by J. L. Ostle
“Ummm, no. He is … umm … he is just a friend.”
She looks disappointed. “Ah, okay. Sorry, I had to ask.”
I nod. I turn to my paper when she leans towards me again.
“Is he seeing anyone?”
“No, but I don’t think he does the relationship thing.”
She nods in understanding. I have only been around him for a few days, but in that time, I can already sense he is a player to the opposite sex.
I flow through the test and feel happy with myself for doing so well. I hand in my paper and step outside, sitting on a picnic table, letting the sun bathe over me. My eyes are closed when I hear Billie call out to me and I open them to watch her sit next to me.
“That test was brutal, I hate pop quizzes.”
I chuckle.
“I know this is going to sound weird, but can you give my number to Jackson, please?” She smiles shyly at me. If she knows he isn’t into dating, why would she still be interested? I couldn’t only be with a guy just for sex. Sex is meant to be intimate.
“Sure, I guess.”
She bounces in her seat and hands me a piece of paper with her number on it. “Thank you so much. I feel so embarrassed for asking, but I had to.” She laughs and I laugh with her. From what I know of her, she is a nice girl.
“I will give it to him as soon as I see him.” I put her number in my pocket. She hugs me tightly and my body stiffens, but she doesn’t notice.
“You are amazeballs.” She stands and waves goodbye.
I am still enjoying the sun when Kendra and Jackson sit next to me, arguing, and I guess that’s my peace in the sun over with.
“There is no way in hell, she will ever like you more than me,” Kendra nearly shouts.
“Come on, I’m a charmer. I make her smile. She is eventually going to like me better.” He smirks.
“Who are you talking about?” I sit up straighter.
“You.” They say in unison.
Me? They are arguing over me? “Why are you talking about me?”
“Jackson thinks because you live with him, you are going to be his BFF and like him more.”
“I am just stating the facts. We are going to watch movies, eat dinner, hang out. Soon you are going to rely on me and come to me about everything.” He winks at me with a devilish smile and I know he is saying all this to wind her up.
“Please tell him that we are best friends for life.” Kendra crosses her arms.
“Well, in the last few days you have made me breakfast and dinner. We have bonded over American Horror Story.” I play along.
“Please tell me you are joking.” Kendra stands in front of me.
“Of course, I’m joking. No one can ever replace you.” I stand and give her a hug.
“I knew it.” She smiles brightly.
“Oh, that reminds me. I have a number for you.” I pass Billie’s number to him and he looks at it in confusion. “A sort of friend of mine asked me to pass it to you.” He looks at it and puts it in his pocket.
“Thanks.”
“I hope you aren’t going to be his new secretary.”
I shake my head. “No, she sits next to me in class and she seems nice. Just don’t hurt her.” I point my finger at him in warning and he places his hand over his heart like he’s hurt.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. Billie is a nice girl. Tell her up front what you are after and if she still decides to sleep with you, be a gentleman the next day, don’t just ignore her and show her the door.” He looks at the ground and Kendra is smiling hugely.
“Way to go, Riley, think I’m rubbing off on you. You say how it is.”
“I just think there’s a nicer way—the girls I’ve seen so far are a piece of work—but they still have feelings.”
Jackson stands and nods. “I will be nicer.”
I smile and out of reaction, I lean forward and kiss his cheek. I blush as soon as I do it, but from the smile on his face, he doesn’t seem to mind.
“I have to go and gather the troops for rehearsal.” He waves and goes.
“What was that?” Kendra asks incredulously.
I sit back down. “I don’t know, it just happened. He kissed my forehead when he dropped me off at class and I guess it was just a reflex.”
“Please don’t tell me you are falling for him? I knew this would happen.” She rubs her forehead with her hand.
“I am not falling for him. It’s just nice having a guy in my life who is nice to me, it’s different.”
She puts her arm around my shoulders and pulls me into her. “I know, I just want you to remember he’s a player, he isn’t a one-girl guy.”
