by Amali Rose
Her eyes flick to mine. Jesus, does she have to look so fucking horrified at the thought?
“Oh, we’re not –we’re just friends.”
“Really?” His look turns predatory, his chances of living through this conversation dwindling. “You should definitely come, then.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” I interrupt his eye-fucking and unapologetically wait for him to leave. When he doesn’t move, I decide to bypass subtlety completely. “You can leave now.”
Michael chuckles before throwing his hands up in defeat. “Alright, I can take a hint. I wouldn’t want to share her either.” My eyes narrow as I watch Layla’s face flush an even deeper shade of red at his comment. Asshole.
“See you both tonight.” I watch his retreating back silently. This is going to be harder than I thought if I have to watch fuckers like that hit on her all the time. I may have to start saving for bail money.
Picking up my coffee, I turn back to Layla and see that she is also watching Bradshaw leave. Although, I’d bet my last dollar that the expression on my face is very different to the one hers is wearing right now.
“So, Hound Dog tonight?” I hate the hopeful note I hear in my voice. Even more, I hate that I’m the one responsible for this distance between us.
Layla appears to be considering the idea, so I push on. “You can bring Evie and we can catch up.” Watching her closely, I can see that I’ve almost got her. “C’mon, Bug, just a few drinks. I promise you’ll be home, curled up in bed with your Kindle before you know it.”
When she rolls her eyes at me, I have to restrain myself from fist-pumping.
“Fine. But only because Evie would slaughter me painfully if she found out I turned down an invite from Michael Bradshaw.”
Her words are like a punch to the gut and I have to work to seem unaffected. The awkwardness is cut off when her phone begins jumping around the table, some pop song playing loudly, offending my ears. Looking down, I see a picture of Layla’s sister, Cassidy, light up the screen and I can’t control the huge smile I now sport. That girl is batshit crazy.
“Give me one second, I’ll be right back.” Snatching up her phone, she’s answering before she’s even reached the door.
I rub my hands roughly up and down my face, my stubble scratching my coarse hands as I replay the encounter with Bradshaw in my mind. My plan was only to get from Layla what she was happy to give me. Do I want my best friend back? Abso-fucking-lutely. Will I settle for less? Bet your ass I will. But if I have to watch her date dickholes like Michael, I’m not sure this is going to end well. It was my jealousy that started this whole mess, and I really need to figure out how to rein it in, if I have any hope of finding a way to be just friends with the girl I’ve loved since I was four years old.
“I have no idea how we’re sisters.” She appears out of nowhere, falling onto her chair and startling me out of my thoughts.
A slow smile spreads across my face as I remember all the crazy shit Cassidy has pulled over the years. “How’s CJ doing?”
“She’s good.” Her eyes roll. “She’s started a new job and she hates her boss. She was calling to get ideas for practical jokes, so it’s probably safe to say she won’t be working there much longer.” Picking up her cup, she drinks down the remains. “I have to get going if I’m going to make my first class.” She stands, attaching her armband and putting her earphones in before pausing. “We’ll meet you at Hound Dog at eight?”
I lock down my smirk. “Sounds good.”
“Okay, see ya then.” With that, she turns, and my eyes follow as she sways that curvy ass of hers out the door.
Shit. I’m in so much fucking trouble.
Four years earlier…
“Miller!” A hand slams my locker shut and I jerk back just in time, the door barely missing my head. I glare over my shoulder at Levi Calder, my best friend and sometimes-douchebag.
“What the hell, dude?” My right shoulder sags slightly under the weight of my backpack, Layla’s chemistry textbooks weighing it down. Those fuckers are heavy. I start walking toward the exit, pushing through the wave of people all fighting to escape these halls and kick off their weekend, away from classrooms, teachers and the endless rules we’re forced to live by throughout the week.
Levi follows close behind, yammering on about some party tonight at Nichola Brennan’s house.
He finally pauses and takes a damn breath. “So, you gonna come?”
