by A. J. Macey
“Both, but there’s a large bonfire outside and lots of blankets,” he explained, the sound of the radio filling the silence between his words. “Why?”
“Because that’ll determine my outfit.” I finally made my decision and pulled the hangers out of the closet. “I’ll see you in a bit, boys. I need to get dressed.”
“You’re totally a nakey Emma!” Reid squealed happily.
“We’ll see you soon.” Kingston laughed as he said goodbye and hung up.
With yet another eye roll at Reid’s ridiculousness I made sure I had everything in my crossbody purse before getting dressed. I went with a pair of black tights, black knee-high boots, a camel-colored skirt that had buttons down the left thigh, and a tight, black sweater that had long sleeves. Throwing on a coordinating cheetah print scarf, I grabbed a black jacket and a pair of gloves and a hat in case I needed it, before making my way out to wait for the boys. Within a few minutes of waiting outside for the boys they pulled into the driveway next to my car.
“You look beautiful, baby doll.” Kingston wrapped me in a hug as he whispered the compliment. My cheeks only continued to heat when I got in the car, and Reid’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped.
“Wow,” he breathed staring at my outfit. “You look amazing.” I gave a shy smile and buckled into the seat. “Ready?” Nodding, he pulled himself together and headed to the party at one of the football player’s house. We ended up out in the middle of nowhere, cornfields surrounding the large yard and two story house that seemed to be flooded with people.
A large amount of cars were parked in the long gravel driveway and in the overgrown grass leading to the manicured lawn. The house was a farmhouse style with a large wraparound porch that held a swing and an outdoor set of furniture. Students flitted in and out of the open front door and around the back of the house where I saw two large bonfires raging inside their pits. Sticking close to my boys we headed inside. I waved to the people I recognized as we made our way into the living room.
“Emma! Boys!” Zoey and Aubrey greeted cheerfully, their cheeks flushed as they waved their cups at us. Carter, Jason, and Brayden were spread throughout the room talking with different people. Aubrey looked at my outfit, checking out my scarf down to my shoes. “How do you always look so cute? We need to go shopping, so you can help me with my outfits.”
“Oo, me too!” Zoey piped in.
Reid leaned over to whisper in my ear. “You thirsty, babe?” I nodded. “All right, we’ll be right back. Stay with them, don’t go anywhere.” My brows furrowed at his serious tone and the way his eyes centered on my face before walking off. Aubrey and Zoey realized we were having a serious moment and turned to talk to each other. “I’m not risking anything happening to you, especially after last night.” I nodded again, struck by his intense reaction. Determined not to let him down, I shifted over to Aubrey and Zoey with a tiny smile to Reid who flashed me one of his cheeky smiles before getting lost in the crowd as he followed Kingston and Jesse to the keg.
“How’s the party so far?” I asked looking around. There were several kids I didn’t recognize who I assumed went to the other school district, Millmer.
“It’s fun!” Zoey piped up, her drink muffling her words slightly. “So, now that you’ve been here for a while, how are you liking Nebraska? It’s not California, obviously, but it isn’t so bad right?”
I chuckled, my eye catching Reid and Kingston who were joking around with Jesse in the kitchen as they filled cups from the keg. Seeing them interact had warmth spreading through me making me feel giddy, as if I was already a few drinks in. They really were some of the sweetest guys I had ever met. Well, Jesse was a bit iffy most of the time, but my brain was content to ignore that.
“Nah”—I smiled slightly—“it’s not so bad. There’s some pretty awesome people here. Not sure if it’s a Nebraska thing or if it’s just I found cool people.” I nudged them both letting them know they were included in that group. Both smiled as they did a little dance.
“Good”—Aubrey nodded—“we don’t want you to be leaving us for Cali and all its sunshine and beaches.” I rolled my eyes at the stereotype.
“I didn’t live near a beach.” I laughed as Reid, Kingston, and Jesse appeared next to me with an extra cup of whatever alcohol the host had gotten. “I lived by a bunch of wineries and vineyards and snotty people who constantly looked down on everyone else.” I finally admitted the one thing I had come to see with blinding reality, not only did my friends focus on who was better than others, so did the adults. Those who were from a higher social class gladly looked down on everyone else, including me, until I moved here and I realized how crappy I had treated people who weren’t my friends.