“I know, you don’t need to worry.”
She looks into my eyes and nods.
Chapter Six
After classes, I head back home. When I open the door, I see Jackson with three other guys, who just like him, are very attractive. I feel like I just walked in on a photo shoot. I am rooted to the spot as I take in all the masculinity.
“Hey, you’re home. Come on over and meet my band.” Jackson waves me over and I walk slowly, praying I don’t fall and embarrass myself.
“Your band?” one guy with spiky blonde hair and dark blue eyes says. I notice he has a tattoo running up his neck.
“Fine, our band. Now, Devon, I want you to meet Riley.”
Devon grabs my hand and gives it a kiss. “Hey, beautiful.” He winks at me.
“Hi,” I mutter.
“He’s our lead singer. Carl here, is our drummer.”
Carl steps forward and gives me a hug. I try not to stiffen, and I think he notices but he doesn’t say anything. Carl has all his hair shaved off but his smile and eyes make him look softer. “Hey, girl.”
“Hi.”
“This is our bassist Kev.”
Kev shakes my hand. Kevin has short black hair and green eyes, but from looking into his eyes, I can see pain. I guess being there myself I can see it. “Hi, Riley. So, you are our boy’s new roommate. From looking at this place, you are a godsend to him. I have never seen this place looks so tidy.” He smiles at me.
“I enjoy cleaning, I find it very therapeutic.”
“Do you want to come over and do mine?” Devon winks at me.
“Enough of that. I warned you all already.” Jackson pushes Devon jokingly.
“I know, but damn she is so pretty.” I blush. “Damn, she blushes too. Why didn’t I meet you first?” He walks over and grabs my hand. “If you ever want to leave this asswipe, you can move in with me.”
“I … ummm … I.”
“He’s joking, kitten. Well, he better be.”
Devon shrugs and heads to the kitchen, coming out with a bottle of water.
“Right, well I will see you all tomorrow.” Jackson kicks them out even though Devon tries to stay, which was kind of funny.
“I think my lead singer has a crush on you.”
I know he is kidding, but I sit on the couch and turn on the TV, ignoring his comment.
“How were the rest of your classes?”
“They were fine. Just happy to be home. I kept feeling I was being watched today. It was kind of weird.”
“Someone was watching you?” he asks in concern as he sits next to me.
“No, someones—plural. There were quite a few stares.”
“Well, if you have any problems, just come to me, okay?”
I nod and he sits back, putting his feet on the table. “I guess I should go make us dinner as it is my turn and all.” I smile and stand but Jackson stands abruptly, stopping me.
“I know it’s your turn but I want to go out for dinner. Want to join me?”
I want to say yes but I can’t afford it. I am starting to hate how I have no money to do anything. I am starting to feel like a charity case at times. “I don’t mind cooking.” I hope he takes the hint.
“Come on, it’s Friday, and it’s my treat.”
I bite my lip and look down at the floor but he bends down, connecting his eyes with mine.
“Come on, kitten, you aren’t going to let me eat alone, are you?” He pouts, making me laugh.
“Fine. Where are we going?”
“We can get a pizza.” I’m happy with that. Pizza isn’t too expensive. But I seriously need to find a job so I have some sort of money coming in. Thank God, I’m here on a scholarship. Jackson grabs my hand and we head out—I try not to enjoy his hand in mine.
I finally notice that my body isn’t tensing up with him touching me. I walk towards his car but he pulls my hand, stopping me and we walk to the side of the house where I notice a black motorcycle.
“I can’t go on that thing,” I mumble.
“Come on, you will love it, and I promise I won’t drive fast.” He walks to the bike and grabs two helmets, passing me one.
“I could fall off.” And die.
“You won’t fall off. Just hold onto me and you will be fine. Trust me.” He places his hand in front of me to take, and I debate for a second before I place my hand in his. He puts the helmet on me and secures it for me. He climbs over and helps me get on. “I want you to hold around my waist the whole time and don’t let go, okay?”
