After finding the grey and maroon shorts and shirt, I quickly put them on sans boxers. I hated freeballing. I always feel like the boys are going to make a surprise appearance at any time. It will have to do until I get to the laundry mat and wash everything. With my dirty clothes in my knapsack, I sat down on the bench and started pulling on my boots.
The locker room door flung open as the players started filing in. “Dude that was a sick pass. I swear those Cougars aren’t gonna know what hit them Friday night.”
“Damn straight!” Another member shouted out.
The team this year consisted of the typical gits, the ones that are either the biggest assholes in the school or the golden boys. Including the second string and the ones that consistently sit on the bench, there were about thirty-eight on the team. Like most high schools that I’ve heard about, the starters were a tight knit group. They played together, had the same classes, partied together and some shared the same girls.
I shook my head in disgust as I gathered my things. Just as I stood up to leave the room, I heard one say, “Bus, so what’s the ETA on that hot little Latina getting added?”
“Roxy?” His smooth baritone voice asked. I immediately sat back down and paid attention to the rest of the conversation so I could inform Beau the next time I saw him.
“Yeah Roxy. Who else did you think I was talking about?” The other guy scoffed.
“Soon, man. Her and that Cajun asshole broke up over the weekend. So it’ll be real soon.”
“Rebound fuck. Nice.” The guys laughed and the sound of a high five echoed in the room.
“You know her purity level is in question. I heard that they’ve been going at each other like crazy.” Another guy spat out.
“Yeah, Bus you can’t claim to have taken that cherry.”
“Scott, who says I was going after that one anyway. That bitch’s ass is too fine to not take a shot at her black cherry.”
They started laughing again. My upper lip curled up in disgust. I hate when men make a game out of treating women like toys. Leading them on with any little thing they can just to have a quick bang and bragging rights. At least the girls I’m with, not that there were many, know from the start what I want from them, what exactly I’m willing to give them and that I won’t kiss and tell. I grabbed my things and quietly left the locker room. Damn, I wish I had a mobile to call Beau. He needs to know what they’ve said.
*****
Marie
After finishing up my chores and homework, I went up to my room and locked the door. I sat at my vanity table and stared at myself in the mirror. My curly light brown hair frizzed about my head in a halo as I noticed how the makeup on my eyelids had faded from this morning. I let out a deep sigh before grabbing my brush. I wish I had straight hair like my brothers, but no, I just had to get my father’s curls. I grabbed a hair tie and quickly pulled my hair back wrapping it up in a tight bun.
I got up and walked over to my old dark wooden dresser in the corner of my room. At the sleepover at Roxy’s both her and Jess told me that I should try to wear more skirts or, like today, skinny jeans to show off my legs which I had plenty of those. The only problem, I don’t have many skirts unless you count the plaid pleated ones from my old Catholic school uniform. I opened the middle drawer and pulled out the dark red, white, and grey skirt in question.
I stripped out of my jeans and tried it on. The last time I wore this I was six inches shorter. I fastened the button in the back while I walked over to the mirror on my closet door. My eyes widened as I let out a sharp breath. Gawd was it short. The hem hit mid-thigh, I had just enough material to cover my butt and not to show anything when I sat down. I bit my lip frowning at my reflection. I need a second opinion on this. I grabbed my phone from my vanity and took a picture in front of the mirror. I quickly pulled up Jess’s number and sent it to her.
Me: Hey this is Marie. Need your opinion on this skirt.
A few moments later, an unknown number called me. I swiped across the screen and answered it. “Hello?”
“Girl, you look hot in that. Seriously wear it. You will have guys drooling over your legs.” Jess enthused on the other end.
“You sure? I mean, it seems a bit too short.” I asked.
“So just do the fingertip test.”
“The what?” I scrunched my face up in confusion.
“Stand up straight and put your arms down beside you. If the tip of your middle finger is longer than the skirt hem then yes it’s too short. If not, you’re golden.” She let out an aggravated breath and explained.