I exhale harshly and consider my options. Nichola’s parents are what you call permissive parents. Which basically means this party will be high on fun and low on parental figures. It also means I’ll never be able to convince Layla to go with me.
“I’ll stop by for a while.”
“Good. You need to talk to Jasmine, man. Now that she’s broken up with Sully, word is she wants you to take her to the prom. And I heard that pussy can choke a dick better than any other out there, so you’re gonna want to get on that.”
“Yeah, not gonna happen.”
“Why the hell not?” His voice is a combination of incredulous and antagonistic, and I already know what’s coming.
“I’m taking Layla to prom.”
Levi’s snort of disgust is immediate. “Jesus Christ, when are you going to stop worrying about that heifer?”
Before I even realize what I’m doing, I have his collar bunched in my fists and have him thrown up against the wall, using every bit of my strength.
“The fuck did you just say, asshole?”
Levi’s face is red and straining, but once he regains composure, he’s pushing me back, trying to get free. “Get off me, you dick.”
I notice the students around us have stopped and are watching our confrontation intently, some with phones pointed in our direction, which means a teacher won’t be far behind, so I loosen my grip.
“I ever hear you talk about her like that again and I will fucking end you, Calder, you got it?” I shove him away and move quickly toward the parking lot. The douche can kiss my ass.
Exiting the building, I tilt my head slightly to meet the sun, hoping it will calm the rage in my head. It doesn’t, and that motherfucker is lucky he’s still alive.
Glancing up, I spot Bug leaning against my car, waiting, her face buried in her Kindle. The grin that spreads across my face is instinctive. The tension drains from my body and I pick up speed as I cross the parking lot to get to her.
Leaning down, I plant a kiss on her neck causing her to jump.
“Reading a dirty book on school grounds, Bug? You’re getting pretty blatant with your perversions, aren’t you?”
Her nose scrunches up in indignation. “Bite me, Millhouse.”
I tsk, slowly shaking my head. “Biting, Layla? You really are becoming corrupted.”
She laughs, pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and flips me the bird before climbing into the car. As I settle behind the steering wheel, Levi passes by in front of us and he glares at me through the windshield. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Layla’s head turn toward me, but I keep my attention focused on starting the ignition and getting us out of here.
It’s only a matter of minutes before Layla begins wiggling around in her seat and I can feel her impatience radiating off her in waves.
“Do you need to pee?” I toss a quick glance her way. “Do I need to pull over?”
Her eyes narrow in confusion. “What? Why would I need to pee? And why would you think I would ever pee on the side of the road? What have I ever done to indicate I’m a pee-by-the-side-of-the-road kind of girl?”
“Well, the way you’re wiggling around over there, I figured it had to be the only explanation.”
“Don’t be a smartass, Ethan, it doesn’t become you.”
“I think you’ll find any kind of ass becomes me. It’s one of my best features, all the girls think so.”
She remains silent, but I can imagine her rolling her eyes in exasperation. Wanting to get the full impact, I turn toward
her. Instead of seeing the humorous exasperation I expected, she is staring out the window, her jaw clenched, looking contemplative.
“Bug?”
She turns to face me with a small smile. “So, speaking of butts, what’s up Levi’s? He looked pretty angry.”
“Nothing.” My hands tighten on the wheel.
“Riiiiight. Because that looked like nothing.” This time I get my eye roll and she pauses briefly before continuing. “Anyway, I have some news.”
“Yeah? Please tell me you finally found your Taylor Swift CD? Because that has just been keeping me up at night.” The punch to my arm is swift (no pun intended) and well deserved. Especially considering said CD is lying on the bottom of my closet, hidden under a pile of trash. Where it belongs.
“Shut up! You just wish you had my exceptional taste in music!”
“Yeah, that’s definitely it.” I snort as I pull into my driveway. I turn off the engine and turn to face her. “Okay, what’s your news L-swizzle?”
Her face flushes suddenly and her grin is replaced by a pensive look.
“Luke Cameron asked me to the prom.”
My ears start to ring, and I wonder if it’s possible that I misheard her.