I nod as I feel a million butterflies in my stomach. “I’m so scared,” I mumble.
“When you’re with me, you have nothing to be scared of. I will always protect you.” He gives me a smile and faces forward, putting his helmet on. He starts the engine, and I can feel the vibrations underneath me and I quickly wrap my arms around Jackson’s middle, holding on tight.
He pushes the bike backward with his feet and then we start moving, and when we get onto the street I yelp at the surprise of the speed and hold on for dear life. I place my head on his back and I notice the bike slow down a little, like he knew it was scaring me.
We soon pull up to a pizzeria called Joe’s and Jackson stands the motorcycle, and even though we have stopped, I don’t want to let go. My heart is still racing and I feel like I’m stuck in the position, but I soon feel Jackson turn and take off his helmet.
“So, did you enjoy it?”
“Ummm, once I got the hang of it.”
His head falls back in laughter. “You look like a scared kitten. I promise you I will never cause you any harm. Now let’s go eat some pizza.” I nod and he helps me down, and once my feet hit the ground, they feel like jelly.
I take out my ponytail and shake out my hair, then retie it, with Jackson watching me the whole time. I don’t want to walk in somewhere public with helmet hair. Once I’m ready, Jackson takes my hand again and we walk into the busy place. Luckily there is a spare booth in the far corner and we head towards it, taking a seat.
The smell of grease fills the air and the gray floor is sticky, but it doesn’t bother me. I watch as waitresses take pizzas and burgers to tables and my stomach rumbles. The food does smell amazing.
“So, what are you thinking of having?” I look back at Jackson and his face is in a menu so I grab one and take a look. “Fancy sharing a pizza and cheese sticks?”
“Sounds perfect.” Jackson flags down a waitress and of course it has to be another attractive girl.
“Hi, Jackson, what can I get you?”
“Can I have a large pizza, one side four cheese and the other ham and pineapple, with a side of cheese sticks and two Cokes?” He places the menu back in its holder so I do the same. As he said two drinks, the waitress turns to me, realizing for the first time that I’m here.
“Anything else for your umm … sister?” She smiles coyly at me.
“My date? No thanks.” The waitress looks shocked and so do I. Date? The waitress walks off and Jackson smiles at me. “Sorry, she was kind of rude so I had to tell her something. Plus, I don’t want her hitting on me for the rest of the night.”
So, we aren’t on a date, he just said it to make sure she doesn’t come on to him. “It's fine. I bet it’s crazy that all these girls fawn all over you.”
“I am kind of used to it now, but it does get annoying when you are trying to hang out with friends or do something. I bet you get your group of men drooling over you too?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No guy looks twice at me. I am the girl that sits in the background. The one you don’t really notice.”
The waitress comes back with our drinks and leaves without saying a word.
“But you're beautiful, surely you get some guys attention?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Until recently, the only people who knew I existed were Kendra and Jayce. And maybe Billie,” I chuckle.
He shakes his head. “Why haven’t I noticed you before?” He asks like it’s a serious question.
“Because you have all these attractive girls hanging on your arm. The girls I seem to notice you hook up with show a little skin, have flawless skin, and look like they could be models. Using Kendra’s words, I am more cute than gorgeous.” I shrug. I am used to guys going for the hotter girl. Plus, growing up, I am glad no boys showed interest in me or I would have been punished for it.
“Hello?” Jackson waves his hand in front of my face. “I think I lost you there.” He smiles.
“Sorry, was just thinking.”
“So, what is your story, kitten? How long have you lived here in Washington?”
I bite my lip then take a sip. “My whole life. How did you know I lived here?”
“Kendra. She mentioned once that she lived here her whole life and that she has been friends with you for her whole life, so I put the missing pieces together.”
I nod. “What about you? Why did you move here?”
He leans back. “A few of the bandmates I went to high school with got scholarships here so we decided to go to college here.”