I put my phone on speaker and placed it on top of my dresser. I let out a huff and stood in front of the mirror as straight as I could. I placed my arms beside me and noticed that the hem hit just at the tip of my middle finger. “Ha! Well, I guess it’s not too short. What kind of top should I wear with this?”
She laughed at my enthusiasm. “Awesome. Go with either something white or black. With your coloring I’d say black would be good. Stay away from something button up. That would look too much like a school uniform.”
“The skirt is part of a uniform.” I admitted.
“Seriously? You went to Catholic school?” She giggled. “That is so in your favor. You know, you can capitalize on that if you really want to break out of your shell.”
“One step at a time. The past few days I’ve just been trying to get used to looking feminine.” I halted her train of thought before she could try to talk me into it. “This skirt is pushing me way out of my comfort zone. Hmm, I just found the tight black polo shirt that Roxy swiped from her mom for me. Would that work? Oh and what shoes?” I held up the shirt to my chest as I tried to judge my reflection.
“Yeah that’d work. Heels are a must.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “I don’t have any.”
“What! Are you serious?” She screeched. “Wait what size do you wear I’ll see if I have any here you can borrow.”
“I doubt it. I’m in a ten.” I took off the skirt and put on a pair of cotton lounge pants.
“Well shit. Do you have a license?” She asked after a long pause.
“Yeah just not a car.” I admitted sitting on the edge of my bed.
“You have any money on you?”
“Where are you going with this?” I got up, stalked over to my dresser, picked up my phone and took her off speaker.
“We could hit the mall and get you some much needed kicks. That is if you are allowed to go.”
I pursed my lips and glanced at the clock. It was a quarter till five. My dad would be home in thirty minutes and dinner would be served no later than six thirty. I rushed over to my window and stared at the garage. Beau was home. I could probably borrow his truck. “Hmm, hold on. I’m going to ask my mom if I can.”
I placed my phone on my bed, unlocked my door and rushed out it passing the twins room then Charles’s before stomping down the steps. I heard water running in the kitchen and peered in to see who it was in there. My mother, Eva, stood in front of the sink with her shirtsleeves pulled up to her elbows as she scrubbed the dirt off some potatoes. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a sloppy bun.
“Hey mom?” I asked as I entered the room and leaned against the center island.
“What, Marie?” She glanced over her shoulder at me.
“Can I go to the mall with Jess?” I asked crossing my fingers under the lip of the counter.
She turned around and pinned me with her blue gaze. “You want to go out?”
“Yeah, she said she spotted a really cute pair of shoes that would look killer on me.” I looked down at the marble counter top and acted like I was flicking off a piece of dirt.
“You want to go out?” She stood there with an eyebrow raised in surprise.
“Yes. Can I mom, please?” I looked up at her and stuck out my bottom lip in a pout.
“Sure. How much do you think you’ll need?” She asked as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel before heading over
to her purse beside the refrigerator.
I stood there for a second and tried to think. “I really don’t know. How much do a pair of heels or boots cost?”
“Depends on where you go. Here take three hundred. I’ll consider it an advance on your allowance.” She pulled out her wallet and handed me three bills.
Stunned I took it from her. “This is too much, Momma.”
“Trust me, Pumpkin. It will go faster than you’d think. If Beau won’t let you take the truck go ahead and use the van.” She put her purse back by the fridge and went back to washing off the potatoes.
I rushed over to her and hugged her. “Thanks, Momma.” I headed out of the kitchen, down the hall past the laundry room and into the garage. I walked by the van and Luke’s motorcycle to the stairs that led up to Beau’s room.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. His footsteps were muffled as he crossed over to it. He flung it open and gave me an annoyed look. “What?”
“Can I borrow your truck so I can go to the mall with Jess?” I stumbled out.
He took a step back, his dark brows rose in shock. “Um… yeah. Let me get the keys for you.” He turned from the door and walked back into the darkened room. “What’s this about?”
“I need to get some new shoes. I’m tired of wearing sneakers all the time.” I shrugged and leaned against the railing.
