when you said Kent was just dumping me off. He wants to be with me.”
“Yeah, I saw how bothered he looked when I interrupted you guys. Seems like you two got something really special going on.”
A cool gust of wind causes me to shudder even through the toastiness of Patrick’s sweater. Kent hadn’t said anything to Patrick for busting in on us. He just stood there while his brother manhandled me right out of the house. Where is he? Why didn’t he walk me out?
There’s no real way to defend what happened and Patrick knows it.
Shit.
I take one of the sleeves of his nice, comfy sweater and pull. Stretching and twisting the sleeve as hard as I can. When I let go, the arm of his sweater is twice the size then when he handed it to me. I slide the sweater off and throw it at him. “Here’s your stupid sweater back.”
It’s mean, it’s horrible, but as I drive away the satisfaction of watching his stunned face in the rear view mirror is priceless.
Robin
The mall, ugh. I’ve prepared myself for an afternoon from hell.
The only thing keeping me from going crazy is the fact that Ashley won’t be spending the afternoon with Kent.
We’re walking around the “good” mall. Personally I don’t see how this mall is any different than the one closer to our house. But what do I know? Ashley has a reason to go in every store. I’m standing outside of the fourth dressing room waiting. Ashley comes out and models for me waiting for me to tell her how great she looks and that I like it. “You look great. I like it.” Sadly, everything does look great on her perfect figure.
I suggest a quick stop at Panera’s for a caffeine boost. We get our coffees to go and the two of us are on our way to tackle the second floor.
“I’m so glad we’re doing this,” Ashley sips her iced coffee. Pink lip gloss covers the top of her straw. “We really should be friends. I don’t have any brothers and sisters and Kent told me that you don’t either. Totally sucks being an only child, right?”
I blow on my coffee. “Yeah, it does. I was lucky to have Kent and his family across the street. It was like they kind of took me in after my mom died.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know your mom died. I guess we have more in common then I realized, growing up with only one parent.”
“You lost a parent?” I ask.
“Yeah, sort of, my dad, he didn’t die, he just um.” Ashley grabs a lock of hair and twists. “I don’t really like to talk about it.”
“Yeah, I know it’s tough to talk about those things.” Her face turns and I see a sadness I can relate to. Uh-oh, I feel myself warming up to her a little bit. That’s not supposed to happen.
“You were definitely lucky to have Kent’s family. I was all alone growing up. That’s why I love being invited to his house, it’s so what a house should be, ya know? They’re such a great family.” Ashley plays with her straw. “Well, Patrick is a little, eh.” She sticks out her tongue.
“Yeah, Patrick can be a pain,” I laugh. For a split second I allow myself to feel guilty. Ashley isn’t quite as awful as I make her out to be. It’s the situation with Kent that really keeps me from giving her a fair chance. Patrick said Ashley wasn’t even hanging out with Kent. Maybe I have it all wrong about them.
October is still a week away but one of the vacant shops has already turned into a Halloween store.
“Ooh, let’s go in!” Ashley drags me by the hand.
Screams, cackles and groans blare through speakers as I walk down the aisles looking at the different costumes. There’s a slutty cat, a slutty nurse, a slutty policewoman; there’s even a slutty Big Bird costume. Pretty much anything you can think of, this shop has in a slutty version. Ashley runs over to a section of costumes and starts sorting through them frantically looking for something specific. She bounces back over to me a few minutes later with a small, barely there costume swinging on a hanger.
“Look what I’m getting.” Ashley holds up the costume up in front of herself. It’s an extremely slutty super-girl costume, basically a corset with a matching pair of panties.
“You’re getting your Halloween costume already?”
Ashley laughs. “No, it’s not for Halloween. It’s for Kent. I think I’m gonna wear it and surprise him.” She picks up a pair of dark rimmed glasses from a display sitting on the counter. Sliding them on, she models the whole look for me wiggling her shoulders back and forth trying to look sexy.
“For Kent?” I can hardly get the words out through the lump forming in my throat. “Why would you wear something like that for Kent?”
“Because he loves superhero stuff. You didn’t know that?”
Of course I know. I know everything about Kent. The only thing I don’t know is how to stop this from happening.
Ashley swings the plastic bag containing her purchase proudly as we exit the store. She is positively giddy. “When should I wear it?”
Never, I think.
“I mean, I can’t really do it when his family is around. He can come to my house, but my mom is kind of crazy, that might not work.”
“I didn’t know that you and Kent were officially together,” I say in a daze. They’re not only together it seems, but doing things as well. Things we started but I was too scared to let him know I wanted to finish.
“Oh, we are. Or well, we will be after this. Tell me the truth, how crazy is he gonna go when he sees this?”
I toss my coffee into the trash. I feel sick. The thought of super-girl seducing my super-guy is nauseating. “I’m ready to go home.”
In the car I tune out Ashley’s continued play by play of what her plan to seduce Kent is. I can’t wait to get home so I can lock myself in my room and cry.
I make a decision. I’m not going to tell Patrick about this. There’s no point in both of us being miserable.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ashley
I may not have noticed Patrick at school before, but suddenly I see him everywhere. Our classes must be relatively close together. I notice he sure spends a lot of time talking with Robin. Maybe they’re a couple? Not likely. They never hang out in the afternoons when I’m there.
Hmmm.
Oh wait, duh… Robin probably likes Patrick, but she’s just shy.
At lunch I make sure to sit next to Robin. I lean in and lower my voice so we can have a private conversation. “Patrick is really hot, isn’t he?” I whisper to her.
Robin’s face perks up from the moody so
ur look she’s been sporting the last few days. “Yes, he is hot.”
“You guys would make such a cute couple.” I say it, but I don’t mean it. Patrick’s way too hot for Robin.
Her face sours again. “No we wouldn’t.”
“Why? I totally see him as your type.” I have no idea what Robin’s type is, or my own for that matter, but it sounds good. And seriously I need to do something to help her. The girl seems miserable twenty-four-seven. She wouldn’t take any of my advice at the mall on which clothes would look great on her. With a rack like that, the girl should be wearing fitted tops in bold colors like red. I told her to show them off a little. But nope, she wouldn’t listen. So, now, I’m taking matters into my own hands and helping Robin out. I smack my hands together. “I have the best idea, come hang out with us today. It will be so much fun!”
It takes a ton of convincing, but I finally get Robin to agree.
Kent and I sit on the couch facing Patrick and Robin. It’s like a weird double date of sorts. Very weird. Everyone seems so unbelievably uncomfortable. The mood in the room needs to change…pronto. I have at least five bottles of nail polish in my pocketbook. Good stuff too, not drug store crap. The first one I reach in my bag and pull out is a bright pink.
“Can I paint your nails?” The question is for Robin, but for some reason as I say it my eyes land on Patrick.
“Oh yeah sure, go ahead.” Patrick answers sarcastically sticking his hands out in front of him.
I’ve had it with Patrick and his smart ass mouth. I take the polish and squeeze next to him on the couch forcing Robin over and out of my way. Taking one of Patrick’s big hands into my own I stick the bottle of polish in my mouth and twist the top off using my teeth.
“Get out of here. I was joking.” Patrick snaps his hand away from me and puts it down on his lap. His green eyes are all lit up and you know what, I think he wants me to do it.
“You said I could paint them and I am going to paint them. I’m gonna make you pretty Patrick Daniels.” I grab his hand again, this time more forcefully. I don’t know why but I’m not taking no for an answer. The two of us wrestle our hands back and forth to the point where I’m now practically sitting in his lap. I ignore the little quivers I shouldn’t be feeling, and I doubly ignore his mouthwatering scent.
Fast (The Fast Series) Page 6
