I stifled a laugh until I landed on photographs taken more recently. This time Craig was front and center and the smiles and laughter depicted in the old photographs were gone. I hated to say it, but the guys looked a bit miserable and a bit like the kind of hooligans your mother warned you about. As I took in each photograph, it became apparent by a slight curl of the lip or narrowed eyes, that nobody in the crew really liked Craig so much.
So why did they put up with him now?
“Damn, you look fucking hot tonight,” a deep voice boomed from the foyer, causing me to jump. Wincing, I wiped the splatter of beer from my arms and carefully walked away from the fridge.
“Tony, you’re so cute,” a raspy voice, reminiscent of Jessica Rabbit, cooed back.
The front door slammed shut and instinctively, I tiptoed my way back into the living room to find Anthony and a platinum blonde girl, who I recognized from my English Composition class, practically eating each other’s faces.
“Oh!” I yelped, startled.
Despite hearing me, the two didn’t break away from their embrace, smacking their tongues a bit more before stepping back to take a gasp of air. Anthony glanced up and threw me a lazy smile—or rathertipsy—smile.
“Hey, Aurora. You here with Mitch?”
“Who else would I be with?” I grumbled.
The girl, who I soon remembered was named Nicole, threw her arm around Anthony’s waist and shot me a wink. “Good job, girl. Mitch is a hard one to catch.”
Anthony pinched her in the ass, causing her to squeal like a pig. Laughing, he shot me a curious look. “Guess Craig was right about you two.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He figured you two were hooking up. It’s the only reason why Mitch has to be going along with this ‘try out for Annihilation’ bullshit idea of yours.”
“Wait, she wants to try out for your crew?” Nicole burst into laughter, which only made me want to sock her in the face.
“You think it’s funny?” I placed my beer bottle down and took a step toward her, flexing my arm just a bit. Due to so many breaking practices, the definition in my arms had returned to what it was during my glory days as a gymnast. Many girls went for the svelte look, but I loved looking strong. It sure as hell intimidated a lot of other girls and as expected, Miss Priss took a startled step back. Anthony looked to be having the time of his life.
“It’s just weird,” he commented. “Even veteran b-boys don’t have the guts to try to join us, and then here you are…”
“Here I am what?” I growled.
He tilted his head to the side and jutted his bottom lip forward into a pout. “Do you really think you have what it takes to join us?”
“You know what? You and your girl are a bunch of fucking—”
“Hey!” Of course Mitch chose that precise moment to jump out of the bathroom. Steam spilled out from behind him, adding an ambiance to the weird scene playing out around me. He walked over to me cautiously—fully dressed, I might add—keeping one eye on his roommate and the other on Nicole. “What’s going on? You guys are fucking loud out here.”
I glanced over at him and caught a few droplets of water falling from his wet hair onto the shoulders of his grey shirt. The smell of his newly showered skin, all fresh and spring-like, caused butterflies to flutter around in my stomach. I swallowed. “Nothing I can’t handle. Your roommate here is just talking shit.”
Mitch immediately glared at Anthony, who held up his hands and laughed. “Just speaking the truth, dude. You have to admit that it’s weird she’s auditioning for our crew. That shit never happens.”
“Well, it’s happening now,” Mitch snapped.
I couldn’t help but love the fact he was sticking up for me and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hide the smug smile on my face.
Anthony shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever. I’m done with this. You two are ruining my buzz.” He paused and glanced over at Nicole, who was practically melting into his side. “You ready for some fun?”
Her answering giggles were like nails on a chalkboard.
As the two turned to leave, Mitch looked down at me and frowned. “You okay?”
I smacked my tongue, looking after the couple in distaste. “You’ve read those stupid articles about me, right? Trust me. I can handle anything.”
He shot me a doubtful look, but nodded. “Okay, let me grab my keys and let’s go.”
As Mitch walked away from me, I snuck a peek down the hallway and caught sight of Anthony’s door closing shut. Remembering what Clemence told me about Mitch, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted at the notion that this was something he was used to doing too.
“I’ll never be just a hookup,” I whispered to myself.
“Ready?” Mitch came up behind me and placed a hand on my lower back, gently guiding me forward.
I threw one more look down the hallway and nodded my head. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Mitch
“You know you didn’t have to take me—”
“To the movies, I know, I know.” I shot her a wink and couldn’t help but thank the heavens that she wouldn’t be able to sense the way my stomach was tumbling around inside of me. I hadn’t been out with a girllike this in such a long time.
As we crossed the expansive parking lot toward Orleck Cinemas,a cold breeze hit my neck with a smack. It vaguely reminded me of someone slapping me against the neck. I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Aurora’s eyes. Maybe it was the universe reminding me this wasn’t a date. After the awkwardness of losing the battle and then the awkwardness at my apartment, I thought it would be a great idea to go out and do something fun for a while. Of course I dragged Aurora along, seeing as she was my only friendoutside of Annihilation…for now at least.
I ran ahead of her and opened the door, allowing her to duck into the brightly lit theater, which was packed with its usual weekend crowd. As soon as she stepped in, she threw her head back and shut her eyes, taking a deep, approving, breath.