“What?” I bark out. My tone is harsher than I intended, and she flinches slightly. Confrontation isn’t Layla’s thing and she does whatever she can to avoid it. Unfortunately for her, she can’t avoid this.
“I thought we were going to prom together, Lay. What the fuck?”
Her hand finds my arm and she squeezes it in an attempt to calm me.
“I know we were. And I love you for wanting to take me, but he asked, so I said yes.” She shrugs, as if it’s no big deal, while my mind is racing a mile a minute trying to place this Cameron fucker and decide how I’m going to kill him.
“This is perfect, Ethan. You can go with one of the hotties that are always trying to get in your pants, and I’ll go with Luke. You never know.” She waggles her eyebrows at me. “I might get to practice some of the dirty stuff I read about.” Before I can think of a response, let alone verbalize one, she is out of the car and heading toward my house, completely oblivious to the chaos rioting within me.
“Babe, did you make sure you got the double-stuffed Oreos this time?”
I’m barely in the door when my roommate, Seth’s voice hollers at me.
Looking up, I see him, ass glued to the sofa, eyes locked on the television screen and controller in hand.
“We have regular Oreos in the pantry. You’ll eat them, and you’ll enjoy them. Babe.”
A lazy smirk crosses his face as he glances at me. “Mia never remembers double-stuffed. I mean who the hell wants regular Oreos? I’ve sent her twenty-three messages reminding her and she hasn’t bothered replying to any. Bet your ass she walks in here with the regular ones.” His face creases in disgust at the thought. “But what’s got your panties in such a bunch, princess?”
My legs make quick work of the space between the door and the sofa and I flop down next to him, throwing my backpack on the ground angrily. Rolling my shoulders, I attempt to release the tension that’s pervaded my body since my encounter with Michael Bradshaw this morning.
“Bradshaw’s an asshole, right? I’m not the only one who thinks so?”
“Fuck no, that guy’s the biggest douche I’ve ever had the bad luck to meet. If he wasn’t the captain of the football team, he’d be the most hated guy on campus.” Keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him, he throws me a controller and sets up a game. “Why, what’d he do?”
I groan loudly, remembering the way his eyes ate Layla up. “I was talking to Lay this morning, and he practically fucked her right in front of me.”
Seth side-eyes me while still managing to kill me onscreen. That’s motherfucking skill, right there.
“Really?” I choose to ignore the skeptical tone to his voice. “Because that seems unlikely.”
“Well, he may as well have.” I pout like a fucking child. “He invited her to Hound Dog tonight.”
Seth’s head snaps around, his eyes wide as they meet mine. “Does this mean I’m finally going to meet the girl that has you all pussy whipped?”
“Seriously, you’re calling me pussy whipped? Didn’t I walk in on Mia plucking your eyebrows last week?”
He grins back at me. “What can I say? My girl likes me to look my best.” He shrugs as I snort out a laugh. It’s impossible to embarrass this guy.
“Whatever. She’ll be there. Because Michael invited her.” My grimace is involuntary. My clenched fists, not so much.
“Who the fuck cares why she’s coming. She’s coming, which means you get to spend time with her, so quit bitching. Pull your big-girl panties on and tell her you’re not interested in being her friend and offer her a ride to pound town.” He shakes his head in exasperation, eyeing me like a punk.
“Oh my God, please do not say the words pound town to her.”
Our heads whip around to find Mia standing by the door with a look of horror on her face. She turns her attention to Seth, and before I can say ‘where the hell did you come from’, she’s throwing a package at her boyfriend’s head.
“Double-stuffed Oreos, asshole,” she snaps and makes her way to the kitchen.
Seth throws his hands up in the air. “Parker for the win.”
Layla
The vibration of the music hits me as soon as we walk through the door. You wouldn’t think the place would be so busy on a Monday night, but you would be wrong.
“Do you see him?” Evie’s mouth is just inches from my ear, but I still have to strain to hear her.
“Ethan?” I search the crowd, my eyes scanning the heads looking for his familiar mess of brown hair. “No, do you?”