“But you were once on the football team. What made you give that up?”
“I loved football, don’t get me wrong, but music is more my passion. I feel more at peace when I play. Plus, football can be a little rough.” We both laugh. “What about you, what do you want to be after college?”
“I want to be either an accountant or a journalist.”
“Wow, they are both opposite of each other. What do you think you are more pushed towards?”
“At the moment, accounting. I am very good with numbers.”
“Yeah, well as a genius, I bet you are.” He smiles at me, which I return. It doesn’t take long until our pizza shows up and we talk about each other’s lives, but luckily not once do either of us bring up our pasts. Well more like our parents.
Chapter Seven
“Riley, get your butt out here right now or I’m coming in,” Kendra yells through the bathroom door. I am looking at myself in the mirror as I shake my head. I can’t wear this dress, it’s way too short and you can see my cleavage. The dress is black lace and hugs me nicely, but as I look at myself, it feels like I’m looking at someone else.
“Kendra, I can’t wear this. It’s too revealing,” I whine.
“Open the door and let me be the judge of that.” I groan as I open the door, and Kendra’s eyes bug out when she sees me. “Fuck me, you look so hot.” She eyes me up and down.
“I don’t feel comfortable wearing this.” My body slumps.
“No girl ever feels comfortable in their clothes. You look hot and you are so going to wear that. Jayce, come here and tell me what you think.” Kendra shouts down the stairs.
“Kendra,” I whine again.
“Stop acting like a baby and grow some balls.”
I stick my tongue out at her and she smirks.
“What did you want me to … fuck, Riley, you dress up good.” His eyes trail over my body and I hug myself. “Babe, you did good.”
She beams. “I know and, Riley, your hair suits waves. You are going to knock everyone’s socks off.”
“I don’t want people staring at me.”
“Well, in that dress it’s going to be hard not to,” Jayce jokes and slaps Kendra’s ass before wa
lking back downstairs.
“Kendra, I feel ridiculous.”
“You look great, trust me. Every girl is going to be wearing a dress. Your ass is covered and you’re only showing a glimpse of your breasts. You are going to be one of the only ones there not showing as much skin.”
I look at Kendra and she is wearing a dark blue dress that has slits on the sides of the waist so you can see her skin. “I can’t wait for this party to be over.”
“That’s the spirit. Now let’s get a move on.” She links her arm with mine as we head down to the living room where Jayce is standing, waiting for us. Jackson is already at the party so he and his band can set up.
It doesn’t take long until we arrive and the house is huge. There are a few students hanging outside with red cups and when we get to the door, the music blares out and I can smell the alcohol and body heat already—my nice way of saying people are sweating.
I look around, seeing people laughing and talking. Like Kendra said, there are girls wearing more revealing clothing than I am.
I just feel out of place. Like I shouldn’t be here.
Kendra grabs my hand and guides us to a makeshift bar. “Make sure you stay close to either me or Jayce, okay?”
I nod. Like hell, I am going to leave their side.
Kendra passes me a drink; I watch her sip hers so I do the same. It's sweet and fruity so I take another sip, enjoying the taste. Kendra grabs my hand again and we walk into a huge room where I see Jackson and his band playing on a makeshift stage.
Girls are screaming and squishing one another to get up to the front as close as possible. My eyes go to Jackson as I watch him play his guitar and he looks like he was born to be on a stage—to play his passion. His fingers glide up and down so fast on the instrument.
“They aren’t bad, are they?” Kendra asks me.
“They’re quite good.” We move in a little closer and Kendra starts dancing and I stand there like an idiot. I close my eyes and try to relax my body, and after a few minutes, I just sway my body to the music.
“Having fun yet?” Jayce walks up to us with fresh drinks, which we take, and he joins in dancing with us.
I can feel eyes on me so I turn towards the stage and see Jackson watching me. I give him a smile and a wave but he doesn’t return it. He just stares. I stick my tongue out at him and he smiles and continues playing.