“Mmm, oh my gah!” She opened her mouth, allowing her tongue to loll to the side. “That popcorn smells delicious. I just want to stuff a bunch in my mouth, mmm.”
I chuckled. “Well, we can go—”
“Let me go to the bathroom first!” She hopped from one foot to the other and pointed toward the sea foam colored neon lights marking the women’s restrooms. “I’ve been holding it since we left your house.”
“Why…” I didn’t have to ask why. I wanted to leave as soon as Anthony and his flavor of the week walked through those doors as well.
Aurora ran off without bothering to throw me a second glance. “Be right back.”
“That’s what you get for downing that beer before we left!” I yelled after her with a laugh. Deciding that I’d rather wait by concessions than outside the women’s bathroom, I walked over to the shortest line, deciding to surprise her with the biggest tub of popcorn they offered.
I kept my head bowed, staring at my phone despite feeling a few eyes on me. I tried to ignore the creepers as best I could, figuring they were probably a bunch of girls checking me out. Hated to admit it, but there was something about being half-Asian that drove girls wild. I guess I looked unique? Regardless, after a few minutes of the same shit, I had no choice but to look up.
A few members of our rival crew stood near the arcade area, pointing in my direction. The crew leader,Nocturnal, caught my eye and threw me a quick nod.
I nodded back, hoping that would be the end of it. Luckily, Nocturnal’s girlfriend leaned over to whisper something in his ear, distracting him.
“Can I help you?” I glanced up to find a zit-covered attendant staring at me. He smacked his mouth around, as if trying to loosen some food out of his orange-colored braces.
I shifted uncomfortably. “Erm, yes…can I get one popcorn—”
“What size?” he cut me off.
“A large. I was just about to tell you that,” I snapped in annoyance. G
etting interrupted was one of my biggest pet peeves and I was almost tempted to walk off, but I needed to buy Aurora some popcorn.
Whoa, did I just sayneeded?
A weird feeling settled in my stomach. Maybe popcorn wasn’t such a good idea after all…
“Oh, my gosh! You ordered a large? You read my mind! How much do I need to chip in?” Aurora snuck up beside me and leaned forward, shutting her eyes and inhaling deeply. She opened her eyes once again, revealing the gold rings she had around her irises. They were beautiful. Like halos.
She was breathtaking.
I gulped and quickly looked away. “It’s on me.”
“Mitch. Come on.” She chuckled and elbowed me in the ribs. “We’re not on a date, remember? I can pay for myself.”
All at once the happy bubbles that floated around my head popped, jarring me back to reality.
I do not do dates.
I do not hang out with the same girl for more than a few nights.
I do not do relationships.
“Mitch? Did you hear me?” Aurora’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Thank you for paying. You really didn’t—”
“Have to. I know, but I wanted to.” I smiled, admiring how beautiful she looked when she was happy, and if she was happy based on popcorn, then I’d buy her all the tubs in the world.
“Yo, Kickwit, how you doing?” Nocturnal seemed to appear out of thin air, leaning against the counter beside Aurora. He glanced down and tapped on the glass. “The Goobers are the best if you’re looking for some sweets, but judging by this beauty beside you, you already have your fill.”
He shot Aurora a wide grin, causing her to fidget uncomfortably. I’d never wanted to smack a smile off someone’s face more than I did at that moment. “What do you want, Nocturnal?”
The moment his b-boy name escaped my mouth, Aurora’s eyebrows rose in recognition. She immediately began sizing him up and I couldn’t help but feel my heart swell a bit in pride. She was ready to battle. It was written all over her face.
“You give any thought to what we talked about last time?” Nocturnal asked, ignoring Aurora’s prying gaze.
“I didn’t.” I lifted my head and jutted my bottom jaw forward, suddenly feeling more cautious. “You know I’m not leaving Annihilation. I founded—”
“Founded it, but lost it to that asshole, Cruel. Yeah, we all know.” Nocturnal tapped on the glass again and straightened himself. “I’m serious. Offer still stands. Just let me know. I’m serious about the Goobers too.”
“Yeah, thanks for the advice,” I snapped.
He nodded once and shot Aurora a sideways smile before stalking away.
Once he was out of earshot, Aurora hissed, “What was that about?”
Ignoring her, I swiped my card through the reader and absently handed her the gigantic tub of popcorn that was practically the size of her head. She cleared her throat a few times, but again I chose not to pay attention.
“Do you have any jalapenos, dude?” I leaned over, eyeing the pimple faced worker.
“Just for nachos,” he replied, oblivious to the torment flying through my head. How would I ever admit to anybody—especially Aurora—that I was seriously considering joining Knight Crawlerz?
I swallowed once and nodded. “Yeah, that’ll do.”
I snuck a peek toward my side and saw Aurora’s face scrunch up into an exaggerated grimace. This time I couldn’t ignore it and laughed softly. “What’s with that look?”
“You better not be thinking of desecrating my popcorn with…” The boy walked over and placed a plastic container of the slimy vegetable in front of us. “With that!” Aurora gasped in horror.