“Well, you’re ours now and like I told you before, you’re stuck with us forever,” Reid teased, pulling me to his chest in a hug. A fake evil laugh filtered out of him catching the attention of people around us, but when they realized it was Reid, they just chuckled and went back to their conversations. Apparently everyone was already used to his antics.
“Oh!” Aubrey hopped up on her toes excitedly. “There’s Micah! Come on, I need moral support.” She tugged on Zoey’s arm, dragging her away while our helpless friend attempted to save her drink.
“Did you know red Solo cups are a common souvenir to bring back from the United States for those who visited? It stems from the fact they’re used in so many party scenes in movies,” I added after they walked off as we all were taking a drink. Reid chuckled while Kingston smiled down at me. Jesse didn’t react, but I was pretty sure that he was smiling behind that cup.
“You’re just full of little facts,” Reid commented before pepping up. “I have one! If you’re allergic to pollen you’re allergic to plant sperm.” I immediately choked on my sip because anything related to that was not what I expected Reid, my clown, to spout out. “Aw, you look so cute when you blush,” he teased, his hazel eyes focused on my burning cheeks before looking me in the eye. “It’s now my personal goal to see those pink cheeks as much as possible.”
He can’t be serious.
Reid winked but didn’t change his statement, but thankfully Kingston talking cut off any more of that conversation. For now at least.
“I’m going to go check out back and see who’s all here,” he informed us. “I’ll be back.” He rubbed my back gently before swerving around people. Right after he left, Jesse ended up in a conversation with another guy I didn’t recognize, leaving the music to suddenly fill the space.
“Dance with me,” I asked in a slightly demanding tone, tugging on Reid’s sleeve as the upbeat music thrummed through my chest making me sway to the song. He smiled down at me and obliged. One of his hands came to my waist as I rested my free hand on his chest, resisting the urge to smooth my fingers over the soft fabric of his t-shirt. The song faded into a pop-country kind of song, and even though I wasn’t much of a fan of country, I couldn’t deny that the beat was pretty catchy.
“You’ve never danced to country music properly, have you?” Reid’s baritone filled me with fuzzy feelings as he held me closer, my chest brushing his as I slid my hand up to wrap my arm around his neck. I shook my head, the beer in my hand migrating to my lips in an attempt to keep myself from saying something embarrassing. Finishing his own beer, he took both of our empty cups and left them on a side table before coming back to me. “Just let go,” he whispered as he started to move.
Before I knew it, we were doing some type of country swing dance I didn’t recognize, moving in tandem when he wasn’t spinning me out and back. After several songs, I was breathing hard and a layer of perspiration beaded on Reid’s forehead. At the end of our fourth dance he decided to end with a flare for the crowd of people who came in to watch us, dipping me so low that I could feel his stubble against my chest. My cheeks flared as everyone clapped, and several whoops and hollers filled the space as Reid pulled me back to standing, his hazel eyes half-lidded when he looked down at me.
“
That’s how you dance to a country song,” he whispered in my ear, lips brushing against my cheek so softly I thought I had imagined it. “Let’s go find the other guys.” I followed his lead and we filtered out into the chilly backyard.
At this point, I didn’t think even the fall air could cool my heated blood.
11
October 13th
Hard to stress when all you’re thinking about is Reid’s dancing skill.
#HolyCrap #IThinkImInHeaven #StressFreeSaturday
We found Kingston chatting with a few of the football players and a few girls who I thought were cheerleaders. When we approached, Kingston’s hand migrated to my back, rubbing soothing circles into the tight muscles. Several of the girls and a couple of the guys eyed my position under Reid’s arm and practically pressed into Kingston’s torso with his arm around me, but no one said anything. Scanning the crowd, I found Jesse talking to the same guy from earlier near the other side of the campfire. It was odd seeing him interact with someone other than Reid or Kingston.
Why won’t he talk to me like that?
Maybe now he will after our experience the other day.