“You have any money?” He tossed his keys at me.
I caught them in the air inches from my face. “Yes, mom just gave me some.”
“Cool. Be careful with my baby. You scratch her and I’ll hang you over the balcony.” He threatened before he closed his door.
I rolled my eyes at his empty threat and bounded down the steps. When I got back to my room, I picked up the phone to see if Jess was still there. “Hey?”
“So what’s up?” She asked with her mouth clearly full of food.
My nose twitched up in disgust at her lack of manners. “I’ll be there in a few.”
“Hells yeah! See you in a few then.” She exclaimed before hanging up the phone.
I changed back into my jeans and placed my phone in my pocket. I grabbed my silver ID case from on top of my dresser and placed the three bills mom gave me with my other money before sliding it in my front pocket. With Beau’s keys in hand and a smile on my face, I headed out my door and to the truck. This should be interesting.
*****
After finding two pairs of heels and a pair of knee high boots on clearance, we headed to the food court to grab a bite to eat. We walked down the short flight of stairs and headed over to Pink Sugar Confections. They had a Boston Cream Pie shake that could make me drool just thinking of it.
“While we are here I think you should get a few more skirts and maybe some new underwear. Get you out of those granny panties.” Jess blurted out while we were standing in line.
I glanced around anxiously to see if anyone heard her. A skinny guy with glasses winked at me after looking me up and down. My cheeks started heating up when I turned back to Jess. “Sure why not. Oh, you still want me to take you to the clinic tomorrow to get your results from that test you took to see if you had syphilis?”
Her eyes widened in shock as her mouth dropped open seconds before she busted out laughing. “That was good. I take it I embarrassed you again?”
“Now what makes you think that?” I gave her a droll stare and pointed to the shake I wanted when the worker asked for my order. “Medium Boston Cream Pie and whatever she wants.”
“I’ll have the same.” She purred at the pimply faced kid.
After I paid, we grabbed the shakes and walked over to an empty table. She sat with her back toward the store facing the rest of the mall. “I was serious about getting you new underwear. It might sound silly, but if you have on something that is lacey and silky, you will feel more comfortable in your own body. Take the stunt you pulled on Charles at the end of August with the ‘caramel apple’.” She held up her hands and made air quotes when she said caramel apple. “It may have looked good on the outside but once he bit into it nothing but onion. But with a real one. Yeah you know it’s going to be good. Well wearing pretty underwear is kinda the same thing.”
My forehead wrinkled in confusion. “How’d you know about that? And by the way that made no sense.”
She smiled at me before shrugging her shoulders. “Roxy. She would people watch. Not that she had much choice in the matter. You know the whole RA thing.” She must have seen my curiosity over that comment because she elaborated. “RA. Roxanne Amnesia. Most people would ignore her anytime she came into a room. It started back in middle school after a party at Angie’s house. For some reason Angie hated how people flocked to Roxy so she started spreading rumors about her and threatened to ostracize those that continued to hang around her. Thanks to your family, Roxy is finally getting the social standing that she once had in middle school.”
“Why weren’t you ostracized?” I asked taking a sip of my shake.
“Oh I was. So I reinvented myself as the party girl. With the new popularity, Angie had no choice but to be nice to me.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that people call you a whore though?” I set my cup down on the table and leaned back in my chair. I took my hair out of the bun and shook my curls loose.
“Why should it? I don’t care about what people say. I just do what makes me happy. If that means hooking up with a few guys here and there then why should it matter as long as I don’t hurt anyone? Now enough bullshitting about me. Let’s go get you some more things.” She stood up and tossed her drink in the trashcan with the flourish of an NBA star.
*****
Drez
At the laundry mat, it took almost ten dollars to get all my things washed and dried. That’s ten more than I could spare. I shook my head and turned on my turn signal as I waited for the light to change. Hopefully, Mr. Cox will have heard something from his brother about that part time gig at the shop. I really needed to get some money coming in. I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut in frustration.