Right on cue, the worker handed me a separate plastic container and shrugged. “Figured, I couldn’t start a lover’s quarrel. Here, to separate your popcorn.”
Both Aurora and I cleared our throats uncomfortably, mumbling our thank yous.
To be honest, I was kinda looking forward to sharing a tub with her. Maybe ordering jalapenos wasn’t such a good idea after all. Reluctantly, I took the tray from him and grabbed my soda. “Thanks again, dude.”
Still shooting me weird looks, though this time I wasn’t sure whether it was due to my snack of choice or Nocturnal, Aurora grabbed a straw and hurried toward our theater. I walked a bit quicker to catch up with her quick strides and the moment I was at her side, she turned and flashed me an annoyed look.
“What?” I asked innocently.
“You aren’t going to talk about what just happened?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”
“He’s trying to recruit you! Into a rival team!”
“Okay, Captain Obvious,” I muttered.
She shot me a furious look.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Aurora, like I said, it’s not a big deal. This is something he always does. It’s not like I would—”
“I think you should take him up on his offer,” she snapped, cutting me off.
I froze on the spot and threw her an incredulous look. “What?”
She shrugged. “It seems he respects your talent more than Craig does.”
“And you got that from, what? Five seconds of conversation?”
“I have a feeling about him, that’s all. Craig just seems so full of himself…it’s like he’s some dark energy vampire and he’s just sucking out your light.”
“Energy vampire?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those Twihards.”
She snorted. “I’ve been around my roomie too much of late and don’t go joking on my Cullens…even if I am Team Jacob.”
“I’m not even going to pretend I know what that means.” I walked in front of her and pushed the door open. “Let’s just forget about this, okay? It’s not going to happen.”
Yet.
“But—”
Interrupting her, I pointed toward the auditorium. “Let’s hurry up and get a good seat.”
Thankfully, she didn’t press the subject. However, she threw me for a loop when she pointed toward the darkest part of the theater. “Yup, it’s always the back row for me. Come on.”
As I made the momentous climb to the very top row, I couldn’t help but frown. “Why do you like sitting back here? It’s too far from—”
“The giant screen?” she asked with laugh. “Please, I’d rather sit far away than have to succumb to people talking or kicking the back of my chair.”
“I guess…” I muttered doubtfully. What she couldn’t have guessed is how uncomfortable the thought of being so close to her in the dark was making me.
She chose the center seat and plopped down happily, quickly digging her hand into the tub. In what had to be the least ‘lady-like’ fashion, she opened her hand to reveal a fistful of popcorn and threw it into her mouth. I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head.
“What?” she asked with a full mouth.
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You know, I’m not done with our conversation from earlier. I really think you should leave—”
“The crew I started when I was a kid?” As hard as I tried, I couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at the notion the more I thought about it. Truthfully, I was more irritated at myself for even entertaining the thought. Regardless of Craig’s almost tyrannical rule, Annihilation was my family and to me, family was everything. “Loyalty runs deep in my blood. I’m not going to leave the crew and cry about Craig’s attitude.”
“So you agree with me,” she replied coolly.
“What?”
“Craig’s a dick.”
“I never said he wasn’t.” I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. “Can we talk about something else?”
Aurora looked as if she didn’t want to drop the subject and hesitantly leaned back into her seat. She munched on her popcorn quietly while watching those weird trivia games they show before the previews. After a few moments of a
wkward silence, she snuck a peek at me. “Why do you always wear a beanie? I mean I get it; it’s part of the culture, but dude—you live in California. It’s hot.”
“It’s not that hot,” I grumbled, still feeling annoyed.
She snorted. “A beanie isn’t meant to be worn in temperatures above fifty degrees.”
“It’s a style,” I told her, plucking a jalapeno off my stash and throwing it on top of her bucket.
She narrowed her eyes. “No jalapenos in my tub. I’m warning you.”
“Why?”
Grimacing, she picked out the jalapeno and threw it inside of a napkin, wadding it up and shoving it back into my chest. “It’ll get all soggy and…it’s just gross. Please, just keep it away from me.”
With a confident look on my face, I took another small piece of jalapeno and joined it together with a kernel. “Try this.”
Her nose crinkled. “No.”
Laughing, I nudged her shoulder. “Do it.”
She sighed and took the food from my hand. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
Wincing, she placed it inside her mouth and began chewing slowly. After a bit, she swallowed with a surprised look on her face. “Wow, that wasn’t bad at all.”
“See?”
“But that beanie is still a fashion faux pas. You should really stop wearing it.”
“Oh yeah?” Without thinking twice about it, I removed my hat and placed it on top of her head, wiggling it so that it fit right above her ears. Before I realized what I was doing, I pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ears.
Her breath came out a bit quicker. Avoiding my eyes, she stammered, “D-do I look as stupid as you do?”
Despite the little jab, I couldn’t focus on anything but the way the blue beanie settled right above her eyebrows, accentuating her big eyes. Under the dim light of the theater, her hazel irises looked more amber.
She really was the full package, wasn’t she? Beautiful, witty, and can dance like a mofo…how had I been able to ignore it all before?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she whispered.
Breaking Promises (B-Boy #1) Page 10