Pushing the thought away, I turned back to the conversation. Something about state championships coming up as well as all the plans for Halloween. Apparently there was going to be a big costume party either here or at another player’s house the weekend before since the actual holiday was on a Wednesday. After about a half hour of talking, I really needed to go pee.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I whispered to Reid. “Where is it at?” He gave me instructions before releasing me and telling Kingston where I was headed. I walked into the house, noticing that it had really filled up while I was outside. I waved slyly at Aubrey and Zoey who were flirting with some cute guys I knew they’d had their eyes on, before waving to Brayden who was chatting up some guys I recognized from school.
The bathroom on the main floor was occupied, but a girl from my dance class let me know there was one upstairs as well as one in the basement. Not really wanting to go to the basement alone, I headed up the carpeted steps to the fairly empty upstairs. The only people I saw were couples breaking off into more private areas like spare rooms.
Well, I hoped they were spare rooms.
The bathroom was thankfully empty when I found it. I was washing my hands when someone knocked. Drying them quickly, I unlocked the door and came face to face with the one person I didn’t expect or want to see.
Brad.
“Hey, Emma.” He smiled down at me from his height of at least 5’11”. “Didn’t know you were here tonight.” The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, something about his words not ringing true. He might not have known I’d be at the party tonight, but he knew I was up here.
Alone.
“Uh, hey Brad,” I muttered as I tried to pass him, but his arms came up to the door frame blocking my exit. “Do you need in here?” I pointed behind me as I tried once again to move past it.
“Yeah,” he answered, giving me a wolfish smile before smashing his lips to mine and pushing us into the bathroom together. I yanked my head back and hit him in the chest with both fists, the force rattling through the bones in my hands painfully as I shoved him back and out the door, barely managing to break his grip. The cruel, intimidating smile widened at my attempts to keep distance between us. His hands returned to the door frame. This time I had been able to take several steps back to allow a foot of space between us. Regardless of the space though, I could see the cold gleam within his too-bright eyes as they watched me hungrily.
He was the predator and I was the prey.
“Back off,” I ground out. He took several steps forward crowding the limited space I had been able to create. Darting to the left I tried to shoot around him, but he was faster. I struggled to wrestle his arms off me, but his grip was like two steel bands around my biceps with his effort to keep me from running away. Wave after wave of adrenaline flooded my system when he didn’t move enough for me to escape.
“I don’t think I will,” he hummed pleasantly, shoving me back into the bathroom, a thud sounding as he kicked the door to close. His predatory smile made my stomach seize.
This is not freaking happening right now.
I screamed loudly as I kicked out and somehow managed to catch him in the shin, but the thumping bass from downstairs and music I heard from the bedrooms blanketed the shrill sound of my yelling. Sprinting toward door I barreled past him, taking advantage of the way my kick had knocked him off balance. I yanked open the door but I was only able to get a few steps away before he grabbed my arms with another tight grasp. Fear flooded my body, and my vision tunneled as I was redirected forcefully toward the bathroom.
“No!” I screeched, flailing in an attempt to loosen his grip as he tried to push me into the bathroom. He had just shoved me through the door frame when suddenly he was yanked back away from me. Stumbling to stay upright, I saw a familiar set of square stud earrings out of the corner of my eye.
Jesse.
When I was finally able to process what was happening, Brad was already sprinting down the stairs with Jesse immediately behind him. Several heads with wide eyes were watching me in the hall from various rooms. I raced after them, Brad’s pained screams coming from the yard out back.
Jesse had Brad pinned down to the ground, shouting in his face, “You think it’s all right to force yourself on someone?” Spit flew from his lips as he continued to scream while punching Brad in quick succession. His voice was so full of fury that I couldn’t keep myself from cowering on the sidelines of the gathering spectators. “You don’t get to fuck with any girl who doesn’t want it, especially not Emma! I don’t ever want to see you near my Emma again, or next time I won’t fucking stop!” He straightened after his last statement, but instead of walking away immediately, he kicked Brad in the stomach and lunged back down, as if he couldn’t help himself, to punch him one last time in the face. Brad groaned, blood pooling around his head on the grass from the broken nose I was pretty sure he had.