The light turned green and I made the right into the mall carpark. Joe’s place was on the other side and cutting through the lot saved me from dealing with all the traffic. I zipped past the movie theater on the left and spotted a deep blue truck that looked like Beau’s sitting in the back row away from all the other vehicles. I slowed down and crept close to it. It had the maroon-parking pass on the rearview mirror that signaled the owner was a student at Jefferson County High School. So it must be Beau’s truck. I parked next to it and shut off Grace. The sooner I tell him what I overheard the quicker they can put a stop to it.
I sat there and stared off in the distance as I waited for him to show up. I scanned the lot, watching the people scurry to and from their cars. A small family caught my attention. They had just walked out of the mall entrance doors, a woman with two small kids in tow carrying piles of shopping bags talking on the mobile. She ignored the children who looked to be no more than three or four years old. They ran behind her as fast as their chubby legs could carry them. The smallest tripped and fell in the road. He laid there for a moment and looked up stunned before wailing in pain. She turned around and shouted at him. He stayed where he was as she opened her car door and shoved the other kid in the backseat with all of her bags. She hadn’t even ended her phone call.
Still on the bloody mobile, she stormed over to the child and jerked him up by his arm. She held him up, dangled him in the air and smacked his ass so hard his little body jerked with each blow. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel as I suppressed my anger. I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes turning my head away from the scene. After a few calming breaths and telling myself it wasn’t my place to intervene, I looked back at the scene.
The girl from lunch with the frizzy auburn hair stood in front of Beau’s sister pushing her back as she yelled at the mother. I opened my door quickly and began to over to them. Her light brown hair fluttered around her fl
ushed face as she growled at the woman. “Wha’ da hell do ya tink ya are doin’ ta dat child? Can’t ya see dat he’s hurt? Looka his knee! Gawd! How’d ya like fo’ someone ta hold ya up by ya arm and get da hell beat inta ya? Lemme go, Jess. I gotta teach dis cooyon a lesson.” She struggled to get past the ginger.
“Marie, calm down. Someone’s going to call the cops on you.” Jess hissed as she tried to hold her friend back.
The mother picked up the kid and ran back to her car. She shoved him in a car seat and jumped in the driver door. Only after she was safely inside her vehicle did she yell back to the girls. “Fuck you, bitch. It’s none of your damn business. You’re lucky I have to be somewhere or I’d kick your ass.”
Marie pushed past Jess and held her arms out in invitation. “Bring it, peeshwank!”
The woman sped out of the lot and flipped them off. Jess picked up their discarded bags after taking a picture of the car and tapped Marie on her shoulder. Where was Beau? If I can’t tell him directly, the least I could do is relay the information to them.
I stood by the front of my car and shrugged my shoulders before I walked over to them. “Hey. You’re Beau’s sister right?” I asked placing my thumb in my belt loop.
Marie placed her hand on her hip and spun around. “Yeah. Wha’ of it!” Her golden eyes widened in surprise when she spotted me. I think her already flushed cheeks deepened in color.
My lips twitched to a half smile. “I spotted his truck and needed to talk to him. Is he here, pet?”
She brushed a lock of her hair away from her face and shook her head. “No. He’s still at home. Do you have his number? You can call him. I’m sure he won’t care.”
I stifled a grimace. “I don’t have a mobile.” I looked over her head to Jess and admitted. “I found out some information today about Bus and his plans for your little friend. I wanted to tell him about it.”
Jess pushed past Marie in her eagerness to find out what I knew. “What’d you hear?”
I glanced around the lot and motioned for them to head over to our vehicles. They looked at each other and shrugged before walking toward the truck. They both carried a few bags as we maneuvered through the parked cars. My gaze kept traveling down Marie’s body to those legs. Up close, you could tell that they were sleekly muscled and toned. Her ass and hips were equally sculpted. She had just enough for a guy to grab hold of and enjoy a good ride. I looked up and saw the truck looming. Instantly my ardor was cooled even at the mere thought of her brother.
Lost in the Moment (A Savioe Family Novel) Page 3