A sharp elbow to my side draws my attention back to her.
“Not Ethan, Michael!”
“Michael? Are you talking about Michael Bradshaw?” Natasha, the third part of our trio interrupts, her face lit up with interest.
“Uh huh, he invited Layla.” Evie’s smirk holds a smidge of vindication.
“What? You didn’t tell me that!” Her voice is laced with indignation. “You told me some old school friend invited you.”
“He did, I mean Michael invited him and then said I could come, but only because I was there.” I don’t know why I try to play down what happened this morning. It’s not like Michael was subtle; even I couldn’t write off his flirting as harmless. All I know is that as much as I love Tash, she has a way of making me feel small. It’s not her fault, it’s not malicious, it’s just who she is. But I wanted to enjoy this feeling for a little while longer and not have her ruin it.
“Oh, yeah, that’s totally a pity invite, babe.” Yeah, exactly like that.
My stomach drops as I am suddenly grabbed from behind, two strong arms encircling my waist and lifting my feet off the ground. A warm mouth finds the spot that every woman loves, the curve where neck meets shoulder and a kiss sets every synapse on fire.
I should be alarmed, but I know this touch. It warms my entire body, inciting a reckless desire that is so familiar it mildly terrifies me.
“You made it.”
Turning, I pull back slightly so I can look Ethan in the face. His bright hazel eyes are smiling, and I can’t help the affection that sweeps through me.
“I told you I would. You remember Evie.” I take hold of Natasha’s hand and pull her closer. “And this is Tash, she lives in the dorms with us.”
My stomach clenches as I watch Tash’s slow perusal of Ethan’s body and the way her tongue peeks out, swiping along her bottom lip in a move that almost has me ready to lay a kiss on her.
Ethan’s eyes barely stray from my own as he throws out a casual hello.
“C’mon, we have a table over here.” Pulling on my hand, he drags me across the room and I quickly look over my shoulder to make sure Evie and Tash are following. When I see Evie, I note the small smile on her face and I’m trying to figure out what it me
ans when I suddenly crash into Ethan. Standing in front of a booth already occupied by a gorgeous couple, his body is all hard muscle against my own, and my hand brushes along his hip as I attempt to steady myself. A blush burns my cheeks when I feel his jeans hanging low, and my fingers tingle as they rest on that V muscle of his that has always made my core clench in the most delicious way.
I snatch my hand back and immediately search his face, hoping he didn’t notice my physical reaction. Thankfully, his expression is one of blissful ignorance and while that should bring me relief, I find myself tiptoeing on the edge of annoyance, frustrated that even now he doesn’t see me the way he sees every other girl. No matter how much I wish it wasn’t true, I’ll always be just Bug.
“Ladies, this is Seth, my roommate, and his girlfriend, Mia. Guys, this is Layla, Evie, and Tash.” We exchange greetings and get ourselves situated before Ethan and Seth bring over a round of drinks. We launch into easy conversation and I’m feeling remarkably relaxed, which is unusual for me when I meet new people. Seth and Mia are great, but I do find the attention they’re lavishing on me slightly disconcerting. I’m much more content in the background while Evie and Tash shine, which is usually how our nights out go.
Also unsettling me is the way Tash has sidled up to Ethan and is attempting to engage him in conversation. She has her body pressed right up against him, her breasts rubbing against his arm and her mouth unnecessarily close to the shell of his ear as she talks to him.
He, on the other hand, is dividing his attention between our conversation and Tash’s murmurings. I’m intrigued at how well I can still read him; his frustration with her attempt at seduction is clear to me. The slight furrow of his brow and the straight line of his back screams his discomfort, but to anyone else, he simply looks focused on the people around him.
“Layla, you have to tell me what Ethan was like when he was a kid. He was a loser, right? The most unpopular boy in school?” Seth’s teasing voice causes me to laugh out loud at the irony of his question.
“Uh, no. Ethan was Mr. Popularity. I was the loser riding the coattails in that friendship.”