“Hey.” I jumped with a startled squeak before realizing it was Kingston who stood behind me. “Let’s get out of here.” I nodded, the near-immobilizing fear receding and leaving trembling limbs and panic in its wake. The party was silent as everyone stared at us, a bloody-knuckled Jesse stepping in front of our group protectively as Reid flanked my left while Kingston took up position on my right. They formed a protective barrier around me as we made our way out to the front yard and Reid’s car.
I didn’t want to sit alone, so before Jesse and Kingston could crawl in the back, I sandwiched myself between them in a tight seating arrangement. A haze of white noise blanketed my mind on the drive, my thoughts and brain refusing to work or process what had happened. No one talked on the way back to my house, my trembling catching Kingston’s attention, who immediately wrapped me in his arms the best he could in the cramped backseat. When we reached my house, I felt my chest tighten at the thought of being alone, paralyzing me after Kingston got out to allow me space to leave.
“No,” I murmured, my voice weak.
“What?” Reid shifted in his seat so he could face me. Despite the anger I saw in his tight expression and burning eyes, his tone was soft. “What do you mean no?”
“Don’t want to be alone,” I whispered, barely audible in the idle rumble of his Jeep.
“Isn’t your mom home?” he asked. Shaking my head sharply, I started to tremble again.
“Won’t be home until tomorrow,” I told them quietly. Reid’s eyes widened before he turned back around and shut the car off. Kingston reached in and guided me out of the car, Jesse following close behind.
“Come on, baby doll.” Kingston’s smooth voice helped soothe the turbulent emotions burning through my chest. His hand on my back helped ground me, helped remind me that I was home and safe with them, no Brad in sight.
Kingston handed my keys over to Reid who unlocked the front door since he didn’t know
the code to the garage. Flicking on the lights, he went to the basement, turned on the TV, and put on something funny. At least I think it was funny, everything was sort of a haze as my mind struggled to focus through the shock that had taken over me. Jesse went into the bathroom, and the noise of the faucet running flowed out into the hallway as he dug out the first aid kit.
Jesse needed help, and somehow in my hazy fog, I made my way into the bathroom and mindlessly started to wash his re-wounded knuckles. Kingston followed me in where he turned on the tub spout and flipped it on hot. I stood like a zombie in the corner, shivering, as soon as the blood was cleared off Jesse’s hands.
“Can you get undressed on your own?” Reid’s question startled me making me jump. “Do you want someone in here with you? Either way you need to calm and get warm.” I looked between the three of them, unable to form a coherent thought. The only thing radiating through me was that they couldn’t leave. I can’t be alone.
I must have said that out loud because Reid responded, “All right, Cali girl, you don’t have to be alone. I’m just going to get you to your underwear and bra, and we’ll stay in here with you.” He and Kingston started slowly removing my shoes, clothes, and my scarf until I stood in front of them in my bikini cut underwear and plain bra. “Do you have any kind of pajamas you want to wear tonight?” I shook my head slightly as Kingston directed me to the tub that had finally filled.
The heat seeped into my frozen, trembling limbs, and the shivering finally stopped after a few minutes of soaking. Jesse finished bandaging his knuckles with Kingston’s help while Reid returned from my room with one of my flannel pajama sets. Reid’s calloused palm rubbed soothing, gentle circles on my shoulders as he sat on the tile next to the tub. The reality of what happened finally started to process as my brain caught up.
“Aw, Cali girl.” Reid’s voice was pained as his thumbs gently rubbed my cheeks. “Don’t cry. We’ve got you. You’re safe with us. I’ll be right back.” It was like one of those moments where you get hit or cut unexpectedly—it happens so fast that the pain doesn’t seem to register. Yet the moment you look down and see the bruise start to form or the blood begin to well, all the hurt comes crashing down on you. Reid was gone for only a moment but it felt like an eternity. Despite the fact that Kingston and Jesse were still in the bathroom with me, I wanted to call out for Reid, but he came back before I could. It took a moment but finally I recognized Mr. Fritz in his outstretched hands as he offered him to me. I instinctively reached for Mr. Fritz and when I clutched him tightly to my chest, my fears started to subside. Sadly, it would take more than my bear to erase the memory of what happened, but he helped.
